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Monday, November 30, 2009
If you are looking for the best property to invest in for capital gains or pleasure, Slovenia has much to offer. In this article we look at the advantages of buying property in Slovenia...
Slovenia is a small country (about the size of Switzerland) and has borders with Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy. The country is one of the newest members of the European Economic Union and is strategically placed at the very heart of Europe. The country has a well trained workforce and one of the best performing economies of the new member states. The country has a young dynamic workforce, good infrastructure and with the arrival of cheap budget airlines, more people are visiting than ever before, as the tourism industry expands.
The country has numerous attractions including:
Property prices in the Ljubljana the capital have good long term growth prospects, as more people discover this delightful city which has been described as a less crowded and more intimate version of Prague. The second city of Maribor is also popular and the little known sea port of Piran, which lies just across the Adriatic from Venice, is a overseas buyers favourite.
There are many Slovenian estate agents which specialize in helping overseas buyers. These estate agents can help you find the property which is just right for you, in terms of budget and investment aims. With finance options available and a law which protects both buyers and sellers, Slovenia will continue to see overseas buyers come to and buy property in Slovenia.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
hias
I love Thanksgiving; it is my favorite holiday of the year. This year was especially good because we had children at Thanksgiving - my new grand-daughter and a three-year-old guest. What was remarkable was that we managed to have Thanksgiving here in Arlington, in an ill-equipped apartment instead of at home where all the good china, crystal, and pots and pans are. I hope that we are better equipped next year!
Tomorrow is what is known as "cyber-Monday", supposedly the day people do online Christmas shopping. I'm not sure about that, but just in case, I've been trying to tidy the website and get things listed by tomorrow. There will be a few new jewelry pieces also.
Above, a labradorite bracelet flashes its iridiscent colours, while below, a unique bracelet has a favorite mix of mine: lapis, turquoise, and carnelian.
Below are salvation bracelets, both made of genuine gemstones, that make marvelous Christmas gift for those who wish to show their faith. The second salvation bracelet features a large emerald nugget, a large ruby rondelle, and a large, smooth sapphire nugget as well as onyx, rock crystal, and citrine. It also has unusually elaborite sterling silver accents.
The bracelet that you see above is not rose quartz, but a very, very pretty pink chalcedony. Its matching chalcedony necklace also features a sterling silver chain with extra charms hanging from it.
Finally, a special piece: a smoky quartz bracelet has a special turtle clasp that features a golden Biwa pearl as well as a cabochon peridot set in its back.
I hope that you've recovered from your Thanksgiving feast and are getting ready to enjoy the holidays!
Friday, November 27, 2009
The use of real estate search engines has also skyrocketed. People go online by the thousands every day, conducting real estate searches through websites like Yahoo, Trulia and the others listed below. This usage will only increase as new search engines emerge, and as existing engines become more advanced.
This article reviews some of the most popular real estate search engines available today. But before we get to those reviews, let's cover some quick terminology.
What's a Real Estate Search Engine?
Here's my informal definition of a real estate search engine: "Any website that allows consumers to search for real estate listings." I think that's a basic definition we can all agree upon. Of course, there are many different types of real estate search engine, but in their basic form they all match the definition above.
Popular Real Estate Search Engines
Here's a list and summary of some of the most popular real estate search engines online today (with popularity measured by prominence in the marketplace, website traffic, and general buzz).
REALTOR.com
This is probably the most popular real estate search engine, just because it has been around the longest. When you land on the home page of REALTOR.com, you're offered a variety of real estate-related information. But the primary element on their home page is, of course, their real estate search engine.
To begin, you simply enter a city and state, provide some qualifying information like price range and number of rooms, and then click "Go." Once you get to the actual home listings, you can sort them by price, number of rooms, etc.
One thing I've always liked about REALTOR.com is the way the results are presented. You can view 10 homes per page, with thumbnail photo and basic information. This lets you "eyeball" shop and weed out any homes that don't interest you right off the bat. That way, you only have to click the "learn more" link for homes that you've screened first. A lot of the newer real estate search engines are map-based, meaning you have to click on an icon to see the house and details. I prefer to see a lot of listings at a glance and then "drill down" as desired ... but that's just me.
HomePages
This website offers another map-driven approach to real estate search. As with most real estate search engines, you start the process by entering a city and state. After sitting through a map-zooming process that makes you feel like you're skydiving, you'll be asked for the usual follow-up parameters (price range, number of rooms, etc.). Properties for sale are presented as icons that you can click on to learn more about.
Personally, I didn't like the interface because it doesn't show as much data at a glace as other real estate search engines — you have to sort of scroll around the map to find what you want, and that annoyed me. From my perspective, it seems to be another one of those websites that's so "slick" it's just plain hard to use. But that's just me!
Trulia
Trulia bills itself as delightfully smart real estate search. Their "About" page offers a more detailed description: "We are a real estate search engine that helps you find homes for sale and provides real estate information at the local level to help you make better decisions in the process."
From the home page, you simply enter a zip code to see real estate listings for that area. You can also refine your search by price range, number of rooms or bathrooms, etc.
Like many real estate search engines, Trulia is powered by Google Maps. Trulia has customized the Google application to show pushpin icons for each property listing, which adds a nice visual element to the search.
You can use Trulia's real estate search engine with or without an account, but if you sign up for a free account you'll be able to save your searches for future convenience. If you like Trulia and plan to use it often, I recommend creating an account. It will save you a lot of time on future visits because you won't have to enter your search parameters all over again (unless you want to).
