Capital Economics experts report a loosening credit in regards to mortgage loans

The analytics firm noted that the average credit score required to attain a mortgage loan is 700. While this is higher than scores required prior to the housing crisis, it has remained a constant credit score average for a year now.

Also there is a loosening of credit availability as , banks are now lending amounts up to 3.5 times borrower earnings. This is up from a low during the crisis of 3.2 times borrower earnings.

In addition, lenders are loosening loan-to-value ratios (LTV), which Capital Economics denotes “the clearest sign yet of an improvement in mortgage credit conditions.”  In contrast to a low of 74 percent reached in mid-2010, banks are now lending at 82 percent LTV (Loan to Value).

While credit conditions may have loosened slightly, some potential homebuyers are still struggling with credit requirements.  In fact, Capital Economics points out that in November, 8 percent of contract cancellations were the result of a potential buyer not qualifying for a loan.

Source: DSN news

Orlando Real Estate Report - Week of February 19, 2012

Orlando Real Estate -Single-family existing homes sales for the third week in February

• Sales of single-family homes decreased to 239 during the week of Feb 19, from 315 the week prior
• The median price of single family homes decreased to $125,000, a change of -0.2%
• The number of single-family home foreclosure transactions decreased to 55 last week, from 60 the week of Feb 12
• The number of single-family home short-sale transactions decreased to 76 from 105 the week prior
• Single-family inventory decreased by 154, and now sits at 9,704

Orlando Real Estate - Condos, townhomes, and villas- Orange Seminole Lake

• Sales of condos, townhomes, and villas decreased to 71 during the week of Feb 19, from 107 the week prior
• The median price of condos, townhomes, and villas increased to $79,000, a change of 5.3%
• The number of condo, townhome, and villa foreclosure transactions decreased to 21 last week, from 30 the week of Feb 12
• The number of condo, townhome and villa short-sale transactions decreased to 21 from 32 the week prior
• Condo inventory increased by 12, and now sits at 2,386

What recently sold in Stoneybrook-Orlando (32828)?

Stoneybrook Orlando-Recent Home Sales (32828)

In the past 90 days, there were 9 real estate transactions in Stoneybrook in east Orlanod. Here is a list of homes that sold in Stoneybrook-Orlando plus real estate statistics.

Stoneybrook is a gated Orlando Neighborhood located just in east Orlando, convinient to downtown Orlando via the 408.

The median price for a single family home in Stoneybrook that sold in the past 90 days is $229,000 with 2408 square feet and four bedrooms and three full baths.

Stoneybrook East Orlando 32828

Orlando Neighborhood  Sold past 90 days ending 2/27/12 Number homes sold: 9

Beds Full Baths Sq Ft Heated List Price Sold Price SP/SqFt SP/LP Ratio Days to Closed High 4 4 4,004 $539,900 $494,000 $127.06 108 854 Low 3 2 1,259 $106,220 $114,230 $66.03 91 80 Average 4 3 2,683 $256,546 $248,914 $91.81 98 259 Median 4 3 2,408 $234,900 $229,000 $89.76 99 158

 Homes that Sold In Stoneybrook-Orlando the last 90 days:

list price- address-bed/bath- square feet- SOLD price, date sold

LIST PRICE: $106,220 2435 SIWARD AVE 4 2/0 1,259 sq/ft - Sold: $114,230 12/30/11

LIST PRICE: $160,000 2579 DOVER GLEN CIR 4 3/0 2,408 sq/ft - Sold:  $159,000 12/08/11

LIST PRICE: $224,900 2430 STONE CROSS CIR 4 2/0 2,407 sq/ft - Sold:  $215,000 01/24/12

LIST PRICE: $228,000 2605 CORBYTON CT 4 2/0 2,355 sq/ft - Sold:  $229,000 02/23/12

LIST PRICE: $234,900 14740 YORKSHIRE RUN DR 3 2/1 2,162 sq/ft - Sold:  $225,000 02/15/12

LIST PRICE: $249,990 14883 HARTFORD RUN DR 4 3/0 2,824 sq/ft - Sold:  $239,000 12/16/11

LIST PRICE: $255,000 2621 WINDSORGATE LN 4 3 2,841 sq/ft - Sold:  $255,000 01/25/12

LIST PRICE: $310,000 2414 TETON STONE RUN 4 3/0 4,004 sq/ft - Sold:  $310,000 01/25/12

LIST PRICE: $539,900 2616 NORTHAMPTON AVE 4 4/0 3,888 sq/ft - Sold:  $494,000 12/01/11

Data on home sales for Orlando Real Estate is provided by The Florida Regional MLS, Inc. Information is believed to be accurate but should not be relied upon without verification.

