Author Archives: dhian

Rent Or Buy Real Estate?

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Recently….over the past year, a friend asked me for advice on whether now is a good time to rent or buy real estate. As most of my friends, colleagues and locals know, I consider myself a real estate junkie and have learned quite a few tough lessons, but have had many great experiences professionally and personally to last a lifetime … and I’m only 30 years but this is the age where we can take those lessons and build our future, using real estate as a catapult to financial freedom one day…. Stop reading if you think real estate is a “get rich quick” scheme. I think it was when I was younger. Trust me, it’s not.

I can write a novel on the difference between renting and buying real estate but I will try to make this short yet helpful. All things equal, owning a house far exceeds the benefit of renting a home. The obvious factors are that by owning, you can build equity and write-off your interest payments on your mortgage. This doesn’t mean that everyone in America should be a homeowner. Real estate is local. For instance, property values are still declining in California. In Florida, prices are starting to level off. In New Jersey I can point out 30 different markets where the market conditions are different. If you live in Montclair, the market is different in Clifton, less than 2 miles away.

If real estate values are deteriorating in your neighborhood of choice and your interest rate is not favorable, it could be a good reason to stick with renting for now. Deals don’t go away overnight.

If you have cash saved, some tenants prefer renting so that they can play the stock market which historically return 8-10% per year with a good broker. Real estate values typically follow the rate of inflation over the long term. That being said, home ownership has the best tax incentive. Married couples can earn up to $500,000 in gains on their homes TAX FREE, where singles can earn up to $250,000 in gains TAX FREE. If you played the stock market, those gains would be hit by nearly 50% by Uncle Sam.

First and foremost, you need to find a neighborhood that you absolutely love. If you have kids, it is important to look in their best interest FIRST before yours. Second, look at property values. If prices are declining and homes are sitting on the market for over 180 days, it may be better off to hold off and rent, analyze for the next year, and buy something possibly in foreclosure when you are ready. How do you find out about Days On Market (DOM)? Call a local agent and ask for homes for sale in your preferred neighborhood. DOM is normally listed.

If you do buy, it is best to put down 20%. Avoiding Private Mortgage Insurance is huge today. PMI companies are going broke or already did, and the ones left standing are charging an arm and 2 legs for coverage. Not to mention your closing costs are about 3% higher. Although an FHA loan sounds great with 97% Loan To Value loans, it is quite expensive when you roll things out. Be sure that you understand the pros and cons of FHA versus Conventional financing. I will offer friendly advice to those who ask.

Some pros and cons about renting and buying…Well if you rent, you have the flexibility to move. Leases run month to month, 6 months, and 1 year. Home ownership limits you to the market whether it is a buyer or sellers market. The resale of your home is based off of competitive sales and overall demand, not a lease. Renting allows you to blame everything on the landlord. If you don’t like dealing with broken water heaters, leaky roof, and running toilets, then maybe you are a lifelong renter. OWNING a home allows you a huge tax advantage, potential tax-free capital gains, and emotional satisfaction. With that however, comes property taxes and upkeep.

If you purchase or contract a home by the end of 2009, you are eligible for the $8,000 tax credit from the IRS and can spread this out over 2 years, something Congress passed to stimulate home ownership. All things aside, this is truly a very good time to start shopping for a home. Historically low prices, low interest rates, and real estate provides an amazing tax shelter. Read my article about the tax credit HERE

So a couple paragraphs to conclude, real estate is a very tough and mean industry. If you are not careful, it will eat you up 10 times over. Most people get only one chance and you are done for a long time. Most decisions in life are based off emotion, and in real estate, if you let emotion control your decisions, you are in for a potentially catastrophic ride. Most importantly, let a professional help you with a plan. You can either agree or disagree with their input. But a guy like me can share a wealth of information for those who don’t even know what a home inspection is. Don’t try to tackle buying a home by yourself.

On a side note, most of you that know me know that I have more stories about real estate and business that will even draw a surprised look from Ben Stein. I have learned from the best in the industry though and at 30, I feel I have a great amount of experience in real estate acquisition, construction, and finance. I have shared my stories with investment groups across the country and now speak at forums about risk mitigation. One thing that is so important to understand and I’ll say it again, is that real estate is the biggest catapult to financial wealth, freedom, and stability. Most of our parents made a lot of our upbringing possible by home ownership and equity.

If you are not ready now, don’t panic or feel that you are missing the boat. The nice thing about real estate is that it is tangible. It will always be there no matter what, different than stocks. Think things through, talk to people, and make a smart decision. Once you make a smart decision, your emotions will take over.

Besides my beautiful family, real estate is the most important thing in my life. I strive to make more good decisions than bad ones, and if you understand how I put it, the industry will force you to make both types of decisions. The key is not to jump the gun. Understands everything. Then…one day…everyone will have the opportunity to live a safer life no matter if it’s just buying 1 house or 20 houses.

Fruits and Vegetables Cutting Toys | Fun Learning Names of Fruits and Vegetables

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Fruits and Vegetables Cutting Toys , Fun Learning Names of Fruits and Vegetables ,Playing the names of fruits and vegetables will increase the child’s vocabulary. In addition, cut fruit and vegetable toys will also enhance your child’s fine motor skills.

I’ve been buying toys for my kids for years now so I hate to think about how much I’ve spent. So I’ve decided to write this short article just to give people an idea of what I’ve bought, and why. But, I must also say that it is worth every penny. When my first little one was born, I followed the concept that, if I bought mostly wooden toys for my first toy, they would last a long time and I could then pass them on to the next little one.

