How to Avoid Costly Mistakes When Negotiating

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

When a buyer is searching for a home and they find one they like, they'll submit an offer to the seller. From there, the negotiating begins. Today, we want to walk you through the steps of this process.

Price and conditions: The first things that will be discussed are the price and conditions of the property. Essentially, the offer includes what the buyer intends to buy the home for IF a few things are done beforehand. The buyer may ask for the appliances to be included in the sale or for the sellers to help cover part of the closing costs of the sale. 

Inspections and repairs: During this phase of negotiations, the buyer will come in and have inspections done on the property. It may be a full home inspection or various other inspections to look at particular parts of the house. The buyer has the option to inspect whatever they want to, in order to ensure they know what they're paying for. If there is anything that comes up that needs to be addressed, the buyer will put it on paper and let the seller know. As a seller, you can take care of all the repairs, split the repairs with the buyer, lower the price of your home, or do nothing at all. 

Survey: As a buyer, you have the option to do a survey on the property. This ensures the property lines and boundaries are where they are supposed to be and you don't have any encroachments. If a problem is found, make sure it's taken care of prior to closing.

Appraisal: Finally, the bank is going to do an appraisal once the property is purchased. Once the appraisal comes back, there will be no problems if it is at the contract price. If the appraisal is below the contract price, another negotiation will need to take place during the contract phase.

Hopefully this short explanation of negotiations during the contract phase will help you get the most out of your real estate transaction. If you need assistance, or have any questions about real estate, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We would be please to help!

The Benefits of a Comparable Market Analysis

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home for you. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

No two homes are alike, which is why pricing a home for sale can be so challenging.

You may have an idea of what your home is worth on the open market, but in order to sell it, you’ll have to support your price to buyers with comparable homes – other similar nearby homes that have sold recently or are currently for sale.

To help determine the right asking price for your home, your real estate professional should prepare a comparative or comparable market analysis, or CMA.

The CMA is a professional report that real estate agents give to their clients. CMAs are generated by a computer program from your agent’s multiple listing service, (MLS). 

The MLS is available to members only, and they pay a fee to get access to the service’s public and proprietary data, including tax information, sold transactions, and listings input by all cooperating MLS members

Your agent puts search perimeters into the CMA program for homes for sale or those that have recently sold that are most similar to your home. This information is sorted according to fields of information such as neighborhood or zip code, number of bedrooms, number of baths, age of the home, square footage, price range, sold dates within 3-6 months, and other data.

The program then creates a report that tells the agent which homes most similar to yours have sold recently and which homes are for sale.

Having a CMA report done for your home is key to pricing it well and making sure you have a smooth transaction. If you have any question about CMA's or anything else real estate related, please give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help out.

How we helped Mike purchase a new home by going above and beyond in the home search process

"He was very persistent in tracking down the property that met all of our requirements. We were out of town and I know on one occasion, Todd went and viewed properties on his own time without us to save us having to drive all the way down to Louisville to look at something that might not meet our needs which was a huge help. If we were to sell this property or buy another in that area I would definitely use Todd again and would highly recommend him to anyone else in the area."

How we helped first time home buyer Cory with our great negotiation skills

"Todd helped me find my first home. We had been looking for about 3 weeks or so until we found one we liked. After we found it, it was an easy and quick process.Todd did a lot of work in negotiating with the seller to get some of the prices down and to split the closing costs which we really appreciated."

Keep Your Emotions in Check When Buying a Home

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home for you. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

Want to break your heart and your bank account at the same time? Then buy a new home based on the fact that you've fallen in love with it! Needless to say, you should never do this! In some cases, when you fall in love with the "pretty face" of a house, you fail to look underneath and find problems like bad wiring, leaky roofs, bad foundations, etc. This is an extremely expensive way to buy a home! A funny and sad example of this is shown in the 1986 film, The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. They make the mistake of falling in love with a home and think they're getting a $1,000,000 property for only $200,000. Once they get into the home, they find out it'll cost a million to repair it! It's got wood rot, a bad roof, bad plumbing, bad electricity, even bad raccoons! Well, that's Hollywood exaggeration, of course. After all, The Money Pit was a comedy. But, when things like that happen to you, it's no joke. Repairs can cost you a lot of money and heartache, not to mention dangerously rising blood pressure! So, again, never ever fall in love with a house at first sight! Easier said than done, you say? How do you avoid this tendency? Below, I offer some solutions to the problem!

