5 Secrets for Getting the Best Last-Minute Travel Deals

5 Secrets for Getting the Best Last-Minute Travel Deals
By Barbara Pronin

Summer is slipping away, and if you're feeling the heat but think you've missed the boat on vacationing, the consumer editors at Reader's Digest say it's not too late to find a bargain.

Granted, the best deals on air travel and some vacation packages are offered months in advance. But Digest editors wrested a few cool tips from Toronto-based travel agent Brian Simpson on getting the best deals on last-minute travel:

Don't confuse "last-minute" with "short notice." Last-minute travel is generally accepted to mean short-notice travel, taking place within about 14 days from when you booked. However, short-notice travel means you show up at the airport and buy your ticket, as in many a rom-com movie. This method will cost you an arm and a leg, but savings of 30 to 50 percent are fairly easy to find if you can book two weeks before you pack.

Airfare deals need the most sleuthing. The best last-minute deals are often found in package deals, which include the airfare. Last-minute deals on airfare alone are rare, although tour operators needing to fill a charter flight will sometimes offer really low prices, so that's the place to start looking if you're looking for late-date airfare.

Mid-week travel is best. Traveling on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday can save you big bucks no matter how far ahead you book. For last-minute travel, it's crucial, so plan a Wednesday to Wednesday vacation if you can.

Be savvy about last-minute hotel deals. The best path for late-date hotel deals may be with Priceline, where you can name your price. Hotels like it because it helps them to fill empty rooms. But you won't know which hotel has "won" your business until you've accepted the deal, so it may not be the best choice if you are really choosy.

Last-minute travel is best for adventurers. You'll find the best deals if you are willing to take a bit of potluck about destination. The search may be less successful if you're stuck on one place and have no flexibility on vacation dates.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.

5 Reasons to Build a New Home

5 Reasons to Build a New Home
By Jeff Fung

You're exhausted. It seems like house-hunting will never end and each home you view isn't how you envisioned it. There aren't enough bedrooms, or the home just isn't your style. It's tough to dole out the big bucks for a place that you just aren't 100-percent in love with.

However, there's always another option. You can always build. Building a new home offers an array of options. You can customize it the way you like and plan it to your exact specifications. It gives you the freedom to make it yours—as opposed to building off of someone else's choices and ideas. Not convinced? Here are our top five reasons why you should build your new home:

You get to choose the neighborhood. Maybe you saw the perfect home, but the neighborhood was anything but ideal. It's all about location, location, location! For some, location is even more important than what's actually inside the home itself. When you build your own home, you get to choose the neighborhood. The options are endless, which means you'll get both the house you like and the ideal neighborhood you want.

It's brand new, meaning no repairs are needed—at least not anytime soon. Older homes frequently come with their fair share of repairs and necessary upgrades. With all the maintenance, suddenly owning a home can feel like a part-time job. When you build a new home, everything is new. You likely won't have to pay for repairs or renovations for years to come. This means you'll actually be able to sit back and relax and enjoy your new digs!

Newer energy-efficient systems will save you money. When it comes to older homes, water and electrical systems often aren't up to par with the newest technology. Things like air conditioning, heat and water end up costing way more in an older home. In a new home, you can select the most energy-efficient systems. This will help you save money on those monthly bills and in the long run—meaning you can put your money toward other exciting adventures, such as that new car or that vacation you've been longing to go on!

You get to select flooring, paint colors, countertops, and more! Building a new home means customization! You get to choose it all—your home, your style. It can be really fun, and it can also help you feel like you have more ownership over your home. You become more immersed in the building and design process, which can, in turn, help you understand your home more and allow you to create a space you truly love.

You create the house layout. Again, it's all about being able to customize. When building a new home, you get to set things to your exact specifications. Do you want an open-concept home? No problem. Do you have a vision about how the kitchen will be set up? Voice it. Building a new home means you can pick and choose when it comes to the layout of the house and floor plans.

Get the home you have always dreamed of. Start the process of building your new home today!

This appeared first on RISMedia's Housecall.

Jeff Fung is a project manager at Forever Homes in London, Ontario, Canada. Forever Homes focuses on building new houses that turn your dreams into reality.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.

Hurricane Florence: 755,000-Plus Homes Could Be Impacted by Storm Surge, Projections Show

Hurricane Florence: 755,000-Plus Homes Could Be Impacted by Storm Surge, Projections Show
By Liz Dominguez

Hurricane Florence is imminently making landfall, with the Category 4 storm (at press time) on track to batter the Carolinas and parts of Virginia, causing catastrophic damage in the region. According to CoreLogic preliminary projections, an estimated 758,657 homes could be devastated by the hurricane's storm surge, and reconstruction could total up to $170.2 billion.


Credit: CoreLogic

For agents and brokers in the path of the storm, preparations have been underway since the weekend.

"As soon as mandatory evacuations were announced, we gave our employees/admins the day off until the order is lifted," says Mike Cole, owner of Realty ONE Group Dockside in Myrtle Beach, S.C. "We wanted to make sure that they all had time to pack and be as secure as they needed to. We also notified our agents that there would be no admin/staff support on site at our offices, but that we were available via phone and email should they need us. This past weekend, we requested that agents go out and make sure their For Sale signs were picked up so they wouldn't become flying missiles should we take a big wind hit."

