Chance Gates' Blog

This week I had the unpleasant fortune of having my battery die.   I was really impress that it lasted over 6 years.  Naturally I drive over to the place that help me change my headlights last year.  Since I had to have a jump to get my car started I drove straight over to Kargens.  I had no tools so they handed me a crescent wrench.  Well that worked on all the bolts but one, which had a tight fit.  So they opened two other wrenches for me to try and neither of those worked.  Finally the handed me a 10ml wrench which was the perfect fit.  Once again the only thing I was charged for was the new battery which I needed.  All the tools of theirs I used and any help I received was free.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles I posed on this blog.  you can email me at  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

I usually would not do this but my family has started a biggest loser contest, with weekly weigh ins and all.  It is kind of fun heckling those who are behind (my family way).  Have you ever noticed when your on a diet all the good food you see.

I guess it like when your buying a house, in the Reno/sparks area,  you start to see all the for real estate signs.

So I came across this recipe today and it sure does look good tell me what you think.

White Peach Pie

8-12 ripe white peaches, washed, split, pits removed and wedged into 8ths (leave peels on!)

1 cup vanilla sugar (I use two or three vanilla beans, split and scraped, submerged in 5 lbs. sugar)

1 lemon, cut in half

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca flour

pinch of kosher salt

Grab a big bowl and go to town on the peaches. Wash them gently, cut in half and take out the pits. Use a paring knife. Then cut each half into eight wedges. Use a big spoon to gently mix with remaining ingredients and squeeze lemon juice over everything. Set aside while you make the dough.

Here’s what you need to know about pie dough. There are those who use shortening, and those who use butter. By now you should now I am the butter kind. So. Just use it.  At the restaurant, we make about 20 balls of pie dough at a time. This is the scaled back version.

2 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

2 sticks COLD sweet salted butter, chopped up into little bits

ice water

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a mixing bowl if you’re working by hand) add the flour. Add the chopped up COLD butter. Quickly mix on medium low speed so the butter is in little bits. With the motor running on low dribble in a bit of ice water. Keep dribbling until the mixture comes together, but isn’t too dry or too wet. Just watch. It will happen. Stop the motor…..if you are working by hand, dribble the water and work the dough until it comes together. At this point, you can make two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. If you want to make this for the freezer, wrap in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag. Defrost on the counter or in the fridge.

To roll out: flour a board or counter with a little flour, and start rolling with a pin from the middle out.  Roll north, south, east, west. Then flip the dough, adding more flour if you need to. Roll again, north, south, east, west, until it’s bigger than a pie plate, about 12 inches across. Spray a glass deep dish pie plate with cooking spray. Lay the crust inside, giving a little room for shrinkage. Roll out the second crust. Fill the first crush with fruit and dot with butter. Lay the top crust over the fruit, sealing and crimping the edges. Score the top and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil for 1 1/2 hours at 375 degrees until the center filling reads 180 on an instant read thermometer and is bubbling.  Cool on a rack and eat warm or room temperature. Enjoy!

This happens to be one of the recipes from Dish Cafe and Catering Co.  You can see more of her recipes  at http://dishingup.wordpress.com/

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted.  I can be reached by email at  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

My wife and I were talking about where to go for breakfast, somehow  we decided it would be nice to try the Gold Dust West.  Like any casino it has changed drastically since my drinking days.  The coffee shop seemed to be in the same spot although it has gone through some major upgrades.  The staff was friendly, the service was good and the prices were reasonable.  The patty links were a little over cooked but the food was still really good.  My biggest complaint would have to be the food arrived before I even had time to finish my first cup of coffee,  something my wife really enjoyed.   I will go to the Gold Dust West again, it was an enjoyable experience.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted on this blog.  I can be reached by email at:   chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

One of the great things about doing real estate in the Reno/Sparks area is being associated with Realty World.  When it comes to the new technology being brought to the market, Realty World has some of the best technology people you will ever meet.  They make it appoint to keep us all informed on what is new and a must have for the industry.

The newest is the Apple iPad.  If I had to describe the Apple iPad in one word, that word would be “wow”.  The new iPad will be available in 60 days and starts below $500.00 and goes up from there.  It has 9.7″ screen and a battery life up to 10 hours.  16GB – 64GB flash storage memory.

One of the best accessories is the keyboard doc/charger.  By placing the iPad into the keyboard a person has a full size keyboard while charging the Ipad.

Read more: http://www.realtyworldnca.com/2010/01/27…

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted on this blog.  I can be reached by email at:   chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Hidden Valley is located in the Southeast Area of Reno.  It is strictly a residential community with a few condos around the Golf Course, otherwise all single family dwellings. A down side is there are no services, such as grocery stores, gas stations,  within the boundaries of Hidden Valley.  The upside is traffic into the area is mainly residents.

A major shopping center is located about just minutes away. The area does have two golf courses

:Rosewood Lakes - a public course

Hidden Valley-  private course.

Hidden Valley does have an elementary school as well as County Park which was recently outfitted with all new play equipment. There are equestrian trails and a gazebo with a BBQ which you can reserve to hold private picnics or gatherings.  The dog park is fully fenced, and comes with  plenty of water and doggie bags.

