Home Organization

May 13th, 2008

Home Organization: Top 10 Quick and Easy Simple Home Organization Tips

Home Organization: Top 10 Simple Quick and Easy Home Organization Tips
(For Detailed Great Organizing See Links!)

Top 10 Home Organization Tips

Are you looking for the perfect home organization plan?
Consider Starting with the small and working your way up to the larger projects.
Popular Storage Organization Tips 1—10

Top 10 Home Organization Tips

Are you looking for the perfect home organization plan?
Consider starting with the small and working your way up to the larger projects.

Quick and Easy Home Organization Tips:

Tip 1: STORE PENS AND PENCILS
Pens and pencils Storage. Use a coffee mug for neat and easy storage of your pens and pencils. Everyone has a coffee mug and this is a great way of storing your writing utensils.

Tip 2: ORGANIZE RECIPES
Organize your favorite recipes in alphabetical order. How? Using note cards and a note card box or with a binder and alphabetical separators.

Tip 3: ORGANIZE CD’S, DVD’S, TAPES, VHS
Do you collect VHS or DVD movies? Neatly store your collection. When feasible, selecting a wooden unit is best for strength and a pleasant appearance as opposed to inexpensive, plastic units.

Tip 4: CLOTHES SEPERATED BY SEASONS
Time to store seasonal clothes? Purchase a large plastic lidded storage tub and place your seasonal clothes neatly inside. Alternative to folding, try rolling your clothes as this will reduce wrinkles and fold lines. In addition, it will save a lot of space. Place the storage tub in the floor of your closet and label the tub according to the clothing inside.

Tip 5: LARGE SILVERWARE TRAYS
Use a flatware tray in your kitchen drawer. Keep every utensil separate. This will make it easy to find your utensil in seconds.

Tip 6: STORAGE BASKET
Discard old magazines and newspapers. For storage use a basket next to the sofa. However, this unit needs to be cleaned regularly in order to avoid any unsightly clutter.

Tip 7: FIREPROOF SAFE
Place important papers, including deeds, titles and tax papers in a fireproof protective box. This box should also feature a lock & key and can be placed anywhere in the house. Most individuals place this safe underneath their bed.

Tip 8: DONATE
If you have any items that you no longer want, consider donating them to a local non-profit agency. This will save space and you may have a good feeling by giving to your community as well.

Tip 9: THROW IT AWAY!
In order to avoid clutter, it may be necessary to throw away certain types of mail. This may include credit card offers. Remember – throw them out without first shredding the letters ;-) . Identity theft is a huge problem and using a paper shredder on any bills or credit card offers prevents anyone from ever gaining access to your private financial information… so be sure to avoid this so you can have a chance to be on T.V. as the next dummy to be ripped off!

Tip 10: KITCHEN ORGANIZATION
Make sure that your kitchen is neatly organized with all appliances close to an electrical outlet to avoid power cords running across the countertop. You will find that the microwave, toaster and coffee maker all in one location will also be very convenient.

We Hope This Page Helps.
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Top 10 Home Organization Tips

Home Organizing Tips Websites
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_organizing_storage/
http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/home/home_housekeeping_landing.jhtml
http://www.lifeorganizers.com/
http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com/
http://interiordec.about.com/od/organizingyourhome/Home_Organization_Storage_Moving_and_Cleaning_Tips.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/organizingyourhome/Home_Organization_Storage_Moving_and_Cleaning_Tips.htm
http://www.getorganizednow.com/
http://www.flylady.net/
http://www.essortment.com/in/Home.Organizing/index.htm
Home Organizing Blogs the Author Reads:
http://www.organizedwithstyle.com/blog.htm
http://www.home-organizing-ideas.com/home-organizing-ideas-blog.html
http://www.getwhitespace.com/blog/
Cynthia Ivie
http://www.getwhitespace.com/blog/index.php/about-cynthia/
http://organizedaudrey.blogspot.com/

