March Newsletter

Karla Fayne ABR, SRES, REALTOR, CDPE® Fayne~tastic Service ... Fayne~tastic Results Keller Williams Realty (901)335-6203 karla.fayne@kw.com KarlaFayne.com It’s that time again – Daylight Saving Time always begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. This means that, on March 10, 2013, at 2:00 a.m. - you set the clocks ahead one hour. (Spring forward) ************************************************************** Don't forget to check out my new blog- Karlasellsmemphis.blogspot.com Meyer Lemon Jam Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds Meyer lemons 6 cups water 6 cups sugar Directions Chop lemons, removing and reserving seeds and pith. Tie seeds and pith in cheesecloth, and place in large pot along with chopped lemons. Add water, and boil for 20 minutes. Remove cheesecloth bag. Add sugar, and bring to a boil for 20 more minutes, or until set. Remove from stove, then can or refrigerate in glass jars.

We are so thankful to YOU! We love helping our clients with all of their real estate needs. And we are fortunate enough to have clients who like talking about the excellent experiences they have with us! We always appreciate when you tell your friends and family about our services - we thank our lucky stars for it! Tornado Season: Be Prepared Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard. Here are some basic tornado safety tips to ensure you’re prepared for one of Mother Nature’s most destructive storms. During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay informed about watches and warnings. Know your community’s warning system. Communities have different ways of warning residents about tornados, with many having sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes. Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching. Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA Web site at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/rms/rmsp453.shtm. Prepare for high winds by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees. Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants, or anything else that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile. Watch for tornado danger signs including: dark, often greenish clouds—a phenomenon caused by hail; wall cloud which is an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm; cloud of debris, large hail, a visibly rotating funnel cloud; and roaring noise. Source: The Red Cross

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Get Started: Remodeling Your Home The most important step is finding a professional remodeling contractor for your job. You can ask your real estate agent for a referral or contact the local or national builder’s association for tips on finding and hiring the best person for the job. Hire a professional contractor who is familiar with the building codes in your area. Updating work that does not meet code can be extremely expensive. A well–written contract can prevent costly mistakes or additions to the scope of your project. It is a critical step in maintaining your budget. Save money by planning ahead. Go through the design process first and choose everything you want to include in the new room(s), from appliances to light fixtures, etc. This will define your budget and prevent hasty (and costly) decisions later in the project. Be sure to include all your product and material selections in the contract to avoid confusion and unnecessary change orders. Include the model, size, color, and other specifications. It is also wise to save 10–20 percent of your budget to allow for items added to the scope of work. The number one way to decrease the cost of your remodeling project is product choices. Look around to determine whether you can achieve a similar look with a less expensive product In addition, pay attention to how labor intensive some design features may be, for example laying ceramic tile on kitchen countertops and the backsplash. Compare products and their prices carefully before you make final decisions. And keep an open mind when you discuss product and design ideas with your contractor. Make decisions based on value and quality, not just price. Think about staging the work being done to minimize the initial financial impact. It is often easier to create a more manageable budget by starting small and adding to the project at a later date. This will break the work into several jobs instead of one large project. The down side of staging a remodel is that you may end up paying more in the long run. Source: National Association of the Remodeling Industry

If you are currently working with another Broker please do not consider this a solicitation.