How to Buy a Home for Your Retirement

Buying an investment property for your retirement is a basically good move. You need to make certain that investment delivers what you want, when you want it. The most efficient form of property investment for retirement purposes is to plan ahead, and have your property paid off and ready to use as you wish, preferably long before retirement.

Retirement goals and property investment issues
These are the core goals for retirement property investing:

· Financial security-The real cost of retirement is actually an equation- Capital and income less costs. New Australian market research has discovered that those who’ve paid off their properties have far better cashflow. This is a natural development of reduced financial commitments and a simplified income/outlay dynamic.

· Lifestyle- It follows from the better cashflow effect that retirement lifestyle is much better. Retirees don’t want or need any risk of additional costs, and naturally want to be able to maintain lifestyle quality.

Seems straightforward, doesn’t it, but there are potential traps that can sabotage even these very basic requirements.Property investment needs to be seen as a risk management exercise for retirees. The idea is to avoid problems during the purchase process.

These are the issues:

· Financial over-commitment- This is a potential killer. Best practice is to buy for retirement early, to minimize outlays. Over time, circumstances can make financial commitments complex. The degree of difficulty equates to the amount of outlay, in terms of buying any investment property.

· Market value- There’s a good side and a potential bad side to the property market for retirees. A rising market can undeniably generate good returns on investment over time, and even an opportunity to upgrade. A static market or downward market can remove the opportunity, and leave you with a “stuck” investment.

· Interest rates-This is a cumulative effect which can reduce retirement capital over time. Interest rates can rise, adding to the outlay while the actual ROI is flat, so getting out of an underperforming or costly investment by selling can be a loss-making scenario in a tougher long term buying environment.

Safety first- Getting what you want and avoiding risksBefore you do anything at all about buying a property for retirement-

1. Get professional property investment advice-Just do it. The more you know about your investment options and the better your sources of information, the simpler it is to invest safely and wisely. You may be astonished at the quality of information available from these sources.

2. Get financial advice- There are multiple options available for retirement investment, including many with definite tax benefits. You need to know exactly what you’re looking at financially with investment properties, so make sure you’ve got the money issues well under control.

3. Be patient- Good property deals don’t just happen. You need to know how to find them and check them out, and how to take advantage of them quickly when you find them.

The good news

You’ll definitely find what you want, with the right advice and good planning. You won’t need to worry for a second. Just make sure you do things properly.

image: shutterstock.com

A Rubber Motor Boat

This motor boat's function is to pull a banana boat with some passengers on top of it. Captured in one morning around Pangandaran Beach (West Java, Indonesia).

Plants

It's my late entry for The Weekend in Black and White. One morning, in our front yard, I found these unique shapes of different plants. I think it's interesting enough to notice.

Pros and Cons of Buying a Kit Home

Kit homes continue to grow in popularity in many markets around the world. There are a number of very good reasons for this. They are much cheaper than traditional homes, and we are seeing they are very durable, especially for those living in remote areas and harsh weather conditions are a very real issue. If you are considering a kit home build, here is a good look at the pros and cons:

Pros
· Saving money. This is the biggest reason why most people choose to build themselves. Even if you use a contract builder, the cost of building steel frame kit homes is still considerably cheaper than building a traditional home.
· Time saving. Compared with traditional builds, these homes are much easier to build, and that means a lot of time saving. Everything you need to build your home comes with purchase. Make sure you plan your budget well because you may have additional requirements. Good planning will result in a build that is many times faster than a traditional brick home.
· Strength and durability. This is another reason why these homes are increasing in popularity. In regions where harsh weather conditions require extra durability and strength, pre-fabricated homes deliver what is needed. One of these homes, when properly and purpose built can withstand even the strongest of hurricanes. Steel kit homes are very strong and very reliable.
· Flexible design. Most vendors will only create the kit once a design has been confirmed and purchased. This means you can easily modify an existing standard design with minimal cost increases. Parts are fabricated inside the vendor’s factory to very high specifications. Everything will still fit together even when you have made changes to a standard design.

Cons· Very basic. Some vendors only supply the absolute basics with their homes. You will still need to arrange electrical and plumbing professionals to complete the build even if you have considerable building experience.
· Owner-builder beware. Too many owners think they can build a home themselves. They don’t have the experience and understanding of the complete process. It is important to understand all the legal requirements of your region. You should know what it takes to get a building permit and have the required licensing to apply for one. It is important you understand the complete building process. If you do not have the experience to build a complete home, it is important to work with a contract builder who does. If you make errors during construction, fixing your problems can be very costly.

If you are considering a home build, it is worth considering how eco-friendly you can go. If you are in a remote location, you will greatly save on additional costs and living costs in the future, such as with electricity and water supply, if you can find self-sufficient options to include in your construction. Allowing for these extra costs is important when planning your budget. Hidden costs after construction is complete are common.

