Gary`s Blog in South Jersey

Happy 2011

We thank you for continued referals and the earned repeat business.  WIthout you, our loyal clients, we would not be where we are with 34 years in the business.  From my family to yours, we wish you a happy and healthy New Year in 2011.  May 2011 bring you fulfilled dreams and memories that last!

Happy New Year!

Committed to Your Success, Gary D Simmens  Broker/Associate Balsley/Losco Real Estate

Happy holidays to everyone! A time of heartfelt thanks...

Wish to thank all my clients, friends, my super co-workers, you are all so awesome!-Everyone rocks! My heartfelt thanks for helping me accomplish my 34th year in the real estate business. I am not that old now ! :) --Remember I have been licensed to sell real estate since 18 years young, and a broker since 23 years old, I have worked through 4 recessions now, our office is still leading the way, with the super help from my co workers and good client cooperation, we found ways to make people happy and get the job done right. -THANK YOU- I appreciate your business and timely thoughtful buyer and seller referrals.

Just have to mention, super time to be a Philadelphia sports fan now--The Eagles, Flyers playing in top form and how bout those Fabulous Phillies getting pitcher Cliff Lee back!-Awesome early holiday gift for us Phillies fans.  Heck- even the 76ers tonight, almost just beat the NBA leading Boston Celtics with their new improved defense of late. They may not make the playoffs like the other Philly teams but they are quickly getting more respectable each week.

Hope everyone`s holiday season is filled with alot of love and happiness that bring alot of fond memories for you and your family. May you have a super 2011, The south Jersey shore area, Atlantic and Cape May counties should show improvement in sales, with an overall slow improving economy. Be safe and keep warm--it`s cold out there!--But remember it`s usually the best time- right now-to get that timely great bargain--smart investment you always wanted. Low bargain interest rates and low prices can`t last like this perfect buying storm forever now.  Here to help! In Appreciation--My Best  Gary Simmens

HAPPY THANKSGIVING--FLY SAFE--SEE THE PAT DOWN CLIP

Spotting and Knowing Property Value Trends

Knowing property value trends can be very helpful to you as a buyer, seller or investor. As a buyer, you can pinpoint bargains in areas that are trending upward (or downward) in price. As a seller, you can use the information as part of the bargaining process to get the maximum price from the sale. As an investor, you can use the latest forecasts and trends to determine whether you want to invest, when you want to invest, and how much to put into a property. 

Remember, the trends are not guarantees of future performance; they're an educated guess as to which way the market is moving.Whatever your real estate goals, you want the latest and best information, and you want it from experienced professionals. In terms of your neighborhood and/or city, your local real estate agent is the best source for weekly and monthly trends. After all, it's their job to stay on top of such trends in the markets they serve. 

Other organizations provide state, regional and national forecasts. They're often updated on a monthly or quarterly basis. Sources of Information Thanks to the Internet, there are many, many sources for data on real estate property value trends. 

For state trends, go to the Federal Housing Finance Agency website (http://www.fhfa.gov/Default.aspx?Page=215). Click on your state to get the Housing Price Index (HPI). 

If you're wondering exactly what the HPI measures and how it's calculated, here's what the site says: "The HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or re-financings on the same properties.

This information is obtained by reviewing repeat mortgage transactions on single-family properties whose mortgages have been purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac since January 1975. The HPI serves as a timely, accurate indicator of house price trends at various geographic levels. Because of the breadth of the sample, it provides more information than is available in other house price indexes." So, if you want property value trends for Nebraska from the FHFA site, click on "State HPI Summary" and scan down the list of states until you find Nebraska. The handy table gives rankings and trends in quarterly, 1 year, 5 year and "Since 1991Q1" columns.On the same site, you can also click on "Research and Analysis," and you'll get a list of government and industry sites which will provide you with information on property trends. Note: The FHFA site doesn't provide predictions; it simply reports data. To get analysis and predictions, try the respected RealtyTimes.com. It reports on current market conditions and provides advice to consumers as well. Another site for information on residential properties is Zillow.com.

