WE HAVEN'T HADTHAT BIG SNOW FALL YET! BE PREPARED WITH THESE HELPFUL TIPS!

Snow Shovel Safety

Shoveling your driveway can be a strenuous workout

By Brendan Farrington

Every winter people hurt themselves shoveling snow, ranging from minor aches and pulled muscles to fatal heart attacks.

What people often fail to realize is that shoveling is more than just a chore. It puts a lot of stress on the body in a short period of time.

Winter weights
"People don't understand when you start shoveling snow, it's like picking up weights," says Denis Isrow, a North Dakota State University professor of health, physical education and recreation.

So if you're older or out of shape, there's much more of a chance of hurting yourself by shoveling. Even people who regularly exercise can find shoveling to be strenuous if they try to tackle the job quickly without taking breaks.

"One of the biggest problems we have is people saying 'I'm not going to quit until I get this done,'" Isrow says.

Some signs you should stop shoveling are shortness of breath, heavy sweating or any kind of pain.

"Anything that's not normal is a warning sign," he says.

Most at risk
Julie Garden-Robinson prepared a report for the university's extension service warning that shoveling causes a quick increase in the heart rate and blood pressure.

According to her report, those most at risk during shoveling are people who have had a heart attack, people with a history of heart disease, those with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, smokers and people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Garden-Robinson and Isrow give several tips for safe shoveling.

• Use a smaller shovel
• Make sure your shovel isn't bent, tilting or otherwise damaged
• Take frequent breaks, even if only for a couple of minutes
• Stop and go inside if you become overheated
• Drink fluids
• Don't try to fling snow long distances
• Stop any time you feel pain

If you fear you're unable to tackle this tiring task, look into spending a few bucks and having a neighborhood kid shovel after a storm; or having a contractor plow it when heavy snow falls. It's probably money well spent.

Copyright © by Move, Inc.

I hope you are enjoying the season! And I wish you a very Happy New Year!!

If you have any questions about living in Birmingham or are ready to begin searching for a home in the Birmingham area, please feel free to contact me!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Pam Truex

Max Broock

Bloomfield

Why Put Your House on the Market During the Holidays?

Because buyers are serious, that's why!

By Diana Lundin

A well-decorated home is enticing to buyers during the holidays. Photo: iStock

            

Why put your house on the market during the holidays?

With all of the chaos between now and New Year's, it seems it would be madness indeed to put a house for sale during the winter. But smart Realtors say it may just be the perfect time to put up the "for sale" sign.

One house-hunter turned real estate agent is Linda Kemp, who remembers she and her husband were transferred every couple of years and always right before the holidays.

Seal the Deal with All Your Senses "I have many fond memories of how beautiful the houses looked all decorated with lights and holiday garland," she recalled. "Many of the homes smelled of cinnamon and spices. All of my senses were in overdrive and I couldn’t wait to purchase a new home and lay down roots once again."

Now settled in the midwest in Naperville, Ill., she has resumed her real estate career and shakes her head in amazement when she watches her associates take their clients' homes off the market when winter rolls around.

"It's my experience, both personal and professional, that buyers who are looking at homes during this time of year are serious buyers indeed," she said. "I have watched homes sell right before Christmas. In fact, a few years back, one of my clients sold their home on New Year's Eve with the buyers signing a contract right there on the spot."

Los Angeles Realtor Lee Dworshak concurs. "Experience tells us that only the truly motivated home buyers and sellers are the ones who will be out there over the holiday season. While most folks close their doors just before Thanksgiving and don’t open them again until mid January, the folks that are willing to give of their time and perform the due diligence required during this period are really serious about buying or selling."

Don't Decline Showings

Kathy Keating, a Realtor in Boulder, Colo., believes there's always a buyer or a seller even during the holiday season so she doesn't enter into this time of year thinking it's going to be challenging. Her advice? Make is as easy as possible to have a showing. Don't decline showings and don't put time limits on them.

