July 28, 2013

Are you prepared?

Hurricane season is here. Already we've had 4 storms, are you and your family prepared?

Here are some tips from the FEMA website:

Before a Hurricane:

  • To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
  • Know your surroundings.
  • Learn the elevation of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal floodings are forecasted.

July 27, 2013

Be a Savvy Shopper


The housing recovery is underway, but economic conditions don’t impact real estate scams – they never go away.

Homeowners who fall prey to a real estate scam lose an average of $4,000 to $5,000, but even five-figure losses aren’t uncommon for those who have fallen prey to fake loan modifications and other housing fraud.

Forbes highlighted three of the most common real estate scams today:

1. Rental scams: Scammers pull online listing information from an actual home for sale and re-post it as a rental on another site, such as Craigslist. They’ll often ask for money upfront – a security deposit or broker fee – from prospective tenants. Scammers often advertise the home at a low price and collect application fees from several prospective tenants to “hold the property for them.”