Open concept homes

Traditional older home or open concept?

view FROM Kitchen

Buyers today will often choose an open concept because they have been told by decorators that it's the way to go. You can see everything! You can watch your children while you are cooking! You can all be together! You're not alone in the kitchen!

But is that really what you want?

I live in an open concept home. My sink is adjacent to a half wall in the living room. My husband's chair is just on the other side of the half wall.

He loves for me to cook, he loves my baking. I love  him to make the coffee every night for the next day.

But when I'm mixing things in my beautiful KitchenAid mixer, or he is grinding the coffe, neither of us can hear the television.

View TOWARDS Kitchen

So, when you are looking at home, try to evaluate how much should be open and how your family uses the rooms in your home. It's not all it's cracked up to be.

Take it from someone who knows.

100% Financing for Rural Buyers

Below is great information about USDA Loans shared by Debbie Miller of Heritage Bank in McDonough, GA.  

If  you have never heard of these loans, they are for people who wish to buy homes in rural areas.  The loan is a 100% loan - no down payment required.  There is a fee involved and the home has to be located in a designated area.

So, if you have questions - call Debbie Miller - her contact information is below.  Once she gives you the nuts and bolts, give me a holler!  I wold be happy to help you find a home.

With the start of USDA’s fiscal year on October 1^st, the following two important changes become effective for the Rural Housing program.

·         Increased Annual Fee

o   Effective with all new obligations as of October 1^st, 2014, the annual fee will increase from 0.40% to 0.50%.

·         Eligible Rural Housing Areas

o   Barring any further Congressional action, the changes to the eligible rural areas that were announced at the end of last year will become effective on October 1^st.

o   Please consult the USDA Income and Property Eligibility web site for details on the areas that will be affected.

§  http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov – Choose the tab for “Future Eligible Areas”

o   For the state of Georgia, the major change will be the removal of Chatham County from the list of eligible areas.

o   For the current eligible areas, USDA will accept complete submitted applications through September 30^th.

Debbie Miller | AVP,Mortgage Banker

2125 Keys Ferry Court, McDonough GA 30253

o: 770.288.3155| c: 770.630.6579| efax: 404-829-1747

Apply| Email | Linkedin   nmls #588646

Unexpected Consequences - Insurance woes.

Earlier this year, I helped a very nice lady sell her home in Stockbridge.  She had lived there for 20 years.  She was devastated about the sale.  It was a very hard decision for her.  She had taken care of the home, lovingly.  It was in excellent condition.  The reason she sold – she no longer felt safe.  A new “element” had moved into the nearby apartments and into this cute little subdivision.  Now, there were numerous rentals in her sweet little subdivision and she was no longer sure of who belonged or didn’t belong in the subdivision.  She had been broken into twice – horrifying for someone who lives alone.  As anyone would, she placed two insurance claims to cover the damages and the loss of her valuables.

So, we put the home on the market and it sold almost immediately.  It was purchased by an investor; it, too was going to be a rental.  We got through the next few weeks without incident until the day of closing. 

My client had moved out of the home early, even though she had a couple of days after closing to actually move.  She had been moving a little at a time.  The day before closing, she took some things down from the attic and left them on the counter.  They were the last things that she was going to move out on the day of closing.

So, the day of closing, she went to her house for the last time and her key no longer worked. There was a mechanical (non-Realtor) lockbox on the door. The locks had been changed.  She called me in a panic. I immediately called the selling agent to see what she knew about this.  Apparently, the buyer’s staff had mistakenly gone to the house and changed the locks.  But, the most horrifying thing was that her possessions had been taken as well.  She was devastated and in tears. 

When an investor buys a home, they hire people to go in and empty the home - they call this a "trash out".  The good news is that we tracked the workers down and I insisted that they come to closing with her items with an admonition that if anything was missing, we were not going to close.  They came with everything and we closed – end of story, right?

Not so fast.

