My Latest TV Interview; Ripple Effects of the Shutdown

At the center of the storm is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare. No matter how you refer to it, this standoff is causing a ripple effect that could impact the purchase and refinance of your home.

While many predict the short-term effects to be minor due to a bounce-back period which typically follows a shutdown, your home-buying plans may be put on hold until the PPACA issue is resolved.

The longer-term effects could potentially make loans harder to qualify for, which could shut certain home buyers out of the market. In addition, in an unstable economy, falling home prices could push some mortgages back under water, which could effect the ability to refinance.

These, of course, are worst-case scenarios we hope won’t happen. The quicker the government goes back to work, the less the chance for major ripple effects.

Things seem to change from day-to-day during this crisis. For the latest information, please contact me at 617-965-1236. I’ll be glad to answer any of your questions and give you the advice you need to successfully secure your mortgage.

Using the Whole Pumpkin

You’ve picked the perfect pumpkin from the patch for the ultimate Halloween jack-o-lantern. Your top-notch carving skills yield a scary ghost-face that will be the envy of all your neighbors.

But what about the rest of the pumpkin? Have you simply gutted the contents and kept the the outer part for your jack-o-lantern? If so, you’re wasting more than you think.

So what can you do with a bowl full of pumpkin insides? Plenty! Let’s start with the obvious and go from there.

1. Pumpkin pie. Here’s the traditional recipe for the ultimate seasonal dessert, from Martha Stewart.

2. Pumpkin bread. If you love to bake bread, Alton Brown’s recipe is a winner.

3. Pumpkin seeds. Skip the mixed nuts at your next party and try this quick and easy recipe for sweet and salty pumpkin seeds, courtesy of Real Simple magazine.

4. Pumpkin soup. Here’s Criesta Comerford’s special recipe from Oprah’s magazine. Ms. Comerford has been the executive chef for both the Bushes and the Obamas. Gee, I wonder if she’s working during the shutdown? Do the president and first lady find her to be an essential employee or can they just wing it with a few groceries they might have picked up at the local Safeway?

5. Pumpkin wine. Tired of typical red and white wines? Ready for a challenge? Make your own pumpkin wine from scratch. It can be done! All you need is a pumpkin, an acid-tester and a hydrometer. What kitchen doesn’t have those?

6. Pumpkin skin cream. All those years of carving your pumpkins and tossing the insides could have been spent rejuvenating your skin. According to the website, you can spread the leftovers on toast for a delicious snack. Seriously. Here’s how.