Higher gas prices and the ease of working virtually over the Internet increase the allure of working from home. Both employers and the self-employed are taking advantages of the cost savings of needing less office space and more flexibility. Whether you are working from home in your own part-time or full-time business, or telecommuting with your employer, there are some things you need to consider about your home office and about yourself.
For starters, let’s touch on both the perceived and real advantages.
Home offices for business owners
For a small business owner, working from home, especially in the beginning seems like a no-brainer: You don’t need a lease on office space when you work out of your home. For a new business that hasn’t turned a profit yet, this is a huge savings. You can get started without tying yourself to that expensive lease. You also save on utilities over having an office space, even if you use more than your household normally requires.
Another big savings is the cost to commute. No matter if you use public transportation or drive yourself, not having to pay to go anywhere to work saves both money and time. For the employee, that 30-minute drive time becomes a chance to hit the snooze button one more time. For the small business owner, it gives her a half-hour start on the day’s work or a little more time with the kids before they head to school.
Working at home has big savings
An overlooked savings is in work attire. For a professional, only having to don business dress for client or board meetings cuts costs both by needing fewer suits in the first place, and requiring dry-cleaning services less often. For some, just the thought that you can stay in your pajamas is a deal. In conjunction with this is a savings on lunchtime meals out. While you might meet a client or coworker at a restaurant periodically, noonday meals in your own kitchen will be the usual fare.
Tax advantages
Then, there are the tax advantages: According to the Internal Revenue Service website, www.irs.gov, you can claim business deductions for your home office as either self-employed or as an employee. The rules are a little strict and differ for owners over employees, but worth investigating. For tax purposes, if your employer pays you from an invoice and issues you a 1099-MISC at tax time, the IRS considers you self-employed. If your employer issues you a pay stub and takes tax deductions from your income, you should receive a W-2 at tax time. In this case, you are not self-employed, you are an employee, so there are different rules for your home office deductions. Most importantly, if you take a deduction as an employee, your working from home must be for the convenience of your employer.
With all these advantages making work from home so attractive to so many, there are some drawbacks as well. While most of us believe we are self-motivated, some of us actually need the presence of a supervisor on site or co-worker nearby to keep us on task. Some personality types tend to procrastinate without the pressure of an employer constantly monitoring progress. If you are a self-employed professional, such as a real estate agent or insurance broker, who must meet clients and be away from your office much of the day, working from a home office makes it less easy to have an assistant to handle phone calls, routine correspondence and other office tasks because you must open your home to another person, often leaving them there without your presence.
Even if you have the drive to put work first, the lure of the laundry room or the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink, or that new video game for “just a few minutes” may become a distraction, begging you to take care of them first. If your background is more corporate or industrial, you might be used to a strict routine of the day starting at a specific time, coffee breaks and lunch breaks on schedule and clocking out at the end of business hours. When you work from your home, that daily agenda becomes less strict. If you don’t finish a project, you can open just up your computer after dinner and knock it out or, you can slip away early to pick up your kids from school or walk the dog. If the work you do is repetitive, without other workers nearby, the sheer boredom of the work may become a distraction.
Lack of social interaction
Finally, there is the question of loneliness versus teamwork. The facts are clear, some people work just fine, and actually do better, on their own where they can adjust the noise level, temperature, lighting and other environmental aspects of their workspace. These people can be de-motivated by having to work in a noisy cubicle or with the constant disturbance of other workers’ voices. According to author, Susan Cain, in her groundbreaking work on introverts and extroverts, this describes the needs of an introvert: the over-stimulation of environmental factors he can’t control makes him less effective. An extrovert, on the other hand, derives energy and becomes more productive in a team setting. Knowing your motivational personality type can help you and your employer determine if telecommuting will work for you.
Take an honest look at your work habits
To help the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, some employers engage monitoring software programs to keep employees on task. Monitoring their workday via their computers lets the employer address distracted workers with concrete information. Other employers use collaboration methods to stay in touch with their team. This can range from open instant messaging windows to full-screen views, video chat over the Internet or simple open conference lines. For self-employed professionals, utilizing a virtual assistant such to handle incoming phone calls, keep your calendar and manage your correspondence can be the answer.
