SEMOTIMESWWW.SEMOTIMES.COM

The Most Important News of your Week 4.6.12

Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling

April 13 & 14, 2012 • 7 pmApril 15, 2012 • 2 pm

Tickets: $5 students/Senior Citizens, $10 General Public

Tinnin Center Auditorium • General AdmissionTickets available at the Three Rivers Fininacial Services office, and the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, call 573-840-9648.

TRCC.EDU

Megan Keathley

Shelly Dunn

KathyRichardson

SubrinaBerger

Patti Thornton

BrianaFreeland

Page 6

Page 12

Second cab company in town

already expanding

“Steel Magnolias” opens next week at

Three Rivers

24-year-old starts prescription assistance service

2

3The Week in Review

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from our friends at:

It was a bad week for in-cumbents in Poplar Bluff. Tracy Edington was defeated

Tuesday by Johnny Brannum, a blast from the past, for city council; and Har-dy Billington and Dr. Mike Price were ousted from the Poplar Bluff School Board by newcomers Kent Eyler and Dr. Robert Rowland. Thanks for your dedication, outgoing public servants.

It was a good week for Hill-view Elementary, which has officially been saved, thanks

to the voters in the hills.

Consequentially, it was a bad week for the students of the Neelyville R-IV School

District since another tax levy issue for overdue updated facilities failed. Let’s hope a compromise is reached for a plan that makes more geographi-cal sense to the majority.

It was good week for Viet-nam veterans, who were welcomed home Fri-

day in front of the coliseum’s Veterans Memorial Wall. A fine gesture, indeed.

It was a bad week for people

who aren’t sup-

posed to be campaigning, showing their true colors as Election Day drew near. Then again, it’s hard to blame a person for sticking up for the work s/he does, when campaign season heats up. At the end of the day, the voters decide, the signs come down, and actions are what count.

1. Did you vote? 2. How many Mega-Million lottery tickets did you purchase last week before the winners were announced?

TimKrakowiak

JoeDicken

BrianBecker

‎1. Never missed an election since I was old enough to vote.

2. Only three. No luck.

‎1. I always do.

2. Two.

1. Yes, but I wish I lived in Ward 4.

2. Zero.

StaffPublisher

Scott R. Faughnscottfaughn@semotimes.com

Managing EditorTim Krakowiaktim@semotimes.com

ReporterLiz Ellis

lizellis@semotimes.com

Semotimes

“The most important news of your week”

4.6.12Volume 4 Issue 12

100 S. Main StPoplar Bluff, MO

573-785-2200

Cover

Designed byLiz Ellis

Story byTim Krakowiak

Photo byTim Krakowiak

Cover Story SEMO Times4

s a result of his breath-ing problem—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Jearald Dover of

Poplar Bluff has to take about a dozen medications a day, paid for with his $1,440 Social Security check.

In January, the 70-year-old man was dropped from the Missouri Department of Social Services’ medication assis-tance program since he had moved to a higher income bracket when his wife Betty began receiving $587 per month in Social Security.

While Dover has prescription cover-age through Medicare, he still has to pay monthly deductibles that run about $300, he estimated.

“I can’t afford to go uptown just to look around, since gas has gone so high,” Dover said. “Once in a while, I like to go fishing, but I can’t afford it.”

That all changed when Dover met Jamie Kendle, founder of SEMO Pre-scription Care, a patient advocate com-pany that opened three weeks ago in the Westwood Center.

“There are so many people who can-

not afford their prescriptions or are barely getting by, having to either sac-rifice other items so they have money for their medications or they are not taking their medications at all, which is very dangerous,” Kendle said. “We help people get their medications for free or at a re-duced cost.”

There are over 54,000 medications available on reduced cost p r o g r a m s , nearly 4,500 of which are free, accord-ing to Kendle.

“The drug c o m p a n i e s don’t openly a d v e r t i s e , ” explained Kendle, “but if you’re a maker like Lipitor with an $18 billion profit margin, you give away a certain amount [of charity].”

For a one-time $10 fee per discount-

ed medication to cover the research time, Kendle is able to save her client’s money on their prescriptions, she said, sometimes arranging for the medicine to be sent directly through the postal services via partnerships with national mail order pharmaceutical companies.

The more than 800 different patient assistance programs available today vary, according to Kendle, but the free ones typically come with income re-quirements. She can identify reduced

cost options for her clients even if they have health insurance, she said.