Solution 1: Get Cold Hard Facts about the Home! 

When I talk about "cold, hard facts," I'm talking about getting the house evaluated by a certified home inspector. It's well worth the money to have this job done because the inspector will cast the objective eye you lack on the property. He or she will evaluate every aspect of a house - roof, plumbing, wiring, foundation, etc. And then, that inspector will provide you with a written report that may range anywhere from 20 to 50 pages. It will give you a point-by-point summary of what needs to be corrected. The cost of a home inspection varies with the region of the country. Nationally, they range from $200 to $400. But, for the investment of, say, $200, you prevent yourself from losing thousands of dollars in repairs in two ways. One, you can simply walk away from the deal. Or, two, you can require that the seller fix all items before you sign a contract! Bonus: Often, you can ask that the seller pay for the home inspection!

Solution 2: Cool Off and Take Your Time!

Infatuation with a home is fun and exciting, and you can have the overwhelming temptation to buy an attractive home practically "on the spot." My advice - walk away and come back several hours later, especially after you've viewed other properties! By then, it's likely you'll have a more objective eye.

Solution 3: Keep It Simple! 

By this I mean you should stick within your price range. You want the best home at the best price within your means! So, if you see an outwardly gorgeous home at $10,000 above your price limit, say, "I love you, but you're way too pricey for me!" and walk away from the temptation! 

Solution 4: Rely on Your Realtor! 

At heart, I and other professional realtors like me, want you to have a home that meets your needs in the best way possible. That means preventing you from buying a home that's in substandard shape and/or beyond your means. To be perfectly blunt about it, I rely on great word of mouth from satisfied customers to make the most of my real estate career. So, you have my promise that I'll do my absolute best to get you into the house of your affordable dreams! 

Need that objective eye to help you make a smart home-buying decision? Contact us today!

How Can You Protect Yourself as a Buyer?

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home for you. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

When making one of the most important financial decisions of your life, it's important to take certain steps to ensure you are protected. Here are 5 ways to make sure the home buying process goes just the way you want it to:

• Find an advisor: Work with a licensed Realtor so you have an experienced person working with your interests in mind. It's our job make the process as smooth as possible for you.

• Get an approval letter: Before you start your home search, you need to see a lender and get approved for a loan. We have some great lenders and programs we can get you familiar with if you're interested. Visit www.briancurlhomeloans.com and start your approval process. The worst thing we can do is show you a home you are unable to purchase. 

• Get a home inspection: It's common to have an inspector take a look at the home when writing an offer. Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned pro, an inspection is a good idea because they will find things you won't. This will save you time, money, and energy down the road. Visit  www.haystackinspections.com and schedule an inspection!

• Buy title insurance: Like health or auto insurance, you never know if you're going to need it until something happens. Title insurance stays with you for the life of your purchase and, should you ever have to use it, the title company must defend you with their money.

•  Home warranty: This can protect you before you have to make a major homeowners claim. This, like a home inspection, will save you a lot of trouble down the road.

These are just a handful of the ways you can protect yourself as a buyer. If you would like more advice on how to ensure a smooth transaction, give us a call. We are always available to make your life a little easier.

How to get a Loan in Today's Market

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home for you. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

Getting a Loan in Today’s Environment Is Easier Than Most People Think

We often get asked about the ease of getting mortgages and it’s an understandable question given the roller-coaster ride our industry has faced since 2007. But today, things are a lot different than they were just a few years ago. Banks are still particular but they are not afraid of lending. In fact, they have plenty of money to lend.

