What to look for in a wooden porch swing.

Before buying a wooden porch swing, it’s important to make sure that the swing you are buying meets a number of important criteria. Here is a list of what you should look for in a swing, along with some reasons why it’s important.

Hand Made – A hand made swing is certainly a must when buying a porch swing. This is because each piece is individually crafted, ensuring better cuts and a smoother finish.

Cypress – Cypress has been called the “eternal wood” because of its ability to stand up to the elements. A cypress swing is as durable as teak, while being as little as one-tenth the price! Don’t buy a swing made from exotic woods only to watch it rot on your porch.

Size – Be sure that the porch swing you choose is the correct size to fit on your porch, and to fit the number of people you expect to be swinging on it.

Accessories – Would you like your swing to have a cup holder? An interesting question, perhaps, but certainly something to think about. What will you want with you while on your porch swing? Keep that in mind when looking at what’s available.

The Porch Swings I Love Most

Of course, I have a very strong preference in porch swings. There is one particular artisan who builds beautiful, durable porch swings from Cypress. His name is Ted Leger (pronounced Lay-shay), and he’s based in Louisiana (where a lot of cypress trees grow). All of his swings are hand made, and he can ship anywhere in the USA.

Visit our blog for more information on porch swings.

Mastery Of Mindset

Investing in Foreclosures

If you have been paying attention to the nightly news recently you are aware that there are many foreclosures available in every state and every price level.  The current economy has produced a scourge of empty and foreclosed homes.  Foreclosures occur when the current homeowner is unable to make their monthly mortgage payment and the bank is forced to take the property back.  This can be a great opportunity for investing in foreclosures. 

The reason why is because while the real estate market may currently be in a downward spiral, people will always need a place to live and the market will not stay down forever.  Think about this.  The investor’s maxim is that you buy while the prices are low and sell when the prices are higher.  The fact of the matter is that right now real estate is “on sale”.  Now is the time to buy. 

There are various ways to purchase a foreclosed property, which we will go over here.  First off is a pre-foreclosure sale.  This is a sale that occurs when a lender allows the homeowner who is delinquent in their payments to sell the home and pay back the lender from the proceeds of the sale.  Oftentimes the house will sell for less than the homeowner owes on the note and in that case it is referred to as a “short sale”.  There are many “short-sale” opportunities available right now in every city.  Your local realtors with the MLS can help you search them out or you can get a bank foreclosure list. 

A second way to purchase a foreclosure property is through a foreclosure auction. The auction is usually held at the local courthouse of the county where the property is located.  The property is sold to the highest bidder and often the price is very reasonable.  Investors can often see a good profit margin when they purchase from this type of sale.  One thing to be aware of though is that these properties are generally sold “as is” and the buyer is not able to make inspections.  Any and all repairs will be the responsibility of the buyer.

After the bank forecloses they will try to sell the property themselves.  Usually they just want the get the property off from their books and they will drop the price until the property sells.  This is often a way to get a really good price on a property.  Also, many times the bank has made some of the necessary repairs to sell the property.  Even so these homes are still sold “as is” but in this case the buyer will be able to make the necessary inspections. 

Whenever you purchase real estate you should do your own due diligence and independent research to make sure that the property is appropriate to meet your needs.  You also need to make sure that you have the funds available through your own cash fund or from financing.  This will make sure that your purchase goes as planned. 

But as a savvy investor buying real estate right now makes sense because right now in this current economic climate, real estate is “on sale”!

Australian General Interest Blog