Running a home based business offers many advantages such as saving money on gas and tax breaks, among other benefits.

However, the success of a home based business is pegged on several important aspects.

1.) Website – Invest in a domain name and website for your home business. A website is just like a physical location for your business. It allows people to access your business from around the world.

2.) Target market – Carefully select a market for your products or services. The more targeted the audience the easier it will be to meet their specific needs. Besides, marketing to a very wide customer can be so overwhelming and ineffective.

3.) Goals – Set realistic goals for your home based business. These goals should be based on what you can deliver without outsourcing. Once you determine your actual production capacity, you can always improve on the numbers gradually.

4.) Marketing budget – Keep aside some cash for marketing. Every venture no matter how small requires a marketing budget. Determine the amount of money you are willing to spend on publicity materials such as business cards, flyers, classified ads and so on.

5.) Tracking – Track all your marketing campaigns and keep a log of the techniques that produce the most paying clients. For instance, if your flyers produce more paying customers than classifieds, it will be wise to cut the cost of your classifieds to apply that money toward the flyers.

6.) Search engine optimization (SEO) – SEO helps your website’s search engine ranking by associating it to keywords and links that will make the site easier to find online. Online shoppers searching for the products or services that you provide will see your website in the first pages of the website search. This has the potential to bring you more paying customers.

7.) Offline marketing – In addition to online marketing campaigns, use offline marketing to reach potential clients. Attend workshops and other networking events in your neighborhood with flyers and business cards.

If well managed, a home based business can give you immense profits while at the same time giving you the freedom to be your own boss.

However, you should be advised that running a business from home is not for the faint-hearted! A home business requires you to be very disciplined in terms of time and finance management, and this is where many people go fail especially in their first home based business ventures.

by: Peter Abrahams 

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_15985.shtml

(NC) Buying your first house can be exciting and nerve-wracking, especially with so many factors to consider. Even now in this low-interest rate climate, going out and buying the first place you see is very tempting. But will you end up living beyond your means? What if interest rates go up? Are you really ready to make this huge financial commitment for the next 12 to 15 years, or longer? Before you sign the dotted line, the financial experts from Desjardins Group have some tips to help get you started.
 

A huge life decision

• Purchasing a home is very attractive if you’ve grown weary of renting. But when you own property, there’s more to worry about than just the mortgage. For example, there’s property tax, utilities, maintenance and insurance. Sometimes buying a place isn’t a good idea if you like to live independently with lots of traveling and entertainment. Maybe you’re actually ready to settle down. If so, have you made a budget to see if you can manage your new home? Your financial advisor will likely suggest that you borrowing less to give yourself a financial buffer. Also make sure that you speak to your financial advisor about the relationship between interest rates and current economic conditions. Repaying a mortgage loan can take 25 years or more, which is a long time during which many things can happen. So it’s important to understand these financial cycles and how they could affect your cash flow.

Securing a down payment for your mortgage
 

• Experts advise that prospective home owners should have a down payment of up to 20 per cent of the house’s value. One option is to borrow against your RRSP. The allowable amount is $25,000 per person or $50,000 per couple. If you haven’t enough in your account, it’s possible to take a top-up RRSP loan to reach the right amount. After the purchase, you’ll have 15 years to repay the amount to your RRSP. Another option is to put down 10 per cent and to accept a higher mortgage loan insurance payment. Next question: is it better to choose a fixed or variable rate? A fixed interest rate offers stability and predictability, but you lose out on lower interest rates should they become available. The payments with variable interest rates also remain constant but there is the risk that interest rates may go up. This means more goes to your interest payment and less to your principal.

For more information about buying your first home, speak to your financial advisor. Or for immediate answers and mortgage calculators, visit Desjardins Group at http://www.desjardins.com/co-opme.

(NC)-We’ve seen decor trends come and go over the years, but according to home décor expert Karl Lohnes there are a few that have held the test of time and become classics.

 

In the 1980’s natural sea grass carpeting became a classic that never went away. In the 90’s stainless steel kitchen appliances appeared on the domestic market and stabilized as long-term investments. So what recent and new decorating trends are making their way into the hall of fame to be around for the next five to 10 years? Lohnes shares his insights:

 

Grey: This solemn neutral was very popular in the mid 80’s; back then it was a steely blue grey and used only to achieve a modern aesthetic. Its return to the decorating world was a nice way to ease us away from all the golden taupe that we had grown so fond of. But this time around the grey is a bit warmer (think grey flannel) and is used for both traditional and modern decorating. Look for this neutral to stick around and watch it warm up a bit more to an elephant, or driftwood colour. This will be the new taupe; cooler than what we remember and looking great with off-white, gold metallics and shots of strong colour. Progressive décor companies like Hunter Douglas has included a fresh grey in its new Parkland wood blinds collection. Called Salt and Pepper, it is a mid-tone that adds layering and depth at the window.

