Why buy - you can DIY! Building your own home isn’t easy, but it could save you money

By Jenny Bennett
Upping sticks and buying your dream home isn’t what it used to be. Back in the good old days, before the banks went bust and property prices went south, the housing ladder was a one-way affair. The only way was up.
These days, it’s anything but. There are fewer buyers, fewer homes on the market — and there’s rather less money to borrow. Securing your ideal house has rarely been harder.
There is a solution. Why not go it alone and build your own instead? Yes, it can be hard work, but it may be the best way to get the home you want, where you want it — for a fraction of the cost.

 To build or not to build: You could create your dream home and save money if you can handle the associated hassle

If you dare to take the plunge, you won’t be alone. According to research from Homebuilding and Renovating, homebuilding.co.uk, 13,860 self-build homes went up in Britain in the year ending March 31.
A new BBC series, To Build Or Not To Build, charts the fortunes of a few of those who have rolled up their sleeves and are doing it themselves — from someone who is building their next move on a shoestring, to a couple who are splashing out more than £1 million on an opulent des res.
But if you are tempted to give it a try, where do you begin? According to Simon O’Brien, presenter of To Build Or Not To Build, the foundation of any successful self-build project is homework. For an overview of building your own home, start with the government’s Directgov website, direct.gov.uk. Specialist self-build publications, such as Build It & Home Improvement, self-build.co.uk, may also be useful.

Either way, the first thing to consider is your budget. Self-build mortgages are available from some 30 banks and building societies and may be offered to cover up to 80 per cent of the cost of a plot and 95 per cent of the cost of the building. Once you have established how much there is in your pot, you can then start looking for a plot.
Finding the right plot takes time. And even the ideal location may have hidden problems — leading to yet more costs. ‘The one pitfall most self-builders overlook is that digging holes costs serious money,’ warns O’Brien.
‘Most underestimate the costs of levelling an uneven site — and you never know what’s underground. Old air-raid shelters and power lines could trip you up, for example.’
The National House Building Council, nhbc.co.uk, recommends that you buy a plot with outline planning permission. They also suggest that you have it appraised — no one wants to build on top of a disused mine or a rubbish tip. When it comes to the building itself, some self-build homes can be constructed from kits, but consulting a good architect is a must (the Royal Institute of British Architects has a list at architecture.com).
‘Find out what your architect, project manager or builder has done before, then knock on the door of their previous builds and ask if they were reliable and trustworthy,’ suggests O’Brien.
Remember when you price the project that many self-build projects end up costing more than expected (always budget for a 15 per cent contingency fund). You will, of course, need planning permission. For more information on how to make an application, visit planningportal. gov.uk. With that secured, you can finally start the real graft.
But self-build is not an easy option. Doing it yourself has huge advantages and offers substantial savings — but it comes at a price.
‘You have to ask yourself if you are prepared to write off two years of your life, not see your friends and family, lose time with your children and become a one-subject bore,’ says O’Brien.
Then again, no one ever said that building a dream would be easy.

To Build Or Not To Build is on BBC One Daytime, Monday, 11am. The Homebuilding & Renovating Show Harrogate (homebuilding show.co.uk) is at the Harrogate International Centre, November 4-6.

Where my wife comes from, they SHOOT squatters: Doctor whose £1m home was taken over by spongers hits out at the law

By Steve Bird
As more families fall victim to organised gangs of squatters, a blood-boiling interview with the couple forced out of their £1m home who are leading the fightback...
Dr Oliver Cockerell is, by his own admission, an unlikely champion for a popular cause.
But for nearly two weeks, the Harley Street doctor has fought a very public battle to evict 14 squatters who broke into, and took occupation of, his £1million dream home.
It has been a struggle that has put him on a collision course with the Government, as the 49‑year-old neurologist argued for a ‘common-sense’ change to the law which governs squatting. 

 Victory: Dr Oliver Cockerell and his heavily pregnant wife Kaltun - who fled Somalia 20 years ago - outside their north-west London home. A group of squatters promised to move out an hour before he was due to go to court to secure an eviction order

Above all, he believes the gangs of anarchists and Eastern Europeans who are increasingly taking over people’s homes so shamelessly must be treated as criminals, rather than dealt with in civil courts.
Although he has taken the crusade on reluctan
His story started when squatters took over the five-bedroom Edwardian home he and his heavily pregnant wife planned to move into in time for the birth of their first child.The raggle-taggle group of foreigners and drop-outs ignored his repeated pleas to leave the West London property despite telling them that his 35-year-old wife Kaltun was being put under emotional strain and the ordeal was placing their unborn baby at risk.

He said: ‘These people think that because I’m a Harley Street doctor I’ve got lots of money, and so this doesn’t matter.
'But I’m not very rich. Like so many people, I have a 90 per cent mortgage and I have to work more than 60 hours a week to pay that off.’
His anger is, in part, borne out of his own struggles to succeed.
The son of a Hammersmith businessman, he was sent to private school courtesy of a bursary for gifted children.
Next, he funded his studies at King’s College Medical School in Camberwell by taking two jobs — one as a security guard and another at McDonald’s — while living in a council flat.
Speaking at his desk at The London Clinic, he asks: ‘Do these squatters’ families know what they are doing and the effect they are having on people?’

Across London and other cities around the country, gangs of squatters have been occupying people’s homes, sometimes forcing their way in after the owner has gone out for only a few hours.
Quickly, the squatters barricade themselves in by changing the locks, nailing windows shut and then putting up posters which state that the property is ‘vacant’ and is being squatted in.
Alternatively, they create bogus tenancy agreements which they give to police when questioned in order to try to prove they are legally renting the place.
An estimated 20,000 squatters in the UK are exploiting lax laws. Although it is illegal for squatters to stay if the property owner demands they leave, police will usually intervene only after the despairing householder has spent thousands of pounds obtaining a court eviction order.
The squatters’ ultimate goal — which, thankfully, is rarely realised — is to squat in a property for ten years, at which point they become the new legal owner.
In one area of East London, squatting is so rife that residents have set up a local ‘home guard’ to monitor the activities of gangs of Eastern Europeans who have seized — and gone on to ransack — a number of homes in the area.
The problem was highlighted last month when Julia High, a 55-year-old immigration officer, returned from a concert at The Proms to discover that a group of Romanian gipsies had broken into her home in Leytonstone, east London, and barricaded themselves inside.

To add insult to injury, the Romanian women put on Miss High’s clothes.
When challenged by neighbours, they said she was dead, before uncorking some of her wine.
Miss High spent two weeks cleaning up the mess after finally managing to get them evicted.
Similarly, this week, sisters Amelita and Lilia Olasa (both retired nurses) fell victim to another family of Romanian squatters.

They wept as they surveyed the damage done to the £500,000 North London home where they have lived for 27 years.
Furniture, kitchen appliances and personal possessions were taken, and makeshift ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts were littered throughout the three-bedroom house.
The gang had struck when the sisters went away on holiday. After breaking in, the squatters produced a bogus six-month ‘contract’ claiming they were paying a ‘landlord’ £1,200 rent.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Lilia asked: ‘How are people allowed to do this?’
It is that very same question to which Dr Cockerell and the ever-increasing number of other victims of squatting are determined to get an answer.
He says: ‘These are organised groups who use the internet for a support network. It is remarkable.’
He went on to criticise judge Fiona Henderson, who this week caused outrage when she said that ‘squatting is not a crime’.
Incredibly, this is the truth — squatting is merely a civil offence.
Judge Henderson also went on to order that a list of empty homes in north London should be made public to the Advisory Service for Squatters, an east London-based organisation known as the ‘estate agency for squatters’.

