Sabtu, 30 Januari 2010

Beginner Guitar Online – Super Easy Introduction to Guitar Strumming

If you have learned even just one guitar chord, then you are ready to begin learning how to strum on your guitar.
Strumming on the guitar can seem like a mystery when watching other players flawlessly play rhythm on the guitar.
1. Guitar strumming: It’s great to learn how to play guitar chords, however, It’s even more fun once you figure out how to strum your guitar chords. Guitar chord strumming consists of learning rhythm strum patterns that will utilize your right hand while holding your guitar pick. With your guitar pick you strum your hand up and down the guitar strings with the chord that you are playing with.
2. Strum patterns: Basic guitar strum patterns consist of what are called down stroke’s and upstroke’s.
3. Get Started: Pick your favourite guitar chord. In a downward motion strum your guitar four times. You have now played the most basic guitar strum pattern available. Next, strum upwards four times counting 1234. Next, we are going to vary your strum pattern. With your right hand strum down and then strum up. While you are strumming your guitar remember to count out loud.

The Tudors DVD Box Set

The Tudors makes for an interesting watch because of the historical story line the court rooms, the elegant costumes and the beautiful settings in which the series has been shot. The Tudors revolves around this story and explores the other factors like Henry’s break with Papacy, the Anglican Church and the related events that occurred in history at that point of time.
Before the Tudors, Rome on HBO had made big waves. Sir Thomas More, played by Jeremy Northam is Henry’s mentor in the series. It is his treaty in 1516 which broached the universal peace possibility. On his part Henry himself is quite sympathetic to his ideas but then he tends to turn towards real politics. Henry agrees to sign a treaty with France due to the efforts of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, played by Sam Neill.
During the series Henry orders the execution of Duke of Buckingham, played by Steven Waddington for treason. Henry wanted access to the fortunes of Buckingham for his own use. Catherine too is quite politically intelligent. Kennedy’s part as Catherine is quite well performed as he is married to King Arthur and later married his brother when Henry had been awarded the throne to be able to maintain Spanish alliance in England.
The Tudors seasons 1-2 dvd boxsets contain all the episodes in season one and two where Catherine tries to secure her position in the court while Henry tries to make his place in the state.

How To Play Guitar Good – The Mysteries of Alternate Picking Revealed.

In order to learn how to play guitar good you’ll need to learn the right hand guitar technique called alternate picking. Alternate picking is also a great way to learn how to play your guitar chords correctly, and introduce the concept of arpeggio playing.
The good news is that you can start applying these simple alternate picking techniques immediately to your guitar playing.
Let’s take a look at how to apply basic alternate picking to your guitar playing.
1. Hold your guitar pick correctly
2. Alternate your guitar strokes
3. Apply alternate picking to your scales
5. Apply alternate picking to your chords
1. Hold your guitar pick correctly: You want to make sure that you’re holding your guitar pick correctly. The possibilities of alternating your guitar strokes are limitless.
2. Apply alternate picking to your scales: On the first note that you play your guitar scale with, pick down. The next note you will pick up. When you have mastered going up and down on your guitar scales the next thing you want to do is to have your first note be plucked upwards first. The second note will now be a down stroke, and so forth.
3. Apply alternate picking to your chords: Alternate picking your guitar chords will do three things. The second thing alternate picking will do with your chords is introduce you to guitar chord picking patterns. Simple arpeggio playing is playing the guitar chord one note at a time. Arpeggio playing is also great for playing guitar chords with slow songs.

Making a Career Now With Any Small Video Camera

If you have a pc, some of these inexpensive camcorders come with their own editing software built in, so you can even cut your movie too without buying any expensive software.
If you have never used a camcorder or camera before nothing could be simpler than some of these pocket-sized models that are out there. Not by a long shot. No, you get great images that will last a lifetime along with good sound capturing and recording which will mean, whether you are a filming a music concert or a family gathering you produce results that will please everyone involved. These are powerhouses of technology packed into phone sized packages.
Often when people buy a new camera even if it is a stills camera or camcorder, they never really get to grips with all of the settings. Mostly these settings are never ever used and stay hidden deep within the menus. How many of us bother with shutter speed settings or tweak the white There are important moments to capture, and people falling over!
If you do want to get seriously creative and detailed then maybe you should look at a more expensive camera. The burning desire to make films or be involved in film making will push you forward if you really want to do it but why not start learning now? If you can buy one of these pocket camcorders then great! If not use whatever you can find or beg or borrow.

