Tip 1. Setting manageable and achievable goals from the startWhen easing into a running schedule every beginner should always set his own goals based around the lifestyle and fitness he wants to achieve. Setting your own running schedule will help kick your poor habits and instead motivate you to running and sweating it out on the road whilst setting and progressively reaching set targets. Set a schedule most manageable by you and at a time when you either feel the most energized or when you need to release any stress and frustration.Tip 2. Start with building your staminaAnother reason why easing into a running schedule is vital for your success is so that you start steadily and build up as your stamina improves. Most of the runners who easily find themselves shying away from running just as soon as they have started are those who started on running training too fast, without listening to what their body is telling them. And they end up feeling less confident, asking themselves why the others can do it and they cannot.Tip 3. Find a running program that takes you out your Comfort ZoneIf you are a beginner runner, you should look for a running training program that will first pull you out of that comfort zone. You could start with a less intimidating or demanding program such as mere walking and jogging as long as it takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you each and every time. The ultimate goal here is to get a potato couch off their TV and safely improve their running, stamina and fitness levels. And when he/she has already developed that running spirit in them, they can step up into a higher level of running.Tip 4. Losing Your Patience Is NormalYes, it is normal to lose your patience, don’t worry. It happens to anyone and most of the time when it happens, the runner is tempted to do the training exercises so much to finish fast. However, it is crucial to realize the value of not doing more than what you really can. This brings patience and is best health and fitness tips to remain healthy.Even if you think you can run more than the distance you are already running, always be sensitive to your body signals. Do not mind the pressures of continuing especially if they will pose some threats to your health.Tip 5. Start with a minimum of 20 Minutes, Three Times A WeekEvery running session should have a minimum of 20 or 30 minutes, for three times in every week, which is just like doing moderate exercising to maximize physical fitness.This particular type of program is guaranteed to improve fitness whilst building stamina so make sure that you religiously follow this schedule for three days all throughout the week. And the thing here is, since it is done every other day, there is time allowed to lie low and rest for a day. Therefore, the runner is able to rest and recover much faster.Once you find you can easily manage this time increase either the distance or time you are running, however it may be worth noting that as you get fitter you will also get faster so increasing time does not necessarily mean you are running further.Tip 6. Focus on Increasing Your Running Time And DistanceIncreasing the distance you run as well as how much time you spent for that particular distance is far more important than running faster. To run fast, you will place your body under increased stress and workload and need to put a considerable amount of thought on making your bones stronger and your body much fitter before the speed enters the equation.You may do this program by first measuring the time you run or the distance you run. If you are the type of person who gets easily confused, then you might as well choose the one that is much easier for you to follow.It’s recommended you are wise and invest in watch specific for running or you could find a pre-set run in your local area and use a watch/timer to begin.An estimate of the time and distance you have run are important to determine whether you are improving with your running or not.Following 6 running exercise tips will makes you fit and healthy. Doing these things will surely give great contributions to your running training.
This is a four part series where we have outlined important questions to ask a property management company before hiring them.Series 1 Company’s credentials
Series 2 Property management services
Series 3 Property management fees
Series 4 Tenant screening processProperty management companies come in all sizes, capabilities and expertise. Just because one works for one investor doesn’t necessarily mean they will work for you. Below we have outlined some important questions to ask a company during your initial interview process. Their answers to these questions will provide insight into their business capabilities, credentials and areas of expertise,and can provide you with an understanding of the type of services they offer which are important to you.Series 1 – CredentialsYears in the business – Years in the business can equate to experience and stability within a company. Of course things such as changes in key personnel or senior management can jeopardize this. But generally this is a good indicator of a company with a solid foundation. Chances are they have solid processes and procedures in place to streamline the management of possibly hundreds of properties all at the same time. Make sure these “years in the business” are related to property management and not sales only. Just because they have 30 years running a real estate sale department does not make them an expert in property management or tenant relations.Done business under another name – You should do your due diligence and contact the Better Business Bureau or other reliable service such as Dun & Bradstreet to see if the company your interested in has a good track record or any consumer complaints filed against them. The Better Business Bureau assigns grades from A to F with pluses and minuses. A+ is the highest grade and F is the lowest. The grade represents BBB’s degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve any customer concerns. If the company your interested in has done business under another name you will want to check the track record of this business entity also.Property Management Only or Sales also – Some investors will only hire companies that deal strictly in property management when it comes time to managing their rentals. These companies are focused on every aspect of property management since this is all they do, and they will not be influenced in trying to get you to sell and making a sales commission.Other investors may find security in