Month: May 2021

How to Plan a Successful Family Camping Trip

26th May 2021 / Rachel

Since you only get “18 summers” with your kids before most of them start thinking about moving away from home to start a new life, each new season is a chance to make new memories. There is nothing like taking a family camping trip when on vacation, taking a day trip, or even camping with a tent pitched in the backyard. When you can step outside and enjoy nature, the chance to be unplugged is restorative.

Surrounding yourself with trees in your own backyard enhances the camping experience, making it feel as if you’re in the heart of the wilderness. However, to ensure the area is safe for camping, it’s important to assess the health of these trees. Dead trees pose a risk and might necessitate calling a tree removal service to maintain a secure environment. Once all necessary precautions are taken and the area is deemed safe for camping, you can explore and laugh as a family without worrying about what the rest of the world is doing.

We offer you the following guide to help you start the planning process. When you implement these steps, you can have a fun camping trip that everyone will love.

Steps to Follow When Planning a Family Camping Trip

1. Decide where you want to go.

Planning a family camping trip isn’t easy if you don’t know where you want to go. It’s usually easier for the parents or adults to decide on the specific location, but you can let the kids help with the other decisions. You’ll find that a campground with showers and toilets will make the trip more comfortable. Each campground has different amenities that are also work considering.

If you’re camping with young children, it might help to find a place with designated family areas so that you can get to know other travelers.

2. Test your gear to ensure it works.

The last thing you want to have to happen is to experience a leaking tent once you arrive at the campground! Before you pack everything for the journey, spend at least one night in your backyard testing the equipment. You can also explore options like multiroom tents so that you can be comfortable and have enough room for everyone.

You’ll need some additional gear for a comfortable trip, including a camping stove with fuel, a first-aid kit, extra batteries, insect repellent, lighting options, and sleeping bags. Although some campgrounds provide extensive facilities, including food delivery, it’s better to be over-prepared when planning a family camping trip than to find out you don’t have something.

3. Get everything packed.

Most families find that the packing process is the most challenging part of a family camping trip. Not only do you need to make sure you’ve got everything, but you also must double-check what the kids have grabbed to take on this adventure. It helps to pack clothing for different weather conditions so that you’re never caught unprepared.

4. Choose the route you want to take.

Once you know where you’re going, it’s time to think about how you’ll arrive. It might be fun to stop along the way to see something new or experience different environments. Here is where the kids can get involved because they can choose a few stops during the journey. Depending on how old your children are, you might want to consider having planned activities every 3-4 hours to ensure enough bathroom breaks get included.

5. Get your meals and snacks planned.

Even if you decide to camp in your backyard, it helps to have some snacks available for added fun. Roasting marshmallows over a fire is always a great time! You can pre-make batter to take for breakfast foods, chop vegetables to store them in the cooler, or make something that cooks over the fire for an affordable meal. Don’t forget about having beverages and a few items for the journey there!

A successful family camping trip also includes some fun activities. You can sing songs around the fire, play games, or take a hike to embrace the exploration spirit. With help from Planet Camping, you’ll have everything you need to make more fun memories!

Why Croatia should be your next destination

25th May 2021 / Rachel

Clear turquoise waters and stunning rocky coastline with several sandy also are some of the reasons why Croatia is among the top summer destinations, but there are a couple of reasons why this Adriatic country is also easily among the coveted nations in the opposite season. Read on to find out what they are.

1) The winter is rather warm in Croatia

Winters in Europe can be very unforgiving, to say the least, with temperatures often plummeting well into double figures in the negative end of the scale. In this country though, the cold season tends to be less harsh in comparison thanks to the warm Mediterranean weather and a combination of positional aspects that ensure the temperatures rarely dip below 5 C along the coastal stretch. Consequently, most coastal towns still retain some of their summer appeal- including multicolored greens and sandy contours- which are less crowded toward the end of the year compared to the buzzing summer period when you can hardly catch a breath.

2) Unrivaled Christmas festivities

Croatia’s waters are home to more than 1,000 islands with a number of those landmasses and inland towns as well turning on the Christmas spirit in style. Zagreb, which is the country’s capital, takes on a merry outlook with many houses in the area covered in holiday nitty-gritty and lined with Christmas delicacies and winter sports such as ice skating. Other towns,for example Dubrovnik, also features alongside Zagreb as the go-to destination to take in a plethora of holiday celebrations as it hosts a 40-day long Christmas party that lives and breathes the festive spirit. If your idea of holiday partying involves bars and nightclubs, you are sure to get your heart’s desire in Croatian’s famed partying hotspot Carpe Diem in Hvar island.

3) The stunning frozen Plitvice Lakes

The country has a number of prestigious natural parks that open their doors all 365 days of the calendar and they are usually less crowded and much cheaper over winter allowing you some intimate personal time with an amazing winter nature. The streams, trees, falls and lakes all take on an icy and snowy demeanor that is quite beautiful to watch and experience firsthand.

4) Enthralling carnivals in Rijeka

Rijeka serves as the setting for the country’s largest carnival which features a customary key-handing-over ceremony where a mayor and queen are selected afterward. The town in its entirety comes out to play during these celebrations filling the streets with revelrous sounds and mesmerizing colors that are quite the spectacle. This closing parade is usually carried out on the last Sunday preceding Ash Wednesday.

5) Exquisite service in Istria

While Istria is amazing no matter what time of the year you visit, it is a particularly cozy off-season gateway that is great at looking after winter visitors courtesy of the excellent restaurants in the area that up their game during this season. The region is also home to historic Roman architecture while the crumbling old streets and rolling mountains make for a nice urban escape very few places in the world can match.

