House Guru

For all your online Hindu prayer needs, go to chalisa.in Chalisa is the Hindu word for prayer.

I leeched the website's logo, which you can see in the picture above. It's kind of small on this website, so go to the original website to see a larger, clearer version.

by: Matt Norman

You've made the decision to move ahead in the real estate world and get your real estate license through an online course. Navigating the waters of online real estate courses can be tricky, as there are so many institutes, colleges and universities online which promise you the best education programmes. With all of the information that's available, you'll probably need some help. Here is a guide to resources for online real estate courses.

One of the best online guides to help you get started is Elearners.com. This is a great site, that is easy to navigate and fun to use. It offers extensive links to a comprehensive database, which will help you to find that online real estate course that is just right for you. The webmasters also maintain a large collection of FAQs, or Frequently Asked Questions, which will most likely answer many of the questions that you have about getting your degree online. For example, there are questions and answers regarding the types of technological requirements that are needed for online courses.

It is also very important that you verify your online school's accreditation before you officially enrol in your real estate course. This is a significant step, because you need to be sure that your college is approved to teach your real estate programme. Accreditation can be verified by several agencies, but the most reliable agency is the Distance Education Office, which will be happy to help you.

Finally, if you are relying on financial aid for online real estate courses, the Department of Education is a great place to start the application process. You can download your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FASFA, for short, at their website. You can also fill it out online, thus speeding up the application process.

Earning your real estate credentials through an online programme should be a rewarding and enjoyable experience and there are many great resources to help you get started.


About the author:
Matt Norman is the founder of Easy Distance Learning a website providing information on learning online


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MIAMI (AP) -- Diane Peek needed to move from Georgia to central Florida, but for six months no one even showed interest in the house she and her husband built outside Atlanta.

In suburban Orlando, Andrew Bou needed to sell his family home to move to Atlanta, but also no luck. Peek and Bou each joined a Web site that matches people willing to trade their homes. They punched in their needs, their likes and dislikes and like two singles finding love on a dating site, they became a match. About seven months later, they swapped homes.

By Associated Press

Read the whole story

Vastu is an ancient Indian theory of architecture. It is about home design, construction of buildings and interior decore. Vastu creates peace of mind for those who live in a home designed according to its principles.

Vastu harmonizes the cosmic forces and makes life pleasant. The proper alignment of rooms with well proportioned sizes and shapes harmonizes the home's energies. The structure and its surroundings should be properly selected and measured in order to promote wealth, health, happiness and a life of delight

Here is a quote from an astrologer's website on Vastu:

Many difficulties or sufferings in various aspects of our lives are the direct result of vastu defects in our residential building or in our office and unfavorable planetary influences in our horoscopes. Non-structural and structural changes can bring significant improvements in the difficult situations. We might have used colors which are unfavorable to us as per our birth charts / horoscopes. We might be having a puja sthana / place of meditation in a wrong place; we might have a toilet where we should have place of meditation; we might be suffering from loss of sleep due to sleeping in wrong direction; we might be suffering from health problems due to wrong placements in our kitchen; we might be suffering due to faulty layout of our business premises or factory; we might be suffering due to having staircase in the wrong place; we might be suffering from stomach problems due to wrong sitting postures in WC / toilet; etc. [snip]

To learn about the science of Vastu click here. Please come back when you are finished the other website.