 

Chevron pattern: Whether you call it zigzag, herringbone or chevron, this angled linear pattern has come in and out of décor fashion for decades. Currently, the design is highlighted by contrasting coloured stripes, which add punchy patterns to wallpaper, bedding, fabrics and carpets. Look for this pattern to calm itself down by being shown more as a texture than an obvious print. Tone-on-tone is the way to go with the classic chevron pattern if you want to live with it for a while. Use it in large doses or small. To illustrate, designer Katie Leede trimmed her Provenance woven-wood shades in a tone-on-tone chevron pattern in her designer showhouse bedroom.

 

Farmhouse style: It goes without saying that country-style decorating is still the most popular form of décor. Country has been transformed of late into “Farmhouse Chic”. This new country style allows us to mix humble, worn furnishings with a touch of industrial chic in order to make it cool again. The style can look very upscale when fancy antiques become part of the mix.

 

More information is available online at http://www.hunterdouglas.ca.

Take a few minutes to think about the successful people around you, not only financially, but also those who embody personal success. Consider the characteristics each of them possess and how these characteristics have fueled their achievements in their given field. Over the past several years I have come in contact with quite a few real estate investors, both directly and indirectly, and have recognized many I consider to be very successful. These people have not only started successful real estate businesses, they also seem to have mastered balance in their life, a very difficult goal to achieve. I have identified 8 key traits that these investors display, (not surprisingly, this same list can be applied to the leaders in any field):

The 8 Traits that Successful Real Estate Investors Embody

1) Passion for investing: The time and personal equity that is required to become a successful investor is overwhelming for many people, which is why most people who plan on becoming real estate investors fail. Passion fuels drive and drive fuels action; without action the chance of becoming successful is zilch. Passion provides the boost needed for difficult days and enthusiasm on routine days. In short, without passion, real estate investing is just another job.

2) Discipline in decision-making: I have yet to meet someone I would consider both undisciplined and successful, and doubt I ever will. While discipline may be a difficult trait to define, I find it is often fairly easy to pick out, as disciplined people plan for the future, work diligently in the present, and learn from the past.

3) Understanding core principles: Failure is almost certain if you do not understand the foundational principles of business, real estate, and the specific niche you are engaging in. Long term success requires not only an understanding of buying and selling real estate, or how to be a landlord, but also basic economic principles. Understanding market fluctuations, economic cycles, monetary policy and other facets of economics will ensure you can react intelligently when changes do occur. Learning the basics is not always fun or exciting, but it is critical in achieving long-term success.

4) Integrity in business dealings: Real estate is notorious for attracting people looking for a quick buck at all costs, but if you look at successful investors, their success spans years and is attained through incredibly hard work. While it may seem easier to look for a short cut (and rip someone off in the process), a long real estate career must be built on a solid reputation.

5) Flexibility: Murphy’s Law is alive and well in real estate, and to survive inevitable surprises, market fluctuations and bad deals, you must be flexible enough to adapt your plan as you go. Planning is absolutely critical, but equally so is the ability to quickly decide when it is necessary to deviate from the plan. Successful real estate investors know when they need to re-evaluate their current blueprint and make adjustments to preserve the long-term success of their investments and business.

6) Money management skills: Most small businesses fail due to poor money management. Forecasting, budgeting, and financial planning is becoming a lost art among small business owners, and it can be lethal to your business. This is why understanding the basics of accounting, tax law, cash flow management, debt management, and other financial principles is so important, even if you have a great accountant and book-keeper.

7) A Team of Successful People: You can only take your business so far, and at some point you will be forced to rely on other people. Real estate is a people business and every real estate transaction requires a team of people to close. Once a transaction is complete, even more people are involved so it is important to form and maintain relationships with lenders, attorneys, contractors, agents, accountants and other people who can contribute to the growth of your business.

8) Superior communication skills: You have probably heard it a million times but that is because it is true, being able to effectively communicate with other is vital. How else will you be able to negotiate prices, interview contractors, screen potential tenants, partner with others, and so many other daily tasks? Communication goes beyond face to face discussions too, email and text messaging are ever-growing in the life of most business people, and the occasional written note will never go away, so make sure you hone your writing skills as well as your verbal skills.

