Moving Survivor Tips!

The following is a summary of my recent moving experience and was written to provide a step by step guide on moving. Some of the tips are provided to let you learn on my own mistakes, some are a result of common sense and some of a background in travel. So go ahead read on and I hope this will become of help to you or your friends...

Preparation:

* Start digging from your closets and garage in advance, because this is complicated and frustrating process, and it doesn't really combine well with packing.

* During the excavations you shall discover things that you forgot existed and besides the "throw away Definitely" and "wow how did I survive all these years without!" kind of stuff, the Will Donate category should emerge.

* You may have "a bad feeling" about "throw away Definitely" items, what if you may need them some day, you never know right? Wrong throw it away! I Know It's hard but you can do it.

* Donating the stuff should be easier, you simply need to convince your self that someone may actually use your beloved set of tolls (that you haven't touched since you got a new TV set), the old boom box ... I wish everything was as easy as donating your wife's old iron or fifty pairs of shoes (btw never do, actually never even thing about doing something like this without her consent) but hey that's life nobody said it's going to be easy.

* If you are one of those people that have time and most importantly willpower, organize a garage sale, you never know you may be able to get some cash for your items.

* Places like Salvation Army may pick up your heavy items (fridge, washer, dryer etc) and you can get a tax deduction for your donation.

* Ebay can be of help, it can aid well in showing you what your items are worth, and you can conveniently sell them there.

Supplies:

* Always get more then you think you need, that's the general rule of thumb!

* Heavy duty trash bags can be used not only for trash, but also for packing linens, bedding and even some clothes.

* If you are using a moving company, ask about wardrobe boxes (many companies provide them free of charge) - a good idea for anything that you want to remain on the hangers. You may even purchase some yourself but they are usually pricier than conventional moving boxes.

* Masking tape is the best for taping lose drawers, glass cabinet doors etc., because it comes easier and doesn't leave marks. You should still use regular scotch tape for taping up boxes.

* Try to use boxes of the same size; they'll be easier to place/stack in the truck.

People:

* You may think that it is a men's job to do the move, but there are things that everybody in your family or friends can do. Women are generally better at organizing things, packing fragile items, handling the paperwork etc. Don't leave out the kids, not only you'll be able to do more by keeping them occupied but the entire process of moving will be less stressful on them.

* Assign the task according to skills and areas of expertise( I think letting a men handle a garage or electronics is generally a better idea than packing a bathroom or a kitchen)

* Decide who is "In Charge", choose person that overlooks and supervises everybody.

Labeling:

* The better you label your items the easier the move!

* Get markers or sharpies, labeling stickers, stickers with sequential numbers etc.

* Mark your boxes by:

1. weight

2. room

3. fragileness

4. contents

* Pack your boxes all the way but try not to overload them. I recommend doing this to avoid boxes collapsing. Always place the heavier boxes on the bottom and lighter ones on top.

Survival Kit:

* Make a "survival kit"- a few boxes with absolute necessities that should go in to the truck at the end of the load (in order to be taken out in the beginning of the unloading process). The kit should contain the following:

1. Medicine - if any one in the household has a condition that requires to take medicine on regular basis always take some with you and have a spare just in case.

2. Food and snacks - the last thing you want to worry about when you start unpacking is - getting food for everybody. This may include baby's formula. You can order Pizza once even twice, but chances are you'll be new to the area and grocery shopping wouldn't be an easy task.

3. First aid kit - you may be tired and the level of alertness will decrease towards the end of the move, so it's a good idea to have some basic band aides and alcohol wipes available in case of minor cuts or bruises.

4. Phone and computer components - chances are you'd want to be able to keep in touch with the rest of the world after you move.

5. Plastic cups, dinnerware and paper towels.

6. Trash bags - remove the waste right away so it would not accumulate and be in the way.

7. THE REST OF THE ITEMS YOU MAY NEED.

I'm glad you got this far, and hope that this would be of a good use to you. I also recommend a great resource for moving tips - www.allmovinghelp.com. If you're looking for professional moving companies in you area, here is a link to a website www.allmovingquotes.com. All of the companies listed on this website have been prescreened (to make sure that they're licensed and operate according to state or federal regulations) and will provide you with free quotes.

About the Author

Eugene Koch
Director of Operations
AllMovingQuotes.com

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How to Get Started in Real Estate Investing Without Cash

So you want to get involved in real estate investing, but you just don't have any extra money to get started? This is a common situation, but what most people don't realize, is that you may already have enough resources to get started. If you own your own home, you can leverage this asset and be well on your way in no time.

