INSIDE THIS ISSUE
• Cell Phone Civility
• Praise Vs. Effective Praise
• Cool Off And Save
• How To Plant A Great Herb Garden
• How To Remember A Name
• Hunger Pangs Or Snack Cravings?
• Online Safety
• Should Baseball Helmets Have Face Guards?
• Did They Really Ask That?

Team Gregory’s Home News

News To Help You Save Time And Money April 2011
News flash to Newsletter subscribers!
Team Gregory has decided to go Green and save some trees by putting this newsletter out in email.
This is our last issue in print and snail mail. To continue to receive this newsletter send us your most current email address to info@teamgregory.com

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Please check them out and “Like/follow” or subscribe to these sites if you are inclined

What’s so special about April 22?
Did you know that April 22 is Earth Day, and has been every year since it was first celebrated in 1970?

Earth Day was the creation of Gaylord Nelson who, as a Wisconsin Senator in the late 1960s, said, “Our soil, our water, and our air are becoming more polluted every day. Our most priceless natural resources – trees, lakes, rivers, wildlife habitats, scenic landscapes – are being destroyed. How are we going to get the nation to wake up and pay attention to the most important challenge the human specifies faces on the planet?”

Nelson’s wake-up call was that first Earth Day, and 20 million people in the U.S., Canada and other countries participated in activities demonstrating their interest in the environment. Today Earth Day is observed in more than 140 countries with rallies, speakers and parades, and individuals or groups planting trees, picking up roadside trash, and conducting programs about recycling and conservation. You can check out activities at www.epa.gov/earthday, www.earthday.ca and other Web sites, and celebrate Earth Day every day by practicing the five Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish and Restore. Here are just a few ideas:

Replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
Carpool or take public transit – even once a week will make a difference.
Call companies that are sending you unwanted catalogs and cancel them.
Find out where to recycle your old electronics – cell phones, computers, MP3s – and set a date to do it.
Take shorter showers, and run your dishwasher only when it’s full.

Love your planet on Earth Day – and every day!

Need Eye Glasses?

Are your arms too short? Call: optometrist Philip Smith O. D. 619-297-4331 Or email drpbsmith@Gmail.com You will see clearly that his service is exceptional

Cell Phone Civility

Cell phones sometimes seem to create as many problems as they solve. To smooth over the rough spots, Cell Phones.org put together this list of cell phone etiquette tips:

Lower your voice. Don’t force everyone around you to listen to your half of the conversation.

Avoid personal subjects. Resist the temptation to over share where complete strangers can listen to your intimate secrets.

Don’t take calls (or text) when talking to someone else. If you absolutely must take the call, excuse yourself and keep it brief.

Silence your ringer in theaters. Put it on vibrate, and don’t answer your phone while others are watching the movie, play, or performance.

Don’t get mad about dropped calls. If you make 100 calls per week you’ll lose two to four calls every week. Don’t blame the other person for a dropped call. It happens.

Keep your distance. Whenever possible, stay at least 10 feet away from others when talking on your phone.

Praise vs. Effective Praise

It’s likely that you know the benefits of giving praise – whether it’s in a work situation, a personal relationship, or even with your pet puppy. Praise makes the recipient feel valued, and encourages the recipient to repeat the behavior you’re praising. It makes you feel good, too!

Giving effective praise can be tricky, however, so here are three tips to keep in mind the next time you’re praising a colleague, family member or friend. (This doesn’t work with your puppy but a doggie treat will.)

• Show that you understand the difficulty of what they did.

• Show you understand how they succeeded – the decisions they made, the tools and/or techniques they used, the resourcefulness they displayed.

See An
Interesting Home?
No need to wonder about the price. No need to call a high-pressure sales agent who will just make you feel obligated. Our computers can send you the information quickly and easily for any house, listed or sold, anywhere in town.
Just ask us! It’s all part of our free, no-obligation Home Finder Service.
Leave the address on our voice mail, email, facebook, twitter or linkedin and we will send information on that listing within 24 hours.
• Show you understand the value of what they did.

In other words, giving praise can be work. But it’s truly worthwhile for both the receiver and the giver.
Cool off and save
If you’re prone to impulse buying, try this trick to exercise a little financial restraint: Give yourself a spending limit and don’t spend more than that limit without taking 48 hours to think about it. For instance, if you see a pair of shoes you’d love to have but costs $100, pause before you hand over your credit card or cash you really can’t spare.

Forcing yourself to think about a purchase will provide you enough of a cooling off period to help you determine whether or not you really need to make the purchase.