Probably the most intimidating part of building your own house is the permit process. Not only do the the requirements vary from township to township, but at times the decisions made seem so subjective that we find ourselves seething in frustration. However, permits and inspections are a necessary step, and they are in place predominately for your protection. Ask any earthquake victim in Iran. Because I am concerned here with new construction, I won't go into the permits required for renovation; that's another story.
In a new development, the buyer usually doesn't have to think about permits; the builder takes care of all the details. With independent projects, you may end up engaging a contractor who hires all the sub-contractors and takes care of the permits. This makes life infinitely easier for the buyer, but you'll pay for that convenience. In rural areas, because township officials are usually volunteers, they tend to work only one or two hours a week, and often after five o'clock. If you miss their time, you'll probably have to wait another week. This could run your builder ragged and cause unwelcome delays.
If you decide to get the permits yourself, the first thing you want to do is go to the township office and acquire their Code Requirements for Single Family Dwellings, and also their Building Permit Requirement Checklist (or whatever they call these documents). The Code Requirements will cover everything from smoke detectors to egress windows, from stair requirements to insulation, from foundations to chimneys and anything in between. It wouldn't hurt to send a copy to your log home manufacturer, just in case. The Building Permit checklist, though more simply worded, will be the most important document to familiarize yourself with. If even one of these items are unchecked, you won't get that permit that day!
Once you start the process, you come to realize that the Construction Permit is the most important, the most sought-after, the most critical objective in your immediate scope. Without it, you cannot even break ground. Since everything ties together, the township wants to make sure you have your "ducks in a row" before they "permit" you to start. There will usually be a one-year time limit to the permit, or a six-month time limit if construction is stopped in the middle. You should budget about $1500-$2000 for your average building permit, unless there unusual circumstances attached to your project (wetlands delineation, variances, etc.).
Because every township is different, I'll limit myself to my own building project, which took place in rural NJ. We chose to sign up as Homeowner Builder, which the owners can opt to do if they are going to live in their own house. We were technically responsible for getting the permits and the subs (although we hired a contractor who hired most of the subs for us). This meant that we had to climb a steep learning curve to understand all the components of the project.
Here is what we had to acquire to qualify for the building permit:
TAX CERTIFICATION: This document came from the township, and verified that not only did we own this piece of land, we were up to date with our property tax payments.
TWO SETS OF SEALED BUILDING PLANS: We learned very quickly how important this was. What they wanted was an Architect's or Building Engineer's stamp on the plans that came from the log home manufacturer. Do not assume that the plans will come pre-stamped. Not all manufacturers have the ability to apply a seal from every state. Our plans were not sealed, and we had to scramble around and find someone willing to stamp someone else's plans. This is not an easy task, because most architects do not want to take on that responsibility. This snag set our project back two months.
Included in the building plan will probably be a separate foundation plan, since most log homes do not provide a foundation as part of the building. If there is a separate foundation plan, it too will need to be stamped by a qualified engineer or architect.
