Real estate agents' dirty tricks revealed

THEY may seem like they chasing the best deal for home buyers and sellers but many real estate agents play property like Monopoly and love to cheat.

From preying on your grief to using cunning scare tactics to close a deal, real estate agents can be as cunning as the meanest in any commission-based business.  

While most agents act professionally, there are many ways agents charge an "idiots tax" on those who don't know what they are doing.

Potential buyers are usually canny enough to recognise that "cosy" is shorthand for "tiny", that "close to public transport" actually means beside the train line and that "bathroom with views" may mean the toilet is outside the back door.

But its home sellers rather than buyers who are more likely fall prey to real estate agents dubious tricks, experts says.

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Disillusioned former estate agent Pav Sheen has blown the whistle on underhand tricks of the trade.

Mr Sheen was so outraged by what went on behind the scenes that he dished up the dirt in his book Tips, Tricks And Traps.

He initially intended it as advice for relatives who were buying a house but what began as a series of pointers soon grew to more than 100 pages.

During his time as an estate agent, Mr Sheen says he witnessed dozens of dubious tactics, including colleagues undervaluing properties to sell them to each other at a lower price.

Other tricks included arranging two viewings at the same time and, after one potential buyer had left, getting the office to call pretending to be that buyer putting in an offer.

He also warns that some agents are quick to betray the confidence of a vendor.

If the home seller is ill, going through a divorce or has financial problems, agents often pass this sensitive information on to buyers.

He says some real estate trainer openly boasts that they "love divorces" and encourage other agents to exploit a vendor's emotional trauma.

Buyers beware

When it comes to purchasing, the most vulnerable people are buyers at the lower end of the market because they're really in the hands of the estate agent.

Former real estate agent Neil Jenman offers advice to avoid being duped in his booklet The 13 Worst Mistakes Made by Home-Buyers  (available www.jenman.com.au)

He says one of the common tricks an agent uses is underquoting the price of a house.

You know how it works, you ask the agent what the ballpark is for the property to sell at auction and they quote you a figure. You spend money getting inspections and legal work done, only to turn up at the auction and find the house goes for a much higher price.

“One of the most unethical tricks in real estate is advertising a home a price well below its real price,” says Mr Jenman says.

“Advertisements which say "price range" or "offers above" or "bidding to start from’ are usually misleading.”

The key to avoiding this one (and many others) is to do your own research. Get to know the market well, go to auctions, visit properties, get a feel for what people are paying properties such as the one in which you’re interested. That way, if an agent quotes you a price that sounds too good to be true, you’ll will know that it probably s.

Mr Jenman also recommends ensuring any building inspections or legal advice that you obtain on a potential property are independent.

“Be careful about using anyone recommended by the agent,” he says.

“Some agents receive kickbacks from advisors that they recommend.”

10 ways agents cheat

1. Gazumping. When a deal has been agreed to, some agents still show people around the property hoping for a better offer.

2. Value a property at a low price - and then sell it to a friend or colleague.

3. Use scare tactics such as pretending to receive offers to get people to make a higher offer.

4. Neglect to pass on all offers to vendor in hope of achieving a higher one later on.

5. Revealing a vendor's confidentail information to buyers

6. Overvaluing houses to secure business from sellers.

7. Dummy bidding - enlist friends to cast fake bids that push prices up.

8. Make up a very low offer. This shocks the seller into accepting a genuine offer which is far lower than the original valuation.

9. Fake evidence that other properties in the area have sold for an overly high price.

10. Erect for sale/sold signs at homes the agent had nothing to do with to give a false impression.

Holiday Cookie Baking and Decorating Tips for Parents

I had the chance this weekend to attend the “Cookie Baking and Decorating with Young Chefs Academy” class, part of the New York City Wine and Food Festival. While I thought the festival was geared more toward adults, I was surprised to learn that there was a wonderful assortment of classes for kids and their parents.  (They even had a sushi class for kids.)

