Massachusetts Property Blog

A slow, agonizing virus leading to extreme lethargy, madness, and an eventual, but certain death - doesn’t sound very appealing, does it? If you do not vaccinate with rabies shots, your dog or cat faces an uncertain future. Rabies is one of the worst viruses that can affect your pet, and with no preventative measures, such as its annual rabies shots, mortality is, unfortunately, assured. When you vaccinate with rabies shots, you are choosing to extend the life of your pet, protect the community, and follow the letter of the law.

All pet owners should know that rabies is a disease that is caused by a virus that is transmitted from animal to animal and animal to human via a scratch or bite that causes a break in the skin. The virus is in the saliva of an infected animal. Because rabies is fatal to the animal or a human who contracts it, it is vitally important for pet owners to have their vet vaccinate for rabies with either a one year or three year vaccine. In certain regions and/or states with high levels of rabies reports, such as Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania (1), you must vaccinate with rabies shots at least once a year.

What Is Rabies Anyway?

The rabies virus is spread through the saliva of infected animals. A huge problem in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, rabies kills more than 50,000 people and animals worldwide each year; however, most pet owners do not vaccinate for rabies in these regions. Once contracted through a bite or scratch, the virus begins attacking the peripheral nerve cells and central nervous system, which largely consists of the spinal cord and brain (2). The virus works fast, but it is a drawn-out, painful death at best.

Depending upon where the animal was bitten, it may take awhile for symptoms to show. Without any preventative rabies shots, the symptoms begin to appear and the animal normally only has a week to a week and a half to live. Contraction of the rabies virus in animals is broken down into three phases: prodromal, furious, and paralytic (3). During the prodromal phase, the dog or cat will show signs of apprehension and anxiety as well as develop a fever, although cats often exhibit more irregular behavior. The furious phase sees cats and dogs highly irritable, more vicious, and lashing out at anything that moves. The paralytic phrase can occur after either the prodromal or furious phases - breathing becomes more labored and vital organs freeze up. There have been stories of pet owners trying to dislodge a foreign object from the animal’s mouth because they were unaware that the dog had contracted the rabies virus. The animal eventually lapses into respiratory failure and dies (4). When you vaccinate for rabies, you help your dog or cat avoid all of this pain and suffering, which can easily be prevented with annual rabies shots - quickly and rather inexpensively.

Practice Caution - Vaccinate for Rabies Regularly

Animals most at risk for exposure to rabies are stray dogs and cats that frequently roam in and around wooded areas that bring them in close proximity to wildlife that are the carriers of rabies. Wildlife carriers often include raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, and bats.

Pet owners should also be cautious by avoiding contact with wildlife that are normally nocturnal (active at night) and are normally fearful of and avoid contact with humans. Rabid wildlife are not fearful of humans and may aggressively attack. Be careful of leaving food outside for cats and dogs, which tends to attract wildlife and brings them up close and personal with our pets. Also, be careful about approaching cats and dogs that appear to be feral or roaming about. One bite or scratch is all it takes for exposure to rabies to occur, and if the animal that bites cannot be captured, prophylactic treatment for rabies may be necessary. Unfortunately as well, any preventative measures in the form of rabies shots are far too late to be administered at this point.

It is also vitally important to report all animal to animal and animal to human bites to the animal control agency in whichever county or area the bite occurs. Many people are reluctant to do this if the offending animal belongs to a neighbor or someone they know. However, if the vaccination history of the dog or cat that bites is not known, then the animal or person bitten is at risk for exposure. Pets should be safely confined and dogs should be on leash when off their property. Finally, once you vaccinate for rabies, make sure your pet wears its rabies tag at all times.

Neglect is Costly: Maintain Current Rabies Shots

Rabies shots for dogs and cats are required by the law for the life of the pet. Neglecting to keep you and your family, your pet, and your community safe from rabies is a costly mistake and one that should never be allowed to occur. You have the power to vaccinate your pet from this easily preventable virus. Remember, keeping up-to-date and choosing to vaccinate with rabies shots is the first line of defense to keep the public safe from this deadly disease.

Sources

1. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsrabies/Statistics/usmap.htm
2. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsrabies/TheVirus/rabvir.htm
3. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1556&aid=347
4. Ibid.

Dr. Gloria Dorsey

DirectBuy of Providence donates foosball table to the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick

 WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND…

Made by one of the finest foosball manufacturers, the regulation-size foosball table retails for around $600. DirectBuy of Providence Owner Heng Meas delivered the table to the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick’s Norwood branch, located at 42 Frederick Street in Warwick.