“Kingdom of Heaven”

Kingdom of Heaven – 1 Star (Terrible)
You apparently cannot make a quality, classic film about the Civil War in less time. Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentary film “The Civil War” consisted of 9 episodes and took 11 hours to view.
Second, there may be a market for a film in the Middle Ages about the Christian Crusades, a series of military expeditions by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the 11th, 12th and 13th Centuries. That market, regrettably, is very small compared to an epic about the Civil War, World War I or World War II.
Third, when 3-time, Best Director Oscar-nominee Ridley Scott (”Black Hawk Down”, “Gladiator” and “Thelma and Louise”) presented the film to the studio at 194 minutes (3 hours and 14 minutes), the studio execs demanded that it be cut to two hours, believing that moviegoers would not sit through a 3-hour film.
Fourth, not only was this film to be an epic story, its production cost was enormous. Most of the filming was in Morocco, and Mohammad VI, King of Morocco, provided 1,500 of his military personnel with accompanying equipment to help in the filming.
The flag budget for the film was $250,000. There were 7,500 weapons, 3,000 shields and 20,000 arrows used in the film. A massive replica of Jerusalem was constructed in the Sahara Desert, containing 28,000 square meters of wall that required 6,000 tons of plaster. The front set was 1,200 feet long and the walls were 56 feet tall.
Fifth, writer William Monahan’s first draft of the script was 186 pages.
Eighth, the sound in the film was terrible.
Two bright spots in the film were the performances of Liam Neeson as Godfrey de Ibelin and Ghassan Massoud as Saladin, the great Muslim leader.
Be brave and upright that God may love thee. (Spoken to his son, Balian, when making him a knight.)
When Saladin’s soldiers enter the City of Jerusalem, they were not allowed to kill civilians, rob people, or damage the city.

Jumat, 29 Januari 2010

Music Articles And Life Enrichment

The history of music, whether you’re talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is always complicated. I got all the music history books that I could find.

Flight Of the Conchords Season two dvd

It is a show that follows the life of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, a two man digi-folk band from New Zealand. The two move to New York City for a chance for fame and each show focuses on the trials and tribulations that they face along the way, in a very hysterical manner.
.The songs in season 2 were written specifically for the story lines and fit well with the plots for each show.
This show is an HBO favorite and has excellent ratings as the subtle humor mixed with the occasional improv from the duo, has fans rolling over with laughter. em over and over, but also so you get all those extras from the show that you don’t get on live TV. The addition of these extras makes this DVD definitely worth the buy.

Dave Matthews Band Newest Album Release

After a hiatus of sorts lasting four years, the Dave Matthews band has come back with their latest contribution, “Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King”. bands such as Moe or Phish. With their newest release, the DMB goes into a new direction and expends on a more mature approach towards music and it’s influences while mourning the loss of their dear friend and founding band member, LeRoi Moore.
Many believe that the band came back together to make a tribute album, of sorts, to Moore. “Funny the Way It Is” is most likely the track that most resembles the old Dave Matthews band sound while encompassing their new direction. Other songs on the album, such as “Alligator Pie” and “Baby Blue” show the influence on the band from their time apart, working with other people such as former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty, and their experience recording in Louisiana with producer Rob Cavallo.
With a Delta Blues sound, along with New Orleans French Quarter influences this album show the bands ability to play, despite the loss of Moore.

Practice Guitar – Revealed: 4 Easy Tips To Practice Your Guitar Chord Changes

One of the first things a new guitar player will learn is how to play basic guitar chords. As soon as you learn how to play a minimum of two chords it is time to learn how to practice your guitar chord changes.
Guitar chord changes are when you switch from guitar chord to another guitar chord in a smooth and flawless motion.
If you are finding chord changes to be challenging while you practice guitar, let’s take a look at four easy tips on how to practice your guitar chord changes.
1. Memorize your guitar chords: The best way to practice your guitar chord changes is by memorizing your guitar chords.
2. Practice chord changes without strumming: Practicing your guitar chord changes is challenging enough without having to worry about the rhythm aspect of your guitar chords. Once you have mastered your guitar chord changes, you can incorporate switching your guitar chords with the various strumming patterns you have learned.
3. By moving your fingers away from the guitar fretboard, while you are switching guitar chords, you will not be able to change chords as quickly.
4. The same goes with guitar chord changes.
5. Practice in the dark: By allowing yourself to practice guitar in the dark, you will be forced to ensure that you have memorized the right fingering for your guitar chords. If you’re not sure if you are playing the right guitar chord in the dark then practice guitar near a light switch.

