•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
 Discover your personality type and what careers are best suited for you
How to hire a good home contractor
Don't hand your home-remodeling project to an unreliable or dishonest contractor. Here are 6 things to look for.
Increasing your property value often entails remodeling. Whether you have a fixer-upper or a great house that you plan to stay in indefinitely, you'll probably hire a contractor sooner or later to finish the basement, remodel the kitchen, or renovate other rooms.
Decisions on home improvement should be made in a judicious manner. If you want to recoup your investment, choose projects that are likely to add value to your home, such as a new kitchen or an extra bathroom.
read more...
Get matched to a top school now on us. Find out if online learning is right for you
Trading houses? 6 Must-Knows
Swapping homes may seem like an easy way out of a tough seller's market. But you'll want to mind these tips so you're not bamboozled.
by AnnaMaria Andriotis, SmartMoney
Over the years, the Internet has helped many lonely hearts find mates. Now the Web's matchmaking skills are being put to use in a much different way: setting up homeowners who are looking to swap their homes.
read more...
10 tips on staging your home to sell
It doesn't take long for a prospective buyer to form an opinion about your house. Here's how you can tilt the odds in your favor by making your home appeal to the widest clientele possible.
by Christopher Solomon, MSN Real Estate
You don't have much time.
Prospective home buyers form an opinion about the home you're selling in 15 seconds, by one estimate. And the clock starts ticking at the curb -- even before the home buyers get in the house. So how do you tilt the playing field in your favor? Increasingly, it's by staging your home.
Generally speaking, staging means making your home as appealing as possible, as quickly as possible, to the broadest clientele you can.
"In this market now, staging is desperately needed even more so, because it's so competitive," says Julie Dana, who runs The Home Stylist in Buffalo, N.Y., and who co-authored a book on staging.
In fact, Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com estimates that about one in four homes nationwide are now staged. So if you're not doing it, you may be at a disadvantage.
There are techniques to pulling this off -- some of them obvious, and some not so apparent. We polled the experts to get some of their top tips.
Staging as un-decorating
Staging takes some effort and some money -- but it works. According to a study of 2,772 properties sold in eight California cities in 1999 that was done by real-estate broker Joy Valentine, staged homes remained on the market less than half the time that unstaged homes did -- about 14 days versus 31 days. The average difference in sale price over list price for staged homes was 6.3%, versus 1.6% for unstaged homes.
read more...
|
Bridge of
Hope
Ending and preventing homelessness in every community, one church and one family
at a time.
Bridge of Hope brings together professional staff and trained church-based
mentoring groups to empower homeless and at-risk single mothers to attain:
Permanent housing, Financial self-sufficiency, Life-changing friendships, Growth
and wholeness.
Bridge of Hope National
311 National Road
Exton, PA 19341
Phone: 1-610-280-0280
Toll-free: 1-866-670-HOPE
Fax: 1-610-280-3280
read more...
Florence Crittenton
Services, Charlotte, NC
Florence Crittenton Services of Charlotte, NC is one of the largest
comprehensive residential problem pregnancy programs in the United States. In
addition to a safe environment during pregnancy, a full range of services are
provided including health and prenatal care, education, adoption programs,
parenting skills/early childhood development education, life skills,
scholarships, group and individual counseling and family planning.
The Sarah’s House Mother/Child program empowers new mothers by focusing on early
childhood development, attachment issues and prevention of neglect and abuse.
The PALS program serves non-pregnant teens in a structured living environment
with an emphasis on developing independent living skills, social skills and
self-sufficiency.
Eligibility:
Maternity Program:
• High-risk, single pregnant young women 10 years of
age and older who may also be homeless
• Victims of incest, sexual and/or physical abuse and
neglect and family violence
• Pregnant women addicted to substance or at risk of
becoming an alcoholic or drug abuser
• Court ordered adolescents and adults
• Foster care clients
• Those who are from under-served counties in North
and South Carolina and at risk for infant mortality/morbidity, low birth weight,
premature birth or having a baby born addicted to a substance
Sarah's House (Mother/Child Program): Single adolescent mothers
ages 14-18, in legal custody of the Department of Social Services who are
parenting a child or children in need additional support.
