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MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.
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| Letter from the Editor | |
As Veterans Day nears, let us take a moment to recognize the true meaning of this day. This is more than a day off of work or school, it is a chance to honor and celebrate America's veterans for their love of country, their sacrifice, and their willingness to serve so that we can enjoy the freedoms that America is known for. Thank you to all of our veterans, active duty military service members and the families that serve along side.
We will be featuring a number of great events and discounts that will be available for our armed forces on Veterans Day on our MilitaryByOwner and Quantico Live blogs soon. Be sure to take advantage of the ways that America says "Thank You".
To the Marines around the world, we wish you a happy 236th Birthday on November 10, 2011. Thank you for your service to this great country. Stand tall and proud and enjoy celebrating as you can rest assured we celebrate along with you!
November is one of those months that starts off slow but quickly launches us into the holiday season. While the winter months are not considered the peak military move season, we do still have a considerable amount of military members that are on the move and are looking for or advertising great homes. If you are currently advertising with us, make sure to update your ad as needed. New photos that are seasonally appropriate, accurate availability dates and contact information will ensure that your ad puts your home in the best light possible.
We always say that we love hearing from our customers and it is true! Recent request from our customers led us to add two new base pages to our website database. If you are currently stationed at or are anticipating orders to Puerto Rico, be sure to check out our Fort Buchanan page. We have also added a new base page for customers to advertise their homes that are close to the new Mark Center in Alexandria, VA. We do listen, so please send us your comments, feedback and suggestions. You can contact us via email, phone, live chat, Facebook and Twitter (@militarybyowner). We look forward to hearing from you!
If you have any comments or suggestions for subjects you would like to see covered in our monthly newsletter or on our MilitaryByOwner Blog, please feel free to email me.
Monica Schaefer 
Editor
Media Relations Manager
MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.
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MBO News
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Happy 236th Birthday Marines!!
The Marine Corps ball was one event that I always looked forward to. The first "formal" Birthday Ball took place in Philadelphia in 1925. Guests included the Commandant, the Secretary of War (in 1925 the term Secretary of Defense didn't exist) and statesmen and elected officials.
Post your favorite ball photo (Marine Corps, Navy,Air Force, Army, Coast Guard and National Guard) on our MilitaryByOwner facebook page!
Veterans Day
The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery . The ceremony commences precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns and continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans' organizations and remarks from dignitaries. The ceremony is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces. Thanks to all service members and their families!
MBO Questions
Why isn't my picture showing? 
We have two ad packages that include photos, Home Tour and Home Tour Plus. - The Home Tour package includes five photos that are displayed on the detail page of the home.
- The Home Tour Plus package includes 10 photos as well as a thumbnail photo displayed on the base home listing page. This is the only package that includes the thumbnail photo.
How do I change my ad status? When your home has changed status, rented, sold or under contract it is easy to reflect that change.
- Log into your account with your email address and password. Click on 'My Account'
- Click on 'View my Property Ads' and 'Edit Ad'
- In the top section of your ad, 4th line down, is the ad status drop down. Click on the drop down and click on the appropriate status.
- Be sure to click on 'save and continue' at the bottom of the page to save your change.
Sharon Gran Sales and Marketing Office: 866 604 9126 9am-5pm EST Online Live Chat: M-F 9am-9pm EST Check out our blogs:
MilitaryByOwner
Quantico Live
MacDill Happenings
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| Real Estate Corner | | Including a Military Clause in Your Lease Agreement
Monica Schaefer
MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.
Military relocation is a unique aspect of the rental side of the real estate market. Any one who has been waiting for a hard copy of orders knows that it makes it very difficult to search for housing at your next duty station. I am certain there is no shortage of military families that have stories about a last minute change of orders and the upheaval that ensued afterward.
While the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act states the parameters of terminating a lease agreement, including the clause directly in your lease agreement is the easiest way to protect you as both a tenant and a landlord. The Military Clause clearly states what you and the landlord agree to in the event something changes with your status. It is also important to make sure that if you are married, that the Military Clause covers your spouse in the event that you are not in a position to execute the termination of lease. Here is a sample of a standard Military Clause.
