Safety when selling your home

You have enough to think about without worrying that your home isn’t safe, or that your things may be stolen. Open houses and showings mean strangers will be in your house. A few safeguards can lessen your worry:

Remove things that matter: Store jewelry, fine art or collectables with a friend or family member. If that’s not an option, find a place to hide valuables in your home or keep them with you in a suitcase and take it with when you leave. The same applies to personal papers with account numbers and/or social security information. And medicine cabinets are often a target.

Secure your home: Keep doors and windows locked. Prospective buyers will often open windows or doors. Some will even do that to return later to steal things. Others may even visit several times and bring an accomplice to distract the agent. So double-check doors and windows when returning after a showing.

Consider an alarm system: It may seem impractical to install a system when you’ll be moving, but it will not only deter burglars, but may also be a strong selling point.

Make it look like you’re home: If you’re aren’t currently living in the home, think about installing motion sensors or timers to automatically turn on lights.

Reach out to your neighbors: Ask them to keep an eye on your place. Introduce them to your agent so they know things are okay when the agent is on the premises.

By taking these extra precautions, you can feel safe and secure during a home sale.

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Automobile-related Rrisk Exposures - The Future is Here, Look Out

This Just In ...

A lot of people are looking forward to the day that driverless cars become available to the general public…particularly trial lawyers. A recent article in Bloomberg quoted attorney Kevin Dean, who said, “You’re going to get a whole host of new defendants.” He listed computer programmers, computer companies, designers of algorithms, Google, mapping companies, even states as possible defendants for future lawsuits. “It’s going to be very fertile ground for lawyers,” he said.

Auto insurers and auto parts makers are watching the development

of driverless cars, or autonomous vehicles, with anxiety. When the vehicles work as they are supposed to, they should reduce the incidence of crashes. That‘s bad news for them, good news for drivers. Driverless cars will also likely change the way auto insurance is priced and sold. With no drivers, who is covered? Many experts expect “pay per mile” coverage to become the norm.

Cheapest Days to Fly

Cheapest Days to Fly at Thanksgiving + Cheap Days for Non-U.S. Flyers

by Rick Seaney

We know Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday everywhere, so we’ve included tips on cheap days to fly for travelers outside the U.S. at the end.

If you haven’t booked your Thanksgiving flights yet do so now – but not until you read this. It will only take a moment and could save you hundreds of dollars.

Thanksgiving: Cheapest Days to Fly

There are no deals at Thanksgiving. There are only cheaper and more expensive days. Try to get flights on these dates.

Best departure dates (starting with the cheapest):

• Thursday, Nov. 26 (yes, Turkey Day)
• Monday, Nov. 23
• Tuesday, Nov. 24

Best return dates (starting with the cheapest)

• Tuesday, Dec. 1
• Monday, Nov. 30
• Saturday, Nov. 28

Thanksgiving: Most Expensive Days

These are the days to avoid.

• Wednesday, Nov. 25
• Sunday, Nov. 29

A Wednesday- Sunday itinerary is almost always the most expensive for one simple reason: everyone wants to fly then and popular days are expensive days.

Compromise Days for Thanksgiving

If you have to fly Wednesday or Sunday – and we know it may be the only way to get your college kid home – try to balance it out with one of the cheaper days. You may still reap half the savings and when it comes to Thanksgiving airfares, every penny counts.

Now go book your flights and here’s hoping you can book the  cheapest days to fly at Thanksgiving.

For Travelers Outside the U.S.

Europe: The off-season months of winter (typically late October through mid-March) are generally cheap, for flights within Europe and trans-Atlantic flights. There are two general exceptions:

• Flights around Christmas and New Year’s
• Flights to some warm-weather beach destinations

But there are exceptions to these exceptions! Which is why you should always compare airfare prices.

Australia, New Zealand: The prime season summer months (November into January) can be more expensive, especially around Christmas and New Year’s, but there are some exceptions and we’ve seen numerous deals to North America during this period (and flights within the U.S. are very cheap during this time).

How All Travelers can Find the Cheapest Flights

Set airfare alerts: Why not set several, for any/all destinations that interest you? It only takes a moment, on the FareCompare homepage.

 

Cheapest Days to Fly at Thanksgiving + Cheap Days for Non-U.S. Flyers

by Rick Seaney

We know Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday everywhere, so we’ve included tips on cheap days to fly for travelers outside the U.S. at the end.

If you haven’t booked your Thanksgiving flights yet do so now – but not until you read this. It will only take a moment and could save you hundreds of dollars.

Thanksgiving: Cheapest Days to Fly

There are no deals at Thanksgiving. There are only cheaper and more expensive days. Try to get flights on these dates.

