Monthly Archives: July 2013

The Mobile Home Park Lifestyle, Not Right for everyone but it could be right for You!

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Living in a Mobile Home park is a lifestyle choice made by thousands of Californian’s. In an industry that was once viewed as lesser, this type of housing and these communities are starting to make a name for themselves as the best value for high quality, well-planned and secure living.

The mobile home, or manufactured home, itself is starting to boast high quality items that were once only featured in site built homes. Many of them with custom cabinetry and granite counter tops. These homes can have all the amenities a site built home has to offer and they cost 20-35% less.

Communities often offer more than most site built HOA’s , with many boasting security that patrols the grounds 24-7, some are even gated requiring a code or clicker to enter the community. This helps to provide a level of safety and protection that might not be offered in a site built community. Many of them also feature clubhouses, swimming pools, play grounds and tennis courts.

If all of this sounds great there are still a few things you must consider before making this choice. The space your home sits on may not be very large, if you have a dream of having a bunch of animals a mobile home community might not be right for you, but if the idea of little to no yard work appeals to you a mobile home community might be right up your ally.

Remember, mobile homes and manufactured housing communities are not for everyone but they could be perfect for you! It is your life and your choice and manufactured housing communities have a lot to offer.

4 Steps to take if you think your Identity has been stolen or compromised

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1) Call and Place a Fraud Alert with one of the three consumer reporting companies.

These are the companies that deal with your credit score. Placing a Fraud alert with one of these companies will allow you to be notified before a new account is opened or the status of an existing account in your name is changed.  If you contact ONE of these three companies they are required to contact the other two. A Fraud Alert also entitles you to FREE copies of your credit reports.  You may click on any of the following links for the contact information for: Equifax, Experian, Transunion.

2) Close/Cancel Open Accounts

Close all accounts you fear might be tampered with. If you suspect any tampering has occurred before you had the opportunity to close the account use the ID Theft Affidavit to dispute any new unauthorized accounts or transactions.

3) Contact Law Enforcement

File a report with your local police in the community the theft took place. Make sure they provide you with a copy of the report or the number of your report. This is important when dealing with your creditors. It will show proof that the transactions being disputed have been reported to authorities.

4) Contact the Trade Commission

File your complaint with the FTC. They maintain a database of Identity Theft cases that us used by law enforcement agencies for investigation. The Toll-free Hotline is 1 877-ID THEFT or 1 877-438-4338

Prevent Drownings in your Home and at the Pool

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Orange County drownings reached a four-year high in 2012. It takes only seconds and a couple inches of water for a child to drown. The following steps can help prevent drownings.

  1. Install safety locks on toilets and keep bathroom doors closed when there are small children in the home.
  2. Empty all cleaning buckets immediately after use.
  3. Empty kiddie pools immediately after using them and never leave children unattended around the pool when it is full.
  4. Install barriers around your home pool. These should be at least 4 feet high around the entire pool. Make sure the latch is out of the reach of small children. Installing alarms and pool covers add an additional layer of protection.
  5. Do not allow children to have breath-holding competitions.
  6. Do not consume alcohol when watching children swim. It takes only seconds to drown and if you have been drinking your reaction time might not be fast enough.
  7. Become CPR certified.

The signs of drowning are not as apparent as the movies make them out to be. Oftentimes most of the movement happens after the child is completely submerged under the water. Keep your eyes on your children at all times even if they are excellent swimmers.

How to Prevent Foodborne illness

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  1. Clean: Wash produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. Remove and discard the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. Because bacteria can grow well on the cut surface of fruit or vegetable, be careful not to contaminate these foods while slicing them up on the cutting board, and avoid leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours.
  2.  SEPARATE: Don’t cross-contaminate one food with another. Avoid cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food. Put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather than back on one that held the raw meat.
  3. COOK: meat, poultry, and eggs thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria: 145°F for whole meats (allowing the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or consuming), 158°F for ground meats, and 165°F for all poultry. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.
  4. CHILL: Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours. Large volumes of food will cool more quickly if they are divided into several shallow containers for refrigeration.

Stay Safe this 4th of July

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The Fourth of July is a huge celebration full of BBQ’s, fireworks, friends and family. It is easy to get caught up and to forget that a lot of things can go wrong.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. People tend to stay outside Barbequing or swimming. These activities can cause you to sweat and loose a lot of water. Keep bottles handy. Remember that soda and alcohol can cause dehydration. Water is your best option to keep from getting light headed, nauseous and possibly passing out due to dehydration.

Check with your city and your park to make sure it is legal to shoot off fireworks. If your city or park does not allow for at home fireworks check the local newspapers or go online to see if they have a firework show close to you. Click here for a list of shows in Orange County,  Here for San Bernardino County, and Here for Riverside County. These often boast pre-firework entertainment and all day fun at a low cost.

If your city allows at home fireworks know what safety precautions to take.  Always read all warning labels and follow instructions carefully, light fireworks in a large empty space cleared off all things that can catch on fire, have buckets of water ready, place used firework shells in water before discarding to ensure all sparks are put out. For more tips on firework safety click here.  Around 200 people per day are taken to the emergency room due to firework related injuries in the month of July, do not be one of these people.

Enjoy your 4th of July and Stay Safe!