Mardi Boettcher's Blog

This event is a good example of the unique character of Mendocino County and it’s residents: 

Global Day of Climate Action celebrated in Willits By JAY GORDON
Updated: 10/27/2009 02:12:10 PM PDT
Special for the Ukiah Daily Journal

The city of Willits is a walkable community. It’s easy for residents and visitors to explore the town on their own or as part of an organized group.

Painted footprints at intersections guide the curious around downtown and the nearby areas. This includes locally owned shops, charming cottages, public parks, museums, art galleries and a state of the art skatepark for kids.

Most walks begin at J D Redhouse mercantile, not simply because it is in the center of town but also because it’s a place to fortify yourself with pastries and specialty coffees before your walk — and snacks and ice cream afterward.

Head north toward Commercial Street, where painted footprints on the sidewalk will direct you to turn left and begin whatever part of the 5-mile excursion suits your interests and energy level. There are organized walks about four times a year.  This is a great way to meet local people and other visitors who share your enthusiasm for walking.

Normally, a hundred or so walkers participate. However, attendance for the Sunday, Oct. 24 event was sizable since it was in conjunction with the Global Day of Climate Action. Groups around the world planned activities for this day to focus on ways to protect the planet by reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

At the time walk organizer Jed Diamond said, “The goal is to have 350 walkers to represent the 350 parts per million that scientists, climate experts, and many national governments say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are now almost at 390. Our walk will be one of thousands of events going on throughout the world (including one in Laytonville) on Oct. 24 co-sponsored by the group 350.org.”  The final tally of walkers in Willits of Oct. 24 was 377.  Impressive for a town of 5,000 people. 
There were  free cotton T-shirts for the first 350 people to sign in and take the walk. The T-shirts have a net zero carbon footprint and are made from 69 percent pre-consumer recycled cotton.

The local organization spearheading the walks is WHAT (Willits Healthy Action Team).  Cofounder Jed Diamond is a longtime resident, perhaps best known for his seminal best-selling books on men’s issues, including Male Menopause and The Irritable Male Syndrome.  Contact Jed for more information about future walks.  Phone 459-5505 or e-mail jed@MenAlive.com.

Ever wonder what Mendocino County is up to?

Discover www.gomendo.org  An Insider’s Guide to County Promotional Activities.

Check out the new and improved www.gomendo.org.  An in-county website designed to keep the community abreast of Visit Mendocino County activities and updates. 
 
Look at meeting agendas & minutes, quarterly reports on the marketing plan, communicate with staff, meet the current board of directors, check out the visitors guide and much more…
 
 goMendo.org site and learn about all that is happening to promote our county, communities and businesses.  Great things are happening and we want you to know about it!
 
Thanks to Scott Schneider
President & CEO
Visit Mendocino County, Inc.
T 707.964.9010 | F 866.836.7557 | E scott@gomendo.com

As a member of The Bay Area Real Estate Information Service (BAREIS), I just received the details about a scam that has been using MLS (Multiple Listing Service) information.  I’m not aware of this happening in Mendocino County, but I want you, and people you know, to be forewarned.

There is a rental scam taking place in which properties listed in the MLS are advertised on Craigslist and other online classified services for rent and properties are not for rent at all.  The ads run for a very brief period of time. 

The ads typically say something like “A spouse’s sickness and a move to West Africa has made it difficult for me to rent my home (in some wonderful neighborhood…and with all kinds of poorly written bizarre information.)  The property is offered for rent at an extremely discounted rental price. 

When the unsuspecting public responds to the ad, the email response from the scammer gives additional information about the property, and requests a deposit through a wire transfer service.  The renters might sometimes be asked to fill out a credit application that asks for personal information like credit history, social security numbers, and work history.  The crooks can then use this info to commit identity theft even steal more money from their victims.

This is an international scam originating in Nigeria, although local scammers may pick up on this scheme.  

