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How to Afford a Property in the Economic Crisis

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When it comes to finances, we’ve all been through the ringer these last few years. While reports on the current state of the economy vary greatly, it’s generally safe to say that it’s been better and that we aren’t completely out of the woods just yet. While we might be climbing our way toward the end of the tunnel (please say it’s so!) we’re still not as well off as we were before this whole sorry mess began.

And this has affected all of our lifestyles of course, and all of the larger industries. Nowhere though is it more apparent than in the housing market which has slowed right down with fewer and fewer people able to take the plunge with such a large purchase. This is particularly bad for first time buyers of course too who don’t have anything to sell to raise the capital, and who are generally younger and not as well off to begin with. Without investing in real estate though, those same people are going to be spending large amounts of money regularly on renting and thus making it more and more difficult to ever get to the point where they are able to invest in real estate.

So the question is, what can you do to get out of this sticky situation? When you’re between a rock and a hard place, how can you beat your circumstances and invest at a time when actually the housing prices are quite low? Here are some tips and suggestions…

Improve Your Credit Rating

If you’re currently looking to buy a new property then you should be saving as much money as possible toward making as big a deposit as possible. This is obvious, but what you might not have considered is the importance of improving your credit rating – which is a figure that dictates the way the banks see you and how willing they are to invest in you with a loan. In short if your credit rating is poor then your APR is going to be very high on any mortgage and you may not be able to get one at all – so look at ways you can prove to the bank that you’re reliable and in a stable financial situation so that when the time comes you are able to get yourself a good mortgage relatively easily.

Team Up

If you can’t afford to buy a property on your own, or if you are afraid to, then going in with someone else is a good way to invest your money and improve your quality of life without making such a large financial commitment. This doesn’t have to be a partner – it could mean getting help from a parent, or it could just mean buying a house with a group of friends. Either way you’ll be able to get money back out of the deal when you leave, and you’ll technically be a homeowner.

Cut the Other Costs

You should also look into ways you can reduce all the other costs of moving so that you can focus on the property itself. This means shopping around and seeing if you can find cheaper settlement agents and cheaper surveyors, and it means throwing out lots of your things so that you can forego using a removal company.

Schemes

There are plenty of schemes available specifically for those who are struggling to afford a property from ‘rent to buy’ schemes to ‘part-buy-part-rent’. Each has strengths and weaknesses and they won’t all appeal to everyone, so do your research and consider these alternatives to buying outright.

Jimmy Hendricks has done quite well for himself in the trading business. He gives simple trading tips and advice to his readers on his blogs.






How to Give Speeches Infront of Your Friends and Family

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My best friend is getting married this time next year and I’m terrified. I’m terrified partly because it’s giving my restless girlfriend ideas (we’ve been going out longer than he’s been with his girlfriend), but also because as best friend I’m going to have to take on certain duties – and the most nerve wracking of these is undoubtedly the prospect of giving a speech in front of everyone he knows (most of whom are people I know too) as well as the bride’s invites (who are Chinese speaking just to make life a little more complicated).

When I was younger I used to be pretty good at giving speeches. I gave the graduation speech at my university for instance, which I was chosen to do thanks to my record of good previous speeches; but it’s been a while since I last talked in front of an audience. Here then I’m going to go over a few of the tips I’ve collected previously to try and refresh my memory on just how to do it. And if you have a similar duty coming up some time soon then it may help you as well.

Keep it Flexible

In the past I’ve tried reading an exact speech off of cue cards or even pieces of paper and invariably these have been my less inspired talks. The problem with doing this is not only that it means you’re looking down and not at your audience, but also that it means you’re reading rather than talking. You’ll here be robotically regurgitating the information you see in front of you rather than actually addressing your audience, and this of course means you’re going to be much less engaging and natural in the way you talk.

What works much better is to have ideas on your cue cards but to just let these act as triggers that remind you of ideas you’ve had and of what’s coming up. This way you can keep the structure you’ve outlined and hit all your key beats, but at the same time you can improvise where you see fit and you can keep it more naturally flowing.

Talk Slowly

Remembering to talk slowly is something that’s very important if you want to sound confident and clear. When you speak slowly you naturally sound more at ease because you are taking your time, and at the same time this will make what you’re saying easier to hear. When we give speeches most of us will talk at double speed thanks to all the adrenaline pumping through our brains, so even if you think you’re talking super slowly, you might still benefit from dragging it out a little further.