 Laurie Turk’s
http://www.blogcatalog.com/tag/organizing
http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogList.asp
http://orgjunkie.com/
http://www.organized-living.com/
http://simplystated.realsimple.com/home/
http://www.organizemag.com/
http://www.home-organizing-ideas.com/organize-kitchen.html
http://www.technorati.com/videos/tag/organizing
http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/
http://organizingexpert.blogspot.com/
http://creativeorganizing.typepad.com/
http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com/organizingproductlinks.htm
http://unclutterer.com/
http://alifeathome.blogspot.com/2008/03/home-organizing-binder.html
http://www.furniturestoreblog.com/

Search Words Under Google Search: home organization, home organization tips, home tips, homes, organization


 


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MSN Search Engine Optimization

May 11th, 2008

MSN Search Engine Optimization

Is MSN Really Above Google Search
What about Yahoo
Why MSN is the Number One Choice for Home Builders

Home Building Blog Journal Article

SEO and Marketing with MSN

Blog Building for the Remodeling and Home Building World
Search Engine Optimization Success
Why MSN Search Optimization Ranking is important.

Being directly involved in the understanding home building and remodeling success forums and blogs is a primary focus for myself. The goal of this article however is to help those looking to improve search engine optimization rankings as well as a primary focus on finding success with blog ranking and show why MSN rankings are important in search engine optimization.

The Blog world for the real estate market real estate market and the home building industry has really taken off and is now an established effective tool for sales and marketing. This is becoming a predominant success force even in the smaller home remodeling industry. The demand for being included in this blog world may be a very significant item for your growth in these fields. Stressed heavily is the high rankings needed on Google and Yahoo commonly known as the power players or the two main forces in rankings on the web. For blogs in the Home Building and real-estate areas I am stressing leaning more in the direction of MSN.

In the Home Building and Home Remodeling areas after researching many blogs (List of resources is after this article ) the evidence strongly is leaning toward successful blog effectiveness being better with MSN!

Why is the MSN Search Engine optimization so important?

MSN has taken a remarkable stride in its search engine optimization by targeting the younger generation including the beginning web site developers. The Microsoft Corporation has a potential marketing power that is starting to take effect. How? One prevailing way is when they included MSN Search into the home version of Windows XP. So those who have purchased a new computer (Younger Couples) are often searching via the MSN Search Engine option.

Who builds and buys homes? Younger Couples! They most likely purposes a computer recently including a Windows XP home package with MSN included.

Now that we have concluded to include MSN at the top of our search engine success strategies, the focus of this article is how to get top optimization with the search engine optimization force of MSN.

There are many elements to cover which will take Time, Understanding, and Planning To Do It , To Do It, To Do It, Right Job! ( Sorry I have a Silly Song from the 80’s I believe in my head. If you know the title or the author can you let us know?)

What Can Help Us Shed Light and Find Success at Proper Search Engine Optimization?

When planning optimization for search engines and especially your MSN search rankings, consider placing heavy emphasis on using page success techniques. Similar to the Yahoo search engine, MSN appears to favor on page content. This means if you have good content your rankings will improve. Keywords and keyword density is important in your quest of improvement and building your MSN Search Engine Rankings.

Paying close attention to your choice of URLs, page titles, and web site descriptions all appear to be very important when desiring understanding of building high search engine optimizations.

Incoming link anchor text is also something to pay close attention to . Building a keyword rich anchor text provides a solid foundation for your search engine results. Good anchor text building will pay off with all the major search engines. Mixing up the anchor text is good for your success as over use of any one keyword phrase may cause suspicion and lower your rankings. Splitting your anchor text between a few phrases will help to provide you success in your search engine placement for more than one search term. This Variety may benefit you and even give you success including extra traffic from areas you did not expect!

MSN KEY IS KEYWORDS
Include Forums and Blogs

Forums and Blogs are also credited on MSN and if you choose to add a blog to your site this inclusion will add to your success of search engine optimization. Keywords are important to MSN so be sure to explore the best ways for your keyword placement techniques and you will find success. While the use of keywords on your pages is important remember it is of equal importance to use your keywords on your page title and in your website URL.