All investors can say they are involved in real estate, but very few can say they are among the best. Find those whom you consider to be the best and study their habits and practices. Try to understand where they have been and how their skills helped prop them up during difficult times and propelled them during good times. Figure out which areas you have mastered and which you can improve upon; self-realization will lead to positive changes and others will begin looking to learn from you.

Author: James W. Vermillion III

James W.’s Website: http://www.kandvinvesting.com

(NC)-Coming up with a significant amount of cash in order to make a lump sum contribution to your RRSP can be difficult. Financial planning experts suggest that monthly instalments, withdrawn automatically from your bank account, may be less financially painful and give you additional advantages.

According to Aurele Courcelles, the director of tax and estate planning at Investors Group, monthly pre-authorized contributions allow you to take advantage of the rises and falls of the stock market through dollar-cost averaging while enforcing the personal savings discipline we wish we had on our own.

“Coming up with a significant chunk of cash before the RRSP contribution deadline can be difficult,” says Courcelles. “Setting up a regular payment plan with an amount that you can afford will not only ensure that the money makes its way into your retirement savings, but also that you benefit from the compound investment returns.”

He provides the following example:

• You set up a regular investment plan to invest an amount you can afford – $250 into your RRSP on the first of every month.

• At a compound annual return of 6.5 per cent, you’ll have $278,000 of pre-tax assets after 30 years.

• If you wait until the end of each year and invest $3,000 in a lump sum, you’ll have only $259,100.

• By PAC-ing each month, you add potentially $18,900 to your retirement fund – and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny.

Note that the rate of return in this example is used only to illustrate the effects of the compound growth rate and is not intended to reflect future values or returns on investment. The illustration ignores the tax savings produced by the tax deductible RRSP contributions.

“Your regular PAC contributions generate a tax benefit for the current tax year and you immediately start enjoying long-term tax-deferred appreciation,” Courcelles adds.

More information on this topic is available from the Investors Group, or contact a financial advisor to get specific advice about your circumstances.

Editor Note: This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Quebec-a Financial Services Firm), presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments.

Tired of that old run down looking house you’ve been living in? Why not upgrade your home to a new look and increase the value of your home in the process. You can have the home of your dreams and it’s not as hard as you think. Your old home may be run down and the paint may be thirty years old and peeling off, but you can have the best looking house in your neighborhood.

How? Just give it a new face lift with colorful and easy to maintain vinyl siding. Vinyl siding comes in a variety of colors and you can choose the one that’s right for you. Your 100 year old house can look new again and the cost won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Vinyl siding can be applied over brick structures and it can also be applied over wood and concrete structures. Vinyl siding looks great and its insulation qualities wrap the entire home in warmth and comfort. The entire project will be completed in a short amount of time if done by a reputable contractor of your choosing.

You can have your old home looking brand new and bright and shiny with new siding. Your entire home will match with the same bold colors you select and your window and door trim will match also. The value of your old home will sky rocket and if you ever decide to sell your home, you’ll receive higher offers for it.

You may be wondering why you’ll want to put up new vinyl siding as compared to aluminum siding. There are a lot of good reasons to choose vinyl, but the final decision is yours. There are a lot of differences between aluminum siding and vinyl. Vinyl siding is manufactured from a continuous formed plastic material and usually has a thickness between .040 to.046 inches. Aluminum siding is a continuous formed material that is usually around .019 inches thick.

Vinyl siding is manufactured with a solid color, while aluminum siding is manufactured with a baked on enamel paint finish. Since vinyl siding has a manufactured solid color, the color will remain solid even when scratched.

Not so however with aluminum siding. The paint is baked on so if aluminum siding is scratched; the paint peels off and leaves a shiny bare metal finish exposed. The choice is yours; however, your home will look newer and have a higher value when it is finished. You’ll love the added warmth and comfort that your new siding will bring you.

Your neighbors won’t believe the big difference they’ll see in your home and you’ll have a hard time believing that is the same house yourself. Energy efficient, stylish and modern, your new siding will give your home that personal touch and feel it had when you first purchased it. You have everything to gain with new siding and the new look it gives your home and property is amazing.

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6388.shtml

(NC) Millions of dollars are being invested in an attempt to reinvent the toilet. The dollars come from the Gates Foundation, and the challenge is to develop technology capable of disposing of human waste, hygienically, without lavish consumption of water, costly pipeline systems, and industrial-scale processing plants.

Driving this search is the need to save lives. Over 40 per cent of the world’s population lives without engineered waste disposal systems, causing a million and a half people to die each year from gastro-intestinal diseases due to primitive, disease-carrying toilets or none at all.

In American Standard, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, visited an impoverished area of Bangladesh where the use of unsanitary pit toilets had long been the root cause of widespread mortality, especially among young children.

