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Thinking about a career in the professions? Then keep in mind the fact that continuing education will be a fact of life through out your life in the form of mandatory online CPE courses. A certain number of credits have to be earned within regular intervals of time in order for professionals to maintain their state licensures. Online CPE courses are very convenient for normally busy doctors, lawyers, accountants, and so forth to study at their own pace while achieving the required accreditation to continue practicing within their chosen fields.

The entire notion of continuing professional education arose as a result of the increased complexity of the professions. The state of knowledge is ever growing in a field like medicine, while law and finance are subject to changing laws from year to year. Mandatory CPE, continuing professional education, ensures that professionals stay competent, guaranteeing consumers some level of service and expertise. Online CPE courses integrate the conventional self-study paradigm with web-based interactivity and convenience, taking a lot of the drudgery out of pursuing CPE. Such multimedia learning environments generally tend to foster far better learning and retention than old-fashioned text-only alternatives.

Of course, these are doctors, lawyers, and public certified accountants we’re dealing with here, super-achievers to whom the term “drudgery” doesn’t really exist. Whatever it takes, they will succeed. They don’t exaclty need the unparalleled advantages provided by e-learning. Whether the experience is pleasant or not so pleasant is not an issue for them.

Yet where available, they are likely to prefer comfort and convenience. So while not necessarily necessary per se, web-based CPE is better than any other kind, and fortunately the present day professional now has many such options today.

Still planning on pursuing such careers? Understand that the pursuit will be a lifelong one. Thankfully, CPE online has now come of age.

Offering wedding favors is really an old practice thought to have started with European aristocrats. Called bonbonnieres at the time, these small gifts were distributed by the bride and groom to their guests as a token of appreciation for participating in the wedding ceremony or reception.

Modern wedding favors can be traced back to these bonbonnieres, which were small crystal or porcelain boxes sometimes adorned with precious stones. Inside would be sugar cubes or some other sort of delicate confection. While it all may sound cheap today, if still cute, in those days sugar was pretty costly and even held for being of medicinal benefit and such gifts would have been very welcome.

Modern day tradition of giving wedding favors got started when sugar became an ever more widespread product and couples of modest means embraced the practice. This is when almonds had become the content of choice for a bonbonniere! A classic favor for us, therefore, would consist of presenting five Jordan almonds inside a fancy box wrapped in elegant fabric. But since those times the concept of giving gifts to wedding guests has expanded greatly to include just about anything imaginable, from signed framed photographs of the couple or wedding ceremony as a group to themed dice and playing cards – to represent the hope for good luck in marriage!

Scented candles and soaps, collection discs of the music played at the reception, wine glasses full of assorted candies…due to such broadened notions of what constitutes a wedding favor, it has, ironically, become more difficult for some couples to pick just the right gifts for their guests. The trick is always to present something that serves as a suitable souvenir of the occasion that’s also reflective of the couple’s tastes while being of some tangible value to the guest as well. No easy feat for perfectionists, to be certain, but surely the easiest part of the whole wedding!

Thinking about kicking the habit but can’t quit cold-turkey? You’re not alone, of course. If you’re the kind who needs to do things gradually, electronic cigarettes may be the best of all options available today. These remarkable devices do not actually create smoke but vapors that look like smoke, similar to the stage fog that comes from dry ice. Without any combustion, carcinogens, or cancer-causing particles, are eliminated outright. And many varieties of e-cigarettes, as these products are also known, allow the user to choose the level of nicotine delivered, from normal levels comparable to that obtained from a regular cigarette to absolute none whatsoever! This fact alone means that you can easily and rather precisely calibrate your intake to best suit your smoking cessation regimen.

Indeed, a recently concluded 2010 study by the prestigious School of Public Health at Boston University found that electronic cigarettes appear to be of valuable help to those trying to stop smoking. Moreover, for those who are still smoking, research indicated that using modern electronic means to do so was much safer, with up to a thousand times less carcinogens created than by conventional cigarettes. Indeed, the levels of toxicity found were determined to be similar to levels existing in nicotine replacements such as patches and gums!

