Archive for February, 2012

Seattle stadium plans could draw NBA and NHL teams

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012


News that Seattle could be getting a new NBA team and maybe an NHL franchise is creating a buzz in neighbouring Vancouver.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/16/bc-seattle-stadium.html?cmp=rss

Good News for The Housing Market

Monday, February 27th, 2012

Many people want to buy foreclosures as a way of investment. Thanks to a new initiative, the glut of bank owned home may be taking baby-steps towards helping the problem. The housing bust of the last several years has left us reeling. Sometimes the processes and paperwork is so overwhelming, it puts off potential buyers. Sometimes the glut of REO homes depress the housing values in the various areas. Until the homes that are bank-owned are cleared out, the housing market will likely continue to weaken.

The REO Initiative permits qualified investors to prequalify and start the eligibility process to participate in the REO Initiative pilot program. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced the beginning of the new REO Initiative, which will launch in metropolises hardest hit by the housing disaster.

Neighborhoods once declining will start adding value to their neighborhoods again. Once prequalified, the REO Initiative will let qualified investors to buy pools of foreclosed properties, with the stipulation that they fix the homes and allow them to be rentals for a determined number of years. This rental period will allow neighborhoods affected by empty and deteriorating homes, to renew and come back to life.

Landowners in these neighborhoods have seen the value of their homes in sharp decline as they are bordered by decaying properties. As home value begins to steady, home prices will rise and neighborhoods will no longer be in decline. This is great news for those in homes surrounded by foreclosed homes. These rental-time requirements will allow neighborhoods to reestablish themselves by having people in once empty houses.

The prequalification process must ensure that the investors have the financial ability to manage properties and take care of updating the homes to livable conditions for renters. Investors will have to prove their knowledge of financial and business issues, to effectively manage the properties. Investors must also be able to prove they understand all risks and criteria involved in the program. Should investors want to prequalify for this program, they can head online and check out all the requirements and agreements at the FHA’s REO Initiative prequalification page.

You no longer have to spend hours finding info about local real estate companies in Vancouver.

Geriatric Consultants Offer Much Needed Advice

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

Consultants have been around as long as there have been experts in fields. Consultants emerge as new trends emerge. In the past 5 years, we have seen the influence of consultants in home styling, as a plethora of home design shows took over cable TV. Likewise, an entire field as fashion consultant made its mark years before the Kardashians. Now, TVs follow such stylists as they consult with clients. When holistic medicine was the hot new thing, countless holistic medicine consultants started businesses to capitalize on the demand for those services.

Geriatric consultants are the newest breed of consultants; not without merit. Once the job of hospitals, as medical trends take us to outsourcing and consultancy, many areas of healthcare and elder care can be gotten from local consultants trained in that field. A new breed of consultants is emerging as our country’s demographics shift. These geriatric consultants provide the bridge between hospitals and winging it on your own. An offshoot from hospitals, they provide services and advice that is priceless.

Scheduling appointments with a local consultant is often more convenient than waiting for a doctor referral to see a medically approved practitioner. If non-medical assistance is required, a local consultant for this purpose is a wise consultation. Different from health and wellbeing consultants, geriatric consultants help the caregivers learn. These consultants help the caregivers skills to adjust and be able to handle the added responsibilities that caring for an aging parent brings.

When a caregiver schedules a session with a geriatric consultant, the first they will do is assess the situation. They ask in depth questions to see the state of the caregiver. These professionals know that without a strong caregiver, the care the elderly person receives may not be optimal. The first things they advise is to take care of themselves. Among the consultant’s prescriptives are to eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, and to take regularly scheduled time to do something enjoyable for themselves. Consultants stress the importance of getting regular medical and dental checkups to ensure best health.

Consultants guide you to resources outside their scope, and help you create an elder-friendly home to abate risks and improve comfort. They teach you how to let them be independent while still be prudent and safe. These committed consultants teach families how to care for their loved one.

Geriatric consultants can be found by checking online and searching with your zip code. You can also connect with consultants through your local hospitals. These consultants do a wonderful service for individuals and families.

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How to Clean & Maintain Ceramic Tile Flooring

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Many homeowners choose ceramic tile floors over other kinds of flooring because they come with a host of benefits. Apart from the fact that they are available in a wide variety of styles and designs and have the potential to add to the overall aesthetics and appeal of your home, ceramic tile floors are quite easy to maintain and durable in nature. To keep your floor in the best condition possible and to protect it from damage, follow these simple tips and suggestions.

Regular sweeping or vacuuming is the most basic maintenance requirement. If you do it daily, dirt and debris will not accumulate on your tiles, on the edges of your floors and between tiles. In fact, if you have textured tiles with noticeable crevices, it would be best to use a vacuum cleaner. However, the vacuum cleaner should be the kind that does not employ a beater bar. Using beater bar cleaners will scratch your floor and damage it.

