8 Tips to Help You Arrange Furniture Like A Professional

If you want to arrange furniture in your house, you need to consider two elements first: function and form. Keep in mind that you don’t need to invest in new articles of furniture or shell out tons of money for the best decoration items. Given below are a few tips that can help you arrange furniture just like a professional. Read on to find out more.

1. Take Measurements

First of all, you need to measure the room and the furniture articles prior to moving any item. Your next move is to apply the following fundamental measurements based on the room you want to redesign.

  • Make sure you leave at least 2 and a half feet of space between each article of furniture
  • For easy conversations, there should be a distance of at least 8 feet between facing sofas and chairs
  • There should be a distance of at least 14 inches amidst the coffee table and the sofa
  • The table of your dining room must be a minimum of 36 inches from the walls

2. Have A Focal Point

As far as a living or family room is concerned, make sure you have a focal point, such as a fireplace, French doors, large windows or an entertainment area. You can decide on the purpose of this room.

3. Allow easy Conversations

You may want to arrange the seating area properly in order to allow people to talk easily. For instance, you can put the chairs and sofas in the right place.

4. Add Asymmetry

Don’t worry about matching every item in your house. The thing is that asymmetry happens when the furniture items have different heights. For instance, it will be awkward if you place two candles of different heights on a table.

5. Consider the Proper Placement of TVs

For your TV room, you should decide on where the visitors will sit to watch TV. During the day, the light will come in through the windows. Therefore, it may not be a good idea to place the TV facing the windows. Similarly, in the evening, the room lights shouldn’t shine on the TV screens. Proper placement of the equipment is quite important here.

6. Use a Big Piece of Rug

With an area rug, you can define a space like a focal seating setup. The rug must be big enough so that you can place all tables and seating on it.

7. Go for Banquette Seating

If you don’t have a lot of area in the dining room, you can use a regular dining table for kids crafts, paperwork or homework. Another great alternative is the banquette seating. This thing will offer additional storage.

8. Try Different Angles

The furniture pieces don’t have to be on a 90-degree angle as far as other furniture or walls are concerned. You can place chairs, love seats or sofas if you don’t have a lot of space.

Long story short, these are a few simple tips that can help you arrange your house furniture like a professional and get the most out of your available space. Hope this helps.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Shalini M

How to Postpone Your Sheriff Sale With or Without the Bank

One of the most justified concerns homeowners have about being in foreclosure is how much time they have to save their homes. This is such an important issue that many homeowners simply give up on their homes and move out long before they have run out of time. They simply assume the sheriff will show up any day and kick them out! Unfortunately, this is a dangerous assumption to make, and homeowners frequently have more options than they could ever believe possible to increase the time they have available.

In fact, it is reasonable to state that any homeowner can still stop the foreclosure process at nearly any time up until the date of the sheriff sale. Of course, if that date is on the horizon or approaching in the next few weeks or months, then there is still some time, but the foreclosure victims need to get something together rather quickly. Stopping a sheriff sale is vitally important if there is any realistic plan to save the home and pay off the mortgage or reinstate the payments. A sheriff sale will nullify almost any plan that was being worked on before the auction.

It is also important to not that the bank will not accept just a regular payment once the home is in the foreclosure process, nor will they accept any form of partial payment. The lender will most likely demand the entire amount that is behind right now, unless they are willing to work out some sort of repayment plan with the owner. This is one reason that homeowners, as soon as they have recovered from a financial hardship, should call the lender to find out exactly what plans they can offer and how much money will have to be forked out to them to begin a plan.

But, if the bank does not accept a forbearance agreement or other plan, there are a few other ways to stop the foreclosure date that do not involve direct intervention by the mortgage company. Sometimes, the homeowners need to take control over their home and take advantage of other opportunities.

First, the homeowners can simply file Chapter 13 bankruptcy to avoid foreclosure. That puts all creditor collection efforts on hold (including the mortgage company’s attempts to collect) while the debt is being dealt with by the court system. It can stop a sheriff sale the day before the sale, and might work as a last-ditch effort. Although it is not the most preferable way to stop foreclosure, homeowners should keep it in mind if they are seriously short on time. In many cases where the homeowners are nearly out of time, no other way to postpone the auction will work.

