geri's Blog

Happy Friday to all!!

I hope this finds you having a wonderful day!  It is a great day at my house.  My husband is cooking our Thanksgiving turkey!  Yep, turkey day is here (well almost).  We are celebrating tomorrow with our daughter and her new husband.  Our daughter, Angella, has not been with us for about 4 years on Thanksgiving and her husband, Dan, never has.  So we are pretty excited!! 

Since I won't say HI again until next Friday, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. 

See ya next Friday :)    ...geri

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If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.    -Morris West  

Fascination is one step beyond interest.  Interested people want to know if it works. Fascinated people want to learn how it works.  -Jim Rohn    

A tongue three inches long can kill a man six feet tall.   -Ancient Japanese Proverb    

The reason so few people are successful is no one has yet found a way for someone to sit down and slide uphill.  -  W. Clement Stone    

One cannot help being old, but one can resist being aged.    -Lord Samuel

 Preparing your home for the winter months ahead 

As the winter season approaches it is time to make sure your home is ready for the cold months ahead.  If you have already made a list of things to do and are working your way through it, way to go.  If not, or if you just want to compare your list to mine, here are some things that my home inspector says you should take care before winter arrives.

Have your fireplace and chimney cleaned - Have a professional inspect and clean your fireplace and chimney prior to using it this winter.

Have your furnace cleaned and inspected - To make sure your furnace is running efficiently, have your furnace cleaned and serviced.  This will help with your energy bills as well as keep you and your family more comfortable this winter. As as the winter months progress, don't forget to change your furnace filters as needed.

Check the batteries in your smoke detector - If you did not already do this when the time changed, you will want to change the batteries in your smoke detectors now and make sure they are working properly.

Clean your ceiling fans - Ceiling fans are not just for those hot summer days.  If your ceiling fan has a switch for winter use, to turn the blades in the opposite direction and move the warm air from the ceiling back down to the room, you will want to flip that switch.

Check the weather stripping around your windows and doors- Heat escaping out windows and doors can be very costly on your utility bill.  Check and make sure everything is sealed tightly, and if you have single pane windows you may want to consider saving up some money to replace those with new double pane high energy efficient windows.

Clean your gutters, downspouts and roof - You will want to check your roof for any leaks, and for any lose or missing singles.  Make sure your gutters and downspouts are flowing freely.  When they get clogged water can begin to seep into your home and cause great damage.

Prepare your yard - Make sure lawn furniture is cleaned and put away or covered for the winter months.  If you have a pool or sprinkler system, make sure it is drained and winterized.  Put hoses away and make sure all outside faucets are off so they don't freeze.

Emergency kits- Before the winter storms hit it is a good time to check your emergency kits or make one if you don't have one.  For your home you will want to have a flashlight, battery powered radio, non-parishable food and water, and a first aid kit.  For more ideas about home emergency preparedness check out Ready America.  If you will be doing any winter traveling this year, you will want to have an emergency kit for your car as well.  Some items to consider having with you are,  extra blankets, roadside flares, a quart of oil, first aid kit, flashlight, jumper cables and food and water.  And before you take off on a road trip over the passes check out the pass reports for threatening conditions or possible closures. 

With a little bit of preparation you can have a safe and wonderful winter season.    

Happy Friday to everyone! 

I hope this finds you having a good day.  All is peachy in my corner of the world.  I have been working on a transaction for quite some time and I am happy to say finally SUCCESS!  We got my clients home sale closed yesterday and their new home purchase has been released to record and will be officially recorded soon.  Woo Hoo!  A happy day for my clients - and me :)  !!! 

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see y'all next Friday!

...geri

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Always be nice to people on the way up; because you will meet the same people on the way down.              -Wilson Mizner      

Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go.                                -Sylvia Robinson

Learn as if you were going to live forever.  Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.                               -Mahatma Gandhi  

Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.   -Sren Kierkegaard

America Recycle Day - November 15th

America Recycle Day is an annual campaign to encourage Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products.  Even a small shift in our attitudes and action, multiplied many times over by others, can change the world.  America Recycle Day is celebrating its 12th year and it has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials.

The purpose of America Recycles Day is to continue to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and to encourage more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment.