The other upsides of visiting Croatia at a time when traffic is not too suffocating is that you get lovely streets almost all to yourself with accommodation options becoming plenty and affordable. This is also a great time for you to go around looking for a vacation home, because real estate agents will have plenty of time just for you. You can also go on road-trips on unoccupied roads and experience the nation’s treats without haggling with multitudes for some alone time.

Which States Needs to Improve Their House Selling Rate?

12th May 2021 / Rachel

Wondering how much you can sell your house based on your state? Each state has its realty fees and average realtor commission rates, along with other costs that a house seller has to consider, but with “we buy houses for cash” companies, you don’t have to worry about paying most of these fees.

From minor repairs like leaky faucets and cracked caulking to significant upgrades, such as patio cover services Edmonton, all these improvements can influence how quickly and profitably you sell your property. Enhancing various aspects of your home can boost its appeal, attract more buyers and potentially increase its market value.

As for listing agents, the national average commission rate is 2.77%. It means that they earn $14,000 for a house they sell at $400,000. The state with the highest listing agent commission rate is Wisconsin with 3.2%, and the lowest is 2.4% in the District of Columbia.

What about realtors?

According to research, Missouri has the highest realtor commission rate with 6.07%, and the District of Columbia with the lowest with 4.90%.

What is the average realtor commission rate?

The average realtor commission rate is 5.45%

Here’s what you can expect to pay in realtor commissions based on what your home is selling for:

Home Sale Price	5.45% Commission rate
$100,000	$5,450
$250,000	$13,625
$500,000	$27,250
$750,000	$40,875
$1,000,000	$54,500

You can avoid paying these commission rates by selling your house yourself (FBSO) or selling your house to “we buy houses for cash” companies that buy houses with instant cash offers.

Where to sell properties with good selling rates?

Do your research on the realtors and listing agents in your area. Often, top realtors and listing agents have the highest commission rates. Compared to other realtors and listing agents, they have a higher commission rate, but they can sell your property faster. Also, you can avoid unnecessary expenses with a good realtor/listing agent. They might also be able to help you with other related financial aspects like acquiring a home loan if you need it to buy a new property (check this link right here now to learn more).

Before listing your house, you may have to consider how to improve your house value. House value can depend on various factors like location, nearby amenities, house floor area, condition, and maybe additional facilities like backyard, patio, garage, etc. You may have to give special attention to basic repairs around the house, including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and painting jobs. If repairs are first on your list, make sure to contact a South Daytona FL plumber, electrician, contractor, etc., to come and sort out any issues that you may have. You want people to walk through the home and know that when they move in they don’t need to call out extra people.

Additionally, you can also hire a local foundation repair contractor to get the structural elements checked since a weak foundation can highly affect the house value.

That said, there are also a few ways by which you can reduce your selling costs, here’s how:

How to reduce your selling costs

Negotiate commissions and fees with your realtor/listing agent
Consider selling your own home (FSBO)
Negotiate that the buyer will pay for closing costs
Negotiate advertising and marketing costs with your realtor
Determine the right asking price from the get-go to avoid low balling yourself
Opt for Instant cash offers

How to increase the value of your home and your sale price

Repair damages in your house
Stage your house with a professional house stager
Take quality photos of your house
Have a pre-sale inspection
Attend the inspection and be hands-on on your business
Take note of the inspection report

Conclusion paragraph

There are many factors to consider when selling your house, from the cost of living, property appreciation, house condition, location, and mortgage rate. If you want to have a good selling rate for your house, you have to do your research. You also have to decide how you will sell your house, whether having it listed to a realtor or selling it to “We buy houses for cash” companies.

How Much Should I Pay for an Asylum Attorney?

11th May 2021 / Rachel

Asylum cases have always been one of the most complex of all immigration law practices. Apart from the fact that the applicant is seeking a country for protection, the case requires substantial evidence to be eligible for a grant. Given these reasons, hiring an asylum attorney is the most recommended step to initiate.

A legal representative can assist in your filing and submission of forms, asylum interview, and what you need to know that can help you prove your eligibility to the officials. Therefore, these services come with a price.

What Do You Pay For?

Besides the amount to pay an asylum attorney, some fees are mandatory to proceed with the application. Last October 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) charged a $50 fee for an asylum application. However, the subject is still in the process of court jurisdiction and is still not confirmed for approval. Nevertheless, asylum and immigration lawyers include USCIS fees in their overall charge as part of their services.

Other mandatory factors that predict the amount you pay for your attorney are his or her field experience and practice. These are a pre-determining factor on how much you will pay since asylum cases are not easy to defend in court. Payment also depends on how significant your case is; if your case is near the one-year mark deadline of application or lacks sufficient evidence to prevent deportation. These circumstances often charge more than the average pay. The average wage of an asylum attorney in the United States is within $1000 – $3000. Therefore, if your case is more obscure, you would be paying an amount of more than $1000.

The preparation and time provided for the case are also one of the considerations in their payment. The more the case is on a time constraint, the more likely they will require an additional fee. It applies in conditions, such as applying after the one-year mark since your latest arrival in the United States. Because there are many complexities beyond being in the country for more than a year, attorneys usually charge an extra for their assistance in documentations, appeal, and other case formalities.

What If I Am Not Financially Capable?

Hiring an asylum attorney is the most advisable step to take on due to its immigration type. However, since asylum is complex by nature, the services it needs can be expensive for some applicants. There are non-profit organizations that provide services at an affordable rate or, often, free of charge. The immigration court has a list of organizations and lawyers that offer services at a low rate and are qualified to defend in court. Although, it would not be easy to find an organization that can take over your case secondary to its high demand.

Conclusion

To pay an asylum attorney with the right amount based on their assistance, you should know what you will pay for and where exactly your money is going. By being aware of the calculations and services they offer, it would be easier for you to find the attorney that fits your needs.