Friday, January 30, 2009

Virginia Beach Real Estate



Queen Elizabeth - the Virgin Queen, the state of Virginia is named after her. Virginia, one of the earliest British Settlements in America, is also the birthplace of none less than eight US presidents. Apart from being a state with great historical importance, it also offers one of the most scenic and friendly places to live in the county of Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach, the only beach resort in the state and the biggest city is located at the southeastern edge of the state. Nestled amidst the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic and the river James, it is one of the most sought after vacation destinations in the country. And in the last few years, Virginia Beach real estate has really surged. There is a consistent demand from property buyers for condos, villas and beach houses. As a result, there are quality homes for sale in the market.

The right deal

Several first time homebuyers decide to buy a home in Virginia Beach and often rush things too much. The result, they end up with a deal that doesn’t really suit their requirements. It is very important to find the best place to live in and that too at the right cost.

You can start your quest on the internet. Log on to any search engine and look for Virginia Beach Real Estate and you will find numerous websites that offer many types of properties, from ranches to colonial villas in several districts in Virginia Beach. You can also buy undeveloped land and then build your own home on it. So you see, there is no dearth of options in Virginia Beach Real Estate.

Choose an agent

Hiring a Virginia Beach real estate agent is one of the best ways to find the right place to move into. However, you must be careful while hiring an agent for there are several inexperienced agents who are looking to make the most of the real estate boom here. So always hire an agent with a great track record behind him/her.

Permanent link to this post: http://usa.theestateinfo.info/2009/01/virginia-beach-real-estate/



St. Louis real estate deals



Author: seobeyzek

I finally had the chance to visit St. Louis to look at all the excellent , St. Louis real estate deals I had been hearing about, and now I feel like a kid in a candy store. There are so many excellent real estate deals in St. Louis, that I am almost giddy about how much money there is to be made in St. Louis. Picture this, find a property for $65,000 that is worth $130,000 after you make the repairs. We find a source for you to use hard money, which is private money disguised in corporate clothing. You don’t have any money to put out of pocket, fix up the property, then get a conventional loan on the property and pull some cash out. Is that crazy? You can find all the St. Louis deals in the area and do this on each one of them, and make yourself a nice little return. We are currently analyzing a deal in St. Louis that after a three year hold on the property, will net us a profit of $53,000 and will give us a 385% return on investment. What stock will give you that return?
People all over the country are in a frenzy over this recession, but now is the best time to invest in, St. Louis real estate deals, so why not invest in St. Louis? I am not a guru or anything, but I do have a Power team in place that consists of contractors, loan officers, real estate agents, and property managers, and before I forget, our hard money lenders. All the pieces of the puzzle that we have put together for you will make us all very happy at the end of our deals and give us each a nice payday.
St. Louis real estate deals are in abundance right now. These rock bottom deals will not be around very long, so when you think of real estate deals, think of St. Louis and you will have all your investment dreams come true.
Eric Vasques - Contributing to this article about , St. Louis real estate deals is our very own Eric Vasques. Eric is an investor, writer, and most important, great person.

This article is free for republishing
Permanent link to this article: http://usa.theestateinfo.info/2009/01/st-louis-real-estate-deals-your-real-estate-pot-of-gold/

From the management09.myloger.com blogging

UK Property Market Prospects



With the UK property market ending 2008 showing significant falls in both prices and number of sales attention has turned to the prospects for the coming year. Opinion is divided on what we can expect for 2009. Some property experts predict that the market will stabilize or even begin to recover whilst others less optimistically expect things will continue to decline further. For anyone involved in UK property from home owners to estate agents and mortgage lenders the future prospects of the housing market is clearly of great importance.

In a recent survey major UK estate agents and lenders were asked to make predictions for property sales and valuations in 2009. The bad news for home owners is that there is little hope that house prices will recover over the next twelve months. On average it is expected that property values will drop a further 10-15 percent this year. None of the property experts questioned predicted a general increase in prices. For number of property sales predictions were a little more optimistic. Whilst some experts estimate that the number of house sales will fall others more confidently predict that sales will increase by as much as 10 percent.

The above predictions represent the UK housing market as a whole. Of course the market is much more complex and diverse than this. Although the overall picture may not be great there are some sectors and locations where significant signs of recovery are expected. For example there is some confidence that the property market in London will ‘bottom out’ in 2009 and begin to recover by the end of the year.

Similarly it is hoped that the number of first time buyers in the market will increase. The rising property prices of the last decade have left many first time buyers unable to afford to get a foothold on the property market. With prices now falling and a high number of people waiting to buy it is predicted that this sector of the housing market will contribute to a large part of sales in 2009.