MSN is likely to reward up to triple the keyword density preferred by Google. To achieve search engine success optimization success involves finding the best balance between Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

If you are in the home building, real estate, or remodeling trade industry and looking to build your own website or blogging forum be sure to find ways to include your keywords into your Title Tags. MSN along with Google and Yahoo prefer a separate and Unique Title Tag fore every page on your website. Listing keyword after keyword after keyword will get you discounted for spam techniques so be sure to avoid this for your best search engine optimization.

Google gives little value to meta tags while Yahoo and MSN place solid value on the use meta tags. Provide unique meta tags for every page. A common mistake is using the same meta tags for all the web pages. Using four to five of the most important tags only may help your search engine optimization. If three keyword tags cover the topic this is better yet. The three to five keyword use has been considered and generally is the best practice.

This policy has had talk of changing due to the frequent use of larger search phrases. If you are aware of recent changes with the big three of Google, Yahoo, and MSN in regards to the number of tags recommended to use please let me know. Until this happens the three to five keyword range is recommended.

Remember the main Focus of MSN is your on page content. Do Not Forget About your Off Page Optimization. When your off page content is in sync with your on page content this is when things fall into place and your search optimization becomes a success.

What is Off Page Content? Link Anchor text for incoming web sites should be here to ensure success. With MSN although link anchors are not as important as they are to Google, the link anchor text is more important to MSN than the links themselves. Keyword phrases included in your anchor text is more important than the keyword anchors themselves.

Now Let Us Hear The Summary Of The Matter:

MSN will reward frequent keyword use if you are careful not to get carried away where you reach the level of spam. Paying close attention to your Page Titles, your Meta Tags, Page Descriptions, and your Keyword Density as well as using your keywords in your page Urls are all very important for your search engine optimization success.

In addition to this the use of keyword rich anchor text for incoming links is another search engine strategy that must be utilized correctly, and is a solid factor that will hold some weight for each of the big three as we mentioned of Google, Yahoo and MSN.

If you are in the Home Building or Home Remodeling field you may find more success when you apply your focus on finding the best optimization with MSN rather than Google or Yahoo. Younger couples are those who are building homes and remodeling and often browse with originally Windows XP packaging on their Home computers from Microsoft.

Blog Article Source
http://www.brandsconstruction.com/Blogb2/
http://www.brandsconstruction.com/WordPress/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/

http://www.work.com/learning-search-engine-optimization-1053/

http://www.ehow.com/articles_4546-search-engine-optimization.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

http://searchenginewatch.com/

http://www.seologic.com/faq/

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/

http://www.webmetro.com/
http://www.webmetro.com/news1detail1.asp?id=1861

http://www.submitexpress.com/

http://www.addme.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/library/errorpages/smarterror.aspx?404;http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/online/search-engine-optimization/submit-it/information.mspx

http://www.primevisibility.com/natural-search/seo-process.php

http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/srchsb/choose.php?cmp=CAP&ctv=SScomp&s=Y&s2=CAP&s3=SScomp

http://search.msn.com/docs/siteowner.aspx?t=SEARCH_WEBMASTER_REF_GuidelinesforOptimizingSite.htm

http://www.seochat.com/c/a/MSN-Optimization-Help/MSN-Search-Engine-Beta-Optimization-Techniques/

http://groups.google.com/group/MSN-Search?lnk=rgh

http://www.globalseo.net/

http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress

http://my.aol.com/
http://boardreader.com/info/submit.htm

http://www.marketingpower.com/

Free Alexa Ranking Tool
http://www.seochat.com/?option=com_seotools&tool=15

Topics Searched For Study Include: Search Engine, Search Engine Optimization, MSN Ranking, Google Ranking, Yahoo Ranking, SEO, Marketing, Online Marketing MSN, Marketing optimization, marketing success, online success, remodeling marketing, Home Building SEO Marketing