Chefs Karen and Chris Chesleigh of  the Young Chefs Academy gave parents and children tips on how to make Halloween sugar cookies at home, and even included a few science facts along the way.

Here are some of their tips and tricks to make at-home cookie baking a success. (And not a mess.)

   1. Set up your “Mise En Place”:  This is a French word that means “everything in its place.”  In other words, measure out your ingredients separately before starting the recipe.
   2. Incorporate Science:  Mix together your liquid ingredients first.  Discuss with your child the different scientific properties of the ingredients.  What does butter do when heated?  Melt. What does sugar do when mixed with water? Dissolve.
   3. Measurements:  What does a dry measuring cup look like?  What does a liquid measuring cup look like?  How do you level the flour when measuring?  What is bigger, a teaspoon or tablespoon?  These discussions with your kids are a sneaky way to get in a science lesson outside the classroom.
   4. Food Safety:  Proper food safety is another important lesson to teach your kids.  Wear gloves when cracking eggs, and wash hands before touching the dough.  Also, as difficult as this one is, don’t eat the cookie dough.  Eggs can contain salmonella that might be present in raw cookie dough.
   5. “Rock and roll” your Dough:  Place your cookie dough on a piece of aluminum foil and loosely cover with plastic wrap. With hands on the center of the rolling pin, press down, and then slowly “rock” the dough out, and then “roll” it back in.
   6. Decorate: After cookies are baked and cooled, outline them first with icing, and then fill them in.  The easiest way to use the icing is to put it in a squeeze bottle to avoid a mess.  Decorate the cookies with sprinkles.  This is the time to be creative.

Halloween Trick or Treat Information from the City of Evanston

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued safe tips for Trick or Treating this Halloween. Below are tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for trick-or-treaters and party guests.

Going trick-or-treating?

    * Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
    * Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
    * Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
    * Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
    * Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
    * Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
    * Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
    * Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
    * Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
    * Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
    * Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
    * Enter homes only if you're with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside.
    * Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Expecting trick-or-treaters or party guests?

    * Provide healthier treats for trick-or-treaters, such as individual packs of raisins, trail mix, or pretzels. For party guests, offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.
    * Use party games and trick-or-treat time as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.
    * Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of obstacles that could result in falls.
    * Keep candle-lit jack-o’-lanterns and luminaries away from doorsteps, walkways, landings, and curtains. Place them on sturdy tables, keep them out of the reach of pets and small children, and never leave them unattended.
    * Remind drivers to watch out for trick-or-treaters and to drive safely.
    * Follow these tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for everyone!

Halloween Decorating Tips

Some of her Halloween decorating tips include:

--  Mummify chairs across your home. Using tea bags and warm water, stain
            several rolls of white gauze to make it look like they've been buried
            underground for years. Simply wrap the chairs with the gauze and
            secure it in place using poster strips.
--  Create inexpensive Halloween table centerpieces by stacking scary old
            books, such as The Alfred Hitchcock Collection, "Frankenstein" and
            "Dracula," on tables and benches in the home. Add a few candles on top
            of the stack to help add height and dimension.
--  Give house guests goosebumps by creating giant cobwebs on walls and
            over furniture to make the house look like it was abandoned years ago.
            Stretch out thin layers of cotton and secure it place using mini
            hooks. Then add spiders, bats and other creepy crawlers as finishing
            touches
--  Create eerie lighting throughout the home. Simply cut Halloween
            shapes, such as cats and bats, out of black construction paper. Then
            adhere them to the inside of an inexpensive lampshade using poster
            strips. When the lamp is turned on, spooky shadows will illuminate the
            room.
 --  Create a costume for your refrigerator by showcasing Halloween photos,
            greeting cards and party invitations using picture clips.
       

Tips to keep your children safe this Halloween

PHOENIX - Tragic accidents happen every Halloween, so to combat that The Prescott Valley Police Department has put together a simple list of tips that will help keep your child safe while trick-or-treating this year.

