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| Big City Travel Tips – Safety First Jan 2nd 2012, 19:55 Big city travel has never been more alarming for individuals not used to city travel and unfamiliar with the city in question. It can be daunting traveling to a new destination, but apprehension is more likely to rise to the surface when you look at just how many crimes take place these days. Couple that with the alarming big city travel stories that have been publicized on the Internet and it is little wonder that individuals debate as to whether they really want to experience certain cities for themselves! However, big city travel tips can easily help to put the minds of potential travelers at rest. There are several things that anyone can do to keep themselves safe in the big cities and thus can visit them, see the sights and enjoy some well-earned time away from the stresses and strains of modern life with little hassle. Simply follow the big city travel tips below and you cannot go far wrong! 1. Luggage – Only take what you need when you travel and make sure that you have a list of the belongings in your bag. This big city travel tip can save you time if your luggage does get stolen, but will also enable you to find what you need in an emergency. You should never leave your luggage unattended for even a second while traveling in a city. It will most likely either be stolen or tampered with if left unattended for a few seconds so ensure that it remains within your sight and possession at all times. 2. Money – Only take one or two credit cards with you on your big city travel trip and ensure that the PIN numbers, if you have them, are not in your possession. Also, when taking money with you, split it up. Divide the cash between pockets in your luggage and areas on your person. For example, keep some of it in your socks, some in a pocket, some in a money belt under your clothing and so on. That way, if anything does happen to you, you will at least have enough money to get back to your hotel. If you are going to a city abroad then take travelers checks with you because they are insured. If you lose them then you can cancel the originals and receive replacements usually within 24 hours. 3. Schedule – Vary your schedule from day to day when undertaking big city travel. This may not seem like a big deal to couples and families that are set in their ways, but individuals looking to make a quick buck one way or another undoubtedly target some tourists. If you vary your schedule then it will be almost impossible to predict where you are going to be at any given time and this can keep you safe. 4. Clothing – Never wear anything that projects wealth or affluence when undertaking big city travel. This includes jewelry, clothing and any accessories that may point to the fact that you would be a great target for a mugging or robbery. Most tourists wear normal and relatively cheap clothes that blend into the background, and anybody flaunting that guideline is putting him or herself at risk. 5. Family – If you and your family split up during big city travel time, make sure that you have a way to get in touch with each other, have arranged a set meeting place and time, and are completely clear on all of these points so that you will be alerted to the fact that anything is wrong straight away. Wherever possible in big city travel, individuals traveling together should stay together. However, the need does sometimes arise. If it does, make sure that you all have the address of the hotel and a map of the city with you at all times. 6. Scams – There are always individuals looking to scam people that are strangers to an area, and during the course of big city travels there are many of them about. Only ask trusted sources for directions and advice, never follow the guidance of strangers unless they are affiliated with official bodies and only buy merchandise from official stores. These guidelines may sound like common sense, but many people flaunt them and this can get them into difficulties! | |
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| Commercial Bridge Loans – History and Why Are They Used Jan 2nd 2012, 20:09 A bridge loan is a short-term loan that is intended to “bridge” a gap between a current need for capital and the time required to set up a more permanent financing solution. While this type of loan tends to carry certain fees and a higher interest rate, it is not intended as a long-term solution. Used properly, a bridge loan can help a business to participate in a lucrative transaction that might be lost otherwise. While there is a real cost to be addresses and managed, this option should be considered under the right circumstances. A Brief History Bridge loans were originally proposed by non-traditional hard money lenders who had identified a gap in the market. While banks require weeks to months to perform thorough due diligence, many of the properties that were being bought and sold were changing hands quickly. This meant that only market participants with existing credit lines, or those with significant cash on hand could take advantage of attractive opportunities. Recognizing that this was inefficient and that good opportunities were being missed, these lenders began to offer bridge loans. The reason that their rates are higher is that the lender is taking the most significant part of the risk continuum. Once the purchase or refinancing has occurred with a bridge loan, the clock starts ticking and if the borrower does not move quickly to exit the high cost commercial loan, it is unlikely that the senior lender or exit strategy will close the transaction. If permanent financing falls through, the bridge lender is left with the exposure and often times stuck with a non-performing property. This means that these projects tend to have a negative selection element; good loans are closed and given to a traditional lender, while lower quality loans (those that have difficulty securing permanent financing) remain open. In order to assume this level of risk, a bridge lender requires a higher rate. Uses of Bridge Loan Financing – Property Types Bridge loans can be used to aid in the acquisition or refinance several property types with a variety of business objectives. Top non-traditional lenders can aid investors in aggressively pursuing loans for land loans, apartment complexes, retail stores, office buildings, mixed use facilities, light industrial buildings, self storage warehouses, mobile home parks, gas stations, liquor stores, and many others. Each unique property presents a different set of challenges and different potential for cash flows. Locating proper bridge financing can help secure a lucrative opportunity and making it successful. The real benefit to using bridge financing from a hard money lender, regardless of the specific property type is that the lenders who operate in this arena are well-versed in the potential success. By partnering with the right lender, you will be able to secure the capital needed to take advantage of a great opportunity, while still making certain that the risks being taken are appropriate. | |