The bicycle is an invention that is if anything, fascinating in nature. The bicycle is as economical as it is environmental friendly and it would be quite an achievement if most of the population in the world would switch to biking to their work places as opposed to fueling their vehicles or taking the bus, or taking the train to their work place.
Most of the working population from around the United States of America, according to survey, commutes an estimated five miles or less to their work place. Such a short distance usually takes roughly a car and a bike rider the same time to reach their destination. As a matter of fact, if one rides the bike, they will be more likely to be at their work place at a faster rate than the one who would opt to take their private car or the bus due to the high rate of traffic jams on the United States roads.
Even the local and state government has taken up an initiative by investing in programs that encourage no motorized forms of transportation. For example, the state of Washington (ranked as the most “bike-friendly” state by the League of American Bicyclists) and its Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law has cut overall vehicle mileage by 154 million miles since 2007. Among other things, the law requires large employers in congested areas to create programs and incentives that encourage their workers to drive alone less often. For every taxpayer dollar that goes into the program, businesses invest $18.
The act of bike riding is also one that is helpful to the human body. It is helpful in that, by riding that bicycle, the person is also exercising his body, hence, allowing the said individual to keep fit while at the same time ensuring that the person gets to their place of work.
Bike riding is also economical to cyclist due to the mere fact that, unlike a motor vehicle, where the motor vehicle owner has to purchase the fuel for the car, a cyclist only uses their own personal energy to ride the bike. Even though a bike also needs to be taken for service at the bicycle repair, the amount of money spent to repair that bicycle can never compare to that used in repairing a car. The situation is much worse for the people who take a bus, where they have to pay fare to get to their work place.
As a general observation, for the average human being, riding a bicycle to work is by far the most economical and healthiest way to get to their work place, people need to actually start riding more often to their places of work so as to save more money and also to keep themselves fit while at the same time reducing pollution of the environment.
Grand Central Station a Link to the Past, Future
As the nation’s busiest railway station, with daily commuters topping 700,000, the Grand Central Station Terminal reigns over the colossal 76-acre railway station’s rush hour crowds. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, to accommodate his railroad empire, it’s main concourse rises the equivalent of 12-stories high and a corresponding width and is two-thirds the length of a football field. Its pale-blue ceiling glimmers with fiber-optic constellations calmly twinkling above the swirl of humanity below.
Around the edges of the concourse, indulge your shopping habit in a variety of retail outlets, or stop in at the Grand Central Oyster Bar for step back in time. Of course, most its beauty is difficult to enjoy during peak times, so plan to take in the architectural splendor outside of rush hours. When entering the waiting area, observe the glittering chandeliers before exiting into the immense concourse. To better survey the polished marble and the famous backlit, four-sided clock, consider heading up either one of the expansive staircases to the balcony where you find three restaurants from which to choose.
Modeled in the fashion of the ancient Roman public bathhouses, the well-crafted and classical Beaux-Arts architecture is evident from the Romanesque triumphal arch on the ornate south face at East 42nd Street to the Corinthian columns and gracefully arching windows that tower 75 feet high. An 1869 bronze statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt stands imposing in the central window. Presiding over the swirl of humanity is a one-and-a-half ton bald eagle. It’s cast iron wingspan reaches 13 feet as it perches on a ball near the intersection of Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street.
Saved as a landmark by a campaign initiated by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the 1913 station returned to its original magnificence during a comprehensive renovation spanning four years. Reconstruction completed in October 1998. It continues to function as the world’s largest station, integrating travel on more than sixty train track and subway connections.
The real estate market in New York City is recovering fast. The changes happened mostly in 2011 while many places have started to seem attractive to the buyers or the rent seekers. Flatiron District is one of those places that had recently seen a great deal of interest from prospective real estate buyers. Real estate in the Flatiron District of New York city covers the area contained within the 14th and 23rd Street blocks of Park Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The name of Flatiron District came from the well known Flatiron building. Architect Daniel Burnham designed this triangular shaped building.
The area is accompanied by the Madison Square Park. This soothing green park and lawn is like a breath of freshness in the area. You can see the amazing neighborhood view from this park. The interesting, triangular Flatiron building and the New York Life Building with its golden pyramid style top look really nice from the park. The inhabitants can have a great evening sitting there with a mug of shake and a tasty burger from the street side shack.
