Parkfest Blogging

You might have used a humidifier in your room or your child’s room during sickness at one time, but what exactly does a dehumidifier do and in what circumstances do you need to have one in your home?

Dehumidifiers are often used in damp areas of the home to keep the humidity down; this reduces the chances that mold will begin to grow in that area of the house. 

There are a few different kinds of dehumidifiers and if you are intending on purchasing one, them you might want to familiarize yourself with each kind and purchase one depending on your own situation.  These types include chemical absorbent dehumidifiers, dehumidifying ventilators, and heat pump dehumidifiers.

A heat pump dehumidifier extracts water from the air utilizing a heat pump.  This is somewhat similar to the pump that you find in an air conditioner.  The fan inside the dehumidifier brings the air inside the unit and a coil inside it is kept very cold so that the moisture in the air being drawn across it condenses.  This water drops into a bucket that fits into the bottom of it.  A second coil that is heated brings the cold air back up to room temperature and pushed back out into the home.  This is the most efficient type of dehumidifier for use in private residences. 

The type that works the best in warm climates is the chemical absorbent type.  This kind of dehumidifier uses a desiccant (a drying chemical) to absorb the water from the air that is pulled inside the humidifier by a fan.  It is also expensive to operate and so this kind of dehumidifier is much more efficient for large business buildings and industry complexes.  Homeowners should not purchase one of these.

A dehumidifying ventilator has what is called a sensor controller and what most other humidifiers have, an exhaust fan.  What the sensor controller does is turn the unit on when the humidity in the home or office building reaches a certain level.  These are not very efficient in homes that are located in humid environments because they bring air from outside the house to the inside.  These are most often used in basements and cellars.  Unfortunately, these can also depressurize whatever room they are located in and this can cause the spilling of gas.  Any gas furnaces near by should be properly vented.

Paper Document Drying

One of the worst things that can happen to someone who’s building a brand new home is discovering after the construction is completed that mold has been growing within his new haven.  It is indeed a problem and it might be more common than you would think.  

Mold can and does get built into new homes and a lot of the time, it’s the fault of the contractor for not properly inspecting or storing his building materials and by allowing the site to get wet from rain before the roof and walls are completed.  Sometimes what is supposed to be the interior of the home is left uncovered and when it rains, the building materials get soaked and are allowed to dry this way.  In warm, humid weather, this can allow mold to get a grip on the structure and begin to grow.  You’ll not only have the possibility of mold, but you’ll also put your home at risk of water damage.  Covering the building site with tarps or plastic sheeting should keep the rain, snow, (and the mold) out. 

You should make sure that the contractor and his/her workers are using good quality materials to build your new home with.  Testing the building materials for mold is one thing that you can do to make certain that it stays out of your home’s foundation.  If you go to the building site and you see building materials like wood and sheetrock being stored directly on the ground, tell your contractor that they need to be raised up to aid in the prevention of mold growth.  Your contractor should already know this, but irresponsible ones or those that are trying to make the process as easy as possible are the ones that you should worry about.  Check your contractor’s references and make sure they’ve done a good job for others in the past. 

The home should also be periodically checked for mold as it’s being built and after the building is completed.  No one wants to go to the trouble of building a home that will be worth quite a lot of money if it’s only going to have to be gutted to remove mold a few months later, right?

If you’re careful and you keep an eye on your home’s construction, you can prevent most kinds of mold and water damage.  If you’re not, you’re asking for quite a headache and the loss of a lot of funds.

Orlando Emergency Water Restoration

The current economic climate has caused many to worry about the economy and the future of their money. This is understandable. However, it shouldn’t cause you to panic. Remember, all economies are cyclical. Therefore, not only do they evolve they revolve. As a matter of fact, on the bright side, now has never been a better time to assess your investment options.

3 Ways to Capitalize on the Changing Economic Climate

Isn’t it time to put your IRA retirement funds to work for you. While others are lamenting about how bad things are, you could be capitalizing on the recession, building the foundation for enormous returns when the market bounces back – and it always does. Following are three ways you can capitalize on the current recession.

Start a Real Estate Foreclosure Business: This is an excellent service to start, particularly in the current economic climate, because there are so many foreclosures that banks can’t keep up. And, the beautiful thing about this kind of business is that you can structure it so that it even thrives when the economy recovers. How do you do this?

Overall, make it a real estate cleanup company. One of your “divisions” could be foreclosure cleanup. In this way, no matter what the economy is doing, you’re in an evergreen business that thrives.

Buy a Franchise: If you don’t feel up to the challenge of starting a business from scratch, use your self directed IRA funds to invest in a franchise. The failure rate of franchises is much lower than other startups, and most of the hard work is already done for you.

Invest in Real Estate with IRA: Use your self directed IRA to invest in real estate, especially now that the economy is in what many view as a recession can pay huge dividends over the next 5, 10 or 15 years from now. It’s simple math: buy low and sell high. When do you remember interest rates and real estate prices being so low? Now’s the time to buy, not panic, for these are some of the best deals you’re going to find for along time.

Most of the time when electronic items become water damaged, they’re on and running and this is what causes the majority of the damage. The electricity and water flowing through the object at the same time is what fries the electronic components inside, not just the water itself.

