The Best Cities in the US & Canada to Do House Flipping

Flipping a house can be a great real estate investment. But in order for you to begin any serious house flipping you need to have a great credit score. Many people are addicted to the house flipping shows on television and are really interested in learning how to flip a house. If you really want to learn how to flip a house there are many places you can go for information. There are websites and you can even find seminars at your local community college or hotel conference room to learn the art of house flipping. But the best way is to find someone who has been doing it for a while and see if you can work for them.

Flipping properties is when an investor purchases a house, fixes it up and/or brings it to code and then sell it for a reasonable profit. The process of flipping properties has created a huge rush in the real estate market. Both the United States and Canada have a number of cities that would be great for flipping a house.

In the United States there are ten cities that are great for flipping homes. These cities are: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Raleigh NC, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Boston, NY City, and last but not least Portland. Now we move on to Canada. The best cities in Canada for flipping homes are: Calgary & Saskatewan.

All of these cities have great potential when it comes to flipping homes. But as with any investment you need to do your research and be careful. With the low cost of homes now it could be better than ever to buy homes to flip. You may need to wait a little while until the market kicks back up again to sell the homes. But if you have the money and can afford to wait longer than thirty days to sell you may find yourself with a great investment and a nice fat bank account.

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Fitness Tips – Try Walking With Poles

There is regular exercise and then there is exercise by taking a walk. Fitness walking is not simply forcing yourself to exercise but is a type of walking whereby the person uses poles that are very similar in nature to ski poles. This type of exercise is sometimes referred to as Nordic training. Competitive Nordic skiers who practiced by training on dry land first did this type of exercise. It has been used for decades now.

Nordic training is a very basic form of walking that can be done by practically anyone in any type of climate. The upper body in particular becomes well conditioned in much the same way that it does when an individual is involved in Nordic skiing.

This kind of exercise can provide a full body workout and burns more calories than training minus the poles. For example, fitness training involves more energy consumption than regular walking. It is in the area of 46 percent. Upper body muscle endurance can be increased by 38 percent using the poles in a matter of 12 weeks.

The fact that more muscles are engaged in Nordic training is why more calories can be burned. The chest, shoulders, abdominal muscles, biceps, triceps and all other core muscles are put to the test when the exercise is done.

Fitness exercise has some advantages over walking without poles. These include:

· An increase in endurance and strength in the upper body as well as all core muscles
· A tremendous increase in heart rate
· An easier time when climbing hills
· More calories are burned at a faster pace
· Balance and stability are improved thanks to the use of the poles
· There is density preserving stress that takes place to the bones
· Ankle joints, knees and hips do not suffer as much weight on them

It is important than you buy poles that are appropriate for your height and body frame. Poles that are not the correct length can give rise to pain and discomfort in the knees, back and hips. Incorrect sized poles can also reduce the effectiveness of using poles in the first place.

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Article Marketing Tips – A Few Article Marketing Tips That Could Save Your Business

The following article marketing tips probably aren’t considered any kind of new article marketing strategy for advanced marketers, but they might be a good reminder nonetheless. There are entire ebooks written on this subject so by no means do the following article marketing tips cover everything. They are just ones that have helped my writing, and my results with it, improve the most.

Business With Article Marketing

Article marketing is by all means an internet business practice that is used mostly by marketing affiliates, but it is also used by online businesses to promote all kinds of products. To harness the full power of article marketing, affiliates (or other online business owners) would write articles for their own websites or blogs as well as submitting articles to online article directories and posting articles on various Web 2.0 websites. Submitting and and marketing this content can help the business, but it should be remembered that this marketing is anyway labor-intensive.

Traffic Through Article Marketing

Article marketing can also be used to send visitors (also known as “traffic”) to websites or blogs which contain classified advertisements. In this case, focus on providing information, not selling yourself. Sure, one of the ultimate goals of article marketing is to drive traffic to your site so that you can ideally increase your leads or sales, but that doesn’t mean the articles you write should be nothing more than a thinly-veiled sales pitch. In fact, you won’t drive any traffic if your articles are badly written, and the traffic won’t do you any good if your target market can’t use the information you provide. It is very important for you to drive targeted traffic to your site. More traffic will certainly mean making more money for you in the end.

Article Marketing And Search

If your websites or blogs contain fresh unique content, they are more likely to achieve higher placement in search engine results. Not to mention all that “keyword drawn” traffic coming from the search engines.

When done properly, it’s a highly effective way to build links to your website, to increase your online authority, to control the search rankings for top keywords, and to spread your online presence.

See, when your article comes up in the search engines or gets Tweeted out, the main factor that determines whether or not someone will read it is the headline, since it it is the first thing that anyone will see everywhere, be it in a search result page or in a tweet.