We started looking for her new house after about a month or so.  We eventually found the cutest home.  She worked with my preferred lender and everything was going along just beautifully.  Until… She started to arrange for her homeowner’s insurance. 

Typically, insurance for such a well-qualified buyer on a purchase price of just over $200,000, should have been between $750 to $1,000.  Imagine her surprise when she couldn’t get insurance from her previous company, nor the next several “big names” she tried.  Imagine her greater surprise when she was quoted $1,800!  Why, because she had had two claims in the same year.  Imagine what this cost would do to a less qualified buyer.  That additional $65 per month could have easily derailed her purchase.

Moral of the story – if you are planning to buy a home and have had recent insurance claims, you may be rendered uninsurable or may have to pay much more than the going rate. This could impact your qualification and force you to buy a smaller home.

To avoid this problem - when you get pre-qualified for your mortgage, don't wait to get a quote on your insurance.  Usually, you only have a set number of days, per your contract, to get full approval for  your mortgage.  Since the amount of your insurance will impact what you are qualified for, you should check on your insurance within your financing contingency period.  

Georgia Association of Realtors(r) Convention - February 2014

I am so fortunate to belong to this trade group.  The Georgia Association of Realtors(r) is the largest trade association in the State. February 3. 2014, was the first day of convention and we were able to go to the Capitol in Georgia to make our voices heard.

This is the Metro South Association of Realtors(r).
I am on the left in fourth row next to railing.
Altogether, there were over 750 Realtors(r).

Did you know that thanks to Realtors(r), the Association was instrumental in having  HB 872 passed that provides a mechanism to track the sale of metals?  The bill provides that if someone sells copper (or other metals) they must either have a license as an HVAC contractor or must show a receipt for a new HVAC system (thus necessitating the disposal of the old system).  There is still more work to do. We are asking our area legislators to fund the bill - we need the budget to have an appropriation for $150,000 to be able to track the sales of these metals.  Stand up and be heard. Let your legislators know this is important.

As homeowners (and owners of more than one rental property), we have had units stolen three times - that's a lot.  Who wants to go through the hastle of having a stolen hvac unit replaced?

As a Realtor(r), I have had my share of stolen pipes and hvac units to deal with on vacant homes that were vandalized.  So, get behind this measure and let your representative know how important it is to fund the bill so it can work as intended.

water heater closet smashed
to find pipes

copper pipes cut off water heater

Wall adjacent to bath damaged to get
a skinny pipe out of the wall

There is another bill coming up relating to solar panels and who has the right to install solar panels and whether someone's desire to install the panels trumps HOA covenants and ownership.  By ownership, I mean, should a tenant have the ability to install panels without the owner's consent.  The way the bill is currently written, it trumps private property rights.

It was a great day and filled with information.

We learned from the Speaker of the House that there were 218,000 jobs created last year in the private sector.  Also, the Port of Savannah will be widened and deepened allowing bigger ships to be serviced at that port.  This will definitely boost the importance of this Port in the South. Stacie Abrahms, the House Minority Leader, stated that we are a "Business Friendly State", but that we Realtors(r) make it a Family Friendly State.

Lastly, we heard from NAR's Chief Economist, Lawrence Yung, that homeownership is at an all time low. We need to get out and educate people as to the benefits of home ownership.  That was echoed by one of our representatives.  In this particular corner of Clayton County, the representative stated that many people don't know the steps to take to buy a home.  Homeownership is important for many reasons.  One fact that Mr. Yung brought out is that the net worth of homeowners vs. renters is approximately $200,000 for homeowners vs $4,000 for renters.

We also learned that of all the real estate transactions done last year (2013), 86% were done by real estate practitioners who are proud to call themselves Realtors(r).  As your South Metro Atlanta Realtor(r), I would be happy to  help you with seller and buyer representation.  Call me, I'm here to help. There are no stupid questions.  If I don't know, I will find out.