P.A.L.S. (Preparation for Adult Living Skills) Program: At-risk
adolescent females, ages 14-18 in legal custody of the Department of Social
Services in need of vocational life and social skills development in order to
facilitate a positive outcome for the future.
1300 Blythe Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
PO Box 36392, Charlotte, NC 28236
1-800-448-0024/704-372-4663 (Charlotte)
Fax: 1-704-334-8169
read more...
Our
Families Our Future – Cheyenne, WY
Our Families Our Future is a Wyoming non-profit organization that helps
low-income single mothers on their path to economic self-sufficiency. Our CLIMB
Wyoming programs train and place women in demand occupations and careers that
earn livable wages. Almost 40% of single mothers in Wyoming are living at or
below the Federal poverty level, but the staff and partners of Our Families Our
Future are working to reverse this statistic by empowering single mothers to
improve their lives and the lives of their children.
The Our Families Our Future intervention model is based on the Fleming
Associates Young Parent Program, which was established in Laramie County in 1986
to meet the educational, work and life skills needs of low-income single
parents. This is a nationally acclaimed paradigm for moving disadvantaged single
mothers out of poverty.
Our Families Our Future
1001 W. 31st Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
info@ourfamiliesourfuture.org
Phone: 1-307-778-0094
Fax: 1-307-778-0095
read more...
Vision House
Provides safe and confidential transitional housing with integrated support
services to homeless single mothers and their children, and separately to
homeless single men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The goal is to
coordinate successful re-integration of residents into the community through
adequate housing, counseling, child care, food, clothing, education and
vocational training, life skills development, employment, medical and dental
care.
Vision House is committed to serving a target population who is homeless and
whose income falls below 30% of the median income. Residents are allowed and
encouraged to stay the Vision House homes for 18 months to two years. Residents
may stay longer when they pursue a four-year degree.
Vision House
P.O. Box 2951
Renton, Washington 98056
Phone: 1-425-228-6356
Fax: 1-425-430-9590
info@vision-house.org
read more...
CoAdobe – Single
Mothers House Sharing
CoAdobe offers a unique matchmaking service to provide single moms with one or
more children the opportunity to share housing, while pooling resources and
finances with another single mom of their choosing.
read more...
Community Action Partnership, Sonoma County, CA
Programs:
Giffen House - Affordable housing for single mothers with
children and single women who are working toward overcoming their homelessness,
getting off of public assistance and working toward long term stability. All
residents are enrolled in an individualized program designed to help them find
employment, a living wage, and obtain permanent housing.
Chanate Women’s Emergency Shelter - non-sectarian emergency
shelter in Sonoma County that is open year round and provides emergency housing
and meals, with access to supportive services, to any homeless adult woman on a
first-come, first-served The HCA Family Fund (For Sonoma County Residents only
of at least 6 months) - is primarily funded by an anonymous donor and by design.
It is a one-time financial assistance program designed to prevent homelessness.
The program can assist with rent or deposit. In order to be considered for the
assistance, applicants must attend an orientation on Mondays at 10:00 A.M. or
Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.; and turn in a completed application. You will receive an
application at the orientation. Information sheet:
www.capsonoma.org/forms/oriontatweb.pdf
read more...
Simple tips can help moves go smoothly
by Bank of America
|
Moms suddenly finding themselves moving across town or across the country can make the change easier with a little bit of planning. More than 20 million American households, or at least 16 percent of the population, move every year. Taking a little time to prepare can go a long way to helping the process.
|
read more...
Housing Choice Vouchers
Housing choice vouchers allow very low-income families to choose and lease or
purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned rental housing.
read more...
HOME Investment Partnerships Program
HOME provides formula grants to States and localities that communities use—often
in partnership with local nonprofit groups—to fund a wide range of activities
that build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or
homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.
read more...