While Judge Henderson acknowledged that publication of the list could have ‘a negative impact’ on crime prevention and might be of use to organised criminals looking to burgle and gut empty homes, she insisted: ‘The tribunal does not consider that any perceived social disadvantage of living next door to squatters, or the costs of eviction of squatters, are matters that the tribunal is entitled to take into consideration since squatting is not illegal.’
There is a whole industry which supports the activities of squatters.
An 83-page Squatters Handbook (now in its 13 edition since its initial publication in 1976) lists the tricks that home-wreckers can use.
The Advisory Service will even post information abroad to help anyone thinking of coming to England to become squatters and exploit the fact that they are not criminals and are dealt with only in the civil courts.
‘Politicians have got to change these laws,’ Dr Cockerell argues. ‘It’s simply wrong that stealing a car is a criminal offence but moving into someone else’s home falls under civil law.’
His wife, a NatWest financial adviser, who fled Somalia 20 years ago when civil war broke out, is astonished that British law is so feeble.

She says that property-ownership is sacrosanct in her home country and that ‘if someone takes it over, you shoot them’.
She is furious that English law allows feckless people to use others’ electricity, gas and water without paying for it.
Her husband says he was so upset that he considered exacting a more immediate revenge on the squatters: ‘I was angry at the injustice of it all. If I was not a consultant, I could well have lashed out — got ten heavy friends together and done what most people would do in such circumstances.’
Of course, such action would have risked him getting a criminal record which would bar him from practising medicine. So, instead, he hired a barrister and began the legal eviction process.
The procedure took nearly two weeks and was almost derailed due to a ‘technicality’. For the squatters — who included an American, Australians and Italians — set up a ‘textbook’ squat.
While the advice manual warns squatters not to commit ‘criminal damage’, it tacitly encourages such action by saying that police can prosecute only ‘if there were witnesses’.
Not surprisingly, no neighbours witnessed them break into Dr Cockerell’s home.
The manual also advises squatters to ‘control entry’ by changing locks (three new ones were fitted at Dr Cockerell’s place).
If, and when, the police arrive, it suggests a ‘polite but firm’ manner when insisting that no law has been broken. To make sure there is proof that the squatters live there legally, it even suggests posting a letter to members of the squat!
Dr Cockerell recalls standing on his doorstep, pleading with them to leave.
When he failed, he hoped hard cash would succeed and offered them £500 to leave. But this was rejected as ‘paltry’.
‘It was blatant extortion,’ he says.
Meanwhile, after the case hit the headlines and reporters visited the address, they were met with a barrage of abuse from the squatters, as well as complaints that an impromptu band practice in one room was being interrupted.
One complained that the ‘peace and quiet’ was being shattered and a meditation session in another of the three reception rooms would have to be postponed.
On Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they arrived, the eviction order was finally executed and the gang made a hasty retreat, with a few glib apologies to Mrs Cockerell.
But, like so many other squatters, they simply moved on to another empty address in the area which they had scouted out.
One squatter explained his actions, saying that as a struggling musician, he needs the solitary lifestyle of squatting as it lets his creative juices flow.
There’s little sympathy from victims like Dr Cockerell.
Describing his two-week ordeal as ‘a nightmare’, he said he remained philosophical because his work has given him perspective on the situation:
‘I have just come from the intensive care unit where I saw a young man who has had a life-threatening stroke. My problems are nothing in comparison to his.’
Nevertheless, Dr Cockerell is keen to continue his campaign against squatters, explaining that his own experience has made him realise the huge emotional importance of our homes.
‘A home is more than merely a possession. It’s something we hold very dear,’ he says. ‘When burgled, people feel it’s the invasion and violation of their home that upsets them far more than the loss of items stolen.’
Tragically, he and his wife no longer see their new house as a dream home.
‘The trouble is that we’ve come to loathe the house now. This cannot be allowed to happen to other people.’

COUNCIL Expecting Cash For Free Private Home Insulation

INVERCLYDE Council is on the verge of securing nearly £500,000 to deliver free thermal insulation improvements to private houses across the area.

Once the funding from the Scottish Government’s Universal Home Insulation Scheme has been confirmed, the work will be carried out by the award winning Council scheme, LESS Inverclyde.

A recent private sector house condition survey indicates that around 11,000 private sector homes in Inverclyde do not have insulation which meets modern standards and that nearly 4,000 households live in fuel poverty.

Councillor Robert Moran, Convenor of the Council’s Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee said "Securing funding will allow the council to help people to help themselves and will provide an excellent opportunity for them to improve the energy efficiency of their home and save money on their heating bills."

Councillor David Wilson, chairman of Inverclyde Council’s Green Charter and Environment Group, said: "The funding we have bid for, combined with funding from Scottish Hydro Electric, means that we will be able to offer free insulation to householders, which in turn will make a significant difference to people’s lives and their household finances."

Inverclyde Council is expected to receive formal notification of the outcome of the funding bid in the next few weeks and is ready to begin delivering free thermal insulation improvements almost immediately in partnership with Solas Insulation Ltd.

Councillor Moran added "Our aim is to make Inverclyde’s houses the most energy efficient in Scotland and ensure that as far as reasonably possible we eradicate fuel poverty in Inverclyde."

The insulation measures that would be offered are loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation top-up and internal wall insulation.

Plans are already in place to deliver thermal insulation improvements to Housing Association properties across Inverclyde.

Source http://www.inverclydenow.com/

Louisville upset at home by FIU

Winston Fraser returned an interception 71 yards and T.Y. Hilton scored touchdowns on his first two catches as Florida International upset host Louisville, 24-17, last night, the Panthers’ first win in six tries against the Big East Conference.
The Panthers (2-0) never trailed as Fraser stepped in front of a pass by Will Stein and ran up the left sideline for the TD midway through the first quarter. Hilton had a school-record 201 yards receiving, and the Panthers had five sacks and two turnovers in the big win for the defending Sun Belt Conference champs.

Louisville (1-1) had been 25-8 against nonconference opponents since joining the Big East in 2005. The Cardinals’ Will Stein threw for a career-high 349 yards and two touchdowns.

Silva simply perfect Matt Silva threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score in the opening quarter as Framingham State (1-1) blasted visiting Nichols, 54-13. Silva tore apart the Bison (0-2) by completing all 14 of his throws, good for 234 yards and five TDs. The Rams also got 122 yards rushing and two scores from Melikke Van Alstyne . . . Mark Gilson threw for three TDs to pace Curry (1-1) past Fitchburg State, 49-14, in Milton. The Colonels outgained the Falcons (1-1), 523 yards to 120, and had a huge edge in first downs (26-9) . . . Kenny Russell’s second score of the game came on a 14-yard reverse with 9:11 to play, lifting host Worcester State (2-0) to a 21-14 victory over WPI (0-2) . . . Western Connecticut absorbed a 48-0 opening loss as visiting New York Maritime (1-0) got four TD runs from Jamie Spanopoulos.

Miami QB apologizes Miami quarterback Jacory Harris publicly apologized to the university and its fans for his role in an extra-benefits scandal and acknowledged making mistakes as a freshman.

It was the first time Harris had spoken out about the investigation since the NCAA ordered him and seven other players to sit out at least one game for taking gifts from former booster and convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro. In all, 12 players had to make charitable donations after an investigation by the university and NCAA found those players took money or gifts.

