Debit Card Do's & Don'ts for the holidaze!

With only 46 days til Christmas, here's some helpful advice...

I recently read an article by Kim Fusaro, Little Miss Fortune, Glamore - who gave some great advice on shopping for Christmas with your debit card. I'm guilty on most counts and thought I'd pass her tips along to others:

• Don't use your debit card on-line. Unauthorized charges on credit cards are capped at $50. This is not true of debit cards.
• DON’T use debit cards for big purchases. They don’t offer the same protection that credit cards do. Credit cards allow you to reverse or dispute charges, and some will even extend the length of warranties.
• Use your debit card as "credit" and sign for your purchase. Avoid giving your PIN number.

Another thought:

• Use PayPal when offered.

This link tells you how your credit score is calculated. With today's economy, typically a credit score of at least 620 is required to obtain a mortgage loan thru FHA. If you'd like to talk with a lender and see what your score is, call me! I'd be happy to give you the name of a couple of my trusted financial brokers.

Thanks again for MOVIN' WITH MORALES

Diane

630.709.9882

Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty

Swine Flu Vaccine & Extension for Military Men/Women

Hope you're all enjoying the crisp days of Autumn.
Halloween is creeping upon us quickly and soon the little munchkins will be out door-to-door collecting their treats.

With so much news about the H1N1 vaccine, I thought I'd send you a quick-fact sheet about who has priority needs for the shots -and- where the complimentary shots can be obtained.












AND... good news for our dedicated military men & women. The 1st-time home buyer's credit has been extended for them for another year!! Yeah! Chances are very-likely that the credit will be extended for all buyers for another 6 months!

Don't forget to remember me... when you know of someone who is ready to buy or sell their home, please give me a call with their name/number. I promise to take good care of your family and friends! ;)

Thanks always for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!
Diane Morales
Keller Williams Fox-Valley Realty
630.709.9882
www.MovinWithMorales.com

2 weeks ago, my 5 year-old chihuahua ended up lost in the corn fields in Big Rock. (It's a long story about how she ended up there.) We contacted every farmer that lived within a 10 mile radius near the point. A lost chihuahua in the cornfields... That could have been very bad news! We stayed positive. And stayed focused. The towns folks were so kind. One lady told us to post a notice at the post office. "Everyone has a PO box in town," she said. "Everyone goes there to pick up their mail." Another one told us to post a notice at the town's only gas station. About an hour later, a man called who said he was just at the gas station and had heard about my dog. He runs a local dog-sitting service and volunteered to help look. We went back to that general location for 5 days in a row. Calling her name. Whistling. We even brought one of our other dogs, hoping she'd smell or hear her dog-friend. Heard many stories of encouragement. "Don't give up!" they all said. As I was coming home from work that Monday, I received a call from "Todd." I think I have your chihuahua! We drove immediately over to his farm. He had been bbq-ing a few days before, and had left his garage door open accidentally. The next morning, he closed the door with her inside. Then on Monday, he heard a scratching at his garage door. Opened it up and voila! The little dog scurried under his couch and he couldn't get her out.
Just wanted to thank everyone for their concerns, and for their stories of encouragement-- and especially to all the farmers in Big Rock, IL, who helped search for our little dog. The world is truly an amazing place of people who care. And I'm glad to be part of it. <3

MOVIN' WITH MORALES
Diane Morales
Keller Williams Fox Valley
630.709.9882
www.movinwithmorales.com

ICE --> In case of emergency ... this is good to know! :)

The Illinois Secretary of State is now allowing those who possess a driver's license or ID card to add up to two emergency contacts on your driver's license. This is very important for emergency personnel in the case of an emergency, where you may be found injured or unconscious. This emergency information is viewable by law enforcement ONLY and not for public use! I have placed a link to the website below if you are interested. The Secretary of State has not done very well advertising, so please pass the info along to anyone else who may have an Illinois Driver's License.

Who do you know looking to buy or sell their home? Call me! I would love the opportunity to help your family and friends with their search...

Diane Morales
Keller Williams Fox Valley
630.709.9882
www.movinwithmorales.com

When do you know?

How do you know when it's the perfect home? Many times, buyers aren't sure when it's time to "make an offer." So, when do you know? I believe in fate. I believe in my conscience. I believe in that "little voice" that comes from within. Trust your gut. You will know when the the home is the right home for you!
When you start thinking about things like: "My dresser would fit perfectly on this wall", or "We could always paint this room a different color," or "I could hold Thanksgiving dinner this year!" These are tell-tale signs that you're feeling comfortable in that home. Another great tip is to go talk to the neighbors! Neighbors are always anxious to tell you what's great (and/or who's not so great) about their block. If the neighbors rant and rave about all that's positive, listen to them! Just like you, they're looking for good next door neighbors as well!

One more thing... IF you do put in an offer, and it's rejected for any reason~ take that as a sign as well. If the transaction doesn't close, then remember that there are bigger, better, nicer, cuter homes out there! The perfect home for you will come along, and you'll be glad that you waited!

Have a great Labor Day weekend!
And thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!

Diane Morales
Keller Williams Fox-Valley Realty
630.709.9882
www.MovinWithMorales.com

$8,ooo Free Money to 1st Time Home Buyers

Don't miss your opportunity to get free money! 1st time home buyers must be CLOSED by November 30. Meaning you need to be under contract by October 12 (or sooner!) The countdown for the $8000 tax credit is ticking away... http://xrl.in/2up9

MOVIN' WITH MORALES
Diane Morales
630.709.9882
http://www.movinwithmorales.com/

Haven't seen this one before... :) Great Tips!

COFFEE FILTERS




Coffee filters ..who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing. COFFEE FILTERS: Not just for making coffee....
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers. 2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling. 3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish. 4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. 5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust. 6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter. 7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter. 8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale. 9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods. 10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes. 11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter. 12. Do you think we used expensive s trips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters. 13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nickfixers."

MOVIN' WITH MORALES
Discover the Diane Difference...
630.940.0150

Your Mind is your Garden ~

Your Mind Is Your Garden
— dmorales

"As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen.

Here is a short excerpt:
MAN'S mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligentlycultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated orneglected, it must, and will, _bring forth._ If no useful seeds are_put _into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will _fall_therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds,and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a mantend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, andimpure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers andfruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing thisprocess, a man sooner or later discovers that he is themaster-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He alsoreveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, withever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind elementsoperate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.

MOVIN' WITH MORALES
Diane 630.940.0150