Home & Garden 09.25.2020 by Brentwood Press & Publishing

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E D I T I O N

September 25, 2020

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Pandemic, low rates, make for a seller’s market It’s been wonderful for sellers, horrible for buyers. As challenged as the economy is, our local real estate market has been surprisingly strong.

DAWNMARIE FEHR

he real estate market — like everything else in our world — is reacting to the pandemic

in its own unique way. As members of the state’s workforce awaken to the realization they do not need to live in the heart of Silicon Valley or San Francisco, an exodus of families moving inland has begun. Many real estate agents are noticing East County is a popular relocation destination. “I think a lot of people are being driven out of the San Francisco and Santa Clara area because they can work from home,” said Brian Sharp of Sharp Realty. “They were already living in that area kind of under protest, because prices are so high, but they felt they had to live there to be close to work . . . now that they can work from home, Brentwood has benefited tremendously.” Sharp cited comparatively low home prices as well as the area’s many other amenities as reasons East County is seeing an influx of new homebuyers. He said low interest rates, many buyers and low inventory have combined to make it a seller’s market this fall.

– Brian Sharp, Sharp Realty Photo by Tony Kukulich

East County is seeing an influx of new homebuyers. Low interest rates, many buyers and low inventory have combined to make it a seller’s market this fall. “It’s been wonderful for sellers, horrible for buyers,” Sharp said. “As challenged as the economy is, our local real estate market has been surprisingly strong.” Last September saw approximately 180 resale homes on the market in Brentwood. This year, there were 66 available on Sept. 11, and Oakley only had 15. Sharp noted San Francisco’s inventory is climbing as its prices drop. Rentals in East County are also scarce, with prices that often exceed

monthly mortgage payments. Jason Peterson is a Guild Mortgage branch manager in Antioch. He said this spring and summer have been busy for his team, and the fall shows no signs of slowing down. “We are seeing a lot of sales, and even though everyone is sheltering in place, people are still buying homes,” Peterson said. “With interest rates being the lowest ever, it’s giving a lot of people the opportunity to buy homes who may

not have had it in the past or had stopped looking because rates had gone up before shelter-in-place hit.” Peterson maintained the market will likely continue steady until election day. He said a decisive victory for either candidate is unlikely to cause a change in interest rates, but a close race could make some waves. “The last election we saw a big change in interest rates the day after the election,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the election. Rates could foreseeably be low, based on the instability see Market page 11B

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Fall for your backyard space this season DAWNMARIE FEHR

hile most of the state is still shut down and people are spending a

large amount of time at home, fall can be the perfect time to enjoy your backyard space. New furniture is a great way to update a yard and create a place you can relax with family. Trish Davidson, manager and buyer at Brentwood Outdoor Living, uses her background in interior design to help clients create a customized backyard retreat. “I ask the customer what they love about the inside of their home and what they hate about the inside of their home, and then we try to fix it when we go in the backyard to create something,” she said, noting that fire tables are very popular right now. “On chillier nights, people want to still feel like they have the option to stay outside, instead of going inside.” Davidson said she is getting many customers who are re-scaping their backyards — creating something new from the ground up — rather than just updating a few elements. She suggested homeowners take into consideration who

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Fall is a great time to re-landscape your backyard space. Aside from vegetable gardens and fruit trees, autumn is also a great time to warm up patio furniture and fixtures. will be using the space and how, before making any big design decisions. Getzemani Zavala owns Pacific Landscape Services, where he custom designs yards to help homeowners get the most out of their outdoor spaces. He said this summer, many of his clients are pulling out their grass lawns and replacing

them with synthetic grass, pavers and low maintenance shrubs. “I see a lot of patio covers going in as well for the heat,” Zavala added. “Synthetic grass is great for the kids to play on, and a tropical theme looks nice too. We can go from tropical to desert theme to a whole bunch of mixed plants; it just depends on

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the customer and what they want.” Another big trend brought on by the pandemic is the home garden. Spurred by fear of a faltering food chain in the spring, many people began planting their own fruits and vegetables at home. The trend has continued through the fall, according to Nino Pompei, owner of Pompei Nursery in Oakley. He has even resurrected the victory gardens of the World War II era, offering customers a discount on vegetable starters. “We did sell a lot of vegetables and citrus and fruit trees early on,” Pompei said. “The citrus and fruit trees continued to sell very quickly through the summer season. Now we are moving into the fall season, so we have plenty of those vegetables in stock at this time of year.” Pompei added fall is a great time to put in new plants, as the days are mild and the soil warm. Putting a plant in the ground in fall will give it a jumpstart on next year, improving the look of your garden for next summer. “When spring does come around, the plants are established, and they are off to a much quicker start,” he said. “If you wait until spring and plant, the system is still in a little shock and won’t have that quick start.”

