The Benefits of Detailed Move-In Reports at Rental Properties

By Dana Powell

Did you know tenants are required to leave the premises they rent, in as good as or better shape then when they moved in? But how do you know what shape it was when they moved in?

That is where the move-in report comes into play. Having a detailed move-in report will save you in the long run. You will have written documentation to hold the tenant accountable to.

Take your time when conducting the move-in report, the more detailed you can be now, the more it will benefit you when the time comes to perform the move out inspection.

Starting your move in on one side of the house only to move to the other, and then back to where you started; leaves a lot of room for something to get over looked. This is why creating a consistent pattern is extremely desirable. Details are important; the more the better. Marking an entire bedroom as okay creates a lot of ambiguous wiggle room come move out.

Whether or not you want to start at the ceiling and work your way down, is completely your prerogative. Try to ensure you keep whatever sequence works best for you throughout the home. Check for cracks, discolorations, holes, rips, tears, etc.

As soon as you finish one area (ceiling, walls, ceiling fans, etc.) move on to the next. Does the room have a sliding glass door? Is it in proper working order? Are there any blinds or drapes? Is the screen door free from dents or holes?

Continue on whatever course you have set for yourself. Make sure to check any storage areas, bedrooms, office, bonus rooms, etc. Flush toilets, turn on showers and baths. Check for leaks, look for any sign of previous water damage. Turn lights off and on, open closets, pull out drawers. Check everything.

The exterior of the home often gets over looked but it is imperative that the exterior condition gets acknowledged. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; as such, it is a tool that a savvy landlord would be wise to implement; during all move- in and move out reports.

Allow your tenant to review the move-in report; answer any questions they may have. Arrange for convenient times to make any repairs that may have arisen during the move-in. Have your new tenant sign and date the report with the understanding that this IS the move-in condition. Mail or give them a copy of the report, and allow them three to seven days to make notes of anything else they may find needs documentation.

Thorough and well documented move-in reports are a necessary evil as a landlord, but it is one that benefits both you and your tenant. Your tenant will be protected from incurring any costs from damage that was present at the time of their move-in; and you will have documented proof of any new damage to your rental property. - 23196

About the Author:

Need to find a wonderful Redding Area Rentals or Red Bluff Rentals? Northern California Property Management is the premier property management company in the area. Click on the previous links to learn more about us and our available listings.

Forex Trading Strategies - Sound Strategies Remain Useful for Decades

By Steve Maenshel

Forex trading strategies are essential for a trader. A trader should know when to be Bullish or to be Bearish. Forex trading strategies help you analyze the market and to take the last step of your analysis - to buy or sell a contract. This is the most complicated part of the whole process. Determining the time of the opening and closing of positions should be as accurate as possible.

Forex trading strategies in combination with technical analysis is usually used, especially to determine the time of entry / exit. Most often, a decision is made within seconds or hours.

The most common Forex trading strategies are:

1. Scanning the resistance and support

Sound Forex trading strategies, similar to this one, remain profitable, even though they started to be used long ago. When Resistance is broken, it can serve as a good sign to buy. This new position can be secure with the aid of a stop-loss placed directly below the level of a break. The level of a break now will become a level of support. New positions can also be opened, when in a descending trend the prices rise up to the Resistance line. New positions can also be opened, when in an uptrend the prices fall down to the Support line.

2. Scanning for the intersection of trend-lines

Most important is the intersection of a proven and several times checked trend-line, which would allow a trader to enter / exit early. At the same time, it is better to also keep an eye on other technical indicators. If you are using the trend-line as your Support / Resistance, buy when prices fall to a solid upward trend line and sell when prices rise to a solid downward trend-line. This is one of the sound Forex trading strategies.

3. Trading in the break

Forex trading strategies, based on breaks, include 3 main options:

- If you think you have predicted the upcoming break, open position prior to its occurrence;

- If you see that the break occurred, trade for the rollback, virtually inevitable after a break.

- Wait for the inevitable roll-back after the break, because in the market after a break, there is usually a correction.

There is also a 4th option for Forex trading strategies based on break - open position in each of the phases described above. One position - before a possible break, second position - immediately after this break and the third position should be traded in the hope of the expected price correction, which is likely to happen.

4. Trading time frames

1). Holding a long position- for days or months - (is a moderately safe one of the Forex trading strategies, based on time-frames). It is best suited for strong trends. For best results, also look at the immediate options. Since this is a long position, you should also use fundamental analysis.

2). Holding a position of a medium length - a few days (the safest of the Forex trading strategies, based on time-frames). It is also desirable to ensure yourself by looking at shorter trends. Analysis of the medium length position is more complex, but such positions are much more stable for profit. Of course you need to choose the right moment to open / close a position. Again, these positions require the use of both - technical and fundamental analysis.