“To us, being a member of the Warwick and greater Providence business community also means being a part of the community in general, just like our members,” said Meas. “So when we make a donation to a place like the Boys & Girls Club, we’re not only helping out a great cause, but one that probably benefits our members, their families and their friends and neighbors, and that’s always worthwhile.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Warwick is a non-profit organization that depends on the generosity and financial support of the community to help it fulfill its commitment to enriching the lives of individuals, strengthening families and building inclusive communities. The Boys & Girls Club’s mission is provide appropriate and diversified programs and activities that serve to attract and hold area youth to the Club, providing an environment that teaches children the skills needed to build positive lives, attitudes and behaviors.

“The new foosball table has already beenand will continue to be a great contribution to the Norwood branch,”said Karin Kavanagh, development director for the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick. “I’d like to thankMr. Meas for this thoughtful gesture and generous donation, which will both draw and excite the kids.”

DirectBuy franchises across Canada and the United States are active contributors to many local non-profits and charities. Some of the more notable beneficiaries of DirectBuy’s generosity include the Boys & Girls Clubs, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Homes for Our Troops and Children’s Hospitals, to name a few.

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped consumers enjoy enormous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, and accessories, by providing an avenue to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Conveniently located at 222 Metro Center Boulevard in Warwick, Rhode Island, DirectBuy offers members a comfortable setting where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

For more information on a DirectBuy membership, you can call 401-921-4988 ext. 304 or visit www.directbuyprovidence.com

About DirectBuy

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped hundreds of thousands of families enjoy a better quality of life, enabling them to buy directly frommore than 700manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. Buying direct makesmembers’ hard-earned money to go much further, while having the selection and choice not available at any retail store. The Warwick, Rhode Island-based DirectBuy has been serving the greater Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut area since 2006. Access to confidential prices, local suppliersandunparalleled selection helps make members’ dream projectsa reality.It’s a comfortable setting where you have the financial control of buying direct. DirectBuy of Providence is one of more than 160 DirectBuy showrooms throughout North America.

Consumers interested in becoming members may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by contacting DirectBuy at 401-921-4988 ext. 304, or visiting www.directbuyprovidence.com.

To learn more about the superior value and benefits of a DirectBuy membership, visit www.directbuycares.com.

Joe D’eramo

THE DEVELOPMENT of real estate in India is attributed to the off-shoring and outsourcing businesses, such as high-end technology consultation, call centres and programming houses.

The demand from the information technology sector certainly has changed the urban landscape in India. Several multinational companies (MNCs) continue to move their organizational operations to India to take advantage of lower manpower and other costs. Providing human resources and home at their work place assumes great significance and therefore, the requirement to create space for people to live and work that in turn causes the development of other related infrastructure. It has been a predominant trend to set up the world´s best business centres, often campus-style establishments, bearing a distinguishing corporate stamp. Some of these locations are so distinctive that they are termed as the ´temples of new or modern India´. It is just an indication of the extent to which the development of real estate has been taking place.

The real estate market in India remains unorganized, fairly fragmented, mostly characterized by small players with a local presence. Traditionally, real estate developers were viewed with an element of skepticism. Developers were often identified dealing with large amounts of unaccounted money, lacking transparency and would use unscrupulous mean to acquire a variety of regulatory approvals.
The tremendous growth of the real estate sector is attributed to various fundamental factors such as growing economy, growing business needs, etc. This boom however is restricted to areas such as commercial office space, retail and housing sectors. The impending concerns of this sector namely- skill shortage, non availability of statistics, lack of low cost-affordable housing, lack of sustainability, high RE prices and last, to meet a future that might have downturn due to oversupply.

The industry is presently facing a major resource crunch – an obvious lack of qualified skilled people from construction firms, PMC firms, etc. Coupled with this manpower shortage is the shortage of availability of relevant statistics which has created an ambiguity as to how much construction activity is actually taking place and one can´t gauge the demand and supply trends accurately.

The opportunities and issues of affordable, low cost housing in India are mainly related with tremendous shortfall of middle class housing as majority of the developers are involved in developing high class housing, so there is a dearth of low cost affordable units.

The negative version of Indian real estate industry is “they have complete disrespect for sustainability” and that the concept of green buildings, proper waste disposal methods and the longevity of the product are often dismissed.