What almost became a horror story for me was when I left my $40 CD player in the floorboard of the car along with a bag of ice that my brother was supposed to have retrieved after I got home. He didn’t and when I got in the car the next morning, it was completely submersed in water. The worst mistake I could have made at that point was to try and turn it on. Whatever you do, if you have a piece of water damaged equipment like this and it isn’t dry yet, do NOT try to turn it on! I let my CD player dry for about two weeks (after taking the batteries out) before I even considered trying to power it up. An article in the Washington Post claims that a Blackberry that had fallen into the toilet survived because it was put in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few days because rice absorbed all the moisture. If you’re going to go this route, make sure the rice is of a larger grain so it doesn’t work its way inside the device.

If you’re faced with a problem where a liquid spills into a device that is powered on and connected to the current in your wall or the current in your car, disconnect the device from its power source immediately. If it has batteries, too, remove them to make sure it has no power source at all, in case you accidentally press the “on” button. You don’t want to get shocked by touching it while it’s still plugged in, if it plugs into the wall in your house.

Other devices larger than cell phones and CD players get water damaged and those are computers, televisions, stereo equipment, video cameras, and etcetera. These items are best cared for by a professional and in fact, if you have any doubts as to your own ability to work on your smaller water damaged items, it’s really best to do this, anyway. If you’re going to call a professional, though, you should do it quickly: the liquid gradually corrodes some of the internal metal components.

Flooded Basement

A self-directed checkbook IRA gives you checkbook writing privileges on your individual retirement account (IRA). This means you can invest in foreign real estate with your checkbook IRA if you so choose.

A self-directed checkbook IRA means you don’t have to consult with an account custodian every time you want to access funds as they relate to your real estate investment. Whether it’s putting a down payment on a real estate investment overseas, or consulting a real estate attorney to guide you through the international investment waters, you can don’t have to get “permission” from anyone on how to use your money.

Why Investing in International Real Estate Represents the Best of a Global Economy

Investing in real estate with your self directed IRA represents the best of what a global economy is all about. No longer are the best deals right in your back yard. Many financials now tout that foreign markets that trade in everything from real estate to energy resources are some of the best investments around.

Reap the Rewards of the Cyclical Real Estate Industry by Investing Internationally

Real estate is a cyclical industry – whether it’s here in the United States, or in Latin or South America. What goes up will come down. One only has to track patterns from years gone by to see that. You can use your checkbook IRA to reap the rewards of the cyclical real estate industry by investing internationally. How? Quite simply by taking advantage of deals in hot markets.

For example, if you live in Seattle and the market is not favorable there, you may be able to pick up some great deals in Argentina or London or Dubai. With a checkbook IRA, you can capitalize on opportunities beyond U.S. borders. Investing abroad not only brings more lucrative opportunities your way, it adds depth to your retirement portfolio. And, this is the advantage of investing in a global economy. That’s the power of a checkbook IRA.

We all want the same action Stevie Ray Vaughan had. I mean guitar action, string height, neck relief, fret level. I’m talking the way the ‘action’ on his guitar is set up. Why would someone want a guitar ’setup’ like Stevie Ray’s? Well for one thing, he is one of the best blues guitar players that ever lived. A relatively close second to Jimi Hendrix.

‘Lenny’, was one of Stevie Ray’s favorite guitars. Because I do some setup work and understand the specs Stevie Ray used for this particular guitar, I wanted to share the specifications with you. I reviewed a ‘Lenny’ guitar, and boy oh boy is it setup nice. Briefly, I love to do setup work, it’s very mechanical and precise and I enjoy setting up guitars for people and then hearing them say “it never played like this before.” I am not a guitar maker though, I am a setup artist.

Stevie Ray’s ‘Lenny’ Setup specs:

Scale length 25-1/2″ with a compounded 7-1/4″ to 12″ compound radius.

Frets are huge, .110″ x .055″ new.

Strings are GHS Nickel Rockers, super large guage .013″to .058″. Must have had giant super human strength in his hands!

Nut action is .o20″ on low E at nut and 3.5/32″ at 17th fret. On the high E the action is .012″ at nut and 5/64″ at 17th fret.

Simply put, these are the most critical points of adjustment. Not the only ones, but combine the different adjustments in the proper order and you have a guitar set up like Stevie Ray. Realistically speaking, if you have the specs, than it can be setup up your way or to your favorite guitarists specs.

Personally I like an even lower action, or string height over the frets. As low as I can get it without fretting out. I came up with my own strategy from reading and trying setup adjustments from many players, such as Jeff Beck and Eric Johnson, to name a few. I also craft a bone nut as a replacement nut for all of my guitars.

With that being said, I don’t recommend doing your own setup work. Especially if you have never done a setup or don’t have the correct tools. I would like to suggest trying it on a cheap guitar the first time. If not, for a perfect setup find a competent guitar luthier and give him the setup specs that you want.

Got any questions? Fell free to ask via our comment area. I will attempt to answer all questions. If you like the vibe, please share it with others. Enjoy.

