Ice and Snow Bring Insurance Claims.

What You Can do to Avoid Paying Insurance Deductibles.

Warm up first. When you have ice or snow on your car, scrape off all the ice from your car windows. Your windows are not just a port-hole to peek from. You need to be able to see out your side windows for blind spots. It's cold out there so men, earn some extra points and take care of the ladies.

Don't forget the windshield wipers; make sure they are free of ice and snow. Don’t forget the headlamps and tail lights either. Other drivers need to see you coming and going and need to see if you’re turning, or braking.

Ice on your hood could cost you! Ice on the hood or roof of your car that flies off and hits another vehicle or person while you are driving is your liability. On a more selfish note if you don't scrape it off and it starts to break free or melt it may just slide off and dent your own car or crack your own windshield. That is never a good thing.

Brush off your hood. When you leave the snow piled on the hood of your car and you start driving it is going to blow up onto your clean windshield which, of course, is warm from your defroster and will freeze on your windshield wipers- making it very hard to see through the little streaks that are left. So, go ahead and brush off the hood of your car. You’re already cold. Just a couple more minutes and you'll be on your way.

Be careful where you park. After the freezing rain leaves it's beauty marks on trees and power lines and starts to melt it may come crashing down onto your car. You may be fine when you go into work early in the morning when everything is still very cold. Oh but when you come out after the ice has slide off the roof, or drop off the tree, or power line. You may have a nice dent - or worse on your car. A little planning could save you a lot of money stress and maybe a few bad words.

Jerry Szeszulski is an insurance expert heard on The Future of Real Estate on News/Talk 740 KRMG in Tulsa Oklahoma. Jerry offers money saving expertise for homeowners to apply to their homeowner's policies. Email your insurance questions to: Jerry.Szeszulski@american-national.com

Chicago
October, 2006

Tulsa was represented at the annual Luxury Real Estate Conference held this year in Chicago, Illinois, by Tulsa real estate broker, Darryl Baskin of McGraw REALTORS. The Annual Luxury Real Estate Conference focuses on the latest developments in luxury real estate across the globe. In addition to the United States, other representatives attended from Canada, Greece, the Bahamas and Thailand.

The story seemed repetitive, Baskin says, “There has been a noticeable slowdown among luxury real estate brokers in most parts of the country. This is much of what we hear in Tulsa when national news reports ‘the real estate bubble’ and a ‘slowdown in housing’. It is refreshing to report Tulsa’s status as solid, consistent and less affected by national trends. While we don’t experience the incredible appreciation, we are generally not affected by the sudden downturns and significant depreciations seen across other parts of the country, “Baskin adds.

While in Chicago, Baskin previewed the newest development from The Ritz Carlton Residences which will feature properties expected to sell above $1,000 per square foot and other luxury properties in downtown Chicago. New York City property values have hit as high as $4,000 per square foot for luxury penthouses, according to Frederick Peters of Warburg Realty. Tulsa’s highest prices per square foot top out at $400.

Representing an affordable luxury market in Tulsa, is a relatively easy task when you can report to your national peers that similar properties in Tulsa can be purchased for less than half the price of competing markets. When asked about missing the ocean, mountains and ski slopes, Baskin remarked “Green Country offers some fantastic settings. Besides, for the amount of money Tulsan’s save in housing, they can afford to travel anywhere in the world, several times a year, or like many Tulsan’s, own second homes in a place of their choosing. That’s the kind of luxury you don’t tire of.”

For additional information, contact Darryl Baskin at 918-740-0077

Where is the market?

As reported by my daughter, Madalyn, in her television debut on The Future of Real Estate, statistics for the Tulsa, Oklahoma Metropolitan real estate market through November of 2006 for residential single family homes shows an increase of 747 listings for the year. Sales also increased by 489 over the same period. Sales increased 3.6% over 2005 while listings increased 3% over 2005. The fact that sales increased more than the increase in listings is a positive direction for our market and a sign of stability.