If you are planning to construct a house of your own, you must take into consideration various factors – the feasibility in terms of cost, nature friendly and comfort. You can find all these aspects in eco friendly house. Rather than exposing your house to harmful gases, you can use natural products. Eco friendly products used to construct houses will do much good to your house and environment.

Lend an earthy look to your house by opting for eco green homes. Such homes will add a fresh look and allow you to breathe in a healthy atmosphere. Various natural products can be used to construct such houses. In context of global warming, such houses will help reduce the extent of damage done. It is also our moral responsibility to contribute towards the cause of nature. You can follow green home building plans and build a house at a lower cost as compared to conventional methods. You can adopt non-polluting practices to build green houses. Such houses are cool in summer and warm in winter. Bio degradable products can be reused and are not harmful too.

Following such practices will also affect your lifestyle and budget positively. If this practice was to be followed by everyone, the extent of damage can definitely be undone. Over a longer period of time, this will improve the quality of life, and also lower skyrocketing energy costs. Creating an awareness among people for the need to opt for such means will help the cause of nature.

The trend is fast catching up with builders too. They are building greener homes. These homes are available at the same cost and are affordable by all. If you have a choice of a traditional home and traditional home, or an energy efficient home which is available at the same price, you can opt for green homes. This will boost energy savings. Using natural products like bamboo is a good option as compared to conventional products like cement, marble. These products are not nature friendly and also harmful. These houses will certainly an earthy touch to the ambience. Green homes are built with higher environmental standards and don’t burn a hole in your pocket too.

Energy

Most of us would to make the world a little “greener” by reducing our home energy consumption.   There has been improvement in building techniques and materials over the last couple of decades, which means that homes are becoming more energy efficient.   Do you dream of a house with no carbon emissions and zero-net-energy use?  This can be achieved with a strategy that includes alternative energy sources, and conscientious fabrication methods and standards.  We can channel in green energy into our homes without breaking the bank.  There are DIY home energy programs that cost thousands of dollars but there are also DIY Solar and windturbine schemes that will only cost a few hubdred dollars, and that can be implemented without great technical skills. You can reach your goal of a Zero Energy Home, and it maybe just a couple of steps away…

Design: Living Green Designer Homes

When we think of eco friendly homes, or sustainable homes, we probably have an image of an odd-looking place? Too many panels and windmills all over it,  maybe half buried on a hill, or too high tech for our budget? That may have been the case once but it’s now possible to design a home that is beautiful, and will give you a degree of independence from both present and future water and energy cost increases and shortages There is evidence of a growing concern about environmental and design issues.  There is information available from government from which you can learn about design  of green buildings for energy  conservation.  Good modern design standards readily integrate sustainable features such as rainwater collection, alternative power sources, grey water recycling, solar hot water and water efficient landscaping.

Sustainability

In December 2006, The Code for Sustainable Homes was introduced as a voluntary code in the UK and by May 2008 has become a national standard. It rates the key elements of design and construction which impact upon sustainability and efficiency. It is used by architects, builders and consumers alike  in helping them plan and design new homes. The code awards new homes a star rating from 1 to 6, based on their performance against 9 sustainability criteria which assess the overall environmental impact. These are model green home building guidelines!

Building regulations require at least One Star.  Six Stars reflects exemplary sustainability.The sustainability criteria by which new homes are measured are:

Energy and CO2 Emissions

Water H20 & Surface Water Run-off

Materials

Waste

Pollution

Health and Well-Being

Management of the environmental impacts of the construction and operation

Ecology

The key is to achieve sustainability without compromising either design or quality.  The Code introduces minimum standards for energy and environmental factors affecting the sustainability of a home, and the rating takes into account different elements of sustainability. These include energy, transport, pollution, materials, land use and ecology and health and well-being.  The UK Government has set the industry  a target of delivering zero-carbon homes by 2016.

The aim of sustainable homes is to deliver real improvements in key areas such as carbon dioxide emissions and water use. 

