A Plan for Investing in Real Estate

With the way the housing market is, you can find some really great deals if you are looking to invest in some real estate. If you have been looking for the perfect business venture and not sure of what will give you the most return on your money, you may want to take a look at some properties and come up with a plan on how you can make a nice profit by starting a new business venture.

If you are not too familiar with the real estate industry, you may want to think about getting a bit more education about it. There is a lot for you to learn and you won't be able to learn it overnight. In addition to learning on your own, you should look into getting a mentor. Make sure that whoever you choose to learn from has more than a fly by night education in the industry. People that make good mentors and business partners are real estate agents. You should also have a good attorney that specializes in property law.

When you are investing in property, there is more than just giving an agent some money once you decide to purchase a property. You need to thoroughly research any property you are interested in. You need to know whether or not there are any liens on it, if the foundation is up to code and whether or not there needs to be any work done on the property.

If you happen to find a piece of property that you feel would make a great investment and it needs a little work, you should find out how much it would cost you out of your pocket to bring that property back up to par. If you find that you need to make a small investment outside of the purchase, you should go over any and all details with a real estate attorney and broker. The attorney will make sure that all the details of the contracts work best for you and to keep you from being taking advantage of or entering into an unfavorable agreement. The broker will streamline the buying process and help to get you the best deal. Once you have taken care of all the contractual and financial obligations, you are well on your way to being a successful entrepreneur.

If you are planning on renting the property out after you have brought it up to code, you may want to make a few modifications that will make the home more appealing and allow you to charge more for rent. You could add a dishwasher, pool or anything that you think will make the home more marketable. Make sure you cover everything with your business partner first.

Don't charge an astronomical amount of money for rent. Consult with an attorney to come up with a good rental agreement that outlines your responsibilities as landlord and your tenant's obligations. This will help protect you and your rights as the real estate owner.

Discover Business Purpose

Ever wonder what you were doing here? I mean besides the massive question of why we were created...

As I sat in my office early one Monday morning, struggling to become aware of my surroundings on some level, the question came to mind. I considered for a moment, my purpose for being there, and something made me look beyond the money, the job, the clients, the product, and the building to see something deeper.

Recently, a hurricane destroyed much of the culture, the history, the jobs, not to mention homes and lives leaving us to wonder --- what is the purpose?

To the tune of "Counting Flowers" by the Statler Brothers, I breathed a sigh of relief and understood the purpose of my business, my life, my family, and my own reality...

Just Because.

Just because --- if I wasn't working, living, playing with my children, learning, what would I be doing?

Looking around, I found my purpose. I found that what makes me happy, content, and fills me with joy is what I do. I run my business because it gives me joy. I play with my children because hearing them laugh brings me joy. I live my life the way I choose because it brings joy to my heart.

Joy is my purpose.

It is my purpose for living, working, family life, rebuilding after a crisis, learning, recreating, and all that we do. When we discover the deep abiding joy of fulfillment and pursue that which brings true joy to our hearts, we understand that the purpose of what we do is deeper than just whatever happens on the surface. The joy abides inside each of us, dwelling and moving us to action at any given moment, leading us forward to greater accomplishments and deeper fulfillment.

What brings you joy? What purpose drives you forward? Where would you be, if you weren't where you are?

Copyright © 2005 - Jan Verhoeff

Shingling a Roof

Shingling or roofing a house is a major undertaking for a homeowner and extreme caution is required. This said, a Do-It-Yourselfer homeowner can shingle or roof their own home with a little knowledge and the right tools.

Required Tools

In order to roof a house properly and safely the following tools are needed: Ladders, Roof Jacks, Hammer, Carpenters Knife, Chalk Line, and preferably a compressor or nail gun.

Estimating Materials

Typically the roof is measured in squares, where a "square" represents 100 square feet. There are eighty shingles in one square. However, when you go to your local home improvement store shingles are usually sold in bundles. Usually three bundles equal one square, however this can vary slightly pending the shingle style.

