Mystic Toad Press Blog

I get asked all the time about housing as an investment, and as
I talk with people it is amazing how differently people look at
it. Forget investment property for the moment and consider how
we should evaluate the investment performance of our own homes.
I am surprised how many people don’t know the difference between
“enterprise value”, which is the sales price of a home (debt
plus equity), and “equity value”, which is what is left at the
end of the day when you sell your home and pay off the mortgage.
In determining whether this was a good investment for you, it is
only the latter calculation that matters.

Most people simply look at how much the value of their home has
appreciated since they bought it, and compare it to what they
paid. Let’s say someone bought a home for $500,000 a year
earlier and their neighbor’s identical home just sold for
$550,000. Simple math would suggest a potential 10% return in
one year (a $50,000 profit on a $500,000 purchase). This, while
straightforward, is not an accurate calculation for several
reasons.

First, it is critical to factor in transaction costs on the sale
of your home and deduct them from the gross sales price to see
how much of the sales price you have left. These include what it
might cost you to prepare the house for sale (painting,
landscaping, staging in some cases, etc.), as well as real
estate commissions and other transaction related costs. Let’s
say in our hypothetical example our seller would invest $10,000
in sprucing the place up for sale, and the real estate
commission plus other closing costs on the hypothetical $550,000
sale might be another $33,000 (say 6% of the sales price). Thus
that $550,000 sales price results in only $507,000 after these
transaction-related costs, implying a mere 1.4% return ($7,000
profit on a $500,000 purchase price), right? Wrong again.

To calculate your investment return you need to compare your
profit (or loss) to the equity you have invested, not the entire
home price. Let’s say you put 5% down to buy the home, which
equated to $25,000. Your $7,000 profit in this case actually
represents a very attractive 28% return on your investment in
only one year. One way smart homeowners can increase their
returns is to appreciate how much the return on their invested
equity can be enhanced by saving say 1% in the agent’s listing
commission. In the example above, a 5% sales commission vs. 6%
would have increased our hypothetical seller’s return on their
$25,000 of equity investment from the 28% we just calculated to
an astonishing 50% ($12,500 profit on the $25,000 investment).

A couple of basic takeaways from this: First, make sure to
factor in all costs of a transaction. Second, understand the
difference between the aggregate home value and the equity you
have invested in the home, which is what impacts your true
economic return. Third, appreciate the impact sales-related
costs can have on your return. While a $5,000 commission
difference seems relatively insignificant in the context of a
$550,000 home sale, it is VERY significant in relation to the
equity investment in your home, which is the basis of
determining your return on your investment.

Let me tell you about Jennifer. Not her real name, but it will do.

Jennifer was once in charge of a government office which she micro-micro managed in every way. Although she was the supervisor, she insisted on taking every phone call, and had her desk placed at the entry to the room so she could personally screen every person who entered. If someone was foolish enough to walk past her and proceed to the desk of a staff member, she would either come up and ask what they wanted, or, if intimidated by their appearance, she would wait until they had left and then ask the employee who they were, what they wanted, etc. If someone had the temerity to phone an employee directly, which was what was supposed to happen in that office, she would leave her desk and stand by the employee’s desk asking questions while they were trying to talk to the caller.

Jennifer had absolutely NO common sense, No management skills, NO real supervisory experience, and NO formal management or business training, although she was in charge of two college graduates, two people with years of experience in the type of work done, and one young lady who had started in the section as a clerk but who had shown such diligence, dependability and intelligence that she had worked herself up to the number two slot in the department. I’ll make the method by which Jennifer got the supervisor’s job the subject of another article some day. No, it’s not what you think.

One day Jennifer called one of her staff, I’ll call him Bob (I always pick on Bob - not his real name either) over to her desk. She handed him a folder and told him he was now in charge of doing the monthly copier report. This was a red flag to Bob, because he knew she didn’t turn loose of anything unless something had gone wrong.

As she gave Bob (who had run offices as big as Jennifer’s) a detailed set of incoherent instructions, she finished with the admonition that because the section had recently acquired a different copier, the reporting technique had changed somewhat, and she had asked the copier rep from the business equipment to write down a complete set of instructions which Bob was to follow.

