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Understanding Quitclaim Deeds and Warranty Deeds

May 3, 2012 | Author: Dee

A deed is a legal document that transfers property from one party to another. When a house is sold between complete strangers or when a house is gifted from a parent to a child a deed is typically used to transfer the title of the property and the property from one person to another. Essentially a deed is a piece of paper that signifies a piece of land or property belongs to the individual named in the deed. There are several components to a deed and different types of deeds as well and we’ll explain everything below.

Components of a Deed

Probably the most important part of the deed is the legal description of the property. The legal description of the property details where exactly the property is and details its boundaries. For instance, in an urban setting the legal description of the property would detail on which lot the property sits and on which block.

Another very important aspect of all deeds is the naming of the person transferring the property and the name of the person receiving the property. The person transferring the property is known as the “grantor” and person receiving the property is known as the “grantee.” Most deeds will contain the addresses of the grantor and grantee listed in the deed. Finally the most important part of the deed is the transfer or conveyance of the property which is basically a statement from the grantor stating that he is transferring the property to the grantee.

Types of Deeds

There are two types of deeds: the quit claim deed and the warranty deed.

A warranty deed is used in most real estate sales transactions to transfer property from the seller to the buyer. With a warranty deed, the grantor is warranting that he is the rightful owner of the property and owns the title and property free and clear. A warranty deed also warrants that there are no outstanding claims on the property and that the property cannot be claimed by anyone else. Typically a title company will be used to back the claims of the warranty deed to protect the buyer and lender. With a warranty deed, if any of the claims are wrong the grantor can be held liable.

A quit claim deed, on the other hand, makes no such claims or warranties. With a quit claim deed the grantor is not warranting that he owns the property but merely stating that he is transferring whatever interest he has in the property to the grantee. Quitclaim deeds don’t offer anywhere near the protection that a warranty deed does and this are rarely used in real estate sales transactions.

To be clear, a quitclaim deed (sometimes erroneously referred to as a quick claim deed or quit claim deed, does not warrant that the grantor owns the property or that the property is free from debt. There is also no warranty that another claim does not exist on the property. Quitclaim claim deeds are typically used in the following situations:

To remove clouds from a title
To transfer property to family members
To remove/add persons from a title which typically happens after a marriage or divorce
To transfer personal property to a business entity such as a corporation or LLC

How to Lose Weight in a Hurry

April 23, 2012 | Author: Dee

Absolutely the best time to do your cardio is first thing in the morning and before you have breakfast for fast weight loss.

By doing your cardio before you eat, you’re putting your body in a position where it is most likely to burn fat as fuel. Since you haven’t eaten for the last 8 hours (you are sleeping at least 8 hours right?), your glycogen stores are usually depleted and this forces your body to look for other sources of fuel – namely fat and this situation is ideal for weight loss.

There has been some concern lately about the possibility of the body also utilizing hard-earned muscle to fuel a cardio workout on an empty stomach and those concerns are valid as well as other concerns about weight loss.

For those that have this concern. I would suggest supplementing with BCAA’s (Branched Chain Amino Acids). BCAA’s minimize protein breakdown so taking about 5 grams before your cardio workout should save some of the muscle you’ve worked so hard for while still experiencing some fat weight loss. Or you could do what I do these days which is slam a bowl of oatmeal before my workout.

You combine an early morning workout with a fat-burning and cardio workout like interval training and you’re sure to melt off fat in record time!

Not only is interval training more fun then your standard slow cardio 45 minute session but research is now showing that personal fitness training in the form of interval training is also more effective at burning fat!

If you’re not already familiar with Interval Training it works like this:

Let’s say you’re jogging (on a treadmill or on the street…it doesn’t matter), you want to divide your workout into 1 minute intervals. I like to use 1 minute intervals because I use a High Intensity Intervalpersonal fitness training regimen. Some people prefer 2 minute intervals. Here’s how I do it:

I’ll start out by warming up and stretching out obviously…

When I’m ready I set the treadmill to a very slow jog and I do this for one minute. Once that minute is up I quickly increase the speed on the treadmill to an all out sprint usually somewhere in the 5-7 minute a mile range. Once that minute is up, I return the treadmill setting to the “very slow jog” pace to catch my breath. You pretty much repeat that sequence 10 times and that’s it… personal fitness training at its best! 1 minute at each different intensity basically for ten times.

