Lake Murray Life

RODEO in Newberry County!!

If you’re like me, you enjoy cheering for guys atop horses/bulls performing amazing feats. If you’re like my niece, you would rather cheer for the cows…or just cover your eyes! Either way, you are going to enjoy the 9th Annual Jim Hudson Toyota Pro Rodeo at the Newberry County Fairgrounds.

We went two years ago and had a blast! You can have a full night of fun for the whole family at a very reasonable price. Tickets at the gate are $14 for adults and $8 for children. But if you buy them online here, they’re $10 for adults and $5 for children. Shows are tomorrow and Saturday night and they start at 8:00 - gates open at 6:00.

Here’s my favorite picture from when we went:

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Wild Turkey Convention

I’ve been pretty absent from the site for about a week because my parents were in town visiting from Louisiana.  They left last Friday so that they could attend an event at the National Wild Turkey Federation’s headquarters in Edgefield, SC.  You see, my dad’s hobby is turning trumpet style turkey calls…and he has become really good at it.  You can see some of his work here.

Anyway, I know this site is supposed to be about Lake Murray, but I find it very interesting that the NWTF has it’s headquarters in little ol’ Edgefield.  Admittedly, I have not been there.  However, it looks like a pretty impressive place with over 30,000 sqft that holds the headquarters, a museum, an outdoor education center, a conference center and a gift shop.  So if you’re ever out that way, it might be worth stopping by.

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Six steps to raising your Credit Score

Just as you should maintain your health through periodic visits to your physician, you should adopt a similar strategy for your financial health, which in many cases is influenced by your FICO score, a three-digit credit rating used to determine the likelihood you will pay back a loan. Credit scores range from 350 (poor) to 850 (excellent). Here are six steps to raise your FICO score:

• Pay bills on time! Your payment history makes up 35% of your FICO score.

• Don’t consolidate and then close out your old, revolving debt accounts. The age of your credit accounts is an important, positive factor for a good credit score.

• Don’t load up a credit card’s debt close to its limit. This weighs negatively on your credit score.

• Pay down high-balances; don’t shuffle debts among several lenders. Keep no more than a balance of 30% of your limit.

• Settle any collections or past-due accounts.

• Dispute and resolve any inaccurate items in your credit report. Time may be your only remedy for mitigating the damage from bankruptcies, foreclosures and other judgments. The last two years of your credit history are the most important.

• Do your credit shopping (mortgage or automobile) over the same 45-day period so that numerous credit applications show up as one inquiry on your credit report. This minimizes the impact to your credit score.

For more information, view “The Credit DVD” , which offers an in-depth look at credit scores.

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Lake Murray Country

I assume that most people coming to this site are looking for information regarding Lake Murray. After all, that is the purpose of the site. However, I certainly realize that this site is far from comprehensive since Lake Murray has been around for over 70 years and Lake Murray Life has only been around for a few months. So in order to serve you better I want to make sure you know where to go to find the information that you can’t find here.

One of the best places I’ve found so far is Lake Murray Country. This site is loaded with helpful information. They have a very good Calendar of Events, a list of hotels, restaurants and B&Bs divvied up by area, and even an online Visitor’s Guide. Want a list of local Golf Courses, or how about Shops and Antiques? You can find that and more on their site.

I guess that since you are here you like getting information online, but maybe I’m wrong. If that’s the case, you should definitely stop by the Visitor’s Center. They are open 7 days a week. Check here for their hours.

Still can’t find the information you’re looking for? Put it in a comment and I’ll get the answer for you.

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Am I Pre-Approved or Pre-Qualified?

I have been a loan originator in the mortgage industry for several years now and one of the most FAQ’s I get is: “What is the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval?” The two terms are often used interchangeably but actually have different meanings.

A pre-qualification is an estimate of how much home you can afford based on your monthly income and expenses. In most cases, you give this information to a mortgage lender over the phone. This is the first step to completing a loan application, but does not mean you are approved for a mortgage. The terminology is definitely a little tricky.

In order get a pre-approval, the lender pulls a copy of your credit report and verifies the information you have given them. Typically a lender will call your employer to verify your employment, request a copy of your W-2 and pay stubs (or tax returns if you are self-employed) to verify income, and a copy of your bank statement to verify assets.

It is important to get a pre-approval before you begin the hunt for your dream home for two reasons:

1. It gives you peace of mind knowing you can afford the home you are in love with, and
   
2. It ensures the seller that you are qualified to by their home, which will give you more bargaining power when negotiating the sales price.

Janet Wickell posted this article which goes into more detail on the topic. Good luck and happy home hunting.

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Who is Joshua?

I am from the “big city” of Mullins, South Carolina. I grew up in Mullins where my father and grandfather taught me the value of an honest day’s work, the importance of excellent customer service, and the significance of developing lasting client relationships. My father and grandfather own a service station in Mullins where I worked after school and on the weekends for as long as I can remember. What I learned while working at the station has greatly influenced the man I am today.

I am a graduate of Charleston Southern University. I played basketball for Charleston Southern and since graduating have tried to stay very active to avoid getting old. I enjoy both playing and watching almost any sport and being very involved with my church, Northside Baptist in West Columbia. I have, however, come to have another passion in life, the mortgage industry.

I am happy to say I am passionate about my job. I love being a mortgage originator. Most days I just can’t stop talking or thinking about it! There is something to be said about helping a person buy a home and knowing that you played a major part in making it happen. Whether it is a first-time home buyer or an entrepreneur looking to buy their first investment property, I want everyone that I help to look back on the home buying process and have a positive recollection of their experience.

Please free to contact me if you are currently looking to purchase a home, refinance your existing mortgage or if you have any questions regarding any part of the mortgage process. I can pre-qualify you for a home and explain all of the financing options that are currently available to you. My contact information is below:

Joshua Collins

803-331-1716

JCollins@palmettosouth.com

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The Martins are Coming

What you see above is a radar image of over 700,000 purple martins leaving their roost on