The promotion of best practice, training and sustainability are key objectives for Stephen Hodgson in his new role as head of the UK's building preservation industry, the Property Care Association (PCA).   Noted for its technical expertise, the PCA represents the UK's damp control, timber preservation, structural waterproofing, structural repair and flood recovery sectors.   Based at Huntingdon, the PCA is also a major educational provider, delivering training that is varied in content for ...
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I've run across a lot of folks who tell me they'd love to do what I do, but their wife is just not comfortable with it. That's a powerful objection, and sometimes it's one that cannot be overcome. Most times, I think it can be, if you really want to. All too often, I get the impression the potential investor doesn't want to jump into rehab real estate bad enough to work through the spouses objections. It's the old "it's easier NOT to" mentality! The issue is usually not that your spouse doesn't ...
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Some uninformed would describe someone who rehabs distressed property as a "speculator" or even a "property speculator." Don't be fooled! There is a VAST CHASM of difference between rehabbing and property speculation. Let me explain. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of speculation where business is concerned is: Engagement in risky business transactions on the chance of quick or considerable profit. A commercial or financial transaction involving speculation. While all ...
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Consumer awareness of environmental issues has never been higher. As this awareness has grown so too has the marketing spin attached to it with advertisers jumping on the band wagon and using it to sell their products. Just how much of their claims are a Green Wash though? According to Terrachoice green advertising has increased ten times since 1990 but it found that only 2% of the claims made had any real substance. The biggest offenders in this game are cosmetics, household cleaners and ...
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Of all the known expenditures associated with a log house, the roof appears to be the one that is most tricky and costly. Aside that, that structure will have to be done very well. The least error with the roofing can result in leakage and consequently wood rot. Again, a bad roof will make the house lose its aesthetics. It is for these reasons that many people are investing both time and extra money to ensure that tear log house roofs are in order. We look at the ways in which a builder or an ...
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Due to some false ideas that tax refunds are like free money, most of us have the challenging intention to spend them unwisely. If you are on the fence concerning the purpose of this unexpected money, this article might be very useful for you. There are a lot of ways on how to spend your tax refund but the best are the one's you can get profit of in the closest future. Here are some money-smart suggestions you can use as possibility to solving your dilemma:

Pay down credit card debt.

Paying ...
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Raw land presents a huge investment potential. Raw land is basically a land that is undeveloped. You buy it as it is. You will need to make several modifications to be able to use it for any developmental activity. Raw land serves many uses. It can bought for capital appreciation sake. You will not do anything on it. You will leave it as it is expecting land use in area to be in demand and then you sell for profit. You can buy the land and later plant on it. You can create plantations or ...
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Be it a new house or a pre-owned house one need to be careful and vigilant before finalizing a deal. Pre-owned houses have negotiable and wide range of price options to choose from. They have established infrastructure facilities - physical and social. Plus, they are ready-to-move-in homes, complete with basic furnishing. One can opt for a pre-owned home on the basis of individual and family requirement and the budget.Money, location, appreciation, transport and connectivity, accessibility, ...
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Buying an American RV is a huge investment, one which takes careful consideration to ensure you get the motorhome to suit your needs in terms of size, accommodation and extra features. Once you've made that decision, and found your ideal RV, you'll want to protect it with a specialist motorhome insurance policy. One point worthy of note is that some specialist motorhome insurance policies will only cover UK and European motorhomes so it's worth searching online for companies that specifically ...
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Deploying a Sign Campaign Dealing with signs is a part of the rehab real estate business that I liked the least until recently. While I don't have signage all figured out, I recently figured out how to make this considerably easier! The purpose of a sign is to bring you leads. Whether you are leasing, lease-optioning, or retailing your properties, you need to advertise. A real estate agent will do it for you if you list the property with them (gladly, for a great big big chunk of your ...
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It's all about location, location, location! In the past...back in the days when Google was IT when it came to natural search results...everyone was very focused (or shall we say obsessed?) on Google page rank. Now that Google is a public company and the search business has become competitive (most notably due to the serious search capabilities now being offered by Yahoo and Microsoft, via MSN), Google has become much more "private" or secretive about things like page rank, backlinks, etc. As ...
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There are various types of foundations used in construction and they will vary with the geographic location, climate, soil, and needs of the structure. The various types of foundations discussed in this article will focus on residential construction and include slab on grade, T-shaped, frost protected, pile, continuous (spread footings), and foundation walls. What is a foundation? A foundation is the part of a building structure that provides support and prevents excessive settlement or ...
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Why should you consider refinancing real estate investments instead of selling them? Maybe you've owned a rental property for years, you've paid down the mortgage, the value is up, and you want to cash in on that equity. You will do better to refinance. Here's why. There are two problems with selling. First, selling means paying a large capital gains tax. You can avoid this if you reinvest through a 1031 exchange, but then the point is that you want your money, right? Second, you'll be giving ...
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Vehicle owners may now be able to obtain auto insurance quotes easily just by logging on to Internet. The free auto insurance quote helps an individual to obtain an accurate estimation regarding the particular insurance policy offered by insurance firm. The only thing is to fill up a questionnaire and then submit it.After submitting, you will be able to see the complete auto insurance quote on your computer screen. However, the free auto insurance quote will be completely based on the details ...
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Real estate experts go by a few different names, although the distinction shouldn't matter for you as a first time home buyer. Important is to make certain the broker or agent you chouse is a licensed real estate professional. All real estate brokers or agents are licensed and regulated by each state. To the average home buyer or seller, the difference isn't much. To become a real estate agent, an individual must complete the required number of classes and pass the agent's exam. To become a ...
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Your business phone system is THE crucial link between any organization and it's stakeholders, customers, employees and owners. How well your organization achieves its aims depends largely on the choice of phone system. As telecommunications increasingly converge with computer technology, the choice is becoming more complex even as the possibilities become more intriguing.Choosing the right phone systems for your business starts with focusing on the needs of your business. Once your business ...
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This is the age of creative real estate financing. Maybe you remember when financing meant you saved up enough to put 20% down on a house, and then got a mortgage loan for the other 80%? You can still do that, but there are many more options now. Here are ten of them. 1. Second mortgage loans from sellers. Many banks will allow you to have as little as 5% into a home purchase, but will then only loan you 80%. The seller can take payments on a second mortgage from you for the other 15%. 2. ...
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People are always looking for ways to improve their financial situation, and one of the most thought of methods is to start your own business. And many people who decide to open their own business consider real estate investing. After all, we've all seen the late night infomercials that show rich investors driving their big fancy cars and sipping fruit drinks by the poolside of their huge ocean view home, right? It can't be that difficult to spot good properties and resell them, huh? ...
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There are many decisions to make when you decide to build your first home. One of the most important ones will be what home building materials will you choose for your home? Your decision will be partly dictated by your budget, yet if you go for the cheapest home building materials you may end up with a home that is not worth very much as an investment. That means you will not get the maximum price should you decide to sell and move elsewhere in some years time.One of the cheapest materials for ...
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There are many of us who have spent thousands of dollars online only to be deceived once again or found that we had to purchase a whole lot more to get the big picture of internet marketing. I was beginning to think that I would never find a coach who would teach me from scratch all that I needed to know until I came across his website and saw with my own eyes his video. His name is Mack Michaels, a southern country boy who went from dirt broke to be a millionaire, and he believes that there ...
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