Presently, the impact of recession in US economy has impacted Indian Real Estate Market as well as it is also witnessing the recession. Till now the real estate industry was a very booming industry in India which were in pace with IT industry. Accordingly, the demand for IT space and Commercial spaces has been grown. Also the high net worth of individual investors has created a very fast pace of demand in Indian real estate sector which have gain a very high impact image of investing in India.
As the money was coming in terms on investment in India from NRI as well as Private Equity funds, the well known developers and real estate players have grown their portfolio as well many small sized players have also created in Indian market. It has provided a very high supply of real estate segments either in residential or in commercial or in office space. SEZ has also creates a very good opportunities for investors as well as corporate to invest and get benefited from Indian real estate market. So the booming market has created a niche as modern living in India and created a very mass employment in Indian segment.

The recent changes which happened in American market such as Bankruptcy of Lehman Brother an oldest financial firm of American market and sell process of PE Firm Merryl lynch by the largest US bank Bank of America has created a very fast drops/recession in financial industry and created a crisis in all over US economy. Both of these firms were invested their more part of funds in to real estate sector without having the proper analyzing or effect. They also have given the funds for mortgage industry of US which is currently facing the hurdle of Sub prime lending and have impacted many players to bankrupt.
All of these changes in US economy have impacted in Indian economy as well as Real estate segment as most of the Indian players have their liquidity funded by both of these firms. Also the IT segment which was mainly funded by the PE firms or have their export to US markets have noticed very sharp drop of net worth of their firms. This recession also impacted the Sensex which has bullish very sharply and brings down the net worth of the leader of Indian real estate player very low. The impact can be shown in share price of DLF, Unitech, GMR group, Reliance group, Wipro, Satyam etc groups.
All of these sudden changes in Indian and US market created a point of thinking to investors & individuals that where it will go and what will be best option in real estate investment.

The market rates in India are also dropped by 10 to 30% in most of prominent as well as upcoming cities and the trend appears to be still continuing till it will not recover the effects of this financial crisis.
For more details, please visit- http://indianrealtynews.blogspot.com

Lokesh Goyal

no you need to be a legal resident.

My ex refuses to make plans for his broken down truck on my property. I have asked him several times to remove it, but he won’t. It has been there since October 2010. Can I legally have it removed to a junkyard? I know once I do, he’s going to say "I didn’t know she was going to tow it" and try to get me in trouble. Are there certain steps I have to go through to get it off of my property?

No. Just call an auto impound lot and have them remove it as a private property impound.

In the present economic times many individuals are living with financial decisions causing them to hold assets, such as houses, automobiles and boats, whose values have plummeted. Individuals are living in properties whose values have dropped far below the mortgages or driving cars, which are valued at a third of the loans. Those individuals with financial difficulties are looking for assistance through the bankruptcy courts in an attempt to get out from underneath all of the debts and liens acquired, which now vastly exceed their current assets.

There are two types of liens, which can be attached to an individual’s property or assets. The first is a voluntary lien, which is basically a situation where you have agreed to use the asset as collateral for a debt, i.e. mortgages and auto loans. A non-voluntary lien is one that a creditor imposes on you and that gives them the right to force you to sell the asset so that they can be paid, for example: judgments against you or tax liens. These liens are either secured or unsecured as to the asset they are attached to.

The most common issue for an individual nowadays is the situation where a homeowner who has a first and second mortgage on a primary residence is facing bankruptcy and wondering if they have the ability to save the family home. As real estate markets fall and the fair market values of the homes fall, homeowners are left with mortgages that far exceed the current fair market value of their homes. There is a process which could be of help to many in this situation and it is called “lien stripping”.

“Lien stripping” refers to the process of reducing a secured claim to the value of the underlying collateral. It uses the combined effect of 11 U.S.C.A. § 506(a) and 11 U.S.C.A. § 506(d) to bifurcate the lien into secured and unsecured. The secured lien is allowed in the amount up to the fair market value of the property at the time of the stripping. The balance of the lien, which exceeds the fair market value of the property, is now deemed unsecured.

Liens can be stripped off of the debtor’s assets in Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 when there is not enough equity in the assets. Section 506(a) and 506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code acknowledges that a lien is only a secured claim to the extent there is value in the asset to which it attaches. To the extent that the claim exceeds the value of the collateral, that portion of the lien is now unsecured. The most common application of lien stripping is the reduction of car loan liens to the present value of the vehicle however it is currently used more often with home mortgages in bankruptcy situations. Lien stripping with car loans has been limited to vehicles purchased over 910 days.