3). Short-term positions, lasting from several minutes to several hours. Pluses: there is no risk of fundamental news and the changes in prices at the time of your absence. Disadvantages: high risk of adverse movements in prices requires constant monitoring and concentration throughout the day. Basically, if a trader uses the data on a number of sellers and buyers in the market, that data will give the trader the needed information about where the market seems to go. Super-short-term trading could also be used with breaks and rollbacks. Super-short-term trading is highly risky, and thus it better suits professional traders and market-makers. This is the least safe Forex trading strategies.

Forex trading strategies are essential to find the exit / entry points. Try to constantly enrich your trading arsenal with sound Forex trading strategies - 23196

About the Author:

About the author: Steve Maenshel is a ten year veteran of the forex markets. He can help you understand forex trading strategies. For more forex trading information, visit his forex resource center.

Should I Use A Loan To Avoid Bankruptcy?

By Emma Elvie

We all know that personal loans can be used for all kinds of different purposes. In fact that is the main reason that so many people like borrowing these types of loans because they are able to fulfill their many needs, wants and desire. Many people who have borrowed personal loans have sometimes been able to use the funds to avoid bankruptcy.

These types of loans have been known to be able to provide people the financial support that they need when they are looking for it. If you have ever done your research on personal loans then you are well aware that there are two types of loans "secured and unsecured." If you borrow a secured loan then you are going to have to provide some type of collateral for the money that you borrow.

Your home or car may be considered as collateral for the money. If borrowing unsecured loan then you do not have to worry about putting up any type of collateral. In fact if you want to avoid any type of situation as putting up collateral then borrowing an unsecured loan is the best option.

No proof of any thing is required and also loans do get processed quickly. Unsecured loans typically have a higher APR then secured loans because the lender gets no security for his investment. Now days there are many lending organizations, which are involved in providing loans to the people who need money. They provide all kinds of services to their customers from different quotes to expert advice by their counselors.

The lenders attempt to make the process quickly and easy to help the customer. It is important that you read all the paperwork to understand what you are getting into. In fact right now may be the best time to get a personal loan at a decent interest rate. We all know that their job is to make the customer happy. Do not let the lender know that you are trying to avoid bankruptcy.

Secured or unsecured personal loans through these organizations are approved very quickly. The organizations have relationships with banks, which limit the time in which the loan is sanctioned so that the both parties are at ease with the situation.

If you are trying to avoid bankruptcy and want to know some other tips and advice that you can use to avoid this financial ruin then be sure to visit the site below. We have taken the time to provide our readers with some valuable tips and advice that you can use to get back on your feet financially. - 23196

About the Author:

5 Ways To Get Out Of Debt You Should Consider! Bankruptcy Alternatives

S&P Futures Explained (Part III)

By Ahmad Hassam

The E-mini S&P futures contract trade almost 24 hours per day with a 30 minute maintenance break in trading from 4:30 to 5:00 PM daily. The monthly identifiers for the E-mini S&P futures contracts are H for March, M for June, U for September and Z for December.

The margin requirements for E-minis are much less than the normal contract. The day trading margin is less than the margin to hold an overnight position in S&P 500 E-mini Futures contract. If you are a new E-mini trader you be careful as traders are expected to pay for the difference between the margins for the entry and exit points. In case you lose at the end of the day you are likely to pay in a big way.

All futures contracts are settled daily. At the end of the trading day they are assigned a final value price. The values of all positions are marked to the market each day after the official close based on the settlement price. Based on how well your positions fared in that days trading session, your account is then either debited or credited. In other words, cash will either come into your account or leave your account based on the change in the settlement price from day to day as long as your positions remain open.

It is this mechanism that brings integrity to the marketplace. As losses are not allowed to accumulate without some response being required, this system gives futures trading a rock-solid reputation for creditworthiness.

Leverage: The effect of price changes is magnified because futures markets are highly leveraged. You typically pay the price in full with stocks (i.e., without leverage) or on margin (50 percent leverage). Leverage can produce large profits in relation to the amount of your initial margin if you speculate in futures and the market moves in your favor. However, you also could lose your initial margin if the market moves against your position.

Suppose you have decided to put $10,000 into a futures account and you buy one E-mini S&P 500 index futures contract when the index is trading at 1000. Your initial margin requirement for that one contract is $3,500.

Because the value of the futures contract is $50 times the index, each one-point change in the index represents a $50 gain or loss. If the index increases 5 percent, to 1050 from 1000, you could realize a profit of $2,500= (50 points) ($50). Conversely, a 50-point decline would produce a $2,500 loss. The $2,500 increase represents a 25 percent return on your initial investment of $10,000 or a 71 percent return on your initial margin deposit of $3,500.