To find local information, fist click on the "Local Information" tab. That takes you to the page where you'll find the "State," "City," and "Nearby Neighborhoods" tabs. Click on the appropriate names, and you have local information! There are many, many other websites from which you can gather property value information. 

I don't have the space to list them all, so here's a partial list of major industry and governmental agencies: 

- National Association of Realtors = Freddie Mac 
- National Association of Home Builders 
- Census Bureau 

Of course, the network, cable, and satellite channels report many of the finding from the sources listed above on a national basis. But, if you want local information, I recommend you work with your local real estate agent! He or she is best positioned to give you the latest information on property value trends. 

To see what I can do for you in that regard, please contact me direct today at 609-338-1339 on my cell phone. Have a good day!  Gary Simmens Balsley/Losco Real Estate

Why Condo Owners Need Insurance

Why Condo Owners Need Insurance

If you own a condominium, you may think you don’t need insurance protection. Think again. Although your condominium association offers a “master” insurance policy that covers the building and commonly owned property, this insurance probably does not protect your upgrades, furnishings and other belongings.

That means if a burglar breaks into your condo, a fire causes smoke damage to interior walls of your unit or a visitor falls and hurts himself inside your home, you will not be covered by your condominium’s general insurance policy. This is exactly why you need your own condo owner’s policy. This personal coverage could protect you in the event of theft, damage and personal liability situations.

Every condo is different

Before you purchase condo insurance, you should find out exactly what is covered by your condominium association’s master policy. Generally, these policies cover only the structure of the building, but it varies depending on your state and particular condominium. It’s important to do your homework and find out exactly what is and is not covered so you can make sure your personal policy covers the rest.

What kind of coverage do you need?

The type of coverage you need greatly depends on your unique situation. However, you’ll definitely want to protect yourself against theft, damage and personal liability incidents. Depending on where you live, you may also need flood insurance or other special coverage.

A professional insurance agent can help you figure out exactly what kind of coverage you need. You may want to ask yourself the following questions as you decide on the details of your insurance policy:

• What parts of the condo am I responsible for according to my condo association’s bylaws?
• How much would it cost to replace or repair my condo?
• How much are all of my personal items worth?
• Do I have especially valuable items in my condo, such as jewelry, antiques, fine art or collectibles?
• Do I run a business out of my home or often work from home?

You should also think about liability coverage. Unfortunately, we live in a lawsuit-happy society today. So, if a visitor falls down your stairs and breaks his leg or slips on some water in the kitchen and throws out her back, they may ask you to pay for medical expenses, lawsuit costs and other compensation awards. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your insurance policy includes liability protection.

Don’t skimp

Whatever you do, don’t assume that your condo association has you covered. This assumption could cost you thousands of dollars in the long run. Do some research and find out exactly what kind of protection your association’s insurance policy provides. You’ll probably discover that it’s not nearly enough to protect your personal property and belongings.

An expert insurance agent can help you determine exactly what kind of coverage you need. She may be able to offer you special discounts if your condo has smoke detectors and central station burglar and fire alarms. You could also save by purchasing a home and auto insurance package through the same insurer.