IN THE EVENT the Tenant is, or hereafter becomes, a member of the United States Armed Forces on extended active duty and hereafter the Tenant receives permanent change of station orders to depart from the area where the Premises are located, or is relieved from active duty, retires or separates from the military, or is ordered into military housing, then in any of these events, the Tenant may terminate this lease upon giving thirty (30) days written notice to the Landlord.
The Tenant shall also provide to the Landlord a copy of the official orders or a letter signed by the tenant's commanding officer, reflecting the change, which warrants termination under this clause. The Tenant will pay prorated rent for any days (he/she) occupy the dwelling past the first day of the month.
The damage/security deposit will be promptly returned to the tenant, provided there are no damages to the premises.
Landlord and tenants; please take the time to review the laws of the state where the home is located and include the appropriate verbiage in your lease agreement. Hopefully this will ease the pain if you find yourself in a difficult situation similar to Debbie. As she summed it up, "Military moves can be very uncertain and it is hard to know if situations will change. It was an extremely stressful situation".
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| Expert Corner | |
Should You Refinance Your Mortgage?
By Scott E. Halliwell, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CWS®
Mortgage rates are low. Heck, they've not only fallen to the floor, they now occupy the crawlspace beneath the house. Because of this, you may be wondering if you should refinance your existing mortgage. I know we've been talking a lot about it in my house! As a matter of fact, my wife and I were just discussing it this morning over breakfast ... again. Though we concluded that refinancing still doesn't work for us, I thought I would give you a little different framework to help you decide if refinancing might make sense for you.
You might have heard the refinancing decision framed like this: divide your refinancing costs by the monthly savings resulting from your new reduced payment to see how many months it will take to recoup the costs. If you plan to stay in the house longer than that, refinancing might make sense. While helpful, this method comes up a bit short for me, so I prefer a different approach. It's also pretty simple, but I think it produces a more useful result because it focuses on actual expense comparisons, not just nearsighted monthly cash flow. To take my approach, you'll need one critical assumption, two printouts, and one set of expense estimates.
These items will be combined to make this basic comparison:
Total Future Cost of Current Mortgage
(most likely will only include interest expense) |
VS.
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Total Future Cost of New Mortgage
(will include interest expense AND refinance costs) |
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If the costs on the right are less than the costs on the left (for the time you intend to keep the house) then refinancing probably makes sense. Notice that we're talking about total costs here, not just total payments. This distinction is important because only a portion of each mortgage payment represents expense; the rest goes toward paying down principal.
Now, let's go back to the list of things I said you will need in order to make this comparison, starting with the one assumption. First, you'll need to make a critical assumption of how long you intend to stay in the house, and therefore how long you will be paying the mortgage. Will it be five years, ten years or until the mortgage is paid off? This assumption is key because refinancing generally involves paying upfront costs in exchange for lower interest expense in each payment going forward. In most cases, for refinancing to make sense, you have to be pretty comfortable that you will eventually save enough over time to offset these upfront costs.
Once you reach that crossover point, refinancing starts paying off and becomes a good financial move. However, if you never get there (either because you move too soon or the numbers just don't play out) then you have spent a bunch of money for nothing. For example, let's say you do a comparison that shows refinancing will begin to save you money starting in five years, but you're only planning to stay in the house for three years. Given these facts, it wouldn't make much sense to refinance.
Finally in order to make the comparison, you will need an amortization table for each loan (the two printouts I referenced) and you will need to know the closing costs of refinancing (the expense estimates). Your current lender can provide you the amortization table for your existing loan or you can run the numbers yourself on any number of online calculators. Your prospective refinancing lender can provide the refinancing costs and an amortization table for the new loan you would be taking.
Once you have this basic information and have made the one basic yet critical "how long you'll be there" assumption, you will be armed with all that you need to decide if you should refinance your mortgage. It's really that simple.