The real question is “how has the process changed?” and also whether or not it is actually difficult to obtain a mortgage. And the answers will surprise you. Not only is the process to obtain a mortgage easier than most people seem to think but also it is really not too much more a changed process than a few years ago.

Banks Are Simply More Cautious

It used to be that most people could walk into a bank, present their ID and almost literally walk out with a bank note and keys in hand. Well, ok not exactly but it was almost that easy and credit scores were not as important as they are today. What has changed is that banks now take extra precautions to ensure borrowers’ financial viability and ability to repay the loan. There has never been a more thorough documentation process involved and for good reason.

Today, a borrower must show that they are responsible citizens that are worthy of paying back their debts. They must have a credit score of 620 or higher and income must be proven with at least 2 months’ pay stubs, two yeas of employment on record and 2 years of tax returns to corroborate the financials. Bank statements are also required as part of the process.

The bottom line is this: if you pay your bills on time, can prove a reasonable income level and a low enough debt-to-income ratio that supports the mortgage you are looking to obtain, chances are you will be approved. Making payments on time is critical as it is the primary source of information that lenders will review when they look at your credit report.

Many Loans Offer Low or No Down Payment

As far as the ease of being able to actually obtain the home, a lot of people are unsure of lenders’ down payment requirements these days. The truth is there are many programs out there that allow buyers to put only 3%, 5% or even NO money down. Depending on which program and financing options you select, there are benefits offered to military veterans, people seeking homes in certain areas in the outskirts of the city and also income-based low down payment programs as well.

One of the most popular financing options that many buyers choose is FHA financing which requires just 3.5% down on the purchase of a home. Since this option is not limited just to first-time buyers it is a great choice for many buyers.

Buyers Can Contribute to a Smoother Process

Some of the things that buyers can do to prepare in advance and to help the financing process go as smoothly as possible include preparing two years of tax returns, employment pay stubs and the two most recent months of bank statements. In addition, retirement statements, divorce decrees and rental histories showing responsible repayment habits.

Now is a great time to buy a home! Don’t let the rumors out there discourage you from starting the process. Lenders are lending. Right now homeowners are able to function in a home for far less than it would cost to rent each month. In fact, it often costs less to move into a home than it does to move into a rental unit, considering the first and last month’s rent and security deposit.

If you would like to explore your options, we invite you to contact us today! We look forward to making your real estate dreams become a reality.

The Dangers of Zillow and Trulia

I’ll help you buy or sell your home in Louisville, KY. If you’re looking to buy a home, I’ll help you pick the right home for you. If you’re thinking about selling, call me and I’ll tell you what price your home is most likely to sell for. Click here to search all available homes on my website.

This week's blog is all about popular websites that are available to the public for use to begin their home search, and why they aren't necessarily a one-stop shop for all your real estate needs. If you haven't been following real estate news recently, the big story is that popular home search website Zillow has purchased its biggest competitor, Trulia, for a sum of $3.5 billion.

Here is a Bloomberg article on the acquisition that explains all the details of the merger if you are interested. 

Since the acquisition, many people are now worried that the merger of these two sites will change the real estate business, and negatively affect real estate brokers. Here's an article that touches on the subject.

We now have 2 large sites coming together to give data to the public. It sounds great on paper, but the problem with the data that these sites are providing is that it's not always very accurate. These sites aren't synced with the local MLS, like ours is, so we are seeing a lot of inaccuracies in their information. To get a truly accurate value, you need somebody who personally knows your local market to give you a valuation. You can't rely on a website to do the same thing a real person can.

When clients of ours search for homes on these sites instead of on sites that are fed directly from the local MLS like our own, we run into problems. We have had clients send us listings they are interested in from Zillow or Trulia, only to find out that these homes have already gone under contract or sold. You need to be careful on these sites, because they really do have a lag in time and you could be falling in love with a house that has long since been gone.