    * Make sure the costume allows the child to have good visibility so they can be aware of their surroundings.
    * Check the flammability of the costume before you purchase it including any material you buy if you plan to make the costume.
    * Be careful with children and their costumes around fire or other heat sources.
    * Do not allow children to carry real weapons. If props are necessary, make sure the items such as a sword, knife or a pitchfork have smooth tips and are flexible enough to not cause injury.
    * Use caution when carrying any fake firearms because today's plastic guns are realistic in their appearance and can be easily mistaken for a real weapon. Do not point them at anyone.
    * A costume should be highly visible at night.
    * Consider purchasing extra batteries for light sources that will be used for outside Halloween activities. This includes fully charging flashlights.
    * Consider using LED lights and glow sticks in pumpkins and other similar devices instead of candles.
    * Consider alternative activities to trick-or-treating.

tips for making your own haunted house

It's a cold October night. You're heading around a corner in a dark house. The flashlight grows fainter with every step you take.

Then, when you least expect it, a maniac wearing a butcher's apron and wielding -- GASP! -- a chain saw springs forth. Thankfully, he pulls it back just in time.

You find it hard to keep your legs from giving way.

Many people find themselves in such a state in the middle of October when the region is full of haunted houses, corn mazes and other spooky attractions.

But wouldn't it be frightfully fun to scare the daylights out of people at home this Halloween?

Experts around town offer some tips and tricks to turn your home from a nice slice of Americana to a scene that is typically reserved for nightmares.

"One of the simplest tricks is to tell someone to look one way and you have 'Boo!' come from the other way," said Guy Lombardozzi, chief of the Wesleyville Hose Co. and the man behind the Halls of Fear. "Distraction and your atmosphere are key to scaring people.

"Find a good, dark room, put on some creepy Halloween music, line the wall with black trash bags, confuse their senses with a strobe light and unleash whatever you may have planned. Simple tricks that play on people's psyches and senses are what really scare them."

Dion Blasco, firefighter and director of Belle Valley's ever-growing Valley of the Ghouls, looks to some classic horror movies for inspiration.

"We mix it up every year," Blasco said. "The theme this year is 'Friday the 13th.'" The Valley of the Ghouls display includes a small-scale version of Crystal Lake. There's also a covered bridge, a maze and trailers set up with spooky scenes.

Blasco said it's important to keep things fresh by changing the layouts every year and trying new themes.

Some of Blasco's suggestions for making your own haunted house include having a little maze with someone waiting to jump out of the corner. He said you could build a coffin, and have a person waiting to pop out of it the moment someone walks by.

Blasco also suggests taking the chain off a chain saw and revving it up. Just be sure to have plenty of ventilation to scatter the fumes.

Parts of the Valley of the Ghouls are controlled by crews of volunteers, which encourages them to put their own fiendish spin on things.

"The guys down here are divided up into crews and each one is responsible for their own area," Blasco said. "If they want something a little different, they have to build it. We have props they go through as they see what they need. If they want a cage, we have wood and plastic piping to build a cage. "

Don't be frightened at the potential cost -- it's easier and less expensive than you might think. In these tight economic times, Lombardozzi said a dollar store is a great resource for people who want to assemble a haunted house on a budget.

"You can put a great one together for less than $50," Lombardozzi said. "Places like Dollar Tree have great deals on all the essentials, like strobe lights, spider webs and masks and costumes you can incorporate into your theme."

If cash is not a concern, Blasco said the local Spirit Halloween stores are a great option. "But if you have the imagination, putting everything together yourself is a great way to go."

If you plan to open your haunted house to the public and charge a fee, Lombardozzi and Blasco said there are rules and guidelines that must be met to ensure the safety of the patrons.

10 tips for hunting antiques

1 Do your homework
Not just on the internet, but read books, too. Before setting out on a buying trip, decide upon a style of antique that (a) you like and (b) you can afford.

2 .but not too much
If you’re learning about different art styles and movements, stick to one at a time. Visit the Victoria & Albert Museum, and do Art Deco one day and Art Nouveau another.

