Allen Kavanaugh - e-PRO New Buffalo, Michigan

Agents... How many times has this happened to you???

This past Tuesday in Michigan we had a huge snow storm. I had appointments to show 7 houses all called and confirmed on Monday. Tuesday Morning came and met the client at our office to get all the buyers agency contracts etc filled out and signed. as we headed out to the first listing at 10 45 am we got to the first stop and low and behold no driveway plowed no side walk shoveled nothing. so I being smart and thinking ahead threw a snow shovel into the back of my car just for these instances. yes I have learned from the past. I shoveled out a path for my client and my self to get to the house safely. we then proceeded to go to the next listing amazing once again nothing cleared or shovel it hasn't snowed since 8 that morning al the Realtors were called and confirmed the appointments.

out of the 7 listings, only 3 were cleared of snow for myself and my client. thankfully my shovel came in handy and it made myself look good.

Dose this sound familar???

With That time of the year here we need to start preparing for these events, by keeping the supplies in your car just like your tool kit you will be ready for those unexpected or expected snow storms that we in the upper mid west and eastern states are used to.

just a word of advise for us agents who live in the snow regions of the us. if you know you are going to have a showing on a house and it snows the night before or morning of the showing please please inform your selles to properly clean the drive way side walk etc this not only makes it safer for everyone but makes your house look more cared for. if you have a vacant or seasonal home arrange for plowing to be taken care of or go to the listing your self and clear the snow yourself or have a neighbor kid do it its worth the 20.00 or so

if your showing a house be prepared for the worse. bring a shovel gloves etc be prepared to clear a path yourself and not make your client trudge threw the snow like an Eskimo.

just simple things that are often over looked

As a general rule only recognized legal entities can hold title to Michigan real estate. Title is most commonly held by:

• Natural Persons
• Corporations
• Limited Liability Companies
• Partnerships
• Trusts

How can "Title" be held and conveyed?

Tenants in Common - Unless otherwise recited in deed, two or more persons who hold title to real estate together are presumed to hold title as tenants in common.

Joint Tenancy - Is created by a conveyance to two or more persons simply as "joint tenants" or as "joint tenants and not as tenants in common".

Joint Tenancy with Full Right to Survivorship- A deed to two or more persons, "as joint tenants with right to survivorship" or as "joint tenants and to the survivor" or some variance thereof, creates a joint life estate in all the grantees with a contingent remainder in fee to the survivor.

Tenancy by the Entireties- A deed to two person, who are in fact husband and wife, creates a tenancy by the entireties, unless a contrary intent expressed in the deed.

Click here to read more on how Title can be conveyed and held

Dear colleagues,
This may be a reality to keep in mind as we do christmas shopping.

Be aware/gift cards for holidays/ Store closings

May I make the recommendation that we be careful of buying store brand gift cards for the holidays. Things are closing rapidly.

Not on the list below: Linens and Things is under liquidation and closing all stores by year end.

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide. A company spokeswoman said the company hasn't revealed which stores will be shuttered.. It will let the stores that will close this fiscal year know over the next month.

Eddie Bauer to close more stores. Eddie Bauer has already Closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up two more outlet stores by the end of the year.

Cache closing stores. Women's retailer Cache announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores This year.

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide. The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug , Catherines Plus Sizes will close about 150 underperforming stores this year. The company hasn't provided a list of specific store closures and can't say when it will offer that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today.

Talbots, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbots announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men's stores. Now the company says it will close another 22 underperforming stores.. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots Women's and J. Jill, another chain it owns. The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press release.

Gap Inc. Closing 85 stores. In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic . The company said the closures - all planned for fiscal 2008 - will be weighted toward the Gap brand.

Foot Locker to close 140 stores. In the company press release and during its Conference call with analysts today, it did not specify where the future store closures - all planned in fiscal 2008 - will be. The company could not be Immediately reached for comment.

Wickes is going out of business. Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of it's stores. Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

Goodbye Levitz / BOMBAY - closed already. The furniture retailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of It's stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay .

Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores. The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82 stores by July 31. Today, it announced that it is closing another 23 underperforming stores. The company said it's not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are Stores.

Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores. The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children's Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March.. Walt Disney in the news release said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The press release didn't list those stores.

Home Depot store closings (E. Brunswick, Rt 18 just put up their closing sign) ATLANTA - Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot Inc. announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping U.S.economy and housing market.The move will affect 1,300 employees.. It is the first time The world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship Store for performance reasons. It's shares rose almost 5 percent. The Atlanta-based company said the underperforming U.S. stores being closed represent less than 1 percent of its existing stores . They will be shuttered within the next two months.

CompUSA (CLOSED) clarifies details on store closings. Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during the final sale.. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, t he repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners.

Macy's - 9 stores

Movie Gallery - 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy. The video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental chain closed last fall.

Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations. New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse appears to have inherited a company bleeding subscribers by the thousands, and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 employees and 125 retail locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter, Sprint will be cutting a total o f 6.7% of its work force (following the 5,000 layoffs last year) and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%, at the time of th is writing.

J. C. Penney, Lowe's and Office Depot are scaling back.

Ethan Allen Interiors: The company announced plans to close 12 of 300+stores in an effort to cut costs.

Wilsons the Leather Experts - 158 stores

Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategic alternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four underperforming Demo stores closed last May.

Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.

KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store closings, go to the KB Toys Information web site, and click on Press Information.


; Dillard's to close more stores. Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing expenses and improving it's merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO William Dillard II said the company will close another six underperforming stores this year.

Question:

We just moved into our new house and are about to start painting...room after room after room.... Any tips?

Brushing

Dear Brushing,

First, choose a good paintbrush. A good brush will have flagged bristles - look like the split ends of hair. This kind of brush will pick up more paint and release it more evenly.

Next line your tray with foil paper to make cleanup quick and easy. If you want to take a break while you're painting simply wrap your paintbrush or roller tightly in cling wrap or foil. Keep your break short, up to one half hour but when you get back your brush will be ready to go.

When you're ready to dispose of the paint rollers let a plastic or paper bag be your "glove" to pull the roller off the handle. Then pull the bag back over the roller and throw it all away.

The window and stairs can often be challenging for people. The windows can be easier if you do a little work before hand. Cut out newspaper into 2" strips. Dampen the strips and apply them to the window panes. When finished painting, simply remove. Stairs are equally simplified by painting every other stair, allowing them to dry and then painting the remainder. This lets you use the other stairs as the newly-painted stairs are drying.

Finally, one tip to make your life easier down the road. After painting a room, write the paints color code and manufacturer on the inside of the room's light switch cover plate. Then when it's time to repaint or touch up you will always have the information at hand.

With moving and packing/unpacking its easy to forget the proper way to lift those heavy boxes. These tils will help save you some pain and maybe a docter bill Also

               There's more to it than "Lift with your legs." Remember this advice from the National Safety Council:

* First, calculate whether the load may be too heavy. Get help if you aren't sure you can easily lift it.

* Always stretch before lifting and carrying if you have been sitting or inactive for a time.

*  Start with feet apart, one foot slightly ahead of the other for a wide base of support.

* Bend at the knees and squat down. Arch your back slightly and keep your head up in a natural way during the lift. You'll get more power from large muscles of the legs and keep the weight off your back.

* Keep objects as close as possible to your body.

* Lift smoothly. Avoid jerky movements, twisting, and side bending.

* With the load in hand, stand up straight.