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You have been waiting decades for this day. It is not your 100th birthday. It is not your 50th wedding anniversary. And, it not the day that the local TV station airs a 24-hour Star Trek marathon. Today, you will make the last payment on your home. You will officially own the house that you "bought" many years ago! All of those overtime hours at the office, those countless weekends hunting through the newspaper for coupons, and the constant insistence that all of your kids wear the hand-me-downs from their older siblings have paid off! Your trip up Mortgage Mountain was worth it. When we first take out a mortgage for our home, it is difficult to imagine the day that we will pay it off in full. But the journey begins when we search for an equity home loan mortgage rate.

Equity Is a Good Thing

Equity is the amount by which a property's appraised value is greater than the debt value. If a home's market value is $200,000 while the mortgage balance is 50,000, the property's equity value equals $150,000. So, equity is a good thing when taking out a mortgage. The greater the equity in the house, the better. Adding equity to your home is fairly easy. Of course, making a mortgage payment is one way to build equity. And the sooner that you reach a hundred percent equity - or own your home, the sooner you can retire, have genuine wealth, and experience less financial stress. Also, the more equity you have, the better the equity home loan mortgage rate you can find.

Making your monthly mortgage payments based on your equity home loan mortgage rate is just the start. You can engage in other ways to build extra equity. The following are ways to build extra equity.

* Improve the size or quality of your home, via home improvements. Remember, though, that some improvements are more advantageous than others. Remodeling bathrooms is usually more beneficial than adding a swimming pool. And remodeling kitchens is usually more beneficial than attaching a skull door-knocker on your front door.

* Make a higher initial down payment when buying your home. This will also increase the equity. Think about it this way: the more money you invest in your home, the less you can waste

* Make extra principal payments or add to your monthly payment that will be dedicated to your principal. Less debt means less interest, so less of your payment will go to interest, and more will go to your principal. Also, each dollar you send reduces your debt by an equal amount. However, check if your lender permits extra payments of principal.

* Secure a lower equity home loan mortgage rate will allow you to refinance, if you are now in a long term mortgage - 30 years, for example. Also, you could initially secure mortgage with a shorter term. A shorter mortgage term translates into paying down your principal faster, thus earning extra equity, faster.

Rating Rates

While building equity in your home is wise, searching for the best equity home loan mortgage rate is equally important. Many companies have search engines that can find the best rates for you. Factors considered include where you will buy your home, and the loan amount.

The first important step in buying a home is buying a home. Afterwards, adding equity to your home is important in adding value to it. That will give you the equity home loan mortgage rate that none other can equal.

Discover how the right equity home loan mortgage rate can help you add value to your home! WhatAboutLoans can help you learn more about loans, from home mortgage refinance rates to taking out mortgage loans with bad credit

It's not always possible to remove kool aid stains from carpet. All "red stains" are difficult to get out. Red coloring used in pop, candy, and other foods generally doesn't flush out with water. However, if you try the methods used by professional carpet cleaners, you may get that stain out.

First, use a shop-vac to suck some of the kool aid out, if you can get to the stain quickly. This can stop the spill from entering the carpet fibers. Getting out some or all of the remaining stain takes time.

Start with Dawn dishwashing detergent - the original blue type. Add five or six drops to two cups of warm water. Dampen a white cotton cloth with this solution and lay it over the stain. Then place a clothes iron on top of it, set on "low".

Let this sit for fifteen minutes, and don't press down. The red stain will start to wick up into the cloth. You should see red on the cloth. Fold it to use a clean part or apply a new cloth, and repeat the process.

It takes patience to get red stains out of carpet, but even year-old Kool Aid stains have been removed using this method. Repeat the process again and again until there is no more transfer of the red stain to the cloth. Rinse the spot with water, blot it up, and dry it quickly. Quick drying prevents any stain deeper down from wicking up to the surface.

To summarize: use clean white cotton cloth (several), low heat, and don't press or rub. Let the color wick up into the cloth at its own rate, then rinse and dry the area quickly. You can, at the very least, lighten Kool Aid stains and other red stains in carpet using this technique.

