Blog

Ideally, when marketing to probates, you should contact the “PR” or Personal Representative, also known as the executor, who has been tasked with the fiduciary duty of liquidating the estate. They are, in short, the decision maker that has the greatest influence into what happens to the real property attached to the estate. (More on the role of the Personal Representative)

The PR’s mailing address may differ from the property address of the deceased. Indeed, the executor may be a child that lives 2,000 miles away. When PR information is included on output, you should always address mail to their name at their mailing address, in contrast to the property attached to the estate. Let’s say Bob Smith has been assigned by the Court to be the Personal Representative. You can address your mail the Personal Representative as follows:

The Smith Family
ATTN: Bob Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown USA

Bob Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA

What if the contact information of the Personal Representative is not readily available? 

There are 3,200+ Counties, and each County varies in terms of the depth and breadth of information provided. In many Counties, the PR info is not furnished. When our probate leads do not contain information on the Personal Representative, it does not preclude a potential home sale - you can still reach a captive audience by addressing:

The Smith Family
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA

-or-

The Estate of  Sally Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA

A few things to keep in mind:

• If there is a family local to the property, they will be checking the mail frequently, as it is their responsibility to finalize and pay off outstanding bills.
• If there is no one local and the family/PR is a great distance away, the PR will typically have the mail forwarded by the USPS so as to receive any mail delivered to the decendent’s address.
• Addressing to the family rather than PR will have a high open rate for any family member that is checking the mail. The family is receiving important estate-related mail and condolence letters.

As a sidebar, we highly recommend handwriting the envelope to guarantee the letter is opened.

About

It's a fact of life that trillions of dollars will be passed from one generation to the next in coming years. Atprobateleads.net, we help real estate agents and investors capture their share of this niche market by compiling data on recent probate filings. Armed with this information, you can reach motivated sellers that have an urgency to sell real property attached to the estate. For expert consultation, call us at 1-800-9124.

iOn REAL ESTATE | by Michael Humphries | Compass Roads Realty, Inc

It’s likely you’ve heard the term “short sale” thrown around quite a bit. So what exactly is a short sale?

A short sale is when a bank agrees to accept less than the total amount owed on a mortgage to avoid having to foreclose on the property.

on the other hand:

A foreclosure is a specific legal process in which a lender  attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stop making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.

Whether you should do a short sale or let the home go to foreclosure depends on several factors. While for some homeowners, it is easier to throw up hands and let the bank take the home, that might not be the wisest thing to do.

Short Sale vs. Foreclosure

Deficiency Judgments After a Short Sale

Judgments are often negotiated between the seller and the short sale bank. In many cases, there is no deficiency judgment.  An experienced agent can help you negotiate any deficient balances successfully.

Deficiency Judgments After a Foreclosure

Banks are generally unwilling to negotiate deficiency judgments with the homeowner after a foreclosure. Florida law makes it quite simple for the creditor to obtain the deficiency judgment, and allows up to FIVE YEARS after the foreclosure judgment to do so.

What is a Deficiency Judgment?

A deficiency judgment is a full-fledged judgment for the total balance of the mortgage debt, including all collection costs, legal fees, advances for taxes, insurance, etc., less the claimed value of the property foreclosed on AT THE TIME OF THE FORECLOSURE.

Buying Again After a Short Sale

If your payments are in arrears yet a short sale is granted by your lender, you may qualify to buy another home with a Fannie-Mae backed mortgage within 2 years. The wait for FHA is 3 years.

Buying Again After a Foreclosure

With certain restrictions, you may be eligible to buy another home in 5 years if the home was your primary residence. Without restrictions, the wait is 7 years. 

What Should You Do?

The decision either way is a personal one. More and more people in this situation are opting to do a short sale. The horror stories regarding short sales, are for much, a thing of the past. This type of sale is now commonplace and many realtors have become experts getting them to the closing table.

One of the biggest misconceptions is costs. Most sellers struggling to make their mortgage payment don't have the  money to pay the seller expenses associated with a traditional sale.  The GOOD NEWS  is there are no costs to the seller doing a short sale. In most cases the short sale bank pays for all of the seller's cost—including the real estate commission, title expenses and any property tax or home owner association dues in arrears.

Find yourself a good realtor that specializes in short sales to help guide you through the process.

