Shawn Murray ~ Omaha NE RE/MAX The Producers 402-250-7869

Beyond The Sale

Read fine print, consider costs to determine if a

service contract or extended warranty is right for you.

A Better Business Bureau national survey conducted by Kelton Research in 2007 found that 42 percent of Americans admit they do not look at extended warranty policies that come with their purchases. Forty-six percent of the consumers surveyed do not read service contracts.

Extended warranties and service contracts for electronic and other products mean big money for retailers. Generally, the profit margin on the products themselves is slim, perhaps only a few percentage points. However, the margin on extended warranties can be 50 percent or more.

To make sure you get the most out of the deal, the BBB offers advice to help you decide whether you need to purchase an extended warranty or service contract.

Only you can decide if an extended warranty or service contract is worth the cost. Consumer Reports found that with a few products, such as computers and plasma TV s, extended warranties are a good safety net. The extra coverage can provide you with peace of mind.

Though salespeople often use the terms "extended warranty" and "service contract" interchangeably, there is a distinction. An extended warranty is typically designed to protect you against manufacturing defects beyond the life of the manufacturer's express warranty.

A service contract, however, provides varying degrees of maintenance and upkeep as defined in the contract.

An extended warranty offers protection if your computer inexplicably stops working; a service contract might protect you if you spill coffee on your keyboard. Then again, it might not.

Read the policy closely

As with any contract, you want to read the fine print of the manufacturer's express warranty and the extended policy. Usually you can take the policy home to read it closely and sleep on the decision. Many extended warranties and service contracts don't have to be purchased at the point of sale and can be purchased at a later date.

Know what you are getting

Make sure that you do not duplicate coverage. Some protection may already be in place for a specified time under what is known as "implied warranty" depending on state laws.

If you pay with a credit card, you might be eligible for an extended warranty through your credit card company.

Shop Around

Different retailers offer different policies. If an extended warranty or service contract is important to you, visit several retailers and find out which offers the best value.

Run the numbers

When pondering the purchase of an extended warranty or service plan, consider the cost ratio of the policy and the product. It really is not worth paying $50 for a policy to cover a $120 DVD player.

You also should calculate what it would cost for average repairs durring the period of the contract, and compare the repair costs to the total cost of the service contract.

If the product has a good track record for reliability, the service contract could end up costing more money than it's worth.

Going Green and the the Blue Label

More and more home buyers are becoming interested in increased home energy efficiency, from the windows and doors, to heating and air-conditioning systems. When homes are built according to Energy Star guidelines, they are awarded the designation of an Energy Star home. This certification states that a home or building meets strict energy efficiency standards, as stipulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

To earn the certification, homes must be built or retrofitted to be at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to 2004 International Residential Code standards. Homes must also include additional energy saving features that typically make them 20- 30% more efficient than the average home.

What does the Energy Star label represent? Energy Star is a voluntary partnership between the government and other organizations, including over 3,000 builders. AU members pledge to protect the environment and improve quality of life through energy efficient practices and products. Products that have earned the Energy Star designation at present include windows, heating and cooling equipment, lighting and home appliances. Any home three stories or less can earn the Energy Star label if it has been verified to meet EPA's guidelines, including: single family, attached, and low-rise multi-family homes; manufactured homes; systems-built homes (e.g., SIP, ICF, or modular construction); log homes, concrete homes; and even existing retrofitted Homes. Energy Star qualified homes can include a variety of 'tried-and-true' energy-efficient features that contribute to improved home quality and homeowner comfort, and to lower energy demand and reduced air pollution:

1. Effective Insulation

Properly installed and inspected insulation in floors, walls, and attics ensures even temperatures throughout the house, reduced energy use, and increased comfort.

2. High-Performance Windows

Energy-efficient windows employ advanced technologies, such as protective coatings and improved frames, to help keep heat in during winter and out during summer. These windows also block damaging ultraviolet sunlight that can discolor carpets and furnishings.

3. Tight Construction and Ducts

Sealing holes and cracks in the home's "envelope" and in heating and cooling duct systems helps reduce drafts, moisture, dust, pollen, and noise. A tightly sealed home improves comfort and indoor air quality while reducing utility and maintenance.

4. Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment

In addition to using less energy to operate, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems can be quieter, reduce indoor humidity, and improve the overall comfort of the home. When property installed into a tightly sealed home, this equipment won It have to work so hard to heat and cool the home.

5. Efficient Products

Energy Star qualified homes may also be equipped with Energy Star qualified products ~ lighting fixtures, compact fluorescent bulbs, ventilation fans, and appliances, such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines.

6. Third-Party Verification

With the help of independent Home Energy Raters, Energy Star builder partners choose the most appropriate energy-saving features for their homes. Additionally, raters conduct on-site testing and inspections to verify the energy efficiency measures, as well as insulation, air tightness, and duct sealing details.

Shawn.murray@remax.net

As we all know Social-networking Web sites can be a great way to network, find old friends, classmates and even make new friends. However; hackers have learned how to use sites like Facebook to load viruses and steal identities, making your life a living hell. If you do not know what I mean, try reestablishing your identity once it has been abused. You don't want to go there.

