We will spend out time with family and friend in Metairie later today. I will stand with the United States and endure for she gave my family everything.

On the grill later today hamburgers, steaks and bake potatoes. For all the heroes who are standing watch this 4th HERE HERE and thank you.

For the rest of us, take a breath and Happy Birthday America!

Have a safe 4th of July.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

This afternoon my kitchen sink was not working properly. The water flow was extremely slow. This can occur when the faucet aerator is blocked. The fix is simple. Remove the aerator, clean with a toothbrush. Then soak the aerator in some vinegar.  Try this on all your faucets in your home.

When I'm looking at property I always check the under the sinks. Open the cabinet door and inspect the piping. The most current codes require PVC piping. Generally they will last a long time with minimal leakage.

Happy 4^th of July

In the greatness of the USA come the soldiers who make soldiers. The Drill Sergeants’; I ran across this video. It brought back some old but good memories. In these times of economy and war there are still people who care enough to give it all they can. GOD BLESS the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GOD BLESS ALL WHO ANSWER THE CALL HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

ArmyLIVE: Drill Sergeants from U.S. Army on Vimeo.

The First Tee

This post is a little different in the sense my thought this morning is giving to your community. Almost every Saturday for the last two years I have spent my time playing and coaching golf. We coach kids from the age of 7-18 years of age. The program is called The First Tee.

The volunteer coach help the participants learn the game of golf while learning great life skills. Each session includes a life skill topic as well as putting, chipping and driving exercises.

There are 10 life skills which are taught during a 10 week lessons. They include Responsibility, Honesty, Perverance, Judgment, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Courtesy, Respect, Confidence, and Respect.

The First Tee is not just about golf. We are producing our future leaders by using golf as a platform. There are 207 Chapters in 49 States. We have partnership with corporations such as Humana and Wal-Mart.

There are benefits for volunteers as well. Volunteers can see the kids grow in the game as well as play every Saturday.

If you like more information goes the First Tee website. If you're interested in donation just click here. Any donation benefits the participants directly.

As for me today, there is no session due to vacation. My son, an two volunteer Coach are meeting to play at Lost Keys in Florida.

2009 LSU
Baton Rouge, LA.

 

I would like to congratulate the LSU TIGERS BASEBALL team on their winning the 2009 World Series in Omaha Nebraska.  LSU routed the Texas Longhorns.

LSU the season record (56-17).

 

This afternoon at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge LA, there is a party. The party is LSU style. Today 4PM, the BOX ,complete with the 2009 Baseball's Champs a party will begin in Baton Rouge.

 

I will be in Baton Rouge this afternoon.

GO TIGERS!

 

Watering Your Lawn

Currently in Southeast Louisiana is currently in a heat wave. The last rain, I recall occurred about two weeks ago. It seems like my central air condition does not stop in the afternoon. One point I see ongoing is home owners watering their lawns during the hottest part of the day.

The heat wave we are currently has taken its toll on many fronts.  A reminder, don't forget about your gardens and lawns. I would recommend is not to water in the middle of the day. When you water in the mid part of the day, it is like cooking your plants and grass. I water early in the morning. I will water for about an hour starting at 5 AM. I then will water in the early evening around 7 PM.

Curb appeal is alive and well.

2009 Mid Year Tax Preparation

Now that we are entering the second half of the year, you may consider some tax planning strategy. I am planning on organizing all my receipts and closing packets. I have found preparing my paper work in this fashion speeds up my year end. This will also save you time for 2009 tax prep. So sit back and enjoy the LSU baseball championship and gets some not so fun work done.

At this point consider backing up you computer hard drive just to get it done.

 

GO TIGERS!

 

LSU to Win College World Series Tonight.

 

ESPN @ 6 PM Central

The LSU Tigers Baseball team will play in just a few hours for another National Championship. After extra innings last night, LSU came from behind to take the lead over Texas 1-0.

LSU 2009 Roster

It has been a great season, what better way to bring in the New Alex Box Stadium.

Face Book and Real Estate, How to get them to work

I received an ad today claiming Realtors who have had success in closing deals, something like 26 deals using Facebook. I have a Face book site and the only post I use it for is the connection from ActiveRain. I had only one offering which I could directly account for the buyer using Facebook.  My point for this is post is; how are you using Facebook to increase your business. I have heard of many having a space on FaceBook. I still don't see it.

Comments to help me understand would be appreciated.

Lot next door Program

 

Various programs were started to help in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. One such program is the Lot Next Door. The lot next door program is starting to take hold in parts of New Orleans. The lot next door is where current property owners can purchase the lot next door if it has been purchase by the Louisiana Recovery Administration (LRA). These lots were sold to the LRA due to damage incurred during Hurricane Katrina. The first offering is to neighbors who have rebuilt or in the process. The property is cleared of all storm damage property and sold to the neighbor next door.

This is all well and great but I see an issue that many have not thought thru. In Lakeview, it appears that the average lot is selling for about 15k. These sales at this price will drag down the price of surrounding property. I am not sure of how many of these properties are available but there must be 100's if not thousands in this one area. The property not sold to the neighbor next door will go to the City of New Orleans. These remaining lots would go on the open market. The sale price I would guess will even go down further. These lots just before Katrina were in such demand they would bring offers of 40k or more per lot if available.

That is great that we have this program, but I really feel our property values will take years to recover from that storm.

If you have a lot waiting to sell you need to evaluate the value.