Success isn’t easy. It takes focus, hard work and long-term effort, but you can get started by concentrating on these four elemental building blocks of success:

* Have strong belief. You can’t just hope you’ll achieve your goals. You have to be absolutely convinced that you’re capable of success.

* Be better than everyone else. This requires total commitment. If you’re not willing to do the work necessary to achieve greatness, you’ll have to settle for second best. Be prepared to get up early, work late, listen to mentors and critics, and make hard choices. read more

May 1st in many countries is called May Day, an informal spring festival, usually celebrated in smaller villages with dancing, drinking, and competitive games.

One of the most iconic parts of a May Day celebration is the Maypole dance, which features young girls with flowers in their hair, dancing around a tall pole, each holding a ribbon attached to the pole. The youngest girls dance in an inner circle while the older girls dance in an outer circle, intertwining and plaiting the ribbons as they circle the pole. They then unravel the ribbons by retracing their steps. read more

* Plumbing Repairs: While plumbing can be a pain in the neck (literally), most people are perfectly capable of making simple repairs, like replacing a leaky faucet or broken sprinkler head. Potential annual savings: $100 to $1,000 for typical repairs.

* Pest Control: Using approved chemicals and methods that you can look up online, you can treat your own house for insects and rodents. Savings: Up to $50/mo, or $600/yr.

* Painting: If careful, you can tape and edge like a painting professional. Savings: $400 to $1,500 for typical interior paint jobs. read more

Having a Will is crucial, especially if you have children, a Will explains to your family your wishes after passing, including what is to happen with the real estate you own. Selling the real estate of a loved one who has passed intestate or without a Will can be a very long and complicated process. If your loved one has a Will and more than three years have passed since the passing of the deceased and no probate action has been taken, then Utah law presumes that the deceased died without a Will. The problem with this situation is Utah Laws will dictate the distribution of the estate, which may not match the wishes of the deceased.  If this is the case you must first “determine the heirs” through court and have a personal representative appointed. The personal representative has a fiduciary obligation to distribute the estate funds in accordance with the terms of the will or the law of intestate succession.  Once all of this has taken place the sale of real esate can proceed, this process could take months and much longer if there are any objections.  That is why it is so important to have a Will and to consult an Attorney who practices family/probate law. read more

Buying a home can be an exhausting experience, but it doesn’t have to be. It is really actually quite simple.

The first step is finding a well qualified real estate agent.

The second step is meeting with a loan officer or mortgage broker. This will help you determine how

Building a wood fence can greatly increase the appearance of your home.  It may seem like an overwhelming task, however, it is really quiet simple.   Getting started you will need to do the following:

1.  Decide where will the fence will go?

2.  Decide whether or not there will be a gate, if so how big?

3.  Measure how long the fence will be and where the posts will be to determine how many materials you will need.  I chose to place a post every 6 feet and include a 4 foot wide gate in the fence. read more

I am so happy that it’s finally gardening season.  Wait scratch that it snowed this morning…  I have been prepping my garden beds over the last few weekends, clearing all of the debris.  Wow it’s amazing how many leafs, sticks, dog toys and garbage can accumulate when the weather this winter has been so dismal.  I got a little stir crazy a couple of weeks ago and started some of my seeds.  I hope it wasn’t too early.  I think that I started them on February 20^th   and only the plants that say you can direct sow in April. They are starting to pop up nicely.  I planted spinach, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, onions and lettuce. read more

Boost your credit score by paying the balance on your credit cards in full, and on time, every month. 

Getting the loan that suits your situation at the best possible price and terms makes homebuying easier and more affordable. Here are seven ways to boost your credit score so you can do just that.

1. Know your credit score

Credit scores range from 300 to 850, and the higher, the better. They’re based on whether you’ve paid personal loans, car loans, credit cards, and other debt in full and on time in the past. You’ll need a score of at least 620 to qualify for a home loan and 740 to get the best interest rates and terms.  read more