Carbon

Carbon reduction is high on the political agenda of all nations, yet there is a clear struggle for governments to come to terms with the measures that must be taken to achieve the reduction goals that our best science tells us is needed. Much can be achieved by action at the household level that can drastically reduce the enormity of the taks that faces governments looking at the problems on a macro scale. Motivation for the changes that are needed is key, as it is in anything great but difficult that we strive for. One ‘carrot’ in the budget for households is the direct benefit of reduced energy bills achieved by making an effort to reduce their own carbon pollution.  In the UK, London Green Homes service uniquely offers a free telephone advice service, a website and a paid-for green service to provide a free tailor-made package of carbon saving lifestyle improvements.  The service has great flexibility,  offering Londoners advice on a broad range of actions to reduce carbon emissions from lifestyle changes; and explains how best to save money on energy bills.  It is the UK’s first one-stop-shop for information on how to make homes more carbon efficient. 

Environmental

A US survey has shown that 87% of home buyers want to know how their homes rate in terms of environmental performance in order to make an informed decision when moving house.  Further, 84% would pay an average 2% more for an eco-friendly home. Environmentally friendly homes are no longer a luxury reserved only for the richest Americans. Environmental concerns, dependence on foreign oil, water shortages, vanishing species, are all factors in an increasing the awareness of the call for us to be better stewards of the earth and its resources. 

In this environmentally aware world, we are hearing more about green homes, eco friendly living and sustainable homes.  Green homes that are designed to be energy efficient, use environmentally friendly and healthy materials and conserver water are becoming the standard. In addition to new building standards, there are simple environmentally friendly, DIY projects that will help curb energy costs, and improve your homes value.

Space is still the most important consideration for home buyers, but environmental considerations and use of eco-friendly materials are very high on the list of priorities.   Architectural firms today are often committed to developing creative yet environmentally sustainable components of space for the betterment of lifestyle and family in a way that supports responsible stewardship of the environment and natural resources. Green living and building, with an  emphasis on health, energy efficiency and environmental conservation, has never been more relevant than it is today.  As time goes on, there will be more attention given to advocating for socially just and environmentally-minded rebuilding solutions.  Home-building imposes very significant environmental and social costs at all levels.  Impacts of new home construction include:

quarrying to provide basic raw construction materials like aggregates,

water consumption, and the widespread use of toxic

chemicals in building materials.

Conclusion

Green homes can put money in your pocket, they don’t need to be thought of as an expensive way to do what’s demanded of us for the environment.   Sustainable homes give you peace of mind from knowing that you are doing everything you can to help sustain the planet.  Sustainable homes don’t have to be unattractive anymore,  and unsuitable for residential architecture.  Green homes are better for the environment because they use less energy, less water, and have a lower impact on the environment

Pre-Move In Walkthrough

When tenant transition is upon you and the crunch time hits (cleaners, carpets, handyman, etc.) it is important to take the time to do a Pre-Move In Walkthrough to get pictures and videos of your property after all work and cleaning has been done. Take wide angle, as well as close up shots of any areas that you feel are either in great shape, or may be a little banged up and that could come into question. Make sure to time stamp your photos or video (most digital cameras/video allow for this. Consult the owner’s manual for specifics). A few great areas to focus on: carpets (especially in high traffic areas), doors/doorways, and any walls that seem to have small cracks or chips. The idea here is to document as much as you can as to the condition of the property before move in.

Move In Walkthrough

We have implemented what we call the Move In Walkthrough. Much like the dent check that most rental car companies have you mark off before you drive off the lot, the Move In Walkthrough works in the same fashion. I will basically walk through the property with the tenants and mark off any noticeable dents, scrapes, cracks, stains, etc…and will mark them on the checklist. Once we are finished, I have the tenants sign off on the remarks and will email them a copy upon request. The idea here is to make sure there is a clear understanding between you (the landlord/property manager) and the tenant(s) as to the condition of the house prior to move in.

