There's no doubt about it, when your home is for sale, it needs to be set up like a show home. That means it must be clean, tidy and sparsely furnished. Think about it on these terms: the buyer wants to purchase a home, not your stuff. Eliminating extra stuff helps them clearly see the home they are considering buying, whereas a cluttered home becomes unappealing.
Another aspect of this is that your home can no longer be about your personality. This goes beyond mere decorating, and in fact, it is beneficial to keep your paint colors neutral. If you have a bold paint job, some people might really like that. But the majority of people would rather have neutral colors in their home, or decide on their own bold color schemes. So if you want to sell faster, consider painting over your bold colors with tones of off-white. That way, a buyer sees this as a blank canvas waiting for them to fill.
First impressions are important, and that means you need to consider how your yard, the front of your home, and especially the front door and door step appear. Faded paint needs to be re-done. A sticky door will imprint the buyer with the impression that repairs are needed. Avoid this by doing any minor repairs and paint jobs that will improve the first impression of your home.
Finally, consider things like smell and overall ambiance. Pet or tobacco smells should be eliminated by professional carpet and drapery cleaning, and possibly a nice, but not overpowering, air freshener. Make sure kids and pets aren't bustling about, making messes and distracting buyers when they view your home.
It might be best to plan showing days when no one, including yourself is around. Let the agent describe your home in terms that match what the buyer is looking for, without the distraction of too much clutter or noise to distract them from what they are looking at: a new home to buy.
Jerry Clifford is a Minneapolis Realtor® who has lived there most of his life. Because of this, he really knows his specialty: any and all real estate in Minneapolis.
Related Articles - home sales, home selling, home selling tips, sales tips
http://www.amazines.com
Thursday 18 October 2007
An Introduction to Viatical Settlements
Any person would generally want to protect their families from incurring debt due to medical or other memorial service expenses, and many people as well expect to leave some bucks for their kids or grandchildren when they pass away. However, there are times when people require accepting cash settlements in lieu of their life insurance policies to be careful of their own needs. There are various types of settlements, such as cash life, life settlements, and viatical settlements. The age of the policy owner is not as applicable as the person's health and life anticipation.
Viatical Settlements are extremely different from these. Viatical Settlements are planned for people suffering from fatal illness or those who are not predictable to live more than two years for any reason. Since Viatical Settlements are generally used to settle up medical expenses, they are covenant with in a different way than other kinds of settlements. Viatical Settlements are the simply cash settlements, which are not subject to nationwide taxes as per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. Viatical settlements could further act as investments for those who desire to buy life insurance policies. The insurance policy, or a part of it, is purchased for less than the amount, which would be paid out upon the policyholder's at the termination. When the policyholder passes on, the buyer collects the death benefit.
As any investments, viatical settlements are also not free with risk. They seem like a certain thing because the policyholder would ultimately pass away. However, the amount acknowledged by the buyer of the policy is resolute by the date on which the policy owner really dies. If that person lives longer than predictable, the return would be less than predicted. Apart from earning less of a return than expected, the purchaser runs the danger of truly losing money if the policyholder lives much longer than probable and in addition premiums should be paid in order to keep up the policy. As long as helpless people are given a fair agreement and are not taken benefit of, viatical settlements could be mutually advantageous.
http://www.amazines.com
Viatical Settlements are extremely different from these. Viatical Settlements are planned for people suffering from fatal illness or those who are not predictable to live more than two years for any reason. Since Viatical Settlements are generally used to settle up medical expenses, they are covenant with in a different way than other kinds of settlements. Viatical Settlements are the simply cash settlements, which are not subject to nationwide taxes as per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. Viatical settlements could further act as investments for those who desire to buy life insurance policies. The insurance policy, or a part of it, is purchased for less than the amount, which would be paid out upon the policyholder's at the termination. When the policyholder passes on, the buyer collects the death benefit.