How to plant a great herb garden

If you love having fresh herbs at your fingertips here are a few suggestions on setting up an herb garden you will use and love:

• Plant your herb garden as close to the kitchen as you can manage. Your herb garden can be grown in a series of containers if that helps you locate it where it will be most convenient. If you have to go to too much trouble to get to and pick the herbs, you won’t use them as much.

• If you want to get the most pleasure you can from your herbs, plant them along walkways and where people will brush up against them. They won’t release their fragrances until something brushes or bruises them.

• Make sure to place your marjoram, parsley and thyme along borders. These plants only grow a few inches high and will get lost among taller plants.

• Dill, tarragon and coriander grow up to two feet high. If you have a walk around garden, the center is the best place. If your garden is up against a wall or object then you’ll want to place these plants at the back of the garden.

• Grow bay leaves and rosemary in clay pots just beneath the soil of your garden. When the weather turns cold, dig them up and take them inside. They’ll continue to grow and you can enjoy their fragrance and flavor year round.

• Remember some herbs spread (like mint, wild marjoram and tarragon). Each year they’ll take more and more room. To contain their growth, confine their roots by burying them in a section of stovepipe. The pipe will keep them from spreading.

• Cut your herbs just before they flower for optimum flavor – that’s when their oils peak. If you’re going to store your herbs, it’s best to cut them mid morning on a sunny day.

• Store your herbs by freezing or drying, or in oil or vinegar. You can use the oil and vinegar as seasonings when you cook and in salad dressings.

• If you have refrigerator space, keep your dried herbs there, as they’ll keep better

Do you know anyone who is behind on their mortgage payment?

Do they want to protect their credit rating?

If so a short sale might fill the bill.

Call us @ 619-838-0517or email us with the friend’s name and contact information so we can assist them with a short sale.

How to remember a name

Do you have trouble remembering names after you meet people? If you do, you might want to try the following technique to aid your memory:

Focus. You want to send a positive message to the person you’re meeting. Pay attention to your pose. Are you leaning in, are you telling the person that this moment is important to you and that he or she has your undivided attention?

Ask. Repeat the name back to the person you’re meeting. Ask if you’ve got it right. This makes you an active participant in the meeting and shows that you’re paying attention.

Repeat. Repeat the person’s name in your mind, then cross reference it with something else – a celebrity’s name that you’re already familiar with, or some other association.

Employ. Once you have the name clarified, it’s very helpful to introduce your new acquaintance to someone else. This makes you say the name out loud and fixes it in your memory.

Hunger Pangs or Snack Cravings?

Many of us eat more than we need to. Often it’s because we think we’re hungry when instead we’re anxious, depressed, bored, or just tempted by the plate of brownies a coworker brought in this morning.

Although you shouldn’t wait until you’re faint with hunger to eat, it’s good to pay attention to the signals your body is sending you. These are the typical symptoms of real hunger:
• Growling, gurgling, or rumbling in the stomach
• Irritability
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Nausea

Not sure whether you’re really hungry? Ask yourself if something healthy, like an apple or an orange, would make you feel better. If not – if you think you really, really need that chocolate chip cookie – then chances are you’re having a craving, not a real hunger pang.

Online Safety

As social networking stretches into every corner of our lives, parents are right to be concerned about the information their children may be sharing online – and about what kind of information they should share about their own families. Here are some guidelines:

Pick a strong password. Don’t use common words or significant dates in your life. Create a password that’s a mix of capital and lowercase letters, plus numbers, so it can’t be guessed easily.

Don’t give your birth date. Leaving your full birth date – month, day, and year – can give hackers and identity thieves an avenue to more confidential information. Share just the day and month, or no birthday at all.

Use privacy controls. Limit what’s available on your profile so strangers don’t have complete access to everything you post online.

Vacations. Don’t announce that you’re going to be out of town ahead of time. You don’t want to advertise that your home will be empty.

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Should baseball helmets have face guards?

Baseball season is upon us and unfortunately, that means an increase in eye injuries is upon us, as well. Thirty-eight percent of all sports-related eye injuries result from baseball or softball, and nearly half of those injuries require surgery. Safety experts believe that face guards (which can be attached to batting helmets) can prevent a quarter to a half of those injuries because they protect the face when it’s struck by a ball or bat.

A face guard is a small investment to protect something irreplaceable – your, or your children’s, eyes.

Did They Really Ask That?

Here’s a “strange but true” from a source you might not expect – your library! Library reference desk workers collected these strange but true questions posed by patrons:

• Do you have books here?

• Do you have a list of all the books written in the English language?

• Do you have a list of all the books I’ve ever read?
• I was here about three weeks ago looking at a cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which one it is?

