admin, Author at 3 Kids and Us

4 mistakes every real estate investor makes which you can avoid

June 24, 2019 by admin

The real estate industry is very lucrative only if it is done properly. It is possible to become rich in the market but it won’t be easy. Most real estate investors make certain mistakes that result in losses. Avoiding the following mistakes can help you make money in the real estate industry.

1. Overpaying

One of the biggest mistakes most first-time real estate investors do, is paying too much on a property. The essence of any investment is buying at a low price and selling at a higher price. Therefore, you will only make money in the real estate industry if you get a property at a good price. However, if you buy a property at a higher price, your investment on return will be significantly affected because the property will appreciate very little. In some cases, you might even make a loss

2. Lack of a good understanding of the market

This is another major mistake most real estate investors make. Understanding the market means more than just knowing the neighbourhood. You have to understand the underlying demand of the particular market you intend to invest in.

For instance, if you like investing in the off plan property in Dubai, you will not be successful if you don’t understand the market. If you want to resell, who are the potential buyers? You should understand what the potential buyers are looking for.

The off-plan market is one of the latest trends in the Dubai real estate industry. Some of the top developers are getting involved in the off-plan market. For example, there are several Meraas off plan projects in Dubai such as Sur la Mer townhouses. If you are interested in completed projects, there is a rich selection of apartments for sale in Palm Jumeirah where you can invest and expect a high ROI.

3. Failure to do Due diligence

Before you put your money on any property, you must be willing to go an extra mile to perform due diligence. The failure to research on the property, the neighbourhood and the market in general is an intolerable error that may cause loses. However, it is a mistake most real estate investors make and they end up stuck with a property that is a money loser.

4. Lack of strategy

Having a transactional view of the real estate is another mistake some investors make. Like any other type of investment, you need to create a plan and stick by it. If you don’t have a viable investment plan, you might make a mistake of buying the wrong property just because you were offered a good deal.

City View or Sea View: Which is better?

June 24, 2019 by admin

While some people prefer to live within the city, others like to live by the seaside. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages and the choice will depend on several factors. For instance, city lifestyle is more active and fast-paced. On the other hand, the seaside is less populated with a variety of water activities.

Advantages of living in the city

Opportunities

Most cities are vibrant and offer a wealth of opportunities for the residents. Even though the job market is competitive, there is a wide variety of opportunities. This one of the main reasons why most people prefer to migrate to cities.

Convenience

The convenience of city life is another reason most people prefer to live in cities. Almost everything can be accessed via public transport, a short drive or even walking. All the basic amenities and facilities such as banks, grocery stores, hospitals, etc. are located within reach. One such example is the Downtown Dubai area. There are a lot of apartments for sale in Downtown Dubai that are located in walking distance to public transportation and basic amenities.

Efficient transportation

One of the most significant benefits of living in the city is an efficient transportation system. Train, buses and taxis are some of the efficient and cost effective methods of getting around the city. Also, most cities are bike friendly and therefore residents can cycle to their destinations easily.

Disadvantages of living in the city

Cost of living

Even though people living in the city can easily access most of the facilities they need, the cost of living is higher. Rent and other utilities tend to be high in cities than in other regions.

Advantages of living by the seaside

Ample recreational activities

Water activities are great for your physical and mental health. Those that live by the seaside, such as in the Emaar Dubai Creek Harbour neighbourhood or the Meraas Bluewaters Residences, enjoy easy access to activities like sunbathing, surfing, swimming, sailing, kayaking and more.

Soothing sea breezes

Apart from relaxation, research has shown that sea air can reduce symptoms of asthma. The sea air contains iodine; salt and other minerals that promote respiratory health improve allergies and skin problems and stimulate the immune system.

Disadvantages of living by the seaside

Costly insurance

Seaside property owners can expect the additional expense of specialty insurance to cover risks such as floods.

Salt damage

If you plan to live by the seaside, you should expect to see some damages on the exterior of your property due to exposure to sea salt.