Michael Humphries, designated broker for Compass Roads Realty, Inc. and writer for iOn real estate covers local and national real estate news, industry trends and market analytics. Read more of his work here.

Search for thousands of homes in South Florida with direct access to the MLS.

http://compassroadsrealty.com/

In the coming years, trillions of dollars will be transferred from one generation to the next. In real estate, probates are the low-hanging fruit because nearly always, the executor of the estate wants to sell the property at some point to pay for taxes and other estate-related expenses, pay creditors and distribute the proceeds to the heirs.

It's been said that knowledge is power. Armed with a list of recent probate filings in your area, you can identify the best opportunities in your area. Yet it is the application of that knowledge which is more powerful.

We've put together some sample letters that can serve as a springboard of ideas, when marketing to probates. > View the pdf letter samples. 

While postcards are cheap to print, cheap to mail and have no barriers to get opened, in our view a postcard is ineffective when marketing probates because it strikes as impersonal during this difficult period that the family is going through. 

For the best results, we recommend handwriting the envelope to create a personal look, touch and feel. 

Everyone has different time frames in terms of when they are ready to sell. For this reason, we recommend multiple mailings to keep your willingness to help "top of mind". Although the circumstances are different in each probate case, one thing we can say with a certainty is that once the executor wants to sell the property attached to the estate, they want to liquidate it quickly.

Any feedback or if you'd like to share any material that have produced results, we'd love to hear from you - certainly reach out. 

What does the Personal Representative, i.e., PR, Administrator or Executor responsible for? Bottom line, all you need to know as an investor is the court has awarded the PR absolute authority to sell the house. Your job is to contract it and buy it or assign to another all cash buyer. This is the crux of Probate Real Estate investing.

In common law jurisdictions, a personal representative is either an executor for the estate of a deceased person who left a will or the administrator of an intestate estate. In either case, a surrogate court of competent jurisdiction issues a finding of fact, including that a will has or has not been filed, and that an executor or administrator has been appointed. These are often referred to as “letters testamentary“, “letters of administration” or “letters of representation“, as the case may be. These documents, with the appropriate death certificate, are often the only license a person needs to do the banking, stock trading, real estate transactions, and other actions necessary to marshal and dispose of the decedent’s estate in the name of the estate itself.

As a fiduciary, a Personal Representative has the duties of:

    1.    Loyalty
    2.    Candor & Honesty
    3.    Good Faith

In the U.S., punctilio of honor, or the highest standard of honor, is the level of scrupulousness that a fiduciary must abide by.

Types of Personal Representatives include:

    •    Executor or executrix (term for females)
    •    Alternate executor
    •    Administrator
    •    Ancillary administrator
    •    Public administrator
    •    Guardian
    •    Conservator

The decedent’s usually indicate who they wish to be in charge of their estate. This individual will be known as the executor of the estate. Sometimes, there is also an alternate executor named in case the executor chooses not to or cannot perform the probate duties.

If the person in charge is female, she is known as the executrix. If the person in charge is male, he is known as the executor. If the decedent did not leave a will, any person can petition the court to be in charge of the estate. However, the court prefers a blood relative to become the administrator of the estate. In this situation if the person in charge is female, she is known as the administrix and if it is a male, he is known as the administrator. 

A couple of important documents you should be aware of are The Petition of Probate and The Letter Testamentary. The Letter or Testamentary gives the PR the authority, and the Petition for Probate gives the exact name and address of the Personal Representative. It’s important to note that these 2 documents will both be found in the Probate case files.

About

At probateleads.net, our goal is to pair REALTORS and investors with the Personal Representative by compiling a list of recent filings in your area. For expert consultation on how you can capture your share of this niche market by identifying probate opportunities in your market, visit our website or give us a call at 800-307-9124 for expert consultation. 

Probate is the court process to obtain the legal authority to act on behalf of the estate of a person who has died (Decedent). The estate is distributed according to: the decendent’s will or if the decendent did not have a will, according to laws of intestate succession. The probate court appoints legally qualified persons, called Personal Representatives, to manage and settle the decedent’s affairs. Personal representatives distribute the assets decedent’s estate to the rightful recipients. These might include heirs, devisees named in a valid and current will, or creditors.  

Simply stated, Probate is the process of distributing assets of an estate after the creditors have been satisfied. The primary function of probate is to transfer title of the decedent’s property to its proper heirs. At this point, the decedent’s property is sold, all creditors are paid and the people who have inherited anything, divide up the remaining money.