Harris will resume playing when Miami hosts Ohio State on Sept. 17.

Harris declined comment when asked if he felt the NCAA process was fair.

WR banned 4 games South Carolina freshman receiver Damiere Byrd was suspended four games by the NCAA for his involvement with a mentoring organization.

In addition to sitting out games, the NCAA said Byrd must also pay back $2,700 in impermissible benefits he and the family received from a South Carolina booster during his recruitment. The NCAA said the inducements included lodging, transportation, and meals during unofficial visits to South Carolina. The NCAA said Byrd or his family attended a party at the booster’s home and received gift cards.

The Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation is the same organization Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was involved with and the Gators sophomore received a two-game suspension and also ordered by the NCAA to repay $2,700 in impermissible benefits from the SAM Foundation.

It’s not sitting well While Baylor is pushing an e-mail campaign to preserve the Big 12 Conference and rivalry games in the state, Texas A&M said the Bears purchased only 830 tickets from a possible allotment of 3,850 for their Oct. 15 game in College Station, Texas.

Those figures were released by Texas A&M, whose departure from the Big 12 to a pending spot in the SEC is on hold after Baylor and other schools refused to waive their right to sue over such a move.

Baylor said that it had requested 2,000 tickets for the game by July 1, the deadline set by the Big 12. Texas A&M said that Idaho, with 264, was the only opposing team that will play at Kyle Field this year that purchased fewer tickets from the Aggies than Baylor, whose campus is less than 100 miles away.

Source http://www.boston.com/

Food, drinks outside home sip disposable income

By: Kim Covert

OTTAWA -- Ever wonder what's been eating away at your disposable income this summer? Well, here's a tip: There's a good chance it's you.
Eating -- and drinking -- outside the home account for four of the top five most popular destinations for Canadians' spending money, according to BMO Bank of Montreal's recent Rainy Day Survey.
Results of the online poll conducted by Leger Marketing suggest more people are spending their spare cash on dinners out this summer than last -- 32 per cent compared with 24 per cent -- and the number of people paying someone else to make their lunch has also risen, to 28 per cent from 25 per cent last year.
Hot drinks can also empty wallets drip by drip -- 24 per cent of respondents say they buy a morning coffee or tea, compared with 20 per cent last year. After-work socializing is depleting the spending money of 14 per cent of Canadians, up from 11 per cent last year, while transportation is a factor in the budgets of 17 per cent of respondents, again an increase from 12 per cent last year.
"With volatile market conditions and continued economic uncertainty, now is a good time for Canadians to review their daily spending habits and -- if necessary -- revise their budgets," says Su McVey, BMO's vice-president customer communications and marketing.
"Learning to put aside savings and build a financial cushion to fall back on can be easy if you pay attention to where you are spending your money and address what is -- and isn't -- essential."
So how can you keep day-to-day expenses from nibbling away at your nest egg?
BMO offers these suggestions:
-- If you bring your own lunch to work you won't be tempted -- at least not as often -- into impulse spending on prepared foods. Buying $20 of sandwich fixings can feed you for a week --compare that with buying a $10 sandwich every day, the bank says. Monthly savings could be as much as $120. An added bonus? Controlling what goes into your food can mean healthier meals, too.
-- Take your own coffee in a travel mug. Fans of pricey coffee-shop brews may pooh-pooh the comparison, but BMO points out while the daily latte can cost $3, a bottle of instant coffee, which lasts much longer, costs about $5.
-- Instead of meeting up at a pricey restaurant, invite friends to your place for a potluck dinner. You get to work on your culinary skills and enjoy your friends' food and company for a lot less money.
-- Shop the specials, look for the deals, and take advantage of coupons if you do plan to eat out.
-- Heard of a staycation? How about a staydate? Instead of spending $30 on a movie and snacks (not to mention a babysitter, after-movie drinks or dinner, and transportation), rent a movie (better still, check one out from the library) and pop some popcorn at home. Or, if you want the theatre experience, take advantage of cheaper matinee prices. There's often entertainment just waiting on your closet shelves too -- when was the last time you pulled out the board games? That's a fun evening with friends and family for the price of some beverages and a few snacks.

How extras could help you sell your home

  By Graham Norwood 

Frustrated sellers and savvy retirees are becoming ever more creative to seal the deal in today’s tricky market, says Graham Norwood .

Does retirement mean stopping the daily grind, kicking back and taking it easy? Yes, but first you need to decide whether you want to move house. Do you want to live out in the country, nearer your family, in a retirement community or just downsize to release equity?

Today’s uncertain housing market, with far more homes on sale than buyers on the prowl, means you must work hard to sell your property. But it is also a good time to pick up a better place than you ever thought you could afford. There are some serious reductions out there and a lot of bargaining can be done.

Don’t take our word for it – ask Simon Hirst. He has retired from a job in the City and wants to move but knows his former rectory near Honiton in Devon needs to stand out from the crowd.

Hirst has already reduced his asking price by £200,000 (it is now on sale for £1.3m through Savills, 01392 455755; www.savills.com) and is also giving away his £180,000 collection of antiques and paintings.

“That includes some Empire period candlesticks that I bought in New York in the Eighties and landscape paintings dating from the 18th and 19th century. They are valued at £5,000 to £10,000 each,” he says.