So, although I did spend quite a bit of cash in the outset, it has paid off by saving me money in the long run. My children have had many years of fun with these wooden toys. Even my oldest, who will now be 16 years old, still has just a little play with them when he thinks no one else is watching. So you could say that the wooden toys that I bought have lasted 16 years and they are still usable.

Listed here are a few examples of what we have bought for them:

Wooden Barbecue Set:
Time to fire up the BBQ! It has been great fun over the years. This wooden toy barbecue is great fun both indoors and out for children young and old. The cart is made out of a mixture of sturdy plywood and natural woods complete with rubber coated wheels to make sure you get a smooth run. Seven wooden rods form the grill, with an additional two rotating rods which function meat skewers. Thread the five painted wooden sausages on to the skewers and turn them using the BBQ-tongs for truly real looking but imaginary play! The upper shelf can be folded down by releasing the secure latch. The lower storage compartment provides additional play and storage space for toy shop accessories and kitchen utensils. The whole set measures approximately 60 x 30 x 51cm and it is suitable for children 36 months and older.

Wooden Fruit In Carton Set:
Bright coloured wooden fruit in a carton is a complete playing set for little ones. A delightful basket of colourful wooden fruit enabling children to learn about shapes, colour as well as the names of fresh fruit. It encourages kids to role play different characters along with stimulating their imagination. Children can pretend to wash the various fruit and veggies for hygiene purposes. They can also cut the various fruit in half and pretend to cook a meal or cut the various fruits within the set and place them in a serving dish and pretend to serve their family members, friends or visitors.

They can also play with their friends, members of the family and create stories like “just how much did the apple cost”, “what number of lemons did you buy” or “is the banana ripe”. Parents can play along and teach their children the names of the fruits and vegetables, that will help develop vocabulary ability.

Wooden Fruit Birthday Cake:
Lovely and playful large wooden fruit birthday cake which is festooned with various kinds of good-looking fruit, food items, candles, jelly sweets which are divided into 6 portions and either pulls apart or cuts using the wooden cake cutter! A great addition to a toy kitchen or just to use alone.

Your child can pretend it is someone’s birthday with mum and dad. Favourite dolls are not only fun but help with developing social and communication skills. This quality, durable and pretty fruit cake is guaranteed to be a number one toy as your children play out someone’s birthday.

Wooden Fruity Basket From Wonderworld:
Packaged in a wooden crate with six pieces of colourful fruit: Apple, Banana, Cherries, Kiwi, Pear and Watermelon. The fruity basket comes with a wooden knife to cut the fruit in half. It helped my children recognize shapes, colours and a wide variety of fruits. They can pretend to cut open the pre-cut fruit with a wooden knife and serve it to their guests. Imaginative play is endless!

I think Wonderworld takes great pride in bringing both enjoyment and learning value to children through top quality wooden toys. They only use environmentally-friendly materials such as rubber-wood that comes from a replenish-able source, and water-based non-toxic paints and lacquers.

6 Wooden Eggs And Mixing Bowl:
This has been the highlight in my children’s kitchen and comes in an egg box. These type of playing food toys will keep your children entertained for hours. My kids still have hours of fun with these to this day.

I have got plenty more toys that I have bought through the years, but I think it would make this article a bit tedious if I listed them all. Plus I haven’t really got the time. But I do believe I have written enough to put my point across, and that is, if you buy wooden toys, they are going to last for years which saves you cash over the long term.

Fun Learning Names of Fruits

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Fun Learning Names of Fruits ,Children will easily add to their vocabulary in a creative way. Learning the names of fruits, vegetables, foods, and other toys through the Fun Learning Names of Fruits, Vegetables, and Food with Velcro Sliceable Toys videos is a lot of fun. Cut the fruit in half and call the name.

PlanToys is the name of a company that are a maker of a host of Children’s and Toddlers educational toys. They have a big market share in the United States and have a reputation for wholesome products that have learning and play functions. In this article I shall look at the company and offer an opinion on their products.

A great variety of wooden toys are made by PlanToys that could be thought of as traditional. For example they make wooden building blocks in bold primary colors such as red, blue and green. They also my simulated play toys such as wooden fruit that encourage learning by emulating adults, this is another play theme that could be thought of as traditional.

In common with the traditional outlook on toy manufacture PlanToys, where possible, try to use simple manufacturing techniques. They will try to minimize the use of plastic or metal in their products attempting to make the toys as homogenous as possible using natural glue, paint and the shape of the wood to give the toy strength. This can be seen in the wooden fruit set that only contains a small amount of Velcro to fasten the fruit together and to allow for some simulated cutting. It goes with out saying that the manufacturing processes and products should be as safe as possible with no sharp edges and limited swallow hazards. It is also correct to say that all toys will conform to the relevant safety regulations. Parents should, as always, follow the manufacturers’ instructions where toys are concerned and in particular it is important that children are old enough to play with the toys they are given. An example is where a small part could pose a chocking hazard to a small child but is totally safe for an older one.

A good example of a toy made by PlanToys is the dancing alligator. It is a wooden pull toy, a toy designed to be pulled along by a child that has just learned to walk. It is shape like an alligator and colored in attractive green and yellow. The idea is that it makes journeys a little more fun to take together. When the dancing alligator is pulled it will wobble, or dance and make a clacking noise. This means it gives the child a small reward for walking with it and keeps the attention of the child by bouncing up and down.

The dancing alligator is made almost exclusively of wood, with only a small amount of rubber on the wheels to ensure that it gets enough friction to move properly. This stops the toy from tipping over if it isn’t pulled in a straight line, or if it spins around a bend. This also means that it is possible to use the toy outside, on and on the grass. This is a very well thought out toy that should cater to children’s situations and not cause frustration.