During rough economic times crime tends to increase. We've seen it firsthand even in Vermont, which in the past has been dubbed one of the safest states in the nation. Last week, a few days before Thanksgiving, Citizen's Bank in South Burlington was robbed! And as far as we know...we don't think the culprit has been caught yet. We've also had several home invasions including one in which the residents were home and were threatened with a weapon! Yikes! Pretty scary stuff. Thankfully, these criminals were caught! To ensure your family's safety this holiday season and beyond, here are a few tips:

Keep doors and windows locked at all times - even when you are home and awake.

Be cautious of unexpected visitors. If a stranger knocks on your door, you don't have to open it! You must also beware of scam artists selling fake products/services.

Install motion sensor lights outside of your house to deter potentials burglars.

Let your neighbors know if you go away on vacation and keep and eye out for each others' homes. Also register with FrontPorchForum.com! It's a great online tool to get connected to people in your community and keeps everyone posted on neighborhood activities, whether good news or bad.

Now, if your home is on the market for sale, you should also take extra precautions! Here are some tips to keep your home safe during showings and/or open houses:

Keep small valuables either out of plain sight or invest in a safe to keep passports, jewelry, cameras, laptops, iPods, and other valuable personal items locked up.  Remember, potential buyers may be opening drawers and closets while looking at your property.

Keep pathways to and from the house clear. Don't give anyone a place to hide when approaching your home. Trim trees and shrubs that are near entrances to deter criminal activity.

Some potential buyers like to check out homes when no one is home, peeking through windows and trying to open doors. So keep your doors (including the garage door) and windows locked while your home is on the market.

Hopefully these tips will help. If anyone has anything to add - please feel free to comment!

This year, our company, Hickok & Boardman Realty, decided to go above and beyond and help those in need this holiday season. One Realtor, organized a coat and blanket drive where people donated used coats and blankets for those in need. These donations were sent to COTS - the Commitee on Temporary Shelter, a non-profit organization in Burlington that "provides emergency shelter, services, and housing for people who are without homes or who are marginally housed. COTS advocates for long-term solutions to end homelessness."  The rest of us donated fresh food to COTS so that those in need can have a filling Thanksgiving holiday as well! The Reilly Team donated homemade pies, green bean casserole, and fresh fruit! Hopefully our contribution makes a difference in some peoples' lives this year. During these hard economic times, those of us that have jobs, homes, food and family, need to step in an help those less fortunate! We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!

While watching the national news last night, I saw a segment on foreclosures in California and how one company's business is up because of them. Greener Grass Company from Stockton, CA spray paints dead, brown lawns with a water soluble green paint that lasts for 3-4 months.  The company is typically hired by real estate agents who list properties that have been repossessed by banks, but is sometimes hired by the city when foreclosures become a code enforcement issue.  I found this story very interesting because it certainly is a quick, affordable and very creative idea to give an unsightly property a little bit more "curb appeal".  Not quite sure if The Reilly Team would ever hire anyone to paint the dead lawn of any of our listings, but then again Vermont doesn't face the drought and foreclosure problems that California does. Besides there isn't much green on Vermont's lawns today - it finally started snowing!!!

For the complete story: "That's Fake Green on Foreclosure Lawns"