Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/jeff-skrenes/page/11/)
When I was a loan officer and I had someone who wanted to refinance, I always showed my borrowers what I called the “break even point.” That is, if a refi saved $100 per month but closing costs were $4,800, then the person would need to stay in the house with that loan for four years before the refinance paid for itself. If the borrower wasn’t comfortable with that number and we cou Continue Reading
Over much of the summer I’ve been hula hooping at the West Broadway Farmers Market, and supporting local businesses who sell their produce here. One of my favorite vendors is Black Onyx Creations, who serve up a terrific cup of joe. Today they are selling my favorite kind of java, Tanzanian Peaberry coffee.
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I spent a week this summer helping Bryan Thao Worra become a former Hawthornite. He moved out to the LA area, and we drove across country in a moving van, sampling ghost peppers along the way. Once we hit the ocean, we bombed around L Continue Reading
In April of this year, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) released a study entitled “Here Comes the Bank, There Goes Our Neighborhood.”
Earlier this year, the United States government took the bold step of filing a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank for its malfeasance and gross negligence in contributing to the foreclosure crisis. Deu Continue Reading
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the recent violence, and to their families and loved ones. I can’t imagine what they must be going through. At a neighborhood meeting last night, residents spoke about how the spate of violence has rocked our community. People don’t feel safe in some of the most basic situations. When neighbors see kids Continue Reading
The last time I attempted anything resembling gardening was when my brother and sister-in-law gave me a commemorative Barack Obama Chia Pet as a gag gift. (Yes, this is a real thing.) I followed the basic instructions; mix a paste with the seeds, cover the head, and keep it watered and in a sunlit place. Continue Reading
(Just to be sure this point doesn’t get missed: Take the MRDI survey and tell them how important a land bridge is.)
