Building Inspections are Important in Home Buying

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property inspectionBuying a home is a very exciting time in one’s life, but with such a large expense, it is also an experience that brings a lot of stress to the table, especially for first-time home buyers. In order to curb fears about investing hard earned savings and years of mortgage payments into a money pit, first invest in a pre purchase building inspection. Read this post from Home First Property Inspections to learn more why you need to do pre purchase inspection before buying a house.

House inspections are performed by a professional and usually cost between $250 and $500, which is a small amount when considering the service could save you thousands of dollars, and a ton of heartache, in the end. A home inspector will take his time fine combing the inside and outside of a house, climbing into the attack, descending into the basement, or even crawling under a pier and beam structure to check for things like: the integrity of electrical wiring, signs of water damage or mold, correct use of beams and headers for structural support, plumbing issues, possible foundation issues, roof damage, signs of carpenter ants and termites, and more.

A pre purchase building inspection is done before you purchase the home, however, you don’t have to worry about losing out on a great deal because one can be performed after your offer has been accepted and a contract has been signed with an inspection contingency which allows the buyer to back out, without penalty, if issues are found. In many cases, only minor issues that are low in cost and easy to fix are found, and the buyer agrees to purchase the house, despite the flaws, but often can negotiate a lower price based on the inspection findings. However, in instances where costly termite, mold, or foundation issues are discovered, homeowners have the option of walking away from the purchase with no more loss than the cost of the inspection and their time. Although, a savvy investor might look at this as an opportunity to buy a fixer-upper in a desired location and rescind his original offer in place of a much lower price to compensate for the work that will need to be done. However, this is a gamble because the damage could be more extensive than originally thought, resulting in much more expense than anticipated.

Whatever the ultimate decision of the home buyer, house inspections are vital in providing peace of mind and informed decision-making for a very important investment.

Is Breast Augmentation For Me?

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breast augmentationRecently I’ve been talking with my husband about my self concept of my body. Our kids are out of the house now and many changes have taken place of the last couple of years. At first I thought it was the empty nest feelings I have been experiencing, until the one day when I stepped out of the shower, so I caught my reflection in the mirror, all of a sudden it hit me.

In my minds eye I could see myself, I’m an attractive woman, red hair, green eyes, shapely figure, but my breasts are not what they had been. Three children, breast feeding and age, none of these things are on my side. I’m sure I need to call a breast clinic, but how do I choose?

What I did next will forever have changed my life. With my hands shaking like a leaf I slipped on my bath robe and sat down in front of the computer. For two solid hours all I did was look up articles on local breast clinic and breast surgeon and how breast augmentation was actually done. I read about breast augmentation from many websites including this one http://drsimonweight.com.au/. I watched the procedure countless times and finally worked up the nerve to call the surgeon’s office for an appointment.

Once I arrived to consult the breast surgeon I felt a wave of calm come over me, for I knew within my heart that I had made the right decision for myself and that I would be happier having a procedure such as augmentation to help me with my self concept issues. I knew that I had chosen the right person to do the surgery on me as my surgeon was polite and kind as well as respectful and understanding.

Breast augmentation may not be for everyone, in my case it was the right time for me, as I was lucky enough to have found the proper clinic and surgeon to assist me in all of my needs. I may suggest when deciding to have augmentation do the research on the breast surgeon as well as the clinic, not all clinics are high quality nor are the surgeons. I happen to be blessed with my new breasts! (*)(*)

DIY Help For Immigrating To Australia

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AustraliaIf you are considering a move to Australia in the near future there are some steps you will need to take to make sure you can live and work in the land down under legally. The people of Australia are open to new immigration but as you can imagine they want to make sure the people who immigrate there will not bring along any infectious diseases or be the type of people who will create mayhem after they arrive.

To protect the Australian citizens and maintain the good quality of life the country is known for, everyone coming to the country will need to apply for a visa and be approved by the government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The department requires you fill out and submit certain eligibility forms which will help you get the visa and if you so desire continue on with the process and become an Australian citizen.

Many people may contact a lawyer or immigration agency to help them submit the needed paperwork but it is not necessary. According to the Department of Immigration neither of these two groups of people are required to be accepted and neither will give you a better chance of being approved. If you consider the price of their services range from $1500 to over $5000 you may decide it would be a good idea to fill them out yourself.