Pre-Move Out Walkthrough

Approximately one month before the tenants are scheduled to move out, I will contact them and schedule a joint walk-through of the property to discuss any repairs that need to be done. This helps in two major areas: it allows me to see if there are any major repairs that need to be scheduled before the move-out day, and it gives the tenants a chance to take care of some of the minor repairs (patching and painting picture holes, getting the carpets steam cleaned, etc.). I supply the first two gallons of paint (1 gallon wall paint and 1 gallon trim paint). Anything beyond that is the responsibility of the tenant(s). We use the middle column of the walkthrough template that they signed off on from the Move In Walkthrough. The idea here is to make sure there is a clear understanding between you (the landlord/property manger) and the tenant(s) as to what types of repairs may cause them to be charged and their security deposit (and in some cases beyond) to be used.

Post-Move Out Walkthrough

This walkthrough is done right after the tenants vacate the property. This should be the second time that pictures and videos are a necessity. The focus should be areas that were not touched up or repaired. Try to follow the same pattern as when you did the Pre-Move In Walkthrough. Having photographic/video records of any damage that was done will be a huge plus when you are returning a fraction of a security deposit. The idea here is, again, clarity of what expenses occurred due to damages to the property.

Let us look at how vitamin A combats acne.

Fact 1: Vitamin A – Acne, as mentioned, is mainly caused by the 5 culprits. Extra sebum(oil) is one of them. Vitamin A can help dry up these sebum as well as reducing sebum production. Without extra sebum, it reduces the chances of your pores getting clogged, ultimately reducing any development or acne outbreaks.

Fact 2: When your dead skin cells clog the follicle, your skin cannot finish it’s natural process of renewal. This encourages the growth of acne activating bacteria. Since follicle fallout also contributes to the cause of acne, vitamin A works in conjunction by helping to improve how the follicle remove dead skin cells. This can also mean that with the proper amount of vitamin A, your skin “upgrades” and ensures proper shedding of dead cells, thereby preventing the growth of bacteria.

Fact 3: Vitamin A deficiency can induce inflammation and escalate existing inflammatory states. That is to say, if your body do not have enough vitamin A to go by, the inflammatory caused by your acne could get worse during an outbreak.

Out of the 5 culprits, vitamin A has already helped in effectively combating 2 of them and reducing the effects of inflammation cause by acne. As a side note, Vitamin A also plays a key role in improving or maintaining vision, bone growth, cell differentiation as well as strengthening immunity against bacteria and viruses.

However, despite the effectiveness of Vitamin A against acne, excessive intake of vitamin A can work in the reverse. Over dosages of vitamin A can cause liver damage, birth defects, nerve damage and also nausea. It is therefore, always important that vitamin A is to be taken in moderation. Food sources like beef and chicken liver, fortified milk, cheese and eggs are good sources of vitamin A.

As a side note, the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin A per day for adult males and females is 900¼g/day or 3,000 IU/day. Importantly, the tolerable upper limit for an adult should not be more than 3000¼g/day or 10,000 IU/day.

In conclusion, The A Vitamin works very well as a preventative against acne. Vitamin A should therefore, be considered to be consumed adequately as part of the whole acne treatment process.

A good source to learn about acne free treatment is a book by Dr Chris Gibson. This is By Far, the best non-prescription Self-Help secrets On Curing and Dealing with acne problems.

Millions of people all over the world suffer from acne – the skin disorder that affecting 70 to 95% teenagers during puberty period. Some people are lucky enough that after passing the puberty, the acne problem goes away without leaving any scar, but some are left with a deep permanent scar.

This skin disorder not only affecting teenagers but also adults between the ages of 20 to 50. Acne will cause swollen and sore facial skin, depression, and lack of confident. Other than that, acne usually cost you lots of money for skin care products and treatment.

I was one of those people who suffered from severe pimples during my teenage years. This problem went on with whiteheads, pustules and severe cysts (deep pimples and boils) during my adult life.