“Even the rugs are going to the buyer. They belong in the house and it would be wrong to move them anywhere else.
“I recognise how challenging the market is, yet I want to downsize, so the house has to go. The house has been on sale since May, and I have to try something new. Therefore a buyer is welcome to everything in the house, other than my personal effects.”
Selling a home in a specialist sector of the market is even more difficult for retirees such as Dr Andrew Pearson.
His four-bedroom house at Newton Ferrers, also in Devon, sits right on the water. In addition to beautiful terraced gardens and a summerhouse, it possesses the holy grail of riverside homes, a private jetty and quay (see above).
Even so, the property has been on sale for a year and has had a price drop from £2.75m to £2.5m (Knight Frank, 01392 423111; www.knightfrank.com).
Now there is something extra thrown in. “I’m going to give the buyer a Hagg 36ft boat. The design is a classic from the Fifties and Sixties and this particular boat is well known in the area. It’s worth about £25,000,” says Dr Pearson.
“The house is quite specialised. It will appeal to a sailing buyer who will appreciate just what it has to offer.”
It is a sign of how challenging the market has become when owners of beautiful homes are resorting to such incentives. The latest figures from HM Revenue & Customs show 79,000 homes were purchased in July, some 10 per cent down on July last year.
But while many younger sellers have the time, and perhaps the money, to wait until the market recovers, retirees are up against the clock. They want to make the most of their new-found spare time, hence the spate of deals and incentives offered to woo reluctant buyers.
Maximising property choices for older members of the population is becoming more important. A further 800,000 baby-boomers, born in the years just after the Second World War, will pass the age of 65 by the end of 2012. In the longer term, the proportion of Britons who will be 65-plus is forecast to rise from 17 per cent now to 23 per cent by 2034.
That population growth means it is more likely that older home owners may follow the unorthodox example now being set by people such as Elizabeth and John Manners.
The siblings, who are in their seventies, have not lived under the same roof since they were teenagers. Until now, that is.
They have each sold their own homes in Dorset and Berkshire, pooled their funds and bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Richmond retirement community in Letcombe Regis, Oxfordshire.
“It made sense. I had never married so lived alone, but was finding it more difficult to manage the house and garden,” explains Elizabeth. “John had just lost his wife, so we decided to get together again. We have separate interests but the move has released money for our later lives.”
Making the move was a lengthy process. “I sold my house first – it took some time – then moved in with my sister while she sold,” says John. “We then came here together. There are support facilities on hand if we require them, but the important thing is to live independently for as long as possible.”
One-bedroom apartments at Letcombe Regis start at £295,000 with two-bedroom homes from £535,000. The scheme, like many purpose-built retirement communities, has carers on site 24 hours a day. But most residents, such as the Manners, live in self-contained homes.
Family living of another kind appealed to the Simpsons, an example of what has become known as a 3G family, when three generations live under the same roof.
Margaret and Pete, in their sixties and retired, own a six-bedroom house in Ealing, west London. They were planning to downsize until they considered the plight of their grandson, Mike, 22.
“He’s just left college and has his first job based at Heathrow,” explains Pete Simpson. “He wanted a place of his own but couldn’t afford it. So we thought, 'Why not modify our home and get Mike and his parents in here too?’   ”
He and Margaret adapted their house, leaving themselves with a two-bedroom section. They converted the basement into a self-contained one-bedroom flat for Mike. Then they divided the main body of the house so that Mike’s parents, Sirana and John, could have a three-bedroom section.
“It’s not exactly a quiet retired life,” admits Pete. “For example, all five of us have Sunday lunch together if we can.
“But it’s lovely having everyone in one place, and it has avoided the difficulty of selling and buying in what has become a pretty difficult housing market.”
Some retirees step off the ownership ladder completely and rent, freeing their equity to spend on holidays or families. Market commentators say this approach is on the increase because it allows older owners to realise the capital that they have built up in their homes.
Many also use the equity to rent in a location where they may not have been able to afford to buy, while others help their children or grandchildren purchase homes to beat the current mortgage drought.
With the army of retirees growing in number, these new means of enjoying later life may become more commonplace in the future. And this looks set to continue even when the housing market eventually picks up.
In the meantime, those wanting to sell their home and buy the perfect retirement haven have to come up with increasingly novel ways of living their dream.
Buy the right home for your retirement
Check access to transport and what’s important to you – theatre, restaurants, sport or visiting family.
If you want to live near other retirees, highest concentrations are in Devon, Cornwall, Suffolk, East Anglia and the Yorkshire Dales.
If you’re considering the coast, visit during winter – some resorts close down – and check for flooding.
If you choose the country, does it get cut off in snow? Will it suit if you no longer drive?
Bargain hard. It’s a buyer’s market and money saved now will help later.
Check if rooms, doorways and corridors can be modified should you find it harder to walk?
Is the garden easy to manage?
If buying in a retirement community, check any service charges – they can be high.
Check if you can move away from a retirement community if it does not suit you. Some have exit fees.
Specialist advice services include the Accessible Property Register (www.accessible-property.org.uk) and Mobility Friendly Homes (www.mobilityfriendlyhomes.co.uk).

High dollar keeping rugby players at home

Source: ONE News
New Zealand rugby fans have been frustrated in the last decade by star players heading overseas to chase big money.
But the situation may be changing - and it is not just through the work of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Instead, currency markets and global economic factors are playing a big role in stifling player movement.
Former All Black Justin Marshall went to England in the mid-2000s when the exchange rate was around three to one.
Today the kiwi is hovering around 52 pence against the British pound and just under 60 euro cents.
That means those contracts which used to triple when converted back to NZD now do not even double.
Player agent and former All Black Craig Innes says money is a big factor when it comes to negotiations.
"When we sit down with any player and they're looking at the foreign markets we sit down and compare everything. Often there's budgets involved and salary caps so it's about getting the best we can," he said.
Former All Black captain Taine Randall went to England when 36 pence bought a kiwi dollar.
He says doing the simple maths to convert the exchange rate was very important.
"If you were to compare when I went over there to what it is now, the contract price would be a third less. In terms of making a decision that's a big, big factor," Randall told AMP Business.
Innes believes playing out a career in the UK is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be, especially with tax rates and costs of living being considerably higher than New Zealand.
But France, where All Black Dan Carter had his sabbatical, is still considered attractive Innes says, particularly for lifestyle factors.
"There's pretty reasonable tax breaks in France if you're a married man living in France with children, which our guys tend to be when they're looking at heading overseas," he said.
And for superstar players like Carter or Richie McCaw, the agent says the demand is still huge from the UK and clubs there will use image rights, pension schemes and other sweeteners to make it work at almost any cost.
But for the middle tier of Super Rugby players, the smaller deals sitting on the table mean currency is a much bigger factor in deciding whether to stay or go.
Favourable cross rates with countries like Australia and Japan suggest staying closer to home may now be a more popular better option.
Hurricanes' Willie Ripia and David Smith both went to the Perth-based Western Force recently and Blues' lock James King is off to join the Melbourne Rebels for 2012.
Randall says following the traditional European OE route now means a player's income is going to be a third less than what they might get by going to Asia.
"I think that's going to influence the decisions of our rugby players in terms of one, where they go overseas and two, if they go overseas at all".
And that may already be happening - an increasing number of popular All Blacks like Piri Weepu and Corey Jane have signed on to stay in New Zealand despite offers from overseas.
Source http://tvnz.co.nz/

Sprint car owner goes for the Gold Cup

By Mark Billingsley

Rather than sit home and watch the money drain from his bank account, sprint car owner Paul Silva wanted his car in Chico this weekend for the annual Gold Cup at the Silver Dollar Speedway.
His regular driver, Shane Stewart, has other commitments in Michigan on Saturday and couldn't race. So Silva, 28, wracked his brain and thumbed his phone book looking for a replacement driver to compete against some of the best dirt-track drivers in the country this weekend.
If his Rockstar Energy/Makita Tools/Lucas Oil No. 57 race car isn't running, Silva isn't making money. So he called upon World of Outlaw icon Jac Haudenschild, who has run a limited season on the World of Outlaws series because of the tough economy. Haudenschild said yes and flew to Sacramento on Wednesday from his Wooster, Ohio, home.
"I've been watching Jac race since I was a little kid," Stewart said of the three-time Gold Cup champion (1998, 1999 and 2008). "He's a (national sprint car) Hall of Famer for a reason."
Haudenschild was scheduled to make his first start Thursday night in a United States Auto Club non-wing sprint car competition. Tonight and Saturday they'll bolt the wing back on and battle the World of Outlaws drivers, including Elk Grove native Paul McMahan.
Stewart drove Silva's car to a second-place finish at the Knoxville Nationals on Aug. 13, earning $75,000. The Knoxville Nationals is considered the Super Bowl of dirt-track sprint car racing.
So could putting Haudenschild, who's won 52 World of Outlaws events, into the No. 57 car earn Silva more money this weekend, especially so close to home?
"I don't know, I hope so," Silva said. "All I know is I was sitting here at home bored and needed something to do."
Hydroplanes on Folsom – The Air National Guard Hydroplane Series held a four-boat exhibition on Folsom Lake on Thursday, the first time hydroplanes have skipped on the lake in 44 years.
"We are eager to showcase the sport and the goal is to garner enough support from the community so we can return there in 2012 for a full series race," Sam Cole, chairman of the Air National Guard Series, said in a news release. "Sacramento successfully supported the ChampBoats for several years and has always been receptive to racing events. It is a top-20 market area and this venue is ideal for our boats."
Cole, who lives in the Sacramento area, also wants to show local officials potential race courses on the lake and demonstrate the tour's commitment to ecology and safety.
One of the boats in the exhibition is owned by Billy and Jane Schumacher. As a driver, Billy Schumacher won the last unlimited hydroplane race at Folsom Lake, in 1967.
The hydroplanes are capable of speeds of 200-plus mph, and drivers face G-forces in turns similar to those experienced by fighter pilots.
Guarantee delivered – Bill McAnally took a lot of grief after guaranteeing one of his three drivers would win a K&N Pro Series West race before season's end.
But McAnally made good on that promise when Eric Holmes won the Spokane 200 at the Spokane (Wash.) County Raceway on Saturday. Bill McAnally Racing drivers Moses Smith and Cameron Hayley finished fifth and 18th, respectively.
McAnally, of Antelope, made the guarantee in The Bee last week and heard from race fans, employees and fellow team owners. But the best way to quiet the chirping is to bring home the checkered flag.
It's been quiet this week around the BMR compound.

