Your Blog

Included page "clone:summerslyapuhsvhz" does not exist (create it now)

Five Hot Real Estate Markets - 23 Feb 2016 20:26

Tags:

[[html]]If you're looking to make some money, consider investing in real estate. According to the National Association of Realtors, 23 percent of all homes purchased in 2004 were acquired as investment properties. But real estate mogul and "Good Morning America" contributor Barbara Corcoran has one of the sharpest eyes in the field. Here are her picks for the Top 5 hottest areas across the country.<br><br>Enid, Okla.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/> Average home: $99,000<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What makes it great: If you want a big house for a small price, go to Enid. Nationwide, the average home price is $216,000. In Enid, you can pay less than half of that for a nice, spacious house. The town is experiencing a business boom — in the last three years, private business has brought in 900 new jobs. The downtown area has recently been rebuilt, and lots of wealthy families from Austin, Texas, and Houston have moved there for the small-town charm.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What you can learn: Look for an upturn in rental prices. If they're going up, then that means people are moving there because they have jobs and they're renting first and then buying. So, you should buy now.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ialeNDeBYBY/UC0VCUNxfnI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/D6NzUDwX7EA/s1600/Conventional+Real+Estate.jpeg" width="294" /><br><br>South Bronx, N.Y. <br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>Average home: $380,000<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What makes it <a href="http://real-estate.laws.com/">http://real-estate.laws.com/</a> great: The South Bronx is the last housing frontier close to New York City. It lost 57 percent of its population in the 1970s; now people are coming back. Public money is flowing in, and developers are really starting to lay their bets. Most importantly, it's attracting creative energy — artists and musicians are moving there — which can really revitalize an area.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What you can learn: Here are three tips from the South Bronx that apply to any depressed area. One, track the number of classified ads selling property each week. They should double every month. Second, assess an area at night. A night life — like clubs and cafes — is a good sign that a neighborhood is on the rise. Third, look for the price of a cup of coffee to rise. Up-and-coming neighborhoods draw expensive coffee sellers.<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEGGN9wHLAM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEGGN9wHLAM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Sitka, Alaska<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>Average home: $331,000<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What makes it great: Sitka's scenery is breathtaking — you can actually see whales from the town's boardwalks. It also offers charming houses, some of the cleanest air and water in Alaska, and great health-care facilities. The town has a terrific vibe and offers a great mix of people — young families and retirees.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What you can learn: The tip here is all about land. Sitka is an island, and only 5 percent of its land can be developed. Most of it has been built on already. So, real estate is a scarce commodity that's only going to become more valuable. Looking for similar situations in other areas is a good strategy.<br><br>Jacksonville, Fla.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>Average home: $166,000<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What makes it great: One of the last affordable markets left in Florida, Jacksonville is really gaining momentum. The city is split by a river and surrounded by the ocean, so there is a waterfront on three sides and miles of beach. Check out the Springfield neighborhood. It used to be called "Pornshop Row." Now it's a hub of arts and culture.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/real-estate">http://www.marketwatch.com/real-estate</a> you can learn: Go dump-hunting: Go to an undesirable area that's next to a prestigious area. Soon, the neighborhoods' lines will get blurred.<br><br><img src="http://roboconegypt2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/real-estate-banner.jpg" width="283" /><br><br>Oxford, Miss.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>Average home: $214,000<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What makes it great: Cheap but chic, Oxford is full of university-town charm and Southern graciousness. It's still quaint <a href="http://simsurbanoasis-by-guocoland.com">sims urban oasis top</a> enough to be considered a small town, but it's distinguished enough to become a vacation destination. Mississippi is about 10 percent cheaper than the rest of the country, so your dollar goes further.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>What you can learn: Oxford is one of the Top 3 places where wealthy people from New Orleans moved after Hurricane Katrina. Anytime there's been a mass migration like that, a real estate boom is bound to follow.<br><br><img src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/img_bullet_orangedot.gif"/>Another tip: When vacant lots start selling like hot cakes, the market is ready to take off.<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEGGN9wHLAM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FEGGN9wHLAM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Romanian Wedding Traditions - 09 Feb 2016 08:05

