Where can you find cheap homes for sale? Add “that are also in a nice town” and that was the question we were trying to answer when my wife and I hit the road in 2002. Leaving Michigan early in April, we checked out towns from New Mexico and Arizona to California and Washington State, arriving in Montana in late May. It was a Sunday morning when we pulled into the town of Anaconda, with a real estate guide in hand that promised a beautiful little pink house for just $18,900.

In Anaconda you could fly fish downtown, go to a movie for four dollars in a beautiful old art-deco theater, drop some nickels in a slot machine in any of the dozen casinos, eat at a fine restaurant, find dollar-beer in several bars, and buy a house for under $30,000 – all within a few blocks of the center of town! The library had decent internet service, and there was wildlife (including bears) a few hundred yards from main street at times.

Mount Haggin, at 10,700 feet, provides a great backdrop to the town, even dressing up white with snow or hail several times during July. In the high meadows above the tree line flowers are abundant by mid summer, and worth the strenuous hike/climb. Anaconda itself is at 5,280 feet – Montana’s mile-high city, surrounded by mountains, lakes and streams.

First thing Monday morning we found a real estate agent and looked at several houses priced from $13,000 to $30,000 or so. The one in the guide was the one we wanted. It had two bedrooms, hardwood floors, a sunroom, and partially finished basement. Though it had been empty for a while, like many houses in town were, it was ready to live in, and the batteries in the garage door opener were still working.

We habitually try for less than the asking price, and our offer of $17,500 was accepted. The closing was set for June, and we headed back to Michigan to pack. We returned on a morning when the frost gave way to a 80-degree day (mountain weather is crazy that way). The home needed a few repairs, but when done we still had less than $20,000 total into it, and it was nice to be able to pay cash for the whole thing.

There are reasons why real estate is so cheap in some locales. In Anaconda it was because in 1980 the smelter closed without warning, eliminating most of the jobs in town. The prices of houses proceeded to drop for over 20 years from that point. In 2002 we didn’t have our business, and I didn’t like the two jobs I worked at while we lived there, so we sold the house five months later. We got $28,000 for it.

We returned for a visit in 2007. The town has been discovered, which is good news in many ways. With a ski resort fifteen miles away, a Jack Nicklaus golf course a few blocks off main street, Georgetown Lake and a beautiful setting in general, the population may be growing for the first time in many years. Houses are getting fixed up, there is a new brew pub and other new businesses.

And the bad news? You can no longer find a decent home for under $30,000 nor even under $60,000 in Anaconda. In fact, our little pink house would probably sell for $85,000 or more. Maybe we sold too soon…

One lesson here is that if you have a business that you can move with you (as we do now, and we live in a mountain town in Colorado), you can find cheap homes in great towns. Just find some beautiful little place that as had economic troubles for a while. These are great places to retire to as well, and $120,000 would still buy a very nice home in Anaconda and other such towns.

Steve Gillman
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/cheap-homes-for-sale-but-where-1153159.html

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You’d be surprised at the technology embedded on golf balls. From feather stuffed leather pillows to two-piece low compression process that affords long distance on low power to multiple icosahedrons that provide airlift… you’d be pretty convinced that NASA engineers are the ones providing this technology.

For a diminutive ball that has embedded the technology of rocket science, golf balls have quite a history run. And adequately saying, too, that every time a golf ball comes out with a radical science the rules of the game also changes.

The first golf ball was a leather one stuffed full of chicken and goose feather. Tightly stitched, these golf balls do provide a nice rolling in the green until they fall apart in a shower of feathers. These balls are very expensive due to the meticulous process of boiling feathers and stitching the balls together by hand so that they don’t easily fall apart. You see, from the beginning golf was intended to be played by royalty.

The next deviant ball was Gutta-percha latex; a sap derivative from a tree of the same name. Chemically, Gutta-percha is polyterpene somewhat similar with rubber but with harder characteristics and non brittle besides. The Gutta-percha golf balls did revolutionize the game, affording an improved rolling over the green, resistance to water (the feather leather golf balls do tend to get heavy especially when water penetrates the core), and eliminated the feathery showers much to the ladies’ displeasure.

Later, when a bungling Gutta-percha golf ball maker released a batch of poorly formed balls, which in fact made a truer flight as observed by the players, such golf balls with patterns and impression became the newest radical concept. Hence, golf balls in production began to be formed on molds and presses that created an even pattern.

Later on, during this spree of testing the most aerodynamic design, the idea of the dimple pattern was realized and the first dimpled golf balls were used in 1908.

The first modern ball appeared on January 1, 1939. Now complete with standardization of weight and size by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, golf balls of the modern age are of rocket science. Titanium compounds, a hybrid of several technological breakthroughs, pressurized core to convert minimal energy into explosive energy, golf balls have more technology implanted on them than golf clubs would ever have. And they are still intended to be played by royalty but without those showers of feathers of course.

