A vintage home on a half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa within a mile of Utica Square has just been listed by Debbie Solano, REALTOR® and Broker-Associate with Coldwell Banker Select, Realtors in Midtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This beautiful vintage midtown home was built in 1938. It sits on a half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa in a neighborhood located just east of Monte Cassino School on 22nd Street east of Lewis.
The same family has lived in this home for more than forty years. What attracted them to this vintage home was the fact that it sits on a huge half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa. It’s close to downtown Tulsa and Utica Square.
According to the tax records, the lot is 75 feet wide by 312 feet deep, measuring 23,400 square feet or .54 acres (more or less).
As you walk from the foyer to the living room, your eye is immediately attracted to the view straight back through the sliding glass doors in the dining room. The terraced back yard features a patio which steps down to the large back yard surrounded by mature trees. You can just imagine the play area that could be constructed in the back yard of this wonderful vintage home on a half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa.
If you are looking for an affordable vintage home on a half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa south of the Broken Arrow Expressway, this is the home for you. There is plenty of room to add on to this home.
Call Debbie Solano today at 918-724-8201 to see this wonderful home.
If you would like to see other homes on half-acre lots (or more) in midtown Tulsa or to look for vacant building lots consisting of a half-acre or more in midtown Tulsa, click here.
Get Shortlink: http://midtowntulsarealestate.com/?p=6984
The State of the Tulsa Real Estate Market: March Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS — Report dated April 20, 2012.
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS during March 2012 indicates the market is really picking up. The following statistics are for the Area delimited by the following Northeast Oklahoma counties:
Creek County
Okmulgee County
Osage County
Pawnee Cpunty
Rogers County
Tulsa County
Wagoner County
If you want to see specific market share information for your midtown Tulsa neighborhood or subdivision, contact Debbie Solano at 918-712-4473.
Analysis Wrap Up
Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) Decreases
The total housing inventory at the end of March 2012
decreased 6.16% to 8,975 existing homes available for sale.
Over the last 12 months this area has had an average of 886
closed sales per month. This represents an unsold inventory
index of 10.13 MSI for this period.
Average Sale Prices Falling
According to the preliminary trends, this market area has
experienced some downward momentum with the decline of
Average Price this month. Prices dipped 2.07% in March 2012
to $149,857 versus the previous year at $153,028.
Average Days on Market Lengthens
The average number of 65.02 days that homes spent on the
market before selling increased by 0.63 days or 0.98% in
March 2012 compared to last year’s same month at 64.39
DOM.
Sales Success for March 2012 is Positive
Overall, with Average Prices falling and Days on Market
increasing, the Listed versus Closed Ratio finished strong this
month.
There were 2,725 New Listings in March 2012, down 7.28%
from last year at 2,939. Furthermore, there were 992 Closed
Listings this month versus last year at 775, a 28.00% increase.
Closed versus Listed trends yielded a 36.4% ratio, up from last
year’s March 2012 at 26.4%, a 38.05% upswing. This will
certainly create pressure on a decreasing Month’s Supply of
Inventory (MSI) in the following months to come.
What Does It Mean When the Listing Says “Property is Being Sold Subject to 24 CFR 206.125?”
This is the section sited. If you have any questions you should ask a lawyer.
TITLE 24 – HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
SUBTITLE B – REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER II – OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HOUSING – FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
SUBCHAPTER B – MORTGAGE AND LOAN INSURANCE PROGRAMS UNDER NATIONAL HOUSING ACT AND OTHER AUTHORITIES
PART 206 – HOME EQUITY CONVERSION MORTGAGE INSURANCE
Subpart C – CONTRACT RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS
206.125 – Acquisition and sale of the property.
(a) Initial action by the mortgagee. (1) The mortgagee shall notify the Secretary whenever the mortgage is due and payable under the conditions stated in 206.27(c)(1), or one of the conditions stated in 206.27(c)(2) has occurred.
(2) After notifying the Secretary, and receiving approval of the Secretary when needed, the mortgagee shall notify the mortgagor that the mortgage is due and payable, unless the mortgage is due and payable by reason of the mortgagor’s death. The mortgagee shall require the mortgagor to (i) pay the mortgage balance, including any accrued interest and MIP, in full; (ii) sell the property for at least 95% of the appraised value as determined under 206.125(b), with the net proceeds of the sale to be applied towards the mortgage balance; or (iii) provide the mortgagee with a deed in lieu of foreclosure. The mortgagor shall have 30 days in which to comply with the preceding sentence, or correct the matter which resulted in the mortgage coming due and payable, before a foreclosure proceeding is begun.
