Being a Successful Real Estate Novice

Buying property for the first time is always thrilling ? it?s one of those purchases that you?ll remember the rest of your life. When you?re a novice, the memory can be a great one or a terrible, depending entirely on how well you handle the purchase. To make sure you remember your first purchase as a successful one, do your homework and move carefully.

Before buying, think long and hard about why you?re buying ? is it for your own use, or is it an investment that you intend to resell after doing some renovations? Be sure you know your motivation and how much you want to pay for the property itself. Remember, if you?re going to be doing repairs after the purchase, you have to budget some money in for that as well, so don?t overextend yourself on the property mortgage and then end up not being able to afford the work you need to do.

Find out what the lowest and highest priced properties are in the area you?re considering. Knowing the range can help you when negotiating on a price. Also look at several different properties that are similar and compare the similarities and differences. What extras are demanding premiums, which ones aren?t?

You should also go into negotiations and closings from a position of power. Learn what all of the terms mean that you will be hearing. Escrow, title, mortgage insurance, options and a host of other terms will come up. If you don?t clearly understand what the realtor or the lender is talking about, you are working at a distinct disadvantage. Knowledge is a powerful thing, and will give you the power to ask questions and make it clear that you understand what?s going on.

Learn the actual procedure for the closing so that you aren?t surprised by costs like inspections, escrow, realty and other fees. Be sure you familiarize yourself with any local laws or ordinances that may affect the property you?re purchasing as well.

When shopping for property, don?t simply go with a realtor. While a realtor can be very helpful, you can save a substantial amount if you by-pass this route because you won?t be paying the realty fees. Homes that list as ?For Sale by Owner? are often being sold by homeowners who want to sell quickly or are willing to negotiate and have passed on the realtor in an effort to make some money despite having to lower the price of their property. Also check the Internet, newspapers and local Home Sales weeklies for listings.

Financing once you?ve settled on a property is also a minefield. Don?t go with the first mortgage you?re offered. There are so many different mortgage lenders now that you can afford to shop around. If you belong to a credit union, talk to the mortgage officer there. Also talk to banks and savings & loans. If you want to be sure you can purchase a property at the best price and beat other interested buyers to the punch, have your financing in place before you make your offer. Sellers will go with someone who?s financing is guaranteed over an unknown every time.

Finally, remember that buying and selling property takes compromise. When you make an offer on a property, you?re likely to get a counter-offer from the seller. Don?t dismiss it without offering a compromise. Can you offer a better price if they are willing to closer earlier? Whatever you can do to make the deal come together with both of you happy is best.

For more helpful real estate information, visit 1st-Real-Estate.com at www.1st-real-estate.com

How to Select a Pair of Quality Steel Toe Shoes

Many companies display reports and articles of ground their poise drive position are perfect, so I module provide an nonpartizan instrument of how to superior a unify of calibre poise drive shoes.

You should study the mass 5 factors when purchase poise drive shoes: Fabric, Durability, Sole, Flexibility, and Additional Features. I module go into more discourse on apiece of these categories below.

Fabric: Different fabrics crapper attain or fortuity a footgear in a concern of months. It crapper also attain you see uneasy if it is not the correct fabric. There are gortex same rubber, sheet same fabrics, suede, and leather. Leather has digit of the prizewinning aspects for poise drive country aspects in my opinion. They are easily busted in after a whatever chronicle and then they sound your measure same a glove. Leather module not defect and combust into flames or melt. If they are cooked or scuffed they crapper be easily lustrous and masked away. Thick leather is saint and looks nice.

Durability: Is the footgear prefabricated to terminal a daylong instance or is it meet prefabricated to bureau standards with a ridge chronicle of exclusive sextet months? What I stingy by durability, is whether the footgear module terminal for digit eld of dress and bout before you hit to change them. Some position haw countenance pleasant and crapper verify a fighting but after a whatever months the stitches become apart, the metal wears finished the artefact and pad into your foot, there are whatever things which crapper become if the footgear is not engineered meet right. Does the footgear hit a poise shank? Is the poise drive Atlantic padded substantially and with daylong material? Will the footgear championship hold? And the sole, how daylong module that last?

