Is It Earth Day Or Is It Birthday?

Article Presented by:
Sally Goldberg, Ph.D.

Q. In our world of disposable products, what can we do to teach our children not to be so wasteful?

A. As with the solution to any problem, the first step is awareness. Then comes modeling an environmentally friendly way of life.

With the erratic weather patterns and other acts of nature, the earth keeps speaking up with a great big "Stop!" As we all continue to enjoy the advancement of modern conveniences, so we must be aware of the resultant toll it takes on our earth's delicate balance.

The Earth and Its Atmosphere

Scientists tell us about global warming. They trace much of it to the non-biodegradable items that we dispose of each day. Every plastic cup, knife, spoon, fork, and plastic bag that we throw away turns into chemicals that rise up to form a mass around the earth and block our natural wastes from escaping. While openness cools, such blocking is what warms. While we live in 2007 and cannot reverse our wonderful advances (and we do not want to), there are practical steps we can take.

Ruth W. of Phoenix, AZ suggests: "Request paper cups whenever possible, instead of plastic."

Jill D. of Flagstaff, AZ wrote: "Bring your own utensils when you can and go shopping for groceries with your own washable canvas bag."

Elizabeth C. of Boca Raton, FL said: "Ask for paper bags instead of plastic."

Cutting Back and Changing Patterns

There are many choices we can make differently related to environmental protection. Many people print file after file from their computers when it might take only a few seconds to jot down the important information that they may need. Others buy colored disposable paper goods when they could by white instead. Burning white is much less polluting to the atmosphere. This relates to all the purchases of colored napkins, paper towels, and other disposable paper products.

Mindy L. of Cape Cod, MA reminds us: "Battery operated toys just end up breaking. Clay, play dough, bubbles, and blocks provide many more hours of fun for kids."

Anne B. of Tempe, AZ alerts us: "Turning lights off when you are not in the room or are leaving the house saves important energy, not just money."

Wasn't it fun when we played jump rope, hide 'n seek, spud, and dodge ball? What natural activities do you remember doing? How about a craft that you enjoyed, a building set that you liked constructing with, or even dolls and a doll house (bought or homemade) that you designed and re-designed over and over again?

Whole Natural Foods and Body Cleansing

Let us teach our children, even our youngest ones about healthy eating. Whole natural foods are nature's products. Artificial color, flavor, and preservatives are not. Such chemicals are in processed foods, and they clog our cells. Clogging leads to all kinds of bad diseases. Diseases lead to massive use of medicines, many other problems, and continued abuse to our bodies. Every morsel of food you put into your child's body should have the purpose of nourishment. Whole natural foods are nature's intended medicines.

Dava W. of Sedona, AZ tells: "I feed my daughter every morning natural muesli with soymilk, blueberries, and half a banana. It is nature's best way to jumpstart your metabolism."

Joan S. of Scarsdale, NY adds: "The "no white" rule is magical-no white flour, white sugar, white rice, or white potatoes."

What foods do you give your child just for the purpose of nutrition? If the answer is most, you are on the right track. We must "stop" and change our abusive ways. The rewards will continue to grow as we return to a simpler, happier, and healthier way of living.

Earth Day is really a new version of our world's birthday. Let it be our new way to celebrate another year of life. Let us learn to celebrate it with the dignity and respect it deserves. Just as we give nurturing love and protection to our precious children, let us teach them and others new ways to love and protect our precious planet.

Happy Earth Day!


About the Author:
Sally Goldberg, Ph.D., parenting specialist, empowers parents to solve parenting issues. Join her for weekly parenting classes at the Valley of the Sun JCC in Scottsdale, AZ. If you would like to contact Dr. Sally, you can reach her at 480-766-6323 or drsally@drsallyparenting.com Find out more at http://www.drsallyparenting.com

Are You Focusing On What You Truly Want?

Article Presented by:
Bonnie McFarland

Imagine you're happily driving down a country road on a clear, sunny day. Suddenly a semi truck crosses the center line and is heading right at you. Heart pounding and adrenaline rushing, you react. Will you avert disaster? Maybe. Maybe not. In this moment, your life depends on where you focus.

Professional driving instructors tell us that what people usually do in emergency situations is to stay focused on the object they are trying to avoid. In driving, where your eyes and mind are focused is most often where you will steer. Unfortunately, if you were focused on the truck in the situation above you would likely steer right into it. The route to safety is to focus on where you want to go. In this case, you'd look away from the truck to a place that's safer. You would then automatically steer the car in that direction. Safe!

You may be wondering, "What the heck does that have to do with creating more pleasure, passion, and purpose in my life?" My response is "A great deal!" As in the example of the truck, your life depends on where you focus.

Focusing on What You Don't Want Steers You to More of That

Often when we are feeling stuck, dissatisfied, confused, or unhappy we are focused on what we DON'T want. We are looking at the truck we'd like to avoid. We're thinking or saying "I don't want to be in this miserable job another day" or "I don't want to work on this project" or "I don't want to have pizza for dinner tonight." From the big events to the small details in life, we tend to put a lot of our thoughts and attention on precisely what we don't want.

So, what's the problem with that? Well, it's kind of like steering your car into the truck. The more you focus on what you don't want, the more you head in that direction.

Your mind is wired to create whatever you focus on. Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and Maxwell Maltz's "Psychocybernetics" are two classic books on this subject. These and other researchers tell us that the mind can't tell the difference between something you're thinking about that you want and something you're thinking about that you do not want. Whatever you think about, your mind goes to work to make that happen.

Getting More of What You Really Do Want

If you'd like to get more of what you want in life (pleasure, passion, purpose), shift your focus away from what you don't want and clearly, purposefully towards what you do want. Your mind will go to work creating that. You'll get unstuck. Your energy will increase. Solutions, alternatives, and options will come to you more easily.

Here's a recent personal example. At the end of a long day, I was getting ready to prepare dinner. I'd been grocery shopping and had the ingredients for three complex dishes I hadn't made before. Hungry and tired, I reviewed the recipes but quickly became frustrated and overwhelmed. I started saying to myself "I don't want to make these dishes. I don't want this to be so hard. I don't want these recipes to be so complicated." Those thoughts increased my agitation. I felt stuck and upset.

Then I took a deep breath. I asked myself, "What do I really want in this situation right now? (Besides a personal chef!)" The answer was "I want to make a healthy and great tasting dinner in a way that is fast and easy for me." I quickly saw a solution I'd been unable to see minutes before: make only one of the new dishes that night along with a simple salad and save the other new recipes for another evening. So that's what I did. The cooking was less stressful and the food turned out great. I switched from what I didn't want to what I did want. And it worked!

Are you focused on what you want or what you don't want? I know many (maybe most) of us have an ingrained habit pattern that focuses us on what we don't want. Changing this pattern can be challenging. And I've seen with myself and my clients that it's definitely worth doing!

In Your Life

The more you focus on what you do want, the more pleasure, passion, and purpose you will create in your life. Focus on the clear road ahead, not on the truck coming at you. Try experimenting with this.

1) When you're feeling stuck, stressed, worried, angry, unhappy, or upset, become aware of what you're focusing on. You may be focusing on exactly what you don't want.

2) As soon as you notice you're focusing on what you DON'T want, ask yourself, "What DO I want in this situation?"

3) Purposefully and intentionally, change your focus to and keep your focus on what you do want.

4) Repeat as needed.

Enjoy!


About the Author:
Bonnie McFarland works with women at midlife who are restless, stuck, or dissatisfied and want more passion and purpose in work and life. Her e-book, "What Lights You Up? Your Guide to Pleasure, Passion, and Purpose in Life," as well as "Light Matters," her ezine with tips and tools for getting more of what you truly want, are both available free. Your Guide To Pleasure, Passion and Purpose In Life http://www.labellavia.com

Use Egyptian Theme Décor for a Unique Guest Room

Article Presented by:
Susy Matthews

Have you ever thought about having a themed room in your home? Egyptian theme decor can provide you with a talking point for the whole neighborhood. If you have never given thought to a themed room just consider this for a few moments. Are you happy with your guest room? With the way it is decorated and the image of you that it projects?

Whether you know it or not, your guests' view of you is very much influenced by your guest room; the room you invite them to when you have them round for coffee or supper. If that's boring they will think you are too. Not that that should bother you, because they all probably have the same old boring guest room and think exactly the same about each other.

Why not do something about it? Don't you want your room to inspire comment? Don't you want people to find your guest room interesting, with so many conversation pieces that you will never run out of something to talk about? Surely you want somebody to notice your room, rather than just enter it and take it for granted like all the other boring old rooms they enter.

It's unlikely that you have considered Egyptian theme décor for your home, but why not give it a try. Liven it up and give them something to talk about. Forget Roman and Greek: they are either boring or a bit lascivious, but Egyptian is magical and mysterious. What with their animal gods and secret tombs, not to mention the mummies and the curses, and the pharaoh's tombs.

