How to Make Sure That You Are Making a Good Investment by Buying Foreclosed Homes?

Foreclosed homes offer the investor to make a profitable investment as the property is up for sale due to the homeowners' inability to pay back the secured loan amount. So the lender sells these homes at prices much lesser than the actual value, in order to reclaim his lost money.

Buying foreclosed homes is a good idea as one can manage to get a good property by spending far lesser money than one will spend in purchasing a property in normal real estate market. Every investment has its pros and cons, and when it comes to real estate, you must be extra cautious and carefully see where you are putting your money and ascertain the profitability of the investment.

To make sure that you are making a sound investment, keep the following points in mind while buying foreclosed homes:

1. Extensive search: Conduct proper search for foreclosed properties on internet, newspapers, real estate magazines and foreclosure listings to find various properties to choose from. Government agencies and Housing and Urban Development also advertise various foreclosed homes.

2. Understand foreclosure laws: Laws governing foreclosure differ from State to State, so make sure you have a good understanding of governing foreclosure laws as this will ease out the transaction for you.

3. Once you have chosen the property of your interest, inquire if the seller accepts offer from unrepresented buyer or not. If he does not accept, then find an agent who has good experience in foreclosures to represent you.

4. Inspection of the property: Carefully inspect the property to ascertain its condition and amount of repairs that will incur. How well maintained the property is will be an important factor in determining the price you are willing to pay.

5. Negotiate the price: Remember that it is a foreclosed property that you are planning to buy, and the lender is eager to make good his loss suffered. This gives you the bargaining power. Inquire about the prevailing rates of similar properties and negotiate the price accordingly.

6. Also inquire about any liens or unpaid property taxes and who is going to pay for it, before you purchase the property.

7. Check the documents: Once the deal is through, carefully check the papers to ensure that you get a clear title, possession to property and that the property is free from all encumbrances. Consulting an attorney will simplify the process and ensure that all legal formalities are fulfilled.

Buying foreclosureconnections.com foreclosed homes is an excellent opportunity not only for investors, but also for first time buyers as a good property can be procured at really low prices. Usually foreclosed homes are discounted by 30 to 40 percent of the actual cost, which makes it a viable investment option.

Contact An Employment Agency For An Efficient Nanny

A nanny is a person who is employed to look after children. Normally, she goes to the home of the children to care for them. Some nannies live in the home of the employers while others may have their own accommodation arrangements.

Many families today all over the world hire the services of nannies. The duties of nannies may vary depending on the the employer and terms of employment. Basically, they give childcare based on the hours agreed between them and the employers. They ensure that the kids have a safe environment and also play with them. They also make nutritious and delicious food for the children.

Their other role is to keep parents updated on the development of every child. She may also discuss the behavior of the children and any concerns she may have about them. She also maintains neatness and cleanliness in the area that the children use. She may also put the children to bed and assist them at night if there is need.

Many potential employers sometimes do not know how to go about hiring nannies. Those looking for a nanny job may also not know where to start. There are many agencies worldwide that assist those who are looking to hire nannies and also those who want to be hired.

These agencies have female and even male nannies of various ages. One can get live-in and live-out nannies from such agencies or hire full-time or part-time nannies. They have also certified, self-taught, experienced nannies and also talented newcomers among others. Some of these agencies are registered with reputable organizations that regulate the standards in this industry. They include International Nanny Association among others.

These job agencies help the potential employer in various ways. They avail the profiles of various nannies for the employer to peruse. They help the employer to organize the interview process. They screen the nannies, do a background check for any criminal records and also finger prints. They give the potential employer guidelines regarding bonuses, salary, potential benefits and health insurance among others. They also help him to draw an employment contract.

Those looking for nanny jobs may also consult these agencies. Most of them have websites through which they can be contacted. Those looking for jobs may be required to fill a simple questionnaire online. The questions include personal details, experience, qualifications and employment history among other things.

After answering the questionnaire, the agency begins the process of looking for suitable employment for the applicant. Email, telephone and face to face interviews may be arranged for the job seeker. The job seeker is given assistance on how to go about interviews, negotiating for salary and other benefits among other things.

Any individual who is looking for a nanny job or those who want to hire nannies may contact these job agencies. They may be reached through their websites, email and fax or even through telephone calls. Most of them aim at giving the best services to both the employers and job seekers.

diamondpersonnel.com Nanny Toronto job agency helping to locate Nanny Job in the Greater Toronto Area. Let us help you to find that ideal job!

Buying a Home With a Low Credit Score

Without questions, low credit score puts lot of hurdles on your ways of buying a home. Many people think that buying a home with low credit score is an impossible task which is a wrong thought. People with bad or low score could buy a home but their interest rate would be bit higher than the individuals with shinning financial worth. Normally lenders prefer the credit score of more than 640, at least. It may vary from lender to lender.

The ideal way is to pay back all your debts and establish a brand new positive credit score. But this process would take around a year to get the desired positive score and needs patience and little efforts to manage your finances in smooth way. Your positive attitude towards improving your financial worth would be helpful. Regular checks of your statements, paying bills on time, borrowing debts within your limits and cutting down the unnecessary credit cards could be very helpful & effective towards improving your credit rate.

If you have faced a bankruptcy then you should wait at least 2 years to buy a home as these two years would help in boosting up your credit worth which would give you a good chance to get a mortgage on reasonable rates.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is another option in your hand to buy a home with low financial score. FCH is a federal government agency which helps & assists individuals in getting mortgages who have poor credit worth or who do not carry credit history such as; new graduates.

Read through your credit report carefully to identify any errors which might be the reason of low credit score. If you find any errors then you should dispute them immediately with credit bureaus for rectification. Once, your negative marks are removed then spontaneously your financial worth would regain positive status and you would be able to buy a home.

To fix bad credit for a new home, dial: 1-866-246-7311. Learn more about creditforcouples.com/article/buying_a_home_with_a_low_credit_score.html bad credit mortgage and find out more on creditforcouples.com/article/buying_a_home_with_a_low_credit_score.html minimum credit score for a mortgage.

How to Open a Halfway House Or a Recovery Home

To begin with, let us tell you that this article is going to smash any preconceptions out there regarding opening a halfway house in the USA. You do not need a license, permit, or any other document to open a halfway house. If any person, government official, government agency, zoning commission, etc. tells you otherwise, they are engaging in illegal and unfair practices. Know your rights (see bellow links to know your rights).

NATIONAL LAWS (ADA) ALWAYS SUPERSEDE LOCAL LAWS.

Just for a hypothetical situation; let's say that 3 people who have depression decide to become roommates in a home. Should they be shut down and kicked out of the neighborhood because of their disability? Does that mean they have to get a license or permit to stay? Of course not. They are protected under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), as well as other determinations (see links below) against such discrimination. Havingchemically dependent persons in a home is no different!!! Alcoholics and addicts have the same laws to protect them.

It is a well known fact that City Councils have tried to stop halfway houses in their neighborhoods by stating that a halfway house with alcoholics and/or addicts, in other words disabled persons, (and alcoholics and addicts qualify as disabled under the ADA), must not have roommates (as in 2 people in a room at a house), which prevents most halfway houses from opening.

If you have a house, and you want to open a halfway house, and your mortgage payment is $700.00 per month (see additional expenses at the bottom of this paragraph), there are many things to consider before accepting residents into your house. Let's say, hypothetically, you follow licensing and zoning guidelines. With the average charge to a resident with a substance abuse problem, being around $125.00 per week, you can see that if you went with what the license division / politicians tell you, (which are illegal tactics), you would be out of business shortly. Keep in mind that in addition to your mortgage payment are things such as: utilities, phone service, water, food, furniture, cooking utensils, beds, sheets- basically everything you would need to survive, etc.

On the other hand, if you did not license your house, you could put in 2 or 3 people in a room and keep your halfway house open. In other words, helping others to get a hand up at living sober. Please read more details below...

NATIONAL LAWS (ADA) ALWAYS SUPERSEDE LOCAL LAWS.

How to open a Recovery Home, Halfway House, Sober Living Home OR starting a Half Way House/Recovery Facility*- Resources to assist you. This article includes information on the standards and requirements of opening and operating a Halfway House/Recovery Home- NOTE: Not every county in the United States approaches standards and licensure in the same way- it is best to contact your local licensure department and/or zoning division.

The first thing you should know about opening a halfway house is that you do not need a degree or special certification to open one, and that most operate without a license/permit. Also, under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and The Fair Act Amendment, as well as other determinations, makes it illegal to discriminate against halfway houses and the people who own, operate, and live in them. Please see our links below for more information concerning these issues. There are a number of other important issues to cover concerning opening a halfway house that are vital to know.