Unless you purchased your home with an interest-only loan, you are building equity each time you make a mortgage payment. To figure out how much equity you have in your home, subtract the balance on your mortgage, from the value of your home. If you have any other loans attached to your home, or other liabilities, subtract them as well. Most people are surprised to learn how much equity they actually have. In many cases, it's more than enough for a down payment and improvements on your investment property.

There are several ways to use the equity in your home to raise cash for real estate investing. Here are the basics:

1. Refinance Your House. You can refinance your home in order to get an improved interest rate, but you can also get a cash-out refinance mortgage, and use the cash to purchase an investment property, or you should have least enough for a down payment. Your current lender may have rules about cash-out refinancing, so check with your mortgage advisor before you begin the process. Keep in mind, a cash-out refinance mortgage can have higher interest rates than other mortgages.

2. Take Out a Home Equity Loan. A home equity loan is a loan using the equity in your home as collateral, and is separate from your mortgage. The amount is of the loan is based on a percentage of the equity in your home, you may be able to borrow 90% or more of your homes value; less if you are taking out a home equity loan on a second property that you do not occupy. The advantages of a home equity loan the option to pay the loan back early without penalty, and you may choose to pay off those high interest credit cards.

3. Open a Home Equity Line of Credit. A home equity line of credit has a credit limit just like a credit card. Like a home equity loan, the amount of the limit is based on your credit worthiness and the equity in your home. You can transfer funds from your home equity line of credit, or even write checks directly from the account. Interest rates are generally lower than cash-out refinance mortgages, and there are tax advantages as well. Another advantage is you are only paying interest and making payments on the amount you owe, not the entire amount of the loan. You may also be able to renegotiate in the future for a higher credit line when the equity in your home increases, especially if you have made above-minimum payments on timely basis, or home improvements.

Investing in real estate is not only for the rich; the average homeowner can become a real estate investor even without a lot of money in your bank account. You can use cash-out refinance mortgages, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit to purchase your first investment property, and many more properties to come.

About the Author

Kevin Kiene is founder of ezLandlordForms.com, a state-of-the-art website dedicated to to providing landlords a complete library of documents for effective property management. Our Lease builder wizard with state assist helps landlords to create a state specific Lease Agreement in minutes. We also offer free articles, landlords question and answers and free landlord forms

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Profession Gears Up On Signs Housing Sector Could Be Cooling

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Chuck Seabrease steered his pickup truck into the driveway of a two-story house on a cul-de-sac in this suburb of Washington. He was carrying a drill and tools for picking locks.

But Mr. Seabrease found on this recent chilly morning that someone else already had kicked the door open, shattering the frame and leaving a black boot mark. Mr. Seabrease, a 36-year-old father of two who plays hockey in his spare time, stepped warily into the house and prepared to do his job: safeguarding foreclosed property for lenders.

For the past few years, business generally has been slow for the 10,000-odd members of Mr. Seabrease's profession, known among people in the industry as mortgage field services. Until recently, home prices were rising so fast in much of the U.S. that most people who fell behind on their payments could easily sell their homes for more than they owed the lender and thus avoid foreclosure. At the end of last year's third quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, just 0.97% of all home mortgages were in the process of foreclosure, in which the lender takes ownership after the borrower defaults on payments. That percentage was the lowest since 1996.

Fewer foreclosures mean less business for field-services operations, independent contractors hired by lenders to clean up the sometimes horrific messes left by people who lose their houses.

Now the people in this little-known trade hope that a cooler housing market will create more work. House prices have fallen modestly in some places, and inventories of unsold homes are rising. Foreclosures have increased in recent months in much of the U.S., according to RealtyTrac Inc., a foreclosure data publisher in Irvine, Calif.

Kevin McFalls, the owner of JKM Mortgage Field Services, Baltimore, where Mr. Seabrease works, says he already has noticed an uptick in business in the Washington and Baltimore areas. Mr. McFalls expects a surge in assignments from lenders over the next few years. Rick Taggard, the owner of a field-services company in Porterville, Calif., agrees: "All of us are just waiting, and when it turns around, it's rags to riches again."

During the recent lean years for foreclosure, some people in field services left the business. Others have stayed busy by heading to foreclosure hot spots such as New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina, or Detroit, suffering from an exodus of jobs. Mr. Taggard's company, SCVMS Inc., set up a temporary office near New Orleans after Katrina, and he has hired subcontractors there to inspect damaged homes and secure them against intruders.

