Jacksonville Florida - Real Estate, Business, Night Life, Entertainment, Restaurants, Jaguars, Charities, Rent-to-Own Homes, News and Events, Personals, Apartments, Duval County Schools, Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville Airport, Jacksonville jobs - and everything Jax! EverythingJax.com http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:45:00 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/images/M_images/rss.png http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com Jacksonville Florida - Real Estate, Business, Night Life, Entertainment, Restaurants, Jaguars, Charities, Rent-to-Own Homes, News and Events, Personals, Apartments, Duval County Schools, Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville Airport, Jacksonville jobs - and everything Jax! EverythingJax.com http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/living-in-jax-category/how-would-you-answer-starting-a-life-in-jacksonville An anonymous poster asks: Is there way I can live life on my own for awhile?Okay, so lately I've been trying help myself find a way to live my life on my own for awhile Florida at age 17. (start a new life, and become a born-again Christian. )I've always wanted to move to Florida, I know I'll be much happier there if I'm at the right school in the right place. So, I think it's much better for me to leave. When I mean "leave", *I don't mean: go out and survive on my own, have my own house, pay my own bills, have no parental guidance, etc.* Every expert keeps on thinking that, that's not what I mean at all. I mean, like as if I'm going to college, boarding school, a residential program, etc. and just live on my own for awhile to find myself and experience life on my own, yet still under the parental guidance of my parents. How to do this and where to go --- I don't know, do you have any answers?And it can be ANYTHING --- educational, college, jobs, etc. to help me So how would you answer? Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:07:52 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/educational/how-to-make-100-on-internet-in-24-hours You can earn $100 in 24 hours on the Internet. There is no magic button. It takes work but you can do it. Earn means you have completed the work and the money is owed to you. With some of the companies included in this report as resources, payment is on a weekly or monthly basis. Many times, working with individuals, the payment will be made immediately upon completion of the work. The 24 hours begins the minute you decide to take action. You don't need any upfront cash to get started, just your wits, a computer and an Internet connection. It's a given you have the needed software for word processing, but if you don't you can download Open Office. Just to be clear, this report is not advising you to gather up all your unused books, videos, games, whatever, and sell them on Ebay. That is a way to generate cash, but no different than a garage sale, it's just online. This report is about earning the money from scratch. There are a few basics you will need to have in place. 1, You probably already have a Paypal account, but if you don't set one up. You can accept payment through Paypal for the most part, unless it's a commission for an affiliate sale. 2, Set up an account at Craigslist. You will be using it for placing ads. There is no cost for the account, or for the ads. 3, Set up an account at Usfreeads. You will be using it for placing ads. There is no cost for the account, or for the ads. All of this should take no more than an hour, so you've got 23 hours left. If you are planning to sell a product, whether it's your own, or someone else's product and receive a commission, set up a blog, squidoo page, or hubpage. More about blogging and squidooing later. Part Two of this report includes ways you can continue to earn $100 a day over the long term. There is no guarantee that you will earn any money at all, that depends on you. Part One: Earn $100 in 24 hours today Make Money Writing Ghostwriting articles You have to have some writing talent to ghostwrite articles. You do need to be organized, able to research topics quickly, summarize the main points and write the article in a clear way, with correct spelling and grammar. The article length can range from 200 words to 1000 words or more. Payment is usually by the word. For beginners, a 500 word article can be sold for about $5.00. An accomplished ghostwriter can charge up to $30 for a 500 word article. The client gives you the topic and any key words that must be included in the article. How long it takes to write the article is dependent upon how much you already know about the topic and how quickly you can find the materials you need to research the topic. It is possible, working at a steady pace, to write ten 400-500 word articles in one day. That's $100 at $5 per article. Both Digital Point and The Warrior Forum, Warrior Special Offers (WSOs) have threads where people offer their services for sale. You can post an offer at no cost on Digital Point but you have to have been a member and have 15 posts to your name in order to do so. Warrior Forum also requires that you have been a member for