Cooperative Resources and Service Project
3551 Whitehouse Place
Los Angeles, CA
Solo Parenting Alliance
139 23rd Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144
The listing of or omission of an institution, organization or corporation on this Web site does not refer to programmatic capability nor does it confer any official status, approval, or endorsement of the institution, organization or corporation itself. This listing does not purport to be a listing of all organizations & corporations that are providing relief in the affected area. Additionally, there may be organizations providing relief in the affected area that are not accepting donations at this time. It is not the purpose of this Web site to make, or enable to be made, any representation to the public concerning the organizations listed. This listing is for informational purposes only. Any contributions or submissions you choose to make from links on this Web site are at your sole discretion.
• Share your tips, resources and information with other moms
|
How to deal with economic stress
Stressed about the economy? You certainly aren’t alone. According to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association, 74% of Americans say work or money cause them stress and anxiety.
The thing is, stress has a huge impact on your body. It can cause headaches, impair your immune system, disrupt your digestive system and can even affect heart function.
Here are some stress-busters you can start today to help curb your symptoms.
read more...
The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget
by Renee Rayles
A quick reference guide designed for the busy,
single mom who has little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and then.
TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.
read more...
Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft, and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.
read more...
10 ways to avoid moving scams
Horror stories about sketchy moving companies abound. Don't let one take you for a ride. Here's expert advice to help.
by Fred Minnick, Bankrate.com
You've heard the stories. Movers load up your stuff one day and hold it hostage the next, demanding more money and threatening to dump your precious treasures if you don't pay.
You believe you've agreed upon a price, only to find out it's going to cost you a lot more than that.
"These salespeople are commission-based and will do whatever it takes to get a deposit on file and lock the customer into a signed estimate," says Tom O'Gorman, sales director for Gentle Giant Moving Co. "Then, when push comes to shove, there's a lot of gray area around this estimate.
"They will say, 'The estimate was based on moving only these things. You weren't packed, so it took us four extra hours to pack.'"
O'Gorman says some of these outfits give the impression that "you are dealing with a moving company, but you're really dealing with an online broker who passes the job off to some local moving company in some region for a commission. So you're not even dealing with the end user. You have no control over who ends up in your home."
read more...
18 easy ways to save on your move
Many people overlook obvious ways to lower the cost of schlepping stuff to a new place, but you can save hundreds of dollars.
by Christopher Solomon
If you're among the millions of people pulling up stakes this year and resettling in a new home, getting your goods to a new location means digging deep into your wallet, right? Not so fast.
Moving can be expensive, but many folks in their panic or disorganization overlook easy and obvious steps that can save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars, moving experts say.
We've done some of the, ahem, heavy lifting for you already, by assembling these 18 tips:
read more...
Click here to make sure your body has the necessary vitamins and minerals to function optimally.
2008 MSN Real Estate best bargain markets
Why live in an expensive city when there are some great, affordable treasures out there? Here's MSN Real Estate's list of the nine best, livable cities where you won't need to trade the good life for the boring.
by Melinda Fulmer
Minimalism is the cutting edge now. My decorator calls it Dorm Chic. Wait, you'll see, everyone will have this look in a year or two. And then maybe I'll go out and get myself some overstuffed chairs." ...
read more
Viva Research converts your free time into hard cash! Take surveys from home and get paid from $5 to $75 per survey completed. It's FREE to JOIN. Instant surveys available! Click here to start!
Your 5-minute guide to home buying
Home shopping is a high-stakes, stressful venture. Here are 24 tips to help you through the biggest purchase of your life.
Seriously consider this question: Are you really ready to buy a home?
It's an expensive, long-term commitment. If you change jobs or the neighborhood declines, you can't quickly get up and go. Selling a house can take months and cost lots -- likely 10% of a home's value -- in agent fees, closing costs and moving expenses.
read more...
7 home-buying traps
First-time home-buyers face an unfamiliar road and risk purchasing the wrong place at the wrong time. Here's a guide to the potholes.
by Liz Pulliam Weston
Buying your first home is an exercise in faith. You don't really know what you're getting into, you're awash in unfamiliar terminology and everyone you meet seems to have strong (and utterly contradictory) ideas about which way the housing market is headed.
You may not be able to avoid every home-purchase mistake, but you can keep your regrets to a minimum by avoiding the following traps:
read more...
|
