Mid Point Route 66 Cafe

Buying real estate can be much more than just finding a place to reside in. For some people it is even a hobby, such as flipping houses.

Most people have to do a real estate transaction at some point in their lives, and some find it a fascinating chance of catching and creating value. Real estate has become a common investment vehicle, and it continues to be popular despite a very bumpy industry.

Plan your investment in real estate

Before we dive into the various kinds of real estate investments available nowadays, it is worth looking at one of the main attractions it can provide traders and investors. Investing in real estate gives you one tool that is not as commonly available to stock market investors: leverage.

If you want to buy shares or bonds, then you have to pay the full value when you place your buy order, unless you have some type of financing in place. But even if you are an sophisticated investor buying on margin, the amount of capital you can borrow will usually be less than what you can easily access for a real estate purchase in the USA.

A traditional house loan generally requires a 20% to 25% down payment only. However depending on where you live, there exist various kinds of mortgages that could require as little as 5% down when you get the keys to your newly acquired property. This means that you can control a much larger real estate protfolio then your initial capital, by only paying a fraction of the overall value up front. Of course, your house loan will eventually pay the overall value of the house when you purchased it (plus a not unimportant quantity of interest), but you control the whole resource the minute the documents are signed.

Real estate provides better profits than trading stocks without as much volatility

Historically in real estate, your risk of loss will be reduced by the length of time you hold on to your house. When the industry improves, so does the value of your house, and as a result you will progessively develop more equity. On the other hand the risk is much greater in trading stocks and there are extensive factors beyond your control that could adversely impact your investment at any time.

Real estate gives you additional management of your investment because your property is a tangible resource that you can leverage to take advantage of several revenue sources while enjoying capital appreciation.

Real estate has a high tangible asset value

Real estate is a smart investment for many reasons. You can enjoy an excellent rate of return, amazing tax advantages and leverage your real estate portfolio to develop your wealth. Real estate will always serve as a secure tangible asset to minimize the risk in your investment portfolio.

A good investment in real estate is not only a secure financial investment; it is also an investment that can provide years of fun, pleasure and precious remembrances that will last a lifetime.

This is what emboldens both real estate flippers and property owners. They can take out a second house loan on their homes and put down payments on two or three other properties. Whether they rent these out so that income from renters pays the house loan or wait for a probability to sell for a good profit, they control these resources, despite having only paid a small part of the overall value.

Where to invest

It is never too late to invest in real estate, but where to invest?

Prices vary dramatically from one region to the next, from city to city and depending on the neighborhood. If you have the flexibility to choose your location in the United States, look no further than Chicago as prices are still depressed compared to the national average.

Kale Realty brokers will be able to point you in the right direction depending on your budget. They are part of a residential real estate company that covers the entire Chicago area including its suburbs. Investing in real estate requires that you do your homewoek as not all properties are made equal, and you can trust these folks to do the groundwork for you.

How many of you looking for some home improvement in your flat or house?

You might have been searching the internet for the latest trends that can spruce up your place. What will be your first preference? The first approach is to acquire all the desired contemporary interiors which will be blowing everyone’s mind.

But thrusting everything to your home is not a solution, and such things can’t give your place the desired look.

Numerous people are planning extensions to sort out the space issues. Obviously, you won’t like to make your home cluttered, but it’s awkward if you keep on doing such things repeatedly.

If you don’t want to make your place messy or unorganized then what else can take you out of such situation. These days’ self-storage units are in trend, and people are utilizing this for various purposes. Here we are going to let you know how storage units can resolve space issues.

Minimize Disruption

Pushing everything on the sides can’t give us the desired level of renovation. We always want to have minimal disruption and for this extension, it is an optimal solution to minimize the space issue of our growing family needs. To remove unusual cluttering issues getting some storage space is the plan.

If you have recently done a home extension or any other type of renovation, then these large cases can be installed anywhere you want. It can store unnecessary things that are no longer in use or seasonal stuff which use to be taken out only when the season is around the corner.

This is a also a good opportunity to get rid of all your unwanted items. Rent a dumpster if needed, so that you can progressively fill it with all the debris from the construction plus all the junk you no longer want around you.

Dividable in different units

Well, these cases have made life convenient for large families. Mostly we go for an extension when we are unable to solve the family needs, and such additions not only sort out the issue but make the place more manageable. Its bit easier for families to divide storage areas into multiple options like kitchen units or kids unit.

