There are many advantages to town house floor plans, particularly for renters and urban dwellers. Years ago, this type of floor plan was known as a “row house.” Townhouses are generally multi-story units that are attached to units on either side give you neighbors living closely together similar to apartment style housing. Once found in abundance in large cities, townhouses can be found all over the country.

Town house floor plans offer more advantages than apartments in several ways. Because they are multiple units arranged in a row, townhouses generally have a single entry per unit and therefore allow for more privacy than living in an apratment building. They also tend to have more square footage of living space per unit than apartments although townhouses are smaller than duplexes. Town house floor plan designs are also more varied than apartments.

Most townhouses are arranged in typical fashion with living spaces on the bottom floor and sleeping spaces on the top floor. The number of bedrooms can vary from one to three and the number of bathrooms generally varies from one to two and a half bathrooms per unit.

While the number of bedrooms and bathrooms can vary, almost all townhouse floor plans have garages,patios and at least one walk-in closet. Kitchen can be traditional, galley style, or in the case of a very large floor plan, an island kitchen. It is also possible to have a fireplace with openings toward both the living room and kitchen giving it an old world feel.

Although townhouses are also known as “row houses”, some current configurations include one unit per side and others have two side-by-side units facing front and two more units on the back side. Whatever your choice, town house floor plans offer a wide variety of options for singles, couples and small families.

Lilliput Lane cottages are the world’s definitive resin cottage collection. Originally developed as a competitor to David Winter cottages, the collection has since surpassed all competition and overwhelmed all plagiarism attempts. Each model is adapted or based on a real cottage or building and after extensive research a model is then approved. Constant manufacturing development has also improved the process and detail or these miniatures work of art.

Lilliput Lane are all hand made and painted in the UK and emphasis has been placed on quality rather than quantity. It has long been recognised the inverse relationship between volume and collectability so that the more readily an item is available, the less collectable the item becomes. Thus, Lilliput Lane have always valued the importance of regular introductions and retirements along with strict worldwide limited editions. Essentially, the continued success of the range has been to strike the right balance between supply and demand. Due to these factors, the economic advantages for outsourcing to the Far East has been avoided. The collection remain popular and highly collectable with a strong emphasis on the secondary market for collectors.

To meet the needs of these collectors, it was inevitable that a club would be required. The Lilliput Lane Collectors Club is now over twenty years old, and during its life has had the pleasure of welcoming many thousands of new members from all over the world. The club is run by a team of specially trained staff, available during working hours to answer all queries, such as where cottages can be bought, how they are made, where the ideas for new cottages originate, almost everything you wish to know.

For even more fun, you can see a life size Lilliput Lane Cottage! A visit to Skirsgill in the Lake District, the home of Lilliput Lane Cottages draws thousands of visitors a year. On arrival the collector will receive a warm welcome in the specially constructed Honeysuckle Cottage; a phenomenal building which is a miniature cottage ‘in reverse’. Instead of being the model of a life sized cottage, it’s an authentic full sized version of a miniature cottage. It took almost a year to build, being finally completed in the summer of May 1995, using genuine building materials. It is surrounded by beautiful, manicured gardens and inside the entire current collection of Lilliput Lane Cottages is on view, as well as a display of retired cottages. Having admired this cottage ‘museum’, a tour can be taken of the studios to see how the world’s favourite cottages are made.

The quintessentially British nature of the cottages has been the hallmark of the collection and they serve as ideal gifts for the foreign visitor. Home collectors have the opportunity to collect and visit all the places they have collected. One of the most comprehensive UK stockists of Lilliput Lane Cottages, Preshunt.com, offers current and many retired pieces on line and in store. Stocks are available comprehensively across the range using a live inventory database.

One Lilliput Lane Cottage close to the hearts of Preshunt.com is situated in their home town of Telford. Limited edition ‘Coalbrookdale’, or more accurately, Ironbridge which is situated just South of Coalbrookdale features the world’s first cast iron bridge – an icon of the birth of the Industrial Revolution. It has remained a popular tourist attraction since it was officially opened in 1781, and is now part of the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. The model is illuminated by LEDs to highlight the bridge and surrounding buildings. This is a fine example for Lilliput Lane collectors and will make a great day out for those who visit the area.