Yahoo Real Estate
Yahoo's real estate search offers a lot of information in addition to property listings. You can also find information on schools and neighborhoods through their site. But this is an article on real estate search, so let's stick with that.
From the home page of Yahoo Real Estate, you can search for homes, apartments, or even home values. For homes, you simply enter the city and state and hit enter. You are then shown a map with icons representing homes for sale.
Hover your mouse over an icon and it will show the listing price. Click on the listing price, and it will pop up a bubble with street address, a thumbnail photo, and a "learn more" link. To get around the map, you simply click-and-drag with your mouse (as with MapQuest or similar mapping sites).
NeighborhoodScout
NeighborhoodScout is a different sort of real estate search engine. As the name implies, this website focuses more on neighborhoods than actual home listings. Here's how they describe themselves:
"NeighborhoodScout is a web-based patent-pending neighborhood search engine that uses neighborhood statistics to build neighborhood profiles that allow individuals and families to instantly find the best neighborhoods for them, in any part of the United States they choose."
So if you're relocating to a new area, this website might help you refine your search by narrowing it to a few select neighborhoods.
A Word of Caution
When using any real estate search engine, you need to understand they do not operate in "real time." The accuracy of a real estate search engine is determined by the age or "freshness" of their data, which varies from one search engine to the next.
Also, while a real estate search engine can be a helpful research tool, they do not take the place of a qualified real estate agent. If you are new to the real estate world, I strongly recommend that you have professional help when buying or selling a home.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
London Apartments: What Is The Difference Between A 'Standalone Apartment' And An 'Apart'otel'
0 comments Posted by amir at 3:53 PM
Serviced Apartment
A flat that has a separate bedroom, living room, fully-equipped kitchen, bathroom and can be rented for short stays from 1 night to 3 months or even longer. There are hotel benefits such as a maid service, reception.
What is a standalone apartment?
This is a term I have coined to try and differentiate between apart’otels and apartments. Standalone apartments are serviced apartments ran by a small team within a block of flat. Staying in these apartments, you will enjoy maid service, reception help, but no Room Service or Health Club. A number of the standalone apartments’ team work Monday to Friday 9:00-5:00pm, so anyone checking in outside of these hours will need to pick up their keys to the apartment at another location.
What is an apart’otel?
Guests staying an apart’otel can enjoy the privacy and independence of their apartment and the hotel services such as Room Service, 5pm and restaurants…all for a charge.
Apart’otels are opened 24 hours, so checking in at any time of the day is easy. Payment for the apartments are usually upon check-in.
So which one is better? Standalone apartments or Apart’otels?
The answer is: that depends on your needs.
Apart’otels in London are best if you are:
- Staying for 1-2 nights
- Arriving outside of office hours and want to check-in at the apartment and not at another location
- Wishing to pay for the apartment upon check-in and not prior to arrival
- Wanting a very flexible cancellation policy i.e 24 hours
- Wish to enjoy extra hotel services
Standalone London apartments are best if you:
Staying for 3 nights
- Want absolute privacy and no link to a hotel at all
- Want the care and service of a small select team, who you will know by name
- Checking in during office hours Monday to Friday 9:00-5:00pm
Are the apart’otels more expensive than a standalone apartment?
No, apart’otels are priced the same as apartments. All apartments, irrespective of whether they belong to these two categories are priced based on their location, star rating and length of stay.
Angara offers never before daily deals and free gift with every purchase.
LOS ANGELES, California -- Angara.com, the leading online retailer of fine gemstone jewelry, is going farther than ever before to give customers the perfect mix of high quality and unbeatable prices this holiday season.
Free $100 gift with every order:
Exclusively on 
Cyber Monday, November 30, every customer who places an order from the stroke of midnight to 11:59 p.m. Monday evening will receive a genuine blue topaz pendant valued at $100, free with every order. Each pendant is handmade, using a heart-shaped 100 percent natural Blue Topaz, the birthstone for December.
"Unlike other discounts and offers, there is no minimum order size, hidden fees, membership requirements - no strings attached," said Angara.com CEO Ankur Daga. "Combine that with our deeply discounted prices and free FedEx shipping and it's simply the best deal you will get on jewelry anywhere this season."
Doorbuster deals on gemstone jewelry, every day:
Just after midnight on November 30, Angara.com will launch "Deals of the Day" - one pendant, one earring and one ring that will be deeply discounted for 24 hours or while supplies last. These secret items will include some of Angara's best selling sapphire, ruby, emerald, tanzanite and aquamarine jewelry items.
Every morning, there will be new Deals of the Day - all offered with free FedEx and 30 day returns.
All Angara jewelry comes with a Certificate of Authenticity for gemstone jewelry, and arrives in beautiful packaging imported from Italy, ready to present. Every package is sent via insured FedEx, and can be returned for a full refund or exchange for 30 days.
For more information on Angara.com's holiday plans, to request photos, or to schedule an interview, please contact: Zameer Kassam zameer.kassam@angara.com .
About Angara:
Known for beautiful designs and exceptional value, Angara.com is the leading online retailer of loose gemstones and gemstone jewelry. Angara.com's unique pieces, wide selection and innovative "Build-Your-Own" jewelry section have been featured in Forbes, Crane, the Philadelphia Inquirer, America's Next Top Model and other prominent TV and news publications.
More information: www.angara.com.
Media Contact:
Zameer Kassam
Angara Inc.
888 926 4272. 
SOURCE: http://www.send2press.com/newswire/2009-11-1124-004.shtml
