Certainly anyone who has turned on the TV or read a newspaper recently is aware of the pretty active hurricane season that's been going on, especially in the Caribbean this season. Even those of us on the Southern Plains, some distance from the Gulf, have dealt with the fringe winds and rain.

But we don't have to import the kind of weather that knocks out electricity, we make plenty of our own around here.

We've even had winters, such as in 2006-07, where ice and snow did a lot of destruction to roofs, fences and trees, as well as knocking out power. The hardest hit areas were northeast and central Oklahoma. But, those storms made the national news and ...

If you live in Southwest Oklahoma, you've seen it. As an appraiser I've seen it quite often and up close: Brick homes with lengthy cracks between bricks, giving the look of stair-steps.

Such stair-step cracks on exterior walls often are accompanied by severe cracks in patios and driveways.

When I see that on the outside, I'm not surprised to find it inside as well, showing up as interior wall cracks or even separation between a wall and ceiling.

 We've all heard the old adage "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing." A perfect example -- the free online home valuation sites that I've checked out over the years. 

This column is aimed more at the real estate professionals in Southwest Oklahoma. Current data shows that there are some 1.4 million active duty military members, and that about 500,000 relocate each year.

In researching Web sites that may be helpful to house hunters in the military coming to Fort Sill, there are no listings for our area (as of June 2008) on one of the best sites that I came across,....

When I say, "Drop me a line," I'm not just talking about fishing. The good folks here at Lawtoninfo.com have as part of this Web site, a Community Forum. (You just click on to the top of this page to find it.) Some of you already know about it. But, it gives you, the reader, a chance to ask about a particular subject. Then, I make a feeble attempt to answer it. Sometimes I actually may know the answer, but if I don't I know a lot of people smarter than me, so we'll give it our best shot.

In case you haven't dealt with the home-selling business for awhile, you might want to be aware that real estate agents are coming "into season." This does not mean you can legally go hunting for them with a bow, black powder or a 30-30. Nor does it mean you should go into the woods with a pair of binoculars listening for rutting sounds of licensed brokers. But, you might encounter more real estate professionals at watering holes, toasting sales.

Spring is when, for any number of reasons, people begin moving. So they start selling homes and buying homes.

As someone who visits plenty of properties coming on the market, I see a lot of differences in the way homeowners get ready. Here are a few tips offered by Showhomes ....