NOVEMBER 2019
Real Estate Guide to Pontotoc County & the surrounding area
FEATURING (Page 10)
First Choice Insurance offers speedy, quality service
We work here, Live here, Play here.
We are your neighbors!
PROPERTIES Selecting the right real estate professional to work for you is the most important step in the process.
PONTOTOC RIDGE REALTY, INC. EACH MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED.
BROKER: SUSIE CHAPMAN 419-3265
BROKER: PATTI STARK 296-5301
BROKER: MARILYN SAPPINGTON 488-5477
ASSOC.: ALISHA GALLOWAY 509-2677
BROKER: DAVID ANDERSON 419-5318
BROKER: CAYCE CONTI 396-1967
ASSOC.: LENA CHEWE 297-4079
49 S. Main St., Pontotoc, MS • 662-489-2848 • www.pontotocridgerealty.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 7 7 7 8 10 15 15 16 17 18 19
Patty Turk Properties, LLC
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Crye-Leike Realtors, Beth Walker
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First Choice Bank
First Choice Insurance Pickens Pest Control Distinctive Design Mossy Oak Properties First Choice Insurance feature Home Inspections 101 Matthews Real Estate
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Southern Hills Realty & Appraisal, Inc. Hamilton Mortgage Dennis Cox, Tommy Morgan, Inc. How to prepare your lawn & garden for winter Chimney maintenance a part of home safety
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Advertising Consultant: Angie Quarles • Designer: Chelsea Williams Pontotoc Progress • 13 Jefferson Street • P.O. Box 210 • Pontotoc, MS 38863 • 662-489-3511
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Trusted Name First Choice Insurance offers speedy, quality service 10| PONTOTOC HOMES
Story & Photos by GALEN HOLLEY
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sking the right questions up-front, building solid relationships, and offering convenient, quality service is the way the folks at First Choice Insurance do business. “We have the same, deep roots as the bank,” said agent Chris Gulledge, executive director of First Choice. First Choice opened last year to offer, as Gulledge put it, “additional services to our clients,” including those who
bank with First Choice, just down the street. “Our people live here, so we certainly take pride in serving our hometown,” said Gulledge. First Choice shares the bank’s name, and is owned by the same holding company, but, as Gulledge specified, the insurance business is its own entity. First Choice offers a wide range of coverage options, including home, renter’s, auto, business, commercial auto, personal, commercial, worker’s compensation, life and health, and Medicare supplements, and umbrella policies. Some 1,630 clients trust First Choice for their insurance needs. The Insurance business has changed over the years, Gulledge said. “There’s been a shift in what people want,” said Gulledge. “Speed and convenience are important to clients today, and some prefer to do business strictly over the phone. We pride ourselves on speedy, quality service, and we have one of the most advanced systems you’ll find in the industry.” First Choice also recently opened an office in Water Valley. Dedicated, knowlegble employees, like Lynne Gregory, an agent with 40 years of experience, are key to First Choice’s success, Gulledge said. “We ask the right questions, and take the extra steps to give our clients excellent service, with a trusted name,” said Gulledge.
Executive Director Chris Gulledge has 12 years experience in insurance and takes pride providing a hometown touch in taking care of customers.
Administrative assistant Jordan Prewett handles things at the desk at First Choice Insurance.
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Home Inspections 101
he process of buying a home can be unlike any experience prospective buyers have ever had. After finding a home they like and coming to an agreement on a sale price with the seller, buyers can expect to add many items to their to-do list. One of the first things to jot down on that list is scheduling a home inspection. Home inspections are a vital part of the home buying process. Such inspections can protect buyers as they’re on the cusp of making what will likely be the most significant investment of their lives. Understanding the home inspection process can help buyers during an exciting yet potentially nerve-wracking time in their lives.
WHAT IS A HOME INSPECTION?
The American Society of Home Inspectors defines a home inspection as an objective visual examination of the physical structure and systems of a house. Inspectors will conduct visual examinations from the roof to the foundation of the home. Additional structures on the property, such as sheds or detached outdoor living areas, are not typically included in the examination.
WHAT DO INSPECTORS EXAMINE?
The ASHI notes that inspectors will examine the condition of various parts of the home. The heating system, central air conditioning unit, interior plumbing and electrical sys-
tems, roof (though inspectors will not climb onto the roof), attic and insulation will be examined. Inspectors also will examine walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, the foundation of the home, basement (or crawl space), and structural components.
CAN A HOME FAIL INSPECTION?
Homes cannot fail home inspections, which are just assessments of a home’s existing condition. Municipal inspections are separate inspections conducted by government agencies to verify that a property is in compliance with local codes. Home inspectors will provide detailed reports describing the condition of a home and indicate if any repairs are in order.
DO I REALLY NEED A HOME INSPECTION?