Featured Home 4th week of January, 2014 - McDonough, GA Home listed at $1.695 Million.

Wow, I guess in my next life, I can buy this house.

This $1.695 Million home is situated in Henry County's premier Golf Community, Eagles Landing.  The pictures are to die for.  The seller is represented by Atlanta Fine Homes, Sotheby.

As of this writing, it is the most expensive home in Henry County.  If you are interested in seeing this home or others, don't hesitate to contact me to schedule your private showing.

Choose the #1 company in Georgia to represent you when you are ready to buy or sell your Luxury Home. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties,

(If the link to the property does not work, that means it is no longer available. Not to fear - I have more.)

Want to search for homes as you drive through Atlanta area neighborhoods?  Download my free mobile app - it searches both MLS and FMLS!

Either 

• text BuySouthSideAtl to 678-400-6100 or 
• go to this link :  http://app.bhhsgeorgia.com/CarlaHaight

Flipping 101, Part 2

In Flipping 101, we were exploring the posibility of buying this little house to flip.

Yes, you guessed it. We are not going to buy this little house.

We could not get the numbers to work. We are just devastated.

Here is the original foot print. This is a modest, 1963 ranch with a carport and an outside entry laundry room, 1000 square feet. We were going to convert the carport to a bedroom and turn the laundry into a bath, adding 200 square feet.

Here are a few Things we did not count on:

• Rewire the house - $4-$5 per square foot - $4,800 to $6,000.
• Install an LVL- that's a beam.
• Plumbing costs- about $5,000

Add that to demolition and framing, about $12,000

That's over $20,000 and now there's

• interior painting
• exterior painting
• kitchen cabinets and counters
• some HVAC work
• bathroom tile work
• some landscaping...

We were going to do some of this ourselves, but there's still cost of materials.

We had a contractor give a preliminary estimate. He  said "Moving Plumbing is easy''. I heard  "Moving Plumbing is cheap''. ..

He gave an initial estimate of $15-18k and that morphed to - mid twenties! Then the final came in at $35,000!

So, we can't buy the house, because as a flip, the numbers don't work. If your going to live there, it would be fabulous. And actually, you may he able to buy it with an FHA 203K (not KS) loan. You can't do the 203ks because there is some structural work and that loan type does not allow for structural.

Moral of the story: insist on full, accurate figures before you buy the house. We had a due diligence period in order to check everything out and, unfortunately, had to terminate the transaction prior to the end of the due diligence because of our budget.

It would have been nice, don't you think?

The measurements are pretty accurate -just trying to give you a quick visual.

Flipping 101, Part 1

I've watched all the rehab shows. So have you. Flipping Boston,  Flipping Las Vegas, Flip or Flop - more titles than I can remember. Hours and hours of TV- ideas, successes & major problems.

I am a real estate agent. I've been in hundreds of houses. I've been through countless inspections, I'm a major DIYer. My good friend Essie is an excellent decorator & loves "the idea" of doing a flip. We looked in earnest for a couple of months last year & couldn't find anything.

Then there it was. Another friend listed this little, old house-only 1,000 sq.ft. I looked at it for a client. It was a sad little house, my client didn't like it. It hung around. My friend had some nibbles, but no one bought it. The owners eventually lowered the price & after much thought & planning Essie and I decided to buy it.

We are being careful. She talked to her financial planner. I researched the market. I talked to an appraiser. I had a contractor look at it to see if we could make the changes the house needed & still make the numbers work. Possible sales price minus purchase price minus rehab costs, should give us SOME profit. It SHOULD work.

So, we wrote an offer. It was accepted! YEAH!

Contactor called ... he thinks he is off by $3-5K! what???

It's O.K. we got it for a good price. Had the inspection today. Went pretty well. Found out the HVAC is pretty new -YEAH! Found out we might not be able to remove some walls
without extra support, yikes!

It's O.K. still in due diligence phase.