To keep this as short as possible, Bob was in a hurry, so he simply plugged the numbers into the set of instructions he had found in the folder and learned to his surprise that the copier which supplied the needs of about a dozen people had made over one million copies in one month. Looking back over previous reports in the folder, the copier usually made between 1,000 and 2,000 copies a month.

Bob went back to the written instructions, and this time he paid attention. One of the reasons he hadn’t paid that much attention previously was that the information was being collected for a government form. Bob worked with one govenrnment form monthly (which Jennifer had also assigned to him) which was unbelieveably complicated, required data to be interwoven and broken out into new figures. Bob was an accountant who had been responsible for the finances and reporting for multiple offices and entities and had never seen anything so useless in his life. Anyway, when Bob had been told to follow the written instructions, he had just assumed in the back of his mind that some bureaucratic rat somewhere had devised another hopelessly complicated form in the expectation of preserving his or her position - the most common purpose of a govenrment form, especially the complicated ones (Don’t believe me? Look at the tax code and explain its purpose and function in life to me, please!).

Anyway, as Bob perused the documents before him, it came to him in a flash what had happened. Two months previously, the office had acquired a new (refurbished) copier. The report for the first month of operation had been filled out with no problem. However, there were all kinds of notes, scratchings, and erasures for the next month, and that was the clue.

Here’s what had happened. When delivered, the refurbished copier had a counter that was in the high 900,000’s. At the end of the first month of use, Jennifer had been able to subtract the count at delivery from the count at the end of the month and come up with an accurate number of copies. However, during the second month, the counter had reached its maximum of 999,999 copies and had clicked back to zero. When Jennifer had read the starting count for the month (999,xxx) and had subtracted it from the ending count (001000), she had arrived at a negative number, a HUGE negative number, and had been totally unable to account for it. As Bob pieced the rest of the story together later (by talking directly to the copier rep), Jennifer had called the copier people and complained that the copier counter wasn’t working. That’s when the rep had explained that you had to subtract the beginning count from one million and add that number to the number on the counter at the end of the month.

However, the rep had assumed that Jennifer was a normal person and would figure out that this procedure only worked when the counter had reset itself. Little did HE know! Jennifer had assumed that with this new copier, this would be the way to do all reports in the future. When she followed the rep’s instructions to the letter and got figures in the millions and couldn’t figure out why, that’s when she turned the report over to Bob. That’s why she gave Bob such a funny look when he gave her the completed report less than a hour after she had assigned it to him.

Now, let me say this. I have written two articles previously on reasons for starting your own home or internet business. In these articles, I pointed out many of the most common reasons - more money, more time, be at home more - and some not quite so common - the ability to become involved in the community, the opportunity to go back to school, etc. However, up to now I have omitted the factor that decided Bob to try to find a way to start his own business…HAVING TO WORK WITH, AND PARTICULARLY FOR THE JENNIFERS OF THIS WORLD!

By the way, if you haven’t figured it out by now, there was no one named Bob, at least not in this story. Just Jennifer (not her real name) and me.

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. To learn more about improving your marketing performance, please visit http://marketingsecrets.xtramoney4me.net. To read more articles by the author, please visit his blog at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com/.

Luggage has many schools of sort. Here are but some of them:

• Minimalist. Cutting down to the bare essentials so that you need only one cabin bag which you can carry on the aircraft. My daughter has this down to a fine art and recently toured India for two weeks with one small, leather Gladstone bag that I bought in China many years ago.

• The hard case. This refers not to the character of the traveler but to the suitcase used. Almost all flight crews use hard cases. Watch an airline crew collect their baggage from the carousel after an international journey and you will see that it is all medium to large-sized, hard-sided suitcases (nearly always gray) with built-in wheels and extendible handles. Sophisticated travelers sneer at this. But who, I ask, would know better?

• The suit bag. Many experienced travelers are of the opinion that a well-made suit bag will last for many years and carry everything you could possibly need. A suit bag used as cabin baggage on overseas flights will almost certainly carry everything you need.