You must first decide where you will operate. Once you have determined a location you have a choice in whether to license* the facility or not. There are also other permits, inspections, zoning variances, etc. to explore prior to opening up a halfway house. Please keep in mind that it is your choice whether to obtain a license, permit, and other certifications for the operation of a halfway house. If you choose to open a halfway house without a license, there are certain parameters you must operate under to make sure you are not shut down by the county/city you operate within. It is always best to check into what is required, allowed, and not allowed by contacting your local licensure agency and zoning department.

Most halfway houses that are not licensed are mandated to NOT provide on-site counseling or other wrap-around services- to avoid additional

paperwork and hassles, you could provide these services at a local church or other building. Most halfway houses that are licensed may need to

obtain a zoning variance, simply because (in the eyes of politicians) you are basically operating a business in a residential area. You may find that

because you are licensing it, the county (Zoning Commission) will limit the number of people you can have in any one room and at any one residence.

A halfway house that is going through the licensing process (and this may take months, even years to work out) will be required to have certain

structural adaptations made (water/fire sprinkler lines installed- which is very expensive) wheel chair accessible, parking and traffic issues to deal with, etc.

There are some overhead details to work out before you start taking in residents. You should know how many residents you will have in each room, what you are going to charge each resident, and what services are included in this cost or rent. You may also have to contend with residents coming in with no money, or that some residents will be late and/or short of the entire rent monies owed. It's up to you how you handle these situations. If you have a house ready to use as a Halfway House (providing you have decided whether to license it or not) and your mortgage payment, for a 4 bedroom home, is $700.00 per month (estimate), you will also need to factor in start-up and continued costs like food costs per week, water and utility costs, household needs, (paper towels, toilet paper, dish soap, cleaning chemicals, phones, etc.), as well as monthly and yearly costs, (beds and sheets, TV, computer(s), Internet connection, towels and face clothes, shampoo, dishes and utensils, pest control services, vucuum(s), maintenance, etc.)- basically everything you would need if you were starting from scratch in a new home (considering you have nothing on hand) only this time it is for X number of people. Also include additional items, if licensed, like license and permit charges, health inspection fees, reports, paperwork and filing, accounting, etc. With the above example you can clearly see that many licensure and zoning variances would limit you to having only 4 people at your house, so meeting your overhead is not possible- you would be operating in the red every month.

Fair Housing Act

A case in point (actual court case) in which, for a period of more than 1 year, a city violated the provisions stated within the Fair Housing Amendments

Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. §§3601-3619) and denied the operating of a Halfway House within a residential area.

In an effort to assist individuals, agencies, religious affiliations, etc. open recovery places and tackle the unfair and illegal tactics politicians and others are using to stop them, NICD has put together some basic, and very needed, resources to aid in the journey. Counties are using zoning

codes/variances to try and control halfway houses/sober living homes and the total census allowed within these centers. Some of the bias is a

NIMBY, (Not In My Back Yard) situation, while others include property value concerns. In any case, the reasons for discrimination and unfair tactics are not based on fact or material circumstances. These counties and individuals are in violation of the law as it relates to the ADA, (Americans With Disabilities Act), Section 36.209 section 510 which describes alcoholics/drug addicts as people with disabilities. The Federal Fair Housing Act, (see link below), 42 USC section 3604(f)(2) makes it unlawful "to discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with such dwelling because of a handicap." The 42 USC section 3604(f)(3)(B) provides that unlawful discrimination includes failure to make "reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices.

providing some resources that you can use in starting up a program.

There are numerous obstacles to overcome in trying to open up a halfway house for alcoholics and/or drug addicts. NICD will attempt to help you by

Note: Please feel free to copy/print this page, as we have waived the copyright for this page only.

Some additional concerns you may encounter:

The next section has some rules that should be a part of any quality run halfway house. In addition to these is a section for navigating your way

through getting your residents into benefits and entitlements.

Specific: Halfway Houses Rules- A good halfway house should have rules. We have constructed some that we feel are essential.

RULES & REGULATIONS

IMMEDIATE DISCHARGE

*Being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs

*Possession of alcohol/drugs

*Possession of weapons

*Threats either verbal or physical, or acts of violence, fighting

*Property destruction or altering the physical construction of the premises, including interior walls

*Failure to submit a U/A (which are always at your cost)

*Unaccountable or discrepancies in times off of premises

*Lies, either found on your intake paperwork or otherwise, stealing, unusual behavior, and any criminal activity

*Failure to comply with rules and/or staff directions

1. You are required to attend at least 3 12-Step meetings per week, have a program book, (Big Book, NA Text, etc.), and have your meeting slip

signed by a member of the group, and not another resident, and attend on-premises "House Meetings" which are held 2 times per week, 1-2 hours per meeting.

2. House meeting attendance is mandatory, (which means you must arrange for employment that does not interfere with these meetings), there are

no exceptions to this rule.

3. For the first 30 days you are to remain on premises, (during this time you are expected to be working on your steps), and must arrange 12-Step meeting attendance with another resident who is not on restriction, and this must be pre-approved by the house manager.

4. You are required to sign-out when leaving the premises, and sign-in upon return- all leaves must be pre-approved by the house manager in

advance, and any inconsistencies in leave times are grounds for discharge.

5. Rent must be paid every Friday directly to the house manager, and kept up to date without exception.

6. You must see the house manager at least 1 time per week to discuss your recovery program- it does not count as a visit to discuss program while paying rent, unless the house manager chooses to do so.

7. You must obtain a Home Group and a Sponsor (You must provide a contact name and phone number), within the first week of residency, and this will be verified.

8. You must have Steps 1,2, and 3 in writing, and present these in the House Meeting by the 3rd week, along with a copy to the house manager.

9. You are required to be employed full time, and you are not permitted to quit a job without first discussing it with the house manager, (employment status will be checked on periodically).

10. There are certain types of employment that are not allowed, and you must speak with the house manager

11. No cab driving, working in bars, clubs, or places that sell alcohol.

12. Your room must be kept neat, with your bed made at all times, rugs vacuumed, toilet cleaned, kitchen area clean, which means absolutely no

glasses, dishes, forks, knives, spoons, etc. left in the sink at any time, and any trash disposed of in a timely manner.

13. You will be assigned daily and weekend chores (these are mandatory as part of your stay).

14. All vehicles will have current tags and insurance, and this must be verifiable. Also, there will be no storage of vehicles, and no working on vehicles on the premises.

15. Bikes and other modes of transportation must be stored in the appropriate locations, and security for these are at your own cost.

16. Any situation that requires police involvement must be discussed with the house manager before the police are called, (any police involvement

without house manager approval will be grounds for discharge).

17. There are absolutely no visitors allowed on premises without prior approval from the house manager.

18. There will be no congregating outside, no loud music or discussions, no walkmans, caps, sunglasses, bandanas, or inappropriate dress allowed, and you are required to attend to daily hygiene needs.

19. No one is allowed in another residents room- period.

20. There are no sharing of clothes, personal property, loaning money, borrowing vehicles, including bikes by either staff or residents.

21. You may be requested to submit to a U/A at any time, which may include either with cause or without.

22. Any resident who is aware of a rules infraction and does not notify the house manager immediately will be subject to discharge, which includes

finding out later that you knew about it.

23. All rooms are subject to inspections at any given time, and any room that does not pass inspection may cause all residents in that room to be

discharged.

24. Smoking is not allowed in rooms.

25. There will be no illegal hook-ups of cable, or use of cable boxes. Cable hook-ups will be done legally, at your cost, and your risk. If bills are not current you will be required to cut-off services until the bill is paid for.

26. Phone hook-ups are your responsibility, as are the bills that go along with it.

27. Any cooking done by residents requires immediate clean-up.

28. Any delegation, directive, or request that is made by staff will then become a rule.

29. Any medical conditions and/or injuries must be brought to the attention of the house manager.

30. Calls to 911 for medical conditions, injuries, etc. must be approved by the house manager before calling.

31. If there is an emergency, call 911, and then notify the house manager immediately.

32. Any and all medications, including pain pills, psych. meds, aspirin, Advil, cold, flu, sinus, etc. will be kept, and locked up by the house manager and dispensed according to the instructions on the bottle- any Rx. or

33. House shut downs will occur if chores are not done, the grounds and buildings are not cared for, rooms are not kept clean, or general attitudes are not in line with house etiquette, and is done so at the discretion of the house manager.

34. All rules and regulations are subject to additions and changes at the house managers discretion.

This is not a complete list of all the possible rules and/or violations that may happen, so to insure a healthy, happy, drug and alcohol free recovery

environment please do your part to use common sense when it comes to either doing or not doing something that may affect yours and others

continued stay.

