The property survey describes and indicates the boundaries of the land and other physical features. Each property owner should obtain a property survey before purchasing land and before building to avoid problems that may arise from incorrect assumptions. Individuals often become involved in a dispute when a neighbor decides to build on or near a property line. If the property owner crosses the line, this could lead to a dispute that results in numerous lawsuits. Disagreements have often occurred from fences that crossed property boundaries, buildings, houses, trees, livestock, and others. Whenever the property changes ownership, a survey should be conducted.

Mortgage lenders require potential owners to perform a property survey prior to receiving a loan from the bank. Insurance companies may also require a land survey. The property survey is typically required whether or not there was one completed in the past. Some states have local laws and ordinances that mandate the survey when the property exchanges hands. The property survey will outline exactly what is being purchased and dispel any questions regarding the acreage, boundaries, zoning and the type of terrain. Most property surveys should be completed within 6 months of the closing date.

Upgrades and Renovations

Owners usually receive property surveys before any renovations or property upgrades may occur. For instance, the property owner may want to add a secondary driveway, an addition to their home, or a swimming pool. A property survey will confirm the boundaries and indicate where the easements are located, as well as, public utility lines, telephone lines, sewage lines, or gas lines. Individuals who do not use a property survey may rupture a line. If this happens, not only will the owner have a dangerous and inconvenient interruption of service, but they may also incur the costly repair bills as well. This is an avoidable expense. Individuals who build on the wrong property may incur the expense of building the property and also tearing it down.

Property Disputes

Unfortunately, disputes over boundary lines between neighbors are common. Crossing a boundary line is called “encroachment” in most cases. These cases may be decided in court. Court fees add to the expense of building and “tearing down” a building that violates property lines. Land surveys can help owners avoid these problems. Detailed property surveys are required to resolve property disputes.

Insurance Purposes

Before a property is insured, many insurance companies must know about the risks the property may pose for the insurance company. For instance, a property in a known flood zone will require a flood zone rider. The rider will increase the property insurance, but it will lower the risk for the insurance company. A home in a flood zone increases the likelihood that a claim will be filed.

Although residential properties are the focus of this article, property surveys should be completed in both residential and commercial zones. There are two types of residential property surveys:

House Location or “Drive-By” Survey: This survey is the most basic and least expensive survey on the market. This type of survey will show the location of the house, as well as, other structures located on the property. This type of survey may be suitable for mortgage lenders and land transfers.

Detailed Survey: This type of survey involves a detailed description of the property through the use of precise measuring. The property survey will mark the boundaries of the property with metal or wooden stakes. Property surveyors often refer to old records to establish the original boundaries of the property. These types of surveys are generally more expensive. However, they are good for disputes and other legal matters. A detailed survey will save the owner incredible time and energy.

A licensed professional should be hired to perform a property survey. Property surveys completed by individuals who are not licensed will not be deemed credible in a court of law. Disputes will not be resolved with a survey that is completed by a non-professional. Individuals should graduate from a four university or possess 10 years of experience prior to taking mandatory licensure examinations. Individuals with a 4 year degree may require 2 to 4 years of experience prior to becoming a property surveyor. After obtaining a license, the individual may also obtain a professional certification. Property surveyors also known as land surveyors should have proper training in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. Verifying the property surveyor’s credentials will ensure that the client will receive a credible survey and complete report.

Now that our aging population has visibly become a force to be reckoned with, many homebuilders are discovering mature adults to be a potent market. But often homebuilders tend to miss the market by focusing more on the home (which is after all what builders are selling), rather than the lifestyle (which is what drives most of the sales activity in an adult lifestyle community).

Many developers and homebuilders operate from the misconception that mature buyers prefer to live in homes that are inexpensive and focus on pricing their homes as low as possible, believing that product and price are what drives the sale. And surely there are adult lifestyle purchasers for whom price is a prime consideration. But most potential residents of an adult lifestyle community are looking for three things: adult, lifestyle and community.

Purchasers in adult communities want to be sure that the community they are considering moving to is indeed an “adult” community. As such, many such communities are age-restricted, with a hard and fast set of rules that precludes the possibility of children moving in. Of course, in jurisdictions that do not allow discrimination on the basis of age, there are other ways to “restrict” who moves in. This could range from so-called restrictive covenants registered on title of the property to rules about the permanent number of residents that may occupy any one dwelling unit (usually no more than two) under a condominium corporation or a rental agreement. Finally, the best method to maintain the integrity of an adult lifestyle community is to offer homes that are specifically designed for an older, childless demographic. The market will take care of the rest.

Some builder want to hedge their bets by offering large two storey homes in adult communities, imagining that they would be appealing to younger baby boomers that still have children at home. This fallacy results in pleasing neither the younger baby boomers that do not want to live in a community comprised largely of older people, nor the active adults seeking a childfree lifestyle.