Not much to it but it’s very effective and it’s great for people that are short on time because you can get a good workout in in like 20 minutes. You won’t find a better personal fitness training workout or program in under 20 minutes anywhere!

And the great thing about this form of personal fitness training is that it can be done anywhere. Just this morning I ran some interval at an open trail by my house with my dog.

How To Apply For A Fiancé Visa

March 2, 2012 | Author: Dee

Fiancé visas are used by and available for United States citizens who want to marry their foreign fiancés in the United States. A K1 visa which is also known as a fiancé visa is a travel document which will allow the foreign fiancé of an American citizen to travel to the United States to marry his or her United States sponsor. For more on the K1 visa and the process, continue reading.

The KI1 visa application process is long, cumbersome and extremely meticulous and unfortunately any mistakes in the submission process can and usually do lead to delays in the process which is already long. For this reason a lot of folks like to consult with or hire an immigration attorney to handle the submission.

To get the process started an American citizen will have to submit form I-129 to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The eligibility requirements to submit an I-129F form are pretty simple and they are as follows:

The U.S. petitioner (person submitting the application) must be a United States citizen.
The couple must intend to get married within 90 days of the foreign fiancé entering the United States.
Both parties must be legally free and clear to be married (any previous marriages must have been legally terminated and you’ll have to provide documentation).
You and your fiancé must have met at least once within the last two years
You may also have to provide proof that you will be able to financially support your fiancé when she arrives

It’s imperative that you pay meticulous attention to the directions and instructions provided on form I-129F if you intend on submitting the form on your own. For some pretty specific instructions on how to submit form I-129F check out: http://k1fiancevisainfo.com/. USCIS will notify you that they have received your application and they will also eventually either request more information from you or pass you application along to the National Visa Center. The National Visa Center (NVC) will continue processing of your visa application and will eventually forward the visa application the U.S. Embassy or Consulate that is nearest your fiancé.

Once a U.S. Embassy or Consulate receives a visa application they will send a package to the foreign fiancé with some pretty specific instructions. For example the foreign fiancé will have to undergo a medical examination by an approved doctor. He or she will also receive instructions on which documents to submit immediately and which documents to prepare for the visa interview. The foreign fiancé will also receive instructions on when and how to schedule a visa interview.

At the visa interview the visa will either be approved for processing, more information will be requested or the visa application will be denied. If the visa is approved the foreign fiancé will typically be given six months to make plans to travel to the United States. Once the foreign fiancé enters into the United States, the K1 visa is considered active and he or she will have 90 days to get married. Another thing the fiancé must do within 90 days of entering the U.S. is file and Adjustment of Status to Legal Permanent Resident.

In a nutshell that’s a very brief but comprehensive overview of the K1 fiancé visa submission and application process. Along the way you will need to gather and submit several documents. Below is a an example of some of the documents and other things you may be asked to provide

Birth certificate of the U.S. citizen
A filing fee of $340
Completed form I-129F
Documentation that you and your fiancé have met at least once in the past two years
Documentation and proof that you and your fiancé have an ongoing relationship. Proof of correspondence such as letters or phone/cell receipts can be used. Airplane tickets or hotel receipts can also be used.
You will also have to file form G-325a which is a form used to give biographic information about the couple.
If either of the couple has been married in the past, they will have to provide documentation that all previous marriages have been legally terminated.
You will need to provide certified translations of any foreign documents
Passport style photos

Basement Renovations

November 30, 2011 | Author: Dee

A quick search for the phrase basement renovations or basement remodels will reveal some of the most extravagant and for lack of a better word, simply awesome basements you’ll likely ever to lay your eyes on. Call them “man caves” or “game rooms” or whatever you want, the simple fact of the matter is that basements are front and center when it comes to remodels and renovations these days.

More and more folks are staying in, families are growing as usual, kids that went off to college are returning home and whatever your reason is, it’s quite apparent that more and more families are renovating/remodeling their existing homes rather than buying a different home and selling their existing home. And if you have a basement there’s no better room in the house to accommodate whatever type of plans or dreams you may have!

When it comes to a basement remodel or renovation, well frankly when it comes to any remodel really, it’s always a good idea to go in with a plan and a budget. One of the best things to do if you don’t know where to start is to check out the various remodels and renovations that you can find online. This post: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/10-basement-remodels-and-renovations-by-candice-olson/pictures/index.html shows ten different examples of ten different basement remodels.

