Write a Will

If you pass away without a will, the state may take over and divvy up your assets. Generally, spouses and children get first dibs, then other relatives like parents and siblings. If there is no family, assets go to the state. Also a will determines who will have custody of your children, if you were the last surviving parent.

Review Your Will/Trust Annually

Changes in your finances or personal relationships may necessitate a change in your final will. Since most of us don’t know when we’re going to die, dynamic life changes may require us to make updates to who gets what and how much. To not do so could lead to tension and arbitration among surviving members

Acquire Life Insurance

At least make sure you have the basics covered when calculating how much life insurance may be necessary. Consider the summation of any outstanding debts you may have, your final expenses, and funds for savings goals, like college for the kids. With these costs covered, your family should be able to live comfortably on the reminder of your insurance.

Create Three Critical Additional Documents

Estate planning is about more than our final wishes, it also involves creating documents that determine what happens in case we are unable to take care of ourselves while we are living. A durable power of attorney lets you designate an agent to manage your finances and legal affairs.

A Release-of-information form gives doctors permission to share your medical records with designated others. Advance directives can give power of attorney for health care decisions while you are living.

Work with an Estate Planning Team

Depending on how complex your estate may be, you might need the assistance of a whole estate planning team. Designate a tax professional that can help minimize the amount of income taxes your beneficiaries will pay on their inheritances. A financial advisor will create a suitable investment portfolio for all your assets.

Also ensure that you hire a knowledgeable estate planning attorney. Estate planning attorneys help create wills and trusts, along with ensuring state and federal requirements are upheld. It is generally better to work with a local attorney, as they are most familiar with city and state laws.

Kathryn McDowell knows the hassle of a spouse passing away without a will. She recommends contacting an attorney to help with your estate planning. You are never too young to get your affairs in order and protect your interests and the interests of your descendants.

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Toilets are of particular interest to toddlers and young children and should be secured with a child proof seat lock to stop children putting their hands into the toilet water or flushing valuables or large objects down the toilet.

Electrical appliances, such as hairdryers, portable heaters and electric razors should be kept out of the bathroom or only used under adult supervision. These items should be unplugged when not in use and secured in a bathroom cupboard with a lock. All electrical devices should be kept away from water.

Towel rails can be a tempting climbing apparatus for toddlers and young children. They should be kept out of reach and firmly secured to the wall. Beware of heated rails as these may burn the skin on young fingers.

Bathroom rubbish should be thrown into a secure garbage bin so that children are not able to get to used razor blades or cleaning products or general bathroom rubbish. Any medicine that is being disposed of should be flushed down the toilet and any chemicals should be removed to a secure outside rubbish bin.

Bathroom flooring can be slippery and non slip mats should be installed.

Babies and children must be kept within arm’s length when in or around water. Before bathing a baby or young child the following safety checklist should be followed;

Never leave the baby or child unattended in the bath tub.

Never leave an older child to supervise a baby or younger child in the bath tub as they may not recognize when a baby gets into trouble.
Only have water at a level where it can be splashed by hand over the baby.

Adjust the thermostat on the water heater so that the tab water is no more than 120 degrees F (49 degrees Celsius) so that a child cannot be scalded by the bath water. The water temperature can be double checked with a bathtub thermometer.

Always fill the bath with cold water first and top up with hot water to reduce the risk or a child stepping into a very hot bath.

Non slip mats should be used in the bathtub to reduce the risk of slipping.

Check all glass in the bathroom (shower doors, windows, and mirrors) is safety glass.
For caregivers with back problems a bath chair can be used to provide support to babies or children while in the bath. These are not safety devices and must only be used under adult supervision. This is especially important when bathing special needs children.

There are bath chairs specially designed for disabled children that have the ability to support the child while moving them into and out of the bathwater. These bath chairs utilize an ergonomic system that removes any strain from the caregiver and can also be incorporated into an able bodied child’s bath routine to assist in avoiding back strains for the caregiver.

To ensure babies and children are kept safe, they must always be supervised closely by an adult while in the bathroom.

Barry is a freelance writer specializing in bathroom safety and products that assist independent living such as a shower chair. He also deals with products that can aid bathing for special needs children

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It’s important to keep an organized and tidy work space. Practicing Feng Shui can be a great way to keep a happy balance in your office space. The key elements of water, fire, wood, and earth can help you find a calm balance and lead to more energy and productivity.