What Homes are for sale today in Stoneybrook-Orlando? If you are wondering what is currently for sale in Orlando's Stoneybrook neighborhood, just head over to my Orlando real estate site. You can take a look at *all* the current Stoneybrook listings with multiple pictures on the Mid Florida MLS and you won't have to register. While you are over there you can also look at other Orlando listings by neighborhood like Eastwood, Waterfordchase,  Avalon Park and more.

Buying Foreclosure in Florida

How to beat the competition and buy Florida foreclosure

Finding a bank-owned home for sale these days is hard enough. Actually buying one is an even bigger problem.   Last year the supply of bargain-basement, foreclosure homes shrank, as banks temporarily stopped trying to repossess properties to review possible paperwork errors.

Start with your best offer: This isn’t 2007 or 2008, when sales were sluggish and sellers were thrilled with any offer. Demand creates bidding wars. Read more on how to buy foreclosed homes in Florida.

USDA to help thousands of rural homeowners refinance and lower payments

There is a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) pilot loan program that could help tens of thousands of rural homeowners refinance in 19 states including Florida.

The program, which was first announced Feb. 1, 2012. It allows underwater homeowners in rural areas to refinance their homes with lower interest rates, similar to a program President Barack Obama announced earlier this month – although  the USDA’s program does not rely on the approval of Congress.

To be eligible for the USDA refinance program, homeowners must have either a direct loan with the USDA or a USDA guarantee on a commercial bank mortgage.

Officials say the new program will cut through red tape normally seen with bank refinancing and save borrowers hundreds of dollars a month. To be eligible, borrowers must have made their mortgage payments on time for 12 consecutive months. There are more than 20,000 borrowers eligible in Florida and some 237,000 nationwide, according to the USDA, all in rural areas.

 He said that if more underwater loans are refinanced, then fewer homeowners will face foreclosure.

Under the new pilot program, a homeowner could knock three or four percentage points off their mortgage interest rates if they refinance and appraisals, inspections or credit reports are not required.

Orlando Real Estate Weekly Report-median price goes up by 8.9%

Orlando Home and Condo Sales -Week of February 12, 2012

Single-family existing Orlando homes for Sale

• Sales of single-family homes in the greater Orlando area increased to 315 during the week of Feb 12, from 201 the week prior
  
• The median price of single family homes in Orlando increased to $125,200, a change of 8.9%
• The number of single-family home foreclosure transactions increased to 60 last week, from 49 the week of Feb 5
  
• The number of single-family home short-sale transactions increased to 105 from 63 the week prior
  
• Single-family inventory decreased by 80, and now sits at 9,858

Orlando Condos, townhomes, and villas- Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake

• Sales of  Orlando condos, townhomes, and villas increased to 107 during the week of Feb 12, from 77 the week prior
  
• The median price of Orlando area condos, townhomes, and villas increased to $75,000, a change of 10.1%
• The number of condo, townhome, and villa foreclosure transactions increased to 30 last week, from 23 the week of Feb 5
  
• The number of condo, townhome and villa short-sale transactions increased to 32 from 29 the week prior
  
• Condo inventory decreased by 30, and now sits at 2,374

Florida real estate Existing-home sales rise again in January, inventory down

Florida’s housing market reported gains in median sales prices and a reduced inventory of homes for sale in January, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors.

In both the statewide single-family and condo-townhome markets, pending sales are higher and the statewide median sales price rose – up 5.3 percent to $129,000 for single-family homes and up 18.8 percent to $95,000 for condo-townhomes

The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. Sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes, according to housing industry analysts.

See OrlandoReal Estate in the greater Orlando area including Winter Park real estate and  Lake Mary homes for sale.