In senior high school, I suffered severe ace problem. The peer pressure in school was very cruel. I lived in horror every day, and harassed as “greaser” and “speckled face”. It was one of the toughest times in my life.

Treatment after treatment seemed endless and led me nowhere. In desperation, I finally used tetracycline as antibiotics that were recommended by the dermatologist at that time to cure acne. I started taking tetracycline without knowing what the side effects were. At that time I was only concerned about getting rid of my pimples.

After taking the antibiotics for quite some time, my teeth started experiencing discoloration, leaving overall gray cast in the enamel. It kept me away from wide happy smile as it was a permanent embarrassment to me.

Later in life, it cost me further as my teeth regularly had cavities and needed filling. With times the teeth became so brittle and easily break off for no reason. If I could turn back the time, I would definitely seek other natural cure for acne rather than taking this antibiotics.

At the age of 22, the breakout returned and followed me around for the next twenty years. I tried different lotion and ointment from over the counter products. I even tried almost every products offered and spent lots of money to seek treatment from different dermatologist. The problem only seemed to get worse.

Later as the condition got worse, I sought treatment from a well known dermatologist specialized in acne treatment. He did the same procedures, cleaned my face, cut open the acne, squeezed it out and sealed the wound using electric tools. It hurt so much and I was once again in horror. I watched that acne scars became worse and creating deep bean-sized hole, similar to the chicken pox scar, all over my face and chin.

When the acne breakout started to stop, I stopped taking the prescription drugs and it turned out that I was having yet another even worse breakouts.

After a while I felt tired of seeking treatment and taking drugs from a doctor, and I followed one of the doctors that recommended me to start cleaning my face using baby soap and decided to stop taking drugs. It worked wonder for a while but my skin became so dull in appearance.

It took me more than five years to have my smooth, vibrant healthy looking skin back and lots of trial and error to find the natural ways to do it.

Here are the natural and easy ways to get rid of acne:
Clean your face few times a day
Wash your face with the left-over tea leaves, or cover your face with steam from the tea leaves in a basin of hot water
Make sure your wash your hair regularly
Never touch or scratch the acne no matter how itchy it is
Never squeeze or pop up the acne
Never scrub your face while having a breakout, use scrub lotion only when you have no breakout on your face
If you need to use facial products such as lotion or moisturizer, make sure it has no alcohol and fragrance content
Avoid using thick make-up
Drink lots of water, and avoid cola
Stay away from a second-hand smokers
Be happy and try not to live under stress or depression
Exercise regularly. Exercise help reduce elevated insulin that trigger hormone imbalance and assist better blood circulation
Take yoga class regularly, yoga can help you to ease stress, detoxify and clean the impurities in your body
Use of aromatherapy that also works as Oxygen therapy to enhance skin repair and cell regeneration for a smoother, vibrant and healthy looking skin
Choose healthy diets with protein rich and a low Glycemic Index food (Fiber, tofu and vegetables). Eat more fruits rich in antioxidants (vitamin C and vitamin E) such as Goji berry, Berry, Citrus and Oranges
Sleep 8 hours a day.

Those are a few simple steps that I did to get rid of my acne problem and get smooth, vibrant looking skin. These steps will take a while, but it has been proven effective.

Recently I accidentally found a better option from one of the famous e-book: Chris Gibson acne free in 3 days. Though the title seemed to good to be true for those of us who suffers from severe acne and scars, however all the steps mentioned in these e-book make sense and easily to follow, at least within 3 days of practicing the steps you will see the difference on your skin.

The information in this article will help those who desperately seek a natural way to cure acne and be acne-free for the rest of life. You could get your self-confidence back and feel great about yourself and appearance. Stop hiding yourself behind make-up, hats or veil. Keep smiling, feel happy and be confident!

Most of the time your Realtor marketing system consists of occasional cold calling, running a few ads and waiting for the phone to ring. While this may have worked well 15 years ago, the current real estate industry is very competitive and requires out of the box ideas.