Steve Gillman has worked in the carpet cleaning industry for years. For more carpet-care information, and specific stain-by-stain removal instructions, visit http://www.HowToRemoveCarpetStains.com

Alaska was first populated by humans who came across from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge. It was via this route that most, if not all, of the pre-Columbian population reached the Americas. The Native American population included Inupiaq, Inuit and Yupik Eskimos, and Aleuts.

The first Europeans to reach Alaska came from Russia. Alaska became a Russian colony in 1744, although the first Russian settlement was founded only in 1784. Spanish ships also explored the coast and made some settlements during the 18th century. The names of some Spanish settlements such as Cordova and Valdez survive to this today.

Following the British North America Act of 1867, which created the unified dominion of Canada, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward urged, and the U.S. Senate approved, a treaty purchasing Alaska from Imperial Russia for US$7,200,000. The U.S. took possession of the territory, and raised the American flag on October 18th, 1867, which is still commemorated as "Alaska day". After the purchase, the area was initially called the Department of Alaska. Between 1884 and 1912, it was called the District of Alaska. Alaska was granted territorial status in 1912.

During World War II, three of the outer Aleutian Islands (Attu, Agattu and Kiska) were occupied by Japanese troops. This was the only area within the current borders of the United States to have been occupied by enemy forces during the war.

On January 3rd, 1959, Alaska became a US state.

On March 27th, 1964, a major earthquake, known as the "Good Friday Earthquake" or "Great Alaska Earthquake", hit Alaska killing 131 people, and causing tsunamis which destroyed several towns and villages.

First published at http://www.vacation2usa.com/p1_state_alaska_history.php

For more information about Alaska, please visit http://www.vacation2usa.com/p1_state_alaska.php

All professions have as their cornerstone and creed a code of ethics and or professional performance standards. The nursing profession is no different. As the field of nursing grows and changes in defining the role of a nurse, the central theme will always be that of caring. It can be said that, all other duties and responsibilities of nurses have centered around, caring. Caring has been described by many nursing theorist as the innate nature of a human being to be able to give unconditional help in the form of doing for, therapeutic communication, therapeutic touch, compassion, a gentleness of spirit and humbleness of knowing ones self.

Jean Watson, a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Counseling developed a theory of caring first published in 1979. She believed that caring was central to the profession of nursing as well as being the unifying principle of practice. The two major assumptions that she made are as follows:

1. Care and love constitute the primal and universal psychic energy.

2. Care and love are requisite for our survival and the nourishment of humanity.

Madeleine Leininger, a nurse and anthropologist proposed a theory of caring based on culture. She was able to see that how one society defines caring is not always the same as another society. For instance, in Asia, looking directly into anothers eyes is not a sign of respect but a sign of disrespect. Therefore a western nurse unaware of the Asian culture of caring would be seen as an uncaring and disrespectful person. Leininger termed this knowledge of cultural caring as, transcultural nursing.

Her beliefs are that culture is the broadest and the most holistic way to conceptualize, understand, and be effective with people. (1)

With the emergence of the, caring, theorists also came the emergence of Standards of Profession Performance. The two terms are entwined in their definitions. There cannot be one without the other. The American Nursing Association set forth the following requisites for standards of professional performance. It is within these standards that can be seen the unifying theme of caring.

Standard 1. Quality of Care.

The nurse systematically evaluates and effectiveness of nursing practice. The nurse does this by participating in peer review committees and in consistently evaluating his/her own performance and how her performance has enhanced the clients health and emotional wellness.

Standard II. Performance Appraisal

The nurse evaluates his/her own nursing practice in relation to the national and state statues set forth defining the role of nurse.

Standard III. Education

The nurse acquires and maintains current knowledge in nursing practice. Many states now require continuing educational credits to be earned by a nurse. The number of credits vary from state to state. However, a nurse cannot renew their license without proof of these continuing educational credits. These credits help to keep the nurse current with new medica/nursingl advancements related to patient care.