Top Mortgage Lenders for 2011

Who were the biggest lenders in 4Q in 2011 for home loans?

According to MortgageDaily.com’s 2011 Mortgage Lender Ranking, Industry-wide production during all of 2011 was around $1.3 trillion, falling from approximately $1.6 trillion the previous year. And the government’s role in residential finance was reduced last year.

Fourth-quarter mortgage originations by all lenders were an estimated $381 billion, up from approximately $317 billion closed three months earlier.

The biggest fourth-quarter lender was Wells Fargo, which reported that volume climbed to $120 billion from the third quarter’s $89 billion.

The number 3 spot went to Bank of America, who  saw production fall more than any other top-ten lender as it quit correspondent lending.

U.S. Bancorp gave the best performance, where production climbed 51 percent.

Top 4Q originators

1. Wells Fargo
2. Chase
3. Bank of America
4. Citi
5. U.S. Bancorp


There were $206 billion in loans insured by FHA last year, giving FHA a market share around 16 percent, down from 19 percent in 2010.

Loans purchased or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac accounted for approximately 74 percent of 2011 business – lower than the 78 percent share a year earlier.

The government owns FHA and controls Fannie and Freddie, putting the country on the hook for around 90 percent of mortgages originated last year. However, that was lower than the approximately 97 percent government market share in 2010.

Wells Fargo dominated annual rankings despite an 8 percent decline. Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo were responsible for about half of all production during 2011.  PHH saw annual production rise 6 percent, the best annual performance of any top-ranking lender.

Top 2011 lenders

1. Wells Fargo
2. Bank of America
3. Chase
4. Citigroup
5. Ally
6. PHH
7. U.S. Bancorp
8. Quicken
9. Flagstar
10. BB&T

Based on mortgage servicing portfolios, including third-party servicing, mortgages owned and home-equity assets, Wells Fargo’s $1.822 trillion portfolio was the biggest.

Top 2011 servicers

1. Wells Fargo
2. Bank of America
3. Chase
4. Citigroup
5. Ally
6. U.S. Bancorp
7. PNC
8. PHH
9. SunTrust
10. OneWest

From: Florida Realtors®

More short sales being closed on--now some lenders offer seller incentives

More short sales are being sold as lenders are getting more flexible than before. And some banks are allowing financial incentive to owners for choosing short sales when loan modification fail.  The interesting thing is that although a few owners are even getting cash to complete the short sale, the financial incentives  are random and infrequent.

Here are some of the lenders offering selling incentives for short sales as reported by USA TODAY:

• JPMorgan Chase went national with short-sale incentive offers last year, paying up to $35,000 in some cases.

• Bank of America is testing incentives from $5,000 to $25,000 in Florida to see if they should be expanded to more states. The Florida program began fall of 2011

• Wells Fargo’s incentive offers range from less than $3,000 to $20,000.

Short sales can save lenders money compared with the expenses involved in completing foreclosures. In states like Florida where foreclosures go through the courts, 50 percent of loans in foreclosure are more than two years past due.

In Orlando real estate, there were more short sales completed in 2011 than the year prior. Last  year, there were 6,981 single family homes sold as short sales in the Orlando Real Estate market. 

 

Shopping for Homeowners Insurance- Rates go up

The Tampa Bay Times reported last summer which insurance companies homeowners insurance rates were being raised in Florida:

 On the rise-State Farm is being allowed to raise homeowners insurance rates in Florida 18.8 percent on average. That includes a 20 percent increase for the most common, nontenant homeowners' policies; a 15 percent decrease for renters; and a 3 percent decrease for condominium unit owners. Here's a sampling of some of the steepest rate increases approved by Florida regulators since early 2010.

Insurer	Rate increase
State Farm	18.8 percent
Allstate (Castle Key Indemnity)	17.8 percent
American Mercury Insurance	24.8 percent
Hartford Insurance	24 percent
Homewise Insurance Co.	28.8 percent
Northern Capital Insurance	29 percent
Florida Peninsula Insurance	19.8 percent
Tower Hill Preferred Insurance	21.3 percent

Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation

That leaves many of us to shop for affordable but good and reliable homeowners insurance. And while there might be some relatively cheap insurance for us Floridians (relative being the key word), what you don't want to do is purchase insurance from companies that are not poised to handle a large scale risk event like we had back in 2004.