The FBI (in charge of internet scams and fraud) has issued scam alerts and press releases dealing with the issue.  A full description of the scam is available on the FBI site at http://www.fbi.gov/page2/july09/housingscam_072909.html A press release from the FBI in South Carolina is posted at http://columbia.fbi.gov/pressrel/2009/co072209.htm (shows it is not just a local issue) and there is also a link to report internet crime at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

The Nigerians are mining information from internet sites in which listings are posted.  The perpetuators of the scam are using “spoofed” email addresses that would make it appear they are local.  You do not have the ability to trace them unless you are a professional in computer forensics.

 What can you do if a local property is the subject of the scam? 

Contact me or the listing agent and we will Contact the FBI, The State Attorney Generals Office, the County District Attorney, or City District Attorney and file a police report.  These are the entities charged with investigating and prosecuting consumer fraud.   The link to report internet crime is http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx ), 

The FBI’s guidelines for the general public to avoid being victimized. 

• Only deal with landlords or renters who are local.
• Be suspicious if you’re asked to only use a wire transfer service.
• Beware of e-mail correspondence from the “landlord” that’s written in poor or broken English.
• Research the average rental rates in that area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower.
• Don’t give out personal information, like social security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

On June 8th, Fannie Mae issued a list of tougher policies that could directly affect thousands of buyers in the coming months, especially those involved in job-related transfers.

Reversing a long-standing policy, Fannie no longer will permit mortgage applicants to count the income of so-called “trailing spouses” in the household income to qualify for a loan.
A” trailing spouse” is one who joins his or her spouse or partner in a job-related move, but who has yet to obtain employment in the new location.
If the main breadwinner’s income isn’t sufficient to handle the mortgage, the loan application will be rejected; only when the trailing spouse has documented income in the new location will it be counted.

Therefore, some transfering couples will either have to qualify on the basis of one income” — forcing couples to “buy less house than they wanted” — or “they may have to rent for an extended period of time until the spouse or couple is re-employed.  If a couple must wait to purchase a new home until the spouse can find a new job, it might cause some to reconsider whether they want to make the job shift at all.  (It is estimated that about 800,000 households in the United States move in a typical year because of job transfers.)

The good news is that Freddie Mac still counts “trailing spouse” or co-borrower income for loan applications, but under strict guidelines:  The amount of the trailing co-borrower income cannot exceed 33 percent of the total qualifying income for the mortgage application.  That income cannot be from self-employment and the “trailing spouse” must have been continuously employed in the same occupation for at least two years preceding the relocation.  And the co-borrower must provide a statement of intent to find employment in the new location.  The loan officer or lender must also analyze the local employment market and verify that there are adequate opportunities and earnings potential for the co-borrower.
(I would like to know how they do that.  Anyone know?)

As part of its June 8 tightening of underwriting rules, Fannie Mae also announced that it plans to discount the values of all borrowers’ stock, bond, mutual fund and retirement fund holdings that are claimed toward the applicants’ financial reserves needed to qualify for a mortgage.  Fannie previously counted 100 percent of the claimed or documented value of stocks, bonds and mutual funds toward reserves but, now, it will discount them by 30 percent.  It seems too bad that they have to do that, but it certainly makes sense in this economic environment.

These changes will make it difficult for folks in the short term, but lenders needed to be more responsible about loaning money and we all benefit when everyone “does the right thing.”

As of July 1st, the Mendocino County Lodging Association (MCLA) in partnership with the Mendocino County Promotional Alliance (MCPA) will be pooling their resources under the Visit Mendocino County organization to better promote and market the County.

This is a giant leap forward and much time, dedication, and energy have been devoted to getting to this point.  The Visit Mendocino County team will function as the county’s official Tourism Bureau, and is focused on growing visitors in order to increase the economic impact of travel in the County. From visitor guides to the County website to working with members and businesses, the Visit Mendocino County team will direct and implement the entire marketing campaign.

Visit their great website:  www.gomendo.com  and see all the community information there.