“Radio” Is One of the Most Under-Rated and Under-Appreciated Films in Movie History

“Radio”—the true story of high school football coach Harold Jones and a mentally-challenged young man named James Robert “Radio” Kennedy—might well be one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated movies in film history.
James Kennedy was nicknamed “Radio” by the townspeople of Anderson, South Carolina because he was always listening to discarded radios. After some football players on coach Harold Jones’ T. L. Hanna High School team harass, intimidate and scare the living daylights out of Radio (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), Jones befriends and protects Radio by slowly winning his trust and inviting him to the team’s football practices.
Fortunately for Radio, his unpretentious love and loyalty to the coach and players resonates, and Radio is allowed to remain part of both the team and the school. At this point in time, Radio is attending school, not as a student, but as a positive influence on the students and a welcome school-helper.
Radio is about love, acceptance, approval, understanding, compassion, kindness, loyalty and finding peace in our time. Radio was a terrific movie with a genuine message of value.
I am incensed that Radio was absolutely snubbed at major awards time. Before Radio was made, Ed Harris had been nominated for 3 Oscars as Best Supporting Actor (”The Hours”, “The Truman Show” and “Apollo”) and been nominated for Best Actor in “Pollock”. Add to those honors 4 nominations by the Golden Globes and a Best Actor Golden Globe for The Truman Show.
The really good news about Radio is that Radio is still helping coach the Hanna High School team and bringing his presence to the school.

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Rabu, 27 Januari 2010

kukumu bathroom

Here are few things more revitalizing than taking a shower under the sun or beneath the stars. But welcoming in nature –with- out compromising privacy- is challenge when designing a small bathroom that is overlooked by neighbouring houses.
In the bathroom featured here, architect Thomas Tow of Tow Francis Architecture+ Urban Design has made full use of the natural light that shines through the window. Behind the glass is a custom- built planter box enclosed in a wooden trellis. The trellis is placed upside down so that its stats are positioned upwards. This means anyone using the shower can view the sky but not be seen from the outside, says Tow.
“The trellis screens out the neighbours without compromising the natural light. When the window is open, it makes the bathroom appears much larger than it actually.”
To ensure this small bathroom didn’t seem claustrophobic or appear cluttered, a limited palette of natural materials has been used.
“The client wanted the look and atmosphere of a mountain spa. We chose stone tiling for the walls and floor, complemented by wooden framing around the mirrors,” Tow says.
The quartzite stone tiles were cut to a size of 300 x 300m. Although stone is a heavy material, the tiles have adds to the feeling of being in a tropical resort, says Tow.
By placing a mirror above the basin and mirrors along the wall opposite the window, the bathroom appears to double in size. Behind these mirrors are his and her cabinets. A shelf buit into the stone tiled wall below the cabinets houses the towels.
The basin is a single, sculptural piece that has been mounted onto the wall. The mirrored cabinets and the linen cupboard above the toilet eliminate the need for vanity cabinets below the basin.
“To keep the design simple, every fitting and piece of furniture has a purpose,” says Tow.
Separating the shower and toilet is a glass screen, stretching halfway across the shower area.
“No door has been installed because none was required- the glass screen is enough to contain the water inside the shower,” he says.
The sunken shower floor is reminiscent of Japanese design and adds a certain exotic appeal.
“Lowering the floor heightens the shower experience. The person using the shower feels utterly enclosed in the space,” says Tow.