This weekend, I did some research to find reliable online tools and information to help homeowners like me, and Orlando area home buyers like my clients, choose wisely when shopping for home owners insurance. Here is what I found and you can access this information to make a smart choice on buying home owners insurance in Florida.

Homeowners Insurers' Risk of Ruin-The Herald-Tribune obtained copies of confidential documents filed in June by Florida property insurers with the Office of Insurance Regulation. These records and ratings show how well homeowners insurance carriers are prepared to withstand a 100-year loss.  The site also provides information on financial strength and premiums.

The ones to avoid- The article allows you to see portions of the actual filings from Florida's six riskiest property insurers, including Universal Property and State Farm. In each case, read the notes to understand what these reports mean.

Search by County-See who is writing new homeowners insurance policies, who is dropping policies, top property insurers and information about hurricane risk by Florida county. Changes are from June 2010 to January 2011.

No red flags list- The Herald-Tribune also published a list of Florida home insurers with no red flags. They provide company details, such as year the company was formed, who owns it and where the company is located, funds set aside, numbered of polcies. Based on this report, the one that stands out is Florida Farm Bureau Casualty, the Gainseville-based Florida Farm Bureau Casualty member of the Southern Farm Bureau family. It is considered one of the most stable and well-capitalized Florida-only insurance companies, according to the Herald Tribune.

Other Insurance Related Articles-

State Farm- Herald-Tribune investigation finds Florida's largest insurer has found an easier way to profit from homeowners desperate for coverage.

The new insurance game: sending billions overseas

Reinsurance firms profit as reserves dwindle, with two-thirds of property insurance premiums now leaving Florida as unregulated payments to largely offshore reinsurers ... READ MORE

U.S. Job Market continues improvement

Good News! The healthier job market has lifted the U.S. economy in recent months. Even better news-- it shows no signs of slowing down, according to the associated press and USA today.

Applications for unemployment benefits are near a four-year low . Weekly applications for unemployment benefits have fallen to a seasonally adjusted 348,000- the lowest since March 2008- according to the Labor Department. And applications have dropped 11 percent in four months.

The Dow Jones industrial average had  its highest close since May 2008 on Thursday.

More Buying Power- More jobs and tame inflation are giving consumers more buying power. Their higher spending could further boost growth and lower the unemployment rate for February for a sixth-consecutive month.

Housing market-- Builders are expecting improved sales in the near future. In response, they’re planning to break ground on more homes.

Builders broke ground in January at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 699,000 homes, the Commerce Department said. That nearly matches November’s three-year high. Single-family home construction cooled off slightly after a big jump in December.

Factories-Factory activity in the Philadelphia region grew in February at the fastest pace in five months. And a report that showed a third-consecutive month of factory growth in the New York region.

Tame inflation -Wholesale prices were largely unchanged in January, according to the Commerce department. Even though gas prices are rising, they are being offset by falling costs for electricity, home heating oil and natural gas. Most economists see inflation as little threat, according to USA TODAY.

Many analysts expect continuing positive news in next month’s jobs report for February 2012. Some experts believe that the net job gains could match or top January’s 243,000. For the past three months, the US economy has gained an average of about 200,000 jobs.

Getting a mortgage? Know how Credit bureaus sell your info and how to stop trigger leads.

Stopping Trigger Leads - How Mortgage Loan Applications Result in Trigger Leads

How Credit Bureaus Exploit Borrowers Through Trigger LeadsWhen you apply for a home loan, your mortgage lender will access a copy of your credit report. What happens next is completely legal but most people don't know about it. The credit bureaus will then turn around and sell your information to third-party vendors like other mortgage companies. This is called a trigger lead.

You can stop the four credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion) from selling your name as a trigger lead. It is not that hard and every bit of effort worth it. And doing so can add 10 to 15 points to you credit score.

Stopping Trigger Leads

Opt-Out - You can sign up for OptOutPrescreen . The same law that allows the credit bureaus to sell this information also requires that they allow you to opt-out of this process. Visit http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ and complete the online form. Once you do this you will not receive any pre-screened offers for the next 5 years. The opt-out request takes 5 days to become effective, so you may want to opt-out at least one week before your apply for a mortgage.