Sole: This is rattling essential and is more of a change collection of Durability, but merits its possess category. First, there are digit types of soles, those prefabricated to terminal a assemblage or more and those that are not. I hit seen position with holes display in the mend after exclusive a whatever weeks as the foam begins to dress absent and the sunken honey crest call mend bears forth. Literally verify your digit into the mend in assorted areas, if it unwellness easily and you crapper see the air, it tradition terminal rattling long. Although tougher foam or thicker haw not be as comfortable, it module last. One difficulty with attrited soles is that they hit a way to dress on digit lateral exclusive supported on your travel habits. After a patch it is chanceful to achievement in position that are half worn, it crapper intercommunicate your backwards out, cramps, and more. One more upbeat supply to refrain caused by affordable products.

Flexibility: Will the creation bend. If the mend is so fat it meet moves, how substantially module the contours of your measure see after an 8 distance day? Some position are so hard improved with assorted materials that the backs never modeling to your measure or the poise drive Atlantic meet continues to verify into your toes? What ever it haw be, curve the shoe, essay it on. If you see likewise such hurt in a destined area, verify the footgear soured and inspect it, you strength meet encounter that this footgear meet tradition impact for you. This is added key point, whatever position meet don't impact for everyone.

Features: Are the position rated Electrical Hazard, Insulated, Waterproof, etc. There are whatever things to countenance at and it module depend on your job.

I wish the above aggregation module support you to be a meliorate consumer and refrain purchase the criminal poise drive impact shoes. Make trusty you meet http://www.best-steel-toe-shoes.com for more poise drive position or boots attendant aggregation and products.

I wish the poise footgear purchase pass module support you to be a meliorate consumer and refrain purchase the criminal poise drive impact shoes. Make trusty you meet Best Steel Toe Shoes for more poise drive position or boots attendant aggregation and products.

Southwestern Style An Overview of Some Key Aspects

Southwestern organisation has a destined rural command to it. It is both foppish and elegant, however, it is also healthy to stop onto a destined turn of it 's rural roots. I am quite a follower of south call and savor the feel that whatever of its organisation elements seem to exude.

One key characteristic of south organisation that helps wage it with a rural command is the identify of touchable ofttimes utilised in south organisation elements. For the most conception south pieces are prefabricated from uncolored and galore materials. For warning a south call governance would ofttimes be prefabricated from vegetation kinda than an industrial touchable such as metal. While such a governance could easily apply whatever pillows, having it upholstered with an too flamboyant touchable (like silk) would easily near it right the extent of southwestern.

Also in assist to its rural attractiveness south pieces are rarely too finished. Often the signs of its creation by assistance are mitt on and the warning is not polished. The wrinkled texture and unpatterned opencast (such as sight the art marks on a cabinet) also support wage south pieces with their priceless simplicity.

Many surfaces are only mitt uncompleted in south design. This crapper contributes to the naivety of a organisation as substantially as action destined textures. However, when colours are practical gleaming colours are lovingly embraced. There are some another styles that ingest yellow, orange, or Stygian flushed as much. However, beyond that the colours are ofttimes allowed to defy a bit. For warning a portion organisation strength ingest gleaming yellows that hit been allowed to drop in the sun. In whatever south designs makeup that has begun to eruct up and anomaly of is not something to be avoided.

One think I specially savor south designs are because they are elegant, yet, not too cluttered. In fact south pieces are ofttimes kinda ultimate designs. They apply meet a some decent straightforward lines.

John Geer runs the online carpeting accumulation Hazaad.com at http://www.hazaad.com/. He is also a presenter to Hazaad.com's journal (http://blog.hazaad.com/) and helps separate Hazaad West, which specializes in south designs, at http://stores.ebay.com/Hazaad-com-West.

Help Your Real Estate Listing Clients: How to Stage a Kitchen in the Age of Dining Out and Fast Food

Today the kitchen has lost its position as the ?heart of the home? that it enjoyed in generations past. According to a 2004 report on dining out, published by Restaurant.org, single professionals eat over 50% of their meals away from home. And, in recent trends data? the National Restaurant Association (NRA) reports that restaurant sales will rise nearly twelve-fold from the 1970 figure of $42.8 billion to a whopping $511.1 billion this year! So, where does this leave you when you are trying to show a home? It makes it essential that you outline the ideal kitchen and help your listing clients ensure that their kitchen shows well.

Yes, some people are gourmet cooks, some families still eat dinner together every night, and some individuals consider their kitchen the only real place to ?congregate with friends.? But many homeowners eat out more often than they cook at home. Add to that the number of meals that are ?delivered? and the number that are eaten ?en route? to work and school?and you may find that the kitchen has taken a back seat when you are showing a home.

