November 01 Newsletter

Mark your calendars. Saturday, December 7 is the big day at our office for your free 5x7, professional, color photograph with Santa Claus. We will be shooting pictures with Santa from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We will also be raffling off ten free Christmas trees and four $100 gift certificates to South Coast Plaza Shopping Center.

You don’t need to have your picture taken to register for one of the free gifts and you don’t have to be present to win. We’ll phone the winners. So even if you’re not in the market for a Santa picture, come on down, check out our Christmas-decorated office, and register for a free prize. It won’t take but a minute or two.

This year, as we do every year, we will have live Christmas carolers for a portion of the day to entertain you, and our vintage train set for the kids to see. We, of course, will also provide our usual abundance of cookies, punch, candy canes, helium-filled balloons, hot coffee, and a free toy for every child that visits with Santa Claus.

Bring your children, yourselves, grand parents, best friend, and yes, even your favorite pet. We have had people bring in their dogs, cats, parrots, snakes and last year someone brought in a ferret. You can even bring in your teenager if you want to!

You don’t need a reservation. Don’t miss this opportunity for a great picture with the Jolly Old Man himself! Just come on down to First Team Real Estate at the corner of Brookhurst and Adams in the Stater Bros Shopping Center anytime between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 1.

We have a great turnout for this special event every year, but it wouldn’t be special without you. So come on down and say hello. Santa is looking forward to seeing you!

Chirp Chirp Chirp

The home we bought a year ago in downtown Huntington is relatively new, built in ’99 I think, so, as per today’s stringent fire codes, it has around 72 smoke detectors in it, give or take ten or twenty. Unlike the kind you might buy at Target, these babies are hardwired into the electrical system. I thought this meant they didn’t have batteries, but, as I discovered about midnight the other night, they do.

It started with a cute little chirp. And then about a minute later, another one, and then a minute later, another one. I waited for the chirping to wake Roe up, so she could share in my agitation, but, of course, it didn’t. (If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter you know it takes more of a KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM to awaken

(continued on page 2)

sleeping beauty.) I tried to ignore the little birdies in the ceiling and go back to sleep, but I knew I was only prolonging the inevitable, so after a few final chirps, I dragged my sleepy self out of bed and surveyed the ceiling. Which one was it?

There were three detectors in the immediate vicinity: One at the very peak of the cathedral ceiling in our bedroom, about 15 feet up, one in the hall just off our bedroom and another in the main hallway. Luckily, the one doing all the complaining turned out to be the one in the bedroom hall that I could easily reach by standing on a chair. This wasn’t going to be so bad after all. I unplugged the detector from the electrical system, set it on the dresser and hopped back into bed.

Slumbering Roe hadn’t moved a muscle. Okay, well, that was a pain, I thought, but, hey, stuff happens. But then, just as I was dozing off to wonder wonderland, there it was again, chirp—chirp—chirp. How could it be chirping? I had disconnected it from the electricity. I turned on the light, got out of bed again and picked up the detector. This is when I discovered it had a battery, so I removed it, and put the detector back on the dresser and rolled back into to bed, trying my best to wake up beauty, but to no avail—maybe, I thought, if I stuffed one of the batteries up her nose she’d wake up.

A few minutes later, unbelievably, there it was again—chirp—chirp—chirp. How could it still be chirping when it wasn’t plugged into the electrical system anymore, and it had no battery? This was a pretty fantastic smoke detector.

I turned on the light again, got out of bed, and grabbed the detector off the dresser. I stood there in middle of the night, waiting for the son-of-a-gun to chirp, and, after about a

minute, by golly it did. I couldn’t believe it.

Much too tired and aggravated to try and figure out how a smoke detector can chirp without any power supply, I took it into the den at the rear of the house and stuffed it in the back of a desk drawer.

The next morning I asked Roe to get the handyman over and to replace the batteries in all the smoke detectors in the house. I told her that if the one at the peak of the cathedral ceiling ever started chirping in middle of the night, we’d (I don’t know why I said WE, since she doesn’t even wake up) really be in trouble because I didn’t think I would be able to reach it, even with the ladder we had.