Stay tuned. It's going to be so pretty when we're done! We're refinishing hardwood floors, new cabinets, granite counters, new windows, adding a bedroom & bath. Oh my goodness!

I really hope it works, it will be so pretty when it's done....

See Flipping 101, Part 2

Qualifying for your home purchase

Everyone wants the same thing.  I am not going to reinvent the wheel.  Instead, I am going to direct  you to this article from a trusted lender.

Need a good lender - check out Premier Capital Mortgage and Joe Farro's team of experts.  This is a recent email Joe sent out to keep folks informed:

Shopping for a Low Interest Rate

Buying a home is likely the biggest purchase you will make, and even more likely a purchase that will require a loan. When dealing with a financial commitment such as this, understanding how to get the lowest possible interest rate could mean a difference of thousands of dollars. Home loans are a complicated business, so here are a few tips to help you shop for the lowest interest rate.

Qualifying for the Lowest Rates

Computer models fix a large percentage of the costs of a home loan with strict prequalification.  Loan officers are not able to give every client that walks in the door the same deal.  It is a good idea to be aware of your own credit score and equity, while also comparing rates in your local market, so you know what to expect.
For the best interest rates you'll likely need a credit score of at least 740 and have 20 percent equity. These figures are a general guide and are always changing.  However, if your score is considerably lower than this and you have low equity, be prepared for heavily increased rates compared to the best that are offered.

Be Prepared

The best thing you can do for yourself to make the loan process easier is to plan ahead and be prepared.  Be sure to gather all the necessary documents before you begin; to ensure timeliness and organization.  You should also prepare for the down payment by saving up monthly.  Depending on the lender and type of loan, you may be required to put anywhere from 2.25% to 20% of the purchase price down.  In addition, keep in mind the estimated closing costs, as many tend to forget to budget for these fees.  It’s never too late to start saving.
Another factor to consider is home insurance costs.  If insurance costs for your area are particularly low, it may free up some additional cash for loan repayments.  Tools like the home insurance calculator allow you to plug in all of your information to get an estimated cost for your home insurance.

Understand your Needs

Before going to speak to anyone about getting a home loan, be sure you are clear about what it is that you're looking for and what parameters you have set.  If for any reason they can't be met, be cautious of alternative offers that are suggested to you, as you may be persuaded down a different path.  

Looking Will Lead to the Right Rate

There’s no easy way around it if you want to find the lowest interest rates on a home loan.  You have to spend a long time looking, and you need a strategy.  It may not be something you're particularly interested in but if it saves you a large sum of money, it’s worth it.
You must compare similar policies; otherwise you're wasting your time, as a sensible comparison is almost impossible.  Consider the closing costs, interest rate, and lock period to ensure that they are comparable offers.

Move Quickly

As they say, time is money. Be sure to respond promptly to your lender if they require any additional information from you so you can keep the process moving.
If you've managed to find a great deal on your home loan, waiting around for ages while you try to better it or find the equity required to close the deal, is likely to end up costing you. Shopping around is certainly in your best interest. However with today’s market on the rise, rates are not likely to stay stagnant. So if you find a great rate that fits your needs don’t wait long to close it.
Also look into getting prequalified for a loan. This process is rather simple and can put you in a much better place to buy, as well as give you a great idea as to what you can expect to borrow.
Taking out a home loan is one of the biggest financial commitments you are likely ever going to make.  Make sure you put in the time to do your research and look around for the best possible deal.

Taste of Henry



Last year, my husband and I attended The Taste of Henry.  We had a great time.  Proceeds from The Taste of Henry benefit A Friend's House, Henry County's emergency shelter for abused and neglected children.

Shelly was feeling shy so she grabbed
another patron for support and gave us
all a laugh - bubbly, happy personality
shows through in her products

We got to sample food from a lot of the smaller, local eateries including two of my favorites The French Market and Bliss Cupcakes.