Both Mr. McFalls and Mr. Seabrease made the 45-mile drive from their Baltimore office to the house in Upper Marlboro. Though the door had been kicked open, they were relieved to find nobody inside. Most likely, Mr. Seabrease said, it was a bored teenager who broke in and had a look around after the former owners had abandoned the house.

Most of the furnishings were gone, but a stuffed dog and other toys were strewn across stained gray carpeting. An empty bottle of Heineken sat on a coffee table. Shriveled roses, apparently from a funeral arrangement, clung to a wire stand decorated with a white ribbon inscribed with the word "Dad" in gold letters. A file cabinet contained a sixth grader's scrawled notes from Sunday school, starting with the admonition to "find salvation in Christ."

In the kitchen, a few dirty plastic dishes remained in the sink, and the refrigerator was mottled with mold. "This house is actually pretty clean compared to a lot of them," Mr. Seabrease said.

His mission was to preserve the value of the house while the lender prepares to sell it. In the basement, Mr. Seabrease twisted a valve to turn off the water supply. He then used an air compressor to blast the remaining water out of the pipes so they wouldn't freeze. Mr. Seabrease took digital pictures of each room, fixed the door frame and installed a new lock. The total charge for about an hour's work, excluding travel time, was around $125. Mr. Taggard says that in a good year someone running a field-services business can earn a six-figure income.

Field-services companies provide several types of service for lenders. One is the kind of "preservation" work Mr. Seabrease did in Upper Marlboro. Another is inspection. When borrowers fall more than a month or two behind on payments, lenders hire field-services companies to check whether the home is still occupied and to note any major damage. Field-service businesses also provide labor to clear out debris after evictions by sheriffs or other law-enforcement people. Usually the people who lived in the house are long gone by the time the foreclosure occurs.

Still, field-services work can be dangerous. While one of Mr. McFalls's crew was dragging junk from a house in Baltimore several months ago, three men emerged from the basement, and one brandished a gun. After a scuffle during which one of the workers was cut just above the eye, the gunman and his companions fled.

In crime-ridden areas, Mr. McFalls tells his crews to show up early in the morning to inspect or secure houses: "Typically, the troublemakers are still asleep or passed out then." Often, field-services workers themselves are suspected of making trouble. Neighbors see them breaking in and call the police. Crew members sometimes end up in handcuffs before they can convince the police that the break-in was ordered by a bank.

Mr. McFalls owned and operated a gas station before he got into this business in 1999. He had heard about field services from a friend and saw more opportunity there -- for someone with a strong stomach. For one thing, people sometimes leave pets behind. "We found a beautiful Great Dane, starved to death," Mr. McFalls says. Dirty needles and clogged toilets are other occupational hazards. In some homes, says Robert Preston, who runs a field-services business in Grand Rapids, Mich., his crews have found decomposed bodies. About a decade ago, while Mr. Preston was helping with an eviction in Indiana, a man being forced from his home shot himself to death, Mr. Preston says.

"After a time, you just become desensitized," says D. Scott Smith, who ran a field-services business in Baltimore for about eight years before changing careers. He now invests in real estate.

Mr. McFalls says he feels sorry for some of the people whose belongings his crews cart away. But he thinks many people get into trouble simply because they have made bad choices, buying expensive cars and other luxuries instead of paying off their mortgages. "The majority of them are just living far beyond their means and putting themselves in that position," he says.

By James R. Hagerty
From The Wall Street Journal Online

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A Housing Slowdown Can Put the Brakes on Jobs

Mortgage brokers, prepare your resumes. And while you are at it, highlight any experience you've had in health care.

The reason: Housing, the biggest generator of jobs in the current expansion, is running out of steam. As a result, tens of thousands of Americans, from bankers to hardware-store clerks, are likely to find themselves out of work over the next couple of years. For those who can transfer their skills to other industries that are still growing, such as health care, it won't be the end of the world.

"It's not going to be a big show-stopper, because there are other areas of the economy that are picking up," says Brian Bethune, U.S. economist at consulting firm Global Insight.

Few sectors can claim to have as much sway over the economy as housing. Housing-related employment has accounted for about 23% of the 4.9 million jobs created since the nation's job market began to grow in late 2003, according to Moody's Economy.com. That includes architects, contractors, real-estate agents, brokers and bankers, as well as the host of others who provide the industry with materials and services.

"There's never been a housing boom like this one in terms of the reach, in terms of the range of industries affected," says Ethan Harris, chief U.S. economist at Lehman Brothers in New York. "This is clearly unprecedented."