Jumat, 15 Januari 2010

Buying A New Guitar

October 8th, 2009
If you are in the position of looking to buy a guitar, then the following questions are the ones that you really should be asking yourself. The sad fact of the matter is that many people they end up spending a lot more money than they need to, and many people end up with what they thought was a great deal that turns out to be complete rubbish.
What is the type of music that I am looking to play?
Whatever kind of music you like, the basic skills that come into playing the guitar are pretty much the same. The guitars, however, are different – they are built with a particular style in mind.
• For the beginner it’s a good idea to look at a classical or an electric guitar. These tend to be easier on the fingers to begin with, and thus easier to learn on.
• For the more experienced player it really comes down to what kind of music you want to play, as well as price and style. You should consider what you are trying to achieve – for example are you looking to improve your current style or expand your repertoire?
What is ‘tonal quality’?
Tonal quality, is, quite simply, the unique sound of the individual guitar. Does that sound suit you and your style of playing? Each guitar is different, so strum it and listen carefully to the noise that it makes.
What is the ‘action’’?
The action is the placement of the strings on the fretboard. The placement of the strings will affect the playability of the guitar – too high and the strings become more difficult to press down and therefore affect the tempo of your playing.
Is the neck straight?
If there is even a slight bend in the neck it will hinder the intonation of the instrument, and at different points chords will sound different.
Does the neck fit in my hand?
When a craftsman builds a guitar, they vary the shape and size of the neck to suit the variability of the players’ hands. The thin necks are usually more suitable for smaller hands, but thicker necks tend to be stronger.
How much can you afford?
You shouldn’t really be thinking about spending a massive amount of money on a new guitar if you are a beginner. Look at exactly how much you have to spend, and then make sure you keep to it. Looking at models that you can’t afford is a waste of time and will only make you confused. Upgrading is easy when you have practiced for a while and you have a better idea of what style of music you want to play.
Getting it right, and getting it right from the very beginning is absolutely vital. Get it right, and you have a much better chance of succeeding in your musical quest. Buying a guitar based solely on what it looks like as it hangs in the shop is a recipe for disaster – you will get it home only to find that it does not even come close to fitting your needs. Relegation to the corner of the living room or the loft will probably ensue! Buying a guitar is like making an investment – an investment into your own musical futur

You’re Always in My Heart, Sam

October 2nd, 2009
At that time, I was still studying in my room. We were twins. Both of us were still waiting for the result to study abroad. Both of us filled some forms to study overseas last three months. Then, he stopped for a moment and told me that he was accepted to further his studies in Germany. I was eager to open my mail. Sam was just behind my back.
I quickly opened and read the mail. I was accepted to continue my studies in Russia. I gave the letter to Sam. Sam was supposed to study in Russia and I was supposed to continue my studies in Germany.
Some robbers tried to rob the bank. Before the robber started to instruct and terrorize the bank manager, the police were just arrived at the scene. The robbers were surrounded by the policemen. The robbers decided to take us as hostages. We were locked inside the bank. The policemen tried to persuade the robbers to release the hostages. Sam tried to whisper something to me. Sam told me to stay.I did not know what to do at that time. Then, the robber quickly grabbed my hand and held his gun to my head. It was a meteoric situation. He yelled at the bank manager.
“Put all the money into the bags or else, I’ll kill this girl with a single bullet,” he instructed the bank manager.
The bank manager quickly put the money into the bags. The robber let me free and ordered me to lie down on the ground. All of sudden, the policeman outside the bank asked the robbers to surrender. The robbers discussed among themselves. I looked at Sam and he could see the fear in my eyes. He showed a signal to ask me to stay calm.
“Do not shoot or I will kill this girl. the robber shouted to the policemen.
The policemen had no other choice. The robber was struggling with someone. When I turned my face back to see, it was Sam! The frantic robber tried to pull the trigger and I realized that Sam was in danger. The policemen quickly moved into actions. Then, a sound of shot being released caught my attention. Sam had been shot. The policemen quickly shot the robber. I ran toward Sam. The paramedics rushed to Sam and tried to stop the bleeding. “You’ll be alright, Sam. Then, he eyes were closed and his breathing was stopped. I hugged him and tears fell down my cheeks.
I’ll fulfill your dream, Sam,” I whispered to his ear while hugging him.

Senin, 11 Januari 2010

Bukit sari town house at semarang

This town house is designed to be leased by expatriates working in semarang. The building is deliberately articulated to provide tropical greeneries between the surrounding environment and building. Dark old wood, terracotta roofing, paras or locally palimanan stone flooring and wall paint’ng of white, grey and milk brown colours creates a situational composition that is different to one another to fit the user and the façade of each unit is designed differently as well to avoid boringness. It turned out the users like it very much! They appreciate such individual treatment of the facades even though the layout floor plan is more or less the same.
The existing contoured land that faces bukit sari valley of ungaran area in semarang, on the other hand allows this townhouse to be designed in such away that each room has equal views. The contour is also a potentialpoint to be articulated into a terrace planting this townhouse to be designed iin such a way that each room has equal views. The contour is also a potential point to be articulated into a terrace planting with a swimming pool being the centre of outdoor activity and panoramic view in this complex.

