A Hot Air Balloon Shower Party Ideas

  By Jason Kreuger | April 14, 2014 - 11:10 am |
Comments Off

This past weekend friends and family and I tossed a baby shower for our pal, Trish. The theme was ‘Up, up &; away! A little child is on the way!’, and we covered everything in little hot air balloons.

24dbdda98e5a272fa123552682be05ddd8dffe59

The dessert table was a lot of enjoyable to assemble, I love exactly how the removed cookies came out. Lining the various plates assisted to make everything ‘pop’.

The paper hot air balloons were inspired by this post and put together by my co-host, Stephanie. Exactly how great are the bright, playful colors on the table!

I made the cake– greatly inspired by this one – the day before and chose a pumpkin dish for the period. You must, MUST try this dish by the Amateur Baker, this was among the very best cakes I’ve ever had. And the icing? A maple cinnamon that’s to crave.

Really wishing right about now as I look at these images that I had actually wound up piping the cake … ah well.

621059752e45136f60d6fdf2eeac611285ccc5b1

Stephanie made those lovable cloud and hot air balloon cookies, too

We made easy table designs out of craft paper cut into the shape of a hot air balloon (a cricut made it much easier but isn’t essential) glued to sticks (aka bamboo skewers) and set into plaster of pairs. Handfuls of goldfish assisted to cover the plaster. I discovered the chevron textile for the runners.

We served a lunch of chicken salad croissant sandwiches, fruit salad and a huge green salad. Lemonade and champagne kept everyone cool.

We borrowed twenty bright blue paper parasols and they were ideal for the warm day! They also looked so quite covering everybody up.

Games consisted of a cute video game, a ‘cost is right’ shower game and the humorous candy diaper game. Have you ever played this one?

My mommy melted various chocolates into 8 baby diapers and visitors needed to think which was which by observing, smelling as well as tasting;) the contents. Just gagged a little.

Then it was time to open presents.

Sees pops turned upside down became the hot air balloon baskets on these cute favors made by another close friend …

It was a gorgeous Sunday and we had a great time celebrating this brand-new child. More hot air balloon motivation for this shower on this board. and this one, too– just in case you’re ever looking. Have an excellent weekend!

3cca85d5e2fb906575302f6d1e526d8f6367f735

Paper Favor Pouches

Among my favorite, super-quick-to-throw-together ideas from Liv’s party was to develop little favor pouches for gummy bears to hand out to all the children on their means home.

I didn’t get an extremely clear picture of the treat bags at the real party, however right here’s the essence on how we put them together:.

The gray arrows show where a piece of double sided tape was contributed to adhere two sides together. The pouches were popping open after a while, so I could attempt something more powerful than plain old sticky tape next time. Maybe even cute staples or scrap booking tape + a dab of glue in a couple of crucial locations (such as the corners).

They were a cute and easy addition to the celebration! And we literally made them as people were walking in (and as it occurred to me that I had actually indicated to put favor bags together however had actually completely forgotten about them … luckily I kept in mind a couple of variations of this concept on Pinterest, not to mention those cool Popsicles that used to be sold out of comparable pouches when I was a kid– and took place to have paper and pink sweet on hand!). Huge thanks to my bro and best friend Trish for assisting me put together. Visit children’s party for more interesting parties ideas and party planning.

Hiring A Real Estate Agent That Knows What They Are Doing Is Important

  By Jason Kreuger | March 31, 2014 - 10:36 am |
Comments Off

In this day and age, there is not enough information that you can get in regards to buying real estate. You might not only need help making your own new decisions, but you may also need to solidify what you already know. This article should help you due to the clear and concise manner that information is provided.
Knowing what you can afford in monthly payments is very important when considering a real estate purchase. If you have a maximum monthly payment amount that you feel comfortable with, then you will eliminate the possibility of making yourself “house poor”, meaning that all of your income goes towards your housing payment, leaving you little extra money for fun or entertainment.
Take some time to do research about the area in which you are buying or selling a house. You can find the local income levels, unemployment rates and population numbers before deciding if this is a good place to move your family. It will help you learn a good bit about the neighborhood in which you are moving.
If you find the right real estate, do not hesitate to move forward. Many buyers spend time wondering if there might be something better or if they have made the right decisions. Not making a move on the right property can result in someone else purchasing before you can get the deal done.
Moving
Perform a interstate removals search in the area of the home you are considering buying. Real estate agents are not required to disclose this information voluntarily, although many must answer honestly if directly asked. Parents especially should be aware of this information before moving to a new area. Be sure to check the offense in detail, as not all offenders are necessarily dangerous.
To select the right city or area for you, you should visit it before thinking about moving there. Ask people who live there what the job market or the school district is like. Make sure you move to an area that will open new careers possibilities for you and your family.
When shopping around for a new home and you plan on keeping the furniture that you already own, make sure that it will fit the new home. Nothing is worse then moving in and realizing that your brand new king size bed will not fit into your bedroom if you plan on also including the dresser in the room.
When buying real estate you need to make sure the neighborhood is not going down in value. You should go to the area on a weekend without your agent and try to meet some of the neighbors; they will tell you a lot about the area and who is moving in or out.
In conclusion, you cannot get enough data about buying real estate. Hopefully you were able to clearly absorb all of the tips and tricks provided. With the details provided in this article, you should be able to not only make wise choices on your own, but also be able to provide others with beneficial information.

