Finance all of it, part of it, or none of it. Whichever you choose, you’ve got plenty of company.
The National Association of Realtors reports these trends:
Age: Buyers age 45 to 65 and older are less likely to finance a home purchase. They are often repeat buyers or are downsizing.
Average buyer: The typical buyer tends to finance 91 percent of their home purchase.
First-time buyers: They are usually younger and don’t have cash from a previous home. Last year, the average first-time buyer financed 98 percent of their home. Nationwide, 40 percent financed the entire amount.
Sources of downpayment: Savings are the chief source of downpayment funds for home buyers in general and for 73 percent of first-time buyers. About 40 percent of repeat buyers drew on savings for a downpayment, while 60 percent of repeat buyers used the proceeds from the sale of a primary residence for a downpayment.
After savings, the second most popular sources of funds for first-time buyers was a gift from relatives or friends.
Types of mortgages:  Loosely defined, mortgages are either fixed-rate or adjustable. Within these categories, however, specific terms vary widely.
About 71 percent of recent home buyers reported that they had a fixed-rate loan; 8 percent had an adjustable rate loan. First-time buyers were more likely than repeat buyers to start with a fixed rate loan that eventually had rates adjusted.
Some buyers start with an adjustable rate and then convert to a fixed-rate mortgage. Others begin with a fixed-rate mortgage that then adjusts the rate periodically.
Surprisingly, 3 percent of home buyers don’t know what type of mortgage they have.

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New Orleans, San Antonio celebrate in April
French Quarter Festival
to be held April 11-13
If you like to stroll about while listening to all kinds of music, New Orleans’ French Quarter Festival will fill the bill and then some. Free music and concerts will be offered on 15 stages. The festival focuses on all that makes the French Quarter special.
Nearly half a million people will be joining you for the event. It includes a parade, historic patio tours, kid’s and family activities. Check fqfi.org.

Fiesta San Antonio
slated for April 18-27
It’s just too big and too much fun to ignore. Again this year, Fiesta offers ten days of parades, carnivals, sports, fireworks, music, ethnic feasts and exhibits. Organizers predict that 3.5 million people will take part.
The fiesta originated in 1891 with the Battle of the Flowers parade to honor the heroes of the battles for Texas Independence. Visit www.fiesta-sa.org for more information.

Other:
1-31, American Red Cross Month. By Presidential Proclamation since 1943. Web: www.redcross.org.

1-16, Iditarod Trail Dog Race. Since 1973, about 60 teams compete on a 1,150-mile trail from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Web: Iditarod.com.

1-31, Irish-American Heritage Month. By Presidential Proclamation to recognize the contributions of Irish Americans.

1-31, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. About prevention, testing. Foundation. 1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

1-31, National Kidney Month. Kidney disease awareness. National Kidney Foundation, 30 E. 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016.

1-31, National Social Work Month. First commissioned by Pres. Ronald Reagan to honor Social Workers. Web: www.socialworkers.com.

1-31, National Women’s History Month. Accomplishments of women in history. Project, 3343 Industrial Dr., Ste. 4, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

1-31, Save Your Vision Month. Eye health education. American Optometric Association. 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141.

1-31, Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month. Prevent Blindness America, 211 W. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1700, Chicago, IL 60606.

2-9, Philadelphia Flower show. Largest flower show in the U.S., the premiere event of its kind in the world. Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th St, 5th Fl., Philadelphia, PA 19103.

2-9, Save Your Vision Week. By Presidential Proclamation since 1964.

3-9, National Sleep Awareness Week. Recognize the dangers of sleep disorders. Sleep Foundation, 1522 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

3, NEA’s Read Across America Day. Promotes reading for children. National Education Association., 1201 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.

4, Peace Corps Day. Commemorates the 1961 founding of the Peace Corps. Founded by Pres. John F. Kennedy

6-9, Louisiana Sportsmen’s Show and Festival. 29th annual. 100,000 attend. Sportsmen’s Show, P.O. Box 2116, Kenner, LA 70063.

7, World Day of Prayer. The 121st annual global circle of prayer for all nationalities.

9-Nov. 2, Daylight Saving Time Begins. Set your clocks ahead one hour by 2 a.m. according to the Energy Act of 2005.