The Wave Rasuna Epicentrum, Jakarta

The housing problem is something which always rears its ugly head in this modern era,And the increasingly limited space to be turned into residential areas is only adding to the predicament. However the recent development of vertical villages, or more commonly known as apartments, might just be the answer. Of course it doesn’t mean that the existence of apartments in large cities will completely eradicate the housing problem in the areas. On the contrary, they can sometimes pose other dilemmas such as the uncomfortable feeling of being ‘trapped’ in a limited space inside an apartment or the fear of global warming as a result of the green house effect caused by glass-front high rise buildings. There are also concerns about lack of open green areas in the vicinity of the apartment buildings. Bearing these in mind, PT.Bakrieland Development Tbk is introducing its latest offering in the residential market, ‘The Wave,’ which is a part of the Rasuna Epicentrum development.
This apartment block consists of a vertical housing complex which is fully integrated with other existing in the locality and incorporates an eco-friendly design. Employing the green architecture concept, The Wave showcases a comfortable pedestrian circulation along with vast green areas throughout the compound at its crowning feature. This pedestrian circulation also functions as an open area which links other blocks in the compound. The design is chosen to prevent the common segregated feeling seen in many superblock projects in the greater Jakarta where each block appears to stand alone without any link to other blocks. This tends to result in haphazard pedestrian lanes, something which is hoped to be avoided in The Wave apartments.
Set on an area of 3.5 ha, The Wave Rasuna Epicentrum is a part of Rasuna Epicentrum superblock. In line with the green architecture concept of the building, 70% of the available site is deliberately turned into open green spaces which function as a pedestrian area, a park, and a public circulation lane complete with various supporting facilities, such as lighting. Smooth transition is evident in the integration of its architectural shapes. The pedestrian area which leads to various places in the compound is designed to be comfortable and safe for the occupants to use. In addition, the apartment’s eco-friendly design highlights its humanistic approach to improve the quality of life for its tenants by enabling an efficient a well as optimum interaction between them.
The shapes of The Wave’s facades are obtained from the architectural analysis of drop off circulation, main circulation, human circulation, open areas, people’s attitude of their natural surroundings, as well as the site contour. This analysis results in the construction of 2 blocks, with the rear block built as high rise building while the front takes the form of a low rise building. This arrangement provides a wider and clearer view of the surrounding areas from all apartment units. One major selling point of The Wave is its array of wide open spaces planted with lush greeneries that bridge part of the compound. This connectedness helps make the public spaces appear as an entity. Another plus point here is the rood top garden at the crown of the low rise apartment which functions as the first   podium where occupants can socialize or conduct other outdoor activities. The garden is also used as a green area to reduce the heat from the sun, noise as well as air pollution. The 9-tower apartment features on organic design which enables it to capitalize on the view around the building. In addition, this design maximizes natural illumination and air circulation into the building.

Selasa, 05 Januari 2010

Private House at Batununggal (Bandung)

Conceptually, this house employs two buildings that are perpendicular to one another and being separated by a continuing axis that connects main entrance door to the opening of inner garden. This axis becomems the main circulation of ground floor as well as the upper floor and indirectly connecting the front garden to the inner one, creating ventilation across the central part of the house. As such, it is also indicated by modular squares on upper part of the walls that let lights as well as air get through
The building is designed in modern style and dominated by geometrical mass and planes in the form of boxes and lines being integrated harmoniously with the natural colours of the materials employed. Each segmentof the building looks straightforward and neat without any artificial usages of materials.hence, the building is simple without unnecessary ornament except functional componentssuch as the window frames that are also utilized to feature akind of building’s fins. Details such as door handles, window panes, hand railing and fence are dominated by interplay of thin vertical line to compensate the background that is mostly dominated by massive planes and masses.
Interior object such as furniture and lamps are also worked out by mcp to be in line with the whole design philosophy, which is, employing boxes, rectangular and lines. From the façade it is clear that the architect has successfully utilized all the functions inside for outdoor expressions while from the outside, on the other hand,it is easy to guess where is the reception room, bedrooms, garage and vertical circulation even though space above the garage is misleading because it looks like a study room at a glance.