When I was undertaking my home remodel last year, probably the hardest room to tackle was the kitchen. No other room is even close to as time consuming. The number of decisions I had to make – what flooring, what color tile, how big, etc, etc – was painfully large. Probably the hardest and most influential decision came at the beginning of the process, when I had to come up with a general kitchen layout that would match my “cooking style.” No, ladies & gents, I don’t mean whether I cook with butter or oil or whether I prefer broiling to searing; I mean how I “use” the kitchen.

In order to determine how I “use” the kitchen, I was asked by my Brooklyn kitchen designer to go over a bunch of kitchen designs. I was then told to imagine my making a couple of simple dishes in each kitchen layout from start to finish to determine which involved the fewest steps – not the most intuitive movement. (It was explained to me that what I felt was “intuitive” could be a matter of bad habit, and that I would grow to love the efficiency of reduced steps.)

A number of basic forms had to be considered: galley, U-shaped, Island, and some others. Ultimately, I decided that a kitchen centered on an island would make the most sense for my cooking style and my habit of entertaining since it combines the easy of reach of galley kitchen with the space of a traditional U-shaped cabinet setup. After the leap of faith in my decision about how to shape the kitchen, I then had to move on the “fun part” of picking kitchen counter tops and getting custom kitchen cabinets made. Still, in the end, it was definitely worth it to remodel: I enjoy my place much more, and the investment has paid off almost 2:1 as far as building home equity goes.

What do we mean? A self-directed IRA LLC / Checkbook IRA allows you complete control over how you retire. Your hopes and dreams rest within your power because of the following two benefits of a self-directed IRA.

Power Your Future with a Truly Self Directed IRA

What we mean by power is that you take command of how you retire. A self-directed IRA LLC is much more than a retirement account, it is literally the power to control what your financial future will be.  There are no co-pilots on this journey. You make every investing decision.

And, isn’t that the way it should be? Weren’t you the one who dutifully reported – sometimes to an unfulfilling career – day after day, week after week, month after month? Now shouldn’t you reap the reward of deciding how to invest your hard-earned money? A self-directed IRA LLC gives it to you.

You Can Invest Internationally with a Self-Directed IRA LLC / Checkbook IRA

A self-directed IRA LLC / Checkbook IRA opens a Pandora’s box of investment opportunities, way beyond the scope of the limited offerings of Wall Street. A prime example is international real estate. Many Wall Street offerings don’t take advantage of the global economy we now operate in. There are 193 countries worldwide that fall under the heading of international real estate.

And, many of them offer highly lucrative investment opportunities for smart investors. The simple reality is, real estate – no matter where it is — is a cyclical industry. Because of this, when the real estate market is slumping in the U.S., it could very well be booming in Latin America, Europe or South America. As an investor, you can take full advantage of this and build phenomenal wealth. That’s the advantage of a self-directed IRA LLC / checkbook IRA.

Oftentimes, when dealing with a Sonoma investment adviser, you have options as to how many meetings you need to cover the financial advice you desire.

Do you need someone to handle your finances on a regular basis? Or how about an adviser to control your investments? In these types of cases, hiring a Sonoma investment adviser to meet with you on a regular basis would be ideal. Working together regularly will keep both of you informed of the financial decisions that are being made with your money. When both of you are informed, smart decisions are made.

But there are plenty of instances where you would not need such regular meetings. Do you need someone to help you move some money around – maybe from a 401(K) to an IRA? Or maybe you want a Sonoma investment adviser to help you reach a certain short-term financial goal. It’s entirely possible that you just want help setting up that investment portfolio, but you want to manage it on your own. In these instances, it may only take one or two meetings to do the job.

A Sonoma investment adviser is a smart move to make when dealing with your money. Make sure you maximize the benefits by analyzing what types of services you actually need.

With home foreclosures on the rise, those with money just sitting earning pennies in a Self Directed IRA account can put their money to work for them. Why is now a great time to be investing in the foreclosure market? There are three reasons.

3 Reasons Now is a Great Time to Invest in the Foreclosure Market

Buy Low: The key to investing in the foreclosure market is to find “good deals.” What is a good deal? Simply speaking, a property that has enough equity in it for you to buy it and make a profit. Right now, the market is flooded with properties that have a lot of equity.

As adjustable rate mortgages adjust up, the economy worsens and more people lose jobs, homeowners become more willing to negotiate. This means the elusive good deal is easier to come by.

Banks Don’t Want to Be Landlords: Piggybacking off the aforementioned point, banks don’t want to be landlords or property managers. As the market is flooded with more and more properties, banks are trying to sell them off as fast as they can.

If they don’t sell them, they have to maintain them, eg, cut the grass, remove furniture left behind by previous tenants, deal with broken windows from vandals, etc. In short, the longer a property sits empty, the more it costs the bank. So they’re really losing money in two ways. One, in lost mortgage payments; and two, by having to carry the upkeep until it’s sold. If you have money sitting in your Self Directed IRA account, now is the time to put it to work.

Long-Term Gain: Real estate is a patient man’s game. If you use your Self Directed IRA to invest in foreclosures now while the marketing is bottoming out, so to speak, you’ll be well positioned to really maximize your investment when the real estate marketing gets red hot again.