Dec 11, 2014
No-one wants to get robbed on Christmas Eve, so easyfit garage doors created this infographic with a Dr. Seuss twist. With a series of useful home security tips written in rhyme paired with illustrations of The Grinch sneaking around an unsuspecting home, this infographic is both fun and useful.
The tips listed include the following.
Set a timer on your lights and install a motion detector for outside of your home.
Light timers are cheap, easy to set up and are available at most hardware stores. By having your lights on a timer it will appear that someone is home, deterring any potential ‘in the moment’ thefts.
Keeping the area around your home is one of the best ways to deter intruders. One of the most important things to do as a burglar, is to keep out of sight. If suddenly a bright light is shining on them, they’ll likely rethink breaking in to your home.
Don’t announce your plans via social media.
We announce everything on social media these days, but one thing burglars would love to know, is where and for how long you’ll be out of the house on your Christmas vacation.
Don’t leave a message on your answering machine telling callers that you’re out of town.
For the same reason you shouldn’t announce your plans on social media, you should also not announce it on your answering machine as it completely exposes you to thieves.
Involve friends or neighbors.
Tell your neighbors that you’ll be out of town. Ask them to remove any mail or newspapers that are left outside of your home, to keep an eye on your home while you’re gone, and leave them with a space key in case of emergencies.
Shut your blinds.
Don’t let potential thieves see your Christmas tree with all of the presents under it. It can be tempting to place the tree right in front of the window for the whole neighborhood to see, but that also makes it easy for potential thieves to know exactly where you’ll be placing your presents come Christmas eve.
Even if you don’t have a tree, it’s important to keep your blinds shut so that potential thieves can’t see any of your valuables. Often burglaries are a simple case of window shopping.
Don’t leave the boxes and wrappings of expensive gift items in your bin.
Leaving packaging from your expensive gifts laying around is like a billboard advertisement for robbers.
Dec 9, 2014
The holiday season is the season of giving, and one group that is known most for giving is the U.S Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. Toys for Tots collects toys from people all around the US and then hands them out to underprivileged families.
“The campaign goes from now till a week before Christmas, and we’re asking the public to go to either their local post office, fire department, police department where there is a box there and give one, brand new, unwrapped toy — or as many as they’d like to give — so they can all be put together and supplied to families that need it,” Butch Yamali said.
To find other Drop-Off locations in the Omaha / Council Bluffs area, head over to the local Toys For Tots page. On this page you’ll have the ability to make a donation, find any local events, and discover the nearest drop off locations. Help make this Christmas special to a child in need.
Dec 4, 2014
NAHB, 2014 – The Multifamily Production Index (MPI), released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reached 54 in the third quarter, four points below the previous quarter’s reading. This is the 11th consecutive quarter with a reading of 50 or above.
The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about current conditions in the apartment and condominium market on a scale of 0 to 100. The index and all of its components are scaled so that any number over 50 indicates that more respondents report conditions are improving than report conditions are getting worse.
The MPI provides a composite measure of three key elements of the multifamily housing market: construction of low-rent units, market-rate rental units and “for-sale” units, or condominiums. Although all three components fell from 2014 peaks in the second quarter, all remain at 50 or above. The MPI component tracking low-rent units dipped one point to 51, market-rate rental units fell four points to 64 and for-sale units dropped six points to 50.
“Despite the slight drop in the index, multifamily developers remain positive about where the market is headed,” said W. Dean Henry, CEO of Legacy Partners Residential in Foster City, Calif., and chairman of NAHB’s Multifamily Leadership Board. “Current growth in employment is strong enough to fuel demand for multifamily housing.”
The Multifamily Vacancy Index (MVI), which measures the multifamily housing industry’s perception of vacancies, rose three points to 41, with higher numbers indicating higher vacancies. After peaking at 70 in the second quarter of 2009, the MVI improved consistently through 2010 and has been fairly stable since 2011.
“We are seeing the MPI return to the mid-50s level where it has been for much of the past three years,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “The moderation in multifamily builder sentiment aligns with a leveling off in production at a historically high level sufficient to keep up with rental demand.”
Historically, the MPI and MVI have performed well as leading indicators of U.S. Census figures for multifamily starts and vacancy rates, providing information on likely movement in the Census figures one to three quarters in advance.
For data tables on the MPI and MVI, visit nahb.org/mms.
Dec 2, 2014
Did you know that every year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,500 people for injuries, such as falls, cuts, and shocks related to holiday lights, decorations, and Christmas trees? Or that Christmas trees are involved in about 300 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 30 injuries, and an average of more than $10 million in property loss and damage?
Don’t let these statistics scare you! Driving around the Omaha you’re sure to see dozens of gorgeous homes decorated with beautiful holiday lighting and there is no reason you should have to miss out simply because of the potential dangers. These dangers can be avoided by hiring a professional to decorate your home for the holidays.
Not only will you avoid the risks involved when putting up holiday decorations, you won’t have to take the time out of your day to put the decorations up, and you won’t have to find a place to store the decorations when the holidays are over. Your décor will always be new and you have the option of changing up your decorations every year!
Take a look at Neave Holiday Decorating’s Christmas decor infographic before decorating your home for the holidays. Here are 12 reasons you should hire a professional Christmas decorator this year.
Creative Decorating is a great professional holiday decoration agency that has been lighting up Omaha’s Christmas’ for over 30 years.
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