Before Owning Rental Property You Must Know These Crucial Facts

Learn the important  5 steps to manage your tenant and rental property with this landlord guide.
Step 1: Find New Tenants for Your Rental Property
After buying your rental property, the first crucial thing is to make sure it doesn’t remain vacant. If you want to make money by owning rental property, you will need tenants for rental income.
Step 2: Interview and Pick Reliable, Rent-Paying Tenants
Recent studies have shown that choosing the right tenant can help you avoid up to 80% of your future headaches. There are 2 major steps in this landlord guide when it comes to picking your dream tenant: Credit checks and tenant interviews
When it comes to owning rental property, credit checks mean getting your hands on the credit report of potential tenants. Tenant interviews are effective for choosing pleasant and cooperative people as your tenant.
Step 3: Sign Your Rental Agreement and Collect Rent from Your Tenants
Now that you have found your perfect tenant, it’s time to seal the deal with a written rental agreement.
Make sure you and your tenant agree on a date and method of collecting rent. Most landlords accept their rent by cash, checks or Paypal.
Step 4: Keep Your Rental Property in Shape with Repairs
Owning rental property also means having to maintain in habitable condition according to your local housing safety and health standards. When it comes to property repairs, it’s important to know whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for footing the repair bills.
Step 5: End Your Rental Agreement Smoothly and Legally
How you can end your rental agreement depends largely on whether you have a periodic tenancy or a fixed term tenancy. Sometimes owning rental property means have to deal with nightmare tenants who don’t pay you rent or breaks the terms of your rental agreement.
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Posted under Property Management

Why You Want To Be An Insurance Agent With The Internet Today

Why Sell Insurance Products
By far, insurance products are the most sellable items that you can sell. Unlike satellite dishes, insurance programs are necessary to existence. In fact, insurance programs like life insurance The good news is that many Internet-based companies for are offering free websites for their insurance agents. In some cases, some of them offer free sales leads, which gives insurance agents more time to actually sell their products than finding prospects. Some sites also sell their leads at a competitive price per lead while others offer both free leads and sold leads for selling two types of insurance programs.
Commission Vs Average Income
In 2006, insurance agents earned an average of $58,450 in commissions, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The actual commission that can be earned by an insurance agent will largely depend on the commission package of the insurance company or the brokerage company. Generally speaking though, an insurance agent can earn up to 10% on health insurance programs, and from 20% to 90% commission on life products on the first year of the policy.
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Minggu, 03 Januari 2010

Deal-Finding Strategies: The Good and The Bad

Good: The Multiple Listing Service. The MLS is essentially a catalog of all the properties listed for sale by brokers. The trick is to ferret out which properties have motivated sellers without making offers on all of them. I’ve honed this skill through years of translating agent lingo like, “Handyman’s special” (looks bad, smells bad, has at least one major system that doesn’t function).Coincidentally, these are the same properties that most agents prefer not to spend a lot of time with.
Bad: Direct mail to real estate agents. In 1994, I had the brilliant idea that I might be able to find MLS-listed properties even faster if I simply let agents know what I was looking for. So I purchased 1,200 agent names from the Board of Realtors and generated a 3-part mailing send to every agent in town.
The theme of this campaign was this: if you, Ms. Agent, have a property listed that fits my criteria, I’ll make an offer and you get to keep the entire commission. Out rolled my brilliant campaign -all mailed first class, incidentally – and in came the phone calls.
first, I’ll target only the 200 or so agents who list the types of properties I buy.
Good: Ads in the Yellow Pages. For 8 years, I’ve had an ad in the “real estate” section of the Yellow Pages. The sellers tend to be motivated, cooperative, and have unlisted properties.
Bad: Advertised FSBOs. Properties For Sale By Owner, a.k.a. FSBOs, are a favorite for some real estate investors. I, on the other hand, have never purchased a property from an owner who advertised his property for sale rather than calling me.
I’ve found several problems with trying to buy FSBOs. If you are buying expensive homes creatively, these sellers are ripe for the kind of solution you offer.
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The Moral? Stick with What works