Read full article: UK property market

From the businesstour.unblog.fr articles site



Monday, January 26, 2009

Investing in Real Estate



We all are thinking about it and some of us are actually taking action and getting their hands on real estate investment properties. The longer the NY Stock Exchanges doesn’t produce desirable returns the more people are starting with real estate invesments.

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 invetment 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.

Read full article: Beat the Crowd when Investing in Real Estate

From the chocola.freehostia.com weblog

Mortgage Banking



Do you want a rewarding career that will make some descent money? Are you good with numbers? Are you good with paperwork? Do you like anything that has to do with money? If you answered yes, you may be interested in a career in mortgage banking. The best place to get an education on mortgage banking is at The American School of Mortgage Banking. They guarantee success to all of there students.

The American School of Mortgage Banking can teach you all there is to know about mortgage banking. They have several courses that teach you all aspects of mortgage banking. The American School of Mortgage Banking offers a variety of courses at varying times. Some are as short as a few hours, and some are as long as a few days. Upon completion of their courses, The American School of Mortgage Banking also offers job placement and job assistance for as long as you need it. They will also write you a letter of recommendation for future possible employers. Lastly, you are offered free re-attendance to any courses you have completed, for those of you who would like a refresher to any courses you have completed

One of the first mortgage banking courses you should take is in loan origination and loan processing. The first part of this course is an introduction to mortgage banking. It then moves to how to figure the total loan amount and loan payment. Next is buyer approval and qualifications. Finally, this course goes over the different types of loans available and how to do the paper work for them. At the end of the course you will receive a loan origination and loan processing certificate of completion.

The next mortgage banking course you should take is conventional underwriting. This mortgage banking course will teach you the art of underwriting a conventional loan, appraisals, loan approval, liabilities, loan approval amount based on income, and the figuring of a down payment. Upon completion of this course you will receive a conventional underwriting certificate of completion.
Read full article: Career in Mortgage Banking

From the atnews.07x.net blog

Sunday, January 25, 2009

7 Myths About Real Estate Investing That Are Costing You Tens of Thousands of Dollars



Did you know that real estate investing has created more millionaires that ALL other industries combined? The question, then, is why are more people not invested in real estate? Even with the increased awareness in real estate investing, more people are still familiar with other forms of investing such as stocks and mutual funds.

In this article, I will discuss 7 myths that about real estate investing that are costing you tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars). These myths persist because most people invest in real estate using conventional financing, which often requires 5% or more as a down payment. Assuming that $150,000 is average price of a house in your area (in most cities, it's significantly more than that), you would need $7,500 as a down payment (and this doesn't even include other fees such closing costs). The purpose of this article is to share techniques of creative real estate investing that debunk these common myths about real estate investing.

1. Myth #1: To create wealth, you have to invest stocks and mutual funds.

Fact: Real estate investing has created more millionaires that ALL other industries combined incluing Internet marketing, stock investing and mutual fund investing. In fact, according to the CEO of FNMA, in the hottest bull market in history, more people ended up creating wealth through home ownership than through stock ownership.

2. Myth #2: Real estate investing requires a lot of money.

Fact: Once you learn how to buy undervalued properties, you can find all types of people who will lend you their cash. You can find these people at your local real estate investor association or by contacting us. Additionally, you can use an option (typically $10 to $100 for the option fee) to control the property and not even need to raise any capital.

3. Myth #3: Real estate investing requires good credit.

Fact: This is related to Myth #1. Again, once you learn how to find undervalued properties, you can find all types of people who will lend you their credit, especially if the property has significant equity.
Read full article - 7 Myths About Real Estate Investing That Are Costing You Tens of Thousands of Dollars

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Low Carb Diets Revealed



If you’ve touch about dieting at least once any time in the past couple of years, there’s a good chance that the diet you went on was one of the many low carb diets that are ready now days. Although the very first of these low carb diets, the Atkins diet program has been about for at least 30 years, the craze for low carb diets has only infatuated off very recently.

This can probably be by specific broadcasting propaganda along with a number of genuine success stories. And when you bounce jilt in a personality
or two into the mix, you’ve the makings of a latest fashion. Every one then leaps on the bandwagon which in this case turned out to be low carb diets.

What you want to ask is if you’re thinking of taking a crack at one of these low carb diets as if the Atkins diet is so trendy at the present, and really gives brook to help you in minimising your weight, why didn’t it increase in popularity long before this?

After all it has been around for as long as 30 years. That’s a long-drawn-out time for a diet to be around without anybody noticing it until the later stages of those 30 years. And if these low carb diets are as movables for you as all these books and practitioners of the diets will tell you, then why is there so much disapproval to these diets from health specialists and medical sources?

After all it has been around for as prolonged as thirty years. That’s a extended time for a diet to be around without any person noticing it until the later stages of those 30 years. And if these low carb diets are as complimentary for you as all these books and practitioners of the diets will tell you, then why is there so much disapproval to these diets from health specialists and medical areas?