The next day she got the handyman over and he completed the job. But, at 2 a.m., a few nights later, it happened again—chirp—chirp—chirp. I felt like I was in Hitchcock’s horror movie, “The Birds.” I lay motionless, listening to determine from whence the chirping came. But I couldn’t tell which one was chirping, so I got up and stood under the smoke detectors waiting for the telltale tweet. I had to ascertain which one it was.

Please don’t let it be the one at the top of the cathedral ceiling I prayed. I waited and waited for a chirp. There was none. Hey, I must have been dreaming I concluded as I slid cautiously back into bed. But no sooner had my head hit the pillow than the relentless little chirp stabbed at the cool night air yet again. I got up again and stood and waited patiently, and there it was—chirp: It was the one I had prayed it wasn’t.

What to do? The four foot ladder was downstairs in the garage.

Being the not-so-tall guy that I am, I didn’t think I would be able to reach the detector, but I had to give it a try. I got the ladder and hauled it upstairs. I stood on the very top step, the one that warns you it is not a step—and almost fell off and broke my neck. But this was good, I now had a legitimate excuse to awaken the beauty.

Once beauty was conscious she became her normal self: annoyed. She looked at the clock and asked me what in the world I was doing on a ladder reaching for the cathedral ceiling in middle of our bedroom at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“Praising the Lord,” I said.

“What?”

“Never mind,” I said. “I thought you had the handyman replace all the batteries in all the smoke detectors?”

“I did.” She replied.

“Did you see him do this one?” I asked.

“Well, no.” she said. “Not exactly. But I know he did it.”

“Just get out of bed and help balance me on this ladder, so I don’t fall off. Please.”

I was just able to reach the detector by standing on my toes on the top step, the one I told you about that is clearly marked, “this is not a step.” I twisted the detector off the ceiling, unplugged it, and got down. It kept right on chirping. I removed the battery and, true to form, it kept right on chirping. I stuck it in the same desk drawer down the hall where I had put the other one and it kept right on chirping.

The next morning I called the 66-year-old handyman, who we have known for twenty years and who has become a good friend of ours. When I described to him, in great detail, about the chirping problem, he just started laughing. I had never heard him laugh so hard in all the time I’d known him. I looked over at Roe and she was laughing too, real hard. No way, I thought. No chirping way.

Visit www.sireteam.com for closed sale info!

P PARK PLACE HOMES P (South of Atlanta and West of Magnolia)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

2 story, 4bd 3ba $499,000 Oversized lot

P CENTURY SHORES HOMES P (North of Atlanta and West of Bushard)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

1 story, 3bd 2ba $339,900

1 story, 4bd 2ba $389,000

P GLEN MAR HOMES P (North of Adams and South of Yorktown)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

2 story, 4bd 2ba $364,900 Spa

2 story, 5bd 2ba $409,500

1 story, 5bd 3ba $455,000 Addition

P GLEN MAR HOMES P (N / Yorktown and S / Garfield and W / Ward)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

At the writing of this newsletter there are no Glen Mar Homes in this area on the market.

P OCEANWOOD HOMES P (North of Atlanta and East of Magnolia)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

1 story, 4bd 2ba $419,000

P SEABURY HOMES P (South of Indianapolis and East of Magnolia)

FOR SALE PRICE COMMENTS

At the writing of this newsletter there are no Seabury Homes on the market.

For more information on the above homes or any home in Orange County, a free market evaluation of your castle, or financing information, give us a call at (714) 963-7080 or cell phone (714) 856-8490. You can also

e-mail us at joeroe@sireteam.com.

Also, for the most current sales updates (including addresses, bed and bath count, square footage and dates for closed sales) in your neighborhood, pending sales information and homes for sale throughout Orange County go to go to www.sireteam.com.

The real estate market remains strong in our area of Orange County. Record-low interest rates keep fueling the fire. As of the writing of this newsletter interest rates for a conforming ($275,000 or less) 30 year fixed rate loan are at 6 1/8% for 1 point, and check this out, 5 7/8% for 1½ points. Jumbo loans over the conforming loan limit are at 6 3/8% for one point (one point is one percent of the loan amount). Keep in mind that interest rates can, and often do, change on a daily basis.

The above information is provided to you for the purpose of reflecting the status of the real estate market in your neighborhood. It is not my intention to imply that First Team Real Estate listed or participated in all of the above transactions. It is not my intention to solicit listings of properties already listed with other brokers.