First-time home ownership made simple and affordable

Don Pugh has taken great satisfaction in overseeing the launch of Long Valley, the Daniels Corp.’s 10th FirstHome community in the GTA.
Located at Winston Churchill Blvd. and Thomas St. in Erin Mills, the development includes a mix of stacked townhouses with garages and midrise condos.
Units range from 500-square-foot studios to 1,300-square-foot three-bedroom-plus-dens. Prices start at $145,900.
Daniels’ FirstHome program — which helps make home ownership simpler and more affordable for first-time buyers through special programs and incentives — has been a big hit since it was first introduced by the developer in 2004.
The communities invariably sell out at lightning speed; the most recent FirstHome development, Destination Drive Phase 2, also located in Erin Mills, was snapped up in a single day. Ample evidence, Pugh says, “of the great need for well-built, well-designed homes that people can actually afford and want to own.”
At the Long Valley FirstHome project, homes are already under construction, so purchasers have the comfort of knowing they can move in 30, 60 or 90 days, depending on the arrangement.
“We all know family friends who bought a home somewhere and the joke is, ‘I’m moving in in April, but of what year I don’t know,’ ” Pugh quips. “So there’s great value in certainty.”
The FirstHome program offers a number of programs and incentives to make first-time home ownership more feasible.
Purchasers at Long Valley can take advantage of a gradual deposit payment plan: they pay $2,500 with the agreement of purchase and sale, another $2,500 within 10 days of the purchase and then $1,000 every month until they reach 5 per cent of the purchase price or they move into the home. “We’re not making the hurdle so insurmountable that (home ownership) becomes unattainable,” says Pugh, a vice president with Daniels.
There’s also the Live Free program: Daniels waives interim occupancy fees until the condominium is registered, so purchasers at Long Valley can move in, and not pay rent — only the deposit payments each month until they reach the 5 per cent down payment (versus the 20 per cent down payment normally required for pre-construction purchases).
Because the developer has already got the project under construction, “we know exactly when we can trigger registration; we know what that interim occupancy risk is, so we can just forgo the fees,” Pugh notes. “But we expect that you put that (saved) money toward your down payment.”
He likens the arrangement to a guy living in his parents’ basement: the parents charge him $400 a month, which they put into a bank account. When he’s ready to buy a home, they give it back to him for his down payment.
“We’re going to take those funds and put them directly toward your deposit, which becomes your down payment,” says Pugh. “We give 100 per cent of that money back to you.”
The developer has also worked with RBC to cap mortgage rates at Long Valley. “We’re trying to negotiate mortgages for everyone in the community, or negotiating the ability for them to buy bulk,” Pugh says. “We’ve brought our influence to bear as best we can to try and get buyers the best rate available.”
FirstHome communities are targeted at young single buyers or younger couples, downsizers, as well as new arrivals to the GTA. “It’s probably a bit of a shock when you get here and realize what property values are like, and what you can afford,” he says. “So this gets them started.”
The homes are also well suited for families who want a parent living close by, but not necessarily with them, he notes.
Daniels safeguards against investors buying up blocks of these properties by selling one home per each person in the lineup; no homes are pre-sold. But there’s nothing stopping buyers from subsequently renting out their units, says Pugh.
Marta Cichocka is a FirstHome fan.
The Mississauga resident, who works in the logistics industry, bought a one-bedroom condo at the second phase of Daniels’ Destination Drive project in May and moved in this past June.
Cichocka says she was attracted to the FirstHome community by the incentives, citing the five per cent down payment in particular. “Putting up 20 per cent of the purchase price, that’s kind of hard,” she says. “It was easier for me to do it month by month and that way I was able to save more.”
The living rent-free part was nice, too. Though she moved into her place in June, her closing date wasn’t until September. But Cichocka hasn’t had to make any added payments. “All I did was pay my deposits toward 5 per cent and I had no extra rent to pay. It goes toward your purchase.”
Plus Daniels threw in a years’ worth of Rogers cable, Internet and phone free, “which is a year of not worrying about those payments, as well,” she says.
For more information call 905-814-0123 or visit www.danielsfirsthome.ca.
Source http://www.thestar.com/

Poor Indonesians Make Money in Jakarta’s Traffic as Jockeys

By Sandy Hausman

With 20 million vehicles on the streets each day, and with far less pavement than in big cities like New York, Singapore and Tokyo, traffic in Jakarta is terrible. Deden Rukmana, who teaches urban planning at Savannah State University, says the population of the world’s sixth largest metropolis has been growing so fast that the city can’t keep up.
“In 2000, they had 20 million and in 2010 up to 28 million. There is a study showing that Jakarta will have total traffic gridlock by 2014,” he said.
To reduce the number of cars on the road, lawmakers have designated several main arteries as what they call “Three in One zones.” During the morning and afternoon rush, you can’t drive there unless you have at least three people on board. That’s why, near the entrances to the zones, men, women and children line up – raising their index finger – offering to rent themselves to commuters in a hurry.
20-year-old Litjak climbs into a black sedan, cradling her 2-month-old daughter Nabilah. Together, they’ll help a college student get to class on time. The baby gives Litjak a competitive advantage, providing two passengers for the price of one.
Litjak says she can make at least two trips in a morning, collecting two or three dollars to help pay for household expenses. She never worries about her safety, and she likes the work. People who can afford to pay have nice cars, so she sits in air conditioned comfort, listening to the radio.
She and others in this line of work are called traffic jockeys. They dress neatly each day and may have regular customers. For some, it’s their only income. Others, like 21-year-old Adik, see this as an easy way to make extra cash when he’s not on the job parking cars.
“Oh yeah. Sometimes it’s a good deal. Sometimes, when I hit it lucky, when it’s a good day I can make a lot,” Adik says. “There are no guarantees when you do this kind of thing. But sometimes I get 20,000 rupiahs.”
That’s about $2.35 in a city where the poor live on less than a dollar a day. Jockeys are well worth the price for 50-year-old Fannie, who doesn’t want to give her last name. A busy executive with a pharmaceutical firm, she recalls rainy days when it took two hours to get to work and three hours to get home.“So in order to avoid that, we usually pick up a young boy,” she says. “Actually, our office is over there. So, actually for him to go back to where we picked him up is not so far. He just can go across the bridge. He can walk back? Yeah.”
It is not legal to work as a jockey. Some have been arrested and drivers can be fined. But Fannie and her passenger say they’ve never been caught. 14-year-old Allah sits in the front seat by Fannie’s driver. He’ll head for school in afternoon, but in the morning he is excited to be seeing the city, learning his way around and earning money for books and other family expenses. It is money that Fannie is happy to provide.
“We help somebody to make a living. That’s what I think,” she says.
But the jockeys of Jakarta may be endangered by their own success. Government officials say the money spent on these professional hitchhikers could instead help pay for mass transit, and they’re considering creating toll roads to replace Three in One Zones. Indonesia has also secured a $1.3 billion loan from Japan to build a rapid transit system. But that project, like the traffic, is moving slowly, with completion.

