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Arts and Crafts

Kids love arts and crafts and so can parents, with endless hours of fun, concentration and family bonding.There are so many arts and crafts to choose from, there is bound to be something that you can find that will excite all the family, a focus that will bring you all together on a regular basis.One great family arts and crafts project is scrapbooking, as people (even kids) tend to keep ticket stubs, photos and flyers that have happy memories associated with them. You could create one giant family scrapbook, with pages on ‘What is my favorite place?’, ‘What is my favorite memory?’ or ‘Reasons why I love my pet’, to name a few.The arts and crafts projects don’t have to be expensive – some paper, scissors and glue would be a good start. How about a matchstick craft kit, so you can all contribute to building a masterpiece?The best option would be, to do some research on arts and crafts and find a project that gets the thumbs up from all. Remember that kid’s votes are worth double the parents’ votes!Choosing the Best Craft Kits for your KidsSo how do you pick out the best craft kits for your kids? Here are some tips you should bear in mind.The first thing you should check is the age guidelines of craft kits. Some kits will have small pieces; need use of tweezers or other sharp objects, which will need adult supervision if your child is young. Your child’s safety should always be at the forefront of your mind.If the craft kits are associated with a favorite program or television character, then you stand a really high chance that your child will absolutely love the craft kit.Always check what it contained within the craft kits, as if everything is not included, you will run the risk of a very disappointed child. Usually it is something like glue that is not included, so make sure that some appropriate glue on hand for the craft kits in question.Lastly, getting craft kits are a good taster to see if a particular arts and crafts project is enjoyed and appreciated by your children, before wasting money on encouraging a new hobby that is not enjoyed.

United Kingdom Property Law

Most students who have taken a course in modern political science would appreciate that the United Kingdom is unlike most other nation-states because it itself made of three countries, commonly referred as sub-national administrative entities. Since each of these sub-national entities viz. – Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland has its own Parliament; they have drafted property laws that apply within the boundaries of their jurisdiction.There are commonalities between the property laws of Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. For example all three jurisdictions follow the Common Law System, however the commonalities are trumped by the differences between the laws of England and Scotland specifically.Scottish property laws have been derived from the Feudal Legal System of middle ages, in sharp contrast to English and Welsh that have been derived from Roman Legal System. Northern Irish have more in common with English property laws, than they have with Scottish.The Queen is still the head of state of United Kingdom. However, her office is merely ceremonial. The decline in powers of the monarch’s office over the past two centuries ensured that important changes were made to the title of property in the United Kingdom. Now, the Queen is not considered the owner of all properties in the United Kingdom. Instead, the citizens of United Kingdom can hold the title of properties in their individual capacities. This may appear a banal change for young readers; however students of history will appreciate the major departure it meant from centuries-old property laws.As per the UK legal system, property is typically classified as either real property or individual property under the aegis of Common Law System. Countries that follow the Civil Law System typically make the distinction between movable and immovable property. In the United Kingdom, a person or legal entity can have absolute ownership of an individual property. However, a person or legal entity cannot have claim absolute ownership of a real property. Owner of an individual property cannot lease his property, and therefore cannot charge rent. A person owning a real property can shift the ownership to another person or legal entity by signing a legally binding deed document. However, there is no need for an elaborate deed to be signed for transferring the ownership rights of an individual property. Only civil lawyers can represent appellants in property lawsuits. There are special civil courts that preside upon matters pertaining to property laws.

Should You Use a Property Management Company or Manage Your Real Estate Investment in Florida?