To help people get and to correctly fill out the proper applications there are websites that provide DIY visas kits and immigration visa kits, this website http://www.timeforadvice.com/diy-kits for example. These sites can help guide you through the process of a successful visa or immigration application. The immigration laws are not overly restrictive, however, individuals with family residing in Australia, workers sponsored by Australian employers and individuals who have special skills or talents will get priority ratings over those not in the groups. Checking eligibility requirements is one of the services provided by the kit websites.

These DIY visas kits and immigration visa kits may seem to be a difficult process but the people behind the kit websites have experience in the application process and will be there when you have questions or problems arise. With the acceptance rate of kits being equal to migration agent rates and the cost of hiring a migration agent being what it is you can feel confident that your application has a great chance of getting approved without spending a lot of money.

How to Keep a Child Safe at the Playground

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playground equipmentWhen a young parent is able to take his or her child to the playground for the first time, a brand new feeling of pride and relief is felt. Now that the child is old enough to begin exploring and finding new ways of having fun, it can create a feeling of incredible joy. The child no longer requires absolute undivided attention from the parent for entertainment. The first steps into the public and onto legitimate playground equipment is a big step for both child and parent.

First experiences on playground equipment for children are usually uncontrollable moments of wonder and exploration. Parents have the hardest time letting their children “run wild” on equipment because of a strongly developed instinct of protectiveness. To combat the feelings that accompany a child’s first experiences with a public play area, parents can use these safety measures below and read more about child safety from this useful post on KOMPAN website.

- Only allow a child to explore fun and excitement on age-appropriate equipment. A child of two years is not likely to have the physical and social skills necessary to utilize a swing set. Divert their attention to the sandboxes, mini-rides and parent-assisted zones. Similarly, physically developed toddlers can have access to equipment that stimulates the body and mind. This includes organized games, equipment with many working parts, and open field exploration.

- Parents know their child’s limits and physical needs. Before a child goes into a playground they should be dressed with appropriate clothing and gear. Some children do well in playgrounds with protective gloves, headgear and auxiliary items like knee pads and orthopedic shoes. The idea is to give a child a “free pass” for fun while equipping them with all the necessary items for safety.

- Parental attention is key. The first few outings to a playground can be tentative for both child and parent. Until a play area becomes familiar, parents should give 100% visual attention to the activity of their children. Children have an amazing ability to adapt to fun areas. Until this skill is developed, parents should give their whole attention to the safety of their child exploring a new and fun area. This is especially true if the area is shared with other children.

- The most important playground safety precaution is training prior to exploration. Using verbal and demonstrative examples, parents can prepare children to safely use playground equipment. Days before an outing, parents should reinforce simple rules like standing in line, courteous interaction and asking permission to try new things. Children who trust the oversight of their parents will inherently be more safe in a playground situation.

Steam Cleaning Makes Home Smell Fresh and Clean

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steam cleanerSteam cleaning all of the carpeting in a home is one of the most effective ways to make your house smell fresh and clean again, eliminating lingering odors at the same time it revitalizes your carpeting to look fresh and like new again. So whether you have lived in your home for some time and want to freshen things up, are moving out of a home and want to leave the carpeting in good condition, or are moving into a new home and want to sanitize your new living space, using the services of professional steam cleaners is one of the best investments you can make. This post from Steam Australia website has some useful information that will help you understand more about steam cleaning your carpet.

There are a number of benefits to steam cleaning the carpeting in your home. First of all, this cleaning method is the most environmentally friendly. Steam cleaners do not require the use of any harsh or dangerous chemicals since heated water is the central cleaning agent that helps to remove dirt and grime within carpeting fibers in order to help carpeting look and smell fresh and in like new condition again. This method of cleaning is also safe for homes with children and pets since there is no chemical residue left behind.

Another good advantage for cleaning carpeting with steam is that it has proven to be an effective way of killing a range of household bacteria that often take up residence in your carpeting. These include salmonella, listeria and e.coli, in addition to a variety of pollutants such as dust mites that can aggravate those who suffer from allergies. Steam cleaning can also eliminate fleas and other pests that have taken up residence in your carpeting, especially if you have pets. Steam as a cleaning agent is also a fragrance-free way of helping restore the appearance and freshness of carpeting throughout the home, leaving no toxic residues or odors behind, yet at the same time eliminating cooking and pet odors that have accumulated in the carpeting over months of usage.

Another of the many reasons steam cleaners are so popular for getting a home smelling fresh and clean is that the cleaning process is relatively quick, with no moisture left behind to create new mold and mildew. Cleaning with steam is a very affordable way to revitalize carpets, helping to extend their lifespan. It’s a good habit to get into at least once a year for a home that smells fresh and clean.

