Lifestyle Blog

What to you do in Virginia if you suffer an injury at work?

First, you should report even trivial injuries to your employer immediately and make sure a written accident report is filled out and sent to the employer’s insurance company.

Second, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. If you have medical bills or lost time and the insurance company has not sent you an agreement to be filed with the Commission, it is your obligation as an injured worker to file a Claim for Benefits with the Commission.

Third, if you claim is disputed by the insurance company, then you need to contact an attorney preferably an attorney who is experienced in Virginia Workers’ Compensation Law.

I decided to write this article today after closing a home purchase loan for a couple that had some major credit issues. They got into the house with ZERO down payment, and only had to bring $600 for the closing costs. Their situation was pretty bad, I’m talking about a bankruptcy 2 years ago, thousands of dollars in outstanding collections, charge-offs and debt to income ratio of 49%. By the way, we left all of their outstanding charge-offs and collections open which means they didn’t have to pay any of them off! So many think they won’t be able to qualify for a mortgage loan. Many will keep thinking they can’t qualify until they read this article.

My name is Nick Graziano and I have been employed as a Loan Officer for 5 years. I have experience originating conventional mortgage loans as well as sub-prime residential mortgage loans. Many of the clients that I deal with have great credit (and know it) and have no problem getting a loan but then there are those with credit problems (and they know it too). The ones with great credit are the ones that are easy to close, get the best rates and all with minimal time involved on the part of myself.

But, this article is for those with credit problems, low income and those who cannot afford a down payment. I am going to show you how to qualify for a loan with ZERO down payment, and the only out of pocket expense will be less than $1,000 ( if any at all) to cover some of the closing costs. This is just an example of one particular loan program that I use but there are numerous others out there. I picked this loan program because it allows 100% financing down to a 575 credit score

I see it on a daily basis.

Everyone wants to own a home and those with credit problems are calling every mortgage company in the phone book and applying on every mortgage website out there. (And there are many out there). Only to find out later that every time a mortgage company pulls their credit, their credit score dropped a few points, or that the particular lender doesn’t originate the type of loan that you need. That is frustrating.

Step by Step

Here is where I show you how to qualify yourself for a zero down loan.

1.The first thing you need is your tri-merge credit score. I would be more that happy to suggest a few places on the internet that you could go to get your credit score but I don’t want this article to seem like an advertisement. So, the best thing to do is to do a search on yahoo.com for terms like “free credit reports”, or “tri-merge credit report”. Just make sure that you end up pulling a “tri-merge” credit report on yourself. A tri-merged credit report pulls your credit profiles from the 3 major credit reporting companies and merges it into 1 report. The nice thing about pulling your credit yourself is that it will NOT affect your credit score. Bookmark this page while you go get a copy of your credit report and then come back to see the additional steps.

2.What is your credit score? Most mortgage lenders will use the middle of the three scores. Example: Your credit scores are 576, 525, 599. In this case you would use the 576 credit score since it is not the lowest score and it is not the highest.

3.Is your middle credit score at least 575? If so, congratulations and move on to the next step. If your middle score is less than 575 you have some homework to do. You can either sign up with a credit repair company (“search yahoo.com for credit repair”) to try and remove some derogatory items on your credit which will raise your credit score OR you can try to acquire some credit to help re-establish your credit worthiness. The easiest way to re-establish your credit is by either getting a car loan or credit card designed to help re-establish your credit. Again search yahoo.com for “credit cards to re-establish credit”

4.Do you have a bankruptcy or foreclosure in your past? Has it been 2 years since it was discharged? If yes, move on to the next step! If not, unfortunately in most cases your bankruptcy or foreclosure will need to be discharged at least 2 years or you will need to have at least 5% down payment.

5.You will need to document 24 months of recent mortgage or rental history. If you rent from a property management company we will need a Verification Of Rent completed. The form will be supplied by your mortgage lender or broker. If you rent from a private landlord, you will need 24 months cancelled checks/ or money order receipts with no payments over 30 days late. Sorry, you cannot prove your rental history if you pay your landlord cash every month, unless they are a property management company. If you are unable to document your rental history there is a way around it. Get your credit report and look for the following: Do you have an active credit line on your credit report that has been open for at least 24 months? Has this credit line had any activity in the last 6 months? If so, move to the next step.

