What exactly is a digital photography course and how can I get involved in one? With the newly popular hobby of digital photography, people are always looking for ways to improve their overall skills in taking photos. One of the best ways to do this is to take purchase an online DIY digital photography course. Alternatively you could enroll in an offline course and spend a lot more money.So where can I find these digital photography Courses?The best place to find a digital photography course is to go to any search engine and search for ‘digital photography’. Alternatively you can narrow down your search a little by searching for ‘digital photography courses’. This should bring up some good results. The first thing someone should do before they decide to buy one of these courses is to check up on them to find out which one is the best to buy.This means that you will have to go to an independent site which reviews all the top photography courses and get their point of view. But don’t just get one opinion, go to a few sites and check to see if they also agree on the best course for you.So what’s involved in a digital photography course?Most digital photography courses will teach you firstly the basics of becoming a great photographer and secondly some advanced tips that can help you to create expert photos just by changing the lighting or some other changes that are necessary. The point is, if you are new to digital photography then you are going to have to learn a few things first before you start taking great photos.Are there any free digital photography courses?Most course you have to pay for, however there are some out there that are free. These are usually independent courses that don’t really offer a great deal of helpful information, however if you are just starting out, it’s a good idea to subscribe to one of these courses.How do these free courses work?Basically there are many photography sites on the internet that offer free courses, where they get you to sign up for email course. You will usually get an email with a helpful hint every couple of days. There are lots out there and many of them don’t offer very useful information, however they are free so you’ve got no reason not to join!
Working From Home – Can I Claim Any Money Back For Tax?
If you run an office from home then you can expect to have higher domestic bills. Why you may ask, well for one you will be using more electricity as you will be using your computer throughout the day and other appliances. You will also use more gas for central heating; you may even notice your water bills going up a small amount too.If you are working from home but are employed by a company then you are entitled to claim a proportion of these expenses back against your tax bill at the end of the financial year. But HM Revenue and Customs in Britain would rather that you didn’t. Back in 2005 it capped the tax relief available for gas, electric, water and phone bills to just two pounds a week for employed workers. This is as in effect by working from home you are saving your company money. The more people a company has working from home, the less it needs to spend on bills of their own such as electricity, gas, rent for premises etc.So why should the company keep those savings and expect the taxman to cover your costs? This is because it is down to your employer to reimburse you any costs by working from home, not the taxman. But alas more often than not the company will not as they see it that you are benefiting as you do not have to pay for travel costs.If you are self-employed working from home then it is a different story, and a better one. You can claim some of your home bills such as gas, electric, phone and the rent against tax. But you do need to demonstrate that your home office is only used for business purposes. So if you are working in the corner of your kitchen then I don’t think it will go down very well with the taxman. The easiest way to work out what you are entitled to is by square footage, so for instance if your home office takes up fifteen percent of your home then as a rule of thumb you can claim fifteen percent back of your bill s against tax.My advice is if you are running an office out of your home, then it is best to speak to an accountant to calculate it for you. They know the exact amounts you can claim back and how. They are the experts so ensure that you inform your accountant exactly what you use for business purposes in your home.
The Real Estate Investor’s Creative Financing Ideas
Finding Financing – Creative Ideas
For many years, the way to finance real estate was to make a 20% down payment, and get a loan for the remaining 80%. Of course you could make a higher down payment, but 20% was typically the minimum. Luckily, this standard has changed.
There are now several finance options available to the real estate investor. One popular way to finance your purchase is to have a second mortgage. The buyer makes a 5% down payment, and borrows the remaining 15%, usually at a higher interest rate, on a different loan.
Even though it’s nice to invest less on a property, the higher interest rate isn’t the only drawback. Usually, if the buyer does not meet the 20% minimum, they are required to get costly private mortgage insurance (PMI).
You are able to remove PMI when the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio reaches 80%. This is achieved by paying down the second mortgage and appreciation of the property value. This does not happen often because the property is usually sold or the buyer refinances before PMI can be removed.
For creative investors, other financing sources exist. Manufacturers of homes in planned developments are often willing to provide financing to early buyers.
Another risky and rather complicated way of financing a property is called ‘sub2′ which stands for ‘subject-to’. This type of deal is when the seller gives you the deed to the property, the loan stays in place, but the buyer never legally takes over the loan, just the payments. There are many different versions of this kind of transaction. Because of the complexity and risk, this method of funding an investment is not recommended for beginners.
You can also consider forming a limited partnership to finance your real estate investment. There are many different arrangements on this method. Some types involve each person in the partnership contributing in a portion of the cost, usually 50% each. However, sometimes the profit is distributed relative to the original amount invested. Another arrangement is that one half of the partnership contributes the capital, and the other half provides the needed services, such as repairs on a home that needs to be fixed. There are many different variations of this method.
How about the Lease Option? The lease-option allows a potential investor to lease the property and have some, or all, of the lease money applied to the purchase price if the potential buyer exercised the option to purchase. The investor then sub-leases the property with the option to buy or just rent it out.
In a conventional lease with option to buy, the seller charges the buyer a nonrefundable fee for the option to purchase the property at some agreed-upon point in time. The amount can vary depending on how eager the seller is to sell and the size and quality of the house. Typically, the higher the fee, the better the buyer maintains the property.
Because the lessee has made no down payment, the monthly rental fee is typically higher than prevailing market rates. The two parties agree on what portion of the rent will be applied to the down payment. Any amount can be credited.
Government loans are available to low income investors, or buyers who have served in the military. These programs are usually only available for primary residences.
Did you ever think about buying a home on a credit card? This is another method of financing your real estate purchase, although it’s usually not recommended. Obviously, the interest rates on most credit cards are substantially higher than loan rates. Another drawback is that lenders determine your creditworthiness based on your outstanding debt, and if you use credit card cash advances to cover the 5-20% down payment that you need, you’ll probably get turned down for a loan. This is also true for money borrowed from friends or family, unless you can show that the money is truly a gift.