Even under the worst-case scenario, Kendle suggests generic options to name-brand drugs for clients to run by their physicians, or she provides a free prescription savings card that can be used at tens of thousands of phar-macies, saving recipients up to 75 per-cent through an agreement with United Networks of America.

Most recently, Kendle launched a diabetic discount program in collabo-ration with scrips4less that provides diabetics up to half off their testing supplies.

“With 200-300 people retiring in Southeast Missouri every month, I think [SEMO Prescription Care] will be helping thousands of people in no time,” predicted Lisa Reynolds, who owns an agency specializing in insur-ance for seniors in the same office suite as Kendle.

Kendle, who is only 24, learned the tricks of the trade in the pharmaceuti-

>>Prescription, pg 11

“”

“With 200-300 people retiring in Southeast Missouri every month, I think [SEMO Prescription Care]

will be helping thousands of people in no time.”

-Lisa Reynolds,Lisa Reynolds Senior Insurance

Sales

24-year-old starts

prescription assistance

serviceby Tim Krakowiak, Managing Editor

Jamie Kendle opened SEMO Prescription Care March 12 at 2445 N. Westwood Blvd. in Ste. 110. Photo by Tim Kra-kowiak

A

semotimes.com

HigHligHts

5

Commission awards contract for first phase of

Oak Grove interchangeSIKESTON, Mo. – The Missouri High-

ways and Transportation Commission awarded a contract during its regular meet-ing Tuesday for the first phase of the Oak Grove Road interchange. The interchange will provide full access between Route 67 and Oak Grove. The $5,566,006 contract was awarded to RL Persons Construction in Poplar Bluff.Improvements could begin as early as

May, with completion in late 2013, weath-er permitting. Oak Grove Road will be closed this summer, when school is not in session, to minimize inconveniences.Work zones will be marked with signs

as improvements are made. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution near the work zones and plan for possible delays. MoDOT will alert drivers prior to any change in traffic.For more information, contact Project

Manager Tim Richmond at 573-472-5290, Resident Engineer Audie Pulliam at 573-840-9781, Transportation Project Designer Jeff Wachter at 573-472-5294 or MoDOT’s customer service center toll-free at 1-888-ASK MODOT (275-6636).

CAAW’s third annual spring art show

The Cultural Arts Alliance, Wayne Ozark Region announces it will be accepting en-tries for the area’s third annual spring art show next month.The spring art show is open to all entrants

that apply, focusing on the five county re-gion of: Wayne, Carter, Iron, Madison and Reynolds. All mediums are welcome, fol-lowing brochure guidelines. Information is available at www.caawcaaw.com. The show will run for three weekends in a row (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), May 11-28 plus Memorial Day, at 1019 N. Main St. in Piedmont (in the former Lantern

Restaurant).Print out brochures with entry forms

from the website. Find CAAW member-ship information and more by phoning 573-856-4005 or email muleicorn@wind-stream.net.

Hagler is health department’s homemaker of the month

The Butler County Health Department announced Mallory Hagler from Reyn-olds County is homemaker of the month for April.Hagler has been working for the health

department’s in-home services from their satellite office in Ellington for one year.She is a dedicated employee, seeing the

client’s needs are met above and beyond, according to the health department’s press release.

John J. Pershing VA to celebrate national volunteer week

Volunteers who tirelessly work to im-prove our community will be honored dur-ing national volunteer week, April 15-21. The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center will host a ceremony at noon April 20 in the American Legion Hall on Kanell Blvd.The national volunteer week theme, “cel-

ebrating people in action,” reflects the vital roles volunteers play in all facets of American life and the growing value of their service. National volunteer week is sponsored by the Points of Light Foun-dation & Volunteer Center National Net-work.During national volunteer week, VA vol-

unteers nationwide will receive recogni-tion for their service to veterans. The VA awards and recognizes volunteers for their service, honoring the service of our coun-try’s most committed volunteers and shar-ing their achievements to encourage more Americans to volunteer. Anyone interested in volunteering at the

John J. Pershing VA should call the volun-tary service office at 573-778-4276.

Business SEMO Times6

“

Second cab company in town already expanding

“My goal is to make sure [my cus-tomers] don’t have to wait,” said San-dra Montgomery, owner of Sandy’s Cabs. “I want to get them picked up and get them where they want to go.”