“Receipt of probate is the first step in the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person, resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person’s property under a will. A probate court (surrogate court) decides the legal validity of a testator‘s will and grants its approval by granting probate to the executor. The probated will becomes a legal document that may be enforced by the executor in the law-courts if necessary. A probate also officially appoints the executor (or personal representative), generally named in the will, as having legal power to dispose of the testator’s assets in the manner specified in the will.” – Wikipedia.

As we all know, there are two certainties in life… Death & Taxes. And isn’t it ironic that one of the major functions of probate is to pay off any taxes owed by the deceased. This is one of the reasons why the Estate is so motivated to sell to you. They are looking to Sell Their House Fast and get cashed out and move forward with their lives. So in essence, the bottom line is that Probate Real Estate is a great way to buy property that Motivated Sellers really want to Sell Fast and Move on with their lives…

Now remember, If there is real property involved in the Probate, most likely it will be sold in order to convert it to cash to pay any outstanding debts and if there is any cash remaining, it will be passed on to the heirs of the estate.

How long does the Probate Process take? Well, it can take anywhere from five months to a few years depending upon a couple of factors like, #1 the complexity of the estate and #2, the intent of parties involved. It all really depends, but remember, as an investor, you will not have to wait this long to purchase these properties.

As a rule of thumb, once a petition for probate has been filed and a PR or Personal Representative has been appointed, generally they have the authority to represent the estate and sell the real or personal property to investors like you. It’s important to note that in some states, the probate court may hold control over the Personal Representative and selling of their property MAY require court permission. Just make sure to check with your county to understand and know the procedures for your county and state.

At probateleads.net, we compile a timely and accurate list of probate filings in your area. Armed with this data, you can reach motivated executors that almost always want to sell the property. 

iOn REAL ESTATE | by Michael Humphries | Compass Roads Realty, Inc

The real estate market has become a competitive arena for homebuyers. Many are getting beat out by international buyers investing in U.S. markets.

In a report released earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found foreign purchases of U.S. real estate surged in the 12 months ending in March to $92.2 billion, an increase of 35 percent over the prior period.

An increasing number of purchases are coming from Chinese buyers—From April 2013 through March 2014, Chinese buyers accounted for 16 percent of foreign home sales, up from 12 percent in 2013 and just 5 percent in 2009.

Although these foreign buyers have played a much needed role in the U.S. housing recovery, they can be very difficult to compete with. 60% of international transactions this year have been cash as compared to only one-third domestic purchases.

If you're going go toe-to-toe with these guys you need to take measures into your own hands.

Cash buyers can be tough competition when you’re trying to buy a house however that doesn’t mean you’re out of the running on your dream home. Here are a 3 tips when going up against cash buyers:

1. Accentuate your financial strength:  With a good credit score, 10%-20% down payment and steady job, any seller would be happy to choose you. Have a pre-qualification letter from a reputable lender on      hand ready to submit with your offer. Savvy buyers are also including a self-introductory letter making their offer more personal than business.
2. Leave out any inconsequential contingencies:  Some contingencies could complicate the deal for the seller and cause them to overlook your offer.  Keep the offer as simple as possible. If it's not a deal breaker for you , leave it out. Most sellers choose cash buyers because they believe it’s less complicated.
3. Be flexible with terms:  The terms of the contract—closing date, inspection period, repair costs, etc.—can sway the seller in your favor. Discover the needs of the seller and give them what they want.  If you and your agent can understand the driving force behind the seller then you should be able to accommodate and win against any other buyer-cash or not.

Michael Humphries, designated broker for Compass Roads Realty, Inc. and writer for iOn real estate covers local and national real estate news, industry trends and market analytics. Read more of his work here.

Search for thousands of homes in South Florida with direct access to the MLS.

http://compassroadsrealty.com/

Summer months can bring some of the highest energy costs of the year, because of the high demand for air conditioning or any cooling appliances. In this month, make sure you're ready for hot weather and prepare into it.  Keeping your home comfortable can be expensive, but it can be dangerous as well. If your air conditioner runs too often, your electric system can be stress put you, your family and your home at risk and usually to fire.

Let us embrace the days of summer with a few simple ways and be done in advance, will make your summer a warm, leisurely breeze.