(3) Even after a foreclosure proceeding is begun, the mortgagee shall permit the mortgagor to correct the condition which resulted in the mortgage coming due and payable and to reinstate the mortgage, and the mortgage insurance shall continue in effect. The mortgagee may require the mortgagor to pay any costs that the mortgagee incurred to reinstate the mortgagor, including foreclosure costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. Such costs shall be paid by adding them to the mortgage balance.
The mortgagee may refuse reinstatement by the mortgagor if: (i) The mortgagee has accepted reinstatement of the mortgage within the past two years immediately preceding the current notification to the mortgagor that the mortgage is due and payable; (ii) Reinstatement will preclude foreclosure if the mortgage becomes due and payable at a later date; or (iii) Reinstatement will adversely affect the priority of the mortgage lien.
(b) Appraisal. The mortgagee shall obtain an appraisal of the property no later than 30 days after the mortgagor is notified that the mortgage is due and payable, or no later than 30 days after the mortgagee becomes aware of the mortgagor’s death, or upon the mortgagor’s request in connection with a pending sale. The property shall be appraised no later than 15 days before a foreclosure sale. The appraisal shall be at the mortgagor’s expense unless the mortgage is due and payable. If the mortgage is due and payable, the appraisal shall be at the mortgagee’s expense but the mortgagee shall have a right to be reimbursed out of the proceeds of any sale by the mortgagor.
(c) Sale by mortgagor. Whether or not the mortgage is due and payable, the mortgagor may sell the property for at least the lesser of the mortgage balance or the appraised value (determined under 206.125(b)).
If the mortgage is due and payable at the time the contract for sale is executed, the mortgagor may sell the property for at least the lesser of the mortgage balance or five percent under the appraised value. The mortgagee shall satisfy the mortgage of record (and the Secretary will satisfy the second mortgage required under 206.27(e) of record) in order to facilitate the sale, provided that there are no junior liens (except the mortgage to secure payments by the Secretary under 206.27(e)) and all the net proceeds from the sale are paid to the mortgagee.
(d) Initiation of foreclosure. (1) The mortgagee shall commence foreclosure of the mortgage within six months of giving notice to the mortgagor that the mortgage is due and payable, or six months from the date of the mortgagor’s death if applicable, or within such additional time as may be approved by the Secretary.
(2) If the laws of the State in which the mortgaged property is located or if Federal bankruptcy law does not permit the commencement of the foreclosure within six months from the date of the notice to the mortgagor that the mortgage is due and payable, the mortgagee shall commence foreclosure within six months after the expiration of the time during which such foreclosure is prohibited by such laws.
(3) The mortgagee must give written notice to the Secretary within 30 days after the initiation of foreclosure proceedings, and must exercise reasonable diligence in prosecuting the foreclosure proceedings to completion and in acquiring title to and possession of the property. A time frame that is determined by the Secretary to constitute reasonable diligence for each State is made available to mortgagees.
(4) The mortgagee shall bid at the foreclosure sale an amount equal to the appraised value of the property.
(e) Other bidders at foreclosure sale. If a party other than the mortgagee is the successful bidder at the foreclosure sale, the net proceeds of sale shall be applied to the mortgage balance.
(f) Deed in lieu of foreclosure. (1) In order to avoid delays and additional expense as a result of instituting and completing a foreclosure action, the mortgagee shall accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure from the mortgagor if the mortgagee is able to obtain good and marketable title from the mortgagor.
(2) In exchange for the executed and delivered deed, the mortgagee shall cancel the credit instrument and deliver it to the mortgagor and satisfy the mortgage of record.
(g) Sale of the acquired property. (1) Upon acquisition of the property by foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure, the mortgagee shall take possession of, preserve and repair the property and shall make diligent efforts to sell the property within six months from the date the mortgagee acquired the property. Repairs shall not exceed those required by local law and, in cases where the sale is made with a mortgage insured by the Secretary or guaranteed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, those necessary to meet the objectives of the property standards required for mortgages insured by the Secretary. No other repairs shall be made without the specific advance approval of the Secretary. The mortgagee shall sell the property for an amount not less than the appraised value (as provided under paragraph (b) of this section) unless written permission is obtained from the Secretary authorizing a sale at a lower price.
