Why You Better Start Inspecting Your Rental Units Periodically

Congratulations, you closed escrow on a multifamily apartment building.  

Pat yourself on the back. During escrow, in accordance with prudent real estate investing practice, you did your due diligence. You walked through each apartment unit, had the building inspected for everything from pest and dry rot to electrical, and generally surmised that the rental property would be a good income producer and real estate investment opportunity.

Okay, fast-forward a couple of years.

Since your purchase, you essentially sat back and collected the rent without making any provision to inspect the units periodically. As long as the units were occupied with good-paying tenants, you were satisfied to remain aloof and out of their kitchens.

Now, after several number-crunching sessions with your accountant, you made the decision to exchange your real estate investment for a newer, larger apartment complex. You listed your apartment building for sale with a popular real estate agent who understands income-producing property, and to your delight, within just two weeks you get an offer, accept it, and set up a time for the buyer to walk through and inspect the interiors of each unit.

Here's where it gets ugly.

During your walk-through, you are surprised to discover that some of your tenants had little regard to maintain your property. Though careful to make their rent payments on a consistent basis, you see a stack of tires in one unit, multiple bleach marks on the carpet of another, one unit painted totally pink, and one bathroom floor bulging like a cupcake.

The result is not pretty. When the inspection is over, the buyer terminates the offer and goes away. Or more insulting, he tries to renegotiate the deal and beat you down on your price.

This does happen. I've seen it happen. And why it happens is obvious.

Some real estate investors get lulled to sleep by tenants who pay their rent on time, are not disruptive, and generally keep under the radar. With no red flags waving, some landlords simply feel no need to inspect the units periodically and then suffer the consequences.

So, it's time to wake up and take care of business. Prudent real estate investing requires you to know what's going on behind the closed doors of your apartment building. Regardless how good the tenants appear, schedule a walk through of every unit perhaps twice, but no less than once a year.

Hey, it might not prevent everything tenants have been known to do, but it will surely help.

The Various Methods of Detecting a Slab Leak

The main issue with plumbing is that it may occasionally stop working - huge shocker here folks. For those of you out there that did not pick up on that joke I am sorry. Really, there are countless other schemes out there that have a propensity to fall short with time, corrosion, and oxidation. So there is no motive to imagine that ducts and other materials are any different. I had a pal come to me the other day with a inquiry concerning this theme at his residence. It just so happens that he was in fact having a leak in the slab of his home. So logically, I referred him to a limited plumber that I know. You may be speculating how I understood that the problem was a slab leak and I will cover that briefly, but primarily I would prefer to do a quick summary of what will be conversed in this exact piece. In this piece of writing, I intend on finding the different signs and symptoms of a slab leak, the ways they can be helped, and the a mixture of detectors that can be used to unearth them. Now, I will expose how I uncovered the detail that he had a slab leak. I am the young man that is related to a lot of plumbers. So I was brought up discovering and paying attention to many of the jobs that my father did. logically, I pulled up on numerous diverse things. Try to guess that one folks, the further that a person pays attention to something being done, the more apt they are to pick up on stuff right? Well, that is the way that I found out what I know about plumbing. However, I was one of a small number of members that attended college so, as for the present, I am not on the road to becoming a plumber. For now I have lots of other stuff to focus on, but I do know that plumbing can be very worthwhile for those who are fortunate enough to have possession of their own company and get a decent amount of jobs.

As most would have discovered by now, this layer is usually made of concrete or another material that the bulk of houses are constructed on. There are a great quantity of pipelines that make their way past it. From time to time, owing to an assortment of reasons, a leak can take place in the location of the slab. Now, there are many methods to identify one of these and the subsequent lines were intended to make known some of the chief ways to do so.

One of the most common symbols of an underground leak is a elevated water bill. Lots of homeowners have a good perception of what their standard water bill happens to be - even if they do not shell out extraordinary awareness to the sum, they should have a basic thought of the final mark. When the tab is enormously high, there may be motive to imagine a trickle.

