The Home Connection

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Preventing fires in homes and apartment building might just start in residents' kitchens. Since hot oven ranges and so many other household electrical appliances belong in the kitchen, it's not surprising that fires typically start in kitchens. To prevent an accidental fire, please take the following precautions for kitchen fire safety.

• Unplug kitchen appliances, such as coffee makers, toaster ovens, mixers, and can openers. They're a fire hazard if they remain plugged in while they're not in use. Appliances also continue to use electricity, even when they're not turned on. To save on your power bill and prevent sparks from unnoticed damage to cords and outlets, unplug appliances when not in use.

• Keep appliance cords away from the stove top, toaster oven and other hot surfaces. Heat is a common cause of damage to cords, and damaged cords cause fires.

• Check electrical cords frequently for damage, and don't use appliances with damaged cords. If you notice damage to the cord but must use the appliance, at least wrap the damaged cord with electrical tape until you can get a replacement.

• Never forget to turn off the stove burners and oven after you've finished. Remembering to turn off the stove, especially during a busy holiday, can be easier said than done. At least be in the habit to never set tableware and serving dishes on the range in case you accidentally forget to turn it off. Plastic can melt on the range. Besides damaging the stove's heating elements, melted plastic can catch fire. Even more dangerous than plastic, ceramic left on a hot range will explode.

• Don't wear loose fitting clothing while you cook. Bath robes, gauzy frocks, and baggy sweaters could ignite if you they got caught in the waffle iron.

• Don't overload outlets, and make sure you use proper fuses in your home.

Of course, each kitchen should be equipped with a fire extinguisher, and children should be well versed in putting out minor kitchen fires.

Foreclosed homes provide the best deals in real estate today, but they can also be the biggest money pits on the market. Although foreclosure properties generally sell for 15 to 20% less than the market value, houses at auction are also sold as-is, and buyers don't get a complementary tour of the inside of the home before purchase. The houses are often left trashed and stripped of anything inside that could be sold, even to the copper piping. There might also be liens against the property that carry over to the new owner. So, investing in foreclosures can be a gamble. If you've ever attended a public auction, you'll know also how difficult it is to secure a good deal in a desirable neighborhood beside cash bidders and other aggressive buyers.

Given the abundance of foreclosures created by the housing market crash and underemployment in America, their are currently hundreds of thousands of foreclosure listings, with even more to come in 2010. Becoming involved in foreclosed home purchases, therefore, requires a lot of time, research, discernment, and avid, hard work. If you're willing to do the homework and make educated wagers, however, you can find great properties at an impressive discount. Not everyone has a bad experience buying foreclosed and preforeclosure properties; in fact, they comprise 37% of home sales in the last half of the quarter.

Purchasing pre-foreclosed homes through short sales is a less risky venture that also yields great savings. Short sales are houses that the bank agrees to sell for less than the balance of the existing loan against the property. Because it's a sale through the bank, they usually clear any liens and title issues before offering the property for purchase. Also, short sales are done through a real estate agent who will help you through the short sale process. Short sales still take homework, though. Check out listings on bank websites. Big names in foreclosures include Bank of America and Wells Fargo. When you find a property you like, contact the listing agent on the ad to make a date to see the property. Another plus to buying homes in preforeclosure: potential buyers can make their purchase contingent on a home inspection. Potential buyers could be waiting for a while, however. The downside to short sales is that good listings receive dozens of offers and it will likely be months before you hear from the bank, if you ever do at all. And average buyers still face competition from investors with cash in hand. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mac, the government's mortgage lenders, have programs in place to help secure offers of non-investment buyers, so use their listings to keep from being outbid by cash over and over, if you'll need a bank to take a larger mortgage for you to finance your home.