It should be noted, however, that most if not all manufacturers themselves do not actively promote their products as smoking cessation aids but merely alternative forms of enjoying a smoke. Resellers have been much more aggressive, however, in capitalizing on the few facts that have come out of certain studies. Thankfully, the trade group representting the industry has taken a strong stand against such marketing claims, forbidding its members from making them.

But what do the hundreds of thousands of users feel about these devices? A 2009 online survey of three hundred by the University of Alberta found that they perceived benefits such as an increased ability to exercise due to substituting regular cigarettes with electronic ones.

Finding a used Macbook is not difficult this time of year with the holiday shopping season sales happening, not to mention the fact that Apple had introduced newer models just a few month. That makes it a good time to buy both new Apple laptops of an older model series as well as lightly used units of newer models.

A used Macbook is normally viewed as a smart buy as it allows you to indulge in the Apple brand name without paying their historically absurd prices when compared against similar offerings in the PC world. But then again, the Mac cachet mostly involves great design, plus its really for those clean startlingly elegant looks that awards are won and money is spent.

A used Macbook will be getting a lot of competition from PC makers, however, as many of the features and technologies first found on an Apple machine are now being adopted. In addition to featuring touchscreen capabilities and solid state drives, and even the operating systems of Macs and PCs are increasingly becoming more alike as standardization sets in all across the industry.

Strangely enough, Apple itself already foresees the obselescence of the laptop, with CEO Steve Jobs having pronounced its impending demise by the introduction of the iPad tablet computer. This type of development in the industry is likely a good decade away, but as technological achievements are made that further shrink computational capacities and decrease energy consumption across the board, the proverbial handwriting on the wall will become ever clearer to one and all. This makes buying gently used products a great way to not only save money but keep up with all but the absolute latest technology in the marketplace . Naturally, going the used or refurbished route also cuts down on waste and helps our environment tremendously!

Wine racks can make fantastic wedding gifts. After all, the lucky couple is probably already receiving multiple sets of wine glasses – but not a lot of people think of the wine holders to match them! And with so many styles to choose from, it’s almost certain that one will be found that suits the newlyweds’ sense of taste while meeting more practical needs.

Numerous constructions are available that offer radically different designs. Wooden wine racks are traditional and held by some to help with the aroma, but those made of other materials can offer styles unachievable otherwise. For example, nothing beats the flowing, virtually liquid, curves that metal makes possible.

These are harder to create than those of wood, for the obvious reasons, however it is also just these natural characteristics of metal which allows for shapes that would be impossible to render in wood. Wrought iron is especially popular, and one of the reasons is that it could be made to seem very “heavy,” in the sense of “gravitas,” lending the wines held a sense of tradition, authority, and blue-blooded excellence. Indeed, due to the very characteristics of iron, it is favored in creating the most innovative shapes and designs.

Metal racks are usually used for short-term storage only, however, with many found in kitchens simply to match the stainless steel décors. But of course, aesthetics is really a prime reason for such racks in the first place , with proud collectors pleased to showcase their finest bottles in a casual though tasteful way.

Apart from decorative purposes, another reason wines are racked is simply because even a small motley collection should be organized. These holders also provide more protection than being left out on the table, especially in the case of those quirky designs that hold no more than one single bottle!

A lot of guys work out in the hopes of getting bigger or maybe more cut-up, as the expression goes, and can be seen sporting any manner of gear, from kinesiology tape and wrist wraps to weight belts and the latest technical apparel, so-called, however some seem to be probably missing the point of it all. These aides are just that, aides, assistants, not magic talismans and totems; one still has to do the work, and work hard as well as intelligently.

There’s nothing wrong with kinesiology tape and the like, of course, but too many people don’t know what is involved in exercise and fitness. First of all, way too many forget to distinguish between their egos and their best interests – that is to say , they mistake their egos for themselves. While it is out of the scope of this article to get involved with all of the nitty-gritty details involved with explaining the evolutionary whys and wherefores of ego, mind, and self-reflective consciousness, it should be noted that egotism is usually involved in many exercise mishaps.