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Prepare in fall, winter for spring blooms

Preparing gardens for winter is an important step that can help homeowners ensure their gardens return to full strength in the spring.

ardens provide an idyllic escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

In fact, many gardening enthusiasts typically cannot wait for the spring thaw so they can spend the next several months tending to their plants under the warm sun. But a gardener’s work is never truly done, and the work to make gardens stun in the spring actually begins during the preceding fall. Preparing gardens for winter is an important step that can help homeowners ensure their gardens return to full strength in the spring. The tasks necessary to prepare gardens for winter may depend on what homeowners are planting, but the following are some general maintenance suggestions that can keep gardens safe this winter. ♦♦ Remove weeds and debris. Weeds and debris are unsightly and detrimental to plant life in spring, but they also can be harmful in the winter. Weeds and debris left to linger in gardens through the winter provide overwintering spots for insects and can contribute to disease. So it’s imperative that weeds and debris are removed before the ground hardens in winter. Don’t wait until the ground hardens, as that can make it hard to remove the roots of weeds, adversely affecting the garden as a result.

Photo courtesy of Pintrest

A gardener’s work is never done, and the work to create beautiful spring gardens begins in the fall into winter. ♦♦ Prepare the soil. The Farmer’s Almanac advises homeowners to gently till the soil in their gardens so they can expose any insects before they settle in for the winter. Once garden soil is exposed, add a layer of compost, leaves, aged manure and, if necessary, lime, gently tilling it into the soil. According to the North Carolina Coopera-

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tive Extension, the only accurate way to determine if lawn or garden soil needs lime is to test it. Lime makes soil less acidic and reduces soil pH. Low soil pH makes it hard for certain plants to grow, but acidic soil is ideal when growing blueberries. Test the soil for lime and amend it depending on what you hope to grow in the spring so it’s

ready to thrive when winter ends. ♦♦ Remove dead or diseased plants. Dead or diseased plants should not be left in the garden through the winter. These plants can attract insects and are vulnerable to disease, which can make it hard for the garden to thrive in the spring. ♦♦ Protect fruit trees. If you have fruit trees, install mouse guards around the base to prevent mice and voles from killing the trees over the winter. If left to their own devices over the winter, mice and voles may eat the bark of fruit trees, killing the trees as a result. The Farmer’s Almanac notes that mouse guards made of fine mesh hardware cloth can effectively protect fruit trees from hungry mice and voles over the winter. – Courtesy Metro Creative

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

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Creating a healthy space DAWNMARIE FEHR

s California continues to move forward with workfrom-home schedules and

distance learning, East County residents are looking to carve out a functional space to work and learn from. Many families have multiple students in live classes simultaneously, and struggle to find a balance that allows parents to work and kids to learn, while everyone is on separate Zoom meetings. Setting up a dedicated space for each person in the house can be a challenge. For older students, a desk in the bedroom can work well, while younger students can be lined up at the table and given headphones, to avoid background noise. Converting a spare room or a seldom-used formal living room into a home office will work well, and since we are spending more time at home and dealing with air quality issues, keeping the home’s air clean and fresh is more important than ever. Claudia Szeliga, general manager at Clean Air HVAC, said clean filters are essential right now and recommends checking them for build-up

Change it often — once a month or every other month — especially right now while we are having an issue with our air quality. – Claudia Szeliga, Clean Air HVAC and ensuring they are clean. “With filters, there are different values,” said Szeliga. “It would be best to try to put in something with a value of Merv 11 or Merv 13 to help collect the particles . . . change it often — once a month or every other month — especially right now while we are having an issue with our air quality.” She said vacuuming the filters between changes can extend their life and save money. For more information on Clean Air HVAC, call 925-89-7017 or visit www. cahvac.com.