Now, the boom is coming to an end. Total single-family-home sales were running at an annualized rate of 7.1 million in April, down more than 6% from the June 2005 peak. Backlogs of unsold homes are rising, and price increases are slowing.

Economists expect the slowdown to affect more than just housing-related jobs: As stagnating house prices and higher interest rates limit Americans' ability to use their homes as a source of cash, they are likely to spend less money on consumer goods, meaning less work for all kinds of folks, from assembly-line workers to shop assistants.

Signs of weakness in housing-related employment are already appearing. Last week, KB Home, of Los Angeles, one of the nation's largest home builders, said it had laid off about 7% of its 6,600 workers. Earlier, ACC Capital Holdings Corp., the parent of mortgage lender Ameriquest Mortgage Co., announced plans to lay off 3,800 workers. And Washington Mutual said it would be cutting 2,500 jobs related to its home-loan business.

"There's no question that the downturn in the mortgage business has caused a lot of banks to cut jobs," says John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

From a macroeconomic perspective, the housing slowdown, and the attendant slowing of job growth, could be just what the economy needs. If, as some economists predict, the monthly average rate of growth in U.S. non-farm payrolls falls and stays a bit below 130,000 -- from about 175,000 in the first quarter -- that would help keep wages in check, relieving the inflationary pressures that have worried Federal Reserve officials and, as a result, spooked financial markets. "That's exactly what the Fed would like to see," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com.

No single sector of the economy has the potential to make up for all the jobs likely to be lost in a housing slowdown. Still, some can provide a cushion. All across the economy, companies are running up against the limits of what they can get out of their current workers -- a situation economists say will drive more hiring.

"As long as the economy is expanding, you have to add inputs from somewhere, and labor is the easiest input to add," says David Greenlaw, an economist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Industries that have picked up the pace of hiring in recent months include health care, finance (excluding housing-related finance), education and nonresidential construction. Manufacturing, too, is benefiting from increased capital investment in the U.S. and abroad: The sector has added 134,000 production jobs since September.

Not all of the new jobs will be a good fit for people forced out of housing-related work. Immigrants who specialize in low-skill tasks could be among the hardest hit. "The low-skilled or unskilled worker is going to be displaced," says Global Insight's Mr. Bethune.

Still, some skills are transferable. Carpenters and electricians, for example, can find jobs on commercial and public projects like office buildings and schools. People who can find ways to improve companies' productivity -- say, by making loan applications easier to fill out -- are always in demand, says Andrew Wilkinson, a managing director in Los Angeles for KForce Professional Staffing. He recently found jobs for a number of business analysts laid off by Ameriquest. Their new employer: Kaiser Permanente, the U.S.'s largest health plan.

"Those are the types of folks that our customers generally struggle to find anywhere," he says. "We put them into health care, we put them into biotech and we put them into other financial-services companies."

By Mark Whitehouse
From The Wall Street Journal Online

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Putting Your Mortgage in Reverse To Supplement Retirement Funds

Federally insured reverse mortgages are gaining in popularity, and experts think they're poised to become an even bigger part of the lending industry in coming years.

The reason: More seniors are finding that traditional retirement tools, including IRAs, pensions and 401(k)s, are not providing enough income to help fund their living and health-care expenses, says Peter Bell, president of National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.

More importantly, new reverse mortgages could address one of the main concerns some seniors have about the loans -- their costs. "There are at least four new products in development," says Ken Scholen, director of the AARP Foundation's Reverse Mortgage Education Project.

With increased demand for reverse mortgages, there's been more competition and those applying a year from now could be pleasantly surprised by their lower costs. "If you don't need to do it in the next year or so, definitely wait and see," Mr. Scholen says.

The Federal Housing Administration insured 74,412 "home equity conversion" mortgages during the year ended Sept. 30, compared with 43,082 the previous year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nearly half of all FHA reverse mortgages have been originated in the last two years.

A reverse mortgage is just what it sounds like -- instead of a homeowner making payments to the bank to pay off a mortgage, the bank pays the homeowner who has a significant amount of equity built up. The lender, in return, puts a lien on the property.

Borrowers receive money from a reverse mortgage in four ways: They can get a lump-sum payment, get a monthly cash stream, establish a line of credit or sign up for some combination of the three. To qualify for these loans, borrowers must be at least 62 years old.

But not all seniors are falling in love with this financial tool.

It wasn't right for John Lopez, 71, a Boca Raton, Fla., retiree who looked into a reverse mortgage so that he and his wife could live in their condo more comfortably.