As any investments, viatical settlements are also not free with risk. They seem like a certain thing because the policyholder would ultimately pass away. However, the amount acknowledged by the buyer of the policy is resolute by the date on which the policy owner really dies. If that person lives longer than predictable, the return would be less than predicted. Apart from earning less of a return than expected, the purchaser runs the danger of truly losing money if the policyholder lives much longer than probable and in addition premiums should be paid in order to keep up the policy. As long as helpless people are given a fair agreement and are not taken benefit of, viatical settlements could be mutually advantageous.
http://www.amazines.com
Bearing the brunt of having too many debts
Bearing the brunt of having too many debts can be quite taxing. And if these debts comprise of many credit card bills, you might be subject to a heavy interest payment. Well, you can tackle the situation if you exercise a little bit of care. In tight financial situations, you need to show some restraint with regard to your expenses. As for the debts, you can clear them with the help of debt consolidation loans. Many benefits follow if you decide to consolidate your debts. Your different debts get consolidated into one single debt requiring a single monthly repayment. You won’t have to deal with multiple lenders. All this brings an orderly and simplified debt structure, away from the chaos of dealing with several lenders at a time.
With debt consolidation loans, the help is just around the corner. There are two ways in which you can seek this help from the lenders. If your requirement is big, you can decide to pledge your home and get the requisite loan amount. Otherwise, you can do without the any security and get an unsecured debt consolidation loan. This loan might get you up to £25,000 for a period that can extend up to 8-10 years. You should check whether debt consolidation would bring you any monetary savings as well. This is most likely to happen if you are already paying a high interest rate to your lenders.
Debt consolidation loans also help you in adjusting your monthly outgoings. Suppose, you are repaying £1500 a month in all to your several lenders but now due to financial constraints you think it won’t be possible. In such a situation, you can take out debt consolidation loans and repay your lenders in full. Now, you can adjust the repayments with your new lender in such a way that your monthly instalment falls below £1000 which might be comfortable for you. In this way, you can lower your outgoings but only at the expense of extra interest payment. Debt Consolidation Loans
Caitlin Lucy is a Expert Author. She has written good quality articles on Compare Loans and Home Improvement Loans
Related Articles - debt consolidation loans, compare loans, cheap loans, loans uk, loans,
http://www.amazines.com/Finance_and_Investment/article_category.cfm?catid=23
With debt consolidation loans, the help is just around the corner. There are two ways in which you can seek this help from the lenders. If your requirement is big, you can decide to pledge your home and get the requisite loan amount. Otherwise, you can do without the any security and get an unsecured debt consolidation loan. This loan might get you up to £25,000 for a period that can extend up to 8-10 years. You should check whether debt consolidation would bring you any monetary savings as well. This is most likely to happen if you are already paying a high interest rate to your lenders.
Debt consolidation loans also help you in adjusting your monthly outgoings. Suppose, you are repaying £1500 a month in all to your several lenders but now due to financial constraints you think it won’t be possible. In such a situation, you can take out debt consolidation loans and repay your lenders in full. Now, you can adjust the repayments with your new lender in such a way that your monthly instalment falls below £1000 which might be comfortable for you. In this way, you can lower your outgoings but only at the expense of extra interest payment. Debt Consolidation Loans
Caitlin Lucy is a Expert Author. She has written good quality articles on Compare Loans and Home Improvement Loans
Related Articles - debt consolidation loans, compare loans, cheap loans, loans uk, loans,
http://www.amazines.com/Finance_and_Investment/article_category.cfm?catid=23
How to Raise your Credit Score With the Credit Bureaus
A consumer's credit history and their resulting credit score, as computed by the credit bureaus, has a major impact on many aspects of the consumer's life, and that is getting to be more the case every day. These days, many employers are doing credit checks on potential employees, and if they have three candidates that are pretty much equally qualified in all other areas, the one with the highest credit score will likely be offered the job.
Even car insurance companies are getting into the act, where many of them, even the major ones, are starting to factor in the consumer's credit score when they quote car insurance rates. Their theory, which they claim is backed up by mountains of evidence, is that an individual with a low credit score is historically more likely to file claims, even frivolous claims, that an individual with a higher credit score. While consumer advocacy groups are crying foul at this practice, it is very difficult to argue with hard and cold statistical evidence and facts.
So with all that said, why are more individuals not more conscious of their credit scores, and more importantly, how to raise their credit scores? The only answer available is that the majority of consumers are not aware of these practices, and do not know where to start to improve their credit score.