In this five part series, we will share 50 easy Feng Shui tips for your home office space.

Part One – Organizing Your Furniture

Remove Televisions

You will find enough distractions on the internet and your smart phone, so remove any televisions from your work space. Not only do they serve as a constant distraction, but they also make the work space less natural. If you need to stay up to date with the news, you can always search for it online.

Minimize Clutter

Decide what furniture you need in order to have an effective and pleasant work space for both you and your visiting clients. Adding too many decorations or pieces of furniture will lead to overcrowding and a nervous energy. Stick to minimal requirements for comfort and ease only.

Keep Paths and Doorways Clear

When you enter your work space, the last thing you want to see is a floor covered in abandoned objects. Keep items put away and off the floor so positive energy (Chi) can freely flow through the room. Your mood will improve when you walk into a tidy room.

The 3-Foot Rule

When arranging furniture, remember to always leave at least three feet between every piece you add. When you’re not using your desk chair, leave it three feet away from your work desk as well.

Remember the Elements

Using metal is a good way to make sure you incorporate fire into your design. Using wooden furniture and metal furniture handles two of the four elements. If you can’t find a piece of furniture made of metal then try and find one with a metal finish.

Show Your Doors

Any furniture you sit on should be placed so that the entrance or exit is always in view. Good Feng Shui means always having a clear way to leave a room and knowing who or what enters it.

Have More Than One Seat

If you only have one choice of where to sit you may end up feeling closed in or cramped. This can lead to feelings of panic and lack of focus. Make sure you have at least one other comfortable place to sit in your office. Moving from a desk chair to a comfortable sofa can help you focus for longer.

Always Be Comfortable

Your office needs to be comfortable for you — it’s where you will spend most of your tie and you will be the one using it the most. Entering your work space should allow you to leave everything external behind and let you focus on your work.

Make it Cozy

Adding throw pillows and soft blankets will make your office appear cozier. Place some pillows on your sofa or chairs, and drape blankets over their sides. You want things to appear cozy and easygoing. Don’t actually use these unless you are genuinely cold or in need of them though. It’s very easy to fall asleep or become unproductive when you’re that comfortable.

Keep Things Moving

Try to keep rearranging your layout, even with little changes if you can. By making small changes you will keep energy levels up and you will be more alert just from noticing the little differences. Even a couple of inches will make a noticeable change.

About Out of the Office Virtual Assistance:

Since 2006 Out of the Office, has offered ideas and ways to increase your productivity, decrease your workload, and work more efficiently. We nurture a successful business relationship, while continuing to grow as your business partner. We are focused on streamlining your administration, social media planning and execution, and offering creative solutions for your business success. Schedule your free 30 minute consultation by visiting our website.

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It is vital that your chosen restoration expert is well-informed and experienced in the field of wood floor restoration. The process of restoring a wood floor changes from one job to another and the sign of a true professional is a tailored approach.

The following information offers an insight into trade knowledge. It will leave you well-informed and best-prepared to confidently achieve the perfectly restored floor.

The first step of the process is to ensure that the area to be restored is cleared of all furniture and anything that may be damaged during the sanding process. This will work to speed up the process and allows your chosen professional to appropriately protect all remaining fixtures and fittings.

The second step is to complete any necessary repairs to the wooden boards. If there are any loose boards, they will need to be fixed down and any protruding nails need to be carefully hammered so that the head of the nail is low enough to not damage the sanding machinery.

The third step of the process is the arduous and time-consuming task to sand the entire floor. Time taken to complete this job with care and precision will pay dividends with the end result. The best advice available to complete this task is to begin in the corner of the room, to work up and down and to ensure that the drum sander is kept moving at all times, working with the grain of the wood.

The fourth step of the process is to sand with the edger. This machinery has built up a reputation to be notoriously challenging to control so it is important to use it with a side-to-side motion and to sand the perimeter of the room where the drum sander could not reach. The sanding process with the drum and edger sander needs to be repeated with a finer grit sand paper until the desired finish is achieved.

The fifth step is to fill any existing holes with a latex wood filler. This works to fill any holes or scratches and needs to be applied liberally.

The sixth and final step of the process is to finish the wood floor. Wood stains are optional, however, if a wood stain has been selected, it will need to be completed prior to the finishing process. This will achieve a lighter or darker appearance to the wood boards. After this has been completed an appropriate wood finish needs to be applied. There are great variations available and your chosen professional should guide and advise you towards the best and most-appropriate finish for your floor. The floor should be left for at least twenty-four hours prior to any furniture being replaced.