6.Look at your credit report. Do you have a credit line that has a 12 month history reporting? If so and as long as you have no more that 2×30 day late payments then move on to the next step.

7.Look at your credit report again. Do any of your credit lines have a high limit of at least $3,000. If so, move to the next step.

8.Now take one more look at your credit report. You will need 1 more additional open credit line reporting on your credit report. (It does not matter how long it has been open or how much the credit line is for).

Well, congrats! You made it this far which means that your credit might qualify for a Zero Down Payment Loan. The loan program you qualified for is subject to change and is subject to additional conditions. This article should not be construed as an advertisement to lend. These are the steps that I go through when trying to pre-qualify a client that has credit problems. There are many more factors to determine so please discuss this with a qualified mortgage professional.

You are probably asking yourself what you are supposed to do with the information that was given to you in this article. The first thing is to contact a few mortgage companies. Ask them if they have any zero down loan programs that will go down to a 575 credit score, or whatever your credit score is. Remember, you will need at least a 575 credit score to qualify for this particular loan program. Also, in order to minimize your out of pocket expense, ask your mortgage professional if the property seller is allowed to pay 6% of the purchase price towards closing costs. If so, you will need to remember to negotiate that into your purchase contract when you make an offer on a house.

When the death of a loved one occurs, regardless or whether it was expected or not, you will find yourself having to deal with a great number of people. Some you will know closely, others may be complete strangers; all will be claiming some kind of relationship to the deceased.

Whilst grieving for your loved one you may find yourself not wanting contact with anybody other than those to whom you are closest. Having to deal with so many people can be very difficult so it’s important to understand how to handle them.

Relatives and Close Friends

Those who were close to the deceased need to be contacted before the funeral. When you break the news, remember that they will also need the chance to express their grief and this must be respected, no matter how deeply distressed you are feeling yourself.

Sometimes it can be difficult, if not impossible, to trace certain family members. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve not been able to contact all of them.

Some of those who you’ll need to contact may be people who you do not know personally. If they come to the funeral and you have not been able to speak to them properly it would be a good idea to write or telephone them later, to thank them for attending.

The Small Funeral

Perhaps you have decided on a small funeral, either through your own personal preference or because the deceased made their own preference clear. Perhaps the financial side of the funeral will force you into this decision. Make the decision clear and stick to it. Read the rest of Coping With A Funeral »

Did you know that Online Dating is the top moneymaker on the Web? Chances are good that if you are single, you have joined a site or two yourself. If so, you’ve probably asked my CyberRomance clients’ top question too:

“How can I tell if they are lying?” Lot’s of ways! Here goes:

First off, much of “the problem” of Internet lying is media over hype. What kind of interest would there be in a story about all the honest people who are on the Net?

But of course some people do lie, and being concerned about who is and who isn’t lying makes a heck of a lot of sense.

Reasons people lie:

• To avoid conflict.
• To avoid the consequences of their behavior.
• To postpone having to make changes in lifestyle.
• To hide something they did or did not do.
• To avoid rejection.
• To be in control of a situation.
• To avoid being embarrassed.
• To make themselves appear more successful, good, or talented than they really are.

All make terrific reasons for people to lie online.

How to detect lying:

A truthful person will be “congruent.” That means that all the information they give out — their words, body language, they way they live and dress, everything — fits together and contains no contradictions. People who lie will be incongruent in some way.

Here’s what to watch out for:

1. How they use words: written, on the phone, or in person –

• Talking faster or slower.
• Changes in voice pitch.
• Taking charge of conversation, attempts to distract you.
• Continual denying of accusations.
• Unusual voice fluctuations, word choice, sentence structure.
• Stalling the conversation by repetitive use of pauses and comments like “um” or “you know.”
• Lack of use of contractions.
• Prefers emphasizing “not” when talking.
• Being extremely defensive.
• Saying “Trust me.”

2. How they behave or the attitudes they exhibit:

• Being hesitant.
• Nervous laughter.
• Smugness.
• Uncommon calmness.
• Providing more information and specifics than is necessary or was asked for.
• Inconsistencies in what is being shared.

