Fat Tuesday is here…and like Fat Albert, a fat wallet, and Fat Bottomed Girls (the great song by Queen)…it’s something to celebrate. Fat Tuesday in French is Mardi Gras, a day with deep roots in the Christian religion. It’s become a day to overindulge and have some extravagant fun before the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent.

I lived for many years in the shadow of the large Krispy Kreme sign in Raleigh, but I never confused those delightful doughnuts with beignets, an iconic fried dough treat from France that is a Mardi Gras tradition, particularly in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras is celebrated on a grand scale. A warm beignet covered with powdered sugar and served with a cup of coffee and chicory au lait is my idea of Fat Fun.

Another preferred dessert for Fat Tuesday is King Cake. There is quite a fascinating bit of history behind this circle of cinnamon filled dough topped with purple, green, and gold colored sugar. It celebrates the three kings who brought gifts to the Christ child.  Even the colors of the sugar represent something…purple for Justice, green for Faith, and gold for Power. Baked inside the cake is a small, plastic baby. Whoever gets the piece of the cake that contains the baby gets to be the King or Queen of the Fat Tuesday festivities, with the added responsibility of supplying the King Cake for the next year’s celebration.

Prefer a liquid treat? May I suggest a “Mardi Gras Mojito.” You’ll need:

• Ÿ      2 leaves fresh mint
• Ÿ      1 tablespoon simple syrup
• Ÿ      2 cubes ice
• Ÿ      1 1/4 fluid ounces rum
• Ÿ      1 fluid ounce carbonated water
• Ÿ      1 sprig fresh mint

In a cocktail glass crush the mint leaves with simple syrup. Add crushed or cubed ice and rum. Top with carbonated water almost to the top of the glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint leaves or lime wedges.

Enjoy your Fat Tuesday. Add some swingin’ hot Zydeco music to the day and you’ll have a grand time! Just remember…we get serious again on Wednesday.

By Tom Gongaware (General Sales Manager, Triangle Region)

How does orbiting Earth have anything to do with real estate? Well, besides the panoramic views of the houses from space, very little; however, technology continues to impact every industry.

Project Mercury was initiated by NASA in October 1958 with three goals:

• To place an American into orbit
• To observe the astronaut’s reactions to the space environment
• To safely recover both the astronaut and the spacecraft

All three goals were met for the first time on Feb. 20, 1962 with the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. This mission launched Friendship 7 from Cape Canaveral, FL which carried John Glenn into space. Glenn orbited Earth three times, spending 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds in flight before returning to Earth with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.  After that project was successfully completed, almost anything seemed possible. Over the next two decades, man went to the moon, space shuttles were built, and a space station was established.

These phenomenal advances in our space program really made me think about changes in real estate technology over the past two decades.  When I entered the business in 1990, we had the following technology tools:

• An MLS book that was printed every Thursday – it had every house on the market printed in this book – imagine how quickly that is out-of-date in today’s world?

• A fax machine was just introduced and it used thermal paper.  My memory was the paper would curl up so you put your coffee cup on each corner to keep it flat. We watched a list of new properties faxed to us every morning – this was the first step in keeping the MLS book updated.

• A cell phone that was mounted in the car and it was so expensive to use, you didn’t want to make any phone calls!  Later the cell phones became mobile, but they were huge!

• Keys for houses were either checked out by each real estate firm or were placed in a combo box – some technologies are timeless as we still use combos today.

• Every contract was hand-written, but very short in length.

• We had “dummy” terminals in the early 90’s – no hard-drive, just a modem connection with DOS based software.  No visuals, but a pure data interface.

I guess I should tell you what we DIDN’T have in 1990:

• Internet websites
• Google
• Email
• Texting
• Videos
• Electronic forms
• Apps
• Memory sticks/thumb drives
• Laptop computers, smart phones, and tablets
• Digital cameras
• Social Media

Just as technology changed space travel in less than two decades, technology has fundamentally changed the way we work in the real estate industry. The amount of data access through internet websites, videos and photos, mobile devices, etc., has not only increased the speed of our communication, it has enabled us to connect with consumers in so many different ways.

It’s simply astounding the changes technology has created in our business.  Just as NASA continued to evolve with technology to make the impossible seem possible, the Allen Tate Company continues to evolve with new technologies that enhance and improve the real estate experience. The Allen Tate agents use these new technologies every day to continue to provide guidance and exceptional service to our clients.

As Mr. Tate always says, “Since 1957, I have dedicated my life to improving customer service in the real estate business, and the journey will never end.”