(2) Repairs shall not exceed those required by local law or the requirements of the Secretary of HUD or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs if the sale of the property is financed with a mortgage insured by the Secretary of HUD or guaranteed, insured or taken by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(3) The mortgagee shall not enter into a contract for the preservation, repair or sale of the property with any officer, employee, owner of ten percent or more interest in the mortgagee or with any other person or organization having an identity of interest with the mortgagee or with any relative of such officer, employee, owner or person.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2528 0133) [54 FR 24833, June 9, 1989; 54 FR 32060, Aug. 4, 1989, as amended at 60 FR 42761, Aug. 16, 1995; 61 FR 49034, Sept. 17, 1996]
The State of the Tulsa Real Estate Market: February Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS — Report dated March 12, 2012.
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS during February 2012 indicates the market is really picking up. The following statistics are for the entire Tulsa MLS. If you want to see specific market share information for your midtown Tulsa neighborhood or subdivision, contact Debbie Solano at 918-712-4473.
Analysis Wrap Up
Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) Decreases
The total housing inventory at the end of February 2012
decreased 4.25% to 8,807 existing homes available for sale.
Over the last 12 months this area has had an average of 867
closed sales per month. This represents an unsold inventory
index of 10.15 MSI for this period.
Average Sale Prices Falling
According to the preliminary trends, this market area has
experienced some downward momentum with the decline of
Average Price this month. Prices dipped 3.68% in February
2012 to $141,754 versus the previous year at $147,173.
Average Days on Market Shortens
The average number of 64.81 days that homes spent on the
market before selling decreased by 2.63 days or 3.90% in
February 2012 compared to last year’s same month at 67.44
DOM.
Sales Success for February 2012 is Positive
Overall, with Average Prices falling and Days on Market
decreasing, the Listed versus Closed Ratio finished weak this
month.
There were 2,242 New Listings in February 2012, up 24.28%
from last year at 1,804. Furthermore, there were 772 Closed
Listings this month versus last year at 623, a 23.92% increase.
Closed versus Listed trends yielded a 34.4% ratio, down from last
year’s February 2012 at 34.5%, a 0.29% downswing. This will
certainly create pressure on a decreasing Month’s Supply of
Inventory (MSI) in the following months to come.
At sundown on April 20, 2012 people will be gathering in Tulsa, Oklahoma and throughout the world to raise awareness about Kony. The vigil will last until sunrise.
Watch this video if you want to understand what this is all about.
Then watch this video to see how viral this awareness has become:
Ten years ago while I was between jobs, I worked as a volunteer paralegal for my ex-husband in Tulsa. I worked on asylum cases for him. My job was to prove through documentation that families in Zimbabwe would be murdered by Robert Mugave’s forces if they went back home. I had to prove that refugees in the United States would literally be slaughtered if they were forced to return to their home country. The documentation was submitted to the INS. We won.
In that process, I became aware of the work of the peace and justice agencies in Africa and at the international level, particularly Amnesty International.
I also discovered that if I found good articles on the internet, I had to print them out immediately because the next day they might not be available on the internet. I was amazed at the time of how wired Africa was. It seemed that there were many underground voices striving to be heard and get the word out…. but the world wasn’t hearing it. That was when I first became aware of the “blood diamond” issues in West Africa.
I had images in my head of activists being arrested for speaking the truth, newspaper reporters being threatened, and servers being smashed all over the African continent. The people of Africa have been crying for decades to be heard.
There is war in Sudan too. There is a movie that I saw at the dollar movie recently called “Machine Gun Preacher.” It documents the efforts of a preacher in Pennsylvania who is fighting his battle in a different way. Here is the trailer for the movie.
The world has changed in ten years. Now through social media the world will know what is happening. You can sit back and do nothing like me and wish you could do something OR you can get involved through raising awareness.
Please choose to tell your friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, and other acquaintances who KONY is.
The goal is to arrest Kony in 2012.
Thank you, Jim Inhofe, for your efforts to stop Kony.
The State of the Tulsa Real Estate Market: January Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS — Report dated February 13, 2012.
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis
Tulsa Real Estate Market Inventory Analysis for the Tulsa MLS during January 2012 indicates the market is heating up. The following statistics are for the entire Tulsa MLS. If you want to see specific market share information for your midtown Tulsa neighborhood or subdivision, contact Debbie Solano at 918-712-4473.
