Outdoor Clothes Line – Expert Tips to Getting Your Laundry Dry Outdoors
Innovations in inventions have improved our day today lives in ways more than one could imagine. From what the article is all about, the clothesline was invented when man found that clothes got dirty when they were laid on the ground to dry. Then a useful contraption called the clothesline was invented on which one could dry clothes without the fear that they could get soiled. On a windy day, the clothes simply used to fly off the lines and hence the clothespin/clothes clips were invented – they served the desired purpose of keeping the clothes on the line even on a windy day.Then came the technological age and people made electricity and fuel do all their chores, it was even used to dry clothes like in the electric clothes dryer! It is faster and also the hassle of washing and then laying out the clothes on a line was almost largely discontinued.Outdoor Clothes LineOf late, after recession struck, people have innovatively adapted themselves to some interesting cost-cutting measures. One such innovation has come around in the clothes cleaning area; people are not using huge energy-consuming monsters such as the electric clothes dryer anymore. Instead, they have taken course to using the old age but effective means of drying clothes which is the clothes line!People of late, have discovered that the clothes can be dried in the outdoors to, thanks to the sun’s ambient energy radiating around us! Humorous as it may sound, but thankfully people have realized that the sun’s energy can be still put to effective use (thankfully the sun is still shining!) and also, it is free to use! Agreed that it does not dry clothes as fast but then, who needs all their clothes to dry fast and all at the same time?Effective Tips to Dry Your Clothes OutdoorsThe financial meltdown may not have been taken lightly but it has taught us the effective art of survival of the fittest! We humans are so adaptive!• The best time to dry clothes when using the outdoors would be naturally in the morning. Now, the question arises, which part of the morning is best suited to dry clothes outdoors? Well, the answer depends on which part of the country you stay in.• For example, if you stay in place where sunshine is abundant and there is not much mist in the air from the last night, you can finish your chores as early as possible – after sunrise. In case you stay at a place where it’s quite cold but there is plenty of available sunshine, you could do with laying your clothes out some hours after the sun has fully risen. The reason being that the sunlight would have ‘evaporated’ the misty air by then and you clothes would dry faster thus.• Getting a retractable outdoor clothesline would be the best thing you can get to dry clothes outdoors.• Also, if the air is dry in the morning (with or without some breeze), you can also hang your clothes outside, to dry!
My Real Estate Agent? Just Who Does the Real Estate Agent Represent?
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to be legal advice. Legal advice depends on each and every person’s particular circumstance. If you have a related issue, you should consult with your lawyer who practices law in your state regarding your particular circumstance. This article is for informational purposes only.Whoosh… SLAM!He marched into my office after he slammed the door shut behind him.His face was grim and his fists were balled up. He plopped down in the chair across from my desk, and he took several deep breaths and exhaled slowly. After he calmed down, he looked at me and flashed an apologetic smile.After a few seconds, he then demanded: “Just who did he represent?! I thought he was representing ME!”I smiled at him cautiously. Then, I carefully asked him: “Who? Who did you think was representing you?” “The Realtor!” he bellowed. “I was the buyer-and he called himself the buyer’s agent-but he was not representing me! He was supposed to be representing me!”"What made you believe that he was representing you?” I asked.”He’s a real estate agent. He was the agent for the buyer-and I was the buyer. That means he was representing me, right? He had to protect my interests over everyone else’s right?”"It’s… not… that…. simple….” I replied slowly, attempting not to anger him further. “Let me see your contract with your real estate agent and all the disclosures your real estate gave to you.”After reviewing his paperwork, I replied “No, your real estate agent was a transactional broker-he did not owe you a duty of loyalty. In other words, he did not have to put your interests ahead of his own.”"You’ve got to be kidding!”"No. I’m not….”WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?Many potential buyers and sellers work with real estate agents. These buyers and sellers hire realtors with the thought that these professionals “represent” them. These buyers and sellers believe that these professionals must protect their best interests over everyone else’s in the transaction.However, this is simply not the law in states like Florida. In Florida, Florida Statutes §475.278 clearly provides that the presumption is that a realtor acts as a “transaction broker”-and does not owe a fiduciary duty to its client.Just what is a fiduciary duty?A fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care at either equity or law. A fiduciary (abbreviationfid) is expected to be extremely loyal to the person to whom he owes the duty (the “principal”): he must not put his personal interests before the duty, and must not profit from his position as a fiduciary, unless the principal consents. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FiduciaryTherefore, generally, since a realtor is not a fiduciary in states like Florida, a Florida realtor (1) is not legally required to be loyal to its customers, (2) can legally put its own interests ahead of its customers, and (3) can legally profit at the expense of its customers.As we witnessed in the above scenario, since most of the public believes otherwise, a real property transaction can go unexpectedly wrong at the expense of the buyer and/or seller.WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?Don’t walk into the transaction confused or misinformed! Often, buyers and sellers believe that have something that they don’t actually have. This mistake in expectation can cause substantial problems in real property transactions. Therefore, know where you stand before deciding on a particular realtor:
Before working with a real estate agent, understand what the law in your jurisdiction provides about the type of relationship you will enjoy with your real estate agent. In states like Florida, unless you require your realtor to agree otherwise in writing, your real estate may only represent the transaction–and not your best interests.
Ask your realtor what the applicable state law provides about the potential relationship with him or her. If you don’t understand the real estate agent’s response, consider posing a few hypothetical questions to the real estate agent to attempt to gain an understanding.
Decide what type of relationship you want to have with the realtor. In many instances, you may want your real estate agent to be loyal to you. However, sometimes, you may not. Your particular circumstances will dictate whether you may want a duty of loyalty from your real estate agent or not.
Be prepared to negotiate exactly the type of relationship you want with the real estate agent. However, be forewarned: if you want a stronger relationship with your real estate agent, he or she may ask for more compensation. Therefore, be prepared to negotiate all of the terms of your relationship!
Make sure that your agreement with your real estate agent is in writing. If you negotiate a specific relationship, it is probably a good idea to put it in writing.
If you are unsure about your relationship and/or contract with your real estate agent, consider consulting with an attorney in your particular jurisdiction regarding the matter. Many attorneys in my jurisdiction charge less than $250 (the cost of a consultation) to review standard real estate contracts and to discuss a party’s rights in such transaction.
Just because a realtor (1) is not legally required to be loyal to its customers, (2) can legally put its own interests ahead of its customers, and (3) can legally profit at the expense of its customers–doesn’t mean that he or she will! I have worked with many real estate professionals who have put their clients interests ahead of their own interests. Therefore, work hard to find a professional that you can trust one of largest assets with: your home!
Web Hosts – Not All Are Created Equal
Many people think that all web hosts offer the same level of service within a certain price point. This could not be further from the truth. Fundamentally web hosting is web hosting but when you compare apples to apples you will find a broad range of differences that may or may not be a detriment to your business. Surprisingly the same web host provider that charges $5/month may have a direct competitor that charges $10/month for a comparable service plan. Below are 3 simple steps to help you determine what provider will best fit for your needs and where to find them.1. Determine Your Price PointLet’s face it; the bottom line is usually at the top of the list, which is price. You can spend anywhere from a few dollars a month to a few hundred depending on your needs. Only you can determine your budget and what you are willing to spend so the best bet is to choose a realistic middle ground on price and then begin shopping. A great place to start is CompareWebHosts.com, Inc. This is a very well known and established web hosting directory which lists many reputable web hosting companies such as eDataRack.com, Inc.. On this directory as well as many others like them you will find providers offering shared and dedicated hosting solutions. It is important to clarify and understand the differences between the two. Typically shared web hosting is more inexpensive than dedicated hosting. Shared web hosting can be compared to apartment living. You have a large building split up into many small rooms. All of the rooms share the same pluming, electricity, etc. In other words, all of the tenants share resources which makes doing business considerably more affordable for you and the provider because you share the web server and it’s resources with several hundred other accounts. Consequently a large percentage of individuals and businesses start out with shared hosting due to this fact. Shared web hosting has become much more sophisticated and reliable over the years. As a result of this thousands of businesses have benefited from a comfortable middle ground on price and reliability, which can be a win-win for everyone. Shared web hosting prices usually range from $5-$30/month