Even though it’s the glamorous and extravagant basement remodels that capture the headlines and get all the attention, plenty of families are remodeling their basement with modest budgets. There are several basement remodels that don’t require huge cash expenditures for instance a kid’s playroom, a library, a home office or a home theater. The basement is the ideal space to remodel particularly if you want a space where peace and quiet are desired.

But that doesn’t mean a basement is the perfect room to remodel especially considering the room itself is typically underground. That right there creates some unique situations that make the basement unique to any room in your house. Below are some things you’ll want to take into consideration if you plan on remodeling your basement and they all focus on the fact that the basement is a unique area and has special needs.

Lighting. First and foremost is the fact that most basements are underground. Because of that most basements are pretty dark and will require more than normal amounts of natural and artificial lighting. Normally there’s not much you can do about natural light unless you have a budget large enough to build new windows. If that’s the case you’ll want to include 25 – 50% more lighting than you would normally use in an above-ground room remodel. This is important because you don’t want to end up with a room with inadequate lighting and not have the budget to fix it.

Moisture. Again since a basement is underground it creates a unique environment and another result of this environment is moisture and occasionally mold if it’s not addressed. One thing you should probably stay away from is carpeting since it naturally absorbs moisture. Personally my favorite flooring option in the basement is/are ceramic tiles. They’re easy to clean and they’re durable and most importantly they don’t absorb or retain moisture! If you’re going to be repainting your walls, make sure to use a water proof and mildew resistant paint.

More and more families are remodeling their basements and extending their living spaces. It’s a lot less expensive than adding another room onto your house and since the majority of the work will be performed downstairs, it’s out of sight and out of mind.

Basic Requirements of the K1 Visa

November 14, 2011 | Author: Dee

With the boom of internet dating sites, more and more U.S. citizens find themselves dating foreign citizens to the United States and after they fall in love with a foreign national face a somewhat perplexing problem. How can they legally bring their fiancé to the United States?

For United States citizens who are not married and cannot get married in the country of their foreign fiancé, the United States offers a K1 fiancé visa which allows the foreign fiancé of a United States citizen to travel to the United States to get married. Although it is a non-immigrant visa, many of the same requirements of an immigrant visa will be required for a K1 visa application as well.

The k1 visa application process is actually quite lengthy and requires submission of many documents and forms. The process is actually initiated by the U.S. citizen and is done so by filing form I-129F with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services also known as USCIS. One of the initial requirements is that both parties be legally eligible to be married. That means any previous marriages have to have been legally terminated and you will have to provide documentation.

A divorce or death certificate will usually suffice in most cases. Another common requirement is that the couple has met at least once in the previous two years. You will most likely be asked to provide proof of your relationship and communications. The couple will also have to provide proof that the foreign citizen will be financially supported when he or she arrives in the country. This requirement is typically met by the U.S. citizen filing an Affidavit of Support which states the U.S. citizen will financially support the foreign fiancé.

Once USCIS approves your application form I-129F and all applicable fees have been paid, the Petition for Alien Fiancé will be forwarded to the National Visa center or the NVC. The NVC will run a preliminary background check and process the application. Once fees have been paid the NVC will forward the petition to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate that is closest to the foreign fiancé.

At this point the foreign fiancé will receive a package with details on how to schedule a medical examination with an approved doctor, details on how to schedule a visa interview and details on which documents that will have to forward to the Embassy and which documents they should bring with them to the visa interview. Some of the documents that may be required are non-immigrant visa applications, valid passport, police records, medical examination documentation, evidence of financial support, 2×2 photographs and non-immigrant fiancé visa application.

It is as the visa interview when it is typically determined whether or not a visa will be approved or not. The time it takes to actually receive the visa varies from country to country and case to case. Once the visa is received, the foreign fiancé will have a period of six months to travel to the United States. Once the foreign fiancé enters the U.S., he/she will have ninety days to get married with his or her American sponsor. After those ninety days the visa will expire so it’s important that the fiancé not only get married but also apply for permanent residence before the visa expires.

