While Edmond is ranked as one of the FBI’s safest cities, anyone who’s paying attention knows that smash and grabs have become an almost epidemic problem around here lately, which is why it’s so surprising that my wife would leave her purse in the car in the first place. But here’s what I’ve come to realize; these thieves are smarter than we give them credit for. They’re striking at the perfect time.

If you’re a parent who regularly drops the kids off at school, you know what it’s like. Mornings often don’t go as planned. Add kids to the mix and they rarely go as planned. As one hurdle after another gets in your way, you’re running later and later, and becoming more and more frantic, stressed about getting the kids to school on time, with everything they need, while also hoping to get yourself to the office before the boss realizes you’re late, right?

You arrive at the kids’ school, already frantic many days, and you’re rushing to get them inside, again with everything they need, while also keeping them out of harms way in the parking lot. Your arms are probably full of kids and their stuff, so how easy is it to forget to get your purse, or your smartphone, or your laptop? Better yet, how inconvenient is it to pick up your purse (or any of the other items mentioned), when you already have so much more to carry?

At this point, are you paying any attention to the other cars or people in that parking lot? HECK NO! And these scumbags know it. That’s why what they’re doing is so easy. They’re striking while confusion and frustration may be mostly what’s on your mind, and they’re doing it quickly.

After reviewing surveillance footage at our little guys’ school, we got a glimpse of how easy it really is for the low-life scum-sucking losers of the world to do what they do. We watched on video as a (possibly) brand new Cadillac SRXpulled into the busy parking lot of the school at about 8:48am. They took one pass through the front of the parking lot and then backed into a parking space on the back, outer edge of the lot, presumably watching the hurried Moms and Dads rush their kiddos inside, scoping out their next victim. After approximately three minutes, they spotted a Mom (my wife) with two small boys heading inside without a purse in tow and new they had a few minutes to take what wasn’t theirs. They looped back around the lot, the opposite direction that they had pulled in, right up behind my wife’s car (parked at the front of the building, right in front of the window of one of the rooms full of kids and teachers), one loser jumped out of the passenger side, walked around, smashed the car’s window and grabbed the purse, then they were gone. It literally took them less than 10 seconds to get what they came for.

Typically, when I see these stories on the news, I’m the guy that’s screaming at the TV, “don’t leave your purse in the car if you don’t want it stolen,” but today was an eye-opener. My wife knows better. My wife rarely even has her purse with her, and almost never when she’s just running the boys up to the school. She only takes it with her when she’s gong somewhere that she’ll need it, so of course she doesn’t leave it in the car on those occasions. For whatever reason, in her frantic state of mind this morning, after fighting with the boys to get out the door on time, she grabbed her purse on the way out and, as described above, didn’t give it a second thought as she was unloading the boys at the school, and in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

So, what could we or other people around have done differently?

• Slow down and take a look around as you’re pulling into the parking lots and unloading your kids.
• Don’t EVER think “It’s not going to happen to me.”
• DON’T leave ANYTHING of value in your car, EVER! Not even “just to run inside real quick.”
• (business-owners) Make sure you have surveillance equipment (and employees) watching your parking lot.

In ONE instance, my wife leaves her purse in the car and it has affected us in ways I wouldn’t have even imagined (in just the first day). I had to cancel my showings with my clients (potential lost income), to deal with a distressed wife, police reports, window repair companies, news reporters, banks, credit card companies, etc. My wife was a basketcase all day long, so a full day of her productivity went down the drain. We may potentially have to deal with identity theft as a result of this. Imagine the time-suck that would be, and how it would devastate our financial lives. The list goes on and on, so please, just don’t risk it.

Here’s maybe the worst part; as my wife was sitting in the front of the school, waiting for the police, she asked every single Mom who came in the door if they had left their purse in their car. You want to guess how many hadn’t?

NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE!

Yep, that’s right, every single one of those women, who had probably all seen the same news stories we have over the past couple of months, and been warned of the risk, were taking the exact same risk of losing it in a matter of seconds.

OK, enough of my lecturing, here’s how you can help. First, SHARE this post with everyone you know who lives in the area (see the little share button in the upper right corner? Click it now!). It’s my understanding that the majority of these smash & grabs have occurred at childcare centers, fitness centers, and parks; places where they know women are likely to leave their purses in the car because they don’t want to carry them, so be on uber-alert around these types of businesses and if you see anyone sitting in a car, don’t hesitate to write down the tag number and call the police. Heck, take pictures if you can!

If everyone in our community were on heightened alert and really paying attention, these sorry pieces of trash would be behind bars in a matter of days because, as well-thought as their little plan is, the ridiculous thing is that they’re doing it over and over in the same communities, and often even at the same businesses multiple times. Let’s help the police catch these b@$(@>0s!