Another common method of pipeline leak detection is warm or hot spots in a specific area of the floor. Water that may have crept up through a pipe in the slab may be gathering around a spot in the floor. These are just a few of the various slab leak detection methods and there are several others for those of you needing a few more pointers

Self Defense Products For Women - Exposed!

Women are the targets of violence by a 9 to 1 margin over men. So is it any wonder that self defense product manufacturers have started manufacturing products that appeal to women. To me it just makes common sense.

A self defense product is a non-nonlethal alternative to deadly force and has proven effective for police agencies around the world for decades. Pepper sprays, for example, have been used by police departments all over the world for crowd control very effectively. Over 11,000 police departments in the United States alone carry tasers.

A self defense product like a stun gun, pepper spray or taser has as its' sole purpose to give you time to get away from a dangerous situation and seek help. Nothing more. As mentioned above they are nonlethal, and further their effects on an assailant are not long lasting. They can disable an assailant for anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes and range in effectiveness from 86 percent to 100 percent

A pepper spray for example, which is normally 86 percent effective can get thrown off course by even a 5 mile an hour wind when used or outdoors. A stun gun must be physically applied to an assailant for it to be effective. So those are two drawbacks to those self defense products. They are not perfect.

The absolute best when it comes to effectiveness is the C-2 taser, which is designed specifically for women. There is even one that comes in hot pink. It shoots out two electrified darts with 50,000 volts of current but the wattage is much higher than a stun gun which is what makes it so effective. In tests done by Taser International no one was able to overcome the effects of a single shot of the taser gun. It has more stopping power than a 9 mm handgun.

On the negative side many people feel that the price in the taser is too high. Is your life worth the cost of the taser? They start at $300.00 but discounts are available on most sites.

When are you getting one?

The 3 Idiots of the Education System

"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built up on the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think". ~ Anne Sullivan.

I was conducting a Discover Your True Calling workshop at IIM, Indore last week. I had the afternoon free and decided to see the much acclaimed, high-grossing Bollywood movie - "3 Idiots". I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, largely because it is a complete indictment of our education system. The message was strikingly similar to the theme of my workshop.

The film is about three students who do not really fit into the prestigious engineering college and are considered idiots by their professor. However, the movie clearly shows who the three real idiots are - the educational system, the teachers and the parents. Reflecting on the movie on the flight back to Mumbai, I realized that any real change in education is possible only by transforming these three constituencies.

Idiot #1 - The Education System:

Our current system is performance-oriented rather than mastery-oriented. The emphasis on examinations forces students to learn by rote. They focus on scoring high marks rather than investing the time and energy to understand the subject in depth. A system where true geniuses like Einstein and Ramanujan are considered poor students really needs its head examined. In the movie, this is brilliantly brought out by Aamir Khan playing Rancho - the truly outstanding engineer who goes beyond the book to gain mastery.

Idiot #2 - The Teachers:

Our current system of pedagogy is faculty-led and follows a fixed curriculum. The average teacher assumes that there is one right answer and that (s)he knows the answer. It is the rare teacher who has the ability to facilitate rather than teach, to nurture rather than preach and to support students who stray from the well-trodden path in search of creative ways to learn. Boman Irani as Viru Sahastrabuddhe does a superb job of bringing to life a dogmatic, highly competitive, over-confident college professor - the antithesis of an ideal teacher in every way.

Idiot #3 - The Parents:

When India's HRD Minister Kapil Sibal suggested scrapping of the 10th grade exams, parents were the first to stand up against the proposal. Parents want their children to be at the top of their classes, get admitted to the best colleges and follow traditional career options - engineering, medicine, management and the like.

Parents rarely encourage their children to discover their true passions and pursue mastery rather than mediocrity. The movie's middle class Quereshis, who want their son to be an engineer, and the poorer Rastogis, who see education as a way out of poverty, are typical of today's Indian parents. They would probably be the toughest nut to crack.