Planning is crucial in the real estate business. If you do not plan for your success, you will only achieve failure. No one plans to fail, but by not writing down your step by step goals, you are planning your own failure.

Here are some questions to consider when creating your marketing system:

·         Who is your audience and how will you reach them?

·         How much money do you have to work with this year? This month? This week?

·         Will you be including internet marketing as a part of your plan?

·         What are your goals? (number of new listings, Gross Commission Income, etc.)

·         What is your competition doing that you like? Dislike?

·         What does your target market NEED? Want?

·         How will you track your results?

·         In what order will you concentrate on tasks? (in other words, do not scatter yourself too thin)

·         Will you use cold calling, farming, internet, postcards, referrals?  What METHODS are you going to use?

·         What will you do when one method does not work? What is your contingency plan?

There is a lot to think about when creating a plan of action for your business.

Here are the steps to take when creating your marketing plan:

1.       Ask yourself questions: What is your product/service? What makes it special? What do you do that is unique? Who are your customers and what do they want/need?

2.       Understand that your plan should be SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE. This is the place to come up with a concrete budget as well.

3.       Do market research such as the number of houses on the market, what sold last year in your area, how many competing agents there are, etc. Know your numbers so you know what you need to overcome.

4.       Break out your budget into areas: advertising, mailing costs, open houses, gifts, etc.

5.       Ask yourself what marketing worked well for you last year? What did not work well?

6.       What is my target market? (Geographical, first time buyers, retirees, etc)

7.       Prepare a mission statement.

8.       What are some niche markets you can service?

9.       What are some marketing strategies you want to use this year? (Networking clubs, speaking at local club meetings, getting more involved in your Board, getting REO listings, farming neighborhoods, etc.)

10.   Send out press releases to local newspapers.

11.   Research what your competition is doing and learn from their successes and mistakes.

12.   Use your car as a mobile classroom! Listen to books on CD to keep learning on the road.

I received a phone call from a stranger and he had this really funny accent as he was attempting to share some stuff with me.

It started like this:

“Hello, Can I speak to Jaz?”

“Yes” I said…

“Hi, I’m calling on behalf of an event organizing company. Our office is in Orchard Road (main shopping district of Singapore) and we have an event going on this Monday….blah blah blah…”

I was shocked cos’ I could not understand a thing this stranger was blabbering about! With my best efforts, I tried to cut him short as he just would stop hammering on! This atrocity went on for three straight minutes, you would wonder if this guy ever stops to take a breath! He ended his blabbering after the three minutes to invite me to his company’s event.

At this point in time, I STILL did not understand what he is trying to sell me so I asked him politely and said, “May I know what this event is all about?”

He then went on to say “We are an event organizing company…blah blah blah”

I lost my patience at this point in time and I told him to stop saying, “I’m NOT interested.” It was a complete waste of time… his and mine!

Do you know how frustrating is that? Having a stranger calling me out of the blue is fine, but not when they are unaware of my thoughts of my feelings.

This is how most network marketing reps are like when they cold call – they just talk and talk without giving a damn about their prospects!

Look at it this way, if you are going to cold call, you might as well save time by doing it correctly the first time.

You will need to do the following:

- Firstly, identify your reason for calling and explain to them how you got their contact number in the first place. It is just basic courtesy.

- Ask the prospect for permission – whether it is convenient to talk to them. You don’t want to catch someone when they are driving, in the shower, in a meeting or spending some time with their spouse engaged in some ‘activity’!

- Focus on telling them about the benefits as in what’s in it for them. If you are inviting them to an event, simply inform them about what’s in it for them.

- Be a good listener. Don’t just keep blabbering away like that foolish sales person. Telemarketers do this all the time but whether they get any sales or not, are a totally different story.

Remember, at the end of the day, people will put their own needs before everything else in the world so make sure you identify what their needs are.

I have three ideas on how to proceed.

Number 1. Dress up as the grim reaper and get past the receptionist by telling her you are there to deliver a singing birthday telegram. (I can lend you my outfit but you may find the sleeves a little short.)