After learning some of the costs and the adjustable interest rates associated with reverse mortgages, they decided against it. "The charges are horrendous," and the loans complex, he says. "I don't think the average person out here could handle some of these things without a lawyer."

Upfront Costs

According to the AARP, upfront and ongoing costs for a 74-year-old borrower in a $250,000 home in May 2006 could be about $25,000 -- not including interest. For that, the homeowner could draw about $1,000 in monthly payments.

Almost all lenders charge adjustable interest rates on home-equity-conversion loans. Other costs include origination fees, third-party closing costs, mortgage insurance premiums and servicing fees.

But Mr. Bell points out that most often the cost of the appraisal is the only one that may need to be paid at the outset. Remaining costs often get paid with loan proceeds.

Another worry prospective borrowers have is that they will lose control of their property by signing up for the loan, says Jim Mahoney, chief executive officer for Financial Freedom Senior Funding, a subsidiary of IndyMac Bancorp that specializes in reverse mortgages.

But that fear -- that "the bank takes the house" away from the owner -- is unfounded, he says.

The homeowner retains the home's title for the life of the reverse mortgage, he says. When the homeowner moves or dies, the loan comes due and must be paid off by the borrower or the heirs, which could be done by selling the house and using the proceeds. The borrower never has to pay back more than the value of the home; the FHA pays the excess amount if there is one. To ensure that borrowers know what they're getting into, they also must go through counseling before getting the loan.

Some reverse mortgages resemble annuities, with fixed monthly payments for life, even if equity is depleted. But unlike annuities, the borrower can't move and continue to receive the monthly income.

Equity Drops

One downside of reverse mortgages, however, is that as the equity in the home is diminished, less money is available for emergency purposes, says Jon Beyrer, a financial planner with Blankinship & Foster in Solana Beach, Calif.

On top of that, some consumers considering a reverse mortgage decide against it because they want to leave their house -- or the equity built up in it -- to their heirs.

Those considering a reverse mortgage should ask themselves five questions:

• Is downsizing a better option?

Homeowners should seriously look at selling and moving as a way to tap a home's equity, Mr. Scholen says. Those who do will sometimes find that they could get more for their home than they thought or that another living situation is more attractive.

• How long do you plan to stay in the house?

A reverse mortgage doesn't make sense, for example, for someone planning on moving two years in the future, Mr. Mahoney says.

• Might other loans be better?

If the mortgage is being considered to supplement a rainy-day fund, it might be best to consider a line of credit that can be tapped when it is needed, Mr. Mahoney says. If money is needed for a shorter period of time, maybe a home-equity loan is a better choice, Mr. Scholen says.

• How much could you get from a reverse mortgage?

Financial Freedom's Web site offers a calculator to help figure this out: www.financialfreedom.com/calculator/Input_new.asp.

• When do you need the loan?

In addition to waiting for less-expensive products in the pipeline, remember that homeowners are eligible for more money the older they are and the more their house is worth, Mr. Scholen says.

By Amy Hoak
From The Wall Street Journal Online

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Making A Fortune While Broke

A recent Forbes Magazine article stated that 97 out of every 100 self-made millionaires made their fortunes through real estate investing. Believe it or not, you, too, can take control of your financial life by creating wealth through the acquisition of real estate assets. You may be thinking that all of this sounds too good to be true; well, wait it gets even better!

Not only is real estate one of the only investments in the world that you can acquire using the power of leverage, but the income and gains produced by real estate receive some of the greatest tax breaks available. Unlike stocks and other investments, real estate profits can be tax deferred or better yet, even tax free! The government allows you to roll-over each windfall into your next real estate investment.

Does the idea of using someone else's money to buy something for yourself seem impractical? It shouldn't; it happens all the time. You've probably even done it before. Have you ever taken out a loan to buy a car? By doing this, you tapped into other people's money (the bank's) to buy the car. How much better would it be if you also had someone else making the payments for you? By investing in real estate, you do just that. Instead of using other people's money to accrue additional expenses, you use other people's money (the bank's) to buy the property, and you use other people's money (your tenants) to make the payment by renting the property out for more than it costs you to own it. The income produced by the property that is left over after all expenses are paid for is the property's cash flow. And simply put, that is the power of leverage.

