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Can You Sue a Car Dealer For Excessive Hard Credit Inquiries?

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I came across this question, “Can I sue a car dealer for excessive hard credit inquiries?” when reviewing search terms on my blog and thought this is a good topic for further discussion.

First Of All, What Is A Hard Inquiry?

There are two types of credit inquiries, hard and soft.

A hard inquiry is a credit inquiry pulled for the purpose of obtaining credit. These types of inquiries are usually pulled for things such as a home, auto or personal loan. Landlords and tenant screen services credit inquiries are also considered hard inquiries.

A soft inquiry is a credit inquiry requested for informational purposes. If you request your own credit through a site such as AnnualCreditReport.com, this is considered a soft inquiry and does not deduct points off your score. Additionally, creditors whom you currently do business with can pull a soft inquiry to do an account review and evaluate your current credit worthiness. Offers for “pre-approved credit are not counted as hard inquiries. Credit inquiries for insurance and employment also fall into this category, as they are not made for the purpose of granting you credit.

How Many Points Can Be Deducted For A Credit Inquiry?

o Each “hard” credit inquiry (meaning the consumer has applied for some form of credit, prompting the creditor to check the credit report or score) that is counted normally subtracts no more than five points from a person’s score.

Auto Loan Inquiries

Auto loan and home loan inquiries are treated a little differently since 2004. Due to the fact that most folks like to shop around for both home and auto loans, the credit bureaus recognized the fact that each inquiry was having a negative impact on credit scores because of the multiple pulls. This practice was hurting the consumer’s credit score and not allowing the consumer to shop around for the best rates and terms.

So, Fair Isaac changed the rules a bit for Auto and Home Loan credit inquiries:

o The credit-scoring model recognizes that many consumers shop around for the best interest rates before buying a car or home and that their searching may cause multiple lenders to request their credit report. To compensate for this, multiple auto or mortgage inquiries in any 14-day period are counted as one inquiry.

o In the newest formula used to calculate FICO scores, that 14-day period has been expanded to any 45-day period. This means consumers can shop around for an auto loan for up to 45 days without affecting their scores. But the old 14-day rule might still apply at some lenders that aren’t using the new version.

o The newest FICO version went online at all three credit agencies — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian — in 2004, Typically it takes lenders months to adjust their processes so they can accommodate revised formulas — and some lenders never adjust.

o The FICO score ignores all mortgage and auto inquiries made in the 30 days before scoring. If you find a loan within 30 days, the inquiries won’t affect your score while you’re rate-shopping.

How To Avoid Multiple Hard Auto Inquiries

If you want to avoid multiple hits to your credit while you’re shopping for an auto loan, you’ll need to set aside a two week period to completely concentrate on getting your financing in place.

o Find Out What Your Credit Score Is:

In order to shop for a loan without being dinged for multiple credit inquiries, you’ll need to know what your credit scores are. This will also help you to determine whether you are “bankable” or if you’re going to have some difficulty getting financing.

You can get an estimate of your FICO Score to give you an idea of the current range of your scores, or you can purchase a 3-in-1 Report with FICO in one easy to read report for just $39.95 so you’ll know exactly what your credit scores are.

o Get Pre-Approved At A Bank:

Now that you know what your credit scores are, call around to local banks in your area and ask, “What is the minimum credit score one needs to have to be pre-approved for an auto loan?”

If you know that your credit scores fall into their “approval guidelines”, then ask what are their interest rates and terms, such as how much down payment are they going to require.

Once you’ve determined the lender with the most favorable terms, go into that bank and apply. Some banks even have an 800 Phone Loan Center or on-line application process available so you don’t have to go anywhere.

Once you have been pre-approved by the lender of your choice, you normally have 30 days before the pre-approval expires.

If you decide to go this route, not only are you getting the best interest rate around without generating multiple credit inquiries, but you’ll also find out how much you’re approved for, which will make shopping for an auto easier in the long run.

o Getting Auto Financing If You’re Not “Bankable”

If your credit scores fall below what you’ve found to be “bankable”, you’re going to need to find financing elsewhere. There are several ways you can do this.