Cash is King

According to DataQuick news, last month 30.9 percent of all new and resale houses and condos sold statewide were bought without a mortgage – the highest level in at least 23 years, according to San Diego-based DataQuick Information Systems, whose statistics go back to 1988. Last month’s cash figure was up from 28.9 percent of sales in December and 28.5 percent a year earlier.

The median-size of a California home purchased with cash last month was 1,344 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The median size of resale single-family detached houses bought with cash was 1,443 square feet, while for resale condos it was 1,050 square feet.

All-cash transactions are luring investors and other buyers who either can’t qualify for a traditional mortgage, or who simply view housing as a relatively attractive place to park their money. Moreover, using cash can get you to the head of the line if there are multiple offers on a property, given sellers favor the relative speed and certainty of all-cash transactions.

Do you need skilled service providers like these?

Auto body/collision repair
Life Insurance
Auto & Home Insurance
Family law Attorney
Wills & Estate Attorney
Coin & stamp Appraisal
Financial Adviser
Plumber
General Contractor
Carpet Cleaning
Cell Phones
Email or call us @ 619-825-8900 for references to these and more professionals

Thank you to clients who referred new clients to Team Gregory this month

Steve & Judy Bates
Oddie & Cindy Hailey
Rob & Becky Witters
Dawn & Luigi Dell’Acqua
Dr. Phil Smith
John McCann

For great real estate information check out Team Gregory’s real estate blog @
http:// www.SanDiegoBlog4Real Estate.com

This newsletter is intended for entertainment purposes only. Credit is given to the authors of various articles that are reprinted when the original author is known. Any omission of credit to an author is purely unintentional and should not be construed as plagiarism or literary theft.

Copyright 2011 TeamGregory Inc.. This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical, legal, financial or tax advice. Any and all decisions and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a qualified physician, attorney, financial advisor and/or CPA. We cannot be held responsible for actions you may take without proper medical, financial, legal or tax advice.

Team Gregory’s Home News
Team Gregory

www.AvalarSanDiego.com
www.facebook.com/AvalarSanDiego

Every year the National Kitchen and Bath Association polls their members as to what they are seeing in the marketplace when it comes to trends in kitchens and bathrooms. Given the recent economy there seems to be less importance on $4,000 refrigerators and $3,000 stoves and more attention to detail and durability. Here are the findings from the research on Kitchens and Baths.

KITCHEN Trends

——————————————————————————–

1. Traditional is the New Contemporary
Traditional will continue as the most popular kitchen design style in 2010, with contemporary following closely behind, while the Shaker style is seeing a surprisingly strong resurgence. Shades of whites and off-whites will be the most common kitchen colors in 2010, while brown, beige, and bone hues will also be popular.

2. Cherry on Top
Cherry will remain the most popular wood for kitchen cabinetry, followed closely by maple, while alder increases in use. As for the finishes placed on those cabinets, medium natural, dark natural, glazed, and white painted will all be common. Other colors of painted cabinetry and light natural finishes are in decline, however, as are distressed finishes.

3. Floored by Tile
Ceramic and porcelain tile, as well as natural stone tile, remain popular kitchen flooring options, but hardwood will dominate the kitchen landscape more than ever in 2010. For countertops, granite continues to be the most popular option, but quartz will nearly catch up in popularity. For backsplashes, ceramic or porcelain tile and glass will serve as the primary materials.

4. Flexible Faucets
Standard kitchen faucets will become less standard in 2010 in favor of more convenient models. Pull-out faucets continue to increase their market dominance, while pot filler faucets will also become more prevalent. Kitchen faucets will most often be finished in brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel, and-surprisingly-polished chrome.

5. Undercounter Refrigeration
French door and freezer-bottom are the two most popular styles of refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators remain a popular option. A surprising trend is the extent to which undercounter refrigerator drawers are being used in the latest kitchen designs. Perhaps even more surprising is that undercounter wine refrigerators have been recently specified by half of kitchen designers.

6. A Range of Cooking Options
The tried-and-true range continues to serve as the workhorse for cooking, although the combination of a cooktop and wall oven is beginning to overtake it. Gas will maintain its position as the most popular type of cooktop over electric, although induction cooking continues to gain in popularity due to its energy efficiency.

7. Dishwasher-in-a-Drawer
Standard dishwashers, with the traditional door that pulls from the top down, will once again be easily the most common type in 2010. However, an increasing number of dishwasher drawers will be installed in kitchens this year for their convenience and their ability to wash small loads of dishes in each drawer, thereby saving water and electricity.