knowing they have a management company that is well verse in sales. A company that offers both sales and property management can be very useful if you plan on buying multiple properties and want to work exclusively with one company for buying and managing all these properties. These companies typically will have a good grasp of the overall market condition whether buying, selling for owner occupied or investment.Real Estate or Brokers License – In order to practice business as a property manager some states require they process a Real estate or Broker’s license. To receive a license requires extensive education as well as passing the state’s licensing exam. In order to keep their license current they must also participate in ongoing courses. These courses and license designations cost money and show they have a commitment to their trade. Other states may only require a certificate, which consists of basic classes and passing a class exam.Staff personnel – Some management company may employ hundreds of employees, while others may be run by a sole proprietor. What you want to find out here is the ratio between their portfolio of rental properties and managers they employ. In other words, if they manage several hundred properties yet only have two staff managers, they may be overworked and unable to give you the service you expect.Type of properties you manage – Some property management companies manage all types of properties while others specialize in one type, such as residential. If you have a single-family house that needs managing, a company with 90% of its properties being commercial property may not be a good fit. Typically commercial and community association management is the most profitable for a property management company. And some residential property management company may prefer to manage only multi-unit apartment buildings of a certain size and not manage single family houses at all.Associations/Affiliates – They are many local and national associations that are tailored for the property management community. These associations are full of valuable information, and are a great way to network amongst others in their industry. Once a member of these associations you have numerous channels of educational classes and seminars all geared toward enhancing their skills as property managers. Upon completing class requirements many are given professional designations to promote them as a professional in their field. Some popular associations are “National Association of Realtors®” (NAR), “National Association of Residential Property Managers®” (NARPM®), “Institute of Real Estate Management®” (IREM®), “Community Associations Institute” (CAI), “Building Owners and Managers Association” (BOMA) and the “National Apartment Association” (NAA).Coming soon: Part 2 of 4 “Make finding a property management company easier on yourself by asking the right questions”- Property management services
What are the best ways to make money online? Recession has hit everyone hard and we are all scouting for ways to earn money both online and offline. There is a vast potential to earn money online fast but as there are many good opportunities that exist.You must identify ideas that will work and those that don’t, so that you will avoid the pitfalls. Many people tend to prefer offline work to online work and this is truer of people who are not comfortable using computers. However even people with little knowledge of computers can be successful in identifying the best ways to make money online.So what are the easy ways to earn money online? Let us start looking at the ideas that will help. You may be surprised to know about the various options that are available to make money online fast.Residual income online is an extremely useful way to earn money. It is very important that you choose the right company and product, which will help you gain the maximum. When the company is selected, the source provides potential to earn residual income for a long period of time.As traffic increase to the website, so will your income making potential. More people will know about the product, you are promoting which will help increasing the total number of visitors.You will, be able to make to make money if you optimize your website. There are a number of businesses that are available online and you will need to do a complete research on the kind of business you would to be associated with.Apart from residual income online you can also make money by selecting best affiliate programs. Do not sign any affiliate program that comes your way but scout for the best, so that you are able to gain the most.The affiliate program is also known as the referral program or partner program as it enables owners of websites and blogs to earn money by referring individual visitors to the products and services they are promoting.What are the factors that determine whether the affiliate program that you choose is the best?
Commissions – The affiliate program must have a good commission offer which will motivate you to promote their business
Tools and resources – Most affiliate programs offer the best tools and resources that can be used to increase traffic to the website. Even if you lack the necessary technical skills, the tools will help in getting your affiliate program up and running. More traffic would translate to more business and more business means more money.
Support – Your affiliate program must offer adequate support and help you in finding solutions to the problem you face.
Tracking – This is probably the most important aspect of affiliate marketing. The tracking process needs to be accurate as this will help in determining the traffic to the website.Most people are apprehensive about making money online and especially through affiliate marketing program. Well the fact is, there are plenty of money making opportunities that are available online, provided you look in the right direction.
Whether you’re in the market for a major interior overhaul or you’re simply looking to give your home a quick and easy update, chances are you’ve spent some time online hunting for ideas and inspiration. That said, it can be pretty deflating to stumble upon a look you love only to discover the price to achieve it is well above your budget.
Fortunately, there are some killer home decorating blogs that show you how to refresh, revive, and fall in love with your home anew without breaking the bank. For a home that looks far more expensive than it costs to create, check out the following blogs for all of the interior inspiration and DIY tutorials you’ll ever need.