• Goodbye to winter - Simple, fit your interior updates for summer. Make your space larger and put brighter accessories. Keep those things or stuff that is use only for winter season like, fire logs, heavy rugs, thick blankets and change thick curtains. Instead of candles, put fresh cut flowers.

• Freshens your airflow – Be ensuring you have a cool summer. To gain lower cost of energy, use a simple air-flow updated. Turn your ceiling fan or replace your air conditioners filter or have your central air professionally looked at. But natural air is better; open your windows at day time and let the natural air come inside. Also consider to install a whole-house fan that uses cool air in the evening to cool the entire house and push hot air out of the attic area.

• Put your painting pants on – This season is the perfect time to take or make a home project. You can put some updating paint colour in your interior and exterior, your deck, door, trimming trees and plants, make your garden, make picnic table chairs, etc. 

Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

Since today is the 4th of July holiday, the unemployment data report came out yesterday  - and the numbers were good!

Unemployment continues to drop, and there are more new jobs in the economy that predicted. Overall this is great news for our recovering economy.

One impact of the report was to normalize interest rates a little, which in this case means going up slightly, but the average rate for top-tier borrowers is still 4.25% - very low!

Everyone is hopeful that strong economic data will continue to support the re-growth of our economy and especially real estate.

Michael Nash, Broker/CEO

Yes, older homes have their charms, and when it well-maintained they are more often command a premium for buyers seeking for history home. But some homes are just old and how hard it can be to keep it maintained and updated. It has plenty problems, from asbestos in the attic to radon in the basement. Before planning to deal the owner, you do need to bring along a knowledgeable architect to check out hazards common in older homes.

Find the problems early enough and you might be able to fix them relatively easily, or keep yourself from buying into unexpected expensive repairs.

• Cracked foundation
• Radon
• Lead pipes
• Paint with lead-base
• Grounded outlets and uncovered live wirings
• Fuel or oil tank leaks
• Wells, cesspools and septic tanks

If you own an old house; keep up with the maintenance to prevent costly or major repairs. Check for the signs of hidden damage and unsafe.

Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

Summer means fun in the sun. This time kids are out of school, adults are going on vacations and it's time for outdoor activities like visiting amusement parks, riding bikes and parties and much more.

Tips to enjoy the summer:

• Let natural air coming-in to your home. Open your windows during day time. If you don’t have plan yet for vacation, still, you can enjoy the summer season, have your breakfast or lunch be held outdoors, maybe in your patio area, in your backyard or have some home picnic.

• Don’t forget to drink plenty of water; your body needs it to prevent dehydration during hot days. And to maintain your energy level; focus on carbohydrates, vegetables and instead of plain water you can also take watery fruits.

• If you or your family member has respiratory problems, such as asthma, watch the air quality report for the day, sometimes poor air can be a risk to a sick person. Or ask for an advice of doctors what to do and what to avoid during summer. Plus, don't forget to prepare and take medicines or an inhaler.

Remember, don't store medicines in high heat and humidity; it can alter the potency of many drugs.

• Wear appropriate attire during summer season. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing to help you stay cooler. If you're doing a lot household chores, gardening, walking or other sports activities; choose a good and comfortable pair of shoes, slipper or sandals.

• Take a rest. Yes, you probably notice you had a little work but more sweat you gain, but don't push beyond your physical limits. At intervals, sit in a shady spot.

• Take cover. Sunburn is painful and unhealthy. Use a good sunscreen, and re-apply it frequently during the day. Also, if you have plan to going outside wear a hat to keep cool and don't forget sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun's UV rays.

Above all, give yourself the time to truly experience the nature. This can happen, even in a city park or if you don’t want to go far from your home, you can enjoy and relax to your own surroundings, in your home yards. When travelling, take activities for the family and your first aid kit for insect bites and injuries. Check for ticks after your hikes. Watch for overexposure, take time in the shade, and drink your water.

Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

Pros and Cons of Cash Buying

All-cash home purchases hit a record in the first quarter of 2014, reaching 43 percent, according to RealtyTrac, which has been tracking cash-buying trends since 2011. This latest figure represents a 19 percent rise from last year—a number industry watchers attribute to stricter mortgage qualification standards coupled with high buyer demand and competition. If you're thinking about buying your next home with cash, you might be wondering how this option stacks up against a mortgage—not to mention, how you'll come up with the money.