Bliss is a great cupcake shop.  I bought cupcakes for a friend's birthday not too long ago and they had really unusual flavors, like key-lime and margarita.  They were beautiful, too; and yummmmyyy! 

The owner, Shelly, recently introduced soft-serve Gelato.  The chocolate was heavenly.  Be sure to check them out on the square in McDonough, 20 Macon Street, McDonough, GA 30253 (678) 272-6222.

Lauren serving the patrons, check out
the quaint decor.  If you think this
is pretty, you should see the restaurant.

I think the French Market had the longest line - I felt sorry for Lauren Noah-Fenster, the owner. We were there for a couple of hours and she didn't stop once.  She served everyone with a smile as she was dishing up po-boys, gumbo, cupcakes, bread pudding - it was all luscious.  Even her booth was pretty.

The French Market is coveniently located in a wonderful old building in Locust Grove, just minutes to the Tanger Outlet.  3840 Georgia 42 Locust Grove, GA 30248 (770) 914-9312 .

I've eaten their several times and it was excellent each time!

Support this great community event! Put it on your calendar for next Spring.

What 9 year old boy wouldn't want a party like this?

Last weekend, my grandson had a tree climbing party.  Yep, he, his friends and cousins all learned how to climb a tree.  A representative of the Tree Climber's International, came to Blackburn Park in Atlanta and rigged a 40+ year old Willow Oak with ropes so they could all climb.

Each child was fitted with a saddle, gloves and a helmet, and after watching the instructor, each climbed up the ropes, up into the tree canopy.  What a wonderful day for this, low 70's slightly overcast and breezy. 

They had a blast - the youngest was 5 and the oldest was 12.  No one cried and they all got up to the top of their ropes without incident. 

I know they all slept well!

For more information go to: http://www.treeclimbing.com/. 

Moving into a Seller's Market

We have had our share of difficult times trying to sell real estate in Henry County.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at the following picture:

Months of Invwentory for Henry County, all prices

The graph above shows the Henry County Trends over the past 15 months. It sure wasn't fun between November 2010 and March 2011.  But thankfully, we are now in an even market for the most part.

Contrast the County as a whole with homes priced below $100,000.

Months of Invwentory for Henry County, $100,000 and below

The above chart shows the trend for homes priced below $100,000.  Although, the stats were not as bad for sellers from November 2010 to February 2011 in this price point as they were for the County, overall, it was still a buyer's market. 

Starting in March of last year, we have definitely been in a seller's market.  That means that buyers are going to have to act quickly and decisively when they see a house they like.

Is the market turning around overall?  Hard to say.  A lot will depend on forces beyond our control, such as, how much of the shadow inventory will be released into the market; whether interest rates remain low; whether more banks fail, etc.

Want to see information about your area? Contact us and we'll run a report for you!

How to make your kitchen store more

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been organizing the kitchen.  I used to do it for my mother on summer vacation.  I used to do that and wash all the china and put it back in the china cabinet - nice memories!

Now, I'm in a ranch style home with no basement.  My kitchen is average with builder grade cupboards and always short on storage.  The pantry is one of those 24" deep cabinets, but if you pack the cabinet, you won't be able get to the stuff in the back.  And, the older I get, the less I want to bend. 

A good client/friend of mine and I were talking last week and she wanted to organize her cabinets with pull out drawers.  I couldn't believe the prices she was quoted. 

Check out these pictures:

Since I'm a big DIY advocate, I decided to tackle this project myself.  I was able to buy slide out "Elfa" shelving from the Container Store and really pack things in.  I only had to make minor modifications by shortening the shelving tower in the lower cabinets.

Let me know if you want any pointers!  The Elfa shelving is on sale sometimes - it's worth it to wait for the sale.

Things you see when you don’t take the train.

My husband and I took a short trip earlier this month to visit with my sister and her husband while they were in Myrtle Beach. We flew. It was a great, short trip. We can do that because our daughter, Jennifer, flies for Delta and we have flight benefits (Thank you, Jen).