Get your guest room livened up. Throw some Egyptian tapestries over the floor and hang a couple on the wall. Get an Egyptian table as a centerpiece and you have started. Envisage the scene as your visitor enters your front door, and you lead them to your lounge. You throw open the door and right in front of them is a life-sized statue of the jackal headed god of the dead, Anubis.

The walls are hung will plaques displaying old hieroglyphs and portrayals of Tutankhamen with his child bride. Your sofa is upholstered in gold brocade piped with the deep blue braid of the Egyptian royal household. They sit and stare at the beautiful blue and black lapis lazuli and obsidian traditional ornaments and carvings, and the ornamental canopic jars.

They sit open-mouthed as you explain the history behind each one, and point out the blue scarab beetle topped boxes, and relate the stories behind the sacred scarabs and how they are purported to protect the dead on their journey to the afterlife. It doesn't take much; just a few artifacts and a bit of home work, and you will be the talk of the town.

If you take time to learn just a little bit about the Egyptian people and their customs, you will be able to sound informative as you explain the ritual and mythology behind all of your pieces. This will have two uses: you will find out a lot about ancient Egypt yourself, and you will be able to impress your guests with your new found knowledge. This will make you the most popular hostess on the circuit and they won't be able to wait until your turn comes round again.

You need not get everything at once. In fact if you add to your theme slowly over a period of time, you will have fresh material to talk about every time. There are lots of Egyptian themed items that you can buy and your conversation pieces will be limitless. You can purchase genuine Egyptian antiques and reproductions. Incense burners are inexpensive, and though ancient Egyptian mirrors are unobtainable, there are many reproductions on the market at reasonable prices. After all, it is the look that matters, not the authenticity.

If you want your invitations to be the most prized in town, and your home to be the most visited, bite the bullet and take the first step towards using Egyptian theme décor to turn your lounge into a guest room with a difference.


About the Author:
Written by: Susy Matthews
Home Accents Galleria is always adding exciting home decor items from five Continents. Come see what's new from Ancient Egypt, Out of Africa, American Indian Tribes, the Jungles of Indonesia, and the Land of the Incas. From Komodo Dragons to Ancient Egyptian Gods, you will find a great conversation accent. http://www.homeaccentsgalleria.com

Mortgage Arrears And Repossession Guide -- How To Prevent Repossession

Article Presented by:
James Copper

People in today's society will have differing attitudes to debt and debt repayment. There will always be those individual's who take a very relaxed attitude to debt and debt repayment, however the vast majority will take the matter very seriously and in the case of property ownership, they will take any realistic action to make their mortgage repayments on time.

With the recent rises in the interest rates many people are going to struggle to keep up with their repayments. Individuals fall into arrears on their mortgage for many different reasons; accident or sickness, redundancy or unemployment, death of a spouse, insolvency or hikes in mortgage interest rates to name just a few. The most common reason for property repossession in current times can be attributed to general high levels of consumer debt. This comes in two forms, secured and unsecured debt. Whether this is due to the borrower making payments on their unsecured debts in priority over their mortgage or a level of mortgage borrowing taken out which their income cannot afford.

But how can a few missed payments on the mortgage lead to property repossession? Very rarely will a property be repossessed over an isolated incident of a couple of missed payments. The advice given to borrowers who fall behind on their mortgage repayments is to contact their lender at the earliest possible opportunity. Speedy action on the part of the borrower can often reduce the potential arrears and put them on the road to recovery. Delaying action is likely to result in increased mortgage arrears and ultimately could lead to property repossession.


Stage 1: Lender chases for missed payments.

Initially your lender(s) will contact you in writing or by telephone to chase for missed payments. Make sure you speak to your lender, and let them know what is going on, keep notes of conversations and get details of any new agreements you reach.


Stage 2: Lenders solicitor contacts you.

If the arrears remain unpaid for a few months or more, your lender will refer your case to their solicitors to deal with.

You will need to talk to the solicitors and try and come to some arrangement, remember to get everything in writing from them.


Stage 3: Repossession Proceedings

Generally after around 4 - 8 months or more of mortgage arrears, the lenders solicitors will issue Repossession Proceedings with the County Court. Once the court has received this instruction, a hearing date will be set.

If this happens, you must complete and return the Court summons. Complete the reply form received from the Court stating your intentions e.g. that you wish to remain at the property. Include as much detail as possible about your income and outgoings as the court will require evidence that you can meet the current monthly installment and an amount towards the arrears.

Contact your lender and offer to pay the full regular monthly payment for the month together with a contribution towards the arrears. They may agree to suspended proceedings on receipt of these payments, provided they are received before the hearing date.

Make sure you attend the hearing. If you do not attend, the court has almost no alternative but to order possession against you.

Offer to pay the current installment. If the court is satisfied that you can maintain the repayments, the Judge will grant a Suspended Order for Possession enabling you to stay in your home.


Stage 4: Court Order

If you wish to remain in your home make an offer to pay the current regular monthly payment together with an contribution towards the arrears. If the judge believes you can maintain this then a Suspended Possession Order will be granted enabling you to stay in your home.

There are a number of possible outcomes at the hearing, depending on your situation and circumstances of the case:

Case dismissed. This means the repossession has been stopped (i.e. the mortgage arrears have been paid off).

Case adjourned. If for some reason the hearing cannot proceed then a new hearing date will be set.

Suspended Possession Order. This means that if the current regular monthly payment is made, together with an agreed amount towards the arrears each month the possession order is suspended. If however you default on the agreed terms of payment, the lender has the right to seek possession by Eviction or Possession Warrant without a further hearing. So make sure you keep up the repayments.

Possession Order. This is where your lender has been granted the right to possession of the property. This outcome is common where the judge has seen no attempt by you to make contact with the lender, the lenders solicitor or the courts, or where the judge deals that you simply cannot afford to meet regular payments or make a reasonable contribution to paying off the arrears.


Stage 5: Possession Warrant or Eviction Notice

If you have defaulted on a Suspended Possession Order or are still in your property after your Possession Order date, the lender will apply to the court for formal eviction. You will receive a letter from the court showing the exact date and time by which you must have left the property. This is often 7 to 14 days from date that the eviction notice is granted.

At the notified date and time, a court bailiff, representative of the lender and a locksmith will arrive at your property to formally take back control and possession of the property. You will have 10 minutes to collect your belongings and leave. Generally, after 10 minutes the locks will be changed and you will be allowed one further visit to collect any remaining belongings after approximately 2 weeks.

It does not matter if you are elderly, sick or have a young family the bailiffs will still take your property.

The Options You Have.

There are a number of things you can do in order to save your property, these are.

Negotiate revised terms.

Pay the arrears off in full.

Remortgage and switch lenders.

Sell your property.

Sell your property and rent it back.

The main thing to remember when being faced with repossession is not to bury your head in the sand, but face up to your situation and take action, answer your phone, read the letters from the lender, contact the lender, etc. You can rectify the problem but you do need to act quickly. Generally a bad credit remortgage will be the best way to stop the repossession, providing you have enough equity in the house.


About the Author:
James Copper enjoys writing on all areas of personal finance. He is a Loans Broker for http://www.any-loans.co.uk

Your Credit Rating And Loans - The Facts

Article Presented by:
James Copper

In the modern world today many people have large debts hanging over their heads and consequently suffer from having a bad credit rating. Because of the shear number individuals with a bad credit history, lenders have been forced to change their lending criteria to accommodate them.

There are a number of issues that will have an affect over your credit record, these range from the obvious to the not so obvious. These issues will become known to you when you go and apply for a mortgage or loan.

Bad debt management is the most obvious factor that will affect your credit rating such as missing your monthly payments on your mortgage or loans. This in turn will lead to higher borrowing costs at a later date.

It is extremely difficult to generalise, but two major factors in having a bad credit history can be unemployment and matrimonial disputes. There are, of course, many other causes:

Bad money management. Some people are unable to plan their finances wisely or prioritise their debts correctly

Over-borrowing

Bankruptcy

Death of the breadwinner. A large number of borrowers have no life insurance even though a simple mortgage protection policy costs very little

Imprisonment

Over-commitment. The borrower may have taken a bigger mortgage than he can afford

High interest rates for variable rate borrowers, high interest rates can be a disaster, particularly if the borrower could only just afford the mortgage when interest rates were low

Will not pay. There are some borrowers who will not cooperate with the lenders


There are however many other factors that to the average person may seem completely irrelevant, but to the credit scoring companies say a lot about how you are likely to manage your finances.

For example, an applicant with a mobile phone but no telephone landline might be seen as a fairly high risk to the lender. This is because lenders worry that if you only have a mobile phone, you would be harder to locate if you were to default your secured loan payments.

Whether you rent or own your own home could have a great influence. Being a tenant is not looked upon favourably. If you are a temporary worker, unskilled labourer or self employed, this could also count against you.

Another circumstance which could affect your score is down to where you live in the country. Postcode profiling is becoming an important part of the credit scoring process. In this way, lenders can look to avoid lending to those who live in less desirable neighbourhoods.