Finally, staff will not take the role of cop, lawyer, or investigator. This means discharges will occur without investigation of who did what, what was said, who is, or who is not at fault.

The NIMBY Syndrome, (Not In My Back Yard), is one area that an owner of a recovery home / halfway house will have to contend with. It is usually best to address this issue up front before you open, or before construction is started. Your local Zoning Commission office should be able to provide information on the area you plan on opening the halfway house in. The census bureau can provide information on the neighborhoods make up, (economic base, average salaries made, gender average, average cost of homes in the area, and other good information to educate yourself with).

Check to see if there is a homeowners association, as that could be your best bet in getting to know your neighbors, and them getting to know you.

You should plan on going to one of their meetings before you open, but definitely after you have been armed with the information that you know will come up for discussion. Some concerns will be on whether or not you will accept violent offenders, psychiatrically unstable residents, how your home will affect property values. You can convince people that you plan on running a safe, drug free, and strict program by bringing a copy of your intake protocol and halfway house rules. Let them know how you plan on handling the situation when one of your residents comes up positive on a drug

screen. You should develop, in writing, protocols for dealing with this and other situations- there should be a plan of action that all staff and residents are to follow in any given situation. There will be some fear there, as no one wants a drug addict discharged/kicked out in their neighborhood at 1:00 A.M. on a weekend or any other time.

You need to arm yourself with the facts and also how you will handle all sorts of possible situations. If you take the lead and let your neighbors know, before they ask, what they can expect from you, you will go far in gaining their trust. Just be sure you follow through as you promised. It will pave the way to open another site, if you want to, if you have a great relationship with those that live around your halfway house.

In six major studies of communities where halfway houses were opened, no significant change in average housing prices could be found (MacNeil & Kappel, 1986, Part III.A.).

Dr. Stephen J. Murray, NICD Director

Caregivers Take the Blinders Off

When you're a sandwich generation caregiver, often that's left over after everyone is cared for are crumbs. Caregivers need to take extra special care of them selves to assure they don't get burned out. Learning good self-care techniques requires a willingness to survive and prosper in a very difficult phase of life.

I think the biggest obstacle that caregivers face is they wear blinders. By blinders I mean they don't recognize the need to talk with mom or dad about what they want when things go south. Aging parents, also wear blinders, they don't want to be a burden or worry their adult children with their problems. Aging parents and their adult children need to take the blinders off and talk about the realistic plans for the future if they are going to get through health declines unscathed.

Planning discussions involve asking mom and dad what they want, what they can afford, and what you as a caregiver can offer. Mom and dad my want the pie in the sky scenario, but only be able to afford a cup of jo. Having planning conversations while mom or dad are still healthy is key. These conversations benefit the caregiver in several ways, they help the caregiver identify what needs to be done to assure mom's safety, dignity and independence in her most frail days. They help the caregiver and parent start setting up community resources if savings aren't adequate. They can even help caregivers in planning for their own golden years. It is important for adult children to trust their guts and bring up these topics when the time is right. Parent's blinders are strong and they are likely to resist initiating these discussion in a timely manner.

Unfortunately for many the blinders get knocked off by a terrible jolt. Mom has fallen and can't get up. She broke a hip, needed a hip replacement, went to rehab and is home now, but barely gets around. No plans were made and sis, who lives close by is left holding the bag. These scenarios occur everyday, and now sis who has her own family and career has to figure out how to care for mom. The good news is that she's not alone, and there are tons of service providers willing to help some are covered by Medicare while others are not. The bad news is she needs to figure it all out.

Figuring it all out can be stressful. This is your mom for goodness sake, you love her, she has always been there for you, and now the reality that one day she may not is settling in. That emotional strain alone can be too heavy to bear. So here are a few steps to take care. First, ask for help many communities have care giver support groups, and area agencies on aging where you can get help. Next, give yourself a break and try not to worry so much. Give yourself permission to worry everyday at 2:00 -2:15 and then tell yourself at 8:30 or 5:00 it's not my time to worry. Finally, spent quality time with mom, the kids, and your sweetie tell them how much you love them, what you can and cannot do, and ask for hugs.

Vince Chiles, LCSW is the author of a self-published book Happiness in Five Minutes a Day which is scheduled to be released to the public 3/26/08. Information about Vince and his book can be obtained by going to [happinessinfive.com]

Therapists Can Help Curb Hospital Re-Admissions

Note that Patient education is just as important as your therapists' education.

Reducing hospital re-admissions should be your top priority what with your patient outcomes and even survey results on the line. And curbing readmits will become all the more important with pay for performance expected soon.

But your team of therapists can certainly help your home health agency in this direction.

It goes without saying that your home health agency should be keeping track of the top reasons for patient education and target those in staff training. Here we can cite the example of Amedisys Inc, an HHA chain based in Baton Rouge, La., which found out that falls were one of the main reasons behind hospital re-admissions.

According to Kim Marryott Lee, corporate director for rehab research and quality for Amedisys, "So we've had a big push in the company to identify fall risk factors, educate the community and our personnel, and follow up with focused interventions."

Amedisys makes a point to be on the lookout for fall risks in the physical home environment like slippery floors and clutter. But clinicians are also trained to check for other risks such as vision problems, medications that could cause dizziness and cardiac issues that could lead to falls.

That apart, one should keep a watch on other conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure, diabetes, and infections (both wound and catheter infections). And do remember that your own HHA's readmission stats may reveal other red-flag diagnoses.

What you can do: Therapist Steve Allred, vice president of clinical development for Atlanta-based home health care chain Gentiva Health Services Inc., says that to exercise good preventive measures, one needs to standardize one's care. According to Allred, "When we have a post-joint replacement patient, we do x, y. and z every time - that way the patient is not dependent on a particular expert clinician."

Provides free weekly newswire for homecarenews.inhealthcare.com/hot-topics patient education and offers learning opportunity about homecarenews.inhealthcare.com/money-matters/home-health-coding-double-check-documentation-or-risk-low-vision-downcoding home health coding that keeps connected to the latest developments in health-oriented services.

Building Your Own Home in Shreveport Bossier City Louisiana Areas

What does it take to build your own home, to be your own contractor, to save money? In Louisiana an individual has the right to build their own home once per year. I've built several homes in the past, and each time was a learning experience. With this experience I have prepared for YOU a step by step guide to building a home from my point of view. This article is specifically taylored to building slab-on-grade homes in the Shreveport Bossier City area.

Choose your home. Make a decision about which will be your next home. Once you decide what to build you'll need to purchase house plans. One of my favorite places to look for house plans is W.L. Martin Home Designs. These guys have the most well constructed house plans I've ever seen, not to mention beautiful designs. Look above and check out the WL Martin home completed in 2005. If your framing crew ever complains about a WL Martin house plan, consider firing them for incompetency.

Find some land. Now you have your house plans and you know what footprint your house will have the property. Shop around and find some land to build your new house on. Drive around, look in the newspaper, look on the internet. Find out what the restrictions are on the property. Many subdivisions have covenants (restrictions) describing what type of homes are allowed. If your house fits then great! If not, pick another house or another piece of land.

Caution! Be on the lookout for contractors selling land requiring that you let them build the house for you. Not that there's anything wrong with this; as a matter of fact I would require people let me build the house too. However, the focus of this article is building your OWN home.



Finance the land. If you don't have cash on hand find someone that will loan money for the land. If you are building the home immediately most mortgage companies have programs available. If it is months or years before you plan to build the home then contact David Ogletree at the Louisiana Land Bank. The Louisiana Land Bank has a program for future homesites which enables them to loan money for raw land. Their rates are competitive, and their service is fast.


Get your costs together. There's no skipping this step! Before you get a loan for building a home the bank will make you submit your cost estimate. I have provided a list for you which includes everything I bought for my last home project in 2005. I also provide you with names of people in the area who did a good job for me. Feel welcome to contact them and tell them I sent you. Please note that the purpose of this list is to provide you with a starting point and remind you of things that are often forgotten. You will need to edit this list to make it fit your requirements. These items are listed in the order I encountered them.


Land Cost - How much you pay for the land.
Land Clearing - You'll need to hire a good dozer man to prepare your property for your home. For this task I recommend Roy McDowell from Webster Trucking. He has a laser level on his bull dozer that puts a nice grade on your site. His phone number is 318.949.4915.
House Plans - How much you paid for the house plans.