SIGNED, SEALED ELECTRIC PERMIT APPLICATION: Don't expect the log home manufacturer to provide electrical drawings. Once you hire an electrician, you'll have to sit down with him and determine where you are putting your outlets, light switches and fixtures. Local code will determine how close together your outlets will go. Do yourself a favor and put in many more outlets than you think you will need; retrofitting could be unsightly. Also, plan on twice as many light fixtures than a standard home - wood sucks up light like a sponge. While you are at it, it helps to include your cable wires, phone wires and CAT5 in every room, even though you may not think you'll need it. Once you move into the house, you may change a room's usage from your original conception - we did, and regretted our shortsightedness.
SIGNED, SEALED PLUMBING PERMIT APPLICATION: This is another set of drawings that will not come from the log home manufacturer. You and the plumber must figure out where the fixtures are going, and if you live in the country remember that the plumbing needs to hook into your septic. (This permit is separate from the septic design permit).
APPROVED COUNTY SEPTIC DESIGN: The septic design came from the local civil engineer. The permit application came from the township, but the septic approval came from the county.
HVAC DIAGRAM showing where your ductwork is going.
DRIVEWAY PERMIT: In our case, this came from the Director of Public Works. We had to make provision for a pipe to be installed beneath a 24' paved apron at the end of the driveway. This allowed the water runoff unimpeded access to the stream down the block.
STATE WELL PERMIT and TOWNSHIP WELL PERMIT if you are digging your own well. If there is a drought going on, they might put a hold on new well permits, which will put a hold on the whole project. So get it as quickly as possible.
PLOT PLAN AND ZONING APPROVAL: the Plot Plan will come from the local civil engineer. This is not the same as a survey, which will be required by the mortgage company. The plot plan shows the location of the house, driveway, well and septic as well as the perimeter of the building envelope.
WATER TABLE INVESTIGATION REPORT: this will help you determine whether you can dig a basement, or do you need to raise the house up?
These are the big ones. You might have local wetland delineation issues, easements, or setbacks to worry about. Once you get that Construction Permit, treat yourself to a celebratory dinner. You'll have earned it!
The Construction Permit needs to be prominently displayed on the job site. You also need to keep one of those sealed sets of building plans on site at all times, just in case you get a surprise visit from an inspector. Hopefully by now you will have made friends with the township inspector, because he's going to have a big say in the ease or difficulty of your project. The inspections are all spelled out and will be required at each step in the process before you can move on. This could cause a delay of one to several days (not counting bad weather), so think ahead - but not too far ahead. The first inspection will come pretty quick. When your excavator digs the hole for your foundation, the township may inspect the bottom of the footing trenches before placement of footings. If you are using a Superior Walls precast foundation system, there will be no footings so this inspection will be unnecessary. However, the footings for your deck and porches will need to be inspected.
There will be a foundation inspection before the backfill is shoveled in. The big inspection will be the framing inspection. This must be done before the insulation is added. Then, there will be an inspection for the plumbing, the electrical panel and wiring, the septic or sewer service, then insulation. At the end of the project, there will be a final inspection before issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy; the inspector will look at the finishing work, the smoke detectors, fixtures, etc. There may be other inspections in between, depending on the township.
Unless you are acting as your own general contractor, inspections should not concern you, except that if something fails the whole project grinds to a halt. If you are the Homeowner Builder, you will probably be arranging the inspections yourself, and it helps to know what the township is looking for.
About the author: Mercedes Hayes is a Realtor licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I specialize in Log Homes and Residential Real Estate. For more information about myself and the Delaware Valley, go to www.MercedesHayes.com