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| Italy Vacation Rentals Jan 2nd 2012, 20:34 Italy is a country of remarkable beauty and breathtaking architecture that should be viewed by every visitor to this rich and diverse country. No matter which part you plan to visit, you are bound to find a wealth of attractions that take you on a historical journey and call out to you with their detail and beauty. Make your way to the Italian region of your choice for your next vacation and enjoy all the fine comforts of home when you stay in a conveniently located vacation rental. There are vacation rentals located throughout the country that have all the amenities of home while surrounding you with the very best Italian scenery this country has to offer. Whether you are planning on spending the duration of your trip in Florence or heading over to the capital of Rome after a few days, you don’t have to give up a moment of luxury when you stay in a house, villa, or apartment that provides the most breathtaking views of Italy that you could ever imagine. Florence is a city of stunning architecture as the enormous white, green, and pink marble Duomo on top of the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiori punctuates the skyline. For those who want to soak in the wondrous beauty of Florence’s architecture, consider staying in an apartment rental that has remarkable views of the magnificent dome of Brunelleschi, the grandiose bell tower of Giotto, and the gorgeous frescos of Vasari while providing all the modern comforts of home. From the balcony, you can soak in the Florence skyline and feel as if you can reach out and touch the marble fa | |
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| MySiteFind Commercial Loans | | |
| New Commercial Lending Criteria Jan 2nd 2012, 22:10 Before a large number of applications were rejected due to strict criteria which catered more prime business. But now there are some more forward thinking lenders who have entered the market. Commercial Loans Lenders will lend on the following types of businesses or Small and Medium Enterprises, including retail, tourism, care sector, B&B’s, Shops, Pubs, Guest Houses, Farms, Land, Hotels, Industrial Units, Offices, Factories, livery, Restaurants and Take Away’s. Business lending include services in raising commercial finance, invoice discounting, factoring and improving existing commercial lending deals. Commercial mortgage brokers work with lending underwriters and bank business development managers. The business development managers show advisors directly how to introduce business often resulting in lenders’ being more flexible in their lending discussions and criteria. This can mean previously rejected cases being passed with even a lower rate than first stated. Due to lending volumes. There are dedicated specialist lenders meaning it possible to now get self certified, show limited paperwork, borrow up to 85% loan to value and have an impaired credit history. Mortgages will be taken on long leases and a short time of trading experience. What is a Company Mortgage A commercial mortgage is not for residential purposes but used for commercial enterprise. It may be used to start a business by buying a bricks and mortar property in order to commercially trade. That might include a shop, industrial unit, warehousing, hotel, restaurant and land development. It may be used to buy other outlets, units, and premises for that business. Or just a bigger or more suitable premises to deal with company growth and relocation. Generally a lender or bank will be looking to lend a company mortgage on a leasehold or free hold basis. They will generally run for a minimum of 15 years up to 25 years. But the new property or land will be at risk if mortgage payments are not regularly paid on time. | |
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| How Long Does It Take To Ship A Car? Jan 2nd 2012, 22:02 With all the online auction automobile sites like ebay Motors, and growing popularity of the internet, and advancement in image viewing tools and services such as carfax, and escrow.com, many people are now buying more cars online than ever before. “The internet is making the world smaller so buyers are now able to view inventory a thousand miles away and make vehicle purchases with confidence” states Steven Nibet, an auto shipping site entrepreneur. After these vehicle purchases have been made from afar the car now has to get shipped to the new owner. This leads me to one of the most frequently asked auto transport questions according to Nibet. “How long will it take for my car to get here”? Like many things that all depends. Several factors dictate the actual transport times and some are out of auto transporters control including Mother Nature and factors like traffic. “Typically a smooth transport can take anywhere between 3 to 10 days” says Nibet. The FMCSA also dictates that drivers have limitations on the amount of time they can drive for safety purposes. A standard vehicle transported from New York to Florida should take about 3 days as an average time. Longer distances will take longer times. Like Boston to LA about 10 days, excluding weather, traffic or mechanical problems. If you need the vehicle shipped sonner, ask for express auto transport which in most cases if you are paying more, they can expedite the entire pick up and delivery date as well as sometimes guarantee a delivery transport time. As always get your agreement or in this business called a bill of laden in writing as well as all the agreed upon terms. That will help ensure a smoother shipping process and confidence paired with other services such as escrow.com, when your purchasing a vehicle online. | |
