Summer Travel

Its that time of the year when summer fun is just around the corner. For many families this is also the time to make or finalize a much anticipated family summer trip. This year with gas prices raising steadily and the economy at a virtual standstill many families will be looking to cut costs if not cancel their family summer travel plans entirely. Not to worry the travel industry geniuses have taken notice which means there are still some great deals that families can take advantage of this summer. Here are some suggestions on how to find those great deals:Think local and expand your horizons. Depending on where you live there are some great deals popping up to attract local residents to high tourist areas. Look for smaller hotels or resorts that are not part of a national chain. These resorts or Bed and Breakfast type properties are often hidden gems that offer a unique experience at a low cost. Because they are not heavily marketed you may find the quality far exceeds that of a national chain for the same cost. In order to find these first choose an attraction or tourist area within driving distance. Next decide on a budget. Third go to the yellow pages of that area and find local hotels. Try to avoid Google since most keywords will be taken by paid ads which means a small hotel is not likely to bid on those and you will miss it.Go to Expedia LAST. I know we have all been brainwashed into going to Expedia first and then trying to beat their price with hours of wasted research. The truth is that this practice is usually fruitless since most hotels that are on Expedia will not likely be significantly cheaper with any of their obvious competitors such as Orbitz, Travelolicity etc. or even the hotel directly. Yes people there was once a time when this was called price fixing or a monopoly but we will leave that discussion aside for another time. Need less to say trying to beat an Expedia price is like driving around your neighborhood trying to find cheaper gas. You may find it but the cost savings will be heavily negated by the gas you spend finding the thrifty deal!! A better idea is to look in the least obvious places first. Here are some suggestions:Sign up for those annoying deal based sites. Most of them now have travel sections and you may be surprised to see what pops up for your local area or the destination you plan to visit. When doing so be aware that you will be bombarded with emails from the moment you sign up so be very choosy and do not sign up for all of them unless you enjoy receiving 1000 emails a day from people trying to sell you stuff. Here are some of the ones I like and find somewhat worth the hassle for travel deals: Livingsocial.com, jetsetter.com, hotelmode.com.Loyalty may finally mean something again so if you go to the same place year after year or use the same chain when you travel you may be surprised how much cheaper they are this year. The point is that it cant hurt to ask especially since their competitor would gladly give you a discount for your business.Power in numbers, not anymore! If you are planning to attend a wedding or family reunion you may think that booking with the herd is going to offer you the better deal. Not necessarily! Hotels know that if you are there for an event chances are you are going to book no matter what the cost and their job is to fill up those rooms at the best cost supply and demand will allow them to. Instead try booking the hotel outside of the group on your own reservation if you still have time and the hotel has availability for those dates. Chances are that if the hotel is not completely booked or close to it when you book your room you will get a better deal.Go visit that dinosaur called your local travel agent. Once upon a time in a land far far away before we all had internet access we went to a local travel agent to book our travel and pick up nice colorful brochures with loads of information. Guess what there is only so much of a discount that hotels will offer millions and millions of internet users!! Instead go to a local travel agent if there is one in your area. They may have access to tons of deals that the hotels do not allow to be advertised on any pubic domain. That means the internet! As an added bonus you will get the benefit of good customer service and save lots of time surfing the net!

What do Lenders Consider when Assessing Your Home Loan Application?

Factors That Assessors Consider in Approving You for a Home Loan

Home loans are a secured loan, which means they have to be taken against collateral instead of unsecured loans that do not require any collateral at all. They are popular financing option because it allows the individual to borrow a significant amount and prolonged repayment tenure which is not the case with unsecured loans. The secured loans also have a lower rate of interest compared to unsecured loans.

Now onto the subject of this blog, factors that the lending institutions consider while they approve an applicant’s mortgage loan application. Here are five key factors that are taken into consideration:

Credit score

Yes, while it may not be as crucial as is the case with an unsecured loan, but the applicant’s credit score still plays a significant role in determining whether or not their mortgage loan application would be approved or not with most Prime Lenders. The higher your credit score, the more likely the financial institution would approve your loan application without any further delay. The applicant’s credit score also impacts the interest rate on mortgage loans; so, the high credit score is beneficial for your pockets as well.

Debt-to-income ratio

Not just in a mortgage loan, the debt-to-income ratio is considered in every type of loan scheme that is available in the market. If you have a lower debt-to-income ratio, then you will get speedy approval for your mortgage application. If that is not the case, you would be labeled as a risk to default, which might also impact your application status.

Deposit

The amount you are willing to put down to buy your new home or commercial property also impacts how likely you are to receive a mortgage loan from a reputable lender. Someone who wants to take a mortgage to finance 95 percent of the purchase price will not be able to get a mortgage loan as the risk factor of those individuals defaulting increases by manifold. The best way to get through this is by the 20 to 80 rule. It would be best if you make a down payment of 20 percent and let the lending institution cover the rest 80 percent.

Credit History

The applicant’s history is also a crucial and determining factor the financial institution considers while entertaining an application for the same. Generally, the lending institution considers the last two years of financial history, and if the applicant has had a steady source of income for the past two years and then their application is approved by the lender. Do keep in mind that if you are self-employed, you have to show display documents that explain your last two years’ earnings.

The value and the location of the property

Last but not least, the value of the property in question is also a determining factor of the mortgage loans in Australia. This is done to ensure that the financial institution is paying the right amount for the property, and it can recover the amount in case of default. A property valuation has to be done before the loan is finalized.

Now, you are aware of all the factors that lenders consider while approving your home loan request. It is always best to use the services of an experienced Mortgage Broker to help you navigate your application for mortgage finance.

Finding Vintage Car Parts For Vintage Cars Restoration Project

If you own a vintage or classic car, you know that it is not easy to find its parts as most of them are not manufactured anymore. Even if you can find the parts, the price would be rather high. However, this will not stop many vintage car enthusiasts as it’s their passion and pride in owning a fully restored vintage car. It’s true that when you enjoy doing something, problem or difficulty is nothing for you.

There are many different ways to get the parts that you need to restore your vintage car. One of the best places to start is on the Internet. For example, just do a quick search on vintage car parts for the type of car that you are restoring and will probably come up with a bunch of sites. Thanks to the internet, searching for vintage car parts has never been easier. You can also join an online community, interact with other people who have the same passion with you, get assistance or even join forces to do a vintage car restoration project.

Other best places to look for vintage car parts are of course in the auto shops and dealers that specialize in distributing vintage parts. These are specialized auto shops where you can find an array of parts like dashboard instruments, engine parts, wheels, door handles, hoods and grilles.

Searching and looking for these vintage auto parts can be very exciting but make sure you know your stuffs. Do your research well and equip yourself with knowledge about vintage parts so that no one can sell the fake products to you.

There are vintage car collectors who have money but not skills to undertake a restoration project, they will send the car to a professional restorer to have it brought up to the highest standards possible. This often costs tens of thousands of dollars. Professional car restoration employs state of the art technology and equipment to literally take a car apart and put it back together again. These professionals have been restoring cars for a while and selling them for profit. They are making a profit from their craft; that earns them the title of “professional car restorer”.

If you don’t have the money but have some basic car restoration skills, you can learn from a good book and do it yourself. You will be able to restore your own vintage car and be very proud of it. All you need is to have the patience and strong desire to learn.