awhile and there is a fee to post a WSO. However, you can still earn money through these boards. Join both of these groups. Scan the posts on the WSO thread and the Buy-Sell-Trade board at Digital Point. Offer your services to the people who are asking questions about the services currently offered, or who have said they've bought the service. Do this by the private message function on both boards, not by posting on the thread. Place ads on Craigslist and Usfreeads offering your service. Posting Your Way to Dollars. Post on forums It has been shown that people don't want to post on forums unless there are already posts. New forum owners pay people to post comments, start threads, and respond to other threads in an effort to get some forum action going. As the forum grows, the level of posting increases until paid posts aren't necessary. Forum topics have a huge variety. There's probably a forum for just about any subject. Usually a paid poster has to have at least some knowledge of the subject to post relevant comments. There can be a minimum word count for the posts. Posts of "I agree," "Me too," and "Thanks for the info," are too short and don't add anything to the discussion, so forum owners don't want to pay for them. Posting on forums doesn't pay a lot, perhaps as little as 10 posts for a dollar. Find the jobs on Internet marketing related websites like Digital Forum. Post on blogs You can be paid to post comments on blogs much the same way you can be paid to post on forums. Pretty much the same criteria applies, the posts can't be too short and have to be relevant to the subject matter. You can search for offers of 5 posts for a dollar. If each post takes a minute you would have to work a little over 8 hours to make $100. Place ads on Craigslist and Usfreeads offering your service. Writing Articles for Pay There are sites that pay for content. Most of the sites require that you post your article first and wait for a buyer to come by to purchase your articles. Associated Content buys the article from you. The pay is minimal from $3 to $5per 500 word article. However there are occasions where Associated Content has paid up to $50 per article. The articles can be submitted on an exclusive basis, meaning they aren't and won't be posted anywhere else, or nonexclusive, which means you've used the article elsewhere. It takes a day or two for Associated Content to review the article and make the offer. You are not required to accept the offer and can withdraw the article. It takes another two days for the article to be published and then two or three days for Associated Content to make the payment to you. Place ads on Craigslist and Usfreeads offering your service. Websites that pay for articles: Associated ContentConstant-ContentHeliumLifetipsHowToDoThingsShvoongArticleWarehouseAuthorConnection There are a number of sites you can post articles, tips, or essays to. You get paid a share of the earnings of the ads that show up with your article. The more popular your article, the more views, the more revenue you can earn. Sites that share ad revenue with writers www.flixya.comwww.daytipper.comwww.chacha.comwww.metacafe.comwww.vume.comwww.hubpages.com Pay Per Sale, Affiliate Programs, and Commissions You're simply selling someone else's product through your marketing efforts, whether it's a blog or website, and you receive a sales commission when the sale is completed. Most of these products are informational, either an ecourse, software, or ebook. Quite a few of the affiliate products pay more than a 50% commission. The smart product owners offer banners, buttons, sales copy, and even articles that you can use to promote with. Clickbank is one of the most established programs. Commission Junction is another source. Both of these make the payments to the affiliates so you don't have to worry whether the product owner will pay. PayDotCom is a program which uses Paypal as the payment method. The product owner makes the decision to pay the affiliates and has to authorize PayDotCom to do so. Many products offer their own affiliate program independently. Look for one with a solid history of payment. You can also become an affiliate of Amazon.com to sell books and consumer products such as jewelry, televisions, whatever. The percentage commission is much lower, but sometimes the retail price is high enough to make up for it. The fastest way to make money selling affiliate products is to think about the forums, lists and discussion groups you already belong to. What are the questions being asked? Is there a problem that people need a solution for? What are the hot topics? Set up an affiliate account at Clickbank.com. Go to their marketplace and search for products that will solve the problems, or are the answer to the questions being discussed. Set up a blog or squidoo pages that relate to the affiliate programs. Post a informative response and include your affiliate product in your response. A softer sell is to post a review of the product on your blog and then post a response to the list/discussion forum stating that you've reviewed the product and they can find out more on your blog. You can also set up a squidoo page and refer people to