The very first thing you need is copies of your credit reports. Consumers can get this for free in most states once a year, and can also get a free copy if they were recently denied credit. Note that you need a separate copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, which are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Each of these companies keeps a separate credit profile on each consumer and business.
An interesting thing to note, which is to your advantage, is that these companies do not communicate with each other or share information. Your Visa lender may report to one of them, your mortgage company may report to another, and your bank may report to yet a different one for your car loan. The end result is that NONE of them have a complete and true picture of you and your credit usage or history.
As a result of this, your credit report almost certainly contains errors, and those errors only serve to lower your credit score. If you look over your credit reports closely, you may find accounts that do not belong to you, which is not unusual for people with common names. You may find an account that you paid off years ago still being reported as having a balance that is overdue. You may find that one of your credit card companies is showing you as being a chronically late payer, when you know that you have never been late with a payment in your life.
Note that the credit bureaus do not take responsibility for the accuracy of this data. Rather, they take the approach that they only REPORT the news, they do not make it. But they have a legal responsibility to report the news accurately, and if they are not doing so, it is YOUR responsibility to make them aware of it so they will correct it. But it does not happen automatically.
When you discover an error (and you almost certainly will), you need to file a dispute with the credit bureau that is reporting it. For best results, only submit ONE dispute per envelope. So if you have 5 disputes, you will mail 5 separate envelopes. Although you can file all disputes in one form, studies have indicated that you will have better results if you mail each one separately, and after all, RESULTS are what you are looking for.
After receipt of your dispute of inaccurate information, the credit bureau has 30 days to either verify the data or remove it from your credit report. If they cannot verify it, it must be removed. If they claim to have verified it as correct, your next option is to contact the creditor reporting it. Again, if it is inaccurate, that creditor must correct the way they are reporting it to the credit bureaus.
Understanding the laws of credit reporting and how inaccurate entries on your credit report can lower your credit score is critical to your success, especially since your credit score is being used in more and more places to make decisions about you.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/jon-arnold/7833.htm
Even car insurance companies are getting into the act, where many of them, even the major ones, are starting to factor in the consumer's credit score when they quote car insurance rates. Their theory, which they claim is backed up by mountains of evidence, is that an individual with a low credit score is historically more likely to file claims, even frivolous claims, that an individual with a higher credit score. While consumer advocacy groups are crying foul at this practice, it is very difficult to argue with hard and cold statistical evidence and facts.
So with all that said, why are more individuals not more conscious of their credit scores, and more importantly, how to raise their credit scores? The only answer available is that the majority of consumers are not aware of these practices, and do not know where to start to improve their credit score.
The very first thing you need is copies of your credit reports. Consumers can get this for free in most states once a year, and can also get a free copy if they were recently denied credit. Note that you need a separate copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, which are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Each of these companies keeps a separate credit profile on each consumer and business.
An interesting thing to note, which is to your advantage, is that these companies do not communicate with each other or share information. Your Visa lender may report to one of them, your mortgage company may report to another, and your bank may report to yet a different one for your car loan. The end result is that NONE of them have a complete and true picture of you and your credit usage or history.
As a result of this, your credit report almost certainly contains errors, and those errors only serve to lower your credit score. If you look over your credit reports closely, you may find accounts that do not belong to you, which is not unusual for people with common names. You may find an account that you paid off years ago still being reported as having a balance that is overdue. You may find that one of your credit card companies is showing you as being a chronically late payer, when you know that you have never been late with a payment in your life.
Note that the credit bureaus do not take responsibility for the accuracy of this data. Rather, they take the approach that they only REPORT the news, they do not make it. But they have a legal responsibility to report the news accurately, and if they are not doing so, it is YOUR responsibility to make them aware of it so they will correct it. But it does not happen automatically.
When you discover an error (and you almost certainly will), you need to file a dispute with the credit bureau that is reporting it. For best results, only submit ONE dispute per envelope. So if you have 5 disputes, you will mail 5 separate envelopes. Although you can file all disputes in one form, studies have indicated that you will have better results if you mail each one separately, and after all, RESULTS are what you are looking for.
