Posted on October 30, 2009 by livingingreaterbirmingham
We published this article a couple of years ago, but thought it was worth revisiting.
Halloween can be a fun time for all of us with families, but like all else. We need to make sure we are doing the things to make sure it is safe and fun.
I found this website, Halloween Safety Guide, while doing some searches on Halloween Safety and thought it would be a benefit to us all.
On the site t hey outlined safety tips for kids, parents, pets, parties, costumes, and yard haunts. Some of the tips they gave were:
“Teaching your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.”
“The best bet is to make sure that an adult is going with them. If you can’t take them, see if another parent or a teen aged sibling can go along.”
“To keep things moving for either an adult party or child’s party, make sure that you have some games, like a scavenger hunt or a murder mystery planned in advance.”
“Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you.”
“When building your haunt, make sure that the walk ways are far enough away from things so that people can’t trip over them or hurt themselves. This also is good for you, this means that your visitors won’t be able to ruin your props and sets. Some people just have to vandalize at this time of year and ruin it for others.”
“If you are going to dress your pet in a costume, keep in mind that unless the dog or cat is extremely receptive to this kind of thing, you could be causing it discomfort and stress. Some animals don’t mind at all but others do not want to be bothered with this kind of thing. They’ll be under enough stress with the festivities going on outside and people at the door constantly so don’t cause them any more nervousness then you have to. You may love to dress in costume but then, you aren’t a dog or a cat.”
These were just some of the tips they listed. It would be a good idea for anyone participating to check out all the lists themselves! It is Halloween Safety Guide.
Let’s make sure our memories are a treat and not a haunting and frightening remembrance!
Posted on October 12, 2009 by livingingreaterbirmingham
Over the weekend an article was shared with me by Ginger Wilcox, a Marin Real Estate Agent in who sells Marin County, California about Zillow and their Zestimates on homes. Occasionally, here in Birmingham, I may have someone ask about the zestimate value of a home they were looking at online. I explained to them the difference in what I could find in the current sales data and sort of how Zillow goes about doing theirs. Ginger had a nice thought about this in her article that caught my attention which was…
“If you are selling your home, it is import to know the zestimate because home buyers are looking at those numbers before they write offers on your home. A zestimate is not a replacement for a full market analysis by a licensed agent who understands the current market conditions in that neighborhood, but it can be a helpful starting point.”
This quote by itself doesn’t tell the whole article, so, with her permission, we are sharing it in its entirety below…
Ever wondered how Zillow calculates their zestimates? This is a great video by Zillow on how they actually calculate the “zestimate” for homes. In the video, David Gibbons, Community Relations Manager for Zillow says “a zestimate is an estimate of the value of your home. It is not what you should list your home for and it is not what we are saying you should offer for a home you are trying to buy.” He goes on to talk about considerations impacting the accuracy of the zestimate. The wider the range, the less confident Zillow is in the zestimate value. Gibbons also says you should look at the Zestimtae value over time. It is a great video to get an understanding of how zestimates are calculated.
If you are selling your home, it is import to know the zestimate because home buyers are looking at those numbers before they write offers on your home. A zestimate is not a replacement for a full market analysis by a licensed agent who understands the current market conditions in that neighborhood, but it can be a helpful starting point.
Again, I want to give special thanks to Ginger Wilcox, Marin Real Estate for sharing this with us.
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