Good: Flapping my gums. Luckily, talking – a lot – is something I have little problem with. Laugh if you will, but my willingness to talk about what I do to anyone who will listen – or even pretend to listen – has made me a lot of money. For instance, when my new hairdresser asked me what I did for a living, I responded that I buy and sell houses. His immediate reaction was, “really? How pretty do they have to be?” Long story short: I bought his unwanted junker house for $4,000 and sold it for $7,000 the same day. When my attorney wanted to know what type of assets I wanted to protect, I told him about my house-buying business. Four months later, he referred a client to me who sold me a $35,000 property for $12,000. You get the picture.
Bad: Using only one lead generator at a time. In my experience, it’s best to use at least 3 different ways of finding deals at the same time: preferably two you’ve used before with some success, plus one that you’re testing. Not knowing which of your deal-finding strategies are working, and which aren’t! If you’re going to spend money on flyers or ads or telephone pole signs or whatever, it’s very important that you pay attention to which methods are generating good leads, and which are duds. In looking over my own deals was very surprised to discover how many great deals came from attorney referrals – a strategy that I haven’t pursued aggressively, but will in the future. If you aren’t tracking your lead generators to discover which are working and which you should give up, you’re wasting time and money that could be put to use making you deals.
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Deal-Finding Strategies: The Good and The Bad

Good: The Multiple Listing Service. The MLS is essentially a catalog of all the properties listed for sale by brokers. The trick is to ferret out which properties have motivated sellers without making offers on all of them. I’ve honed this skill through years of translating agent lingo like, “Handyman’s special” (looks bad, smells bad, has at least one major system that doesn’t function).Coincidentally, these are the same properties that most agents prefer not to spend a lot of time with.

Bad: Direct mail to real estate agents. In 1994, I had the brilliant idea that I might be able to find MLS-listed properties even faster if I simply let agents know what I was looking for. So I purchased 1,200 agent names from the Board of Realtors and generated a 3-part mailing send to every agent in town.

The theme of this campaign was this: if you, Ms. Agent, have a property listed that fits my criteria, I’ll make an offer and you get to keep the entire commission. Out rolled my brilliant campaign -all mailed first class, incidentally – and in came the phone calls.
first, I’ll target only the 200 or so agents who list the types of properties I buy.

Good: Ads in the Yellow Pages. For 8 years, I’ve had an ad in the “real estate” section of the Yellow Pages. The sellers tend to be motivated, cooperative, and have unlisted properties.

Bad: Advertised FSBOs. Properties For Sale By Owner, a.k.a. FSBOs, are a favorite for some real estate investors. I, on the other hand, have never purchased a property from an owner who advertised his property for sale rather than calling me.
I’ve found several problems with trying to buy FSBOs. If you are buying expensive homes creatively, these sellers are ripe for the kind of solution you offer.
Tags: Business and Economy, For sale by owner, Major League Soccer, Multiple Listing Service, Real estate, Real estate broker, United States, Yellow Pages



The Moral? Stick with What works

Good: Flapping my gums. Luckily, talking – a lot – is something I have little problem with. Laugh if you will, but my willingness to talk about what I do to anyone who will listen – or even pretend to listen – has made me a lot of money. For instance, when my new hairdresser asked me what I did for a living, I responded that I buy and sell houses. His immediate reaction was, “really? How pretty do they have to be?” Long story short: I bought his unwanted junker house for $4,000 and sold it for $7,000 the same day. When my attorney wanted to know what type of assets I wanted to protect, I told him about my house-buying business. Four months later, he referred a client to me who sold me a $35,000 property for $12,000. You get the picture.

Bad: Using only one lead generator at a time. In my experience, it’s best to use at least 3 different ways of finding deals at the same time: preferably two you’ve used before with some success, plus one that you’re testing. Not knowing which of your deal-finding strategies are working, and which aren’t! If you’re going to spend money on flyers or ads or telephone pole signs or whatever, it’s very important that you pay attention to which methods are generating good leads, and which are duds. In looking over my own deals was very surprised to discover how many great deals came from attorney referrals – a strategy that I haven’t pursued aggressively, but will in the future. If you aren’t tracking your lead generators to discover which are working and which you should give up, you’re wasting time and money that could be put to use making you deals.
Tags: Barber, business, Economics, Kids and Teens, Money, School Time, Shopping, Social Studies

Sabtu, 02 Januari 2010

How much your Budget before you buy property

If you are going to buy a new house there are several details that you should refer before getting started .One of the highly imperative is your budget. Your budget plays a major role in buying a home and how you are going to move further. There are two different things that go into your budget. First, you need to look at your monthly income .If you are getting a steady paycheck then it is easy to move forward . On the other side if you are self employed it will be little bit complicated.