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Google Ads

May 8th, 2008

Understanding Home Building and Remodeling Success Ads by Google


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Affiliate Marketing
http://www.brandsconstruction.com/WordPress/?p=17

MSN Search Optimization
http://www.brandsconstruction.com/WordPress/?p=33

Over 100 Pages Of Useful Tips and Info!
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http://www.RemodelingSuccess.com
http://www.HomePlansforFree.com

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Home Improvement 101: Carpet Bargains – Money in the Bank

May 1st, 2008


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Home Improvement 101: Carpet Bargains – Money in the Bank

Carpet Selection is one of the most important decisions a person makes when building a new home. Investing time into doing a little research is a great idea. Do you feel you need a certain popular color of carpet? So does everyone else. Often the shades of Carpeting Colors appear to be a totally different color when installed into a home basement instead of the upstairs. The color that appeared to be light upstairs, suddenly appears to be Brown. Now the home owner doesn’t like it, and decides to spend extra money and reorder the carpeting in a new color.

Good News!
Carpet Selection for your upstairs can now be bought, already in stock, at a bargain price! Being the right place at the right time is important when shopping for your carpet, and it really pays to shop around for your new carpet.

Bigger retail outlet distributors often carry the carpet in stock, and may switch carpeting if disliked with out a complaint or charge. This may be an advantage to you when buying carpeting if you are not sure on a carpet style and the small sample of carpet is just too small for you to tell. It also may not be your best source to go for discounted carpeting, unless you are after an odd ball color or carpeting that is going out of stock.

Smaller carpet retailers may want to get rid of carpet returns, and they have already charged the customer for the restocking fee and thus may be a great source for carpet bargains whether you are finishing your basement or remodeling your upstairs. They often offer better installation pricing because they install the carpeting themselves verses having it sub-contracted.

The level of service with larger carpet companies may be worth the extra investment for you.

Depending on your experience and the level of quality you are after, carpet installation may be something you can tackle yourself for seamless areas. Usually the extra investment is not worth the head ache – even for experienced re-modelers and home builders familiar with cutting and measuring. With a basement of 900 square feet and installation charges of $1.50 a yard the $450 dollars paid to have the carpeting installed is the best choice for most people. For people desiring carpeting installed to perfection it is not advised to tackle installing your own flooring. A friend of ours tried this, ended up buying a second carpet remnant for one area, and then replaced the flooring again in another area. The dollars they invested in carpeting would have covered the labor. On the other hand they learned the process, and after moving several times now have installed carpeting successfully in the last two homes where they have lived.

If you are laid off with a lot of extra time on your hands, this extra cash may be worth it for you. Know what you are getting into when installing the carpeting. Do the home work. Be ready for a head ache. The third time is the charm – when you succeed perhaps you can start a new business!

Back to Reality for most of us – leave it to the pros. Carpet Installation is a skill that takes time to learn especially for seams and Berber carpeting. Laminate Flooring may be an alternative if you are an avid do it yourself-er.

Summary – Look around for flooring bargains if you have the time. If you are not in a hurry, let each of the carpet stores in your area that offer “Complete Satisfaction Guaranteed” know you are interested in purchasing the carpet someone else has rejected. When someone else takes advantage of the carpet suppliers satisfaction guarantee you should be able to make a real bargain for your carpet, including installation!

Home Plans in Action Picture Cube

To View Over 100 Pages Of Useful Information
Home Improvement Tips, and Home Check List Guides:

http://newwindowsinfo.blogspot.com
http://www.HomePlansForFree.com
http://www.BrandsConstruction.com
http://www.brandsconstruction.com/WordPress


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Home Painting Tips David Benjamin Moore Painting Tool

April 28th, 2008


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Home Painting Tips
Remember, everyone starts as a beginner at painting. Just because you have never painted a house doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. The money you save by painting your own house is money you can put into other home improvements. It can also be a fun thing for the whole family to do.