Second, just paying back the entire amount behind will get the mortgage reinstated. It will bring the status of the loan back to „current,“ and end the foreclosure process. If there are no arrears, and no part of the loan is in default, the bank can not continue foreclosing. Admittedly, this is also the most unlikely scenario presented here, mainly due to the unwillingness of the bank to work out a solution and the fact that they typically add thousands of dollars of late fees, interest, court costs, and attorney fees to the total amount needed to reinstate the loan. But if homeowners can come up with the money, they will be able to save their home immediately.

Last, going into court and asking the judge to order the lender to try to work something out is always a potential solution. Very few homeowners take up this opportunity, though, simply due to an (ir)rational fear of the legal system. But the judge can order the bank to consider a repayment plan, or offer some other resolutions besides going straight through with the legal process of foreclosing on the home. The judge can also put a hold on the sheriff sale, since he is the one ordering the sale in the first place. In fact, the judge wields an enormous amount of power over the bank, for some unknown reason, but this power can be used by the homeowners in self-defense, if necessary. Passing up this option is a major mistake for homeowners attempting to prevent foreclosure.

The bottom line is that foreclosure is never inevitable once it starts. To make sure they have the best chance of saving the home, foreclosure victims merely need to take advantage of what options are available and make sure they can make the payments on time again, or come up with the money to reinstate, or have enough time to pursue an option like a foreclosure refinance or a sale. Having a sheriff sale scheduled is obviously a major stumbling block, but homeowners have more options than they are aware of to obtain the time necessary to work on a solution to foreclosure.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Nick Heeringa

What Could You Possibly Put On Your Real Estate Blog

Are you running out of creative juice for your needed daily or weekly blog? Are you having some sort of repetitions just after two months or so? If you are in this situation, you’re probably thinking of how you can possibly sustain readership with writing ideas or topics that are sure to entice readers to follow you. Here are some topics you can write about for the next days.

Local activities which kids and teenagers would probably ask permission from their parents to join. Every community conducts activities for children and teenagers. These activities are geared to enrich the knowledge and skills of the participants. Most of them are conducted during summer months. But there are also some activities conducted during the other months of the year. These activities can range from art workshops, sports clinics, dance competitions, talent shows, and a whole lot more.

Current news in your local community and even important events of the nation. News affects all. Whatever is happening in the community and in the nation has impact to everybody. Discuss how these events can affect the families and individuals in the community. Assert your point. Give insights on how these events can shape the local real estate industry.

Present places of interests to your readers. Make your real estate blog a reference for readers to familiarize themselves with the community’s various interesting places. Let your writings take them to the vest restaurants, entertainment hubs, museums, shopping destinations, and even tourist spots. These local crowd-drawers deserve to have their spotlights on your blog. It will also help if you’ll notify merchants, establishments or entities which you’ll mention in your writing. Through this, you are getting them fueled to share your writings in their respective platforms. This will eventually increase redirects from their spaces to yours.

Dissect local market studies. Different studies present various insights. They send signals to buyers and sellers alike. Present statistics, data, and other information which will be valuable and influential to the decisions of your readers. Will this month be good to buy a house? Will next month see home prices increasing at least for your market?

Give tips, suggestions, and advises. Your blog can also serve as a communication line between you and your readers. Engage them in your posts through tips about home staging. Suggest ways on how they can better rearrange the room of their sons or daughters. Give advise on how to deal with noisy neighbors. There are plenty of topics in which your expert opinion and advise are warranted.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Desare A Kohn-Laski

Why Does Every Business Need Remote Network Access for Their Employees?

Due to the pandemic, all non-essential businesses have continued to close their doors – a situation that could extend for several more weeks. If these recent developments have taught us anything, it’s that we should be prepared for any eventuality.

If you own a business, what steps are you taking to transition your employees to a work from home environment? Remote network access is critical – pandemic or not — especially if most or all of your work force is conducting business from their homes. In order to keep your company afloat, customers happy and productivity at a consistent level, and workers employed, you have to enable remote network access for your employees.

What You Need to Know: Remote Access Solutions

Telecommuting not only helps companies cut overhead costs and allows employees to juggle work with personal engagements at their own pace, it facilitates a more productive „work at your own schedule“ situation.