Too Much To Store and Too Little Space

Too Much To Store and Too Little Space By Realty Times Staff

Do you have too much to store and too little space? If you're like many homeowners, finding enough storage space can be a challenge. Thankfully, remodeling professionals can help you create new ways to tuck away your family's treasures in a resourceful and sophisticated way, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).   Finding storage solutions doesn't always mean undertaking a major remodel. Sometimes it's about using the square footage you already have. Remodelers can help you plan and reallocate storage to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle. Getting creative with storage can improve daily living and boost the resale value of your home. Look in Unusual Spaces: Veteran remodeler Don Van Cura, CR, CLC, CKBR, and owner of Chicago-based Don Van Cura Construction, recently won a regional CotY Award for a clever storage solution he designed for stashing canned goods under a kitchen staircase. "I'm a space freak and I don't believe that any part of the house should be wasted," he explains. "Almost every section of home has a void in it that can be made into storage -- and the older the house, the more nooks and crannies you can find."   For his stair solution, Van Cura created storage bins under the wooden treads of a staircase. He did this by attaching each tread of the staircase to the frame using hidden piano hinges, which allow each tread to open like a storage chest. The homeowner could then use the space under the tread to tuck away dry goods and cans. This storage strategy can be used in many areas of a home. In the foyer, for example, the hidden cubbies under stairs can stash shoes and outdoor gear. In the basement they store cleaning products or seasonal accessories. For a short run of stairs, remodelers can also install a set of custom drawers underneath the stairwell with access from the either the side or the back -- another great use of space. Any good stair installer or skilled remodeler should be able to do this project, but it demands a structurally sound staircase, fine cabinetry skills and careful preparation. "It's easiest if you're planning a new set of stairs, but it can also be done as a retrofit to existing stairs," Van Cura notes. Reconfigure Rooms As Needed: Perry Szpek, design sales associate for JDJ Builders in Milwaukee,

Wis. recently created more storage for a family of six by reconfiguring two existing rooms and adding some square footage. The family's mudroom was once a cramped hallway that led from the house to the garage. "Not having a place to put on and take off their shoes was their biggest pet peeve," Szpek said. As a solution, he designed two furniture-style storage units that provide both seating and a place to store outdoor gear.   On one side of the room, a large boot-bench and locker cabinet gives the kids a place to sit down or hang up coats. The bench features storage beneath the seat and wicker baskets on a shelf above the hanging area. Drawer cabinets also flank each side of the bench, creating a personal spot for each child to stash hats, gloves and mittens. Across the room Szpek planned a shorter boot bench for mom and dad that offered flip-top storage under the seat and hooks to hang coats behind them. Both storage pieces were accented with traditional beadboard backing, crown molding and a medium-brown distressed birch finish.   In the family's 120-square-foot laundry room, Szpek created a beautiful and storage-smart workspace. Upper and lower cabinetry provides plenty of storage for detergents, brushes and sponges, and a long countertop gives mom ample space to fold clean laundry. Under one area of the counter, Szpek designed cubbies that accommodate six laundry baskets -- one for each member of the family. "When mom's done folding clothes, she can separate the loads into a separate bin for each member," he says. "The abundance of storage space worked great for this family of six." Where to Start: While some homeowners may think that a bigger home will solve their storage dilemma, this is not always the case. Often, having better storage is about making better layout choices and putting things within easy reach. Before talking to a remodeler, homeowners should take a thorough assessment of the square footage they have and how much stuff they need to store. In addition, it's important to think about day-to-day schedules. Some areas of the home, like foyers, mudrooms and laundry rooms, could use additional cabinetry or places to drop cell phones, keys and wallets. Sometimes the project is more about reworking traffic flow or designating specific spots for tasks like folding laundry and storing cleaning products.

NJ Gov. Christie unveils state takeover plan for Atlantic City gaming district

Courtesy Prss of Atlantic City

Gov. Chris Christie unveiled minutes ago the first specific details of

how Atlantic City's casino and tourism district may come under state

control.

Click here to read the full report.

Standing at the New Meadowlands Stadium, on the 50-yard line, Christie held up the finished report by his advisory commission on gaming, sports and entertainment, which contains recommendations on making the three industries solvent. Christie said the report, showed "breadth, depth and boldness."

Christie is appearing at 2 p.m. in Atlantic City for a second press conference.

His historic announcement aims to strip away decades of regulation

surrounding the casinos, hoping to copy the gambling rules in Nevada.

To prioritize using casino tax revenue to fund Atlantic City's

blighted areas, the report says the city.

But Atlantic city and state officials have naturally focused most on

the governor's plan to create a state-run portion of Atlantic City, in

a plan already described as a city within a city.