Mortgage Terms Explained

by: Chris Cooper

When you are hunting for a mortgage, you will find that there are many different types of mortgages available. I will list some of the more common ones and their uses. 15 vs 30 Years Your mortgage term can be just about anything you choose. 15 and 30 year terms are popular these days, although 10 and 20 years also are available. The shorter the term, the lower the interest rate. But the main attraction of shorter term mortgages is the money you save. For example on a $200,000 mortgage with a fixed 4.5% rate, you would pay $1013.38 a month for 30 years and $1529.99 a month for 15 years. Over 30 years you would pay $364,816.80 versus $275,398.20 over 15 years, a savings of $89,418.60 or 24.5% in interest. If you cut a very conservative quarter of a percent off for reducing the lender's exposure by 15 years, your savings will be nearly 26%. Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM ) ARM’s are mortgages whose rates adjust according to the terms of the contract you made with the lender. Usually interest rates are fixed for the first 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 years. After that period is up, rates will be allowed to fluctuate within the limits of your contract with the lender. Terms are usually 15 or 30 years (although you can negotiate just about any duration you want). There can be a balloon involved. Because the lender is not taking as big a risk on losing money if interest rates rise, these loans will have a lower initial rate than a fixed mortgage. The lowest rates will be for 1 year ARM’s and will go up accordingly. Many people will take out an ARM even in period of low rates, such as now, because they get even lower rates and are able to afford more house. However, the borrower is taking the risk that he can still afford the house after the rates are free to rise. It used to be common for the contract to limit fluctuations to 2% a year. However, 5% swings are becoming more the norm. Depending on what happens to interest rates, you might find yourself priced out of your house. Of course, you could renegotiate if rates start to go back up. The average homeowner owns his or her house for approximately 7 years. If you plan to move before the initial fixed term of the ARM is up, it’s a good choice. If you plan to stay longer than ten years, a fixed rate might be a better option. Balloon Mortgage A balloon mortgage is one that is not completely paid off at the end of its term. For example, you might obtain a 15 year fixed rate mortgage that allows you to pay less than the normal amortization schedule would call for. At the end of the 15 years, you will still owe a portion of the principal. How much depends on the terms of the contract. An interest only mortgage is an example of this type of loan. In the case of an interest only loan, the balloon will be the full amount you originally borrowed. This type of mortgage allows borrowers either to afford more house then they otherwise could buy or its reduces their monthly costs, allowing them to spend or invest their savings elsewhere. Again, if you are planning to move before the balloon is due and your proceeds from the sale are enough to cover the balloon, this might be a good idea. However, you face the very real possibility of having to come up with cash when you sell to cover the balloon, especially if you have to sell at a time of declining housing prices. BiWeekly Mortgages A biweekly mortgage is one where pay half of the normal mortgage payments every two weeks. Since you are making 26 payments a year, rather than 24, you wind up paying off the interest sooner and saving considerable interest. Take the example of a $200,000, 4.5% fixed rate mortgage with a 30 year term. The normal payment would be $1013.37 a month. The biweekly amount is $506.91. But the payoff is huge. Your loan will be paid 5 1/2 years earlier and you will save 28% or $32,639.75 interest. You can set up your own biweekly mortgage plan with your existing mortgage, assuming there is no prepayment penalty (which usually only applies the first few years anyhow). Simply send in or have your bank debit your checking account for one half your mortgage payments every two weeks. There should be no extra costs or fees to do this. Or you can reach a similiar result by dividing your monthly payment by twelve and adding that to your payment. In this example that would come out to be an extra $84.44 a month. The secret is that any prepayment, no matter how small will result in saving in interest and a shorter payment period. Bridge Loans Bridge loans are used in real estate transactions to cover the down payment on a new home, when the borrower has equity in his old home, but not enough cash. It is generally a short term, interest only loan that is repaid when the homeowner sells his old house. Conventional Mortgage Most mortgages are conventional, the terms just vary. A conventional mortgage to most people is a 15 or 30 year fixed rate mortgage with at least 20% down. Construction Mortgages These are really loans that carry a higher interest rate than a normal mortgage. They allow you to borrow the money to build a house and are converted into a mortgage once the house is finished. FHA (Federal Housing Administration) The FHA is a branch of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department. It is a depression era creation, meant to make it possible for people to buy homes at a time when banks where not granting mortgages. The FHA insures loans up to certain