Number 2. Send your husband to pace on the front sidewalk of the target company wearing a sandwich-board sign saying his wife needs work.

Number 3. Tie a copy of your letter to a rock and throw it through the window.

The first two have an advantage over the third because they’re legal. However, I’m sure they’ve been done before and are no longer fresh and fun. The third may be the most emotionally satisfying, but don’t tell anyone I said that.

Seriously, if you really want to work with that a particular person, I’d advise contacting him or her through more than one channel: phone, postal mail, email, etc.

But wait, you’ve already done that. Never mind. (Unless perhaps you can find a new connection via LinkedIn or something else along those lines.)

I suggest putting this company on the back burner. Remember all of the names you have there in case you ever happen upon someone who could serve as your entrée, but for the time being, end this seemingly hopeless pursuit.

I suspect this is all for the best. This company flashes neon signs of being a miserable client. Inaccessible and egotistical executives, with support staff who share these characteristics. It could be exceedingly difficult to move projects along to completion or obtain needed information. And if your check is late, good luck in finding anyone willing to follow up on it for you.

If you aim to contact 1,000 relevant individuals for assignments, this communications director represents only 0.1% of the database. Insignificant and not worthy of your concern. (One thousand names is a worthy objective, but I’ve never had to assemble even nearly this many to keep busy.)

You make calls to offer people your help, not to pester them. Because you choose whom to call with care, they should be pleased to hear from you. Minimally, they should tolerate your approach and consider keeping you on file in case they need you later.

I recommend simply moving on to the next name. Take your offer to someone who will value it and who has opened the communication channels to receive it.

The secret of achieving all the above successes can be expressed in a single term, “Conversational Hypnosis”. Have you ever heard about it or if heard, given a serious thought?

With the power of conversational hypnosis, one is able to quickly and easily put people under his spell and get them do what he likes. And it is not magic. It is simply the ability of using the art of hypnosis in normal conversations. The most interesting part of conversational hypnosis is that the person on whom one is using the technique does not even notice or understands that he is being hypnotized. With this method, it has become possible to hypnotize someone in any environment as the main tool is simple conversation.

Conversational hypnosis is perhaps the most effective and harmless way to use the power of hypnotism to produce result quickly that has a permanent effect. The system basically creates a trance situation while using embedded words in the normal course of conversation. As the subject is unaware about the fact that he is being hypnotized, some people say that the system is unethical. However, there are experts who are of the opinion that the system is tested widely and very effective. Needless to say they do not consider it unethical.

Conversational hypnosis can be used for any purpose, most importantly, to prosper in business. How is that possible? Just think what will happen to your buyers when you meet them to close a deal. Buyers have a predetermined way of thinking in the sense that when someone comes in the market to buy something, his mind is predetermined about the shape, size, price, quality or quantity or like details of the merchandise. What if you can convince him that what you are selling is the best buy for him in terms of all his needs? And that is what you will be able to achieve with the power of this system. Overnight you will become a successful sales person once equipped with the power. While closing any deal with someone, you will always be able to judge his mind and manage to convince him that yours is the only product or service that he wants. In short, you will always be in the driving seat while without this power, normally the seller remains at the receiver’s end.

And this power can help you not only in business but in all sphere of life including instant success in convincing your colleagues; make anybody say yes to what you say and even getting success in dating.

Like all the good things, however, conversational hypnosis also can be used for unethical gains. One can convince a complete stranger to hand out his wallet, or eat in a restaurant and walk away without paying the bill. But then, anything good in an evil hand has the potential of creating havoc. Nuclear power has been successfully used for generation of electric or to run submarines and the like beneficial ways. The same nuclear power can be used to wipe out the whole planet we are living on. Does that mean nuclear power is destructive or nuclear fusion should never have been invented? A righteous man always knows and respects the demarcation line between good and evil. Conversational hypnosis is such a weapon which, if used with conscience and morality, can change the way of one’s life for the better.