Many individuals shy away from restoring their wooden flooring because they are either put off by the dust that is created or they feel daunted at the required decisions and techniques. Wood floor restoration experts employ the use of state-of-the-art dust free floor sanding machinery and are well-equipped to offer the necessary advice.

While the above information will undoubtedly leave you more educated about the restoration process, it will also provide you with confidence in working side-by-side your chosen professional who will quickly and efficiently provide you with a far superior finish. Your wooden floor will regain its natural and striking beauty; a result to be proud of!

WoodFloorPeople specialise in wood floor restoration and floor sanding. For more details on further wood repairs and restoration services available please visit WoodFloorPeople London.

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Here are some tips that you could adapt to give that elegant look to your home.

1) Go online and gather as much info you can – making use of the internet is the best way to grab some good ideas about home designing. There are many websites and blogs that are available online and are free to browse.

2) Look for quality rather than quantity – No doubt cost plays a vital part in getting top quality service from prominent home designers, but it’s not necessary that all your desires would be fulfilled after spending a ton of money without any reason. So, it’s better to keep an eye on your expenditure too.

3) Perfect wall color for your perfect home – to give an elegant look to your home interior, it’s better to paint your walls with bright colors. In contrast, using dark colors will certainly make you feel curbed and subdued. So in order to change that consideration, it’s better to be on the right track rather than diverting here and there.

4) Picking the right furniture for your living room – once you’re done with the research part, start visualizing now! Picking the perfect furniture for your home is the most important task to initiate as furniture plays a crucial part in giving your living room an elegant look that you always wanted to. Always pick the color of the furniture similar to the color of the walls as this will give a soothing effect to your guests.

5) Taking care of your bathroom – this is one of the most neglected areas of every house. A well furnished lavatory can turn out to be the deciding factor in your home beauty. Change the lighting as per your choice and make use of the modern terrazzo in order to give an eye-catchy look to your bathroom.

The above written tips can definitely help you out in making your home more stylish. Also, you can take advice from your family members, friends, and office colleagues in order to choose an eminent home designer for taking care of all your worries and fulfilling all your desires.

To get more effective home designing tips, Contact Us

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Lasting Durability

Metal roofing is designed to last upwards of 50 years. This is in contrast to shingles, which usually hit their peak around 20-30 years. Beyond that, this type of material holds heat in houses and keeps the cold out, making it very efficient. Part of this durability includes high wind tolerance and a resistance to fire and water damage.

Cost-Effectiveness

You may think that using this metal roofing is a costly investment, but the construction is very inexpensive, especially since this will likely be the only time you will need to entirely cover your dwelling. This material costs around $200 per 100 square feet for a standard installation. Steel is much higher, closer to $800 per 100 square feet, including install. Shingles cost less, but they don’t have the same quality and benefits.

Ease of Installation

If you plan on doing all your house’s remodels and building on your own, you will find that shingles are difficult to work with. They each need to be applied individually, and they have to be properly nailed down and sealed to prevent leaking or tearing of the whole project. With metal roofing, you deal with lightweight panels and a truss, making this a much easier project to do on your own. If you are hiring a professional to do your install for you, you also save money on labor costs when you go with this reliable style of covering for your residence.

Maintenance

With metal roofing, you don’t have to worry about losing whole panels in a windstorm or leaving your structure susceptible to falling branches, massive hail, or even heavy snow cover. You may have to tighten a few bolts now and then after a great rain or windstorm, but overall, this type of structure holds its own well. This type of roof does not rust, and it requires little care once its been properly installed.

Other Benefits

You can buy metal roofing in nearly any color or design, ensuring that it matches the overall decor of your property. This type of building supply is also surprisingly quiet, so you won’t hear wind or rain pattering on your house once metal roofing has been installed.

If you need a reliable covering for your home, this option may be the wisest choice. Cost-effective, easy to install, and a great option if you want a residence that will require little maintenance while you live in it, metal roofing is growing in popularity among many consumers. In using this material on your property, you can feel confident that you’ve built a proper top for your own residence.

When searching for metal roofing, Nashua, NH residents can learn more by visiting http://www.classicmetalroofs.com/.

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The plain fact is, there really are only four things that will allow you to sell investment properties, such as houses and small buildings, very quickly.