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Lighting up East County communities A LY B R O W N

or husband and wife team Rick and Debbie Bertel, not all lights are created equal.

In fact, they’ve made a business — R&D Lighting — of brightening lives with the eco-friendly LED bulbs and fixtures. For projects large and small, the family team not only installs newer, more efficient lighting, but, as part of their conversion services, they replace fluorescent light bulbs that were once installed in homes across California. “With fluorescent, they flicker, they put off ultraviolet rays,” said Rick. “It was stateof-the-art 40 years ago, but now we’re trying to phase those out.” Rick went on to explain the reason for the switch is that fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, they’re not as efficient, and the brightness of the lighting cannot be adjusted — often impacting people in ways they don’t realize until they have a headache. With LED, there is a wide variety of kelvin colors. “The lower the (kelvin) number, the softer the light, so if people are sensitive to bright lights, they can tone it down or put a dimmer on it,” he explained. “Fluorescents are either on or off.” When getting rid of the old bulbs, Rick

R&D Lighting recently upgraded the nighttime ambience at The Press building on Oak Street.

Photo by Tony Kukulich

must bring them to a certified facility that can properly dispose of the hazardous waste. “There’s nothing toxic inside an LED light; they’re not pressurized,” Rick said. “There are little diodes inside the tube, whereas with fluorescent lights, I have to inventory them, and I can only dispose of

300 units a month.” Rick and Debbie started R&D Lighting in 2016, after Rick had retired from a 42-year career with PG&E. He’d wanted to launch a small business with a focus on his community in East County. With some guidance from a dear friend who later passed away, the

two built their business and Rick earned his electrical license through the state. Now the couple and their children — who often join the ranks to help with installations — spend their time converting see Lighting page 7B

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Lighting from page 6B

Rick Bertel of R&D Lighting changed all of our old baseball field lighting from nonefficient light bulbs to state-of-theart LED lighting, which have a better quality of light and are energy-efficient ... Rick came in on time and under budget! – Ric Campos, Campos Family Vineyards

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inefficient lighting in kitchens and even attacking larger projects. Using a rented lift, Rick and his daughter recently changed the stadium lights at Campos Family Vineyards in Byron. “We put them together and pre-wired them, went to the lift, took the old ones down and put in the new lights,” he said of the job that involved 20 lights, four towers with five lights a piece. “It took a day and a half; it was a lot of prep work, but once that was done, I did a cost analysis and discovered that the old lights were running at about $26 per hour. Now it’s about $8 per hour. There’s no start up and waiting for the light to brighten; LED is instant on and instant off.” Ric Campos, who owns the winery with his wife Michelle, was happy with the switch. “Rick Bertel of R&D Lighting changed all of our old baseball field lighting from nonefficient light bulbs to state-of-the-art LED lighting, which have a better quality of light and are energy-efficient ... (They reduce the need for) maintenance of the light bulbs,” Campos said. “Rick came in on time and under budget!”

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Tips for planting fall vegetables

ending to backyard vegetable gardens can fill many hours of enjoyable downtime in

A handful of factors need to be taken into consideration when planning fall vegetable gardens.

the great outdoors.

Certain late-season treats like carrots, kale, spinach, and turnips can thrive in fall gardens. Many different foods are quick crops that can go from seed to table in about six weeks. When sown in early fall, these vegetables will be ready to put on the table for mid-October feasts. A handful of unique factors need to be taken into consideration when planning fall vegetable gardens. ♦♦ The summertime location of the garden may still be adequate, but be sure to choose a location that gets eight full hours of sunlight per day. ♦♦ If using an existing garden site, clear out any detritus from summer plants and any weeds that have sprouted. If you are planting a new garden, remove any turf before

Photo courtesy of Metro Creative

tilling the soil. ♦♦ Amend the soil with sand, compost, manure fertilizer and any other nutrients needed depending on the types of vegetables you intend to grow. ♦♦ While fall vegetables can be grown successfully from seeds, it may be more time-friendly to work from larger transplants, advises the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. ♦♦ Some plants may need a little protection as they grow if temperatures begin to dip. Cover with a blanket, cardboard box or plastic tunnel to insulate. Remember to water according to the vegetables planted and to keep an eye on readiness for vegetables. Turnips, beets, rutabagas and carrots can be dug out when the roots are plump and crisp. Vegetable gardens need not cease when the last days of summer vanish. Fall produce is delicious and can be easily planted and harvested even after the first frost. – Courtesy Metro Creative

