When Twitter was first introduced in 2006, many were skeptical about its usefulness. What was the point of a medium that only let you type out 140 characters? It wasn’t expected to last, but it did. Seemingly overnight, Twitter went from a barely known startup to one of the most popular and widely used sites on the web. Today, the site has more than 500 million users posting more than 340 million tweets a day and is used by everyone from small-business owners to NASA astronauts.

Education hasn’t gone unscathed by the sweeping changes Twitter has exacted on social media. Few colleges are without a Twitter account today, with the service allowing deans, admissions officers, and PR reps alike to connect with current and prospective students. Far more transformative, however, has been Twitter’s role in the classroom itself, providing a medium for students and their professors to connect through short but meaningful snippets of information.

Like all services, Twitter is aiming to evolve to better serve the needs of users and keep up with the competition. Its newest service, the video-sharing app Vine, hasn’t had much time to become a classroom staple like Twitter, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have the potential to be a useful and innovative tool in the classroom, too. In fact, many educators might not even be aware that Vine exists or understand what it has to offer the classroom experience.

What is Vine?

Vine, a mobile app created by Twitter, allows users to create and share short video clips. Like Twitter, brevity is valued and video clips can’t exceed six seconds in length, so users have to be quick about getting their point across. Vine is a pretty new addition to the social media canon. The service was founded in June of 2012, but just launched to the public in January of 2013 as a free app on the iPhone and iPod Touch. While only Apple users can currently enjoy Vine, development for other platforms is in progress and is likely to launch sometime later this year. Read More…

Guest Post by OnlineUniversities.com

Picture yourself here among the classic designs in this striking Jones Creek home! Beginning in the inviting Foyer move into the elegant Formal Dining Room or Formal Living Room, 750 Michaels Creek speaks of a life well-lived. This one-owner, well maintained home offers hardwood floors, soaring ceilings and a wealth of natural light. Highlighting the Great Room is a large arched window overlooking the rear golf course view in this executive Evans, GA home. Owner’s Suite on the main level has access to Formal Living Room, spacious Owner’s Bath and large closet. 750 Michaels Creek’s heart is found in the big kitchen offering walls of cabinets and counters, a center island w/ gas cooktop, dbl. ovens, built-in desk area all open to the bright breakfast room and sunroom. The upper level has an exercise /bonus room and 3 giant bedrooms all w/ big closets and bath access. Enjoy the “landmark rose garden” on Jones Creek’s Golf Course from the cover porch! This special home will require QUICK ACTION, call soon! New Roof in 2012. 

Property Details: http://www.carolineashe.com/Property/750-Michaels-Creek-Evans-Georgia 

Video Tour: http://youtu.be/SnTWjMkcWEY 

Need More Info? Find Caroline Online in these places too! 

Staging Dos:

• Declutter the refrigerator
• Remove all non-essential items from counters in the kitchen and baths
• Use the rule of 3 when decorating bookcases. 3 items per shelve no les no more
• Reduce the amount of family photos and collections
• Freshen outside mulch and remove dead plants

Staging Don’ts

• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink for showing
• Don’t have blown light bulbs
• Don’t list your home without having a deep cleaning done including furniture and drapes
• Don’t have full gutters
• Don’t have bright colors wall paint, neutralize the paint colors
• Don’t have a cluttered garage or attic/storage spaces

I witnessed this staging no no while previewing a home yesterday! BONUS TIP: remove all empty hangers from closet. Closet will feel more organized and lack of storage won’t be an issue.

Need a Staging eye? I can help! Find Caroline Online or email caroline@carolineashe.com

In straight talk the PMI on an FHA mortgage will be increased by 10 basis points on the annual premium term. What does that mean? I don’t really know because I leave that to the loan officers, but on a $100,000 sales price with a loan amount of $96,500 ($100,000 minus 3.5% down payment) the increase in payment is $7.97 per month which equals 2 less stops at Starbucks a month! Small price to pay for the American Dream.

I’ve been asked the questions WHY? is this happening… In order for the FHA mortgage to be available there must be so much capital in reserve, per the government policy. Well the FHA is in the negative and needs to raise money to keep the most affordable home loan on the market available to eager buyers looking to purchase a home! FHA mortgage requires the smallest down payment (3.5%) and is not as strict on credit scores. FHA loans are good for buyers, sellers and the general economy, as we’ve all seen how important the housing market plays in the overall health of our economy.

New FHA Mortgage Increase

New FHA Mortgage Increase

The other BIG change is the length of time the annual mortgage insurance premium is collected on FHA mortgages. In the past after your FHA loan reached a loan to value of 78% or less the mortgage insurance would drop off and your monthly payment would decrease. Well…say bye bye to that with this new change that takes effect June 3, 2013.  For most FHA buyers, in my opinion, this will not have that much effect seeing as most buyers move every 5-10 years on average. The time for the loan-to-value to reach 78% or less is approx. 5 years. The change to remember is if you only have a down payment of 10% or less the mortgage insurance will be on the FHA loan for the life of the loan term. See the illustration below for explanation of 15 and 30 year mortgage terms.

New FHA Mortgage Increase

Questions, comments, complaints? Connect with Caroline Ashe online at www.CarolineAshe.com or call 706-589-1360

The National Association of Realtors released the top reasons to buy a home. The below graph shows that the top reason to buy is  the desire to own my own home. This is for first-time buyers and resale home buyers. The American dream is alive a well!

Reasons to buy a home

Looking to buy or sell in 2013, let Caroline Ashe guide you! Connect with her online at