Calculate Your Loan Constant Before Applying For A Mortgage

  By Jason Kreuger | March 13, 2014 - 6:21 am |
Comments Off

The cost of capital for a property is called the Loan Constant (Constant) or Mortgage Constant. All loans have a certain interest rate and, unless there is an interest-only portion to the loan, all loans will require a principal and interest payment. The principal is calculated based upon the amortization of the loan. So, if the loan has a 30-year amortization, which is equal to 360 months, the principal must be paid in 360 installments so the loan is paid in full on the last loan payment.

The quoted interest rate of a loan is strictly the amount of interest that loan accrues. The loan constant, on the other hand, is expressed as an interest rate that incorporates both the interest and principal repayment of a loan.

The formula is:

Loan Constant = [Interest Rate / 12] / (1 – (1 / (1 + [interest rate / 12]) ^ n))

n = the number of months in the loan term

1st example: Suppose an investor received a loan for $4,000,000 at a 5.50% interest rate with a 30-year amortization. We can calculate the required annual loan payments once the loan constant is known.

Constant = [.055 / 12] / (1 – (1 / (1 + (.055 / 12]) ^ 360))

Constant = .06813 x 100 = 6.813% (rounded)

Annual payments = $4,000,000 * .06813 = $272,520

While the property has an interest rate of 5.50% the investor’s actual cost of capital for the loan is 6.813% once the principal payment has been factored. If the above loan scenario has a 1.25x debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) requirement then an investor knows that the property must have at least the following NOI to support the loan:

$272,520 x 1.25 = $340,650

Consider that the reverse also holds true. A borrower can factor his potential debt service loan with the loan constant as long as he knows the NOI.

2nd example: A borrower wants to refinance his loan. His NOI is $560,000 and he has heard that his local bank will give him an interest rate of 6.25% for 25 years with a minimum DSCR of 1.25.

What is the maximum loan he can borrower subject to an appraisal?

Constant = [.0625 / 12] / (1 – (1 / (1 + (.0625 / 12]) ^ 300))

Constant = .07916 x 100 = 7.916% (rounded)

Since the borrower knows the Debt Solutions Coverage Ratio must be 125% more than annual debt payments he can calculate the annual payments as the following:

$560,000 = $448,000

1.25

With $448,000 of the property’s net operating income available to service the debt payments, his maximum possible mortgage based on debt service would be:

$448,000 = $5,659,424

.07916

As illustrated, the loan constant is a tool that can help a borrower easily understand the potential debt service associated with a property based upon a certain net operating income. Any borrower should make sure they check the loan constant with their lender to ensure that it matches his assumptions. For example, FHA multifamily mortgages have a mortgage insurance asset premium that is also factored into the loan constant which raises a property’s cost of capital. A few other items to remember are:

Shortcoming #1: The constant only works for fixed rate loans. For adjustable rate mortgages that have changing monthly interest rates lenders will typically underwrite the maximum possible interest rate for that loan. Find out from your lender what is appropriate when modeling debt assumptions.

Shortcoming #2: The constant changes based upon the amortization of the mortgage. While not necessarily a shortcoming, it is important to understand the terms of any loan quote you receive from a lender or if your loan assumptions are accurate for a particular property or market. The shorter the amortization period of a loan, the higher the property’s cost of capital.

Shortcoming #3: The constant does not factor interest-only periods. In the current lending environments, most lenders use an amortizing constant. When modeling cash flow it is important to note an interest only periods but although it will increase the cash-on-cash returns, it will not change the loan amount.

Tax Advantages For Home Based Businesses

  By Kenneth Leon | March 3, 2014 - 8:09 am |
Comments Off

Lets have an easy take a look at costs and breaks perhaps you are in a position to utilize to your benefit come tax-time. Company Breaks: therefore you’re entitled to business deductions You’re within an web or direct sales business. These costs need to be sensible and required for that procedure of one’s web or direct sales company.
It’s vitally important that you just maintain correct publications and files for the tax reasons and accountant. Your documents need certainly to range from the kinds sourced elements of costs, revenue, losses, increases and price. You have to contain things like bank statements, cancelled cheques, bills, bills, charge card statements etc.

