Foothills Sentry September 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 14 September 2021 Family. Friends. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1801073 Ron Esparza, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C79663 827 S. Tustin Ave Orange, CA 92866 Bus: 714-505-3400 ron@ronesparza.com Gun buy-back full of surprises California Gun Services buys back unwanted guns, exchanging a $50 gift card for a firearm in any condition. In a recent buy-back campaign, the group collected 80 guns, only 10% of which were regis- tered. Five were loaded, a fact of which the owners were unaware. Some of the unwanted guns were rare historical pieces. Six WWII guns, one Civil War rifle, and two antique Winchester rifles were picked up and eventually trans- ferred to collectors. A hefty 25 Jeff McCabe of California Gun Services carefully examines fire- arms that were safely removed from a customer’s home. McCabe sometimes discovers loaded guns that the customer did not know about. “That’s why we pick the guns up,” he says, “to avoid unnecessary handling of a possibly loaded firearm.” Sell now - now what? “Should I sell?” “Where will I go?” and “What will I do?” are common questions most are faced with when deciding to sell their home. Inventory and interest rates are at historical lows, and prices are at historical highs. Some local homeowners are cashing in and moving up, down, or out of the state. One of the most often asked question I hear is, “Where will I go?” followed by, “I need to find a place first before I sell.” Finding a place before you sell is ideal if you can afford to pur- chase without the sale of your home being contingent. What “contingent” means, is that you’ll need the equity from the sale of your home to make your next pur- chase. If you do need the equity from the sale of your current home to purchase a replacement home, be sure to protect yourself by stating that the home you’re selling is contingent on the successful pur- chase of your replacement home. Doing this will give you some time to locate your next home. Your realtor should be able to guide you accordingly. Now, where will you go? The answer to this question is where a lot of realtors can work their connection magic. You can pick areas in the same city, county, state, and even across the country. A great realtor should find you a local expert that can send you list- ings in the areas you desire, and, in some cases, can coordinate the purchase and successful clos- ing, along with your home, for a smooth sell-and-buy transaction. Being a local realtor for nearly 20 years, it’s a great feeling help- ing homeowners sell and buy successfully. Are you thinking of selling? Give a trusted realtor a ring - you’ll be glad you did. As seasons change, many look forward to the wardrobes that come with the weather change. Spring and summer bring out bright colors and lighter fabrics, allowing us to show more skin so we can be comfortable when out and about. Fall, however, is my absolute favorite. The cooler temperatures allow for us to don fashionable coats, pants, boots and scarves and add multiple lay- ers and accessories, which makes fall fashion so fun. Our fall color themes come from trees and plants, and nature in general. From woodsy greens, warm clays and passive tans, to light lilacs and wispy fuchsias, Fall allows us to be bold, while still covering up. Trees, how- ever, are doing the opposite. As cooler weather moves in, de- ciduous trees begin losing their layers. “Deciduous” comes from the Latin word “decider,” which means to fall down or fall off. The reason trees shed their leaves is to conserve resources, as less sunlight means less opportunity to produce chlorophyll, which is what enables the tree to produce energy to grow. If trees were business owners, they would be frugal, successful and wealthy. Our trees wrote the book on not living beyond your means. They will not use resourc- es to create new leaves if those leaves are not going to provide enough energy. Instead, they cut them off, making room for new opportunities and new growth. During this “hibernation” mode is the best time to provide nour- ishments and nutrients for your tree. That way, when spring rolls around, they can live up to their full potential. My trees have taught me a valuable life lesson. Getting rid of the old, infected and tattered past can be messy, but it is necessary in order to realize and achieve my potential. A bigger, healthier fu- ture is just around the corner! Colors of fall pounds of old ammunition was also collected, and then disas- sembled, with the lead and brass recycled. Gun Services’ goal is to provide Orange County residents with a safe and legal way to get rid of unwanted firearms. The county does not hold buy back programs. Guns are collected at the cus- tomer's home to avoid transport issues. Customers receive a copy of the acquisition receipt from the California Department of Justice for each firearm.