Articles And Blogs

If you own a blog and have written a few articles or more on it, I invite you to take the challenge as well. This is a great exercise in reflection. Sometimes I realize how while people comment on my blog, a continued conversation about those same comments is going over on Twitter as well. I usually Dig my blog for my best articles, which would ramp up their rankings.

Niche Articles

I don’t care what your niche is, there probably is a way to tie any story into your business. Just pick a keyword you want to rank for in your niche, write articles to target that keyword, and you will rank in the top 10 results for them. Assuming that you will be writing articles of really high quality, you can become an expert in your industry or niche.

Article Directories

You will be writing and submitting articles to e-zines and article directories. For each directory that publishes your article, you get one more page out there driving traffic and authority to your website. This is why you will need to submit to various article directories. You will get more back links if more directories publish your articles.

Video Articles

Are you using video articles and audio articles yet? You can use them in your website and embed the video to play automatically or when the user clicks the play button. As you may see, by submitting the written version to article directories and the video version to YouTube, you more than triple the effectiveness of one article. And there is a link to the video version of the article from the article itself so users will be more tempted to visit your website and watch the video instead of reading the article.

Conclusion

Some beginners and intermediate writers sometimes need help, so they search for article marketing tips If you are one of those that need help, then you can use these few suggestions to boost your article marketing success. If you want to maximize the results you’re getting, try including the above article marketing tips into your game plan.

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Business Video Production: Selecting a Video Production Company Part 1: Planning Information

In this first article on the process of selecting a video production company, we are going to explain some of the “information you should have“ when making the call to a company because you’re thinking of doing a business video production. In subsequent parts, we’ll get into information you should know when; planning a presentation recording, training video, trade show video, and several other types of video for business projects. We’ll also cover what you need to know and ask about the video production company you are contacting.

We’ve found that often when a company calls or looks to meet with us about video production, a lot of times they’ve never been involved with the actual production process and aren’t quite sure what to ask or how to go about getting the answers they need. More often than not they haven’t really thought out what they want the video to do for them and/or what should be in it. We try to help people like this by leading them through a series of questions and giving information designed to crystallize their thoughts. We try to make the process as easy to understand and stress free as possible.

Hopefully information we are providing in this article will help.

With all the videos people see on YouTube some think that the way it works is that you show up, shoot, and a video is magically created. This can happen for some types of video projects, but for business video to be successful it requires a lot of planning both before and continuously throughout the process.

The three phases of video production are; pre-production, production, and post-production. They can and will differ depending on the type of project that you want.

Any legitimate and experienced video production company you call will want to ask you questions about your project. If they just say, “OK, we’ll show up and shoot your job”, that should raise a big red flag.

The same warning signal applies if the company can give you a price without knowing the details of your needs. Invariably, when this happens they won’t be able to do the job or there will be more charges later.

Doing a business video project is like doing any other business project in that you need to first decide what you want to do and then gather information and plan how to accomplish your goal. A video production company should start by asking potential clients questions to learn about what is needed.

Questions We Ask

A video production company should start by asking a client;

Why do they want a video?

Hopefully, this will uncover a reason where the video will satisfy some need. It could be that they need to show viewers why their product or service is better than the competition, publicize what they do, or train on something where they want the best practices taught in a correct, repeatable message. More often than not, today it is because a company needs to use video to explain something for marketing purposes on their website. They recognize that video gives them tremendous return with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value and can get their message to millions of people.

Sometimes it is to satisfy a requirement that is mandated on them. An example of this is that in certain states, when operating equipment is installed in buildings, the equipment manufacturer/installer must provide a training video as part of the bid.

Knowing the reason will shape the direction the video will take. So using the above state requirement example, whatever video is done must conform to the structure and directives that state gives, and anything else is a waste of time and money. If we didn’t know the reason it would be easy to go down the wrong path.

How do they want the video delivered to viewers?

A video made for a TV Commercial which is limited to less than 30 seconds and has to deal with broadcast specifications is different than a video which is designed to be on a website, where the exact length isn’t as critical.

Who is the audience?

Different demographics require different treatments. If the target is a Spanish speaking segment, then a video in English wouldn’t make much sense. If it is a certain category of workers, then the video needs to target what is important and use the jargon familiar to convey to that category. If it is to appeal to a customer base, it usually needs to be structured to give them either an appeal or reason to buy, or information they need to use.

What do you want the viewer to do after watching?

This is extremely important because the entire video has to be directed at this goal. If it is a sales video, we need to make the appeal to buy not only attractive, but that it is something they feel will really solve a need they have. If it is for training, we need to be certain it is designed to train and that we insert training theory such as repetition and summary throughout.