1. You can go through an on-line Vehicle Financing Network. These networks have access to multiple lenders and their guidelines. They will have to pull your credit in order to find out what your scores are themselves, but then they have access to many auto loan financing companies specializing in consumers with “less than perfect credit”. Once they’ve determined which lender you have the greatest chance of being approved with, they’ll forward your application along.

2. Go auto shopping and when you find the car you want, the dealership will be more than happy to submit your loan application to multiple lenders. Remember, if you decide to go this route, you have 14 days of unlimited credit pulls to count as 1 pull.

If you continue to do this month after month, you’re going to see about 5 points deducted off your score every time your credit is pulled.

The Answer To The Original Question – “Can You Sue A Car Dealer For Excessive Hard Inquiries?”

Civil liability for knowing noncompliance: “Any person who obtains a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency under false pretenses or knowingly without a permissible purpose shall be liable to the consumer reporting agency for actual damages sustained by the consumer reporting agency or $1,000, whichever is greater.”

What this boils down to is…..READ WHAT YOU SIGN! If you applied for financing with a car dealership, then you must have filled out a loan application. Did the paperwork that you signed say that they would submit your application to multiple lenders?

If you did not grant them permission to pull your credit, then you may have a case to sue for $1,000, but in my view, it’s going to be way more hassle than it’s worth. The easiest way to handle the situation to your benefit, is to dispute the inquiries with the credit bureaus that are reporting them.

If the creditors that pulled your credit cannot prove “permissible purpose”, then the credit reporting agencies will remove these inquiries. If the creditors come back stating they had permissible purpose, you have every right to ask them for the documentation to prove it. Again, if they cannot come up with that documentation, the credit reporting agencies will have to remove the inquiry.

Once the inquiry or multiple inquiries are removed, you should see an increase in your credit scores. It’s a tiny bit of work on your part, but way easier than trying to sue for $1000.00.

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Source by Taylor McKenzie

Safety Roller Barrier: A Life Saving Innovation

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With the number of vehicles on the road growing every year, there has also been a consequent rise in the number of fatal accidents. In this situation, governments all around the world are consistently looking for ways to improve road safety as well as to minimize accident numbers. It’s often been observed throughout the world that certain sections of the road are more prone to accidents to compare to the rest of the roads. A highly effective solution for preventing accidents in such sections is the safety roller barrier.

An innovative design that actually can save lives

Barriers have been used in highways for over half-a-century. Yet, the older versions of barriers made little difference in the number of fatalities or injuries resulting from collisions and accidents. In many cases, the collision impacts on such barriers have been actually observed to be the reason behind dangerous injuries and fatalities. Such concerns are addressed by the safety roller barriers, that actually can save drivers’ lives. The innovative design incorporating cushion wheels and metal fence ensures that the safety roller barrier doesn’t just absorb the force during collisions, but also steers and positions the crashing vehicle at the right side of the lane.

Able to handle collision of heavy vehicles

Ordinary barriers often fail to handle collision from heavy vehicles. It’s one of the reasons why the accidents involving heavy vehicles often translate into fatalities, serious injuries and enormous monetary loss. This can however be minimized to a lot extent by the use of the safety roller barriers. In particular, it have been observed to be resilient even against the collisions involving large sized trucks on the road. One of the early adopters of safety roller barrier, which has reported massive improvement of road safety in sections that were previously prone to accidents.

Minimization of road disruption

Reliable researches have proven that sections using barrier are less prone to traffic disruptions and blockages during accidents, compared to the sections without it. This is precisely because, the level of damages on vehicles following collision against the safety roller barrier are drastically lower compared to the collision damages on other sections of the road. Thus vehicles can often be driven to safety even after crashes, which would be often be impossible to imagine after collision with other surfaces.

Able to resist several impacts

Ordinary barriers can hardly be able to resist more than one accident. Such barriers often twist or break and may need outright replacement after each collision. Yet, safety roller barriers are able to resist several collisions and still function normally for several years. This amazing durability feature that has made the safety roller barrier the solution recommended by modern road safety engineers.

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Source by Rosario Berry

Garage Doors – Upgrade Your Carport With Sliding Doors

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The most common thing that a sliding door is used is on garages. Sliding garage doors often come with an automatic trigger for convenience. These automatic doors can operate with a flick of a button.

One of the advantages of having them is on a bad weather. You can easily open them without getting out of your car; you don’t need to get wet or even call for somebody inside your house to open them for you.