It is primarily the same outlook that places so much faith in paraphenalia. No piece of exercise equipment can substitute for hard work and intelligent training. Such fitness staples as exercise bands and kinesiology tape all have their place, based on various factors, but it is crucial that you understand that the human element is key. But again, this is not the same thing as ego. Being the very best one can possibly be, fulfilling one’s potential, isn’t the same as being unhappy that one is not the best, whatever that means. In a way, one shouldn’t take things too seriously. A sense of play and fun should really lie at the center of all one’s efforts in the gym (or wherever working out is performed).

The W-4 Form is used by employers to calculate the amount of tax they should withhold from their employees’ wages, salary, or other monetary compensation. Strangely, though it should match the tax due on 1040 series IRS forms, the two amounts frequently differ substantially!

Why should this be? Well, when an employee fills out a Form W-4 (the official name) and stipulates the amount of allowances to be claimed, the individual is basing the claim in large part on the expected tax filing situation for the year – namely, how much he or she is expecting to earn.

Each allowance lowers the amount of federal income tax withheld, which in turn lowers the tax refund that may be due. In reality, one’s tax liability might even be raised!

No interest is paid by the government in instances of over-withholding, but if, due to those allowances claimed, under-withholding results, the employee will have to pay penalties at a some point. The situation is rendered all the more difficult for some due to the fact that it is possible to claim different numbers of allowances between a W-4 Form and a 1040 series form.

Another potential source of misunderstanding involves the fact that the W-4 Form does not deal with seasonal employment. Just a casual layman’s perusal of tax policies at the level of the end-user shows how really esoteric tax laws can be! When even straightforward matters like reporting income and claiming allowances could be subject to such nuance and variability, one truly does wonder just whom these laws are meant to benefit.

Yet believe it or not, though wider tax policies at the macro level may be open to debate, many of the little nitty-gritty details such as those outlined here were actually intended to help rather than hinder or even hurt.

Fiberglass resin planters are a great add-on to virtually any garden, especially the translucent varieties since you can put a light inside them and illuminate the walls for quite a few wonderful visual effects. They are usually light-weight and may be used indoors as long as they do not have holes at the bottom. These fiberglass resin planters can even be drilled for water flow if destined for out-of-doors use. They are able to also serve outside in an intact state as fountain basins or water-garden-in-a-container, dependent upon the shape and size. And because they are fiberglass, you can be sure that such planters are highly durable, too.

In 2004, the third largest earth quake ever documented on a seismograph, at between 9.1 and 9.3 on the Richter scale, erupted underneath the Indian Ocean, causing the Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people and causing billions of dollars worth of water damage in dozens of countries. Indonesia was the very first, and worst place to be hit by the tsunami, whose waves reached as high as a hundred feet and above.

India and Sri Lanka were also among the very badly hit places, suffering more than 12,000 and 35,000 deaths. The Tsunami was also observed as far as away as South Africa, where vastly smaller but still measurable waves washed ashore several hours following the initial earth quake, killing at least eight people.

Additionally an estimated ten million more people had also been left homeless or displaced because of the tsunami. The powerful seismic activity of the earthquake itself shook the whole planet an estimated 1 centimeter, and in addition triggered earthquakes along faults as far away as Alaska.

Granted the severity of water damage suffered by the affected countries, it was also feared that the death toll of over 200,000 might possibly double because of the threat of waterborne illness and disease, which as a result of relief efforts was able to be avoided. However, the physical water damage caused by the sheer power of the waves, which inundated thousands of kilometers of coastlines on every side of the Indian Ocean, was vast. Entire villages were wiped off the face of the earth and in addition cities suffered tremendous damage due to the sheer force of impact and the subsequent flooding.

The scale of the disaster prompted what is by some considered the largest humanitarian response ever conducted. The World Bank initially estimated that total relief efforts would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of five billion dollars, USD. Over the next few years, the United States alone offered approximately 350 million dollars to help fund relief efforts.

