by John Everitt

Austria is located in central Europe; it joined the European Union in 1995 and entered the European Monetary Union in 1999. Up until Austria’s entry in to the EU there had been a number of restrictions on foreigners owning homes in Austria with permission needed from local authorities.. However, these laws are to be reviewed to fall in line with the rest of Europe. When considering purchasing a property in Austria it is a must to remember that overall the costs associated with property in Austria are higher than any other country in Europe.

In addition, the cost of living in Austria generally is higher than any other country in Europe at the present time. Property Prices in Austria Guide Prices vary, for example: From £50,000 to £79,500 for a studio apartment From around £70,000 to £93,500 for a 1 to 2 bedroom apartment From £80,000 to £111,000 and up for a 3 bedroom apartment Detached homes from £180,000 to £250,000 Where to buy Austria boasts some of the best ski areas in Europe and as such these areas are popular with foreign buyers, especially as holiday homes. The main areas of population in Austria remain around the Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna regions which make up about 70% of the total population. Fees payable The standard usually works out at approximately 10% of the sale price; Property transfer tax of 3.5% Notary fees around 3-4%. Property registration around 1% Stamp duty 0.5-1% Land registry fees averaging a payment of around £300 to £420.

Taxes Will be between 0.5-1% of the properties assessed value and should be lower than the market sale value. Wealth tax of 1% of your net worth irrespective of your resident status is charged for Austrian property owners. Finance Can be arranged through either international brokers or from an Austrian bank for both residents and non-residents with variable interest rates and payment terms being available.

These guidelines are meant for guidance only and describe a straightforward purchase scenarios. However this information is not meant to replace proper legal advice, which we always insist you take.

About the Author
John Everitt is a consultant to Globespan European property portal. Please visit our estate agents directory and this Austria property buyer’s guide

NOTE: This should have gone up earlier, but blogger was misbehaving. Bad blogger. Meh…

We awoke as normal at 8am.

This is a lie. Tracy woke up at 8am in a complete break with normality in order to wish her dad a happy 68th birthday. I rolled over and went back to sleep.

I am told that the house was all abuzz with the news that Lauren’s labour had started and surely we would be celebrating two birthdays today rather than just the usual one. I was made party to the wonderful news when I rose at a slightly later hour. On a day of recording facts, the record remains unsure on when this actually was.

Pretty much the whole rest of the day was spent in anticipation of more news which was notable in its absence. We went out for lunch with Tracy’s dad to celebrate his birthday with Heidi - one of his newer employees. We kept ourselves busy by running errands. We kept checking phones to make sure they were switched on.

The news finally came while all four of us present were sitting around playing cards. The phone rang at about 9:30 our time and we all figured it would be news of some kind. We were all on tenderhooks as Bart gave us the details. He sounded like he hadn’t slept in a week - he’ll be able to give us a demonstration of what that really does sound like in about a fortnight I suspect, but anyway…

Kirsten Marie was born on the 28th of December weighing 7lbs 8oz. The birth itself was a traumatic affair, involving a prolapsed cord, an emergency c-section and a lot of stress and worry (of which we were all blissfully unaware at the time). A prolapsed umbilical cord is a very serious birth problem and can have serious consequences if a c-section is not done immediately. The mortality rate in a first world hospital (I have found out subsequently) is a sobering 10-17%. Luckily they were in an excellent hospital and everyone did their jobs properly which meant that everything turned out well and we can now breathe a significant sigh of relief.

This was cause for celebration and in addition to champagne, I also managed to wet the baby’s head with a whisky miniature left over from Bart and Lauren’s wedding!

Needless to say everyone’s very happy and relieved and we can’t wait to get up there and see her.

Hello all.

Just a quick update to say that Kirsten Marie Thompson was born today - the same day as Tracy’s dad celebrated his 68th birthday!

New mother, new baby and new grandfather are all doing well.

More details tomorrow - when new father Bart manages to get some sleep.

By Washington Stoker

One of the hottest careers available is that of real estate and travel. This is the type of vocation that can have a person looking near and far to find the right property for their clients. If one were to look up career estate real travel on the internet, the number of listings for real estate careers would quite literally number in the millions. This is because owning property is not only a goal for many people, the chance to do so has never been more of a reality than now. With a fertile real estate market, there is a large majority of individuals who have decided that now is the time to make their dream a reality.