The 21st century calls for talented people who are masters in their chosen fields of work. It calls for collaboration among passionate individuals, from different disciplines, to address the truly challenging issues and opportunities that the world presents. The current assembly-line approach to education falls severely short. We are not equipping our children to succeed in their world. The appeal of the movie is universal and obvious.

But what will it take for all three of the constituencies above, as well as the student community to rally around to a new educational order? Please share your perspectives. We need to work together to bring about transformation in this vital area of our society.

Exciting Nights Out in Devon

If you spend your holidays in Dartmoor and Devon, you will have a more memorable experience if you stay at the Devon holiday cottages. The holiday cottages are clean and spacious. They also have self-catering facilities that are perfect for families or groups who spend their holidays in Devon. The holiday cottages are pet-friendly so you can always bring your dog or cat if you go out on a Devon holiday. The popular tourist spots, shopping areas, restaurant districts make the Devon cottages one of the best places to stay as it makes you feel that you are in your home away from home. There are many ways that you can spend your holidays in Dartmoor or Devon. You have the option of spending your nights in many ways, either going to the bars and club or exploring Dartmoor National Park which is popular for its night activities. Here are some places that you can go to during your vacation that will give you different experiences.

Ghost Stories and Paranormal Activities at Dartmoor National Park

England's South Western Region is known for its historic past and is shrouded with mystery. The Dartmoor National Park is well known for having many mysterious happenings and sightings of many unknown objects as well as paranormal activities. It takes a lot of courage to walk around the park at night and for those who are easily frightened; this is not the place for you. Telling ghost stories give you a chance to bond with family and friends while you are thrilled with the prospect that these stories may really be something you will experience on that particular night. You can opt to just stay behind in your Devon holiday cottages if you feel that you may not be ready to look for ghosts or listen to ghost stories. For those who are interested though, spend an exhilarating night with the possibility of encountering ghosts or other paranormal activities that are popular in the park. At the end of the night, you can always go back and rest in your Devon cottages.

Coast Nightclub

The Coast Nightclub is an elegant entertainment spot that attracts a lot of visitors and local party people. It is located at the Lower Union Road in the popular town of Kingsbridge, which is easily accessible from your Devon holiday cottages. The public transport of Devon can take you to the Coast Nightclub with bus stops and taxi stands near the holiday cottages that allow you to easily take a ride to the nightclub. The Coast is open until the early hours of the morning and it is no problem if you want to party since the Devon cottages are nearby and it is easy to go back at the end of the party.

Rush for Nokia 1600

The latest Nokia 1600 mobiles coming the home of the largest mobile manufacturer in the world, never fails in keeping up the tradition. The Nokia 1600 mobile is an entry-level phone that looks smart with its chrome detailing and compact size. This model mobiles coming from the lineage of Finnish mobile phone company is attractive with its light weightiness. Thanks to the tiny structure.

No price for the guess on the heavy demand. It is the comfort that the user suffers by owning the model. The mobile phone weighing 80 grams and with a size of 104x45x17mm makes this model mobile phone easy and comfortable to hold in hand. Because of the tiny size and comfortable structure, it is also easy for the user to slip into the pocket.

The keypad is reasonably easy to use, despite the numbers being split into two sections, and there's a nice 4-way scroll key. The user interface is graphical, simple to use, and makes good use of the small colour display. The Nokia 1600 mobile phone, in characteristic features are almost similar to Nokia 1110.

The Nokia 1600 mobile comes with the benefit of a colour screen, but lacks the changeable covers of the 1110. This model mobile from Nokia also has a battery life that is excellent. But of course, there are certain limitations on this new offspring from the lineage of Nokia. Obviously, certain limitations happen to every electronic gadget which is unavoidable. This Nokia 1600 model mobile phone lacks the ability to store a lot of numbers. Also the storage of SMS messages is limited. The phone has MP3 ring tones, but don't expect too much from these.

Additional characteristic features of Nokia X6 also include its integrated hands free speaker, along with SMS messaging, picture messaging, and instant messaging. The mobiles also has a speaking alarm clock and has a capacity to store 60 text messages.