Monthly real estate tips from Dennis and Jane Guertin
From Dennis and Jane Guertin | Guertin Family Realty
Jane@GuertinFamilyRealty.com | (952) 442-1300 | www.GuertinFamilyRealty.com

In This Issue
Great Gift Ideas for Home and Family, and Market Highlights
Links that Make Life Easier
The Lighter Side
Contact Us 
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Dennis and Jane Guertin

It's the season of giving, and as you know, finding a really special present sometimes takes a lot of shopping around.  Here's a time-saving list of great gift ideas that can also make excellent housewarming presents.

By the way, if you or anyone you know has a real estate need, please contact us today. We'll always provide first-class service!



Great Gift Ideas for Home and Family

Wrapped gift 
Quick Note:  We're providing links to online shopping sources for efficiency's sake, but most items are available at a number of locations, including non-online stores.  This is not intended to recommend any particular shopping resource.


For the Entertainer:
Wine chiller stick
The ChillaVino Wine Chiller and Aerator Set

This distinguished-looking wine chiller stick keeps white wine cold without an ice bucket, and refreshes red wine that has gotten too warm.  The set includes an aerator, a pouring top, and an elegant box that makes it a nice gift.

Price Range:  Around $22



For the Multi-Tasking Cook:
 
Boil-over Safeguard
Anyone who has ever gotten distracted and let a pot boil over on the stove knows how nice it would be to not have to worry about it.  This silicone lid cover prevents boil-overs when cooking pasta, soup and sauce.

Price Range:  $10 to $15


For Around the House and Outdoors:

The Fenix PD32 LED Flashlight

Fenix flashlight It's funny to hear passionate reviews about something as mundane as a flashlight, but this one appears to inspire an "I must own this" reaction in many people.  Powerful enough to light up the far reaches of a crawl space or attic - ideally without you ever setting foot inside - it's also extremely tough.  (One reviewer reported that it survived being run over by his Jeep and sinking to the bottom of a 45-foot deep lake.)

Price Range:  Around $55


When Home Is the Wilderness:

An Emergency SOS Device

Is "home away from home" a mountain or a sailboat? If so, having a way to contact Search and Rescue from remote locations can be a life-saver.  There are so many gear options, however, that shopping for locator beacons can become an expedition in itself.

Hiker on mountain

Here's a link to a well-researched comparison of top locator devices, and here are two main conclusions of the review:

- The COSPAS/SARSAT system used by the ACR ResQLink 406 is the most reliable, and you don't have to subscribe to any plan in order to send an SOS.

- The Iridium system used by the DeLorme InReach SE is the next most reliable. You do need to subscribe to a plan to send an SOS, but it also offers 2-way text messaging capabilities.

Those are the reviewer's top two picks. There's much more information available via the links above.

Price Range:  $250 to $300


For the Hiker and Camper:

The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
LifeStraw
Light and inexpensive, this personal water filtration straw is ultra-portable and makes it safe to drink directly from most puddles and streams. (It filters bacteria and protozoa but not viruses, so some reviewers recommend using it only in developed countries.)

Price Range: Under $20


For the Winter Traveler:

The Orion Safety Flare and Emergency Kit
Orion Safety Kit
A good car emergency kit that includes flares and jumper cables is a must-have at any time of year, but especially when days are short and conditions tend to be more hazardous.

Price Range:  $25 to $30



For the Mobility-Restricted:

Grip n Grab  
A handy pick-up tool makes life much easier for anyone who has trouble bending over, or who doesn't want to risk standing on a chair to reach objects on shelves.  This particular model has received many good reviews on Amazon.

Price Range:  Under $20


For Pets:

Catnip Caves and the SkidStop Slow Feeding Dog Bowl
Catnip Cave bag
Cats get the best of both worlds with these paper bags infused with catnip.  The catnip gets released when the bags are disturbed (as they are sure to be).

On the more practical side is the Slow Feeding Dog Bowl for dogs that tend to gobble food.  It slows down their eating by making it more challenging to reach food bits.


Just for Fun:

The ThinkGeek.com Office Pranks and Cube Warfare Section

For anyone who has ever felt the need for a miniature wooden catapult launcher to silence that noisy office talker (and who hasn't), a gift from the ThinkGeek.com Office Warfare section might be just the thing.


 

Recent Market Highlights

 

Chart and magnifying glass. - U.S. home prices rose 4.8 percent year-to-year in September, according to a recent S&P/Case-Shiller report.  They rose 6.1 percent year-to-year in October, according to CoreLogic, a data and analytics company.  CoreLogic reports that the national foreclosure inventory fell nearly 31 percent year-to-year. 

   

- The national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is in the low 4-percent range. 

 

The October Pending Home Sales Index rose 2.2 percent year-to-year, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

 

Note:  Housing statistics based on closed sales typically reflect market conditions of two or three months ago.  To find out what's going on right now in our local market, please call us directly.

 

 

 

Are you planning to buy or sell a home, or do you know someone who is?  Please call or email us.  We're never too busy to help you and the people you care about with real estate.
 
 
(*What the lawyers make us say: The information in this newsletter is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Please always consult a qualified expert before making decisions based on this content. Nothing in this article is meant to be taken as expert legal, financial, or medical advice.) 

 

Click here to view our featured home listings.

 View Our Featured Home Listings 

Housing Market Updates for the Twin Cities  

The Monthly Skinny - Summary of Twin Cities Market Activity
Links that Make Life Easier 

Sometimes real estate-related, sometimes not... these are assorted links that come in handy:

For Star Trek lovers and the like, this website has a huge selection of fun gift items ranging from electronics to outdoor survival gear.

From Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes to Grandma's Corn Pudding, this is a tempting collection of staff favorites at AllRecipes.com.

A well-reviewed life insurance calculator from the non-profit Life Happens organization
  
As with most lists these are not exactly all written in stone, but the article makes some good points.
 
Moo.com is a fun website that lets you design and create all kinds of personalized notecards, stickers, business cards, and more. Minimum order sizes are quite low.

  
The Lighter Side

Dog on ice being rescued

Sometimes it's worth being reminded that there are a lot of good-hearted people in the world.  Here's a collection of video clips that makes the point nicely.

Click here or on the image to watch the video on the family-friendly Flixxy website.

 

 


We welcome the opportunity to serve you, your friends and associates.  Please give us a call today if we can be of assistance!


Have a great day,

signature

Dennis and Jane Guertin
Broker/Owner, REALTOR®, CRS, SFR, ABR, CBR, e-PRO, GRI
Guertin Family Realty

Jane@GuertinFamilyRealty.com
952-442-1300
www.GuertinFamilyRealty.com

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Dennis and Jane Guertin Let Us Make Your Life Easier!

Could you use some help finding a trustworthy service provider?  Check with us before you hire!  We can often save you time and money by recommending people who have done good work for us, our clients or colleagues.  Call us at 952-442-1300, or just reply to this email and we'll be happy to help.

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