Engage the Audience

When you speak it’s important to react to the audience and to involve them. First of all this means scanning the whole of the party venues with your eyes to ensure no group feels left out, but at the same time it also means reacting to what you perceive the mood of the audience to be. If you look around and someone seems to be dozing off then try to engage them by looking at them and posing a rhetorical question. Don’t forget anyone and talk with not at them.

Henry Washington is a party animal and that is why he so good at planning wild parties for his clients. He is your go-to guy if you want to plan the coolest parties that too a very cheap rate.

Holiday Gift Ideas for First Time Homeowners

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Some people are nearly impossible to shop for, especially those who seem to already have everything they need and want. Fortunately, if you’re shopping for someone who just bought a new home, there is no shortage of great gift ideas, as new home owners generally need a lot of help when it comes to filling their new space. Need some inspiration? Here are some great holiday gift ideas for first time home owners:

Toolbox. Even those men and women who aren’t so handy around the house will find that they have a need for a toolbox when it comes to fixing up the new home. A basic toolbox (hammer, screwdriver, level, wrench, etc.) is invaluable for completing a broad range of tasks around the house, from hanging family photos to installing ceiling fans.

Indoor or outdoor plant. Plants are more than just pretty to look at; they are symbolic of new life and growth. That makes them an ideal gift for first time home owners, who can watch their plants grow just as they watch their new house turn into a home. There are no rules when it comes to purchasing plants, and you have an endless array of options. Just get something you think the homeowners will like (and that they’ll be able to take care of). Plants that make great holiday gifts include poinsettias, Christmas cactus, and holly.

Bath towels. This gift may seem like a yawn to you . . . but to the new home owners, it could be a lifesaver. Bath towels are an oft overlooked item on house stocking lists, which means that many first time homeowners find themselves empty handed when it comes time to step out of the shower. What’s more is that good bath towels can be relatively costly and can last for decades, making them both a practical and luxurious gift for new homeowners.

Home improvement magazine subscription. This is the gift that keeps on giving (well, for a year, at least). New homeowners are likely to be very enthusiastic about making their purchase an ongoing project. You can help provide inspiration and ideas by gifting a subscription for any of a number of home improvement and/or architectural magazines.

Food. With all of the moving and unpacking they must do, new homeowners aren’t likely to be able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking meals. Cook some casseroles that they can freeze and reheat, or put together a fruit and cheese basket that they can snack from.

Gifts to new home owners should be useful, thoughtful, and well suited to the experience of purchasing a first home. Draw from this list for great gift ideas.

About the Author: Hal Rissman loves showing houses for sale in Louisville KY and the surrounding areas. He is careful to choose a thoughtful housewarming gift for every couple he helps find their first new home!

I could be sleeping better

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I’ve been more tired than usual lately. Perhaps it’s because of all the late hours I’ve been pulling staying up studying for exams … but I’ve noticed that I just don’t sleep as much or as deeply lately.

I wake up at night and try to get comfortable, fluff up my pillow and change positions. I’ve even gone out shopping for new pillows. I purchased a couple of firm pillows to see if that would help. My old pillow used to be quite firm but it was getting softer and losing it’s shape so I thought that might have been part of the problem but the firmer pillows don’t seem to be helping. Perhaps a neck pillow or even a new mattress might help.

I know one thing that really might help … if I get more active during the day. I’ve been less active in the last couple of months because of all the studying I’ve been doing. So .. I plan on starting to take the dog out for long long walks again beginning this week. She definitely needs the walks and I could use them too. The walks will be good for me physically and I’m sure they will help me sleep wise too.

Karaoke neighbors – again!!!!

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Oh my gosh … what is it with the house next door? I don’t know why but it doesn’t seem to matter who lives next to us but eventually they seem to get a karaoke machine at some point.

Oh and once they do they set it up in the living room so that the speakers are facing our living room so that we can hear them sing all of their songs endlessly over and over again – usually badly … for hours and sometimes days on end.

Oh boy … and the holidays are just starting .. if they just set up the machine that means that they are testing it for when they have guests next weekend and perhaps the weekend after next … AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I’m still not sure what I’m doing this weekend or for Christmas. In light of our neighbors new Karaoke machine … hmm I think I’d better make sure I’m away from home. I think it’s going to be noisy around here. My poor dog. She hates the singing that comes through the walls! You’d think our walls that are over two feet thick would block the sound but it doesn’t.

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