Why Cash? Pros & Cons

On the pro side, using cash lets you sidestep mortgage loan qualifications and much of the paperwork and administrative fees. This accelerates the buying process and makes you more attractive to sellers who are eager to close. You have better odds of out-competing other buyers and better leverage to negotiate a lower price. Finally, the prospect of not having to pay monthly mortgage obligations and interest is appealing.

On the other hand, the cash you tie up in your house won't be as readily available for emergency spending. This could place you in a position of needing to sell or mortgage your home in the event of an emergency, and convincing lenders to extend a mortgage or equity loan could be difficult if you lack a steady income, a situation many retirees face. One way to address this issue is opening a home-equity line of credit after you buy your home to make sure you have emergency funds available. A reverse mortgage can also help in a pinch.

Another issue is whether the amount you save on mortgage interest might be better invested. Buying a house with cash amounts to investing in a bond with an interest rate equivalent to what you would pay with a mortgage. Compare this interest rate with other investment options to evaluate how buying your home with cash affects your long-term savings.

Finding Funds

If you want to pay for your home with cash but don't have a lump sum handy, how do you find the money? Options include:

• Realtor suggests a few strategies, including investing in a long-term CD, a method that can be combined with CD laddering if you don't want to lock up all your cash.
• For current home owners, another option is refinancing your existing mortgage into a larger one, known as "cash-out refinancing." Zillow recommends weighing this option against others, such as home equity loans and lines of credit.
• If you're receiving regular payments from an annuity or structured settlement, you may be able to sell all or a portion of your future payments to a financial services firm and put the money toward your home purchase.

What About Taxes?

Paying for your home in cash precludes the tax breaks you would get from your mortgage interest payments. Use the calculator at Mortgage101 to estimate the potential tax benefits of a mortgage so you can weigh this against buying with cash.

Summer is the warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn. With temperatures up and school out, homeowners and renters just want to have vacation and enjoy summer -- which sometimes means taking the risk to leave your home for a while. Although they do lock their doors, but are you sure your home will be safe?

"Safety starts and ends at home," says Rebecca Smith, a spokeswoman for Master Lock. "There's no better time to incorporate safe practices into your family's routine to ensure a safe and memorable summer."

Keep all doors and windows locked.

Thieves look for the easiest entry points to homes, and you can't beat an unlocked door or window for easy access. And install a specialty lock. It will help you to keep criminals from breaking into your home.

Inform your close neighbours and friends.

Neighbourhood are big help to keep eye to your home when you’re on vacation. Meet your close neighbour and ask them a favour and report any suspicious activity found and advice to call 911 immediately or police.

Keep valuable items.

If you have valuables outside the house, like lawnmower or motorcycle, make sure put it inside. Also if you have glass windows, put a curtain to block burglaries eye from your valuable items inside, such as appliances or gadget.

Avoid.

Don’t let any repair "professionals" or handyman to do repairs while you’re out of home. Also cancel all daily deliveries, such as newspaper, fresh milk deliveries, etc. Or if your vacation will last long until a weeks, cancel weekly deliveries too. If you have expected package on a exact date, ask favour to your neighbours and friends to pick it up.

NO social networking.

If you and your whole family are planning to have a long vacation, don't advertise the trip on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Thieves troll those sites all the time. Just wait until you return from your trip to post status, photos and comments.

Remember, home crime prevention is all about common sense. Always be your mind, be smart, keep your eyes open and don’t leave any clues about your leaving for a few days or more.

 Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

The Wisconsin housing statistics are in for May of 2014. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors® Association (WRA) had to say:

Existing home sales continued to lag behind 2013 levels but median prices rose by a solid margin in Wisconsin according to the most recent housing market report released by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA). May home sales dropped 6.9 percent compared to the May 2013 volume of sales. In contrast, median prices increased over the same period, rising 3.8 percent to $150,000.

“This is the fifth straight month of reduced home sales compared to where we were this time last year, and there are multiple potential reasons why,” said Steve Lane, chairman of the WRA board of directors. He pointed out that state economy appears to be steadily improving. The unemployment rate continues to drop and at 5.7 percent in May, it stands a more than a percentage point below where we were last year. In addition the state has added more than 38,300 jobs over the last year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The harsh winter contributed to slower sales in the first four months, but it can’t explain the slower sales in May. “Even though last year was a strong year for sales, we expected a slight bounce in May sales as the prolonged winter ended,” Lane said. “But we haven’t seen that bounce yet.”