By Tony Jarrett (Regional Vice President, Triad)

The December holidays are now a distant memory and even Valentine’s Day is behind us. But, if you are like me, there may be moments when you look longingly at the spot where your tree stood or where decorations and ornaments were placed in abundance. Your home may feel a bit bare with holiday decorations boxes away. So, what do you do overcome that empty look? I’ve used these simple tips to perk up my place:

• It’s a good time to do a thorough cleaning and bring out some things you may have packed away for a fresh look. Its amazing how moving accessories from room to room or put in a different light can create a different look. This gives you the feeling of something new.
• Clean off kitchen countertops, leaving just the bare necessities. This creates a fresh start after seeing your kitchen piled high with mail and goodies from neighbors and friends during the holidays!
• If your home allows a different furniture arrangement, do it.  It’s amazing how moving furniture can make a room seem more spacious or cozier. It’s a good way to fill the voids left by family Christmas tree.  Another easy fix is to put area rugs at different angles. This must be done carefully with the furniture arrangement to make sure it all works.
• Go to your local home and garden center pick up a few houseplants. These are usually quite abundant and affordable in January and February. Put a nice fresh plant in a decorative container or basket on the fireplaces, etc.  This is a friendly reminder that spring is fast approaching and you can catch the spirit even from inside.  Potted herbs are excellent in your kitchen and useful when you’re cooking. Many garden centers or grocery stores also offer potted forced spring bulbs growing and ready for you to take home and enjoy!  Make sure not to buy a plant that’s already in full bloom.  Don’t forget to look in the bargain section for leftover bulb kits of amaryllis and narcissus.  Just ditch the Christmas containers they come in. Get creative and put plants in various containers. Don’t stick with basic flowerpots, use wine coolers, pitchers, and my personal favorite is leather trunks and boxes! When these are bloomed out, save them and plant in your yard. Pretty soon you can have a beautiful spring flower garden with plants from Christmas and winters past!!
• Dining room tables often are seen with one large centerpiece.  Have you ever thought of doing two smaller arrangements on the ends and a large candle in the center?  Or maybe a wine bucket and your favorite bottle of vino as the centerpiece placed on a mirror!
• Do your porches appear bare? They don’t have to! Fill your containers with hardy evergreens.  If you decide to put the annuals in containers after the season, just plant new shrubs in your landscape.

Enjoy these tips, and know spring will be here in just a few weeks!

By Casey Ballard (GRI Broker – Client Specialist) – Guest Blogger

There has been much talk recently about new refinancing options available for homeowners who are underwater. Being underwater means you owe more on your home than it is worth.

The most recent program is referred to as Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) 2.0. This program is open to borrowers whose mortgages are owned by either FNMA or Freddie Mac, which are conventional mortgage programs.

Under HARP 2.0, lenders will be able to waive the appraisal portion of the refinance and not be concerned about their loan to value (LTV). They will be able to take advantage of historically low interest rates and reduce their monthly payments.

At this time, lenders are preparing to open up this program.  What you can do in the interim is figure out whether your loan will be eligible.  Requirements for eligibility include:

• Your mortgage must be owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac (check here) or Fannie Mae (check here).
• Your original loan must have closed no later than May 2009.
• Your mortgage cannot have been previously refinanced under HARP.
• Your current loan-to-value ratio must be greater than 80%.
• Borrower must be current on the mortgage at the time of the refinance, with a good payment history for the past 12 months.

Let us talk with you about your refinance options so that we can assist you to see if you will be eligible for this program when it is released in mid March.

By Lisa Green (Vice President of Loan Origination)

Right now, the residential real estate market is not lacking in sales activity. It is caused by fabulous interest rates, rock-bottom prices and an increase in demand. Thus far, the first two months of 2012 are 50-60 percent greater as compared to this time last year.  All indicators for the Carolinas look at a healthy uptick in sales units this year.  January and February are proving to be just that!

That being said, contract failures are proving to be a big deterrent in today’s market. After negotiating a contract in good faith, some sellers feel abused when they receive bad news from the inspector which, in turn, results in a low appraisal. A situation like that is incredibly frustrating and for many, it is the final straw. A lack in buyer confidence, expectations on dates that have to be met and more stringent lending requirements are all potential roadblocks that we are faced with today. They are not however, the end of the world. Nevertheless, left uncontrolled, they contribute to the highest fall-through rates we have seen in a long, long time.

It is our job to make sure you are pre-qualified so that you are confident of your price range. It is our job to make sure your paperwork is in order early on in the process … well before you find the home of your dreams.

We will help you tighten up and lockdown.  We will ensure that you make no additional purchases of goods or services while in the process of getting a loan because doing so could be detrimental.

It will be your job to work hard upfront with your Realtor® to know your comps, how the activity in your neighborhood is shaping up and when to call for that inspection (we advise sooner rather than later on that one).

If you are buying a distressed property, know that patience and time are required and that the journey can be fraught with landmines.  If you understand that up front, all will be good and you will not get caught up in the unexpected.

We cannot control the market itself, but we can be prepared for whatever comes our way.  Stop renting in 2012 and climb aboard the homeownership train!  We will be there to hold your hand.

