What is the biggest threat to your home? If you guessed fire, water or wind, you’re wrong. Termites are a bigger danger to your home, causing around $5 billion in property damage each year in the U.S., mostly in the South, Southeast, West and Southwest.

The problem with termites is that often, you don’t even know they’re there, eating away at your home, until large amounts of damage have been done. They can live in your home for years before damage becomes apparent.

Termites gain access to a home through tiny cracks in the foundation, window vents and roof joints. This is more common in older houses, but newer homes aren’t immune to an invasion of termites.

To keep termites away from your home:
Keep moisture out by directing water away with downspouts and gutters.
Keep your crawl spaces ventilated.
Keep mulch, wood chips, firewood, shrubs and other plants away from the foundation and rawl space
vents. Plants should not be planted so that they are in direct contact with your house or foundation.
Make sure that holes and small cracks and gaps are sealed.
Schedule regular inspections by a certified pest control specialist.

If you are planning to buy a home, find out whether the seller has a termite protection program set up with a certified pest control specialist, and don’t assume that a home inspector will detect termite damage.

Keeping termites out of your home is one of the best investments of time, energy and money that you can make!

A 19-member advisory board, chaired by Robert Johnson, former chairman of Honeywell Aerospace, has been formed to spearhead the Arizona Aerospace Institute initiative, aimed at harnessing the state’s strength in this industry to make Arizona synonymous with aviation research and to attract more aviation-related industries.

The public-private venture would be located at the Mesa Proving Grounds southeast of Elliot and Ellsworth roads in east Mesa, currently home to the General Motors vehicle testing facility. A 3,200-acre parcel of that site is owned by real estate developer DMB Associates of Scottsdale, which last year, along with Science Foundation Arizona, commissioned a feasibility study through Arizona State University on the merits of placing such an institute.

The purpose of the advisory board is to develop a report in six months to lay out a road map on how to develop the institute, how much it would cost and from where to get funding.

The center would focus mainly on aerospace research and development and advanced education, specifically aimed at helping create technologies and products and providing knowledgeable workers that could be employed by the aviation industry. Queen Creek residents are excited about the development of this type of project and agree that it will be another outstanding addition to the other major projects in the area.

Story reported by East Valley Tribune Sonu Munsi

Homebuyer Tax Credit –The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.  The credit does not require repayment.  Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules:  the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser’s income tax liability.  If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser.

FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loan Limits —The bill reinstates last year’s 2008 loan limits for FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae loans.  These limits were equal to the greater of 125% of the 2008 local area median home price or $271,050 for FHA and $417,000 for Fannie and Freddie, with an overall maximum cap of  $729,750.  For the few areas where the 2009 limits were higher, the higher limits will apply.  In addition, the bill includes language providing the HUD Secretary with the discretion, if warranted, to increase the loan limit for any “sub-area”, i.e.an area smaller than a county. The Secretary’s discretion is again limited by the $729,750 cap. These 2009 limits will expire December 31, 2009.

Neighborhood Stabilization –Division A, Title XII of the bill provides $2,000,000,000 in additional funding for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).  The NSP was created by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2009 (Public Law 110–289) to provide grants through the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) to states and localities to address the problems that can be created when whole neighborhoods are decimated by foreclosures. The funds can be used to purchase, manage, repair and resell foreclosed and abandoned properties. In addition, the funds can also be used by states and localities to establish financing methods for the purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed properties.  After purchase the homes must be used to assist individuals and families with incomes at or below 120% of area median income. Twenty-five percent of funds must be used for households with incomes at or below 50% of area median income.  By leveraging their expertise in partnership with others from both the public and private sector, Realtors® in many communities have been making important contributions to their local communities’ neighborhood stabilization programs.

Thanks to Twitter – a free micro-blogging service that allows users to send and read short text updates – Wilson (or “2drinksbehind” on Twitter) became a national news phenomenon as he documented his experience during the Dec. 20 plane crash.

His descriptions (“tweets” in Twitter parlance) from the scene of the crash ranged from initial alarm to annoyance as the airline refused to serve alcohol post-crash in the lounge. “You have your wits scared out of you, drag your butt out of a flaming ball of wreckage and you can’t even get a vodka-tonic. Boo,” he tweeted from the scene. got to her, Johnston saw the tweet and hooked her up with someone at the airport who was able to offer assistance in less than 10 minutes.

Wilson is being tagged as the first to tweet from a plane crash, but he’s certainly not the first twittering road warrior – and those in the travel industry are noticing.

Hotel brands, airlines, airports, destinations and other travel companies are joining the growing Twitter community to not only have their voices heard, but to hear what their customers in the Twitter community are saying about them. The mobile nature of the technology makes it especially attractive to travelers.

It was even attractive to users attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities. According to the Twitter company blog, “Twitter sailed smoothly through the inauguration but at the peak (around noon), some folks did experience a two- to five-minute delay receiving updates.”

Airlines keep on top of things

“We consider our Twitter account akin to an information booth,” says Morgan Johnston, JetBlue’s manager of corporate communication. “Responding to situations after they’ve happened is a great idea, responding to situations while they’re happening is even better.”

JetBlue frequently responds to tweets by directing people to tools already available for their use such as flight status updates and weather alerts. But oftentimes, Twitter gets much more personal.

In late November, a Twitter user updated her status announcing that she needed a wheelchair for a JetBlue flight. Before customer service

Southwest Airlines is often credited with innovative marketing, and when it comes to its Twitter account, it’s no different. Answering inquiries and announcing new service isn’t Southwest’s only use of Twitter.

The airline regularly posts photos of airport giveaways and holiday terminal decorations to its account. The airline even hosts Tweetups for users to get together.

Hotels make sure they have a presence

Tablet Hotels utilizes its Twitter account similarly to JetBlue, keeping an eye on what customers are saying and what they can do to improve their experience. “We had one of our TabletPlus members Twitter from the front desk when the hotel was giving her a hard time,” says Michael Davis, co-founder of Tablet Hotels. “We caught it within 30 seconds of posting and our customer service called the hotel to resolve.

“Customer problems can no longer be kept quiet’ with the emergence of the Web,” Davis says. The Marriott hotel group agrees, which is why they have not one, but two Twitter accounts. One serves as public relations and customer service vehicle, while the other focuses on Marriott’s efforts to go green.

“The most interesting way we used Twitter was after the attack on our Islamabad hotel,” says John Wolf, senior director of public relations for Marriott. “The responses were not only heartwarming but overwhelming. It really represented what social media is all about because the conversation was authentic and genuine, and because the replies came from people in so many nations.”

Fairmont Hotels and MGM Mirage are other popular hotel tweeters.

Tourism officials, destinations micro-blog

Before road warriors and leisure travelers hit the road, more are turning to Twitter to scout their destination. Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia tourism officials are active users on the site and use it to offer tips from restaurants to shopping and everything in between.

The man behind Baltimore’s account, Tom Rowe, frequently responds to tweets requesting live music on specific dates. “We’ll respond with what’s on our radar, but the community will chime in,” says Tom Noonan, president and CEO of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.[poll id="2"]