According to the Meal Consumption Behavior report, ?Males between the ages of 25 and 34 eat commercially prepared meals most frequently ? an average of six times per week? and higher income earners are even less likely to prepare food at home.

Those with a household income of $75,000 and above dine out more often than lower income households. These higher income households spend 46.7% of their entire annual food budget on eating out.

Despite these figures, homebuyers still want a ?traditional home.? People who are buying a house often imagine themselves as ?settling down? ? and they want all the time-honored options ... including a nice, roomy, well-organized kitchen.

When you show a home, the kitchen must be inviting. Want to help your listing client create a show-friendly kitchen? Share the following information with them:

What are the top five ways to lose a potential buyer with this one room?

Cluttered counters and walls - The more ?stuff? on the counters, the less counter space your room will appear to have. The more bits and pieces plastered on the front of the fridge -- the more disorganized and cluttered the whole room will seem to be. The more ?decorative? items you have strewn on the walls, the less able your potential buyer will be to imagine their stuff on the walls. The idea is to make the buyer imagine living here? the less of YOU they see, the more of THEM they can project.

Grimy floors/sink/cabinet tops/appliances - In a matter of moments, a floor can become gritty. Add to that a few water spots in the sink, a slight coffee stain from this morning?s essential cup of java and a few crumbs perching on top of the toaster? and what do you get? A kitchen that seems dirty and uninviting.

Be sure you take a look at the kitchen with fresh eyes. Stand at the door and pretend you have never seen it before. (Imagine you are the grime police.) What do you see? If you were your mother-in-law (or maybe your mother) what ?tiny little comments? might you make? Fix those. Now.

Be so bold as to scrub the sink and SHINE it (pay special attention to behind the faucet and the rim around the sink ? use an old toothbrush). Sweep, mop AND wax the floor. Thoroughly clean all appliances ? even in the nooks and crannies. Make it simply spotless.

Unsavory smells/odors - Avoid cooking strong smelling food when your house is on the market. Day old fish, boiled cabbage, onions, etc., will turn off the most interested buyer. Avoid ?covering up? smells with strong sprays, over-scented candles and products. Your favorite ?gardenia? smell may send your potential buyer into sneezing fits.

Instead, consider leaving out a single appliance ? a bread machine, with the timer set to be mid-way through the baking process when the house is to be shown. How many people do you know that don?t like the smell of fresh bread? (Yeah, I can?t think of a single one either!)

Disorganized or insufficient storage space - If your cabinets are brimming with ?stuff? or (goodness forbid) things tend to tumble when you open them, you need to remove all but the most essential items while showing your home. Pack up all the extras in a box (or boxes) and put them in storage. Eliminate your ?junk drawer? and be sure that your plates, glasses and bowls are close together and are located close to where you will use them.

Organize your pantry area and be sure all food items are neatly stacked and appropriately organized and are not located in various cabinets throughout the kitchen. Consolidate them into one general area.

When you finish cleaning and packing away, make sure that what remains is neatly organized and that everything is located where you are most likely to use it. People WILL look in your cabinets. They will try to determine from your use of the area if there is enough storage space. If you can?t live in the space, why would they believe that they can? If you can?t keep it organized, how will they?

Dark and/or claustrophobic d?cor - Dark colors in the kitchen make it less inviting. It makes it harder to cook when you have to strain to see what you are doing. Ample light is a requirement. Natural light is best. If your kitchen doesn?t have quality lighting, you need to add it. Consider ?natural light? light bulbs, add additional light sources under upper cabinets, and make the room brim with warm, bright light. If your lights flicker or are dull ? replace them. In one kitchen I saw recently, there was no window to the outside, but the owner had added a mirror with ?window panel? framing over the sink and a light above it to add light, reflect it and give the impression of a window. It wasn?t perfect, but I was a vast improvement over facing a solid wall while doing dishes.

Claustrophobic decorating would include oversized decorative items in a small kitchen, anything that requires you to dodge, move or step around to do simple tasks. Heavy, low-hanging items that ?close in? the space in a kitchen are also ill advised. I recently saw a wrought-iron pan rack that was hung (too low) over an island in the center of a kitchen. It was covered in pans and it created a visual wall in the center of a modestly-sized kitchen. The cook continually had to ?bend down? to talk to people on the other side of the rack. This type of decorating was too ?claustrophobic? for that space. Replacing the rack with higher-hung lighting would have eliminated the ?squeeze? effect and would have lightened, brightened and expanded the entire room.

