Zip-Lock Bags, Pennies & Water: a Recipe for Deterrence From Connie's Experience

I love my secretary, Becky Bittorf, and one day I came to work and over two windows in my area are baggies full of water and pennies. I say, "Becky, there are baggies with coins over two windows up here." Becky replies that I should read a tip she received in her email (described below). Now I am NOT a believer in this type of thing, BUT, I am hugely allergic to bees and wasps, and there is an area in this cute office of mine where they get in, usually in the Spring and Fall because they gather on the back side where the sun hits and it's warm. They find their way in and eventually to me.

I am AMAZED, since my great Becky put these baggies up, we have NO bees or wasps. This is sooooooooo great, I just had to share with you, pass it on, I have no idea who these people are in these testimonials which are attached, all I can say is this really works!!!!

Spring & summer are just around the corner. This experiment is inexpensive and worth a try.

ZIP LOCK BAG - Good tip!

We went with friends to Sweety Pies on Sunday for breakfast and sat in the patio section beside the house. We happened to notice zip lock baggies pinned to a post and a wall. The bags were half filled with water, each contained 4 pennies, and they were zipped shut. Naturally we were curious! Ms. Sweety told us that these baggies kept the flies away! So naturally we were even more curious! We actually watched some flies come in the open window,stand around on the window sill, and then fly out again. And there were no flies in the eating area! This morning I checked this out on Google. Below are comments on this fly control idea. I'm now a believer!

Ann Says:

I tried the ziplock bag and pennies this weekend.. I have a horsetrailer. The flies were bad while I was camping. I put the baggie with pennies above the door of the living quarters. NOT ONE FLY came in the trailer. The horse trailer part had many. Not sure why it works but it does!

Danielle Martin Says:

Fill a ziplock bag with water and 5 or 6 pennies and hang it in the problem area. In my case it was a particular window in my home. It had a slight

passage way for insects. Every since I have done that, it has kept flies and wasps away. Some say that wasps and flies mistake the bag for some other insect nest and are threatened.

Maggie Says:

I swear by the plastic bag of water trick. I have them on porch and basement. We saw these in Northeast MO at an Amish grocery store & have used them since. They say it works because a fly sees a reflection & won't come around.

DJ Says:

Regarding the science behind zip log bags of water? My research found that the millions of molecules of water presents its own prism effect and given that flies have a lot of eyes, to them it's like a zillion disco balls reflecting light, colors and movement in a dizzying manner. When you figure that flies are prey for many other bugs, animals, birds, etc., they simply won't take the risk of being around that much perceived action. I moved to a rural area and thought these "hillbillies" were just yanking my city boy chain but I tried it and it worked immediately! We went from hundreds of flies to seeing the occasional one, but he didn't hang around long.

Lenders pulling 2nd credit report on buyers Pre-closing

Under Fannie Mae's new Loan Quality Initiative (LQI) that went into effect on June 1, 2010, lenders are pulling a second credit report on the buyer right before closing to verify that the buyer's credit status has not changed and that all debts were disclosed. In other words, the buyer is not officially approved for the mortgage until the second credit report is approved. The lender may also re-verify job status and check other sources to make sure there are no undisclosed debts.

Other lenders also have been known to pull second credit reports right before the closing, but the Fannie Mae LQI will likely cause many more lenders to conduct last-minute verifications.

What this means for buyers is that they are well advised to not make any major purchases or apply for new credit until after closing. For instance, applying for a new credit card may lower a buyer's credit score. Under the LQI, the lender could delay the closing, increase the interest rate or the down payment, or even cancel the closing, depending upon the actual change.

"It seems everywhere is requiring credit checks nowadays. Credit inquiries, although not a serious hit, still can reduce a credit score. I was setting up my utilities before closing, and each one of them requested a social security number and credit check to get utilities set-up. I refused to have them check my credit, and instead paid the cash deposit for setting up a new account. I get the deposit back in 4-6 months, and it prevented any dings to my credit before closing."

-Scott MacCallum (recent home buyer)

Link for Fannie Mae's Loan Quality Initiative

Incredibly Low Interest Rates

Jodi Kaye, a lender in Door County says she has money available at 3.99% for a 15 year and 4.55% on a 30 year loan.

If that rate increases 1%, you will pay 10% more for the property you buy. The time to buy is NOW, call me or email me to discuss.

Extension of Tax Credit and Flood Insurance

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress has passed an extension of
the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and
Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that
have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet
closed. The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension the new
closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010. There
is will be no gap between June 30 and the date the President signs the bill
into law.

NAR worked closely with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to
enact this important legislation. Extending the Tax Credit Closing deadline
will help provide additional stability to real estate markets across the
nation.

For additional information on the extension visit
www.realtor.org/government_affairs

Additionally, the United States Senate has passed the National Flood
Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 5569) an extension of the
National Flood Insurance Program until September 30, 2010. This will allow
transactions to move forward. The bill is retroactive and covers the lapse
period from June 1, 2010 to the date of enactment of the extension.

For more information on the flood insurance program visit
www.realtor.org/government_affairs

Provided to Connie from the Door County Board of REALTORS.