BATHROOM Trends

1. In With the Old, Out with the New
Traditional will be the most popular design style in bathrooms in 2010, as contemporary designs will be a distant second, followed by the Shaker style as an even more distant third. Beiges and bones will be the most common colors used in bathrooms, followed by whites and off-whites, and then by browns, indicating a somewhat subdued color palette this year.

2. Ceramic and Granite
Ceramic and porcelain tile will be the dominant flooring materials in bathrooms this year, while natural stone will continue to prove popular as well. Though increasingly popular in kitchens, hardwood flooring won’t become common in bathrooms in 2010. For vanity tops, granite will remain king, with quartz and marble also proving popular options.

3. Simple Fixtures
Perhaps more than ever, the most common color for fixtures will be white. Bisque and off-white will be the only other fixture colors at all common in new or remodeled bathroom. For sinks, simple undermount models will be most popular, followed by integrated sink tops, drop-in sinks, vessel sinks, and pedestal sinks.

4. A Nickel for Every Finish
Faucet finishes in the bathroom are similar to those used in current kitchen designs, with brushed nickel continuing to lead the way in 2010. Polished chrome and satin nickel will also be incorporated into many bathrooms, just as they had been throughout 2009. These faucet finishes will be followed by bronze and stainless steel.

 On Thursday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit to veterans and other civilian personnel stationed overseas. The legislation, H.R. 3590, which passed the House by a vote of 416 – 0, provides members of the armed forces, foreign and intelligence services who have been stationed abroad for at least 90 days, another year to take advantage of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.

 The current first-time homebuyer tax credit is set to expire on November 30, 2009. Pending Senate approval and signature by the President, veterans and other civilian personnel will remain eligible for the tax credit until the same date in 2010.

 Meanwhile, consideration is being given to extend the tax credit to all first-time homebuyers, not just those individuals eligible under H.R. 3590. The House Committee on Small Business recently held a hearing on this issue, which examined the current state of the housing market and the impact of the first-time homebuyer tax credit over the last year. Information regarding this hearing, which I encourage you to review, is available on the Small Business Committee website <http://email.address-verify.com/m/0b5GdybSvHkKOb6dbvT3JJQ7fxgnwA51KEpMNRkA43UAgi_4QA> .

Five Deadly Mistakes San Diego Home Sellers Make

Sooner or later, most homeowners will be in a position to sell their home. This report summarizes the top five mistakes that home sellers make, simply because the experience is new to them.

Mistake #1.  Using a Real Estate Agent Instead Of a Realtor

When you’re looking for help buying or selling property, it’s important to remember that the terms “real estate agent” and “Realtor” are not synonymous.

–   To be a Realtor, you must be a member in good standing of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  This is a  non-profit trade organization that promotes real estate information, education and professional standards.

–   NAR  members adhere to a strict code of ethics founded on the principle of providing fair and honest service to all consumers.  Realtor business practices are monitored at local levels.  Arbitration and disciplinary systems are in place to address complaints from the public or board members.  This local monitoring keeps Realtors directly accountable to the individual consumers they serve.

–   The National Association of Realtors also has earned a strong reputation for actively championing private property rights and working to make home ownership affordable and accessible.

Mistake #2.  Failing to Maximize the “Curb Appeal” of Your Home

When you’re preparing your house for sale, remember the importance of first impressions.  A buyer’s first impression can determine whether they’ll choose to look inside.  It’s estimated that more than that 50 percent of shoppers decide to purchase a home even before they get out of their car.  With that in mind, be sure to stand outside your home and take a realistic “fresh look.”  Then ask yourself (and your Realtor) what you can do to enhance the “curb appeal.”  It could make a significant difference in your final sales price as well as the speed of your sale.

Mistake #3.  Not Appreciating the Buyer’s Point of View

Unreasonable though it may be, a prospective buyer would like to see a perfect home from top to bottom and inside and out.  To improve the likelihood of an easy, fast and profitable home sale, we suggest that you attend to the following items:

On the outside

1. Sweep the front walkway.
2. Remove newspapers, bikes and toys.
3. Park extra cars away from the property.
4. Trim back the shrubs.
5. Apply fresh, clean paint on your home, wooden fence, and outbuildings.
6. Clean windows and window coverings.
7. Maintain sprinkler systems.
8. Maintain sealants around windows and doors.
9. Make sure roof and gutters are clean and in good condition.
10. Mow the lawn frequently and plant flowers.
11. Keep pet areas clean.
12. Take down out-of-season decorations.