Now we need to choose the colors we want to paint the house. There is a really cool tool online that you can use. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/wrapper_pcv.asp?L=owner&K=intproj&N=intproj Click let’s paint. Choose exterior or the interior options. Choose the project closest to yours. Get started and you will soon know what color you want to paint your house and you’ll have a vision of what it is going to look like when you’re finished.

Here are some of the basics. Of course the first thing you need to do is wash down the walls of your house. A pressure washer can be rented at almost any rental yard and is the best way to do that. Now go around with a scraper and remove all loose paint and chipped areas. You don’t have to scrape the entire wall, but any areas where the surface is not flat can cause you problems as you paint your house.

Next, figure out your square footage so you can determine the amount of paint you will need to buy. Buy your paint in 5-gallon pails, rather than gallons to save more money.

Talk to the helper at your local paint store and tell him about your project. They can help you decide on how many brushes and rollers and other items you will need. You can buy natural or synthetic bristles for oil based paints, but only use synthetic bristles with latex paint. The same rule applies to rollers. Good rollers can run you around $7, but buy high-quality paintbrushes. A good brush for cutting in around edges will run you about $30.

Make sure you purchased some painter’s tape. It’s blue tape that comes in different widths and is easy to remove without messing up your paint job. That brings us to preparation. Tape off all areas you don’t wish to get this color of paint on. If there are large areas to cover, make sure you pick up some rolls of plastic. You can tape the edges of the plastic down over whatever you need to cover.

Don’t paint out of the paint cans. First reason is that leaving the paint can open will dry out the paint and make it difficult to apply. Another reason is that your brush or roller picks up dirt and foreign objects, which will end up in your paint and may even change the color as you go along.

Do all of your cutting or trimming in before you paint the walls. Use a 4” brush and with a smooth stroke guide it around the edges where you taped off. Make sure you have plenty of paint on your brush. The biggest mistake people make is trying to stretch the paint too far. Keep drips cleaned up as you go with a small rag. Remember you will be rolling up to the edge of your cut, so don’t worry about that, just make sure you cover the edges well.

Start on the edges of your walls and work your way toward the middle. Most people don’t do this and problems can result. If you start and new can of paint in the middle of the wall and there is any difference in the color at all, it will show up there more than it would on the edges. So with each new can of paint you open, start at the edges first.

Dip your roller in water (for Latex) or solvent (for oil-based paint), before you start. Whether you use a pan or a 5-gallon bucket with a screen, make sure you roll it out a little to make sure it isn’t dripping. You don’t need to go all the way from the top to the bottom as you paint. Do what you can reach.

Apply the paint in a Y or an N pattern, then apply paint in columns up and down smoothing out all the edges or ridges as you go. Again don’t try to stretch the paint out, make sure you have enough paint on your roller to give it a good coat. If you are applying more than one coat, make sure the first coat is completely dry before applying a new coat of paint.
Corners are a difficult part to learn to paint. If you aren’t careful, this is where you will see paint drips later. Get as close to corners as you can, but don’t scrape the roller against the corner. That will cause drips. If you are unsure, have a paintbrush handy to smooth out drips. That is also a good idea overall. Keep a paintbrush ready for taking care of any drips or ridges you leave behind. Doing this as you go is much easier than trying to fix it after it’s dry or partially dry.

Using tray liners for your paint trays will save you a lot of time at cleanup. Soak your brushes when done for awhile and they will also be easier to clean. For water based paint, soak in water and for oil based paint soak them in solvent.

I hope some of these tips have been helpful to you. Have confidence that you can do this job yourself. You will appreciate and enjoy it much more knowing that you or you and your family completed the job rather than hiring someone else to do it.

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About the Author: D. David Dugan has a website, http://homeimprovement.divinfo.com/ to help homeowners find all the information they need about remodeling, home repair, building decks and carports, room additions, and more. He also actively participates in a forum at http://forum.dugancom.com/ that can help you with computer problems you may be having.

