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Let’s hope you never see floodwater raging toward your front door or have to race from a blazing fire. But planning ahead for natural disasters is important. If the unthinkable ever strikes, preparation can help keep your family safe and make recovery easier.
In 2005 alone, Mother Nature’s fury caused hundreds of fatalities, thousands of injuries and wreaked a record $4.6 billion in property damage, according to the National Weather Service. No matter where you live, natural disaster can strike in one form or another. Flooding, fires or destructive high winds have hit every state in the U.S., and 41 states are at earthquake risk, notes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
These tips from FEMA and the American Red Cross can help you prepare for any natural disaster:
If disaster actually strikes, stay calm, reassure your family, and follow your disaster plan. If you must leave your home and have time, take the following in a bag or large container: flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries, first aid kit, prescriptions, eyeglasses, at least a gallon of water and change of clothes per person, nonperishable foods, sleeping bag, area maps, checkbook, cash, credit cards, driver’s license or other ID, insurance policies, wills, deeds and other important papers.
Cindy explains on decorating the backyard for those special events and tips on flower cutting. Thanks Cindy!
By Cindy Dampier RISMEDIA, June 25, 2008-(MCT)-We’ve seen them on skirts. We’ve spotted them on sofas. Lately, they’ve been gracing paper goods, handbags, table linens … you name it. And now, thank goodness, we’re also seeing them in our yards and planters. Yep, bloom time is here, and we’re talking flowers. They’re certainly in style, but more than that, they’re one of the principal joys of the season. So here’s our suggestion: Gather up an armful of the bounty your back yard (or even the nearest florist) has to offer, and build a beautiful tablescape around it. Then gather up some friends, and serve up a warm-weather feast to delight all the senses. How to get started? Just try one of our three easy ideas or get inspired and create your own.Lush and LavishWhat You Need:1 white tablecloth3 yards of tone-on-tone print fabric, such as damask (ours is a remnant)3 yards of ribbon in a color to complement your flowers8 cordial cups, goblets, or stemmed dessert cups (ours are thrift-shop silver cordials) How To:For centerpiece: Cut flowers short, leaving only an inch or so of stem. Fill cups with water. Rest a single big bloom in each cup, adding one leaf to each cup as needed for a touch of green. (If your blooms are not fully open, use warm water and assemble your centerpiece a few hours early or even the night before party time.) For table: Cover table with white tablecloth. Fold fabric edges under along the long edges of the table and let it hang down on each end to match the length of the tablecloth. Use an iron to press the folded sides of the fabric flat. Make sure fabric ends are hanging neatly and any rough edges or strings are trimmed. Secure a band of ribbon around each napkin using a quick stitch with needle and thread or even a discreet piece of double-sided tape. To create a more eclectic style, try using serving dishes with a sculptural, modern shape in the same color palette as your dinnerware. - Cindy Dampier Au NaturelWhat You Need:1 white tableclothNeutral place mats (anything with a natural, warm palette will work well)Colorful cloth napkins (ours are from Crate and Barrel)4 clear Old Fashioned glasses Raffia (available at craft stores) How To:For centerpiece: Divide flowers into four equal bunches. Cut each bunch at the length to make a short bouquet in your glasses. Place each cut bunch into an Old Fashioned glass–stems should be fairly tightly packed and standing upright. Knot a piece of raffia around each glass. For table: Knot raffia around each napkin, letting ends trail. Tuck one flower stem under raffia atop each napkin. Add a couple of small silver accents (salt-and-pepper shakers, small silver tchotchkes) to the table to set off the earthy vibe. - Cindy Dampier Fresh and GreenThis table gets its oomph from simple flowers and foliage (spirea, ferns and hosta leaves) and a modern floral runner. Black accents bring it all together. Also try this tablescape with hydrangeas. What You Need:2 ½ to 3 yards of floral fabric4 yards of black ribbonLow vase, bowl or cachepotFloral frog (a basic floral supply item) How To:Cut long stems of greenery and flowers and tuck ends into frog set into vase/bowl/cachepot. Pull some stems up in the center for height, let rest spill over the sides of the container Fold floral fabric lengthwise so that it takes the shape of a wide runner. You should have at least 12 to 18 inches of fabric hanging at each end of table. Fold ends of fabric neatly and trim any rough edges or strings. Use iron to press folded sides of runner into neat, flat edges. (After the party, you can reuse fabric again as a runner, or give it new life in a sewing project.) Knot a band of ribbon around napkins, and tuck a green leaf into each.Gather hanging ends of “runner” into neat folds and tie with a piece of ribbon about 6 to 8 inches from the end.
RISMEDIA, May 29, 2008-(MCT)-Are you looking to sell your home but are worried about selling into the slumping housing market? By all accounts, the market is bad. A recent report out by the National Association of Realtors showed that sales of homes fell for the eighth time in the past nine months. Meanwhile, the supply of unsold single-family homes has risen to the highest level in 23 years. Given this environment, what is a homeowner looking to sell to do?