Welcome back to the week 5 update for the One Room Challenge. Check out the blog posts and updates for week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4 if you missed them. It’s crunch time now and I’ll be honest… I don’t know that this project will be completely wrapped up for the reveal date. The great thing is the reveal and hitting a deadline is not the only goal of reason for this challenge. Ultimately having a fully functional and hopefully beautiful bathroom is where we want to end up even it things are a bit delayed.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
When we left off last time the countertops had been templated, the trim was freshly painted and the hardware had been ordered. The hardware took about 1 week to arrive. We chose the Menlo Park 4″ pull from Schlub in chrome because I think the pull has the perfect mix of square and some rounded elements that make it a great transitional hardware option. We went with all pulls for the drawers and doors since the knob option in that line weren’t our favorite.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The quartz countertops are now installed and things can be put back together. Rectangle, undercount sinks were also purchased through the fabricator. The Marble look quartz from Pental and it is gorgeous with the warm gray veins running throughout. For the edge went for a flat polish eased edge for a clean, simple look.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
Two days after the quartz countertops were installed the tile installer came back to finish up tiling the niches, installing the tile base and grout everything.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The electoral is being relocated for the new lights. There are some drywall and painting touch ups to do and plumbing fixtures to be hooked up. Plus adding all the finishing touches ???? All those little things like towel hooks, curtain rod, and accessories will bring this whole thing together.
It’s been too long since I’ve updated and even longer since this work has been started. This is me sharing remodel updates, mostly for myself (but also for my nagging family members). I’m sharing photos of the progress that has been made while also document the craziness that has gone on. This is just the beginning of the remodel.
Prior to moving in I had 3-4 weeks where my apartment lease overlapped with the possession of my townhome. This allowed me, with the amazing help of my family, to paint, tear-out carpet and somewhat put back together the upstairs portion of my place so that I could have a clean room to put a bed. At least one that wasn’t completely torn apart. One area that felt more livable that the rest. If you haven’t seen or don’t remember these are the before photos from when I took possession. To list it out here are the main things that I was tacking during those week prior to me moving in.
Phase 1 Remodel Projects
ripping out baseboard, carpet and tack strips upstairs and preparing for new hard surface flooring. (this flooring will go throughout minus the stairs and bathrooms/laundry)
installing flooring upstairs (one of my installers did this)
mostly gutting the master bathroom
installing a new tub and rough in plumbing for the master and powder bath
ordering and installing a rift white oak vanity for the master
Painting (and priming where needed) the ceilings and walls of the bedrooms. Caulking and painting the crown molding in the master
replacing and upgrading the baseboard heater in the master and patch the drywall
painting the hallway and down through the stairwell
adding skirt board to the stairs
installing new carpet and pad on the stairs (my carpet installer from work did this)
removing upper cabinets on the fridge side in the kitchen
partially demoing the wall diving the kitchen (prepare to move switches, outlets, heater and thermostat)
removing drywall on wall next to bar in dining area
painting the downstairs powder bath and removing vanity to prepare for a new floating vanity
Those were the main projects that took place and then I moved in the day after Thanksgiving. Getting rid of the original, nasty cat carpet and new flooring made a huge difference to the upstairs. Also neutralizing and lightening the paint made things feel so much more fresh. I still have no baseboards but I’ll get on that one day! For now here are some photos that I snapped along the way.
It’s been a while since been posting on here but I have some new updates and projects that I have been working on. Last summer into fall I was house hunting while knowing the lease on my apartment would be expiring end of the 2019. It felt a little crazy but was a fun process for me. After a bunch of searching I found and closed on a new home!
I was lucky enough to have a few weeks of overlap with my apartment (I ended up moving out 1 month early) so I was able to get started on projects and updates prior to moving in. I’ll share more about those in the coming weeks (there are still so many unfinished things!) but for now I think it’s best to start with some before photos. Also, follow along on Instagram where I post current project updates more often. The pictures show it in the state I bought it in. It’s a great first place to me and was functional as-is but as you might expect I’m here to make things my own by doing updates that I will enjoy while living here and that will also add value and functionality to the space down the line when I sell… or maybe even keep it as a rental. My dog, Nova, has been enjoying the space as well ???? There are a couple of things to miss about my Bothell apartment but I am very ready to have my own place and space.
In 2017 the guest bathroom was remodeled. You can see more photos and read about that here. Almost everything came out and all new things went back in. From emails and comments people have been asking for sources so I have rounded up what I could in this post to share paint colors, products and links that I could find for the bathroom.
Bathroom Sources and Details:
Wall color: BM Balboa Mist
Trim and door color: BM Chantilly Lace
Floor Tile: Pental Mark Chrome 12×24 matte
Shower tile: Jeffrey Court Weather Gray 4×12 gloss subway
Niche tile: Daltile clio mosaic
Bathtub: Maax Rubix tub
Cabinet: Spencer Cabinets – painted BM Cape May Cobblestone
Countertop: Pental Quartz Misterio polished 3cm
Cabinet hardware: Schaub Menlo Park Pull in chrome
Faucets: Hansgrohe Metris single handle in chrome
Shower trims: Kohler slide bar kit, wall mount supply and Hansgrohe tub spout in chrome
Mirrors: Homegoods
Towel Hooks: Delta Tolva robe hook in chrome