Real Estate Information

Effective July 1, 2011 new legislation requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California Home. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law.

Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, ordorless gas that is produced from heaters, gas appliances, furnaces and fireplaces. All to often, we hear of some one leaving their car or truck running in a attached garage, to be later found dead in their vehicle or home. Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer, claiming up to 480 lives annually and sending thousands to hospital emergency rooms.

As a personal note, my Mother and Sister-Inlaw were almost killed while cruising on our family boat. The back doors of the cabin were slightly open and the exhaust from the engines got sucked back into the living area. If one of them hadn't awoke with a severe headache and nausea, who knows what might have happened.

CO Poisoning Symptoms surface as severe headaches, dizziness, nausea and confusion. If the CO reachs a high enough level, death can occur. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea and headaches. Since many of these symptoms are similar to the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO could be the cause.

Play if Safe - if you experience symptoms that you think might be from CO poisoning:

•  CALL 911 or your local Emergency number                     
•  GET FRESH AIR IMMEDIATELY! Open windows and doors, turn off combustion appliances and leave the house.
• DO NOT re-enter the house until given the "all clear" by emergency personnel.
• GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM and tell the physician you suspect CO poisoning.
• CO poisoning can be diagnosed by a simple blood test done soon after exposure.

SAFETY TIPS -

• Install CO detectors outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
• Keep CO Alarms clear of dust and debris
• Ensure CO Detectors are plugged all the way into a working outlet, or if battery powered make sure they have good batteries
• DON'T idle the car in the garage - even if the outside garage door is open.
• DON'T use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
• DON'T ever use a charcoal grill indoors - even in a fire place.
• DON'T sleep in any room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater
• DON'T use any gasoline- powered engines in enclosed places.
• DON'T ignore symptoms, particularly if more than one person is experiencing them.

Thanks to Tarbell Realtors for making me aware of SB 183 and and the do's & don'ts of Carbon Monoxide

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.