Measure the area of your roof (length x width) and divide by 100 to get the number of squares required. Then multiply this number by three to get the number of bundles of shingles required for the job. Add an additional 10-15% for spare, leaning toward the 15% if your roof has hips and valleys.

Drip edge, ice and water shield, asphalt paper, flashing, roofing nails, and hip and ridge vents will also be required. The Drip edge comes in various lengths. Measure the outside perimeter of the roof to calculate the drip edge required. The ice and water shield, asphalt paper and flashing come in roles. Use your roof square area calculation for determining your asphalt paper requirements. Typically only one or two courses of ice and water shield is required along the bottom/eave of the roof and in the valleys. Calculate 2 times the length of the roof and valleys to estimate the amount of ice and water shield required.

Typically each shingle will require 4-6 roofing nails and flashing usually comes in 16" wide roles or 6x6 or 8x8 square inch steps. Step flashing is typically used around chimneys, dormers and side wall junctions. Hip and Ridge vent will vary with local building codes, however a rough estimate would be to measure the length of your roof's hip and ridges and take 75% of this figure for calculating the amount of vent required.

You should now be able to fairly accurately calculate the cost of material for roofing your home.

Installing the Drip Edge

Nail the Drip edge around the entire outside perimeter of the roof.

Apply the Ice and Water Shield Membrane and the Asphalt Paper

Apply the ice and water shield material such that it is flush with the drip edge. If the climate in your area has harsh winters and/or significant annual rainfall, add a second course of ice and water shield for added protection. You should also add the ice and water shield membrane in the valleys.

Next apply the asphalt paper to the entire roof, starting from the bottom and working towards the ridge. Make sure each course of asphalt paper overlaps the lower row by several inches (effectively shingling with the asphalt paper).

Install metal flashing

Install metal flashing in all of the valleys. Step flashing around chimneys and dormers will be added as the shingles are installed.

Installing the Shingles

Start the shingling at the bottom of the roof (or at the eaves). Lay a starter course such that the bottom edge of the shingle lines up flush with the drip edge. The starter strip is a "tabless" shingle that you make from the regular shingles using your carpenter's knife.

Lay your next course of full shingles over the first course, staggering the starter joints from the first course to prevent water penetration.

Note: Sometimes you may want to start with a full or a partial shingle at one end. In either case, you want to try to avoid small shingle pieces at the far end of the roof. To prevent this, divide the length of the roof by the length of a full shingle and assess how much of a shingle length you want to start with. Ideally you do not want to have pieces smaller than 12".

Use a Chalk Line

To ensure your shingle courses run straight use a chalk line. Measure the finished reveal on your shingles. Usually this is about 5 inches. Then make marks every 5 inches on the gable ends of the roof. Snap a chalk line between the gable ends at each pair of marks all the way up the roof. This will ensure that you shingles run true and straight as you progress up the roof with the courses.

Vertical lines should also be snapped every 3 to 6 feet to ensure your tabs maintain alignment.

Use of Roof Jacks

After 3 or 4 courses of shingles have been installed using ladders, roof jacks may be necessary to access the upper courses. Roof jacks are steel brackets that hold planks in position for you to stand on. The roof jacks should be securely nailed through the decking and into rafters to ensure that they will support your weight.

Shingling Valleys, Chimneys, Skylights and Dormers, and Step Flashing

Shingling the valleys and installing flashing requires extra care. The shingles, typically coming from two intersecting courses when entering a valley, need to overlap each other such that no water penetration occurs.

Skylights, chimneys and dormers must be step flashed (step flashing is interleaved with each course of shingles) to ensure water is kept from penetrating the roof.

Adding the Ridge Vent and Caps

To complete the roofing project, ridge vents need to be installed. These are nailed to the top of the ridge and then capped.

The ridge cap prevents water from entering the home via the ridge vent, while still allowing the house to breath. The ridge cap is constructed out of individual shingle tabs that have their unfinished corners cut off at 45 degree angles. Each modified shingle tab, is nailed such that it overlaps the previous piece as you work your way down the length of the ridge vent.