But with this great tool, there are also cons. The battery operated garage doors must be checked occasionally for smooth operation. On rare cases, if there is a relative nearness to other doors, your neighbors’ garage door might be activated too.

Also with long time usage, the doors might get stuck sometimes; this is also true to old cars having automatic window problems. It usually gets stuck and the rails don’t work correctly as they should. They can be easily opened again with helping them manually.

But with this problem being a common one, they can be repaired easily by professionals or you can contact the manufacturer and you won’t spend anything as long as they are still covered by the warranty.

Garage doors that open automatically have some basic features. As with security, they have an auto stop feature so your car won’t get scratched during operation or to prevent your kids to get caught. There is usually a panic button to halt the operation to prevent it to forcibly close the door.

As with common sliding doors, there are also lateral sliding doors. They consist of panels which are joined together to run on a track located on its top. It is also guided by the bottom track which can be either being surface mounted or installed within the floor.

Each sliding garage door is supposedly made to fit the client’s needs. Both types of doors have manual/remote operation buttons and the option to have electrical operation.

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Source by Anthony Lee

Ground Breaking Software For the Used Motorcycle Parts Industry

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Greetings to all, this is the first installment of topics concerning the Powersports industry. This article is in response to articles we have read out there concerning used motorcycle parts. My family owned and operated a motorcycle shop for over 10 years. We were and independent shop and sold almost every brand out there. We also go into the salvage side of the business and purchase damaged bikes from insurance companies and sold off remaining undamaged parts on the vehicles.

This industry boomed for the past 5 years and as most enthusiasts know you now have TV shows on customizing, building your own bikes, and even restoring them. Now the feature concerning our article today is the used parts aspect of the industry. Now almost everyone knows the terms bone-yards, junk-yards, salvage yards, etc. And when we here these almost everyone thinks of the automotive industry. This parts recycling business has been around since the productions of vehicles. The Powersports industry however never had a prominent foot hold in this aspect of the industry, until now.

I would like to refer to a ground breaking company bringing these hard to find motorcycle salvage yards together to one meeting place and show in real time what parts they have in stock. (We have referring links to these sites below.) The company is called Salvage Dealer Link. They are an Internet based software company that stores all subscribing dealer’s data in the system by original part number. The ingenious software used an interchange system to tell you the consumer which dealers have the parts in stock, how much they are asking for the part, how far they dealer is from you, and even let’s you know if a dealer has the part you need, even if it’s off a totally different bikes. Wow, that a lot of service the offer you in one simple search. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

But today we are focusing on the used parts feature they offer, and how these parts are handled. Dealers enter these parts with a point click selection method to keep consistency in the database. And in return they made it just as simple to search for the parts. You simple select year, make, model and then select the part you are looking for. You don’t have to worry about misspelling or not finding the part because you are searching with different terminology than the dealers. And just to top of the searching experience, all data is real time, no more filing out a parts request form that gets sent who knows where and waiting days or even long for a reply. If a dealer has it, you see it instantly. And best of all, if many dealers have it, you can compare pricing, condition, age of parts and even find the closest dealer to you. They will also be launching version 2.0 in a few weeks and individuals like yourself will be able to open a free account to track your favorite searches and keep an eye out for those hard to find parts.

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Source by Joe Burda

Bad Eco-Tourism Does More Harm Than Good

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Tourism is a booming industry. With many travellers flocking to different destinations around the globe, tourism is becoming one of the most viable business markets in the world. However, air travel, car travel and other aspects of tourism are adding to the planet’s pollution crisis and this is becoming a problem. Travel operators and hospitality corporates realised that some action needed to be taken, and Eco-tourism was created as a solution to this problem.

Eco-tourism is now one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. Eco-tourism involves the conservation of biological and cultural diversity through education of locals and tourists alike. By protecting ecosystems it has had a positive effect on the local communities and their livelihoods through their participation in projects and lessening the impact on the environment.

Why Eco-Tourism?

A tourist operator who offers eco-tourism is basically an operator who makes no negative impact on the environment and helps to sustain and promote the life of the local ecosystems.