Even a number of large private corporations, for example Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and BP, all pledged tens of millions of dollars toward recovery efforts in the affected countries. Within a week, about 1.8 billion dollars, USD, had been pledged by various countries throughout the world before relief efforts were relegated to UN control. Though immense, there has still been a big amount of criticism aimed towards the US and Europe for their perceived inadequate allocation of funds. Some nations, Sri Lanka in particular criticized donor countries, claiming that they had yet to see any of the pledged donations made by some countries at all.

Whenever your ordinary red-blooded American thinks of restoring water damaging, they shudder and just remember the hours they invested that one time toiling over a bucket they dug out of the tool shed hauling lots of murky brown water out of the basement after that one really bad storm. Then they sigh and down the rest of their pint lamenting the grand fight of that afternoon. Their initiatives though pale in comparison to the indisputable master of flood damage restoration: the biblical Noah.

One other issue is damp mold restoration but let’s stick with the topic of course. While you complain about trashing a good pair of Nikes to pump the water out of the dank rumpus room your wife lets you keep in the basement, Noah was singlehandedly building a mammoth wooden Ark with his bare hands. And that was the first of his challenges.

Just think about for a couple seconds the chat between God and Noah that kicked off those wacky antics, and already Noah puts your initiatives at flood damage restoration to miserable shame. God, having totally had it up to here with mankind always smoking dope, punching kittens, and worshipping three headed spider Gods, or whatever else they were doing, determined to crumple up that mistake and sink a three pointer from half court with it. Thus he says to Noah something like, “Yo, I don’t have the time to get into it, but I’m totally going to submerge the earth beneath an apocalyptic deluge. I saw the way you pumped the water out of that rumpus room last spring and, ye, truly you are the Professional of Water Damage Restoration. So first, I’m gunna need you to construct an Ark. Then, I’m gunna need you to put on it two of every animal, so they can repopulate themselves, because animals are awesome.”

And Noah said something like: “…every animal?”

According to the bible, that’s exactly what he did. So maybe your tiny efforts in water damage restoration weren’t capable to save your Spoons of the World collection from getting all wrecked. That’s worth a complaint or two. But try trekking 4,000 miles to the heart of a Godless subarctic wasteland and singlehandedly wrangling a 500lb flesh eating Siberian Tiger and hauling this horrific brute all the way back and then coercing into a leaky wooden boat. Then once you’re finished: do it once again. That’s one pair of animals down. Only… millions more to go. And it hasn’t even began to rain yet!

So then it begins to rain for 40 days, and the earth floods for another 150 more, which is bad enough as it is when you’re not cooped up on a boat with the entire world’s variety of nightmarish predatory beasts. Then he parks his gigantic floating house of animal horrors on top of a mountain and waits for the flood waters to recede, as per God’s plan. And when he’s accomplished, he presumably puts all the animals back where he found them (since I can’t imagine letting all the world’s animals out at once into a gigantic mosh pit of Discovery Channel brand bedlam could possibly be pretty). And when all is said and done, the entire Earth is repopulated. Now that’s flood damage restoration.

DC electric motor repair is wanted by various people for a wide variety of reasons, but as is also common with everyone, hardly anyone stops to consider just what such work involves. It’s only natural, of course; we have a lot of other interests in our lives. But if we stop and consider things, we are sometimes awed by the wonder and mystery of it all. For example, just what is electricity?

To be sure, nobody needs a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering just to get some DC electric motor repair work done – that’s what Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering are for, to say the least! But seriously, the question of exactly what is electricity is one that has fascinated mankind for millennia, and it isn’t till the twentieth century that electricity has been mastered, more or less (or, more appropriately, more than less – we think!).

It’s what makes such a thing as DC electric motor repair necessary to begin with . But you know what? No one really has a definition of what it really “is.” We are able to point out its effects, but in regards to what it really is, well, it’s rather vague. The matter is best understood by looking at more specific instances of electricity, for instance electric fields, currents, charges, and potentials. But regarding overall term “electricity,” it is actually difficult to say!