As stated above, one of the most important considerations on the part of the purchaser in an adult community involves lifestyle. Many people in their 50s and 60s who are either retired or semi-retired have a lot of leisure time and a plethora of interests about which they are very passionate. Many are into golf in a big way and seek communities that are near golf courses. Many are into personal fitness and look for communities that provide exercise facilities. There are nearly as many interests as there are individuals seeking to live the adult lifestyle. Those communities that recognize this very important fact tend to do very well, while those that don’t, not so much.

Finally, active adults tend to be very social and seek to live in a community where they find others of similar interests and values. Many of these communities have organized activities, such as a bridge club, a golf group, round-robin tennis tournaments or group projects such as quilting or knitting. A sense of being a part of a community of like-minded individuals really is one of the most important aspects of a successful adult lifestyle community. These are the reasons why a community clubhouse is probably one of the most important amenities that any adult lifestyle community could provide. And the greater the variety of amenities and interests, the more people will be attracted to live there.

You’ve booked your holiday and you know exactly where you want to go and what sights you plan on seeing, the question is; are you fully prepared? As a disabled traveler it is important you attempt to anticipate as many hurdles that could potentially present themselves to you as possible. From contacting the airline to ensure they can cater to your needs as well as ensuring the receiving airport can receive you successfully and with as few hiccups as possible.

If you are a wheelchair user it is important to make sure you choose a carrier that will take into consideration your limitations. Similarly it is important to check that your entire journey is accessible, it is not about planning the perfect trip only to find out that at the other end the airport cannot receive you. Consider the more remote areas in the world or the less developed nations, a lot of them do not have ramped access and so if you have not taken this into consideration prior to the purchase of your ticket and it comes to your attention just before you are due to travel you may feel your travel insurance should cover you and compensate you the cost of a cancellation.

You may find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation when you find the provider refuses to honor the claim. Being aware of your limitations you are expected to take the necessary steps to ensure the seamless nature of your vacation. By not carrying out the necessary checks prior to your departure you are proving to be negligent.

Similarly if you were a driver but could only drive an automatic and failed to mention that when placing a reservation for your rental vehicle, subsequently on your arrival the only cars available were manual, your failure to mention your limitations is likely to automatically make you ineligible for a refund. In such an instance, your insurer is highly likely to agree with the rental company and will refuse to honor any claim related to the cancellation.

Before traveling it is vital you cover as many bases as possible, this should be of the upmost importance to any traveler who suffers from an impairment. Whether it is limited sight or weak limbs you should make sure you inform the various institutions involved in your traveling expedition of any factors that may affect your trip and your enjoyment of it.

When it comes to taking out travel insurance it is vital you are completely honest as any discrepancies will be noted and may nullify the entire policy. When it comes to making a claim, knowing that insurers do not actually want to hand over any cash to their customers it is in your best interest to make sure you are never to blame. Negligence is one of the main reasons travel insurance claims are refused, extra preparation on your part therefore is required to ensure it is not something the company finds you guilty of.

Neglecting to inform your travel insurer of any ongoing health conditions for which you need cover for while you are abroad will mean if your condition flares up while you are aware and you attempt to claim the cost of treatment from your insurer, the very insurer you neglected to inform of the condition is almost guaranteed to refuse your claim, leaving you to pick up the tab. If you have enough foresight to take out life insurance you should try to do all that you can to protect that investment.

There are so many Americans choosing to earn all or part of their college degrees online according to a 2005 research report. The report states that enrollment in online courses increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004. Parts of the reasons why people divulge on online education are hectic schedules and time. Not just these two reasons contribute to why people turn to online education but also changes in social and work trends as well.

Layoffs, Downsizing, and Displacement: A Springboard for Distance Learning

A greater number of people are turning to online education in order to recover or restructure their professional lives. These people were affected with the downsizing, rightsizing, voluntary severance packages, and early retirement. These are the displaced workers who wanted to return to work and need to update their skills or improve it. Homemakers displaced due to divorce need to work again and need to learn or update career skills need to avail of these online education programs. Online education are more convenient for these people since its easy to access if they online have a good internet connection and reliable computer at home.

Quality Education Programs Available Online

Many people are concerned of the quality of distance education could offer compared to traditional classroom instruction. They worry that online college courses are not that as high quality education as what traditional colleges offer. But you don’t have to worry. Most institutions that offer online education are also those traditional colleges that offer quality traditional education. Here is a report that proves it:

A survey in 2005 found that 63% of academic institutions offering traditional undergraduate degrees also offer distance or online education. They also found that 65% of institutions reported that they used primarily core faculty to teach online compared to 62% of core faculty assigned to teach classroom courses. In order to enhance your potential career or train an entirely new profession, online education offers program from individual courses to graduate degree and certification programs. You can get started on your first online college course but be sure that the online education program you are enrolling to is properly accredited and offers academic and technical support.