Christie said he could no longer watch the "teetering" of Atlantic

City's institutions.

He said he gave "fair warning" to Atlantic City's government to fix

problems pointed out in a recent state audit or face state takeover.

He said he wanted to see the state run a clean and safe tourism

district there within a year.

"Delay leads to demise," he said.

Gaming enforcement would be streamlined, he said. He described the current system as an antique car."

On Xanadu, he said, "Make it work or tear it down."

The report's key recommendations are:

• To create a state-run portion of Atlantic City, covering the casino zone, the Boardwalk and marinas.
• To delay all talk of any expansion of gaming outside Atlantic City, including video-lottery terminals at racetracks, for a number of years until investment has a chance to return to Atlantic City
• The Meadowlands Racetrack could be closed or sold, possibly to one of the state's horsemen's groups for a token $1
• The Izod Center could be privatized or sold.
• The state would try to refinance the delayed Xanadu project in the Meadowlands, and would seek enabling a new developer who would commit to expanding entertainment and not just retail at the complex.

On Atlantic City, the report's recommendations are:

• To create a zone within the city which will fall under the control of a new authority reporting directly to Christie.
• To develop a master plan for that district.
• To build a private-public partnership in charge of city marketing.

To fund the changes, the report recommends:

• Ending the subsidy agreement which saw casinos paying horsemen's groups $30 million a year.
• Closing the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which
  operates the state-owned sports stadiums and racetracks but which has needed repeated injections of emergency state funds to remain afloat.
  The NJSEA recently declared its debts of $38 million were so bad that it would need a state bailout.
• To use savings made by scrapping the ACCVA, which received
  criticism from Christie for its high staff salaries

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Interesting -Broken Down by Different States-Interest Deduction

Mortgage Interest Deduction – by State

by Danielle Hale and Selma Lewis, Research Economists

While only about one percent of recent home buyers cite the tax benefits of ownership as a primary reason for purchasing a home, a significant share of home buyers do actually take advantage of the mortgage interest deduction. According to recently released IRS tax data for 2008 by state, about 26.8 percent, or a little over a quarter of individual income tax filers claimed a mortgage interest deduction (MID) in 2008.

While the homeownership rate in the U.S. is significantly higher (the latest figure for the first quarter of 2010 is 67.1 percent) the difference in the two rates is due in part to the fact that many homeowners do not claim the deduction. This could be for various reasons. Homeowners may choose not to itemize deductions on their tax returns if the interest deduction is not larger than the standard deduction they can claim instead. Sometimes, however, homeowners have paid off their mortgages and have no more interest payments to deduct; NAR research estimates that 32 percent of homeowners own their homes without debt.

On average, among all tax returns, including those for non-homeowners and those who do not deduct mortgage interest, each tax filer deducted $3,279 in mortgage interest. Counting only the tax returns that deducted mortgage interest, the average amount deducted was $12,221.

Not surprisingly, the share of taxpayers who claim the mortgage interest deduction (MID), and the average amount of that deduction, varies by state. In 2008, Maryland had the highest percentage of tax returns claiming the MID, 37.9 percent, but it ranked fifth in the average dollar amount claimed.* The average Maryland tax return claimed $14,162 in mortgage interest. The state also ranked second for the average deduction among all tax returns, $5,372. It is worth noting, that among all states Maryland has the highest share of tax filers who itemize deductions, 49.3 percent. In the US generally, only 34.2 percent of tax filers itemize deductions.

In California, on the other hand, a smaller share of tax filers claimed the mortgage interest deduction, 29 percent, but the average deduction per claimant was the highest in the country, $18,876. California also ranked the highest in average deduction among all tax filers, and due in part to its large population, had the greatest number of tax filers.

In addition to Maryland, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota and Virginia, also had very high percentages of tax filers claiming the MID, ranging between 33 percent and 35 percent.

