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May
11
11
Volunteers Among Us - Becoming a Seeing Eye Dog Trainer
We asked our agents how, where and why they do volunteer work in the community. Our Roscoe agent Barbara Fry has shared the story of her journey in becoming a Leader Dog trainer to share with you! Below are 2 entries in her story first posted here: Volunteers Among Us – Becoming a Seeing Eye Dog Trainer
February 2015 - Oci is ready to start puppy classes. I signed him up with Forest City in Loves Park. This is the same place I took Tanner for 2 years. I know Oci will be way ahead of the other puppies in the class, but he is being held to higher standards than most puppies.
2 weeks before the classes start, we have a monthly gathering of the other Leader Dogs in the area. The meeting took place at the bowling alley in Loves Park. I was shocked to see how many puppies are in this area! They were all ages and sizes. Oci was the next to youngest. There were black labs and yellow labs and golden retrievers everywhere! I did not get a accurate count but there were over 10 dogs in the bowling alley that day! Our counselor, Caroline, spent time with each puppy and tested them to see what they need to work on. Oci still has not mastered stairs yet, so Caroline showed me some tricks to get him working on this. She also showed me how to start working on him with any doors. He will have to always enter any door from the open end and not the hinged side. So when the door has the hinges on the left side, Oci has to move around me, wait till I open the door, wait till I give the command to "forward", then change sides again so that he is on the left side of me. This is gonna take some work! The day was fun and we met many other handlers. Caroline said Oci his too chubby, so we have to cut back on his food. The vet calls him Tank!
March - 2015 - Oci is THE star of puppy class. The classes are good for his socialization, and the instructor makes sure I am moving him in the right direction. After class, all the puppies get to play for 5 minutes. This is his favorite part! He is not showing any fear of other dogs and loves to play at the kennel club. I think he has forgotten all about the dog bite.
At home he is getting to be a handful. I block him into the kitchen when we leave. One day I came home to find the stove was turned on! Apparently he had jumped up on the front of the stove to see if there was anything good up there, and turned the knob with his big feet. Luckily the burner did ignite and not just leak gas all day. My spoon rest was black and the house was hot, but other than that there was no damage. Ok, NO more leaving him in the kitchen. I know you have to remove stove knobs when there is a toddler in the house, but never realized my dog could turn the stove on. Jeeeez. I made a new "safe" zone in the entry area by the front door.
Oci's training is going well. We are still taking him out with us whenever we can. He has been to local bars, and hardware stores, the bank and many other places. To help with the stair issue, I have taken him to the library. When he was comfortable with those, I took him down to the courthouse downtown. They have open back stairs. With a little practice, he was comfortable them. He will now walk slowly up and down and he is not pulling me along with him.
He is growing fast! I took him to the vet and then a week later had to take him back for a follow up visit. He is gaining a half a pound a day! At this rate he will be a Tank!
Oci wants to play with our older dog. He jumps up and bites Tanner's neck. Tanner is a lover not a fighter, and he whimpers or yelps rather than correct Oci. So we have to pull the puppy off Tanner several times a day. I got a spray bottle and tried to squirt water at Oci when he does this, but spraying water on a Labrador is like punishing a teenager by giving them an IPod. Oci jumps at the water and tries to catch it in his mouth! The only other recourse is to put him in the kennel until he settles down.
I'm looking forward to water play with him this spring and summer!
STAR puppy classes start in a week. We are ready!
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Read Barabara's Blog from the beginning here: Volunteers Among Us – Becoming a Seeing Eye Dog Trainer
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Barbara Fry, Broker – Dickerson & Nieman Roscoe
May
4
4
Rockford Real Estate Online - May 2015
Rockford Real Estate Online - May 2015
Dickerson & Nieman Online Real Estate Magazine May 2015 Edition - Rockford IL Homes for Sale, Dickerson & Nieman Realtors
http://issuu.com/dickersonnieman/docs/may_magazine?e=13481314/12655048 Rockford Real Estate Online - May 2015, Dickerson & Nieman Online Real Estate Magazine May 2015 Edition - Rockford IL Homes for Sale, Dickerson & Nieman
April
6
6
Harlem School District's 9th-grade campus features new Career Lunches
Brad Shields from Dickerson Nieman Realtors talks to a group of students Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, at the Harlem High School ninth grade campus in Machesney Park. MAX GERSH/RRSTAR.COM
By Susan Vela
Rockford Register Star
MACHESNEY PARK — Courtney Crenshaw is a top-notch student who is confident that she'd like to enter the nursing profession.Just in case her aspirations falter, she's checking out as many Career Lunches that Harlem High School's ninth-grade campus is offering this academic year.She was among 30 ninth-graders to attend a lunch featuring professionals from the business and financial field."I still have a long time to go," said the 15-year-old, who considers it wise to seek out information about careers she may find more interesting or realistic.