House prices in England and Wales edge up in August

Average house prices 5.5% below peak of 2008, as respected report contradicts recent bank figures showing price falls

 A rise of 1.6% in London house prices played a role in August's rise for England and Wales. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

The average house price in England and Wales edged up by 0.3% in August according to the latest LSL Property Services/Acadametrics house price index, however prices remained down by 2.2% year-on-year,
The annual price fall mirrors June's annual house price deflation figure of -2.2% – which was the largest year-on-year drop since last December and takes the price of an average home to £219,078. It means house prices are £12,751, or 5.5%, below the peak of £231,828 recorded in February 2008.
The monthly gain was boosted by a 1.6% rise in prices in London.
LSL estimated that the number of housing transactions would rise by 1.5% to 64,500 in August, "completely defying the classic summer slowdown", when transactions usually fall by 1.5% during the month.
David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services, said: "While some regions have seen prices fall, the rate of fall has shrunk. The housing market across the country is moving in the right direction. Mortgage finance is very cheap at the moment – it's just hard to get if you don't have a hefty deposit."
He added: "With major lenders like Santander cutting their mortgage rates by 1% this week, buyers who are able to put up at least a quarter of the value of their purchase can pick up bargains.
"The fact that the properties are so reasonably priced is also helping allay lenders' fears about borrowers' ability to pay for their loans."
Figures from surveying firm eSurv show that mortgage approvals rose from 49,239 in July to 49,566 in August – marking the biggest year-on-year rise since May 2010.
Buyers with a deposit of 15% or less accounted for more than 10% of total approvals in August, a high for this year but still well short of the 22% seen in August 2008. Purchase approvals with a high loan-to-value grew at almost twice the pace of the rest of the market in August.
Newnes said that first-time buyers with less money still can't get a mortgage easily, with the number of flats sold falling almost twice as far from 2007 highs as the number of detached homes.
"The UK housing market is now not only fragmented by region, but also by property type, with owners of larger detached property holding much more equity since the credit crisis than those of more modest homes."
Housing minister Grant Shapps sounded a note of warning this week, telling Bloomberg UK homeowners should not expect to make money from their property. "Gone are the days where you buy a house for capital appreciation. House prices can still go up, but they need to go up in line with or less than increases in average earnings for the long term," he said.
"We need a greater supply of homes in this country. We have an unacceptable situation where people cannot afford to have a roof over their head. People can't afford to buy the product because they can't get the mortgages. They can't get the mortgages because the multipliers are so high for how much they require compared with their salary. We need a long-term period of house-price stability in order to allow the majority of the population to afford homes again."
Matt Griffiths of first-time buyer website PricedOut said the dominance of cash buyers and the small number of transactions are probably giving an "unjustified sense of the health of the housing market at present".
He added: "The housing market remains very disfunctional, with a substantial possibility of further price falls. It's great that the government is realising how damaging high house prices are, but their preferred option of a long period of housing market stagnation would still leave many priced out of the market for years. This is not a pretty option for those growing number of families who will be left in an insecure private rented sector."
LSL's index is considered more robust than rivals as it uses the actual prices at which every property in England and Wales was sold, including those bought with cash, incorporating Land Registry data rather than valuation estimates or asking prices.
But its figures contradict recently published data from Halifax and Nationwide, which showed prices falling in August by a respective 1.2% and 0.6%.
Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/

£24m man Nasri hopes to make home bow for City despite nursing broken finger

By Sportsmail Reporter
Manchester City are optimistic Samir Nasri's broken finger will not prevent the midfielder making his Etihad Stadium bow when the Blues host Wigan in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
The player said on Twitter on Thursday night: 'Thank you for your messages. I broke my finger during the last international game, I will let you if I will be able to play Saturday.'
The club are yet to confirm the nature of the injury but are not thought to be overly concerned about the problem.

 Nasri came on as a 75th-minute substitute in France's goalless Euro 2012 qualifier in Romania on Tuesday.
However, the £24million signing from Arsenal last month remains in contention for the Latics clash, which will be his home debut for City should he feature.
The playmaker has already excited Blues fans with an impressive first run-out for his new club, setting up two goals for Edin Dzeko in a storming 5-1 victory at Tottenham just under two weeks ago.
Since then, City boss Roberto Mancini has further boosted his midfield with the transfer deadline-day capture of free agent Owen Hargreaves.
Mancini's move for the 30-year-old former England international - who was released by Manchester United earlier in the summer after an injury-blighted four-year spell at Old Trafford - came as a surprise to many at the end of a window in which the Blues once again flexed their considerable financial muscle.

The Italian coveted Daniele de Rossi of Roma and Real Madrid's Fernando Gago, but has revealed bringing City in line with UEFA's financial fair play regulations was the reason for the acquisition of Hargreaves.
Mancini said: 'Gago is a player we liked a lot. We couldn't spend any more money also for the question of financial fair play.
'De Rossi is one of the best midfielders in the world but I don't believe he will ever leave Roma.
'So in midfield we signed Hargreaves, who was out of contract.'
Mancini's assistant David Platt added: 'We needed a central midfield player but unfortunately in terms of players going out and bringing in transfer fees, a lot have gone out on loan, so fees haven't come in for them.
'You have to get creative.'

Emperor's new home

FOR years he looked down on Broad Street as one of Oxford’s most recognisable landmarks.
Now one of the 13 ‘Emperors’ erected on square pillars outside the Sheldonian Theatre has been given a new home in the grounds of an historic home in Horspath.
The three-tonne stone bust was bought at auction by Mensun Bound, the celebrated Oxford marine archaeologist, better known for acquiring his treasures from sunken ships.
But the man who featured in the Dosciver Channel’s Lost Ships series could not pass the chance of grabbing a piece of Oxford history when it up for auction at Mallam’s in Abingdon.
The Emperor will be officially unveiled on Saturday in the courtyard of Horspath Manor, where Mr Bound has lived for 13 years. It was lowered onto pedestal on Tuesday, in less than imperial style, on a local farmer’s forklift truck.
Mr Bound bought the bust for £3,000. He said: “They are known as Emperors but I’ve seen them referred to as philosophers and apostles. It’s good for the bust to remain near Oxford.
“The Worcester College choir will be here singing at the unveiling, which will hopefully raise money for the village church.”
The unveiling will be carried out by the poet and dramatist Francis Warner, of St Peter’s College.
At the Mallam’s sale it was described as “an English limestone sculptured herm bust of a philosopher circa 1860, 56” high 26” deep”.
But Mr Bound has been told it is more likely to be one of the original heads put in place in the late 1660s when Christopher Wren commissioned William Byrd, the Oxford stonemason.
The heads make appearances in major works of literature including John Betjeman’s poetry and Max Beerbohm’s novel Zuleika Dobson.
Source http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/