There are several ways you can establish remote work opportunities for your company. You could:

  • Choose a complete Virtual Private Network.
  • Deploy remote desktop access.
  • Set up a cloud computing network and share files between home offices to develop a virtual office setup.

Virtual Private Network

Pros

  • Good option for companies that want to offer either intermittent access or full-time access to remote work solutions; however, remote devices must be properly secured and protocols must be followed.
  • Encryption protocols make the transfer of information between the VPN and the end users quite secure.
  • The VPN itself isn’t vulnerable to direct attack.

Cons

  • PCs that aren’t protected could transfer viruses and malware to the VPN if not secure. Connection to a VPN can make the system vulnerable if employees do not disconnect when finished.
  • These are more difficult to set up than remote desktop access.

Remote Desktop Access Solutions

You can enable remote desktop access in one of three ways:

  • Remote access software
  • Enterprise remote desktop
  • Direct remote access

Remote access software solutions are less secure at their most basic level, with limited centralized control of employee log-in and remote access. This solution has a higher cost, while direct remote access is free. Still, this is a solid choice for smaller companies with intermittent work-from-home needs.

Enterprise remote desktop solutions are more scalable but tougher to set up. They offer a seamless experience and operate through hosted solutions, which comes at an increased cost; however, the ease of setup is better than having to establish this infrastructure on your own.

Direct remote access requires proper security protocols are followed to ensure the system is not vulnerable to attack. It can be difficult to remotely restart a computer that has frozen. Also, many hardware issues will have to be addressed on-site.

Cloud Network Remote Work

This is a good choice if you are opting to work from a complete virtual office, as these solutions offer additional flexibility and cost benefits. They do hold some risks because it’s difficult to control what employees are doing with their hardware at home.

What to Consider

Check out these factors to consider when deciding on a type and provider of remote access and work solutions:

  • Ease-of-Installation: How much time is involved? How much effort? Will it cause downtime in operations as the transition happens?
  • Ease-of-Use: Can your employees and IT department easily use this solution?
  • Cost: How much does each solution cost vs. how much will it save your company?
  • Security: How secure is the option you’re considering? How dependent is it on users‘ ability to follow stated protocols?

Contact Monmouth Computer Associates

For assistance on deciding which solution is best for your needs or for help setting up your remote access solution infrastructure, contact us today.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Vincent Gentile

Genealogy in Switzerland – A Longenecker Family Search

I recently visited Langnau, Bern, Switzerland and spent two days immersed in all things Langenegger. My wife and I arrived at the Langnau rail station on June 25, 2004, exhausted from a long flight from San Francisco. As we left the train station we were immediately struck by the unique character of this area.

Outside the train station are the remnants of a cobblestone street, now patched by asphalt. Everywhere we looked were beautiful Swiss houses and buildings – many of them hundreds of years old – and all colorfully decorated with pink and red begonias placed in flower boxes below each window. As we found later, the Emmental is also a wonderland of covered bridges, friendly people, church spires with Swiss clocks and chimes, tinkling cow bells – everything you expect Switzerland to be.

As we walked toward our hotel in Bareau we noticed how friendly and courteous the locals are – stopping to allow us to cross the street and smiling as we passed with a friendly „Hallo“ or „Guten Morgen.“ The town is dotted with long stone tanks with well water splashing in at one end and draining out the other. They look something like a stone horse tank. These are available to anyone who wants a cool drink of well water.

After we settled into our room at the Landgasthof Hotel Adler, the owner kindly invited us to a short ride into the countryside where we saw more beautiful houses and pastures. After we returned we asked a few locals in the hotel restaurant about the Langenegger farm and they had a good laugh. Turns out that there are a lot of Langeneggers there and we didn’t know the name of the people who lived in the original house that we came to see.

The hills are about 1200 feet above the valley floor and incredibly green with grass and forested areas visible from anywhere in town. Langnau is small – perhaps three or four long blocks across and the hills seem very close. Black and white cows break up the greenery and produce and wonderful tinkling sound as they graze around ringing the bells around their necks. Higher pitched bells worn by sheep and goats blend with the clunk-clunk bong-bong of the cow bells making a delicious backdrop to the scenery. This is the last sound we heard as we drifted off to sleep covered with a feather quilt on our first night in Langnau.