Permits - Be sure to obtain all required permits. These can be culvert permits, parish building permits, city permits, and more.
Builder's Risk Insurance - Protect yourself agains fires, theft, and a host of other unfortunate circumstances. Call Bobbie Smarr for Builder's Risk Insurance at ICT Insurance Agencies 318.797.7400.
Portable Toilet service - When you gotta go, you gotta go. Keep your workers relieved at your job site.

Temporary Water Service - Contact the water service in your area and have them put a water meter in. There are several phases of construction that require water (ie. masonry).
House Pad - Find someone that can sell dirt and build the house pad for you. Don't go too cheap here, or you'll have a house sitting in a mud hole. For this task I recommend Roy McDowell from Webster Trucking. He has a laser level on his bull dozer that puts a nice grade on your site. His phone number is 318.949.4915.
Slab, Post Tension - Contact Drew Paschall with TBG, Inc. His phone number is 214.616.4841.

Driveway and sidewalks - Contact Drew Paschall with TBG, Inc. His phone number is 214.616.4841.

Temporary Electricity - Contact Bo Wilkinson at BW Electric at 318.949.8711. They have electric poles and will help you coordinate getting the temporary power on your job site.
Interim Loan interest - Be sure to remember this one. While it takes 3-12 months to build your home you'll be paying interim loan interest on the money you have borrowed. I like to use 5% of the final borrowed amount to estimate how much interest I'll pay over the life of the interim loan.


Framing & Lumber - Contact Drew Paschall with TBC, Inc. His phone number is 214.616.4841. Even if you use someone else for the construction of the slab make sure you don't miss the pleasure of working with these people in framing your house. Their speed will save you money on your interim loan interest. They work in large crews and focus on YOU until they are finished with the job.
tape/float/texture/paint/stain - This process involves hanging sheetrock inside your home, preparing the sheetrock for texture, texturing the sheetrock, painting the house, and staining the cabinetry. For this task I have a strong preference for Mark Villarreal at Aim To Please. His home phone number is 318.949.8871. His cell phone number is 318.458.0079. Since this step in building a home is time consuming, Aim To Please's painters work in large crews to complete your job in a shorter amount of time. This saves you money on interim loan interest.

Cabinets - Get your order in for cabinets at the same time you pour your slab. Doing it this way will prevent delays when it's time to install them. Randy Peters and Tim Taylor build some beautiful cabinets. Contact them at 318.272.4598.

Cabinet knobs - Steer clear of fancy prices here. Get the cabinet knobs and stuff on Ebay! That's what I did.
Countertops - Will it be formica, corian, granite, marble? Make the choice now. You need to know how much it will cost you.

Wood, tile, and carpet material and labor - Decide how the flooring will be laid out in your new home. For fair pricing and top notch workmanship contact BJ's Flooring at 318.371.6823.

Electric/ethernet/security - Nobody does my electric work except BW Electric. Give them a call at 318.949.8711.


Air conditioning / Heating - Don't cheap out here. Get a unit with a high seer rating and enjoy reduced electric bills. Look at the pictures above. The house completed in 2002 was 1,400 square feet with an average electric bill of $250/month. The house completed in 2005 is 4,000 square feet with an average electric bill of $160/month. Contacted Fertitta's Air & Heat and let John come out and work his magic. Their phone number is 318.687.5966.
Masonry, labor, sand, mortar, lentils - Get with Jim Thomas at 318.377.3856 or Toby Whaley at 318.218.4803. Both of these guys have an excellent reputation in this area.

Plumbing, plumbing fixtures, tubs, faucets, toilets - Tommy Adkins' phone number is 318.470.3490. He can provide you with a quote on your plumbing. I approve of their work, and I think you will too.

Trim Materials and Labor - This includes crown moulding, mantels, and anything else that might be fancy. Let Drew Paschall set you up. His phone number is 214.616.4841.
Insulation - Who else but Charles at AAA Insulators. His phone number is 318.949.3719.

Fireplace - Try Mike Cox at Bradley Brick. His phone number is 318.752.9933.


Garage doors - Whether your looking for the regular ones or the fancy insulated ones give Benny Cash a call at Overhead Door. His phone number is 318.865.7666.
Lighting fixtures and ceiling fans - No recommendations. Just find a place known for on-time delivery.
Dishwasher/stove/vent/microwave - No recommendations. Just find a place known for on-time delivery.

Refrigerator - No recommendations. Just find a place known for on-time delivery.
Exterior doors, interior doors - Contact Drew Paschall at 214.616.4841.

Stairway materials and labor - Contact Drew Paschall at 214.616.4841.


Windows - Contact Drew Paschall at 214.616.4841.

Roofing materials and labor - No recommendations.
Lawn Preparation for Grass - James San Angelo and his tractor can work wonders. Cell: 318.393.4923
Home: 318.746.9985.
Grass, mulch and labor - Now is the best time to add a layer of compost to compliment your lawn installation. Eco Mulch & Sod can make all this happen for you. Their phone number is 318.865.5200.

Landscaping -Richard Matthews at Avant Garde-ner has a love for landscaping and it certainly shows. Let him help you design your landscape, and you'll feel he's as interested in your project as you are. His phone number is 318.797.7183.
Mirrors and shower doors - Glass Doctor can make anything your heart desires. Give them a call at 318.221.3503.
Gutters - Harmon & Sons installed the gutters on the house completed in 2005. No matter how much of a handyman you think you are, you're not going to equal the quality of this work with stuff you bought from the store. Their phone number is 318.671.9668.

Appraisal Fee - Don't forget the appraisal fee. Once you finish the house the bank will want an appraisal so plan on paying one more time before you move into your house.




Get Approved for a Mortgage. Contact your mortgage company and get preapproved for the amount calculated in your costs in Step 4. If your credit is good enough, try adding a 10-15% contingency on top of your total value. You can have this amount for "cushion" in case you run into unforeseen circumstances. Also it might come in handy if you see something you might want to upgrade along the way. Remember though, it's much better to complete your project under budget rather than over budget.




Get an Interim Loan. Commonly referred to as a "Construction Loan", an Interim Loan allows you to build your home and only pay interest on the money you have borrowed to date. For example, if you are approved for $100,000 to build your home on a 7% interim loan and you spend no money during the first month of construction then your loan payment would be $0 for that month. However, if you spent $20,000 during your first month of construction then you'd pay $117. To arrive at this number all you need to do is multiply $20,000 by 0.07 (your APR, or interest rate). The result should be $1,400. Then divide $1,400 by 12 (because their are 12 months in the year).
Bring your house plans from Step 1 of this article, your costs from Step 4, and your mortgage approval from Step 5. If you have done Step 4 completely then the bank is going to be impressed and give you consideration for thinking everything through so carefully. Keep in mind that while it is your right in the state of Louisiana to build your own home once per year, it is also the bank's right not to loan you the money because you don't have a licensed contractor building your home. It's their money and their rules. Many of the banks have discontinued loans to owner construction because so many have found theirselves in cost overrun. You'll need to find a bank that will finance to owner construction. One bank that I know of that still does this is Minden Building & Loan in Minden, LA. Give Greg Lee a call at 318.377.0523.



Get Your Permits. For building my last home out of the city limits I had to get a culvert permit and a parish building permit. Go to your Assessor's office in Bossier or Caddo Parish and tell them the address of your new construction. They should be able to set you up with all the permits you need. Nothing like good 'ol taxation from the government.


Get Builder's Risk Insurance. Call Bobbie Smarr for Builder's Risk Insurance at ICT Insurance Agencies 318.797.7400. Protect your investment.

Prepare your Land. Call Roy McDowell at 318.949.4915. You'll need to discuss with him where your house will be located on the property and where your driveway(s) will be. Roy has an excellent knack for determining house elevations. He'll make sure your house is high and dry. He's knowledgeable of soil compaction properties and will use only the highest quality material. His bull dozer with the integrated laser levelling system will make sure your home is sitting on a perfect foundation.



Portable Toilet. Time to get the potty for all the workers!


Temporary Electricity. Call Bo Wilkinson at BW Electric and tell him it's time to install the electric pole. 318.949.8711.


Foundation Preparation. Contact Drew Paschall with TBG, Inc. His phone number is 214.616.4841. They'll set the foundation and dig all the beams for your home.



Plumbing Rough-In. Call Tommy Adkins at 318.470.3490 so they can bring the Ditch Witch out and install water and sewer lines.


Order cabinets. Don't find yourself waiting later. Get those cabinets ordered now so you'll have them when you need them.


Pour Slab & Install Post Tension. Drew Paschall comes back again to install the post tension cabling and pour the concrete for your slab. Just after the slab dries they should do a "partial pull" of the cabling. This helps prevent premature cracking of the concrete.