Fair welcomes artists to showcase talents close to home

Last year, Hartland Township artist Larry Hall brought his unique woodwork to the Hamburg Community Fine Arts Fair for some much-needed exposure in his home county.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15, he and many other local artists and crafters will make their way to the Hamburg Township Library to attend the Hamburg Community Fine Arts Fair.
Organizers are hoping even more area artists will participate, but participants must have their submissions approved by Sept. 24.
The library is at 10411 Merrill Road.
Hall said he plans to display his creations — tables and benches he's created using recycled barn wood — because he'd like to attract attention in the area.
His woodworking projects, which do not use nails or staples, fit pieces of local collapsed barns together "like puzzle pieces" and have attracted significant attention in the Ann Arbor and Farmington Hills area.
"I went last year, and it was new for me," Hall said. "I want to be able to show my work in Livingston County. The fine arts fair is great for that."
Marilyn Grinnel, a clerk at the library and coordinator of the program, said the fair gives artists exposure while raising money for the library. Each artist pays a nominal fee to have his or her work on display.
"We have interesting art pieces and beautiful art being featured from many local artists," Grinnel said. "This would be a wonderful time for people to shop for the holidays. Everything is for sale."
Visitors are likely to see pottery, pen-and-ink creations, woodcarvings, sculptures, photography, textiles, jewelry, glass and paintings in watercolor, oil, acrylics and pastels.
Grinnel said she'd like to see this year's Hamburg Community Fine Arts Fair top last year's in terms of artist attendance; last year, the event brought in more than 35 local artists.
Funds raised from the fair will help the library purchase books, something that hasn't been particularly easy in recent years. Grinnel said the state's sagging economy has actually brought more patrons to the library, which offers free copying, resume faxing and Internet use — all key services for people looking to land a job.
Libraries, however, aren't receiving any more money to provide these services, so Grinnel said any funds the library raises on its own are vital.
Submissions are open to artists in all media. Only items approved by the committee may be displayed. For more information and an application, visit www.hamburglibrary.org or call the library at (810) 231-1771.
Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Frank Konkel at (517) 552-2835 or at fkonkel@gannett.com.
Source http://www.livingstondaily.com/

Home Bought for $1 Threatened by Foreclosure

By Stefan Holt 

If you drive down Elm Street in Glen Ellyn, you can't miss Linda Hatchell's home. It's the gray two story Victorian with a wraparound porch.

"This was my dream," the recent cancer survivor said while sitting in the wood-trimmed dining room. "I saw the fireplace, the mantel and I was drooling."

You can smell the sturdy wood that wraps the home in vintage comfort. In the entry way, an original punch clock built in 1904 by International Business Machine (the company we know today as IBM).

Hatchell's history with this home began with love at first sight. Sadly, a "For Sale" sign now sits in front of Hatchell's dream home.

"It wasn't financially possible for me to keep the house," she said. Many of her belongings and antiques are packed and ready to move, but she is first waiting for a new owner to love the century’s old house as much as she has.

The first walls were erected in 1895, but the address wasn’t always on Elm Street. The entire home was plucked off the ground and moved to its current locale in 1989.

The house first lived off of Main Street, built for then-Village President Edgar McChesney. His name now proudly adorns a plaque next to the front door.

After decades of neglect, it was eventually purchased by the nearby Glen Ellyn Bible Church to be used as a place to hold Sunday school. But the building had already fallen into disrepair, and the cost to update the house to modern day building codes were unrealistic for the church leaders. They decided the building needed to be demolished for an expansion project.

It seemed the house's fate had been sealed until village leaders hesitated to grant demolition permits because of the building's historical significance.

The home was put on the market with an asking price of just $1 dollar and the stipulation that the buyer pay to move the entire house off of its location to make room for construction.

"I wanted to do it," Hatchell said excitedly, recalling that she paid for the house with coins minted the same year as the house was built.

A real estate deal that some might consider a steal, it soon required a lot more money and a lot of energy.

Hatchell said she contacted a family company that specialized in moving houses. After three tries with the village council, she finally got the approval to disassemble the houses's second story and truck the entire building down Main Street to its final location on Elm.

Just before a crane lifted the roof of the house, the crane operator pulled Hatchell aside.

"He goes, 'You know, I've never done anything like this before,'" she chuckled while remembering the conversation. "Who has?"

Crowds lined the street like a parade as the crane then plopped the house down at its new home. The cost of moving the home was more than $50,000 dollars.

The move did take its toll on the structure. There was some rain damage, and many walls needed to be torn down. Hatchell performed a bulk of the demolition and the wiring herself to save money.

The restoration brought the home up to code, but cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. She worked several jobs, took out credit cards, a mortgage, and even refinanced to help pay for the house.

Fast forward to 2005, Hatchell lost her job in the loan industry, and then in 2009, a doctor confirmed her worst fears: cancer. Medical expenses began to mount alongside the cost of her dream home.

Then the bank began to threaten foreclosure.

"I had one year left on my mortgage, and it would have been paid off," Hatchell tearfully said.

She has sold some of her antiques and is hoping to sell her home to help pay the bank, and be able to get back on her feet.

"I wanted to live here for as long as possible," she said.

But even knowing what she knows today, she said she would do it all over again.

"It wasn’t that it was a mistake, it was just that my future wasn’t as bright.

League park Crusaders' new home

By PAUL GORMAN

 NEW DIGS: Addington's Rugby League Park will be the home of the Crusaders Super rugby team for the forseeable future.

Rugby League Park will be the new home for the Crusaders and a possible rugby test venue for Christchurch.
Christchurch City councillors today approved a proposal for a temporary 18,600-seat stadium at the Addington venue, which will replace the earthquake-damaged AMI Stadium for now.
Ratepayers may have to pay up to $1 million to get the park into shape for rugby, rugby league and football games.
New turf, lighting and player facilities will be installed at the park.
Cr Sue Wells said it was a "great solution" as the Crusaders could not be expected to travel vast distances around the world again next season because they had no home ground.
Mayor Bob Parker agreed. "Who would stand in the way of this?"
The Canterbury Rugby Football League is the council's existing tenant and has agreed to sub-lease the ground to the Canterbury Rugby Football Union for up to six years.
Source http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Make Money in Regional Bank Stocks the Easy Way

By Selena Maranjian, The Motley Fool
Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you expect regional banks to do well due to persistent low interest rates and their generally more conservative lending nature, the SPDR KBW Regional Banking ETF (NYS: KRE) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which companies will perform best, you can use this ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.

The basics
ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The bank ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is a relatively low 0.35%.
Obviously, the banking swoon has made this ETF performed pretty badly over the past five years, with an average annual loss of 13.7%. As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver.
With a low turnover rate of 13%, this fund isn't frantically and frequently rejiggering its holdings, as many funds do.