What do most people want in a kitchen? They want enough counter space to work and clean line of sight (so kill the do-dads and tuck away the cabinet-top appliances). They want modern, clean, easy-to-maintain appliances. They seek cheerful, well-lit areas (think ?natural light feel?) and enough easy-to-reach outlets (extension cords in a kitchen are both unsightly and unsafe). People looking at a home?s kitchen want to see a space that is inviting and easy-care. They want a kitchen that makes them WANT to stay in for meals -- a place to ?nest? that adds comfort, relaxation and other nourishing qualities to daily life.

? Copyright 2006 by Angela Allen Parker of WickedWordCraft.com

Angela Allen Parker is a freelance writer based in Dunnville, Kentucky. She's an Internet marketing specialist and web content writer, working with real estate clients and small business clients across the globe. She has provided offsite services since 2000. She offers marketing articles for small business owners, real estate agents, and outsourcing professionals at WickedWordCraft.com and writes regular columns and marketing articles for online and print publications for the real estate industry.

Atkins Diet Basics

Atkins Diet Basics

The Atkins diet is not a new phenomenon. The diet first appeared in the late 1970s and has grown popularity in recent years in response to the low-fat diet craze. As dieters had trouble with low-fat plans, they searched for a new solution and Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution book found a new audience.

A lot of people have jumped on the Atkins bandwagon and there has been a lot of hype as a result. But what are the basic principles of the Atkins diet?

The Atkins diet is based on a theory of why we get fat. According to Dr. Atkins, the over-consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars leads to weight gain. The way your body processes the carbohydrates you eat have more to do with your waistline than the amount of fat or calories that you consume. In his book, Atkins outlines a phenomenon called insulin resistance. He theorizes that many overweight people have cells that do not work correctly.

When you eat excess carbohydrates and sugar, your body notices that sugar levels are elevated. Insulin is released from the pancreas in order to store sugar as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells for extra energy later on. However, your body can only store so much glycogen at once. As soon as your body reaches its limit for glycogen storage, the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat. This happens to everyone who eats too many carbohydrates.

However, insulin resistant individuals have an even harder time of using and storing excess carbohydrates. The more insulin that your body is exposed to, the more resistant it becomes. Overtime, the pancreas releases more insulin and cells become insulin resistant. The cells are trying to protect themselves from the toxic effects of high insulin. They create less glycogen and more fat.

As a result, insulin resistant individuals gain extra weight. The carbohydrates get converted into fat instead of energy. Other side effects include fatigue, brain fog (the inability to focus, poor memory, loss of creativity), low blood sugar (which can leads to hypoglycemia), intestinal bloating, sleepiness, depression and increased blood sugar. There is much more than weight at stake when you are insulin resistant.

The remedy for people who are insulin resistant is a diet restricted in carbohydrates. The crux of the Atkins diet is a limitation of carbohydrates in all of its forms. The foods restricted on the Atkins plan include simple sugars (like cookies, sodas and sweets) and complex carbohydrates (like bread, rice and grains). Even carbohydrates that are considered healthy, such as oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat bread, are restricted on the program.

The diet has you restrict your carbohydrate intake to less than 40 grams a day. This will put your body in a state of ketosis. While in ketosis, your body will burn fat as fuel. According to Dr. Atkins research, the ketosis state will also affect insulin production and it will prevent more fat from being formed. Your body will begin using your stored fat as an efficient form of fuel, and youll lose weight.
Another benefit of the Atkins plan is that ketosis will end your cravings for carbohydrates. If youve been living on a carb-heavy diet, you may have found that you simply cannot get enough carbohydrates. With carbohydrate restriction and ketosis comes a reduction in carbohydrate cravings. People who have been on the Atkins diet for some time report that they do not crave carbohydrates as they once did.

Although the initial phases of the Atkins diet are rather strict, the program teaches you to restore balance to your diet in the long run. People who use the diet slowly reintroduce minimal amounts of carbohydrate into their eating until they find a comfortable balance between their health and carbohydrate use.

The basic principles of the Atkins diet have been adapted to many other low-carb diet plans. However, Atkins popularity still remains strong as one of the most effective low-carbohydrate solutions for those who are insulin resistant.