Analysis Wrap Up
Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) Decreases
The total housing inventory at the end of January 2012
decreased 7.60% to 8,839 existing homes available for sale.
Over the last 12 months this area has had an average of 854
closed sales per month. This represents an unsold inventory
index of 10.35 MSI for this period.
Average Sale Prices Falling
According to the preliminary trends, this market area has
experienced some downward momentum with the decline of
Average Price this month. Prices dipped 5.17% in January
2012 to $137,613 versus the previous year at $145,116.
Average Days on Market Shortens
The average number of 62.73 days that homes spent on the
market before selling decreased by 3.21 days or 4.86% in
January 2012 compared to last year’s same month at 65.94
DOM.
Sales Success for January 2012 is Positive
Overall, with Average Prices falling and Days on Market
decreasing, the Listed versus Closed Ratio finished strong this
month.
There were 2,597 New Listings in January 2012, up 14.20%
from last year at 2,274. Furthermore, there were 678 Closed
Listings this month versus last year at 582, a 16.49% increase.
Closed versus Listed trends yielded a 26.1% ratio, up from last
year’s January 2012 at 25.6%, a 2.01% upswing. This will
certainly create pressure on a decreasing Month’s Supply of
Inventory (MSI) in the following months to come.
Tulsa’s lower growth rate results in higher property taxes. The lack of growth in property values has resulted in higher taxes to make up for budget short falls, because budgets have been created based on projected growth expectations that never materialized.
As a REALTOR® in midtown Tulsa who gets “out and about” selling properties throughout Tulsa County, I have observed in the tax records how this scenario has played out. This article is a reblog of an article I first posted last August on another one of my Tulsa real estate websites.
Ken Yazel, Tulsa County Assessor
TULSA, OK. — Tulsa County Tax Assessor Ken Yazel announced last August that his report to the Tulsa County Excise Board reflected only .53% growth in property valuations for Tulsa County.
Check out the county-wide growth rates in net assessed property values in Tulsa County:
2007 — 6.00%
2008 — 5.33%
2009 — 4.44%
2010 — 1.84%
2011 — 0.53%
Notice that the decline in Tulsa County’s growth rate has been happening over a 5-year period.
Uh-oh!
This is not good, because historically growth rates in Tulsa County have been much higher.
Why is it a problem? Schools, city governments, and other government entities are operating with budgets that were created based on projections of higher growth in the community than what has actually been the case.
So, big deal, the schools districts and cities of Tulsa County projected bond issues based on future growth rates that have turned out to be pipe dreams. Ooops!
Once issued, the money to pay bonds off has to come from somewhere. The money to pay off the bonds must be raised no matter whether or not property valuation is up or down.
Ken Yezel explained:
Net assessed value is the amount against which tax rates are applied to arrive at the actual tax dollars a property owner will pay. The net assessed value is a fraction of actual fair market value.
Countywide, centrally assessed values for Tulsa County are 7.49% lower than last year, and will have a particularly negative impact on some jurisdictions that are already dealing with funding issues. The school and municipal bond projections that assumed increases consistent with historical growth have perhaps been ill advised. To state that passage of a particular bond package will not raise taxes based on overly optimistic rates is a disservice to those who pay the taxes.
When net assessed home values go down and property tax revenues go down proportionately, tax levies by the school districts (called property tax millage) must go up to meet the obligations to pay off the school bonds.
Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel said:
I was very public on this point when those bond issues were being touted. Various public officials promised the taxpayers that taxes would not go up if they voted for the bonds. At the same time, I was advising those officials and the public that if they project an overly ambitious valuation growth rate, property tax levies go up on subsequent years to meet their obligations. Now that values are not rising as fast as projected, property tax rates must increase. The Excise Board will soon approve tax levies based on an increased demand for property taxes and a leaner tax base. The result can only be higher taxes for the citizens of Tulsa County!
How will this impact individual cities and school districts throughout Tulsa County? The millage could possibly change in Tulsa County cities and school districts at a rate inversely related to the growth rate for that city or school.
As a realtor® I have seen a reduction in the number of homes sold over the past few years, but for the most part it seems that our property values have remained relatively steady. So this press release had me a bit confused until I studied the paragraphs explaining centrally assessed entities.
