Thinking of Selling Your Home and Moving In With Relatives?
There comes a time for most of us when we decide that we can no longer keep on our homes, and rather than go into a care home, many of us decide to sell up, and move in with relatives. Some of us never have that opportunity of course, but for those of us that do, it is most important that this idea is fully thought through.
But before you do this, ask yourself some basic questions. To begin with, do you like the person you are moving in with, do you get on well with them? For if you dont like them much now, you sure as heck wont like them at all when you are spending all day, every day, in their company!
And there are other important matters to consider too; such as how will the living arrangements work? Will you have your own room, or even a small apartment within the greater house? Is the house you are moving to suitable for you, are there lots of stairs, or threatening dogs running wild? A big dog may be nice to meet once in a while, but would you really be happy with an aggressive hound, or two or three of them, snapping round your ankles all day? The same goes for boisterous children too. The grandkids may be great fun on high days and holidays, but young teenagers can be most demanding to live with right round the clock. Are you really ready for all that?
What about eating arrangements? Will you share, or cook and eat alone? And if you are sharing, will you be able to cope with the spicy and exotic foods that many younger people take for granted today, the same food that many of the older generation have never much liked? These are all important points to consider if you seek longer-term harmony within the household, and lets face it, that is so important.
And perhaps most importantly of all, what will be the financial arrangements? Will you pay rent, or help to pay the household bills? Would you sell your home and make a sizeable contribution towards the cost of a newer larger home for you all? If you did that, who would own this new home? And of course the most important thing of all, if you found that you did not get on well and wanted to move out again, could you do so, and most importantly, could you get your money out again, to buy a new apartment for yourself?
Though it might be considered excessive, it is a good idea to have drawn up a legal agreement between both parties before you enter into any such arrangement. And if you do that, it is always prudent to spend a little money on pukka legal advice, so that you know that what is being said, and agreed, is actual fact. Im sorry to say that verbal arrangements between family members over large amounts of cash can be easily forgotten within a short period of time.
One chap I knew took in his aging aunt. She was becoming a little confused and signed over all her affairs to him. Without her knowledge he then proceeded to sell her bungalow, and whats more, invested all the money in his ailing second hand car business. A little while later the lady seemed a great deal better, and duly announced that she was well enough to return to her bungalow. You can imagine how upset she was when she discovered that she no longer owned her own home, nor had received any money from the sale proceeds, and all this business had been done quite legally without her knowledge.
If you are selling your own home and decide to move in with relatives, always think everything through most carefully. Have a legal agreement drawn up, and most importantly of all, make sure that you have an exit strategy in place, for you, and your funds, if you discover, perhaps to your absolute horror, that you really dont get on with your relatives at all.
People who have lived alone or solely with their partner for twenty, thirty, forty years, are often the most unsuitable people to suddenly be thrust into the busy noisy environment of a crowded boisterous home. Could you really get to sleep at 10.30pm if your young nephew was carrying out his rock band practice, or playing loud music in the next room until midnight? Think about it long and hard, and have that agreement drawn up, it may seem hard hearted, but if you ever needed it, you still have some security. If you give all your assets and independence away, then what have you got left? In the case of a dispute, absolutely nothing, and that is too terrible a prospect to contemplate. If you are considering this course of action, why not go and stay with your family for a months holiday, or two? That will certainly go some way to reassuring yourself that everything will be well, but always keep your wits about you, and think most clearly about what might happen if you are unhappy there.
They say that selling and moving house can be the most stressful experience many of us ever go through, with the exception of losing a member of the family. That is probably true, but it is also a very stressful time for our pets as well.
Moving can be very traumatic for cats and dogs. When the big day arrives, owners can either place their pets in a kennel or a cattery for a day or two, or they could take their pets with them, but if they do that, some kind of forward planning is essential. And when there are so many other things on the movers mind, it is so easy to overlook or forget the pet.
Prepare the pets for the move by allocating them a secure room where they can be surrounded by their favourite toys and have their basket close by. On the big day your pet may be frightened. The sight of teams of burly guys removing all your possessions from the house is enough to upset anyone.
When you do arrive at the new location it is a good idea to place the pet in a secure room, again surrounded by their favourite things, and well away from tramping feet. If possible, cats should be kept inside for a week or more afterwards, as they gradually become accustomed to their new surroundings.
Dogs being walked on a lead will soon get to know the neighbourhood and learn how to find their way home, should they inadvertently escape. When you do feel confident enough to let the cat out, the best time to do so is just before mealtime, when they are hungry. That way they should not stray too far. Leave the door open too, so they can quickly get back inside if they become startled or frightened by strange sights and sounds.
When the cat has been outside for a short period, call them back in again. After that you can start letting them out for longer periods, and never force them to go outside at all if they clearly dont want to.
Moving house can be a monumental upheaval for everyone, and that certainly includes your pets, so do take some time out to consider their welfare too.
=================================
Hundreds of Books...