What collateral material do you have?

If a company has a particular image with graphics branding, that would usually need to be maintained. If they have successful marketing material that they feel can be used, we want to try to use it. If it is for training and they have practices they want us to develop into a script, we need that. If they have other videos they want to match in style, we need to know that. If they have an outline or rough script, we can start with that. If they have a PowerPoint presentation, that is often a start. Sometimes there will be specific company people, customer testimonials, company locations, or subject matter experts that need to be worked in. Going back to our state requirement example, we might need blueprints of the site, or operation and maintenance manuals to develop a script.

Often in this questioning vein, the company should ask the caller;

What makes you different from your competition?

Why do your customers say they like your company or product?

These questions must be asked in hopes to uncover what their competitive advantage really is. If they don’t know the answer, we’ll ask them to ask their customers. All this material and ideas gives a sense of the direction and what the video can be.

What is your budget range?

After the necessary information described above is covered, we can determine if the budget range the client wants is reasonable and discuss what can and maybe shouldn’t be done regarding their budget. We can work with any budget large or small, and what we ultimately design will be dictated by the budget.

I can’t tell you the number of calls we’ve gotten where people who really don’t know all that is involved with video production want months worth of work by multiple people and the use of hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, and they expect it for a few hundred dollars. In their defense, they’ve never been involved before and have no familiarity with the process so we try to help them understand. A video production project is variable, like choosing a car with the many brands and options available. Depending on what goes into it, the cost will vary. A web commercial can require a half day of shooting by a 2 person crew and a portion of a day editing, and ultimately may only be around $1000. Or, the same web commercial could require; a month of scripting, multiple locations, multiple shooting days, a 3 member video crew, a full 3 member lighting crew with a truck of equipment, a teleprompter and operator, a makeup technician, multiple cameras, a green screen studio, etc. Of course with all these added resources, the latter project will cost more.

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Start Selling Online With the Shopping Cart

You want to shop for a week’s supply at Wal-Mart and as you enter the store, you notice that all the shopping carts are gone. How would you feel? Of course, you’d feel like not shopping at all and switch to other stores where shopping carts are available. The same applies for online shoppers who wanted to make a more organized and one-way shopping, most especially if they’d purchase multiple items. A customer would always want it the easy way out and one way of letting them shop the easy way is through online shopping carts.

Shopping cart softwares have improved a lot as years passed and as e-commerce boomed to overcome a lot of tangible business out in the business world. Having an Online Shopping Cart Software is important and will reap you a lot of benefits both in short term and in the long run. Through a shopping cart, you would be able to cater the best shopping experience to your online customers like they’re in a virtual shopping mall picking up what they want and stashing it inside the cart for the cashier to bill them out.

Free vs Paid Shopping Carts

There are a lot of shopping cart softwares available; most of them are pay-to-use while some few are for free. Free shopping cart softwares may be very tempting to avail of because they are absolutely free of charge. Take note, however, that these free shopping cart softwares may be a good option while starting a business, when the customers are not that overwhelming yet. But try to anticipate when your business made it into the main stream. Surely, the free shopping cart software won’t be able to handle the demands of multiple customers in the long run. As compared with paid shopping carts, free carts are less stable and have less customer support available for technical difficulties.

Multi-Tasking Carts

There are available shopping cart softwares which come in a package making them more versatile than ever. Shopping cart packages allow for the users to perform multiple tasks at once.

Suggestive carts- Aside from the usual shopping cart where all the items to be purchased are stored temporarily, current carts also generate information about the customer’s history of previous purchases and offers them similar products which could catch their interests- this is through the power of cookies which collect previous information of users and dig them up for future use.

Search Tool- Search tool is also integrated in some shopping carts so shoppers won’t need to scour over the list of items. They can also sort these items out so that they can compare the prices, and all other essential information.

Cross Selling- Some carts can also be designed to do cross-selling such that there would be Hot Listed Items on a part of the cart which could raise the interest of a customer.

Computations of Fees- One important feature of a shopping cart is to make the job of the online seller easier so that before it reaches the Internet Merchant Account service, everything is already ironed out and ready for billing. Computation of taxes, shipping costs, discount rates and all other necessary calculations can be done by a shopping cart and this helps a lot in making the transaction smoother and more convenient.

Reporting- A shopping carts task doesn’t just end once the customer leaves the site and billed out by the IMA. The cart should also display reports to the online seller about the hottest items on the list, the overall sale for a certain time, the information about the traffic, the type of customers and all essential information necessary to improve the store.

