Luther and even Calvin had no intention of fragmenting Christendom; on the contrary, each set out to reform a unified Christian Church. But the consequence of their revolution was to open Pandora’s box. Whereas frictions and heresies had before been either stamped out or accommodated within the Church, now Christianity split apart in literally hundreds of different sects, some quite bizarre, each propounding different theologies, ethics, and prescriptions for social life.

With the recent popularity of the Short Sale in the Boston real estate market it’s no wonder property values can quickly become like the wild wild west. The illogical market goes something like this…A distressed homeowner short sales a property because the mortgage is worth more than the house. Home buyers aren’t stupid though and realize that banks will settle for 80% of the FMV (Fair Market Value). This is because on many Boston area homes it costs banks at least 20% of the FMV to foreclose on a property (i.e. lawyer fees, upkeep fees, auction fees, etc…).

Hasn’t there been some sort of scientific study somewhere that says when times are tough people turn to God and Football? Well, there’s at least one national evangelical group that has placed themselves inline with this sort of thinking. Local Quincy church leader Father Tim Schenck recently wrote a story giving the details of what this group is up to…

Technology is really great, right? Technology in fact has increased the life span of countless people. With the advent of the MRI machine scientists can now detect cancer, brain tumors, and a whole host of illnesses. With technology the telecommunication industry has sprung to life allowing businesses to accomplish tasks that previously required crystal telepathy balls (albeit that was the 15th century).

Massachusetts state Sen. Scott Brown (R) is aggressively seeking to gain the overwhelming vote in next week’s special Senate election. Current Attorney General Martha Coakley may face adversity since Brown delivered a solid debate performance and accomplished $1.3 million and a 24 hour Internet fundraising campaign.

For the last few months interest rates have taken another big cut as they were creeping up during the summertime. The Quincy Real Estate Market is no exception. Currently interest rates at 5% and below are not outrageous. Mortgage interest rates often change several times throughout the day. This makes getting a rate lock very important and can be the difference between saving tens of thousands of dollars.

The people have spoken and Gov. Deval Patrick (Dem.) is reporting a disapproval rate of 52% according to Frank Phillips and Matt Viser with the Boston Globe. Such disapproval rates begs the question, Will Patrick’s overt support of the Gay and Lesbian community be his downfall in the 2010 elections?

Short sales maybe a great opportunity for distressed home owners, but for Quincy home owners that want stability and home price appreciation they are horrible. It all has to do with cost analysis. If a foreclosure (i.e. including attorney fees, maintenance fees, processing fees, etc…) is more costly than a short sale the banks will want to settle.

Residents of Quincy may get a big surprise next time they walk down the cereal isle at their local grocery store. Kellogg’s (NYSE:K) Cocoa Krispies now claims to help support your child’s immunity. The new serial banner ads appear on Kellog’s boxes explaining the cereal has 25% daily values of antioxidants and nutrients including vitamins [...]

The Quincy Cove is currently running a really good story about how the Decemeber 1st, 2009 $8,000 first time home buyer credit stimulus package is affecting the local Quincy real estate market. Staff writer Simon King has some great commentary about how the Government should proceed as the December 1st deadline is fast approaching. According [...]