You can keep whole kitchen stuff including grill pans especially for barbeque parties or other crockery items that are not in use. If you people are hiring space especially because of minimum space in your home, then it will be easier to keep an eye on every item for further use in future.

Similarly, kids units will have the toys, books, seasonal clothes and kids’ paintings that they made on mother day and some other things which are emotionally attached to you. So these components are the perfect place that can have all the sentiments with great care.

Time-Saving option

How many of you are exhausted from the frantic routine? You must be searching such ways that can save your valuable time in most of the things. Storage cases are saving precious time when you people have to find out anything in stuff.

Easy to search when every storage case is divided explicitly into different sections according to people need. Finding things from organized units is easy. We don’t need to be worried about the wasted time that we use to spend on finding out things such units have made search convenient.

Easy to maintained

The majority don’t go for such self-storage units options because we always wonder if our stuff will be safe or not. If a specific stored space is rented for keeping the essentials, then make sure the company who is offering these services should pay attention to its maintenance.

If storage units are taken home then let me tell you all, these are the best way to store the things. Don’t forget to follow the instructions that are especially given by the company. I came across various space that is durable and easy to maintain even in different weather conditions that we will discuss later in this blog.

Affordable option

Who else will ever prefer to ruin their household items? Apparently, no one wants that, and for keeping things to secure place, they either take the assistance of self-storage units in their home or purchase high-quality material cases. Although this is one of the convenient options, we always look for such affordable options that will not be overburden for our pocket.

Numerous companies are offering reasonable storage options with the assurance of security that will give great peace of mind to everyone. You might have no idea but one more thing which is necessary to add here that extra security measurements are also taken by the different company to ensure the protection of your assets.

Effective for climate changes

No one is sure about weather conditions and the home extension plan could get delayed for some days because of heavy rainfalls. Companies always focus on high-quality units that remain in good condition despite all severe weather conditions. No matter you have placed these cases in the backyard or somewhere else your belongings will be protected. What else can you find better than these units?

They are constructed by considering weather conditions. The best quality material is used for storage components. If you haven’t given thought yet, then these are effective options to save your household stuff from sudden weather changes.

Easy to carry

During construction when our residential place becomes messier and untidy you might keep on searching for options that can accommodate your entire household stuff with great care. We all know this would be convenient and would make everything accessible, but do you know these are easy to find?

Southeast Asia is one of the most tourist-packed destinations, and among those southeast Asian countries, Cambodia is sadly the most neglected of all despite many attractions.

Cambodia is known for its magnificent Angkor Wat and the legacies of the Khmer Rouge Empire, but it is also known for its security issues and land mines. Both of these facets play the biggest role on the repelling and attracting of tourists and historians which resulted to a wonderfully developed tourist infrastructure. For so many years, tourists are more attracted to Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat. Because of these, many foreign tourists miss out on many opportunities in seeing more of Cambodia.

Phnom Penh is the capital of this mystical country. It is located in between the Vietnamese border and Angkor Wat and over the years, the capital of this beautiful country has transformed into a cosmopolitan city. Because of this, Phnom Penh did not just evolve into a typical cosmopolitan city. It transformed into a busy city infused with Cambodia’s deep culture.

Their street food is also one of the best treats you can find in this country! At the crossroad of China, Thailand and India, Cambogia has a mix of the best South-East Asian food you will ever taste. As they have plenty of exotic spices from their tropical climate, you will not be disappointed but the multitude of aromas and fragrance that will hit your senses.

Historically, Cambodia is known for its killing fields. Today, there are so many more activities and destinations you can add up to your itinerary. You can avail for tours, boat cruises, cooking schools, wet markets, night markets, animal refuge facilities, beautiful and scenic boardwalk and many more. Another tourist attraction is Battambag.

Battambag is located in the western side of the country and its known for its beautiful riverside city. There are also convenient hubs for you to explore the hinterlands with its temples. To get there, you can ride a boat from Siem Reap which will be a scenic boat ride crossing the Tonle Sap. You can also reach there by riding a bus. You can even share taxi with other tourists.

Other destinations you can go to is located in the further east. Considered as Cambodia’s “Wild East”, Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri provinces will be a good fit if you are travelling with your significant other. The scenery is truly breathtaking – it will make you fall in love once more.