Customizability of Design

The flexibility of the shopping carts is important so that it could be well adapted and customized according to the design or layout of the online store for which it is designed to work. By this feature, you can easily change the look of your store if it starts out to feel dull and monotonous. You should also see to it that the interface is user-friendly so that those persons with no idea about HTML or web designing can easily tweak the design up. There are also some shopping cart software providers who can customize the carts for you- all you need is to give them a logo of your store or tell them how you want those shopping carts to look like.

Shopping carts are very vital in the functioning of an ecommerce website. It gives heaps of benefits for both the seller and the customer. For this reason, be very careful and strategic in choosing the right shopping cart for your store. Just bear in mind those tips and points which should be looked into and surely, you’ll get the best shopping cart service suited for your business.

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How to Set Up a Great Work Station at Home

Whether it’s by choice or by force, many of us have gotten used to the idea of a home office, or at least a work station at home. In countless fields of employment, working from home is not only acceptable but sometimes encouraged, as it is a way for people to take care of family issues without sacrificing a day’s productivity. Consequently, gone are the excuses that you were “sick in bed.” Couldn’t you still send a few emails and fax reports? Of course you can, but sometimes a home office can be forbidding in its bland character. Here are the five ways to set up an office at home and get the job done.1. Get the desk right. Many people will take short cuts when it comes to their desk in a home office. There is no reason to compromise style and comfort, just because it’s an office. Think of it like the desk in your room: the look and character of it are just as important. Head down to a furniture store and see some of the classic models that are easy to work on and comfortable at the same time.2. Have the technology to deliver. Until you get truly high speed internet, more than one phone line and a high performance computer, it’s not really an office. Make sure your weakness doesn’t come from technology. If you have to make a compromise, make it on space. Have all of your pieces of the puzzle fitting together: when you need them the most, you’ll be able to deliver.3. Leave the cubicle in your office building. Dress up your work station like it’s a real part of your home. If you feel banished in a cubicle, your overall performance will suffer. Make the place comfortable. Put up some pictures on your desk. Make sure your chair is comfortable — though not nap-worthy — and schedule breaks in the day when you can perform chores around the house.4. Focus on lighting. Of course, natural lighting is best and keeps everyone working at a good pace and feeling positive in the process. It’s not always possible, however, so consider a second option. Fluorescent lighting may be cost-effective and environmentally sound, but some types can also give off truly ugly lighting. Use strong bulbs with light-tinted shades, making your work space a productive environment, without feeling like you are in a clinic.5. Don’t make it too comfortable. You want to make your home office or work space the opposite of drab and monotonous, but you don’t want to set up the Taj Mahal, either. Assume that you’ll need to stay focused and work at a reasonably fast clip, like you would at the office. Have your back well-supported, keep your posture upright and bask in the surroundings. However, don’t cross the line into unfettered coziness. Always dress like you’re going to walk through the doors of the office. This way, if your boss pays you a visit, you’ll make a good impression.

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There is an excessive amount of traffic coming from your Region.

#EANF#

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Significance of Back Lighting in Cosmetics Product Photography

A lot of people try to shoot their products themselves. While it is a good thing to do, they actually do not have the skill set needed to get a good picture. Amateur photographers too due to lack of experience can leave a lack in a good picture. Decade of experience is a great teacher than just some photography tutorials. That is exactly where a professional photography service company like EtherArts Product Photography comes in to picture. This is what is necessary along with a professional photography gear and some knowledge of Lights and Reflections. In this article, we will share some light on the reflective Cosmetics product photography – Liquid Cosmetics in particular and what are the most important factors that you need to pay attention to for a successful photograph.Lighting the product takes most of the photographers attention. Every photographer would make efforts to light the product up appropriately. Some go beyond this to light it up so much that the product gets overexposed and is washed out in the pictures. Such images are poor photography. A smart and experienced photographer will pay attention to lighting up the product along with something called backlighting. Backlighting essentially means lighting the back portion of the product Or the background of the product. To do this it is necessary to pay attention to the below mentioned aspects of the product.Product Nature- Most important is the nature of the product to be photographed. Solid products differ a lot than the liquid containing cosmetic products. Hence we need to be careful while choosing the correct set up.Background- A lot of times, Ecommerce photography requires white background. Amazon requires a seamless white background for all their listings. This is a mandatory requirement. In order to get this white background, a lot of photographers tend to use extreme bright lights or use a high camera Aperture number. This results in the product getting ‘white-washed’ and practically disappears in to the light. The contrasts are low and the edges of the products look foggy. For Aroma Oil cosmetics photography, all we need is just the necessary amount of light in the background to get just the correct amount of seamless white. So be careful while trying to get the white background. A photo-editing software will be helpful in clearing what is left of the greyish-whitish background.BackLighting- Amateur photographers focus less on lighting. They believe that the daylight (sunlight) is the best environment to shoot products in. But they are mistaken. Studio Daylights are different. Use Daylight (white light) bulbs for the lighting. A dark room is a must for product photography. This allows the photographer to control lights as needed, mostly depending on the type of product is shot. For Aroma Oil Cosmetics Photography in particular, try using a low strength daylight bulb as a backlight. This gently illuminates the liquid inside the glass containers giving it the most enhanced look. The yellow or colored oil starts showing a nice color to it, instead of just a black or transparent liquid. This brings out the colors of the oils giving them the much needed wow factor to the photograph.