Their activities should not pollute the local surroundings and have a mutually beneficial relationship with local residents through education of how to sustain themselves without damaging the environment. In South Africa, teaching locals how to make crafts from empty cans and used containers to minimise litter and help create a source of income is one example of this. The tour operator should also be involved in the education of locals concerning the environment and teaching them how to live in harmony with it, instead of destroying it.

There are many benefits to eco-tourism, yet many hospitality providers claim they offer eco-tourism holidays and accommodation when they do not. Governments and tourism providers are leaning towards the promotion of anything which involves nature as eco-tourism, allowing activities which are not based upon sustainable development of the environment and communities.

Tourism ventures such as low-impact tourism, green tourism, bio-tourism and ecologically responsible tourism are advertised as eco-tourism when they do not fall under this category realistically.

The Problems with Fake Eco-Tourism

“Green washing” is a term used to describe the occurrence of a tourism operator claiming to offer eco-friendly holidays when they are in fact, environmentally destructive. This practice involves the commercialisation of tourism involving nature and some ecological projects as eco-tourism. Many people flock to these tourism operators and end up doing more damage to the environment than if they had not used a ‘green’ operator. They are destructive towards the environment, are insensitive towards cultural needs and exploit the tourism economy. They are also misleading to tourists as they appeal to the desire to help the environment which tourists have, yet destroy the environment, not giving the tourists what they have asked for.

Despite some operators meeting the guidelines, there may still be a negative impact on the environment and local communities. Eco-tourism operators need to have a thoroughly positive impact on the environment with few, if not no negative impacts. If there is a negative impact, this should be counter acted by some kind of compensatory action such as planting trees and so forth.

South Africa is currently reaping many economic benefits from eco-tourism but there are still problems with displacement of people, violations of constitutional rights and negative impact on the environment from tourism activities.

An eco-tourism operator should be involved in investing in the local ecosystems and conservation. Rejuvenation of the natural resources and the education of locals in living in harmony with these ecosystems is paramount to eco-tourism. Education of tourists, assisting the livelihoods of locals in supporting themselves without negative environmental impact and the conservation of biological and cultural diversity should be not only endorsed but achieved through eco-tourism. Money generated from eco-tourism should also be invested in furthering conservation efforts.

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Source by Rosemary Grace Brooks

Why Choose Mahogany?

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Mahogany has been one of the wood types used in the production process of some of the finest and most expensive furniture items ever. If you are not sure that my statement is correct, all you have to do is a quick search on the Internet regarding some mahogany antique furniture, and you will be amazed at the beauty of this furniture type. This is the article where we talk about the advantages of mahogany as a material to have incorporated in your house hold, and why you should go for it.

The first advantage of mahogany as a wood is durability. There are dining table made from mahogany that are 400 years old and can be found in museums around the world. The wood is naturally resistant, and can withstand the harness of time for many, many years. There are sure chances, that if you buy a true mahogany table, it may last longer than you are your kids also. Red mahogany has even one greater advantage in comparison to normal mahogany, and that is the fact that it is resistant to termites. How is it possible for wood to be resistant to a natural wood eater? I have no clue, I just know it is possible, and due to the amazing properties this type of mahogany has to offer, red mahogany wood flooring is becoming a preferred choice among house owners.

Mahogany has a natural tendency to blend into any type of home. Normally, mahogany is used as a traditional material, and is mainly focused on in the manufacturing process of antique dining tables, and other furniture pieces, which were mainly used in the Victorian era. However it also has the ability to blend in with other furniture types and acts like a wooden chameleon inside your house. The wood type however does have a natural beauty and elegance to it, and this is the main reason why it has been used for so many years inside the houses of some of the most famous figures of the world.

In recent uses, mahogany serves as an optional material inside some luxury cars, being mounted on the doors, the dashboard, and sometimes even the steering wheel of the car. If you think this option will cost you a lot, you are correct, as these extra option will cost you around three to four thousand dollars more added to the price of the car.

So why choose mahogany? Because it is strong, beautiful, elegant, classy and long lasting.

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Source by Mihai Dumbrava

Tips on Cleaning Car Interiors

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Aside from looking great, having clean interiors can create a healthier environment for car. It will be safer when your parents or friends ride with you. Even if we clean ourselves everyday, if our surroundings are unclean, it will pose a risk on our health. Since we ride our cars to work, to the grocery or even to the mall, it is important that we keep it clean. The interior is the most critical area because it is where we sit throughout the ride.

