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The Basics Of Estate Planning

Estate Planning may be a word that is encountered by many citizens especially the elderly. What is Estate Planning? What benefits does it provide to people?

Estate Planning is a method of arranging and considering alternatives that will satisfy specific wishes and goals to prepare for things that may happen to a person and the people he finds special to him.

Estate Planning includes organizing properties and not just putting them in a simple Will. It also lessens the taxes and fees that may possibly be charged to these properties. Estate Planning also includes contingency preparation to ensure that ones wishes regarding health care and medications will be followed.

An estate plan may be described as good if it financially coordinates with the future of the home, business, investments, insurance and other benefits if ever the person becomes sick or will pass away. A good estate plan also sets directions to bring about personal wishes regarding health care in preparation for the when the person becomes disabled.

It is very important to identify the real definition of the term “estate” before someone can really perform estate planning. Estate means all the properties a person owns or has control of. This is regardless whether if the property is solely named after him or is in managed in a partnership. This may include real properties, accounts, bonds and stocks, cash, buildings and establishments, jewelry, collections, all types of businesses and even retirement benefits.

Typically, those who really need to have an estate plan are parents who have minor children, people who have valuable properties and have sentimental values for them, and also people who are concerned about their medications and health care. However, people can still acquire an estate plan whether they have these categories or not. As long as they have all the things that are covered by an estate plan, then they can avail of it.

While a person is alive, it is important to prepare an estate plan and at the same time implement it. This is the perfect time for a person to perform and have legal capacity to come up with a contract. There may be challenges that could occur if an estate plan is implemented when a person is already disabled. Others may judge the lack of capacity and the person may be prone to fraud, abuse and coercion.

Estate Plans may include wills, power of attorney for health care, living wills, living trusts and limited partnerships. When entering into a contract, it is very important to make use of the services of a lawyer. Lawyers are the only certified people who practice these fields. They are also the only ones who can supply a person with all the legal requirements and advice needed in the estate plan. An attorney will be able to answer legal questions regarding the estate and they will also be able prepare the person on the cost of the estate plan and other finances the come with it.

Estate Planning involves sensitive decisions and legal matters. It would only be beneficial if the person will always consult with legal advisors and also seek financial and medical advice. It is important that before a person will enter into estate planning, he should already have a strong understanding of the process so that things will not be difficult for those who will be left behind.

Must Read Tips on Buying A Home

The home buying process can seem complicated, but if you take things step-by-step, you will soon be holding the keys to your own home!

But before going into the buying process you should first ask yourself if your are already ready for home buying.

Do you prefer or even enjoy moving into different places. Do you prefer using your savings for things like vacations, appliances, retirement or having your own business? Do you like to enjoy not having so much trouble with regular maintenance and repairs?

If your answers to these queries are yes, then you may not be ready to delve into the home buying experience. You may have a lot of good reasons for buying a home but you should also have to consider your reasons for not wanting to.

Remember than buying home is not just the biggest financial decision you will ever make but also the strongest emotional choice in your life, so be prepared to make wise decisions when you are in this process.

Buying home always seems to be a great idea, but it is important that ownership of a certain property comes with a great deal of responsibilities too.

Of course, being a homeowner is something to be proud of but it also means having to invest money, time and energy and take on added responsibilities. So, before you decide to buy a home, make sure you’re ready.

The first things that comes into our mind when we think about home owning, is the wonderful things that is connected to it. It is true that there are a lot of good reasons for buying a home. So here are some of the good advantages of home buying.

Financial security is a very great deal of advantage when it comes to owning your own home. If the housing prices would go up, your home can provide you with some financial security due to capital appreciation.

Flexibility is another thing, when owning your house you will be able to decide all the aspects that comes with it. You can decorate or renovate your home to meet your own family’s personal tastes and needs.

And of course stability, having your own home will make you feel at ease and less burden than renting one.

Although it is really nice to think about the positive aspects of owning a home, it is also a crucial part to consider the downsides as well. Here are some of the disadvantages on home buying.
Financial Stress is a very common problem in home buying. Coming up with the down payment, meeting regular mortgage payments and other ongoing costs will tie up a lot of your cash, and can put considerable stress on your finances.

Maintenance and Higher Costs are also a big problem. Keeping your home in good shape requires time and money.

You may pay more each month for housing than you did as a renter. There are also extra costs for maintenance and property taxes.

So, you’ve decided that homeownership is right for you. Now you need to determine if you are financially ready to buy a house.

