Please join your friends and colleagues to celebrate the re-opening of our Westminster office on Friday, February 16th from 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm.  Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served.  We hope to see you there!

Our phones have become everything to us – our communication device, our phone book, our organizer, our internet connection, our way of purchasing online goods, our email device and more.  With all of this going on, have you ever wondered about the safety and security of your smartphone?

Because we are able to do so much on these devices, smartphones have become increasingly popular with consumers.  However, we also need to keep in mind that using mobile devices come with risk.

According to net-security.org, 89% of mobile owners were unaware that apps on these devices often transmit confidential information such as credit card details without owner consent.  Additionally, 91% of mobile owners polled were also unaware that financial apps can be infected with malware designed to steal online banking credentials.

By now, most of us have installed anti-viral and anti-spam software on our computer systems.  But what about our mobile devices?  More often than not, these devices are overlooked.  Check your app marketplace or iTunes store for various security apps available for your device.

Here are some basic suggestions to minimize risks:

If we look back to the 1800’s, Saint Paul was considered by many to be America’s largest growing city, not just in population, but it was also the 3rd largest rail center. With the cities newfound success, a celebration was planned by Saint Paul community leaders to produce the first ever Saint Paul Winter Carnival back in 1886.

Along with highlighting Saint Paul, community leaders also wanted to prove wrong a New York newspaper article calling their city “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter.” The idea for the Saint Paul Winter Carnival was patterned after Montreal’s Carnival, which included parades, snowshoeing, skiing, and other games.

This 125-year-old tradition has become an integral part of the social identity of Saint Paul. The carnival reaches out to everyone in the Saint Paul area to help educate all cultures to broaden their knowledge of experiences to share with the next generation.

For more information regarding The Saint Paul Winter Carnival CLICK HERE.

It’s now 2012, and before you know it, the time has come when you will need to put all things aside that are FUN and finish the job of getting your taxes done.   A simple suggestion is get an early start to ensure that you make tax time easier on yourself.   Below are a few tips to help make your tax-filing process go smoother:

Check your refund status with the free IRS2go mobile app for iPhone and Android users.

Apple App Store download here.

Android Marketplace download here.

Occasionally, we get questions about how deeds that pass to the buyer at a Foreclosure sale and how that deed might differ from a typical deed that conveys title. To explain this, let’s start by looking at the warranty that a typical deed would offer.

A Statutory Warranty Deed is the deed that conveys ownership with the highest level of warranty and is the generally used form of conveyance in Washington State.

In Washington State, a Statutory Warranty Deed warrants…
-that the seller was the owner of the title,
-had the power to convey the property,
-that the title was free of all encumbrances (except as set forth), and the seller would warrant and defend the title as conveyed to the grantee against lawful claims against it by anyone.

At a non-judicial foreclosure sale, a Trustees Deed is used to convey title, and offers no warranties like those in a statutory warranty deed at all. In other words the new owner has no warranty that the title is free of all encumbrances and will assume any encumbrances.

It is suggested that anyone acquiring property or selling property, acquired through a foreclosure sale consult with an attorney concerning which type of deed they should be prepared.

If you have any questions regarding deeds, feel free to contact your local First American Title representative.

First American Title has built its reputation by continually providing stellar escrow & title service, along with the most comprehensive products and services.   First American Title has your combination to unlocking The Vault of unparalleled products that will keep you top of mind with your clients and potential clients.  With many different products and services either online or just a phone call away you can be sure that we have the perfect fit for just what you need.

Contact your local Marketing Representative today!

Jaima Johnson @ 360.601.7074

email: jaimajohnson@firstam.com

Kate Mendenhall @ 360.903.1135

email: kmendenhall@firstam.com

Here is just a sampling of some of the latest products and services we offer to help you unlock your success!

Are you suffering from post-holiday season boredom?  I know, the weather is a bit dreary these days, but don’t let that get you down!  The Portland area has quite a variety of fun stuff to do coming up in the next few weeks.

Here are just a few highlights with links to their websites:

Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon (Jan. 23 – Feb. 6): Portland’s Chinese Garden celebrates this annual event with dragon dances, martial arts, music performances and more.