Tips For Hiring A Good SEO

October 19, 2011 | Author: Dee

When it comes to optimizing websites for search engines or search engine optimization, as it’s called, the only thing that is certain and inevitable is change. Change is a constant with search engines as they are fighting daily with spam infiltrating and threatening the quality of their results.

Search engine algorithms have definitely come along way and so have SEOs or those that assist you in optimizing your website for search engines. Nonetheless search engines provide some of the most targeted traffic on the internet and as a result, good, professional SEOs that can achieve results are highly sought after. But how and where can you find a good SEO? Read the following tips to help you in your search for a good and reliable SEO.

Know What You Want

Before you start looking for a SEO to help you out with your SEO campaign, you should have a general idea of what you want to accomplish. Do you know which keywords you want to target? Does your website need to be audited or is it already optimized? What do you hope to accomplish by optimizing your website for the search engines?

The bottom line is you should know what you want to get out of consulting with an SEO. Do you need someone to audit your website? Do you need someone to design an SEO campaign for you? Do you need someone to execute an SEO campaign for you? These are all important questions you should consider prior to meeting or interviewing an SEO so he knows what your needs are right off the bat.

Get Your Hands Dirty

Search engine optimization is fairly complex, has several nuances and as mentioned above is constantly evolving and changing. Thankfully the SEO world online is a very open and generally friendly community and you should make an effort to befriend some professional SEOs. To put it simply, the more you know about SEO, even if it’s just the basics, the better position you’ll be in to make a decision on which SEO consultant to hire.

If you befriend some good SEOs online you can also ask them to give you some referrals of some reputable SEOs that you might be able to work with. More importantly though is the knowledge you’ll pick up from them.

Look For Proven Results

A lot of folks like to use past client references for this aspect and they are great so long as they are vetted and you can assure that the references from past clients are legit. Along with references you can also ask the SEO to give you any examples of where he was able to obtain page one ranking for keywords he targeted. A good SEO should be able to prove to you that he knows what he’s doing and then prove it to you by showing page one results.

Talk With potential SEOs

This is where knowing a little something about SEO can make a huge difference in the quality of SEO you hire. Picking up the phone and talking to potential SEOs can give you some huge insights as to how much they actually know about search engine optimization. You can ask questions about what types of strategies and tactics they typically use on SEO campaigns or how they would address an existing problem you’re facing. How they answer these types of questions should give you some idea as to what caliber of SEO you’re dealing with.

Get A Few Bids

In order to stay competitive you’ll probably want to get at least three bids from three different SEOs. Having different bids to compare and contrast and having options in general is always a good thing and hiring a good SEO is no different.

Hiring a good SEO is a lot more complex than implied here but the tips outlined above will nonetheless help you find a better SEO. For more tips on how to find a good SEO and to learn more about search engine optimization check out the Los Angeles SEO.

Do’s And Don’ts For Finding A Good Plumber

August 19, 2011 | Author: Dee

When it comes to finding good plumbers most homeowners are unfortunately ill-prepared for doing just that when a plumbing emergency strikes. If you’re like most homeowners the first time you think about hiring a good plumber is when you already have a leak in your home and that can be a recipe for disaster if you’re not careful. It takes a lot more than just common sense to find a good plumber and not get ripped off ripped off in the process. Below are some do’s and don’ts to guide you in the process of finding and hiring a good plumber for your next project.

Do obtain several bids – One of the best ways to ensure you find a good plumber at a decent price is to ask for a few bids from different plumbers so you can compare and contrast their prices and services.

Really smart homeowners will also “pre-screen and qualify” the plumbers prior to having them bid on their project. Simply checking for complaints and feedback online can go a long way in increasing the quality of the bids.

Do check for complaints – You obviously don’t want to work with a plumber that has a bad reputation and you can check for complaints to ensure you hire a good plumber who has a good track record with his past clients. You can check for complaints online, with the Better Business Bureau and with your local State Licensing Bureau.

Do ask for references – If you want to hire a good plumber with a good reputation you’ll definitely want to ask for and check any references the plumber shares with you. The more references the plumber has the better. A plumber with few references may be a sign of a plumber with only a few years of experience or one that is new to the area. Either way you should be wondering why he only has a few references.

Do ask for a guarantee – A good plumber will have no problem giving you a warranty on his workmanship. Make sure you ask for the guarantee in writing and maintain the plumber’s contact information should you need further repairs in the future. Again if a plumber is unwilling to give you a written guarantee for his work you have to wonder why?

