Gene Allen Realtor Hampton Roads Real Estate

There are some who don't think much of small sensor cameras like my Panasonic DMZ 100 because of its limitations. Personally I wouldn't trade it for the world. The first two pictures illustrate what I mean. If I didn't have the camera with the long lens I wouldn't have gotten the vapor coming off the road signs (have a great video also). A lot of people say they could just crop this from their regular 75mm lens but I don't think they would have seen it to crop it. You have to see it (can you see the road signs). If you did see it who knows what the lens would have focused on. The other ones are just because I love them.

I take my ShiPoo for walks along the Glenwood golf course at night. I let him run loose because there is never anyone else around. Sometimes it is hard to locate him. Now I just bring flash with me and when I can't locate him I use the flash and there he is. Flashlights work also but arent' as neat.

You know 411, 911 but do you know 811? I bet the person that puts your real estate sign posts in the yards around Chesapeake knows 811. 811 is a Virginia statewide number for anyone getting ready to do any type of excavation on their property. It is commonly known as Miss Utility. Once you call they will come out and mark your utility lines so you don't have a mishap. Some cable and phone lines are just several inches under ground and it doesn't take much to dig them up.

Somewhere around 70,000 incidents nationwide were the results of someone not calling 811 ahead of time. The incidents were as small as cutting a cable to rupturing a gas line. My wife worked in new construction and those guys were always breaking something. They should have 811 tattooed on their arms.

The state is sending out DVD's and making appearances to schools. They figure that young people will remember this when they get older and also will say something to their parents if they see them getting ready to dig. Most professionals already know about 811.

Even with falling debt and fewer late payments the average credit score for Norfolk consumers by by one point. It went from 741 to 740. It may not sound like much but in Experians latest "State of Credit" Norfolk fell eight places. This report is put out yearly by Experian a major credit reporting company. Their credit score is called VantageScore and is similar to the more widely known FICO scoring system.

Your credit score is important because the higher it is the less banks will ask for additional documentation. In addition you can qualify for better terms with some credit extending places, especially when purchasing a new or used car or even a new home for your family.

Several ways to increase your score are to make sure you make all your payments on time, every time. Your utilization rate: your balance compared to your credit limit. There are many other factors as well but those are the ones that will affect the scores the most.

With these type credit scores a Norfolk resident should be able to purchase a home for themselves or possibly get into a investment opportunity. Call me for details.

Forbes magazine has ranked Hampton Roads #5 of 50 metropolitan areas for working mothers. Hampton Roads includes Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News. The criteria was varied but includes such things as number of physicians, school-district-per-pupil expenditures and violent crime rates as reported by the FBI.

A steady paycheck is nice but included in the criteria was a healthy employment rate, safety, health care and education. I don't think they included weather in the criteria because Buffalo-Niagra was #1.

Richmond was seventh and D.C. was 9th. Raleigh, N.C. was 41st and Jacksonville, Fl was 37th (the Navy wants to move a carrier there, go figure). At the bottom of the list was Las Vegas.