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Sunday, 10 April 2011
Saturday, 9 April 2011
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10-point guide to social climbing - UK Politics, UK - The Independent
1. Get yourself on several property ladders
You need to have a place in London, as well as one in the country. Having been out of the London market during the Chancellor's irresponsible boom, Cherie and I bought a decent house virtually in Mayfair for £3.65m. It's worth more now. We bought a nice place in Bucks after I took early retirement, but the neighbours are a nightmare. Objected to a tennis court, guest cottage, exercise pool and now the sports pavilion.
2. Keep it upmarket
We managed to sell our place in Trimdon, up north, last month. Quite close to the asking price of £300,000.
3. Make time for several jobs
It is a good idea to balance high-paid consultancy work with even better paid speech-making. I am an adviser to JP Morgan and Zurich Financial, and I have agreed, in principle, to advise LVMH, the Louis Vuitton luxury goods company run by my friend Bernard Arnault. It is best to set up a private partnership to handle the more discreet stuff. I have Tony Blair Associates for my work in Kuwait, Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi. So long as it pays enough, just say "yes" and worry about fitting it all in later. Amazing how one trip can serve several purposes.
4. Keep up the "good works"
It is important to do some pro bono stuff as well, so that people don't think you are greedy. Anything to do with the church is pretty safe.
5. Travel in style... because you're worth it
Unfortunately, because of my old job I have to have police protection. You feel a bit guilty about the carbon footprint, but the plus side is that the convoy style and the tinted windows give you a bit of impact and presence – and you need that if you are to create a sense of purpose. This is especially important for not-for-profit work: I do charitable stuff in Sierra Leone and Rwanda, for example, and I usually borrow the Rwandan President's private jet for that.
6. Don't be afraid to ask
I'm constantly surprised by friends who have properties around the world that they don't use much.
7. Holidays are a great time to network
Bernard has a yacht, and there are always people there, you know, Bono, for example.
8. Do not be embarrassed to do the best for your kids
Unfortunately, there is a bit more to it these days than hiring a private tutor for their A-levels. Unpaid work experience is the way to get a middle-class starter job these days, so be ruthless about calling in favours from friends. Euan did an internship with two members of Congress in Washington, and before that he did a couple of months at a Paris radio station owned by Bernard (lovely guy – seriously, he'd be a mate even if he weren't worth £10bn). Nicky did work experience at Krug the year before that, which happens to be another part of Bernard's empire.
9. That includes providing nice places to live
We have places in Bristol and London that we bought for Euan and Nicky – and they double as investments. And Kathryn stayed at one of Bernard's places when she was doing a course at the Sorbonne.
10. Envy is a terrible thing
Never worry too much about those neighbours or former colleagues who might resent your success and choose to spend their time devising petty ways of trying to do you down.
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Friday, 8 April 2011
[goodpropertykarma4all] Re: We all use computers
Are Monthly Inspections Good for Business?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Robin_Elliott]Robin Elliott
As to the answer to the question above, monthly inspections are neither entirely good nor entirely bad. Depending on how you want to run your business and what your ideals are, the other one could work better for you over the other. You have to make sure though that before you admit a tenant to your place, you have clearly stated to him or her-- this monthly inspections you're going to do every month. While you might have a lot of time to do this -being a full time property manager or land owner-the lessee could be doing something else that's keeping him or her really busy, and that your presence could be a hindrance to the natural flow of their business. Modern life also means "mind your own business" and "give me some space".
Having clearly explained to the tenant the mechanics of monthly inspections, and him or her agreeing to this monthly routine, I'm going to explain the pros and cons of the checkup. Let's start first with the bright side. First, you'll be able to know what the tenants are doing. Next, you'll easily spot violations that are being done to the place and you can easily warn them about it to prevent further damage whatsoever. These are good things considering that it's also your duty to keep the properties in good condition and running. You will prevent shedding off extra bucks for repair especially when you know how the damage was taken, and can determine whether it's caused, or wear and tear. The tenants will also take precaution as to how they deal with the property knowing that there will inspections every month.