At the most local level, non-Public Service assets are affected by home values, which have remained constant. However, the closing of certain businesses can affect the local tax base. For instance, when the glass plant in Union School District began closing it’s operations, everybody in Union School District felt it’s effects. Similarly, when the when the steel plant in Sand Springs closed it’s doors, it affected the Sand Springs school district.
Even in areas where there were no plant closings, everyone will feel the pinch because of “an unexpected reduction in property values for entities that are centrally assessed by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.”
It reminds me of Ruben Habito’s teaching that when a butterfly flaps it’s wings over Tokyo, it will rain in New York. That’s a zen master’s way of saying, “We’re all in this together, baby!”
In Oklahoma, public service companies such as railroads, airlines, and power companies are valued centrally by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. That net assessed value is then distributed among the various school districts, cities, and other jurisdictions.
Everyone in Tulsa County therefore is affected by the centrally assessed values being 7.49% lower than last year.
What’s the cause of the centrally assessed values being so much lower?
A one time reallocation of public service assets based on the introduction of new technology has driven the majority of the 2011 decline in centrally assessed value. The Oklahoma Tax Commission approved AEP-PSO’s new efforts to accurately reflect the actual historical cost of property in each jurisdiction. This seems to be a one time occurrence, but similar reductions in centrally assessed property values can happen [at any time] in the future.
There you have it. I found the magic paragraph. In short, our taxes will go up because of AEP-PSO’s implementation of new technology!
Ken Yazel spoke to realtors® at Coldwell Banker Select at a meeting on August 9th. He gave us copies of his press release, which I have used in writing this blog.
Ken Yazel was elected Tulsa County Assessor in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2010. A retired Major, U.S. Marine Corps, Yazel was also a CPA for many years. During his time in county government he has continually fought to lower taxes and ensure that property values in Tulsa County are fair and equalized.
For home buyers with a long-term housing plan, today’s mortgage rates are an incredible value as compared to even February of last year.
Last February, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 5.05 percent nationwide and today you are around 4.00 percent. If you are one of the many that have waited, you will have saved 13% on your mortgage payment. Take a look at the math :
February 2011 : $539.88 principal + interest for every $100,000 borrowed
February 2012 : $477.42 principal + interest for every $100,000 borrowed
That’s $62.06 monthly savings for every $100,000 borrowed. Mapping this to a real-life mortgage, a homeowner in Midtown Tulsa or anywhere in Northeast Oklahoma borrowing at the local conforming limit of $417,0000 would recognize savings of $259 per month or $3,108 per year.
Same Mortgage Payment ~ 77% More Home
When you buy a home, you think in terms of “monthly budget” and that’s why mortgage rates are critical to home affordability. Your purchasing power is a direct reflection of the mortgage rates of the day. As mortgage rates rise, purchasing power falls. As rates dip, purchasing power rises.
This is why your mortgage dollar goes so much farther today as compared to 20 years ago — mortgage rates are scraping rock-bottom in 2012 at levels that were previously unthinkable to economists.
Let’s say you have a monthly budget of $1,700 for your mortgage.
In 1991, a $1,700 mortgage payment gets you a loan size of $200,000
In 2011, a $1,700 mortgage payment gets you a loan size of $353,000
In other words, in 2012, for the same monthly payment, you can borrow 77% more from the bank than you could in 1991. That’s a homebuyer-friendly statistic if there ever was one.
The chart above shows us that while property values rose, the affordability index dropped. With rates low and property values stabilizing, this becomes as close to the “perfect time” to buy as we can accurately estimate. No one knows when the bottom or top of any market comes until after it is long gone. Whether we are moving up, down, or laterally the forecasts say that now is the time.
Did you say even if you are trading down? Stay tuned for the next edition… you’ll be amazed by that math!
Land in the Judaeo-Christian Biblical tradition is an odd title for an article on a real estate website. You might be asking what this title has to do with real estate for sale in midtown Tulsa. Well, that’s a good question. This website deals with land and building lots for sale in midtown Tulsa and since land and building lots are very scarce in midtown Tulsa, it seems appropriate for me to reflect on what exactly it is I’m selling.
Those of you who know me already know that I think about everything theologically, and so it just seems approriate to deal with the topic of land from a theological and biblical point of view.
I have given myself permission to reblog those articles posts and entitle this post Land in the Judaeo-Christian Biblical Tradition.
What is the nature of land? I will be examining land from several perspectives over the next few months. Since nobody likes to listen to me expound, it works to post my ideas here and give my Tulsa friends and family a break. Only those who are really interested in theology and biblical studies will press on to discover some of my own thoughts regarding the nature of land.
