When a seller decides to list their property with a real estate broker/agent, they employ the services of a real estate agent to assist them in all aspects associated with selling their property. The seller-representative (listing agent) represents the seller and owes all their fiduciary to their seller.

As a buyer, don’t you deserve the same treatment? Yes, you do. However, unless you are working exclusively with a Buyer Agent/Representative whom represents your best interest, you may not be getting the best deal.

What is Buyer Representation?

Buyer representation is the practice of real estate brokers/agents, representing a buyer as a client in a real estate transaction. It’s also known as buyer agency or buyer brokerage. Although, the relationship is usually formalized by a written agreement, it is not required and is legally binding. The buyer’s representative is the agent of the buyer and owes fidelity in all transaction matters to the buyer.

Advantages of Buyer Representation?

* An assertive advocate working on behalf of the buyer to obtain the best deal and terms.
* The buyer representative can assist the buyer in acquiring & obtaining information about the property & its’ condition as well as sellers’ motivations.
* A buyer representative can work with a for-sale-by-owner (fsbo) seller, if needed.
* Buyers can be more knowledgeable about the market and buying process because they have access to market experts.
* A savvy negotiator is working on behalf of the buyer, helping them determine a realistic offer and develop a negotiation strategy.

Food For Thought…

If you are getting a divorce, are you going to use the same divorce attorney that is representing your spouse? I don’t think so. You need representation! You deserve representation!

Buying real estate is one of the largest investments you will make in your lifetime. Make sure you have a professional to assist you on your next move.

This article was submitted by Merri Harrison, GRI, ABR with Keller Williams Realty – Heritage Office.

She is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute & an Accredited Buyers Representative with Keller Williams Realty – Heritage office. You may contact Merri for a free, no-obligation buyer consultation at 210-387-9332.

So how can you make a lasting impression when selling your home? Follow these 10 simple tips and create the competitive edge that may help you sell your home more quickly in our current market.

• First Impressions are Inviting. Make sure the lawn is trimmed and clear of debris. Replace landscaping, if needed. Seasonal flowers add color that attract buyers’ attention and welcome them to your front door!
• De-Clutter, De-Clutter, De-Clutter! Showcase the space! Remove excess furniture and unnecessary articles. Have a garage sale or donate to Goodwill. Neat, well-ordered cabinets and closets show there is ample room for storage.
• Decorate for a Quick Sale. Faded walls and worn woodwork reduce appeal and indicate a lack of maintenance and care. Fresh paint gets attention and gives you an edge over the competition.
• Dress for Success. Staging a home for sale is like detailing a car. A smart auto seller details a car before selling it to add value. And, that added value equals more money in return. The same concept applies to staging a home for sale. Professional stagers set the scene so that buyers can imagine living there.
• Bathrooms Sell Homes. Dripping faucets suggest faulty plumbing! Check and repair the caulking in bathtubs and showers. Make these rooms sparkle!
• Kitchens Sell Homes, too. Kitchens are just as important as bathrooms! Make sure the sink is in good shape and the garbage disposal runs properly. Are any updates needed? Keep the counters free of clutter! Remember, cleanliness is next to…
• Repairs Can Make a Big Difference. Loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers and other minor flaws detract from the value of a home. Have them fixed.
• Let the Sun Shine In! Open drapes and curtains and let buyers see how cheerful your home can be. Dark rooms are not appealing!
• Can You See The Light? Illumination is like a Welcome Sign. A prospective buyer will feel a glowing warmth when you turn on all your lights. Don’t forget to turn on the ceiling fans, too.
• What Do I Smell? Odors can be offensive to prospective buyers and may cost you the sale of your home. Be aware of pet and tobacco smells and combat them vigorously.

Remember, First Impressions Are Lasting. Will Your Home Be Remembered?

This article was submitted by Merri Harrison, GRI, ABR with Keller Williams Realty – Heritage Office.

Merri is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute & an Accredited Buyers Representative with Keller Williams Realty – Heritage office. You may contact Merri for a free, no-obligation listing consultation at 210-387-9332.

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When termites are topic of concern, not all companies are created equal. Pest control companies like every business, are as good as the employees that represent them. Every service industry has bad apples that bring down everyone. Things to be aware of when considering hiring a company to provide services are:

The following information is obtained from: Texas Department of Agriculture Structural Pest Control Service.

“If you suspect termites do not panic. Most types of termites do their destructive work slowly; your house will not collapse overnight. If your house has never been treated for termites by an exterminator, contact several local pest control companies and get estimates for termite control services. These companies can inspect your house to see exactly what types of pests are attacking your home. If you have termites swarming (flying around) in your house, the swarmers can be combated using a variety of over-the-counter pesticides designed for flying insects that are available to homeowners. Termites generally swarm once a year for a period of about (24) hours. Swarmers are reproductive forms of termites, and do no damage to wood. It is helpful to save several swarmers in a container for identification by your local pest control operator before treatment.”