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Carpet Care : Top 6 Simple Carpet Care Tips

April 28th, 2008


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Six Carpet Care Tips
Which is the most important of my carpet care tips? You’ll find it at the top of the list below. Use the five other tips as well, and you’ll get years more use from your carpet.

Top Carpet Care Tips

1. Keep your carpet clean. Sand and dirt act like thousands of little razor blades that cut carpet fibers. Damaged carpet stains more easily, and it’s harder to remove the stains from it as well. Vacuum often to remove dirt, and your carpet will last longer.

2. Use rugs. Put rugs outside and inside the front door, and any other entrances. They can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. That means less vacuuming and longer carpet life.

3. Remove shoes. This is a sure way to make carpet last longer. If you have a nice home with nice carpet, people usually aren’t offended by this policy.

4. Clean stains quickly and properly. If using a cleaning solvent other than water, apply it to a cloth first, and work it in from the outside of the stain to the center, so you don’t spread the spot. Apply the cleaner, extract (blot), rinse, extract, and repeat until you can’t get more of the stain out. Extract solvents completely, and dry the carpet quickly when you’re done. If there is any stain remaining deeper down in the carpet, quick drying prevents it from wicking up to the surface.

5. Use a shop-vac. It’s a great help when cleaning stains. You can’t just suck out the stain, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck the solution out each time. It’s more effective than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won’t have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times if you’re using paper towels or cloth.

6. Vacuum before cleaning. If you use a portable machine, at least get the water as hot as you can, and dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. You won’t match the results of a good truck-mount hot water extraction unit. However, if you want to save money, doing your own cleaning can lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings.

Want carpet clean enough for the kids to play on? Do you want it to last for years longer than normal? Just use these basic carpet care tips.

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About the Author: Steve Gillman has worked in the carpet cleaning industry for years. For more on carpet-care, carpet stains, and specific stain-by-stain removal instructions, visit http://www.HowToRemoveCarpetStains.com

Thank You Steve!

Over 100 Pages Of Useful Tips and Info!
www.BrandsConstruction.com
www.RemodelingSuccess.com
www.HomePlansforFree.com


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Home Improvement: Fixer-Uppers: What to Fix

April 28th, 2008

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Fixer-Uppers: What To Fix
You’ve bought a house, a fixer-upper you can make some money on. What improvements and repairs should you make? First of all, you need to know this before you buy, as I explained in another article. Before and after you buy, though, you need to have some simple rules with which to start analyzing possible fixes.

Return On Investment

A young couple was very disappointed when I told them there house was worth $110,000. “We just put $40,000 into remodeling the kitchen!” they told me. I looked at the kitchen. It was nice. They had added $10,000 in value to the house by spending $40,000. This is a classic example of a bad return on investment.

With fixer-uppers, you have do things which give the most “bang for the buck.” Aim for a three-to-one return on improvements. If you’re going to resurface the driveway for $1000, it better raise the value of the home by $3,000. Even when you’re just guessing, keep this three-to-one formula in your head, if you want to invest safely.

How To Fix A Fixer-Upper

With things like new curtains, you can’t really estimate the increase in value. What you can do, though, is group together the many small repairs and improvements you are considering, and imagine how the house will look when you are done. Then you can estimate whether you will have increased the value enough to justify the cost.

It often is in the small details that you’ll get the best return on investment, so look at these first. A new mailbox, flowers on the porch, a raked yard and trimmed trees – $30 total if you do the work yourself – can make a big difference in the first impression potential buyers have. First impressions are important.

Other small investments that pay big include shiny new switch covers (less than $1 each), shelves, a birdhouse, new doorknobs, new light fixtures, curtains, new rocks or wood chips on outdoor paths, new faucets, new woodstain on decks, and general cleaning. Stand in front of the house and imagine what it might look like with various small improvements (flowers, wood-rail fence, birdbath, etc.).