So let’s begin.
Is land the same everywhere? Is land different in Oklahoma from other places?
Can land be bought and sold? If so, when we buy land and sell land, what is it that we are exchanging?
Theologians, lawyers, real estate agents, farmers, geologists, accountants, and sailors all have varying perspectives on what land is.
Today, I will examine the question, “What is land?” from a Judaeo-Christian theological perspective. What does The Bible say about land? What does the book of Genesis say about land?
What is the Biblical perspective on land? What is land from the point of view of the Bible?
Land in the Judaeo-Christian Biblical Tradition
The Preamble to Genesis describes the Creation of the World.
“In the beginning” of the Bible, “when God created the heavens and the earth” there was nothing but chaos, or what the Hebrew text calls the “tohu wa bohu” the traditional translation for which is “formless void.”
The newly revised New American Bible Old Testament (NAB. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011) says:
– and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters –
Hence, there was no land “in the beginning.”
The Preamble lists the generations of the heavens and the earth. The Preamble to Genesis (Genesis 1:1-2:3) is a cosmological toledoth or genealogical list of the generations of the heavens and the earth, the birth order of the cosmos, or what came before history. This is the Priestly order of creation, just as the other lists of Genesis give us the birth order of human beings, the generations of humankind, followed by the toledoths of the patriarchs.
A serious student of the Bible is aware of the various strands of authorship that were woven together to form the final Biblical text. Even in third grade when I first began reading the Bible I noticed that the order of creation varies between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Genesis.
Biblical scholars recognize that this Preamble of Genesis comes from the Priestly source (P) and is the first of the toledoths or series of genealogical lists that make up the structure of the primordial history (Genesis 1-11), which takes the reader from creation to the appearance of Abraham and the beginning of historical documentation in Genesis Chapter 12.
When the Redactor (R) of the primordial history put that part of the Bible together, he carefully, respectfully, and reverently combined the Priestly lists with the Yahwistic stories (the J stories from the southern kingdom of Judea which referred to God by the ineffable tetragrammaton, YHWH, translated into English texts as LORD and traditionally printed in small caps. This Yahwistic strand had probably already been flavored by a few Elohistic (E) elements (the strands or snippets from the northern kingdom of Israel whch referred to God with the word “elohim,” the Hebrew plural form of the word “God”). This northern Elohistic strand may have combined with the southern Yahwistic tradition after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel around 620 BCE and the dispersal of its inhabitants, but prior to the the exportation of the southern kingdom to Babylon in 597 BCE.
The Bible Teaches Us through Brain Switching
On the one hand, the Priestly toledoths give structure to the Biblical text as bones of the human body provide structure and hold the body together.
On the other hand, the Yahwistic/Elohistic stories are like the organs of the human body, each having a specific theological teaching task to illustrate Biblical truths.
We enjoy reading the stories and find those easier to remember because they light up a different part of our brain.
We use a different part of our brain to memorize the items in a list.
Together these two elements are interchanged in a way that teachers call “brain switching.”
The beauty of the structure of the primordial history is that the brain switching from the left brain, sequential lists of the Priestly source, to the right brain, global stories of the Yahwist makes the entire text move quickly through the actual passage of a long period of geological time.
When teaching classes about the Bible, I always ask my students to think of a parade. What is the first thing that happens in a parade? You hear the drum beat of the first marching band. The drum creates rhythm. The bands help the whole parade march through both time and space.
The Priestly toledoths, or sequential lists are like the bands in a parade — orderly, rhythmic, mathematical — stimulating learning with our left brain.
The Yahwistic stories are like the floats in the parade — the whimsical interpretive elements of the parade — the meat and potatoes — stimulating learning with our right brain.
Sofia Cavaletti’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level I curriculum illustrates this primordial history beautifully with the blue ribbon of the “fetuccia” and “fettucina” illustrating the long period of time which elapsed prior to the emergence of animals, which are introduced by the switch to a beige ribbon and followed by the appearance of human beings as “co-creators with God,” illustrated by a human hand embroidered on the beige ribbon. In this pre-school Montessori curriculum, three-year olds are introduced to geological time by walking with their catechist as she unwinds the 80-meter ribbon and introduces the children to the concept of salvation history.
Land is one of the items written in Old English script on a blue placard which the catechist places on the floor as she walks down the hallway with the children unwinding the gros-grain ribbon of salvation history, the Fettucia. God created land through the act of separation on the third day.
Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good. Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened: the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning followed — the third day. (NAB, Genesis 1:9-13)
The notes to the New American Bible point out that the literary structure of six days relates the creation events of the first thee days in a parallel way to the creation events of the second three days.
light (day) / darkness (night) = 4. sun / moon
arrangement of water = 5. fish + birds from waters
a) dry land = 6. a) animals
b) vegetation b) human beings: male / female
This parallelism between the creation of dry land and the creation of human beings is less apparent in English than it is in Hebrew. In Genesis 2:7 the Yahwist tells us:
then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The Hebrew word used is the same verb that is used when a potter throws clay on a potter’s wheel and shapes a pot. Hence, the notes to the NAB instruct us:
God is portrayed as a potter molding the human body out of earth. There is a play on words in Hebrew between ‘adam (“human being,” “man”) and ‘adama (“ground”). It is not enough to make the body from earth; God must also breathe into the man’s nostrils.
The Abrahamic Covenant Promised Abraham Land and Descendants.
In the Yahwist’s (J) version of the Abrahamic covenant with God, the promise of a son and heir is given in Genesis 15:1-6, followed by the promise of land in Genesis 15:7-21:
He then said to him: I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession. “Lord GOD,” he asked, “how will I know that I will possess it?”
(NAB)
In the Priestly (P) tradition of the same story, Abram’s name is changed to Abraham after God promises him many descendants. After that, God promises land in Genesis 17:8:
I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now residing as aliens, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.
There’s a catch, however, in Genesis 17:9:
God said to Abraham: for your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is the covenant between me and you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.
Oops! Imagine your mortgage lender making that requirement of a home buyer today! Ouch!
Circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic covenant (just as the rainbow was the sign of the Noachic covenant).
God promised that he would give the Hebrew people the land of Canaan and that he would be their God.
Modern-day political problems exist because both Muslims and Jews cite this scripture as part of their claim to the land of Palestine, since Abraham’s illegitimate son Ishmael was the ancestor of the Arabs and Abraham’s son Isaac was the ancestor of the Jews.
Land has been fought over for thousands of years
Much of the Old Testament is concerned with the conquering of land and possessing the land.
One of the punishments of disobedience was losing the land.
In one of David Noel Freedman’s last treastises, which he called The Nine Commandments, he explained that the Bible was put together in response to the question posed by the exiled Jews, “How did we lose the land and end up in Babylon?” It’s one of my favorite books. It’s an especially important book for Protestants and Catholics to read to understand how the Ten Commandments have been numbered differently. Put this book on you “must read” list.
David Noel Freedman was a scholar who can see the entire forest because he is able to examine each and every tree.
In case you never heard of David Noel Freedman, here is a video you can watch:
The upcoming CRS 202 Class for REALTORS® is only for those REALTORS® who are serious about taking their residential real estate business to the next level.
Obviously, in this blog I am wearing my hat as the Membership Chairperson for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council of Residential Specialists. I want you to take this class and join us.
If you have not yet earned your designation, but would like to become a part of this prestigious group of Oklahoma REALTOR®, then come join us for the CRS 202 Class in Oklahoma City February 27th and 28th.Sign up today for the CRS 202 Class at www.crsok.com.
For a sneak peak at the CRS 202 class, join us for a webinar next week on February 14th: A Buyer LOVE Story. Space is limited. Reserve your webinar seat now.
Hear some of the secrets and opportunities you have in today’s market to work with Buyers. Learn how to romance them and strategies to generate more leads. This is a sneak preview of the CRS 202 hosted by Oklahoma CRS Chapter on February 27-28. Sign up today at www.crsok.com.
Title: CRS 202: A Buyer LOVE Story Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Time: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM CST
Here’s a video featuring James Nellis, the instructor for the upcoming CRS 202 class.
If you are already a member of CRS — or better yet, if you are already a prestigious CRS designee, and want to get involved, please join me in talking up CRS by joining the Membership Committee for the Oklahoma Chapter of CRS, please call me and we’ll chat about how to get more Oklahoma REALTORS® involved in CRS. Call me or text me at 918-724-8201.
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The same family has lived in this home for more than forty years. What attracted them to this vintage home was the fact that it sits on a huge half-acre lot in midtown Tulsa. It’s close to downtown Tulsa and Utica Square. 