Many of which are at the cheapest price anywhere can be found at
How To Beat Those Automatic Telephone Answering Systems
Surely one of the biggest bugbears of the modern age are those automated telephone answering systems that try to answer your telephone calls, but rarely actually do. It seems to make no difference whether you are trying to speak to your bank, a utility company, or any large corporation, you are almost certain to be faced with a computer inviting you to make a selection. Press 3, and on and on.
Only yesterday when trying to obtain some service on my crackly telephone line I was invited to press a certain digit. After leaping over no less than eight separate hurdles I was finally assailed with this glorious message, we are experiencing a larger than usual number of calls at present, and cannot immediately take your call. Please try again later!
Perhaps if seemingly half the population werent chasing themselves around these computerised mazes of infuriating messages like crazed rats in a wheel, the company in question wouldnt have been fielding so many calls in the first place. Whatever happened to personalised company service anyway? If I ran a small business in that fashion my customers would soon let me know about it, so how come the big boys can get away with it like this?
However, all is not bad news because there are now flourishing new services from alert businesses offering cheats and advice on how to confuse and get by these infuriating messages. One of the simplest is when you are first invited to press 1, or whatever digit it might be, that you do nothing. The theory is that the computer then believes that you are ringing from a phone that is not a touchtone, and simply passes you through directly to a human being. Another regular cheat when you first get through is to press zero hash three times at speed, that sometimes works, or failing that try * repeatedly, perhaps ten times, and then followed by a zero.
There are even web sites out there now that specialise in providing the latest cheat information, and if it is important to you that you receive personal human service quickly, then they are well worth keeping an occasional eye on. One such site is www. paulenglish.com/ivr though there are several others, and these provide regularly updated information on how to skip by those computerised nonsenses on both sides of the Atlantic.
Of course the ultimate answer would be for the big corporations to make a return to providing actual human customer service, but unfortunately that seems unlikely, because they are expensive to staff and maintain, and many of these giant organisations have discovered that they can get away with offering a minimum standard of service. In that case, I invite you to do what I do, move your account to someone else, someone who will provide a decent service, for there are still businesses out there who will do so, though regretfully they are becoming harder and harder to find.
How to find a $40,000 beach house in 2008
SUMMARY: An intro to the last, great beachfront real estate bargain of Latin America: Ecuador.
Think the phrase "cheap beachfront property" is a thing of the past?
If you paid $40,000 for your beach house, how long ago did you buy it? In the US it would have had to have been 30 years or so ago, in Puerto Rico, over 15 years ago, in Costa Rica, over ten years ago easy.
But we have another chance. Even now in 2008 there is a place a few hours by plane from Miami, with Hawaii-like weather, friendly locals, outstanding beaches and where foreigners are not only welcome to buy, but encouraged.
The place is Ecuador. How it has slipped through the cracks this long is amazing.
So the first step towards your $40,000 beach house is to understand where you can find one. Not in the US (obviously), nor in Costa Rica or Panama, but in Ecuador.
The second step is to define exactly the type of property you would like (condo, plot of land, house) and your budget.
The third step is to go to kayak.com and book your flight to Ecuador. From Miami, New York and LA roundtrip flights can be had starting around $400.
The fourth step would be to do some preliminary research on the net. Remember that any listings you may find in English are probably priced for foreigners, sometimes at double or triple the price you could find locally. There are great places online to find listings, but that is covered more thoroughly in the report mentioned at the end of this article.
The fifth step would be to go to Ecuador. Give yourself as much time as possible in Ecuador. A few months are ideal. Make some local friends, get acclimated to the culture and decide if Ecuador is right for you. Easy ways to make local friends would be to go to the local churches, take Spanish lessons, or join local clubs with a similar interest to your own.
Then with a few local allies on your side, ask them to recommend a few trustworthy real estate agents and local lawyers.
The sixth step is to start your house hunt. Go to the coast, decide where you want to live and walk the streets yourself looking for phone numbers spray painted on the sides of buildings indicating they are for sale. Have a local friend help you make contact (so they don't hike the prices up on you when they hear your accent.)
The seventh step would be to have your lawyer check out the papers of the properties that interest you, making sure they are in order. If the papers are in legal order, you make a bid similar to the US, but in Ecuador you will probably be dealing directly with the owner. Locals prefer to sell their houses themselves instead of through agents.
If the bid is accepted, you sign a sales contract similar to those in the US, and the closing of the sale takes only a few weeks in Ecuador. Closing costs and fees are only a fraction of those in the States.
Beachfront land plots in the $20,000 dollar range are still available. Castles on seafront cliffs are available for around $150,000 and attractive little seaside houses can sell for as little as $40,000, but only until the place gets discovered.
If there isnt enough to think of already when buying a new home, I dont expect that you have considered the danger of Radon. Neither had I, until my solicitor brought it to my attention and I began to look into the matter in some detail.
So what is Radon, and where is it prevalent? Radon is a radio active gas that does occur naturally and is surprisingly the second biggest cause of lung cancer deaths in Great Britain, after cigarettes.