Another problem with these sites stems from home valuations. People want to know the value of their specific home, but all these sites do is use an algorithm to determine the approximate value of your home. There are a lot of things they don't take into account that figures into your home's value. Their inaccuracies in estimations will come back to haunt you, and you won't get nearly as much money for your home as you could if you hired an agent to value your home.

The first step to take to avoid these mistakes is searching on a website that has a real MLS base to it like our own. We would also encourage you to talk to an agent to get a true and accurate valuation for your home. If you have any questions at all or know somebody who is looking to buy or sell a home in Louisville, please don't keep us a secret. We are here to help and would love to assist you with any and all of your real estate needs.

How to make moving easier for military families

Military families frequently relocate from base to base all over the United States. Even though these moves aren't unusual, they can cause some stress for all members of the family, especially if the relocation happens without a lot of warning.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and Personally Procured Moves (PPM) come with military assistance to help soldiers and their families make the transition. Families can also take advantage of the do-it-yourself (DITY) option offered by the military, which could make the overall transition much smoother.

No matter how quickly the move happens, or what kind of moving assistance your family requests, here are some moving tips from Penske Truck Rental to keep in mind to help keep everything in order.

* Planning - PCS notifications can come without a lot of warning, or families may know about a potential move far in advance. For both instances, getting a plan in place is a good start. Gather important information into one folder, containing phone numbers, contact names, dates, receipts and checklists in this folder so you can easily track everything about your move. For some planning tools that focus specifically on military moves, visit the U.S. Department of Defense website.

* Moving - Many families choose the DITY option because it gives them more control over the move, and they can also potentially make some money in the process. The military provides an allotted cost for moving, and if you can come under that cost through your own planning, the military will pay you the difference. For example, Penske Truck Rental offers active military personnel a 20 percent discount for every truck rental, and will price-match any competitive offers on one-way truck rentals as well. Visit www.DITYmove.com to learn more.

* Weights - Military rules require soldiers to certify the weight of the rental vehicle when empty and after it's fully loaded. Weight limit reimbursements are set depending on a soldier's rank and dependents, but the traditional weights are estimated at 1,000 pounds per room, excluding bathrooms and storage areas. Then add in the estimated weight of large appliances, garage items and items in storage. Compare this number to what is allowed and determine if you can reduce the load in any way to avoid paying overweight costs. To help with weight certifications, Penske offers a Certified Public Scale locator tool online to help DITY movers in finding weigh stations.

* Contact info - File a change of address form at your local post office so mail can be forwarded, and also make certain your new information is updated with your specific branch of the military.

* Explore - Get to know your new neighborhood, both on and off base. If you have children, explore the schools and the after school activities available. Learn a bit about the city's history and gather information on the services the city offers so that on moving day, your water and electricity will be available when it's needed.

When in the military, a move is practically inevitable, but the process can be much less stressful on both emotions and finances with a little organization and planning from the get-go.

Courtesy of BPT

How to Evaluate an Offer on Your Home

How to Evaluate an Offer on Your Home

Multiple offer situations have become the norm in our market today: over the asking price, under the asking price, cash offers, etc. As a seller it can be hard to decide which one is best for you.

The first mistake many sellers make is choosing the highest offer without doing any research. Does that buyer have the funds or financing to make such an offer?

Find out which buyers are preapproved. Preapproval is different than a prequalification letter. When someone is preapproved, they have worked with the lender, given the proper documentation, filled out an online application and income has been verified. Prequalification is when a lender tells a buyer what they would qualify for if the information given, such as income, assets, etc., is correct and verified.

Once you know they are preapproved, what type of loan is it? How are they making their down payment? Some buyers will have contingency, where they must sell their home first in order to close with you.  There is nothing wrong with this, but it’s important to know you could face potential problems if their home doesn’t sell.

Another thing to consider is the closing date. Is it long period or short period and why is this? Closing a home typically takes 30-45 days. Is there a reason they need more or less time?

What about cash offers? Just as you want to make sure someone has the financing by preapproval, find out if the seller has the funds. This can be done by seeing a bank statement.