Milos
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-balls-66780.html

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Well, it’s official. Everyone is losing their jobs, no one can eat out anymore, we all have to work as a janitor at Denny’s, stop showering with hot water, and succumb to a cheap, fast food diet. So throw out your juicing recipes, take the juicer to the pawn shop and put on your uniform cuz today you have a double shift.

One word: NOT!! There is at least one thing in that last paragraph that doesn’t have to be included in our new “Crisis” mentality. Is it just me, or are vegetables and fruits still a cheap way to get vitamins? I rest my case. Yes, perhaps your GNC preferred customer card won’t get used until your next birthday month (for the 25% discount), and that’s a right horrible thing. But how about this; instead of having a nervous breakdown because your shelves won’t be populated with “MegaMen” and “B Booster” pills – stop – take a moment… breathe in… and understand where the ingredients for those vitamins came from.

History tells us that one of the first things we tend to sacrifice in a financially challenged environment is our nutrition. Now more than ever nutrition is an expensive pursuit in this day and age of quick fix diets and vitamins that cost more than some cancer medications. I am writing this post to beg and plead to everyone NOT to let your health be sacrificed because things are getting tough. Think of it this way. You will have to work harder and smarter now than perhaps ever in your life to survive this downturn, so getting sick will do nothing but harm your productivity on so many levels.

Let’s face it, you can juice on almost any budget. Veggies and fruits aren’t so expensive yet. Look at it this way, if you lost everything and were reduced to wandering the country looking for food, an apple tree would be a very nice thing to see, yes?

Saving money is a key to withstanding economic hardships, and living cheaper saves you money. Here’s an idea; take 15.00 and buy a big bag of…
apples+
oranges+
broccoli+
wheat grass
… and forgo that 85.00 “SuperMegaMassiveMonstrous” vitamin. You’ll save 70.00 for the winter heating bill and will have simultaneously increased the amount of vitamins your body digests!

Seriously speaking, now that your job may be on the line, it might be worth it to look at that 300.00+ a month that you throw away buying vitamins, and replace all those happy pills with healthy juice. Trust me, it’s cheaper and better for you.

Juice to calm fears, juice to ease medical conditions – lose weight, hell you can even juice to slow the progression of disease. It’s not rocket science. No it’s not as easy as popping a pill of course, but it’s not rocket science. Here are the instructions, in 5 easy steps:

1. Buy a quality juicer.
2. On your way home from the juicer store, buy assorted vegetables and fruits.
3. Plug in the juicer.
4. Insert veggies and fruits.
5. Drink!!

Step one can be removed from the instructions above if you buy a juicer from my site of course but that’s entirely your call. I’m only here to help.

So next time you turn on the TV and see all the Doom Sayers tell you we’re going straight to the Ninth Circle of Financial Hell, grab your veggies, some great juicer recipes and make some juice. Oh, and turn to the golf channel .

Phineas Clark
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/can-juicing-recipes-cure-the-lagging-economy-748970.html

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If you wake up each day dreading the thought of going to work, but looking forward to those sunny Saturdays when you are able to play a round of golf, then maybe you should re-think your objectives. Looking into a career teaching golf will not only allow you to partake in your favorite pastime, but it will also allow you to draw a paycheck.

Teaching golf does not require you to be a former member of the PGA. All you need is a love for the game, dedication and a little education. Very few individuals are born with a natural talent for golfing. Most players take years and years to develop good skills to master the game. If you are interested in making a career out of teaching golf, the first step you should do is find an accredited golf academy you can afford. Golf academies can give you the basics to being a good instructor because there is a huge difference in being a good golfer and being a good teacher. It also takes longer to learn all there is to know about golf instruction, so be prepared to give at least a couple of years to the academy.

By attending an academy, those who want to teach golf will learn golf techniques from qualified instructors and former PGA members. Academies also offer the opportunity to learn manners needed to be a quality instructor. Patience is a virtue to have when playing golf. It is also something needed when you teach it to others. Interpersonal relationship courses are part of the curriculum students take while attending an academy. These skills are not only used on the course, but they can also be employed in other aspects of one’s life. Golfing is also about connecting the body with the mind, and students will acquire the knowledge to relay this trait to those they teach after completing their courses.

Teaching golf requires good interpersonal skills and patience because you deal with all age groups. It is easy to get frustrated when someone is unable to master a swing. Learning how to put aside personal frustrations and perform repetitive demonstrations to clients is part of being a good instructor. Going through an academy gives an individual the time needed to determine if teaching golf is something they are cut out to do.

Academies will also provide a person with solid management skills, the ability to communicate in a variety of settings and a good knowledge about the golfing industry. All of these combined can give a future instructor the confidence he or she needs to excel in a career teaching golf. By having greater knowledge of the game, a person can also improve their own golfing skills in addition to improving the skills of others wanting to learn the sport.