If you are more of a camping or a trekking kind of tourist, going to the north will be the best fit. You can go trekking in Virachey National Park. You can visit local towns and visit nearby waterfalls. Just like Chipat, Sen Monorom is also a developing tourist attraction.

Of course, no one should miss out on Angkor Wat. It is the biggest temple complex. In fact, it is known as the largest religious monument in the world. Originally started as a Hindu temple, it gradually became into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century. It is also the most preserved temple in the entire world. Historians say that Angkor Wat is mimicked to the home of devas in Hindu Mythology.

Russian Dolls, also known as Matryoshka doll or Russian nesting dolls are a significant part of the Russian culture.

Crafted from wood and adorned with attractive paints they are placed one after the other in decreasing size.

These dolls are tantamount of Russian handicrafts. Due to their uniqueness and attractiveness they are highly admired by people across the world.

Magnificent work of arts they can brighten up at any place of your home and is also a superb gift for any occasion.

History of Russian Nesting Dolls

Vasily Zvyozdochkin, a craftsman and a doll maker introduced these handmade Matryoshka dolls in 1890 which were painted by a folk craft painter, Sergey Malyutin. The basic theory of these dolls is to rest a smaller doll inside the biggest doll in a nested manner until the space is packed with the smallest little doll inside.

The number of dolls placed inside may vary depending upon the artist. Vasily creation’s was composed of eight dolls altogether. In his creation, the outmost stature was a girl adorning a traditional costume and holding a rooster while the smaller figures were some girls and a boy and the last and final stature was of an infant.

The inspiration behind Vasily Zvyozdochkin and Sergey Malyutin’s creation was a Japanese doll, which was either a hollow, rounded daruma doll or fukuruma nesting doll.

In 1900, the wife of Savva Mamontov, a Russian industrialist and patron of the arts presented these mesmerizing dolls in Paris at an international exhibition and they were not only internationally recognized but also awarded with a bronze medal. These acknowledgements inspired Russians and soon many craftsmen started creating beautiful nesting dolls.

Themes

Generally, a nesting set comprises of dolls with the same theme, that could be anything from “farm” “festivals” to “politicians”. When the outermost doll is taken off by separating the top and base, it exposes a doll underneath that is faintly smaller to it. This doll too will have a smaller doll inside which again will reveal the next smaller doll.

After opening dolls one after the other, the tiniest doll will emerge and this doll is not void and cannot be taken off or unscrewed. Conventionally, the quantity of dolls in a nesting set is anything from five to nine, however now, there are several sets that are even up to a dozen.

The initial Russian dolls were typically illustration of female peasants in Russia but today there are numerous diverse themes for you to select. Few of the common themes include flowers, caricatures, animals, portraits, musicians, Christmas, religion, Easter, athletes, politicians, movie stars, robots and astronauts.
Design, Shape and Pattern

Russian nesting dolls have a curved top and they are almost cylindrical in shape without any obtruding feature. In a conventional set, the outermost shape is usually of a woman embellished with a safaran while the smaller dolls are either female or male and the innermost doll, the tiniest one is an infant.

The term “Matryoshka” in the Russian language means “little matron” this is the prime reason why the outer doll is mainly a woman. The metaphors that are illustrated and painted on the Russian dolls can be very complex and the craftsman needs to have stupendous painting expertise as well as scrupulous attention to detail to craft them.

At Thanksgiving, people all across the United States sit down and share a meal to remember the very first Thanksgiving dinner. This special meal is different from among others, normally containing traditional Thanksgiving foods such as turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, yams, and stuffing. However, it’s more than the company with family and delicious foods that make this holiday important, but the ideas that are behind it.

You see, in the early 1600s the English Separatists were being forced to worship God however the king saw fit. They met in secret, and yet the King sent spies to find out who the key leaders were. Many people were thrown into prison for not heeding to the king’s religion. The separatists, or ‘pilgrims’ as they called themselves, were fed up with being treated this way, and decided to sail away to Amsterdam, Holland (present day Netherlands).