If you have any questions on multiple offer situations or how to get preapproved, please call me 502.220.4663 or email me at toddmartin@realtor.com

Too many good ideas, not enough resources

One of the biggest challenges facing business leaders today is sifting through all the potential projects that cross their desks and deciding which initiatives are worth pursuing and which aren't.

Recently, I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to build a boat. I've searched the Internet for the last several weeks looking for the right "project." I found a builder in Maine who's website convinced me that I wanted to buy the plans to build one of his boats. I measured my garage to see how much space I had to work with and narrowed my choice down to two styles.

Late last night I wrote him, explained my level of experience, and asked him if he had any advice. His reply came early this morning. He described the characteristics of each boat, including building and sailing, and asked me questions about what I wanted to accomplish with my boat. What was I looking for in the building process as well as what I wanted in sailing the boat later?

Basically, he presented the business case for each boat including:

1. My goal for building and sailing

2. The unique characteristics of each boat

3. The costs associated with building each boat

Business leaders today often face the challenge of too many good ideas and not enough resources to act on them all. Sometimes difficult choices need to be made by organizations doing project based work. Work management tools should facilitate the evaluation of potential projects to help make those decisions based upon something more than whether or not a project is a good project. In today's economy the decision must be based upon whether or not the project is the best project, or will provide the most value. And doing that requires decisions based upon predetermined metrics that include:

1. Alignment to strategy and vision

2. An understanding of the potential risks along with any risk mitigation plans

3. The rewards of the potential project

4. The costs, including the opportunity cost of not doing a project

5. The resource requirements

How does your organization evaluate potential projects for execution? Does your project management software help facilitate those decisions?

By: Ty Kiisel
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_15928.shtml

Tenant screening: Check those tenants out!

The usual landlord/tenant relationship goes something like this. The tenant rents an apartment, pays the rent, the landlord maintains the property and all is well. The times that the landlord/tenant relationship goes sour can often be traced back to the tenant screening process.

Bad tenants usually do not just develop overnight, they have been bad tenants for a while and they leave a trail. Your job as a landlord is to sniff out this trail before you allow them in your property. You can save yourself many headaches by rigorously screening your prospective tenants. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that tenant screening is the key component to being a successful landlord.

Bad tenants may present themselves very well. They may dress and speak well. They will say all the right things. They may even have cash in hand and be ready to move in. When someone is holding $500 in front of you to move in, it can be very tempting. Do not do it! Screen them! Screen everyone thoroughly. Check every reference and verify everything on their application. Oh, you don't use a written application?!? Well there is your first problem.

Here are some tips when screening tenant applications:

Pull credit and criminal history on everyone. This is your first line of defense against the bad tenant. Compare the data in the reports you receive with what is stated on your application. Does it match? If it does not, dig deeper. Why is the info different? If we discover lies, that is immediate cause for disapproval.

Verify their work history. Do not do this by calling the number they have listed on the application if you can help it. A friend may be waiting for your call on the other end. Instead, call the main office and get transferred into the department where the person says they work. In this way you can avoid the "friend" set up.

The current landlord may want them out and will therefore lie to you. It is best to talk with the previous landlord or to get an accurate view.

People forge documents. It has happened to us. Do not believe the paycheck stubs, letterhead, whatever. Verify everything with the issuer.

The old adage is true; do not judge a book by its cover. We had a well dressed, well spoken man fill out and application, say all the right things and pay the application fee in cash. He must have assumed we would pocket the fee and not check. He had never paid a bill in his life. Even the phone company was after him! There are professional scammers out there, be vigilant. It would have taken us at least 4 months to get him out. I know that time frame could be a year or more in some parts of the country.

Ask their place of employment if there are any planned layoffs. We had a tenant get laid off the day he was approved to move in.

Most people are good, tell the truth and try to do the right thing. Your job is to weed out the bad ones by finding the lies. And they will lie to cover up their past, and get into your property. Evictions are neither fun nor cheap. So save yourself some hassle, set up a rigorous tenant screening process. Also, be sure to treat every applicant in the same manner by using the exact same screening process. Don't set yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit because you treated one perspective tenant differently.