The price – You want to set a price for that property that is market-supported and attractive to buyers, and preferably a bit below market value.

Cleanliness and staging – This is often very overlooked. If a property is not in perfect condition, and if it’s not really ready to sell, and it continues to show that it needs minor repairs, you will have trouble unloading that property. The only way for you to get top dollar is if the property is in perfect condition.

Marketing – Simply put, marketing is doing the advertising, signage, email blitzes and the other things you need to do in order to insure the property gets a lot of exposure and gets a lot of eyeballs looking at the property.

Creative Financing – This is absolutely the most important factor of all. If you can offer the property with creative financing, and there are no bank loans needed and someone can buy the property on a rent to own basis with owner financing, you will ultimately have more buyers. Why? Because there are so many people out there that don’t have all the money they need right now to put down on a house, yet want to live in a house with the potential to own it. Or they may have a chunk of money but no bank approval. So creative financing is like catnip for a lot of people. Especially younger people who may be just starting a family, and would like to live in a home of their own.
Lease With Option to Buy

So what’s considered the best kind of creative financing? Typically it’s going to be leasing with the option to buy. This is when the seller and the buyer have agreed to let the buyer occupy the property immediately after paying an Option Deposit, usually around 5% of the sale price. The buyer and seller have also agreed to these additional items:

The future purchase price
The rent credit
The commissions to be paid or assignment fees to be paid
Then you can work with that buyer to get pre-approved with a lender and find out how quickly they’ll be able to buy the property down the road.

The best thing about this is it serves two excellent purposes. It unloads the property for full asking price to someone who pays the seller an up-front option deposit, plus monthly rent and the agreement to care for the property. And it gives the prospective buyer a nice house to move into. Hard to beat that combination.

Strategic Real Estate Coach is led by Josh Cantwell. Josh is a full time real estate investor from Cleveland, Ohio who’s personally been involved in hundreds of profitable real estate transactions. He’s also been a mentor to students who’ve closed thousands of wholesaling, rehabs, rentals, foreclosure, pre-foreclosure and short sale transactions over the past 8 years. Josh has been training and teaching apprentice partners and students since 2004. Josh has vast knowledge and experience in helping coaching clients, mentor students and apprentice partners from across the US in finding, structuring, negotiating and closing various types of transactions for a profit.

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Halogen

Halogen incandescent lights have a capsule inside which holds gas around a filament. This increases the bulb’s light output. Halogen lights are available in many shapes and colors, and can be used with dimmers. These bulbs meet the federal minimum energy efficiency standard, but they’re not you’re only choice. There are much more economical and versatile choices available.

CFL (Compact Florescent Light)

Just like it sounds, these are fluorescent lights like the ones you might have in your garage that molded into shapes convenient for use in regular outlets. CFL lights are much more efficient than traditional incandescent lights, so the power you save by using them can add up. You’ll save the cost of the bulb itself in just nine months. An Energy Star rated CFL used ¼ the energy and lasts about 10 times longer. In addition a CFL only uses about 1/3 the energy that a halogen light does.

The downside to CFL lights is that not all of them are dimmer friendly. They also have a small amount of mercury inside, so they can’t just be tossed in the trash. Like batteries, they require special handling when their lifetime is over. Some retailers recycle these bulbs, or you can check with your waste company to see how they prefer you dispose of CFL bulbs.

LED lighting

LED or light emitting diodes are solid state lighting. Inside the housing are semiconductors that convert electricity into light. At first these were mainly used for industrial applications like traffic lights. Today, they’re one of the most energy efficient lighting choices. LED is also one of the most rapidly developing technologies.

ENERGY STAR-qualified LEDs use only 20%-25% of the energy and last up to 25 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulbs they replace. LEDs use 25%-30% of the energy and last 8 to 25 times longer than halogen incandescent bulbs.

LED bulbs have been manufactured to easily replace the typical 40, 60 and 75 watt bulbs. Since LED “light bulbs” are a new and developing trend they’re more expensive for now. That said, they will still save you money because they last a long time and have very low energy use. As with other electronics, prices are expected to come down as more products enter the market.

We like LED lighting because despite the fact that it’s new technology, it’s surprisingly easy to install an LED fixture and these fixtures put out more light than you’d expect.

The Fix-It Professionals is a team of professionals working together to make your environment functional, beautiful and FIXED. John is the licensed electrician and fix-it guy who helps busy, professional women fix their homes & offices, making their environments be exactly as they wish them to be.

