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Show January THE MAGNA TIMES, WEST VALLEY NEW S, KEARNS POST 17, 2008 LOCAL Tips offered to By Jason Alderman Its no secret that the bubble has fully burst in the real estate market and that millions of homeow ners are facing severe financial hardships as home values drop and adjustable mortgage rates shoot upward. On the flip side, those same rising interest rates, combined w ith increasingly stringent lending requirements, have left many potential homebuyers out in the cold. If thats your story, here are a few steps that can get you back in the real estate game: Boost your savings. Many peo- - New landslide susceptibility map of Utah pie are in financial hot w ater today because they bought homes they really couldn't afford using risky loans w ith features like 0 percent down, negative amortization (where your monthly payment doesnt cover interest owed and unpaid interest gets tacked onto the loan amount) or balloon payments due after a few years. To avoid those traps, you should sav e enough for at least a 10 percent down payment. Also, when calculating how much you can afford to spend each month, dont d expenses forget other like property taxes, homeowners insurance, private mortgage insurance (for down payments under 20 percent), repairs and utilities. Some experts suggest allocating up to an extra 40 percent of your monthly home-relate- mortgage payment in your budget for related expenses. Develop a budget. Step one to savings meeting any long-tergoal is to create a detailed budget so you know exactly whats coming in, w hat's going out, how much you need to save and how long it will take. Practical Money Skills for Life, a free personal financial management site created by Visa, features a complete guide to creat A new digital map is now available which shows areas of Utah that are vulnerable to landslides. Landslides have caused significant economic loss in Utah and the exposure to landslide hazards increases as development continues to expand into landslide-pron- e areas, said Richard Giraud, UGS Senior Geologist. The map is at a statew ide scale and designed for general planning to determine areas where landslide hazards may exist and more destudies are tailed landslide-hazar- d needed for planning and dev elopment, continued Richard Giraud. The map indicates that the hazard in the mountains west of Magna is low to medium. The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) map is a statewide landslide susceptibility map at 1:500,000 scale. Map 228DM is available for purchase at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, located at 594 W. and North Temple, SLC Little Utah reports prices drop slightly in the West SALT LAKE CITY, January 8, 2008 - It's not the way motorists would like to start the New Year. According to the latest report from AAA Utah, which tracks fuel costs as a service to consumers, gasoline prices have dropped slightly over the past month but remain significantly higher than last year. According to AAA, the current average price in Utah for regular, v e gasoline is $3.03 per gallon. This is 4 cents lower than last month's report on December 11, but 74 cents higher than a year ago. The highest average price reported or geostoreutah.gov). self-ser- The map can also be viewed on the UGS website at http:geology.utah.govonline f. American Cancer Society Offers Scholarships to Cancer Survivors academic year. Applications from (qualified Uah 'Students, are being accepted now' through Feb. 22, 2008. Application packets can be obtained by calling or The scholarships may be used for enrollment and attendance tuition, fees, and books required for course instruction at an accredited college, univ ersity, community college, or vocationaltechnical school. To be eligible to apply for the scholarships, the students must be cancer surv ivors diagnosed before the age of 2 and age 25 or younger at the time of submitting the application, graduating from a high school andor continuing college in the upcoming school year, a U.S. citizen and resident of Utah, have a 2.5 GPA, and will be a full time If selected to receive a student. scholarship, the money will be awarded in May, 2008. Past scholarship w inners need to reapply for the scholarship each year. The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and Youni Utah cancer survivors eligible for $2500 towards education There are very few times in a person's life more traumatic than the day they hear the words: You have cancer. In an instant, their lives turn upside dowm and they are faced with a myriad of decisions, questions and fears. Now imagine hearing those words and being a young child whos only concerns should be too much homework or if the holidays will ever get here. For those young people who have gone through the trauma of a 1 cancer diagnosis, the American Society has developed a program that will take some of the concern from their shoulders as they approach their college years. Cancer Survivor The Society's is College Scholarship Program designed to help students who hav e been diagnosed with cancer pay for part of their tuition. The Cancer Survivor College Scholarship Program is designed to provide financial assistance for young cancer survivors as they pursue their post secondary education. The possible lifetime award is for up to $10,000 per student, offered in increments of $2,500 per Cancer cancer preventing homebuyers ing a livable budget, along with interactive budgeting tools and cal- culators (www.practicalmoney skills.combudgeting). The site also contains a nine-ste- p guide to homeownership, including preparations to qualify for financing and how different mortgages work (www.practicalmoneyskills xomhomeowner). As always, consult a financial professional for questions about your particular uation. Improve through research, education, advocacy and serv ice. For more information anytime, call toll free or visit ww w.cancer.org. sit- your credit score. Even with thousands of dollars banked for a down payment, you may find its difficult to qualify for a mortgage if you cant demonstrate a solid track record of obtaining and paying loans or worse, if you have a history of late payments or exceeding credit card limits. The three major credit bureaus -- - Equifax (www.equifax.com), an (www.experian.com) and TransUnion (www.transunion.com) -track your credit history and use the information to compile credit reports. This credit history is also used to create three-dig- it credit scores that lenders