When the weather moves you indoors

asements may not be go-to hangouts

during spring, summer and fall, when many homeowners spend more time on their

patios and decks enjoying the great outdoors. But as winter approaches and the great outdoors become less welcoming, basements once again become popular places to relax and spend time with loved ones. That’s why fall is such an ideal time to address mold issues

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moisture, so dehumidifiers can help homeowners effectively reduce the risk of mold growth in their basements. WebMD advises homeowners to keep indoor humidity levels, which can be measured with an inexpensive instrument known as a hygrometer, below 60%. In lieu of wall-to-wall carpeting in basements, install concrete floors and area rugs to make mold growth less likely. Basement floors also should be routinely inspected for leaks, as leaks can promote mold growth. Address leaks promptly if any are found. – Courtesy Metro Creative

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in a basement. According to WebMD, exposure to mold can irritate a person’s eyes, nose, throat and lungs. That’s true whether a person is allergic to mold or not. Even people who are merely sensitive to mold can experience sneezing and a runny nose, and some may even develop red eyes and skin rash if exposed to mold. Reactions are much more severe for people with mold allergies, who may experience shortness of breath or suffer from asthma attacks if exposed to mold. Molds require moisture to grow, and basements may provide ideal growing conditions for mold. Mold spores cannot grow without

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When it comes time to put the space back together, finding an appealing furniture arrangement or layout renovation that maximizes space efficiently can be challenging if it requires moving heavy pieces of furniture around. To make such tasks easier, homeowners can rely on a bevy of room-designing apps that enable one to manipulate a room in the digital realm. ♦♦ Amikasa: This app enables users to create room layouts using furniture and more from real brands. It features a walkthrough mode so you can take a virtual tour afterwards. ♦♦ Autodesk Homestyler: Brought to you by the company that produces professional design programs for architects and designers, like AutoCAD, Autodesk and Revit, this user-friendly technology allows you to create 3D renderings and move around furniture, decorative items, appliances, and other elements right in the app. ♦♦ Floor Plan Creator: Start with the basics by plotting out precise and accurate

floor plans. This app enables you to create multiple floor rooms in 3D and get automatic figures for perimeters, walls and more. ♦♦ Ikea Home Planner Tools: The free, easy-to-use home planner tool from the popular furniture giant enables you to see how items from the store can look in your space — before you bring it home. The Kitchen Planner from the company also makes it simple to enter Ikea components and see how much the proposed kitchen design may cost. ♦♦ Magic Plan: This is another popular feature-filled app for planning designs. The technology even allows you to take a picture of your existing room and create floor plans. ♦♦ Planner 5D: This is an extensive roomdesign tool that helps you design rooms down to the smallest architectural details. It also can be taken outdoors for landscaping and pools, utilizing 3D graphics. ♦♦ Room Scan Pro: This app draws floor plans simply by having you hold the phone up to a wall. The software will then scan the circumference and plot out the requisite measurements. These are just a few of the room planners that can make it easier to see what a finished design product may one day look like. – Courtesy of Metro Creative

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Signs your gutters need repairing

all is a great time to take stock of your gutters and address any issues before trees shed

their leaves or the first snowstorm touches down. Compromised gutters can contribute to water issues in basements and adversely affect a home’s foundation if not addressed immediately, so it behooves homeowners to learn the signs that gutters are in need of repair or replacement. ♦♦ Gutters hanging off the home: Gutters were once installed predominantly with spikes. However, many industry professionals now install gutters with hanger brackets. Why the change? Spikes loosen over time, leading to