Actually, the term is much more an adjective rather than a noun, in a sense, insofar as we have difficulties defining any thing as electricity but can easily point out and mathematically measure with all kinds of formulae electrical effects, or specific manifestations of what is simply labeled “electricity.”

Nonetheless we have been able to use it in almost magical ways, and it is likely to remain the dominant means of powering the world for the foreseeable future, however it is generated, whether by wind or water or through fossil-based fuels. Isn’t this phenomenal? That people can achieve this much while understanding so relatively little!

A Powerpoint presentation has been de rigueur within the modern business environment for the better part of no less than two decades, and with the wholescale usage of business management procedures by the military ever since McNamara presented it at the time of the Vietnam War, virtually every United States Army briefing has included one. But has the time of Powerpoint finally come and gone?

Officers’ journals aren’t generally platforms for social advocacy, even inside the self-contained world of the military, however hints of frustration with Microsoft’s ubiquitous product peeps through the occasional essay every so often . The software is of particular frustration for many senior enlisted personnel that are often given the job of preparing slide shows using it, as well as the junior commissioned ranks that often give the presentations proper. Powerpoint jokes are part of staff duty life, and vie with laughter about the newly minted lieutenant within the wider Army.

In a very affectionate nod to Powerpoint presentations everywhere, “Powerpoint Ranger” tabs are available from enterprising pranksters that are modeled after the Ranger Tab, “the coveted black and gold” qualification of the U.S. Army. The Ranger Tab is awarded to those who complete a searing three-month course in elite light infantry skills filled with meal less days and sleepless nights. Unsurprisingly, Powerpoint Ranger tabs are awarded for individuals who finish the equally unpleasant weeks or months associated with such presentations.

But the revolt against Powerpoint is no joke, with many of the newer generation of officers, commissioned and non-commissioned both, finding little patience for antiseptic slide shows in the face of on-going combat, war they have experienced first-hand. Must seemingly every briefing be done in Powerpoint? they wonder. Whatever its virtues in business school, these presentations are more and more being regarding by serving veterans as something of a deterrent to clear communications.

When it comes to swimming pool resurfacing, the best time is probably the spring. Resurfacing a pool during winter is actually silly, while doing so in the summertime could simply get in the way of poolside barbecue parties and the like. So why not autumn you might be thinking?

Swimming pool resurfacing is best done in the springtime since the weather should be pleasant enough for such outdoor work and then the brand new pool, as it were, will be ready to be enjoyed right away! On the other hand, work completed in autumn can’t be fully appreciated until the middle of the following year. Of course, for those who have an indoor pool, any time of the year is good!

But whatever is the best time for this kind of job is not the real choice, the real choice is in if you should go with commercial pool resurfacing or perhaps do things by yourself. If you wish to save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars, then you will just have to do things yourself. Fortunately, this is not too hard if you can follow instructionsand have the right tools and materials to work with.

[Do-it-yourself resurfacing] is really fairly popular, largely because of the worldwide web and its amazing reach. It’s possible to buy DIY kits now and have a pool resurfaced in an afternoon. It’s not a big ol’ project, either, especially if you follow the instructions as given. Once finished, your resurfaced pool will not need another such renovation until twenty to thirty years later!

Much depends upon applying the proper materials correctly. But once it’s all done, there won’t be a need to resurface the pool for the next twenty to thirty years – if fiberglass coating was used. Many other materials, though much less money, are nowhere near as strong, such as cheap epoxy paint that lasts only two to six years.

People search everywhere for that best business idea constantly. It’s one of the most popular inquiries received by search engines like Google and Bing every single day. However surprisingly, many may not have the faintest idea what they themselves are trying to find!

After all, what does it even mean, “the best business idea?” Best for whom? After all, a master baker’s concept of a great business will probably be quite different from any a high profile hair stylist has in mind! And so, like Confucius is reputed to have said (according to those fortune cookie proverbs, anyway), it’s more important to understand the question than to find an answer (or any answer at all, as would appear to be the case).