The Fix-It Professionals also help the commercial world, assisting Realtor and property managers with everyday fix-it jobs that contractors won’t fix. Let’s face it, most contractors won’t enter the building or office unless it’s a larger job. Not us, we are proud to help you with your everyday fix-it needs. You can find us at http://thefixitprofessionals.com.

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For most of us the obvious choice of properties are single family homes. Although you can invest in real estate without owning a home, most people follow the experience they made while purchasing their own home. This is familiar ground and the learning curve for doing a real estate deal of this type is pretty slim.

Of course there’s a drawback with this approach. The competition is fierce and there are markets where investors are artificially driving up the cost of the properties while completely discouraging first time home buyers. If this is the case, the burst of the real estate bubble is just a matter of time.

How do you avoid these situations and still successfully invest in real estate? How do you get ahead of the competition and be prepared for bad times in real estate investments as well? The only answer I have is commercial real estate.

Why commercial real estate you might ask? Commercial real estate is a solid investment in good and bad times of the local real estate market. The commercial real estate I’m referring to are multi unit apartment buildings.

Yes you will become a landlord and No you don’t have to do the work by yourself. You are the owner and not the manager of the apartment building. The cost of owning and managing the building is part of your expenses and will be covered by the rent income.

Apartment buildings are considered commercial real estate if there are 5 or more units. To make the numbers work you should consider to either own multiple small apartment buildings or you should opt for bigger buildings. This will keep the expense to income ratio at a positive cash flow. Owning rental properties is all about positive cash flow.

With investing in single family homes it is easy to achieve positive cash flow. Even if your rent income doesn’t cover your expenses 100%, the appreciation of the house will contribute to the positive cash flow. With commercial real estate the rules are different.

While single family homes are appraised by the value of recent sales of similar homes in your neighborhood, commercial real estate doesn’t care about the value appreciation of other buildings. The value of the property is solely based on the rent income. To increase the value of a commercial real estate you need to find a way to increase the rent income. The formula on how this is calculated would be too much for this short article. I listed a few very helpful books where you can find all the details.

What’s another advantage to invest in commercial real estate? Commercial real estate financing is completely different than financing a single family home. While financing a single family home you are at the mercy of lenders who want to make sure that you are in the position to pay for the house with your personal income. Commercial real estate financing is based in the properties ability to produce positive cash flow and to cover the financing cost.

After reading all these information about commercial real estate you want to go out there and dive into the deals. Not so fast. First, you need to learn as much about real estate as possible. In commercial real estate you’re dealing with professionals. If you come across too much as a newbie you will waste these guys’s time and your commercial real estate career ended before it actually started. Second, no commercial real estate lender will lend you any money if you can’t show at least a little bit of real estate investment experience.

What’s the solution to this? Go out there and do one or two single family home deals yourself. It doesn’t matter if you make huge profits to start off with. Most newbie investors are losing money on their first deal anyway. If you can manage to show positive cash flow with your single family home deals you are ahead of the pack.

My advice, buy a small single family home in a decent neighborhood and rent it immediately. This will keep your out of the pocket expenses at a minimum and you will have rent income to cover for your monthly expenses. Bonus, you gain experience as an investor and as a landlord.

Here’s another observation I made during my real estate investment career. Most people like to analyze, learn, discuss and analyze some more. They never actually got to do a real estate deal. They love to talk about real estate investments, but never did it themselves.

My approach to real estate investment was simple.

- I bought some books about real estate investment.

- I read every single one of them.

- I put together a simple plan on how I want to get started.

- I started looking for properties.

- I bought my first investment property 30 days after I started reading my first book.

- I made positive cash flow with all of my properties so far.

What is my point? You have to go out there and practice what you’ve learned. The only valid credential in the real estate business is practical experience. Having a couple of deals under your belt, you can go out there and start looking at commercial real estate and even impress seasoned investors with your knowledge. Because you made this experience by yourself and you know what you’re talking about.

Book reference for commercial real estate investments:

Gary W. Eldred, PhD: “Make Money with Small Income Properties”

Jack Cummings: “Real Estate Financing and Investment Manual”

You will find these books and many more on my real estate investment website at http://www.suncoastrenttoown.com/author_directory.htm

Sincerely,

Peter Dobler

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Learn more about real estate investments at [http://www.doblerproperties.com] or send a blank email to mailto:suncoastrenttoown@getresponse.com

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