Archive for the 'General' category

sited from Zillow

When you buy a home, you’re not only purchasing the actual house, but the property and everything that comes along with it. Often, if you’re lucky, this includes a few trees that can add privacy, work as a noise barrier and ultimately increase your home’s value. However, a tree can also mean possible property damage and tussles with the neighbors.

Talk it Out

One of the biggest neighbor disputes involves property lines and trees that cross them. Although you as a homeowner have the right to trim anything on your property, or anything that crosses over onto your property, doing so could have disastrous results.

“Property lines are a gray area,” explains Jim Burgess of Snohomish Arborists. He notes that the best option is to talk to your neighbor first before you take matters into your own hands.

If you have a legitimate concern over a tree on your property, or on your neighbor’s property next door, you have every right to address it — even if your neighbor doesn’t agree with you. The best way to tackle the issue without litigation is to bring in an expert.

An arborist, or tree service consultant, can work with you and your neighbor as a third party to find the best way to deal with a tree. Burgess often says that two consultants will be brought in — one for one neighbor and one for the other — so the most impartial decision can be made.

While the consulting session can run upwards of $100 an hour, Burgess says it’s worth it. You don’t know if the tree is dead, damaged or needs to have specific care given to it. Not only can a consultant help you work with your neighbor, they’ll let you know if the tree needs to be removed. continue article...

sited from agbeat

Moody.  Fatigued.  Stagnant.

We were talking about how business sorta sucked and everything seemed harder and slipperier than ever. How it was HOT as hell outside, and at the end of the day, you start questioning if it’s all worth it? They asked what I thought the freak’n problem might be.

I asked back, Are you over-training?  Over-training like when an athlete over-trains.  Where they exercise, practice, drill, rehearse and compete too much.  When they over do it over-train, their mind dulls and their body weakens with fatigue.  They get stuck.  Then slow, stagnant and beat.

I was wondering if maybe business was hard to come by because you’re over-training with your prospecting activities? Maybe that’s the problem?  You’re over doing it.  Because you’re working so hard, your mind and your attitude have dulled, and fatigue is blunting your passion - which is making you ineffective.  As a result, your success is stagnant. Nothing good is happening – only crappy things, dead ends and heat exhaustion.  Maybe that’s why you feel beatdown and defeatable?

They say what an over-trainer should do, to turn things around, is slow down.  Maybe you

slow down?  But before you do, let me give you a quiz to see if you’re Over-Doing-It. 

sited from Forbes.com

One industry that is benefiting from the collapse in residential real estate is the apartment business. Apartment REIT Post Properties, Inc. (PPS – Snapshot Report) is no exception. The company has delivered 7 consecutive positive earnings surprises as rents have increased and vacancies have fallen.

Earnings estimates have been rising over the last several months, sending the stock to a buy. Based on current consensus estimates, analysts are projecting 37% earnings growth in 2011 and 12% growth in 2012.

Post Properties also pays a dividend that yields 1.9%. continue article...

sited from Housing Wire

The Department of Housing and Urban Development extended the deadline for homeowners to apply for the Emergency Homeowner Loan Program to July 27.

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, HUD was required to put together EHLP, a $1 billion program that provides unemployed homeowners interest-free loans averaging $35,000 to help with their mortgage payments. The program is available in 27 states, plus five that run their own but similar programs.

Recipients must contribute a minimum $150 toward the mortgage payment themselves. HUD said it hopes to help up to 30,000 borrowers through EHLP. continue article...

sited from Zillow.com

You’ve packed up, you’ve got a new place to move into and you’re getting ready to clean out the old place. But if you want to get the security or rental deposit back from your landlord, you may have to do more than simply dusting and vacuuming.

The security deposit sum you pay prior to moving in is not only a collateral to hold the rental, but an amount of money that the landlord can use to fix any damage that you, as a tenant, may have done after you move out. Generally, a tenant is not responsible for “normal wear and tear.” However, if you set a frying pan on a laminate counter-top, for example, you will most likely be responsible for the repair.

Outside of any major damages and with a little bit of hard work, you should be able to get your rental deposit returned. continue article...