Framing. A day or two after the concrete dries Drew's crew is back out again to build the frame for the house. This process will take several weeks. Once they are finished your house will have tar paper on the roof, windows and doors on the exterior, and any applicable siding. You can now brag to your friends using the lingo, "my house is in the dry" or "I got my home blacked in".


Put the Roof on. Bring out the roofers and put the shingles on so the house won't leak. Remember the cheap shingles don't last as long as the expensive ones!



More Rough-in. It's now time to rough-in your air conditioning, electricity, insulation and plumbing. Now is your chance to make any special requests for location of sockets, installation of surround sound, or anything else your heart desires.


Install the Fireplace. Now is the best time to install the fireplace an all associated duct work.

Install Cabinets. The painters are going to need to stain the cabinets while they're painting the house so get them installed just before the guys show up with their paint brushes.



Paint the house. This part takes the longest and quite frankly it is the most boring in my opinion. However, rest assured that lots of work is happening. At this stage you'll get your sheetrock hung, your walls texturized, and your whole house painted! This stage could take well over a month if not two or three months.


Masonry. Brick? How about some stucco? Bring that brick man out and let him put the brick on.


Trim Work. All moulding, doorways, stairs, and other fancy stuff should be installed at this point.



Install Fixtures. Bring the guys back again for final trim out of air conditioning vents and controls, electrical fixtures and switches, sinks, faucets, etc.

Appliances. Time for the dishwasher, stove, range vent, and microwave.

Insulation trim-out. Bring on the pump truck. The insulators will come out one last time. They'll run hoses throughout the house and up to the attic to blow a nice coat of insulation to keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.



Contact your loan officers. You're now about 1 month away from moving into your new home. Contact your loan officers and decide upon a target move-in date for your new home. Put your interim loan officer in touch with your mortgage officer and let them coordinate how they will handle the roll-over of your interim loan into a mortgage. Now is the time to lock in your greeneasylife.com/LoanCalculator mortgage interest rate.


Flooring. Just when you thought you were almost through it's now time to install the flooring. Expect another period of slow, intensive labor. This process takes a few weeks, but the end result is fabulous! After the flooring is done it's okay to move in your refrigerator, washing machine and dryer.


Install garage doors. This process only takes about a day. If you're getting standard doors then the delivery time is fairly rapid. If you plan to have insulated doors you should order them about one month prior to the expected installation date.


Mirrors and shower doors. All mirrors and shower doors are ready for installation around this date. Just make sure this is done AFTER the electrical trim-out or you could run into problems.

Driveways and sidewalks. Bring Drew out for one last time. The installation of the driveways and sidewalks will only take a couple of days.


You're not finished, but Move In! At this point you have completed your house to the point where you can order an appraisal, close on your mortgage, and move in!

Install grass, landscaping, and gutters. Now that you're all moved in you'll be ready to just enjoy your new house. Make one final push and get your lawn, landscaping, and gutters installed.

Thank you for reading shreveport-real-estate.net/building-your-own-home.htm Building your own home in Shreveport Louisiana. I hope you have found this article both informative and interesting. It takes a great deal of planning and effort to build a home, but the rewards are money savings and satisfaction through piece of mind. I welcome any of your comments or suggestions.

Matthew Thompson, Realtor, Webmaster shreveport-real-estate.net Shreveport Real Estate Webmaster Copyright. All rights reserved.

FHA Loan Qualifications - Learn How to Get FHA Home Mortgages

Being credit-free is great but it has its disadvantages. Without a history of credit, it will be difficult to apply for a loan from conventional lending companies. And without a history of credit, the lender has no credit report to review and check whether you're eligible for credit or not.

The good news is, you can still keep that clean credit history and be able to apply for a loan. The FHA allows you to apply for credit with non-conventional credit institutions. In the FHA loan qualifications, it indicates that applying for a loan is possible even if you don't have trade lines with the three major credit bureaus.

As a potential borrower, you are required by the FHA to submit three credit references from the two groups of non-conventional credit resources. The first group is composed of utility payments including electricity, gas; and rental payments. This group is given more weight and is a good indicator of your creditworthiness. The second group, on the other hand, is consists of payment to day care, bank statements showing increased savings over time and insurance payments.

The FHA will also look into your employment. You have to have a stable job in the past two years and show the agency that you can manage your payments. To begin your application, you have to submit the following requisite documents: proof of residence including all your addresses in the past two years; employment history; and income tax returns or W2 for the past two years. Also, if you are a former veteran, you have to include your discharge papers in the documents to be submitted to the FHA. These documents will indicate your financial position in the past two years. The FHA will assess and measure your creditworthiness based on these credit references.

In summary, the FHA can grant you a loan even if you don't have a credit history to support your creditworthiness. Having said that, you must pay your bills on time, prove that you have a stable employment and you are responsible enough to meet your financial obligations. So you see, you still have credit options even if you don't own a credit card or a car for that matter. Applying for credit with the FHA is easy but you have to take note that you have to take care of your financial reputation otherwise, you may lose this privilege altogether.

==>Click Here to learn more about newfhaloanrequirements.com FHA Loan Requirements and newfhaloanrequirements.com/fha-loan-guidelines FHA Loan Guidelines. Get your dream house with little bit of government's help. It is not as hard as you think.

Pick Out a Reliable Travel Agent

On an individual's up coming business journey to Los Angeles and nearby destinations, there are a couple of crucial variables that you need to consider. In this article, we will get to know about precisely why getting the expertise of a reliable travel agent to deal with your next business travel would be much more worthwhile and much more sensible.

Thoroughly organizing your options for your subsequent company journey is very critical because a business trip is really distinct from your common leisure or holiday travel. Business trips are usually more proper and serious as compared with tourist trips and any mistake in your strategy of action may well give you additional difficulty along the way. The task would certainly be greater on your part when you opt to coordinate your business deal and schedule your flight at the exact moment. Consequently, it would be sensible to request for support from a trustworthy travel agent that can concentrate entirely on everything you might really need for your business trip. It is the travel agent's duty to methodically organize your travel facts, from your travel to LAX right up until you get back home.

If you take business trips regularly, you can find out with the travel agent if they offer packages for business journeys. The agent will take proper care of everything about your business travel from selecting your plane tickets, to organizing of engagements and reservations in places to stay. Be certain you pick out a reliable and experienced travel agent to deal with every little thing you will need on your trip. A number of travel professionals will give interesting inexpensive offers that will surely interest more individuals. An individual can protect not just a lot of cash, but a lot of time as well if you select these cheaper business travel packages. This will offer you a chance to work more on your venture.

It is additionally likely to have your family with you on your business trip these times. A good number of travel agencies will deliver you great holiday getaway packages that will add your family members. Currently, lots of travel providers have sightseeing deals bundled in their company trip packages. A person can have the opportunity to feature in your company travel package deal widely known spots in and around La such as Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland.

Selecting a trusted and efficient Los Angeles travel agent will guarantee that your business trip will be a nice, non-problematic and hassle-free experience.

Looking for a great way to spend your vacation? Make it worth your while and contact a travelagentla.com travel agent LA specialist. See all the sites and hear all the sounds of the city of angels and don't miss a thing so make sure you inquire and confide with a travelagentla.com/california-travel-agencies California travel agencies specialist.

Bank Owned Homes For Sale Everywhere

Today bank owned homes for sale are everywhere in the United States and the world. The economic crisis affecting every country in the world has forced many banks to foreclose on properties which in other conditions may have been saved by their owners without much effort. Suddenly many banks and financial institutions everywhere, found themselves short on cash and long on homes that were not really worth the amount so money lent to their owners. This produced a catastrophic market collapse which will take many years to recover from.

Now is a good moment for people who have some money saved to buy a house if they so desire. The market is depressed and many banks and real estate companies are making all kinds of deals to get rid of properties and get some money into their bank accounts. Bank owned homes for sale are being auctioned everywhere too. Even if your credit report is not clean and clear it is possible for you to get a house, if you have a little cash.

The government has also activated programs that will help you buy a house with bad credit. Certain government agencies will help you to fulfill the requirements to buy a house. This is very important for state and local governments so they can reactivate the construction industry which produces millions of jobs every year. Federal, state and local programs are working together to find homes for people and to reactivate the real estate markets everywhere.

Many unitedhorizonproperties.com bank owned homes for sale are in perfect conditions and have been well cared for. Remember the people living there did not want to lose their homes, they wanted to stay there. It was the economic situation that hit the world which forced them to leave their homes. These homes are the best possible homes you can buy because they were chosen with care and you can tell when you go inside that the people who lived there loved their homes.