The real estate properties in this area have a lot to offer from architectural point of view. There are a lot of trendy shopping places and stylish dining places in this area. You will also find here a number of top class restaurants in the city. There are also plain and simply stand by eateries like City Bakery for a quick refueling. The shopping places here are special because of the old, classy yet dynamic boutique shops. A recent addition to the neighborhood is the Math Museum. This museum has resulted in an increase of the number pedestrian visitors in this part of the city.
This area had been a popular choice for living and working. The restaurants, retail stores and loft style buildings have always been the specialty of this area. And the hip reputation of this area had recently attracted a number of entrepreneurs towards this place. Although, the rent of this area had deflated in 2009 due to the financial difficulty, the past popularity is regaining.
Many people now want to buy or rent properties here, especially the businessmen. This is why, many assumes it will be the next business hub of the city. Especially the technology businessmen prefer this place for their new and growing business ventures. The technology firms seem to feel assured to start their business in the close proximity of the Flatiron District. Probably, this is why, a great number of technology firms have recently started their operation in the area. All these additions have made this place for a suitable tech hub and a hub of arts and science at the same time. In fact, the growth of the technology firms in this area had affected the real estate price in this area in a positive way.
The number of investments in this area is now slightly more than the available properties, which is also causing the price hike. With the growing businesses and a nice living environment this area is becoming more agreeable to many people.
Although the housing market seems far from healthy in many places, there are some locations where the inventory of available homes is so low that sellers are receiving multiple offers on their property from buyers wanting to take advantage of the extra low interest rates. This is particularly true in Northern California’s Silicon Valley, where money is available, but housing is scarce, so having two to three offers to choose from is becoming common. As inventories in other areas continue to drop, this situation may become all too familiar.
For the sellers, this is a great situation because they can wait for second and third offers before making a decision. To take advantage of this trend, sellers can publicize a date through their real estate agent that they will review offers on a certain predetermined date. For the buyer, getting an offer accepted is more difficult when the competition is high. One idea—a leftover from the real estate boom of the mid-2000s—is the pre-emptive bid.
A pre-emptive bid is when a potential buyer’s agent submits a bid to the sellers’ agent ahead of the predetermined date. For the buyer, this is an opportunity to get ahead of the potential bidding war, but there is no assurance that the seller will agree to review the pre-emptive bid. Although real estate professionals are legally required to inform the seller of any and all offers, some sellers choose to stick to their predetermined date and so will refuse to entertain an early bid. If the bid is enticing enough, however, they may change their minds in the bidder’s favor.
Here are some things to consider when making a pre-emptive bid:
Offer more than the asking price: Make the bid sweet enough that the sellers will consider it even when they said they would wait. To make the offer appealing it should include the bidder’s letter of pre-approval from her lender and proof that the buyer has reviewed and agreed to any of the sellers’ disclosures. A signed disclosure statement submitted with the bid shows the seller that you understand what you are purchasing.
Second, do not clutter up the bid with contingencies: A pre-emptive bid is asking for a favor already, so requesting more from the seller makes it more likely that the bid either will not be entertained or will be rejected.
Put a reasonable end-date and time on how long the offer stands. This forces the seller to decide whether to consider it, but if the date and time are so immediate that there is no time to review the paperwork, an agent may advise the seller that such a pre-emptive tactic is proof that they should wait to see all the offers.
From the sellers’ side there are other things to consider: Before accepting a pre-emptive bid, check the bidder’s credentials. Even if the buyer offers cash and a quick closing, if his ability to actually produce the money might be compromised, the property will be tied up under that contract for as long as it takes to determine whether or not it will go through. This situation could lose the seller the option to take any of the bids that would come in on the predetermined day.
Some agents consider pre-emptive bids to be so-called “bully offers” because the bidder controls the timing of the transaction rather than the seller. If the bid is being considered, the agent must inform all other interested parties of the fact, and update the listing to remove the predetermined date. In either case, a buyer making a pre-emptive bid or a seller setting a predetermined date and sticking to it is all a bit of a gamble. If the sellers wait until the predetermined date they may get no offers at all, so the pre-emptive bidder can come back in with a lower offer.
