Don't Overlook the Fence

Whether they are wood, chain link, or wrought iron, fences tend to disappear into the Edmond landscape.  You find them in just about every neighborhood around town.  And it’s likely that the home you purchase will have one.  But who does the fence belong to anyway?  If when the Oklahoma wind comes sweeping down the plain and knocks it down, who is responsible for the repair?

Unless it’s just a mangled mess, the fence is the last thing you will probably notice when previewing homes.  You’ll be busy checking out the size of the bedrooms and trying to figure out where the TV will go.  You know, the important stuff.  But you don’t want to overlook the fence either.  


Here are a few things you should know about fences when considering a home purchase;

• When buying new construction the fence is not always included.  However, it can sometimes be negotiated with the builder as an additional upgrade when making an offer.
• Many home owner associations (HOA) have guidelines for the type of fence that is allowed.  Be sure to request a copy of the covenants and restrictions.  If there are restrictions regarding fence type, they will be listed in that document.  That will eliminate a surprise if you plan to install a stockade fence and the neighborhood only allows black chain link.
• If the house is on the perimeter of the addition and backs to a major street it may have a brick fence in the back.  That fence may be owned and maintained by the HOA or it may be the responsibility of the homeowner.
• Fences are not part of a standard home inspection.
• Portions of fence line are sometimes shared.  That means that when the fence originally went up, the two neighbors shared in the expense.  So they also share in the repair and maintenance cost.  If a fence is shared it will be disclosed by the seller on the Property Condition Disclosures.
• Not all fences are placed on the property line.  There may be areas beyond the fence that will be your responsibility to maintain.  Edmond code enforcement will tag you if you’re not mowing all of your property.
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2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Recipient? Be a 2012 First Time Home Seller!

I can't believe its already been three years.  Where has the time gone?


In 2008, 2009 and 2010 there were a few different tax credits available to home buyers in the US.  For many clients I worked with at the time, the most popular was the $8000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit that was available from February 2009 through September 2010.  Did you take advantage of it?  Many of my clients sure did!


Back in 2009, the tax credit created quite a buzz in the real estate industry.  To refresh your memory, folks received a sizable tax credit for buying a home.  It was available to qualifying first time and move up buyers.  As long as the house they purchased remained their primary residence for three years, the credit did not have to be repaid.  If for some reason they had to sell or the house became a rental or vacation property, calculations were made by the IRS for repayment based on the seller's financial gain or loss.


Fast forward three years to 2012  Tax credit recipients will now begin to be able to make a move depending on when the house was purchased.  It has to have been at least 36 months since the closing date to qualify.  


If you received the tax credit when you bought your home, do you remember how much credit you received?  If you decided to sell, do you know if you would have a repayment due?  The IRS has created a handy tool to help you check your credit account status.  It's the First-Time Homebuyer Credit Account Look-up.  All you need to do is enter a bit of information; social security number, address and zip code.  


Are you a 2009 First Time Homebuyer tax credit recipient?  Then 2012 can be the year you become a First Time Home Seller!  Let's talk!


Talk to you soon!

Of course, you should contact a tax professional for advice specific to your situation.

Hey Realtor Lady, Step Away from the Pepper Plant!

My hands are more apt to be covered in a variety of paint colors than in good ole Oklahoma dirt.  Yet every spring I aspire to have the greenest of thumbs.  I would love to have a garden full of vegetables right in my own backyard.  Heck, I'd be thrilled if I could harvest a pepper!

The truth is, I'm the grim reaper of gardeners.  Sadly, right now there is a poor unsuspecting pepper plant bound for the Lowe's in Edmond.  The little guy has no idea that in just a month or two, I will wake on a bright and sunny day.  It will be the day of disillusionment.  The day I decide to grow my own container garden.  It happens every year like clockwork.  I'll go to the store and pick him out from all the others.  I'll buy the best soil, a new pot, and maybe some fertilizer.  Then carefully bring him to my backyard where he will die of dehydration and neglect.


I promise that I have only the best of intentions when I buy the plants.  Then real estate gets to rockin' and rolling and its dead plant walking all over again.  They really never stand a chance.


That means that I am the very last person to give advice for gardening in Oklahoma.  If you want the little buggers to survive that is!  But because the urge to plant is still so strong, today I did a bit of research into the best planting dates.  And wholly cow, I found out that in our zone (Edmond, Oklahoma), the best time to start a bunch of different vegetable seeds is this week!  Now is the time to start lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes and even PEPPERS inside the house.  Or, you can start the seeds outside next month.  You can see the entire Almanac Planting Calendar for 2012 here.


I can't promise you that I won't kill another pepper plant this year.  If you see me at Lowe's yell out, "Hey Realtor lady, step away from the pepper plants!"


Talk to you soon!

PITI Calculator

A monthly mortgage payment is more than a house payment.  Maybe you've heard your Realtor or lender mention what your estimated monthly PITI will be.  There we go speaking Real Estate-ese again!  PITI is an acronym for the four puzzle pieces that make up your monthly payment.

P is for Principal, the amount you borrow to purchase the house
I is for Interest, the amount you pay to the lender for borrowing the money
T is for Tax, your annual property tax escrow
I is for Insurance, your annual homeowner's insurance escrow


At closing, an escrow account is created for your tax and insurance.  That's where your "pre-paid" closing costs are going.  Then each month you pay tax and insurance a little at a time as part of your payment.  The mortgage company then pays those bills annually on your behalf.  Think of it as two less bills you have to hassle with.


The mortgage company requires you to pay these bills through an escrow account as a way to protect their investment.  If you do not pay your property tax, a lien could be placed on the property.  If you do not maintain insurance and the property is destroyed, there is not coverage.  In either of those scenarios, the mortgage company could lose.  So, they protect themselves by requiring tax and insurance be paid through an escrow account.