If you already have a tile floor, and it has begun to look stained or noticeably dirty and worn out, you may need to employ a more thorough cleaning process, involving a selection of cleaning products and a mild detergent. Soap stains, mildew and hard water stains can all be removed with thorough cleaning and rinsing. However, make sure you only use brushes, scrubbers and cleaning products that are appropriate for the type of tile floor you have.

Another step that will go a long way in keeping your ceramic floor looking bright and clean for years ahead is regular mopping. All you basically need to do is damp mop the floor with a grout or tile cleaner. However, once again be careful to only use the kind of tile cleaner that is recommended by your flooring company.

In addition to all this, take some basic precautions on a day-to-day basis to protect your tile floor. For instance, place a floor mat on all the major entrances of the house so that family members and guests don’t bring in soil and dirt with them. In case there are any accidents or spills, clean them up immediately, otherwise they will permeate into the cracks and crevices between your tiles. Also, make it a point never to drag heavy furniture or other objects across the floor. If you pay attention to general care and maintenance, you will be able to preserve the beauty of your ceramic tile floors for years ahead.

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2 small earthquakes rattle Vancouver Island

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012


A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shivered across northern Vancouver Island late Wednesday, the second to strike the region in two days.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/16/bc-vancouver-island-earthquakes.html?cmp=rss

How to Check Whether your Moving Company is Competent and Legitimate

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

If you are going to be moving house soon, you may be dealing with a lot of worries at the same time. Not least of these is the challenge of finding a competent and thoroughly professional moving company to help you with the job of packaging and relocating your entire household. Considering the number of people who report theft, damage, unscrupulous business practices from moving experts and payment disputes, you cannot afford to be anything but careful.

The first thing you should expect from a moving company is that they will send across a professional to your residence free of cost to evaluate your job and offer you an estimate. Steer clear of any company that gives you a standard rate over phone. There are no such standard rates in the industry, since the final estimate depends on a range of variable factors, including the distance of moving, the traffic conditions, the number and type of household items, the condition of staircases and elevators, and so on.

The company professional should come over in an official vehicle and uniform, and he should patiently discuss with you the kind of services you require, the options available and how you can save money. If you find the expert giving you standard rates, without bothering to get into the details of your specific move, thank him for his time and move on. If you are concerned about especially delicate and expensive items in your home, this is the right time to discuss their packaging and moving. Essentially, the representative should ensure you are thoroughly satisfied with the services the company can offer. Additionally, he should leave you with a fixed final estimate for the services you require, and guarantee that there are no hidden costs.

Make sure you ask about official licenses. In the US, moving companies are required to carry a valid Department of Transportation license for moving of household goods. In almost every other region of the world, there are laws and licenses governing this enterprise. Get the company’s license numbers, and later on check with your official authority if they are valid.

The company’s insurance coverage is another thing you must check with official authorities. Additionally, ask the representatives who come over how they are going to value your household items for coverage. Do not trust anyone who talks in terms of per cubic feet valuation. There are other and better ways. If you are satisfied with the valuation, they should produce a written agreement that clearly states their liabilities while your things are in transit.

It is important to be aware that some companies will take your job and simply sub-contract someone else’s packaging and transportation services. Do not get into such deals. Before you sign a contract, go over to the company’s official premises and check if they have all the trucks and equipment needed for your job. Finally, before hiring them, ask them for customer references and testimonials and check if there are any consumer complaints against them in your local region.

Ultimately, make sure you do not settle for compromises or accommodate any doubts. You should have complete reason to trust the experts given the job to move your home, as well as the company that employs them. Anything less is not good enough.

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Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop

Thursday, February 16th, 2012


Vancouver police have released video of a suspect who hit an officer in the head with a two-kilogram brick during the Stanley Cup riot.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/13/bc-vancouver-riot-stanley-cup.html?cmp=rss

Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012


Vancouver police have released video of a suspect who hit an officer in the head with a two-kilogram brick during the Stanley Cup riot.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/13/bc-vancouver-riot-stanley-cup.html?cmp=rss

B.C. student landlord accused of sexual assault

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012


A Vancouver man is facing four charges of sexual assault for incidents involving foreign exchange students who sublet rooms from him



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/06/bc-messina-esl-charges.html?cmp=rss

Missing women concerns dismissed by ‘old guard’

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012


The ‘old guard’ in the Vancouver Police Department dismissed the notion that a serial killer was preying on Downtown Eastside sex workers, the Pickton inquiry has been told.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/01/30/bc-pickton-missing-women-inquiry-shenher.html?cmp=rss