on average. Dedicated hosting can be compared to owning your own home. No one else lives in that home accept you. You have all of the resources at your disposal. Therefore you control the performance of your web server based on the resources that your web site requires and not hundreds of other web sites along with yours as is the case in shared hosting. This type of hosting varies greatly in price as well but typically you can expect to pay any where from $99/month in upwards of $300-$400/month. The obvious benefit here is that your hosting reliability factor increases greatly as well as the control of your content and customization.2. Determine Your NeedsWhat do you need? In other words, what are your requirements from your perspective web host and what are your expectations in relation to your budget? Web hosting in general has become much more affordable and competitive over the last few years but you should ask yourself some fundamental questions first. Do you require your web site to be available 24/7/365 100% all the time or can you / your business live with a modest 99.9% up-time which is normally the industry standard for a much lower price point then a higher end SLA (Service Level Agreement) from a more expensive provider. What level of support do you need or expect? Will you require 24/7/365 phone support for technical and sales assistance or will email and or ticketing system be sufficient? Another important aspect but highly overlooked is the issue of potential data loss. Make sure that the web host you choose offers back up / restore services or perhaps at least an option to ad it or make it available at an additional cost. Many people take this for granted that it is automatic but unless you see it advertised or offered in some form or fashion on the providers plan description do not assume that it is being done. You should also consider the number of email accounts and databases you may require. If you have employees they will most likely need individual email accounts for interoffice and external communication. If you plan on running an e-commerce shopping cart or a community forum of any kind you will need one or more databases. Make sure to clarify that this is an option through whichever provider you choose and if there are additional charges.Typically email accounts are standard but many hosts do charge extra for databases and or limit both depending on their business model. Last but not least how much disk space and data transfer will you need? These days disk space and data transfer have become commodities and are relative, meaning they are extremely affordable to provide to you the customer. Performance, features, reliability, and customer service are what your dollars and cents are paying for so when it comes to the later if you know that your web site is going to be very graphic intensive and you anticipate growing a large database for what ever reason it does not hurt to have as much disk space and data transfer that your money will buy depending on your budget constraints. Even if you do not use it all at first you may very well grow into it and it will be there when and if you do need it.3. Do Your HomeworkSo you have done your homework on steps 1 & 2 now its time to switch to research mode. Once you have narrowed your web hosting needs and price points its time to do a little digging on your perspective providers. Your research should begin on the providers own web site. Most companies have an “about us” page which may provide some relative background on company history and a summary of their products, services, and infrastructure. You should also read their privacy policy and terms of service. Never take anything for granted. You should know exactly what you’re entering into and what you can expect from your provider should problems arise. Reading these policies may also give you insight and knowledge on limitations between providers and what direction you can take with future needs as well as steps you can take to avoid any major problems until your budget and business requirements change accordingly. Many companies also provide a customer testimonial and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page as well. Testimonials can provide helpful information on the types of web sites being hosted and how well the company is currently providing service to its existing customers. If companies FAQ page is done well it can provide a wealth of answers to commonly asked questions about sales and technical specifications that may not be listed on the home page. Of course one of the most important ways that you can do to research on the provider would be to actually contact them with questions that may not be apparently answered or any special needs that were not specifically addressed on any of the later sources above. By contacting the provider directly you can gage how responsive and accurate your questions are addressed which is obviously important.In closing, it’s important to note that there are literally hundreds of specific needs that any one company or individual may require when searching for web hosting services. One could literally write a textbook on all of the industry specific questions and challenges when researching the various different types of hosting solutions. The short process outlined above is simply a fundamental foundation of steps that will hopefully serve as an informative beginners guide in the process.