"Already, the grocery stores are empty as people prepare—the water and bread aisles are empty and gas stations are running out of gas," says Lee Goldstein, president of InTrust Realty in Raleigh, N.C. "It's a little bit of a frenzy. We've asked all of our agents to call their client database and let them know to call us should they sustain any damage to their homes. We can help them because we have an extensive list of people who can help solve their problems."

"I foresee the biggest challenge being power outages," Goldstein says. "People could have trouble getting out of their neighborhoods, there won't be any showings or viewings, and there won't be any open houses. When Hurricane Fran, a storm of similar strength, hit in 1996, there were trees down everywhere and people were out of power for 2-4 days."

According to Cindy Lisiecki, a REALTOR® with Charlotte – South Wilkinson ERA in North Carolina, there will be delays in transactions, as well.

"Homeowners insurance companies will not write new policies right now and all closings have been delayed until after the storm," says Lisiecki. "Additionally, agents are waiting to put new listings on the market until after the storm passes, and we've cancelled all open houses."

With catastrophic flooding predicted, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) again called for long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) ahead of the storm.

"As Hurricane Florence bears down on the East Coast, our prayers are with the millions of Americans in its path," said NAR president Elizabeth Mendenhall in a statement. "In these times, we are reminded of the importance of peace of mind for property owners with access to quality and affordable flood insurance.

"Although the National Flood Insurance Program is currently authorized through November, the NAR remains focused on ensuring Congress and the White House enact long-term reauthorization and reforms to strengthen the program's sustainability. Flooding is the most common disaster in the United States—one that affects Americans in communities both coastal and inland every year. As another potential historic flooding event looms, we urge Congress to take up the fight for responsible long-term NFIP reform as swiftly as possible."

Liz Dominguez is RISMedia's associate content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.

Getting a Better Marketing ROI

Getting a Better Marketing ROI


If you run a small or large business, or even manage a robust social media presence, you may wonder about the return on your marketing investment. According to NY-based web design company, Lounge Lizard, there is a misconception that marketing ROI is a fixed number depending on the medium. Below, Lounge Lizard provides quick tips for better marketing ROI.

Use multiple messages early. A key to marketing is getting the right message to the right people. This is not always easy as sometimes a message might not resonate as you had hoped. One way to work around this is by crafting and using multiple messages early on in a campaign. Adjust your focus on the best performing messages while removing the weaker ones.

Switch targets. Similar to using multiple messages, you should also look at switching targets. By targets we mean both the target audience as well as the channel being used to reach that audience. Again, this is a situation where you are monitoring and analyzing a live campaign early on and then optimizing the campaign based on analysis of results so that you can turn up the ROI by focusing on those people who are responding most positively.

Check the frequency. Typically, a message is most powerful the first time you hear it. As it gets repeated the impact will decline. Therefore, it is important to analyze message frequency to help decide where the sweet spot is between just enough and too much. When combined with switching targets this can increase ROI.

Negotiate lower prices. It stands to reason that if you can negotiate lower prices for advertising your ROI will increase because ROI is impact divided by cost. Some people are willing to accept posted prices but in business, everything is negotiable.

Find lower-cost options. There are a ridiculous number of channels and mediums for advertising in today's world. Due to this simple fact, you should be able to find a lower-cost option in the same or even a higher-impact channel that will get your message to your audience.

Source: Lounge Lizard 

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.

At Your Service: Fast Facts About Service Dogs

At Your Service: Fast Facts About Service Dogs
(Family Features)--Service dogs work hard each and every day to protect their human counterparts. Not only are they constant companions, but they are hardworking animals that can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, which can help lessen the symptoms of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, for example.
Consider these facts about the four-legged service animals:

Common Misconceptions About Service Dogs
Because they're often cute and cuddly, it's not unusual for people to forget that service dogs are working animals, not pets, and they have been individually trained to help people with disabilities. Guide, hearing and service dogs typically accompany a person anywhere the general public is allowed, including restaurants, businesses and on airplanes, providing support as their owners go about their daily lives.

However, a survey by American Humane, suggests that employees are not educated about the unique needs of customers with service dogs. Nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) retail employees said they never received training from their employer on the questions they are legally allowed to ask customers to verify if an animal is a service dog.

Further adding to confusion is a lack of understanding of the difference between service dogs and other assistance animals. Emotional support dogs and therapy dogs assist people in their daily lives, but they do not have the same responsibilities as service animals. For instance, therapy dogs provide affection and comfort to their owners, but they do not have special rights of access in all buildings or public areas. Since service animals often provide mobility assistance or communicate medical alerts, they should always be allowed to accompany their owners.

A Helping Paw
At times, these innocent misconceptions can lead to discrimination against those who rely on the support of a service dog. To combat this problem, American Humane and Mars Petcare created resources, such as training videos, to help businesses better accommodate patrons who have service dogs. Aligning with the Better Cities For Pets(tm) initiative, the videos and other resources help provide an understanding of the roles service dogs play to help create a world where pets and working animals are welcome across all communities.

"Dogs have incredible abilities, including saving lives and making the world a better place," says Angel May, corporate citizenship lead at Mars Petcare. "Service dogs are animals that should be celebrated for the good they bring to society, and we hope that increased awareness of their working nature leads to a deeper understanding of their important role."

Source: Mars Petcare 

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.

Easy Ways to Save Money on Gas

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.