the gutters hanging off the home. That can contribute to serious issues if left untreated. Gutters hanging off the home need not necessarily be replaced, but rather secured to the home, ideally with hanger brackets instead of spikes. Brackets hook into the front of the gutter and are then screwed into the fascia of a home. A professional who specializes in gutter repair can perform this task relatively quickly, and it’s an inexpensive yet highly effective solution. ♦♦ Gutter separation: Gutters that are no longer fastened together can leak and contribute to issues that affect the home’s foundation, siding and appearance. Clogs and the accumulation of debris can cause gutters to separate because they are not designed to hold too much weight. Replacement of separated gutters may or may not be necessary depending on how big the problem is and the condition

of the existing gutters. If replacement is not necessary, separated gutters may be remedied by securing the joints, another relatively simple and inexpensive fix. ♦♦ Peeling exterior paint: Paint that appears to be peeling off of your home may indicate that water is seeping over the edge of the gutter closest to your home. When that happens, water is coming down the side of the house, causing the paint to peel. In such instances, replacing the gutters is often necessary. ♦♦ Basement flooding: Not all signs of deteriorating gutters are outside a home. Many homeowners have been flummoxed by flooding in their basements, and such flooding can be caused by aging, ineffective gutters. That’s because deteriorating gutters sometimes allow water to leak near the foundation of a home, contributing to basement flooding. – Courtesy Metro Creative

Photo courtesy of Metro Creative

Fall is an ideal time to inspect and repair gutters ahead of the winter weather.

Safe and effective ways to clean up leaves

emoving leaves from the yard is a task that homeowners must perform each fall.

These tips also make the job safer and easier. ♦♦ Wear layers when cleaning up leaves. It may be cool at first, but it’s easy to work up a sweat after raking for a while. Layers can be peeled off so as not to get

overheated or risk hypothermia from sweating in chilly temps. ♦♦ Do not try to rake or blow leaves on windy days. Wind will only make the task that much more difficult, which could lead to overworking oneself. ♦♦ Avoid overfilling bags. For those who plan to mulch and bag leaves, remember that compressed leaves can get heavy pretty quickly. Do not overfill bags, as they can be hard to move or bring to a recycling

center. Using a leaf blower to push leaves into piles will reduce the strenuousness of the task, but leaf blowers can be heavy and noisy and gas-powered blowers can produce a considerable amount of exhaust. Raking leaves can be quite a chore. It is important that homeowners take steps to prevent injury while cleaning up leaves in their yards. – Courtesy Metro Creative

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

HOME & GARDEN

WWW.THEPRESS.NET

11B

Make your front door pop

isitors’ impressions of a home are often dictated by the home’s entryway.

Much as one may judge a book by its cover, the same can be said about the impression that a front door and entryway can create, regardless of how accurate that impression is. Making certain changes to an entryway can go a long way toward improving curb appeal. Entryways also can set the scene for a home’s interior. Whether one chooses to be classic or bold, modern or traditional, there are various ways to quickly transform a home’s entryway. ♦♦ Bold front door color: Color can dramatically enhance an entryway. Painting an existing door or replacing it with a more vivid option can do the trick. The DIY Network says certain colors stand out as favorites. These include turquoise, yellow, red, indigo, orange and black. The door color should complement the other shades of the home, such as those on siding and trim.

Market from page 2B in the world, and whenever there’s instability, the rates will be low . . . but all we are is one solid COVID vaccine away from rates going up. When the economy is able to turn back on, it will turn back on quickly.” Sharp made a similar prediction, suggesting a repeat of Al Gore and George Bush’s post-election recount fiasco would have a negative effect on the market. “If we have a clear winner one way or the other, it will be ok,” said Sharp. “The stock market and real estate market hate uncertainty. If it’s close and one candidate

Backyard from page 3B Brentwood Outdoor Living is located at 6061 Lone Tree Way, Suite G, in Brentwood. For more information, call 925-626-6383 or visit www.brentwoodoutdoorliving.com. For more information on Pacific