3. In-person behavior clues:

• Touching chin, covering the mouth, or rubbing brows.
• Crossed arms or legs.
• Pupils narrow.
• Playing with hair.
• Body language and facial expressions don’t match what is being said such as saying “no”, but nodding head up and down.
• Avoidance of eye contact, eyes glancing to the right, staring past you or down, or turning away from you while they are talking.
• Rigid or fidgeting.
• Slouching posture.
• Unnatural or limited arm and hand movements.
• Partial shrug.
• Lack of finger pointing.
• May place a barrier such as a desk or chair in front of self.
• Sweating, even if it isn’t a warm day.
• Saying “no” several times.

4. Your own inner cues:

• You sense something is not right.
• Explanations do not feel enough for you.
• You feel confused, you find yourself squinting or angling your head.
• You feel a block or a wall between you and the other.

In Internet dating, or any kind of dating for that matter, keep your anxiety down, your head attached, and LISTEN to everything your date tells you in every way. People tell you about themselves constantly, from the very first second of contact. You have to be willing to hear it. Not only do they tell you by what they do say, they tell you by what they don’t say.

Many of these cues can come from simple distraction or nervousness, not deceit. New daters have plenty of reasons to be anxious. Signs of lying differ from one person to another. Don’t let your own nervousness force a jump to wrong conclusions. Give your date a break and take some time.

Often, Cyber daters move too quickly to the phone and/or a face to face meeting. Gone is the golden opportunity to safely ask questions and study answers slowly and over time. Vastly increased are tension and anxiety, which complicate clear thinking and judgment.

With online dating, you have a tremendous advantage over meeting immediately flesh-to-flesh: You have a written record of what the other tells you. Make use of it! Take your time and get to know your potential Sweetheart the old-fashioned way — through writing!

Life insurance in the UK is becoming more and more popular with many people now realizing the importance and the benefits of a good life insurance policy. There are two main types of popular life insurance, both of which offer a range of invaluable benefits to UK consumers.

Level Term Life Insurance

Level term life insurance is the most popular type of life insurance policy with UK consumers, and this may be because it is also the cheapest form of insurance. With level term insurance, you and your family can enjoy peace of mind at an affordable price. If you die during the term of this insurance policy, your family will receive a lump sum payment, which can help to cover a number of costs as well as provide some degree of financial security at what will inevitably be a difficult time. The money could assist with costs such as:

• Mortgage repayments

• Funeral costs

• Education costs for the children

• Day-to-day living Read the rest of Choosing the Best Life Insurance Option for You »

Infidelity affects 8 out of 10 marriages in this country. This is a shocking statistic! What happens between the time the marriage vows are spoken and that first episode of cheating? It’s an assumption, of course, but I don’t think that 80% of the people who get married intend to cheat or be part of a love triangle.

I decided to tackle unearthing the real truth about how and why this happens. On one very popular web site there were 260 posts from both sexes commenting about forgiving and forgetting infidelities. I read every one of them. With one exception, the perception conveyed was that one party was an innocent victim of the other’s philandering. It seemed to me that everyone was looking at adultery as a cause of marital discord. From my perspective, there are only rare exceptions to the fact that adultery, cheating, or affairs are SYMPTOMS of long standing marital problems. The cause occurred possibly even before the marriage vows were uttered. Read the rest of The Essence of Infidelity »

I want to share with you information that the Russian marriage agencies don’t tell you on their web sites.

Many of the dating agencies tout, how young Russian women are so family oriented and will make wonderful wives and family partners. This causes many foreign men to dream about the perfect family! A family that they have already built up in their own imagination.

Every man who has seen the Russian dating agency ads and believes in them completely, has built up in his mind, and has created his own fantasy, of what a future family with a Russian women, will be.

If the man’s dreams are based on a foundation the marriage agency has constructed and no on a healthy dose of common sense, then, most likely the relationship is at great risk of disappointment and inevitable, failure. Read the rest of Important Tips The Marriage Agencies Never Tell You »

Some people love holiday shopping, and others dread it. Finding the perfect gift can be stressful. Many men have trouble finding a gift that shows their love for the women in their lives. They want something feminine and practical, and, most importantly, something that the recipient will want to keep forever.