Vacuuming

Take out your floor mats and vacuum the seats as well as the carpets. With the proper attachments, you can reach around the pedals, under the seats and even the sections between the central console and the front seats. It will make it easier to seep out dirt stuck in the farthest corners.

You can utilize a soft brush attachment for doors and dashboards. Be extra carful on the vents, sticking parts and knobs. You can also use this same attachment when vacuuming your seats. Since leather seats are fragile, make sure you do not accidentally scratch them with your vacuum hose.

Cleaning Door and Fabric Seat Upholstery

There are numerous kinds of upholstery cleaning agents available in the market. You can decide on what you prefer for your car upholstery. Although there are cleaning agents that make a lot of promises, your best bet is to go with a trusted brand that the majority uses.

Turtle Wax’s spray cleaners are good. You can use it to evenly spray on your door and seat upholstery then rub it vigorously. After this, use a dry cloth to wipe it off thoroughly.

You can also use a laundry detergent for alternatives. Combine it with some water then dip a clean cloth in it. Make sure you squeeze it well but it is still barely moist when you use it. Work harder on the dirty sections. Once you are finished, dry it out using a dry soft and clean cloth.

Make sure you do not get water inside your car because it can get into the electrical components, resulting to problems. Aside from this, if the water gets into your seats or under your carpet, it can lead to stains, corrosion and mould smell.

Cleaning the Carpet

Similar to the method you used on cleaning your upholstery and seats, you can clean your carpets the same way. First, evenly spray your carpet with some caret cleaner and rub it vigorously. Use a dry cloth when wiping it. Laundry detergents also work well with carpets. Make sure you do not soak your carpet in water; it will lead to corrosion and mould smell. Finally, dry out your carpet.

Cleaning and Polishing the Dashboard

To clean the central console, dashboard and other plastic parts, you can just use a barely moist cloth. Utilize only small amounts of laundry detergent when removing stains. Then dry it with a dry, soft and clean cloth.

You can make it shiny by spraying plastic polish and evenly spreading it with a soft brush. Make sure you do not directly spray on your stereo. You can use a brush to do so. Afterwards, gently dry polish your dashboard. You can also use a dry, soft and clean cloth. It will make your dashboard shinier and will also protect the plastic. Periodically, you can just use a soft duster, ensuring that your dashboard will look brand new for a very long time.

Getting Rid of the Air Conditioner’s Musty Smell

For unpleasant, musty smells from your air conditioner’s vents when it is turned on, you can just buy odor treatment from your local auto accessories shop. It kills the mildew smell and the bacteria. A good brand is Wynn’s. You simply spray it onto the outside air intake vent.

Another reason for the damp mildew smell can be a clogged air conditioner, drain tubes or an accumulation of debris under your cowl cover. You can just have your mechanic check on this the next time you have your oil changed.

For other auto cleaning and car washing issues, especially if you do not have the time to clean your car because of your very busy schedule, you can just take it to the nearest auto cleaner or car wash. I the US, the most trusted car wash chain is Auto Bell Car Wash. This was founded by Charles Howard Sr. in the year 1969. They have an ongoing promo which provides customers with unlimited full service washes for only $39.95 a month. This promo is available in all their locations. They cater to a large selection of car appearance services. /they aim to maintain your car’s safety in an affordable price.

They offer several services. First is the full service wash. This includes vacuuming; exterior washing; window, mats, tires and wheel cleaning; wiping interiors and hand finished exteriors. They also have double polyprocess service. This is their exclusive service that requires a couple of steps of polishing and clear coating.This is designed for today’s finishes. It also includes Auto Gloss to reduce surface tension and enhance the shine.

And third is the polish service done after the finish is cleaned. They make use of a special non-abrasive polishing agent that removes all minor scratches. After this, they will apply a sealer.

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Source by David Urmann

Biometric Lock Mysteries – What is Fingerprint Capacity?

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Biometric locks have the potential to change the face of security. For example, biometric locks use a specific human characteristic, such as a fingerprint, instead of a key. Fingerprint locks are one of the more common types which are currently available. You can even buy a biometric deadbolt for the front door of your home.