Though certainly not an easy feat, there are measures you can take to improve your chances of success. From Consumer Reports, here are five tips on how to sell your home in a difficult market:
- Pick the right broker. The Kaiser Team will be a perfect fit for the right broker! Look for local agents who are listing, marketing and selling in your community even if the market is slow. Ask several of them to make a “listing presentation” to discuss your home’s value, justify their numbers and explain how they would market your property. Once you decide on a broker, you have three types of listing options. In an open listing, you reserve the right to sell the home yourself and not pay a commission, but you also allow one or more brokers to offer the property. With an exclusive-agency listing, you have one broker but reserve the right to sell the property yourself. An exclusive-right-to-sell listing gives only one broker the right to represent you during the listing term and guarantees the broker a commission. Most Multiple Listing Services will post exclusive-agency and exclusive-right-to-sell listings.
- Understand the real marketplace. To negotiate effectively, you need to know up-to-the-minute sale prices-not just what your neighbor’s house sold for last year-and the deal-making behind them. For example, two homes may each have sold for $400,000, but if one owner gave a 3% credit for deck repair and a new furnace, that’s a $12,000 reduction. Your agent should be knowledgeable about the details of sales in your area and be nimble enough to revise the marketing plan for your home to reflect changing conditions.
- Sweeten the deal. Sellers are reportedly offering some unusual sales incentives-plasma TVs, cars, boat slips, vacations and golf carts-but cash may still be king. For example, some sellers have agreed to pay condo maintenance fees for the buyer. Other ideas include covering moving expenses or a month’s mortgage payment.
- Be flexible on the deposit. To “bind” a deal, the buyer should put down a deposit (separate from the down payment), which varies widely depending on the local market. You’d like the biggest deposit you can get, but in a slow market you may have to settle for less.
- Monitor and update your listing. If it’s April, you don’t want the photo of your house on the Multiple Listing Service displaying a snowman on the lawn. An out-of-season picture is a dead giveaway that your home has been on the market for awhile. And with many buyers doing their first “look-see” on the Internet, the quality of the photos is paramount too.
Inspiring video of a father and son relationship. Very Moving!! A must watch...Jay
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513
RISMEDIA, June 9, 2008-A garage door is the largest moving object in a home, and is typically used every day, giving homeowners good reason to keep it in proper working order. The International Door Association (IDA) and the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) have designated June as Garage Door Safety Month.
Dallas-based Overhead Door Corporation, a leading manufacturer of overhead garage doors and openers under well-known brands like Overhead Door and Genie®, offers these 10 consumer safety and security tips.
10 Garage Door Safety & Security Tips
1. Make sure garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.2. Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.3. Consult the owner’s manual and learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.4. Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. A trained door repairman must make adjustments to these parts, which are under high tension.5. Test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualified garage door professional for repair. If the opener has not been replaced since 1993, seriously consider a new one with auto-reverse as a standard feature.6. Never place fingers between door sections and explain the dangers to children. If you have small children, consider a door with panels that can’t pinch.7. Do not leave the garage door partially open. When activated again, it may travel downward and come in contact with an object in its path. This also impacts your home’s security as well.8. While on vacation, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which renders remotes unusable and is an optional accessory to most openers.9. If the opener does not have rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the opener is used to prevent code grabbing, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the opener and remote control, or consider investing in a newer model with more safety and security features that are now standard.10. A new trend in home invasion is gaining access to the home by stealing the opener or car. Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. Consider using a key chain remote and always lock the entry to the inside of your home - especially if your opener is programmed to your vehicle. It is a small inconvenience for safety and security.
RISMEDIA, June 21, 2008-Many agents find themselves with a unique dilemma: to list or not to list, depending on a client’s pricing expectations. With the wealth of information available to consumers, perfectly priced homes will be the ones to sell and it’s the agent’s responsibility to stay ahead of the game when it comes to setting a seller’s expectations and the subsequent saleability of their home. “Within this changing market, you can’t have a property that is perfectly priced for today. A home has to be perfectly priced for where the prices will be next week,” says Jon Coile, president & CEO of Champion Realty, “In order to stay ahead of the curve, you have to price aggressively.”
Jewell and I have the years of experience that is needed today in this buyers market we are currently in, to best advise you of propert pricing. Give Jay or Jewell a call today so we may discuss your future marketing, as well as the best way to get the highest visibility that a seller MUST have to get the buyers.