In dollar terms, Hawaii ranked second highest, with mortgage interest deductions averaging $16,730 among claimants, yet only 24 percent of homeowners in Hawaii claimed the MID. Nevada ranked third, averaging $15,502 per mortgage interest deduction. The high ranking of Nevada is likely due to the fact that the state’s fast growth and availability of alternative mortgage products during the housing boom led to many new home owners who deducted substantial amounts of mortgage interest since the interest payment is a high share of the total mortgage payment in the early years of a mortgage. Florida and Arizona are similar cases in which the mortgage interest deduction averaged $13,375 and $13,616, respectively. Notably, the average mortgage interest deduction in 2008 was smaller than the average mortgage interest deduction taken in 2007 in all states except Maine, New Hampshire, Iowa, Alaska, and Montana. The states with the largest decline in the size of the average mortgage interest deduction are Nevada, California, New York, and Florida. The decline in the average MID in Nevada was $2,689.

Although there has not been a large change in the share of filers claiming mortgage interest deduction across the states between 2007 and 2008, there are couple of changes worth noting. Iowa and Michigan
had the largest decreases since 2007, with as much as 3.25 percentage points fewer claimants in Iowa and 1.9 percentage points fewer in Michigan. On the other end, Louisiana and West Virginia had the largest increase in the share of claimants, rising 1.66 and 1.61 points respectively.

Mortgage interest deductions vary from state to state for several main reasons. First, average incomes differ by state. Higher income individuals usually have larger expenses that can be itemized and deducted including state and local income or sales taxes, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, etc. Thus, higher income individuals are more likely to exceed the standard deduction threshold (which is a fixed dollar amount regardless of income) and tend to itemize at higher rates.

Another reason for the difference among states is homeownership rates. Homeownership rates are low in states such as California and New York where rates are 56.5 and 54.4 percent respectively compared to 67.1 percent in the US. One reason for the low homeownership rates may be the high degree of urbanization. Homeownership rates are lower in principal cities, 52.6 percent compare with rates above 70 percent in suburbs and non-metro areas. In New York for example, 43 percent of the state’s population in 2008 was estimated to live in New York City. Low homeownership rates mean high rates of renters who are not eligible to claim a mortgage interest deduction. However, the high cost of homes in cities such as New York mean that those who did claim a mortgage interest deduction in New York, have higher average deduction since homes are more expensive.

Finally, the more recent a home purchase or refinance of a mortgage can also affect the size of the mortgage interest deduction. As in the case of Nevada (see above) and other fast-growing, sun-belt states, new home owners or owners who refinanced can deduct substantial amounts of interest since the interest payment is a high share of the total mortgage payment in the early years of a mortgage.

* This ranking excludes the District of Columbia and the IRS category ‘Other Areas’ which includes returns filed from Army Post Office and Fleet Post Office addresses by members of the armed forces stationed overseas; returns filed by other U.S. citizens abroad; and returns filed by residents of Puerto Rico with income from sources outside Puerto Rico or with income earned as U.S. government employees.

5 commercial markets show commercial activity thriving for high quality buildings

For all of the talk of "distress" in commercial real estate, you won't hear the "D" word mentioned among investors clamoring for top-quality office properties in at least five markets. Investment activity in institutional-quality office properties in Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco and Southern California is thriving. And strong investor interest is also evident for the highest quality office properties in other markets as well, although a huge canyon separates those select properties from other office classes in most markets.

"There is a Grand Canyon gap in value disparity between "A" properties and everything else," said Fred B. Cordova III, senior vice president / CART Western regional director at Colliers International in Los Angeles. "The private REITs are pushing pricing on quality product across all product types, but steering clear of anything below investment grade."

In an examination of 216 office deals of more than $10 million for single properties of more than 100,000 square feet since January 2009, CoStar Group found that the five markets listed above accounted for more than 70% of the deals by dollar volume. The total dollar volume of the 216 deals was $14.75 billion.