Be safe out there, and be aware. Here’s the piece that KFOR ran tonight:

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With that in mind, we’ve been exploring some ideas on how we can offer a more complete package to our clients, to help smooth out the relocation process, whether you’re moving into or out of the OKC metro, into or out of somewhere else in the country, or just down the block.

One of the main keys to that is always building our network, so no matter what need pops up for you, our clients, we have a connection to fill that need. I’ve also always been a firm believer in letting the pros do what the pros do, so that I have the time to be the pro in my own arena, residential real estate. That’s why I refer you to a great CPA when you have tax questions, a great lender when you have credit/qualification questions, or a great attorney when you have legal needs.

We have some great allies, and one such ally recently made Brooke an offer that we simply can’t pass up. It will allow us to further that complete package I mentioned above, while broadening the knowledge base within our team. As of February 27th, you’ll have to put up with my voice on the phone (only until I can hire someone with a sexier voice), as Brooke moves from the real estate side of our business to the lending side. She’ll be working side-by-side with Robin Howl of Wells Fargo fame, right here in Edmond.

What this means for you is simple. I will now have a stronger connection with a major lender, and more lending knowledge to do an even better job than before on that front. It DOESN’T mean that you’ll only have one option when you’re ready to buy a home, or refinance your current home. In fact, Robin was already one of four trusted mortgage lenders listed here on our site, and I’ll continue to work with all of those lenders, as each one of them offers a unique variety of lending products and takes great care of my clients.

You still have all the freedom and choices that you’ve always had, whether you work with one of my trusted lenders, or one that you find elsewhere. I’ll simply be more surrounded by the mortgage world 24/7, which is bound to give me some extra tools to help you along the way.

It’s an exciting move for Brooke, because there’s nothing she loves more than a new challenge, and exciting for our family because it will diversify our income, while strengthening our ability to serve you all!

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• GODSA
• Oklahoma Blaze (FB)
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• Sitting Volleyball
• UCO Endeavor Games

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It’s a good idea to do your own quick and easy test every few months, and when I say “easy,” I mean EASY! Just take the lid off your tank and put a few drops of food coloring in the water. Wait at least 30 minutes, then go look in the toilet bowl. If you see ANY color in your bowl, you’ve got a leak somewhere and it’s time to call a plumber.

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Would you be surprised to learn that 4 of the Top 100 in the country, according to Forbes, are right here in our great state, and 3 of those 4 are headquartered in Oklahoma City?

I bet if you thought about it for long, you could name at least a couple of them, but I’ll save you the time:

• Chesapeake Energy of course is one of them, ranked at #18 (Up from last year’s ranking at #32)
• Devon Energy, probably the other one you would’ve guessed, came in at #28 (Up from last year’s ranking at #41)
• American Fidelity Assurance nabbed the #47 spot (Down from last year’s ranking at #39)

3 of the Top 100 spots is pretty solid, considering our population in comparison to Texas, California, etc, and these 3 are just the ones headquartered here. There are several others on the list that have locations in OKC!

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I did a flat fee MLS listing. A realtor came and looked at my house. He liked it and said he wanted to buy it for himself. We agreed on a price, signed all the contracts, and worked cooperatively with the title company. Everything was moving along fine and then i get a call from my buyer and he says bad news, the appraisal came in below sell price. I asked him to send me the appraisal. Immediately, i noticed the sale price assumed by the appraiser was $16,000 less than the contract price that i agreed to with the buyer. i asked him why this was and we determined that he had sent his original offer of 260 to the loan processor and the loan processor took that as the sell price. Mind you, this was not an executed contract, just an offer. the actual contract was for 276. house was appraised at 264..
Meanwhile, i am in contract to buy another house and have been expending money towards this purchase. i will not pay the difference because of his mistake. what do i do?

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That said, I’m a firm believer that a large part of the problem is lack of education. Our public schools don’t teach us as kids how to handle our money and, in many cases, our parents are dropping the ball also. For most of us, it’s a learn-as-you-go, school of hard-knocks process. Yes, managing your money takes a constant, consistent effort. But, if you’ve never been shown how to manage a checking account, how to budget, or how to save, where do you start?

First, it takes a dedication to learn, earn, give, save, and THEN spend (last). Take it from me, as I’m still stumbling my way through this learning process, it’s NOT FUN for most of us. However, the rewards can be amazing! I’m posting this in hopes that it blesses a few people, helping them to take some hard steps toward financial strength.

