Task #7

A new trend in the auto industry is developing not only creating green cars, but also green auto factories. In the highlights of the article in the Dallas morning news discusses 

• The $20 million dealership has a restaurant with vegetarian items on the menu and seating for 32
• A showroom with the tony feel of an upscale mall 
• An impressive 1.5-acre dog park in back! 
• The restrooms at the dealership use running water from the faucets to recharge the electrical system that controls the automatic faucets. 

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/autos-latest-news/20101228-hondatopia-gleams-in-fort-worth.ece

Task #6

Since Argyle is such a small town and economical development data is scarce I decided to move North of Argyle to Keller, TX. Here I will invest in Retail shop more specifically a Frozen Yogurt store like Spoons or Yogurtland. 

There are currently 3 frozen yogurt shops within the Keller city limits. All of which are not name brand names therefore entering this market with a name brand such as spoons would be crucial. According to the Keller Economic Development 2012 no frozen yogurt stores were opened in the past year. (http://www.cityofkeller.com/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8643).

This chart was pulled from http://pics4.city-data.com/zag/za76262.png. With a relatively young population made up of families frozen yogurt is an ideal investment because of its cheap start-up costs and it is easy to maintain. Also, yogurt is a healthier option and is trending amongst most young children and adults. 

Task #5

The main problem is that mortgage companies lent money to people that could not continue to make payments on their homes. Most of these loans were called “subprime” loans because the borrowers have less than perfect credit histories. A large portion of the borrowers defaulted on the loans. The defaults were partly because the interest rate on the loans increased sharply after the first year. This sharp increase was likely not disclosed to the borrower in such a way that they would easily understand the difficulty in being able to afford their home after the adjustment in rate.

The large number of foreclosures has seriously damaged the lenders and investors that fund real estate loans. Because housing is so important to our economy, one of eight jobs is related to the housing industry, the federal government has had to step in to shore up the collapsing real estate market. Termed the mortgage bailout plan, the Congress has passed a measure giving the U. S. Treasury Department the power to step in and assist Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that hold over fifty percent of the nation’s home loans. Under the legislation, the Federal Housing Administration is granted the authority to insure up to $300 billion in refinanced mortgages hoping to reduce the rising number of foreclosures.  Because one in eight homes is projected to enter foreclosure in the next five years, the hopes of the bailout are to address broader economic problems by helping to reform the housing sector.

Task #4

I grew up in a small town in Argyle, TX. We have a population of about 3,500 people. Argyle is located north of Dallas off of Highway I-35. Argyle has continued to grow through the Mortgage Crisis. According to the United State Census Argyle as of 2010 Argyle has 1,083 households and 925 families residing within the city. The racial demographics are 95.9% white, 0.03% African American, 0.05% Native American, and 0.06% Asian. The median income according to the census was $91,161.

Here is a picture of Argyle High School home to the Eagles.

This is a picture of the Argyle Town Hall