Basics of Fingerprint Locks

A fingerprint lock works by scanning your fingerprint to identify its unique structure. If it matches a print which has already been programmed into the lock, access is granted in a matter of seconds. Biometric fingerprint locks of this nature require a power source, usually batteries such as AA or 9V.

Fingerprint locks offer more reliable security over traditional keyed locks; keys can be used by anyone and are small enough to be lost. Neither is true for fingerprints, which are completely unique and require a permitted person to be present to open a lock.

If you want several people (perhaps your family members and a trusted friend, in case of emergency) to have access to your home, multiple keys are required. With a fingerprint door locks, you can program multiple users into your biometric lock (known as enrolling). A biometric lock can replace keypads in the workplace as well.

Alternative Uses

You may find fingerprint door locks useful in other applications, besides building security. Fingerprint scanners can be used to grant access to computers- some laptop manufacturers include the technology in their systems – or to safes.

Both of these methods protect important or valuable information. Some people keep firearms or other weapons in their personal safes and a biometric lock can protect young children from these dangers.

Keyless, fingerprint locks are also used to secure storage containers such as lockers (such as in schools or gyms) or briefcases. Presently, some high end cars are also using biometric door locks as a means to enter the vehicle, instead of a keypad of traditional keyed lock.

Fingerprint Capacity

You may not realize that locks like these have a fingerprint capacity, That is, only a certain number of fingerprints (enrolled users) can be saved into the memory. Most commercial fingerprint locks have a fingerprint capacity of 99 users. This is more than adequate for home uses or even small businesses.

Nevertheless, certain situations require a much higher fingerprint capacity. Biometric systems are sometimes used in schools in the United Kingdom, prohibiting non-students from entering. Furthermore, fingerprint locks can be a useful tool in professional environments where hundreds, if not thousands, of employees may require access.

You can choose from dozens of models of biometirc door locks which are on the market right now. Rest assured that you do not need special knowledge to install a fingerprint lock. This do-it-yourself activity can offer reliable protection for your valuable items and, perhaps more importantly, your family.

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Source by Rose Li

The Benefits Of Getting A Personal Loan

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A personal loan is usually not secured. It means collateral does not need to be provided by you when you borrow. The loan is offered to you by the lender on the basis of your credit and qualifiers. You can easily get the approval of loan, if you have a good credit. A lower interest rate can also be offered to you. Visit a financial institution or search online to get a personal loan.

Here is a list of some of the benefits of such a loan.

  • Lower interest rate – If you have good credit, then personal loans with lower interest rates can be availed by you. Around 15% APR on a credit card balance is paid by the people with lower credit card balance. But if you have good credit, you have to pay only 6% APR. While making a big purchase, it is considered as a big difference.
  • Use for many purchases – Your cash can be used by you for making any purchase. A loan of this type can be used even for purchasing a vehicle, starting a business or renovating your house. Restrictions may be placed by other types of loans on the usage of fund. But the conditions of using a personal loan are flexible and can be used for any purchase.
  • Consolidate debt – High interest debt can be consolidated by using a personal loan. Several smaller debts with high interest such as credit cards and student loans can be paid off by using a larger loan. Money on interest can be saved if you consolidate your debt by using this loan. Your debt repayment plan can be managed in a better way by combing several loans in one place.
  • Smooth your cash flow – Your cash flow can be smoothened by using a personal loan. A personal line of credit can be got by you, by using your personal loans. You have to pay a low interest rate in this alternate way of use. An emergency fund doesn’t need to be raised for future. The borrowed amount can be repaid by accessing your line of credit.
  • Boost your credit score – Your credit score is counted depending on your different types of accounts. One type of credit is represented by credit cards. In this case, you can use your credit score to handle your loans. Your score can be boosted slightly by adding instalment loans in your credit report.

Thus, save a huge amount on all your purchases by using a personal loan. Always remember to compare different loans before borrowing any sum.

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Source by Naman R Sanghvi

HGTV Home Town – A Mississippi Review

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On Sunday, January 24 on HGTV, a pilot for a new series was debuted. The name of the show is Home Town. I am excited about Home Town because it takes place in Laurel, Mississippi, which is 2 ½ hours from where I live.

The show aired at 11:00 am on Sunday, which meant that the majority of the population in Mississippi was in church. I set my DVR and started watching the minute I was home from attending the University Baptist Church in Starkville, Mississippi.