Standard IV. Collegiality

The nurse interacts with and contributes to the nursing profession by meeting with other professionals in the medical field, such as Physicians, Physical Therapist, Respiratory Therapists, and Home Care Coordinators, to exchange ideas and gain a mutual respect while stimulating a leaning environment that all will benefit.

Standard V. Ethics

The nurses decisions and actions in helping and caring for individuals are based on principles of ethics and institutional guidelines.

Standard VI. Collaboration

The nurse collaborates with other medical professionals in creating an environment for the clients that facilitate an increasing continuum of mental and physical wellness.

Standard VII. Research

The nurse will not cease to expand his/her educational horizons, and continue to seek out and explore new areas of research and statistics.

Standard VIII. Resource Utilization

The nurse will participate in committees within the organization to evaluate and increase the effectiveness of safety, costs in planning and delivering patient care.

It can be seen that within the guidelines of professional performance the center theme is the caring for the client from every aspect. It is within these guidelines that the nurse can better define his/her role as a the one individual who has the ability to enhance the clients mental and physical wellness by coordinating, educating, and working with others to promote a caring and supportive environment.

Learn more about nursing education at The NET Study Guide.

The nursing entrance test study guide provides nurses the assistance they need with the nursing entrance test. The nursing study guide helps nurses. Visit http://www.thenetstudyguide.com for more information.

Sometimes the house of your dreams just can't be found on the market. No problem, luckily you can build your own home. If your plans are well thought out and you carefully go through each step of the process, you could be living in an outstanding home you never thought was possible!

The most important aspect of building your own home is deciding on a budget. This will dictate each step of the process all the way through completion and beyond. Don't forget to add land cost to the budget of the entire project. It is also important to not forget Murphy's Law when doing a project this big, building estimates are just that, an estimate. There are numerous reasons that construction costs can increase slightly; be sure to leave a little extra room in your budget for changes to the plan.

The next step is deciding what kind of home you would like to build. Browsing through home and real estate magazines is a good start. The internet is also a great resource to get great ideas about your homes style and function. Once you have a general idea of the type of home you like, you should try to see some similar ones in your area. They don't need to be identical, but you can go down to a model home and see if you like or dislike certain features. Taking pictures of things you like is also a good idea; it can only help your designer draw up a plan exactly like you imagine it.

Purchasing the land is the next big step. You should, of course, have a general idea of what kind of land you want, but don't automatically filter out properties that don't exactly fit your search criteria. Keep in mind how much backyard space you would like, how big the house is you are planning on building, and what you are going to use the land for. For example, do you plan on putting in a swimming pool? How about having animals on your property? Would you like a little privacy from the neighbors, or just a good view?

As soon as you have purchased the land that fits your dream home, the next step is hiring a general contractor to oversee and manage the building of your house. It is a very good idea to call at least a handful of contractors and to have each of them give you an estimate. Make sure you ask their price per square foot, inquire about specifics that you would like on your house that may cost extra, and definitely ask for some references from each builder. Most contractors will be more than happy to show you homes they have built before and the homeowners will often answer any questions or concerns you have about the contractor. This is also a good time to check your budget. Is the home you have imagined going to fit into your budget?

The biggest determining factor of your budget is going to be securing financing. Contacting lenders is the next step towards building your home. Make sure to shop around for the best rates and situation that fits your finances best. By securing a loan you will get the money to go forward and will also have a better idea about how big your budget for the rest of the project will be.

The hard part is now over and the exhilarating part begins. Choosing paint colors, carpeting, and cabinets are just a few of the many exciting options you have when building your own home. You also get to observe the building process in action and see your new home being erected each and everyday. For many people this is fun, because they have put a lot of work into their project and are excited to see it come into fruition.

Building your own home is certainly a lot of work, but the benefits can not be overlooked. Careful planning and patience will go a long way into making sure everything works out just as expected. Believe me, once you move in to your new home you will be thrilled!