Even if you do not have money but you have a good credit record, it is the right time to buy. unitedhorizonproperties.com Bank owned homes for sale are at their lowest possible prices. They will never again be cheaper. Many people rushed to buy when the markets collapsed, they bought too fast, and they should have waited a little more to take advantage of the prices today. The market cannot fall anymore; these are the best prices you will get, especially if you are buying in an auction. It is the right time to take your money or good credit and get a new home at a great price.

What Hidden Spy Cameras Can Do For You?

Back in the good old days, like two years ago, hidden spy cameras were only used by government agencies, wealthy individuals or private investigators. They were the only ones who had the money to buy and install them or the expertise to set them up to make them work.

That was then. Now with mega advances in technology and price competition hidden spy cameras are available for $100.00 or less and surveillance systems for $500.00 or less and sometimes discounts are available to make them even less expensive. But why should you have one? And most importantly what can they do for you?

Here are some of the things a hidden spy camera can do for you. You might think of some more. Let me know.

Business. If you own a business you are very concerned no doubt about internal and external security. Internal security is to prevent or catch dishonest employees from stealing from you. External security is used to prevent break-ins or catch the bad guys who do break in.

Home. You can use hidden cameras for home surveillance inside and out. Place a camera near your front door and the bad guys will think twice about a home invasion. Use a hidden camera inside and catch your wife and her boyfriend or your kids using drugs or taking your booze. Or keep an eye on your domestic help and or caregiver while you are away.

Assisted Care Facilities. Have a bad reputation for abuse of patients and theft especially from vulnerable dementia patients. Don't be a victim. Put a hidden camera in your mom or dad's room to see what is really going on.

Remote Viewing. Some cameras have the ability to be viewed anywhere in the world via the internet. Want to watch your home or business while you are on a trip? Want to see what is going on at a vacation home form your primary residence? This is the way to do it.

There are many other uses too. These will just give you an idea of what can be done.

Jack Krohn owns 'Security Solutions' and has written over 400 articles on self defense and home security. Take 10% off your order using Discount Code FTV at checkout.

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Getting Loans to Avoid Home Foreclosure

There are many ways by which one can avoid home foreclosure, no matter what your back up plan is, one must not try getting too close to property foreclosure as it is not good for ones reputation and for your family well being.

If your calculations fall short, then there is no reason that the mortgage company will accept your excuses. If your property falls under foreclosure, it is a possibility that one may lose his home and also end up becoming indebted to the bank if they can't raise the amount lent.

The company will never accept your reasons, even though if they are very genuine, their existence is dependent on recovering their debt and this makes them never to accept your excuses.

When one falls close to foreclosure he must dig deep and strive further and put forth his struggle. There is no other alternative to this and one must be well prepared.

There are also a lot of different non-profit organizations out there that can help you avoid home foreclosure if you are truly in need of the help.

While there are a lot of places out there that can help, not all of them will be able to so you want to make sure that you come up with an entire list of places to call. If one says that they cannot help you avoid home foreclosure, then simply move on to the next place on the list.

Eventually, with enough hard work and dedication to the cause, you will be able to avoid home foreclosure.

You could always ask for help from your friends or family in order to avoid foreclosure. While this may be somewhat of an awkward situation, if it means that you get to keep your family home then it may be worth it.

Just ask for help to avoid foreclosure as the worst thing that can happen is that they tell you that they are not able to help. You will certainly be no worse off then you were before and then you will know that you need to look elsewhere for help to avoid foreclosure.

If you are unable to make payments before the due date, then you are said to be in breach of your contract and you are in serious trouble. You can get a list of companies that may come forward to help you out.

This list can be got from your mortgage company as well. One must take care that you contact the right kind of people as the rules are different depending on the area of residence. The laws vary widely from one state to another.

One must make sure that the conditions are met properly. When talking to these places, we will be introduced to numerous agencies and people that may come to help you out.

Making such arrangements is not enough. One must make efforts to properly return the money got from others and return them promptly in order to maintain his social and monetary benefits.

Learn more about how to realestateforeclosureauction.net/avoid-home-foreclosure avoid home foreclosure at my blog. Discover where to get free realestateforeclosureauction.net/home-foreclosure-help home foreclosure help online.

Ten Commandments For Success in a Home Based Business-Adhere Or Fail

From time immemorial, operating a successful business has always been the result of a set of mysterious formula, both deceptively simple and forcefully complicated, but in today's modern e-age it is possible to somewhat decipher the magic codes, and evolve a few easy-to-understand steps that can serve as successful business strategies. The advent of modern technology and formalized systems, and the vigours of competition seem to have imposed severe conditions for survival in business, let alone to grow and succeed. Global statistics on failed business are rather depressing, with nearly four fifths of companies closing within the first five years, and a high proportion even within the first 12 months. But it is definitely well within one's capability for an entrepreneur to religiously adopt a few business success tips, survive and grow, using time-tested critical business elements, with commitment and belief in his/her own self.

Focus the telescope: In business, to look up, look high and look beyond the proximity is the foremost strategy one needs to develop a vision - dreams and aspirations spelled out and shared with companions and employees, are sure to ensure a healthier climate for growth and success.

Invent or innovate: Inventions have always been interesting, and hence using the innate human behavior to advantage, encouraging and rewarding innovation in all walks of the business, ultimately in products/services/styles - almost anything.

Strategies and Plan: Convert ideas into strategies and document them into plans, detailing the timing, nature, quantity, and application, so that all within and outside know where the business is heading to, and how. Normally the business.educationeasy.net business plan should take on this function and spell out for the short, medium and long terms, what needs to be done to take the business forward.

Develop the structure: Form a well-knit performing team, with a focus on the central vision, such that leadership skills show up at all levels, and stages, ensuring progress in all spheres of the business.

Equip all-round support: Starting with the entrepreneur, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, compelling one to develop the supporting frame with proper inputs - could be skills, contact, connections, and outside agencies that are relevant to the business.

Develop the Human touch: People are the organization's greatest asset, one has only to understand, and spread the human touch, with systems that emphasize on recognition, rewards and performance based schemes that encourage everyone to do their best for the business.

Consistency instills confidence: Successful businesses are identifiable with clarity and visibility in all aspects of working, such that the customer wishes to interact/operate repeatedly, having developed the confidence in the people and the business itself.

Trumpet with care: People and specially customers often get to know a great deal, but this needs to be within reasonable limits, more so in a highly competitive environment, such that a win-win situation can be nurtured, benefiting all participants.

Know thy limits: Entrepreneurs do not normally want to end the operations or the business, but if warranted, one should know when to, and how, with minimal hurt and loss to everyone. Even this could help to improvise on contingency planning as part of the business process. In essence there must be a strategy even to quit if needed.

Value the customer: The business exists only due to the customer, and therefore give the due credit, respect his/her preferences, likes and dislikes, whether it addresses the product or the process or even the price. With customer support, you have built your house on a rock, and your business will survive in some way or the other.

Succeeding in business can be easier achieved if one were to use a judicious combination of these small business tips, which are not entirely new, but surely help to clearly expound the basics of the critical business elements that were/are postulated in standard books and management literature for many centuries. It is available for free, one has to only use and benefit.

To successfully earn an extra income online [profit-from-home-today.com] you must have the tools and training to profit for the long term. Bob Tantullo has been marketing online for the past 5 years and knows what works and what does not produce results. His customers respect his knowledge and teachings he gives to them.

To find out how Bob can help you succeed online go to [profit-from-home-today.com]

Look for the free report and invitation to a free webinar on the website

In Your Next Chapter, Caring For an Aging Parent

As you begin to transition into the next chapter of your life, other considerations will begin to emerge on your horizon. Among those factors entering into your new equation may be the consideration of caring for an aging parent or parents.

Q: "I can't get more job training because I'm taking care of an aging parent. What would you say to me?"

A: There are alternatives or options which you need to consider, including elder care options from agencies that visit men and women's homes on a regular basis. So, perhaps the answer is bringing someone in on those days of the week when you are working or gaining additional training.

Q: "I take my mother to many doctors appointments. Does this limit me in the kinds of jobs I can accept, because I have to take so much time off work?"

A: There are agencies dealing with aging in each county. Some of these are voluntary organizations, such as churches uniting together to take seniors to doctors' offices and dentists' offices plus tests at hospitals. There are simply men and women in the community who have already retired, and they're willing to perform these functions.

Q: "Where can I learn more about these services?"

A: You can check with your own county departments on aging or voluntary organizations in your county that deal with the subject of aging.

Q: "I never know when a family member is going to need me, and then I have to drop everything. So I can't work, and we're running out of money."

A: Most companies and schools would take that into consideration from an attendance standpoint. This is an item that can be negotiated.