New York Metro: $4.17 billion
Washington DC Metro: $3.05 billion
San Francisco Bay Area: $1.2 billion
Southern California: $1.07 billion
Boston Metro: $893 million

REITs, both private and public, accounted for about $3.35 billion of the investment activity by dollar volume, but 25% of the deals by count. Other active buyer types included private equity and pension funds.

"Most are all-cash buyers, with debt placed after the fact," Cordova said. "The active buyers in the West are mostly REITs and are pushing pricing for top-tier product as a strategy to upgrade their portfolios at a significant discount to replacement cost with the expectation that there will be a flight to quality for top-tier tenants."

"As regulated buyers, most REITs keep their debt at or below 60% loan-to-value. At that level, with strong balance sheet sponsorship, debt is very available and cheap for top tier product with stabilized rent rolls at market rates," Cordova said.

The investment activity has picked up notably in the last nine months, said Richard Egitto, senior managing director of Crimson Services LLC in Littleton, CO.

"Activity is driven by a combination of public core investors in the U.S. having waited a long time to be able to invest after raising funds to buy these products in 2007, 2008 and 2009," Egitto said. "Private REITS such as Cole Companies out of Phoenix that raise money from a vast network of retail brokers are attaining so much money ($1 billion a year) they have had to expand from simply buying retail into buying core office product in order to move the money out that they have and make room for the additional money they raise every day."

William E. Jones, vice president and appraisal manager at Far East National Bank in Los Angeles, said that the perception of investors is "that prime U.S. real estate is a better bet than anything else. It is considered a good inflation hedge, and unlike gold it yields a dividend."

"What's driving the quest for Class A properties is a whole lot of cash that no one really knows what to do with. Put it in the stock market? Are you crazy? Buy bonds and get a yield of (maybe) 3%? (I think U.S. Government 10-year was briefly below 3%!) No way!" Jones said. "That leaves real estate. There is a lot of dough chasing a very few good deals."

The demand for office properties in these markets is especially apparent "for offices with high occupancies and long-term leases in place," said Stephanie Hession, a real estate economist for CoStar Group who covers the Washington DC, market. "A handful of office buildings in downtown Washington DC have sold for more than $500 a square foot this year, which was the weighted average price at the peak of the market three years ago."

In comparing what is happening in the investment market for prime office properties versus all office properties, the overall weighted average price for the 70 buildings traded in the Washington metro area in the second quarter was $350 a square foot. That was similar to the third quarter of 2008, but still 30% less than the 2007 peak, Hession said.

"There's already year-over-year job growth in this metro, asking rents have held up pretty well, and absorption has been positive recently thanks to federal government and related expansions," Hession said. "As a result, investors see Washington DC as a safe haven, and there is a lot of competition for well-leased assets. Owners that need cash sell because they can get higher prices here than in most other markets."

Why Other Markets Aren't Selling
The same property and market fundamentals are not as apparent outside of the five markets examined -- not even for such major markets as Chicago.

"Chicago has been experiencing declining office rental rates in constant dollar terms since 2001 and declining occupancy rates," said McKim N. Barnes, senior vice president-research and analysis at Draper and Kramer Inc. in Chicago. "And the job counts in Where Workers Work (put out by the Illinois Dept. of Employment Security) indicate no growth in the Chicago region and in Chicago's downtown. Without job growth, how will there be rent increases in real terms?"

Jones of Far East National Bank, said he has "noticed no spillover effect to B- and C-level properties in sluggish markets. There, the mindset of buyers/investors is the opposite - no one seems to want to pay the asking price for an asset which is less than the price in a less-than-prime location. They may bid the asking price, but then they'll find all sorts of ways to negotiate the price down - problems with the property, potential liability issues, etc."

Anthony Homer, a commercial associate with LWR Commercial Realty in Lakewood Ranch, FL, said there is another reason the activity has not trickled down so far.