Too many people are under the impression that they need to save up a large down payment before the bank will lend them the money to buy a property. This is not true. There are a number of ways that you can obtain financing without bringing in a down payment. The easiest way to start acquiring real estate is to buy your first property and then use its equity to buy more properties. Equity is the difference between what an asset is worth and what you owe on it. If you own a property that is worth $100,000 and you have a mortgage on the property for $80,000, your equity is $20,000. Using the equity in one property to buy another is exercising the power of leverage. Leverage helps expedite the wealth process. Using leverage maximizes your purchase ability. It is the most efficient way to acquire properties, build positive cash flow, and take advantage of appreciation.

Appreciation is the amount that an asset goes up in value over a period of time. If you took your $20,000 equity and used it as a down payment to buy one more property, you would benefit from the cash flow of two properties instead of one. You would also earn the appreciation of two properties instead of one. Real estate on average has realized between 3 and 8 percent appreciation per year. By using one property to buy another, you are using leverage, but not to its fullest. How much faster could your wealth grow if instead of using your $20,000 to purchase one more property, you use it to purchase four properties by putting only $5,000 down on each? Your wealth would increase by the appreciation and cash flow of four more properties instead of only one.

Real estate can also build wealth in any economic climate. If the real estate market is up, quick turnaround investments (flips) can produce large, immediate gains. If the market is down, there are more opportunities to acquire assets at a lower cost due to foreclosures, motivated sellers and seller financing. When interest rates are low you can buy more assets for your buck. When interest rates are higher, more people are prompted to rent apartments, which translates into higher rental prices. The increased demand turns your real estate asset into a cash flow cow.

Like you, when we were learning about real estate for the first time we were asking ourselves, So, whats the catch? I mean why isnt everyone doing this? And why arent the people I know that are doing this getting rich? It is because of their fear, their lack of knowledge, and their inability to develop a real estate investment plan that actually fits their investment profile. The reality is that with real estate you can be successful in many different ways, shapes and forms. The best success in real estate will come to you by matching strategy with your strengths and desired outcome. From there, you can hit to ground running towards the success you so deserve.

About the Author:

Paul Pratt teaches simple steps to achieve unprecedented real estate wealth, making every situation profitable. His successes include a college drop-out, MBA graduate, waiter, and a stay-at-home mom. Live your dream at MYreiTEAM.com

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Real Estate Investing - Essential Information

When you are first starting out investing in houses, you should always look for ugly or bad houses that need to be upgraded. These homes are much cheaper to purchase, although they will take some work to improve. You should start out by looking for houses that need some work, such as clean up, painting, and in some cases new carpet. You dont want to buy something too run down, as it could cost a fortune to repair.

If you think of yourself as a handyman and feel that you can do the repairs yourself, you can save a lot of money. On the other hand, if you need to hire someone, you should always make sure that the individual or company that you hire is qualified to do the repairs. If you arent comfortable with doing any of the repairs, you should inquire about a subcontractor or company that will do it for a reasonable price, or perhaps a share of the money once you have resold the house.

If the house you are thinking to purchase and resell has any type of structural problems, you should always get an estimate from a reliable contractor before you make the purchase. If you decide to stay in the business, youll learn a lot more over the years, although you should always hire a contractor when you first start out. Once you get all of the estimates together, you can make that final decision on how much of an offer you want to put down on the property.

After you have a team together and successfully renovated and resold several homes, youll begin to feel quite a bit more confident with buying homes that need repairs. All it takes is time and practice - and youll be buying homes that the average investor wouldnt think twice about. This can be a huge advantage when you are looking for homes to buy and resell, as there will be less competition to worry about. Youll also be able to get a lower price when buying the home, simply because you can use the cost of the repairs to your advantage.

Once you are able to do repairs on homes, including structural problems, youll have a huge advantage in the market. Youll be able to buy virtually any home, including those that other investors choose to ignore. Doing so can be very profitable for you, especially if the house is in a well known and well desired neighborhood. After you have done the repairs, you can resell the home for a much higher price than you paid to acquire the home.

When you start looking for houses that you can repair and resale, you should always take your time and buy the right homes. You wont have the money, time, experience, or support to buy the bigger houses at first, which means you wont have any room for mistakes. Once you have purchased and resold a few smaller homes, youll eventually be able to work your way up to the bigger homes - which is where the big profits will come into play.

Always keep in mind that when you first start out, youll need to take things slow. You can expect profits to come overnight, as it will take you some time to learn. Once you have been at it a few years and have several houses to your credit, youll be ready to tackle anything. At that point - youll make a lot of money in a career that is truly exciting.

About the Author:

Mark Estates is an independent writer for several leading real estate investing web sites.