“When bid is submitted prior to treating, pest control companies proposing treatment are required to give prospective customers termite treatment disclosure documents. Documents must include, but are not limited to, the following items: Diagram of structure or structures treated; Label for pesticide recommended or used, and proposed concentration of termiticide to be used; complete details of warranty provided; Definitions of types of treatment; and signature of approval of certified applicator or technician licensed in termite category employed by company making the proposal.

Note: At no time will a proposal be given on the back of a business card, all supporting documents must be given as described above prior to treatment.

If warranty does not include entire structure treated, areas included must be listed. Warranty information must also include: time period of warranty, renewal options and cost, obligations of pest control operator to retreat for termite infestations or repair termite damage caused by termite infestation during warranty period, and conditions that could develop as a result of the owner’s action or inaction that could void warranty.”

So just remember, if they try to cut corners by just throwing out a price without filling out necessary and LEGAL paperwork, how many other “shortcuts” might they take.

Hitman Pest Control locally owned & operated in the Spring Branch & San Antonio area.
Michael Holt a Spring Branch resident for over 22 years runs the Comal County office.
Mike is a Certified Applicator licensed in General Pest, Termite, Lawn & Ornamental categories.
For more information, call 830-228-4484/Comal, 210-637-1130/Bexar or visit www.hitmanpest.com

Here at BlueNova Computing we see the results of PC users’ most common mistakes. Well, now, you can benefit from their misfortune by reading about these common problems and also easy ways to avoid them yourself.

1. Misbehaved Programs

You’ve probably heard of spyware, also known as adware or malware. These programs are generally designed to run silently in the background and make money for some person or company somehow.

Some spyware simply tracks your surfing habits in order to sell for marketing purposes, while others pop-up ads, redirect you to different sites, install toolbars, change settings, and worse. Spyware often requires expert help to remove, and can even require a complete system re-install to resolve.

But where do these misbehaved programs come from? Spyware does not directly spread in the manner of a computer virus or worm. Spyware gets on your system either through security ‘holes’ in unsafe programs (see #2) or by hitching a ride with another program (like the old Trojan horse).

So do research before you download, and use common sense. If the program is designed to do something illegal or semi-legal (like P2P programs Kazaa, Limewire, Morpheus, etc.) don’t be surprised if they take some liberties with your PC along the way. Especially beware of free utilities and screensavers, which are also a major source of spyware.

However, some of our favorite programs are free (see our article: ‘Recommended Programs’). So the point is, make sure to check the source and exercise caution when downloading!

2. Unsafe Web Browser

Internet Explorer is the default browser on almost all new PCs. But be careful; Internet Explorer is a common point of entry for spyware. Even on a fully patched and clean install of Windows, some malicious websites can install unwanted software automatically, without your knowledge.

The solution is simple: just download and use a different web browser. We like Mozilla Firefox (free download), and Opera is also good (and free). You can visit all the same websites with Mozilla Firefox without having to worry about spyware. However, please note Firefox won’t remove spyware or in any way actively protect your PC; it is simply a safe way of viewing websites.

3. Backup Your Data

We deal with damaged PCs, hard drives, and data loss on a regular basis, and we notice that very few PC users, even business owners, make regular backups of their data. So what’s the best way backup your data?

There are many options. First, don’t rely on floppy disks; they are too delicate, slow, and only hold 1.4MB of data. CDRs are a popular choice, since they are inexpensive (about $0.25 each in bulk), most PCs have CD-writers, and you can backup 700MB at a time. Blank DVDs hold about 4500MB each. Some also use flash drives (usually 1024MB and up), or external USB hard drives (80,000MB and up). Small business owners may want to consider a more automated backup system, like using an extra hard drive along with reliable backup software (see our article: ‘Recommended Programs’).

4. Security Software

Most computer users know that they need some sort of antivirus protection. But if you visit the software store, you’ll encounter a vast array of ‘internet security products’ designed to protect you from spyware, hackers, pop-ups, junk mail, and so forth. Should you go for the extra protection?

No, you shouldn’t. The best way to avoid software problems is to keep things simple. Most security software is a bloated mess that accomplishes little more than slowing down your PC. Computer technicians regularly ‘fix’ computers by removing such software, which can conflict with other programs or cause other networking problems. Plus, the extra protection isn’t necessary. If you follow steps #1, 4, 6 and 10, you won’t have any problems from hackers, spyware, or pop-ups.