The decision to purchase the dream home is perhaps one of the most important and largest financial transactions in one’s life. Home purchase involves a significant amount of monetary investment. It is usually not possible for a common man to even dream of buying his/her ‘dream’ home with the fixed monthly income.

So, should you forgo your dream of staying in your own abode just because you do not have a sufficient earning?

Well, there is no need to just keep on dreaming about enjoying the warmth of your own home. There are many banks and financial institutions that offer home loans providing the financial support to people who wish to buy a home.

You can take advice and suggestions of a loan officer while selecting a home loan deal. A loan officer can help you select a deal most suited to your personal and financial needs and circumstances. This is because every individual has a set of unique needs and circumstances. A loan offer suitable for one may be totally unfit for another. So, careful selection of home loan deal is essential.

The loan officer also keeps you updated about the status of your Home loans application during the entire process. The officer also stays in touch with your real estate agent to keep him/her informed about the progress of your home loan application.

Nowadays, even people suffering from a bad credit history may get approval for a decent deal of home loans. The loans cut out for bad credit borrowers fall in the category of sub-prime loans. These loans take into consideration the risk factor associated with bad credit borrowers while devising the terms and conditions. Usually, a bad credit borrower needs to make a substantial down payment for buying a home. This helps to reduce the risk of loan money loss for the lender. The interest rate is comparatively higher than Home loan for people having an impressive credit record.

Still dreaming of your ‘dream’ home? Hey, wake up! This is the time for action. Select a good deal of home loans and enjoy the bliss of being a homeowner.

Metropolitan Regional Information System just released information on Arlington Real Estate Statistics for March 2007 comparing to March 2006:

• Total Sold Dollar Volume increased 2.8% from $139,391,599 to $ 143,291,295

• Average Sales Price decreased 3.07% from $562,063 to $544,834

• Median Sold Price decreased 0.02% from $470,000 to $469,900

• Total Units Sold increased 6.05% from 248 to 263

• Average days on the market increased from 54 to 82

• Average Sales Price as a percentage of Average List Price decreased from 97.13% to 95.68%

• There is a total of 858 available listings (404 of them are condos/co-ops)

• Total of 263 units sold during March

• Total of 327 were marked Contract or Contingent.

Here are the statistics for Arlington Real Estate by Zip Code (You can search for available homes by Zip Code at http://www.TheArlingtonExpert.com ):

• 22202 – Crystal City/Pentagon City – Average Sold Price decreased 17.22% from $566,900 to $469,298

• 22201 – Clarendon, part of Ballston, Courthouse, etc. – Average Sold price decreased 9.76% from $631,425 to $569,767

• 22204 – Columbia Pike area – Average Sold Price decreased 8.13% from $429,997 to $395,058

• 22205 – West Arlington area – Average Sales Price decreased 6.13% from $ 760,133 to $713,564

• 22206 Zip Code – Shirlington/Fairlington area – Average Sales Price increased 0.23% from $395,836 to $396,742

• 22207 Zip Code – North Arlington area – Average Sales Price decreased 5.9% from $900,915 to $847,749

• 22209 Zip Code – Rosslyn area – Average Sales Price decreased 11.26% from $407,894 to $361,971

• 22213 Zip Code – West Arlington – Average Sales Price decreased 6.69% from $669,900 to $625,117

• 22203 Zip Code – Ballston area – Average Sales Price increased 15.25% from $415,341 to $478,663

Information in the article is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

With the market being down there are a lot of opportunities to purchase a condominium, a townhouse or a single family home at a reasonable price. If you would like to search available listings for sale in Arlington area – please visit http://www.TheArlingtonExpert.com – it links to the local MLS service and contains the information that is updated every 2 hours.

To fight away the stresses of everyday life, everyone loves to have a taste of change which can be best fulfilled by going on cottage holidays. Cottages nowadays provide the facilities like all the latest amenities, basic and luxury facilities and everything that you would love to have to lead a decent life. This leaves you feeling comfortable and relaxed for the duration of your time away.

However, the most interesting point about cottage holidays is that you can live in these cottages simply like your own as if you are staying in your own house. The whole place is there attributed to you and for this reason you don’t have to stroll in someone else’s place, which you might as well have had to do in a hotel owing to lack of space. Therefore, there are certainly very good reasons why people go on cottage holidays.