Rewarding Kids For Their Effort and Commitment

June 19, 2019 by admin

All children, regardless of their athletic ability, should be encouraged to participate in youth sports. Participating in youth sports has numerous benefits that can help children develop into healthier and happy children that are able to face challenges and overcome difficult situations. No matter how much skill or talent a player has in a particular sport, each child should be recognized for their accomplishments and their achievements. It almost goes hand-in-hand: sports and trophies.

The Participation Controversy

Many parents, athletes, and celebrities in the spotlight are questioning whether or not children in youth sports should be given a participation trophy. Many people may say that children should not receive a trophy for simply participating and rather only awards should go to the best and the brightest. This claim is not supported by research, and, in fact, research has proven the exact opposite. Recent studies have found that participation awards are great for children’s self-esteem and trophies are a great way to remind children that they were part of a team.

Benefits of Recognition Awards for Children

When a child wins an award or a trophy, they will likely place the trophy on a shelf, show it to all of their friends and family, and look at it for years to come. The trophy is a symbol of their accomplishments and their commitment to a team. Whether the trophy is a first place trophy or a participation award, it most likely means the same thing to a child participating in youth sports.

Winning a trophy has a large impact on a child’s self-esteem. While all children may not be athletically inclined, any child who devotes their time and learns the skills necessary to play a sport should be recognized for their effort. No child joins a team, goes to countless hours of practice, and then gives less than their best. When children put forth their best effort they should be recognized for it.

Whether children hope to become the next Phillies all-star or are just looking to be part of a team and try something new, each and every child no matter how much skill they have are going to learn the importance of teamwork. Youth sports is one of the best ways to teach young children the value of working together. Recognizing children for their ability to work together as a team and show each other support is something that all children should be rewarded for. Most adults cannot work as well on a team as many children do. For this, children should be given an award recognizing their ability to work as a team and show each other good sportsmanship.

Recognition awards allow children to see that hard work pays off and then when you put in effort people notice. Everyone wants to be recognized for the work that they do in their job, with their family, or while doing community service. Children are no different than adults and they too want to be recognized for a job well done. If children give each practice and game their best effort, cheer on their team and their opponents, show good sportsmanship and do not quit, they deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments.

Other Types of Recognition Awards

If you strongly believe that children should not just get an award for participating, you can work together with other parents and coaches to create awards special for each player. Some players can get an MVP or most talented award, and others can get most improved or best team player award. Other players can get awards that fit their personality and style, like most effort, always on time, or best hit or throw awards. Customized awards may take more time to create; however, they may mean more to each individual child. If children see customized awards being distributed, they may try even harder next season to get the award they want. If they are competitive and desire the MVP award, they may practice on the offseason to get better so that they have a chance of becoming the most valued player on their team in the future. Since these awards are going to be displayed in their room or throughout their house in a special place for years to come, it is important that the award means something special to each player.

How to Make Your Home more Environmentally Friendly

June 12, 2019 by admin

Being more energy-efficient is a fabulous thing, and knowing that you’re reducing your carbon footprint is even better. Mother Nature is a beautiful force, and if you can make any change – no matter how small – to preserve her, then you should probably do it.

It doesn’t just have to mean spending money on new fixes; sometimes, it can just be small changes. Here are just a few ways you can help make your home greener.

Install Solar Panels

Solar power is one of the best sources of clean and renewable energy and is also one of the most reliable. Having solar panels on your roof means you are not only helping the environment, but you’re creating a more consistent energy bill for yourself and even helping to create jobs in the solar panel industry.

It’s also possible to save a whole load of money by switching to solar power. Depending on the state you live in, there are varying tax incentives and cost savings to be had by having home solar systems installed. Companies like goingsolar.com explain exactly what you need to know in terms of where you live, along with an estimator to give you an idea of exactly how much you can save by switching.

Use Your Water Sparingly

Being eco-friendly doesn’t just mean your energy consumption and how you approach it. Water is also a valuable asset, and you can make simple changes to help the planet. Try not to leave your tap running when you are brushing your teeth or shaving. If you don’t need the water during that time, why waste it?