What's in it?
Several of this ETF's components made strong contributions to its performance over the past year. Pinnacle Financial Partners (NAS: PNFP) , for example, gained about 20% over the past year, serving customers in Tennessee. Part of its run-up was likely tied to speculation that the bank would be acquired. That has happened to many regional banks, as big banks maintain their too-big-to-fail status. Indeed, according to former finance professor and Fed economist Jack Guttentag, three-fifths of the home mortgage market belongs to just four big banks -- Wells Fargo (NYS: WFC) , Citigroup (NYS: C) , Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase (NYS: JPM) .
Other companies have held back the ETF's returns in the past year, but could have a more positive effect in the years to come. Associated Banc-Corp (NAS: ASBC) , which mainly serves Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, shed about 19% of its value. In recent months, its insiders have been doing more buying than selling, which is auspicious, but the bank is still working off some bad loans and has not yet paid back all of its TARP bailout money.
The big picture
A well-chosen ETF can grant you instant diversification across any industry or group of companies -- and make investing in and profiting from it that much easier.
ETFs can help you find the way to better investing results. To find some great ETF investing ideas, take a look at The Motley Fool's special free report, " 3 ETFs Set to Soar During the Recovery ."At the time this article was published Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of JPMorgan Chase, but she holds no other position in any company mentioned. Click here to see her holdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase. The Fool owns shares of and has created a ratio put spread position on Wells Fargo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Home educators deserve break on their taxes

I applaud our wonderful state of Indiana for giving a $1,000 tax deduction for every child that is home-schooled. Many oppose our state's decision to financially enable a parent to opt their child out of the public school system and choose a private or home-school system.One of the main problems in our society is people fail to think deeply. The government gets its money from those who work and make money. They take the money from people who are making money and build roads, schools and develop other programs. The government does not make money; it uses my money.For over a decade I have chosen to pay my own expenses for the education of my children while at the same time paying for other people's children to be educated in a public system. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average cost of public educated is $10,441 per pupil per year (www.nces.edu.gov). At that rate, with four children, I have saved our government over $450,000 by choosing to educate my children at home.
Stop scolding private and home educators! We are doing society a favor by opting out of public education and saving thousands of dollars of government funds. Finally receiving a voucher or tax deduction is fully justified and I applaud the State of Indiana for its decision.
Christopher Monaghan,
Webster
Source http://www.pal-item.com/

New Money Making System Released and Getting Rave Reviews

by: theprconn Release
san diego (OPENPRESS) September 7, 2011 - The Easy Retired Millionaire make-money from home system has generated waves of reviews in cyberspace. It has been considered even a hot topic for some time now. This system claims that one will earn a minimum of thousands of dollars per week just via the system without even doing anything extra like selling, advertising, recruiting or making websites.
Many people get attracted with this concept because there is little risk and the rewards can be very, very beneficial. It's always good to keep a healthy skepticism and read my review here before deciding.
The system is being presented on the Easy Retired Millionaire website which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also promises a very solid and reliable customer support for all its members.
It teaches people how to earn money online through the use of the internet. It mentions testimonials saying it to be a great money making system that is fool-proof.
Overall in our analysis, Easy Retired Millionaire has been said to be a good program that is helping people. However, remember that even the greatest programs out there are not perfect. You may check out various programs and pick the best one that suits your needs.
For example, one thing to watch out for is when a product is linked to casinos.
However, Easy Retired Millionaire should not be in this category at all. It may be tempting when you first hear what it is being offered, especially if you do not have to actually do anything that's required of most of the people for success.
Whatever you decide to get yourself into, make sure it's something that can earn residual income. The best way to start making money online with a product is to ensure it allows low-cost methods to start up.
Many businesses and money-making methods fail at first because cash flow is not managed properly. So even if you are using a good program, it is still wise to keep an eye on the income you are producing on a daily basis.
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Don’t forget players who helped make this possible

By Seve Gedge

So another transfer window closes and in the real world – ie not an utter fantasy one in which clubs such as Fulham and Stoke can somehow manage to spend £10m and £12m on individual signings – we lose more of the players who, to a great or small degree, have assisted the Canaries in their rapid rise up the league ladder.

 I thought getting rid of Anthony McNamee on a free transfer to MK Dons was, in the circumstances, a reasonably shrewd piece of business.
No transfer fee, but someone who wouldn’t have come cheap and also wasn’t part of Paul Lambert’s plans – his one major transfer failure, you might say – off the wage bill early.
And that also goes for Stephen Hughes, even if he did manage to score three times as many goals for Norwich as McNamee. (Or, put another way, three, as opposed to one.)
It’s rather a different situation with Oli Johnson, though. Having come from non-league via Stockport he can’t have exactly been among City’s big earners, so there appears to be a game of brinkmanship going on with Yeovil as to how big a transfer fee a club who began the season with a crowd of just 3,237 can afford.
You would have thought it won’t be much.
Johnson plainly has no future here, so it can’t be doing anyone any good to keep him here until the hope that someone might offer a few more quid in January.
Granted we’re talking about a club here who can no longer afford to let season-ticket holders into reserve games free, so every penny counts, but in any other sport surely sentiment would play a part?
Someone would look at the dramatic goals against Southend or setting up the winner against Brentford that took us to the top of League One and think that this had earned them a right to start afresh elsewhere.
Which brings us to Cody McDonald.
A good piece of business for the Canaries, certainly, and I hope he gets the chance of a decent run of games, because that was never going to happen here.
But, as a City fan, it does rather annoy me the perfunctory manner in which players are almost bundled out of the back door at great speed.
Granted, McDonald had committed that most heinous of footballing crimes – to have been signed by a previous manager – but we are talking here about a player who played a big part in one of our most dramatic wins of the last couple of years – the 2-1 midweek triumph on a gluepot of a pitch at Walsall.
Surely he at least deserved the “We’d like to thank X for his hard work while at the club and wish him all the best for his future career” kind of statement usually trotted out when someone sacks a manager.
But no, on the club website at least there was nothing to be seen.
I think there are times that everyone gets swept up in the moment. It’s all too easy to forget that all the players mentioned above have had a hand, however, small, in making sure that the Canaries have played in only one Johnstone’s Paint trophy campaign.
The likes of Michael Rose and Stephen Elliott might be long gone – while even Jon Otsemobor managed to score what was effectively the winner against Wycombe in Paul Lambert’s first home game in charge, but their efforts should not be consigned to history as we begin a four-week spell that will end with the Canaries playing in front of the biggest league crowd in their history at Old Trafford.
• TRIP TO BOLTON IS BETTER FOR THE SOUL
It’ll be interesting to see how the ticket sales pick up for the Bolton game over the next 10 days.
Unlike for the Wigan game you suspect there might be a slower, more steady stream of business at the box office.
A ground we’ve only visited once in a decade – and even then because it was an early-evening Sky-televised encounter there was one of the season’s lowest away followings – and I can’t imagine that any of the next 16 away tickets are going to be as cheap as £22, and yet you can’t help but think that the casual away fan will forego this one and instead save up their money for Old Trafford a fortnight later.
Which is a pity – and yet sums up the nature of the Premier League matchday experience built up by the relentless marketing machine over the past two decades; it’s all about the big names and occasions rather than the football.
Bolton is one of those more established Premier League venues you look at and wonder: “Could we maybe get something there?” (See also Blackburn, West Brom and Wolves.)
After all, it’s got to happen sometime. I don’t believe for one moment that we will go through this Premier League season without a single away victory.
It might very possibly come at the Reebok Stadium, but everything points to it definitely not occurring at Old Trafford.
Indeed, if you were offered, right now, the chance of a repeat of our last trip to Manchester United – a narrow 2-1 defeat and no injuries or further red cards – we’d probably all take it.
But Bolton, like Wigan before it, is, you suspect, much more our kind of venue than the Old Traffords or Stamford Bridges of this world.
On the back of the visit to Chelsea last week I must admit that at some point I’d like to go to a City away game at a big ground and sit among the home fans – just to see what the atmosphere is really like.
When you’re in the middle of a large travelling support you have no idea of the noise levels elsewhere in the ground, but I imagine that at Chelsea they weren’t great.
It was a totally soulless occasion.
You can dress up your stadium as much as you like – with banners proclaiming support for Chelsea in ‘alien’ territory such as Swindon and east Cornwall, not to mention large parts of Ireland, but it was a totally corporate occasion.
I expect Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal to be exactly the same – and all watched by a capacity 3,000 away area.