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5 Tips to Get Cheap Car Insurance

Getting a car insured today has become a matter that requires substantial research. For most people the main criterion of selecting or rejecting a car insurance company is price. Every body seems to be after ‘cheap’ car insurance. But how does one quantify cheap? To accurately compare quotes, you need to make sure the insurers you’re comparing are offering similar types and amounts of coverage, and also a similar deductible amount.Meanwhile, here are a few pointers on how to go about getting a car insurance that will be more affordable:Keeping all your eggs in the same basket may help you lower your car insurance costs. Some insurers give discounts if the applicant already has one or more insurances from the same company. For instance, if you already have homeowners insurance and another auto insurance plan from the company, chances are that you may have to pay less for insuring your new car. You can even ask them to give you a quote and compare it with that of other insurance companies.Keep your driving track record clean. Easier said than done, no doubt, but it really pays in the long run. If you have a couple of accidents to your credit, chances are that you may have to empty your pockets a little more to have your car insured. This is the auto insurers’ way of hedging the risk from your bad driving and safeguarding themselves from a possible claim in the near future.Increase your deductible amount. This is the amount that you agree to pay in the eventuality of a claim before the insurance company pays up. What this implies is that you are taking a risk of paying more if the need arises. But if you are a cautious driver and are confident that you are likely to be so in the future too, it will knock off a sizable chunk from your yearly payouts.Even the make of the car can determine how much you pay for the insurance of the car. Attractive and expensive cars are more theft prone and hence make the car insurance expensive. The inherent nature of the car and the likely profile of the user can also determine the insurance amount. ‘Volvo’, a symbol of safety, is likely to be driven responsibly but a Mustang is likely to be driven by a less cautious driver. Therefore if you are planning to buy a car in the near future, spare a thought on the insurance front too, since a ‘low-profile’ car can have a lower insurance cost.Take precautions to theft proof your car. This can affect your risk profile immensely, apart from giving you a general peace of mind. Cars equipped with anti-lock brakes, air bags and automatic seatbelts are also eligible for insurance discounts.Remember not to just go after the cheapest quote you get in the market. Do your homework, compare quotes and reimbursement track records of several insurance providers before you finalize your car insurance company.

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Earn More With Automotive Jobs

Even though there are several industries that offer stable jobs in many individuals, one of the most in job today is the automotive industry. It is one among the most thriving industries nowadays and it has not only left a trademark on the economy but also all over the world. This is significantly involved in selling vehicles, marketing, developing, designing and producing.In addition, it also manufactures different vehicles that are powered by gasoline, such as motorcycles, airplanes, trucks, buses and cars, and also all vehicles that are powered by electricity like trains. With the development of automotive industry, there is also a great development in automotive jobs, such as auto repair, store manager, automotive service manager and automotive technician jobs.The automotive jobs mentioned above also bring big amount of income to the economy. It gives a fundamental support for an extensive range of associated industries and other services. The sedan has now converted from an expensive thing to your daily needs. It is also now considered as a status symbol and once you have it, others can describe the stability of your living.Also, with the fast growing of technology today, there are now various kinds of cars available everywhere. From the extremely abundant and trendy vehicles down to the cheapest car that can fit your budget. As the progress and competition arises, there are more and more of various models of vehicles that come out in the market.Moreover, as the models of cars increases, it also provides every consumer a freedom to pick the best car he or she desires and will fit his or her everyday needs and requirements. Since there are lots of car loans that were offered by the banks, it has become more accessible to acquire a vehicle of your own. Due to the lofty rivalry and the use of modern technology in making automobiles, some sedans can also be bought at a very affordable price.These aspects helped very much in growing numbers of various models of vehicles as well as new jobs in the industry of automotive. These are some of the reasons why there is an exponential development in automotive industry. It also becomes a profitable business in today’s economy. In addition, if you hold an automotive school degree, then you are capable of working in this kind of industry since there are several kinds of work that you can go to.

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