We always take the people mover train at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Especially when going to our gate – gotta get to the gate early and all that. And besides, it’s a quarter of a mile between terminals not to mention the long concourses!

So, when we came home, we landed and debarked at terminal “D”. I was getting down on myself because I hadn’t walked at all on our short trip (I'm in weight watchers). So, when we got down into the lower level to take the train back to baggage claim, I saw a lady, about my age in a wheel chair. I thought to myself, God gave you two good legs, use ‘em. So, I told my husband I’d meet him at baggage claim shortly and took off.

Important questions to ask when listing your home.

It’s about you, it’s not about me.

Have you ever seen it? You know what I’m talking about…that insipid, smiling picture of a salesperson on a billboard or bus bench or grocery cart. Maybe they’re even winking.

It’s funny, about 15 years ago when I got in the real estate business, it wasn’t too hard to represent a seller. In the good old days, we could list a house and be closed in 45-60 days and the owner would get what they asked and actually put a few dollars in their pockets. You could actually put a sign in the yard, put it in the MLS, put a lock box on the door and pray and it would sell. No additional marketing required.

Not so easy today. Now, we have to tell people that not only won’t they see the price they paid for the house, but it’s likely they’ll get considerably less. Try explaining that to someone who paid $660,000 and barely squeaked by with a $400,000 sales price or paid $380,000 and sold for $280,000. Sadly, this phenomenon is found in all price ranges. Wouldn’t you want to know that this was likely before you put your house on your market? Wouldn’t you want to know the market trend? That prices are going down? That the offer that’s below your list price is really good? That if you don’t take it, we might get less next month? And we’ll be lucky if the house APPRAISES for THAT lower price?

Why did my taxes go up?

There are a number of reasons:

• The millage rate has increased; 
• The home was previously owned by an elderly person 62 years old or older and they have an elderly exemption which you are not entitled to;
• The home has increased in value;
• The home was new construction and there was no owner-occupant on January 1  (test for whether homestead exemption should be given);
• The home was a rental property or was foreclosed the year prior to sale and there was no owner-occupant on January 1.

Taxes, as listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), are a representation of what the tax office states the property was valued usually the year prior to the sale. Example, tax bill available is for 2010, house sells early in 2011, tax proration at closing is done based on 2010 taxes. Most tax offices publish the tax bill in October; however the assessment is published in the spring. If home is being sold by owner occupant, we may get more accurate information during the year if, in fact, the tax rate is about to change.

Kansas with Kennesaw Symphony Orchestra

My husband is quite the Rock 'n Roll fan.  Thanks to him, we've seen a ton of great performances in Atlanta and the southeast. Yes, the southeast! One time James Tayor was touring and I knew he was going to be in Atlanta.  But we didn't see him in Atlanta, we went to Nashville to see him. Why? Because Nashville has White Castles and Atlanta doesn't.  We've also been to West Palm Beach to see 38 Special and REO.

Last night we went to the Cobb Energy Center to see Kansas.  What a beautiful building - I had never been there before.  I was struck by the elegance of the building.  There is dark woodwork, colorful carpeting and huge glass chandeliers that look like they are made of ribbon, but as you look closely you see that it is delicate twisted glass that shimmers in the light.  There is a 5 or 6 story wall of glass so as you walk up the stairs to the top floor, you can see Atlanta off in the distance.  And the stair way is gorgeous too - instead of pickets, you are protected by glass panels so the view is relatively unobstructed. There is also a 5 story wall of Onyx - gorgeous natural stone illuminated from the back.

It remind me of the first time I went to "The Fabulous Fox Theater" in downtown Atlanta.  That day we saw The Guess Who and Joe Cocker. It was a great evening.  I was struck by the beauty of the Fox and the magical ceiling.