The birds woke us up to wonderfully green world that is Langnau in the summer. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of homemade bread and jelly provided by our host, Stephen. We hoped to attend church, but found that our information was incorrect and arrived too early. Instead we started our walking tour of Langnau early. Langnau is a small town and we walked all of the main streets by about noon when we took a break for lunch to share a small cheese tart and an apple pastry from a small shop near the center of town. By that time, the local museum had opened. It is housed in one of the oldest houses in Langnau and is a great opportunity to look around inside one of these magnificent buildings and see all of the fancy joinery done by the builders. It is also a great museum with a number of permanent and rotating exhibits that depict the history of Langnau and its residents.

The museum’s docent has lived in Langnau for 70 years and knows the Langenegger name very well. She quickly found a book that contains the Langenegger family crests – one for those in the valley (Langenegg Ey) and one for those up higher in the hills (Langenegg Unter). She also loosely parsed the name into Lange (Long in English – pronounced ‚Long‘ in German too) and negg (hill in English – pronounced ’neck‘ in German). I haven’t been able to confirm the word ’negg‘ anywhere – but that is what she said. The book also included a statement, „Ulrich, von Langnau, wanderte 1748 nach Pennsylvanien [USA] Aus (Faust 61)“ which roughly translates that Ulrich Langenegger immigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States in 1748. This is our ancestor Ulrich Langenegger Sr. The book doesn’t give a further source for this information. On the map, the Langenegg Unter is just about a 30 minute hike up the hill from the museum and Langenegg Ey is about a mile down river from Langnau. Since the Unter had been owned by someone other than a Langenegger for many years, we decided to take a closer look at the Ey property in the valley to see if we could at least get a picture of the house and perhaps, if we were really lucky, meet a distant relative.

Margaret and I walked along the river where many of the local people were taking a break from regular life to cool off. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of covered bridges in and around Langnau – all still being used. We even drove over one just outside of Langnau.

Just as we approached the long driveway to the Langenegger house, two women came up from the river and one of them spoke English. She told us that we were in the right place and that the Langenegger family did live here. She offered to escort us to the right house among a group of several houses and buildings located on the property. With a cheery German „Woo hoo“ she called out to the people inside and introduced us to my 9th cousin who lives in the house where Ulrich Langenegger Senior was born in 1664 (the same one mentioned in the book that immigrated to Pennsylvania).

Our new-found cousins were gracious and greeted us warmly even though we just showed up on their doorstep after over 250 years without a Christmas card! We had a short conversation about the family and viewed some of the information that they had there. Coincidentally, the couple’s sister-in-law next door was in Pennsylvania to attend a Longenecker reunion while we were in Langnau. We exchanged contact information so that we can follow up with them with information we find that might be useful to them. They kindly offered us a cool drink from their well before we took a short walk around the farm to get some photos. The cows were in the barn as it was unseasonably hot that day. Milk from their cows is sold into a coop of local farmers that makes it into cheese. If you are looking for some authentic Langenegger cheese, look for the Emmentaler type as that is what they make there. It is sold in the US as simply Swiss cheese – the type with holes in it. I must admit that it tasted much better in Langnau than in California.

The house is located an easy hike along the river from Langnau and consists of the original house plus some additional houses and outbuildings. I found the house a challenge to photograph by itself. It is a typical Swiss farm house arranged with living quarters and barn under one roof. On one side is an earthen ramp going directly into the attic over the barn that is used to move hay into that area for storage and use during the winter.

The roof is steep by US standards but not as steep as I expected in an area that gets lots of snow. Most roofs in the area are tile and include a series of brackets about six inches high that hold the snow in the winter so that it doesn’t all fall down at one time. Some buildings had a simpler system with only one set of brackets near the bottom of the roof that held a four inch pipe running the entire length of the house – apparently for the same purpose as the brackets on other buildings. In addition, this system probably uses the snow to insulate the roof from the cold. Another interesting thing about some roofs and houses – the builders sometimes put their initials and the date of construction on the roof by using different colored tiles. Others painted this information under the eaves or on the face of the building under the eaves.