How to Plan a Vegetable Garden

Growing your own food is one of the smartest things that you can do. Not only can you save money on your organic food bill, but you will also be doing something that is healthy and positive. Before you start you are going to have to have a plan, as it really does make a big difference the way a garden is planned out, in terms of its success and productivity. The following are some tips for planning out your vegetable garden.

Decide What You Want
Deciding what you want to grow is one of the most fun parts of the entire process, so make a list with all of your favourites on it. It’s a good idea to plan in conjunction with other green thumb friends, so that you can coordinate who’s growing what, and therefore, have a huge variety and supply between you. Be sure that what you want to grow are varieties suitable to your kind of climate.

Get SeedsIf you don’t already have the seeds that you want, it’s a good idea to start keeping them from any organic produce that you buy. If they are organic they will work just fine, so save your seeds and dry them out, before bagging and labelling them, and putting them aside. Obviously some plants won’t give you their seeds this way, so you may have to look into finding places to buy seeds for some of your crops.

Your local nursery will have seeds as soon as they are available, and most places selling seeds have pretty decent websites, so you can usually just order whatever you need online. Some plants need to be started months before you plant them as seedlings, so make sure you have all your seeds early.

Plan Your Position
Have a look at potential areas for your garden and watch to see how much sunlight they get throughout the day. If an area gets no light, pick another place for your garden. Depending on your space, you may just need to move your garden area slightly to have way better sunlight. Keep in mind how different plants grow, as you don’t want some to be blocking sunlight to the others.

Find out which plants grow well near each other, and also which ones deter insects and pests, as you may need to add an extra few plants or flowers, to help protect all of the others. When planning positions, keep in mind how you will be able to access the plants once everything starts to grow, as you will need to be watering, weeding, harvesting, etc. If you have any extra garden space to fill, ask your partner what their favourite flower is, and plant some so that you have a good supply to be giving them.

CompostIf you are gardening organically, and you should, you will need active compost in order to feed essential nutrients into the soil, so if you don’t have one yet, start a compost pile or bin. Essentially, you will be creating a mix of organic waste from your kitchen and the garden, mixing and watering it regularly, and creating a substance rich in everything that your soil needs. Ideally, you will want to have had your compost going for at least a few months before you plant your garden.

Tips and Techniques to Make Carpets More Hygienic

Carpet is one of the most popular choices for flooring these days, but it can also be a lot of work to clean and maintain. A carpet can be an extremely comforting piece of decor to have in your home, however without regular maintenance it can become dirty and unhealthy. Throughout it's life, a carpet will be subject to a lot of abuse from heavy furniture, from people walking on it and through having things spilt on it. Here are a few tips for carpet maintenance that will help ensure your carpet remains clean and safe at all times:

Buy Toxin-free Carpet
Right from the start, your average carpet will release unhealthy chemicals into the air. These harmful chemicals follow your carpet from the manufacturing plant into your home, where they become volatile over time and make the air in your home unsafe to breathe. The chemicals come in the form of adhesives, stain protectors, mothproofing and flame retardants, but are easy to avoid if you buy new carpet that is organic and toxin-free. Even just laying your carpet with staples rather than glue, will go a long way to ensure the air you and your family breathes is clean and safe.

Keep it Out of the Elements
There are some rooms in your home that just shouldn't be carpeted. Rooms such as the bathroom and the kitchen are areas of high traffic and are known to get dirty fast. In addition, these rooms are also subject to higher than normal humidity, which is very bad for your carpet. Any carpet that gets wet regularly and can't be dried out properly will begin to grow mould and other bacteria that are extremely harmful for your lungs. Having blinds to keep out direct sunlight will also do wonders for extending the life of your carpet.

Leave Harsh Chemicals Outside
Carpets are notorious for absorbing materials from their surroundings and providing them with a place to accumulate. Every time you paint the walls of your home, toxins from the paint fumes are absorbed and trapped in your carpet. Any time you spray your home for bugs, these chemicals also begin to settle into your carpet. You can prevent the build up of external toxins in your carpet by using safe and non-toxic paint as well as by finding a chemical-free way to rid your home of pests. You can also keep your carpet free of many outdoor chemicals, such as pesticides, simply by having people take their shoes off at the door.

Clean it Regularly
To keep dirt, dust and other particles from building up in your carpet, it's really important to vacuum it constantly. This is the very least you can do when it comes to maintaining your carpet, and it should be done at least once a week; in addition to vacuuming, you should steam clean your carpet every six months. A steam cleaner can do everything a vacuum can, only it’s more effective at removing dirt that is ground into the fibres, as well as help get rid of clingy dust mites and bacteria.

Carpet is a wonderful flooring option for any home. And as long as you take care of it properly from the start you should find that your carpet lasts a long time and stays hygienic and safe for your family.