Tags:

[[html]]Wedding is one of the most important and solemn celebrations in all cultures around the world. It supposes different customs for different people, which can be of religious, economical, legislative, and folklore nature. The Romanian folk rituals are performed in order to bring about happiness, prosperity, social integration, and fecundity to the young couple. These rituals vary from region to region, but one of <a href="http://www.engagementringunder500.com/">engagement rings</a> common elements is the popular costumes the bride and the groom wear and which are full of symbolism.<br><br>Moldavian Traditions<br><br>In Moldavia, for instance, the wedding traditions are in accordance with the common belief that a person who didn't manage to build a home, to raise kids, to dig a proper well, and to plant a tree has failed in his life. This explains the beauty of the Moldavian houses, the green abundance of vegetation there, and the great number of wells found in that area. One of the typically Moldavian traditions that is still kept nowadays is that of showing respect and thanksgiving to the parents by a bowing gesture.<br><br>The traditional wedding is rich in adornment and also has strong moral elements. Apart from that, the party is meant to last until daybreak, and it consists of having plenty of delicious food and wine, performing traditional dances, and singing songs. Also, as a symbolic gesture, when the party reaches dawn, the bride has to hold a child in her arms, to ensure having a houseful of children. Before passing the threshold of their new home, the bride and groom are sprinkled with a grain shower, which is the symbol of a prosperous life.<br><br>Maramures Traditions<br><br>In Maramures (a county in the north of Romania), the wedding has many symbolic values and several stages that are to be followed in order to respect the ancient customs. All in all, the ceremony is quite simple. The first step is taken when a person of trust from the groom's family goes to the bride's house to propose to the girl. The positive answer usually comes after having asked for three times. Then, the proposer and the girl's parents talk about the bride's dowry and decide the date of the engagement ceremony. The whole walk to the wedding place and the entire ceremony is based on symbolic elements, way of dressing, gestures, and a certain order of events that needs to be fully respected.<br><br>Wedding Costumes<br><br><img src="http://pics.zoara.net/images/products/large/460139_halo_style_cushion_cut_diamond_engagement_ring_top.jpg" width="373" /><br><br>The way of dressing naturally plays an important role for the young couple and their desire to follow the ancient customs. The bride needs to wear a white shirt and skirt, with a white apron over it, then a sleeveless woolen coat over it, and a red belt at the waist. The groom simply has to wear the traditional large pants, a white shirt made of hemp, and the same sleeveless coat over them.<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CULRYR8sPjs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CULRYR8sPjs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Other Traditions<br><br>There <a href="http://www.jamesallen.com/">http://www.jamesallen.com/</a> is also an emotional part to the whole ceremony, especially during the so-called "forgiving moments", when the bride and the groom have to ask for forgiveness to their parents, for any possible mistakes they might have made <a href="http://kay.com/en/kaystore/engagement-rings-100010--1/1000100000/100006/1/0/0/0/100006.100007.100010">http://kay.com/en/kaystore/engagement-rings-100010--1/1000100000/100006/1/0/0/0/100006.100007.100010</a> before this special occasion.<br><br>When the groom comes to the girl's house to pick her up, he is usually accompanied by the godfather, by another man carrying a flag, and some more people. There are certain rituals to be performed during the act of proposal. One of them is that the mother of the groom washes the cheeks of the bride and the groom when the girl comes to her future parents-in-law's house. This is supposed to suggest that the future bride is accepted in her new family.<br><br>There are some more post-marriage rituals, implying some specific practices and beliefs, such as the act performed by the new bride when she has to chop a piece of wood by just one hit of an ax. This is believed to ensure an easy childbirth to the young lady. Another custom would be the action of spinning the wool so that the young bride would be a hostess of good name and status.<br><br>These are but a few examples of traditional elements for this sacred ceremonial act. Many are still preserved these days, while others are forever lost to history.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License