Below are the number of Home Sales and Median House Prices for the state of Wisconsin, Rock County, and Dane County. These stats include Janesville and Madison. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions pertaining to these figures. As you probably have heard, overall home sales & prices have been increasing over the past few years. This month however showed a decrease of home sales statewide, but an increase in home prices. Rock County however showed increases in both sales and price!

Thinking of purchasing a home before prices or rates rise any further? I'd be happy to show you any homes currently listed for sale. Feel free to visit Real Estate Listings in Rock County to search for current Rock County properties or visit Real Estate Listings in Dane County for homes in Dane County Wisconsin.

Now might be the right time to sell your Wisconsin home. Feel free to take a look at our cutting edge Rock Realty Marketing Plan! If you would like some insight into how much your home is currently worth, I would be happy to provide you with a free comparative market analysis. This is a report that gives a close estimate to what your home might sell for in your current local Wisconsin real estate market. Click below:

What's My Wisconsin Home Worth?

Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? Have you experienced a hardship like divorce or job loss? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit our page on Wisconsin Short Sales for more information.

One of the best ways to avoid problems with neighbors over your trees is to know your rights and responsibilities as tree-keeper.

In general, the landowner where tree grows will be the respondent to take care and maintain well to prevent injury, death or damage to a neighbor’s property. 

If landowners or tree owner has the actual knowledge of the defective condition of a tree and no action was taken is liable for any damages, injury or death caused by that tree.

But the landowners are not liable for a nature act. This act may hold to accident cause by nature, such as lightning, storms and floods.  In easy to say, a landowner will not be responsible or liable for those injuries arise by nature ways.

Remember, you are responsible not just what is above ground nut for the entire tree. If your tree’s roots affect your neighbor’s property, that is also your responsibility.

 Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

Human negligence sometimes causes fire that may result to injury, property damages or even death. Fire safety measures must always perform in every home and building unit.

In order to avoid fire hazards, tenants should:

• Don’t put burning materials in garbage bins like cigarette butts; make sure it’s not still smouldering. And not to throw flammable liquids cans in interior garbage bins or chutes. There’s a garbage bins or cans assign for flammable materials or liquids.
• Not store flammable materials in the home (gasoline, paint thinners, solvents, etc.)
• Avoid dangerous cooking.
• Do not use unsafe or damage electrical appliances and don’t damaged cords or overloaded outlets.
• Don’t barbecues indoors or store propane tanks in the home.
• Smoke carefully. Use ashtrays and never smoke in bed. Don’t throw your cigarette butts anywhere.
• Doesn’t stock indoors ignite materials, like newspapers, plastics, etc.
• Always cooked in a right time. Not in rush and never leave cooking food unattended.
• Install a working smoke detector.

Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.

Always protect yourself, your neighbors, and your home.

Tips:

• Do not let anyone into your rental home or unit to block that you don't know or report suspicious people standing or walking around the building to your landlord or police.
• If someone calls and you don't know them, give a call and inform to your landlord and keep the number who called you for evidence.
• Always locked your front and back door, even when you are at home, especially at night. Make sure your doors and windows have a good quality locks.  And put curtains into your glass windows for no one can see what valuables you have when you are not at home. Also for your privacy.
• Inform your landlord when you are away in a long period of time. And tell a trusted neighbor when you will be leaving and returning and leave an emergency contact number.
• Make sure your door has a wide-angle door viewer (peephole).
• Never leave notes on your front door saying you are not home. Even posting in social network, don’t.
• Do not let any workers/ persons into your building unless they have proper identification and you know they are coming.
• Cancel any deliveries if you are not at home. But if you’re still expecting mails or deliveries and you’re not at home. Make arrangement your neighbors, friends or to your landlord.
• Be vigilant. Do not enter an elevator if you are with a suspicious of the occupants or person. Wait for the next one.
• Always stand near the elevator's control panel, in case of emergency.
• Do not leave important items in the home while you are gone for extended amounts of time. Or keep it securely, like jewelry, money, gadgets, documents, etc.
• Use clock timers to turn lights on to make it your home seems like someone is inside.

Download my app today! Text RE911 to 87778 to get my free real estate app, . If you need help downloading my app, please call my Smarter Agent support team at 856-614-5423.