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Posts Tagged ‘Real Estate Columbia Missouri’

Prepare Your Car for Winter Driving.

With our first snow happening RIGHT NOW, we want to make sure you arrive to your destination safely.

Living Windows Festival

On the first Friday of December, shopkeepers throughout The District move all the merchandise out of their front windows and stage live holiday performances for onlookers.  Merchants go to great lengths to outdo one another, making each year’s displays even more impressive than before.  Open houses, strolling carolers, holiday treats and visits with Santa.  All against a backdrop of holiday lights!

For more information, call 573.442.6816.

If you would like to contact a Prudential Real Estate agent today, please call 573.449.6200 or email Info@PrudentialVision.com.  Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Holiday Season is here!

Can’t wait for the holiday season to arrive?  We have come apps for your smartphone that will help you keep your holiday shopping under control, find the best deals, read a holiday classic to your child, etc.  Check them out!

Country Living Holiday Cookies App

For iPhone users:  Santa Watch, Kwanzaa Puzzles, TGI Black Friday, Country Living Holiday Cookies, Hanukkah Gift List, Christmas Radio, Flightview

For Android users:  Santa Watch, TGI Black Friday, Christmas List Pro, Country Living Holiday Cookies, Christmas Radio, Dreidel, Flightview

For Blackberry users: Santa Watch, Christmas Song Lyrics, Flightview

If you would like to contact a Prudential Real Estate agent today, please call 573.449.6200 or email Info@PrudentialVision.com.  Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Fireplace and Home Fire Safety

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, “Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often these fires are due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. All home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently.”

Keep it Clean.

• Have  a certified chimney specialist inspect and clean your fireplace or wood burning stove
• Remove all flammable materials from around your hearth such as debris and decorations
• Leave glass doors open while burning fires to keep creosote (which is a bi-product of burning wood creating soot and smoke) from building up
• Install stove pipe thermometers to monitor flue temperatures

Safely Burn Fuels.

• Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.  This can make the flames too large and go up the chimney or make the flames come out of the fireplace.
• Avoid the use of moist wood- stick with dry seasoned wood.  Moist wood increases creosote build up.
• Build small fires which create less smoke production.
• Never burn debris, trash or cardboard in your fireplace.  These products can give off harmful chemicals when burning.  Also the debris can catch fire and fly up your chimney which may lead to a chimney fire.
• Always place wood on a secure fire grate.  Never place directly on the bottom of your fireplace.
• Never leave a fire unattended.  Always extinguish the fire prior to leaving the house or going to bed.

Protect Your Home Inside and Out.

• Stack firewood at least 30 feet away from your home.  A lit cigarette, embers from someone’s fire may find its way to your firewood and ignite causing your house to catch fire also.
• Be sure to remove leaves, branches, etc from your roof.
• Cover your chimney with a mesh cover which will prevent sparks from getting out onto your roof.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them once a month to ensure proper functioning
• Extend all vent pipes at least 3 feet above the roof.

If you would like to contact a Prudential Real Estate agent today, please call 573.449.6200 or email Info@PrudentialVision.com.  Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

10 Tips for Those Who Have Decided to Buy

by PJ Wade

Wanting to buy a home and deciding to buy a home are two different things. The first is a desire or a dream. The second is commitment to achieve the goal. Do you want to buy, or have you decided to buy?

If you are ready to commit to success, you are determined to replace wanting to buy with deciding to buy. Here are 10 tips to help you on the path to real estate ownership.

1. Decide who will facilitate your buy: The professional team you put together can make all the difference.  Concentrate on credentials and experience. The knowledge and ability to strategize on your behalf does matter.

When to Buy Your Home

2. Decide when you will buy: Buying a home or investment property is not something to rush into, but taking a long time does not necessarily make your choice a better one. To facilitate a sound buying decision, project ahead three months at a time to see what external factors in your life and career might disrupt buying momentum, or add additional advantages to the timing

3. Decide where you will buy: Location is still the key factor in sustainable value and rate of appreciation over time. The best returns come from buying the best location you can afford. You can renovate or rebuild the structure or unit, but you cannot move the land or condominium complex. Location matters.

4. Decide which you will buy: It’s not how many properties you view that will ensure success, but whether you see the property that best suits your needs, wants, and decision making.

5. Decide what you will buy: Stay on point and avoid getting carried away. Does proximity to schools or public transportation matter? What will your home-based business require? Will an income-suite enable you to buy an even better location? Write your must-have list down and check it when you view properties and before you make an offer.

6. Decide what value you can add:Concentrate on improvements that increase functionality, affordability, comfort, and resale, not just changes in decor.

What to Pay For Your Home

7. Decide what buying will cost: Set a budget for the entire project, not just the mortgage. Your real estate professional can help prepare a full financial projection of costs.

8. Decide how you measure success: If you don’t track time and the properties you’ve seen, you may become overwhelmed with detail and confused by the continually changing real estate market. Focus is the key. Organization will ensure your success.

9. Decide what’s unique to your situation: What considerations or challenges must you take into account that may not be true for all buyers? Do you have a property to sell before you can buy? Do you have special mobility needs, or design features like higher ceilings or a detached garage that are important to your hobbies or business? Share this information with your real estate professional at the start, so they have the full picture of your needs.

10. Decide- What’s the point of buying?: This decision must come first and stay first as you go. There are many great reasons for buying real estate, but what are yours? When your point or purpose in buying is crystal clear, you can weigh the relative merits of the properties you view, and the many small decisions that must be made on the way to the first big step: Have you decided to make an offer?

Published: August 9, 2011