Atlanta Housing Source

As autumn is quickly approaching, here are some areas of your home to inspect and repair now so you can relax and enjoy a safe and cozy fall season:

Pests
Mice are excellent climbers and only need an opening the width of a pencil (¼ inch) to sneak inside your home to search for food. Protect yourself by sealing all cracks and other openings into your home and blocking off ventilation ducts with heavy-gauge wire mesh.

Fire protection
Open your fireplace damper and inspect the chimney flue for any nesting birds or animals. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that all chimneys, fireplaces and vents be inspected every year to reduce the danger of house fires caused by excessive creosote build-up.

Nooks and Crannies
Replace worn or missing caulking and weather stripping to keep energy costs down.

Windows
If you use storm windows to protect against the cold weather, make sure they are clean and free of cracks before installing.

Air Circulation
Clean and adjust ceiling fans so that air circulates more efficiently. This allows fans to gently mix warmer air (which naturally rises) back into the room.

Gutters
Whether you do it yourself or hire a handyman, have your all dead leaves and debris removed from rain gutters.

These are just the basics—but they’re important. And while you’re at it, take care of two more items on your home maintenance to-do list: Clean in and around dryer lint vents and replace all smoke alarm batteries. Enjoy the upcoming cooler weather!

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension has issued a special alert concerning Armyworms.
Because we are seeing a rise in the number of armyworms in our area, we wanted to make you aware of how you can identify this pest, the damage it can do to your lawn, and how we can help you alleviate the problem.

Moths lay clusters of eggs on grass blades and when they hatch the larvae, or armyworms, emerge and begin to feed on the turf. These pests are 1/2 an inch in length and greenish-colored when small but become brown when fully grown and usually have several stripes extending from the head to the rear.

These pests actively feed at night and move from one area of your lawn to another. They leave behind chewed blades of grass and a lawn that looks ragged. They can even devour your lawn down to the ground!

Sincerely,
Brought to you by TruGreen Team

Recycle Your Electronics – Keep Norcross Beautiful

Saturday, 10/09/10 – 9:00am-1:00pm

Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center

ACCEPTABLE ELECTRONICS
Personal Computers Laptops Modems
Floppy/Disk Drives Printers UPS Batteries
CD-Roms Fax Machines Cell Phones
Circuit Boards Copiers Phones
PC Power Supplies Music/VCR/CD players Scanners
Keyboards Typewriters Microwaves
Mouse/Mice Test Equipment Wire/Cabling
PC Monitors Networking Equipment Wire/Cabling Servers

Join us on the same day for our canned food collection for local food banks! Clean out your pantry and bring non-perishable food items, to be donated to our local food banks and given to members of our community in need. You do not need to make a donation in order to participate in the Clean-up and Recycle Events, but it is greatly appreciated.

CONTACT: Philomena Robertson
770-448-7327
probertson@norcrossga.net

The City of Norcross will again host a community Clean-up Day, Shred Day, and Electronics Recycling events and our canned food drive!

On Saturday, October 9, 2010 the City of Norcross will be offering a secure way to destroy confidential records. American Security Shredding will be bringing two of their Onsite Shred Trucks to shred personal documents free of charge.

STOP IDENTITY THEFT AND RECYCLE AT THE SAME TIME! After the secure shredding is complete, all material will become recycled.

Place: Norcross City Hall, 65 Lawrenceville Street

Date: Saturday, 10/09/10

Time: 9:00 am—1:00 pm

Join us on the same day for our canned food collection for local food  banks! Clean out your pantry and bring nonperishable food items, to be donated to our local food banks and given to members of our community in need. You do not need to make a donation in order to participate in the Cleanup and Recycle Events but it is greatly appreciated.

 For more information contact Philomena Robertson at 770-448-7327 or probertson@norcrosga.net.

This article written by Jennifer Karel, Sr. Managing Attorney with Morris|Hardwick|Schneider is a great reminder of why buyers should purchase an Enhanced Title Policy when they purchase their home.

How pound wise may be penny foolish!