Okay, okay, so you get the point: what folks really should be searching for is the best business idea for them, given who they are, what they are, and, of course, what they have. Let’s take a look at this more closely, for though they may sound simple, each idea is really a whole series of books in themselves (which however we will cover quite briskly!).

“Who you are” refers to your interests. “What you are” means your capabilities. For instance, you might be a romantic at heart, but you are not very good with words, sounds, or visuals – so you probably won’t be a poet, troubador, or Picasso. But maybe you are good with numbers, and you can go work as a cpa for the local art museum!

A crude illustration, that, but again you see the point: the necessity of balancing passions and interests with strengths and abilities. Figure this part out, and most of the work will be done! It’s estimated that most businesses fail from the beginning, right at the preliminary stage of conception. Sounds incredible, but true.

But what of the “what you have?”

That’s simply money, of course – start-up funds!

The world wide web is really an amazing thing. You can discover all kinds of information on it. For example, did you ever imagine that you could create your own homemade solar panels with easily obtainable materials? Well, with relative ease, anyway; most of the necessary parts you can acquire at a well-stocked hardware store. As might be imagined, however, the hi-tech items that forms the core of the solar panel will need to be sourced elsewhere.

In order to actually create your own homemade solar panels, you will need photo-voltaic cells, along with the trim tab wiring to connect them. But everything else is just standard home improvement stuff, such as backing boards and silicone filler. Depending on the design — of which the internet has several varieties, all free for the taking — you may additionally need hardware like a saw soldering iron and the like. In most cases, the majority of the tools and materials to be used will likely be highly familiar.

It’s really the photo-voltaic cells themselves that will require something of a learning curve. For starters, the diverse variety of cells available today, even to the hobbyist, may confuse one just starting out. A great rule of thumb to begin with, though, is to avoid those varieties dipped in wax or described as “B-grade” for the best results in terms of conversion and output.

Once your materials are gathered, you will be ready to create your own homemade solar panels! Just create a housing for everything and seal it up with the silicone filler. Spread out the cells on your backing board and glue them into it. Connect with soldering. That’s it! Details differ by design, but those would be the basic steps involved. Homemade panels could be just about as good as professional ones while costing thousands of dollars less.

Melissa and Doug toys happen to be popular holiday stocking-stuffers for quite a while now, and the eponymous husband-and-wife company keeps producing new designs each season. Located in Wilton, Connecticut, they’re known for making upscale educational toys, especially of the old-fashioned wooden kind, though in the years and years since its founding Melissa and Doug has expanded to provide its very own vision of things like classroom supplies and arts and crafts products.

Speaking of vision, all design work is handled in the United States, along with a grueling application process that rivals those at the likes of Microsoft and Google. The main focus is on problem-solving, which seems far better for engineers than toy designers. But evidently it works, as its two hundred American employees have helped Melissa and Doug to post a straight eighteen years of growth in a row – even during this economic crisis!

With fifty hopefuls for each available spot, the organization can afford to be so selective. The bright minds that do achieve a career with the popular toymaker are actually responsible for numerous popular categories of products, from dolls and puppets to playsets based upon common home activities such as cooking. The collection even has a full-fledged lemonade stand along with a “bug house” for collecting insects!

Redefining early childhood fun is really a recent though successful venture for an organization that first built its reputation by selling nostalgic old-fashioned toys, the kind kids see in kindergarten picture books for instance wooden train sets. But with a marketing savvy that has seen it and its wares mentioned in leading media outlets from The Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal to The Oprah Winfrey Show, there is little question that no matter what the company decides to do, it is sure to be highly profitable!

In sync with the development of mobile phones within the last thirty years are the cellular networks that give them their name, despite the fact that there are many concerns regarding cell phone networks – from coverage and service to unlocked cell phones and contracts – few people fully understand exactly what a cell phone network is, or how it operates. Excluding individuals with unlocked cell phones, anyone using a mobile device probably has a contract with a cell phone service provider, big companies like Verizon or AT&T being the two largest providers. What a cell phone user is actually paying for with their contract to these providers is the use of the cellular network they’ve established across the country – and abroad.

