New Technology Bolsters Smoke Detectors

Too often, house fires are the dark side of holidays, fire officials say between 2003and 2006, US fire departments responded annually to an average of 240 home fires caused by Christmas trees, according to National Fire Protection Association data.

(Keith Srakocic/Associated Press) Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - The hand-held Nintendo was carefully wrapped and placed on the dining room table. Upstairs were the gifts that Santa would put under the tree on Christmas Eve. The tree was ready to go up.

Instead, while driving her daughter to a party, Lisa Cochran got a call telling her all had been destroyed in a devastating fire.

It remains unclear what caused the fire in Cochran's suburban Pittsburgh home, which flattened it and the house of her next-door neighbor, Teea Gantt.

What is clear is that winter - especially around the Christmas holidays, with the combined hazards of trees, candles, electric lights, and space heaters - is the hot season for house fires.

More house fires occur between Christmas Eve and Jan. 6 than at any other time of the year, and Christmas tree fires are especially deadly, with an average of one in 15 resulting in death, compared to one in 131 overall, according to the National Fire Protection Association, based in Quincy, Mass.

"This is always a bad time of year," said Chief Duane Dick of the volunteer fire department in Pitcairn, a town about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh. His company responded to the 10:30 a.m. call on Dec. 13 that the Cochran home was ablaze.

Fire officials urge consumers already out shopping for Christmas gifts to look at smoke detectors, as well.

But consumers may be surprised to learn the standard-issue ionization smoke detectors used in an estimated 90 percent of American homes might not alert them to a fire in time to escape. Gantt said the smoke in her home was thick by the time she was awakened by her barking dog, but none of her detectors had gone off.

The detector preferred by the US Fire Administration has dual ionization and photoelectric systems, alerting people to different types of blazes. The ionization systems recognize high-flaming fires, such as those caused by cooking grease, while the photoelectric systems have an optical sensor that is more sensitive to smoke.

One of the newest technologies is a wireless network that triggers all the smoke detectors in a building nearly simultaneously once a fire is sensed.

"Just making sure that people have a working smoke detector in their home makes a significant difference in the threat [of injury] that there is from fire at their home, especially at this time of year," said Gregory Cade, assistant administrator for the US Fire Administration.

Cochran and Gantt, both single mothers, lost thousands of dollars in clothing and furniture in the fire, as well as items, such as photos, that are irreplaceable. The American Red Cross provided both families with temporary shelter at a Holiday Inn.

Neither has insurance, and they are both hoping donations will help them buy clothing for themselves and their children, as well as recoup some of the Christmas gifts lost in the fire. Cochran has a 5-year-old daughter, and Gantt has three children, ages 7, 6, and 3.

"We have lost everything," Gantt said. "The only thing that we were able to save was my son's bike that was outside."

Between 2003 and 2006, US fire departments responded annually to an average of 240 home fires caused by Christmas trees, according to the most recent data collected by the National Fire Protection Association. These fires led to an average of 16 deaths, 25 injuries, and $13.1 million in damage each year.

Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones said Christmas trees should be watered and put far from a heat source that can dry them out or ignite them. Extension cords and other electrical supplies should have a UL or Underwriters Laboratories label so it is clear the product has been tested for safety, he added, noting that overextending the power supply of a cord can cause it to heat up and ignite flammable items nearby.

"Having a tragedy like this around the holidays is something you never forget. You always associate the holiday with that tragedy," Jones said.

Fire officials agree that smoke detectors are crucial to saving lives. But choosing one can be tricky.

Cade, from the fire administration, prefers models that have ionization and photoelectric systems, making them sensitive to smoky fires and flames.

In many cities, residents can contact the fire department and have them install detectors. Pittsburgh residents are able to get photoelectric detectors with 10-year-life lithium batteries as part of its giveaway program, Jones said.

Joseph "Jay" Fleming, deputy chief of the Boston Fire Department, has been on a nearly 20-year crusade to convince states, fire departments, and homeowners that they must replace ionization detectors with photoelectric ones.

