Stacey-Ann's Blog

1.  Install smoke detectors on every level of the home and inside every bedroom. 

• Check smoke detectors monthly.
• Change smoke detectors batteries at least yearly.

 2.  Give space heaters lots of space.

• Use them at least 3 feet away from anything combustible.
• Never leave them on while you sleep or when not at home.

 3.  Always stay in the kitchen when cooking.

 4.  Keep dish towels and other things that can burn far away from the cooktop.

 5.  Never put out a small grease fire with water. 

• Instead cover the pan and remove from heat until the fire is extinguished.

 6.  Have chimneys, fireplaces, and furnaces inspected and serviced frequently.

 7.  Don't overload extension cords or run them under rugs.

 8.  Never leave a candle unattended.

 9.  Do not place a candle in a location where it can be blown over or accessed by children or pets.

10.  Develop a Family Fire Escape Plan

•  Practice this plan regularly.  Practice exiting the house blindfolded in case you are blinded by smoke.
• Determine a family meeting place away from the house.

 11. In a fire don't waste time getting dressed, searching for valuables.  Just get out.

Never go back inside a burning building.

I have previously talked about the fire in DC this past week which affected one of my students and her family.  In that fire 6 people were killed, 3 of them children.

The Ward 5 Business Council has established the Tawana Gantt Fund at Cardinal Bank to assist with funeral arrangements for Tawana Gantt and the five other family members who perished with her in the January 1, 2009 Jackson Street, NE house fire: Ms. Gantt's daughter, Kaniya, age four; Oscar Wilson III, age 11; Joseph Wilson, age 10; Keith Nelson, age 23; and Charles Smith, age 72. 
 
 
Checks may be made payable to the Tawana Gantt Fund and sent to:
 
Tawana Gantt Fund
c/o Ward 5 Business Council
PO Box 90918
Washington, DC  20090
 

Does anyone know of good short sale training available in the Maryland/DC area? 

I am especially interested in learning more about handling it from a listing agent side.  I have managed to avoid these so far but I know that it can't last so I am trying to ensure that I ready to go when the opportunity arises.

I also have a question from the buying side?

I had submitted an offer on a short-sale listing.  Later the listing was withdrawn and the listing agent said that it was in foreclosure.  Is there a way to contact the bank to let them know that someone is interested in purchasing the property?  (sorry if this is an elementary question).

Early in December I sat through mind numbing training about how to use the new Sentri card system.  It was the most excrutiatingly boring experience of 2008 for me.  However, I was excited about the new system that  was supposed to make showings so much easier.  It has access to most Sentri lockboxes in Maryland which is a big deal for people like me who work in several Maryland counties.

I was supposed to let one of my clients into the apartment she had rented yesterday for us to do a walk through.  I got my handy dandy Sentri card out to update it - NO GO!!!  Luckily the listing agent was meeting us there to get her lockbox so she let us in.

I thought maybe it was the computer, No.  I tried again, still NO. 

The Sentri card is broken, already.  I've only used it a couple times. 

Now I have to call the support center to see if I can get it fixed, what a pain!!!

One of my plans for 2009 is to donate my hair to a charity.  My hair has gotten pretty long and I am tired of it.  I have had long hair for a long time and I am ready for a change.

I've been doing some research trying to find a charity that would put my hair to good use.  I have been having the hardest time because my hair has been highlighted in the past.  I did find one place that uses hair to make mats to clean up oil spills - but that wasn't what I had in mind.

I can have a 6-9 inch ponytail depending on how short I cut my hair. 

Anyone know of a charity that can use it?  I hate to see all that hair just go in the trash.

For the life of me I can't understand agents who don't keep in touch with their clients or other agents that they are working with.  It seems to me that contact is the life-blood of our business.

I received an internet referral from an agent in another state who has a family member interested in buying real estate in Prince Georges County.  She had been working with an agent but was unhappy because that agent had not been keeping her informed of the process of purchasing a short sale.  Eventually (after months) she was informed that the sale did not go through.  She decided to find a new agent (good for me, bad for agent #1).

I met with her and we looked at one property that she had liked for awhile.  It was a nice home, in great shape and for a really good price.  We got together on Dec 23rd and wrote an offer (a good one, I might add).  This is a short sale so we were prepared for it to be a long haul.  I called the listing agent to see if he had received the offer - no response.  I called again, left a message, no response.  I should add that I spoke to him prior to submitting the offer to let him know we were working on it.  We decided the holidays were hampering things and so we would be patient. 

In my routine search of the MLS this morning, there is the listing and it has been Withdrawn!

Would it have been so difficult for this agent to just call me and update me on what was going on so that my buyer and I could make intelligent decisions?

UPDATE:  I finally got in touch with him today and he indicated that the property went into foreclosure.