The Bankruptcy Code does permit a bankruptcy plan to “modify the rights of holders of secured claims, other than a claim secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor’s principal residence”. Section 1322 (b)(2). This section provides protection to the holder of a claim secured only by a lien on the debtor’s principal residence by prohibiting any modification of the terms, however the issue arose as to if this section precluded “lien stripping” of undersecured residential mortgages in the face of Bankruptcy Code section 506 which appears to permit bifurcation of undersecured mortgages and voiding of unsecured portions of the mortgage lien. At least two bankruptcy court judges sitting in Massachusetts have permitted such bifurcations, see In re Brown, 175 B.R. 129 and In re Richards, 151 B.R. 8.

In any event, there is an exception as to the lien on a principal residence lien and that is if there is a second or third lien on the same property. In this instance those liens, lien stripping is available to render them totally unsecured if the first mortgage balance equals or exceeds the value of the personal residence. The exception is only if there are two distinct mortgages on the property, not a refinancing situation. It should also be noted that the limitation of lien stripping of first mortgages only apply to personal residences, it will be allowed for a mortgage on a building used for business or renting.

As always, all situations relative to a strategy for bankruptcy and lien stripping should be discussed in detail with a bankruptcy attorney to understand all your avenues open to you.

Michael Goldstein, Esq.

In some of the worst housing markets in the country, deflation has reached double-digit proportions. While housing woes have reached around the country, California appears to be poised to rank among the worse. One of the primary reasons for this is the fact that in the last several months California has experienced the largest rate of deflating home prices. In fact, home prices in California have fallen at levels that have been unprecedented.

Miami, Florida has also proven to be a difficult market at the moment. Here, the weak mortgage market and record high rates of foreclosures have let to decreasing home values as well. In fact, Miami has been among the worst home markets in the country for two years running. The condo boom in Miami just a few years ago has fueled further problems that have now spiraled into a massive real estate bust.

While Florida and California may have been easy to predict as being among the first housing markets to crumble when the real estate market crashed, there are other markets that are on the edge of falling which have not been as easy to predict. One of the primary reasons that Florida and California were poised to fall so rapidly, were rapidly escalating home values during the boom a few years ago.

Other markets; however, did not rise as much or as quickly, which could be one reason why they have managed to avoid reaching the top of the list; at least until now. These markets include Arizona, Nevada, Indiana and Massachusetts. Declining home prices as well as high rates of foreclosures in these states are also contributing to their worsening real estate market conditions. In Michigan, where layoffs have been significant, the economy is playing a strong role.

Problems are expected to grow worse in many markets as several million adjustable rate mortgages are scheduled to be reset in the coming months. As these mortgages are reset, it is logical to assume that even more homeowners will find themselves facing the reality of being unable to pay their monthly mortgage payments in certain markets. When that happens they will be forced to either face foreclosure or in some cases make a short sell on their home as refinancing is becoming less and less of an option for many homeowners.

According to most statistics, the remainder of 2008 is still poised for problems in the housing market. Many statistics indicate that home values could continue to drop and new homes could experience a loss of up to 18% before the year is out. While there are some indications that the market could begin to level off at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009, many experts are quick to warn that when the market does begin to rebound it will not reach the point where it left off. In comparison to the housing peak of 2005, the rebounded market could still be quite a bit lower. Part of the reason for this is that in many areas, prices escalated so quickly that there is simply no way for prices to rebound back to that point.

Still, there may be some home for certain areas. In many markets sub-prime mortgages have either left the market through quick sales or foreclosure. The stimulus package that is on the horizon is anticipated to help the housing market in many areas.

First-time home buyers may soon find the relief they have been seeking since they were forced out of the market; however, it may longer before homeowners begin to experience that same kind of recovery. This is because most homeowners are still reluctant to sell and lose the equity they once had in their homes. The simple fact is that many homeowners have yet to accept the fact that they can no longer get the same prices for that was possible just a few short years ago.

Heather Seitz

Property and real estate continue to be big business and this is recognized by the MLM real estate program which offers four different ways for people to train in this type of business. Don’t be afraid that you might fail in the real estate program as a high success rate is the norm. The size of the real estate market is huge and opportunities are estimated to be in the trillions - this means that it is a rapidly increasing market and almost guaranteed to provide you with more than enough money to live on.

The MLM real estate program is a downline builder, club and investment club all rolled into one. The company offers three paid programs which come with a free website. The aim is to draw traffic to your site and get them to sign up. Once they have signed up they will receive follow up from the program’s founder James Carvin. As with most programs of this type the MLM real estate program’s documentation is quite upfront about the fact that those who rise to the top will stand a far greater chance of business and financial success than other members of a team. Your personal income level could rise into the billions and with such a huge market your business is almost guaranteed longevity.

