Tips for When You Encounter Black Ice While Driving

RISMEDIA, Jan. 1, 2009-(MCT)-What makes black ice so dangerous is that it’s much harder to detect in advance than thicker, milky-looking ice sheets; black ice is moisture that has frozen clear. A thin layer of it doesn’t produce obvious discoloration and may await you on a road that looks essentially dry.

Black ice thrives in areas where there isn’t much direct sunlight, like tree-lined residential roads or tunnels. Bridges, overpasses and the roadway beneath overpasses are also notoriously treacherous. If pavement looks a little darker or more reflective than usual, you may be in for some black ice ahead.

If you encounter black ice on a roadway, resist that strong reflexive desire to act fast to regain control. The best general rule: do nothing. If you’re currently braking when you hit the ice, stop braking; if you’re accelerating, lift your foot completely; keep your steering wheel fixed in its current position. Never brake or press the gas when you’re on black ice. Instead, try to coast over it in your desired direction, because patches typically don’t stretch longer than 20 feet.

When dealing with the “Mature Mover”, it helps to have an understanding of the various options available to them. Fortunately, the range of senior care options continues to expand to better meet the care and financial needs of the individuals.

Independent Living: Independent living is for people who can take care of themselves and includes residing in one’s own home or apartment, a retirement community, or independent living apartments.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities or Life Care Communities: These communities are planned and operated to provide a continuum of care from independent living through skilled nursing. The facilities allow individuals to live within the same community as their needs progress through the spectrum of care.

Congregate Care: Congregate Care is similar to independent living, but features a community environment, with one or more meals per day prepared and served in a community dining room. Many other services and amenities may be provided such as transportation, pools, convenience store, bank, barber/beauty shop, resident laundry, housekeeping, and security.

Agents, have you noticed an increase in calls since the New Year? Studies show that winter prospects are more serious buyers. One of the highest percentages of "listing sold" to "listings taken" occur during this time of year.

Sellers, you may receive more money for your home now because you have less competition. Most people wait until the spring to list their home. By listing now, you will not be just another house on the market; you will be a home for a new family shortly. January is traditionally the biggest transfer month and you must be on the market to capture that market. You may have fewer actual showings, but more qualified and motivated prospects. Isn’t that great news?

Sellers, with waterfront property, now is your time to list! People searching for the perfect summer home are out there searching right now so that they can be all settled in by spring time. It is time to list! Make the call!

Buyers, you have more time to look at homes this time of the year, especially during vacations. You can take your time and have the pick of the crop. Make the buying process an enjoyable one. Surely you have heard that the interest rates on fixed-30 year mortgages is at an all time low! Take advantage of the best time to buy a home and start looking now. You will be surprised.

Recipe Of The Month Mexican-Style Lime & Cilantro Whole Chicken from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook A quick and easy way to serve dinner with rice and beans, or use for soft tacos. Slow Cooker: medium or large oval Setting: LOW for 6 - 7 hours Serves: 4 - 6 One 3-4 lb whole chicken 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper Juice of one small lime 1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1. Wash and dry chicken. Cut off any lumps of fat. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Place in the cooker, breast side up. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the chicken and put the rind, cilantro sprigs and garlic into the cavity. Cover and cook until the thermometer in thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees. 2. Transfer to a platter, when cool enough to handle, remove skin and cut or shred the meat & serve. Thanks to Chef-Suzanne Di Stefano

You spent your life savings paying for your home and used your rainy day fund to pay the moving company. Trying to figure out how you can afford a few furnishings? Luckily, interior decorating isn't just for those who have the money to pay professionals. In fact, really good home décor - getting your home to reflect your personality - is in some ways easier to do when you do it on the cheap. When your financial resources are limited you have to make up for it with creativity: use your own, inexpensive interior decorating ideas and combine them with some used furniture and discount paint to make the space come alive.

Don't be hesitant if you don't know where to start. Before you begin decorating your home it's best to ask yourself a few important questions. Do you plan to be in the home over the long term, or is it just a starter home? What furnishings can't you live without? What home décor ideas have you seen elsewhere and might like to adapt to your home? The answers you come up with should guide your interior decorating ideas.

Once you've got your home décor ideas all lined up, it's time to pull together the materials. Since you can't afford Pottery Barn, or even Pier 1, you'll have to find inexpensive, unique furnishings and discount furniture somewhere else. Check out the following tips to find out where to shop:

Affirmation: Every day there are 60,000 thoughts running through our minds. The good news is that most of them are unconscious or we'd go crazy! The bad news is that most of them are the same thoughts we had yesterday, last week, three months ago or even 30 years ago! Additionally, they are too often negative, put-downs of ourselves or those around us. As we see a new president moving into office this month, let us all affirm our good fortune to live in a free country. Let us join together in support of our new leader and will our country, and the world, to be a place of peace and prosperity. -Bruce Needhammer

Store Your Stuff Right: Self-Storage Tips

Moving and storage are two sides of the same coin. Chances are if you’re moving, you have to put some of your stuff in storage. And unless you’re paying the moving company extra to use their storage building, chances are you’re going to have to rent a self-storage unit.

You know the ones: those boxy, mini-warehouse buildings that line the sides of highways from Phoenix to Philadelphia. Renting storage units seems like a pretty open and shut job: you open the door to your self-storage unit, you shove your stuff in, you shut the door. But public storage isn’t quite that simple. Even though it’s just sitting there, there’s a lot that could happen to your stuff in self-storage. It’s important that you pick the right self-storage facility and once you do, it’s even more important you pack your storage unit correctly.

Buying a new home in itself can sometimes be very stressful. You have a list of things you need to get done before you can start unpacking. You make one final check to insure your mortgage is in place. You count your money to make sure it’s all there for closing and double check every room, every closet and every cabinet searching to find anything that you may have missed. The one thing that most people forget is to get the utilities turned on? You say to yourself, Oh no!!! I’m moving next week and I won’t be able to see what I’m doing after 4:00! Well have no fear…CENTURY 21 At The Shore Realty is here!!! We have provided you with a list of companies in the area that will be able to help you.

First Energy (Formerly GPU): Toll Free: 800.646.0400
New Jersey Natural Gas: Toll Free: 800.221.0051 or 732-938-7977

OR…You can choose to make one phone call to change not only gas and electric but also phone and cable. The phone number for One Call: 866.244.5508