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| Spanish Airline Strike Leads to Hundreds of Flight Cancellations Jan 2nd 2012, 23:18 Cabin staff of the Spanish Iberia Airline went on a 48-hour strike, leading to over 400 flights being cancelled and thousands of passengers being inconvenienced. Cancelled flights include domestic, European as well as trans-Atlantic flights. Over 440 flights out of 2000 have been grounded. This strike has been called by the unions CTA and SITCPLA, in protest of a four-year pay freeze for around 4,300 cabin staff. Another cause for protest is that other Iberia workers, for example pilots, have seen wages rise in the meantime while their own stay stagnant. Iberia has expressed its regret that labor unions should demand pay increases, especially in view of the dismal scene in the aviation sector throughout the globe. The strikers have refused to back down, however, and have planned further stoppages for November 10 and 11. Worst affected was Madrid’s Barajas airport, where over 200 flights failed to take off as 600+ workers joined the staff strike. Passengers have been deeply inconvenienced by the strike, and some are greatly enraged at Iberia for refusing to pay for an extra day’s hotel stay caused by the strike. However, Iberia has promised to offer alternative flight dates or to refund the tickets. However, Madrid’s inflation rate is extremely high at the moment – the official figure is between 3.6 and 4 per cent, which is one of the highest in all of Europe. This puts the workers in a position where living slowly grows closer to the untenable, especially in view of the jobs being lost in the global recession and added pressure on the earning members of the family. It is not known yet how this will impact the downward spiral in Spanish tourism. Spain is doing all that it can to revive this failing industry, including a deal with English football club Liverpool giving the Spanish Tourism Board (Turespana) global rights to promoting Spain as a travel destination. In order to revive its flagging business, Iberia Airlines have also considered other options, among which are: * A merger with the equally fragile British Airways, which seems to have fallen through as a result of the current airline strike * A code sharing agreement with GOL, a carrier based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is aimed at enhancing access to the Brazilian, Spanish-speaking market. If this is implemented, the two companies will also share Frequent Flyer points, resulting in a stronger loyalty program. These are all parts of a structural overhaul designed to counter the steeply declining revenues caused by the global recession. Other components of this overhaul include - * creating a new subsidiary airline by 2011 that will handle its short-haul and medium-haul flights. * Pay freeze throughout the company for 2010 and 2011, or until the new airline is in operation. * Laying off cabin staff above the age of 55, amounting to about 200 ground staff. * Saving up to 37 million euros a year in 2011 and 2012 in overhead costs. The major positive fallout of Iberia’s restructuring and Spain’s declining tourism is that this is an extremely lucrative time to travel in Spain. With Spanish hotels and airlines offering packages at all-time low rates, this becomes the best time to capitalize on the opportunity. | |
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| How To Find Out If Someone Is Married Jan 3rd 2012, 01:00 Use the same databases that the law enforcement agencies use Finding the right partner nowadays is a difficult enough task at the best of times but how do you know that your new love is being honest with you? Whether you just met or you’ve known him or her for years they could have skeletons in their cupboard that they don’t want to you to know about. Some of these skeletons could be very important to you so it’s worth doing a little digging. For instance, make sure that you know how to find out if someone is married. Ask them if they are married The obvious first step is to simply ask them whether they are married or have been in the past. If they are honest they will tell you the truth and the skeletons can be left behind. But how do you know that they are being honest with you? Pay careful attention to what they say and look for discrepancies. It’s very difficult to keep up a complicated lie and mistakes can easily creep into the story. Do the dates in his story make sense? Does he go away on mysterious business trips etc? You only need to find one thing that you absolutely know is a lie to cast a cloak of doubt on everything else they’ve told you. If this happens then confront them immediately and walk away if you don’t get a satisfactory reply. Do some undercover work If you have an idea where someone might have been married then you can write to the local offices in that area and ask for marriage records. But what if you don’t know where they came from? Even if you do there’s no guarantee that that’s where they got married so how do you find out if someone is married when you don’t have any idea where they might have done it? Find out if someone is married the easy way Until very recently the means to search for information such as whether you are married or not was reserved solely for the law enforcement agencies. Through the power of the Internet these same databases are now available to everyone and made easily accessible through very affordable software. Not only can you find out whether they are married but whether they have a criminal record or have been arrested, when and where they were born, whether they have been declared bankrupt and many, many other background checks. A small investment to gain access to all this information can save you from making a big mistake. | |
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