After receipt of your dispute of inaccurate information, the credit bureau has 30 days to either verify the data or remove it from your credit report. If they cannot verify it, it must be removed. If they claim to have verified it as correct, your next option is to contact the creditor reporting it. Again, if it is inaccurate, that creditor must correct the way they are reporting it to the credit bureaus.
Understanding the laws of credit reporting and how inaccurate entries on your credit report can lower your credit score is critical to your success, especially since your credit score is being used in more and more places to make decisions about you.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/jon-arnold/7833.htm
What if I Cannot Make Timely Payments?
Over the course of a lifetime, many average consumers will face occasions when they cannot make a timely payment on one or more of their debt accounts. This does not have to be the end of your good credit record, but what you do, the actions that you take, will determine whether you make it through this period unscathed or not.
When it comes to being late on a payment it really does not matter what the payment is for. Whether it is for a home loan payment, car loan, or credit card is immaterial as there are some steps that should be taken regardless of the loan type. Here are some suggestions that can help you make the most of a tight time:
As soon as you know that you cannot make the payment contact the lender via phone, if possible. You will want to talk to someone in the loan department, and your monthly statement may have a toll free number that you can use for this purpose.
Explain to the loan person the circumstances behind your inability to pay. If your circumstances are temporary make sure you tell them that.
It is almost inevitable that the loan department will want to know when you believe you might be able to make up the payment. It is always a good idea to have thought about this before you make the call.
If you honestly believe that you can make up the payment within 30 days of being late, tell them that and use those words "within 30 days" and tell them you are going to do this because you don't want the delinquency to be reported to the credit agencies. This shows the person that you are talking to that you have some knowledge of how these things work and that you are serious about maintaining your good credit.
On the subject of number of days late, it is important to remember that if a bill is late but paid within 30 days of the cut off date the delinquency may not be reported to the credit reporting agencies, which means it will not go on your credit history. However, if 60 to 90 days pass without payment it is almost certain that it will be reported and be placed on your credit record. For this reason it is imperative that you make up the payment as quickly as possible.
Many consumers do not realize that once a mark goes on their credit report that mark can stay there for up to seven years. It is true that one mark may not cause a lender to turn you down in the future, but why take that chance when you do not have to?
Make your payment as quickly as possible and you can avoid having these late payments haunting you in the future. The important thing to remember is to contact the lender and explain your circumstances. Do not ignore the lender; this is the worse possible thing you can do when you cannot make a timely payment.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/peter-kenny/6159.htm
When it comes to being late on a payment it really does not matter what the payment is for. Whether it is for a home loan payment, car loan, or credit card is immaterial as there are some steps that should be taken regardless of the loan type. Here are some suggestions that can help you make the most of a tight time:
As soon as you know that you cannot make the payment contact the lender via phone, if possible. You will want to talk to someone in the loan department, and your monthly statement may have a toll free number that you can use for this purpose.
Explain to the loan person the circumstances behind your inability to pay. If your circumstances are temporary make sure you tell them that.
It is almost inevitable that the loan department will want to know when you believe you might be able to make up the payment. It is always a good idea to have thought about this before you make the call.
If you honestly believe that you can make up the payment within 30 days of being late, tell them that and use those words "within 30 days" and tell them you are going to do this because you don't want the delinquency to be reported to the credit agencies. This shows the person that you are talking to that you have some knowledge of how these things work and that you are serious about maintaining your good credit.
On the subject of number of days late, it is important to remember that if a bill is late but paid within 30 days of the cut off date the delinquency may not be reported to the credit reporting agencies, which means it will not go on your credit history. However, if 60 to 90 days pass without payment it is almost certain that it will be reported and be placed on your credit record. For this reason it is imperative that you make up the payment as quickly as possible.
Many consumers do not realize that once a mark goes on their credit report that mark can stay there for up to seven years. It is true that one mark may not cause a lender to turn you down in the future, but why take that chance when you do not have to?
Make your payment as quickly as possible and you can avoid having these late payments haunting you in the future. The important thing to remember is to contact the lender and explain your circumstances. Do not ignore the lender; this is the worse possible thing you can do when you cannot make a timely payment.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/peter-kenny/6159.htm
Teaching Debt to Your Kids
t is somewhat surprising that in this day and age parents often overlook the importance of teaching their children about debt and how to use it safely and effectively. For most consumers, the old adage that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes can be amended to read: nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and debt.