Author: Kevin Perk

Kevin's Website: http://www.smarterlandlording.com

Help for teaching kids money management skills

Even though financial education courses for children are proven to contribute to improved savings rates and other financial measures, only 12 states require a personal finance course for high school graduation, according to the Council for Economic Education's Survey of the States.

In classrooms, studies show teachers want to provide personal finance instruction, but only 20 percent believe they have the capability to teach the subject, according to a study by the National Endowment for Financial Education. The benefits to students are real: Treasury Department research shows that high school graduates in states that mandate financial education have higher savings rates and a greater net worth than graduates from states without financial education.

As a result of the growing awareness about the importance of financial education, more resources are becoming available to teachers and parents. To help with funding for schools, a program called Pathway to Financial Success (www.PathwaytoFinancialSuccess.org), from Discover Financial Services, recently announced thousands of dollars in grants to public high schools to implement financial education curriculum and test students to make sure they are learning the content. Schools can apply for the grants via the website, and Discover will fund the grants up to a total of $2 million annually. Additionally, nonprofits like The Council for Economic Education are training teachers around the country, helping them teach children from kindergarten through high school about personal finance topics, such as saving and investing.

At home, parents can help reinforce what children learn about money. Unfortunately, these conversations are often not happening, as experts say parents are often more comfortable talking about sex, drugs and alcohol than they are about money - usually because parents do not trust their own financial acumen.

Indeed, it can be an awkward conversation, as the issue of money raises other concerns and priorities. But a number of resources are available to help parents talk to their children about money, such as the Jump$tart Coalition (www.jumpstart.org).

Pathway to Financial Success also offers an online resource center for parents, providing tips on how to talk to their kids about how to manage money effectively. Additionally, through the site parents can identify their school district contacts and find resources to reach out to their school administrators and teachers about bringing financial education into their children's classrooms.

For teachers, PathwaytoFinancialSuccess.org also provides sample lesson plans and other resources they can use in their classrooms.

Parents can start helping ensure their children are financially savvy by talking to their kids about money using a few simple steps at home:

* Use everyday experiences to talk about money. With tax season around the corner, talk to kids about the process, or engage them in the discussion of purchasing a large item and weighing the "wants" versus "needs" of the purchase.

* Talk to your kids about saving for a special purchase, and set small, manageable goals for them to reach.

* Be honest about your financial situation or poor financial decisions you have made in the past, and then talk to your kids about how you could have handled the situation differently.

* Make it fun by playing online games that teach common lessons of budgeting and saving.

Talking about money may not be fun - or even comfortable - but it is an issue that all families and young adults should confront with as much information as possible. There are resources available to help for all situations.

Courtesy of BPT

Can internet marketing be a long term business?

Here is the basic, honest, truth: most of the people get into Internet Marketing because they are convinced it is an easy way to earn quick money. Their approach is to make a fast website, put up some advertising and a few affiliate links and then sit back and watch while they earn real cash. There are a large amount of individuals who do this and also earn lots of money on the internet. But what if you want more than some extra or even quick cash (quick cash, naturally being a misnomer)? Can Internet Marketing really be leveraged to produce a worthwhile and long term career?

The quick and dirty answer is that yes, you are able to make Internet Marketing your long term and sustainable career. You only need to take on the project properly. The procedures and programs you use to build something to earn fast money are not all that different than the methods and systems you will use to build long term profits. So what would you do if you need to develop a sustainable career on the internet?