The following gives a list of the common ways to blacklist your credit rating:

Living abroad

Not staying on the electoral roll for long enough

Moving frequently

Renting a flat

Becoming a victim of identity fraud

Reapplying for a secured loan immediately after you have been refused one

Not paying your yearly car tax to the DVLA on time

Signing up for lots of credit cards within a short period of time, for the free gifts and special offers


Most high street banks and building societies will only grant secured loans to those who have either good or excellent credit. There are specialist lenders however that would be willing to accept applicants with poor credit records. These are know as bad credit loans.

For those with an impaired credit history, the process of credit repair is achievable over time. The first step to recovery is to settle your bad debts and meet payments on your existing mortgage and secured loans.

All unpaid credit and county court judgements (CCJs) will stay on your credit file for 6 years. These will be marked as settled as and when they are paid. This is usually taken into account when you're making future credit applications.

Lenders will often allow you to write a statement to balance out a bad report, which could explain circumstances that might have tarnished your credit rating.

So next time you are looking for a loan or mortgage, make sure that you understand the factors that will not only affect your chances of being accepted but also the rates.


About the Author:
James Copper enjoys writing on all areas of personal finance. He is a Loans Broker for http://www.any-loans.co.uk

7 Reasons Why Getting Let Go Is Good For You

Article Presented by:
Jason Alba

According to experts, the average person can expect to change careers or jobs at least six times in their lifetime. I thought that I would be in complete control of these job changes, and I was in control for three of them. But the fourth change was something I did not have control over! In fact, I had very little to do with this change, and soon found myself without a job and actively looking. And the search was longer, and more painful than I ever expected. I learned a lot during this search process, and would like to share some reasons why it really was a good change.


1. It was a great time to move on and increase my networking. After six years at the same company I was growing comfortable and complacent in my work and relationships. I wasn't meeting too many new people, and all of the people that I knew were in the same industry. When I moved on I had the opportunity to meet new people in various industries. I think I've at least quadrupled my network with significant contacts and have a much more diverse group of contacts.


2. I could now learn new things, or new ways to apply old things. I had learned a lot of things in my old job, from technology to sales, operations to strategy. But I felt that I was maxing out my personal growth, and my mentors didn't have much more to teach me. Taking what I learned from there and applying it in a different environment is a rich opportunity to continue to grow. Furthermore, getting new mentors and teachers was exactly what I needed, and I've been on a fast track to more personal growth.


3. I was forced to update my resume. I hadn't cared about my resume for at least six years, and didn't think I would need to for a long time. I was neglecting expert advice to always have a resume ready. I thought that it would be easy to throw together a quick resume but found I was wrong. It took me an entire week to get it "just right," and even then it was flawed. This was, however, a great time to sharpen my saw and get this important document up to date.


4. I began to focus on a much neglected area: my own career management. Like most people, I had given 110% to my job and my employer. I was a corporate guy, and I sacrificed personal and family stuff for "the cause." But that didn't pay off once I got laid off, with nothing more than a few weeks of severance and a "thanks for everything." I had done myself a major disservice by not doing things for my personal career management. Losing my job but keeping my mortgage payment was a huge eye-opener and made me step back and think about things that I should do to manage my career.


5. I got a sharp reminder of what's important, and an opportunity to refocus on important things. Going back to the "I sacrificed" statement, when I got laid off it was interesting to spend time at home and get reacquainted with my family. I had a two year old daughter that was a mommy's girl, but after a few weeks of actually being around her she really warmed up to me, and now she comes to me first in the morning. It really was good to have some time to reevaluate my life, my goals, and realize that I had to focus on the really important things.


6. This was a time to seek out better opportunities. When I was employed it was not fun thinking about how green the grass was somewhere else... I wanted to work towards the green grass in my own company! But the reality is there are green pastures in many different places. Not every place is free from problems, but changing jobs is a great opportunity to look for something better than what you just left. I encourage you to evaluate the satisfaction from your last job and think about how you would improve it - and then seek out employment that meets your criteria. There is no better time than the present to upgrade your own job.


7. I got a chance to seriously evaluate my career path and determine if its time for a change. Have you been an expert in your field for too long? Maybe you are ready for a career change - from customer service to sales, or from project management to operations. I had a terrific opportunity to move into an entrepreneurial role, which was very different than what I had done before (goodbye meetings that are too long with too many people, hello lean and shoestring!). This might seem like a Pollyanna attitude on getting laid off, but these are almost tangible results that I took away from my transition. What can you take away from your experience? Perhaps more important, how can this impact your long-term career management plans?


About the Author:
Jason Alba is the founder of http://www.JibberJobber.com which is the premier career management toolset designed to empower you during your entire career. In Jason's last job search he was frustrated at the oversupply of articles and advice and surprised to not find any tool to allow him to put the advice into practice. JibberJobber.com allows you to manage important relationship like a salesman manages his leads, track and organize your job search, prepare for specific interviews, manage career documents and much more. Sign up for a free account at http://www.JibberJobber.com/signup.php

Back To The Future... Get Ready Now, Changes Are Coming

Article Presented by:
Donna Robinson

The comments below are quoted from a recent speech by Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors...

"Looking forward, I am sure that the Committee will continue to watch the oil situation carefully. However, future monetary-policy choices will not be closely linked to the behavior of oil prices per se. Rather, they will depend on what the incoming data, taken as a whole, say about prospects for inflation and the strength of the expansion. Generally, I expect those data to suggest that the removal of policy accommodation can proceed at a 'measured' pace. However, as always, the actual course of policy will depend on the evidence, including, of course, what we learn about how oil prices are affecting the economy."

In short, the Federal Reserve knows that there will be an impact. But no one knows how big and how fast. During the oil embargo of the 1970's gasoline prices doubled several times over a matter of months. The effect was dramatic and sudden. It was difficult to adjust, because things were happening so fast.

This time around, it appears that the price climb will be gradual and steady, thus allowing the Federal Reserve and the government to make adjustments as they go, by examining economic data on a monthly basis. At least that is what they are hoping for. They know that the economic climate is changing, but they are hoping that it will be slow enough to control.

This week as I contemplated my own reaction to the changing economic environment, I felt compelled to encourage you to give some serious consideration to your personal economic circumstances. If you have a large percentage of debt relative to your in- come, you should take steps now to eliminate as much of it as possible. Prepare your- self so that you will be protected against unexpected economic upheaval.

Being debt free, or having a very low debt to income ratio is the best way to protect yourself in an unpredictable and volatile world. As we learned on September 11, 2001 things can change dramatically in only a few hours. If you put it off, you may not have enough time to get it done. The average person needs 4 to 5 years to pay off their outstanding personal debt, not counting their home. In today's world, it will pay to get started now. I have made it my primary objective to pay off my personal debt over the next year or two.

That being said, the interesting thing about real estate investing is that even bad economic conditions tend to have a silver lining. There is a cause and effect relationship at work in any given economy, whether it is considered a "bad" or "good" economy.

In good times, such as we've had the past 8 years, retailing or flipping for cash was the hot ticket, due to high demand for housing and the ability to sell properties quickly. In recessionary times, higher interest rates and lower housing sales fuel more seller financing, and rental properties flourish. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking this is the case.

As interest rates got lower, rates of return for traditional investment vehicles went lower and lower. The result? More and more money poured into real estate lending. Hard money and other types of conventional real estate financing programs expanded drastically, making millions of dollars in new funds available for real estate invest- ors.

As housing sales reached record levels, home sellers began seeing a boom in housing prices. It has truly been a sellers market since rates fell below 7%. What happened to investment property? During the past 5 years of an investing bonanza in Atlanta, GA, prices for investment properties have doubled and even tripled. 3 bedroom 1 bath houses were selling in 1999 for as little as $25,000, even in liveable condition. Today, that same type house regularly sells for $75,000 (or more) before repairs.

Going Forward:

Rising interest rates and/or over supply will have a positive effect for investors, by slowing housing sales even further. As sellers get fewer solid offers property prices will get softer. Rising rates could fuel more short selling of foreclosed properties, and this trend is developing now.

Foreclosures may eventually get to levels not seen since the late 1980's, due to high levels of mortgage debt among homeowners, who in many cases, have mortgaged all of their equity to pay other bills.

If rates get above 8%, you can dust off your creative financing books, as seller financing will increase. Rising rates mean rising monthly payments. This will eliminate the borderline buyers from the housing market. They will start moving back into apartments and rental houses. Vacancies will decline, rental rates will increase.

If rental rates increase, cash flows will increase. Rental property will be back in style with investors who abandoned rentals and focused on selling for fast cash in a hot market. Companies that sell investment property can expect growing demand for rental grade properties. While it is still very early in the cycle, I believe this shift is already under way.

Economic recessions are boom times for smart investors who are positioned to take advantage of the situation. I am not predicting a recession per se' but rising oil prices high foreclosures, and an over supply of houses may eventually have a big effect on prices.

Be ready to take advantage when the opportunity comes.***


About the Author:
Donna Robinson is a real estate agent, market analyst and the Training Director for The Real Estate Arena. This article is one example of the quality information you will receive when you join TREA. For more information go to http://www.therealestatearena.com/ad.aspx?i=rtcl

Assertiveness Training: Be Assertive and Take Charge of YOUR Life!