Q: "I have to give the highest priority to helping my aging parent. Don't you think so?"

A: Your aging parent understands the necessity of you working, if you absolutely have to have money from a cashflow standpoint. Everything in life is a question of establishing correct priorities. If you need income every month to pay your bills, then that is your first priority. This doesn't mean that you're not involved in the resolution of your aging parent's problem.

Q: "My mother is very high maintenance."

A: There are also nursing home options and assisted living options that need to be evaluated going forward. Perhaps, one of these options involves your mother selling her current home or condominium, as she evaluates these senior living options.

Q: "I know that other cities have more job opportunities for me. But my parents wouldn't even consider moving and I take care of them."

A: All of these concerns have to be taken into consideration. So, if working is the first necessity that you have, then you have to pursue these job opportunities where you're concerned and, then, deal with your aging parent issues as a separate line item. In other words, you need to de-couple those items.

Q: "My father is frail, and he simply could not move with us."

A: Then your father needs to consider senior living options that would be appropriate for him, based upon his age and physical or mental limitations.

Q: "All of my family and friends are in this town. We just can't move."

A: Because your family and friends are here doesn't mean you can't move. That's a choice on your part.

Q: "I'm too old to move. I'm set in my ways."

A: I'm reminded of the phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." I don't think that it has to do with where you currently live but where you can earn your income. And I believe that flexibility is part of the answer in this process. The more flexible we're willing to be, the more easily our needs can be met in this area in terms of providing the income we need for our basic necessities.

James O. Armstrong, who is President of NowWhatJobs.net, Inc., nowwhatjobs.net nowwhatjobs.net, also serves as the Editor of NowWhatJobs.net. In addition, he is the author of "Now What: Discovering Your New Life And Career After 50" and the president of James Armstrong & Associates, Inc., which is a media representation firm based in Suburban Chicago.

Depression in Elder Care

 Depression and elders is a serious and unfortunately common problem among the aging populations. Some studies even estimate up to 25% of the elderly population suffers from depression.  Among the elderly, depression is difficult to diagnose as the symptoms blur with traits stereotypically associated with age. The roots of depression in an elder can range from a number of scenarios, including: grief, chronic illness or pain, loneliness, memory loss, or feeling that life no longer has purpose. According to the Center for Disease Control, common symptoms of depression include:

o Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

o Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness

o Irritability, restlessness

o Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable

o Fatigue and decreased energy

o Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions

o Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping

o Overeating, or appetite loss

o Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

o Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not get better, even with treatment  

People of all ages experience periods of uncertainty, grief, or mourning. However, extended periods of mental is not normal, whether the individual is a young adult or an elder. Therefore, any of the above symptoms exhibited by the aged should be seriously evaluated, and medical help should be sought. There are many different ways to treat depression. Consider the following options, which can usually be covered by insurance plans: Psychotherapy, or "Therapy" - Therapy is the process of discussing problems associated with depression with a trained and licensed mental-help professional. Many forms of therapy are available, including individual, family, couples, or group. Often therapy is the first step in treating depression. Antidepressant Medications - These drugs increase brain chemicals that improve emotions, or neurotransmitters. Community Involvement - A great way to fight loneliness and give a sense of purpose, community involvement allows the elder to engage him/herself in an activity he/she enjoys. Options include: elder support groups (often offered at hospitals), joining a social group, engaging in a hobby or volunteer work, getting a pet, or regularly receiving visitors, be it family, friends, or other loved ones. Depression is hard for people of all ages, but it is particularly important to watch-out for in elders. Ignore the notion that all elders are "withdrawn" and focus on getting care for your loved one. 

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Starting A Child Care Business

Starting and operating a child care business can be a very challenging, profitable and rewarding career. To be successful, you need to be dedicated and patient. You need to be able to work well with children. There is a high demand for child care services as more and more women entering the work force are giving up their traditional role of full-time homemaker and mother. There's been a large increase in the number of working mothers with pre-school children. This is a great opportunity for anyone considering starting a child care business.

In order for you to be successful you need to assess the need for child care services, prepare your business.educationeasy.net business plan and assess you financial position.

1. STARTING A CHILD CARE BUSINESS - ASSESSING THE NEED FOR CHILD CARE SERVICES IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

The easiest and fastest way to do this is to speak to parents. You can arrange an interview with several families or your can conduct mail and telephone surveys. The information you get will help you decide on what type of service to offer:

a) Family Care is a program that is designed to provide care for toddlers in the homes of other mothers.

b) Home Care is where a nanny or a baby sitter provides care and supervises children in their home.

c) Daycare and child development centers provide programs that are more concerned with the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development of infants and children.

d) Infant care centers provide care for infants and toddlers, usually two years or under.

e) Before and after school care - programs designed for school age children.

2. STARTING A CHILD CARE BUSINESS - ASSESSING YOUR REASONS AND MOTIVATION

It is important that you assess your reasons and motivations for starting a child care business.

a) Why do you want to start a child care business?

b) How much experience do you have? Have you ever started and managed a business before?

c) What Skills do you have? (Organisational, record-keeping, supervisory, teaching, ability to handle emergencies, business experience, working with children, etc.)

d) Is your physical health excellent, good or poor?

e) Are you prepared to work long hours?

3. STARTING A CHILD CARE BUSINESS - PREPARING FOR BUSINESS

Preparing to open your child care business is an important step. Here are some things you may need to do:

a) Choose a name and legal structure (Sole proprietor, partnership, etc.?) for your child care business

b) Apply for a License or Registration. Most states require that child care centers be licensed.

c) Find a location or decide where you're going to operate from. Many child care providers operate from their homes but you may want to buy, lease or rent facilities for your daycare center.

4. STARTING A CHILD CARE BUSINESS - FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS

There are many sources where you can go to get financing for your child care center. But the funding you can have access to will depend on whether you're starting a non-profit or a for-profit center.

a) Private sources such as your own savings and loans or gifts from friends and family.

b) Loans from commercial Banks

c) Government Agencies such as federal state and local government offer special assistance to small businesses. For more information contact your local Small Business Administration office (SBA) or your state economic development office,

d) Grant programs are usually funded by private foundations, federal or state government agencies. Many for-profit businesses do not qualify for grants.

e) Other sources include credit unions and insurance companies.

5. STARTING A CHILD CARE BUSINESS - YOUR business.educationeasy.net BUSINESS PLAN

There are many excellent books available about writing business.educationeasy.net business plans. It's a good idea to buy a book about starting a child care business as these books usually include samples of business.educationeasy.net business plans that you can adapt to your needs and use.

Copyright ? 2007 Greg Miles. businesstartupsguide.com/daycare Click here to get a complete business package to help you easily and quickly start your own profitable day care business: businesstartupsguide.com/daycare businesstartupsguide.com/daycare or visit The businesstartupsguide.com Business Start-up Guide online.

How to Know When It Is Time for Home Care

The choice to solicit Denver home health services is never an easy one. It is hard for us to admit that the people who were once our caretakers now need someone to help them out. However, home care services Denver work to make the transition from independent living to semi-independent go as smooth as possible.

Even with the above, there is no clear cut answer as to when the time is right to start thinking about hiring a home care Denver based agency. However, the following can help serve as a guide:

Is Your Parent a Danger to Himself or Herself? If your parent has become a danger to his or her self, it is time to look into elder care services Denver based. Even if the danger is small, Denver home health services are worth considering. Some of these dangers might include leaving stove burners on, falling asleep with cigarettes in their mouth, forgetting to lock doors, having a difficult time going downstairs and a tendency to forget where they are.

Is Your Parent Too Much to Handle? You may feel that, in lieu of hiring elder care Denver based services, it is your responsibility to help your parents yourself. While this is a noble way of thinking, it is not often a realistic one. If you are unable to give your parent the attention they need, it is only fair for you and them that you seek out home elder care services Denver based to give you a hand.

Does Your Parent Require Medical Attention? The older we get, the more likely we are to need some sort of medical attention. When this attention is around the clock, a Denver agency for in-home care is a great option. With a home care Denver agency, caregivers are trained healthcare professionals who can help your parent take medications, get to doctors appointments, eat the proper diet and refrain from activities they should not be engaging in. An elder care Denver based agency is a great way for your loved one to get the attention you might not be able to provide them.

Is Your Parent Lonely or in Need of Companionship? Sometimes, you may want to seek the services of a home care Denver agency simply because your parent asks you to. If your parent feels lonely, isolated or longs for companionship, a home Denver agency is a great option. The caregivers at home care Denver agencies are trained companions. They are a great option if your parent is looking for someone with whom to engage with.