However, twelve years of being in the Dutch culture began to affect the Pilgrims. The leaders were worried that this influence on their children was not positive, so they decided to move again, this time to the ‘New World.’ In 1620, they set sail on the Mayflower, with their plan to settle by the Huston river area. Because of harsh weather conditions in the North Atlantic, they were driven off course and landed at Cape Cod. As they were so far from their original destination, the Pilgrims decided to settle right where they were. By the end of December, they finished their journeying at Plymouth (which they called ‘New Plymouth’).

Their first winter there was severely harsh, and about half of them died. When spring finally set in, a local Native American, named Samoset, introduced himself to the Pilgrims. He also brought another Indian, named Squanto, who taught the settlers how to survive and live off the land. Moreover, the Pilgrim governor, William Bradford, signed a peace treaty with the Wampanoag Indians (who Samoset and Squanto were from). By the time harvest rolled around, they had grown and stored enough food to last them thorough the winter. They were so excited, that the Pilgrims decided to hold a three-day feast to celebrate. Many Indians showed up to share the feast as well.

Around two-hundred years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday on the last Thursday of November to remember the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Later in the 1940s, President Franklin Roosevelt changed it to be celebrated on the second to last Thursday of November.

Despite when we celebrate it, Thanksgiving is a time to be especially grateful for the freedoms we have in America. One especially is the freedom of religion. The pilgrims came to America to seek that freedom, and thank God we, three hundred and forty-four years later, still have that freedom. So this year during this time of thanks, don’t forget to be extra thankful for the sacrifices people have made though the ages so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. God bless America!

Our trip to Greece was not intended to be exhaustive but eclectic, including visiting a number of unavoidable ancient sites, the discovery of beautiful scenery and a Hellenic week lazing on the beach. We crossed Greece from June 16 to July 2, 2012, in the heart of the heat wave!

Arriving in Athens, we are directly involved in Volos, before the turn of the peninsula of Mount Pelion. We were seized by the diversity of landscapes, from the industrial port of Volos to small coves along the west coast through the resort’s ski Agrioflekes, the jungle of apple orchards near Makrinitsa, villages with ancient houses decorated with earthenware. The highlight of this tour of Pelion Agia Kyriaki was a small fishing village at the tip of the peninsula, lost in a setting combining islands, sea and sky.

We then left for the amazing site of Meteora, made of breathtaking natural rock upon which are built Orthodox monasteries from the 11th century. The site attracts a crowd of tourists, particularly countries of the East, but is worth the detour. We found a home in Kastraki, a small village less touristy than Kalambaka, starting point of classical hits. There are only 6 active monasteries who are visited, so we admired the monasteries Varlaam, Holy Trinity, Agio Nikolaos Anapafsas, Agios Stefanos Roussanou and the Great Monastery (most interesting). The chapels often have very rich Orthodox icons and art, but we were disappointed not to feel more spiritual.

Starting at Delphi, we stopped in the charming seaside town of Galaxidi, hotel galaxies that we recommend. The site of Delphi, although in ruins is superb thanks to its setting of olive trees and beautiful hills. Unfortunately, like most other major Greek museums, museum of Delphi were closed for repairs due to the financial crisis. We made a detour to the beautiful monastery Ossios Loukas, late Byzantine style and rich gold mosaics and marbles.

After visiting the fort of Nafplion and the pleasant town of the same name, influenced by the Romans and the Turks who attacked over the centuries, we continued to two great ancient sites: Tiryns, attributed to the Cyclops and the necropolis of Mycenae with its famous gate to the lions, the tombs of Aegisthus, Clytemnestra, the Treasury of Atreus and the secret tank which is accessed through a dark staircase and slippery. After a week devoted to Greek culture, whether ancient or orthodox, we agreed a week of relaxation in Koroni. This small town in in southern Peloponnese, adjoins to Kalamata, an industrial city known for its olives and its football team.

Koroni is a charming little town typically Greek, with houses painted in white and blue shutters, adorned with flowers planted in pots with feta, olive and fig trees. The white citadel worth seeing and the beautiful beach is sparsely populated. You need to see the countryside, villages and Vasilisa Finikounta. From there we made a break to climb Mount Taygetos and to visit the site of Olympia, in ruins, but very large and impressive, and that of the former Messina, free access that extends over a huge area surrounded by walls wonderful.

This was indeed a great trip to Greece and my next trip will be to Las Vegas. These are nearly diametrially opposed places, the Ancient World on one hand versus the modern rush from our most modern world on the other hand. Enjoy.