The Langenegger house is not as fancy as some in town but is large and includes some fancy joinery work that we saw repeated inside the museum, on the covered bridges, and elsewhere in the area. The main structure appears to be large beams carefully joined together at the proper angles so that they get stronger as more weight is put on them – and held together with wooden pegs. On one bridge near town we saw metal strapping that seems to have been added later.

The business of the farm centers around the milk cows. There was a large field of corn planted near the house along with a well-kept garden that seems to grace every house we saw in Switzerland. Along the driveway approach to the farm there are some cherry trees with mostly green fruit just beginning to turn pink in places. The rest of the farm appeared to be in grass. My friend John Garland in Oklahoma would call the fencing „psychological fencing“ – not much of a barrier to an animal that wants out. We noticed that a lot of fences appeared to be temporary and electrified so that the cows can be easily moved to fresh grass as needed. We even saw one electric fence hooked up to a solar panel up high in the mountains a long train-ride away from Langnau. Out of respect for the current occupants‘ time and space, we only stayed briefly.

We returned to our hotel via a path the goes along the river and stopped for a rest in the shade of an old covered bridge. We were exhausted again and happy at getting to meet our distant relatives and to view the old house.

Research: If you are researching this area, no genealogy information is readily available in Langnau. The records office has records from 1886, but doesn’t release it without permission of the persons mentioned in the records and the charges to do so are very high. You will have much better luck in Bern where most of the Swiss records are held. There is almost always someone around that speaks English and the records offices are no exception. The records are neither computerized nor indexed – but they are very neatly categorized by location and time frames. You will need to tell them exactly who, where, and when you want to look in order to get the right microfilm. Then it is an old-fashioned search browsing through records written along time ago using unfamiliar styles and letters. Lockers are located outside the office in the hallway and you will have to leave your backpack, purse, etc. there. It’s free and secure.

The Archives de I’Etat de Berne is located at Falkenplatz 4, CH-3012 Berne near the main railroad station. It was easy to find the third time I tried. The rail station is large and busy and on several levels. Locate the elevators on one end of the station and take them all the way to the top. If you have trouble, follow the students and the signs to the university in order to find the elevators. Once you are at the top, go toward the campus – the only way you can go really – and pass between two large university-looking buildings. Falkenplatz 4 is the first building on the right after you pass through the campus area. There is a small street stand just across the small park where the students congregate for a cheap and good sandwich – get there early as they run out of sandwiches quickly after noon. The office is open from 8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 5:00 every weekday except Friday when it closes at 4:30. If you want to confirm before going, their phone numbers are 031/633 51 01, fax 031/633 51 02. Copies are one Swiss Frank per page – so take along plenty of cash so that you can get everything you want. You can easily spend 50 franks in one afternoon depending on the records you want. I didn’t have time, but you may also want to check out these sources provided by the museum in Langnau . . .

Zivilstands-und Burgerrechtsdienst

Des Kantons Bern

Eigerstrasse 73

3011 Bern

031/633 47 85

Fax: 031/633 47 39

Nieisen Paul-Anthon

Biochstrasse 7

3753 Oberhofen am Thunersee

033/243 24 52

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Gene Hall

6 Things You Must Demand From Your Real Estate Agent!

In the United States, there are well – over, one – million, licensed real estate professionals, although, only a relatively, small percentage of them, are responsible for, the vast – majority, of closed – transactions. Therefore, whether, you seek to sell you home, or are a potential, qualified buyer, it is wise, to carefully, choose, your agent, based on, your personal, best – interests, and, after interviewing them, feeling, they have the combination of attitude, aptitude, skills, persistence, professionalism, and expertise, to serve your needs, goals, and priorities! After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I strongly, believe, these 6 things, you must demand, of the individual, you hire. With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, what this means, and represents, and, why it matters.

1. Integrity: The real estate professional, you choose, must, consistently, exhibit, absolute integrity! To serve and represent you, you need, and deserve, someone, you feel confident, you can, consistently, trust, in good – times, or less!

2. Allegiance: Nearly every state, as well as Realtor Board’s, include a Code Of Ethics, regarding, the conduct, required by a realtor, to his clients, and customers, etc! One of the key components is, owing a client, complete allegiance, and protecting their privacy, etc. Your chosen professional must put – you – first, consistently, and never provide, any information, which might harm or compromise, your interest (however, that does not mean, violating the law, and/ or, providing any material misstatements!)