your squidoo page. You will probably need to make 3 to 4 sales to earn $100 in commissions. Develop Your Own Product This is the way you can make real money on the Internet. The question is: Can you do it in 24 hours? It would be very difficult to research a niche or market, decide what need is hottest and that you have the knowledge for, write the report, write the ad copy or sales letter, set up a blog/website/squidoo page and then market the report. In the real world in real time, it's not feasible. What you can do while you're working on the other ways to make $100 in 24 hours is jot down ideas you have that would the basis for a product. Then when you have the time you can start developing the product. You can develop a short report, 2500 words or so, a long report, 2500 to 5000 words, or an ebook, 7500 words and up. You could also develop an ecourse that's a combination of emails, an ebook, chats, and perhaps conference calls. Get Paid to --- Take Surveys, Receive Offers, Read Email First rule don't pay someone to find out information about the "Get Paid To" companies. There are too many sites which falsely represent that you will be paid cash for taking surveys, referring visitors, or accepting offers. Some of these offers require a credit card. You sign up for a free month of XYZ movies, get paid $15 for accepting the offer and provide your credit card number. If you don't cancel the offer your credit will be billed, and you can't cancel immediately, or you won't be paid. Usually you have to reach a minimum level of earnings to receive a check or deposit to your Paypal account. And the minimum level is nearly impossible to earn. Some of the surveys can be completed quickly and some take an hour or so to complete. Most of the money is made through referring other people. It will be a huge challenge to earn $100 in 24 hours, so there aren't any resources listed in this report. Blog Your Way to Beaucoup Bucks. Blogging is a website (don't worry no website skills needed) that you update every day with posts about your chosen subject. Visitors can comment on your posts for others to see. Using your blog as a billboard There are several websites who will pay you to post product reviews on your website. They are paid by the company who owns the products. The products can range from consumer durable goods, consumable goods, or just about anything you can think of. The blog has to be approved by the company and has to remain up for a specified length of time. There usually has to be a qualifying statement that your post is a paid advertisement. Using your blog as a review site Another way to use your blog is to post product reviews of affiliate products. When someone buys the product you're paid a commission. You can post reviews of books you've read that are available on amazon.com and link to the books as an affiliate. Ads on your blog If your blog has somewhat of a following in a certain niche and gets a reasonable amount of traffic, you can use pay per click (PPC) ads to generate some revenue. The more traffic to your blog, the higher the potential for click throughs, the more money you can earn. AdSense by Google is a very popular PPC company but there are others. You can also use a blog to sell products as an affiliate. Here are just a few of the free sites where you can quickly and easily set up your blog.: Live JournalBloggerWordpress.com Pick a market niche you're familiar with as the topic for your blog. Every day post on your blog. Of course that's not all you need to do. You have to get people to your blog to read it and hopefully click on your paid ads, or on the products you're promoting as an affiliate. Most of the blog sites are searchable by keywords. Search on the same words you've used for your site to find other blogs. Then leave a comment on the relevant blogs and include your link to your own blog. You can submit your blog's url to search engines so if someone wants information on 'how to raise guppies' and that's the subject of your blog, your blog shows up for visitors to find. With a little bit of research and time you can become successful and increase your bank account with Online Marketing just by blogging. Get paid to blog bloggerwave.combloggingads.comblogsvertise.comblogburst.comblogtoprofit.combuyablogger.comlinkworth.comloudlaunch.compayperpost.compayu2blog.comreviewme.comsmorty.comsponsoredreview.com Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:29:10 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-non-profit-organizations/brooks-rehabilitation-s-celebrate-independence When: Saturday, November 8, 2008, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (seminar and event registration 9:30 -11:30 a.m.) Where: Jacksonville Marriott Southpoint This free event features keynote speaker Lee Woodruff, who tells her inspirational story of how she helped her husband, ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, recover from a traumatic brain injury inflicted by a roadside bomb in Iraq. More than 20 community agencies that provide resources and services to people with disabilities will be on hand with staff and exhibits. Free educational seminars on topics such as the treatment of chronic pain, traumatic brain injury recovery, spirituality and healing among spinal cord injured patients and stroke family care giving. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:59:58 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/health-in-jacksonville/an-introduction-to-adult-stem-cells This article looks at Adult Stem Cells, how they differ from Embryonic Stem Cells and what they can do to help you body regenerate and repair. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:06:30 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/health-in-jacksonville/cosmetic-procedures-on-the-rise-again Cosmetic Procedures on the Rise -- Again Botox, liposuction among the most popular procedures in 2006, survey finds By Kathleen DohenyHealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- What price vanity? Try $12.2 billion. That's the amount Americans spent last year improving their appearances with the help of cosmetic surgery, wrinkle fillers, facelifts, fat suctioning and other beautifying options. About 11.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed overall in the United States in 2006, according to the latest survey released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:09:42 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-restaurants/little-italy-right-here-in-orange-park Years ago, in New York City, I frequented a little Italian restaurant called the New Port Alba on Thompson Street in the Village . Mama and Papa Sammarone were the proprieters. Papa ran the kitchen and Mama ran the eating area. Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:12:09 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-real-estate/online-real-estate-investing-about-the-mouse-method Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:28:05 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/newsflash/technorati-claim Technorati Profile (http://technorati.com/claim/zcxzc6v4e8) Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:34:36 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-music-arts/call-for-artist-art-after-dark-2008 http://www.artafterdarkjax.org/ (mhtml:mid://00000418/!x-usc:http://www.artafterdarkjax.org/) Art After Dark is March 28, 2008 @ 7pm Each spring the Florida Theatre hosts the season’s most original and talked about event - Art After Dark. For one evening each year, Jacksonville’s premiere live performance venue transforms into a showcase for the works of our community’s most exceptional unrepresented emerging visual artists. The event provides patrons an opportunity to view and purchase works by these fabulous artists. All of the artwork showcased is for sale, and 90% of the proceeds go directly to the artists. The deadline for submissions is December 14, 2007. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:47:37 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-real-estate/fwd-want-to-be-on-flip-that-house Fwd: Want to be on "Flip That House"?This is your chance to be rich AND famous!Flip That House, one of the top rated programs on TLC, is now casting for our fourth season. Are you a real estate investor who works with house flippers? Are you a contractor who works with house flippers? We want to speak with you!!! Please contact producer John Ziomek at john.ziomek@arp.tv with your:* NAME* OCCUPATION* FLIP LOCATION* FLIP STATUS (IE ESCROW, ETC)* FLIP SCHEDULE* PHONE NUMBERAnd someone will respond to you quickly.It is important to note that Flip That House and all of its affiliates are documentaries. We do not pay for any of the repairs, contractors, supplies, participants, or anything else. We simply document the process that the flippers go through. Please only contact us if you are about to begin a house flipping project. Unfortunately we are not interested in any project unless your intentions are to flip it. Please do no solicit or spam us as we are not interested in any products at this moment. Get an Instant Cash Offer on your unwanted real estate!http://www.labanjohnson.com/webuyhouses (http://www.labanjohnson.com/webuyhouses) Any location, any condition--Learn to invest in real estate online! http://www.labanjohnson.com/mouse_method (http://www.labanjohnson.com/mouse_method) Technorati Profile (http://technorati.com/claim/zcxzc6v4e8) Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:36:50 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-business-news-and-information/jacksonville-payday-loans Jacksonville Florida Payday Loans Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:10:53 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/living-in-jax-category/jacksonville-my-new-hometown I moved here recently from Georgia and I have been constantly impressed by the amount of native Floridians. I consider them ( Jacksonville natives ) to be the most genteel, kind hearted, open minded people I have met in a longtime. Of course, I know I haven't met everyone yet, but I plan on living here for many many years. The only people who have openly laughed at my extreme southern accent have been northerners or the children of northerners! I have enjoyed the beaches, the city, the westside, the southside, and Orange Park so far. My friends and I have gone to several art fairs and music festivals here in the past two years at various places around town, and I can tell you we enthusiastically embrace nearly everything we have seen here so far. Some of us do the racing thing( 15 k ), some go to college here, and we ALL work and play here. So I just want to say THANK YOU JACKSONVILLE! Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:28:44 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-non-profit-organizations/account-coordinator Brooks Rehabilitation announces Celebrate Independence Legendary climber and Jacksonville community recognize spirit and accomplishments of people with disabilities Jacksonville, Fla. - Aron Ralston knew what he had to do when an 800-pound boulder fell on his lower arm while he was climbing in rugged Blue John Canyon, trapping him for days. He cut it off. Learn more about Ralston’s experience on Saturday, November 10 at Celebrate Independence, a free community event by Brooks Rehabilitation. In addition to hearing keynote speaker Aron Ralston, Celebrate Independence includes demonstrations of adaptive sports and rehabilitation therapies, local resources and services available to people with disabilities, and seminar topics such as the latest in prosthetics, disability and sexuality, managing chronic pain, research breakthroughs in stroke recovery, and advances in diabetes treatment. “Ralston is a perfect example how having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t live life to its fullest,” said Marion Anderson, Executive Director of Community Health for Brooks Rehabilitation. “After losing an arm, Ralston is still an avid climber. In fact, he’s even solo-climbed all 54 of Colorado’s “fourteeners.” Fourteeners are mountains in Colorado exceeding an elevation of 14,000-feet. Celebrate Independence will be held at the University Center on the University of North Florida campus from noon until 4 p.m. Registration is at noon, with Ralston’s keynote address at 12:30. Ralston’s appearance is made possible by Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics. After Ralston’s address, attendants can participate in adaptive sports including rugby, basketball, tennis and hand cycling and enjoy complementary refreshments. For more information on Celebrate Independence or to register your attendance, please call (904) 858-7788 or go to www.brooksrehab.org (http://www.brooksrehab.org/). ### Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:44:57 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/shopping-in-jacksonville/special-offers-for-everythingjax-members http://www.everythingjax.com/photobucket (http://www.everythingjax.com/photobucket) - Keep all your pics and videos in one place - room for up to 10,000 photos and hours of video! For free. Share with everyone you know by email, IM or mobile phone. Make slideshows and mashups with music, special effects, captions, and more. Link to your profile, blog or website*. - Perfect for adding photos to EverythingJax.com articles! Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:21:00 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/about-jacksonville-florida-category/jacksonvilles-great-fire For many years it was believed that Mrs. Catherine O’Leary’s cow was responsible for the great Chicago fire in 1871. Years later a reporter for the Chicago Tribune admitted that he had in fact, made up the story of the cow kicking over the lantern because he thought it would make for a colorful story. Thirty years later Jacksonville, Florida would be ravaged by a similar fire that would change the future of the city in many ways. While there has been considerable speculation as to what started the fire, the consensus opinion is that round noon on May 3, 1911, sparks from a kitchen fire during the lunch hour at the Cleveland Mattress Factory set mattresses filled with Spanish moss on fire at the factory. The mattress factory was in an area of town now known as LaVilla. The fire was soon discovered but unfortunately a decision to call the Fire Department was delayed as the workers attempted to extinguish the fire on their own. By the time the alarm was sounded the fire had gone beyond their control. By the time the fire department arrived, the fire had spread from the outside platform where it started, to the pine buildings, which rapidly became a burning fire. Then a breeze sprang up, and fire embers and millions of sparks were dropped on the roofs of nearby homes and those blocks away. As the fire at the mattress factory seemed under control, calls for other fires in the vicinity began to come in. The wind had spread embers throughout a several block area. These wind-fanned embers ignited a massive fire that engulfed a major portion of the city. The majority of Jacksonville’s downtown area — over 140 city blocks — was destroyed. Most of the homes in Jacksonville’s down town area were completely destroyed and over 10,000 people were left homeless and the National Guard was called out to protect what was left of the commercial downtown Jacksonville real estate. But out of the ashes — not unlike the mythical Phoenix — Jacksonville was to rise again. With the help of New York’s famous architect Henry