Please don’t maintain all of your material in shoe-boxes or bags, cautiously arrange them in a processing program. As it’ll create life so much easier for them, feel it or not your life will even be much easier if you actually need certainly to lookup a specific bill etc. You will be adored by your accountant.

For further caution you have to seek advice from an expert accountant. Keep in mind that tax breaks differ based on the tax regulations of the nation by which you reside.

Tax Breaks for Home-Based Businesses: No body enjoys tax period, but because you own your own home based web or direct sales company you might really save tens and thousands of pounds annually in fees, because it enables you to show some personal expenses into genuine, allowable expenses. The more tax breaks your company may legally consider, the low its taxable revenue is likely to be.
Lets take a look at a few of the tax benefits to bear in mind.
Keep an eye on and withhold all your real business-related costs. Would you rent your automobile? Record the usage you get and maintain your gasoline bills. Do not forget you license plate costs, car insurance, and automobile registration. Maintain all your upkeep bills additionally.

Education/Training Costs: Being you constantly need certainly to become knowledgeable an operator of the home-based web or direct sales company. You’re permitted to declare for the price of training supplies, training meetings, applications, guides, seminars, publications, online training subscribers and web classes etc. Additionally you may declare for professional costs that you shell out to your attorneys, your accountants and tax experts and other experts that you talk to for your company.

Company Enjoyable: You’re in a position to withhold a portion of the price of entertaining current or potential customers and affiliates. The amusement must certanly be both “directly connected ” for your business or “connected” with business. Enjoyable must certanly be completed quickly before or after your dialogue. It’s essential that you maintain an archive of the folks involved with your enjoyable (in a journal or create their names around the back of the bill, both are great routines to find yourself in). Enjoyable can be sophisticated or it can be as easy as being a supper or assembly to get a walk.
There are several costs you may withhold while you’re travelling for business. They are the cost of air travel, cost of working your automobile, automobile rentals, cabs, hotels, foods, delivery company supplies to and from location, dry-cleaning, laundry company, phone calls, faxes, guidelines, and more. It’s completely okay to mix business with satisfaction so long as business may be the major reason for that journey. Nevertheless, keep in mind that if your family is taken by you with you, you can’t withhold their costs for your journey.

You’re permitted to withhold interest and holding costs on your charge cards employed for business and on business loans.
You actually need certainly to examine any pc software purchases together with your tax advisor or accountant how this pertains to your house based web or direct sales company. As an example Star Wars games aren’t a deductible product while sales application might be need for your company.

Marketing is crucial have for just about any company to create cash. All-Expenses associated with marketing and marketing your company is allowable. Classified Advertisements, paper ads, company cards, ezine ads, leaflets, pamphlets and other styles of marketing.
Charitable Contributions: Non-Profit contributions are allowable, nevertheless the guidelines may vary prior to the tax regulations of the nation by which you reside and regarding how your company is authorized. Your tax advisor or accountant may explain the factors on non-profit efforts.

This reduction is among the best types. To be able to qualify for this reduction a portion of one’s house should used “frequently and solely” for company.

Under home expenses lots of people neglect a few of the following expenses: long distance services were related by Business Regular web charges Charges related to enhancing your workplace room
A portion of home costs (property taxes, mortgage interest, homeowners insurance, resources, property upkeep, alert devices and more)
Business Furniture and equipment (brand-new tables, chairs, lights file cabinets and more–your accountant or tax advisor can tell you what you can declare)

This undoubtedly isn’t an entire list of breaks, to get a list because they are the specialists you’ll have to speak to your tax advisor or your accountant. They’ll evaluate all the genuine company costs and breaks that you’re permitted based on the tax regulations of one’s nation.

This is a short checklist that will help you receive started together with your home-based web or direct sales company documents.