To avoid any future surprises, you can do some financial exercises to see where you stand. They include: calculating your net worth, your current monthly expenses and your current monthly debt payments.

Knowing your net worth is important because you will need this information when you discuss a mortgage with your lender.

Your net worth is the amount left over once you’ve subtracted your total liabilities from your total assets. It will also give you a snapshot of your current financial situation and show you how much you can afford to put as a down payment.

Just remember all this notes and surely you will be able to arrive at some very good decisions in home buying. Do not rush into home buying, take some time to think and view the property first before closing a deal.

Closing day is the when you finally have bought your home; you now take legal possession and finally get to call your new home your own. You are sure to feel great relief and satisfaction but remember that the home buying process isn’t over just yet. There are quite a few things that need to be done on closing day.

Make sure that your lender will provide the mortgage money to your lawyer. You must provide the balance of the purchase price to your lawyer along with the closing costs. Your lawyer pays the vendor, registers the home in your name, and provides you with a deed and the keys to your new home.

Selling a new home

Selling a new home sounds easier than selling an old home that need repairs here and there. But even a new home that we are selling, it still needs preparation to sell it. We cannot just put a “For Sale: new home” sign in front of the house and expect the people will come to you and sign the deal. Selling a new home is still the same as selling your own home but the difference is that it does not need lot of preparation as usual.
Since you do not have to spend much time in repairing or improving the house, you can catch up by making a marketing plan to sell the new home. The marketing plan is made to sell a home in a rapid time at the best price. The plan can be advertising in the newspaper, posting your listing on the Internet, holding an open house and more.
Just to remind you that there is two important thins to remember in selling home including a new home, they are price and condition. Any home will sell right faster if the price is right and reasonable. Any repairs and improvements or cost to sell should be included in your asking price but it has to be reasonable.
It is also helpful to discuss other terms and conditions, such as timing and items that can be included with the sale of the home. Both of these can make your home more attractive to potential buyers. Any realtor will tell you that the spring and summer are the best times of the year to sell a home, because that is the time when buyers are having a great interest in buying home. Selling a house depends on supply, demand and other economic factors. But the time of year in which you choose to sell can make a difference both in the amount of time it takes to sell your home and in the ultimate selling price. According to the most recent data from the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, about 350,000 transactions were closed during January and February this year, compared with 650,000 to 700,000 a month in June, July and August.
You also should hold open house to sell a new home which is one of the ways to promote your house to the your neighbors. This can be one of free advertisement in selling the home just in case if there is our neighbors’ friends or family who accidentally want to buy a home. Create an information sheet (with a photo) about your home to give potential buyers a description about your home.
Selling a new home is not as difficult as you think. Yet, it also does not as easy as it seems. What you need to have in selling a new home is a spirit to sell and link to sell your home and also a hard work.

What Are Living Trust Scams

A. Living Trusts

As you know, a living trust is a legal arrangement where a person, called the “grantor,” places his assets into a trust during his lifetime. The trust is administered by a “trustee” for the benefit of the trust’s beneficiaries. The grantor may be a trustee and a beneficiary of the trust. Living trusts are a widely recognized and legitimate estate planning device. Because assets transferred to the trust are no longer owned by the grantor, at the grantor’s death, the assets are not part of the grantor’s estate and do not have to be probated. Accordingly, a living trust can avoid what could be a costly, lengthy process. Whether or not this is a major advantage varies by the size of the estate and by state and locality; for small estates, many states have an informal probate process that minimizes cost and delay. Whether a living trust is an appropriate estate planning tool depends upon an individual’s circumstances and goals, and state laws.

B. Scams Involving Living Trusts

Misinformation and misunderstanding about probate and estate taxes provide a ripe environment for scam artists to prey on older consumers’ fears that their estates will be eaten up by costs, and that distribution of their assets to loved ones will be long delayed. Some unscrupulous businesses advertise seminars on living trusts or send postcards inviting consumers to call for in-home appointments, ostensibly to learn whether a living trust is right for them. A common practice is to greatly exaggerate the benefits of living trusts and falsely claim that locally-licensed attorneys will prepare the documents. In some instances, consumers send money for living trust kits but receive nothing. In others, the offer of estate planning services is merely a ruse to gain access to consumers’ financial information and to sell them other financial products, such as insurance annuities. These practices may violate federal securities laws, as well as other laws.

Many state Attorneys General and other authorities, such as disciplinary or grievance committees of state or city bar associations, have taken enforcement actions against living trust scam artists. Some cases have been brought under state Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices laws. Others have been prosecuted as the unauthorized practice of law because the salespeople were not lawyers. Even in instances where there may be some attorney review, it may be insufficient to render the activity legal. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also has prosecuted companies purporting to offer estate planning services, such as living trusts, for violating the securities laws through fraudulent investment schemes targeting senior citizens.