16-22, National Poison Prevention Week. By Presidential Proclamation since 1962. Focus on accidental poisoning, www.poisonprevention.org.

16, Palm Sunday. Commemorates Christ’s last entry into Jerusalem. First day of Holy Week.

17, Saint Patrick’s Day. Honoring the patron saint of Ireland. Often celebrated with green beer and parades.

20-June 20, Spring. The first day of spring begins today with the vernal equinox.

21, Good Friday. Christian observance in commemoration of the crucifixion of Christ.

21, National Common Courtesy Day. Citizens are encouraged to demonstrate common courtesy to each other.

23, Easter Sunday. Commemorates the Resurrection of Christ. Also a secular holiday featuring the Easter bunny, Easter baskets, colored eggs, and jelly beans.

26, Legal Assistants Day. To recognize their contributions. Claudia Evart, 30 Park Ave. # 2P, New York, NY 10016.

29-Apr. 13, Cherry Blossom Festival. 96th annual festival throughout Washington, DC. Web: nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
0308-281.txt 454 words

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• If you’ve known a man for more than 24 hours, you can’t date his sister.
• Unless he murdered someone in your immediate family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 24 hours.
• The minimum amount of time you are required to wait for a guy is 5 minutes. The maximum is 6 minutes.
• You can exaggerate any tale told to your pals by 50 percent but no more.
• Two men should never share an umbrella.
• With a 12-hour notice, a friend can borrow anything you own, unless it’s something that’s considered lucky.
• No guy is ever required to buy a birthday gift for another guy. He’s not required to remember the date either.
• You must offer sincere condolences over the death of your girlfriend’s cat even if you don’t like cats.
• When approaching guys watching a game on TV, you can ask the score, but you can’t ask who’s playing.
• Friends don’t let friends wear Speedos. Ever.
• It’s OK to take the last Pizza or beverage, but not both. That’s mean.

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Legislators in several states say multitaskers are taking it too far, using their knees or little fingers to steer their cars while punching in cellphone messages.
Washington is the first state to pass a law banning “driving while texting.” The law takes effect in January and calls for a $101 fine for DWT. So far this year, nine other states have considered such legislation.
Driving while texting is a newer form of driver distraction. It joins such crash-causing activities as making calls on a cellphone, eating, and talking to passengers in the car.
Researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute show that driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes. And texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road.
If the drivers’ eyes are away from the roadway for two seconds or more in a six-second window, their risk of being involved in a crash is two times higher than that of an attentive driver.
A 2006 joint report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 78 percent of crashes involved a driver distracted within three seconds before an accident.
At the Center for Mobile Communications at Rutgers University, they say it’s human nature to know something is dangerous but to believe you can handle it better than others. This false sense of confidence could cost you your life and someone else’s life as well.
Think about it next time you want to be DWT. The time you save could be multiplied many times over as time lost if you are injured in a car crash. You couldn’t call it “an accident.”

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If you bought your lawn mower, paint, or computer but never got the promised rebate, you are one of many. The Federal Trade Commission reports that “the problem is huge.”
It may appear that the main function of rebate processors is to find a reason to deny the money-back offer. Rules are often so complicated and vague that most customers don’t even bother. Rebate complaints have risen 400 percent since 2002 according to the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
To get the rebate you expect:

• Know the terms on the rebate form or store receipt. Ask the retailer to explain the terms.
• Make copies of everything including store receipts, bar codes, forms, product containers, and serial numbers, recommends Sid Kirchheimer, author of Scam-Proof Your Life (AARP/Sterling).
• Fill in every blank on the form. If it asks for your email address, for example, say you don’t have one rather than leaving the space blank.
• Act fast. The average time to submit a claim is now 15 to 30 days.
• Use certified mail and ask for a receipt. Fill out all forms in writing to avoid suspicions of mass-mailing fraud.
• Shop where rebates are easy to apply for. Stores like Staples, Cingular, and Costco let customers fill out rebate forms at the checkout or online. Some stores have the rebate form printed out at the end of the sales receipt.

The best idea: Fill out forms carefully immediately after the purchase. Send them along with required proofs that day or the next day.

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