What is Real Estate

Writen by Mark Nash

One of the rights bundled in home ownership is quiet enjoyment. Maintaining a secure and safe home is an ongoing program to ensure your quiet enjoyment. Many times a break-in or fire occurs when a homeowner lapses in following some basic do's and don'ts. Here are some tips to help provide a safe and secure home for your family.

-Procure a home security and safety system, that sends an automatic alarm to your local police station. High-tech versions feature smoke alarms and window and door sensors. For as little as forty dollars a month you can have peace of mind.

-Check fire extinguishers yearly for proper charge. I do this at the same time I replace smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure your kitchen is equipped with the right extinguisher for grease and kitchen fires.

-Register you pets with the local fire department. Place stickers on entry doors alerting fireman to saves pets in your home, in case of fire.

-Keep landscaping pruned away from windows, obscured windows provide cover for burglars.

-Use low-voltage lighting to up-light exterior walls and doors at night. Install motion detector lighting on hidden doors and basement stairways.

-Have a neighbor pick up mail ,deliveries, and loose trash blowing around your yard. Stop newspapers while your away.

-Unplug automatic overhead garage door opens for added security. Lock fence gates too.

-Install and use diligently window and door locks. It's easy in the heat of summer to open windows, but it's an invitation for theft.

-Leave your day-to-day message on your answering machine, being gone should be seamless to those calling.

-Put lights around your home on staggered timers to make it look like your home when your away. Blinds and curtains should be opened in daylight and closed at night, have your neighbor open and close them.

Never open your front door to someone you don't know. Keep storm doors locked as a safety barrier.

-Develop a fire escape plan and practice it with your family every six months. The majority of fires occur at night, each person should have a flashlight in their nightstand.

-Have gas lines and hook-ups checked regularly for leaks to prevent explosions. Natural gas is odorless.

Mark Nash's fourth real estate book, "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home" (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, Associated Press,CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, Bottom Line Magazine, Business Week, CNN-TV, Fidelity Investor's Weekly, MarketWatch, HGTVpro.com, MSNBC.com, Smart Money Magazine,The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.