The Big Fixes

Obviously, there are things that just have to be repaired. The basic systems must function. Improvements, though, should be subject to the three-to-one rule. You may have to get creative here. An investor friend of mine once had a wall put up, and for less than $1000 created a new bedroom, probably raising the value of the house by $8,000. Now that’s a good return on investment.

Bathrooms and kitchens are important. A $1000 updating of a bathroom can add $4000 in value to a home. Spend $2000 wisely in the kitchen (New fridge, re-finish the cupboards, add a garbage disposal, etc.), and you can add $8000 to the sales price of the house. Look for changes which are most universally valued (don’t paint the kitchen pink because YOU like that color), and be sure you get a decent return on investment.

Depending on the fixer-upper, there are many potential improvements that can be worth doing. These include adding a carport, new doors, fences, gazebos, sheds, painting, carpet, benches, a new closet, a new toilet, a new stove, a shower/tub surround, and trees or bushes. The bottom line is the bottom line: be sure anything you do returns more than you spend, preferably three times as much.

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About the Author: Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Thank You Steve.
www.HomePlansforFree.com
www.RemodelingSuccess.com
www.BrandsConstruction.com


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Real Estate Negotiation Secrets

April 28th, 2008


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Real Estate Negotiation Secrets

When you bought your home, you offered less than you were willing to pay, right? That’s the most common negotiation technique. For experienced investors, however, that’s just one technique among the many more powerful ones. What else can you do?

How To Make An Offer

1. Offer an odd amount, like $161,793. This gives the impression that you know something the seller doesn’t. They may think you have a good reason for that particular price.

2. Play dumb. Ask questions, talk slow, ask for help, and never show off your real estate expertise. Sellers are afraid to budge if they think a smarter person may be taking advantage of them.

3. Use the “limited authority” ploy. Say “I’ll have to check with my wife (or partner).” It’s easier for sellers to accept that you can’t do something, rather than the idea that you won’t.

4. Refer to precedent. “My father bought his house this way.” If the offer is at all unusual, sellers will feel more comfortable if they know it has been done that way before.

5. Ask for things you don’t want. This lets the seller win concessions when negotiating. If you can say, “I guess I don’t need the refrigerator, if I can get my price,” you’re more likely to get your price.

6. Be reluctant. “well, I don’t know…” Reluctance gets the seller looking for ways to motivate you, and lets him feel like he’s won something when you settle the point.

7. Make the offer their idea. “Are you saying you’d like a later closing, and more earnest money? Well let’s do it your way, then. I just need…”

8. Get a yes before the offer. “What if I paid your price, but got my terms? Would that work for you?” Even with a few changes, it will be hard for the seller to say no to an offer he more or less already agreed to.

9. Flatter the seller. Flattery has been proven to be worth an average of $1962 in real estate negotiations. That’s a joke, by the way, but you know if he likes you, you’ll probably get a better deal.

10. Pass over problems, and return to them later. Agree on every agreeable point first. It will feel like the house is sold then, and it will be difficult for a seller to lose the deal over an issue or two that you need to go in your favor.

You can spend a lot of time looking for cheap houses. Why not spend a little time learning how to purchase every home for less, with some smart negotiation?

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About the Author: Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Thanks Steve!
http://www.RemodelingSuccess.com
http://www.HomePlansforFree.com


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Posted in Home Remodeling, Remodeling | No Comments »

Ten Tips For Selling Your House

April 28th, 2008

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Ten Tips For Selling Your House
One of the biggest mistakes people make when selling a house, is not understanding real estate value. It doesn’t matter at all what you think your home is worth. The value of your home, and any improvements you made, is determined by buyers. What you enjoyed about your house is irrelevant when it’s time to sell it. Think in terms of what other people want, and use some of the following tips.

House Selling Tips

1. Know your market. Find out what other similar houses have sold for, and have those examples ready to show potential buyers.

2. Decide on your minimum price – the price below which you will just not move. Don’t tell your agent what this minimum is, but work with any buyers who make an offer above it.