When considering investment properties, first of all, it must be determined that it is profitable and a good idea to purchase rental properties. Let’s talk about this aspect. Owning rental property produces rental income which, if after expenses are deducted produces a profit, would be viewed as a good investment. Add to this the possibility that property has the potential to increase in value over time and you have some solid reasons to purchase investment properties.If the rental income is paying more than the monthly mortgage amount leaving some excess for home repairs, it is possible the home could be paid off entirely by renters. At some point in the future, this same home can be sold with the seller receiving the full value of the property. Sounds like you can’t go wrong in owning rental properties. But is this true? It all depends on whether the investor has thoroughly completed their homework.If you are presently considering an investment in rental properties, be sure you do some thorough research. It’s important for the property investor to gather adequate information before committing to rental property ownership. Searching the internet, reading real estate publications, attending seminars, and speaking personally with property investors is a great beginning that will place you on the road to making a wise, informed decision. Starting up a business is a little like real estate investment. Knowing the facts and putting time into the purchase gives you a much greater chance of success. Doing your homework can prevent disastrous property investment decisions.
Why a Real Estate Investment in Florida?
There are many issues that need careful consideration before making a final decision on property investment. These include the location of the property, Are you interested in an urban or rural location? What is the condition of the property, how much maintenance will be required to keep it in good working order? What are your financing options? What do taxes run on that particular piece of property in that location? How will you select tenants?These are all vital questions that could determine the success or failure of your venture. Let’s refer to the first and probably most important of questions to ask regarding property investment. What location will you choose? In searching for the best possible location, it is important to look at trends among renters. The American population continues to grow with a gain of about one person every 14 seconds. Where are all these new people coming from? An increase in our own population and immigration account for this strong growth. With this in mind, it is safe to say there will be a continued need for housing in the future. Concerning the immigration population, California, New York and Florida lead the list, in that order, in new residents. What a potential pool of people to pull from! Looking at the cost of real estate purchase in these three states, a real estate investment in Florida ranks among the most reasonably priced. Along with the strong immigration growth, Florida is a hot tourist destination, making it an ideal location for the purchase of rental property.Real Estate Investment in Florida – Where is a Good Choice?Along with having the 3rd highest rate of population growth, the high tourism rate is definitely a great reason for a real estate investment in Florida. With its year-round temperate climate and vast array of attractions, both natural and created, it is the ideal location for family holiday vacations. Families and singles return again and again to enjoy the delightful holidays Florida offers. Deciding where to purchase your real estate investment in Florida may be a difficult decision. Tourists in Florida are searching for sun and fun. A real estate investment near the beach, from Key West in the south to Jacksonville in the north and east from Daytona Beach to Fort Myers would offer good returns on your investment. Beach lovers will pay top dollar for rentals near the ocean. Let’s consider Central Florida as a wise real estate investment. Walt Disney World has made Orlando the 3rd favorite tourist destination for overseas travelers. Only Los Angeles and New York City rank higher. With its resplendent and numerous lakes, tropical landscaping and modern, clean skyline, Orlando, the largest city in Central Florida, has aptly earned its title of “The City Beautiful”. Along with the biggest drawing card of all, Walt Disney World, theme parks such as Universal Studios and Sea World, have made Orlando one of the largest markets in the world for tourism. 2.6million international travelers flocked to Orlando in 2004, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, a 12 percent increase from 2003.Real Estate Investment in Florida – Where in Central Florida?Having established the fact that Central Florida is a hot tourist market, it would stand to reason that a real estate investment in Florida, particularly the Central Florida area, would make good business sense. But how would one go about locating a desirable area and property for this investment? A beginning search would lead you to researching properties listed with the major real estate companies or visit craigslist.org in your area. Deciding which type of property is important. Do you prefer a single family residence, a townhouse or condo? Keep in mind that townhouse and condo purchases may offer onsite property management services. Will your real estate investment in Florida purchase be in a new development, or in an established, older area? Purchasing rental property in a new development often offers pre-construction prices which can be substantially lower than prices post construction. Are you available to manage the property, or do you wish to employ a property management company to take care of the details of property upkeep, record keeping and renter booking? Doing it yourself can save you 6 percent and more of the cost of rent, but can end up costing you if you don’t know what you are doing. If you do not plan on living in close proximity to your rental property, it would be wise to consider spending some extra dollars to employ a property management company. This will save you headaches and time, your own time for property maintenance and the time it takes to locate renters.Real Estate Investment in Florida – Consider Davenport, Fl
Considering a real estate investment in Florida, just 5 miles southwest of Disney you will discover the quiet, quaint town of Davenport, Fl. Its central location yet off the beaten track give it an appeal all its own. Davenport, Fl is only 2 square miles in size. With its small town appeal, it is an attractive rental option for tourists. Davenport, FL is under 30 minutes from Universal Studios, Sea World, Disney World and other Orlando attractions. It is just one and ΒΌ hours from Kennedy Space Center and within an hour’s drive to Tampa (home of Busch Gardens) and Cocoa Beach. After a hectic day at the major tourist attractions, what a welcome respite it would be for renters to lodge in this quiet location which is surrounded by orange groves. Convenience is another drawing card with a Super Wal-Mart, open 24 hours a day, just nine miles away. Kissimmee is just a short drive with its spectacular nightlife entertainment options such as Arabian Nights and Medieval Times. Family oriented Kissimmee attractions, Green Meadows Farm and the Silver Spurs Rodeo are also nearby. The small town environment of Davenport, Fl offers a quiet stay that is near all the most popular attractions, including theme parks, family spots and great shopping and dining, located not far from the Florida Mall, outlet malls and the Orlando Mall.Bimini Bay, Davenport, FlLocated in Davenport, Fl in close proximity to Walt Disney World, is a brand new development, Bimini Bay. On 80 acres, 360 three bedroom two bath townhouses are ready for purchase. The Davenport, Fl townhouses are turnkey ready with fully equipped kitchens, appliances and all that is needed to set up house including linens. There will also be 360 fully equipped one bedroom apartments. The planned amenities include a resort pool, two movie theatres with stadium seating, a major chain restaurant, a large Club House, a pool, lazy river, water slides, exercise room, tennis and volleyball courts along with many other features. The best part about an investment in a townhouse at Bimini Bay, Davenport, Fl is that the property maintenance aspect is taken care of for you. The investor reaps the benefits of ownership such as property appreciation and the ability to stay in the purchased property for a minimal fee without the headaches of property management. The onsite management team takes care of maintenance, markets the property and secures renters. The investor receives the same rental income each month, making this a low stress investment. At the beginning of this article, there was discussion on managing rental property yourself or obtaining a management company for this purpose. Purchasing property at Bimini Bay ensures the on-site management will handle all the issues of property management, while allowing the investor the advantage of a steady income along with the benefit of using the property.