There is such a gift: cultured pearl jewelry.

Pearls are the perfect gift for every woman. Women who wear jewelry all the time love pearls, and so do women who only wear jewelry on special occasions. Women who are fashion-conscious and women who are not will be thrilled to have their own cultured pearls. Women of all ages appreciate pearls. Because pearls come in all styles and prices, it is possible to make an excellent choice for your budget.

A strand of cultured pearls is elegant but functional. It goes as well with a business suit as it does with a cocktail dress or casual blouse. Cultured pearls are an essential part of every woman’s wardrobe. A young girl’s first “real” piece of jewelry could be a pair of pearl earrings. She will wear them on dates, to graduation, and on job interviews. On her wedding day, these earrings could be the “something old” that she wears as she walks down the aisle. Your mother or grandmother probably has a strand of Akoya cultured pearls that she received as a gift years ago. A matching bracelet, ring, or brooch will show her how much you love and cherish her.

You do not have to be an expert on pearls to select and purchase them. With a little preparation, shopping for pearls can be easy. It is recommended to buy from a jeweler that you trust. Ask friends, relatives, and co-workers who their favorite jewelers are.

Once you have one or more fine jewelers in mind, you can start learning about pearls. By knowing to what to look for, you can ask informed questions and make a wise selection.

Pearls are judged according to five criteria:

1. Luster: Luster is a combination of surface shine and a deep, glow that radiates from within the pearl. To judge luster, look at your reflection in the pearl’s surface. The clearer and crisper the reflection, the better the luster and more valuable the pearl. You should reject pearls that are chalky or dull.

2. Surface: Because cultured pearls are natural, expect some small pits, bumps, or spots. As a rule, the fewer blemishes on a pearl, the higher its quality.

3. Shape: The rounder a pearl, the more valuable it is. However, less expensive baroque pearls can be very beautiful because of their irregularities.

4. Color: Cultured pearls come in silver/white, rose, cream, and gold shades. When deciding upon color, keep in mind that as a very general rule, lighter pearls tend to flatter lighter skins, and darker pearls tend to flatter darker skins. At the same time, don’t let rules dictate your preferences.

5. Size: Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter. The diameter of cultured pearls ranges from 2 to 10 millimeters. Larger pearls are more valuable, and more expensive than smaller ones, all things being equal.

Cultured pearl jewelry is the ideal holiday gift. As long as you know where to look, what to look for, and keep your budget in mind, buying pearls as holiday gifts can be easy.

Do you have the winter skin blues? Is the itching and flaking driving you crazy? Don’t worry; you can take steps to protect and soothe your body’s largest organ. With proper care, healthy, glowing skin is achievable during winter. Whatever your age, follow these helpful guidelines throughout the season.

No matter how dark your skin, you still need to protect it from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Choose a sunscreen with SPF of 15 or more. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide tend to leave darker skin tones looking “ashy”. A sunscreen gel is preferable and it absorbs invisibly into your skin.

I know it’s tempting, but taking long, hot showers drain essential moisture from your skin, leaving it dry and lacking in water content. Limit your showers to about 5-10 minutes Read the rest of Winter Skin Savers »

Larger companies have learned that collecting art adds something special to its overall corporate image. An art collection may include art on display in waiting, or general areas. Larger collections may focus on education programs for the employees of the company and partnerships with area museums or art spaces. Unfortunately the kind of art programs and collections afforded by multi-billion dollar companies, are not usually within reach for companies without an extensive art budget, if it’s even considered at all. However, if you are ready to use some creative thinking you can create an art program, add new art to your workspace, and increase employee satisfaction. If you’re interested, keep reading and get started with Artistic Lifestyling? at work.

As business owners, one of the first design decisions we make are for our business cards. They are your client’s very first impression of your company. A well-designed card should convey both a text message and a feeling. People really do pick up and collect business cards they are attracted to – even if they don’t need the services right away. If you take the time to have the card designed by a true artist, chances are you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Read the rest of Adding Art to Business Spaces »