There are three parts to the recycling process; each essential to making the system work:  collection, manufacturing and buying.  These three components are so important that they are represented by the three "chasing arrows" of the recycling logo.

Twenty years ago, there were only about 1,000 curbside recycling programs in the United States.  Now around half of all the people in the United States are now served by curbside collection programs.  These programs, along with drop-off and buy-back centers, now help us to divert about 33% of the nation's solid waste stream away from landfills. 

Recycling is one of the most successful environmental initiatives in our country's h8istory.  While there is still much to do, efforts of the past few decasdes are really paying off.

For more information visit ARD (America Recycles Day) Website at:  http://www.americarecyclesday.org/about-ard.aspx

First Time Buyer Tax Credit Extended and More!

President Obama signed an economic stimulus bill into law today, which will extend the first time buyer tax credit but it will also benefit current home owners wishing to make a move.

In addition to the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit, there is also now a credit of $6,500 for buyers who have owned their current home for at least 5 years.  To be eligible you must have used the home you sold or are selling as a principal resident consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years. 

To take advantage of this credit you must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and you must close by June 30, 2010.

The National Association of Realtors has put together some information on the program as well as a brief frequently asked questions page. 

Good news for all home owners!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day so far.  We had a few really pretty sunny days, but now we are back to wind and rain and feeling like November for sure.

Have a wonderful day and I will see y'all next Friday :)

...geri

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If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habits in little matters.  Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.    -Colin Powell    

Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals.  I never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger.  -Lou Holz    

A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.  -Oscar Wilde    

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.  -Arnold Glasgow    

Our truest life is when we are in our dreams -- awake.  -Henry David Thoreau

Have you often thought that you'd like to show your support for our troops, but just don't know how.   Here is a great opportunity to do just that.  Xerox Corporation has developed a nationwide program aimed at saying "thank you" to our troops.  Through the Let's Say Thanks program, postcards designed by children from across the country are available for people to select and write a personalize message to the troops.  Xerox prints the cards on its paper and equipment, and mails them in care packages to deployed troops.  To take part just visit this website,

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

It five gives you an opportunity to send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas.  A way to show your support and appreciation for their service to our country.  It takes just three easy steps.

1)  Select a postcard

2)  Personalize it by entering your message, your name and your hometown

3)  and you hit send

It is that easy!  With the cooperation and generosity of multiple organizations, it is now possible to send millions of postcard messages all submitted through the website.  Xerox has partnered with Give2TheTroops, the Boys and Girl's clubs, print shops and corporations.

To date, they have collected millions of messages for U.S. troops around the world - each with special meaning and importance to members of our armed forces. 

Give2TheTroops ensures that all the printed postcards are delivered to the troops in care packages filled with necessities and items to lift the troops' spirits. 

Give2TheTroops is a non-profit organization formed to support the physical, moral, and spiritual health of America's armed forces in combat zones around the world through the letters and packages prepared and shipped by volunteers.  The organization is managed by volunteers who ensure that deployed U.S. military members in all branches of service are supported with letters and care packages.

Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042...

There are currently 290 homes for sale with prices ranging from the mid 100,000's to over 3 million.

• 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  9
• 3 bedroom homes for sale:  132
• 4 bedroom homes for sale:  114
• 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  35

There were 50 homes that sold in Ocotber, 2009.   35 were re-sale homes and  15 were new construction.

A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,.

• New Construction:  30%
• Bank Owned:  18%
• Short Sales:  18%
• Regular Re-sales:  34% 

The average sale price was $269,990.

            Low sales price was:  $125,000

            High sales price was:  $515,000

Yep, the time is upon us to once again change our clocks.  With the change in the time we will have daylight tomorrow morning at about 6:50 AM and sunset tomorrow night will be 4:50.  Nice to have a bit more light in the morning, but it won't be long and we will be dark by 4:18 PM.  Winter is definitely upon us!

Curious to see what sunrise and sunset will be as we progress through the winter and move towards the shortest day?  Check out this website...  http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=234&month=12&year=2009&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1

Once you get all the clocks changed in your home, the next thing you will want to do is to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. This is such a simple step, yet one that many of us just don't take the time to do.  So protect yourself, your family and friends and don't forget to change your batteries.  And remind others to do the same.  Be safe, enjoy your extra hour and have a great day!