Homes are a place of retreat from the hustle-and-bustle of life, a private haven that gives a person space to explore himself and his surroundings. While this is true in all sense of the word, there are some who have taken this concept a bit too well. Not only do they consider their homes a place of retreat, it also is a place to hide from the world — literally. Call these houses crazy; call them fascinating, interesting, or even sheer genius – but you could never accuse them of being boring.
Here are two of the most fascinating homes that you would love to hide in for a long, long time:
The House of Stone (Fafe Mountains, Northern Portugal)
It may seem a bit of an understatement to describe this house as “Flintstone-like”, but it’s really meant to be a form of respect and endearment. Known as Casa do Penedo, or the “House of Stone”, the structure blends with its natural settings like a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich – and that is highly impressive. Casa do Penedo was built between four large boulders that give an air of down-to-earth simplicity, but don’t be fooled by its rustic, “Stone-Age” facade. It is actually quite modern, with a swimming pool that’s carved out from one of the large rocks, stone furniture, stairs, log railings, a fireplace, bullet proof windows and a steel door.
The two-story house was originally created in 1974 as a family retreat, although it attracted too much attention from tourists that its current owner, Vitor Rodrigues, was forced to move out so he could avoid all the curious onlookers.
The Dune House (Atlantic Beach, Florida)
Call it quirky, call it bizarre, but you have to admit it’s one-of-a-kind. After all, where in the world do you find a house that has a roof that needs mowing?
Now a duplex, the house sits in an ocean front sand dune, and considered a landmark building by modernist groups today. When you look at it from the ocean side, you’ll see a grassy mound with Martian eyes staring right at you, and from the street level, you’ll see two similar apartments that contractors call “the south cheek” and “the north cheek.”
The Dune House was built by the Harvard-trained architect William Morgan in 1975. He had a great view of the sand from his master’s bedroom, and next to his house was a lot that was mainly a dune (created in 1964 by Hurricane Dora). During that time, Morgan was thinking of building a rental property, but he had gotten quite fond of the dune that he decided to build inside it instead of on top of it.
The house is quite small — only 750-square-feet — with each of the rooms opening to each other. It has two stories, with beach-level terraces and upper floor bed-and-bathrooms. It’s an ideal place for a single renter or an intimate couple.
Sadly, Morgan was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he and his wife have decided to sell the Dune. The house is currently on the market for $1 million.
Just because you live in an apartment or condo doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful garden to enjoy. Even the tiniest of balconies or patios can support a lush and rich outdoor garden. The secret is finding the best plants to suit your specific conditions.
In order to choose the best plants for your balcony or patio, consider the climate in you area, the unique conditions of your space, and what purpose you would like your balcony to serve. By selecting plants that fit within those parameters, you can be certain that you’ll achieve the best results.
Consider the overall local climate
Not only should you consider the specific conditions present on your balcony, but take note of the climate in your area. The best choices for any location are plants that are native to your area. These plants are already adapted to the conditions your climate presents, and you will have the most success with your balcony garden if you stick with these varieties. A trip to your local garden center or home improvement store will reveal what types of plants are native to your environment. If you have any questions, ask the staff. They generally have a lot of great information and can help choose plants suitable for your area.
While native plants are best, it is possible to grow non-native plants, particularly if they originate in a climate that is similar to yours. You’ll have the least success with plants from very different climates, although it is still possible that they can thrive. They will just require more attention and maintenance, such as bringing cold sensitive plants inside when the temperatures drop.
Notice the climate conditions
The other important consideration is the micro-climate of you particular patio or balcony. Is your balcony sunny all day? Do you get much shade? Does the temperature ever fall below freezing at night? These are all conditions that you need to be aware of in order to choose the most appropriate plants. Even if your local area climate is hot and sunny, your balcony may be in the shade all afternoon and remain cool, so it is important to choose plants that can survive those conditions.
A hot climate with full sun is great for plants such as bougainvillea, cacti and other succulents, and ornamental grass. You can even raise vegetables such as zucchini and tomatoes depending on the size of your space.