set amounts, which vary with the region of the country and the type of loan. Right now the guarantees run from about $160,000 for a one family house to somewhat over $300,000 for a four family home. This type of mortgage is designed to help low and moderate income people become home owners. It requires low down payments and has flexible lending requirements. If the borrower defaults, the government steps in and pays the guarantee. This makes it easier for lenders to write mortgages they would otherwise refuse. Fixed Rate Fixed rate mortgages have interest rates set for the term of the mortgage, which can be anywhere between 5 to 30 years. Although they can be interest only or have a balloon, they usually are conventionally amortized mortgages. At times like now, when rates are low, most homeowners want to lock in the low fixed rates. They are popular when rates are falling, not so popular when they’re high or going up. This type mortgage is a very good idea if you're planning to live in your house for a while. Home Equity Line of Credit A revolving credit line secured by your home. Because it is a mortgage, it carries a lower rate than other forms of credit and is tax deductible. It differs from a second mortgage in that it is not for a fixed term or amount and can be kept in effect as long as you own your home. This is used most frequently for debt consolidation and can be useful if you rip up your credit cards and use the money you save on interest to invest. Interest Only Mortgages This is just what it says. You only pay interest, the principal is never reduced. This is the grand daddy of all balloon mortgages and you taking a big risk that your house depreciates in value rather than the other way around. You could very well have to come up with extra cash at closing. The payments are much lower than on a normally amortized mortgage and if you have the discipline, it can be a useful financial planning tool. Jumbo Mortgages Mortgage loans over $322,700 (the limit is periodically raised). Otherwise, the mortgage can be fixed or variable, balloon, etc. Rates are usually a little higher than for smaller loans. No Doc or Low Doc Mortgages This refers to the mortgage application, not to the mortgage itself. Business owners, people living off investments, salesmen and others whose income is variable might use low or limited documentation mortgages. Very wealthy borrowers or those who want substantial financial privacy will sometimes use the no doc option. In either case, in spite of their names some documentation is required. The lender will accept nothing less than excellent credit and even then you will pay more for the privilege. No Money Down Mortgages These come in two flavors: FHA type loans that allow low or moderate income borrowers to buy a house with little or nothing down and the 80-20 plans, where wealthier borrowers with little money saved up finance 100% of the purchase price. Under the 80-20 plan a first and second mortgage are issued simultaneously. The borrower avoids having to buy mortgage insurance. The two loans are designed to cost less than an 80% loan plus the insurance, otherwise they make no sense. If the borrower puts some money down, you will see the mortgage referred to as 80-10-10 (the last digits will be the percent of down payment) or some similar number. It is mostly used by borrowers who haven’t saved enough for a down payment or by those who have the money, but would rather use it for other purposes. Refinancing This technically means getting a new mortgage at different, hopefully better terms. A lot of people use it interchangeably with obtaining a second mortgage or line of credit; in other words tapping into the equity of their house. Second Mortgages Secondary financing obtained by a borrower. They can be fixed in amount or take the form of a Home Equity Line of Credit, which is simply a revolving credit line secured by a house. Homeowners use these forms of financing to consolidate bills, do home renovations, put their kids through college, etc. They are tapping into the equity they have in their house to use for other things. This is not necessarily a great idea. You must take firm control of your finances when you start doing this or you risk either losing your house or having to raise cash to pay the mortgages off when you sell. If done properly, you can pay off your debt at a lower, tax deductible rate and invest your savings. VA (Veteran’s Administration) Mortgages The VA provides mortgage guarantees to active duty and ex-servicemen who meet certain eligibility requirements. (To read the requirements click here.) Like with FHA loans, the government guarantee makes it easier for low and moderate income veterans and active duty service personnel to obtain mortgages. The current VA guarantee is $89,912. It is raised periodically. 125% Mortgages If you want to bet house prices will rise, some lenders will lend you up to 125% of the value of your house. If you’re right, you’re okay. Otherwise be prepared to have your checkbook available when you sell your house. I’m sure that there are other financing options available that I haven’t covered and don’t even know about. But most of the main financing types are covered here. About the Author Chris Cooper is a retired attorney who is very familiar with debt, being in it too many times in his life. These articles pass on some of the knowledge he has gained striving to become debt free. He is editor-in-chief of http://www.credit-yourself.com a website devoted to debt management

