September Porch Party: Kim and Chris

Ah yes, another porch party just finished. It was a very good turn out of neighbors, old and new. There definitely was plenty o' food to go around and more importantly, even more beer and wine for the always festive residents. ;) So big thanks to the hosts, Kim and Chris for taking us all in and letting us see all the amazing and "quick" work they've put into making that house just warm and lovely.

Here are some snapshots from last night.



























I have to say that those were some good food we had...mighty spicy too (c/o Jerrod & Emily Burns -- you can always count on that!) Dessert was yummy too. Share your recipes if you wish.

Review: Elements Global Cuisine

If you have anything to celebrate, this may just be the right place to do it.

We've always thought about dining at this place everytime we'd pass through Gulfport and look for somewhere to eat at on the weekends. However, it seems like we were never in luck and the place is always closed. (Maybe because we always went on Sundays when most everything is closed in St. Petersburg. They need to change that. Don't people eat on Sundays, too?)

Anyway, this time it was a weeknight and T&L had a very good reason to celebrate (plus, nobody made dinner or wanted to make dinner...AGAIN!). We went to Gulfport and took our chance...and to our surprise, it was OPEN! Woohoo!

It was almost like fine dining except for the fact that we weren't dressed for the place. They didn't mind though and still served us quite exceptionally. They had very good wine (2 bottles of Artesi should make you feel very happy). And the meal we had was lovely. We had calamari and a salad for starters, a couple of roasted ducks (mmmm...duck), a nice piece of steak, some garlic mashed potatoes for entree and we just couldn't resist getting desserts that the owner just described with a French twang which made it even more tempting I guess. We got a chocolate cake that was like a lava cake since it had warm fudge inside and then since she liked us so much, we got a slice of tiramisu as a bonus! Isn't that spesh?

Anyway, try it out when you decide to dine at the lovely strip in Gulfport. Just dont go on Sunday.


Elements Global Cuisine
3121 Beach Blvd. South
Gulfport, FL 33707

Arm Loans or Harm Loans

Don Kohler and Matt McKillen wanted to share this informative article with the neighbors of Roser Park. (Sorry for the bit of delay, Don and Matt. :)) So here you are.

As everyone is almost certainly aware, mortgage markets in the United States are in severe turmoil this year. All types of media, TV, financial reports and news commentaries, are talking about the mortgage crisis triggered by the Subprime Mortgage meltdown. Many of our larger nationwide mortgage banking institutions have been closing their doors due to liquidity issues in funding new loans or being unable to sell the loans on the secondary market, which is how they normally continue to fund their operations. There is a non-profit website that is tracking the mortgage lending crisis called www.lenderimplode.com. As of the date of this article, 149 lenders this year alone have shut down operations, plus there is a list of ailing financial institutions that are being closely watched.

Loans that are primarily involved in the turmoil are short term fixed adjustable rate loans. These types of loans are usually fixed with a teaser rate for 2, 3, and 5 yr periods then convert to either a 6 month arm or a monthly changing arm. Upon conversion, some homeowners are seeing as much as 2-3% increases from their initial lower fixed teaser rates. For example, if a borrower had an initial rate of 5.75% that converted to a fully indexed rate at 7.50 % on a $275,000 dollar loan, the payment would increase from $1604 P&I (principle and interest) to $1,922 P&I. After the initial conversion, the homeowner is subject to periodic rate increases that can be monthly, bi-annually, or once a year for the remaining term of the loan. Throw in rising home-owner insurance costs, the re-assessment of property taxes, and you can see the potential financial impact these conditions can cause on a families budget.

Bear in mind, not all ARM’s are bad loans. They serve a purpose in the right situations. If a family knows the home is an interim living situation for a few years, or will be selling later down the road to downsize etc., the ARM loan is a good solution. Interest only loans have also been popular products for a home-owner that is trying to maximize monthly cash flow, knowing they can pay extra every month to principle if they desire. Fannie Mae is now offering a 30 yr fixed that allows for interest only for the first 10 yrs. This product basically gives you the best of both worlds. Long term fixed stability, plus the convenience of interest only to maximize cash flow for the first 10 yrs.

With the present change in market conditions, the rising of interest rates, and the tightening of credit guidelines, even for borrowers with perfect credit histories, everyone that has an ARM loan has to consider the short and long term consequences of their existing financing. At Preferred Mortgage (we are a direct lender), we specialize in providing an in-depth mortgage analysis of a homeowner’s existing loan based upon short and long-term plans for the property. If you are interested in this free service, I invite you to call Don Kohler or Matt McKillen at our office # 727 388-9874, and allow us to advise you on what options are available to solve your short term and long term financing needs.

Matthew McKillen and Don Kohler of Preferred Mortgage Services have over 20 yrs experience in residential lending. Preferred Mortgage offers 1st and 2nd mortgages for refinancing and purchasing of properties from 1-4 units. We are pleased to offer a special for all Roser Park residents that do business with us, a free appraisal refunded at closing.

Discuss.

For those who want to share anything from photos, events, articles, jokes, news, promos, etc. just send it to us through this email.

Review: Island Flavors

This is a little bit of delayed post but nevertheless worth porting about. We found a new resto to try with Mr. Manlowe's suggestion based on his find from a neighbnorhood newsletter. The place is called Island Flavors (and Tings?).

It all started with a rainy evening and it was going to be a late dinner. To make a long story short, we got there just in time before they closed the kitchen which is 8pm. We were the only ones there but they gladly took us in anyway.

What it turned out to be was a very sumptuous and very authentic (from what we know) Carribean/Jamaican cuisine. Everything they served out table was just beautifully presented on funky tropical plates. We had jerk pork, jerk chicken, ox tail and brown-stewed chicken. All very tasty! (We had to have a bite of each other's plates :)) And since they didn't serve alcohol, they allowed us to BYOB and got us some Red Stripe to just complete the Jamaican meal!

Anyway, it's a place you should try out and see for yourself. It's definitely something to keep on going back to. By the way, service is just superb.

1411 49th Street South
Gulfport, Florida 33707
www.islandflavorsandtings.com