Thats the power of leverage. Conversely, a decline would eat up 25 percent of your original $10,000 or 71 percent of your initial margin. An increase or decrease of only 5 percent in the index could result in a substantial gain or loss in your account in either case.

Indeed, leverage is the key distinctive aspect of futures trading as compared with stock trading. It makes your money work harder and produces more in a shorter period of time when everythings going your way, than if you paid for everything in full, up front. In such a situation leverage can be a beautiful thing.

Now suppose you use $5,000 in your account to buy an E-mini S&P 500 contract worth $50,000. However, prices fall by 10 percent instead of going up, and the contracts value drops to $45,000. Your $5,000 is completely gone. This is the dark side to leverage. Youll be obligated to put up even more money if the market keeps moving against you unless you get out of the position with an offsetting sale when your maintenance margin level is violated. Leverage is the one ingredient that can produce either horror stories or happy endings. It is extremely important that you fully understand the power of leverage and how to manage it well to get the happy ending. - 23196

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading futures and currencies. Trade Dow Futures and S&P Futures!

Trading in the Foreign Exchange Market

By Damian Papworth

There is a lot of mystique about foreign exchange trading. And probably rightly so too, it is after all one of the riskiest financial markets you can trade. In this article, we will take you through the reasons this market is so risky and hopefully to some extent, take the mystery out of the market.

Firstly, what is the Foreign Exchange market anyway? What are we trading? Its simple really, we are trading money from different countries. We buy money (which is called currency) in one country by selling currency from a different country. Its an extremely important market for the proper functioning of the global economy. You may not be aware of this, but as a consumer, you have almost definitely participated in this market either directly or indirectly, and probably do so every day.

If you have ever gone overseas on a holiday or for business, you would have needed to obtain currency in the country you visited. It doesn't matter if you used travellers cheques, credit card or cash, by functioning as a consumer overseas you would have needed to buy some local currency with the money you earned at home. It is this transaction that had you participating directly in the FX Market as a consumer.

An example of indirect participation is when you buy imported products in your home country. Products made overseas are usually sold in the currency of the country they were made. When they are sold in a country which is different to the one where they were produced, at some stage someone will need to make a foreign exchange transaction, translating the price of the product from the currency where the product was produced, to the currency where the product was consumed. It could be the producer, an importing company or the retailer that does this. Regardless, when you buy imported products, the currency translation will have occurred and therefore you have indirectly participated in a foreign currency transaction.

Maybe you have been mystified by the fluctuating currencies of different countries. Like most things in the business world the currency's supply versus its demand changes the rate. When a currency comes into high demand, with few sellers on the market, that makes it instantly more valuable. Buyers will pay a higher price to get their hands on it. Conversely, when a currency is unwanted and sellers flood the market looking to dump it, the price goes down. Those willing to take on such an unattractive commodity pay less to do so. The explanation is simple when you think in this manner.

The really tough question though is what makes supply and demand change? This is the 1 question which makes trading in the FX market so difficult. Basically, no-one knows exactly what all the factors are that cause supply and demand to change in these markets. Many traders have a good idea of the major influences, but there are so many things which impact currencies that it is nigh on impossible to formularise the exact reasons currencies change price.

The currency figures of a particular country represent the economic value of that country, thus compared against that of another country. When you start to consider the endless number of factors which can affect an economy in one direction or another, and how some of them defy all logic, you will see the dilemma of anyone who is trading currency for a living.

But your countries economy is only half the equation. We are not measuring the value of your economy alone, rather comparing it against the economy of a different country. Therefore, even if you have a really good understanding of your own economy, you need the same understanding of the other country's economy also.

Beyond these concerns, you'll have to gauge the economy and currency of the two countries in the scheme of the world economy. To determine if one country's currency will become more valuable over time, you need a lot of information and considerable foresight, as this is a complex equation.

And if you manage to get all your analysis correct, you then need to hope everyone else does too. Currencies can move on investors opinions, expectations met or expectations not met, global sentiments of what is likely to happen as much as global opinion of what has happened. There are fundamental traders (who look at information such as the above to make their decisions) and technical traders. (who just follow graphs and don't care why) Both trader groups can impact the price as they impact supply and demand.

Some investors will buy currencies with long-range goals in mind. With a big investment in currencies, they use it to support other ventures, which also has an effect on the currency's value.

There are also Foreign Exchange Trading strategies and these don't necessarily depend on rising or falling prices. No matter how the currencies are moving, the investor will make a small profit, as the currency inches in either direction.

I hope this helps take some of the mystery out of the FOREX market. - 23196

About the Author:

If you are tired of your slow mutual fund investment, Damian Papworth recommends FOREX trading. The speed and possible rewards are unparalleled.