Best departure dates (starting with the cheapest):

• Thursday, Nov. 26 (yes, Turkey Day)
• Monday, Nov. 23
• Tuesday, Nov. 24

Best return dates (starting with the cheapest)

• Tuesday, Dec. 1
• Monday, Nov. 30
• Saturday, Nov. 28

Thanksgiving: Most Expensive Days

These are the days to avoid.

• Wednesday, Nov. 25
• Sunday, Nov. 29

A Wednesday- Sunday itinerary is almost always the most expensive for one simple reason: everyone wants to fly then and popular days are expensive days.

Compromise Days for Thanksgiving

If you have to fly Wednesday or Sunday – and we know it may be the only way to get your college kid home – try to balance it out with one of the cheaper days. You may still reap half the savings and when it comes to Thanksgiving airfares, every penny counts.

Now go book your flights and here’s hoping you can book the  cheapest days to fly at Thanksgiving.

For Travelers Outside the U.S.

Europe: The off-season months of winter (typically late October through mid-March) are generally cheap, for flights within Europe and trans-Atlantic flights. There are two general exceptions:

• Flights around Christmas and New Year’s
• Flights to some warm-weather beach destinations

But there are exceptions to these exceptions! Which is why you should always compare airfare prices.

Australia, New Zealand: The prime season summer months (November into January) can be more expensive, especially around Christmas and New Year’s, but there are some exceptions and we’ve seen numerous deals to North America during this period (and flights within the U.S. are very cheap during this time).

How All Travelers can Find the Cheapest Flights

• Set airfare alerts: Why not set several, for any/all destinations that interest you? It only takes a moment, on the FareCompare homepage.

 

County Renters Being Hit With Wide Ranging Legislation for Renters . . .and Owners

Sent in by: Teresa Douglas, Mike Dill and Besa Schweitzer posted in Lemay Neighborhood Association.

IT'S NO JOKE! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING

Last night, concerned citizens of St Louis County pleaded with the County Council to NOT impose this monstrosity Landlord License bill upon the people. This is a bipartisan resistance.

I have come to the conclusion that this bill will allow the County to impose massive penalties on property owners. It sets up a process where the Director of Public Works can pick and choose who they target and there is no appeal process. This will allow the County to seize any property they want when these excessive fines cannot be paid. ($1,000 and/or 1 year in jail for each day of violation)

The agenda last night showed a vote for the original flawed Substitute #1 for Bill 204. Three to five minutes before the meeting started, Councilman O'Mara handed out Substitute #3 for Bill 204 for a vote in the meeting! There is no way anyone had the opportunity to read this new bill during the meeting.

When it was time to vote for final passage of Substitute Bill #1, O'Mara introduced Substitute Bill #3 for adoption. A verbal vote was taken and to me it sounded like the Nay vote was the loudest, however, Council Chairman Dolan pronounced "The Ayes have it". Councilman Erby requested a roll call vote. Visibly irritated, Dolan took the roll call. Just as we were warned, our own District 6 Councilman O'Leary flipped his vote to Aye.

THIS BILL WILL PASS IN TWO WEEKS, unless O'Leary decides to vote against it!!!!! He needs to hear what the people in his district want. Please contact his office at 314-615-0159 and tell him to Stand with the People and vote NO on Substitute bill #3 for Bill 204.

We had a new speaker during our public forum last night. The ACLU! Mustafa Abdullah was concerned about how this bill would affect minorities and the poor. He also learned about how it would target groups of people with no appeal process. He told me they normally deal with State issues, but this one is one that they could come at from so many different angles, he is going to have to study it to determine the best path to take.

I still need to evaluate Substitute #3 to determine what changes have been made. This is the 5th version of this law that O'Mara has presented in the past two years. None of the versions removed the terrible regulations the landlord license bill imposes. I don't anticipate any significant changes.

Read all about it in the local papers.

St. Louis County Land Scam????

St. Louis County Land Scam!!!!

I would like you to see what our county minions are up to with finding creative way of trying to bring in revenue but in turn costing it instead.

They are selling ONE FOOT (12 in) wide strips of land between peoples homes either back to the original owner or to third parties. They claim that somehow in 1973, the tax was not paid on this ONE FOOT (12in) wide parcel of land, even though it has been owned by my family since 1936...! They have admitted that it was a clerical error made in 1973*, yet insist that the homeowner pay for their mistake.

It has been admitted that this has happened all over the county and letters have gone out to those homeowners as well. BOTH neighbors, in the attempt to get at least one of them to PAY $27.00, to buy back their own property, OR their neighbors land out from under them.

Then they tried to sell our property to a THIRD PARTY for $100.00! When I asked WHO would buy it, I was told that it could be a developer but REFUSED to tell me who was trying to buy my land from beneath me.