The home care Denver agencies are an ideal way to get your parent the assistance they need without uprooting their lives. Elder care Denver based is compassionate, thorough and designed for your parent to maintain a sense of home and independence.

Susan Slobac writes about trends in select-homecare.com/branches/colorado/denver-metro-office.html home care Denver & home care services Denver.

How to Correctly Raise Your Credit Scores

With most financial products and services these days depending on your ability to achieve a good credit report, it is a good idea to know how to raise your credit scores. This can help you with everything from applying for a mortgage on your new home to taking out a new credit or department store card. Most credit these days is referred to a credit report bureau and having a higher score is likely to have a significant effect on your likelihood of getting, not only the loan or card that you want, but also a much better percentage rate offered to you in the terms of your new credit transaction. Finance companies are much more likely to offer a better deal if they think that you will be a good and reliable paying customer.

Once you get used to using your credit responsibly and making all your payments on time, then you can significantly improve your credit rating and your credit standing with most financial and loan companies. Knowing how to raise your credit scores is the key to this and fortunately it is not complicated process. In fact, all it takes is a little care and attention to detail along with setting up and using a good debt repayment schedule so that the credit report shows you in a good light to the companies that you are seeking to borrow from or set up a new credit account with.

Knowing how to improve your credit scores is the best way to get a good deal on a loan or mortgage, but it does not necessarily follow that you have to be entirely debt-free to achieve this. That said, it is a good idea to make sure that you do not have too much debt before you apply for any new credit. Some credit reports agencies will take a negative view if you have too much debt on your credit card when you apply for a new financial product. So it can be a good idea to lower your current credit card balances to a manageable amount before you think about taking out any more loans, mortgages or credit cards.

Another useful way to ensure that your credit score is the best that you can achieve is to ask the credit report company for a copy of your actual credit reports showing your current credit score so that you can make sure that there are no mistakes that could be to your disadvantage. Although the knowledge of knowing how to improve your credit scores is very important in helping you to get the credit rating that you want, it is really a matter of common sense and if you are a good reliable bill payer then it is likely that the credit report companies will view you favorably and give you a good score allowing you the opportunity to get the best deal possible on your financial products.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt consolidation advice, solutions and information on debt-relief-solutions.com/article-80-consumer-credit-counseling.html consumer credit counseling that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Live-In Domestic Help Housekeeper - How a Live-In Domestic Help Housekeeper Can Save Your Marriage

You may wonder how a live in domestic help or housekeeper can save your marriage, but interestingly she can. The reason why a lot of marriages do not have happy endings is because there is too much workload in the house that the wife does not anymore have the time to take care of her husband.

If the root cause of your marital problems is the limited time you get to spend with your husband because you are busy with household chores, a live in domestic help or housekeeper will prove to be of significance.

The basic duties of a wife usually include daily cleaning, washing the dishes, washing and drying the clothes, cooking, and practically keeping things in order. These duties are often time-consuming, and at the end of the day, the wife feels too exhausted for a night of romance. Besides that, she no longer finds the need to watch over her physical appearance.

With a live in domestic help or housekeeper, you can delegate some of your duties to her. You can, for example, give her the task of washing the dishes and the clothes, and perhaps even do some cooking, if you are comfortable with that. Cleaning the entire house on a daily basis can really be taxing on your part, but if you have a housekeeper at home, you can let her do the work, so you can concentrate on many other things.

Some people are apt to think that getting the services of a housekeeper or employing a live in domestic help can be expensive, and so they much rather want to do all the household chores by themselves. However, if you try to monetize your stress levels, lack of leisure time, arguments with your partner, and the likely damage to your marriage, you will find that all these are more expensive than the cost of maintaining a full time housekeeper.

Should you consider getting a live in domestic help, you should ask your close friends or family members for recommendations. Keep in mind that as your hired help will be staying in your house the entire time, she must exhibit favorable qualities. You can also look for a maid through certain manpower agencies as an alternative.

You should also be aware of the policies and guidelines in hiring a live in domestic help or housekeeper. Find out the minimum salary mandated by law and the benefits that you, as employer, should be giving your employees.

When you think about all these, having a full time housekeeper in your home or getting a live in domestic help, is undoubtedly a smart decision, especially if you want to make your marriage work.

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Medication Administration Records

Medication administration records have been widely used in residential care for many years but not so regularly in domiciliary care until quite recently. It's great to see that they are being used much more widely now in home care and I look forward to the day where they are used in every agency I visit or train.

Why? Because they are essential to good medicines management and to provide you with evidence of medicines support or administration. They are your back up should anything be challenged. They are your way of ensuring that you meet the responsibility that you have under the law of ensuring that the 5 checks are made:-

Right patient

Right medicine

Right dose

Right route

Right time

CSCI have published a guidance document that addresses medicines administration record sheets - what information should be recorded and how they should be used. However, in practice it would appear that very few organisations are aware of this guidance and/or how to interpret it and as a result I see a wide variety of different interpretations. My concern is that the vast majority of record sheets either do not contain the required information and/or they are not being completed appropriately by the agency staff. This may be that the agency staff have not received proper training on how to use the forms, it might be that forms need to be reviewed or it might be that the agency policy is out of date or in need of review by an expert. When any of these scenarios apply - it leaves the agency wide open to litigation should an error occur that is not documented properly.

So let's clear up some myths shall we!

It is the responsibility of the agency to provide medication administration records for their care workers to use.

The form should contain:-

The name and address of the service user

Date started

Medication details including name, strength and dose of medication

Time given/prompted/observed

Signature of care worker

Code for Administration or prompting or observing

It's worth pointing out here that the medication details must be given for each individual medicine. It is not sufficient to simply put "Contents of Nomad" or "Dosette box" . Whilst it is the responsibility of the pharmacy to ensure that the correct medication is dispensed - you are responsible for making your own checks - you cannot abdicate this responsibility and therefore you need to know that what is in the compliance aid is what is being given to the service user. Now you may not know which tablet or capsule is which - however you should know that the names on the box match the names on the chart (which have been checked against the prescription details) and that there are the correct number of tablets or capsules there to be given.

It might also be useful to have space for the name of the GP, any allergies, and comments.

For further advice and information about medicine Administration records or if you have any questions please contact tracey.dowe@momentumpeople.co.uk

Tracey Dowe is a qualified pharmacist, life coach and trainer with a mission to inspire others to find the best in themselves and to give the best of themselves. Tracey has worked with many large social care organisations to deliver medication training, advise on policies and procedures and give lectures on the specialesd and highly important area of medicines management in care. Tracey is passionate about people, health and pharmacy and combines them her business life to ensure that workers in social care get the best training in medicines management that there is out there delivered by an expert. It gives the care agencies peace of mind that their teams are knowledgeable and that they understand the importance of keeping good records. It allows the people receiving the care to be better supported and safely looked after.

Steps in Buying HUD Homes For Sale

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a wide array of foreclosure HUD homes for sale. They are offered to buyers who have the intent of using the dwelling as their primary residence. If no homebuyer is able to make a purchase at the initial launch of an HUD property, investors are then allowed to join the bidding contest.

How HUD Houses Are Acquired

These homes are usually sold through a bidding process. An Offer Period is provided to those who would like to bid for one of these properties. A buyer should hire a real estate agent to make bids on his behalf. Once the Offer Period expires, the department will then choose the winning bidder. The highest bid is usually the one chosen, unless certain circumstances disqualify the highest bidder.

If the initial bidding process fails to produce a winning bidder, HUD will launch an open bid, or a first-come, first-serve type of bidding process. Once a reasonable bid is found, the winner will be declared and that winning bidder will have one month to two months to close the contract.

Expenses Involved

The price of HUD homes for sale would depend on the location and the result of the appraisal that would be conducted by HUD. For dwellings that require repairs, the price would be lower. Buyers should be aware that these homes are sold in an "as is" condition. Buyers would have to take care of the repairs needed, if there are any, and should not rely on the agency to pay for them.

Financing for HUD dwellings is the responsibility of the buyer. Before making a bid, a buyer should make sure that the financing package is in order and that he has enough money for the deposit. If financing is still not secured by the time the period for completing the contract has elapsed, the buyer can lose the property, including the deposit that he has put down for the house.

To save on some of the expenses, a buyer of HUD homes for sale should make sure that the contract specifies that the HUD will be responsible for paying the real estate agent's commission. The agency can pay up to six percent of the agent commission, but not the whole amount.

Joseph B. Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of foreclosuredeals.com Foreclosure Properties at ForeclosureDeals.com for over ten years. Contact Joseph B. Smith through ForeclosureDeals.com if you need help finding information about Foreclosure Properties.