Some states, including Massachusetts and Vermont, have already changed regulations to require photoelectric detectors in some areas of a home.

Wireless networks are also good because they ensure all detectors go off almost simultaneously, Cade said. But detectors can be hard-wired to go off together, he added.

What's more, most insurance companies offer discounts to people that have smoke detectors.

MetLife Auto and Home, for example, offers a 10 percent discount if a homeowner has a fire alarm that is directly connected to the local department, said Ted Mitchell, a spokesman for MetLife. A 5 percent discount is offered to those who have functioning fire extinguishers, deadbolts, and smoke alarms in their homes, he added.

"SUMMER" BUYING

Traditionally in real estate things slow down for the summer especially around the holidays but this year things are different. There are several explinations for this, one of the is weather. We as human beings are completely affected by weather. This unseasonably cold and wet "summer" changes our focus from usual summer activities and puts us more into the spring/fall mental timeframe. Add to that mix the fact that many foreclosures and short sales are coming through on wide range of homes and you have a recipe for deals and as George and Weezie used to sing, "Movin' on up!" Deals like the ones I'm seeing are some of the best deals I have ever seen! This is the time that most investors dream about. If you are about to enter into that world remember that the number one rule in real estate is still location, location, location!

TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE...THAT IS THE QUESTION!

This week I had a number of clients call me and ask whether they should move or not. The challenge is almost always the same. They concentrate on the fact that (most likely) their current house is worth less. That fact seems to freeze people in their tracks. What they forget is that the home they are going to buy has probably also dropped in value, especially if they are moving to a bigger home. In this market it's all about #1 location and #2 is tied for amenities and size. When people are confused they freeze. It is one of the best times to buy right now because interests and prices are both the lowest they have been in many, many years. Rejoice in that and do your homework! This market is a blessing if you have the right perspective, knowledge and strategy.

Can't Afford to Buy a House? Now What?!

A client-friend of mine, Stephanie, was distraught because she got tried to get a pre-approval and because of a nasty divorce situation her credit was shot. She was incredibly depressed about her situation. I sent her the following email. Hope it inspires you with your Plan B!

It's all about building a life to get to where you want to be.
You seem to be the type of person who knows with her whole heart
that we are spirits living in these borrowed bodies.

What you need is a plan. You are at Point A and want to get to Point B.
Does not mean you can get there overnight but if you don't plan you
will never get to Point B (and will miss tons of fun!)

To develop your plan B you need to write down all your HAVES, things you
already have. Start here:

-My credit score is__________, to buy a house it needs to be at least__________________.
-For me to raise my credit score I need to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
-I have $______________ to put for a down payment, to buy a house it needs to be at least _______________.
-For me to save that money I need to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
-What areas/towns am I willing to live in?
-Am I willing to be a landlord?
-Am I willing to live in a condo?
-Am I willing to have roommates?
-What kind of place am I looking for if money were no obstacle? (lots of detail here)

Have fun with this initial list and see how your soul flies with it!

Big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaa
:)

Upside Down On My House...

Are you upside down on your house? (Upside down means you owe more to the bank thatn the house is now worth.) Well, I have heard from two people now who have had their banks contact them and ask them if they want to refinance to a lower rate. Not only that, but for those who qualify they will be able to get a reduction in the amount of their loan too! YES! It's true. Part of the stimulus package that Obama has created allows banks for those of us who have not defaulted on our loans but are upside down. They are allowing a forgiveness of 20-25% for those who fit their criteria too! People to have to get PMI insurance but who cares! My friend paid a tad over $620,000 for her home and owed about $550,000 at 8.5% on it when the market tanked. Now she had it reduced to 5% and $430,000!!! Not bad eh?!

If you don't understand something in this post let me know and I will do my best to send you an explanation. Just remember there is hope!

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaa
:)

Signs of Spring...