The current economy has everyone looking for ways to cut cost.  This means that your buyers may be looking for ways to save money at closing.  One of the few “optional” items on the settlement statement is the owner’s title insurance premium.

Most buyers understand that title insurance protects them from a loss caused by a title defect.  Buyers may not always realize the shortcomings of the title examination.  Title exams are performed by human beings who are capable of error.  The title exam is a review of documents filed and indexed by human beings, also capable of inaccuracy.

Even in the absence of a mistake, a title examination cannot insure that title is clear as of the time of closing.  It is a look back in time of 4 – 6 weeks, depending upon the county involved.  The time period between the effective date of the records and the time that it is examined is called “the gap.”

No one knows what may come up in that period of time.  The following are some examples: (1) equity lines taken out by the seller who needs cash, (2) materialman liens for recent work for which the payment was not made, (3) a lien resulting from a lawsuit by credit card companies or other companies for unpaid debts, (4) federal tax liens, (5) Georgia Department of Revenue liens, (6) lis pendens filed by disgruntled spouses/ex-spouses.

Buyers are cost sensitive but that has to be balanced against the risks of loss.  Owner’s title insurance is always important.  In a time when sellers are under financial stress, it is absolutely vital.  Make sure your buyers protect themselves.

Mark Lackey with Atlanta Housing Source at Solid Source Realty, Inc. explains about closing costs and prepaids. A lot of buyers don’t know what closing costs are or how much they can be. So in this short video, he shares everything you need to know.

If you are interested in a free buyers guide or searching for your dream home – visit our website at http://www.AtlantaHousingSource.com.

Mark Lackey with Atlanta Housing Source shares more about the home buying process. In this video, he discusses how long it takes to purchase a home.

Mark Lackey with Atlanta Housing Source shares insight on how you can narrow down your home search.  With thousands of homes to choose from, this advice will help you determine how to select the best property for you.

To search for homes, visit – www.AtlantaHousingSource.com. You can search for free and even get the newest listings that match your criteria via e-mail.

We are experiencing the more hot weather. Summer is almost finished, but the heat has not and this is the time of the year your air conditioning is going full blast.  Well, what a disappointment some of us have when we turn the switch to a/c and nothing happens.

My wife Anne Lackey manages 240 rental homes and this is the time of year that the office phone rings on Friday afternoon when the tenant got home from work to find the air not cooling.

Usually they mention that they noticed it wasn’t cooling well a few days earlier but chose not to call.  Now they are hot and can’t understand why someone cant get there immediately to fix the problem. They tell her its 80 or 85 degrees and they can’t stand it.

It makes me think back to time before air conditioning.  We traveled on vacation to the beach at night because the car didn’t have air conditioning.  We left at 2 or 3 am. Dad drove all night so we wouldn’t overheat.

In elementary and high school there was no air conditioning.  During the break between classes we would run cool water from the bathroom faucet on our lower arms and splash water on our face and neck.

At our home we ran window fans, or in home like the one I have now that was built in the mid 80s, there was an attic fan.  We would open windows top and bottom on opposite sides of the house to let the breeze blow in and cool us.

Now I hear that they can’t stand the heat.  They can’t wait for the air to get fixed.  Well, fortunately we know a great guy that owns a great heating and air company and I am glad to recommend them.

If need to have your system serviced so it will work, or if your heat or air stops working I suggest you call Andy at Seasons Comfort at 770-616-2494.  They do great work at reasonable prices, and tell him Mark sent you.

The Festival of India 2010, the largest Indian American event in the South East USA will occur Saturday August 14, 2010 from 11 am to 7 pm.    The event attracts over 8,000 people from the Indian community in Atlanta and around.   It offers unique cultural exhibits, health fairs, entertainment shows and food stalls.   The event is celebrated as a community event in commemoration of Independence of India from the British rule which was achieved on August 15th 1947.    This year Festival of India will be celebrated on Saturday August 14th, 2010 at Gwinnett Civic Center , 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth GA 30097. For more information www.iacaatl.org.