A shady balcony that remains cool will have different needs. Plants suitable to these conditions include ferns, palms and impatiens. It will also be a great place for growing different types of lettuces, carrots and root vegetables.
How will you use your balcony?
That last important consideration is to think about how you want to use your balcony. If you are looking to simply add a little beauty and soften the view, then ornamental plants are the ones to choose. You can select plants based on color, texture and even fragrance. You may, however, want to create a small vegetable or herb garden on your patio to add some fresh flavor to your dishes, in which case you can grow vegetables and herbs in containers.
No matter your taste, you can create a beautiful balcony garden with any amount of space. Just pay attention to your particular conditions and you can have a successful and satisfying garden space.
Chief economist of Trulia, Jed Kolko, looks at the Metro Movers of Spring 2012 to find out what homes are searchers looking for and why. Two interesting facts have been discovered. First of all, the majority of short – distance searches are for small cities and suburbs. Second of all, home buyers commuting long distances have bad job prospects.
It seems like people care less about jobs and more about sprawl. In fact, things are not that simple. When it comes to short – distance searches, a recent report from April 2011 till March 2012 showed that out of the all searches, 44% of them were performed within the metro areas. The other 56% were for additional metro areas.
One third of these seek outs were in fact represented by home buyers seeking shorter commutes. Another third was middle – distance and the remaining was long – distance. However, within top 10 searches, realtors could see only short – distance commutes. People were looking for homes in cities like Riverside – San Bernardino instead of searching in the big cities. Seven from these 10 searches were looking for smaller metros (Dallas towards Fort Worth), or for the suburbs (New York City towards Long Island or Newark).
The metros that are very close to each other sometimes have similar features like the same weather. At the same time, they are very different. Home buyers commuting longer distances are particularly looking for smaller and suburban markets that feature single – family houses with gardens. Moreover, the small and suburban markets usually offer houses with smaller prices. But even if these houses are expensive, they are still more likely to be bought as compared to the apartments and condos in the big cities.
Many people are trying to find the advantages of living in the city: shorter commute, public transit, and nearby restaurants and shops. Despite this fact, they will always opt for more space instead of these amenities. The sprawling suburbs are expanding because here houses are much cheaper. But, if in the future the prices will rise, people might be moving towards the big cities. For example, middle – distance searches encompass cities like Houston and Dallas or New York and Washington DC. Choosing the distance not for jobs, but for warm winters and bargains
The most interesting searches are the long – distance ones. 20% of the searches on Trulia are looking for long – distance homes. 62% are for the South and 54% are for the West. For example, a lot of New Yorkers are trying to find houses in Florida. Very few people are willing to move from Los Angeles towards New York City. Individuals who want to move far away are hunting for different things. They want to move from New York to Miami, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Chicago or Fort Lauderdale.
These people are trying to find various characteristics like new, affordable, booming, coastal, mountainous, snowy, sunny etc. The markets they’re looking for are quite affordable, but they offer very few jobs. For instance, people from Philadelphia, Washington DC or Chicago, where the unemployment rate is low, are searching for homes in high unemployment markets such as Los Angeles, Atlanta or Riverside – San Bernardino. When looking for a house, the secret is to not overlook the job market.
2 Lexington Ave
(between 22nd St & N Gramercy Park)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhoods: Gramercy, Flatiron
(212) 777-2410
About Maialino
Get ready to wait for this trendy New York City restaurant. The wait for a reservation is lengthy, but a call could snag you a spot for brunch. This Italian restaurant has fast become a favorite of locals and it’s packed pretty much any time of day. The food is fresh and well-prepared, but there’s no pretentious attitude at Maialino.
You’ll find a friendly staff who know their stuff and patrons who are there to eat – not to show off a fancy handbag or suit. Overall, this is a great place for a family outing or for a large group of friends. The menu is universal enough that it will appeal to many people, even kids.
What to Order
Start with an order of the unique breads at Maialino. The zuchinni and walnut bread is served with cream cheese and is a carb lover’s dream. The bread tastes hearty and if you had a big loaf, you could probably make a meal of it! There are also potato skins topped with pecorino flakes for a twist on a restaurant classic and tomato risotto croquettes, which are a winning appetizer form any group.