3. Tell what they need to know: My service – marked, slogan, is, I will always tell you what you need to know, not, just, what you want to hear. You need, and deserve, someone, who will inform you, in a realistic manner, rather than, wearing, rose – colored, glasses!

4. Prepare a client: Agents owe their clients, a readiness, and willingness, to thoroughly, consistently, prepare them, for potential, possibilities, in order to make this process, as stress – free, as possible! When one prepares his clients, properly, the transaction period, becomes, an easier one!

5. Negotiating expertise: One of the reasons, to hire, a specific agent, is their degree of negotiating expertise, in order to achieve the best price, in the shortest period of time, with a minimum of hassle! This requires the individual, to thoroughly, understand, and know the local, real estate market, etc.

6, Handling details: The transaction period, is, often, full of challenges, and requires, handling the details, effectively, and efficiently, on a consistent basis!

Since, for most, the value, of their house, is their single – biggest, financial asset, doesn’t it make sense, to do, whatever, possible, to ensure, you protect it, and make the best decisions, and take the smartest actions! Consider these 6 things, when you hire your real estate agent!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Richard Brody

How to Sell a House: Tips From Real Estate Agents

With the country’s declining real estate market, a home seller can easily sell a house if they lower the price. But for others who can’t afford to lower their asking price, it is best to find other ways to make their home more attractive.

Real estate agents are familiar with the trends in the industry. They are also very knowledgeable about selling homes and choosing the right homes. For this reason, we have come up with a list of house selling tips from successful real estate agents.

Make The House Stand Out From The Competition

It is very important for the property to attract potential buyers. Home sellers should consider custom designs or adding a few design touches, such as improving the landscape, or updating the roof and windows. These simple touches can have significant impact in improving the home’s aesthetics. It is important to avoid over-improving the house. For instance, renovating the bathroom and kitchen may not always pay.

Clean The Clutter

Before listing the property in the market, it is crucial to first clean the clutter from the home. Clutter will turn off potential buyers because they cannot picture themselves living in the house. As a tip, consider removing a few unnecessary furniture pieces to make the space look bigger. You should also keep family pictures and other personal items into storage so that potential buyers can imagine themselves staying in the house.

Staging the house is very important. You may want to hire a professional for the job. This may cost additional expense but it will be worth it. Real estate agents believe that a professional stager can make the home more attractive and salable.

The Price Is Right

No matter how you stage your house or how much space you renovated, it is very important to price the property appropriately. An agent can help you determine the right price for your property. You can also hire a property appraiser for the job. It doesn’t matter whether you are offering the lowest price in the neighborhood, especially if your home is very appealing and if you have made significant improvements to your home. It is important, however, that the listing price will not be so far-fetched with the other comparable homes in the market.

Selling a house in a slow real estate market will require patience and perseverance. Make sure that the house is in good condition and hire a credible agent to help you sell the house faster. Following these tips will help increase your chances of getting a good deal for your property.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Sara Schweiger

How to Save for a House Down Payment – 5 Awesome Tips

Top 5 awesome tips to save for a down payment

Want to own your own house? Well, who doesn’t? You may not be looking to buy a house now but eventually you will. Owning a house is a dream of most people but only a lucky few manage to get a home that they really want. You are not alone if you are worried about saving enough money for a down payment. Hopefully, our tips for saving money will help you gather the amount required for the down payment on the flat that you have been eyeing.

Your bank will finance almost 80% cost of the house/flat (in some cases 90%). The balance is down payment that you will have to self finance. This is a substantial amount for a middle class family. For example, If your 2 bedroom kitchen costs Rs. 30 Lakhs, then your bank would finance up to 24 lakhs and the rest 6 lakhs has be self financing.

Home buying is a complex decision especially if you are a first time home buyer. You will need professional help that will help you get the best homes at best price. Enough money in the bank before going out shopping for a house will give you confidence and peace of mind while choosing a home. We are going to share some tips For saving money here that will help you take control of your finances and save for that daunting looking down payment.

1. Track your spending and expenses

OK, we admit this is one of the most boring and clichéd tips for saving money BUT tracking your spending really works. There are a plethora of apps and websites that help you track your spending and keeps a running total of the amounts you spend on specific items or categories.