♦♦ Custom walkway: Guide guests right to the front door with an attractive (and safe) walkway. Stamped concrete or decorative paver blocks may fit the bill. This walkway can extend to the street or to the driveway. ♦♦ Container plants. Landscaping around the entryway should be neat and welltended. Overgrown plants or shrubbery may give off an air of neglect. Container plants and carefully curated shrubs can create a neat and inviting aura. ♦♦ Highlight the address. Make sure the home can be found easily with bold and decorative house numbers. Consider two different address signs: one illuminated and easily viewed from the curb, and another closer to the front door. ♦♦ Utilize high-end materials. The relatively small area of real estate by the front door enables homeowners to splurge on more opulent materials that can really add a feeling of luxury. These can include colorful tiles, ornate planters, decorative wooden doors, or elaborate knobs and lighting fixtures. ♦♦ Add architectural details. Find out which architectural elements will meld with the style of the home and then incorporate them. Moldings, columns, shutters and trim are areas to consider. – Courtesy Metro Creative

says, ‘I won, you stole it,’ and we have a protracted legal battle, it’s going to get worse.” Sharp suggested anyone looking to purchase a home they will be in for the long term should continue their search. Sharp Realty is located at 320 Fairview Ave., in Brentwood. For more information, call 925-240-6683 or visit www. sharphomesonline.com. Guild Mortgage is located at 5829 Lone Tree Way, Suite D, in Antioch. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ thepressnet_Guild.

Landscape Services, call 925-752-4868 or visit www.plsgreen.net. Pompei Nursery is located at 4701 Main St. in Oakley. For more information, call 925-625-7330 or visit www. pompeinursery.com.

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12B

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HOME & GARDEN

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Involuntary Retirement Was Not Part Of The Plan!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

– Cherry Miller, aka Mom.

do not think anyone can argue that the going is pretty tough right now. COVID-19, complete unrest in the streets of America, a

contentious election coming quickly, and with Oct. 1 looming large, sometimes it can feel completely overwhelming. Unprecedented numbers of layoffs are coming fast and furious. Are you prepared? Oct. 1 means layoffs for many people who have been holding on by a thread. The companies affected include just about every industry from airlines, hotels, cruise liners, restaurants, stores, personal services, manufacturing companies. The list of impacted industries goes on and on. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we have three major international airports that employ tens of thousands of people, from flight attendants, to pilots, to mechanics, to all the service personnel who work in the airports. We also enjoy diverse manufacturing industries from semiconductors to automobiles. And, of course, our world-famous tourism industry employs tens of thousands throughout the area. Companies have furloughed people with the promise of rehire. The companies have held on to staff for six months due only to the benefits of massive government infusions of cash. But come Oct. 1, many companies, and, in some cases, entire industries, are going to lay off those who were hopeful about returning to work. These types of companies employ many thousands of people. When we add to that all the small businesses that have been trying desperately to hang on, the impact of the Oct. 1 date is monumental. Our financial security is about to take a hit the size of 2008. We were just at a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. An employee there told me that prior to COVID they had over 1,000 associates working on property. Now they have 200. They have called people back as they have been able to reopen. Of course, they also had to gauge demand, i.e. wait for the patrons to return as well. With people afraid to fly, worried about being in the hotel restaurants, pools, bars etc., it was very hard to determine how quickly to bring staff back. The worst news she shared was that on Oct. 1, if things were not completely back to normal, the 800 associates who had been furloughed, would be laid off. This is one hotel… and 800 people. Our hotel was surrounded by other resorts just large, or maybe larger. That is 800 times 4 or 5 other resorts… It is so very sad for all these people who want to work. They are not happily sitting at home, they are anxiously awaiting a call back, and what is looming in front of them is terribly frightening. The only companies doing well are those attached to e-commerce such as Amazon and Shopify. I don’t resent their success. As a matter of fact, I am a big user of their services. What I do worry about are the others that are not recovering the way everyone had hoped. This was a two-week shut-down to flatten the curve. Remember that, ‘Just 14 days to flatten the curve.’ An unprecedented move to shut down the U.S. economy, but two weeks was doable. Six months is not doable. It is asking too much of too many. Especially with Oct. 1 just around the corner. If my sisters or I ever said, “I can’t, Mom,” Cherry Miller would turn right around and say, “Where there is a will, there is a way!” That is what we are here to talk about today.