Think about your own circumstances. How often have you had to use credit? Homes, automobiles, furniture, the list goes on and on, and there is no reason to believe that your children will not have to use credit as they grow and begin their own families. As informed parents and consumers, you probably already know that millions of people find themselves in financial trouble, and a lot of this can be traced back to a lack of education in how to handle debt and credit responsibly.
It is not enough to assume that schools will teach your child what he or she will need to know when it comes to personal finances. The fact is that while schools will happily teach students the basics of commercial finance, they often overlook the most fundamental issue of all, and that is teaching a person how to handle his or her own, personal, finances.
So how do you go about teaching your child the basics of credit and debt? The best answer to that is through patience, diligence, and open communication.
The best time to start is when they are young and just beginning to learn math skills. The vast majority of math as it relates to debt and credit and money, in general, is basic math. In addition to adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, teach your child how to use percentages and decimals. These are two of the most useful skills they learn when it comes to dealing with credit and debt. A great way to teach these skills is through the use of simple word problems.
An example might go like this: If I were to borrow $100 from you and paid you 8% interest, how much money would I have to pay you in total?
Once the child grasps this concept, you can add to it by asking, for example: How much would I owe you if I wanted to pay this off in monthly installments for one year?
An important aspect to teaching children about debt and credit is to bring it down to their level and to make it personal. Using words such as "I" and "you" allow the child to visualize the exchange in a much more personal way and that increases their interest in the learning session.
When a child has a firm understanding of the basics, you might want to bring out an old credit statement and go through it with them. For many children, the very first credit bill they see is their own! Explain some of the terminology and spend as much time as you need with them until they understand that credit is not free.
Giving your child an early exposure to credit and debt will help him or her later on in life in ways that cannot be measured. No parent wants to see their child in deep financial trouble and teaching a child early about credit and debt is one way to prevent that from happening.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/peter-kenny/6159.htm
Think about your own circumstances. How often have you had to use credit? Homes, automobiles, furniture, the list goes on and on, and there is no reason to believe that your children will not have to use credit as they grow and begin their own families. As informed parents and consumers, you probably already know that millions of people find themselves in financial trouble, and a lot of this can be traced back to a lack of education in how to handle debt and credit responsibly.
It is not enough to assume that schools will teach your child what he or she will need to know when it comes to personal finances. The fact is that while schools will happily teach students the basics of commercial finance, they often overlook the most fundamental issue of all, and that is teaching a person how to handle his or her own, personal, finances.
So how do you go about teaching your child the basics of credit and debt? The best answer to that is through patience, diligence, and open communication.
The best time to start is when they are young and just beginning to learn math skills. The vast majority of math as it relates to debt and credit and money, in general, is basic math. In addition to adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, teach your child how to use percentages and decimals. These are two of the most useful skills they learn when it comes to dealing with credit and debt. A great way to teach these skills is through the use of simple word problems.
An example might go like this: If I were to borrow $100 from you and paid you 8% interest, how much money would I have to pay you in total?
Once the child grasps this concept, you can add to it by asking, for example: How much would I owe you if I wanted to pay this off in monthly installments for one year?
An important aspect to teaching children about debt and credit is to bring it down to their level and to make it personal. Using words such as "I" and "you" allow the child to visualize the exchange in a much more personal way and that increases their interest in the learning session.
When a child has a firm understanding of the basics, you might want to bring out an old credit statement and go through it with them. For many children, the very first credit bill they see is their own! Explain some of the terminology and spend as much time as you need with them until they understand that credit is not free.
Giving your child an early exposure to credit and debt will help him or her later on in life in ways that cannot be measured. No parent wants to see their child in deep financial trouble and teaching a child early about credit and debt is one way to prevent that from happening.
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/peter-kenny/6159.htm
Five Things To Avoid With Debt Consolidation
When you start getting behind in those bills, and the collectors start calling, you begin to feel the pressure from being in debt. Certainly no one enjoys it, but the good thing to know is that there is often something you can do about it. If you are looking for debt consolidation, then here are a few tips to help you make the right decisions - and avoid bad choices.
