CHEAPER HOMES IN DALLAS: Pre Foreclosure & Wholesale Property Listings

Property Summary List Example

When it comes to holidays some people will buy a place as their second home so they can just visit whenever they want and not have to worry about finding somewhere and paying deposits each time.

Others will buy as a form of investment to either rent out the property or sell it on in time and make a nice profit from it.

There are plenty of Dallas investment property opportunities about but the key is to find the ones that are going to save you the most money and of course make you the most money too.

In general a lot of the usual marketed foreclosure properties that are advertised on the Internet, Realtors windows and newspapers will be cut between 10-15% but with what is known as Wholesale and Pre Foreclosure properties you can get 20-50% off the retail price instead.

There is a site called MyHouseDeals.com that specialises in these type of listings in the Dallas area. Most of the time many of these Dallas investment properties wont be listed anywhere else.

Maybe you have an investment property in Dallas yourself that you're looking to let go of also? This site is ideal as its free to use and provides you with different leads as well as educational articles on real estate investing in general.

1870's CONVERTED NETHERLANDS CHURCH TOWNHOUSE

I have always loved old churches and the stained glass windows so I was pleased to see an 1870's one formerly known as Saint Jakobus Church had been brought back to life and transformed into living accommodation.
Now a townhouse The Residential Church XL based in Utrecht in the Netherlands eventually was put up for sale in 2010 and before that was used for small concert space, conference rooms and an antique furniture showroom.
Thought was put into trying to keep as much as the churches features as possible such as the facade and special inserted flooring has been installed to bring out the day light into the area.
When you look at the pictures can you envision yourself living here and where you would put your furniture? It's simply stunning isn't it?

CUT DOWN NOISE & WIND ON YOUR CAR JOURNEY: Sunroof Wind Deflectors

I use my car a lot and when its full of passengers it can get quite stuffy in there and not just in the summer time either.

Before I would just open the sun roof but driving down the motorway with the road noise and wind gushing in over my head left a lot to be desired. That was until I read about sunroof wind deflectors.

I must say these are fantastic! The way they work is they help redirect the wind that comes into your car and the outside noise is made less noisy, so I am able to drive down the motorway at ease without having my hair suddenly blow in front of my face!

You can get a good range of styles and brand named makes for cars, trucks or SUV's over at the CarID website. They are custom made especially to fit your vehicle and the ultra-durable tinted acrylic material makes an exact fit and have designs that wont affect the look of your car. In fact it would probably enhance it more than anything.

Even if you travel often or not a deflector is bound to come in use at some point and once you start using it you will wonder how you managed without it before.

WORLDS MOST EXPENSIVE APARTMENT

For what doesn't seem so spectacular on the outside this UK two floor penthouse apartment on the Christian and Nick Candy's Knightsbridge Hyde Park development in Central London certainly could give the Worlds Largest House a run for its money with whats on offer.
As well as the apartment itself occupiers have access to 24 hour room service from famous TV chef Heston Blumenthal's restaurant via a special private underground passage, their own panic room, private wine tasting facility and SAS trained body guards.
Other features include floor to ceiling bullet proof windows, eye scanners in private elevators, an air purifier to deter poison gas attacks, geothermal bore hole heating that extracts heat from the earths crust, access to several spas, squash courts, own car park and if that wasn't enough the local corner shops are Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

Ooh ... now I see what most of the £140 million price tag is for thus making it the World's Most Expensive Apartment on record.
So when can I move in then!?

RELAXING & INTERTESTING SCENIC RIVER CRUISES

When I have gone on holiday in the past I grew tired of the long journeys filled with traffic and delays just to make my way through to my destination. You cant really say that a highway, hundreds of cars and buses makes a pleasant scenic experience at all.

Then I started reading about river cruises. If you're thinking they are just the same as a sea cruise take out the unpredictable crashing waves, motion sickness and 90% sea views only and your left with a really enjoyable interesting experience.

Imagine taking a Rhine River Cruise down the peaceful rivers with pretty buildings, mountains, statues, forests and other fascinating structures in your sights along the banks. And that's before you even get to your destination.
Relax in the comfort of your own suite with an open window or really take in the fresh air from your own balcony or the sun deck. These are just a few things that Viking River Cruises can offer.

You can go on cruises around the world on deluxe vessels that can hold anything from 150 to over 250 people. These destinations include Europe, China, Russia and Egypt.

The cruise is not just the journey you will actually get to stop off at different interest points and have time to look around, seek out the history and culture of the place and dine in the towns restaurants and test out the local foods. You can also have the chance to travel along famous rivers such as The Danube and The Nile.
Of course there will always be a vast number of facilities on board too with typical ones like a bar, gym, massages services, lectures, live entertainment and more.