Jay 828-421-0375 or Jewell 828-421-8376
1) Mass Exodus from the Neighborhood Don’t let a home’s curb appeal keep you from glancing down the street. Are there several other homes for sale? Are nearby businesses boarded up or vandalized? Get the scoop from the neighbors. If everyone else wants to leave the street, maybe you should, too - before you’re stuck with a bad investment. 2) Mediocre MaintenanceThree layers of roofing and gutters with plants growing in them are signs the owners aren’t big on maintaining their home. What else did they neglect? 3) Foundation FailuresCheck out the yard grading. If the yard slopes towards the house, it could cause water to run down the foundation walls or into the basement, which will be costly to repair. Scour the foundation for damage. Bulges or cracks bigger than 1/3 inch can mean the house has serious structural issues. 4) Bad Smells - Inside or OutsideTake a big whiff of the air inside and outside the house. Do you smell anything funky? If you can’t smell anything but the huge baskets of potpourri all over the house, this could be a red flag. 5) Faulty or Old WiringWhile you’re probably not an electrician, make sure all the switches and outlets in the house function properly. Flickering lights, circuits that don’t work and warm or hot outlets or faceplates are all symptoms of wiring problems. 6) Fresh Paint… on One WallNew paint can really spruce up drab walls, but it can also hide bigger problems, like water damage, mildew or mold. If the room smells strange or if you see stains or saggy walls or ceilings, have an inspector look for mold and leaks. 7) Locked Doors and BlockadesAsk about any rooms that are “off limits” during your home tour, and arrange to see them later if you’re interested in the house. 8) Foggy or Non-Functioning WindowsCheck for water in between double-paned windows and make sure all the windows are functional. 9) Structural Walls or Floors have been RemovedSure you love the open floor plan, but was the house always open or did the homeowners renovate? If they removed a load-bearing wall without adjusting the framing, it can shift weight to other parts of the house. Hire a structural engineer if you think any renovations are questionable. 10) Bugs!No one wants a house with a pest problem - be it roaches, mice or worst of all, termites. Be on the lookout for unwelcome creatures as you tour the house. Even if no foes pop out while you’re there, consider a separate termite inspection if you’re thinking of purchasing the property. The Bottom LineAlways get a professional inspection for the house you choose to buy. Skipping a home inspection is not a good way to cut costs. You’ll end up paying more in the long run when problems arise. RIS MEDIA
RISMEDIA, June 4, 2008-June is Internet Safety month. With hundred of millions of teens, pre-teens-and adults-around the world using social networking sites, there’s no better time for parents to be aware of the fun, the benefits, the powerful attractions, and the potential risks that MySpace, Facebook and other similar sites offer their children.
InternetSafety.com, a leader in Internet safety solutions, has assembled a list of practical tips parents can use to ensure a safe networking environment for kids:
1. Show Interest - Ask questions about how your child’s preferred social networking site or sites work. Kids are generally happy to demonstrate their knowledge if you show genuine interest. You can even ask your teen to show you how to set up your own social networking site-a great way to visit your child’s page and see what’s been posted there.2. Encourage Instinctive Responses - Kids often can instinctively do the right thing, which makes them their own first defense against those who may take advantage online. Encourage your children to avoid contact with people they “feel funny about.” Tell them to not reveal anything online they would not want a stranger to know. Limit the posting of pictures and remind them that once something is placed online, it can never be taken back.3. Know Your Kids’ Passwords - If your child changes his or her password suddenly and refuses to share it with you, that’s trouble. Insist on knowing how to access his or her accounts-then keep their confidence by not sharing the information with their friends or siblings.4. Set Hours for When Kids Can Access Social Networks - Late nights are the favorite time for predators to seek out their adolescent prey. Set firm limits not only for the time of day, but also the total amount of time, that your children may access social networking sites.5. Be Aware of Alternate Access Points - Kids don’t have to access their social networks at home. Libraries, friends’ houses, even cell phones make the Internet easy to reach today. Keep up with what’s happening on your child’s social networking page and be aware when changes have been made despite the lack of access from home.6. Exercise Your Parental Right to Supervise - There’s a difference between being snoopy and ensuring safe activity. You don’t have to read every last word of a personal message your son or daughter sends to a friend. But you do have the right-and the obligation-to see who your kids are talking to, and to know the general subject matter.7. Check for Photos - By clicking on the Windows “Start” button, you’ll find the “Search” tool. Click on “Pictures, Music or Video,” the box next to “Pictures and Photos,” and finally “Search”. Ask your child to identify any photos of strangers, or any other pictures you find questionable.8. Install Filtering Software - PC products like Safe Eyes allow parents to block or record Instant Messenger chats, limit e-mail use to prescribed addresses, block objectionable websites (including peer-to-peer file sharing programs that often expose kids to inappropriate material), and receive alerts when kids post personal information on social networking sites.9. Watch for CyberBullying - Encourage your children to tell you immediately if they are being harassed online. Children also need to know that it is not acceptable to be a party to cyberbullying-or to remain silent when they know others are being harassed.10. Don’t Lecture - Finally, if you should find reasons for concern, don’t browbeat, insult or condescend to your child. Have a discussion about values and why they are important. Respect your child but be firm. And most of all, lead by example. Parents have a powerful ability to influence their child’s behavior-and nothing is more powerful than someone who not only talks values, but lives them.
“Parents should never feel that their level of involvement in their child’s social network activity is excessive. Since 1998, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline has logged over 33,000 tips about children being enticed online for sexual acts,” said Shane Kenny, President and COO of InternetSafety.com. “Better that the parent error on the side of intrusion, rather than bear the consequences of doing nothing.”
For more information, visit www.InternetSafety.com.
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