Sara Green is the real estate marketing director for Placerville real estate where you can find local school information, full access to the Sacramento California area MLS listings.

Before we get too deep into that amount that you can expect out of a Reverse Mortgage on your home, lets first clarify that Federal law requires that before signing anything, a person considering a reverse mortgage must receive mandatory counseling at no charge provided by an independent third party so that you understand the ramifications of what you're doing.

Because of some problems in the 1990s, this is one of the federal safeguards have been put into place to that ensure seniors get a fair deal. For instance, the fee to originate a reverse mortgage varies only slightly because the maximum you can be charged is 2-percent of the value of your home, up to the FHA mortgage limit in your area. There's no need to shop interest rates because they are the same nationwide.

On Reverse Mortgages, It's important for seniors to understand that while they are not making payments on the loan, interest is accruing and is being added to the principal. In other words, the outstanding loan value gets larger and their equity gets smaller over time -- just the opposite of a regular mortgage. Insurance is in place on a reverse mortgage to ensure that you will always receive your monthly payment and, when you move out of the home or pass on, the amount owed will never exceed that equity in the home. Unlike a traditional loan, with a Reverse Mortgage, It's also important to recognize how your estate will be affected.

You can only qualify for a reverse mortgage only on a property that is your primary residence. Just as with a regular mortgage, you will be responsible for maintaining the property in good condition, as well as for paying property taxes and homeowner's insurance.

The amount that can you actually pull out of your home with a reverse mortgage depends upon three factors: your age, the value of your home and current interest rates. The older you are, the more money you can borrow. Your shorter life expectancy means fewer years for the loan value to build up.

While you generally apply for a reverse mortgage through a local mortgage broker (some banks also offer them), they are generally all backed by one of two entities - Fannie Mae, a quasi-governmental buyer of mortgages, and the federal Housing and Urban Development Agency, or H.U.D. Reverse mortgages backed by both Fannie Mae and H.U.D. come with federal insurance that guarantees the payments. However, each uses different factors to determine how much they're willing to lend.

There is even a reverse mortgage for the wealthy, but house-poor. They are called Jumbo Reverse Mortgages for those who have homes valued at more than the standard limits (currently $400,000) of the FHA and HUD. These are called Proprietary reverse mortgages and the Lenders are commercial institutions and they use non government, commercial insurance to back the reverse mortgage.

The National Reverse Mortgage Lender's homepage has a nifty calculator that will let you run a side-by-side comparison. All you have to do is fill in the homeowner's date of birth (you must be at least 62), value of the home, and zip code. In seconds it tells you how much of a reverse mortgage each lender will provide.

Taking a hypothetical home worth $120,000 in a zip code near where I live, but varied the age of the applicant. H.U.D.'s "Home Equity Conversion Mortgage" (HECM) provides a bigger loan, mainly because it's based on lower interest rate projections than the ones used in Fannie Mae's "Homekeeper" product..

If you are 65, you could get a Lump Sum of $73,389 or $395 per month for life.

If you are 75, you could get a Lump Sum of $81,881 or $503 per month for life.

If you are 85, you could get a lump sum of $91,606 or $748 per month for life.

When you close on a Reverse Mortgage, there's lots of flexibility to arrange payments the way you wish. For instance, instead of receiving monthly payments for a long as you live, you could choose to receive them for a certain period of years. Or use a combination of, say, 15 years or life, whichever is longer. Alternatively, you can simply set up a line of credit that you can tap into for varying amounts whenever you need the cash.

If you are a senior citizen, you can be sure that your children would not want you to do without! You worked hard all those years to build equity in your home, now it might be time for your home to pay you for a change! Take the idea seriously and investigate it thoroughly. You will be glad you did!

Resources:Don Seibert is a retired business executive who, as an Expert Author, writes timely articles on many issues concerning retirement. He has extensive experience in residential mortgages and is the host of http://www.retiree-finance.com. Visit the site for a complete discussion of Reverse Mortgages