Travel Tips – Know The Enemy!
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric showcased the horrors of holiday travel and advised us to get our tickets now! Don’t wait, the fares will only increase. More people are traveling this season and airlines have smaller planes and fewer flights scheduled. You’ve also heard the horror stories about lost luggage, and the strange requirements for carry-on baggage. It’s enough to make you want to cancel your plans and hide at home until next year. Unfortunately, for many of us this is not an option if we want to be with our families on the holidays. So here are some helpful travel tips to make the experience less grueling.1. Get to the airport early – Allow enough time to go through all the necessary airport procedures, including check-in, security and arriving at the boarding gate on-time. When you leave everything to the last minute, you become stressed and irritable, and increase the odds that your checked-in baggage will not make the flight.2. Leave a minimum of 60 minutes for connecting flights. Tempting as it may be, booking connecting flights with less than an hour between them is just asking for trouble. Yes, if you miss your connecting flight you can go on standby for the next flight, but if that flight is full, you are out of luck.
3. Avoid the coffee bar. Sure, the coffee stands in the airport look inviting, but think about the long flight ahead of you. When you can’t get any sleep, you will remember that gallon latte you downed in the terminal. If you don’t want a trip to hyperspace, order the decaf.4. Bring what you need with you – Airlines do not give you anything more than safe passage. Due to cost cutting, the airlines do not offer these amenities — magazines, blankets, special meals, diapers, pillows, an infant bassinette, bottled water or even headache tablets. Plan ahead and think about what you will need on the plane so you can bring it with you.5. Bring some entertainment. Chances are you will be delayed, bring an MP3 player and block out the airport noise, or check out a DVD and watch a movie while you fly. Come prepared.Lastly, make sure you get free savings bonds for your travels. You can book all your travel with BondRewards’ Discount Airline Ticket Partners: United Vacations, Priceline, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Travelocity and Delta Airlines.
Property Management – Finding a Good Property Manager
So you decided you don’t want to manage your own rental property… Finding a good and reputable property manger isn’t as difficult as it may seem.We recommend that you start by contacting your local Board of Realtors and get a list of property managers from them. Now, sometimes the different boards of Realtors may not separate their membership into the category of “Property Manager”. If you are unable to get a list from your local Board of Realtors, then Google for property managers: “property management any town, any state”.A third option is personal referrals; contact your realtor friends or others who may know a property manager. Personal referral is probably the best resource out there. Once you have your list, visit their web site and then narrow the list to 2 or 3.Then visit their place of business and interview them personally. When you go for the interview, note how organized they seem to be… or don’t seem to be. The condition of their place of business is a good indication of how organized and “together” they are. Remember, they will be representing you and managing your property. Ask yourself this question: Could this person find the file on my property is a reasonable length of time if they had to? Next, ask questions to see if the two of you communicate well and on the same level and if you have the same values of money. In our multi-cultural communities actually understanding the other person’s language, nuances and accents can be difficult. but also, even when we all speak the same language, it is sometimes difficult to get the meaning of what the other person is trying to convey. Be sure that communication works between you.When I talked about making sure that the two of you have the same value of money, what I mean is this; You may be the type of person who wants to be sure to be smart with you money but, always take care of your property. If something goes wrong, you will want it fixed, especially if it is for instance, a water problem. You want to fix it right away to avoid further damage to the property. If your prospective property manager is of the mind to avoid spending money on properties no matter what then, there is a disconnect between the wo of you.Another thing to be sure to find out is whether or not they will be keeping your funds in a trust account… this is required by law and can be a major red flag if the answer is no.Through this process, you will know when you have found the right property manager for your property.In summary; Check with your Board of Realtors or others who may refer you to a reputable property manager. Visit their place of business and interview them. Be sure there is a positive connection, both in communicating and in your value of money.