When you have travelled with Viking once you automatically are a qualified member of the Viking Explorer Society loyalty programme. This means money off discounts and members only cocktail parties amongst other things.

Have a look at Viking's website to find out more and book a different kind of getaway.

THE QUEENSLAND FLOOD DISASTER, AUSTRALIA

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes after at least 6 river systems broke their banks leaving Queensland flooded to what is said to be of 'biblical proportions'.

The water has already spread and has affected 20 other towns in some way or another. Either by cutting off their access or by flooded areas. The water has ruined land, homes and businesses and now it is feared that the the water might be infested with snakes and even crocodiles. Sadly ten people have already died in the flood.
Not only does it affect the residents from residing in their homes but at the moment of course tourism has been put on hold and this will also affect the farming and mining communities.
Plus the rebuild cost is going to be huge - probably billions to repair roads, land, structures and buildings.

It will be weeks before residents are allowed to go back to their homes. That's if they are even habitable to reside in. And people who are still residing inside them now still and refusing to move with worry their place will be broken into to could be forced to move very soon.

One of the ruined homes

The towns airport has been shut down to commercial flights at least until the floods reduce. However reports suggests the flood is expected to worsen by mid January.

In regional city Rockhampton 75,000 people are currently stranded with no access to the roads, railway or airport. Military vehicles have been bringing food and medical supplies to their homes.
An evacuation centre has been set up to hold 1,500 but only 80 residents are using it at the moment with the others staying with family and friends.

Will this disaster ever end? It has been said its Australia's wettest Spring ever. I just hope that the water marker (see below) doesn't go past the 1818 pointer ...

The water marker showing the years of previous flood points

WOULD YOU BE STUCK WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE?

From the holidays I have taken in the past I never really took out travel or visitor health insurance. I just saw it as an additional cost. At the end of the day I just wanted to enjoy my holiday and not have to pay out for something that I wasn't going to use.

Then I realised well how do I know that I wasn't going to use these types of insurance? Do I know for sure that I wont get into an accident abroad and need money for hospital bills? Or that I might not get sick and need medication in a hurry? Or maybe if I'm in a situation where It would be impossible for me to take my holiday after all? Well of course not.

It is an extra expense but if you actually use it the benefits you receive for the amount you pay on your premium is worth it.

A friend of mine actually got sick with Swine Flu the day before she was due to fly out but the airline wouldn't reimburse her tickets because of the short notice and of course she didn't have any international travel insurance to claim back her lost monies.

Another friend accidentally broke her leg in Spain but she did have visitors health insurance and was able to receive proper treatment in hospital.

You just never know what life is going to throw your way. And yes its probably a pain having to pay out for more things on top of your holiday expenses but my friends experiences has really opened my eyes up to the situation.

And if I don't ever use the plans that's still great because it means I don't have a problem. But at least in the future I can worry less knowing that I do have cover if anything was to happen.

WORLD'S BEST HOLIDAY BUILDING

This unusually beautiful building found itself the winner of the World's Best Holiday Building at the WAF (World Architecture Festival) Awards 2010.

It's based on a villa complex called Alia Villas Uluwatu in Bali Indonesia where only local materials were used to form the building including bamboo and coconut.

Can you spot it in the distance?

Other buildings the same scattered within the complex

The idea of the design and space is so people can fully enjoy their surrounds and be right in the middle of nature and the gorgeous tropical views.

It's absolutely stunning isn't it? and a worthy winner. I wouldn't mind going there myself.

CADBURY DO WORKSHOP TOUR & 'WISHES' CHOCOLATE FOR CHARITY

This post brought to you by Cadbury Wishes. All opinions are 100% mine.

Cadbury have currently been doing tours across the UK in a bid to get people to come to their Cadbury Wishes workshops.

Cadbury Wishes is a new chocolate treat created in honour of the Make A Wish Charity Foundation. The charity helps children with life threatening illnesses have a last wish and will make it happen for them.

The workshops have been held in locations such as Birmingham, Liverpool, London and more. The idea was get people involved in the cause by trying different chocolate and then you had the chance to create your own chocolate mix. And if Cadbury loved your flavours they will actually create it.

As well as the tour you can support the Make A Wish Foundation simply by buying the tasty chocolate truffle stars. 10% of the profits from that pack will be donated to the charity. You may not think your doing much by just buying a pack of chocolate but imagine how many people are buying those packs - it all adds up in the end.

I think Make A Wish is a fantastic idea and it gives children the chance to meet their heroes, visit a place they have always wanted to go or do an activity they wanted to try.

You can follow Cadbury Wishes on Facebook by 'liking' their page and also Cadbury Wishes on Twitter  to keep up to date with the latest news.