• The enlightened traditionalist. This is a traveler who realizes that the suitcase acquired for the first Big Trip at the age of 21 will not cover all needs, all future travel. So keeps upgrading as time passes.

• Horses for courses. Differing bags for different occasions. As a matter of sober truth, I have 32 of the damn things. But I was ever the profligate.

There are, indeed, two main types of baggage. The type that will stand up to the rigors of overseas travel, but is so heavy it eats up much of your weight allowance. And that which is light and easy to handle and falls apart at inconvenient moments.

There is no such thing as ideal baggage. Only that which can be considered not bad.

If you are going on an overseas trip with more than four stopovers, your present baggage probably will not stand up to the strain. Get a new case before you go or you, too, will scatter your dirty laundry across the departure area of Dom Muang airport to the amusement of hordes of Thai travelers.

• Do not buy expensive name-brand luggage. They are called ’steal-me’ cases on the reasoning that if you can afford a genuine Louis Vuitton suitcase you can afford to pack valuables inside. Look instead for something that is anonymous, easily cleaned and light. Don’t worry too much about the quality. After a trip with four stopovers it will not have a long life expectancy.

• Do not buy any luggage which has built-in or hang-on gimmicks. They invariably fail. As do combination locks and foldaway handles. Zips are also perhaps best avoided. I have had several sad experiences with zippers which have left me physically and mentally scarred. You may well be luckier.

• Have wheels, will travel. In my experience, there is no rarer animal than the airport porter - an endangered species - and airport trolleys are not allowed past customs. Some are charged out at outrageous rents and you never have the right coin.

Therefore, a suitcase with wheels is not a bad idea. Some are easy to maneuver, some aren’t. Test before you buy.

Better yet is a folding trolley which most aircrew members use. Get one with the biggest wheels you can. Oil the wheels before you leave, otherwise you will squeak, squeak, squeak your way around the world.

• Clearly identify your luggage with labels and tags, preferably plastic. Do not make it so that your name and address can be read by a casual, and possibly evil-minded, observer.

• Paste your name and address and telephone number into the inside lid. If the airline loses your luggage - and this happens less and less - this is one of the stock questions. Good to be able to give a firm affirmative.

• Buy a strap-around webbing belt in a bright color with a difficult buckle. Go further and use instant glue and pop-rivets to rivet and glue three straps to it. When these are tightened the bag is unopenable at speed. Thieves want the easy mark so they pass it by.

My current main suitcase has its straps fastened by rivets and glue and is, I think, probably thief-proof although that is tempting fate.

• Make your luggage look different. Even if you only bind the handle with bright tape, make sure your baggage is easy to recognize. This will not help in the recovery of your lost case - airlines only telex the style of suitcase to the last destination, not descriptions. But it will help you to spot your case as it comes off the carousel.

Gareth Powell is the author of several travel books, has been the travel editor of two metropolitan newspapers and has a travel website - http://www.travelhopefully.com

Unfortunately carpets will get dirty. Carpets and rugs take a
lot of abuse so it’s inevitable that they are going to have to
be cleaned at some point and time. Carpet cleaning products do
contain toxic chemicals and are not always listed on the label
for various reasons.

Spot removers are typically the most dangerous and a lot of
times they contain solvents. The purpose in the solvent
ingredient is to dissolve dirt and grease without using water.
Sometimes solvents are used in additional to water depending on
the methods being used.

In addition to cleaning products a fabric or carpet guard is
sometimes used as a stain repellent and may also contain
dangerous chemicals. These products in most cases are solvent
based as well.

During the cleaning process and for several hours after, carpet
cleaning chemicals and protectants put off evaporating
contaminants that can affect eyes, nose, lungs and can even
cause vomiting. Long-term exposure can produce several different
health problems as well.

Dry carpet shampoos and powders usually stick to carpet fibers
and attract dirt. These type of cleaning products are solvent
based. A residue is left behind which is supposed to be vacuumed
to remove the excess cleaning chemical. These powders and
chemicals turn to dust and are easily inhaled by small children
and pets. It is recommend that children and pets stay out of the
house for at least 6 hours after the cleaning has taken place.