As you play online searching homes you may stumble on mortgage calculators.  To be sure you are seeing a close estimate, only use PITI calculators.  A PI (principal and interest only) calculator won't show you all the pieces of the puzzle.


Talk to you soon!

OK Liquor Laws ~ What Will be in Your Glass Tonight?

So, what will be in your glass tonight?

Last week I was giving a tour of Edmond to one of my relocation clients.  As we drove around town, I pointed out a few of my favorite spots.  When I called her attention to Vin Dolce (a new wine bar in downtown Edmond) we discovered that we had a common interest in wine.  That lead to a whole new conversation about local wine shops I frequent like 2nd Street Wine Company and Edmond Wine Shop.

If you are relocating to Oklahoma from another part of the country, some of the liquor laws here may come as a surprise to you.  They were to my client.

Here are a few things you might want to know;

• You can buy refrigerated 3.2 beer and wine coolers at grocery and convenience stores
• Beer with more than 3.2 percent alcohol can only be purchased at a liquor store and cannot be refrigerated
• Wine is only available at the liquor store
• Liquor stores cannot sell the goodies that go with your cocktails (margarita salt, limes, mixers, etc.) or the accessories used to consume them (corkscrews, bottle openers, glassware)
• Liquor stores are only open Monday through Saturday from 10-9.
• No one under 21 may enter a liquor store (even an infant)

By the way, this list is from my personal observations as an average consumer living in Oklahoma for 15+ years, not the Oklahoma ABLE Commission.  

My client and I joked that buying a bottle of wine in Oklahoma requires a bit of planning.  That it does.  So I'll ask again.  What will be in your glass tonight?  I think I will be enjoying Little Black Dress Merlot.  Cheers!

Talk to you soon!

Tips From the Pet Detective Team

Who remembers the Jim Carrey movie, Ace Ventura Pet Detective?  It was a pretty silly movie where Carrey played a goofy detective who finds himself on the case looking for a missing dolphin.  Then hilarity ensues.


Oklahoma has our very own team of pet detectives.  They're not goofy and they're not searching for a missing dolphin.  What they are is an incredible group of Central Oklahoma Humane Society volunteers!  The volunteers spend time searching papers and online posts for lost and found pets.  Then try to match them with pets in the shelter!  How cool is that?


I learned about the Pet Detective Team last month.  My daughter brought home a stray Jack Russell Terrier on New Year's Eve right at midnight.  She thought for sure it was a sign he was meant to be with her.  After I reminded her that she lives in a dorm at OSU, the search for his family began.  We spent the following days posting found notices online and hanging signs around our neighborhood.  In response to one of our ads, I received a message from one of the Pet Detective Team members.  She offered some tips to help us find the dog's owner.  Here are the suggestions she shared with me;

Search the neighborhood. Walk or drive through your neighborhood for several days to look for fliers. If you found an animal in your neighborhood then it probably lives in your neighborhood.

Advertise. Post found notices at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, at pet supply stores, dog parks and other locations. Also, place advertisements in newspapers and with radio stations.  When describing the animal, leave out one identifying characteristic and ask the person who calls describe it.  Include your immediate contact information, including numbers to call if you can not be reached.  You can place a FREE found ad in most local and community newspapers and it will run for 7 days. Daily Oklahoman: 405-475-3000. This is really important for the folks who do not use the internet and who do check the papers.

Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies. File a found pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and take a found flier to post.  To find your local shelter visit http://www.okhumane.org/info/metro-area-shelters search online or check your phone book. If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description.  If the animal is wearing a Rabies tag, call the Clinic phone number and they will be able to give you the owner’s contact info.  You should also have a vet scan the animal to see if it is microchipped. This can be performed for free. 

If you are unable to locate the owners and choose to place the animal in another home, the OK Humane Place Spay/Neuter Clinic may be able to help with low cost spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations.  Please call 405-947-7729 for more information.  The Center for lost pets database is Nation Wide and can be accessed from this link:  http://www.thecenterforlostpets.com

 If a stray pet finds you, use the tips of a Pet Detective to reunite them with their owner.
Talk to you soon!

Welcome to Edmond, Submarina California Subs

While you were out and about yesterday, did you see the balloons over by the AT&T Store on Danforth?  There's a new sandwich shop next door and they're open for business!  Submarina California Subs opened in Edmond yesterday.  My daughter, teen 2, is a bit of a sub snob so we had to give it a try.


Submarina is a typical sub shop in that you order your sandwich at the counter.  You know the drill, pick your bread, meat and toppings while the sandwich is assembled in front of you.  The menu also includes several favorite and specialty combinations.  They have salads and wraps too.  I really like that the calorie count for each sandwich is listed right on the menu next to the description.  See full menu here.


Last night, I had the ATC (sliced avocado, turkey and cheese).  The hubs ordered the Santa Fe (chicken, jalapeno bacon, avocado and pepper jack).  Teen 2 had a classic turkey.

I really liked that in addition to the standard toppings; you know lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions they also offer sprouts.  I would have liked to see spinach instead of iceberg, but I'll forgive them.  You can get any sandwich served "Cali Style" which means that it has bacon and avocado, yummo!  


The sandwiches come in three sizes; regular, large and extra large.  We all ordered the regular.  We were there for dinner and for me, it was after a run.  I was starving when we walked in the door!  So, I wish I would have got the large.  I left there still a little hungry.  The regular would be perfect for lunch though.


The service was a little slow and the kids making the sammies were oh so nervous (the poor guy was shaking like a leaf).  But that's to be expected at a soft opening while they are still training the employees.  I recommend Submarina.  If you're looking for something new, give it a try!  You'll love the bread!


Talk to you soon!