It is very important that the first thing you do, in order to earn long term money online, is accept the fact that you are going to have to do real work. You will have to do actual and real work on a daily basis and you will have days when you feel fantastic about what you do and days when you wish you could find something else to take on. This causes it to be just about like every other occupation that is out there. If you want to produce lasting cash flow by working lots right now and not at all later on then you are going to be in for a rude awakening in a little while. So be ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

There are a few ventures that lend themselves much better to a long term career than others will. Affiliate marketing, to use one example, is a great task for someone who wants to earn money on a part time basis or to supplement your already existent income. Is it truly possible to earn a full time income in this manner? You could if you pick out only the right products and then work like crazy to promote them. A far better approach, nevertheless, is to create your own products or websites and then promote those. This gives you full control over the projects you take on and how you accomplish them. And you will end up more likely to stick with it in the long run. If you want to give a service on the web this works much the same way. Writers, for example, need to create websites for themselves and create portfolios that they can point to as examples of their work.

Finally, perhaps the most significant thing that you need to recognize is that, when you want to build a long term and reliable income on the internet, you need to truly dedicate yourself to your task. You might have fun and feel rewarded by your efforts but first you should tell yourself "yes, I really want to do this." Making a half hearted effort is not about to get you anywhere.

by: Tanaka Ara

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/marketing/article_6729.shtml

Invest in family-healthy diets by growing half your plate

Healthy eating is defined in many different ways, but the United States Department of Agriculture replaced the former Food Pyramid with MyPlate - creating an easy visual for everyone to enjoy healthy and balanced meals.
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The MyPlate graphic shows a place setting. The dinner plate is divided in half. One half of the plate is composed of fruits and vegetables, and the other half grains and proteins. To see exactly how much that amounts to for each member of your family, visit www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.andnbsp; If you're interested in changing your family's eating habits, how can you get them to fill up half of their plates with fruits and vegetables?
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This season, consider adapting your family's eating habits to mimic the MyPlate graphic. Although most on-the-go families don't eat that many fruits and vegetables, it's easy to do, especially if you plant a garden and buy from local farmers markets. When you grow your own fruits and vegetables it can help save time and money, but the benefits go much deeper. Growing fresh produce is a rewarding experience that provides your family with quick and healthy alternatives to snack foods. Even a finicky child will most likely eat a carrot that they grew themselves or snack on some salsa from their very own garden.
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Growing enough fruits and vegetables to fill half your family member's plate is easier than it sounds- here are some tips to accomplish this task:
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* Plan a garden. Map out a space in your backyard that will make a nice garden plot. Keep it in a sunny spot, away from trees and buildings. Consider installing a fence around the spot, especially if your backyard is frequented by bunnies or deer. If you don't have a backyard, check out your city's community garden plots to borrow or rent. Or consider creating a container garden on your deck, balcony or patio. It is easy to grow veggies in any space.
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* Make a list. Write down the vegetables and fruits you want to grow, keeping in mind what plants thrive in your zone, as well as the spacing you have available. If you don't have space for enough fruits and vegetables to last you the entire summer, consider participating in a co-op or making a visit to your local farmers market once a week to add in a variety of fruit and vegetable options.
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* Start planting. Give your plants all the nutrients they need to grow well, so you can experience a bountiful harvest. If planting in containers, the Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix works perfectly for smaller pots or more arid environments, the Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix provides an organic potting soil option and the Miracle-Gro Expand N Gro Concentrated Potting Mix is lightweight and expands with water, making it easier to move larger containers while planting.
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* Weeding, pruning and watering. Once planted, fruits and vegetables will likely need a little growing assistance in the form of pulling weeds, pruning back overgrown plants and of course, watering. For best results, water deeply each morning before the heat of the day has taken its toll. Container gardens tend to need to be watered more frequently because growing plants can quickly soak up water added to the container. With good maintenance, your plants should provide you with a large and delicious harvest.
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* Serve up those fruit and veggie dishes. When you're ready to harvest, start planning menus that will make good use of your garden's growth. Visit www.groyourown.com to find many delicious recipes that will use different fruits and veggies from your garden.

And don't forget about the USDA's MyPlate proportion recommendation. When serving, try and keep half of the plate full of what you harvested out of your own backyard to maintain healthy eating habits. If you find yourself with more fresh produce than your family can eat, consider donating to a local food pantry or sharing your harvest with friends and neighbors.

Courtesy of BPT