Sandy’s Cabs has been in business for about two weeks and has already expanded from two cars to three. Be-ing the second taxi service in town, Montgomery said she had not expected things to take off so fast.

“We’ve already expanded faster than I intended… Our business is 24/7, with three cabs and two running most of the time,” Montgomery said.

The business averages 60–75 cus-tomers a day, but some days are bus-ier than others. The beginning of the month is always a bit more hectic.

“We have a lot of the elderly who have their pension checks and stuff like that coming in, and then you have your lower income families that have their checks come in at the first of the month,” Montgomery explained. She said she was confident her business would continue to make enough in-come to support itself through the lulls later in the month.

Sandy’s Cabs charges by the custom-er’s location and destination, and most areas in town are $4-$6. The cabs can deliver anywhere within a 50 mile ra-dius, but most of their business is right in town. The company also charges per person, and every additional person adds $1 to the total.

“Once I get more cars, we’ll make further trips,” Montgomery said. “Right now, I have too much business

to let one of my cars leave town to go to Cape [Girardeau] or Farmington.”

Currently, Sandy’s Cabs has five drivers, each over 25 years old, with a good driving record and no crimi-nal record. Montgomery does the dis-patching and phone answering herself during the daylight hours.

“Sometimes it’s boring just sitting here, but at times when we get calls it’s exciting to see my business picking up and progressing. So that part of it I enjoy,” Montgomery said.

But it is not as easy as that, and Montgomery said she relies on advice and help from family members who have worked in the cab business all their lives. One of the hardest parts of the job is finding drivers, Mont-gomery said. Cab driver Den-nis Garamella said he could not understand why.

“There is a lot of freedom in what we do. You aren’t tied down, like being in a factory where you have to do the same job over and over all day long. You get to go all over town, and get to enjoy the sunshine,” Ga-ramella said.

A lot of the job is driving, but it also requires people skills and the ability to break the ice with someone.

“I try and chat with every-body. It breaks up my monot-ony and makes it easier so I don’t have to talk to myself,” Garamella joked. “As long as

they’re comfortable with you, they’ll come back to your service. Some peo-ple don’t like to talk, but for the most part everybody is really nice.”

When he is not driving around and chatting with customers, Garamella said that the cab drivers mostly stay in a specific spot around town, waiting for calls. This technique—spotting—allows for faster pickups throughout the rather spread-out city. It also means that repeat customers often get the

same cab driver.“Some people seem to take it every-

where they go,” Garamella said. “We get a lot of repeat customers. Some I see daily, but others, you’ll see once and never see them again.”

Sandy’s Cabs can be contacted by calling 573-712-2888 or by visiting their offices, located at 110 N. Broad-way St.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com

by Liz Ellis, Reporter

Poplar Bluff City Counciul issued a license March 5 for Sandy’s Cab, a new taxi service on Broadway. Photo by Liz Ellis

7

8

The new Black River Medical Center is good for Poplar Bluff. Locally owned

and designed by area physicians and Saint Francis Healthcare System, the

facility will provide an affordable healthcare option for the community.

It offers a high nurse to patient ratio for the best care, treats emergency and

urgent care cases, and also treats dehydration, pneumonia, asthma, high

blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions.

We hope to see you there!

Learn more about Black River Medical Center, located at 217 Physicians

Park Drive in Poplar Bluff, by visiting www.blackrivermedical.com or calling

573-727-9080.

Join us at the Black River Medical Center community

open house!

Sunday April 15

Noon to 2 pm

•Food and refreshments

•Tours of the new facility

•Free health screenings

9

10

11

cal industry through a similar service marketed in the area, which she dis-covered to be a scam, she said.

A Neelyville High School graduate, Kendle began her career as a graphic artist but had an unmet desire to “help people,” she described.

The Doniphan resident began her higher education online through the University of Phoenix but decided it was not for her, so she started studying elementary education at Three Rivers College.

Having grown up poor, Kendle said she could not cope with seeing children struggling with poverty while she was a student teacher in nearby schools. “It made me cry,” she said.

Last summer, Kendle signed up to join the U.S. National Guard but got into a car accident, fracturing her right ring finger, causing her to not be able to pass the physical.

Uninsured, Kendle set up a plastic surgery appointment in Cape Girardeau only to be informed reconstructing her finger would cost $20,000, with only a 50 percent success rate. She declined.

