Monthly Archives: May 2019

Mortgage Options for Everyone

Whether you’re buying your first home, upgrading homes or looking to refinance, you need to know what mortgage options are out there. Here are some basic facts on mortgages.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Home Mortgage

The most basic option is a standard home mortgage. These come in a variety of terms, from 10-years to 30-years. Also, there are different products available for those who are first time buyers. Often buyers in this category can get into a home with very little being required for a down payment.  Your credit score will be the biggest driver in determining the loan APR you receive. Talk to a Top Mortgage Lender like Sun West Mortgage to find out what products are available to you.

Refinance

There are many reasons people refinance. Sometimes homeowners want to reduce the interest paid over time. By refinancing from a 30-year to a 15-year mortgage, you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The drawback to this option is that your monthly payments will increase. Another reason is to reduce your monthly payments. If you’re five years into a 30-year mortgage and have a financial crisis, by refinancing back to 30 years, you can take advantage of some of the equity you’ve built up. Also, you can refinance to take advantage of lower interest rates.

Know what your finance options are when it comes to your mortgage. Use this information to make good choices in the products you choose.

Should Churches Have Security Guards?

Violence is a national epidemic and even the decision to leave your home carries risks. Between school shootings, event tragedies, and shopping center attacks, countless of Americans congregate to their local or beloved house of worship to offer sympathy and pray for peace during the most disturbing times. Unfortunately, churches aren’t off limits to some the most depraved, disturbed, or violent domestic terrorists. There were nearly 140 church shootings between 1980 and 2005, and that number’s gotten so much bigger that there’s now a national church shooting database. Could those have been avoided or prevented with the right security measures? There’s no way to change the past, but there are some reasons a professional security guard may be beneficial to help reduce violent crime in churches and other houses of worship.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

A Professional Security Guard Can Ease Underlying Burden

Members of a church’s congregation may opt to skip a sermon as the need arises, but that’s far more difficult for the actual religious leader of the establishment. Regardless of whom is in the house of worship, however, they are simply human. As such, a pastor, priest, rabbi, or Imam may have as strong emotions and fear as their followers. Yet, it’s their duty and responsibility to remain strong and offer praise, prayer, and hope on a weekly, and often daily, basis. The presence of a professional security guard can do wonders for moral support as the religious leaders help to ease burdens and provide hope for everyone in attendance.

A Professional Security Guard Can Help Channel Potential Chaos

In the event of a major scare or tragedy, the fight-or-flight response sets in and chaos can ensue. Even if someone swears it would never happen to them, the survival instinct is instilled in the human brain and the flight response is forced by the nervous system in times of great stress. The pastor or rabbi may actually find themselves among the scurrying congregation at the highest point of panic. A professional security guard can perform a variety of tasks to help ensure members and visitors alike stay calm and collected as they’re escorted to safety.

A Professional Security Guard Can Minimize Theft

Hopefully, disaster will never strike at your house of worship. But that doesn’t mean visitors and members won’t be targets of theft or other crime. Unoccupied rooms and parking lots are particularly common targets for petty and high-level criminals. Furniture and potentially valuable relics are easy to remove as the service commences. Unlocked vehicles are readily broken into for obvious valuables. Criminals can even get away with serious and often expensive damage to church property or locked cars without the right security elements in place. A professional security guard can be tasked with patrolling the property during service to help deter criminal activity.

A Professional Security Guard Can Help Your Congregation Grow

There are over 350,000 religious meeting houses nationwide, averaging 100-400 individuals per congregation. Most of those are open to the general public at some point and they all require active members to help the religious establishment fund various necessary programs to help the local residents and promote missionary endeavors. The monetary gifts and volunteer efforts from visitors and members are crucial to the survival of a religious institution. A bad or dangerous reputation can not only lead to low congregation numbers, but it can also ensure future members avoid the church altogether. Korner Security in Metro Detroit can provide the right professional security guard for your needs so your church can grow and flourish for years to come.

5 Surprising Facts About Parole

The criminal justice system is not as straightforward as you may think. Though you may believe you understand parole and its implications, you may be surprised by these five surprising facts.

Image courtesy of nixxphotography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Prisoners Lose Rights

In every other part of the criminal system, the accused, convicted, and imprisoned have legal rights that are defined by the law. That is not the case in a parole hearing. That is why it is so important to hire a parole lawyer in Harris County TX, before meeting with the board for a parole review.

Parole Board Members

Many parole board members have no experience with the criminal justice system. In fact, in many states, there are requirements on education that suggests the candidate have a bachelor’s degree. If someone obtains a degree in wildlife conservation or creative writing, they can become a member of a parole board and decide the fate of inmates.

Life Isn’t Life

Everyone that is eligible for parole unless they are sentenced to life without parole. That means someone serving life can often go before the parole board in as little as 15 years.

Prisoner Expectations Missing

Once parole has been denied by the board, the prisoner is often left wondering how they can change their behavior to warrant a release. The problem is that conditions are often general, and the same individuals will probably not be part of the parole board the next time the inmate is available for a hearing.

Hefty Case Load

A parole board must often make decisions based on the prisoner’s file and in-house record. The panel often has as many as 35 decisions to make per day, and that must include reviewing the file, meeting several convicts, and making a decision.

The way the parole system works is defined by each state and can be very confusing. It is no wonder the five simple facts about parole listed above are surprising.