For more help on Shingling Your Home's Roof, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet at http://www.homeadditionplus.com/Bid-Sheet-Ebook-info/Asphalt-Shingle-Roofing-Bid-Sheet.htm. The Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet will help to ensure that your roof won't end up with a blue tarp over it and a dumpster sitting in your yard for weeks as you wait for the roofing contractor to come back and finish roofing your home.

How to Find a Job Quick

If you are like so many Americans today, you are constantly on the look out for jobs that you can get into right now. Some people are so desperate to the point where they are resorting to having to work at fast food places and retail stores. Former doctors and lawyers are also becoming administrative assistants.

People are resorting to these occupations because they are looking for something quick fast and in a hurry. If this is you, then you might want to consider looking for a similar job or industry. I know that you are used to the office job and working in places that require you to have a id badge, but since you are in a position where you don't really have that choice, then you will want to consider A. going back to school and pay more money to get the proper training in order to become better in your field, or you will want to resort to working somewhere on Craigslist.

If you want to at least stay in the office, then you will want to look in sites like Craigslist that will have jobs listed under categories such as administrative assistant, customer service rep, or someone working in a clinic of some sort. Either way you will have to start somewhere. The response from jobs on Craigslist is usually very quickly. You can expect to get a response in a couple of hours to one day. The only reason a job would take a little longer than that would be because they are backed up or they are not considering you for employment.

Must Have Above Ground Pool Accessories

When the layperson thinks of above ground pool accessories, things like rafts and dive toys come to mind. Pool owners know that accessories are really things like pumps, filters, automatic vacuums, and heaters. Pumps and filters keep the pool running, while automatic vacuums make cleaning easier. Heaters and solar blankets take the swimming experience to the next level and are increasingly included on the must-have list by those who want the most from their pools.

Pumps are not interchangeable when it comes to a swimming pool. Certain pumps, like the Hayward PowerFlo Matrix, are designed for above ground pools. It converts from horizontal to vertical discharge with the touch of a button, making it quite versatile. An industrial-sized strainer basket allows the pump to collect a large amount of debris without requiring ongoing maintenance. Quick connection and disconnection for intake and discharge makes it easy for inexperienced owners to maintain their pools.

Filters keep pool water clean, making swimming a pleasure. Sand filters are the standard for above ground swimming pools and Hayward makes a Pro Series line of filters that feature the latest technology. Water flow is efficient and smooth and the backwashing process is completely balanced. These units are made from polymeric material so they are corrosion-proof. Their 360-degree slotted laterals are self-cleaning, reducing maintenance tasks. A control valve featuring seven positions provides maximum efficiency and simple operation.

Though regular sand is perfectly suitable for use with a sand filter, zeolite minerals give the filter super powers. Replace the sand in the filter with all-natural Zeobrite and water will be clearer than ever. In addition, backwashing will be reduced by as much as 50 percent, saving energy. These minerals are easy to install and can be used in all sand filters. Swimmers will notice that their eyes do not burn and the chorine odor is not as strong.

Vacuuming the pool keeps the liner free of rocks, leaves, dirt, and other debris. People do not enjoy swimming in a dirty pool so give it a thorough cleaning before anyone takes a dip. Manual vacuums are easy to operate and do an adequate job. However, if the goal is to spend less time cleaning and more time swimming, get an automatic vacuum. Barracuda created the Ranger vacuum for above ground pools. Whenever the pump runs, it gets to work, automatically cleaning the pool.

Though not a necessity, it sure is nice to extend the swimming season. Pool heaters and solar blankets allow the family to swim well into the fall. When a solar cover is used, the pool stays cleaner and loses less water to evaporation. As water is lost, so are those expensive water treatment chemicals. A cover saves money multiple ways and prolongs open season for the pool.

Whatever accessories the shopping list includes, make sure they are of the highest quality. It is usually worth spending extra money to purchase a reliable brand that other pool owners recommend. Once the pool is equipped with the essential accessories, the owner can rest assured that it will perform at its peak.