However, you should use some sort of anti-virus protection. Viruses can in rare cases attack your PC even if you are careful with software and updates. So search out a simple anti-virus product (see our recommended programs article for our picks) and make sure it stays up to date.

5. Surge Suppressor

Most PCs that are damaged by surges and lightning, by far, are hit through the TELEPHONE line, not the power cord. Most modern surge suppressers include phone line protection. Use it. And be sure it’s a decent brand, like APC or Belkin; we’ve seen many cheap ones that failed and allowed a computer to take damage.

6. Keeping Windows Updated

You need the latest security patches and service packs to avoid the latest exploits that hackers and viruses use to attack your PC. All window users should either turn on automatic updates or manually get them regularly.

Some users are paranoid about allowing Microsoft to send them updates, but in our experience they are safe and pose no risk.

7. Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printer ink, per ounce, is usually priced higher than gold. Really. So when you’re shopping for a printer, check those ink cartridge prices.

And be careful with very inexpensive inkjet printers. If you compare the cartridge price with the amount of ink in there, you’ll realize where they’re making money.

If you are a small business owner or you print in large volume, you really should be using a laser printer instead. Monochrome (black, greyscale) is fine. Remember to look past the higher price for the printer ($100+) and the toner cartridge ($60+), and instead look at the MUCH lower cost per-page (2500 pages and up on a single cart).

Also, laser printers last much longer, and are more easily repaired. And if you think you’ll miss color, see #8 below.

8. Printing Digital Photos

If you just read #7, you know that operating an inkjet printer can be expensive and time-consuming. It’s doubly so with printing photos (photo paper, ink costs, cleaning print heads, etc.). So consider bringing your memory card or CD to a place like Walgreens, CVS or Target where you can use a simple kiosk to select and print photos quickly.

Even better, import all of your photos into Picasa (see our article: ‘Recommended Programs’) where you can crop and enhance them. Then select your favorite photos and click the [Order Prints] button to select from a variety of online printing services to send them to. If you don’t mind waiting a few days to recieve them, getting prints this way is generally less expensive. Also, many of these services offer free prints to new customers.

9. E-mail Attachments

This is one of the biggest area of frustration for new PC users. The first mistake is usually trying to send a file that is too large.

What is too large? Well, consider the rate at which the other person will receive the file: On a dial-up connection, which some of your friends may still be using, they’ll be receiving the files at about 4 or 5kB per second. So if you send them a photo straight from your 3 megapixel camera for instance, at about 900kB it could take 3 to 4 minutes per photo to download. Ouch. So resize that photo first before you send it.

Also, it’s important to remember not to send someone a file that they can’t open. For instance if you use WordPerfect to create a document, but your friend uses Microsoft Word, they won’t be able to view it.

What can you do? Pick up PDF Creator (free) to create a document that anyone can view and print, or you could both switch to OpenOffice.org (also free) which supports many document types and can also export to PDF.

10. Protect Your PC From Other Humans

That’s right. Your friends and family can be one of the biggest threats to the health of your PC.

We see it all the time: Joe pays to have his PC cleaned and is told how to keep spyware out. Later, Bob comes over to check his e-mail, and then browses some ‘fun’ sites using Internet Explorer. Bob then decides to do you a favor and install some of his favorite free software. If you’ve read #1 and #4, you can imagine the state that Joe’s PC is in right now.

What practical steps can be taken, other than locking the computer away? Have them login with a limited, or ‘Guest’ account in Windows. You see, a limited account doesn’t allow users to install programs or to change system settings. You can visit the User Accounts section of the Control Panel in Windows in order to enable the Guest account or to change a user account to limited.

Using a limited account may not work out well for a family member, though. Working in a limited account environment can be frustrating in the long term, as some utilities and games may not function correctly. So instead of trying to install some kind of draconian security software, it may be best to just sit the family down and explain the dangers (and expenses) of unsafe computing to them.

Adam Neitzey can be contacted at 210-745-2711 or www.bncomputing.com to answer you computing questions.

Today it is more important than ever to be environmentally friendly or “greener” in all our activities. The pest control industry is also being driven to add alternative services to our integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Most professional pest control companies offer organic or botanical alternatives to conventional synthetic chemicals that have been used for many years.

Baiting strategies vs. contact pesticides is gaining in popularity and effectiveness for both ants and cockroaches. Several termite bait systems have proven effective for both above and below ground applications. By treating the wood with boric acid based products instead of the soil we can avoid water table problems when doing subterranean termite work. Rodent snap traps and multiple-catch traps are still around because they work; they have replaced rodenticides as the first line of defense in certain situations and are being combined with rodenticides in a one-two punch in other scenarios. Most of the new bait stations are designed to hold snap traps as well as bait blocks. Sticky traps are valuable tools for controlling and monitoring cockroaches and crawling arthropods. Pheromone traps work well as early warning monitors for most common pests.