An airline union representative recently noted in a newsletter, sent to tens of thousands of airline employees who are facing imminent unemployment, now is the time to prepare. In a section of his presentation titled, “What can you do to prepare?” he listed four options: Collect unemployment benefits to the extent that you are still eligible; If you have a working spouse, see if they can pick up extra hours; If you are not already, consider collecting Social Security, even if you were hoping to wait; If you are 60 years or older, consider a reverse mortgage. The first two are temporary solutions to a potentially permanent problem. If you are entering retirement involuntarily, you may need to face some difficult truths. None of us like to face harsh reality, but now may be the time – we can no longer bury our heads in the sand. I have talked previously about how seniors are often the last to be called back after a furlough or layoff. It is not fair, but it is the truth. The good news is, if you can consider #3 or #4, you could be in great shape. Granted, we would all like to wait to collect our Social Security but if you have the option to collect it now, count yourself lucky. Not everyone who is about to be impacted even has this as an option. If you are 60 years old, or older, and have substantial equity in your home, you may qualify for a reverse mortgage. I know, you have a friend who told you it was bad or an aunt who ended up with no equity left in her home. I hear these things every single day. Usually when I ask, “Did your friend say why they are bad?” I hear something like, “Well, no. I asked her, but she didn’t really know; she had just kinda heard that.” Or I hear, “She said I am giving my home to the bank.” I hear this one a lot. It is absolutely not true. After you do a reverse mortgage, you own your home just exactly like you do today. A reverse mortgage is simply a loan against your home. As for your aunt who ended up with no equity when she passed, that scenario was possible, even probable under the “old math.” In 2017, HUD revamped the entire reverse mortgage program. They substantially reduced the percentage of the value of your home that you can borrow with a reverse mortgage. This move was very controversial. People were upset that the government was intervening in their ability to access their equity. Regardless of how you feel about our government overall, I have to say, this was a brilliant move. What has been shown, after a bit of time has passed, is that the changes allow borrowers to access some of their equity today AND it preserves a significant amount of equity for the future. It really has turned out to be a win-win for everyone. Everyone has heard one thing or another about reverse mortgages. The most important thing to do is to educate yourself about today’s reverse mortgages, keeping in mind that it is an ever-evolving loan program. For example, we now have a jumbo reverse mortgage. They came out a few years ago and they just keep getting better and better. With a strong economy, these programs will continue to improve. Obviously, everyone is looking for financial security in this time of frightening uncertainty. Whether that is increased cash flow, elimination of a monthly mortgage payment, or a line of credit for emergencies, the goal is financial security. The reverse mortgage loan programs give you total flexibility. If times are tough for a month or two or six, you do not have to make a mortgage payment. If you are flush and want to make a payment, you can do so, in any amount, and at any time, without any penalty.

Beth Miller-Rowe has been in the mortgage industry for 38 years specializing in reverse mortgages for the past 12 years. Beth has degrees in economics and business administration. The flexibility that today’s reverse mortgage provides is priceless. Call me today. Let’s chat. We can Zoom, we can chat over the phone, or I can come to your home. Let me know what suits you best. You owe it to yourself and your family to make an informed decision. Stay safe, and stay well. Beth Miller-Rowe and my professional, dedicated, and friendly team. – Advertorial

Let’s take a look and see if we can Make Your Retirement Dreams Come True.

Beth Miller-Rowe NMLS: 294774

Branch Manager and Reverse Mortgage Specialist

The Reverse Mortgage Group • A Division of American Pacific Mortgage Corp.

Office: 925-969-0380 Cell: 925-381-8264 Beth@YourReverse.com

3478 Buskirk Ave., Ste. 1000 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Your Retirement Dreams Can Come True! A Division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation NMLS 1850

DRE: 00950759/01215943 • NMLS: 294774/831612/1850 Licensed by the Dept of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act

*Reverse mortgages are loans offered to homeowners who are 62 or older who have equity in their homes. The loan programs allow borrowers to defer payment on the loans until they pass away, sell the home, or move out. Homeowners, however, remain responsible for the payment of taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other items. Nonpayment of these items can lead to a default under the loan terms and ultimate loss of the home. FHA insured reverse mortgages have an up front and ongoing cost; ask your loan officer for details. These materials are not from, nor approved by HUD, FHA, or any governing agency. **American Pacific Mortgage Corporation is not financial service company or licensed tax advisors; the material provided is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, tax and/or mortgage advice. Although the material is deemed to be accurate and reliable, there is no guarantee it is without errors. We are not financial or tax advisors, please contact your financial professional for your personal financial situation.