Property Investor Strategy Series – Part 2

This is our second article in our 4 part series that will show you how to use the current property market conditions to make immediate profits, create positive cash flow and also how you can reduce your overall risks by using sensible strategies.OK in this article, we explain why you should be focusing on rental income to generate you positive cash flow month on month so you can still make a profit even if property prices are falling.There can be no doubting that the UK property market is going through a tough time and that property prices are slowly falling in many areas. If truth be known, no one can really tell what will exactly happen in the future but even though you cannot control what happens to the property market, you can make sure that you make a profit from your property investments and here is how.With buyers becoming very nervous about buying and mortgage lenders being very strict on who they will lend to, this means that many people (especially first time buyers) will not beable to afford to get onto the property ladder. However, if people are not buying they will rent instead until conditions improve. And with this in mind, we fully expect rental demand to increase over the coming months as many choose to rent and wait until property prices fall or until the credit crunch eases.This extra demand, along with falling house prices means that rents should slowly increase and rental yields(rental returns) will be more favourable. This will create a great opportunity for property investors to focus on buying properties and targeting certain tenants where their investments will generate good positive cash flows month on month. This is a very powerful strategy to focus on in a falling market because no matter what property prices do, you are still making money from your investments and you know that in time, conditions will improve and property prices will rise once again.But this is only half the story! If you are going to focus on this strategy, you must have a good understanding of the tenant market and understand the main tenant types that dominate the market. There are 5 main types of tenants and each one will have their own requirements for a property and preferred locations within a town or city. The 5 main tenant types are as follows;Key Workers; Such as Teachers, nurses or doctorsStudentsYoung ProfessionalsYoung FamiliesProfessional SharersNow this is the important bit; In order to make sure that you let your property out quickly, maximise rents and minimise void periods, it is important that you buy the right property in the right location for the right tenant. It is also important to analyse where the highest rental demand is for a location and then satisfy that demand with what the market is craving. For example, if you want to target key workers, you should buy properties close to local schools or hospitals and buy a 2 bed flat or small terrace house that could accommodate possibly 2 tenants as these tenants like to share to save on costs.If you are targeting the student market, it is important that you buy a property that is located close to the university campus and focus on buying a 3 or 4 bed terrace property or converting a property to accommodate 5 or more students.So before you buy any properties, make sure you understand the local tenant market fully, and buy the right property in the right location for the right tenant.Another way that you can increase rents for each of your properties is to offer properties fully furnished. A fully furnished property will always command a premium in rent because a tenant can literally move into the flat and not have to worry about buying furniture etc as it is all there.This concludes our second article in our special 4 part property investment strategy series. One of the key elements of successful property investment is to focus on rental income and focus on generating good positive cash flows from your property portfolio. So no matter what happens to property prices, you can be sure that month on month, your property investments are making you money.