Do check for a license – A reputable plumber will have a license so make sure you visit your state licensing board’s website and verify the plumber’s license number. A licensed plumber at the very least has several years of experience in the plumbing industry working as an apprentice and has had his background checked. Not a bad start if you’re looking for a reputable plumber.

Don’t

Don’t hire the cheapest plumber – A lot of homeowners make the mistake of hiring the cheapest plumber and to make things worse they don’t even screen or qualify the plumbers before asking for a bid. If you’re going to hire the plumber with the lowest bid you have to make sure that all the plumbers you have bid on your project are well-qualified to begin with!

Don’t hire a plumber without a license – Hiring a plumber without a license leaves you little chance for recourse if the plumber you hire makes a bigger mess of things.

Don’t hire a plumber who isn’t properly insured – At the very least the plumber you hire should carry some form of general liability insurance. If he plans on using any employees for your job, you should also make sure that he carries worker’s compensation insurance for his employees.

Tips For Finding A Good Handyman

June 11, 2011 | Author: Dee

Chances are if you’re reading this that you don’t need to be sold on the upside to hiring a good handyman so let’s focus instead on what you can do to ensure that the handyman you hire is a good one. A lot can go wrong if you don’t properly screen and qualify a handyman and obviously you don’t want to be a victim of a home improvement scam.

Unfortunately even with the influx of internet services that assist homeowners in finding the right contractors, hiring a good contractor still seems to be a huge problem for most homeowners. The truth of the matter is that there are handymen and professional contractors advertising everywhere but homeowners have no idea which of them are well-qualified and most homeowners are unsure about how to determine the competency of home improvement professionals.

Year after year the home improvement industry ranks in the top three in complaints filed against. There are countless stories all over the web now from unhappy homeowners who have had a bad experience with a contractor or handyman. Don’t want that to be you? Follow the tips below to ensure you hire the right professional for your situation.

What Do You Need To Get Done?

One of the first things you need to determine is what do you need or want to get done? Creating a list of projects you want to get done will give you a much better idea of what type of professionals you will need to hire. A good handyman will be able to help you out with a variety of projects like installing a ceiling fan, replacing a faucet and patching a hole in the wall but you may need to hire a licensed contractor for more complex jobs like electrical and plumbing work. Hiring the right professional for the right job is a big part of making the right hiring decisions when it comes to home improvement contractors and handymen.

Begin Your Search

Finding some handymen via word-of-mouth should still be one of your first options. When hiring a handyman you just have to make sure their skill set matches up with what you’re in the market for. It’s still a good idea to assemble a list of prospects that you can screen on your own to determine which handymen you’d like to have bid on your project. Ultimately having several bids to evaluate and compare is still the best way to find a good handyman.

Qualifying The Handymen

To screen and qualify the handymen I recommend you search for them on Google and look for reviews, feedback and complaints from past clients. There are a lot of websites out there today that host consumer reviews to help homeowners in the decision making process and Google does a good job of bringing all that info together for you. You should also check for complaints and scams at the Better Business Bureau and at RipOffReport.com.

One of the keys to hiring a good handyman is asking the handymen for references and actually contacting the references to ask about the quality of the handyman’s work. This is absolutely a step you need to take if you want to increase your chances of hiring a good handyman. How many references you actually call should be dependent on the size of your project.

When hiring a handyman you want to hire a handyman who is experienced and knows what he’s doing. And another important key that a lot of homeowners forget about is making sure that the handyman is experienced in the area you’re seeking help in. Contrary to popular belief not all handymen are “good at everything” and it’s up to the homeowner to ensure the handyman they hire is competent in the area they’re hiring him for. To find out what the handyman specializes in you may want to ask what kind of work he prefers and what, if anything, he specializes in. And then ask when the last time he worked on a similar project was? Does he have a reference?

At the end of the day if you want to hire a good handyman you’re going to want to hire a handyman that has a work history in your area, is experienced in the area you need to hire someone in and who has references that you can contact and speak with. Finally you’ll want to check and make sure that he doesn’t have a lot of complaints. In a nutshell, those are the nuts and bolts to finding and hiring a good handyman. For more tips on how to find a good handyman check out: How to Find a Good Handyman.

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