Here are the first steps that everyone should, and most of us have to, take before buying a home:

• Develop a family budget. This is, in my opinion, the most dreadful part of the process (and the primary reason that many people never get on track), so just suck it up & tackle it head-on, then you’re headed toward smooth sailing. Don’t budget what you’d like to spend; Instead, use receipts to create a budget for what you’ve actually spent over the past 6 or 12 months. Doing it this way, you’ll factor in unexpected expenses, such as car repairs, illnesses, etc, as well as predictable costs such as rent and car payments.
• Increase your income. I hate to throw this one at you so early on, but if making ends meet is a challenge, it may be necessary to take on a second, part-time job to effectively handle the following steps, and get the home you want.
• Pay down your debts. Generally speaking, lenders look for a total debt load of 36% of your income, or less. Since this figure includes your mortgage, which typically ranges between 25-28% of income, you need to get the rest of installment debt -car loans, student loans, revolving balances on credit cards- down to 8-10% of your total income.
• Get a handle on expenses. I’m sure you know how much you spend on rent and utilities, but I believe it’s the little expenses that bite us. Try writing down everything (yes, EVERY penny) you spend for one month. You’ll probably spot some things you’re spending on that aren’t true necessities. Now, ask yourself whether you’d rather have those things or be able to buy your own home.
• Save for a down payment. Although it’s possible to get a mortgage with only 5% down (or even less in some cases) you can usually get a better rate and a lower overall cost if you put down more. Shooting for a 20% down-payment could save you a lot in up-front costs and make paying your monthly mortgage much more comfortable.
• Create a house fund. Don’t just plan on saving whatever’s left at the end of the month for your down-payment. Instead, decide on a certain dollar figure or percentage of every paycheck that you want to save, then put it away in a separate account as you pay your monthly bills.
• Keep your job. While you don’t need to be in the same job forever to qualify for a mortgage, having a job for less than two years may mean you have to pay a higher interest rate.
• Establish a good credit history. While I’m a huge fan of zero debt, credit is a necessary evil unless you plan to pay cash for your house. Getting a low-limit credit card and making payments by the due date can help you get there. Be sure you pay all of your other bills on time too.

OK, now for the disclaimer. I am not an accountant, a CPA, a CFA or anything of the sort. Please consult your tax advisor, your mother, your neighbor or your banker for help in determining if these things will work for you, and consult me when you’re ready to start seeing homes and talking to a mortgage lender.

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These piles can cause you problems down the road because they increase the chances of mold growing onto or into your home, and allow easier access for bugs (termites anyone?) into the structure and/or interior of your home.

Let’s turn a potential negative into a positive. Did you know that these fallen leaves contain tons of carbon? When added to those lawn clippings you saved from last summer (you did save them, didn’t you?), they make an incredibly rich compost for your soil next Spring. Here’s some info on composting that may help:

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I thought you all might enjoy a brief preview of what it’s like, to whet your appetite for Monday’s Grand Opening: Now, just to get you all ready, remember that we’re putting on a fun little drawing for FREE Dave & Busters Gift Cards…. Get entered now!!

We also want to send out a BIG THANKS to Jones PR for the VIP tickets!!

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I know a ton of people, adults & children alike, who are SO excited about having a Dave & Busters here, and I just happen to have been asked by their PR firm to help get the word out, so I thought it’d be fun to give a little something away. I’m lucky enough to have, in my possession, 5 gifts cards for Dave & Busters, each holding $10 of D&B fun! I’m going to give them all away, and make it super-easy for you to enter!! From now until Monday, January 30th, you can enter in any (or all) of the following ways (as many times as you’d like):

• Tell us on our Facebook page why you want one. Show Dave & Busters the love!
• Tweet this phrase: “@ShowMeOKC is giving away @DaveandBusters cards for the new location in OKC! RT now to enter! http://wp.me/p1kAcK-1o6″
• Tell us on our Google+ page why you want one. Don’t forget to show Dave & Busters the love!
• Leave a comment right here on our site and tell us why you love Dave & Busters.
• Comment on our YouTube channel about why you love Dave & Busters!

Ready. Set. GO!

UPDATE: What fun this was… The participation was off the charts, which just shows how excited we Okies are to have Dave & Busters here!! Out of 150 entries, we have 5 winners. Good odds for everyone, right?! Many folks took advantage of entering multiple times and multiple ways. Thank you ALL for your participation!! Now, without further ado, here are the Dave & Busters winners:

• @vivajosiah
• @puckchk
• @spygirlmo
• Kelsey Peters
• @ahanneken

We had so much fun with this that we’re going to do more, so get on our list here and you’ll be the first to know every time we start a new giveaway contest, plus you’ll be kept in the loop of other great stuff going on throughout the OKC metro:

Subscribe, to be kept in the loop!

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