PMZ Real Estate is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our real estate search application for the iPhone and iPod touch. This app represents a leap forward in real estate search allowing house hunters to search for homes when it's convenient for them. Our real estate search app is also perfect for the on-the-go real estate agent. The app is free for all! You can grab the app by clicking here (will open iTunes). You can also download the PMZ Real Estate Search app by tapping on the App Store icon on your iPhone or iPod touch and searching for "PMZ."

With the PMZ App, PMZ Real Estate brings you thousands of California listings straight to your iPhone or iPod touch.

The PMZ app can automatically find homes for sale, for rent, and open homes based on your location using GPS. If you want to find properties in other cities with defined criteria such as price, beds or baths, you can do that too! You can also save properties that you love and easily go back to them later from the home screen.

Featuring:

• Location aware home and rental searching
• Search by city, beds, baths and more
• For Sale, For Rent and Open House searches
• View ALL property photos
• Contact an agent right from property view
• View a map of the property location

PMZ currently offers property results for listings in Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Calaveras, Tuolumne and East Bay counties. Coming soon: All Northern California Homes for Sale!

Both Paul Harmon and Phil Levin, managers at PMZ Real Estate, have stressed to agents the need to be aware of any fine print pitfalls the banks (property holders/owners) have been including into the purchase contracts of bankowned properties.

Please be sure to review your contracts and agreements that you have between your buyers and the banks. An overview of this information with responsible scrutiny will help protect your client’s and yourself from being taken advantage of by any seemingly deceptive changes to contracts by the banks.

Consult with your brokers legal adviser if necessary.

Back when the market was smoking hot, sellers wanted their agents to hold open houses to bring in the buyers.

Well now the market is smoking hot again, but for different people. With the flood of foreclosures, the banks are the sellers and they are looking for buyers. We may not have the pressure from the banks to hold open houses, but to gain prospects, open houses are a great tool.

Even if you don’t have a listing to show as an open house, ask another agent if you can hold their listing open.

You’ll have a flood of potential buyers at your fingertips that you can match with other properties and prospect.

Have a simple information card that they fill out so that you can contact them later.

Try it a few times. You’ll be surprised at how many prospects you can gain.

Moving to a place down the block, to another city or another state can be stressful. In many ways, your pets can react to moving in the same way humans do. It is a stressful time for them too. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while moving yourself and your pet.

• Make sure your pet has a check-up with your vet and ask the veterinarian if they know of any diseases that your pet might be at risk for in the area you are moving to.
• Pack your pet's medical history.
• Pack your pet's toys, food dishes, blankets, etc in the same box for quick access.
• If you have a smaller animal that lives in a cage (like a snake, hamster or bird), keep it in there during the move, take out anything that might tumble around and injure your pet, and cover it with a blanket so they don't become overstimulated with new scenery.
• If you're traveling, never leave your pets alone in the car with your windows up.
• Don't wash your pets favorite blanket or pillow during a move. This allows them to have a familiar scent in their new home.
• Let your pet stretch and relax as soon as you can, and walk them around the property so they are familiar with their boundaries.

At PMZ Real Estate, our agents are anything but short of amazing. That's why I'm pleased to announce that Barbara Miller, at age 68, has been inducted into the USA Masters Track and Field Hall of Fame. Miller holds 8 of 10 US records for different track events. Congratulations Barbara and keep up the pace!

Think the housing market is bad here? Take a look at this picture: This is the entrance to someones home. A place where 6 people sleep, water is stored in used, chemical laden drums, and clothes are hung on the barbed wire to dry. Even the metal used to protect the home from looters (yes looters), vandals and the elements gets ripped off and sold for cash. Instead they use plastic garbage bags and wooden polls. This is the life of a Native-Mexican tribe in Ensenada, Mexico. They are outcasted by the people of their country and relegated to live in these sub-standard conditions. If you hit one of them while driving and kill them, you only receive a fine of $700 and then you're free to go. Matt Keenan, Recruiter here at PMZ Real Estate, went down to Ensenada, Mexico with his church to help rebuild a church. While he was down there he said he had a "life changing experience," and even picked up the language pretty well. He was able to help support this tribe by making sure they had a place to come together as a community and by donating rice and beans to the tribe which usually traps a rabbit in a tin bucket and shares between the ten of them. Matt and his church group were also able to bring hundreds of pairs of clothes to share with the indigenous people. If you are interested in finding out how you can help, contact Matt Keenan at (209) 557-6267.

Qualifying for the Beijing 2008 Olympics must be an amazing experience. Suzy Powell of Modesto has qualified with 2 other women for the 2008 Beijing Olympics discus throw event. This is her third Olympic qualification. Go for the Gold Suzy!

Some homeowners who can’t afford their mortgage payment, and find themselves in property foreclosure are not only walking away from their home, but they’re also walking away from their pets.

They’re called, “foreclosure pets” and when the owner walks away from the home they leave there pet behind. You’d think it would be as simple as taking the animal to the nearest pet shelter or finding the loved one a good home, but it’s more complicated then that.

Animals who get “left behind” are the personal property of their owners, and therefore cannot legally be taken from the property.

A woman named Cheryl Lang, president of REO management firm Integrated Mortgage Solutions, heard about the growing problem and started a non-profit organization called, No Paws Left Behind. She utilizes her network of contractors to feed and care for the abandoned pets until they can legally be taken from the home.

If you are a property owner who is about to be foreclosed upon and have no place to take your pet, or if you are interested in helping or donating, visit the No Paws Left Behind website at: http://www.NoPawsLeftBehind.org