"It's a numbers game," she says. "The more people you get in the door, the better chance of selling your home. And it only takes one buyer. As far as a seller, the inventory is at its lowest right now and people are getting nervous and either renting their homes or just taking them off the market. People would like to see new homes."

Karlene Smith, a Realtor in Warren, Penn., finds that families often come back to where they grew up during the holiday season. "And if they're thinking of making a move back, now is the time they will be looking," she said.

She agrees that those looking for homes are serious buyers but she cautions real estate agents make sure potential buyers are pre-approved.

"You do not want to put the sellers and their families out in the cold and snow for a showing unless the buyer is capable of purchasing," she said.

And she has one very practical tip for showing a house during the holidays. "Since we are in the north we also have to deal with mud and snow during this time, one issue is the men wear work boots that lace up and taking them off to a view a home can be an inconvenience. What I suggest is buy the disposable booties that doctors wear in surgery. They are great for slipping over the boots keeping the sellers floors from damage."

Whether you're a current Birmingham resident who's hoping to move into your dream home, or you've been considering moving into the area and have questions about the Birmingham Real Estate market, please feel free to contact me! As an experienced Birmingham Real Estate agent, I can help you navigate through the home buying/selling process and ensure you are settled into your new Birmingham home in no time.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Pam Truex

Your Birmingham Real Estate Expert

Max Broock

Copyright © by Move, Inc.

Median Metro Detroit home price rises 16.7% | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Median Metro Detroit home price rises 16.7% | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Looking for a “bank owned” home this weekend?

Getting in the arena of purchasing a bank owned home this weekend? Be prepared to make a fast decision and to pay as much as 10% over the asking price. Often times there are multiple offers on the particular home you’re interested in. Odds are, if this is a great home, in a great area, there will be great offers. You find yourself making a decision and your agent is telling you, make your highest and best offer, and make it a good one. Chances are….They are right. Go for it!!!! Home sweet home!

Roadblocks in the way of a Healthy Market

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Pam Truex

Truly committed to excellence.

www.PamTruex.com

Max Broock

275 S. Old Woodward

Birmingham, MI 48009

Dear Homeowners,

The two biggest roadblocks to get our market back on track are the competition from the foreclosures, many at absurdly low prices, and the imbalance of supply to demand. The number of foreclosures in the active listing inventory in counties around the country around the country are extremely high. Until there are virtually no more foreclosures to be sold, they will continue to pollute our markets as buyers set these prices as their expectations of the value for the neighborhoods where they are located. Our realtor community is the only source of resolution to this problem. They assist sellers to focus on getting their homes listed and sold at current market value. These sales will then be “so far back in the rear view mirror,” that they will no longer be in the pool of comparables which the appraisers must use...which often corrupts transactions on the (non-foreclosure) properties.

Pam Truex

Changes in the foreclosure market we foresee for 2010.

Changes in the foreclosure market we foresee for 2010.

Changes in the foreclosure market
we foresee for 2010.
By Rick Sharga
Senior Vice President, RealtyTrac Inc.

Overall, we expect an ample supply of discounted foreclosures to be available in 2010, but pent-up demand and record-low cost of ownership will ensure the best deals will be snatched up quickly by well-prepared bargain hunters. Most local markets won’t experience a double-dip in home prices during the year, but the prime buying conditions in place now may be gone by year’s end.

It’s likely that we’ll set a new record in terms of overall foreclosure activity for the fourth consecutive year. Over 1.3 million U.S. households received a foreclosure notice in 2007; over 2.3 million received notices in 2008; and although the 2009 numbers haven’t been completely counted at the writing of this article, there will be somewhere in the vicinity of 2.8 to 3 million households in foreclosure. We’re likely to see more than this in 2010, with the number of homeowners in foreclosure probably exceeding 3.5 million, before the trend begins to reverse itself sometime in 2011.