Halloween Safety Tips

Who doesn’t love to dress up and feast on candy? While Halloween is a night we all get excited about, there are a lot of things to think about before putting on a costume and eating a bag of treats.

Here at Team Lasson, we prioritize the wellbeing of homeowners and families. On this exciting night, it is important to keep these safety tips in mind.

Walking

When trick-or-treating, there are a lot of hazards that can make streets busy and unsafe. Following these safety tips can keep you and your family safe while out trick-or-treating:

• Cross the street at traffic signals and crosswalks. Always look both ways when crossing a street.

• Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.

• Pay attention. Avoid looking down at phones or other electronics to ensure your path is safe.

Driving

Whether driving home from work or going to a Halloween party, make sure to be extra cautious on the road. While driving on Halloween, be sure to keep these safety tips in mind:

• Drive slowly and be especially alert in neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and will move unpredictably.

• Take extra time at intersections and on curbs to look for children.

• Enter and exit driveways and alleys cautiously.

• Trick-or-treating hours are usually around 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be alert for kids during these hours.

Costumes

While trick-or-treating, there are ways you can make costumes effective in keeping your family safe. Whether your costumes are homemade or from the store, think about how you can customize them using these tips:

• Make yourself visible. Carry glow sticks, flashlights, or add strips of reflective tape to costumes or bags so you stand out to drivers.

• Wear makeup and hats instead of costume masks that can obscure your vision.

• Ensure your costume is the right size to avoid tripping.

Halloween is a night for people of all ages to dress up and party. Whether you’re out trick-or-treating with your family or attending an awesome Halloween party, remember to keep these tips in mind to ensure a safe night.

Team Lasson is here for all of your home buying needs!  If you’re thinking about making the leap into home ownership in the near future, please contact us today to get started.  We can help you determine what loan program works best for your financial goals.  The first step in preparing for your big purchase is to get pre-approved for a mortgage at Lake of the Ozarks.  Please visit www.yourlakeloan.com or give us a call at (573) 216-7258 to get started.

Michael Lasson

Senior Mortgage Banker

NMLS #:  493712

Flat Branch Home Loans – Team Lasson

2882 Bagnell Dam Blvd

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Cell:  (573) 216-7258

Email:  teamlasson@fbhl.com

Website:  www.yourlakeloan.com

**The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent Flat Branch Home Loans positions, strategies, or opinions.

Flat Branch Home Loans NMLS 224149. A Division of Flat Branch Mortgage Inc. For more licensing information, visit NMLSConsumerAccess.org

Summer Home Buying Tips

The Summer season is officially underway, at least, it is at the Lake of the Ozarks! Memorial Day has always been the summer kick-off around here, but the “official” day is not too far off either (June 21st). At Team Lasson, we believe that it is always a great time to buy a home at the Lake of the Ozarks. So, whether you vacationed with us this past Memorial Day weekend and realized that you never wanted to leave, or you have been considering buying a vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks for a while - here are a few buying tips for you!

Choose Your Location

We have already established that you would like to buy a home at the Lake of the Ozarks, but have you considered which area of the Lake? There are many different regions around the Lake, and they all have different advantages. If you are not sure where to choose, you can check out a blog we did last month that covers the different areas and what they have to offer - 5 Locations for Your Vacation Home at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Visit Your Vacation Location First

The Lake of the Ozarks is filled with beautiful homes and attractions and now is a great time to visit! Buying a vacation home at the Lake is obviously a big decision, if you have not spent a lot of time here, summer is the perfect opportunity. Pick a vacation home on the side of town that you have been thinking about. You will get a great idea of what the traffic is like, which restaurants and stores you will frequent, and even what the nightlife is like!

Make Your Budget

There are many different strategies for buying a vacation home, and Team Lasson is here to help you find the best one for you. Start by filling out an application on our website www.yourlakeloan.com to get the ball rolling. Having a pre-approval is the first step to buying a home, but it is also a great step to help you figure out what works best for your budget.

Have An After Purchase Plan

Do you want to rent out your vacation home while you are not in it? Will you hire someone to come maintain and clean it through the off-season? There are plenty of decisions to consider while shopping for your vacation home, but thankfully there are numerous resources in our area to assist you with these items. The Lake area is very familiar with helping people manage their vacation rentals, while it is something to consider, it is not a definitive roadblock.

Time to Get Started!

It is always a great time to buy a vacation home, so if you have been considering it for a while, or only a few weeks - Team Lasson is ready to assist. Visit our website to learn more about our company at the Lake of the Ozarks. We have already had a very busy and successful year not only winning the Best of the Lake award, but also Missouri’s Best Mortgage Lender! It is been an honor and a pleasure serving this community. If you are ready to join us part-time or full-time, Team Lasson is ready to help!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Senior Loan Officer

NMLS #: 493712

4655 B Osage Beach Parkway

Osage Beach, MO 65065

Direct: (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

e-Fax: (866) 397-0318

Email: mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Website: www.YourLakeLoan.com

**The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent First State Bank of St Charles’s positions, strategies, or opinions.

Happy Thanksgiving from Your Lakelender!

Tomorrow is a day to celebrate and give thanks for everything we've been blessed with throughout the year.  It's a time to spend with family and enjoy a delicious feast. Each of you has your own traditions that you celebrate each year, but do you ever think back to the first Thanksgiving.  Why do we celebrate this day of giving thanks?  Your Lake of the Ozarks mortgage lender is here to share some Thanksgiving history with you.

A New World

In September of 1620, the Mayflower ship left Plymouth, England in search of a new land.  The 102 passengers hoped for a new home where they could practice their religion freely and own their own land.  After 66 days of rough sailing, they anchored near Cape Cod and a month later crossed Massachusetts Bay, where they began to establish the village at Plymouth.  Winter was brutal and only half of the original passengers and crew lived to see the first New England Spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore and were greeted by an Abenaki Indian.  Several days later he returned with another Native American named Squanto.  Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants.  He also helped them forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe.

The First Thanksgiving 

In November of 1621, after the Pilgrims had their first successful corn harvest, Governor William Bradford organized a feast to celebrate their accomplishment and invited their Native American allies.  This first "Thanksgiving" festival lasted 3 days.  While no records exist of the exact menu, a journal suggests that fowl and deer were served.  Due to having no ovens at the time and the lack of sugar, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts that we celebrate with now.

An Official Holiday 

Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became a common practice in other New England settlements. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States.  In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday.  In 1827, writer Sarah Josepha Hale, known for the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" launches a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.  In 1863, Abraham Lincoln finally scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November.  It was celebrated every year on that day until 1939 when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression.  It wasn't until 1941, however that a bill was signed making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

For more information on the Thanksgiving Holiday, visit: www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving.

I would like to personally thank all of my clients, for all the refinancing and home loans at the Lake of the Ozarks that I had the privilege of helping you with this year.  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com