The MLM real estate program appears to have very good results for those people who decide to take up the challenge - and within a year to eighteen months some clients testify that their income has risen to thousands of dollars and growing every month. You don’t have to have experience in the real estate field in order to sign up for the mlm real estate program, although this would likely help in your success. When you sign up you will receive orientation and training along with the friendship of others who are on the program.

One of the things couples often discuss is buying their first home. Now, I don’t have to tell you that buying a home is a topic best dealt with on its own, but when the love bug bites, it can often make its way into the wedding preparations. This is a huge mistake. In fact, this type of mass newlywed hysteria can cause some couples to make five very costly mistakes when they decide to purchase their home.

While there are three paid programs you don’t have to invest any money in order to sign up. Once you have joined however you will be encouraged to enroll on all four of the programs. The MLM real estate program states that with good training and some hard work and solid promotion members could be earning more than $20,000 for each transaction that they make.

On the MLM real estate program you will learn how to build a downline to survive when times are bad - this is done to provide a foundation for when the market picks up again and you will be ready for it. Those who sign up will also receive training in creative real estate investment which works whether the market is rising or falling - this creative investment does not incur cost which is a great plus for those starting out in the MLM industry.

Brian Garvin

Countries like US to retain the balance of power have to have nukes, and send their troops in regions of interest where this balance is tilted e.g. bhagdad , gulf, afgandistan or pakistan . Every-time this happens there is internal political turmoil with the Dems shouting on the top of their lungs - that we are loosing troops.
US has successfully ( or otherwise ..depending on who benefits finally ) outsourced larger part of its production base to China. How abt an outsourced army ..?
Now on the other hand picture this - India has the largest population and its not so well remote controlled and walled like China. Suppose if there was a regime change and a right wing - ultra radical - anti islamic party came to power. It literally butchers all forms of corrupt so called ’secular’ politicians . It might show up very high on the so called human right violation charts .BUT It will send it troops- troops trained specifically for interest of US in these countries to protect US interest there . Esp forge a very critical and strategic alliance with US and Israel so that even Israel ’s fight against pals is fought with an ally . Less troops have to leave US abroad - less political criticism of US Interference at home. Win Win relationship ?
HOW would US Geopolitically view such a govt ..? why can’t it finance one …
I mean right now - India is literally on the verge of mass conversion to islam. Billions of $ are being pumped from pakistan and gulf to promote islamic interests including financially induced conversions , most anti US movements that need illegal money use India as a soft target - investing in Bollywood movies, real estate , drugs . Every islam converted person , is a potential an US fanatic with all the kind of propaganda.
It seems that the huge population can only go 2 way , either harm of help us interest. I cannot be 0.
I am surprised to hear you say that India is on the verge of mass conversion to Islam. Really? I find it very hard to believe. Isn’t India like 80% Hindu? " …that used to be the case . Across just , last 5 years the islamic population in India increased to 30% from 25% ..go back 5 years ..20-25%. Essentially the present govt. vote banking policies promote this . Now its looks like those policies have been literally ‘bought’ by saudi money purchasing the politicans and media both. Recently when the 3G scam broke out. The biggest bidder was a Saudi company , that used al zeera’s network. They bought stakes through some front company.Media in india is 100% anti US, esp anti Israel. Wiki leaks has it that the US Ambassador remarked about the extent to which the present Indian govt. wd go including compromising nat. security to drive an anti Jewish anti Christian and yes anti Hindu minority agenda. India is the only country where islamic terrorists who bombed on 26/11 and elsewhere have

Hmm… it’s an interesting idea. It would seem to make sense for the US and its allies to support Hindu nationalist parties in India in order to achieve such a goal.

I am surprised to hear you say that India is on the verge of mass conversion to Islam. Really? I find it very hard to believe. Isn’t India like 80% Hindu? With a long history of conflict with Islam?

I guess I don’t know enough about India to comment more on this topic. Sorry.

We hired general contractor to renovate our multifamily investment property in MA State,
We were new to this business and never had experience with big general contractor so we did not took care of proper wording in the agreement.
He is so irresponsible and not even visiting site .we took initiation and working day and night with contractors to complete the project because we already paid to him 100%, project budget exceeding more then 20% and now it is closer to the project.
We heard that he is still expecting the money from us.
Just we are wondering what is the best way to deal with this guy?

OK, So far,
You paid him 120% for the project.
He never shows up on site.
Your handling the contractors.
He is expecting MORE money.

You need to get your receipts together along with the contract and original quote.
Estimate how many hours you’ve wasted doing his job.
Take pictures
Go talk to a lawyer before doing anything else.