The network itself is just a network of fixed location transceivers often known as cell sites or base stations located at fixed geographical locations over a wide area. The range associated with an specific base station where a cell phone can reliably connect differs depending on many factors, such as the size and power of the station, along with geographical features and other environmental factors. The range of each tower comprises what is known as a cell.

Therefore, a cellular network is really a series of strategically placed towers whose overlapping range of coverage is knit together, so that as long as a user is within range of at least one tower, they could connect to the network and maintain a signal, even when moving between various cells. Verizon and AT&T have both managed to build a cellular network that covers about 95% of the population in the continental US.

Once connected to the network, a signal or call could be forwarded to any other device which has been programmed (through a service provider contract) to the network. Moreover, cell phone signals received by cell sites may also be run from the cell tower through hard lines to reach standard telephones wired into a building or home.

When a cell phone is purchased together with a cellular service provider, the device is automatically programmed for use with that company’s cellular network. As an example, iPhone users are contracted to AT&T, and so all of their calls are routed through AT&Ts network of base stations and cell sites. Unlocked cell phones are phones that have not been preprogrammed for virtually any particular network, allowing users to select whichever cellular network works best for them.

This can be determined by a number of factors unique to each company’s contract and terms of services, as pertains to the user’s needs and financial capabilities. However, the geographical solidarity of the cell network is arguably more important, depending on where the user lives. In certain, more remote regions of the country, not all service providers have any installations physically situated nearby, and therefore lack coverage.

So you’re “in” real estate. Whether as a lay buyer or seller, or a professional investor or developer like Isaac Toussie, you’re dealing in real estate and naturally you’ve scoured the internet looking for articles to help you with the business. In addition to the absolute most fundamental of dicta, such as “location, location, location,” what it means to be in the real estate business is this: negotiating.

If the heart of all business in general is selling (and it is), then the heart of the real estate business is successfully negotiating as positive an outcome for yourself as possible. And securing the most beneficial terms calls for mastery of one of any number of tactics and strategies, such as the art of the low-ball, which is what this article will cover.

It’s how the pros do it, pros such as famed developer Isaac Toussie. This “gray art” is one of the most common methods employed in any negotiation, whether it entails property or diplomacy or even, if you think honestly about it, romantic courtship! It’s a way to fluster the other party, maybe psychologically destabilize them enough to be open to your point of view, as it were. Essentially, you behave so outrageously as to flummox them and reframe the situation – which is to say, the terms – more to your advantage.

In other words, you low-ball the figures and see if they don’t work out in your favor after all. Low-ball the asking price with a counter-offer that is so much lower that it would almost feel insulting – operant word being “almost.”

You don’t want to be regarded as a time-waster, of course. You need to be taken seriously, after all. So your low-balled number shouldn’t be totally out of the realm of possibility, like a dollar! But it should be dramatically low enough, such as one-fifth or even more if you’re feeling really lucky (one rule-of-thumb states that if you’re not personally embarrassed by the figure, you haven’t gone low enough). The take-away is that by doing this, you start things up at a frantic pace, telegraphing to the other side that you’re one mean businessman (or woman).

But don’t confuse this attitude with a take-no-prisoners approach. You are negotiating, not fighting. You should be willing to keep on negotiating, which is to say stay engaged and respond quickly to the other party. The key to low-balling is to determine the other side’s reaction. Is s/he now angry? Or amused? Or do they understand what you’re doing – thus signaling their own experience in the matter and their own toughness? Such information will be crucial to helping you plot the rest of your strategy.

Learn how to be a tough negotiator by low-balling the other party and flustering them! Go for broke. What have you got to lose? (Again, don’t get “being aggressive” mixed up with “being insulting.”) If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. It is more art than science, and so a matter of delicacy, which calls for experience – but you have to start somewhere, and you need to start now. So start low and with any luck maybe you won’t have to go up too high!