Read this full article: Low Carb Diets Revealed

From the Low Carb Diets article

Friday, January 16, 2009

Classic cars worth $106,000 stolen in Loudon County



Three vintage cars with a combined value of more than $106,000 were stolen early Thursday morning from a classic car lot in Loudon County, authorities said.

The break-in at Smoky Mountain Traders, 11840 U.S. Highway 321, took place about 5 a.m. when a group of thieves disabled the gate and drove the vehicles off the lot, according to Loudon County Sheriff’s Office Detective Charlie Cosner.

“It took about a minute or less,” Cosner said.

The cars were described as an orange and white 1972 Pontiac GTO Judge convertible, a red and black 1971 Chevelle Super Sport convertible, and a red and white 1972 Super Sport Chevelle, said business owner Keith Bledsoe.

“I’m sure they loaded them into an enclosed car trailer after they drove them off,” Bledsoe said. “I’m hoping that someone was on U.S. 321 (Thursday) morning and saw something.”

Bledsoe said he used to build houses for a living but decided to open the car lot in May when the construction industry slowed. “I put my life savings into these old cars,” he said.

Bledsoe said he was able to determine the time of the break-in using a security camera but it was too early to say whether the camera’s images will be useful in identifying the three suspects.

He is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the cars and the convictions of those responsible for the thefts.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to the Sheriff’s Office at 865-986-4823 or the business at 865-988-8088.

J.J. Stambaugh may be reached at 865-342-6307.
Permanent link to this post: http://blog.automoton.info/2009/01/classic-cars-worth-106000-stolen-in-loudon-county/

From the gotoread.freehostia.com blogs



Inaugural Politics



On Sunday, V. Eugene Robinson of New Hampshire, the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop, will deliver the invocation at the kickoff event celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. His part in the inaugural festivities is appropriate symbolism in light of Mr. Obama’s choice of anti-gay Pastor Rick Warren, leader of a Southern California mega-church, to deliver the invocation at the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday at the Capitol.

Mr. Warren was a high-profile supporter of California’s Proposition 8, which won at the polls last November and repealed the state’s same-sex marriage rights. Mr. Obama’s supporters in the homosexual community and other civil rights advocates have been justifiably disappointed that Mr. Obama would give an anti-gay fundamentalist such a visible stage. Bishop Robinson’s appearance will ameliorate some of that sting.

Symbolism is helpful. But if Mr. Obama is the “fierce advocate” of equal rights for gays that he says he is, it will be followed soon by concrete action. That would include repeal of the unjust “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which forces homosexuals in the military to deny their true nature or be thrown out. Polling shows that the public has come around to supporting gays serving openly in the military. The new president and Congress should repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” this year.
Permanent link to this post: http://blog.adorafresh.com/2009/01/inaugural-politics/

From the allnews.net46.net site

Monday, January 12, 2009

15 important credit card terms to consider before buying a credit card!!



By Thomas Lindstrøm

A credit card is a form of borrowing that often involves charges. Credit terms and conditions affect your overall cost.
So it’s wise to compare terms and fees before you agree to open a credit or charge card account. The following are some important terms to consider that generally must be disclosed in credit card applications or in solicitations that require no application. You also may want to ask about these terms when you’re shopping for a card.

If you don’t understand the language, credit card offers and statements could lead you to deep debt — or at least furious frustration. For the big scoop on the fine print, here’s what these frequently used credit card terms mean.

1.Average daily balance — This is the method by which most credit cards calculate your payment due. An average daily balance is determined by adding each day’s balance and then dividing that total by the number of days in a billing cycle. The average daily balance is then multiplied by a card’s monthly periodic rate, which is calculated by dividing the annual percentage rate by 12. A card with an annual rate of 18 percent would have a monthly periodic rate of 1.5 percent. If that card had a $500 average daily balance it would yield a monthly finance charge of $7.50.

2.APR(Annual percentage rate) — A yearly rate of interest that includes fees and costs paid to acquire the loan. Lenders are required by law to disclose the APR. The rate is calculated in a standard way, taking the average compound interest rate over the term of the loan, so borrowers can compare loans.

3.Balance transfer — The process of moving an unpaid credit card debt from one issuer to another. Card issuers sometimes offer teaser rates to encourage balance transfers coming in and balance-transfer fees to discourage them from going out.

4.Cash-advance fee — A charge by the bank for using credit cards to obtain cash. This fee can be stated in terms of a flat per-transaction fee or a percentage of the amount of the cash advance. For example, the fee may be expressed as follows: “2%/$10?. This means that the cash advance fee will be the greater of 2 percent of the cash advance amount or $10.
Read full article here - 15 important credit card terms to consider before buying a credit card!!