Responding Too Quickly For A Wise Solution
The first thing that you need to avoid is rushing around with no direction. Like most other people, it is hard to quickly come to right decisions when the clouds of trouble and possibly despair come closing in.
The best choices for a workable debt consolidation program come from being able to have a clear head that is able to examine your options intelligently. So, instead of grabbing the first lender with personal loans or a home equity loan, some education about these options will be of tremendous benefit to you. Take the necessary time to learn the best pros and cons of each.
Remaining In Financial Situations That Have No Solution
Sometimes there may be no good exit from extreme financial situations. After you have tried to work with your creditors about reducing your payments, as many of them will, you still may find no workable answer - or have no income. In those cases, you may just need to walk away and accept bankruptcy. This is extreme, however, and most will probably not need to do this. After calculating the options carefully, know when it is time to start over.
Paying Off Your Loan Without Knowing The Cost
Getting any kind of loan for your debt consolidation means that you must calculate and see which one will work best for you. This may require talking with a debt counselor for help, but it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Many people pay far more for their mortgages and other loans than they need to - simply because they never compared quotes from various lenders, or took the time to know what to look for when doing so.
Not Learning New Ways To Prevent Future Trouble
Another thing to avoid is assuming that once a solution has been found that no other changes need to be made. Actually, if you make no other changes, you will undoubtedly end up in the same place not too far in the distant future. You should learn how to set up a budget for yourself (or reapply an older one to get you started), destroy some of those credit cards, and find out as many ways to save money as possible - and start applying them to your financial habits.
Holding On To Uncontrolled Spending Habits
One final thing to avoid is how you regularly spend your money. You should look over your expenses in recent months and try to discover where the extra money is going. Too often most people spend money on little things that they could really do without. This may include eating out a lot, buying things you do not really need, or paying more than necessary for something. By saving a little money here and there, pretty soon you will find money you did not know you had each week - and can make those payments on time. A good debt consolidation program should help you control how the money you make is spent - and where and when.
Author: Joseph Kenny http://www.articlesbase.com
Responding Too Quickly For A Wise Solution
The first thing that you need to avoid is rushing around with no direction. Like most other people, it is hard to quickly come to right decisions when the clouds of trouble and possibly despair come closing in.
The best choices for a workable debt consolidation program come from being able to have a clear head that is able to examine your options intelligently. So, instead of grabbing the first lender with personal loans or a home equity loan, some education about these options will be of tremendous benefit to you. Take the necessary time to learn the best pros and cons of each.
Remaining In Financial Situations That Have No Solution
Sometimes there may be no good exit from extreme financial situations. After you have tried to work with your creditors about reducing your payments, as many of them will, you still may find no workable answer - or have no income. In those cases, you may just need to walk away and accept bankruptcy. This is extreme, however, and most will probably not need to do this. After calculating the options carefully, know when it is time to start over.
Paying Off Your Loan Without Knowing The Cost
Getting any kind of loan for your debt consolidation means that you must calculate and see which one will work best for you. This may require talking with a debt counselor for help, but it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Many people pay far more for their mortgages and other loans than they need to - simply because they never compared quotes from various lenders, or took the time to know what to look for when doing so.
Not Learning New Ways To Prevent Future Trouble
Another thing to avoid is assuming that once a solution has been found that no other changes need to be made. Actually, if you make no other changes, you will undoubtedly end up in the same place not too far in the distant future. You should learn how to set up a budget for yourself (or reapply an older one to get you started), destroy some of those credit cards, and find out as many ways to save money as possible - and start applying them to your financial habits.
Holding On To Uncontrolled Spending Habits
One final thing to avoid is how you regularly spend your money. You should look over your expenses in recent months and try to discover where the extra money is going. Too often most people spend money on little things that they could really do without. This may include eating out a lot, buying things you do not really need, or paying more than necessary for something. By saving a little money here and there, pretty soon you will find money you did not know you had each week - and can make those payments on time. A good debt consolidation program should help you control how the money you make is spent - and where and when.
Author: Joseph Kenny http://www.articlesbase.com
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