Article Presented by:
Sharif Khan

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

Are you sick and tired of being treated like a doormat and having people walk all over you? If you answered yes, read on...

It's time you learn to assert yourself by respecting and honoring your personal and professional boundaries. It is important that you do so because if you can't look out for yourself, nobody else will.

We have all at one time or another experienced boundary violations from friends, relatives, or co-workers be it intentional or unintentional. Such encounters can become very uncomfortable and difficult to deal with, especially when dealing with people you know intimately. How can you stop the cycle of abuse and take control of your life?

It starts with self-honoring and self-respect. Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses, know what you stand for and what you don't stand for, know your boundaries. As the Greeks once said, "Know thyself and you will know the Gods and the universe."

Be aware of your physical, emotional, and social boundaries in the different areas of your life including personal, professional, family, and relationships. Take the time to honestly communicate with boundary violators letting them know in no uncertain terms that you don't appreciate being treated in a certain way and will not tolerate it. Different circumstances will call for different ways of dealing with such issues depending on your work, your personality, and the situation.

For example, Rebecca Rosenblat (aka Dr. Date) is a Toronto sex therapist who does the lecture circuit on sexual relationships and driving one's lover wild in bed. As you can imagine, she is having her boundaries violated all the time. Many people assume, wrongly, that because she is a public figure and authority on sex that they have the right to make sexual innuendos and inappropriate remarks.

If that weren't bad enough, some deranged people think they actually have the right to have sex with her! One such person walked up to her after she finished delivering her seminar and bluntly stated he wanted to have sex. She laughed and quickly brushed him off by saying, "My seminar was about driving YOUR own lover wild in bed...not me...I have my own husband!" In her profession, Dr. Date finds humor and a sharp, quick wit to be most effective.

One time, somebody had physically grabbed her. In response, she kneed him right in the crotch! This person wasn't too bright and asked a stupid follow-up question, "Why did you do that for?" She responded with, "You touched my ass, I touched your crotch!"

In Rebecca's case, because of the nature of her profession, she chooses to respond to verbal abuse in a verbal way and physical abuse in a physical way. But violators beware! Not only is this type of behavior socially inappropriate, it's just plain stupid; you can end up with a court order, a life-debilitating lawsuit, or some serious jail time.

People who continually violate their friend's boundaries need to back off and smarten up. It's a recipe for disaster, ultimately ruining the relationship that has taken so long to build. We all have friends who love to give advice but seldom follow it themselves. Gone too far, they begin telling you what to do with your life. These people feel that because they are your friends, they have the right to tell you what to do and try to change you. And if you don't change and do what they tell you, they take it personally.

Friends who commit such relationship sins should wake up and smell the coffee. My message to them is, "Stop! Take a long look in the mirror and realize that the only person that can change is YOU! Stop trying to take out the speck of dust from your neighbor's eye and remove the plank from your own!" Make a top ten list of how you may be violating other people's boundaries and work towards eliminating these bad habits from your life.

If you feel you are a victim of such 'boundary hunters', you need to sit down with such friends and explain to them honestly what you are feeling and how you want to be treated in such circumstances. You might start by saying something to the following effect: "I don't like it when you keep telling me what I need to do with my life. Sometimes as a friend I just want to confide in you and feel supported. I'm not looking for advice, just some understanding and empathy." Should this pattern of boundary crossing abuse continue unabated, then I would strongly advise that you exercise respect for yourself by ending the relationship and moving on.

"But what if this person happens to be my boss?" you might ask. "Won't it jeopardize my job and future opportunities for promotion?" My answer to this question is a direct one: regardless of whether it's a family member, friend, co-worker, or even employer, if you don't like the way you are being treated stand up for yourself and say so! Have the courage to confront whoever it is who is crossing your boundaries and exercise your right to be treated as a free and intelligent human being; even if this means terminating the relationship, leaving, or getting fired from your job. You don't deserve to be continually mistreated in any situation. In fact, in many cases the person being confronted will have a new found respect for you when you show enough backbone and courage and stand up for who you are.

As a case in point, Janick Leonard, now a professional Network Marketer, served as a waitress ten years ago for a trendy Mont-Tremblant restaurant. The owner had a big anger management problem and would constantly scream and publicly chew out his employees in public. One day he chewed her out for no apparent reason and started calling her names and verbally abusing her in front of clients. She quit her job right on the spot and left, setting an example to those who kept taking the abuse.

"I couldn't handle being treating like that," she writes. "He crossed my boundaries and I decided I would never let anyone treat me this way ever again." It's probably one of the best decisions she has ever made. After she quit, she wrote a letter to the owner expressing how she felt and letting him know that all the employees felt the same way, creating awkward tension and resentment whenever he was around the restaurant. The employees were pretending to like him while the truth was that everyone was talking behind his back, and Janick expressed this in her letter to the owner. As a result, this letter changed the way the owner treated his employees from then on.

But that's only half the story. Janick jubilantly writes, "After a couple of years, I sat with my ex-boss and we made peace. He hired me again for another of his restaurants and I worked for him and his partner for 3 years while I was studying fashion in college. Our relationship has been straightforward, authentic, and based on respect... It still is today."

If you honor and respect yourself, and treat others with the same dignity you would want to be treated with, your whole life will change for the better. From this day forward, promise to assert yourself, take a stand for your personal freedom, and never let anybody continue to cross your boundaries ever again!


About the Author:
Sharif Khan http://www.sharifkhan.blogspot.com is a copywriter and communications specialist, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of the leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul." http://www.herosoul.com He publishes his monthly Hero Soul ezine for cutting-edge advice on success, leadership, and personal growth. To contact Sharif Khan about his business writing, coaching, or motivational speaking services, call 416-417-1259.

Secret Success Strategy

Article Presented by:
Sharif Khan

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

FOCUS + FEELING + ACTION = ATTRACTION

While I don't believe in pat formulas for success, I'd like to share some ingredients for attracting more of what we want in life. It goes like this: whatever we FOCUS on, FEEL, and ACT on, we ATTRACT. Call it 'a recipe for success' if you will. (Not "THE" recipe, but "A" recipe). If any of these ingredients are missing, there's less chance of manifesting what you want.

If you have the mental focus (i.e. you write down your goals/objectives, put them in a visible place, say your daily mantras/affirmations) but lack the feeling of what it would actually be like to accomplish your goal, you can say your affirmations till your blue in the face and nothing would happen.

Likewise if you have powerful feelings and are doing lots of activity but are lacking focus and direction, you will burn out fast without accomplishing much. In fact, if you're focus is misplaced, you could end up courting disaster. Take a look at professional race car driving. Some of the deadliest accidents occur right when drivers are rounding the curve. Some of the inexperienced drivers, as they are rounding the curve, will stay visually focused on the curve they are trying to clear. And guess what happens? You got it...they end up smashing right into the curve! More experienced professionals will immediately shift their focus in the opposite direction of the curve and thus get past it. Are you focusing on your problems or solutions?

If you have the focus and feeling down pat (your doing your mantras, writing your goals, developed your plan, are experiencing passionate feelings of reaching your desired objective) but are not taking daily and consistent action towards your goal, again you will always be coming just short of your desired outcome.

There are some extras that I'd like to add. If after you've done everything humanly possible, you place your FAITH and trust in the natural process that creates all things, and stop worrying and fretting, you will attract more of what you want in abundance. Think about it, would you plant a flower seed in the soil, and after a week of waiting, watering, and giving it lots of love and sunshine, dig it up and yell, "WHY AREN'T YOU GROWING! YOU'RE USELESS!"? Well, isn't that what we do with our own dreams sometimes?

Finally, if you add the HERO ingredient of SERVING others, of reaching your dreams by also helping others and creating value for other people, you will live a much more fulfilling life. We can certainly attract the stuff we want in life, but without giving back to the community or helping others along the way, we can often be left with a shallow, empty feeling inside.


About the Author:
Sharif Khan http://www.sharifkhan.blogspot.com is a copywriter and communications specialist, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of the leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul." http://www.herosoul.com He publishes his monthly Hero Soul ezine for cutting-edge advice on success, leadership, and personal growth. To contact Sharif Khan about his business writing, coaching, or motivational speaking services, call 416-417-1259.

Meeting a Girl Online

Article Presented by:
Arnold Kligermann

The first question you ask is 'Why would I want to meet a girl online?'

Why try to meet girls online when you can spot a chick you like, approach her, start talking - and actually get a date? Here are some advantages of offline dating, to put it like this:

You see the real girl right away.

You control the situation, no connection failures etc.

You can impress a girl with your appeal instead of typing smileys frantically.

You can touch her, smell her, even kiss her - and get punched by her :)

Even if you get her real photo, it might not give the real picture - offline dating does not have this problem.

Naturally, I'm the offline dating aficionado, but meeting a girl online does have advantages, too:

The web is a perfect place to meet and seduce an unapproachable girl (yet you will have to reach her somehow, find out her email or a chat room).