Dear friends, we as humans are a composite of mind, body and spirit. All these three in proper coordination, create the world around us. The things, which we want in life, are first created in our mind, then our mind sends signals to our brain and the brain sends signals to various parts of our body to take action and thus "reality" gets created.

This means that whatever we imagine in our minds gets converted in reality. The program of our mind decides what we imagine. I mean if I want to decorate my bedroom, everything from the type of furniture I choose to the budget decision will depend upon my "broader attitude" towards life.

If I am a "budget conscious" person, then this will affect right from the initial stages of the design. I will look at the design from a conservative point of view. Thus everything, which gets created in reality will have an influence of my personality.

Here I am not trying to say that only high budget designs are good. I have seen works of many interior designers, who have spent their entire lives on studying low cost design projects and also have won awards for their magnificent work.

That's why any interior design project can not be fulfilled without active participation of the client or the user. Creativity doesn't have any boundaries of budget. Any piece of art which fulfils the functional need and also the aesthetical need can be easily accepted as an architectural element. Budget is not a constraint at all. On the other hand the budget constraint sometimes is useful to generate some good ideas for a particular problem.

An interior designer is not an artist, because an artist basically performs his acts to satisfy his own desire. This could be any performing art or other forms of arts. His piece of work may not have any functional use from user's point of view.

An interior designer is not even a technician or engineer. Because when an engineer builds a design he need not worry of making it "beautiful". His primary aim is to make it functional. He puts his entire energy in making the design functional.

That's why an interior designer is one who satisfies both the functional as well as aesthetical part of the design. Sometimes it is easy to accomplish the functional part of an interior design, but since the definition of beauty is different for everyone, it is extremely difficult to satisfy each and every user's aesthetic hunger.

This is particularly true about interiors in public spaces. For example a bank building has a definite use and function for all the users. We can safely create a list of functions a person would perform when he visits a bank. But this does not mean the bank reflects his personality, like the first paragraph of this article mentions.

That's why interiors in public spaces always are designed by taking into consideration something called as "mass personality". This is a general attitude of the kind of mindset everyone would have or is likely to have when he/she visits that space. If you visit large corporate software office premise, you will see this picture.

Office interiors always have a certain kind of order in them. The use of colors, design styles have a kind of commitment in them, which is expected from you when you work there.

On the other hand a bar or a restaurant has some sort of mood generating atmosphere, which sets you loose. Because this is what is expected in a public space like a restaurant.

Thus any interior space is always associated with people. A space which serves its functions best and makes the users comfortable is bound to succeed as a favorite place.

I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

About the author: Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com .Here you will find some great concept level design tips for bedroom sets.Visit today.

Here's a message from one of the most important websites (also called portals) on the net about Indian property and houses.

Magicbricks.com is a mega initiative from the Times Group, a high-end property portal, which is on an aggressive growth path of showcasing properties to a global market with its online products and services. With your support, Magicbricks.com, in under a year of its launch, has become the No. 1 Property Portal in the country and the cynosure of the real estate industry levels of interactivity, transparency, and empowering tools unprecedented in the realty space. We pride ourselves that this achievement is not by chance, but by design based on rigorous research, unique product developments, and innovative initiative, that you have supported and embraced. Our aspiration to provide ever-increasing value to Magicbricks.com users drives us to pioneer bigger projects and newer enterprises.

I have a question: why does this website--one of the most important sources of information about property and houses in India--have an American domain name extension (.com) rather than an Indian extension (.in or .co.in)?

From this website comes encouraging news about home loans for construction of housing in India:

Loan for construction purposes basically means that once you have purchased the home and now you want finance to undergo construction or expand your house. It may include any type of construction you want to undertake like constructing more rooms or adding more floors in your existing house. Sometimes, you may have a plot near your home lying vacant and you want to extend the structure of your home to include the area. It also happens sometimes that you many need to redo the interior architecture of your home so as to make it more suitable according to your present requirement.

The article notes that at one time loans for home construction were available only from state or nationalized banks, such as State Bank of India , Canara Bank , Punjab National Bank , etc But nowadays most private banks are in the market and willing to extend home loans to qualified parties.

From this website comes the following encouraging words:

Affordable Housing in India has become the new Mantra for everyone related to the realty sector in the country. From buyers to the sellers to the realtors and investors, everyone is pitching for affordable quality homes in India. The story begins from the realization of the huge unmet demand for affordable housing in India since the premium section is witnessing an oversupply. As the real estate property market experienced recession in late 2008 with a downfall of upto 50% in property prices, various realtors have started looking for measures to take control of the situation.

For the ongoing projects, the prices have already fallen down by around 15% in major metropolis cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida etc. In terms of the completed projects the prices have hit a low of more than 43% in major property markets of the cities. Since the economic slowdown has resulted in bringing down the commodities prices as well, the cost of construction has also come down.[snip]