John Hoyle - Web Design and Consulting

As those of you who actually follow the progress of this blog may have noticed, I have not been actively posting for the past few weeks. I’ve even received a few calls and some emails about my “disappearance,” but fear not, things ARE happening around here and so far they are all good - very good. I just want to take a few moments to share with you some of the new websites that I’ve been designing and that have taken up so much of my time in recent weeks.

StephanieStamos.com

My talented sister-in-law, Stephanie, is fast becoming a photographic genius. Her site has been online for over a year, but was initially designed to be a gallery of her very impressive paintings.

We were also going to include some of her scrapbooking projects and greeting card designs, but for some reason (mostly having to do with my not having enough available time) we never really got the website completed. Now Stephanie has decided to shift her website’s focus to her photographic art. We’ve modified the existing site somewhat (color, layout, etc.) so that she can temporarily upload some of her own work.

I plan on a complete overhaul within the next few weeks that will give her complete control of the site and minimize my own involvement as much as possible . I’ve just received discs containing her latest work, ready to upload. Her site will have a more advanced gallery, a blog, and contact pages. Go over and check out her site now and then check back in August to see the finished project. I think you will be very impressed with the new site and with the quality and subject matter of Stephanie’s inspired photography.

I’ve just returned from a ten-day trip to Southern California with stops in Marin and Sonoma counties. Although the drive was over 2000 miles round-trip, my old Toyota Camry handled it without complaint and just silently purred along at speeds up to 90 mph.

Gas prices ranged from the $3.70 range in Oregon to as high as $4.39 in the San Francisco Bay area. The effect of high fuel prices was immediately evident almost everywhere I went. No waiting in restaurants, motel room prices as low as $29.99, and far fewer vehicles on almost every highway I took.

So there were some benefits to the higher gas prices, but clearly the general economy is in a slowdown. As I passed through the Stockton/Sacramento areas, real estate sponsored shows on AM radio touted the very low prices in that area due to all of the foreclosures and short-sales taking place. Many homes that would have cost well over $500,000 were going in the low $200,000 ranges in Stockton. The Realtors there are claiming that the bottom has finally been reached, but some areas that already look like ghost towns are still adding For Sale signs to the few homes still occupied.

The good news is that I was able to see my oldest granddaughter (age 11) perform in a most wonderful ballet set that included shortened versions of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter and the Wolf.” She is a most beautiful young lady and very talented, taking the art and athleticism of her dancing very seriously. Her mother hopes to have DVDs of the performances out to all of the family very soon.

I was also able to see my youngest grandson play Little League Baseball. Roaming center field like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, he made his biggest contribution early in the game with a hard hit ball to center field that resulted in a couple of RBIs. He added another hit and a run scoring fielder’s choice later in the game that helped his team gain a very impressive win over their opponents. It was a great evening (although very chilly sitting on those metal bleachers) with my daughter Kristen and her family.

To say I am proud of my grandchildren would be an understatement. All six of them are doing very well in school and sports. But most importantly, they are really sweet kids and are a pleasure to be around - at least for this old guy.

A special thank you to my daughter Kim and her family for putting me up for a couple of nights as I passed through their area coming and going, leaving nothing but dirty laundry in my wake.

My brother Denny and his wife Stephanie provided me room and board while I was in The OC. Their wonderful hospitality is very much appreciated. They allowed me to come and go as I needed, but fed me and kept me laughing during the times we spent together. I have a very special place in my heart for them and their daughter - who is now becoming quite the model for her mother’s blossoming artistic photography pursuits. What a great time I had with them all and their love and support made my trip very enjoyable.

Unfortunately I was unable to see my daughter Kelly and her family in Los Angeles on this trip and was only able to visit other family members for very short periods. But we will be back again - hopefully soon - and hopefully when there is a much improved economy and lower fuel prices.

It’s Tuesday and election day in Pennsylvania. Today might mark the beginning of a “new beginning,” or it may be just the beginning of another major political disappointment. The winner of the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary could turn out to be this country’s last hope for a major turnaround from the course this country has been taken under the leadership of George W. Bush.

We’ve been watching several documentaries that cover the events that led up to the Iraq War and the oil crisis. It’s eerie that there is so much information and documentation that proves that there is a relationship between the country going broke paying for a war none of us want to be in - and the growing wealth of the oil companies and their management. Yet the media, namely large newspapers and TV networks, are basically ignoring the situation and nothing is being done by the Justice Department to stop this pilfering of the public treasury.

Follow the money: Bush = oil and energy; Cheney = Halliburton and defense contractors.

For my part, I can only hope that either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton actually follow through on their promises and get us out of the war, improve the economy, restructure the medical insurance industry, and actively promote and finance stem cell research. Based on past history, I would put my money and my vote on Obama. Senator Clinton has already proven that she has past ties to big money and influential corporate lobbyists. For me, having Bill back in the White House is also a scary thought.

My wish is for truth in advertising from the candidates and for the winner of the election to actually do what has been promised. But in America, there is always the old fallbacks: It’s not the President’s fault because Congress wouldn’t vote for it or the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. Sorry folks - but in spite of all the promises that were made, you’ve likely been scammed again.

Feel free to register and login and comment. I’d love to know what my friends and family think of this whole election process and what they forecast for the future.

Over the past few weeks I’ve added some new links to other sites of mine.  Today I’ve added a link to my brother’s new “business card” page hosted by Indymac Bank. Denny is a home loan consultant for Indymac in Orange County, California.

Denny and I frequently chat about the state of real estate throughout the country, but especially in Southern California where he owns a very nice home and I manage a rental property.  In spite of the doom and gloom that surrounds the real estate and banking industries right now, Denny is pretty upbeat and feels that homeowners with a good property and a decent loan will pull through just fine.

Unlike many loan brokers and bank loan officers, Denny is fortunate, thanks to his relationship with Indymac Bank and his other industry contacts, to still have access to a wide range of loan products for almost any home owner or buyer.  He can handle basic conforming home loans, “jumbos” and “super jumbos,”  and even reverse mortgages for old folks like me.  He can also serve clients in most other states.

Now that interest rates are about as low as they have ever been, Denny feels that anyone that has a loan with an interest rate over 6.50%, whether fixed or an adjustable, should consider refinancing soon.  There is actually plenty of money available, and lenders like Indymac Bank really do want to help you get a better loan.  But you need someone who knows how to package your loan file to get it past the much tougher underwriting guidelines that now exist - and Denny is certainly one of the best when it comes to pulling together a quality loan application.

I know he’s my brother, and I probably shouldn’t be bragging about him like this on my blog, but he really is one of the best brokers I’ve ever known in the home loan industry.  He’s been in the lending industry for well over twenty years and has survived and prospered through several real estate booms and busts.  When it comes to mortgages and equity loans, Denny is definitely my hero.

Oh yes, and I think Denny is a pretty cool guy in lots of other ways too!