There is usually a conception prevailing amongst the travelers that the self catering cottages are undoubtedly much better compared to the luxury of hotel suits and guest house rooms. With cottage holidays you can get everything that you love to get ranging from luxury bath rooms, living rooms and aristocratic bed rooms that even the most well travelled would like to get. The facilities don’t end here however as you get the beautiful lawns and gardens around your cottage where you enjoy the beauty of nature in free air simply to your heart’s content. It makes your holiday simply superb and unforgettable. Statistics are also at one with the view that now tourists prefer the cottages over the hotels for these reasons and also for the low expense of cottage holidays.

Everyone aspires to have a break from the rat-race of modern sophisticated civilisation which means that self catering cottages are simply heavens for them. To have this relaxation cottages are as ideal a place as you can expect as it would not only give you a resting period but also provide you with the enthusiasm to prosper in life avoiding all the problems in future.

Cottage holidays are definitely the best option for those who are looking for a very relaxing break. They are also perfect if you have children because there is plenty to keep them busy and it is nice and quiet so you don’t have to worry about them getting woken up at night after they have been put to sleep.

As apartment dwellers, we “Live for Fun.” Looking for some ideas to inject a little more fun into your lifestyle? Now you’re talking. Here’s a list of what makes apartment living fun, from A to Z…

Apartment living = freedom.

Balconies. Sublime.

Community events to socialize and spot the neighborhood hotties.

Dinner parties with neighbors and friends. No place like an apartment to find your inner Rachel Ray … or Emeril … or just nuke a Hot Pocket and kick back on the couch.

Extreme apartment makeover? Chose your own style, décor and feng shui that puppy.

Fact — you can (and should!) protect your stuff with renter’s insurance.

Gotta get some exercise? Hit they gym. It’s right downstairs.

Have a drink. Invite some friends. Hang out.

If it’s broke … not your problem! Maintenance will fix it.

Just a hop, skip and jump away from shopping centers, restaurants and of course “Targét”.

Kitchen with a fully-stocked snack cabinet? Heaven.

Laundry services? Convenient in your place or, if you share a laundry room, hide those skidmarks!

Many apartment communities are pet friendly. Bring a pooper scooper and you’re golden.

Nightly summer BBQ with fun-loving gang from upstairs and down the hall. Dogs are on!

One night stands in the privacy of your apartment? Aweeeesome.

Pool, fitness center, complimentary breakfast and tennis courts. Plenty of apartments offer these great

services. Find one!

Quality movie nights, TV show fan club groups and board games (no shame in “Taboo”). Be a kid.

Rock star parking directly in front of your building.

Sex. Fact: Apartment dwellers get it on more. Did we mention sex?

Trash pick up at your door or just down the hall ….take the smell outside!

Use your space as a fitness factory. Grab those free weights and sweat to the oldies in privacy.

Visitors welcome 24/7-or not. It’s your place, your rules.

Wireless internet signals picked up from your neighbors. They’re clueless.

Xebec is an actual word that starts with X. We could have gone with x-ray or xylophone but everyone does that.

You can walk around naked and no one will ever know. Remember, blinds closed please.

Zzzzz…in your own bedroom, complete with an attached bathroom and walk-in closet. YES!

Want to become part of this elite group of fun-loving apartment dwellers? What makes you happy is very much about you. That’s why Apartment Home Living offers an online matching service to fit your specific needs.

Live for fun. Visit ApartmentHomeLiving.com and click on our “live for fun” tab to see other ways people are living for fun in their new apartments. Then join ‘em!

What do the letters behind a real estate agent’s name stand for? Real estate agents, like doctors, lawyers, and other professionals can ear designations, certifications, and other credentials. These are usually shown by putting a series of initials after the agent’s name. The most common designations and certifications are: Broker, REALTOR, e-Pro, CHMS, GRI, ABR, and CRS.

What does an agent have to do to obtain the designation or certification?

e-Pro requires an agent take a class on basic computer skills. It has no real estate content, but ensures your agent can use email and the web. It should really be a bare minimum bar for the technology aptitude of your agent.