You don't need to look good and come sober, clean-shaven, smelling of perfume. All you need is an ability to write.

You can meet some girls online which are not likely to talk to guys in real life.

Online pickup techniques basically resemble offline ones.

The primary rule says 'be different'! This is a nightmare for all girls. Enter a chat with a nickname suggesting you're female, and you'll see all men act the same. Everybody will start asking all the same questions, your age, your phone, whether you got a photo etc.

To impress a girl, you have to stand out of the crowd, be interesting, appealing, smart, attentive and positive-minded. Don't you ever ask for her email or photo!

Yes, I realize you don't want to waste time on girls you won't like when you see them. Still you can learn to understand who's there by the way she talks. If she's whimsical, easily insulted, sometimes not too smart, she's probably a model-like beauty. Teenies are naive, sometimes easily scared and silly. Smart, joyful, witty girls almost always got beautiful eyes.

If a girl starts your talk by asking about your work, it means she's not a teenie, she also works or is temporarily unemployed, and most likely she's over 22-24 years of age. If she asks about your studies, she can be younger. You can use a multitude of hints to determine the age of your would-be partner. Try to write in correct spelling. Don't think that writing 'u got a luvly neekneim' will make her jump on you. She might, but you probably won't be too happy with it.

Treat her in a respectful way. Play gentle, because you don't know her age, her personality and her mood. You may as well receive a rude reply, and we don't need that.

So, you are entering this chat room and soon you have a target. Don't start by asking the person about their gender. You'll see that very soon by the way he or she talks to you.

People usually say something like 'hey there', but you should be smart enough to say 'good evening.' Your opening phrases should be witty (no filth), intelligent, nicely written with a bunch of relevant smileys.

Talk about something abstract. The girl should enjoy your communication, not go over her troubles again. Insert questions about her, about her work, hobbies, horoscope stuff, favorite sites, etc.

Finishing your talk, if you like a girl, ask how you can reach her later. She'll decide herself, whether it could be a phone or an email.

I think that men online often lack patience and lose promising contacts. If you get an email, it's an open way to seduction. You can use postcards, emails, poems, links to sites, whatever.

Now let's have a look at those dating sites.

You are running a search, of course, including only profiles with photos and from your location. Here come some profiles, and you feel like falling for some of them. And here comes the stupid part. You write an email and copy-paste it to all the girls. Nonsense!

If your message can be sent to multiple recipients, it means it's a worthless message. For instance:

"Hi. My name is Dan. I saw your profile at IsraLove.co.il and felt something I never did. It may be love! Write to me! Lamer@lamer.com"

What can I say? Really brief, to say the least, and she probably gets dozens of similar emails. What's your difference? How good are your chances? You should always keep asking these questions.

Here are some dating site tips.

A nice message subject. Not 'from your honey bunny' or 'my hard friend wants to meet you'. Something like 'It might be fate' or 'To the prettiest blonde of the town'. Don't be too brief, at least 15 sentences is fine. The upper limit should be reasonable, not two megabytes of pure text, you'll scare her. Be original. Invent a nice beginning which explains things, but don't be too mysterious. Note her features from the profile and mention them in your message.

For example:

Profile: Julia, 22yo, 5'7'', blue eyes, like sea, swimming, discos, study at medical college, like Roxette and Nirvana, looking for a kind, attentive smart guy for messaging and romance.

Your message:

Subject: "To the prettiest girl of the medical college"

Hello, Julia. Sorry if I disturb you. I saw your profile on a dating site. If it wasn't posted by you and it's a joke, please accept my apologies. The thing is that I liked the girl in the pictures very much, I would even go far enough to call you the prettiest girl in your college. I love when a girl has blue eyes, looking like lakes where one can drown. Probably you get compliments very often and I look hackneyed. Let me explain who I am a bit.

My name is Dan. My job is database programming, and I'll be 25 soon. I'm a bit taller than you, 5'11'', I love dancing, discor, and Roxette. Sometimes I think that we men never understand women completely. We have no idea what you really want and we seldom behave the way you would like us to. I know how important attention and response are. I know how important it is to take care of a woman, like a beautiful flower which withers without tenderness and consideration. Okay, don't let me get too started :) If you are interested, we could exchange thoughts and ideas. I'd love to, really.

Thanks and enjoy yourself!

I think you will surely have better chances than all the other men after a message like this.

Good luck to you!


About the Author:
Arnold Kligermann is autor and webmaster of http://www.seek.fi/ - online dating website, which contains useful dating tips and message examples.

What Is A Tea Of The Month Club?

Article Presented by:
Jon M. Stout

As consumers become more familiar with the wonderful world of loose leaf tea, a unique program has been developed by tea suppliers that offer the full breadth of tea product options.

A Tea of the Month Club is the perfect way to sample a variety of teas for yourself or for a gift. A tea selection will be made each month for the consumer and will be sent to your door. The selections are often made from high quality white, black, oolong, green and flavored teas.

Some tea suppliers offer Tea of The Month Club gift cards and these are also unique and ideal gift items particularly at holiday time.

An Example of a Tea of The Month Club

A sample Tea of the Month program schedule may include the following teas:

Month 1: Coconut Pouchong

Month 2: Vanilla Jasmine

Month 3: Moroccan Mint

Month 4: Sinharaja

Month 5: Tippy Earl Grey

Month 6: Temple of Heaven Gunpowder

Month 7: Honey Pear

Month 8: French Breakfast

Month 9: Kashmiri Chai

Month 10: Organic Green Tea

Month 11: Rose

Month 12: White Persian Melon

Each month a fresh selection of tea will be delivered and the consumer can develop their best choices of a broad range of teas. There is no better way to be introduced to the world of tea.

How Long Does the Tea of The Month Club Last?

Often, the consumer has the option to choose a six month or twelve month club. A small number of loose leaf tea suppliers also offer longer subscriptions.

Some suppliers provide the option of recurring subscriptions. For those wishing a longer subscription, the consumer can simply choose the twelve month option and choose the Auto Recurring option in the shopping cart and the club will automatically renew allowing uninterrupted service until the choice is made to cancel the program.

The Importance of Fast and Accurate Delivery

Because a Tea of the Month Club is essentially a subscription service, look for a supplier who has thought through the mechanics of automatic delivery of different types of tea. Since most Tea of The Month Clubs are e-commerce (web) based, chose a supplier that offers a number of choices on an easy to use e-commerce site and provides fast, accurate delivery using a reliable delivery service.

Packaging is Important

Packaging is an important consideration when choosing a Tea of The Month Club. The best suppliers offer attractive, re-sealable packaging and ship products using high quality, safe packaging materials. Cheap packing materials like shredded newspaper containing harmful inks and other substances should be avoided for health reasons.

Re-sealable packaging ensures freshness for a long period and safe packaging protects small children and pets from harm.

It Is All About Tea Quality

A Tea of the Month Club subscription is a wonderful way to explore the world of high quality loose leaf tea but no matter how convenient the club is, the quality of the tea is paramount in ensuring a truly great tea experience. Choose a supplier with a reputation for providing a quality product with a commitment to a culture of quality.

Some suppliers cup individual shipments to ensure quality and solicit feedback from their customers through interactive features on their websites. These suppliers consider the needs of their customer base as top priority.

A Tea of The Moth Club subscription can be an ideal way to learn about the wonderful world of loose leaf tea but be sure to choose a supplier with a reputation for providing customer satisfaction.


About the Author:
Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea) and chai. Visit http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.

How to Get Celebrity Book Endorsements & Testimonials

Article Presented by:
Jordan McAuley

Getting a celebrity, notable VIP, or leader in your field to give your book a short testimonial or endorsement (sometimes called a "blurb") is a great way to boost sales and garner extra publicity. Remember that this is a trade-off. You get a testimonial for your book, and the endorser gets additional exposure and/or credibility. Below is the five-step process I teach authors and writers:

1) Choose potential endorsers based on your book's subject.

If your book is about animals, for example, target celebrities and/or notable VIPs who have a vested personal interest in animals. If it's about a disease, target people who have suffered personally from it or who contribute to the disease's cause. If it's about kayaking, target people who like to kayak.

2) Ask potential endorsers to write your book's introduction or foreword.

This technique can work really well as long as you remember the following: flattery is key. Don't ask for an endorsement at this stage. Instead, flatter the person by saying that because of his or her expertise on your book's subject, you'd like to ask him or her to write the introduction or foreword. You may want to point out that this is a great opportunity for the endorser to get some additional exposure. When the book is published, you can mention "Introduction by (Expert's Name)" or "Foreword by (Expert's Name)" on the cover.

3) Gather a list of names and contact information.

The reference area of your local public library is a good start, but you can find more accurate information online. Search Google for "celebrity contacts" or "celebrity addresses" for a list of resources. If the celebrity has an official Web site, you can usually find his or her contact information there as well. Don't forget personal and professional connections. Take some time to sit down and brainstorm all the people you know who could put in a good word for you or at least pass along your book and request.

4) Make it as easy as possible to get a response.