Large areas of the south-west of England are based on rock formations that contain and generate unusually large amounts of Radon. This can mean that the gas poses a potential hazard for property owners in many areas of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. So it makes sense if you are buying a house in these areas that you take precautions and consequently the problem can be eliminated.
Radon occurs naturally and it derives from decaying radium, which is itself a product of decaying uranium in the rocks and soil itself. In the south-west of England there is a band of rock that runs from near Taunton in Somerset, right down to Penzance in the west and beyond, but there are also many other areas at high risk in the south-west of England.
The gas can build up in houses to amounts in excess of what is called the action level, namely 200 Becquerels per cubic metre.
The good news is that there are ways to eliminate the Radon problem in domestic properties and it doesnt cost a fortune to do so. These include inserting an underfloor sump from which the gas is then pumped away from the house. The average cost of this is around £1,000, or $1,750, and also by improving the ventilation under the floors, usual costs around £500 or $875. A simple Radon test pack costs around fifty quid. If you are considering buying a new house, or indeed an older property in the south-west of England it is a good idea to check whether these anti Radon measures are already built in. They often are in these areas, though you should still check to be safe.
And if you are selling a property in these areas it is as well to have checks carried out too, because high levels can hold up house sales, or you may be faced with a proportion of the sales total deducted and held in trust, until a result is known, and the problem rectified.
In Great Britain you can find further information of the Radon problem from the Health Protection Agency who publish a booklet entitled Radon, a guide for homebuyers and sellers, and you can obtain further information of this booklet at their website which is www. hpa.org.uk/radiation
This problem occurs in many parts of the world of course, and in many areas it is little thought of, never mind investigated and dealt with, so if you are buying a second property in an unusual area or country, it might be a good idea to ask your legal team to investigate the problem thoroughly before contracts are signed.
Identity Theft: Thieves no Longer Seek to Steal Your Possessions, They Seek to Steal YOU
Clever thieves no longer seek to steal your valuable possessions; they are far more interested in stealing you, or at least your identity. If they steal your TV or your car, they have one item, they then have to sell it, and the chances are, your insurance will cover the cost.
If they successfully steal you, they have an unlimited opportunity to raise cash through numerous scams. They can take out loans, apply for credit cards in your name and max them out, even apply for a mortgage, or attempt to sell your house. That has actually happened. Fact is they are much more likely to break into your trashcans, than your precious home. So, what can you do about it?
Buy a shredder for a start. That is no new advice, shredder sales have rocketed in the past five years, and when you have one, use it. Shred all personal documents before you ditch them, and it is good advice to buy an expensive shredder too, one that can deal with handfuls of papers at a time. You do not want to have to spend all day feeding individual docs into a weary machine.
When you move house make sure that you redirect all your mail, and tell everyone, especially credit card companies, mail order catalogue businesses, banks, finance houses of your new whereabouts. Keep the redirection service in place for as long as possible because some companies take ages to amend their admin. When I was renting out property I came across several cases of tenants buying expensive goods from mail order catalogues in the previous tenant's or owner's names with never any intention of paying for them. If they were ever questioned about it, they would immediately deny all knowledge of the fraud, and the bills ended up on the former occupier's doormat.
Remember, accomplished identity fraudsters are patient people. They gradually build up a profile of their intended victim, and they do not need a full set of documentation to get started. Perhaps they only need an old bank statement to get going. Then they could knock something else up on a PC, scanning any organisation's letterhead into their machine to make the final documents look totally convincing. With that they can apply for a driving licence and with that might successfully open a bank account, all in your name. They might even try to redirect your mail. Slowly but surely, they build up their credibility that they really are you. And when they have that, and only when they are quite ready, do they launch their sting by applying for countless loans and credit cards in your name. With those, they get a pin number, and their version of your signature, which they can reproduce on demand.
By the time you find out all about it, it is too late. The perpetrator has left the county with all the squeezed cash taken in your name, and your credit rating shot to bits, albeit temporarily, though that can take a lot of time and convincing to put right.
Never give any details to cold telephone calling individuals no matter how persuasive, convincing or worthy they may sound. Never issue details of bank and financial accounts over the net when banks apparently suddenly request you to confirm your banking information. They don't do that, it is a scam and the opponent is simply trying to wheedle vital information from you when your guard is down. They often dress this up as if they are acting in your best interests. "We are beefing up our internet security measures" they say, something that you would be eager to see and agree to in normal circumstances. But hang on; think about it for a moment. Just because the email looks exactly like the ones you see from your usual bank, is it really from them? How do you know? Fact is you don't, and you could be in trouble. You could be being targeted. Check it out thoroughly.
Never put screwed up docs in the trash, and try to keep your rubbish secure. If you see some hoody sorting through your junk, the chances are he is not searching for scraps to eat. He's looking for scraps all right, scraps of vital information from which he can build up a picture of you, your profile, your date of birth, your social security number, your banking information, your driving licence details, even your passport information if they can achieve that, and it's certainly not funny of they do. Always be alert to identity fraud. Don't give these horrible individuals any opportunity to become you, because if they do, it could take you years to untangle the mess.