REALTOR is the one of the easier credentials to obtain (but one of the hardest to live up to). A REALTOR is a real estate agent that belongs to the National Association of REALTORS and agrees to follow the Realtor Code of Ethics. You can read about the code here http://www.realtor.org/mempolweb.nsf/pages/Code?OpenDocument

Broker is a bit harder to obtain than REALTOR. In Texas, for example, a broker license is required to be able to operate your own real estate company. An agent must have their license for 2 years and complete over 600 hours of real estate education prior to applying for a broker’s license. The broker’s license is granted upon completion of an exam administered by the state. Brokers are basically real estate agents with advanced educations.

GRI stands for Graduate Realtor Institute. Less than 50% of agents have this designation. The GRI requires 12 days of continuing education with passing grades on three exams. There are no production or time requirements so an agent can literally earn this designation by sitting in class for 12 days and passing the tests. This designation is in no way a measure of real estate sales experience.

ABR stands for Accredited Buyer’s Representative. Less than 30% of agents have this designation. This designation combines 2 days of classroom work and an exam with the requirement that the agent show proof of at least five buyer sales. This designation shows that the agent has had both formal classroom time and in the field experience.

CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist. Less than 4% of all agents have this designation. This is the most difficult designation to obtain and is a measure of a high degree of formal education and real world transactional experience. To obtain a CRS, the agent must attend three 2-day classes, pass three exams, and provide proof of 25 closed transactions within the last 24 months. While the transaction experience isn’t a huge amount, it does weed out the inexperienced agents and the classes weed out those agents who aren’t dedicated to continuing education.

Other designations are out there, but for the most part they are issued by inconsequential groups and have no real bearing on the agent’s abilities and are used more for marketing purposes than anything else.

You’ve looked up the information on thousands of apartments in catalogs and online. You’ve located the pictures, floor plans, maps, amenities, and details of the places you’re interested in. You’ve compiled the data for 10 communities to finally narrow the field and now comes…The phone call.

The dreaded phone call to find out about specific rental rates and to address all of those “call for specials” that you’ve gathered.

The key to success is in the phone call. The amateur apartment shopper begins the call cold, unprepared, fidgety, and nervous. “Do you have a one bedroom?” or “How much is your two-bedroom?” Apartment Home Living is here to help you be successful at finding the right apartment home by knowing what to ask.

Question 1: What size and when?

Begin the questioning any way you like, but your most important question is do they have the apartment you’re interested in available at your target move-in date.

It’s a common misconception that apartments are simply sitting empty, waiting on you to show up to lease them. This is frequently untrue. To work out for you, the community must have the apartment you want in the timeframe you need to move. If it isn’t available, unless you have some move-in date flexibility, you should go on to your next call.

Question 2: Do they take Fluffy?

If you have a pet, this question is as serious as a parent asking if this community will take their child. (By the way, all apartment communities will ALWAYS take actual children. Those little balls of energy are protected under the Fair Housing Act).

Unfortunately though, Fluffy isn’t protected under any laws and it’s completely up to the community if they’ll accept your dog, cat, sugar glider, or monkey. They set the rules regarding pets.

They also set the price to pay for the opportunity to keep your child-pet. Don’t choke if it’s over $300 per pet plus monthly pet rent. That can be a starting point for some properties. So be sure to check and see if you’ll be bringing Spot, then see if someone’s going to have to “spot” you some cash to pay the fees.

Question 3: What’s the #1 reason people love to live here?

This is the best and most straight forward way to find out what makes a community special. Is it the walking trail behind the property? The social atmosphere? The famous pork roast every July?

This question can be a key in setting one apartment community apart from another. The answer may be something that really peaks your interest or may unlock hidden potential in a place you wouldn’t be able to see from a picture or driving-by.

Question 4: How much?

Initially, it’s human nature to stop listening if we hear the price is remotely out of our budget. And yet, seeing an awesome apartment in person may actually sway us that it’s worth the extra cost.

Think about this: Have you bought a car that was more than you set out to spend? Have you paid more for that purse you just had to have (but didn’t know you had to have it until you saw it)? Gone on a vacation where you blew your budget?

Was it worth it? Nine times out of 10…Absolutely. So give cost an open mind before you say no to a place for breaking the bank. You might find it’s perfect in the end and well worth it.

Question 5: Do I qualify?

Asking the price question and overshooting your budget goals won’t matter if you don’t qualify for the apartment anyway.

What is the general qualifying criteria? Making about 3x the rent, having a clean criminal record (no felonies or crimes against persons), and no prior evictions.