This leading toilet manufacturer, sent a team of engineers and field workers to Rajshahi to study the situation. They found that the pit toilets lacked any kind of closure to prevent the spread of contamination from the accumulated waste. The engineering team developed an improved version of the existing pan that, in the words of Jim McHale, group leader “Would be more effective at separating people from the waste, and therefore more effective at stopping the transmission of disease.”

The new toilet, called SaTo, was welcomed by the community, who found it easier to use and keep clean, and relatively odour-free. A bonus was that it was designed for local manufacture, creating a viable business opportunity so the people of Rajshahi could build their own upgraded toilets.

Success in Bangladesh led to another grant from the foundation – sending their team to sub-Saharan Africa late this year. They will benefit from experience gained in Bangladesh, but as McHale explains, the challenge will not be the same, “In Bangladesh, we designed a solution that met local needs and expectations. For Rajshahi water supply was not a problem. Here, water is far less abundant, and that may well dictate a different approach.”

Simone Abele, of American Standard in Canada, announces that until the end of this December, a SaTo system will be donated to a third-world country each time an American Standard Champion toilet is sold in Canada. If you are not in the market for a new toilet you may leave a “like” on the company’s Flush for Good Facebook page. One SaTo will be donated for every100 likes.

You can learn more at http://www.flushforgood.com.

(BPT) – Chances are you’ve thought about adding a splash of color to the exterior of your home, and you’re not the only one. Many people have the same idea, but they don’t act because they’re worried they will choose poorly. Selecting the wrong color for your home’s exterior isn’t only costly, it’s embarrassing as well.

“Many homeowners are afraid to add color to their home’s exterior because they don’t want to make a mistake,” says Sensational Color’s Kate Smith, Color Marketing Group (CMG), a career color trend forecaster. “Especially when people look at the style of their homes, they can become confused by what colors will enhance their exteriors.”

One common mistake homeowners make when seeking to add color to their home’s exterior is they fail to identify a full color palette. They set out to choose that perfect color for their home without thinking about how it will interact with the newly-installed window frames or new roof.

Smith says the selection of your main color should take into account the colors of fixed features related to your home, such as the brick, stone or stucco found on your foundation, porch or walkway. Selecting color options for the trim, shutters and the front door should only come after the main color has been selected.

All of this may sound daunting, but Smith says the key is to follow the process. If you’re ready to take the opportunity and make your home the most envied on the block, a new, 36-page free ebook, titled “FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior,” can help.

In this free guide, author Smith advocates for taking a “top down” approach to adding eye-pleasing color palettes to the home exterior. She says people who are interested in making a color change to their exterior should start with the roof color and work their way down, taking into account the siding, window frames, front entry door and trim.

The ebook includes specific tips for home styles including: ranch, colonial, bungalow, Victorian, Spanish mission, European and new American homes. Smith provides several color combinations for each home style as well as tips for making the homes complement their neighborhoods.

“One of the hottest trends in the marketplace right now is to ‘shake up’ home exteriors with color,” says Smith. “This tutorial provides guidance on understanding the home’s exterior features and playing off them with color accents.”

Smith created the guide in collaboration with several building manufacturers including: DaVinci Roofscapes, Fypon, Simonton Windows and Therma-Tru. You can access the ebook through these company web sites or through Smith’s website sensationalcolor.com.

“No homeowner should feel locked into blah or standard colors on their home’s exterior,” says Smith. “A shake or slate polymer roof can have an appealing blend of colors, such as browns and autumn tones. Low-maintenance vinyl window frames and grids come in pine green, chocolate and even brick red to add pizzazz to the home. And, homeowners can create a welcoming front entrance by painting a fiberglass door a striking accent color. Tie that all together with painted urethane trim pieces that add the ‘icing on the cake’ for the home and you can really make a home more appealing with coordinated colors.”

From simple upgrades to meticulous landscaping projects and replacing an outdated roof, there are dozens of options to enhance the appearance of your home’s exterior. Improvements don’t need to break the bank or take a year to complete. By focusing on three simple areas, you can change the entire look of your home that you’ll appreciate every time you pull into your driveway.

1. Landscaping

The key to curb appeal is balancing what makes you happy with what works in your community. Take a moment to observe the types of trees, plants and flowers in your surroundings and look for ways to incorporate them into your yard.

Planting flowers is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to make an impact. Flowers along the sidewalk, in front of the house, inside flower boxes, pouring out of hanging baskets, or even in berms and raised garden beds, provide a giant boost to your curb appeal. Exercise your creativity by combining plants of different height, texture and color in the same container. By sticking to perennial plants native to your environment, you will not have to worry about replanting every year.