If you mess up this process you could end up in a bad situation. Now you know your monthly income , the next step is to consider your expenses. This includes everything from utilities to loans to money that you need for fun. When you know all of your expenses, you can then decrease that number from the money that you make each month. you can probably guess how much you can afford to a home. As you can see, a budget is very important if you are going to be buying a new home. Not only it will help you to prepare for the buying procedure, but it will also help you when you own your home . Sure, you may be able to get away without planning your budget but this is not a risk that you should be willing to take.
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The house Buying Process

Well to help buyers figure out that the information overload age need not apply to them when looking for and in buying a house, we have detailed the Buying Process for better peace of mind below… less chaos. This article is written in a state where real estate agents handle real estate transactions, so realize that in some states or counties an attorney is required.


1. Find Your Dream Home
After becoming pre-qualified or pre-approved with a lender, it is time to find a home that truly meets your needs and budget.
Use a local realtors office or internet property search solutions to access “All the Listings”. You can do this by typing into the internet the name of the city (and state, if needed) followed by the words “real estate”. Most local county boards will control how much data gets released onto the internet. Most realtor sites will “serve up” some version of the local Multiple Listing Service containing all the listings. Typically, these entities get property data either direct or in a “feed” from the local Board of Realtors in that County. If it’s a direct line, then data can be deemed “real-time”. If not, usually a day or two lag time of new listings going on will be rendered at your interface point of contact search solution. The bigger conglomerates compete with how you as the end user will eventually be connected up with which realtor. Both realtor and conglomerate may compete with the need to withhold enough information to still be able to entice you enough to get your contact information. Often times an individual realtor’s site will give out more data on listings than the big conglomerates because they already have some security of possible representation of business.
Email updates are when a new listing comes onto the market matching your criteria and you get a reference to that listing freshly emailed to you with all pictures and data relative to that new listing.
Select those homes or properties that are of interest.
If possible drive-by the listings to become accustomed to the neighborhoods, styles and curb appeal of your preference homes.
Depending on areas, sometimes a Key-Box will be attached to the home as a way for your realtor to access the home when an appointment was not able to be secured. If in an area, likelihood abound that many homes of the homes selected are on Key-Box, then less time is required and in some cases immediate showings can be arranged.
2. Become Educated
If you don’t contact a realtor first, do at least take time to get educated both about the real estate values by shopping online and about getting pre-qualified with a mortgage lender.
Maximize your opportunities to find the right home by eventually sharing your property wants/needs and timeframe with a realtor.
Your realtor can:
  • Commit to your agent of choice for the best professional service because commitment reciprocates commitment and genuine service, which is maximizing your opportunities.
  • Direct you to competent and reputable mortgage professionals to establish your comfortable home buying price range.
  • Help with advanced search methods or tools.
  • Help you to understand neighborhoods and home features and their value in today’s market, as well as relevance to your buying needs.
  • Conduct information gathering and research on specific properties for you.
  • Create a venue for home buying advice and counseling.
  • Discuss current market conditions.
3. Get Pre-Qualified
Finding the right mortgage lender or bank can be trying. Often times a good realtor will give the best recommendation. Also, don’t forget the energy and possible long hours saved from shopping around for homes that don’t meet your needs and budget. Your lender will:
  • Check your credit.
  • Write a “Pre-Qualification” (Pre-Approval if you take extra steps) letter that strengthens your offer on a home or property.
4. Getting a Loan
  • Proof of Income
  • Employed – 2 year tax returns or W-2, 1 month pay stubs
  • Self Employed – Federal tax return, profit and loss statement, 2 years balance sheet
  • Retired – social security awards letter
  • Other income
  • Rental property – copy of lease
  • 2 months bank statements
  • Driver’s license
  • Social security card
  • Home Owners insurance information
  • Bankruptcy information
  • Proof of Earnest money check
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