What do you do if you don’t meet their criteria? You could keep looking for a place with less strict qualification restrictions or take the gamble of losing your application fee and/or deposit just to see if you qualify anyway.

Question 6: Do you have any specials?

Specials can change from day-to-day, so make sure to ask this question close to last. Remember to keep in mind that some of the best communities don’t have the best specials because they don’t need them. They’re special just for being so awesome.

Question 7: Can I set an appointment to come in?

Don’t you still need to visit to make the final judgement call? Yes you do.

At the end of all the other questions, if you’re still interested, ask to set an appointment to come in and take a tour. Seeing your possible new digs in person more than likely will be the best way to make a decision.

Now you have a little guide of the right questions to ask a leasing professional over the phone, so what are you waiting for? Hop on Apartment Home Living , find a some places in your area, and get on that phone!

1. Cup of Sugar- The age old “Cup o’ Sugar” routine is a great one and always works. Even if you don’t need the sugar, just pop next door with an empty measuring cup at a reasonable time and politely introduce yourself and ask if you could borrow a “cup of sugar.” This works best at dinner time. Do it any earlier and you’ll just look silly. And don’t stand around talking for too long either, get the sugar, exchange names and greetings, and get back to your apartment. This opens up the conversation route for the next time you pass each other and you no longer have to put your head down and act like you are making sure your laces are tired.

2. The Community Areas- Hit the fitness center, the clubhouse, or the laundry room at your community. Areas that are commonly visited by the other residents. Strike up a conversation with someone who looks friendly and receptive. Who knows, you may make an awesome friend. If you have a dog, take them out walking often. People love making friends with dogs and their owners. Just don’t hang out by the dumpster…that’s just weird…and stinky.

3. Hang Out On The Patio – Get some lawn chairs and chill out on your patio or balcony whenever you have a nice day. Chit chat with the passer-by’s. Just don’t hoot and whistle like a construction worker. Nothing is more offensive and is a very easy way to NOT make friends.

Hopefully, you will have a few new friends in no time and you’ll find that most neighbors aren’t Apartmental like the ones in the video. Who knows, maybe you are my neighbor? Come and meet me!

For more info on apartment living, check out ApartmentHomeLiving.com

Land is a homeowner’s most valuable asset

Your home’s real value is in the dirt. When you purchase a home, you actually buy real estate, a combination of dirt (the land) and all the fixtures: your house, garage, a swimming pool, fences, septic tanks and driveways.

Land is real estate’s most valuable resource because the planet provides a fixed supply. You can’t move it and you can’t make more of it. Your house is little more than an improvement upon the land.

Because it is so valuable, the piece of rock has its own legal description and a documented history recorded under a plot number.

Land use: The planning or building department or division of your local government can provide you with the land’s legal description, boundaries and perhaps its surveyed dimensions, as well as a copy of the map of your house within a tract or subdivision. Some files include photos.

The file containing your land’s description will include the legal specifications or schematics of septic tanks, wells, basements, the floor plan of your home and other evidence of how your land has been used over time.

If you live in a Townhouse, you own land jointly with other homeowner association members, which explains, in part, why Townhouse are less costly than single-family homes. Your Townhouse unit file will, however, describe and map the air space you own within your association’s development, including the land beneath it all.

The history of your land could date back hundreds of years to the time of land grants and squatters, but it likely began with your parcel’s development as part of a tract in a subdivision. Building and planning departments usually have this information and other activities that affect the land. If you take out a building permit for a home improvement, apply for a zoning variance or run a percolation test for a septic system. The percolation test will determine if the soil will absorb water adequately to use a septic system.

While most government records are complete and accurate, the sheer volume of records leaves ample room for errors and omissions. Whenever there’s a question about the boundaries of your land, its use, basements or zoning, you may need to hire a survey company or seek a title company’s interpretation. Have a surveyor or a real estate attorney review any documents you receive.

Land ownership. A title search reveals recorded interests, encumbrances, claims of title and other forms of ownership or claims against your land and its components. That can include the owner’s mortgage, titles, deeds, judgments and other legal actions, the status of property tax payments and other claims against the property and its use.

The title search doesn’t stop at the current owner, however. It examines public records and any other depository holding a record of your property as far back as necessary to be certain you are buying a home with a clear title. That could include the assessor’s files, appraisal reports and homeowner association records. A preliminary title report will document what the title search discovers.

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