The students were able to ask questions of representatives from Carz R Us, Rock Valley Credit Union, Raymond James Financial Group, Dickerson & Nieman Realtors and the Rock Valley College business program.
The teens were most inquisitive about how professionals would address certain challenges on the job, how they chose their careers and the type of education they needed.
"I knew I wanted to be in sales," Realtor Brad Shields said. "I knew I wanted to be my own boss. You can make as much money as you want, and it's usually dictated by how much you work."
English teacher Rachel Warren launched Career Lunches last fall. She surveyed about 600 students to learn about their interests and has been convening Career Lunches once a month. Professionals from the medical, public service, information and computer systems fields already have been featured.
Warren has been pleased with the turnout, considering the students' young ages. However, "we have to work harder to promote (to) students who have never come."
Susan Vela: 815-987-1395; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela
Read More: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20150405/NEWS/150409698/0/SEARCH
Harlem School District's 9th-grade campus features new Career Lunches
March
27
27
Home Prices Surge to Fastest Pace in Year
Home Prices Surge to Fastest Pace in Year
Existing-home sales showed some improvement in February, but remain constrained by low inventories of homes for-sale that are pushing price growth to the fastest pace in a year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
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Inventory Crunch Tight Supplies Put Home Prices on the Move A Big Threat to the Spring Housing Market Why Inventory Problems Aren't Going AwayThe median existing-home price for all housing types was $202,600 in February – 7.5 percent higher than a year ago. "Insufficient supply appears to be hampering prospective buyers in several areas of the country and is hiking prices to near unsustainable levels," says Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. "Stronger price growth is a boon for home owners looking to build additional equity, but it continues to be an obstacle for current buyers looking to close before [mortgage] rates rise." Mortgage rates, for now, continue to hover near historical lows. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.71 percent in February, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. "With all indications pointing to a rate increase from the Federal Reserve this year – perhaps as early as this summer – affordability concerns could heighten as home prices and rents both continue to exceed wages," says Yun. Indeed, an NAR study earlier this month found a widening gap between rent and income growth across the country, which is making it more difficult for renters to become home owners.
Read more: Why Renters May Be in Trouble4 Stats to Gauge the Market Here are some more findings from NAR's latest housing report: 1. Existing-home sales: Existing-home sales rose 1.2 percent month-over-month, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.88 million in February. Sales are 4.7 percent higher than a year ago. 2. Housing inventory: Housing inventories rose 1.6 percent to 1.89 million existing-homes for-sale in February, but remain 0.5 percent below a year ago. Unsold inventory is at a 4.6-month supply at the current sales pace. Most economists consider a 6-month supply healthy for the market. 3. Distressed sales: Foreclosures and short sales comprised 11 percent of sales in February, down from 16 percent a year ago. In February, 8 percent of sales were foreclosures, and 3 percent were short sales. On average, foreclosures sold for a discount of 17 percent below market value (in January, it was 15 percent) and short sales were discounted by 15 percent on average (from 12 percent in January). 4. Days on the market: Properties were on the market for 62 days, on average, in February, down from 69 days in January. Short sales were on the market for the longest – 120 days. Foreclosures tended to sell in 58 days and non-distressed homes took 61 days. Thirty-four percent of homes sold in February were on the market for less than a month, according to NAR's report. By Region The following is an overview of how sales fared in February across the country:
- Northeast: existing-home sales plunged 6.5 percent to an annual rate of 580,000, but are 3.6 percent above year ago levels. Median price: $241,800, up 3.3 percent year-over-year.
- Midwest: existing-home sales were mostly unchanged from January at an annual level of 1.08 million, but are 4.9 percent higher than February 2014 levels. Median price: $152,900, up 8.8 percent from a year ago.
- South: existing-home sales rose 1.9 percent to an annual rate of 2.11 million last month, and are 6 percent higher than year ago levels. Median price: $177,900, up 8.5 percent from a year ago.
- West: existing-home sales increased 5.7 percent to an annual rate of 1.11 million in February, and are 2.8 percent above a year ago. Median price: $290,100 -- 4.2 percent above February 2014.