John Klutho, the rebuilding started. Klutho and his associates were taken by the "Prairie Style" of architecture then being popularized by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The influence of Wright, who was just 35 at the time but very well known for his designs in Chicago and other Midwestern cities, is still obvious in the large number of Klutho-influenced homes that still stand in Jacksonville today. The rebuilding of our city moved quickly. Many out-of-state advisors and investors saw the long-term potential for Jacksonville. Many of the old frame buildings that were destroyed by the fire were replaced by concrete and brick structures — some of which stand even today. The Jacksonville Fire Memorial was erected to remind our community of the disaster our city faced and survived. The memorial was dedicated in 2003, to mark the 100th birthday of what many have called the most destructive burning of a southern city in history. It is located on the North bank of the Riverwalk. Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:52:20 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/health-in-jacksonville/celebrate-independence Celebrate Independence Free and open to public Refreshments provided What: Brooks Rehabilitation’s Celebrate Independence event When: Saturday, November 10, 2007 from noon – 4 p.m. Where: University of North Florida University Center Details: Event features adaptive sports demonstrations, local resources and services available to people with disabilities, and seminar topics such as the latest in prosthetics, disability and sexuality, managing chronic pain, research breakthroughs in stroke recovery, and advances in diabetes treatment. Hear keynote speaker Aron Ralston, rock climber who, in 2003, self-amputated his lower right arm crushed by an 800-pound boulder in Blue John Canyon, Utah, to free himself. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:51:50 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-s-best-places-to-live/historic-home-restorations The Springfield Historic District of Jacksonville, Florida is home to many beautifully restored homes and mansions. As the oldest "suburb" of Jacksonville this area has seen many milestones in the history of the city including a trolley line up Main Street, movie studios when Jacksonville was the first Hollywood, and was witness to the Great Fire of Jacksonville. The homes in this area are from many architectural styles and in varying degrees of decay or restoration. As new owners buy properties and begin to restore these homes, the area has begun to spring back to life. A vibrant community is shaping up and will soon enjoy a complete re-emergence of this once chic and diserable neighbornood. For the past couple of years my wife and I have owned an historic home which needs restoration in the Springfield Historic District. In the beginning we were all starry-eyed and gung-ho. We thought that we had the project under control and would be able to knock out the restoration of this great old house in a couple of months.Boy were we wrong!Fast-forward two years and we still own the historic house but, are only just beginning to get the restoration underway. So, what has been our problem? Why have we been unable to get restoration project underway? A number of reasons contributed to our downfall including lack of knowledge, flakey contractors, inability to get financing, and poor planning. Basically; rookie mistakes and inexperience.When tackling a major restoration project – like a 100-year-old Dutch Colonial house in an historic district – always go in with a plan. It is important to know what to expect before you take the leap and buy the property with dreams of making it as beautiful as it once was. There are building codes, permit requirements, appropriateness hearings, money and labor difficulties to consider and overcome. In very short order your ridiculously good deal on a run-down property can become a ravenous money-pit, leaving you drained both emotionally and financially.Here are a few things we have learned along our difficult journey which is only just beginning:1. Get an expert appraisal. Before you buy, seek out an appraiser experienced in historic properties in need of restoration. This appraiser should be able to provide an as-is value as well as an after-repair value (ARV). He or she may also be able to give you a great deal of insight as to what must be done to bring the structure up to current standards. 2. Find a reputable General Contractor and get a reliable restoration estimate. Contact the local historic societies and ask them to provide you with the names of several reliable General Contractors. Ask neighbors who they used on the restoration of their property or drive the area and look for homes under restoration and get the names of firms working on houses. Ask several contractors to submit bids on the restoration project. Ask for advice and opinions on what needs to be done, what modifications would work the best, and how long the project will take to complete.3. Decide if the restoration project makes sense. With as-is and ARV appraisals in hand, add the bid amounts to the as-is figure then subtract that figure from the ARV figure. If the sum is roughly 25% to 30% less than the ARV amount, this house may be a good candidate for you to consider. At least financially it would be a good investment. 