From the unsbloggers.freehostia.com blogs

FEATURE-Broadway finds show fundraising tougher amid crisis



By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Broadway producers are finding it tough to attract investors for new productions as the global financial crisis begins to take a toll on the Great White Way.

And sluggish tickets sales have caused the closure of shows, adding to the sense of gloom on Broadway.

While several shows traditionally close at the start of the year to make way for new productions ahead of the Tony Awards, more than usual are taking their final bow — 12 shows have finished and another four are due to close by Feb. 28.

The economic turmoil “certainly had an impact on my show and on a number of shows that might have made it through this coming summer,” said producer Margo Lion, whose show “Hairspray” closed on Jan. 4 after more than six years on Broadway.

Several shows could not secure the financing needed to open in the coming months — “Godspell,” “Vanities” and “For Colored Girls” — and producers blamed the economy, said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of trade group The Broadway League.

“It’s not uncommon for shows not to get financing if they’re not sure-fire hits in tough economic times,” St. Martin said. “Even in great times, a lot of shows don’t get financed.”

“Hair” was a hit on Broadway and London’s West End in the 1960s, but Andrew Hamingson, executive director of New York’s Public Theater, which will bring “Hair” back to Broadway in March, said lining up investors for the show was difficult.

“At the time we were out looking for investors for the show it was at the same moment … when all those companies (like Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch) either disappeared or they were acquired by other companies,” Hamingson said.

Permanent link to this post: FEATURE-Broadway finds show fundraising tougher amid crisis

From warling.net78.net weblog

Thursday, January 8, 2009

How To Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months



In order to lose 60 pounds in 3 months you will need to shock your body into losing a lot of weight fast. Just so you know, to lose 60 pounds in 3 months isn’t the easiest thing in the world and will require you to commit to this process heart and soul. However, with the right will and determination, it can be done.

In order to lose 60 pounds in 3 months, I suggest that you begin by cleansing your body. What this does is get rid of a lot of undigested pounds which have accumulated inside your body and which are weighing it down and damaging your health. Each person carries around some undigested weight. By using a detox diet, you can quickly flush out of your system all those pounds, lose a lot of weight fast and be ready for the next step of the process. This detox phase takes 10 days tops and you will see a great reduction in your weight. I suggest using the Master Cleanse detox diet (I provide a link to a review of this diet at the end of this article so read the whole thing through).

After you finish with the detox diet, you should take a few days to a week off any dieting and eat regularly (but healthy). Then the next phase of your process to lose 60 lbs in 3 months will commence. In this phase you will choose one of 2 courses:

1. Follow a Calorie Shifting diet (namely the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet)
2. Follow a fitness oriented fat loss program (I suggest the Turbulence Training program)

Again, I provide a link to a review of all these 3 programs at the end of the article so you can read more about each of them.

You should follow either of these 2 programs for 2 months. These will provide a slower weight loss rate than the Master Cleanse, but they’re more healthy to use for a long time straight. They should bring you closer to achieving your goal of losing 60 pounds in 3 months.

About 10 days before your 3 months are over, you should go on the Master Cleanse again to give your body the final push it needs to shed the last of those 60 pounds. If you do everything right, you have a good chance to lose 60 pounds in 3 months.
Read full article: How To Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months

From the gotoread.freehostia.com blogs

Friday, January 2, 2009

Americans Turn to Complementary, Alternative Medicine for Pain Relief



By Faith Lapidus
Washington
02 January 2009

Complementary and alternative medical practices - which include health products and therapies that aren’t generally considered part of conventional medicine - are frequently a part of Americans’ health care regimens. That’s the finding of a new survey released this month by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Thirty-eight percent of American adults are using some form of complementary and alternative medicine, known as CAM, to help with their health.

NCCAM Director Dr. Josephine Briggs says the new survey provides the most current, comprehensive and reliable source of information on Americans’ use of unconventional remedies such as medicinal herbs, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, massage and chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation.

Most of these patients, Briggs says, hope to alleviate pain.

“The most common reason why people turn to complementary and alternative medicine in our survey results is chronic back pain - far and away, the leading reason to use complementary and alternative medicine,” she says. “Neck pain, joint pain, headache: All these other conditions are also given as common reasons. But chronic back pain is the leading reason, a very common and difficult condition to treat.”

As the federal government’s lead agency for scientific research into CAM therapies, the center funds hundreds of projects and trials, supports training for researchers and encourages integration of proven CAM therapies into conventional practice.

Another important part of NCCAM’s mission is to publicize news and information about complementary and alternative medicine, and promote discussions about it between patients and their health care providers.

Briggs notes, “It is very important that people talk to their physicians and other health care providers about their use of complementary and alternative medicine.”

Read full article: Americans Turn to Complementary, Alternative Medicine for Pain Relief