Do Not Call - You can block the telemarketing calls by registering your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your cell phone number as well. Do this at least a month before you apply for a loan because it takes 31 days to become effective. You can register at http://www.donotcall.gov/. Keep in mind that if you fill out an online form to shop your mortgage rate you may be giving permission for telemarketing lenders to avoid complying with this block.

Report - If you receive a trigger lead call, here is what you can do: Get the caller's name, company, and location, and ask for the offer in writing. If the caller is deceptive or evasive, report it to the FTC and your state's Attorney General. If your phone number is on the Do Not Call Registry, and you did not solicit the call, you can file a complaint on the registry's Web site (http://www.donotcall.gov/).

Direct Mail- To prevent mortgage lenders from sending you direct mail, you will need to register with the Direct Mail Association.  This will cost one dollar whether you register online or through mail. it will cost you $1.00, which can be charged to your credit card. Register early because the DMA distributes its lists quarterly, so it could take a while to become effective. Like the do- not- call registration, this registration is good for five years.

Foreclosed in 2009-2010? A must read...

Millions who could have their foreclosure cases checked for errors  and possibly get restitution  but most are passing up the chance because they don't know or understand that they can do so. Only 89,000 borrowers have asked for reviews even though more than 4 million got letters from the government late last year telling them that they could, according to USA TODAY.

It is reported the letters were not effective and many may have been tossed out mistaken as scams.

So in an effort to help more people, the Federal banking regulators announced that they’ll extend an April 30 deadline for consumers to request such reviews to July 31.
 
The reviews are part of last year’s federal settlement with 14 mortgage servicers and affiliates who manage home loans. They’re separate from the recent $25 billion settlement that states and the federal government reached last week with some of the same loan servicers. Borrowers hurt by foreclosure abuses could receive help under both settlements.

The settlement covers people who were harmed in foreclosures in 2009 and 2010, if their servicer is part of the settlement. You can read more at independentforeclosurereview.com.

With the $25 billion settlement, $1.5 billion will go to up to 750,000 consumers – payouts could be about $2,000 depending on borrower response.  Those payouts won’t require loan reviews.

Floridians will receive an estimated $7.6 billion in benefits from loan modifications, including principal reduction, and other direct relief. Approximately $170 million will go to some Florida borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure from Jan. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2011.

For breaking information as it’s released, you can visit Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s website.

Orlando Real Estate Sales for January 2012 -

A sharp decline in the sales of Orlando area foreclosure homes contributed to a drop of 17.83 percent in overall sales for January, despite increases in the number of both short sales and normal sales. Orlando area foreclosure sales in January dropped by 57.61 percent compared to January of 2011, while short sales increased 23.69 percent and normal sales increased 19.92 percent.

There was a significant drop in Orlando condo sales, which are down 48.11 percent from January of last year. Single-family homes, in comparison, are only  down 5.26 percent.

Members of the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association participated in 1,677 Orlando area home sales in January 2012. More than 36 percent of those were normal sales; short sales made up 37.98 percent and foreclosure sales made up 25.76 percent. By comparison, in January 2011 normal sales accounted for 24.84 percent while short sales accounted for 25.23 percent and foreclosures accounted for 49.93 percent.

The increase in short sales and normal sales — with the higher prices these sales types typically command — plus a nice increase in the median price of foreclosure sales, lifted Orlando’s overall median price 13.80 percent over that in January 2011 ($108,000 in January 2012 and $94,900 in January 2011).

However, the January 2012 overall median price is 9.24 percent lower than it was in December 2011.  

The January 2012 median prices of both normal sales and short sales dropped in comparison to January 2011: normal sales by 2.10 percent (from $143,000 to $140,000) and short sales by 5.26 percent (from $95,000 to $90,000). The median price of foreclosure sales, however, increased by 13.33 percent in January 2012 (from $75,000 to $85,000).

The average interest rate paid by homebuyers in January was 4.01 percent. This rate average interest rate is just two-tenths of a percent higher than the rate in December 2011, which at 3.99 percent was the lowest since ORRA began tracking the statistic in January of 1995. A year ago, homebuyers paid an average interest rate of 4.84 percent.

