Fix and Flips: Top 10 Best Buys
We’ve all see the programs on T.V. about fix and flips. But what makes for a GOOD property to buy for this type of investing? The following is a great guideline to use when searching for a property for flipping.10. Homes with naturally private yards will continue to hold or increase their value.9. Good house bad yard: given a good location – yardscaping mixed with sweat equity is an easy summer flip.8. Location, location, location: no fix and flip for ANY locationally challenged properties. Buyer will automatically see through the flip and feel that they are paying a premium for it.*Note: buying a flip property close to home – that way you will spend more time working on it than travelling to it.7. Walkable neighborhoods: walking distance to all amenities… especially Starbucks!!6. Homes with basements suites or potential for one: buyers see this as additional value and you can sell to end users and or investors, there by increasing your buying populous.5. Bungalows bungalows bungalows: increasing number of baby boomers BUT you must flip them into a sellable price range – boomers are not interested in high fashion renovations and the high price tag associated with that flip.4. Awkward floor plans: look for these homes with awkward floor plans that have been on the market for a while. Floor plans that could be easily changed with a beam, wall knockdown or repositioned plumbing etc. can give you a lot more ROI when the end result is a better functioning home. You will get these properties for a good price relative the cost of the change in floor plan.3. Ethnically ‘flavored’ homes: rice, cabbage, fish, and deep fried flavored homes can easily be unflavored in a flip and offer a whole new ‘flavor’ and value. Stay away from smoke, mold and cat pee which are costly smells to eliminate.2. New homes with unfinished basements, deck, landscaping and fences. The reasoning behind this thought: when you completely finish a brand new home in a brand new area – you will have very few comparables to compete with. As most new home owners take a while before they get all that done. No brainer flip.1. 45-50 plus bungalow style condos: our 50 plus demographic is younger, hipper more fashion forward than the floral, pastel infused condos that are presently being offered. This demographic is not interested in renovating either – so to offer a fully renovated product is perfect for them. This is my number one choice for this year and for a few years yet to come. There are A LOT of buyers for this market. So let’s put the kybosh to golden girls décor and give our 50 plus buyers something to BUY for… and there are LOTS of product to choose from!All of the above are good to keep in mind combined with keeping your costs in budget; you can flip in any market.Happy Flipping! Coming soon Top 10 Fix & Flops.What to avoid when flipping: renovation faux pas.
Tips to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly
With computers being in a majority of homes the computer repair industry will always be on the rise, computers of today are designed with you “the user” in mind and hardware and software manufactures strive to make their computers more reliable, easier to use and cheaper. This being said as a computer technician it amazes me to this day that many home and office users lack the basic understanding and still do not undertake some simple tasks that can keep your PC running faster and for longer.In this article we take a look at some of the easier steps you can take that will:
Improve your computer startup
Improve your computer speed during operation
Clean up hard drive space
Speed up web browsing
Although a majority of these tips are free and will cost you nothing to do there are 1 or 2 that will cost a small amount of money to purchase parts/software(optional).Make Your Computer Startup Faster
In order to make your computer start up faster you can do all of the free fixes below:
Ensure your computer is booting directly from the hard drive and not the floppy or CD ROM drive
Turn off all your MRP’s (memory resident programs) that are set to start up when windows loads
Carry out a regular defrag to ensure that the PC can find all the program parts quickly
Remove discs from the CD/DVD drive when finished
Just by carrying out the above you can cut your computer startup time in half and sometimes more! The biggest problem I find is MRP’s, these should be something you think about when installing software, games and applications, if however you have loads of MRP’s now and your computer is very slow, use the MSCONFIG tool (start > run> Type MSCONFIG) and you can turn off all the programs you no longer need to startup when windows loads.Improve Your Computer Speed During Use
Other than maintaining your program usage during normal operation there are only a couple of things you can do the help speed up your PC at this point that are free, if your computer is not running to bad during normal operation and is just starting to go a little slugish then the chances are using these tips you will not see that much of an improvement and should consider upgrading your memory if you need a faster PC.Follow the list below to speedup your slow computer during operation:
Configure software correctly and ensure your autoplay settings are right and not conflicting
Perform regular defrags to make the read/write operations to your hard drive quicker
Carry out a regular disc clean up on your computer
Clean out Temp folders, internet cookies etc. on a regular basis
Ensure you are only running software you need (especially anti-virus software)
Clean out your registry on a regular basis *
* Be sure you know or learn about the registry and the tools you use before you start working on your registry, and always ensure you have a current backup and are confident to restore to that back up before you begin working in the registry.If you have followed and carried out the steps so far, you should have already seen an improvement in your computer speed and reliability, the list of tips below will help with computer cooling, faster internet browsing and general computer settings that annoy the average user!
Install additional cooling fans around the hard drive
Install an exhaust fan in the rear of the case
Clean out heatsink fins, and ensure fans are turning freely and not noisy (replace if required)
Remove multiple search bars, and associated web browser addins you do not need or use
Install windows updates daily/weekly to save Windows Update slowing down your computer when you use it!
Uninstall programs you do not need or use and will not use in the future.
Keep graphics to a minimal especially in Windows Vista and 7
Run an up-to-date AV (antivirus program)
Keeping to the list above you should see a great improvement in your computers performance, and with carrying out the additional steps your computer should last you a lot longer before a failure occurs, or you need to upgrade. If you still need additional speed/power from your computer consider upgrading components, today these are generally cheap, and easy enough to install for a home user!