By Pat Riley (President and Chief Operating Officer)

We’ve sat through the Golden Globe’s and the Screen Actor’s Guild Award shows. This weekend we are gearing up for the Grammy’s. These are well-known award shows that are eagerly anticipated by many.

Every year in January and February, we at the Allen Tate Company, look forward to our own awards. Each year during this time, we recognize our top performers for the previous year in numerous award banquets across our footprint.

We salute the REALTOR’s on their personal production numbers and their partnership with our family of companies. It is always so exciting to see people come to the stage to receive their hard-earned awards and watch as their businesses grow over the years and their award stack grows as well.

There are 2 other awards that are given at each banquet that are very special.

The first is the Most Valuable Team Player Award. Voted on by their peers in their office, one person is selected for their dedication, participation, attitude, and support of the team.  They are the person that helps a new Allen Tate REALTOR learn how to use the copier.  They are the person that is integral in raising money for our community campaigns each year.  They are the person that is always glad to help when help is needed.  There is always a standing ovation when the recipient walks to the stage to receive their award.

The second is the Barbara Tate Legendary Service Award. Named in honor of the late Barbara Tate, this award is not given in every office, or every region, or every year.  This award recognizes the REALTOR that makes every one of their clients feel like they are the only people on earth.  The REALTOR that goes the extra mile and then some to make the home buying or home selling experience an enjoyable one.  The REALTOR that always puts their client’s needs first and the transaction second.  When Pat Riley reads the name, everyone stands up and the recipient is always shedding tears. It is an unforgettable moment every time.

Providing outstanding customer service is what this company was built on and what drives us every day. We are proud of all of our REALTORs and their part in making your positive experience at Allen Tate one that you would want to tell your friends about!

By Phyllis Brookshire (Senior Vice President)

With temperatures nearing 70 degrees these past few days, it is hard to remember that we have just started the month of February. I remember my first February in the Carolinas – and thinking that it was so bitterly cold and dreary. But I really didn’t mind, since I was just so happy to be living here! Having left the balmy 80 degree weather of south Florida for a new life in Charlotte, people thought I was crazy to be excited about the weather. What they didn’t understand is that the change of seasons is a beautiful thing to a person that hasn’t experienced it in 28 years. I learned quickly, though, that there are important items to watch out for in the winter weather.

As the weather gets colder and colder (and it will!) and we move through winter in the Carolinas, it’s important to take the proper measures to winterize your home to prevent property losses and future claims.

A few winterizing recommendations (from someone who knows):

• Prepare your fireplace for winter by inspecting the damper, removing soot and creosote from your chimney and storing chopped firewood away from your home.
• Call an HVAC professional to inspect and clean your heating system.
• Inspect your doors and windows for cracks and exposures and seal them.
• Clean out gutters by removing any debris.
• Drain air conditioner pipes and shut off the AC water valve.
• If you go away on vacation, keep the heat set on 55 degrees or higher.
• Prepare an emergency kit of candles, batteries, non-perishable food items, first aid, matches/lighters, and water.

Taking these few steps before the winter weather moves in (no matter when that might be) will help protect your home now and prevent future damage. And remember – spring is right around the corner. The daffodils in my yard are already starting to bloom!

By Susan Catoe (Allen Tate Insurance Services) – Guest Blogger

I enjoy working out on the elliptical machine at the gym every day. When I feel good, I try to go at a seven-minute mile pace for 40 minutes.  A few months ago, I started having leg problems.  Although I kept working out, I slowed my pace to an eight-minute mile.  Now that I’m feeling better, I am trying to get back to the seven-minute pace.  There are two challenges: my mindset and my effort.  For me, I am struggling with working that hard again and questioning whether the results are worth the effort.

I wonder if the news and the economy for the past few years have done the same thing to our self-expectations, both in work and play.  Did we do things at a higher level of effectiveness when we were moving at a better pace?  Are we challenged by allowing external forces that affect our mindset, so that we are now struggling to regain the pace we had?  Have we lowered our pace to meet lower expectations of results?

First, I must adjust my mindset to the faster pace that I have forgotten I can do.  I must mentally reject the premise that I cannot go that fast anymore. One technique is to take the entire job and break it into smaller pieces.  Focus on getting that first “seven-minute mile” in and then finish the rest of the time.  Build it up each week.  I can do the same thing with my business.  Break it into manageable pieces and work on getting the first piece up to snuff.  Once that is in place, go to the next piece.

Next is the effort.  I once was used to that feeling of exhaustion and loved it, because I knew I had accomplished something. I was comfortable with that feeling.  Now I am comfortable with not feeling that way. Maybe in our jobs we have done the same thing.  Maybe we are comfortable going home at 5 instead of 5:30.  Maybe we don’t feel the urgency to return that call as promptly.  Maybe we think we have “already paid our dues.”  Well BAD NEWS: DUES HAVE GONE UP! We must go to that networking event. We must make that phone call.  Maybe we have to work 15 more minutes to get the job done. The opportunity is there for “feeling good” again. If the results are to be had, then mindset and effort must change.