* UPDATE: Since I sent this letter, along with invoice to Lyndie Lappas, Bob Burns, Kevin O'Leary and KMOV 4, the story has changed The mystery bidder has vanished and now the mistake took place somewhere between 1939 and 1954...?? They do not know when but they do know it was as result of a transfer of ownership of my neighbors property. However, both our property lines match up to the actual physical property????

The fact that the COUNTY is trying to capitalize on an error made by, whom they now claim is a title company 75 years ago is obsurred. As they have also stated that there are up to 40 homes in Lemay alone that have this issue.

At the $27 level, extrapolating this across the entire county could be conservatively upwards of over $100,000.00. At the $100.00 plan, the county would bring in over $350,000.00

As result, I am billing St. Louis County for 42 years of maintenance on a bi-weekly rate of $75 per occurrence, totalling $11,100.00

I am asking that anyone else that this has happened to, to come forward and contact me, as well as KMOV 4 NEWS.

Garrett C Mees  GMees1@live.com

September 15 at 12:01am

Property Maintenance Check List

Property Maintenance

As homes age, routine maintenance plays a vital role in maintaining property values. Neighborhood Preservation is responsible for inspecting existing housing for code violations and ensuring the violations are corrected. The Neighborhood Preservation inspection team is proactive in their pursuit of code violations.

 With a proactive approach, an inspector will discover code violations while he/she rigorously combs his/her designated area. Once a violation is discovered, a member of the team performs an inspection of the exterior of the house for Property Maintenance Code (paint peeling, house gutters not properly secured, loose or missing siding and roofing, litter in yards, etc). By correcting these code violations, neighborhoods can enjoy stability in their property value.

 You can partner with Saint Louis County by using this Property Maintenance Code Checklist to perform an inspection of your property. Early detection and correction of maintenance need eliminates costly repairs and neighborhood deterioration.

Click here to view the Property Maintenance Ordinance.

New Ideas for Home Secuity

Older & Wiser

The older we get the wiser we become. 

We've disconnected our home alarm system and quit our “candy-ass” Neighborhood Watch.

I bought two Pakistani flags on eBay and raised them in the front yard, one at each corner, plus I put a black flag of ISIS in the center.

Now, the local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, Secret Service and other agencies are all watching my house 24/7.

I've never felt safer and we're saving $49.95 a month.

Finally, "MY" tax dollars at work!

Car Thefts on the Rise in South County

An Oakville reader in 63129 informed us that cars are being ransacked in subdivisions in the area of Forder and RInger Rds.  Other neighbors have also reported their cars being ransacked as well.

Please remain vigilant, lock your car doors, lock your garages at night and be sure to watch out for any suspicious activity.

Housing for veterans proposed near VA Hospital

A housing developer is looking to buy land near the Jefferson Barracks Veterans Affairs Hospital from the Mehlville School District and partner with a nonprofit to build a 48-unit apartment complex to house low-income veterans and their families.

In partnership with the Missouri National Guard Foundation, representatives from North Star Housing LLC and Gardner Capital want to lease or buy land from the school district to open "The Commons at Jefferson Barracks." As proposed, the facility at Interstate 255 and Koch Road, directly across from the Veterans Affairs, or VA, Hospital, would be built with the help of state low-income housing grants for veterans' housing.

The building would also house a staff member from the Salvation Army to deliver needed services to the residents. The target population would be disabled National Guard veterans who have come home from multiple tours overseas and use the services at the VA Hospital across the street. As proposed, half of the units would be set aside for special-needs veterans.

Despite the millions of dollars in budget shortfalls the district faces, however, when the Board of Education discussed the apartment proposal Thursday night, some board members were not convinced the plan — or selling the property without shopping around for the highest bidder — is the best thing for Mehlville. District officials did not seek to sell the land, but were approached after North Star identified the property as its ideal location for the apartment building.

More information at: http://www.callnewspapers.com/Articles-Business-i-2015-05-06-277994.112112-Housing-for-veterans-proposed-near-VA-Hospital.html#222

Stink Bomb—Riot Control …

...but apparently it is for real, as the saying goes.

The article describes a new kind of non-lethal weapon. It is intended for use in handling civil unrest without putting people at risk of harm. 

The police have it in Ferguson, but they have not used it yet.

You do not want to get any of this sprayed on on you, or spill any in your house or car. 

And it sure could make life in a community downwind unpleasant....think about what it would do to your barbecue.

How would you like to be showing a house down-wind of a riot zone. 

http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2015/04/americas-police-will-fight-next-riot-these-stink-bombs/111430/

Future protestors in places like Baltimore could be met with a new and disgusting chemical weapon.