Get Ready for Spring

With Spring just around the corner, we can expect beautiful Spring weather as well as Spring storms. Taking some time now to prepare your family, home and landscaping for Spring can prevent possible disaster and added stress later.

• Have a Tulsa air conditioning company service your A/C and Tulsa roofing company inspect your roof.
• Inspect your windows, doors, and siding.
  
• Have regular pest control treatments on your Tulsa home to help prevent problems later.
• Review your Tulsa area insurance coverage with your agent.
• Install good quality air filters to reduce allergens.
• Plan your landscaping projects now.
• Practice your fire escape plan and tornado drills now.

For more information on Preparing For Spring, read the full article at www.darrylbaskin.com.

For all your Tulsa home maintenance professionals, visit www.tulsahomecare.com or contact one of the professionals below:

Tulsa, OK Pest Control- Mother Natures Pest and Lawn, 918-362-2000 or www.pestsecret.com.
Tulsa Roofing Installation- Judy Smith, A-Best Roofing, 918-587-1426 or www.abestroofing.com.
A/C Service in the Tulsa, OK area- Stephen Taylor, Air Assurance, 258-COOL or www.airassurance.com.
Tulsa Homeowners Insurance- Mike Tedford, Tedford Insurance, 918-299-2345 or www.tedfordinsurance.com.
Tulsa area Electrical Service- Larry Murray, Murray Electric, 918-254-5771 or www.murayelectric.com.
Tulsa Plumbing Service- Markwayne Mullin, Mullin Plumbing, 918-258-6636 or www.mullinplumbing.com.
Air Filter Replacement- Filters4Me, www.filters4me.com
Glass Mulch in the Tulsa area- Garden Glass of Oklahoma, 918-232-0210 or www.gardenglassofoklahoma.com
Tulsa area Disaster Restoration- Reset Restoration, 888-917-3738 or www.resetrestoration.com.
Tulsa area Building and Remodeling- Rick Oberlender, US Building Systems, 918-734-1293

Exterminating Pests in the Winter...

During the winter, many property owners don't think about pest control. It can be, however, a great time to think about pest control. Failure to plan for your pest control needs now, can cause greater pest problems in the Spring as pests emerge from the walls and eggs hatch. During the Winter, some pests can tolerate the cold weather, others must find a way to stay warm. For pests that need to stay warm, they will often come inside your home and walls or burrow into the ground for warmer soil.

There are several ways to treat for pests during colder weather that will not only help kill pests now, but also prevent them when warmer weather comes.

1. The outside of your property can be inspected during the Winter weather for nests, eggs, and signs of pest damage.
2. The perimeter of your home, including windows, doors, and eaves, can be treated to kill pests trying to enter your property.
3. The interior of your home can be treated to kill any pests that may have already entered.

For a free, no obligation pest evaluation and estimate in the Tulsa area, contact Mother Natures Pest and Lawn, 918-362-2000 or www.pestsecret.com.

Family Fun Night...

Those who have had a catastrophe know how much work it is to find receipts and locate and remember all the items in your home. To prevent this problem should a catastrophe occur, here is a fun idea for the whole family. First, prepare an insurance inventory list. Think of all your electronic items, valuables, antiques, and anything else you want to list. Second, get a video camera and turn your insurance inventory list into a game for the whole family. Video everything from your sock drawers (let your kids count them) to your new TV. This will not only help teach your kids the importance of serial numbers on electronic items, but can also help your young kids with their counting skills. Finally, place the video in a safe place. A safety deposit box or fireproof safe are great locations. In the event of a fire or another catastrophe, this video will be of tremendous help. Have fun!

For Tulsa area insurance quotes or questions, contact Mike Tedford, Tedford Insurance at 918-299-2345 or www.tedfordinsurance.com

For Tulsa real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.

Had fire, wind, or water damage? For disaster restoration services in Tulsa, OK. contact PCC Cleaning and Restoration at 918-641-1111 or www.pcccr.com

Important Questions to Ask Your Mortgage Banker

Although there are many questions that home buyers have when getting a home loan, there are some basic questions that are always important.

How much downpayment do I need to buy a house? If you are a veteran or buying in a rural area you can get 100% financing and seller can pay closing costs. If you are Native American you may be eligible for a Hud 184 loan. This loan requires as low as a 1.25% downpayment, depending on the amount of the loan. FHA requires a 3.5% downpayment, Conventional a 5% downpayment, and Investment loans a 20% downpayment.

What are Points/Origination Fees? Point and Origination Fees are additional fees paid at closing to lower your interest rate. 1 point is $1000.