The popularity of social-networking sites has grown tremendously in the last couple of years. If you do not know what I am talking about, you may be some of the few who have not taken advantage of the new technology out there. Guess what, you are missing a ton of business and social opportunities.

Facebook was growing at a rate of 500,000 new users a day and is soon approaching 150 million active users. Plus its users spend more than 2.6 billion minutes on the site every day. That is a lot of time. In my day it was the television.

Of course the scammers are also seeing this as an opportunity to make money and generally create KAOS.

Those who are on facebook do so because it is an easy way to connect with people we know and trust. This is where the scammers take advantage of that trust. They will masquerade as a co-worker or friend and load a virus unknowing to you that will steal your personal information. You will never see it or know that it is there unless you are religiously running antivirus software. And even then, they are coming up with new ones every day.

I just want to share with you some social-networking schemes

• "Friend in distress" scam

At first it was a phone call, then it was an email, and now it has made it to Facebook. As a facebook user you may receive a distress message from a friend who is out of the United States and needs to have some money wired to them. Hello, if they are one of my friends why did they have access to a computer and not a phone? Seems to me that just about everyone I know owns a cell phone. The whole goal of this scan is that the recipient of the message does not know that the friend's account was hacked and the request for money is coming from scammer and not the actual friend.

• Phishing friends

The Koobface virus has made the rounds of many social networking sites. In Facebook, the victim receives a message from a friend that says "You look awesome in this video" or "You look funny in this video." This message also includes a link to an outside Web site. By clicking on the link a window will open up stating that you need to download an updated version of Flash. After you unknowingly agree to this by clicking yes, a virus is loaded onto your computer that is designed to monitor all of your Internet activity and potentially stealing your personal information. This is a nasty virus, to the point where people had to get a new hard drive because it was so embedded into the operating system.

• Viral wall post

Another Facebook scam takes advantage of a social networker's fears that the pictures and information posted on the site could be made public. The facebook user gets a post on their wall (from a hacked friends account) stating that your facebook picture and info is all over the web.

You should never ever post anything on the internet that you would not be embarrassed to show your mother. Follow this rule and you will never have to worry about someone reposting your information or pictures.

Here is how you can be safe in the Social network

• Be wary of messages from friends or strangers that direct you to another Web site via a Hyperlink.
• Before you wire the money to a friend in a trouble, always contact your friend outside the social networking site.
• Ensure that your computer's operating system, antivirus software and firewall are up to date.
• Keep important information to yourself.
• Always be selective when choosing friends on social-networking sites.

My two cents

I do not write this to scare anyone into not using facebook or any other social networking web site. I just want to make sure that you are using common sense when you are on Facebook. It is a great place to keep in touch and make new friends. Please just use it wisely and think before you hit that enter button. Once it is out on the web, you can never take it off.

shawn.murray@remax.net

I am seeing more clients who wish to use multiple buyer agents. I recently had a prospective client in my office and was interviewing them to see if they would qualify for a loan. I then asked them who they were working with & they said that they had a couple of real estate agents that were out in the field. My next question was why would yo use more than one agent. Their response was that if I have more agents looking for me that they would get what they want. Clearly the other agents did not explain how the system works. After I explained to them how I would work for them, they immediately called the other agents up to inform them to not to bother calling them back. We need to be as helpful in helping people find homes as well as educating them on the service we provide. If we fail to do this, we are not truly earning the fee we charge. So, if you are out there looking to purchase a home, make sure that the agent who is assisting you clearly explains what we as real estate agents do to help you find or sell your next home.

Thanks

shawn.murray@remax.net HOUSESINOMAHA.NET

When Your Selling Price is too High, Beware!

Meeting With Realtors

So you've decided to sell your home and have a fairly good idea of what you think it is worth. Being a sensible home seller, you schedule appointments with three local listing agents who've been hanging stuff on your front doorknob for years. Each Realtor comes prepared with a "Competitive Market Analysis" on fancy paper and they each recommend a specific sales price.

Amazingly, a couple of the Realtors have come up with prices that are lower than you expected. Although they back up their recommendations with recent sales data of similar homes, you remain convinced your house is worth more. When you interview the third agent's figures, they are much more in line with your own anticipated value, or maybe even higher. Suddenly, you are a happy and excited home seller, already counting the money.

Which Realtor do you choose?

If you're like many people, you pick Realtor number three. This is an agent who seems willing to listen to your input and work with you. This is an agent that cares about putting the most money in your pocket. This is an agent that is willing to start out at your price and if you need to drop the price later, you can do that easily, right? After all, everyone else does it!

The truth is that you may have just met an agent engaging in a questionable sales practice called "buying a listing." He "bought" the listing by suggesting you might be able to get a higher sales price than the other agents recommended. Most likely, he is quite doubtful that your home will actually sell at that price. The intention from the beginning is to eventually talk you into lowering the price.

Why do agents "buy" listings? There are basically two reasons. A well-meaning and hard working agent can feel pressure from a homeowner who has an inflated perception of his home's value. On the other hand, there are some agents who engage in this sales practice routinely.