Portland Auto Show (Jan. 26 – Jan. 29): Who doesn’t like checking out what new innovations are out there?  From sub-compacts to exotics, the auto show is fun to get up close and personal with your next vehicle.

2012 Portland Seafood and Wine Festival (Feb. 3 & 4): Great food and wine along with live music.  Sounds like fun!

The Wonder of Learning Exhibit @ The Portland Children’s Museum (Feb. 5): Exploring children’s creativity on a mission to inspire imagination.  **Hint: Admission is free on the First Friday of each month from 4-8 pm**

Portland International Film Festival (Feb. 9 – Feb. 25): Oregon’s largest film event featuring over 100 shorts and films.

Portland Walking Tours (Year Around): Rated one of the Top 5 Walking tours in the nation by USA Today, these leisurely walks ranging from the “Best of Portland” to “Beyond Bizarre” are sure to provide unique insight into our wonderful city.  A few tasty walks going on right now are “Chocolate Decadence” and the “Epicurean Excursion”.

Also, here’s a few websites that you can go to in order to stay on top of Portland’s local upcoming events:

http://www.travelportland.com/calendar/calendar

http://www.oregonlive.com/events/

Colorado Realtors: Please join us for a 2012 CREC Update Class which First American Title is hosting on Thursday, February 2nd at Indian Tree Golf Course.  This class will be taught by instructor Damian Cox, Esq.  His high-energy approach is sure to make the class interesting and fun.  Hope to see you there!

2012 CREC Update Class

Date: Thursday, February 2nd
Time: 9am – 1pm
Location: Indian Tree Golf Course
7555 Wadsworth Blvd.
Arvada, CO 80004
Cost: $40, 4 CE Credits
Instructor: Damian Cox
RSVP: Call 720-402-0098 or email ghigashi@firstam.com

Feel free to contact us should you have any questions.

Welcome to 2012.  By now, over half of the United States is on Facebook….sharing photos, videos, conversations, timelines and more.  People everywhere are using Facebook to share life updates with their family, friends and clients.  However, with all of this going on, it has become very easy to forget that there are some things that definitely shouldn’t be shared out there.

Here’s 5 things that are better left OFF of your Facebook account:

1)      Your Birth Date and Place: For those of us who have been on Facebook for some time now, it definitely is nice to get lots of birthday wishes on your birthday, but if someone uses that information against you, it could be really problematic.  We at FirstAmTech always recommend AT LEAST hiding your birth year, but to be even safer, don’t display it at all.

2)      Your Home Address or Phone Number: This seems pretty obvious, but we are often surprised by how many people keep this information public.  Also, if you want to send your phone number or address to a Facebook friend, make sure to do it as a private message….not as a wall post or status update.

3)      Vacations: Sharing your vacation pictures are great, but just wait to share them until you’re back.  Checking in at the airport on your way out of town shows your connections that your home might be vulnerable.

4)      Confessionals, rants or other inappropriate remarks: Pretty much a bad idea all the way around.  We’ve all heard of people getting fired for inappropriate remarks on Facebook.  It seems to me that these things are just begging for trouble.

5)      Photos: Good rule to follow – If you have ANY doubt about it, probably a good idea either not to post it or keep it pretty private.

Got a few more?  Feel  free to leave your comments below.

No matter what most people tell you about how great the business functionality is on their smart phone or tablet, I’ve found that pretty much everyone plays games on their device sooner or later.  Enter AllJoyn™.

The technical explanation of AllJoyn™ is this: it’s an open source project for mobile software which enables secure proximity-based communication networks.  What this means for us consumers is that this technology allows mobile users who are in the same room to interact simply and easily without needing the cloud or a server…perfect for playing games with friends.

Developed by Qualcomm Incorporated, the AllJoyn™ project provides code for app developers, so it isn’t device specific.  This will allow phones to interact with tablets seamlessly as long as the app being used has the AllJoyn™ code built in.

Of course, AllJoyn™ also has practical business uses as well.  Imagine if your team is brainstorming in a room on a virtual whiteboard – This technology would allow everyone to contribute easily through their device.

From our viewpoint, this is taking mobile technology to a whole new level.  Let the games begin!