"Most of the Class A office properties in smaller markets, like ours, are owned by privately held firms or single owners. There has been a trend among national and local tenants of moving 'up the food chain', into the most desirable office properties," Homer said. "Couple these factors with a lack of comparable investment alternatives and there is little motivation for these landlords to sell performing assets. That's what we're seeing in our market and I think the same factors apply in many of the secondary and tertiary markets in Florida."

CoStar's Hession says that interestingly enough, the trend is reversed in the struggling Southern markets, with higher-vacancy properties changing hands.

"High-vacancy Southern markets including such markets as Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, and South Florida have yet to see an uptick in investment, and about one in four of this year's deals in those markets has been distressed," Hession said. "Properties that last sold during the peak are holding up a bit better, although vacancies are still extremely high compared to the favored [markets]. This suggests that sellers are throwing in the towel and dumping their poorly performing assets in these markets. The buyers of these assets, however, appear to be using their lower basis to buy occupancy. The vacancy rate in these recently purchased assets has been declining since the beginning of 2009, even as properties sold from 2006-07 continue to see occupancies erode."

"As investors get frustrated with the fierce competition for core assets in the primary markets, they will begin to move out along the risk spectrum, either acquiring higher-occupancy properties in secondary markets or more value-add deals in primary markets," Hession said. "When the capital train approaches those stops, pricing and competition will rise accordingly, particularly as job growth, leasing, and absorption become more apparent and vacancies begin to crest."

How To Get Less Spam Email

 "E-Mail Tracker Programs -- Very interesting and a must read!!!

The man that sent this information is a computer tech.  He spends a lot 
of time clearing the junk off computers for people and listens to 
complaints about speed.  All forwards are not bad, just some.  Be sure 
you read the very last paragraph.  
 _________________________________________

He wrote:

By now, I suspect everyone is familiar with snopes.com and/or 
truthorfiction.com for determining whether information received via 
email is just that:  true/false or fact/fiction.  Both are excellent 
sites.

Advice from snopes.com   VERY IMPORTANT!!

1) Any time you see an email that says "forward this on to '10' (or 
however many) of your friends", "sign this petition", or "you'll get 
bad luck" or "you'll get good luck" or "you'll see something funny on 
your screen after you send it" or whatever --- it almost always has an 
email tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and emails of 
those folks you forward to.  The host sender is getting a copy each 
time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of 'active' email 
addresses to use in SPAM emails or sell to other .  Even when 
you get emails that demand you send the email on if you're not ashamed 
of God/Jesus --- that is email tracking, and they are playing on our 
conscience.  These people don't care how they get your email addresses 
- just as long as they get them.  Also, emails that talk about a 
missing child or a child with an incurable disease "how would you feel 
if that was your child" --- email tracking.  Ignore them and don't 
participate!

2) Almost all emails that ask you to add your name and forward on to 
others are similar to that mass letter years ago that asked people to 
send business cards to the little kid in Florida who wanted to break 
the Guinness Book of Records for the most cards.  All it was, and all 
any of this type of email is, is a way to get names and 'cookie' 
tracking information for telemarketers and spammers -- to validate 
active email accounts for their own profitable purposes.

You can do your Friends and Family members a GREAT favor by sending 
this information to them.  You will be providing a service to your 
friends.  And you will be rewarded by not getting thousands of spam 
emails in the future!

Do yourself a favor and STOP adding your name(s) to those types of 
listing regardless how inviting they might sound! Or make you feel 
guilty if you don't! It’s all about getting email addresses and nothing 
more.

You may think you are supporting a GREAT cause, but you are NOT!
you are helping the spammers instead, you will be getting tons of junk mail later and very possibly 
a virus attached!  Plus, we are helping the spammers get rich!  Let's 
not make it easy for them!
 
Use Bcc at all times unless you absolutely want the others recipients 
to know whom you are also sending to.

ALSO: Email petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress,  or any other 
organization - i.e. social security, etc. To be acceptable, petitions 
signed signature" and full address of the person signing 
the petition, so this is a waste of time and you are just helping the 
email trackers.