Around that same time she discov-ered a prescription drug assistance ser-vice that she was soon hired to man-age, but she found out the company was in trouble with the Better Business Bureau, among other agencies, for al-legedly taking advantage of customers.

“I realized it’s a service I could offer, except truly help people,” Kendle said.

In an effort to reach people suffering from chronic illnesses that require ex-pensive prescriptions, Kendle met last month with the United Cancer Assis-tance Network, which provides Butler County cancer patients financial assis-tance with utility bills, gas cards and nutritional supplements.

“Medication is so high for cancer pa-tients, we couldn’t make a dent in it,” stated Melody Melloy, UCAN mar-keting director. “We probably receive a phone call every day from someone

who needs help with medication, and I’m glad something is now offered right here in Poplar Bluff.”

The nonprofit UCAN previously re-ferred patients to the Regional Health-care Foundation in Dexter, which of-fers a similar service, but is mostly funded by government grants, so there are more restrictions.

On a personal note, Melloy’s grand-mother, who died last year, could not afford all three of her heart medica-tions, so she would rotate taking the pills, the marketing director revealed. “It’s tragic what some people go through,” Melloy said.

When Kendle says “we” do this or that, she is really referring to herself at this point, with the exception of some initial help from family members send-ing out informational kits to doctor’s clinics.

Her office contains a desk, a filing cabinet, a laptop and a phone, plus a paper nametag, a banner as her busi-ness sign and a few chairs. Thus far that is all she has needed to improve the quality of life for 15 clients, resid-ing from Farmington to Paragould, Ark.

For an enrollment form from SEMO Prescription Care, call 573-778-9151 or visit www.semoprescriptioncare.com.

Tim Krakowiak can be contacted by emailing tim@semotimes.com or fol-low him on Twitter @TimKrakowiak.

>>prescription, from pg 4

New service provides much needed prescription cost relief

Arts & Entertainment SEMO Times12

Benefit Yard Sale Lending a Hand 5k Run & 1 Mile Run/Walk

April 76 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Family Video/Radio Station parking lot

Poplar Bluff

April 711 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Van Buren City ParkVan Buren

Free Groceries, Free Lunch

Clarkton Fire and Rescue Annual Auction

April 710 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Ellington City HallEllington

April 76 - 9 p.m.

110 S. Main StClarkton

The Pulse Events from PoplarBluffLive.com in the 573 area code

by Liz Ellis, Reporter

Three Rivers to present ‘Steel Magnolias’ next weekendStage production slightly different than classic movie

very once in a while a script comes along that is so au-thentic and so classic that you say the title and imme-

diately there is familiarity with the sto-ry. And not just because it was done in a movie with very famous actresses… it’s about the story and the friendship,” said Patti Thornton, who portrays Clairee in the forthcoming production of “Steel Magnolias.”

The theater department of Three Rivers College will present “Steel Magnolias” at 7 p.m. April 13 and 14, with a matinee at 2 p.m. April 15.

The play, written by Robert Har-ling and first produced off-Broadway in 1987, is widely recognized due to the 1989 film adaptation starring Sal-ly Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton,

Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Duka-kis.

“The movie made a lot of people familiar with the story, which was originally a play. So it’s nice to bring that other aspect of the show to the au-dience,” said Sub-rina Berger, who portrays M’Lynn. “One of the best things about the play is that every-thing takes place in the beauty shop, which is going to be different for the audience who has

only been familiar with the movie.” The play, which is set in the ‘80s, is

about the lives of six women who reg-

ularly meet at a hair salon. They begin to bond and become friends in a small town, supporting each other and deal-

The cast (from left): Kathy Richardson, Patti Thornton, Subrina Berger, Megan Keathley, Briana Freeland and Shelly Dunn. Submited Photo

“E

13Arts & Entertainment SEMO Times

April 127 p.m.

Tinnin Fine Arts CenterPoplar Bluff

Steel Magnolias Spring Bash

April 137:30 - 10:30 p.m.American Legion

Poplar Bluff

Toni Becker and Band

April 137:30 - 11 p.m.

The Wine RackPoplar Bluff

How it Works:1. Create a Facebook event

2. Invite the SEMO Times to your event on Facebook3. The event will automatically be updated on poplarblufflive.com

4. Your event will appear in the paper!

Relay For Life of Carter County

April 1410 a.m. - 5 p.m.