We've been to a lot of places in search of great Rock 'n Roll - we've been to

• The Verizon Amphitheater in Alpharetta - The Steve Miller Band and Boston
• The Gwinnett Center - Transiberian Orchestra, Styx, Reo, Manheim Steamroller, Don Henley and Stevie Nix, James Taylor and Carole King
• Mable House in Mableton - Art Garfunkel
• The Lakewood - a couple of times
• The Fred - Kansas
• Phillips Arena - Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Manheim Steamroller, Transiberian Orchestra
• Chastain Park - Heart, Joan Jett, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Jackson Brown
• The Tabernacle - Jackson Brown

Plus, we've seen a variety of princesses, muppets, witches and blue men, etc. with the grandkids and daughters at The Fox, Phillips Arena and the Gwinnett Center.

And, you can see major league football, basketball and baseball as well as college football and basketball and AAA baseball.

There isn't a weekend where there isn't something fun, cultural, sports or otherwise to do in and around Atlanta.

Not only would we love to help you find your perfect home, but we are always available for inquiries regarding things to do in Atlanta.  If you need a tip, give us a call.

The tax man commeth and he's not always fair.

Since we have lost so much value in our properties, some folks haven't thought to have their taxes reviewed and are paying more than they should. 

I have had many clients ask me about how to appeal their taxes, so I thought I'd share what the Tax Assessor's office in Henry County, GA, told me today. 

Never saw so much OSB in a tract home!

Monty and I were driving through a new home subdivision the other day.  Remember that this is 2011 and building has just about stopped in Metro Atlanta.  So, watching a home being built is a fairy rare occurrence these days.

But, I was just awe-struck by the fact that the entire home is sheathed in oriented strand board (OSB).  See photo below. When this house gets its exterior siding, it will have an all brick front and hardi-plank siding on the sides and rear.

About a hundred years ago, when I first moved to Atlanta (really 1986), I wrote a contract

Pay for college or retirement - why choose?

Buy a piece of real estate for each child and avoid the dilemma...

I watched this story on the Today show today. (If you are on an ipad, you may need to
click here).

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It's a debate on how or if  you should fund your child's education or your retirement fund.  I submit to you that you can do both!

This has always been a sore topic for me. I am first generation Italian.  I am the last of 5 children.  I would have loved to go to college.  But, my parents worked very hard, my father was a steel worker and my mother was a seamstress in a factory. Although I wouldn't consider us poor, I certainly wouldn't consider us rich. I didn't want to be a drag on them - they were in their late 50's and early 60's when it was time for me to go to college.  For some reason, the State of New York said they made too much money in order for me to qualify for any tuition assistance. 

Has it come to this? and why you shouldn't wear crocs to a crime scene.



First break-in - too much
broken glass for crocs

 Yes, I did wear crocs to this crime scene - thieves threw a big rock through the door which caused the alarm to go off.  There was glass everywhere.  I couldn't go into the house all the way. I had to tip toe gingerly into the kitchen so I could survey some of the damage. They smashed the thermostat and the alarm control panel off the wall. We dealt with that break-in and about a month later... another theft at the same house.

I got a phone call from a fellow who was the neighbor of one of my listings.  He used to cut the grass for the homeowner and wanted to get in touch with her.  I gave him the information and then he said, "By the way, did you know the air conditioner is missing?"

No, I didn't know the air conditioner was missing! Very frustrating! So, I ranted on facebook for a minute and two friends commented.

One said, "While my rental is vacant, I had the appliances and the air conditioner removed until I get a new tenant."

The other said, "In some areas, we don't advertise the address of the rentals we manage nor do we put a sign in the yard."

Amazing!

I will be talking to my alarm company representative and see how hard it is to put a sensor on the air conditioning compressor so that if someone tries to steal it, the alarm will go off.

Of course, it didn't help that when the owner moved out she:

• Took the curtains off one of the front windows
• Didn't have anyone cutting the grass
• Didn't ask any neighbors to  park in the yard
• Generally left the place looking abandoned...

I welcome any words of wisdom.