Aromatic cedar mulch in landscaping helps repel ants and other insect pests away from structures and drive them where you want. Vegetation control reduces rodent, insect, birds and other animal harborage. Keeping rain gutters clean and installing leaf guards has been proven to prevent ants and other insects from breeding in gutters. Pouring mineral oil over water sources like unused toilet bowls which will keep the bowls from drying out thus preventing American cockroaches from entering structures through sewer lines. Screening windows, doors, tree holes, weep holes or chimney cap openings all do the same thing: Keep pests out. Sealants are still the primary means of reducing cockroach and other pests from entering structures. Bird netting works on the principle of building out shelter or harborage areas – a fundamental key in green pest management. Sometimes it can be simple as changing timing of automatic light timers by one hour later and one hour earlier to significantly reduce nuisance pest such as crickets.

Now do not get me wrong, chemical companies have made monumental strides to make their chemicals low-risk and even risk free in the hands of trained professional pest control operators. Without pesticides, antibiotics and fertilizers, our lives as humans would be definitely altered in a negative way. In some cases, pesticides are an offshoot of product development for the medical profession. In other cases, pesticides are first developed for agricultural use; with urban pest management uses being a bonus. There will always be applications that will warrant the use of chemical synthetics and other pesticides. In today’s health-conscious society, Organic Pest Control just makes sense, not only from a business’s standpoint, but also being the right thing to do for generations to come.

Hitman Pest Control locally owned & operated in the Spring Branch & San Antonio area.
Michael Holt a Spring Branch resident for over 22 years runs the Comal County office.
Mike is a Certified Applicator licensed in General Pest, Termite, Lawn & Ornamental categories.
For more information, call 830-228-4484/Comal, 210-637-1130/Bexar or visit www.hitmanpest.com

By: Michael Holt, Vice President, Hitman Pest Control, Inc.

Along with the falling temperatures comes the misconception that pest control is not needed during the winter months, nothing could be further from the truth! Your home during the colder months becomes a winter haven for a multitude of pests. Rodents (both rats and mice) along with larger animals, e.g. squirrels, possums, raccoons, feral cats, ring tailed cats, and yes even skunks have been known to make cozy little bungalows in attics and crawlspaces. We see a large increase in spider and ant problems in the fall and winter months also.

To prevent problems before they occur, it is a good idea to inspect the outside of your home or place of business and be on the lookout for any openings larger than a nickel. If you find any they should be stuffed with a stainless steel or brass wool product, make sure you don’t use ordinary steel wool for it will quickly rust and leave stains on your home and need to be replaced. Caulk any wire and pipe openings to prevent easy access for scorpions, centipedes, roaches, etc. For larger openings you can use ¼” galvanized hardware cloth fastened with either screws or staples. Screws are a more permanent fix and usually will last the life of the repair and are less likely to be pulled loose by a determined raccoon. Also look for routs of egress along wires or trees that would allow easy access to either the roof line or attic. Animals and insects alike have been known to use either of these to facilitate entry into structures.

A pest control service by a professional company like HITMAN PEST CONTROL is specifically suited to performing the inspections and providing the necessary remedies that are needed. The added bonus for keeping your pest control service regular is that when your service technician is performing your service they are always on the lookout for potential problems and providing the necessary solutions before they get out of hand. We are always looking for termites and the damage they can cause. Termites are an ever present threat to your home depending on area and building techniques. The typical home should be inspected at least twice a year! If you are on a regular service program, termites will not have enough time to cause significant damage before they are discovered. Also our regular service customers always enjoy significant discounts for any extra services needed.

So for now, get out there and inspect your home and caulk those holes and do your blocking, and for your sake, do not let your pest control lapse just because winter is coming. You will regret it when you have to pay another initial start up fee with another unknown pest control company because you were ashamed to call your regular guy who warned you about canceling service!

Develop a ten second introduction as well as a thirty second presentation. The introduction explains what you do and for whom.

For example; “I work with boutique retailers to help them increase their sales and profits.”

This introduction should encourage the other person to ask for more information. When they do, you recite your thirty second presentation.

“Bob Smith of High Profile Clothing wanted a program that would help his sales managers increase their sales. After working with them for six months we achieved a 21.5 percent increase in sales. Plus, sales of their premium line of ties have doubled in this time frame.”

As you can see, this gives an example of your work and the typical results you have help your clients achieve.