Unfortunately, some barbequers unknowingly give their family and friends a healthy dose of bacteria along with the food.  To keep your family and friends healthy over the holiday, while still enjoying this summer activity, follow these meat safety tips at your Madison MS home:

Avoid cross contamination
When you go to the grocery store to buy meat and other foods, keep the raw meat separated from the rest of the food to lessen the chance of cross contamination. Make sure the raw meat is wrapped in plastic bags, again, separated from other meat and foods. Even packaged raw meat can leak, and you want to keep the juices from seeping onto other food.

Head Home
The summer is hot for most areas of the country. Even if you have air conditioning in your car, you want to go straight home from the grocery store. The longer food is exposed to heat, the more chance it has of gaining a nice bacterial growth. Make sure the grocery store is your only, or last, stop before heading home.

Refrigerate
When it’s hotter than 90 degrees, food needs to be refrigerated within the first hour of leaving the store. If it’s less than 90 degrees, you have two hours. Freeze any meat or poultry you won’t be using in a day or two, but make sure everything is refrigerated as quickly as possible.

Thaw Carefully 
If you’re going immediately from thawing to the grill, you can use a microwave to defrost. However, for the safest methods, either slowly thaw in the refrigerator over a period of a day or two, or use cold water and sealed packages.

Transport Cold
If you aren’t barbequing at your home and need to transport the meat, transfer the meat immediately to an insulated cooler (40 degrees or below) right before leaving home. As well, make sure you keep the cooler out of direct sun, which can reduce its efficiency at keeping food cold.

Serve Hot
Keep the food hot (140 degrees or warmer) until it’s served. You can set the meat at the side of the grill rack or on a warming tray. Use a clean serving platter rather than the same plate that held the raw meat.

By following the above tips, you’ll help your family and friends have a happy, healthy Fourth of July.

Looking for a Madison MS home for sale to celebrate next year’s Fourth of July? I can help. Call me at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com for more information.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
Ridgeland, Mississippi
www.PaulaRicks.com 
Paula@PaulaRicks.com 
Call direct:  601-942-3392

1. Enlist the help of your neighbors. Throwing a block party at your home is a major undertaking, so you will need all the help you can get. Ask others in your community to help you plan, decorate, prepare food, and clean.

2. Get permission. You don’t want your party broken up by the police or fined by the homeowner’s association. Find out from your municipal government if you are required to get a permit for a block party. Follow up with your Florence MS real estate homeowner’s association and make sure they will allow the block party.

3. Select a theme. Themed parties are easier to plan and more fun for the guests. For example, if you choose a beach theme, you know what colors and accessories to use in the decorations:  anything blue or tan, coconuts, beach balls, and Frisbees. You also know to serve beach foods like hamburgers and hotdogs.

4. Plan a menu and decorate. Keep the menu and decorations simple to prepare and easy to clean. Choose food that can be eaten without utensils, like finger foods and sandwiches. Don’t use elaborate decorations.

5. Have fun. The most important part of your block party is the party itself. Give yourself permission to enjoy the party and the company of your neighbors. Talk to people. Laugh with your neighbors. Participate in any games you play. This is your night to shine.

6. Clean up. If you planned properly and have enough help, clean up shouldn’t be too overwhelming. Make sure the area where you held the party is completely litter-free and looks better than it did before the party. Don’t give your homeowner’s association any reason to prohibit future block parties.

Getting to know neighbors makes life more enjoyable.  Throwing a block party is a great way to accomplish that while also having fun.

Let me help you find Florence MS real estate in a great neighborhood. Call me today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
Ridgeland, Mississippi
www.PaulaRicks.com 
Paula@PaulaRicks.com 
Call direct:  601-942-3392

If you’re looking for the perfect piece of Florence MS real estate, here are a few tips to help you get a great price:

Stay Updated
Looking online is a great place to start. However, be aware that you have a large possibility of getting outdated information. You can find a beautiful dream home and contact the agent only to find that the listing has expired or the house has sold. Stay updated. Ask your Florence MS real estate agent to register your email address for daily MLS (multiple listing service) updates so you can get information as soon as it comes out.

Visit Homes with Reduced Pricing
Sometimes you may see a home that has more than one price reduction. For many, this is a sign that something is wrong with the house. Today, there’s a great possibility that there’s nothing wrong and the homeowner is simply trying to get the home sold in a competitive market. Tour the homes with recent price reductions as well as those on the market for more than 30 days. These home sellers may be more interested in selling for lower prices.

Look for Possible Negotiation Points
Even homes with higher prices may be worth looking at, due to the many ways you and your real estate agent might find to negotiate. For instance, it’s always wise to get a home inspection before signing the contract. Depending on what the home inspector finds, you may be able to negotiate for lower closing costs or a lower price.

Right now, it’s important to remember that just because a house is listed at a specific price doesn’t mean that price can’t change. If you’re a buyer interested in Florence MS real estate, whether as your personal residence or an investment, take a chance. Find out how low buyers will go!

If you’re looking for a great price on a great home, I can help. Call me at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com for more information.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
Ridgeland, Mississippi
www.PaulaRicks.com 
Paula@PaulaRicks.com 
Call direct:  601-942-3392

Now that I’ve thrown some scary thoughts your way, let’s take a turn at facing those first-time buyer fears.

1)  Am I crazy? No, you’re a first-time buyer. You may alternate between periods of paranoia, confidence, nervousness and calm, but you aren’t crazy to want to buy Florence MS real estate.

2)  Is this really the right time to buy a house? The best way to answer this question is with a few questions. Do you have good credit? Do you have a decent job? If the answers to these questions are “yes,” then there’s never a bad time to buy the right house. Especially now, with tons of inventory, record low interest rates and the $8,000 tax credit.

3)  What if I don’t pick the right neighborhood? What if I buy, move in, hate it, and then can’t turn around and sell the house? An understandable fear; one of the most common horror stories is moving into the perfect house, right next to the neighbor from the Black Lagoon. This is why it’s imperative to do your research (or, at the very least, tell your Florence MS real estate agent exactly what kind of neighborhood you want). With the Internet, you can find out everything from the crime rate of an area to the quality of the schools.

4)  What if I lose my job? I won’t say that’s not a possibility. However, keep in mind that you have the same question when you’re renting. The difference is that if you can’t pay the rent, you can be evicted within days, depending on where you currently live. While some lenders may do the same, most lenders don’t want to foreclose and are willing to work with you to keep you in the home and making your payments. In addition, many are willing to wait for at least two months of nonpayment before starting the foreclosure process.

If you’ve been a renter all your life and are looking at the Florence MS real estate, take a deep breath. Yes, it’s scary and yes, the worries can give you worse nightmares than the freakiest Halloween you’ve ever experienced. However, remember what made you decide to start looking in the first place. If those reasons still exist, go for it!

If you’re looking for that perfect, affordable home, I can make the whole process less scary and fear free. Call me at 601-942-3392 now or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com for more information.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
Ridgeland, Mississippi
www.PaulaRicks.com
Paula@PaulaRicks.com
Call direct:  601-942-3392