River Front ParkVan Buren

ing with issues and losses, and sharing their lives experiences. The play is a family-friendly production, although it is not recommended for younger chil-dren.

“I think they can expect a very en-joyable show. They’re going to laugh and they’re going to cry…” said Kathy Richardson, who plays the part of Ou-iser. “I think a lot of people will relate to it well because it’s about friendships, loyalty, love and things that everybody experiences in everyday life. It’s about a group of women who have a bond stronger than steel.”

“I think anybody from any back-ground can definitely come and take a strong message away from this, on top of coming to support the community, support us and be entertained,” said Megan Keathley, who plays Shelby in the production.

“Folks who remember the movie will be pleased by the stage production if they’ve never seen it before,” direc-tor Tim Thompson said. “The ladies who made the movie would be proud of the cast I have for this show. This is the fifth time I’ve directed this play and

this is best cast I can recollect.”“It’s very clever and witty and it’s the

essence of what powerful women are,” said Shelly Dunn, who plays Truvy.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior cit-izens. Tickets can be purchased at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, the Three Rivers business office and will also be available at the door prior to each performance.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

14 Opinion & Editorial SEMO Times

The American Cancer Soci-ety hosted its annual fundrais-er gala, “Denim & Diamonds,” Saturday night at the Holiday Inn. It was a great event, and I certainly was proud to play a role in it.

One of the things I found in-teresting in seeking donation of items and services from area businesses was the opinions of some about cancer research and fundraisers themselves.

I found some people prefer to donate to local cancer or-ganizations because they feel it helps local people more. I understand that point of view. I even talked to one lady who felt cancer was merely a ploy for the pharmaceutical compa-nies to make money.

There’s a conspiracy theory for everything, I guess.

So… why is cancer research important? And is it accom-plishing anything?

I understand that individu-als and families affected by cancer need immediate help in fighting for their lives. A can-cer diagnosis turns lives up-side down. It ravages families psychologically, and financial-ly. People shouldn’t have to ever make the choice of taking care of their family’s needs or spending that money on trans-portation, hotel stays and the cancer treatments itself. That’s why I love organizations like the United Cancer Assistance Network, which helps address those needs.

If the cancer fight were com-pared to a war, UCAN is the “boots on the ground” part of

defense. That is vitally impor-tant.

But cancer research is like the Air Force. They are the strong offense. Taking out the enemy where it hides is crucial to the winning of the war.

Yes… I know cancer has been a killer of mankind be-fore it even had a name. And yes… we have spent billions of dollars battling it and trying to find that “knock-out cure” which will eradicate cancer forever… like polio.

So… why hasn’t it happened yet? Why is there no “cure for cancer?”

Unlike polio, cancer is not one disease. There are over 200 different types and sub-types of cancer. Some can be effectively treated and even “cured” if found in the early stages of the disease. But the problem with cancer is that it has a unique ability to repli-cate itself and send hundreds of microscopic seeds through the body, just looking for a place to take hold. And the success of any treatment de-pends on the individual’s age, health, location of the tumor and the individual’s response to treatment.

Because cancer is really not one disease, there will never be a single pill or approach that will cure all cancers. It’s kind of like trying to find a cure for the common cold, which constantly changes it-self. Some scientists say you cannot actually even call can-cer a “disease,” because actu-ally the human body produces

cancer cells on its own. It isn’t a virus or bacteria, and every individual’s body produces cancer cells in a different way.

The only real cure for cancer will be to change the way hu-man DNA replicates.

Now… changing human DNA used to sound like sci-ence fiction, but it is becoming a reality, and it will eventually lead to a “cure.” It may not be in my lifetime, but I pray it will occur in my daughters’ lifetimes, or their children’s lifetime.

I remember when I was a child, if a relative announced in hushed tones that they had cancer, it meant they were going to die. There weren’t any exceptions. Cancer was a death sentence. And I have lost a lot of dear people over the years to cancer.

It seems to occur frequently in my father’s side of the fam-ily. My dad died of a brain tu-mor; his sister died of leuke-mia; another sister who never smoked, died of lung cancer. And at every family reunion, it seems there would be another loss because of cancer.

So… do I have a dog in this fight?

Yes, I do. And you do, too.Support cancer research.

Now.