Your request should include the draft of your book, a self-addressed, pre-paid FedEx or Priority Mail envelope, an easy-to-fill out testimonial form, and a personalized letter from you. If you're nervous about sending a draft of the book, you can also include a Confidentiality Letter. You may even want to mention that the better the testimonial, the more likely it will appear in your book (and possibly on the cover), resulting in additional exposure for the endorser.

5) Point out the benefits of giving an endorsement.

Potential endorsers usually won't mind (and will probably appreciate) the extra free publicity, additional exposure, and added credibility their blurb will provide when it's featured in (and maybe on the cover of) your book. Let the endorser know you'll mention his or her name, company name, and city under the testimonial as an added benefit of giving you an endorsement.

BONUS STEP: Follow Up!

If you still haven't heard anything, send a follow-up letter or email to the celebrities you asked for an endorsement from after a few weeks have gone. Know that getting a good endorsement or testimonial can take time. Celebrities and VIPs are busy, and their mail is often screened by an assistant or representative which can delay your request getting to them.

Always remember the "Three Ps" for getting celebrity testimonial and endorsements for your books: Be Polite, Be Persistent, and Be Patient!


About the Author:
Jordan McAuley is the author of "The Celebrity Black Book" and the Founder of http://www.ContactAnyCelebrity.com located in West Hollywood, California. Visit his site Make Your Book Famous! at http://www.makeyourbookfamous.com for 21 audio presentations from 14 top book marketing and book publicity experts plus more insider secrets on how to get celebrity book endorsments and testimonials. Affiliates can use or link to this article and earn 50% monthly recurring commissions - visit http://www.makeyourbookfamous.com/affiliates to sign up as an affiliate partner.

Six Easy Steps for Getting Started with Presentations that Promote Your Business

Article Presented by:
Judy Murdoch

The other day I was having coffee with a business owner who offers financial planning services.

Now most business owners I talk with like what they do to a greater or lesser degree. But this guy positively overflowed with enthusiasm for what he does. He actually managed to get me interested in the topic of 401k rollovers; a topic I usually find about as exciting as watching paint dry.

So I said to him, "Ryan, you seem like a natural for giving presentations and classes. It would be a great way to connect to prospective clients. Do you do anything like that?"

Ryan's face lit up and he said "I love to teach people and present!"

Then he said: "But I have no idea how to get started. How do I do that?"

Great question.

The topic of how to establish yourself as an expert speaker is a huge one. There are literally thousands of books, websites, classes, and coaching programs on the subject. But let's say you're like Ryan--you enjoy talking to groups and you want to try presentations as a way to promote your business.

I was in the exact same place as Ryan about two years ago. Since then I've learned a lot about using presentations as a way to promote my business to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

These six steps are the ones that got me started as a presenter.

Step 1. Start with local membership organizations.

Most cities--large and small--have hundreds of organizations whose purpose is to support members and do so by offering education, training, networking opportunities, and so on.

For this reason, they are always looking for ways to provide value to their members. If you can present a topic that members will find valuable and fits within the organization's mission, you are offering something desirable...especially if you have a fresh or unusual take on your topic.

Step 2. Brainstorm a list of topics you like to speak on.

If you're like Ryan and are using presentations as a way to introduce yourself to prospects, each topic should address a particular problem that you handle for your customers and a success story related to the problem.

As a financial planner, Ryan tends to encounter problems related to life transitions--voluntary and involuntary. For example, the happy occasion of a new baby also brings up questions such as: "Do we need a bigger house?" "Do we need to trade in our Mini Cooper for a mini van?" and "Do we need to start saving for college?"

Step 3. Meet the Program Director

Call the program director (or whoever arranges events) and briefly explain your intention for presenting. If the organization needs presenters and the program director expresses interest, this is a perfect time to describe 2-3 topics that seem like a good match to the interests of the organization.

NOTE: If none of the topics you suggest interest your contact, ask them what their members consider "hot topics". You may be able to adapt one of your topics to meet the needs of their members.

Step 4. Help the organization with promoting your program.

When you successfully schedule a presentation with one or more organizations, help make the presentation a success. You can do this by providing a brief bio (1-2 paragraphs), a summary of your topic, and a photo of yourself. Most program managers ask for these materials in advance and use them to promote upcoming programs.

You may also want to prepare a short introduction that the organization can use to introduce you to the audience.

Step 5. Earn your right to promote by adding value.

Have you ever sat through a presentation that was promoted as informational but turn out to be a thinly veiled sales pitch? Were you annoyed? Most people are. And this is why you focus on content first; promotion second.

The most effective presentations offer information that is genuinely relevant and useful to your audience. That allows you to position yourself as a provider of valuable solutions.

You should, of course, make your contact information, email address and web address easy to find and use. I always include my full contact information on the last page of my presentation handouts. In addition, each page of the handouts has my business name and website address in the footer section.

Step 6. Know what the next step is that you want your audience to take.

The biggest place where people mess up is on follow-up. They do their presentation. They chat with people in the audience. And then they leave hoping that members of the audience are so excited by what they learned that they will be calling the presenter the next.

But this is rarely the case.

So, you need to be very specific about what you want your audience to do and make it easy for them to take that action. This doesn't have to be anything complicated or fancy. A simple but effective approach is ask for their business cards in exchange for more information on the topic you presented. Give aways audiences like include a copy of the presentation handout, a list of resources, a helpful report, and so on.

You can then use the contact information as the basis for future invitations, mailings, and so on.

IMPORTANT: If you use an email subscription list, I strongly suggest you add only those members who opt-in. In this way you are contacting only those explicitly agreed to become subscribers. If you begin contacting people who did not give you permission, you risk being labeled a spammer. Even worse, you risk losing credibility as a trusted expert.

Bottom Line

If you follow the six steps I've described *and* present a relevant topic in an engaging way, you'll have plenty of opportunities to present. Once you have some experience, you can refine your presentation topics and focus on organizations whose missions and membership are the best fit with the products and services you offer.


About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and five-star strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com

Flipping, Retailing, Leasing, Options, Short Sales? Confused By All The Strategies Out There? I Was Too!

Article Presented by:
Donna Robinson

Many programs, seminars and boot camps on real estate teach a specific step-by-step strategy in an attempt to help newbie's learn how to become a real estate investor. I have taken such strategy based classes, and have taught them too.

The focus is usually on specific strategies and the step-by-step process by which to execute that strategy. The idea is that this gives you a repeatable, easy to understand process that you can learn and implement quickly.

But after years of learning about real estate and then years of teaching and consulting I have realized that this approach can inhibit your ability to understand how real estate investing works at the most basic, fundamental level.

It is sort of like teaching a kid how to play baseball by saying:

1. Get a hit.
2. Get on Base.
3. Score a Run.


While this is an easy "strategy" for scoring, it leaves the player with no understanding of the fundamental skills necessary to get a hit.

It's exciting to think about scoring the winning run, or making $50,000 on one real estate deal. However, most people who can do that on a regular basis have been working at their craft, diligently practicing and mastering fundamental skills.

These fundamentals are really the keys that unlock the door to investing success.

Home run king Hank Aaron's success was in his mastery of the fundamentals of a proper batting swing. That swing gave him the ability to break the most famous record in all of Baseball.

A real estate investor faces the same challenge when trying to "hit a home run" and make big money with real estate.

Like star athletes, you must master the fundamental skills of your craft, and learn to apply those fundamentals to every prospective deal. The bottom line is if you want to be a star in the "game" and make the big money you have to be good at the right things. But strategy based training tends to divert our attention away from the fundamentals.

Back in the early 1990's I heard Carleton sheets saying that rental property was the way to go. I went to a seminar and heard another guy named Russ Whitney saying that I should be finding houses that were in bad shape and fixing them up.

Then I saw another guy on TV talking about how he got cash back at a closing, and actually made money by buying a house! It certainly seemed that there were plenty of ways to make money in real estate. Still I had what some people refer to as "Analysis Paralysis ".

Today I realize that my "analysis paralysis" was caused by a lack of understanding. The plain fact was that I simply did not know the fundamentals of real estate investing. You might say I knew I needed to "get on base", but I simply did not know how to "swing the bat properly".

After a few months of reading articles, searching real estate websites, buying books and tapes, and going to seminars, I piled in the car and started looking at houses. But every time I looked at a house, I felt confused and unsure about what to do and how to know if this really was a decent investment property. For some reason, I just could not seem to connect all the dots

It seemed like my "career" was going nowhere. I went from one seminar to another hoping that each one would be the one that would clear up all my questions. Finally, out of sheer frustration I decided to get my agent's license. As a new agent I was required to take some classes on Real Estate Finance.

We learned to calculate net profits on a sale, buyer's payments, and how to do comparable market analysis. These calculations were not such exciting stuff at the time, but several years later, when I made the jump to become a full time buyer for an investment company, this gave me the ability to adapt to the investment market quickly.

Using my baseball analogy, you might say "I was working on my swing." I did not know it at the time, but I was honing those fundamental skills that would later enable me to get involved in bigger deals with higher level investors.