Home Selling Guide

Selling home right now can be done by anyone. Support with much information that can be found through the Internet, one person can sell his or her home either by a real estate agents or selling the home by himself or herself. The high technology that you can find anywhere can be a tool for you to sell your home fast and at a reasonable price, etc.
But, whether you want to buy with agents or by yourself, you need some guides in selling home. There are steps in selling your home. Those guides really help you. Never under estimate them because they have lots of impact in your selling home performance.
These are some quick guidance to sell your home:
1. Preparation; show the very best condition of your home
Here is the first step to sell your home. Make a best first impression to your buyers so that they are attracted to buy your home. Get rid of dirt and rubbish, remove all clutter, repairs all flaws of your home, get rid of unused furniture to make it looks spacious
2. Pricing your home effectively
A home that is priced right and reasonable will sell in a short time. You can use a third party service to give suggestion about your home’s value and the furniture in it. Don’t price too low that it will cost you more money, yet never also set high price that the you will loose your potential buyers
3. When To Sell
You also have to know the right time to sell your home. You surely want to sell your home in a good economic condition and strong demand for houses, which tend to be stronger in June and July. If you sell your home at the right time and a good preparation, you will get the highest price of your home than your prediction
4. A Bit About The Costs Involved
You should also involved any costs that you have spent in selling your home, whether it is attorney costs, closing costs, advertisements costs, etc
5. Selling Privately
Selling home by yourself is not as easy as it seems but it is worthy to do because you can save about 2-6% of your selling price. Selling home privately is sure going to take much time and efforts for you to sell it.
6. Selling At Auction
Selling at an auction can also be an option. But it is not a suggested option because it will cost you more money and also it is a volatile way in selling your home
7. Get a real estate lawyer
You can make the flow of documents so easy and having a professional advice by getting a real estate lawyer in your selling process
8. Marketing your home
There are many ways to market your home:
· Writing your sell ad
· Home Photos: a picture can describe a thousand word
· Lawn signs
· Open houses
· Home Brochures/Information sheets
· The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) provided by the agents
· You are your home’s best salesman

9. Negotiating an offer on your home
10. Home inspections
11. Closing

These guides will help you to sell your home. Never hesitate to ask for professional advices if you meet some problems while you are in the middle of selling process.
Good luck and have a nice day J

Real Estate Training Guide- How to become a successful real estate agent

Real estate training is essential for the people who want to become a successful real estate broker. It helps them to learn all about real estate business. Real estate business requires some time, some basic knowledge of the business and skill to perform all transactions. Real estate business will be one of the good carriers for a hard working person. Real estate training suggests them all the ways to achieve their goals.

License is the basic requirement to become a real estate agent. Even it is an essential thing to conduct real estate business. Real estate Internet is the best option to join real estate business. Some states provide online training courses that will help you to complete pre-license requirements. Before joining real estate business people should satisfy some pre-license requirements. They should; be of at least 19 years, be managed a proctored exam, have high school diploma or some equivalent to it, pass a state exam, have completed a least approved course.

Generally real estate training gives some guidelines to understand some real estate basics. They can easily learn about ownership transfer, real estate law and math with the help of real estate training. They are taught how to deal to with real estate transactions during their course. Real estate training enables them to understand the tips and tricks of the real estate contracts. People who want to join some state approved courses should have initial license.

Anyone can be a successful real estate agent after completing real estate training. They can run a successful business only if they have great professional habits, good salesmanship and the enthusiasm to learn more about real estate. Real estate business requires great working skill.

People can learn about real estate business with some related books. They can also join some online courses that provide information via Internet. Nowadays several people are making money in real estate business. Real estate brokers should be kind, knowledgeable, efficient as well as trustworthy. They should know the skill how to attract more customers. They can also take some suggestion from the experienced real estate agents.

Real estate business may be wonderful business but only thing that it requires real estate training.

Holiday Home Insurance – One Of The Decisions Associated With Buying A Holiday Home

Buying a holiday home has never been easier. Today, you can hop on the Internet and find the home of your dreams without even leaving the comfort of your living room. Even better still, you can then use a search and compare website on the Internet to find you the best possible deal for a second home mortgage. There is nothing to it with very little time and effort to put in unless you wish to. However, you need to make a few decisions that are associated with buying a holiday home before you can put in an offer and get a mortgage and one of those is holiday home insurance.