employ to determine whether youre a suitable credit risk. Poor scores could either prevent you from qualifying for a mortgage or dramatically increase the interest rate youd have to pay. To know where you stand, order your credit reports and review them carefully for errors or fraudulent activity. You can order one free credit report per year from each bureau through ww'w.annualcred-itreport.coIf you go through the credit bureaus own sites, youll be charged a small fee. To learn more about credit reports and credit scores and how to improve them, visit the Federal Trade Commissions website (www. ftc.govcredit), www.myfico.com run by Fair Isaac, or Visas free site, www.WhatsMyScore.org where you can get a free estimate of your credit score. The only silver lining in the current real estate crisis is that tougher credit standards may prevent you from inadvertently getting in over your head. Take advantage of that warning and get your own finances on a firm foundation before you build a house on it. Jason Alderman directs lisa's financial education programs. To Heather Mahoney Teenage Constitutionalist completes service project Heather Mahoney, Magna, recently completed preparing sign up for a free monthly personal go to vnru: finance envelopes for a fund raising project of the Salt Lake county Constitution Party. Heather, 14, was recruited for this project by her mother, Joyce Mahoney, who is a of the County Director'Sccretary relief at the pump new-ye- ar AAA 1 mm-228.pd- first-tim- e in Utah was $3.28 on May 24, 2007. There are currently 15 states with prices lower than Utah. The national average price for e is currently regular $3.11. This is 11 cents higher than last months report and 80 cents higher than a year ago. The least expensive gasoline in the country is found in Casper, Wyoming, where regular unleaded costs an average of $2.76. The most expensive gasoline in the lower 48 states is in San Francisco, where the average price is $3.56. The highest average price in the nation is in Wailuku, Hawaii, on the island of Maui, where a gallon of regular unleaded costs $3.86. The first quarter is traditionally of lower oil and gasoline prices as demand drops while the said country waits out winter, Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah spokesperson. This scenario is in stark contrast to this year when the barrel price is almost double from last year and the national average a time self-serv- gasoline price is increasing. At this time any blip on the financial markets radar, no matter the size, seems to have an effect on the price of oil, said Fairclough. The good news is that the East Coast has welcomed warmer weather than it normally receives, which has had a major impact on home heating oil costs. our local merchants1. Support saw their adhere... Tell Party. This project has taught Heather first hand the value to a political party that stuffing envelopes for a mass mailing of political literature provides. With encouragement from her mother, she has also begun a personal study of the Poll workers White and Color Copies Booklets Scanning Pictures Posters Flyers Business Cards & Forms Much More Black & Black - 8.5x11 11x17 White Copies & - - over 100 60 80 over 100 140 160 Color Copies " " 8.5x11 1,1 x 17 890 - - community. For more information call 2n)-941- needed for Feb. The Salt Lake County Clerks Office is still in need of dedicated individuals to serve their community as poll workers for the Feb. 5 Presidential Primary Election. Poll workers w ill be required to attend training prior to the election and will serve from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Election Day. Poll workers will be compensated either $120 or $220 depending upon the them you lo eive as a position they serve Salt Lake Counts poll winker, vou must be a registered voter residmu in Salt Lake County. If interested in serving as a poll worker for Salt Lake ounty. eon tact the County Clerks Office at 7 during regular business hours Monday through Friday or visit the elections page on our website at www.clerk.slco.org. C 468-347- To advertise in the,2008 edition of the r Magna Telephone Directory, call liomiie" 6 at the Magna Times -- ""they'll appreciate it, and so will we! 250-565- CHOOSING A MEDICARE PLAN JUST GOT EASIER Regence invites you to attend a FREE SEMINAR to discover what thousands of other Utah residents already know: Regence MedAdvantage is a better value. Meals served at the following seminars Assured access to a large panel ' Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Tuesday, February 26, 2008 11:00 a.m. Golden Corral $500 preventive dental care benefit 3399 West 3500 South Prescription drug coverage option that includes all approved Medicare Part D drugs Guidance from a local company that has been protecting Medicare beneficiaries for more than 40 years West Valley, UT reserve your place at one of the seminars, call 8 a.m to 5 p.m., Pacific Time. TTY users should call To Nows the time to find out more about your Medicare options m Regeroc BtueOuK ixonsee tw Blue an independent SueShietf of JU Cons and Bk Smwa A&ociaton www.ut.regenc8.comneedCoveragemedicare Current Medicare recipients and those newly eligible are encouraged to attend. , Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah MedAdvantage is a PPO with a Medicare contract Anyone who resides in the plan's service area (Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Iron, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Summit Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, Washington and Weber e renal disease is eligible to enroll. Members counties) and who has Medicare Part A and B and who does not have will B be A must continue to pay Part premiums. sales representative present with Enrollment Forms. For additional TTY users shoo'd call information or to set up a meeting with a sales representative, call 48 hours in advance. For other special needs and accommodations, call u $1.78 end-stag- Plus Tax. 8980 Magna Times W. 2700 S. 250-565- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah 6 5 Presidential Primary Election of doctors and providers (flpnlMi fiaraDoB United States Constitution and plans to participate in tine of constitution study groups her mother is sponsoring throughout Magna and West alL City areas. Heather would like to mjc her friends join with her in a Magna Teen Age Constitution Service Club to both snub how the gov eminent operates and to provide meaningful service piojeets in living to make a difference in their |