Looking back on all this experience I can't help but notice that the most successful investors, the ones who are truly financially independent as a result of their real estate activity, are those who have mastered these fundamental skills.

Every property has a value, location and character all its own. Mastering the fundamentals means being able to obtain key pieces of information, and then let that information dictate the investment strategy options based on that information.

The greatest single problem facing most investors in the current market is a lack of adaptability to changing circumstances. I believe that this lack of adaptability is primarily the result of not understanding the fundamentals of Real Estate Economics. It sounds pretty highfalutin' but all we're really talking about are the Real Time Market Value, income potential, and costs.

Each property will dictate to you what your best investment options are if you can gather those key pieces of information.

Your starting point is to understand your market well enough to define an average of property values by the square foot - NOT house to house, as with comparable market analysis.

In a stable to improving market as we had from 1995 to 2005, it is easier to avoid mistakes when calculating value. But in a changing market where prices are tending to shift down because demand is changing or slowing, it is essential to be aware of what I call the Real Time Market Value. Learning this fundamental skill is critical for hitting "home runs" with real estate deals.

Fundamental Skill number one:

Know Your Real Time Market Value, and use this value to calculate your offer price.

When you pay too much going in, few, if any, strategies will keep you from losing money. ***


About the Author:
Written by: Donna Robinson
This is an example of the kind of quality training and information you receive when you become a member of The Real Estate Arena. When you join TREA you'll have access to live and recorded investor training, networking and investing tools, all for one low monthly membership fee. Get more information at http://www.therealestatearena.com/ad.aspx?i=rtcl

3 Classic No Down Payment Strategies

Article Presented by:
Donna Robinson

Everyone has heard a story or read about someone who bought a property without paying a single dime as a down payment. But how does this work?

There are several "classic" methods commonly used to purchase real estate with no money down. There are an infinite variety of situations in a real estate transaction that could lead to a deal with no down payment. But for the sake of reality, I will focus on those that are most commonly seen in the current market.


1. Seller second - The buyer obtains a new first mortgage for most but not all of the total purchase price. The seller finances the rest.

Purchase price: $100,000
Buyers loan: $90,000 (90% LTV) (new first mortgage)
Sellers finances $10,000 (in the form of a new second mortgage)
The buyer has borrowed 100% of the purchase price. Thus, you have100% financing, and no down payment was paid by buyer.

This is not a difficult strategy to employ if the seller has enough equity, is willing to hold a second, and the first mortgage lender approves.

One thing that is not mentioned in most articles about this strategy is the requirement for lender approval. The lender who is making the 90% loan will have to agree to allow the seller to take back a second mortgage. In cases where the buyer has better credit, this is usually OK with the lender. But if the buyer has a lower credit score, the lender may not approve of this. If your credit score is on the lower side, but you have good documented income, you may still qualify.

Talk to your lender ahead of time and find out if creative financing options such as a seller second would be allowed. Make sure you have a lender who is used to working on investment property loans. Some mortgage companies only have programs for owner occupants. You need to go to a lender who specializes in loans for investors.


2. Another common way to obtain a no down payment loan is to utilize one of the many low or no down payment programs that exist. Many of these are intended for owner occupants, but some are available for investors. Again, it is important to talk to the right lender.

If you have an investment property that you want to sell, consider taking back a second mortgage for 5-10%. This is not a huge amount, and it can help you sell your property faster.

When it comes to finding a seller who will help you create a no money down deal, consider buying from an investor who is willing to be flexible. Some investors are willing to do creative financing simply because they understand that it helps them sell houses. It never hurts to make an offer that includes a seller second. You never know until you ask.

There are some points to remember when purchasing investment property with no money down. A key point is the comparison of monthly payments to expected rental income. When you are financing 100% of the purchase price, your payments will be higher. If you have a second mortgage payment to add to a first mortgage, your payment may be even higher. Be sure your rental income will cover the entire monthly payment.


3. More common among professional investors is buying wholesale properties, using hard money to purchase and rehab.

When the rehab is completed, you want to get a new mortgage that pays off the hard money loan. Since this is a refinance, you can take cash out of the property. You may have to bring some money to closing on the hard money loan, but you get it all back when you refinance, so you end up with no money out of pocket. This becomes not only a "no down payment" deal, but also a "cash back at closing" deal.

It works like this:

Purchase price $100,000
Repairs $15,000
Hard money loan $115,000
Purchase and repair, then get new loan to pay off hard money.
New loan is based on 90% of After Repair Value.
For our example, the ARV is $150,000

90% of $150,000 is $135,000.
New loan for $135,000. Subtract hard money loan pay off of $115,000 leaves $20,000.
You keep the extra $20,000 in cash, tax free since it is a loan, rent your house out and let the tenant pay the loan back.
Your gross profit is $20,000 cash and $15,000 equity. Total gross profit $35,000. Not too bad for a couple months work.

Down payment by definition means specifically money that is used to "pay down" the total purchase price. This does not include money for closing costs, points, interest, and other items such as insurance. But if you are buying wholesale properties, fixing them and refinancing to pull cash out, you should be able to pay all your expenses and have a nice profit at the end of the day. (Just keep some of that cash in reserve for emergencies)

If you do 3 houses per year, and you only net $25,000 total, after paying all expenses on each of the 3 houses, you are still netting $75,000 cash and equity in about 6 to 8 months. Plus, if you are renting these properties, you are also creating additional streams of income through monthly cash flow as well as accumulating equity in each property.

This is a solid strategy to achieve a retirement nest egg and ongoing income for life in less than 10 years. If you look around at the real estate investors who are wealthy, the vast majority own rental property, be it residential or commercial.

They understand the concept of buying at a discount, then holding their properties for years. They get to the point where their holdings are worth double or triple the price paid. This is free money that you can earn simply by buying and holding long term. No, this is not as easy as it sounds, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. If it were, everyone would be wealthy.

There are wholesaling companies in every major city that specialize in selling fixer upper properties that fit with strategy number 3 in this article. Look for their signs on the side of the road, their ads in the paper, or ads in local thrifty nickel type shopping papers.

Most deals do require some out of pocket cash, even if it is only temporary, until you refinance.

True no down payment opportunities are pretty rare these days, with interest rates at historic lows. If interest rates go back up, (and they will) we will see more creative financing and more no down payment opportunities in the future.***


About the Author:
Written by: Donna Robinson
This is an example of the kind of expert advice and training you will receive when you become a member of The Real Estate Arena. Members enjoy access to a suite of web-based training programs for beginning to advanced investors, a virtual office with essential business, marketing and networking tools, along with weekly live training and coaching teleconferences, all for a very low monthly membership. For more information go to http://www.therealestatearena.com/ad.aspx?i=rtcl

The Sporting Life

Article Presented by:
Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved Written by: Travel Alberta

Lacrosse

If you thought Canada's national sport was hockey, think again. While hockey is huge, the official national sport is lacrosse. Similar to its ice-bound cousin, lacrosse is played in an arena with teams of six a side attempting to score goals in their opponents' nets. It's a rough-and-tumble event that's gaining in popularity as a spectator sport, and nowhere will you find it more thrilling than at a Calgary Roughnecks game. As players run and score to a thumping rock 'n' roll beat, the action comes from every direction at a feverish pace. As defending league champions, the Roughnecks are a good bet to make it to the final, played this year on May 14. For a uniquely Canadian sporting event, try lacrosse.


Football

The pigskin tradition is an old one in Alberta, with two rival football teams in the province's major cities...the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. This year, the season opens on June 22 and closes in late November with the playing of the Grey Cup. Dating back to 1909, the Grey Cup is the oldest consistently awarded trophy in North American pro sport. This year, the Eskimos and Stampeders both have their sights set on the cup, and the fiercest battles will be the ones when Calgary hosts Edmonton on September 5 and Edmonton returns the favor on September 9.


Two Wheels

The wilderness trails of the Rocky Mountains offer the ideal challenge for extreme adventure cyclists. But be cautioned: these are events not for the faint of heart...or leg.

The ultimate experience is undoubtedly the TransRockies Challenge, in which participants cover more than 370 miles of rugged mountain terrain and more than 7 miles of elevation over a 7-day period, finishing up in Canmore. Every day, the hundreds of racers who start at 8am need to reach a movable tent city by 6pm. Just finishing this event is an amazing accomplishment.

Only slightly less wild is the 24 Hours of Adrenalin in Canmore, where mountain bike riders pedal through the night to see how far they (or their team) can go before the 24-hour clock runs out. This event features a loop course that begins and ends at the Canmore Nordic Centre, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics Nordic events.


Two Feet

The Death Race. If the name doesn't scare you off, this could be the running event for you. Picture a 100-mile course over three mountain passes that you have to finish in 24 hours, including a river crossing where you hand a coin to the Grim Reaper for a boat ride across. It doesn't get much more extreme than the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, which is considered by many to be the toughest running race in Canada. Of course, if you don't want to do it solo, you can always take the "easy" way and race it in a group of five.