3. Clean the most visible things first. Buy a new mailbox, perhaps. If buyers fall in love with the house before they even enter it, they’ll forgive a lot of problems.

4. Clean up the neighborhood. If there’s a neighbor who’s yard is a mess, give their kids $10 to pick up the yard. Spend another $20 to put flowers in any common-areas, and buyers will have a better first impression of the neighborhood.

5. If you or your agent aren’t getting many calls, find out why. Is more advertising necessary, or is the price too high? Drop it fast, if price is the problem.

6. Listen to comments of prospects. They will be more objective than you. If you hear several times that the kitchen is dark, get out the white paint.

7. Find out what the average sales time is in your area. If your house is taking longer than average to sell, there is a problem. Usually it’s price.

8. Be sure to ask your real estate agent what they plan to do – before you sign a listing agreement. Write down what he says, and hold him to his promises.

9. If there are any known problems, such as an old roof, get an estimate for repairs. The sellers may want a $7,000 allowance for a new roof – until you show them your $4,000 estimate.

10. Do any improvements that can realisically get you at least a two-to-one return on investment. If $300 to seal the driveway is likely to add $600 to the sales price of the home, do it. Consider first those things that are most visible.

There are dozens of things you can do to sell your house faster, and get a better price. If you don’t have time to do them all, start with the ones that will get the most “bang for your buck.”

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About the Author: Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Thank You Steve!
Www.HomePlansForFree.com
Www.RemodelingSuccess.com


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Posted in Home Building, Home Plans, Home Remodeling | 1 Comment »

Affiliate Marketing

April 28th, 2008

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What Is Affiliate Marketing?
With affiliate marketing, a merchant recruits content sites to a partner with them as affiliates in exchange for rewards or commission. It began not long after the Web was established, originally taking visitors on music websites to places where they could purchase the music they liked by clicking on a link. Since this kind of marketing is a way to improve revenue sharing, the referring site is paid for the traffic generated by the click-through and may also get commissions on actual sales. The more popular and heavily trafficked a site is, the more attractive it is as an affiliate and the more income it can generate and also profit from. Types of websites that have heavy use, such as gaming and gambling sites and retail sales sites, are most prized by marketers. Rank systems help business and affiliate services select the best website to include in an affiliate network. Banners are another form of affiliate marketing and because they are so eye-catching they demand premium prices. Some skeptics recon banners are merely annoying but the statistics seem to favor actual results. The smaller link text ads need to have carefully crafted wording to compete with the big banners. Not only commercial sites figure into affiliate marketing arena. The increasing growth in the popularity of blogs has made them a high traffic venue for this type of advertising. The income generated on blogs can pay expenses for the blog or may just be a little extra money, but for those blogs with gigantic followings, the profits can be very nice indeed. A great deal of software has been created in order to optimize affiliate marketing strategies by automating as much of the work as possible. Many companies have grown that do nothing else but manage affiliate marketing for online businesses. Many web business owners manage their own affiliate forays, but beginners are much better off hiring expert help while they learn the ropes. Personal web pages may accept affiliate programs, but for most the revenues may only be a few pennies here and there, but many personal webmasters have the philosophy that a little money for no work at all is still a good thing. Why not accept ads that require no effort on your part except signing up? There are quite a few directories online to help find publishers and affiliates and there are big networks to join to connect to many sites at once. The best affiliates are those who have similar interests, products or services but that are not in direct competition. For example, a freezer seller might affiliate with dishwasher and range sellers but not with others with competing brands of refrigerators. All of those categories might affiliate with cooking and recipe or home remodeling sites. Choosing an affiliate marketing program must be based on the types of people visiting your website and not according to its payment scheme. Choose the affiliate program most visited by your target market. It is not necessary to sign up in every affiliate marketing program you find.

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About the Author: Alex Perez-Prat is the webmaster and owner of Resale Rights Kingdom Dot Com. To find out more e-marketing tips, resources and tools go to Resale Rights Kingdom


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Posted in Affiliate Marketing, General Category, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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