Try to spend a shorter time in the shower if you’re prone to spending half of the time in there singing into the shower head. If you can be in and out in less time, try to do so. You can also even consider installing a lower-flow shower head if you have a large family who spends a lot of time in the bathroom.

Install Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

You don’t want to get to the point where you’re worrying about switching on lights in case it harms the environment – it’s unrealistic to think you can get away with never using electricity or turning on the main lights.

If you elect to switch to energy saving bulbs instead of regular bulbs, you’re not only using less electricity, but you’re prolonging the life of the bulb (energy efficient ones last longer) meaning you’ll save money having to replace them all the time.

Use a Smart Meter for Your Heating

You’ve probably already fallen victim to the trap of leaving your heating on longer than necessary in the colder months, maybe even when you’re out of the house to ensure it’s all warmed up ready for you when you get home. If you use a smart meter programmed to come on and turn off exactly when you need it to, you’ll save money on energy bills and help to reduce your carbon footprint.

Passenger Counting Systems Advantages

June 3, 2019 by admin

A fully-fledged passenger counting system is a great addition to the management of any mass transit operation. It provides tons of valuable data which is useful to stakeholders such as the passengers, managers, planners, operators, and even concerned third parties like insurers in some cases. The data from these systems can help to improve customer service, plan operations more smoothly thus improving efficiency, enhance security and safety, and to help in accurate revenue capturing or projection.

Features of passenger counting systems

High accuracy levels – These systems employ independent traffic statistics algorithms, which allows them to have high accuracy rates of approximately 92%. They can precisely differentiate customer flow regardless of the color of the clothes, having caps, backpacks, and so on.

Two-way passenger flow counting – Every device in the system has the capacity to automatically capture the passengers getting on to the vehicle and those alighting. As such, it can support 2-channel video input and 2-channel output. Additionally, it can automatically summarize the gathered information.

Real-time reporting – The terminal equipment in the system and cloud server work simultaneously to avail real-time data enabling accurate reporting of a person’s entry and exit.

Sending alerts – The system’s highly accurate data can be set up so that it sends notifications to operators in the event of overload and so on.

Advantages and uses of passenger counting systems

Fleet management, transit agencies operators, passengers, and other parties will get numerous benefits from the passenger counting systems. It is therefore a worthy investment to have on the vehicles, and the best thing is that it is easy to install and readily available from service providers such as Eyeride.

Here are some of the benefits of the system:

Reduced costs or better budget savings

The systems improve operational efficiency and customer service allowing for optimal use of resources. Due to the ability to analyze data up to the individual passenger, the system can identify the routes and even stops that are not well-utilized or those that may not be of any meaningful business. With that information, the planners can do better routing and optimize each vehicle and route. The conductors can also be eliminated in the passenger vehicles.

Timely response to incidents

The automatic passenger information system enables quick and instantaneous response to incidents such as accidents and others and that could make a significant difference between losing lives and saving them. The systems with their cameras and other linked gadgets and sub-systems help fleet managers or transit agencies to act swiftly in case of threats such as hijacking, accidents, and other emergency incidents.

Help to address customer complaints

The information from the automated passenger counting systems enable fleet management and other concerned parties to sort out customer complaints. The data from the system makes it possible to differentiate valid complaints and baseless accusations due to customer errors. Thus, real problems are addressed satisfactorily and in time, enhancing the customer service and reliability of transport service providers.

Revenue projection

With automatic passenger counting systems, it is possible to estimate the number of passengers who will use the bus and how much revenue that bus should generate over a given period. Human errors are also eliminated, for example by conductors in counting and so on.

Efficiency

One of the most significant advantages of the passenger counting system is overall fleet management efficiency, which factors schedules, route plans, traffic trends, and other crucial things that affect the transit quality.

Conclusion

Passenger counting systems have many benefits to the transit operators, passengers, and others. It enables enhanced efficiency, reduces costs, enables quick response to emergencies, and enhances customer service and the handling of customer complaints. It also facilitates revenue projection.