If steam-cleaning method is used make sure that the carpet is
cleaned on a day the weather is dry and the carpet can dry
within a couple hours. Over saturation and inadequate water
removal can cause mold and spores to develop which is very
difficult to remove once established.

In the age of chemical peels and cosmetic surgery, Rodial has captured nature’s power by creating a range of super-effective skincare.

Model perky breasts remain a distant hope for a world of girls, unless they are ok to go through the experience and price of the knife. Well Rodial’s most recent wonder cream, the Boob Job looks like the way to a sexier bust. Rodial Bob Job is based on a natural phytosterol, isolated from an Asian root, and is supposed to work along with your natural fat cells.

A few testimonials from users of Rodial’s Boob Job

“Could you please email me any recommendations and what other people thought of this produce before I purchase. I have a 9 month old daughter whom I breastfeed until 6 months and now boobs are not so pert and not as full. I was a 34C and proud of it but do not fee so confident about them now. I am considering an uplift, but would prefer other options. I would love to hear about how others got on. Thankyou” - Terri H

“this product works!!!! even after putting it on once you can see a difference! worth every penny!!!!” - Victoria b

The concept behind Rodial’s Boob Job is that as the fat moves around the body after eating, the cream keeps the fat into locations where the cream has been applied, and locks it down into the chest zone. You should start to notice an elevation in breast shape within 56 days, and it should provide a lifting and firming effect.

Well, there is no doubt that the Internet is back and bigger than ever. Everyone is getting in on the action, from businesses to individuals. If you have something to say or a product to advertise, the World Wide Web is the place to do it. The problem is, most people lack the basic skills required to begin their own web page, something that is necessary if you really want maximum exposure for yourself. There are several ways around your computer illiteracy that will help you to begin the web site you have dreamed of launching as a platform for your ideas.

The easiest way to get your web site under way if you are computer illiterate is to hire someone to do the set up for you. Many computer savvy individuals will scoff at this notion, but that is the point- they are computer savvy, and you are not. Time is money, so the odds are that you will actually save money by hiring someone to set up your site for you by cutting out the tremendous amount of time it takes to get all the bugs ironed out of your site and get it up and running.

If you are an individual who feels you have the time to spare to get your web site up and running, then you may want to try and set up your web site yourself. In order to do this, you will need to master the basic tools of web design- HTML and FTP.

FTP is an abbreviation which stands for File Transfer Protocol. This protocol is commonly used for exchanging files over the Internet, using a server computer and a client computer. The protocol is an open standard, which allows anyone to create FTP server or client software.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. This language is now considered an Internet standard when it comes to structuring information on a web page- it is the equivalent of the Microsoft Works toolbar, and allows users to italicize or bold their text, link to another page or another article on their own page, create paragraphs, and many other functions. HTML application codes can be found all over the Internet, so don’t worry if you have never heard of this before. A simple search will allow you to find a site which you can download the basic HTML formats from.

Another solution for the computer illiterate in order to enable them to design their own site is to take a course or a few courses in web design. Like many other applications, web design can be an easy concept to master once you achieve the right instruction and practice. There are courses available through most community colleges and universities, and there are even cheaper ones available over the Internet. If you have a friend who is familiar with computer systems, they will also be able to assist you with your web design.

Willie Reynolds maintains a website with free web design training.

Language is no problem when color-coded floor markings make the job as simple as matching colors. Mistakes are all too easy to make and even easier when language problems compound them. Now that we know how to get colored epoxy floor coatings down to stay, why not take advantage of them? Color coding pallet positions to correspond to color-coded conveyer belts is one way. Items coming off the yellow conveyer go to pallets on the yellow markings. Blue conveyer items go to blue conveyer pallet locations. Or, red spaces can be assigned for fire equipment and hose outlets, blue markings for water lines, and white markings for electrical panels and outlets. For traffic lanes, why not a yellow path rather than small taped lines? Following the yellow brick road worked for Dorothy and it can work for the rest of us.