Real Estate is Helping Stay at Home Moms Bring in Extra Income

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Moms love being able to stay at home with their children so they don’t have to miss out on school events, ball games, and ensure they get to care for them around the clock. Extra income may be an issue for some stay at home moms. This is where real estate may be the perfect solution when it comes to bringing in extra money for the household.

Many moms may not look at this option since they know that they have to obtain a real estate license, and they may not know where to get started. There are real estate courses that can be taken in order to get started in the real estate business and are offered by several schools. At Real Estate Academy Australia (REAA) offers many real estate courses that moms can take. This is the perfect start to get the knowledge and experience needed in order to sell properties.

Moms will have the option to work on their own or to work with an agent or broker. No matter their choice, they will have the opportunity to have a flexible schedule and work from home. The only time they would have to leave home for work is to show off properties or to meet with clients for paperwork or other needs.

Stay at home moms do not have to have perfect credit scores or a lot of money in order to get into real estate. The expenses they will acquire at first will be for the real estate courses, any books or materials needed in regards to the field of work, and for their real estate license. The schools offering the courses may have financial aid or plans for those wanting to take the real estate courses, and it will vary by school.

It is going to be up to the mom and how much she can take on as far as scheduling goes. The client is going to be in control as to when they can meet based upon their own schedules. This is where the stay at home mom will have to leave some space in her schedule to fit in clients when necessary. The clients will have the more say so on the time frame they are available since they are paying the real estate agent for their services in the home purchasing or buying process. Once the mom has a routine down for her real estate business while juggling her children’s schedule, she will be able to be successful in this field of work as well as bring in the extra income her family needs.

Choosing Functional Benchtops Without Sacrificing Your Style

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Susie is a stay-at-home mom, living in Adelaide. She chose to use laminate benchtops from Adelaide City Benchtops for her new kitchen.

apartment-185779_640The kitchen truly is the heart of the home. It is where family life happens and memories are made. Make your workspace both functional and aesthetically pleasing by following our advice on how to choose the right kitchen benchtops to meet your needs and to reflect your personal style.

Firstly consider your usage. Will the kitchen benchtops need to stand up to serious culinary punishment or are the demands you place on your benchtops a little lighter? The serious cook may prefer the heat and scratch-resistance of quartz or composite stone. Granite is also very durable as long as it is regularly sealed. Do you feel like a short order cook when the kids have friends over? Stainless steel is used in many commercial premises. It is extremely durable if cleaned carefully. Laminate benchtops are both long-lasting and economical.

Secondly, think about the total cost of the project. The size of the benchtop will affect the price as will the material you choose. Marble and granite are high-end products which are accompanied by relatively high prices. Reconstituted quartz, acrylic and laminate benchtops can mimic more expensive materials with beautiful results. It can be difficult to construct large area benchtops without noticeable joins if the material is highly patterned. Acrylic materials and mixes can be made to fit large spaces with seamless joins at reasonable prices. Bear in mind the cost of maintenance, such as sealing, on surfaces such as granite, concrete and timber. Not all surfaces can be fixed if damaged, so it is important to consider potential costs and feasibility of repairs.

Finally, the fun part. Consider the look you want to achieve. What is your personal style preference? Laminate benchtops come in an almost unlimited range of colours and designs. Stainless steel and concrete give a contemporary, industrial look. Concrete can be coloured to create a custom product. Timber counters give a warm, natural vibe to your kitchen. Granite and marble add a touch of luxury to your surroundings (what Mom couldn’t use a little more of that?) Make your personal design preferences a priority, but you should also consider what type of look would complement the age and style of your home.

Choosing kitchen benchtops can seem overwhelming, but it needn’t be a stressful process. These tips will help you move further along the road to your dream kitchen. You work hard in the kitchen, make it work for you!

Home Offices Deserve the Same Attention as Those in Office Buildings

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Sarah is a work-at home mom based in Brisbane. She has been using commercial cleaning service from Gretams Property Services to keep her home office clean.

workstation-336369_640More and more women are taking positions or opting for careers that allow for home based office. This is becoming much more commonplace than in the past and it is also creating new and challenging issues for those moms that have careers and families that both require attention all the time. A home office is a help for many women and that is why more and more seek these types of arrangements out.

One issue that comes about rather quickly is the home office one uses. It is typically inside of the home and very visible. This leads to a case where one needs to clean and keep that office area tidy, neat and clean all the time. Though one can clean up a little here and there, a home office does not mean that extra time is available and thus many find that turning to office cleaning professionals for that aspect of working at home is the best solution. Commercial cleaning firms are becoming accustomed to home offices and thus they offer those office cleaning services for the home.