Toolbox Essentials – Screwdrivers
Screwdrivers are probably the most common tools used both for household and professional purposes. They come in a large variety of sizes from tiny jeweler’s screwdrivers up, and are designed to match the large variety of screws available.The screwdriver seems to have originated in either France or Germany in the late 15th century. The original name for this tool was screwturner or turnscrew. The earliest screwdrivers had pear-shaped wooden handles and were made for slotted screws. Screws were used in the 15th century for constructing screw-cutting lathes, for securing breastplates, backplates and helmets on medieval jousting armor. Screwdrivers developed over time as the development of screws evolved and improved.In 1908, a Canadian, P.L. Robertson, although not the first person to patent the idea of socket-head screws, was the first person to successfully commercialize them. Socket screws rapidly grew in popularity and are still a favorite of mechanics today for their resistance to wear and tear, their compatibility with hex keys, and their ability to stop a power tool when set. Unfortunately, Robertson was unwilling to relinquish his patents and as a result, ran in to difficulties when trying to market his invention to the newly booming auto industry.In the meantime, an American, Henry F. Phillips, patented his own improved invention, today known as the Phillips screw. It was a version of a deep socket with a cruciform (arranged in a cross) that quickly became, and still remains, the most popular screw in the world. A main attraction for the screw was that conventional slotted screwdrivers could be used on them.Torx, the trademark for a type of screw head characterized by a six-point star-shaped pattern, was developed in 1967 by Camcar Textron. The screwdriver used on these screws is sometimes referred to as a star screwdriver. Torx screws are commonly used on automobiles, motorcycles, bicycle brake systems, hard disk drives, computer systems and consumer electronics. Initially, they were used in applications requiring tamper-resistance, since the drive systems and screwdrivers were not readily available.There are many different types of screws, and consequently many different types of screwdrivers, available today. The slotted, Phillips and Robertson screwdrivers remain the most popular. From minor household repairs, to major construction projects, the need for a good set of screwdrivers is apparent. It would be convenient to only require one type, but the variety of metal and wood screws available deem this impossible. If a screwdriver is not the correct size and type for the screw being used, it’s very likely that the screw will be damaged in the process of tightening or loosening it.Screwdrivers may be purchased individually or in sets. Your toolbox or tool drawer should contain at least a couple of flat or slotted screwdrivers, a couple of Phillips screwdrivers, and a couple of Robertson screwdrivers, all in various sizes. A set of precision screwdrivers and perhaps a small cordless screwdriver with various bits are great tools to have on hand as well. Some screwdriver tips are magnetic, so that the screw remains attached to the screwdriver while the screwdriver is being used. This feature is particularly useful when working with small screws that are typically difficult to handle.A set of screwdrivers or a cordless screwdriver can prove to be an inexpensive but useful gift for someone starting out on their own. Both men and women can make use of these tools for a variety of tasks from simply tightening existing screws around the house, installing a ceiling fan, or for working on home renovations. Having the right tools for the job is imperative. Although it may be tempting, never use screwdrivers as improvised substitutes for pry bars, levers, hole punches, or any other purpose they are not designed for. Such use can damage the tip or bend the shaft, or injure the user if the screwdriver slips or fails. Always remember safety first!
The Main Infertility Treatment Methods Available
Failure to ovulate can be treated with drugs and hormone injections. These fertility drugs bring quite a high risk of multiple births. Abnormalities of the cervical mucus can be treated with the hormone oestrogen quite successfully. Blockage of the fallopian tubes is a more serious condition, needing surgical treatment that does not currently have a high rate of success, although treatment is improving all the time.Artificial inseminationMany couples anxious to have a family go through these tests and treatments and still find they are unable to conceive. They may then consider artificial insemination, which is a method of fertilising the egg by injecting semen into the vagina at the stage of ovulation.
AIH (artificial insemination by husband) is the term used when the semen injected is taken from the husband or partner. This is done in cases where the husband is unable because of physical or psychological problems to eject the semen himself.
AID (artificial insemination by donor) is used in cases where a husband is unable to produce sperm of his own. If the couple are willing, semen from a fertile male can be used.
Semen can be frozen and used at a later stage. Such scientific advances are being made in these directions that the use of artificial insemination is becoming very successful and popular with infertile couples.Test tube conception is now quite common. In this procedure, known as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), eggs are removed from the ovary, mixed with the sperm, and fertilisation takes place. One or more of the resulting embryos is placed at the entrance of the uterus. Implantation is only successful in about 30 per cent of cases. A method of freezing the embryo has now been developed, so that the embryo can be transferred when the chances of pregnancy occurring are high.Surrogate motherhood is another method by which those couples unable to conceive normally can have a child. A woman who can produce eggs, but cannot carry a child, can donate an egg to be fertilised by her partner’s sperm and implanted in another woman’s womb, (a surrogate womb); or the surrogate mother can be artificially inseminated with the sperm of the prospective father. In the UK, an official enquiry into the moral dilemmas posed by surrogate motherhood has concluded that the practice should be made illegal.There is a lot of controversy about these methods, but many couples who desperately want a baby are willing to try them.