Archive for October, 2008
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For Trick-or-Treaters
- Carry a flashlight
- Walk, don’t run.
- Stay on Sidewalks
- Obey traffic signals
- Stay in familiar neighborhoods
- Don’t cut across yards or driveways.
- Wear a watch you can read in the dark.
- Make sure costumes don’t drag on the ground.
- Shoes should fit (even if they don’t go with your costume)
- Avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house.
- Carry only flexible knives, swords or other props.
- (If no sidewalk) walk on the left side of the road facing traffic
- Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape.
- Approach only houses that are lit.
- Stay away from and don’t pet animals you don’t know.
For Parents
- Make your child eat dinner before setting out.
- Children should carry quarters so they can call home.
- Ideally, young children of any age should be accompanied by an adult.
- If your children go on their own, be sure they wear a watch, preferably one that can be read in the dark.
- If you buy a costume, look for one made of flame-retardant material.
- Older children should know where to reach you and when to be home.
- You should know where they’re going.
- Although tampering is rare, tell children to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything.
- Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspect.
For Homeowners
- Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip the young ones.
- Pets get frightened on Halloween. Put them up to protect them from cars or inadvertently bitting a trick-or-treater.
- Battery powered jack o’lantern candles are preferable to a real flame.
- If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
- Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won’t be blown into a flaming candle.
- Healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of low-fat crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins and single-serve packets of low-fat popcorn that can be microwaved later.
- Non-food treats: plastic rings, pencils, stickers, erasers, coins.
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Posted ( Tony Frerking) in Featured on October-31-2008 |
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Bonds are improving sharply, after receiving some good news on inflation this morning. The Personal Consumption Expenditure Index, which is the Fed’s favorite gauge of inflation, showed that inflation concerns have begun to ease, due to falling Oil prices and weakness in the economy. In other news, Consumer Spending fell 0.3% in September, representing the biggest drop in four years as more Americans focus on saving for the future. Overall, Mortgage Bonds opened higher this morning, after holding above an important floor of support yesterday.
“Your Partner In Success!”
Tony Frerking
Sr. Mortgage Consultant
PMZ Home Loans
1600 N. Carpenter Rd. Ste. C
Modesto, CA 95351
(209) 404-2200 - P
(209) 254-7142 - F
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Posted ( Laurie Muirhead) in Insurance on October-30-2008 |
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PMZ Insurance Services is pleased to announce that beginning December 1st, 2008, Vacant Dwelling policy rates will be cut by a whopping 33%! This allows home buyers who are renovating their just purchased properties to insure them at a huge discounts.
To find out more or to take advantage of this opportunity, contact PMZ Insurance Services’ Laurie Muirhead at (209) 338-0385.
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Source:
Real estate near bottom?
by J.N. Sbranti | Modesto Bee
Comparing rent to sale value shows that now is time to buy, study says
October 29 2008 - A new way of calculating the actual value of a house indicates that maybe, just maybe, Northern San Joaquin Valley home prices have hit bottom.
A national analysis on the cost of renting versus owning a home uses historic trends to determine a “floor” for home prices. That study, released Tuesday, predicts whether those who buy homes today will gain or lose equity during the next four years.
It’s based on ratios comparing rental costs to home prices, dating back to 1895.
The formula determines that the right price for a house is roughly 15 times its annual fair market rental rate.
Read the full article at The Modesto Bee »
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Posted ( Tony Frerking) in Featured on October-30-2008 |
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Although experts have speculated that the US may already be in a recession, the first hardcore signs appeared in this morning’s 3rd Quarter Advance Gross Domestic Product report. The report showed that consumer spending declined at the fastest pace in 28 years, and it reflected the largest quarterly decline since the end of the last recession in 2001.
In other news, as expected, the Fed cut the Fed Funds Rate by .50% yesterday, lowering it to 1.00%. Initially, both Stocks and Bonds had little reaction to the Fed cut, but Mortgage Bonds finally started to sell off and eventually finished lower on the day.