4. Contact your bank. Once you have determined that the house is good candidate financially, contact you bank and start the process of getting financing in place. You will need a loan that is structured as a construction loan during the restoration phase and can be converted to a conventional 30-year mortgage after restoration is complete. Loan officers like to say that they can get this done, but often it is not nearly as easy as they would have you believe. Underwriters get a bit leery when faced with financing a 100 year old structure that needs more money to fix than it is initially worth. This is where we had our worst battles. Banker after banker made promises that turned out to be all too hollow. Ask the local historical society if they are aware of any banks that are willing to take on historic home mortgages – often small local banks are willing to take them on as a way to revitalize older neighborhoods. Also, check with other home-owners and find out who did their financing.5. Decide if you can withstand the pressure. Do you have the intestinal fortitude to endure the restoration process which could take months or even years? Nothing can suck the life out of you like the constant delays, unforeseen obstacles, and inevitable set-backs of a large construction project. No matter how smoothly the General Contractor promises the job will go; it won’t. Just watch the house flipping shows on television and see how many of those jobs go without a hitch – and those people are at the top of their game! 6. Choose a General Contractor. If you decide you can handle the project both financially and mentally, you’ll need to choose a General Contractor for the job. Visit the job sites of the contractors you received bids from and inspect the work that is being done. Check with your state licensing board to see if the contractor’s license is up to date and free from complaints. Ask the contractors for references and then call them. Ask the contacts if they were happy with the work, the way the contractor communicated with them, and the way the project progressed. Then choose the General Contractor whose work you like the best, who got the best remarks from referrals, and whose bid was the best.7. Research the home and decide on any changes. Look in public records for permits that may have been pulled and determine what work may have been done. This will give you an idea of what parts of the structure are original and which may have been subsequently added. This is important if you wish to change the exterior of the house. Federal guidelines limit the changes you can make to the façade or exterior of historically designated structures, to add or remove a feature you must apply for and be granted a variance via a Certificate of Appropriateness. The interior, however, has very few restrictions beyond standard building codes. Hire an architect to help with floor plans and construction drawings. Get a structural engineer to ensure that the structure is sound and will meet current codes.Following these basic steps will help you survive the rollercoaster ups and downs of a major restoration project. It won’t be easy, and the journey will have many distressing pitfalls. If you can just remember to arm yourself with knowledge of what the project will require to complete and what it will cost, find a reliable contractor, locate and secure a source of funds, and to plan the project appropriately you may be able to cushion your ride. For those who can and do stick it out, the rewards of a beautifully restored home await. Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:32:34 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/florida-gators/the-swamp-introduction Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:37:52 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-attractions/florida-vacations-in-jacksonville Situated in the northeastern portion of Florida, lies one of the gems of the state and a popular vacation destination: Jacksonville. Far from being just an urban destination, Jacksonville offers a unique vacationing experience complete with beaches, natural attraction, museums, wildlife exhibits and other tourist attractions.Shimmering beaches, golf courses to die for, breathtaking state parks, intimate bed and breakfasts and enough shops to make even the most devout shopaholic faint, are some of the reasons that Jacksonville, Florida is a perfect vacation getaway. Whether you are looking to get away from it all or just want to soak up a few rays, Jacksonville has something to offer everyone.Jacksonville is nestled in Florida's northeast region which is known for its diversity. Featuring cool mineral springs, breathtaking lakes, lush forests, and a string of beaches, the Jacksonville area is a beacon for those looking for a memorable vacation.In Northeast Florida beaches stretch for more than 100 miles along the Atlantic Coast. Some of the most popular beaches are Amelia Island and Fernandina which consist of approximately 13 miles of