Inventory

Current overall inventory (9,258) of homes for sale in Orlando is down 35.70 percent compared to January 2011, and down 4.87 percent compared to December 2011. Single-family home inventory is down 36.35 percent compared to January 2011, while current condo inventory is down 26.46 percent compared to January 2011.

At the current pace of sales, there is a 5.52-month supply of homes in Orlando’s inventory (down from a 7.05-month supply in January 2011 and up from a 4.40-month supply in December 2011).

Affordability

The drop in overall median price has led to an increase in Orlando’s affordability index: the January index of 273.32 percent is almost 23 percentage points higher than December 2011’s index of 250.44 percent. (An affordability index of 99 percent means that buyers earning the state-reported median income are 1 percent short of the income necessary to purchase a median-priced home. Conversely, an affordability index that is over 100 means that median-income earners make more than is necessary to qualify for a median-priced home.)

Buyers who earn the reported median income of $54,188 can generally qualify to purchase one of 5,600 homes in Orange and Seminole counties currently listed in the local multiple listing service for $295,188 or less. First-time homebuyer affordability in January increased to 194.36 percent from last month’s 178.09 percent.

First-time buyers who earn the reported median income of $36,848 can qualify to purchase one of the 4,113 homes in Orange and Seminole counties currently listed in the local multiple listing service for $178,425 or less. Affordability index aside, credit issues and the ability to qualifying for a loan is still an issue for many.

Orlando area by county- Each individual county’s home monthly sales comparisons are as follows:

• Lake: 0.67 percent below January 2011 (297 homes sold in January 2012 compared to 299 in January 2011);
• Orange: 24.47 percent below January 2011 (1,062 homes sold in January 2012 compared to 1,406 in January 2011);
• Osceola: 28.12 percent below January 2011 (363 homes sold in January 2012 compared to 505 in January 2011); and
• Seminole: 5.93 percent below January 2011 (365 sold in January 2012 compared to 388 in January 2011).

Mortgage settlement and the FHA reserve crisis

The  $25 billion mortgage settlement with banks last week over fraudulent foreclosure practices might help more than struggling homeowners. Part of the money is slated to go to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to help their projected shortfall in the reserves , according to The Washington Post. The major banks involved are Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial.

Shaun Donovan, secretary of HUD, said that the major banks involved in the settlement agreed to provide up to $1 billion to shore up the capital reserve fund of the FHA. The FHA provides mortgage insurance on loans made by approved lenders across the country.

It is estimated that the FHA’s capital reserves could drop this year, leaving an almost $700 million shortfall and it could potentially force the self-funded agency to seek aid from the Treasury for the first time since its inception in 1934.

Even though the government is legally required to ensure that the FHA’s emergency reserve fund does not drop below 2 percent of outstanding FHA loans, the agency’s reserves have fallen below that mark in recent years due to the housing crisis. The law states that if the FHA’s reserves were depleted entirely, the FHA would automatically receive payments from the Treasury to make up for the deficit. Up to now,   the agency has never needed help from the Treasury.

 In addition to the settlement payments from banks, the secretary of the HUD said the FHA would increase its mortgage insurance premiums again this year, according to Brady Dennis from the Washington Post.

For more on the multi-state mortgage settlement  read my other recents posts:

How the Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement will affect Florida

 

Forty nine state agree on Mortgage Settlement

Mortgage giants --biggest settlement since Big Tobacco?

 

See the entire Brady Dennis on the FHA and the Settlement article on the Washington Post

Lucy is Home-Happy Valentine's Day

I love living in Orlando. And I love living in Orwin Manor, a great little neighborhood straddling Winter Park and Orlando. It is one of those places where people really care about each other. Families stick around through the years and grow up, as babies become toddlers, then schoolers and teens. It is great to see people embracing the different phases of life as it comes. Memories are made. 

Today, we are celebrating the homecoming of Lucy, who was dognapped, but has now been safely returned. The entire neighborhood rallied around Lucy and her family with thoughts and prayers.  I am so happy for the wonderful outcome. We are all celebrating your safe return, Lucy!

Welcome home Lucy. We adore seeing you and your brother walking around the neighborhood, spilling happiness where ever you go.  You have made our Valentine's Day.