In this article, I share general information about Home Town, what I liked about the show and what I questioned about the show. (Note that I am not saying I didn’t like certain aspects of the show. Rather, I’m questioning why something was done a certain way.)

About the Show (from HGTV website)

Erin and Ben Napier love their small hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, especially the old historical houses. Using found materials and old textiles; they’re keeping the character of these classic homes, but giving them modern and affordable updates. From Erin’s imaginative hand sketches to Ben’s custom handiwork, this couple is bringing Laurel’s homes back to life and making sure their small town’s future is as bright as its past.

HGTV Home Town: A Mississippi Review

7 things I liked most about the show Home Town.

The Napiers are a friendly couple who are doing good in small town Mississippi. Erin grew up in Laurel and met Ben at college. Erin and ­­Ben have a great on-camera presence and clearly care about their town. They are cute together and work well in front of the cameras.

1- Hand Drawings

During real estate day, Erin showed hand drawings of potential renovations for the house. I really liked this because the buying couple didn’t have to envision the renovations, they could actually see it! The audience could see her drawings on the screen too with pastel coloring. Very cool.

2- Murals on the Side of Buildings

The murals that Erin designed for the city of Laurel were outstanding. It was fun seeing a time lapse of the mural painted on the building that is next to the Amtrak train tracks. Erin is very talented, and the designs truly enhanced the buildings.

3- Memorable Quotes

“Welcome to Laurel, y’all,” said Erin when referencing her murals.

“Safety 1st America,” said, Ben, when he was removing the brick from the front porch.

“Good taste doesn’t have to cost a lot of money” when talking about the pine flooring on the 2nd floor.

4- Blue Chevy Truck

Instead of the typical SUV that is seen on several home shows, the Napiers drove an old blue Chevy truck. It was charming and wouldn’t be a far stretch to see on the road in small town Mississippi. My only concern is that most people don’t drive trucks without air conditioning!

5- Keeping it Local

During the show, the Napiers talked about helping the community one house and one couple at a time. Plus, they also used local workers for the home renovations and even shopped locally for the interior decorating.

6-History

“I want to build something that tells a story,” said Ben as he was building the table. The wood is from the buyers great grandfather’s (I think) home and made a table and kitchen island from the wood. Ben’s goal was for the buyer to cry because of what the table meant- and he succeeded! It was so sweet.

7- Sidewalks

Absolutely LOVED that the Napiers walked on the sidewalks in the historic part of town. The visual of small-town Mississippi with the magnolia trees was perfect. Instead of the hustle and bustle of a large metropolis, I am glad that Home Town is about a different side of Americana – the small town.

Things I Question

I LOVED the show and wanted more!The 3 things that I question are not derogatory or negative. Rather, I’m questioning why something happened. Here goes –

1- Sewing on the Porch

It’s hot in Mississippi, especially in May and June. The humidity alone would keep you indoors when sewing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone sew on a porch. If a large space were needed, we would bring out the pads for the large formal dining table and sew there. My grandmother who lived in a 3 room house would clear­ out 1 room and hang a quilting frame in that 1 room to quilt. The quilting frame took up the entire room. That was 35 years ago, and I think she had a window air condition unit at the time.

2- Entertaining on the Porch

Full disclosure – I don’t understand outdoor summer weddings in Mississippi. Therefore, the idea of having a party outside on a porch is not a personally appealing option to me. Do people really entertain on the front porch? Maybe if I had a historic house, I might do that. But, I’ve never been to a gathering on the porch, except 35- 40 years ago. At my grandmother’s (35 – 40 years ago), we did sit on the porch and under the tree because her 3 room house was too small to fit the entire family. Today, we would probably gather in one of our larger homes.

3- Diversity

Because I live in Mississippi, I feel comfortable speaking about this issue. The only African-American that I remember seeing in the show was the Mayor. Anyone who has grown up in Mississippi will have friends of other races, will employ people of other races and will see other races when shopping locally. I would have thought that the producers would have at least had a few African American friends on the porch at the end of the renovation.

Overall, I thought Home Town was a hit! Congratulations to Erin and Ben Napier in Laurel, Mississippi for an excellent pilot show. I hope that HGTV picks up the show, and we will see lots more of Erin and Ben.

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Source by Kathleen C Olivieri