As to the cons of monthly inspections, the benefits that you are offering to your tenants will be cut short because you will have to incur some amount to sustain your monthly visits. Also, tenants need privacy and they don't want you to be sticking your nose into their business because -well, it's their business. Majority of the tenants want privacy and you, inspecting the property every month. will be a nuisance. In addition, tenants don't have all the time in the world. Ripping off a fraction of their time for inspections will cause them to not want to rent from you. There are a lot of other properties out there that's scratching out that sort of hassle and they'd rather rent from them.
Should you decide to do monthly inspections, you must arm yourself with the heart to execute your policies. When you inspect, you're not merely strolling around to know what the tenants are up to, and sit down with them over a cup of tea and talk about it. If you spot them doing something fishy and violating some of the rules, you have to tell them there and there that they have to adhere to your rules or pack. That's a lot of guts you need there. Furthermore, eviction is expensive. Not only are you going to have to spend more on the process, you're also going to suffer from vacancy. Sometimes, it's nice to not stick too much to other people's whereabouts and just let them be.
The author owns and operates a successful property management company in Tampa, FL. He also is a very successful real estate investor purchasing more than 150 rental properties over the last 12 years and "novacancynow".
Please feel free to visit his website at [http://www.novacancynow.com/st-petersburg-property-management.aspx]St Petersburg Property Management
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Are-Monthly-Inspections-Good-for-Business?&id=6152220] Are Monthly Inspections Good for Business?
We all use computers
How to Reduce Computer Maintenance Costs
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Andrewson]John Andrewson
The maintenance of a computer is the most important thing needs to be taken care. A PC user will definitely have an idea regarding the maintenance cost of a computer which is always higher than buying a new one. So, here are some basic tips that will definitely help you to maintain your computer at a minimum cost by maximizing the computer investment.
Buy computer as per the requirement
Overcompensation is a very common phenomenon which we found among the consumer. Most of the customers tend to overspend buying a variety of features along with their computer. But in most of the cases the customer does not use all the features. If you are buying a computer with enormous features then it would definitely require higher maintenance costs. These features might include fast processors, extra optical drives, expensive video cards and many more. It's better not to have features that will not be used often. Missing features can be added later as per the requirements of your tasks.
Extended warranties
Whenever you are buying a computer, you should always pay attention to the warranties that are offered by the manufacturer. You should always go for the extended warranties because it will ensure zero maintenance cost till your warranty get over. These extended warranties are like small insurance policies that can be used to avoid the extra maintenance cost of your computer.
Try to fix the computer problems at your own
You might find this advice a bit strange but it will definitely help you to save a lot of money. Before attempting any experiment over the computer you should take reference from the books or the internet to have a perfect idea about the problem you are facing. If the problem is major and it is related to some registry or hardware problems, it is always advised to consult a professional technician for better results.
Regular computer maintenance
Regular maintenance of the computer does help a lot to reduce the common problems of computer. For example defragmenting of the computer regularly does help to increase the computer speed as well as the life of the hard drive. It also re-arranges the data in a proper order as they get scattered around on the hard drive.
Dusting regularly
There are dust particles that start building up inside your computer. CPU fan, exhaust fans and other components do get jammed with dust particles with daily use. If they are not dusted regularly then it might result in excess heating of a computer. So it is necessary to dust the electrostatic particles regularly.
These are some of the simple steps that will definitely help you to reduce the maintenance cost of your computer.
For more details regarding [http://www.virtualpcdoctor.com/]computer technical support just dial + 1 567-252-5223.
John Andrewson is a Senior Technical Support Advisor having 4 years of Knowledge and Experience in computer repair and [http://www.virtualpcdoctor.com/techsupport_request.php]technical support.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Reduce-Computer-Maintenance-Costs&id=6124470] How to Reduce Computer Maintenance Costs
Thursday, 7 April 2011
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