During application of a second or third layer of floor coating, use blue tape to mark out the floor pattern. Next choose from dozens of colors to help keep things on track and improve moral. A personally customized floor is easily created by combining a choice of colors, colored chips, and even glitter options.

Other looks available include granite, tile, and slate. Logos, stripes, and “yellow brick roads” are sometimes added to the floors of printing facilities, manufacturing plants, restaurants, “collector cars” garages, basements, and even food processing plants. The finish can be gloss, flat, or satin. Additionally, the floors may be skid-resistant, like emery paper, yet still easy to sweep or squeegee.

Epoxy flooring goes on at the job site and requires no seams. With no breaks in the surface, the floor coating becomes a continuous membrane that seals what is above from what is below. Mold, mildew, and other contaminants cannot penetrate the epoxy membrane and wash off easily.

One leading floor coating manufacturer, Durall Industrial Flooring of Minneapolis, Minnesota, also makes over 20 specialty epoxy colors. Their special preparations of cleaners produce an application system that assures optimum flooring adhesion and wear results. Durall experts help customize their flooring kits at no cost to the customer, always including complete procedures for installing and maintaining a quality epoxy or urethane floor coating. To address those unexpected questions and problems, Durall also provides a complimentary 24/7 help line during the project.

For photos of a recent installation creating a color-coded floor, see:
http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/colorcoded/

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com

Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

###

Harvey Chichester is a principal of Durall Industrial Flooring, a company with more than 40 years experience in developing special flow-coatings for industrial and residential floors. Automotive and shopping centers, breweries, food processing plants, manufacturing plants, airplane hangars, car washes, kennels, warehouses, printing plants, residential basements, pool decks, and condominiums are among some of the facilities that he has installed floors in.

HAND MAKING GREETING CARDS

About the Author

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Certain medications can also cause adult acne. Anabolic steroids are one medication which is responsible. Many of these types of steroids are used to bulk up and are also illegal. There are other legal medications which can also cause adult acne. Anti-epileptic medications, Lithium, anti-Tuberculosis medications, and medications containing iodine can all cause adult acne. Some of these medications can be discontinued or changed to prevent the acne, however, some cannot.

When a person works with certain chemicals at work, it is possible to develop adult acne. This type of adult acne is called chloracne and is developed when someone comes in contact with chlorine. This type of adult acne is characterized by whiteheads and blackheads.

Metabolic disorders are one reason for adult acne. When a person has changes in their hormone balance changes, acne can develop. This usually occurs during pregnancy, menstruation, or during a time of hormone imbalance.

Adult acne can be treated in a number of ways. Over the counter medications and systems are the most common way. These forms of treatment are much more convenient and easy to get hold of. It is easier than going to a dermatologist. A dermatologist is another cure for adult acne. He can either prescribe a medication or he can perform “acne surgery.” This is just when the dermatologist uses a sterile tool to pop the pimples.

Adult acne is a problem for many adults, however, it does not have to be.

Can’t seem to get the energy or motivation to exercise? Forget exercise - go play.
For most of us exercise is a chore. So many people hate to exercise, or just can’t get motivated to start an exercise program. If you are one of those, forget about exercise, go play.

Make it a point to play everyday. Find a partner. Go golfing, swimming, shoot baskets, tennis, volleyball, play catch, any kind of sport that gets you moving. Every day. You may need a different partner each day - find one.

Get on your bicycles and go siteseeing. Get with a partner or group and go horseback riding. Go to the parks and explore the trails. Play volleyball, badminton, anything to become active. Remember to start slow and work your way up to playing an hour or two each day.

Set a schedule for each activity one day each week. Pre-arrange with a partner to play every day, make each one a weekly event. You will need anything from one to seven partners to keep active all week.

Go to your Parks Department, see if they would be interested in starting a playday program for different age groups, or however they might want to do something for their public. Many already have activities for the kids - how about the adults.

Go to the local newspaper. Would their Sports Editor be interested in getting the public involved?

You may use this article in anyway appropriate. All I ask is that you use it in its entirety, including my information.

About the Author

by Don Stuart: Don is publishing articles on his website to help people start changing their habits to become slender and fit. Visit his website at www.Dieting Sucks Online.com