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How To Handle The Expiring Lease Of Co-Tenants

If, you are a landlord in a non-rent controlled city and have two tenants signed up on a year's lease drawing to a close, which leaves you to decide, whether you wish to renew it or let it expire. However, if one roommate offers to renew the lease, stipulating that it should only be in his / her name and would like you to ask the other tenant to move out. Now, what is a landlord to do, if despite repeated phone calls, the second tenant does not return them, nor indicates, whether he / she would like to renew the lease? In a situation such as this, who can blame a landlord for wishing to offer a new lease to the tenant, who is willing to sign on for another year. To play it legally safe, a landlord should keep in mind the following:

When a fixed term lease draws to a close, it ends the tenancy rights of concerned renters. Of course, one can send the tenants a polite note to remind them of the approaching deadline, before they cease to be your tenants. Remember to follow the 30-day notice period even if it is a fixed term lease.

A lease that ends means the landlord is free to rent to whomsoever he / she wishes or desires. A landlord can decline to make an offer of renewal, as long as his / her decision to do so is based on valid business reasons, reasons that are neither discriminatory nor retaliatory in nature. In other words, one cannot refuse to rent to a tenant on the basis of race, religion, etc. etc.; nor because a tenant taking advantage of his / her legal rights, complained to a health inspector about code violations on the rental property.

This advice may not apply to a landlord whose rental property is located in a rent-controlled city. However, if the property is in a rent-controlled city, then a landlord will require 'just cause' for eviction or non-renewal of the lease, unless the second tenant does something that justifies eviction. Perhaps, the only way out of this quandary is to offer the place to both the tenants, and ask them to discuss the situation with each other. Before, doing so it would make good sense to check the details of rent-control ordinances to help you out!

On that cautionary note, another bit of advice, to avoid expensive landlord / tenant litigation, take necessary precautions, such as, screening tenants and conducting background checks on prospective tenants. A simple click of the mouse and one can visit www.e-renter.com for tenant screening and background check services.

About the Author

by James

content writer

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If you would like to buy a house/home we are your source of thousands of available listings of real estate. As a native Licensed New Jersey Real Estate Broker we have many agents in our realty who are very familiar with the needs of New Jersey Real Estate buyers. If you are interested in selling your house, or any other NJ real estate, we are here to help you sell. Our experience real estate office staff will walk you through the whole house selling process. Get in touch with us and we will show you how we can help your sell your home in New Jersey. We are the realtors NJ! Great Marlboro NJ Real Estate, Homes for Sale in Marlboro NJ, Marlboro NJ, and Information on Marlboro NJ.

Temo Sun Rooms and Patio Enclosures

An overview of the basic decisions that will have to be made regarding sunroom design choice.

The design of your sunroom should be personal to the needs and desires of your family. You will want to design the sunroom depending on what you are planning to use it for. If you think it will be used mostly for entertaining, then a more lavish design with extra space and more control over the lighting options may be necessary than if you were to just use it for the occasional sitting room for you and your family. You will make a number of decisions when you are planning your sunroom design, and each of them will require that you have at least some forethought regarding the use of the new structure. As you read the rest of this article, as yourself the following questions: what would make the most sense for your situation? What aspects of the design are most important to you?

Time of Use and Sunroom Designs

The first decision you will want to make is whether or not you want to be able to use your sunroom throughout the entire year. Sunrooms are usually divided into 3 season and 4 season types. The 3 season room is designed to be used in all but the most extreme part of the winter. It is normally not hooked up to your home's heating and cooling system, but is rather temperature controlled by other means. If you are planning to use the sunroom just 3 seasons out of the year, then you will normally heat and cool it by portable units or by fans. You could also use an outdoor fireplace, provided that you have proper ventilation in place to allow the fumes to escape. These sunrooms are usually less expensive to construct as compared to a four season sunroom of the same size and design. However, they will be out of use during a portion of the year.

On the other hand, four season sunroom designs are made to be used the whole year long. They are often connected to your home's heating and cooling system and are temperature controlled just like any other room in the home. Because of this, they will require that the contractor use excellent insulation methods and high grade insulated or glazed glass. Otherwise, they will not be energy efficient when heated or cooled. This makes the four season sunroom more expensive to build, but it does give you and your family full use of the room in a comfortable environment all year round.

Types of Sunroom Designs

When you are considering the type of sunroom design that you would prefer, there are a number of aspects to consider. First, you should take into account any existing exterior structures that you have. Often the easiest and least expensive option for building a sunroom will be to build it on top of an existing deck or concrete slab. However, this does limit the size of the sunroom to the size of the existing structure. If you don't currently have one, then you will be looking at the added expense of leveling and grading the selected area to prepare it for the foundation.