It is a misconception that all commercial cleaning services are designed only for large buildings or businesses. This is because they can and do offer scaled back services for home based offices that allow for the office space in the home to be cleaned on a regular and routine basis by cleaning professionals that understand how to best clean an office space. The use of professional commercial cleaning for a home office brings back that freedom of having to clean an space that is for work when one has plenty of other household chores and duties to handle each and every day.

Women enjoy having a clean home and when an office is in the home, using an office cleaning service is a top choice to ensure that the office is just as neat and tidy as the rest of the home. This makes for a better work environment as well as anyone trying to work in a cluttered and unclean space knows it distracts from the business and tasks at hand.

Women Business Consultants In Technology Companies

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assistant-18993_640Almost all tech companies have to go through a transformation to identify a working business model. Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo are among the top most visited websites on the Internet. However, the number of visitors or users to the sites has not always translated to profits. The same also applies to other technology companies.  

Most companies start with the aim of providing a solution to a problem. Therefore, they spend most of their formative years investing in engineers and programmers. The problem is that the engineers and programmers do not know how to generate revenues for a company.  

Women Business Consultants in the Tech World 

Most tech companies end up with very nice products and lots of non-paying users, and therefore have no revenues. In such instances, the companies turn to the business world to get people who can make their ventures profitable. And surprisingly, some of the business leaders are women business consultants. Two of the notable women in tech are Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer. 

Sheryl Sandberg  

Before Sandberg joined Facebook, the site was barely breaking even. The site had no clear definition on how to make profits. Sandberg was joining a tech company that had a good product and lots of users but no way of converting these into revenues. After lots of consultative meetings, Sandberg decided Facebook was going to generate revenues by running discreet ads. True to her vision Facebook is raking in millions through targeted ads. 

Marissa Mayer  

It is usually surprising that Yahoo, one of the earliest internet media ventures, is not making as much money as some of its peers like Google. This is the problem that Mayer faced when she took the top post at Yahoo in 2012. Fortunately, Mayer was no stranger to the tech world, having spent more than 10 years at Google. Mayer identified, that unlike its peers, Yahoo was not focusing on a particular core business. Yahoo started out as an email portal but had branched out to search engine and other related services. Nothing was making Yahoo stand out. Mayer’s job is to change this — get Yahoo to focus on its most profitable branches. 

Successful tech companies realize early that is not just about having the ‘coolest’ websites or many users, but how to generate revenues. The companies are reaching out to women business consultants to help them realize the business side of technology. 

This post comes courtesy of the Naked Business Consulting news section. 

Built In And Sliding Wardrobes Offer Mothers Beautiful Storage For Children

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sliderobes_16414234Mothers never know how much stuff their children have, until it has to be organized and stored away. Toys, clothes, shoes and personal care items are the many things that moms like organized. Most mothers are busy and will like less work to do. Sometimes cleaning and organizing is a chore because there is no space. With a built in wardrobes or sliding wardrobes, organization becomes much easier-and neater.

As children grow their needs become different. Instead of toys, they may now have sports gear or party dresses. Built in wardrobes are real space savers! If the size of a children’s playroom or bedroom is small, purchasing a closet from a store may not be the best option. It solves one problem but leaves another, which is less room.

Built in closets utilize every inch, without consuming more valuable space. Wardrobes can be built to any specification and finish to match the rest of the room. Both wardrobes offer doors with a full range of finishes and colors. Mirrors, wood or Ecoresin (a translucent panel) can be chosen for the wardrobe unit doors. Today’s designs are not the unsightly ones in older homes. Moldings and polished knobs can be installed for a more traditional or contemporary look. Some units have the option of open shelving with no doors. This can allow room for a crib or changing table. As children approach their teen years, one can utilize the option of shelving which can be adjusted or removed. An integrated bed or desk can be built in. It all depends on what storage issue needs to be resolved.

There are additional options for the built in wardrobes or sliding wardrobes ( See example photos here);
• LED lighting or illuminated shelving, accent the space and provide
visibility.
• Hooks can be installed for school bags or jackets
• Instead of a heap of dirty clothes everywhere, a built in laundry bin will
keep them hidden.
• Hanging areas can be adjusted from low to high as your child grows.

These wardrobe units offer many benefits for any child’s room. It also makes the clean up easier for the mother, when there is a beautiful closet to hide all of her childrens belongings. All one has to do is contact their nearest closet installer today for more information.

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