By the way, I will get to seven again.  I promised my daughter I would.

By John Kindbom (Manager/Broker-In-Charge, University Region) – Guest Blogger

I hail from Buffalo, N.Y. It’s famous for many things including the home of two U.S. Presidents, the inauguration of another and the host of a Pan Am Expo. However, if you poll the average person and ask them “What is Buffalo famous for,” you will likely hear one of the following: snow, the Bills losing four consecutive Super Bowls and chicken wings.

With the Super Bowl airing this Sunday, I am always amazed by the stories that pop up in the paper about chicken wing recipes and the history of the lowly chicken wing. In Wednesday’s food section of the Charlotte Observer, there is front-page story about this upstate N.Y. food “staple” and the one of the many folk tales about its history.

The one fact that probably no one will dispute is where the first “wings” were created: Frank and Theresa’s Anchor Bar on Main St. in Buffalo. Since I went to college next door, I was a regular patron of the Anchor Bar. I feel somewhat of an expert on this topic since I indulged in my fair share of beer and wings. On a side note, while working my way through college, I was a bartender at a local “gin mill,” as we called them. One requisite, besides pouring shots and beers, was to make wings.

The folk tale that I was told (and am sticking to) goes something like this. During one of Buffalo’s famous blizzards in the 1960’s, the Anchor Bar had a house full of patrons but due to the weather, was out of food. The only food on hand was leftover chicken wings that were normally thrown away; celery; carrots; blue cheese dressing; and Frank’s Hot Sauce. As the story goes, Frank and Theresa deep-fried the wings, poured on the secret sauce (I’ll reveal later) and served them up with a side order of celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing. And there you have it. My version of the history of the chicken wing!

Over the years, the chicken wing and its famous sauce have become way too complicated, with entire cookbooks dedicate to preparing them. So let’s get back to the basics. Here is the original recipe for Buffalo wings:

• Deep-fry wings until golden brown.
• Prepare the secret sauce: Mix butter and “Franks Hot Sauce” (no substitution will do) in a steel bowl.
• Put the wings in the steel bowl and mix with sauce.
• Serve with celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing … period.

I would love to hear your Buffalo Chicken Wing folklore. And do you like them hot, medium or mild?

By Mike LaRuffa (President, Builders Services, Inc.)

This year 2012 is a Leap Year and we have one extra day this month to do something. Since doing something is the whole point of these monthly blog posts, we’ll take advantage of the extra day by adding an extra thing to do. It may be the shortest month, but it’s chock-full of activities that you should consider.

Spring Training begins in Florida and Arizona in less than three weeks. But, if you’d prefer to stay in state, I suggest visiting downtown Raleigh for two events early in the month.

Today, between 10am-2pm, you can witness Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane (aka “the Groundhog Whisperer”) get the lowdown from Sir Walter Wally (the groundhog) as to whether or not we can expect an early spring. The event takes place at the Museum of Natural Sciences, a fascinating place to spend the day regardless of the weather.

Feb. 4 brings us Raleigh’s eighth annual Krispy Kreme Challenge, a stomach-churning event that may be more fun to witness than to run in. Participants need to eat an entire dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts while running five miles. Yes, the doughnuts are glazed…just like the eyes of the finishers. All proceeds from the Krispy Kreme Challenge are donated to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

If you want to mix in some wine and chocolate with your doughnuts, there’s the Wilmington Wine and Chocolate Festival Feb. 3-5. Some of the finest regional vintners and chocolatiers will be offering their best for sampling. I’m confident you’ll find some tasty Valentine’s Day treats at this event.

If you’d rather make war, not love, you can witness a re-enactment of one of the first battles in the South of the Revolutionary War. The bloody skirmish occurred at Moores Creek near Currie, N.C. and the re-enactment on the 236^th Anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek happens on Feb. 25. Bring ear protection if you don’t care for the sound of cannons and muskets.

You can experience Mummies Day in February if you visit Discovery Place in Charlotte. The “Mummies of the World” exhibit continues through this month with an astonishing array of mummies and artifacts dating back thousands of years, including a child mummy from Peru believed to be 6,420 years old. You’ll learn secrets from the past…and clues to the future. You’ll also leave the exhibit with a strong desire to see Boris Karloff in the original “The Mummy” movie…a classic!

So that’s five. What is the bonus sixth thing every North Carolinian should do in February? Spend Feb. 14 with your Valentine! (Doh…did I really need to tell you that?)

What February events are you looking forward to?

By Tom Gongaware (General Sales Manager, Triangle Region)