This process is an eye opener for many. Sometimes we don’t see the obvious until an app tells us!! You will need to cut down on luxuries and divert money towards savings. Finding out where your money goes is the first step in figuring out how to keep more of it in the bank.

2. Invest in Mutual Funds- Don’t be afraid, Research

Do a simple research on the power of compounding or power of compound interest and you will understand why mutual funds are one of the most popular methods of investing these days. India has seen, in the recent times, a sudden spurt in the number of people investing in mutual funds. While there are many things that you need to consider before investing in mutual funds, we recommend that you start a monthly SIP in an equity fund that matches your risk appetite.

Generally, equity funds are the best since they offer you high rates of returns. These funds are also risky because the market fluctuations in these equity funds can be regular affair but over a period of time Mutual Funds usually offer better returns than the Bank FD rates.

Go to a website named valueresearchonline.com and read about Mutual Funds. The end decision is yours but we speak from personal experience-mutual funds offer good returns on investments. There are multiple number of SIP calculators that will help you plan the exact amount of savings, you require each month to reach your down payment in a particular period of time. For example if you are planning to buy a house in 2020, A mutual fund SIP calculator will tell you how much money you need to start saving for your 20% down payment.

This method of investing is not one of the usual tips for saving money but is a method that helps grow your money.

3. Make a Monthly budget and stick to it

Sticking to a monthly budget will be tough especially if you are used to a life of indulgence and luxury. Sticking to a strict budget often isn’t a lot of fun and is challenging. Remember, A penny saved is a penny earned. Having said that allow yourself an occasional treat or two but treat it as an exception and ALWAYS make up for the cost of this exception in other activities. Some belt-tightening now is a minor sacrifice that will quickly be forgotten when you are getting the keys to your new home.

4. Start Saving Early

Have you heard of the saying well begun is half done? One of the major deficiencies of our education system is that we are not taught financial literacy at a young age. We are not taught how to save and why to save. We don’t know about long term and short term financial goals.

Although our moms always insist on saving, majority of us lack proper financial literacy. Start saving early, dedicate at least 15 to 20% of your salary savings each month. Start with your first job when responsibilities are less. Some people save as much as 50%n of their savings while they can. Among numerous Tips for saving money this one is the most powerful.

Benefits of starting to save early is that by the time you reach 30 you will have enough money for a down payment on your house.

5. Look for ways to boost your income

For most of us middle class salaried people, there is only one source of money coming in (i.e. monthly salary). At the most, both husband and wife are working so in such cases there are two sources of money coming in. The number of avenues through which the money goes out is always more than the number of ways through which money comes in. Consider your income and expenses as an upside down funnel. Every successful person understands that additional sources of revenue need to be created in order to save money.

There are many ways through which you can create an alternate source of money. You can consider starting a blog, YouTube channel or simply affiliate marketing. You can start an online store and make good money if you have done proper research. There is multiple number of videos online through which you can learn about online businesses.

You don’t need a considerable investment to start any of these activities. All you need is a laptop and some time. There is TedX video on YouTube which says that you only need 20 hours to learn a skill to a satisfactory level.

Your budget consists of two parts: money coming in, and money going out. You’ll get the best results if you make improvements on both sides.

Open a saving bank account for the purpose of down payment and consider it untouchable. Barring a major emergency, don’t even toy with the idea of spending any of that money until you are ready to purchase a home. It’s easier to keep an off-limits down payment fund if you set up a separate account dedicated solely to this purpose.

Treat this bank account as a black hole in which light goes in but nothing comes out.

Here is a video with some more tips for saving money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYUUCA0MpD8&t=141s?rel=0

Conclusion

We hope these tips for saving money for a down payment on your home have helped you. Saving for a down payment on your home is tough but not impossible. There are other things that you can do to get financial benefits. For Example, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is a great scheme that has benefited millions.

Also Listen to the Podcast

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Ankit Kashiv

The Countrywide Foreclosure List – Finding Secret Bank Owned Properties

The Countrywide foreclosure list offers thousands of nationwide bank owned properties; many of which are sold at deeply discounted prices. Once the nation’s largest independent mortgage lender, Countrywide was bought out by Bank of America in 2008 for a whopping $4.1 billion. BOA assumed a massive portfolio of ‚toxic assets‘ consisting of preforeclosure and foreclosed properties.