On the inside

1. The kitchen and bathroom should look and smell clean.
2. Vacuum rugs and carpets (and have them professionally cleaned, if necessary).
3. Place fresh flowers in the main rooms.
4. Put away dishes, unless setting a formal display for decoration.
5. Make all beds and put away clothing.
6. Open drapes and turn on lights for a brighter feel.
7. Straighten closets.
8. Put away toys.
9. Turn off televisions.
10. Play soft music on the radio/stereo.
11. Keep pets out of the way and pet areas clean and odor-free.
12. Secure jewelry, cash, prescription medication and other valuables.
13. Consider removing unnecessary furniture and appliances from counter tops to create a greater sense of space.
14. Consider baking cookies or lighting scented candles to create a homey atmosphere.

Mistake #4.  Thinking You Need To be In the Home to Provide Details to Prospective Buyers

Allow your Realtor to do his or her job without you on site.  Most potential buyers feel more comfortable if they can speak freely to the real estate professional without the owner present.  If people unaccompanied by an agent would like to see your property, refer them to your real estate professional for an appointment.

Mistake #5.  Over-Pricing Your Home

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of selling a home is listing it at the correct price.  It’s one of several areas where the assistance of a skilled real estate consultant can pay for itself versus trying to sell your home yourself. 

If the listing price is too high, you’ll miss out on a percentage of buyers looking in the range where your home should be priced.  Some people think that if they leave some “wiggle room” in the price, they’ll always have the opportunity to negotiate and accept a lower offer.  However, chances are the offers won’t even come in, because the buyers who would be most interested in your home have been scared off by the price, and won’t even take the time to consider it.  By the time you correct the price, you’ve already missed exposure to a group of potential buyers. 

The listing price becomes even trickier to set when prices are quickly rising or falling.  It’s critical to be aware of where and how fast the market is moving – both when setting the price and when negotiating an offer.  An experienced, well-trained real estate consultant is always in touch with market trends – often even to a greater extent than appraisers, who typically focus on what a property is worth if sold as is, right now.  Look for an experienced Realtor and if possible a Realtor Team that is currently active in the market, has readily available statiscal market information and has the experience to interupt the data.  Pricing the property based upon the Seller’s need is not realistic and will not work.  The home must be priced where the market pricing structure is at the current time.

 A home may appear structurally sound and still be falling apart. That’s because termites – wood-boring insects of just one-quarter inch length – attack wood from the inside out, causing serious damage that can go undetected for years. Most homeowners do not know the evidence that termites are actually eating away the structure of your home.

Homeowners in every state except Alaska are at risk of termite infestation. In fact, each year homeowners pay in excess of $2.5 billion to repair termite damage and control the insects – costs that are generally not covered by homeowners’ insurance. Termites are so damaging because they attack the wood closest to the soil where the home’s load-bearing components are located. If a termite infestation goes on for too long, the loss of structural support can lead to additional deterioration including sagging walls and door frames. Some primal termite knocked on wood. And tasted it and found it good! And that is why your Cousin May Fell through the parlor floor today. – “The Termite,” a poem by Ogden Nash In some cases, there are visible indications of termite infestation that can serve as warning signs when you are looking at a prospective home to buy. They include: •Swarms of winged insects inside or around the home. •Live termites located in the wood elements. •Dead termites or their wings around windows, doors, heating vents, bathtubs and sinks. •Hollow sounding wood in the home’s walls. •Bulging walls caused by aboveground nests of certain termites. •Sawdust-like powder near the doors, windows, garage. •Very small holes in the wood inside or outside the house. •Paint that appears to be buckling on wood surfaces. •Small mud tubes on the inside or outside walls. However, despite these signs and because of the stealth nature of termites, having a professional inspection by a licensed structural pest control inspector is the only way to know for certain if a termite problem exists. In fact, many lenders require a termite inspection before a home sale is finalized. Inspectors will likely test for termites, as well as other wood-destroying organisms including carpenter ants, carpenter bees and powder post beetles. Purchasing a home is a large financial investment so don’t take a chance on an inspector who may not be thorough. Ask friends or real estate professionals not connected to the sale for a referral. You can also contact the American Society of Home Inspectors (http://www.ashi.com/) for a local referral. Make sure that the inspector has current liability coverage, including errors and omissions or malpractice coverage to cover any negligence. Check the inspector’s license and any outstanding complaints through your state licensing agencies or state consumer protection agency. Get a written copy of the finished report.

The standard real estate contract is contingent upon inspections and in most cases the Seller(Non REO/Bank Owned property)will pay to have any work done and to have the Termite Company issue a clearance.  This inspection and work required is part of the negotiations that take place before an offer is accepted by all parties.  The REO/ Bank owned properties may supply an inspection report but in most case they will not do the repair work to get the clearance.  San Diego County has dry wood and subterranean termites that can severly damage your real estate and cost you alot of money.