Materials Used and Cost in Sunroom Designs

Once the area has been chosen and you have decided on whether or not you would prefer a 3 season or a 4 season sunroom, then you can begin to get more specific on the design itself. The materials that you use to build the sunroom will be the next big decision, and will greatly affect the cost of the structure as well. For example, if you choose to build an aluminum sunroom on an existing structure, it will be less expensive than building a block foundation sunroom with all wood siding and framing. Aluminum and vinyl siding sunrooms are less expensive than wood framed ones, and have the added benefit of being lower in maintenance costs over time than wooden sunrooms. However, with a wooden sunroom you can select the exact color that you would like to use, because vinyl and aluminum sided sunrooms come in limited colors, depending on the manufacturer. Wood will take more maintenance because it will have to be painted occasionally and there is always the possibility of rot or termite issues. However, if your home is all wooden or you simply don't like the idea of an aluminum sunroom, you might still want to use that material.

When you are designing the sunroom, one think you will have to decide is how many windows to include. You may not have considered having skylights or even having the entire ceiling be glass, but both are certainly options for you. When considering windows, you will also have to consider the glazing that you will use in order to prevent harmful rays or glare from entering. Then, you will want to consider how to guard your privacy if you choose an entirely glass room. You may want to add window treatments or shutters to the design or at least allow some funds to be able to do so in the future.

No matter what sunroom designs you are considering, you certainly do not have to make these decisions on your own. Look for sunroom manufacturers in your area that may have showrooms for you to visit. That will help you to get some ideas for your own sunroom design. After that, the companies themselves will be more than willing to share their own design ideas with you. And you can also ask for onsite quotes from the manufacturers based on your design and then choose the one that offers the best quality for the money.

About the Author

Andrew Caxton enjoys writing for http://www.allsunrooms.com . He provides tips and advice about patio enclosures as well as on the conservatories at Temo Sun Rooms

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After 23 years in sales and marketing for a major corporation, my father began a career in real estate. In his almost 20 years of listing and selling homes and property, there have been dramatic changes in the marketing of homes, particularly in the past 5 years. In the early years of selling homes, real estate agents all seemed to use similar marketing techniques. Place a sign in the front yard, enter the listing into the Multiple Listing Service, advertise the home in the local newspaper (on a rotating basis with other office listings), host a Realtor® tour, and sit at an open house (catching up on paperwork or reading.) Since agents were doing the same things, it really didn't matter if your aunt Lucy, your brother-in-law, or the neighbor who just got her license had your listing. About the only variable in the marketing plan might be the frequency of print advertising.

Some agents started getting more aggressive in their marketing with the advent of the color copier. Producing colorful brochures of homes for sale became more affordable for agents and made them look very pro-active in the eyes of their sellers! As simple as it may sound, this began to separate the passive marketer from the more active, aggressive, result-oriented one.

Then times changed dramatically as the visionary Realtor® recognized the power of technology...the Internet! The Internet has changed the way the world does business and has had a huge effect on the real estate industry, providing a global showcase for every home or piece of property for sale.

The advances in technology have changed the way real estate agents do (or do not do) business. Those who have embraced this technology are far ahead of the pack. The advantage to the seller is it is much easier to evaluate which Realtor® to use by surfing the web and checking out different agent's sites. The seller gets a good picture of the agent's professionalism, statistics about an agent's sales volume, a snapshot of how the agent presents homes for sale, and more. Today's real estate marketing plan should include the use of technology and other more active techniques, such as those shown below. What about newspaper advertising, you ask? While statistics indicate print ads are responsible for less than one percent of real estate sales, we DO continue to advertise in the newspapers. Internet marketing and advertising far surpasses newspaper advertising with outstanding results. If you are listing your house today, you need a Realtor® with a proven track record in marketing not only by today's standards, but looking into the future, as well. If your Realtor's® total marketing plan is an open house, Realtor tours and newspaper ads, you are dealing with a yesterday Realtor®.

There is a definite difference in Realtors® today. Do your research. Select the Realtor® with the experience, the knowledge and the vision it takes to sell a home in today's market.

About the Author

Kris Kombrink has been working in his family-owned real estate business since 1995. Specializing in Geneva, St Charles and Batavia Illinois residential real estate his team stays on top of the latest trends while maintaining superior customer. Learn more about his team at http://www.kombrink.com or email kris@kombrink.com

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