2. Roofing

Redesigning the style and color of your roof is a dramatic and effective strategy for improving curb appeal.

“Your roof accounts for 50 percent of your home’s exterior,” says Stephen McNally, vice president of sales and marketing for TAMKO Building Product, Inc. “Updating the shingles on your roof is going to make a huge impact on the overall appearance of your home – take advantage of it.”

Start by evaluating roofing choices for compatibility with your existing siding as well as the style of your home. If your home has a busy exterior with more than one contrasting color, try adding a classic, rustic color like TAMKO’s weathered wood. The shingle’s subtle blends of color and wood-like appearance complements nearly any exterior paint color.

If your home’s exterior is a more neutral shade, try adding a vibrant colored shingle to stand out in your neighborhood. TAMKO has a large selection of classic and vibrant shingle colors and styles to meet any need. To learn more visit http://www.tamko.com.

3. Paint

Whether you’re updating your color scheme or applying a fresh coat, painting is an easy way to update your home’s look from the street in a big way. Depending on your budget, this project can be big or small. To make the most significant impact, consider painting the entire house. This will bring new life to paint that has lost its luster or possibly a new palette of color to incorporate into your yard. Although this project can call for a larger investment, the result will pay off in the end.

If your budget is more limited, focus on the areas that catch the eye. Give shutters and trim a fresh coat of paint, or paint the front door a bright shade of red or blue.

You don’t have to make a large investment to make a large impact. Focusing on key areas of your home’s exterior will refresh the entire appearance of the home and provide a facelift that’s within your reach.

Would you say your overall design style is sleek and chic? Do you enjoy the true architecture of a space with its linear simplicity rather than an overly adorned and accessorized space? If you’d like to translate your modern vision into your Master Bath here are a few design ideas to help get you started.

1. Cabinetry – When it comes time to selecting the design of your cabinetry lean toward clean, crisp and streamlined furniture. To create a lighter and sleek bathroom environment consider cantilevered cabinetry secured to the wall creating a minimal look to the vanity piece. Create some drama with strip lighting added to the bottom side of the cabinet which will cast a warm glow to the floor below.  Provide additional built in wall-to-wall storage elsewhere in the bathroom to compensate for the reduced storage in the vanity area. Deep dark rich woods evoke a sense of warmth to the clean lines of contemporary design.

2. Fixtures – Crisp clean and sleek white fixtures speak to the contemporary/modern design.  If space allows introduce one of the hottest trends – a free-standing bathtub. They are available in all shapes and sizes, and nothing creates a more dramatic focal point in the bathroom than an exquisite free-standing tub. Simply position it in front of a spectacular picture window with a breathtaking view as the backdrop.

3. Surfaces and Materials – Utilize solid surfaces for countertops, whether quartz, limestone, granite, concrete or glass to give it a clean contemporary look. Keep the edges simple and square for easy maintenance and sophisticated style.  Always introduce an interesting backsplash material in contrast to the counter top color and material. Whatever the surface I like to apply it on all walls from floor to ceiling. It creates instant architecture and adds great detail and drama to the space. Glass tile, mosaic, stone or ceramic details are just a few of the highly decorative backsplash products out on the market today that create a sense of modern style.  Keep geometry in mind when selecting the material for your contemporary backsplash. Consider tile shapes that are rectangular, oversized, or small mosaics to create detail in the pattern of the application. If the tile is oversized and rectilinear install it in a brick pattern. If it’s shape is longer and thinner then stacking the tile creates a very interesting modern vibe. Stay away from the common square tile in any size.

4. Luxurious Shower – Create a steam shower with multiple rain heads, and body sprays. If your budget allows, add chromatherapy and aromatherapy to your master bath wish list as well. These fittings represent the epitome of modern luxury design. Don’t forget a built in bench and access panel to hide the steam system.  Design a full seamless glass enclosure from floor to ceiling and finish the interior with complimentary mosaics or stone tile to set it apart from the rest of the space. This glass enclosure creates a more visually open space within the overall space.

5. Accessories – Remember to keep clutter and display to a minimum. – Accessorize with towels in a bright color for punch or stainless steel and woods. Keep everything to a minimum and clutter free.  Select chrome, nickel or silver toned drawer/door pulls, towel bars, towel hooks and paper holders for sparkle.  Frame vanity mirrors in woods or silver tones  in similar finishes to the other accessories adorning your modern bath.

Draw the bath and enjoy the modern luxuries of your new space.

 by: Lori Gilder

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6145.shtml