How do I find out exactly what my closing costs, fees, and other things are when I am comparing mortgage companies and their rates? Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Look at fee lines 800-900. Compare the rate, points/origination fee, and other items within that range.

What constitutes a rural development loan? It is all based on the population of an area. Owasso and Glenpool are still rural and are eligible for a rural development loan. The USDA Rural Development website can give you more information about an area you are interested in.

How do Mortgage Bankers get paid? My commission is based on the volume I produce. The more I produce the higher percentage I make.

Whether you are a first-time home buyer or have purchased before, no question is stupid. Remember that rules and regulations change and some requirements and information from your previous mortgage may not be the same. Always ask first rather than be sorry later.

If you have questions about a Tulsa, OK. mortgage, contact Karen Heston at BOK Mortgage, 918-230-9432 or http://kheston-boklo.mortgagewebcenter.com

Title Insurance??

Title insurance protects your claim of ownership of your property. When you buy Tulsa area real estate, you count on the paperwork being properly reviewed. One of the important parts of a mortgage transaction is the Title Opinion. When you get a "title opinion" from an attorney, that "title opinion" is simply the opinion of the attorney you hired. It is important however, it does not provide any insurance against errors made by the attorney or insurance against a later claim of error in the title. This is where Title Insurance comes into play.

If you purchase title insurance and someone later questioned your ownership of the property, the title insurance company would be required to come defend your title.

A few things to note:

• Title insurance only covers the period of time before your purchase of the property. It does not cover from the time you purchase and beyond.
• Sometimes "exceptions" can be listed in your title policy. These would be things that were known when the policy was written such as, your driveway or storage building being on the neighbor's property.
• Title problems are often called "clouds" which mean your ownership is not completely clear - someone could raise questions about it. Even if your ownership would not be lost, it can be expensive to remove the "cloud" on your title.
• Title issues can arise from forgeries, improper paperwork filing at the courthouse, incorrectly completed forms, deaths and bankruptcies, lawsuits between other parties, and many other unknown circumstances.

For more information about title insurance in Tulsa, OK, contact Karen Burnette, at FirsTitle, 918-493-2241 or www.firstitle.com.

Having Tulsa, OK. Title Problems? Contact Chuck Richardson of Richardson, Richardson, Boudreaux at 918-663-5070 or www.rrblawok.com.

For all your Tulsa, OK. area real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.

An Easy DIY Firepit..

With the cooler weather here, it is the perfect weather to enjoy a nice outdoor fire. For many, a cozy firepit is the ideal solution. Follow the steps below to add a great surround to a purchased or existing firepit! (The first 4 steps can be found at the following link http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/)

1. Find the right location, away from trees and building. Make sure the spot is level.
2. Place the screen on the ground to use as a guide to laying the blocks for the surround. (Lowe's recommends using OldCastle blocks.) *If you have a built in firepit or one that runs on natural gas, make sure you turn off the gas first!! If this is the case, you likely won't be able to move your firepit, check the height first to ensure that the blocks will work with your firepit.
   
3. Stack the blocks and make 3 layers (or more to ensure the appropriate height for your firepit).
4. Place your firepit into the ground.
5. If you have a Natural Gas firepit, for added sparkle, try using glass mulch, in your firepit.
   

For information on glass mulch in Tulsa, visit www.gardenglassofoklahoma.com

For information on buying and selling your Tulsa area home, visit www.homeguidetulsa.com.

Fraud in Title Insurance...

Handling fraud in any situation is difficult. When it comes to title insurance, there are some things to keep in mind. First, let's define title insurance. Title Insurance is insurance that covers financial loss as a result of a defect in a title to real estate. Second, we need to know what period the insurance will cover. When we buy home or auto insurance, we are covering our home or auto from the time we purchase the policy until that point in the future that the coverage is canceled. With title insurance, though, it works in reverse. Title insurance covers from the moment you purchase your home and into the past. If you are sued after you close on the property, then the title insurance may not cover you. Finally, title insurance issues can be quite trick. To ensure that you are covered for everything you need, talk to your attorney or your title company. You may even consider asking for extended coverage on your title insurance to cover you from your real estate purchase into the future.

If you have legal problems with your Oklahoma title, contact David Keesling at Richardson, Richardson, Boudreaux, Keesling at 918-492-7674 or www.rrblawok.com.

To purchase Tulsa title insurance or if you have questions about Oklahoma title insurance, contact Karen Burnette of Firstitle at 918-493-2241 or www.firstitle.com

For all your Oklahoma property, auto, and life insurance needs and more, contact Mike Tedford, Tedford Insurance at 918-299-2345 or www.tedfordinsurance.com

For all your Tulsa, Oklahoma area real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin of McGraw Realtors at 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com