This morning, Bond prices are hovering just above a key support level.
“Your Partner In Success!”
Tony Frerking
Sr. Mortgage Consultant
PMZ Home Loans
1600 N. Carpenter Rd. Ste. C
Modesto, CA 95351
Direct: (209) 404-2200
Fax: (209) 254-7142
tfrerking@pmzloans.com
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As many of you know, Ernestina and Jesse Santana’s son Andrew passed away on Monday, October 27. PMZ Home Loans would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Santana family, and commend them for their courage and optimism in the face of hardship.
The benevolent account at WaMu will remain open for donations. Contact Anne Dillian Walton with any questions regarding the account.
Please keep the Santana family in your hearts and prayers.
UPDATE:
Andrew’s viewing will be held Thursday at Salas Brothers Mortuary from 4pm to 8pm.
On Friday the Rosary and Mass will start at 10am at Saint Frances of Rome in Riverbank.
Burial will be at Lakewood Memorial Park after the Mass.
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PMZ Agent Ben Allustiarte is a long time supporter of many local charities and benefits and would like to invite you to the Salvation Army’s Kettle Kick-Off Luncheon on November 20th.
If you’re interested in donating money or for more information, contact Ben at (209) 491-3826.
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PMZ agents Terrie Green, Terry Hedrick-Faught, Carolyn Stilphen & Dan Holly helped the Lodi Association of Realtors raise money for local charities at Woodbridge Country Club last Wednesday. Over 75 agents came out to help raise money and enjoy a game of golf and a dinner barbeque.
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Posted ( Tony Frerking) in Featured on October-27-2008 |
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Both Stocks and Bonds have seen wild swings this morning, as concerns over the potential for a global recession increase.
In other news, New Home Sales came in higher than expected and the inventory of unsold homes fell to its lowest level in four years. The rest of the week is full of economic reports, but the main focus will be on Wednesday, when the Fed will likely cut the Fed Funds Rate anywhere from 50 to 75 basis points.
Currently, Mortgage Bonds are trading below an important level of support, and my sources indicate that a rate cut on Wednesday is very likely.
“Your Partner In Success!”
Tony Frerking
Sr. Mortgage Consultant
PMZ Home Loans
1600 N. Carpenter Rd. Ste. C
Modesto, CA 95351
(209) 404-2200 - Phone
(209) 254-7142 - Fax
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Posted ( Roy McKenzie) in Featured on October-24-2008 |
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1000watt Consulting and RealTrends issued a report on October 21, 2008, “The Top Ten Real Estate Brokerage Websites in America,” naming PMZ.com #7 on their list.
The report is based on a detailed examination of the corporate websites maintained by the 500 largest brokerage companies in the country as established by RealTrends’ annual RealTrends 500 list. PMZ Real Estate ranked 124th on the 2008 list.
Over the course of a three month period, the 500 websites were reviewed based on several criteria including usability, content, features and design.
Excerpts from the report include:
- PMZ Real Estate’s attention to educating clients through real-time graphed market data
- Agent search, often a weak area on brokerage sites, “is done very well, offering search by language right from the home page,”
- PMZ is in “an area particularly hard hit by the foreclosure crisis,” and the company clearly “knows its customer and has responded to its market,”
- What’s Happening in My Neighborhood is a powerful tool that is useful to clients.
PMZ.com was launched in 1997 and is the area’s most popular real estate website with an average 200,000 visits a month. PMZ Real Estate invests a significant amount of resources into the site to keep it fresh and up to date with exclusive tools and services.
No other local brokerage site was included in the Top 10 report. In addition, the report criticizes “one-size-fits-all website templates” often found with some of the national franchises. The report states, “Two national brands well represented in the RealTrends 500 painted an almost universally dismal web picture due to circa-1998 affiliate website templates.”
Download and Read the Full Report here: Top 10 Broker Sites
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