FREE COMMUNITY ADS

FOR SALE – Bedroom furniture set & full-size mattress set. Includes headboard, dresser w/mirror, 2 nightstands. Natural color wood, polished - $400. Great savings! Call 714-965-0821 or 714-964-5049

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WANTED – Energetic young man for some landscape removal around ponds. Terms negotiable. Bob at 714-963-6628

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TODAY’S PREMIER – info web site geared towards better parenting, pregnancy, babies, children, kids & a unique outdoor mall. Email info@kidsdirect.net

PET-SITTER – Leaving town on business or vacation? Will care for pets in your home with 1 or 2 visits daily. Licensed & bonded. Pauli – 714-378-5925

GO TO: WWW.SIRETEAM.COM

for up-to-date closed sales information in your neighborhood & Orange County!

DRYWALL REPAIR - Patching, ceilings, remodels, texture jobs, etc. Free estimates. Licensed / Bonded - George at 714-964-4173 or Cell Ph. – 714-914-0568

CARPENTER – Shelving, cabinets, closet organizers, wood working. Call Mick at 714-963-3020. References.

R.C. PAINTING - Interior Exterior. Painting & staining. Fix water stains, rusted areas, custom color matching. 20 yrs exp. Lic # 581994 Call 714-965-1314

PAINTER - Licensed painting contractor. I use finest material at lowest cost to you. License #670107 - John at 968-5692

PAINTING/TEXTURING – Dependable/reasonable. 20+ years experience. Bonded & Insured. Lic# 771481. Frank's Quality Painting – Call 714-965-1489

FLOORING – Hardwood flooring, Pergo, linoleum, etc. Experienced,

References. Call Ron at 562-458-6123

SCREENS – New screens, re-screening & window cleaning. A+ competitive rates. Satisfaction guaranteed. Call Robert at Pane Free Windows – 714-962-6464

WINDOW CLEANING - Sea Clear Windows - Commercial/Residential – Lowest prices you’ll find! Please call Rick - at 714-965-0424

SUNSHINE HOUSECLEANERS: Excellent work from honest, hardworking cleaning team of 3. We do windows! Ref. Please call Ursula, Crystyn, or Lauren @ 714-390-4547 or 949-636-8337

HOUSECLEANER – I will clean your house for $50. Reliable nursing student trying to make extra money for school. Call Carrie at 714-962-8014

NOTARY SERVICE – In your home. Evenings and weekends. Call Kathie @ (714) 963-0122 or (626) 573-4242

NOTARY SERVICE – Weekends & evenings. Will travel with notice. Call

Linda Schmidt @ 714-968-7415

BABY-SITTERS NEEDED! Teenagers - Check with your parents first & then send in ad coupon below to have your name added to this baby-sitter ad list!

DAYCARE PROVIDER – Professional in-home daycare provider in Glen Mar neighborhood. Lic # 304204178. CPR/First Aid Certified. Ages 1 & up. Call Susan at 714-962-4350

BABY SITTER – Almost 13 yrs old. Experienced & mature. Glen Mar Neighborhood/Yorktown & Brookhurst area. References. Call Bridget at 714-962-4745

BABY-SITTER – 14-yrs-old. Experienced/references. Cristin at 714-963-9601

BABY-SITTER – 15-yrs-old. Experienced & reliable. Candice 714-965-0424

BABY-SITTER – Took baby-sitting course. 14 years old. $3. hr. Call

Debi at 714-963-0611

BABY-SITTER – 13 yrs old. Experienced/References - Tracey 714-963-0611.

BABY SITTER – Babysitting hospital course completed. Age 16 1/2. Very reliable & exp. – Call Ashley – 965-3008

BABY SITTER - Rochelle - 17 yrs old. Exp. & reliable - Call - 963-9277

BABY SITTER - Lauren, 17 yrs old. Experienced & reliable. Call 962-1266

BABY SITTER - Alexandra, 14 yrs old. Exp. & reliable. Call 964-9969

To see more ads visit

sireteam.com & click on

Community Ads!

We Love Referrals

If you know someone who is thinking of buying or selling real estate, locally, or anywhere in the United States, please call us.

Rosemarie and I can help you in Orange County, and through our referral network, we can also help you anywhere in the United States. Remember there is never a charge for this service.

When it comes to real estate, we just want you to think Joe and Rosemarie Sire and First Team Real Estate.