3 Be suspicious of codes
Some dealers don’t put a price label on their antiques, they put a numbered code instead. When asked the price, the assistant looks in the code book and sees another figure. This is what the dealer paid for it, but also expressed in code, so you, the buyer can’t see. The suspicion is that they vary the price according to who you are.

4 Turn left
 When you’re visiting an antiques fair, turn left once you’ve passed through the entrance. Everyone else will turn right, which means you can get to the bargains before them.

5 Get protection
If you’re visiting an event organised by BADA (British Antique Dealers Association; www.bada.org) or LAPADA (London and Provincial Antique Dealers Association; www.lapada.org), you can be sure that the antiques on sale have to be what their sales tickets say they are. If they aren’t, you’ve got comeback. BADA and LAPADA are useful sources for information on fairs, exhibitions and events.

6 Appreciate the advantages of Art Deco
Not only a very recognisable look, but at the same time very diverse. Styles range from simple to highly decorated, from geometric to Tutankhamun. So you have more scope than with most other art movements.

7 Give Chinese a miss
Kept in the cultural dark for decades during Mao’s reign, China’s newly-created billionaires are making up for lost time and buying up whole museums’ worth of precious artefacts. Thereby pushing up prices to eye-watering levels. Best to leave the field to them for the moment.

8 Bide your time
If you’re at an antiques fair, and have been unable to beat the dealer down earlier in the day, pay a return visit at the end. They may be more inclined to accept your offer, rather than having to pack the piece up and take it home.

9 Go for quality
Take, for example, the ball-and-claw foot of a chair, or table leg. Don’t just go for a claw that clasps the ball tightly. And don’t just go for a claw which is raised above the ball. Go for the claw which is both raised above the ball and showing raised sinews, i.e. the best example of its kind.

10 Pick off stragglers
Dealers always like to sell chairs in sets of four, six, or eight. And they charge a premium for supplying the whole set. Individual chairs, though, go for much lower prices, and if you carry around a reference photo of the chairs you want, you may be able to build up a cut-price collection, chair by chair.

Handy Tips and Tricks for Your Baby’s Skin Care

Making sure your child’s skin stays clean and healthy takes more than simply bathing and applying lotion once a day. You need to make sure that all of your baby’s skin stays clean and healthy. This means that you need to take very good care of your son or daughter’s laundry, limit exposure to the sun and treat any potential skin conditions as soon as they develop. Baby skin is not nearly as tough as a grown-up’s skin. Your baby needs you to help him make sure that skin conditions don’t take hold anywhere on his body. You will be happy to learn that there is not a lot to keeping your baby’s skin clean. You should be able to put together a quality routine early on in your baby’s life. These tips should help you.

You don’t need to use powder when you change your baby’s diaper. Most parents choose to use powder because it will soak up moisture inside of the diaper and keep the baby dry.

Use a gentle detergent on your baby’s clothes–do not use the detergent you use on your own. Your laundry detergent is going to be far too harsh to use on your new baby’s clothing. Laundry soap used on adult clothing often leaves behind a residue that will cause irritation–and roughen up the baby’s clothing in the process. To avoid laundry induced skin issues use a gentle soap–it will keep your baby’s clothes soft and rarely leaves behind any residue.

Use a gentle detergent on your baby’s clothing and bedding–do not simply throw the baby’s stuff in with your own when you do laundry. The detergent you use on your own clothing is usually too harsh and irritating to use on a baby’s clothing. Baby clothes are softer than adult clothing and regular laundry detergent can strip them of their softness. Washing your baby’s clothing in a gentle detergent keeps the clothing soft and (mostly) residue free, which can help you avoid skin irritations that are caused by clothing problems.

There are a lot of options to help you protect your baby’s skin and keep it healthy. Don’t forget that good skin care should start early in life so you should make sure that you develop a regular skin care routine as soon as possible.

Don’t forget to care for your baby’s whole body when you are putting together a baby skin care routine.