Today, the Countrywide foreclosure list is available to the public through the Bank of America website. Real estate investors and prospective buyers can use the list to locate single and multi-family homes, commercial real estate, vacant land and newly constructed houses.

Countrywide / Bank of America properties for sale include bank owned properties, foreclosure homes and short sale real estate. Buyers can locate a wealth of discounted properties and cheap homes for sale. Properties listed through the foreclosure list are sold through an independent real estate agent or directly thorough BOA’s loss mitigation division.

Purchasing Countrywide properties isn’t any different than purchasing real estate through realtors. Buyers are required to undergo the same home loan financing process as anyone else. However, individuals wanting to purchase bank owned properties through BOA are required to obtain lending prequalification to determine how much house they can afford.

Buyers of Countrywide foreclosure real estate may qualify for first time home buyer programs and tax credits. The home buyer tax credit was recently extended through June 30, 2010. First time home buyers are eligible for an $8000 tax deduction. Homeowners who have resided in their primary residence for five years or more are eligible for a $6500 tax credit when they purchase a more expensive home.

It is important to understand that bank owned real estate consists of foreclosure properties which did not sell through action. Also referred to as real estate owned or REO properties, these houses are sold „as is“ and generally require some type of repair. Buyers must conduct due diligence and obtain a home inspection to verify the house is worth the listing price.

The primary difference between foreclosed and bank owned homes is once lenders take possession attached liens and judgments are removed and the house is sold with a clean title. This is especially beneficial for first time home buyers and those unfamiliar with the required process for purchasing foreclosure real estate.

Repossessed homes often make for good investment property that can be used as a rental or vacation home. Buying foreclosure property located in a popular tourist destination can provide the opportunity to generate positive cash flow.

Investors who utilize the Countrywide foreclosure list to scout out rental homes should take time to investigate the area where properties are located. Tenants with school-aged children generally are looking for high ranking schools. Others might desire easy access to interstate systems or shopping districts. Becoming familiar with the area and what it offers allows investors to find appropriate REO houses to attract the type of tenant they are seeking.

Buying repo homes does not always equal significant savings. Banks have already incurred a loss through the process of foreclosing on the property. Bank owned properties listed on the Countrywide foreclosure list have little room for price negotiation.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Simon Volkov

Savannah, Georgia New Home Communities

Savannah is the largest city in the county seat of Chatham County in the US state of Georgia. Savannah occupies an area of 78.1 sq miles (202.3 km2).

Every year Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city’s architecture and historic buildings. Most of the tourists flock to places like the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the first African Baptist Church, Temple Mickve Israel which is the third-oldest synagogue in America, the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America) and several other places of tourist interest. Prone to flooding, the city of Savannah has a humid subtropical climate characterized by humid summers and cool winters.

The city of Savannah has a progressive economy and is the home of Union Camp, which has one of the world’s largest paper mill. Even today, it is Savannah’s largest employer. Gulfstream Aerospace company, which makes private jets is based in Savannah and there are also various other large industrial interests employing many in the city today.

If work or leisure beckons to Savannah, there are quite a few quality homebuilders here who can chip in to give shape to your dreams. Here are a few:

Hallmark Homes: Hallmark Homes of Savannah, Inc., Hallmark Homes Enterprises, Inc. and Hallmark Custom Homes, LLC. together form a formidable force and qualifies as the area’s largest family of builders, offering custom and semi-custom homes from $185,000 to $4 million in nearly every popular planned community in Savannah and the nearby towns of Richmond Hill, Rincon and Pooler, Georgia.

Savannah Pines Mobile Home Park:

Savannah Pines Mobile Home Park is ideally located in Garden City, in the scenic suburb of Savannah. Nestled among beautiful trees and a small stream, you can enjoy the tranquility of living in a mature community that provides an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Shopping, restaurants, movie theatres, video rentals, and golf courses, are all close-by. Even elementary, middle and high schools are easily accessible from here.

Konter Quality Homes: Konter Quality Homes develops neighborhoods and builds new homes throughout the metro Savannah area. As an industry leader since 1977, Konter Quality Homes continues to produce high quality homes for satisfied customers.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by David Giat

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