Get Real Estate Buying Advice That Will Help

  By Kenneth Leon | February 24, 2014 - 10:31 am |
Comments Off

There are a lot of pitfalls and traps when it comes to real estate, but especially when you are on the buying end. Knowing what to look for and what to do to ensure that you get the best deal are essential. The rest of this article will show you how you can make the best purchase possible.
When you are buying a home you should always have people in your own corner. Get your seller agent first thing. Also when you are doing things like having the home inspected or appraised hire your own people as well.
If you are a first-time homebuyer, don’t make the mistake of buying the first house that you like. You need to view at least three other houses that are comparable in value, before making a decision. Too often, people get caught up in the mere idea of buying a house, not realizing that there may be something better out there.
Get pre-approved for a mortgage loan before you even begin looking at homes. This way you can rely on facts rather than emotions once you start going through houses and start wanting what you may not be able to afford. Having a clear number in mind helps you to be more efficient when shopping for a home.
Check your credit score before looking into buying a home. Lenders will use your credit score to determine whether to give you the mortgage or not and how much to give you if they do. Borrowers with a score of between 720 and 740 are sure to get the best rates available.
Moving
Prior to making any offer on a property, be sure to hire an inspector to look over every part of the home. Nothing is quite as disheartening as moving into a home and six months later finding out that the foundation is failing. Check the inspector’s credentials, performance history and references before settling on one to inspect your investment.
Make moving plans before it is time to move into your new home. Having a moving truck scheduled and moving boxes bought ahead of time will save you a great deal of stress when moving day comes around. Pack the boxes little by little and label them clearly so you can move them into their new rooms easily.
Moving into a home that you just purchased can be both exciting and quite stressful. Eliminate some of the stress by planning ahead. Hold a garage sale to unload some of the things that you will not need or want in your new home so that you have less to move. This will save you some time packing and get you a bit of extra money at the same time.
It’s important that you’re working hard to make the right decision. Take advice, but don’t let others make the decision for you. Take advantage of these tips, they will assist you in your decision-making. You can find the right property, and even save some time and money in the process.

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company

  By Jason Kreuger | February 16, 2014 - 9:07 am |
Comments Off

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company or Freddie Mac has helped millions of first time home buyers get into their first homes. Freddie Mac helps keep home loan prices down because the company is in the business of buying and selling mortgages.

Traditional Loans vs. Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac is designed to help those who may not qualify for a home loan in a traditional bank because by buying and selling mortgages, they keep the interest rates low and affordable. Their role as a government sponsored enterprise gives the company extra funding to help work with mortgage companies.

Do We Credit Karma For The Freddie Mac Mess?
For the first thirty years after the Great Depression, Fannie Mae was the only government agency that traded mortgages. This helped financial institutions make money and it encouraged them to provide more loans to more people. With Fannie Mae being a government sponsored enterprise, banks were comfortable working with the agency because it keep the backing of the government involved in the transactions.

Then, after thirty years, Fannie Mae split. The private sector of Fannie Mae retained the name and continued to do the same work. The government section was called Ginnie Mae and it promised that the mortgages made to veterans and government employees would be repaid.

Two years later, in 1970, Freddie Mac was created to offer competition to Fannie Mae and to encourage more and more Americans to buy homes through loans and mortgages. Freddie Mac was created as a private corporation in the Emergency Home Finance Act of 1970. The role of the new company was to grow the secondary market so that financial institutions had access to buying mortgages and mortgage backed security from savings and loans and other banking institution.

What Freddie Mac is Today
Freddie Mac is a private corporation, but it is under the conservatorship of the federal government. The company offers many helpful mortgage products to help financial institutions work with both sellers and buyers. They also have tools that will help financial institutions grow their volume of mortgages and tools that will keep borrowers making their payment and staying in their homes.

• Some of their services include:
• Selling and delivering loans
• Underwriting and processing loans
• Training and education
• Providing up-to-date news about the mortgage industry

Since the company was put under conservatorship in September of 2008, Freddie Mac has been working under the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Their absolute goal in the currently economic climate is to help with financial institutions liquidate their mortgages so that borrowers can have lower costs and the housing market can recover. This role is designed to bring some relief to the collapse of the mortgage industry and the house market that negatively affected the United States economy. Freddie Mac is working do the following:

• Make the process of getting a mortgage more attainable
• Meet the needs of new home owners and renters by making housing more affordable
• Lower the number of foreclosures to keep home markets viable
• Help American families stay in their homes
• Keeping the trust of the American citizens and the trust of the Federal Government
through the use of the conservatorship that keeps checking the company credit to keep afloat in the financial downturn in the past few years

How Freddie Mac Sells Securities
Freddie Mac is really involved in securing mortgages so that millions of adults can become home owners. When Freddie Mac secures a loan, they purchase the loan from the original lender. Then, Freddie Mac bundles the loans into packages and sells them in the global markets. The proceeds from the securities are sent back to the original lenders. This helps keep lenders viable, because it provides money that can be used to provide mortgages for new home buyers. The bail out that happened in 2008 hurt all of us, not just those that packaged the subprime securities.

Freddie Mac and Financial Stability
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company secures mortgages when families cannot make the payments. When the family continues to pay, those payments eventually make their way to the securities investors, but when they families cannot make their mortgage payments, Freddie Mac makes the move. The company ends up managing the risk for the investors and helps keep the investors afloat. When Freddie Mac funds a mortgage, they collect a credit guarantee fee and it is the fee that helps keep Freddie Mac funded, too.