Pork is the name of the game here. You’ll find it served in various forms at Maialino and every variation is a treat. One of the favorites is the tripe (which is intestines), served with arugula and topped with a fried egg. The flavor combinations are fabulous and while organs may not be appetizing in theory, most restaurant goers are happy to have ordered the tripe, even if it’s their first rodeo. The seared octopus with celery root and parsley is as fresh as they come and any fan of octopus must try this light, flavorful dish. Maialino is also known for their pastas, so if you’re feeling less adventurous, you could definitely order something like the pecorino and black pepper pasta for a dish that’s flavorful and simple.
While there are many amazing items on the menu, don’t shy away from the classics at Maialino. Who doesn’t love a bolognese cooked to perfection? If you’re feeling the Italian classic, this is definitely the place to get your fix. The pastas are so famous that the restaurant has created a pasta tasting menu, where patrons can taste four different pastas instead of committing to one dish.
How Much?
Compared to other restaurants in the city, Maialino is major bang for your buck. The entrees are around $16-$25 each, so you aren’t spending an arm and a leg, but you aren’t getting out of here for cheap either. The great thing about Maialino is you aren’t trying outlandish food that may not be to your liking. With other restaurants, there are often too many complex dishes on the menu, which can be confusing for patrons who don’t dine out as a hobby. If you want delicious, attainable food, Maialino is the place to be.
An Olympic swimming pool is 50 meters long and 25 meters wide. The longest current Olympic swimming event is 400 meters, both as an individual race and as a relay race. For the average person, swimming just one 50-meter lap is strenuous work.
Imagine this, though: swimming one lap in a pool that was more than twenty times the length of an Olympic Pool. Well, if you’d like to try, then hop down to the central coast of Chile and give it a shot.
At the idyllic San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, you’ll find the largest swimming pool in the world. Over one kilometer long (nearly 3/5 of a mile), it spans a total of 20 acres (8 hectares) and contains 66 million gallons of water.
This begs the question – why? Just another extravagance of an insanely wealthy family intent on flashing their ostentatious capabilities?
For once, no.
The waters of coastal Chile are generally inhospitable to swimmers. The Humboldt current flows north up the coast, carrying with it cold water from the depths of the Pacific, so a wetsuit, gloves, and bootees are mandatory for anyone in the water. The Humboldt also brings other unwelcome guests: strong currents and powerful riptides. This makes swimming prohibited along much of the Chilean coast.
All of which is unfortunate because Chilean beaches are beautiful and accommodate hordes of year-round tourists who come to camp, eat, and dance the nights away at the scores of campgrounds, restaurants, and five-star hotel resorts.
So, biochemist Fernando Fischmann decided to ameliorate the lack of swimming. He developed a technology called Crystal Lagoons technology, in which saltwater is constantly circulated from the nearby sea by a computer-controlled suction and filtration system. This means the water is always fresh. The result was a huge saltwater swimming pool in this small Chilean resort town.
From this, an industry was born.
The San Alfonso pool is a safe, clean place to enjoy water sports of all kinds. One can navigate the 250,000 cubic meters of water by paddleboat, sail boat, canoe, kayak, inner tube, or just plain swimming. With spectacular views of the Pacific on one side and those of snowcapped mountain peaks on the east side, one can also enjoy other activities such as SCUBA diving, snorkeling, paragliding, and water shuttle service.
The waters are crystal clear, mirroring the clear blue skies above. Pool temperatures are maintained at a very comfortable 79 degrees (26 degrees Celsius), which is about 18 degrees warmer than the adjacent ocean.
The success of the pool and the technology used to create and maintain it has resulted in patents and construction all over the world of more pools of this sort. According to the Crystal Lagoons web site (http://www.crystal-lagoons.com), construction costs are $160,000 per acre and less than $2000 per month in maintenance costs.
The technology is also cost-efficient, as the pools consume just 2% of the energy needed for pools with normal filtration systems. The lining of this particular pool is white, which is the recommended color, but Crystal Lagoons can create other tones depending on the needs of the customer.
The practicality and relative cost-efficiency of this technology is thought to make possible the building of other such pools in areas previously thought inhospitable.