Another 100-mile mountain running race is found further south, this time in Kananaskis Country. The K-100 Relay pits teams of 10 against each other in a weekend of family camping...and extreme adventure.

If you like your running events more on the urban side, there are scores of races all summer in Alberta. The largest of these are the Calgary Marathon (Jul 10) run along the Bow River in the foothills of Alberta and the Edmonton Marathon (Aug 21) run alongside the mighty North Saskatchewan River.


About the Author:
Copyright © 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved

Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://www.travelalberta.com

Decorating Tips: Best Placement for Rugs Under Furniture

Article Presented by:
AnnaRae Mills

Small rugs and accent rugs can usually be placed wherever they look good or fulfill a specific purpose, but larger rugs look best when basic guidelines for placement are followed. Since a larger rug often serves as an anchor for a furniture grouping or the main floor covering in a room, proper placement is essential for several reasons, including a balanced look.

A typical setting for a large rug is under a coffee table and/or in front of a sofa. The coffee table is usually centered between the long ends of the rug. The rug can be along the front edge of the sofa or it can be placed under the sofa's front legs, 2 to 3 inches behind the front legs. The back legs of a sofa usually do not get placed on the rug unless the rug is a very large rug.

When using a large rug that covers most of a room, it's best to use a rug size that allows at least 8 inches of a hardwood or tile floor to be exposed around the rug. Center the rug in the room as much as possible, with an equal distance from the wall to each side and an equal distance from the wall to each end. This equal spacing guideline still applies if there is a feature (such as a closet or fireplace) that sticks out in part of the room.

Large rugs are often used in a home's dining area. The best size of rug to use under a dining table extends a minimum of 24 inches beyond each edge of the table. This allows someone to sit down or get up from a dining chair while the chair's back legs remain on the rug. If you've ever tried to get a chair's back legs up and over the edge of a rug while seated, you know how important this guideline can be.

A large room might have a sitting area that is separate from the room's main area. A mid-size rug can help define a sitting area, which could include a couple of chairs and perhaps a small table. A good size would be 4 X 6 feet, 5 X 8 feet, or a 5 to 7 foot round or hexagonal rug. The front legs of each chair are on the rug and the chairs are arranged, often at a slight angle, so the people sitting there can have both feet on the rug. It's okay to have all four legs of each chair on the rug if the rug is large enough. However, it is best not to have more than two feet of empty rug behind the chairs.

Sometimes, a couple of things get overlooked when people want to get a large rug. Think about this for just a moment: You know the design and color you want, but will the rug really fit where you want it to go? If a door opens over the rug, does the door have enough clearance? Will the rug's desired placement impact any air vents or electrical outlets?

I certainly don't want to throw a wrench into the cogs of your decorating plans, but thinking ahead will almost always help you avoid unwanted "surprises." Good placement for large rugs might not seem like such a big deal, but poor placement can throw the look and feel of the entire room off balance.

You'll find that it's time well-spent to mark off the area for a new rug before you get the rug. This can be done with newspaper and masking tape, plus a tape measure. Put newspaper where you want the rug and hold in place with the tape. You can also use a blanket or sheet folded to various sizes. Work with this outline until the overall size looks just right. Measure the outline and look for a rug that closely matches those dimensions.

With the wide variety of rugs in every design and color you can imagine, you'll probably be able to find your favorite rugs in just the right size for each particular placement.


About the Author:
AnnaRae Mills is wild about rugs! She has a goldmine of tips and information to share with you. Decorating ideas, shopping tips, and much more. Find out how to pick the right rugs for your home. See pics of all rug types at http://www.Area-Rug-Tips.com

Decorate Your Home with Rugs in Solid Colors or Unique Shapes

Article Presented by:
AnnaRae Mills

Now, more than ever, rugs come in a surprisingly wide range of designs and color combinations, as well as shapes. This can make finding the right rug an exciting quest. So, let's have some fun by looking at rugs in solid colors or distinctive shapes that often get overlooked by decorators and rug shoppers.

Rugs with a solid color or a unique shape are ideal for many situations. If you have a room with busy patterns in either the furniture or the wallpaper, you'll be better off to go with a solid color rug in a complementary shade. Depending on the elements of the room, a rug with a subtle color gradient (shifting from one color tone to another) might also work well.

You might be tempted to use a rug with a country look, such as a rooster or a strawberry vine, in the kitchen. Sure, it has a familiar feel and it's functional, but is that really the best type of rug to use if you have brushed steel appliances? Color is your best friend when it comes to decorating with rugs!

There are thousands of color choices available. Consider using single-color (no pattern) rugs for a shocking expression or bold statement. Use a contrasting solid color rug to draw attention to a focal point in the room, or to offset a dominant room color. For example, an all-white dining room might have a huge impact if a solid black area rug were used underneath the dining table.

Solid color rugs allow you to be versatile. Matching the colors in a room provides a continuous-flow effect. Complementing the dominant hues can produce a satisfying artistic look. Whatever your decorating style, a solid color rug can enhance it! And, since so many people use patterned rugs, imagine how striking your simple, straightforward solid rug will be!

It's easy to sit back and think of rugs in a rectangular shape. After all, isn't that the most common shape you see at the home improvement stores or in your friend's homes? To paraphrase a popular expression, let's all "Decorate outside the rectangle!" Decorating with shape adds a whole new dimension (literally).

Consider a round or hexagonal rug in the foyer or entryway if you have a large home. A rectangular rug would probably do the job just fine, but a rug chosen for its shape lets you make more of a statement. A half-round rug looks great in front of your kitchen sink, plus, it provides you with a comfortable place to stand.

Whether you're adding a finishing touch to your home or trying to get the right look for a certain room, a rug with a unique shape might be just what you need. Rounds, hexagons, true squares, and irregular shapes can make for dramatic results. Your guests will be impressed. A unique rug can even perk up the allure of a room.

Almost every type of rug is available in non-standard shapes. So, if you just gotta have that luscious crimson and black modern rug in a round shape, go for it! With the extensive choices you have, you'll probably be able to find exactly what you want.

We hope this article has enhanced your overall awareness of rugs that often get overlooked. As you finish reading this article, ask yourself if you have the type of décor that deserves to break away from traditional designs or the familiar rectangular shape. It's good to know that the wonderful world of rugs offers so many possibilities. And, many of them are just right for your home!


About the Author:
AnnaRae Mills is wild about rugs! She has a goldmine of tips and information to share with you. Decorating ideas, shopping tips, and much more. Find out how to pick the right rugs for your home. See pics of all rug types at http://www.Area-Rug-Tips.com

Home Decorating: People Love Rugs that Appeal to The Senses

Article Presented by:
AnnaRae Mills

Using rugs here and there is a decorative way to add charm and personality to your home. Rugs help you create the look and feel you want for each room. But, it goes beyond that. Rugs are more than just floor coverings - they can also appeal to our senses.

The most obvious sense that rugs impact is sight. Rugs can create visual interest with eye-catching designs or bold colors. A rug can also be it's own focal point or it can help draw attention to something nearby. It might be a piece of furniture or a feature of the room that is highlighted because of the rug's placement.

Touch, or feel, is another major sense that many rugs appeal to. Anyone who has ever been barefoot on a cold bare floor and then stepped onto a rug has felt instant relief. I was raised in an area of the United States that has cold winters. No matter how much warmth the furnace pumped out, the bare floors were cold in our old house. New slippers were a welcome gift.

Certain types of rugs, such as shag, Flokati, and sheepskin rugs, have a remarkable feel thanks to the longer-than-usual material. When I say shag rugs, I am talking about the newer versions, not the out-dated ones from the 1970s. If you want to have a rug with cloud-like fluffiness, there's nothing better than a Flokati rug or a sheepskin rug. These rugs are just right when you want to lay on the floor in front of the TV, curl up in front of the fireplace, or just wiggle your toes in the thick, lush fibers.

In addition to the physical senses of sight and touch, many rugs can also appeal to our emotions. Rugs often convey a feeling of hospitality to guests by making a room feel warm and inviting. Many types of rugs will often generate some pleasant reactions:

Some braided rugs give people a cozy, down-home feeling.

A richly detailed, ornate rug might make one feel more regal.

Whimsical themes or cartoon characters can induce smiling.

A wildlife scene may remind someone of a favorite camping trip.

Floral or animal designs might appeal to one's love of nature.

Rugs allow you to express yourself and show off your decorating style with the designs and colors you choose. And, to a lesser extent, your decorating expertise is revealed in the placement of your rugs. A rug can divide a room or it can bring the different elements of a room together. A rug can highlight a sitting area or help identify the traffic pattern from one room to another.

Many of us decorate the rooms of our homes based on what we have and where it fits. With the right rugs, we have the opportunity to create any mood or look we want in our rooms. Best of all, there are plenty of rugs to pick from to meet almost any budget.


About the Author:
AnnaRae Mills is wild about rugs! She has a goldmine of tips and information to share with you. Decorating ideas, shopping tips, and much more. Find out how to pick the right rugs for your home. See pics of all rug types at http://www.Area-Rug-Tips.com