Maybe you'll discover that it's time to move from the kitchen table to the banker's table. Or maybe you'll discover that it's time to go back to reading the newspaper. In either case, you won't know unless you do the comparison first.
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| Military Life | | |
AAHA Certificate Ensures Quality Care for Man's Best Friends
Christy Shields
MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.
Many of us have beloved pets that have tallied up many Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves as they've traveled with us from duty station to duty station, and it seems everyone I know has a "pet  PCS" story to tell. Friends and neighbors have told stories of driving cross country with birds in cages, fish, lizards and turtles in tanks, and sneaking dogs and cats into hotels in the days before there were so many pet-friendly options. Star Henderson, of Army Wife Network told me she once tried to sweet talk a front desk attendant into letting her check-in with her large pet snake. Heck, I even know a family that PCS'd from a duty station on the east coast and drove all the way to Fort Wainwright, Alaska via the Alaska-Canadian highway with two dogs in the car and towing two horses! Needless to say, our pets are part of our families, and not only are we going to bring them everywhere with us, we also will search for a quality veterinary facility to care for them once we arrive. So, when I recently discovered information about AAHA certification at my veterinarian's office, I wanted to pass it along.
I recently took my 10 year old Rottie, Karl, in for a teeth cleaning, which of course required him to be anesthetized. When I went to pick him up, I was expecting a lethargic, slightly-nauseated, old dog to come shuffling around the corner; instead, he trotted out like a puppy with a smile on his face. He was completely relaxed, happy, and alert and acted like he was ready for a walk. I couldn't believe it! I mentioned how well and happy he seemed to the vet tech who brought him to me and she said, "Oh yes, we use only the highest-quality medications here, that certificate on the wall proves it." I looked to where she pointed and saw an accreditation certificate from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) which is considered the Standard of Veterinary Excellence. Curious, I asked my veterinarian, Dr. William Kusterbeck of Ridge Lake Animal Hospital in Woodbridge, Virginia to explain what it meant. In a nutshell he said the AAHA has a set of accreditation standards that are widely used as benchmarks to measure excellence in veterinary medicine of which accredited members must adhere. Accredited members also undergo on-site evaluations every three years. Dr. Kusterbeck said it is a source of pride for a Veterinary facility to be able to hang the certification on their wall as it represents dedication and commitment to the highest standards of care as well as signaling the practice's commitment to continuing education. The AAHA is nationwide and you can search for AAHA accredited facilities from their website.
In any case, it was the first time I'd heard of the organization and I thought it important information to share with other military families. I happened to get lucky when I found my veterinarian, but you can bet that the next time I move to a new area with a pet, I will search for an AAHA accredited facility. For those of you who read this post and are moving to the Woodbridge, Northern Virginia area, check out Ridge Lake Animal Hospital, not only an AAHA accredited facility, but they offer boarding as well, to include care and boarding of exotic animals, which isn't always so easy to find! Also, mention that you discovered RidgeLakeAnimalHospital through reading this blog entry and you can receive a 10% discount on your first visit!
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| Featured Home | | Hill AFB
For Rent by Owner
Rent: $2,200/month
Kaysville, UT - Galbraith Lane
5 Bed, 4 Bath (Single Family)
Description:
Stunning 4800 sf ranch home on ¾ acres in Kaysville. 5 bedroom 4 bath plus office and many upgrades: Custom kitchen with 3" granite countertops, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings with rustic timber beams, plantation shutters, 2nd kitchen in fully finished basement with 9' ceilings, granite in bathrooms and laundry, jetted tub and deluxe shower in master bath. Cul-de-sac home on a quiet street with easy access to I-15 and 8 miles and less than 15 minutes from Hill AFB. Smoke free home. Scenic mountain views in a great neighborhood and schools.
MBO208496
  
For more information on this home, Click Here To see more Hill AFB Homes, please visit: MilitaryByOwner.com |
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"An excellent resource for any military family moving to a new area. We found a ton of homes to choose from and rented a house in 8 days.
This was the only site I used. Thanks!"
A.A.
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