Many of the homes in Hidden Valley are constructed on large lots, close to .50 acre. Many have RV access and parking.  Some of the homes in Hidden Valley  have no HOA dues. Some of the newer homes built surrounding the original Hidden Valley development do have HOA fees but are what I call reasonable – $45 month or so for now.

Hidden Valley does host several annual events:  An Easter Egg Hunt, a community picnic, a pumpkin growing contest, a holiday Christmas Parade of lights and a winter dinner and dancing social which is held for residents at the Country Club.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted on this blog.  I can be reached by email at:   chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

As a full time Reno/Sparks Realtor, I learned that I need to spoil my wife on occasion.  So I took her to the Siena  Hotel for breakfast the other morning and was not impressed to say the least.  Service was a little slow, and the food  was a little undercooked.  However, being a positive person I try and look for the good in most things.  So on the bright side, the coffee was pretty good and one of the bus boys was pretty quick.  Which at least aloud me to have some quality time with the wife and some good coffee at the same time.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted on this blog.  I can be reached by email at:   chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

As credit card companies continue to hike rates and continually change the terms and conditions of your account, it is crucial for credit card users to make the most of their credit. The following tips will help you get on track to using your credit card wisely.

1. Pay on time. Paying your credit card account on time helps you avoid late fees as well as penalty interest rates applied to your account, and helps you maintain a good credit record. A good credit record leads to a higher credit score, which helps you qualify for lower interest rates. Know the date your payment is due. If your bill is due at an inconvenient time of the month- for example, if it’s due on the 10th and you get paid on the 15th- contact your credit card company to see if they will change your billing cycle to fit your cash flow.

2. Stay below your credit limit. If you go over your credit limit on your card, your card issuer could charge a fee and increase your interest rate to a higher penalty rate. To avoid this, keep a record of your spending or check your balance online. Also, be aware that some merchants (for example, hotel and car rental companies) put a “hold” on your credit card based on their estimate of the amount you will charge. This can reduce your available credit until the final charge is processed.

3. Avoid unnecessary fees. Credit card companies not only charge late payment and over-the-limit fees, but also fees for cash advances, transferring balances, and having a payment returned. Some companies charge a fee when you pay your bill by phone. Pay attention to the transactions that trigger these fees. If you need a cash advance, withdraw enough so that you don’t have to take a second cash advance and incur a second fee later in the month. Read your credit card agreement to learn more about the fees that your credit card company charges.

4. Pay more than the minimum payment. If you can’t pay your balance in full each month, try to pay as much of the total as you can. Over time, you’ll pay less in interest charges- money that you will be able to spend on other things, and you’ll pay off your balance sooner.

5. Watch for changes in the terms of your account. Credit card companies can change the terms and conditions of your account. They will send you advance notices about changes in fees, interest rates, billing, and other features. By reading these “change in terms” notices, you can decide whether you want to change the way you use the card. For example, if cash advance fees increase, you may decide to use a different card for cash advances. If you have a card with a variable rate or if you have an introductory rate that is ending, be aware that credit card companies are not required to send you a notice about raising your interest rate. Interest rates are listed on your monthly bill. Read your bill carefully and take note of any changes.

For more information, visit www.federalreserve.gov.

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan you can imagine that I’m pretty happy with last week’s  results.  I’m really kind of torn this week as Brett Favre is going against the Cowboys.  Who doesn’t want to see Brett get a Superbowl Ring so late in his career.  Kurt Warner fans that’s who.  I like the Arizona Cardinal plus the points this week going against the New Orleans Saints.   This one could be fun to watch with a lot of points being scored.

This is another one of those Northern Nevada  real estate blog entries that was derived from a commonly asked question.  This once again starts from the saying “there are no stupid questions”, which my son has proven wrong many times.  However if you do have a question, it does make picking a topic so much easier on me.

Trying to keep this as simple as possible a home warranty,  for the most part covers items inside the house:  leaky pipes, electrical systems, dishwashers, pumping of septic tanks etc…

This is most commonly purchased by the year, plus a small service fee every time used. The homeowners warranty is usually not required in order to get a home loan.  This is something I highly recommend to everyone of my clients buying a home.

items covered will vary from policy to policy be sure to get your policy explained to you in detailed.

RESPA Reform

The Objectives:

1.)  Help consumers shop for the best loan, through competition bring lower prices.

2.)  Disclose to consumer, the loan information quickly in an easy to understand format.

3.)  Facilitate comparison of Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and HUD-1 or HUD-1A Settlement Statement.

THE GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE (GFE):

1.)  The lender has 3 days after receiving a complete loan application to provide the buyer with a GFE.

2.)  The buyer has 10 business days to review the GFE.

3.)  Page 3 of the GFE must have a “Shopping Cart” to allow the borrower the ability to compare terms and conditions.

THREE TYPES OF GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE FEES

1.)  Zero Tolerance are fees on the GFE that may not be exceeded at closing.

2.)  10% Increase Permitted are fees that the total aggregate of all charges are subject to a 10% tolerance.

3.)  Unlimited Change Permitted are fee that HUD does not limit the amount of increase

Other terms and conditions may apply please contact a Nevada real estate professional to answer any questions  that you might have.