Finally, some hopeful signs for the spring market

Last week the stock market began to rally. It’s anyone’s guess how long this spring thaw on Wall Street will last, but we have to take the good news as it comes. It's like the little green shoots that s-l-o-w-l-y start ripping through the winter's debris. Any good news at this point on the economy is bound to provide a boost of some sort to the battered housing market.

And the stock market is not the only thing to watch! There are other signs as well. Residential construction, after falling for countless months, rebounded by a surprising 22 percent in February. Apartment construction led the way – not surprising since the falloff in demand for new condos and homes has created renewed interest in lending.

Other signs are that residential sales have also slowed in their decline.

The latest nudge to the economy is the Fed’s equally surprising move to infuse an addition $1 trillion into its campaign to warm up still stagnant lending markets. The Fed will buy an additional $750 million in government-guaranteed mortgage back securities and another $300 billion in longer-term Treasury securities.

All this should further lower interest rates on all loans, including mortgages, the NY Times reports in its story on the Fed’s move.

For those of you who are looking to buy, the water is getting warmer...seems that a lot of your fellow buyers have stuck in their toes and are now jumping in!

Mariaaaaaaaaa
:)

Mortgage Lifeline For Those Who Are Current WithTheir Mortgage! YEAH!

Here is some exciting news from one of our mortgage broker friends, Mona Wong, mom of adorable twins...

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaa
:)


Hi-

March 4th is when the guidelines will be rolled out for the housing plan. This will allow some of those who are in a situation where they are current with their mortgage but can not refinance because of the value. If you or someone you know who can benefit from this please have them contact me so that I can help them get their documents together and ready for march 4th. It may not be able to help everyone, but it looks promising….

Any questions please contact me.

Thank you!
Mona

Thank you for your business!

Mona SooHoo Wong
Mortgage Consultant
mwong@village-capital.com
c) 617-818-7430
f) 877-504-8357

Divorce and the Housing Crisis

I often search other websites for helpful information. I oftentimes find myself visiting www.http://massachusettsmom.blogspot.com/ Last week's post was quite interesting... I would suggest going there too because she has additional comments in the next post that is worth reading too!

Mariaaaaaaaaaaa
:)

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Divorce and the Housing Crisis

There's one more story I can't resist commenting on and that's this one about couples who are having a hard time splitting up in this economy. In some cases, the couples were counting on the equity in their homes to start anew but now there's no equity. In other cases, each partner is trying to stick the other one with a house that can't be sold.
But it's Josh Kaufman of Cleveland who really caught my attention. It won't be real hard to figure out why Mr. Kaufman is getting a divorce after you read this. It seems Mr. Kaufman viewed the whole split as a "business" arrangement and, as his wife couldn't afford to buy the house from him, he just waited her out until the house lost so much value that eventually he didn't have to pay her a thing. Not one dime for the house that was appraised at one time at $1.5 million. There was "no emotion involved" says Kaufman. And, after all, he was just looking for a way to turn a "negative situation around." Now that's a real prince of a guy.
Here's the full story on Kaufman:
"Josh Kaufman and his wife bought a new 6,500-square-foot house outside Cleveland on five and a half acres, with four bedrooms and two three-car garages, that was worth $1.5 million at the height of the market. When they divorced in June, Mr. Kaufman knew his wife could not afford to carry the home. The longer the divorce process continued, the more the house depreciated; by the time he assumed the house, its appraised value was half what the couple had put into it; he did not pay her anything for her share.
“From a negotiating standpoint we knew that she couldn’t afford to stay in it,” Mr. Kaufman said. “It appeared as an opportunity to turn the negative situation around. There was no emotion involved. It was a business decision on what made most financial sense. It wasn’t an attempt to take advantage of someone.”
Still, his lawyer, Andrew A. Zashin, said, “He bought this house at a bargain basement price.”

Here's hoping the next Mrs. Josh Kaufman reads the New York Times, either that or has the sense to keep the house in her name and hire a really, really good lawyer.