Holiday home insurance is different to both traditional home insurance and buy-to-let insurance, so don’t make the mistake and think that you can cut costs and corners by getting the wrong type. A specialist broker will be able to help you find the right type of holiday home insurance.

Other considerations when buying a holiday home include the following: Where is the first place that comes to mind when you think of buying a holiday home? Although gut instincts are not always correct in terms of buying a house, there must be reasons behind considering buying a holiday home in a certain area. When you have the reasons why you would want to live in a certain are then you can begin to build upon that.

You should consider both popular locations and other locations that resemble them because individuals buy homes in certain areas for a reason. Crime rate, natural environmental hazards, proximity to the beach, proximity to shops and climate are all factors that should be considered when buying a holiday home, but the list is not limited to them. For an idea of where Britons choose to look into when buying a holiday home, the facts and figures are worthy of consideration.

Approximately 30% of all holiday homes are in the UK, 16% are in Spain and 7% in France, with the remaining 47% being spread between countries like the USA, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Greece and other similar countries. After deciding upon the country, your choice of area will largely depend on what kind of place you would wish to live in – beach, town, city or quiet village?

You final decision when buying a holiday home should depend on what kind of home you would like to live in. Whether your choice is a bungalow, condo, apartment or cottage, you can find the perfect house for you and then get on with the easy part of buying a holiday home.

Then all you need is the right holiday home insurance.

Home Buying Programs For Single Parents

The Advantages of Home Buying Programs For Single Parents

Several shops and groceries stores are now offering home buying programs for single parents. Single parents may not need to go to stores and shop personally. All they have to do is avail the home buying programs for single parent. Home buying programs for single parents covers shopping through website. You can shop online with a discounted rate and goods are delivered in front of your doors.

Saving energy and time means a lot to single parents. Their saved time and energy may be used to other useful things or chores. Single moms and dads are very thankful with these home buying programs for single parents, which afford them more time to monitor their kids’ activity.

To avail one of the ome buying programs for single parents, a mom or a dad must apply for membership. They may register at various shopping malls, websites, groceries, drugstores, bookstores, bakeshops or hardware stores.

The home buying programs for single parents are not only available at product oriented establishment but also at service oriented establishments. Service oriented establishments include barbershop, hair salon, massage and spa, health care and dental care.

Home buying programs for single parents offer products at discounted rates while others offer a ‘buy one take one’ scheme. Some establishments also offer surplus products in good quality conditions.

Service oriented establishments normally offer rebates or discounts. Sometimes they even offer free services for single parents. They even offer home rewards based on the consumables.

Home buying programs for single parents also offers home rewards wherein a mom or a dad can earn points for every shopping or services that they availed. Earning points in home buying programs for single parents have a corresponding product or item.

Home buying programs for single parents also offers free delivery. Members of home buying programs for single parents may place their orders via internet and through phone. Customers who purchased through home buying programs for single parents don’t need to pick-up the goods. All they have to do is wait for the items to be delivered at their doorsteps.

Some establishment requires certain distance to deliver the goods to their local customers. Customers living outside the delivery perimeter do not have to worry. The establishment offers delivery charges that every single parents will surely can afford.

Establishments also benefit greatly with their home buying program for single parents. The program minimizes and controls the number of people purchasing in the store, which in effect lessens the number of personnel. Home buying program for single parents also decreases the tension felt by the crews in dealing customers not to mention the advantage that they give to single parents.

Establishment offering home buying programs for single parents sprouted like mushrooms through years because of the advantages it caters to the single parents.

Single parents who come home straight from the office do not have much energy to carry heavy load of shopping items. It is very clear and understandable that single parents also need to rest and recharge their energy. Some single parents are not well informed about home buying programs to save on energy and cut the cost of their expenses.

Single parents who are in doubt of availing the home buying programs due to lack of information may simply call the desired establishment they wish to register for home buying programs for single parents and ask for their assistance.

Single parents should not take for granted the home buying programs even others are requiring for membership with payments in a lower amount. There are other establishments that are offering home buying programs for single parents with lifetime membership. Just think of the advantages of home buying programs for single parents that will bring to the life of single parents. The quality time, quality product and reserve energy that single parents will enjoy because of the home buying programs for single parents.

Single parents nowadays are very blessed because of modern technology they are now enjoying. These are one of the benefits of modernization. Computers and telephones are considers as necessity especially for single parents. Because of computers, establishments can create strategies and techniques to that can give convenience to people like the home buying programs for single parents.