A home inspection is a vital component that can help buyers make the most informed decision possible. Forgoing an inspection can leave buyers vulnerable to potentially costly repairs and issues with a home that might have been detected with a proper home inspection. In addition, some lenders insist that buyers have home inspections conducted before they will allow them to borrow money. Home inspections can protect home buyers as they prepare to make the most significant financial investment of their lives. More information about inspections can be found at www.homeinspector.org.
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HOW TO PREPARE YOUR
Lawn and Garden FOR WINTER
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inter weather can be harsh. Homeowners who spend much of the year tending to their lawns and gardens may worry that winter will undo all of their hard work. Though homeowners cannot do anything to prevent snow, wind and ice from affecting their properties, they can take various steps to prepare their lawns and gardens for whatever winter has in store. Fall is the perfect time for homeowners who spend months making their lawns and gardens as lush as possible to take steps to prepare such areas for potentially harsh winter weather.
Winter Lawn & Garden preparatoin tips MULCH LEAVES
Falling leaves are a telltale sign that winter is coming. In lieu of raking leaves as they begin to fall, homeowners can mulch them into their lawns. Scotts®, an industry leader in lawn care, notes that mulching leaves is a great way for homeowners to recycle a natural resource and enrich the soil of their lawns. While it might not be possible to mulch fallen leaves in late autumn when they begin to fall en masse, doing so in the early stages of fall should be possible so long as the lawn is not being suffocated. Scotts® recommends mulching the leaves to dime-size pieces to a point where half an inch of grass can be seen through the mulched leaf layer.
RAKE LEAVES AS THEY START TO FALL MORE HEAVILY
Once leaves begin to fall more heavily, rake them up and add them to compost piles. The resource GardeningKnowHow.com notes composting leaves creates a dark, rich and organic matter that can add nutrients to garden soil and loosen compacted earth. Leaving leaves on the lawn once they start to fall in great numbers makes it hard for grass blades to breathe, and the leaves can block moisture from reaching the soil, which needs water to maintain strong roots. In ad-
dition, potentially harmful pathogens can breed on damp leaves left on a lawn, and such bacteria can cause significant damage to the turf over time.
APPLY A WINTERIZING FERTILIZER
Winterizing fertilizers can help lawns store food they need to survive through winter and also can help them bounce back strong in spring. Such fertilizers are typically formulated for cool-season grasses such as fescue and bluegrass and are often best applied after the final cut of fall. Warm-season grasses go dormant in winter, so homeowners whose lawns contain these types of grasses won’t want to apply a winterizing fertilizer. Homeowners who don’t know which type of grass they have or are concerned about when to apply a winterizing fertilizer should consult with a lawncare professional before fertilizing.
REMOVE ANNUALS FROM THE GARDEN
Annuals won’t be coming back in spring, so it’s best to remove ones that are no longer producing from the garden before the arrival of winter. Doing so can prevent the onset of fungal diseases that may adversely affect the garden in spring.
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Chimney maintenance
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A PART OF HOME SAFETY
s temperatures drop and thoughts once again turn to lighting fires and sitting down with a good book, it’s important to revisit chimney maintenance. Even though chimneys do not require daily upkeep, regular maintenance efforts help chimneys operate safely and prevent deaths and injuries while protecting homes from fire. Various problems can arise when chimneys are not well maintained. Such problems include chimney fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and early failure of the chimney and heating sources that the chimney vents. Carbon monoxide can be scary, as it is virtually invisible without a proper detector. The National Vital Statistics System says that, in 2015, 393 deaths resulted from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States. When carbon monoxide is breathed in, it builds up quickly and combines with the blood, reducing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. The Canada Safety Council says that body tissue and cells can’t function without oxygen. Chimney fires are another potential byproduct of poor chimney maintenance. The Chimney Safety Institute of America notes that chimneys expel the byproducts of combustion, including smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon, tar fog, and assorted minerals, which can condense on the inside of the chimney flue. The residue, called creosote, is highly combustible. With the right conditions, a chimney fire can occur. Learn more about chimney maintenance and find a certified chimney sweep at www. csia.org.
Precautions to avoid chimney fires • Have chimneys inspected annually and properly cleaned by a professional chimney technician. • Make sure tree branches and other obstacles are cleared away from the top of the chimney. • Use seasoned hardwoods that have been split for several months to a year. “Green” wood creates more creosote. • The top-down method of building a fire produces less smoke. This means using larger pieces of wood on the bottom and the smallest twigs and kindling at the top. The fire will burn from the top and down, igniting the wood beneath as it goes. • Put a cap on the chimney to keep out rain, snow and small animals. • Keep fires small; otherwise, the intense heat may damage bricks and mortar in the chimney. Repair any damage promptly before lighting another fire. • Open the damper and fireplace doors so that air supply flows freely and can vent the smoke promptly, reducing residence time in the flue; otherwise, creosote can form. • Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms throughout the home and routinely check the batteries.
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