Tammy Hilderbrand is the owner of Hilderbrand Dia-mond Company in Poplar Bluff, which can be found on-line at www.hilderbranddia-mondcompany.com. You can email her at tammy@hilder-branddiamondcompany.com.

You’ve got a dog in this fight!

I was driving down the road last week and an old friend from Arkansas called me. He said, "Hey, I'm thinking about selling my house. Since it's what you do for a living, I had a question. How do I know what is a fair price?" I explained that he should call an agent in that area. I told him the agent could run comps and give him a pretty good idea what would be a reasonable price for his home based on that market. I then asked if he knew any or had worked with any agents in the past. He said, "I really don't want to use a real estate agent. I don't want to pay the commission."

It was at that point that I pulled the car over on the shoulder of the road, got my soapbox out of the back, and climbed on it. Now, keep in mind, I was not going to lose a commission here. There never was a commission to be made here. Since I am not licensed in Arkansas, and would nev-er attempt to list a home in a market I wasn't familiar with (even if I could), I had noth-ing to gain. And I had nothing to lose. So it gave me a chance to run through some things I would like to say to sellers here who consider selling their own home. But when you say

it to their face, it sounds high pressure. But, at the same time, it is something they need to hear.

I simply asked him a few questions:

"If you get a buyer for the home, how much earnest mon-ey will you require them to put down? Who will hold the ear-nest money? What happens if they change their mind or their financing is not approved?"

"Who is going to draw up the contract? Will the buyer take possession prior to or af-ter closing? Who will pay for the title search and title insur-ance?"

"What about inspections? What if there is a problem on an inspection? Can they walk away from the deal and get their earnest money back? Who pays for the inspection or needed repairs?"

"What about an appraisal? The buyer will probably want one. And if they are going to have a mortgage on the prop-erty, the bank will require one. What if it doesn't appraise at or above the selling price?"

"Are there any issues or de-fects with the home that should be disclosed? Even if they are minor, you don't want them being discovered after closing and creating an issue. Is it in a

Make room for my soapbox

15Advice SEMO Times

Dear Joy,My fiancé started a new job a few months ago. At first we

thought he had found his dream job, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. He likes what he does but the environment in which he works is very unstable and his boss is extremely unprofessional and unreliable. When he tells me about the problems he is having at his job I get upset with the ridiculousness of it all. When I voice my opinion on these issues he becomes defensive. I try to let him know that I support the work he does, but I feel he thinks that I don’t. I care about his wellbeing very much and it is hard for me to see him going through so much stress. I understand all jobs have stress. I have a fair share at my own job. How do I remain positive in this situation?

- Cheerleader in Wappapello

Cheerleader, That kind of boss would drive me crazy! I think all

you can do is to continue to support him. He is the one having to work in that kind of environment. It is his choice. If you nag him, it will only add to his stress. Maybe he can help implement some changes along the way.It’s great that he enjoys the work that he is doing. He

needs to concentrate on doing the best job he can. If it gets unbearable, he will have to decide if he stays on or not. Has he talked to his boss about the situation? Do other

employees feel the same way? If everyone has the same problems, perhaps they could all come up with some ideas to help with the situation. If the boss is reasonable and will listen to these concerns, it may be time to sit down and explain how they feel about the working conditions. If they feel they can’t talk to him, then it really is up to them to stay and put up with it, or move on.

~Joy

A weekly advice column from a local romance expert, Ask Joy is our own version of the nationally syndicated Ask Abby. To ask Joy a relationship question, email her at askjoyinthetimes@hotmail.com, or befriend her on Facebook at Ask Joy. Names are kept confidential.

flood zone? Are you sure?"Ok... I asked more than a few ques-

tions. But my point was that there are SO many issues that you don't realize take place in the sale of a home. In fact, the buyer and the seller in the transac-tion seldom see the majority of these issues. They are handled by the real estate agent. By the time I got done, he said, "I think I better call a real estate agent."

Don't get me wrong. Many homes are sold each year by the owners. They have an attorney draw up the paper-

work and a local title company do the search and closing. But don't jump into this process without a solid knowledge of what all is involved. And do not expect it to be simple. I told someone today that listing and selling homes is the easy part of my job. Dealing with the title companies, attorneys, bankers, survey companies, appraisers, inspec-tors and so on... that's where we earn our commission!

(Stepping down from my soapbox now).

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