Instructors can choose how they want to teach the game to others. There is the option of working as a private teacher, or working at a larger resort or club. Teaching golf is also not limited to the course. By learning the fundamentals from an academy, instructors can venture out and expand their career by working in the design and development of golf equipment, consulting players on their mental attitude about the game or marketing golf to those interested in learning the sport. It is easy to see all the opportunities available in the golfing industry. Teaching golf will help continue its popularity as a sport and a profession. You will be giving others the knowledge needed for success while providing yourself a chance to succeed as a golfer.

Andy West
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/teaching-golf-will-turn-avocation-into-a-career-82477.html

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Jesse drives an enormous mower and learns how to change the location of the hole on the putting green.

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Buckeye Disc Golf’s Video Review of Griggs Reservoir Park, a 18 hole Disc Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio.

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Frank Pizzo takes us through the rules and challenges of this year’s putting championship at the Mountain House course in Gaylord Michigan

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Golf Course Designer Bill Amick explains how much land it takes to build different types of golf courses. You can learn much more by clicking on the link now for Bill’s website: http://www.amickgca.com

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This is the “missing” scene in the “Rex Is Not Your Lawyer” pilot. The first portion of audio is in the pilot, but it has Rex and Bruce doing that bit of dialogue in a golf cart. The second portion of audio is not in the finished pilot.

Audios are from the audition tapes for Joe Mangianello (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Emmett J. Scanlan (“The Phone”), and are combined with photos from Zimbio.com of David Tennant and Jerry O’Connell on the golf course.

Photos of Tennant and O’Connell can be purchased at Zimbio.com. No copyright infringement intended.

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For an extended, leisurely vacation along a beach like the shores of the Currituck Outer Banks, nothing beats a stay in a vacation rental. A rented beach home, condo, or cottage provides more privacy and room to breathe than a hotel or motel. Also, a vacation rental offers the opportunity for more amenities than other accommodations can give – like a hot tub, private beach access, and a full kitchen.

When you plan your next vacation, however, it is best not to jump into a rental without first doing some solid research. For a vacation to be relaxing and memorable, it must also be carefully planned to the last detail, otherwise you may find yourself scrambling to find a room at the peak of the season! If you are seriously considering a vacation rental at the beach, be it the pristine coastline of Currituck County or Virginia Beach, take care to follow these helpful hints before you pack.

1) Research the rental company

Especially if you are traveling from out of state, you will be placing your trust in a rental company to set you up with a nice vacation home rental, sight unseen. Before you hand over any credit card information to reserve accommodations, do your homework. If you know people who have rented in the area previously, ask for recommendations. Were the agents or rental companies they used helpful and courteous? Did they have a good knowledge of the area? Did they offer rentals in a reasonable safe area of town?

Most large travel websites may not deal with individual vacation rentals, leaving you to research the websites of specialized rental agencies. Study their websites – do they look professional? Are there detailed pictures of each available home, cottage, and condo for rent? Are there pictures of the area and neighborhood surrounding the home? Are prices listed on the website? Is there a directory of nearby attractions, restaurants, and shops? Are amenities listed and shown in photos?

In shopping for a rental for your vacation, it is best to contact several agencies before making a decision. Find out how long each company has been in business, and how many properties are managed. Compare pricing and location – if you want to spend most of your time at the beach, you want to make sure the house you rent is within proximity.

2) Your responsibilities versus their responsibilities

When you go on a vacation, so many things come to mind when you pack. You want to bring comfortable clothing, water sports equipment if you plan to play at the beach, maybe your golf clubs if there is a course nearby. When you rent a vacation home, however, you may have to pack more than you realize. It is a good idea to find out beforehand.

Always ask the rental agency questions about the house you plan to rent. Will you need to bring sheets and towels? What kitchen equipment is available to you? If you are renting a condo or a duplex, will you have to share amenities? Will you have access to a clubhouse, private beach, or a swimming pool?

It is possible, too, that during your vacation there could be an occasional mishap. You may experience plumbing problems, or a power outage. In the event of damages or such hiccups during your vacation, make sure you know what the rental agency is responsible for fixing, and if you are liable for any repairs. Find out if the agency has maintenance on staff to help you with any problems.

3) Research the area

If you are traveling to an area you have never visited, it is a good idea to research your intended destination before you visit. Especially if you plan to travel by car, you want to make sure you don’t get lost and threaten the enjoyment of your trip.

When you have rented your vacation home, explore the neighborhood with the Internet. What stores and restaurants are convenient? Do you know where the closet hospital or outpatient clinic is, in case of emergency? What attractions are nearby? If you are traveling out of season, it is recommended to call ahead to a few places you would like to visit to make sure they will open when you arrive. This is especially true of beach resort towns, where many places close up for the winter.

With enough planning, a vacation rental in a beach destination like the Outer Banks can provide your family a fun-filled vacation. Do your homework, then relax and enjoy.

Kathryn Lively
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/what-to-look-for-when-renting-a-beach-home-78606.html

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