stunningly beautiful beaches. If you enjoy surfing, windsurfing, fishing and camping, Huguenot Memorial Park is a great beach for these activities.Here are just a few more of the many activities to be found in Jacksonville:St. Augustine. St. Augustine is the oldest city in America and was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez. One of the main attractions of St. Augustine is the old for that sits near the bridge of the lions. This fort is centuries old and in great condition. While walking through the stone corridors and gazing the rooftop, which used to boast of powerful cannons used to protect the fort, one can get a glimpse of history and almost imagine what it was like to live at the fort during the height of its glory.Guana River State Park. This 2,000 acre preserve is a perfect spot for your family to enjoy picnicking, biking, fishing and hiking.Anastasia State Recreation Area. This bird sanctuary consists of 1,700 acres of ancient oaks, five miles of beach, spectacular sand dunes and tidal marshes which are a perfect backdrop for camping, picnicking, hiking, boating, swimming, windsurfing and fishing. Here you can learn to windsurf from the professionals and take a canoe trip along the banks of Salt run.Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. The Cummer museum features an award-winning collection of classical art, traveling displays, breathtaking riverside gardens and a children's learning center.Downtown. Downtown Jacksonville boasts of the world-famous Landing, an intricate web of shops and eateries where local entertainment and special celebrations are held. Also downtown you will find Alltel Stadium, home of the Jaguars; Veterans Memorial Coliseum where many events such as circuses, concerts, and monster truck shows are held; Wolfson park, home of the Jacksonville Suns baseball team; and Met Park, an amphitheater that plays home to many concerts. Jacksonville also hosts the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Junior Orchestra. And at the Florida Theatre you can see many Broadway plays as well as shows from stars such as David Copperfield and the Nutcracker Ballet during the Christmas season.As you can see from these few examples, there is no chance that you will get bored on your next vacation getaway if you choose Jacksonville, Florida as your destination. From a round of golf to lazing away on the beach or touring one of the many nature preserves, the Jacksonville area has something to please even the most finicky heart.By Rose Lenk Visit City-Florida for more articles and information at http://www.city-florida.com (http://www.city-florida.com/)Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_L (http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Rose_L) Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:06:09 +0100 http://www.everything-jacksonville-florida.com/jacksonville-florida-restaurants/the-yum-yum-tree-of-jacksonville-fl-review Note: menu offerings and prices may vary.The Yum Yum Tree is synonymous with great chicken salad in Jacksonville. This is no ordinary chicken salad, and the folks that own the restaurant know it. Only white breast meat is used, and the combination of spices and seasonings that make up the rest of the salad are a mystery even to the most loyal of patrons. I've long since given up trying to recreate it, and console myself by visiting as often as possible when I get a chance to go to Jacksonville.The Yum Yum Tree also serves their own version of tuna salad, which is quite good, as well as crepes and a variety of salad dishes. The Marco Polo crepes are filled with chicken breast, broccoli, and stuffing and topped with gravy. The Yum Yum Julie is a large garden salad with lean ham and turkey strips accompanied by two generous servings of the chicken salad and the tuna salad (my mom's favorite). You can order the famous chicken salad as a platter or as a sandwich on your choice of bread. Other sandwiches include an open-faced Reuben and an open-faced turkey.For dessert, the Yum Yum Tree is the undisputed king of coconut creme pie. They serve up a wedge the size of a large pizza slice that is easily enough for two. If you are in the mood for chocolate, try the chocolate ice cream crepe--a long, slender crepe filled with smooth vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce and whipped creme.The Yum Yum Tree is located off Old Saint Augustine road in the Mandarin/San Jose area of Jacksonville, serving lunch Monday through Friday. All salads and the pie are available for take-out, and they do an excellent job of catering.M. Lively is a college professor with a fondness for fine dining. He loves to seek out local places while on vacation, and enjoys trying different cuisines and wines. He is an continuing student of good food. He divides his time between the Outer Banks (http://www.visitcurrituck.com/) and Hampton Roads (http://www.hreda.com/), and enjoys bed and breakfast inns (http://www.camelliaroseinn.com/) and long distance cycling.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M._Lively (http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=M._Lively) Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:04:11 +0100