This means that there is no better time than now to have a real estate career. When looking up career estate real travel on the internet, one is likely to find just the prospects they have been looking for. Career estate real travel brings up companies all over the world that are looking for prospective employees who are ready and willing to train for an exciting real estate career. The licensing requirements for a real estate career will greatly depend on where an individual plans to sell property. Most states and countries have their own guidelines for becoming a real estate agent.

Many who consider a career in real estate are sometimes concerned by the cost of getting licensed. However, a number of real estate companies provide tuition assistance or may even pay for classes on the whole. The student then works for the real estate company after graduation reimbursing their tuition via future property sales. One is likely to find many companies that do this by looking up career estate real travel on the internet. While having a company pay up front for tuition and fees reduces financial burdens it also means getting on the fast track to a successful real estate career.

After looking up career estate real travel, finding a company that offers these options can put one well on the way to their new real estate career. Whether opting to sell locally or worldwide, this type of career is perfect for those who enjoy helping others make their dreams come true. Buying or selling property is often stressful and requires someone who can take control of a situation and make clients feel happy and secure. It also requires an individual who is genuinely ethical and who pays attention to current laws and guidelines at all times. These things together are what will lead to a real estate career with high earning potential.

Washington Stoker invites you to check out ways of earning an online income from Public Domain material: http://www.pdriches.net And from AdSense: http://www.livingfromadsense.com

Coming to Tuscany during the sunny season is for sure an experience to try and repeat. Here a little advice. You can discover Tuscany during the winter holiday season and get stunned by how romantic it can be to be wrapped in this atmosphere and spend a fabulous holiday with your loved ones.
The beauty of Christmas and New Year in Tuscany lays on the way streets in cities are dressed up, the way windows are adorned, the way people smile. In the countryside you will find that an evening dark sky that promises nothing but snow contrasts with the homelike feeling of snuggling up in front of a warm fireplace, and that is a wonderful feeling.
We have already rented a villa in Tuscany during the holiday season twice so far, and that is why I am telling you it is a wonderful experience. The first time when we arrived at the villa we found that the owners had gifted us with a Christmas tree, all adorned and lighten up, the fireplace was crackling nicely, and we immediately felt like we owned this villa and it had been our home for some time!

Having dinners around the table while outside it occasionally snowed (it is rare for snow to fall in Tuscany, and when it does it lasts a couple of days), enjoying nice discussions on the comfortable sofas, and coming home from a lovely daytour in Florence or San Gimignano to prepare our favourite dishes filled us with a sensation of relaxation and peace that is hard to find enywhere else.
Here below is a short version of the Cristmas Eve’s dinner at our friens’ house. The gravy on the mashed potatoes could not be missing! Lovely! We will be in Tuscany again this year, let us know if you wish to have a hint on how to choose the right place! And even though it might be too soon…Merry Christmas!

To those people who don’t know anything about San Antonio: “Remember the Alamo!”.

That’s right - the famous battle for Texan independence occurred in what’s now central San Antonio - at the Alamo mission. For those who don’t know about Davy Crockett and his contemporaries, see Wiki.

We’ve been to San Antonio many times before (Trace even went to university here) so we’ve done all the touristy stuff that we need to do, so we got straight down to business: settling down into our free accommodation. Tracy’s brother Ross found a friend of his who had some floor space, so we stretched out there. Amtrak was very late (for a change) so we only made it in at 2am. No problems falling asleep.

The next day we left for Texas’s state capital, Austin. There were two people we wanted to meet up with in Austin - first of all Janet from our trip to Tasmania and secondly, Tracy’s friend from college, Kristi. We always said we’d drop by and see Janet when we got back to the USA and now we found ourselves in her neck of the woods so we dropped by for a visit. It was really nice to reminisce about being back in Tassie. She was just about to jet off to San Diego and was telling us about her plans to visit Asia.

Last time we saw Kristi was 1,000,000 years ago, so we had a lot to catch up on. Kristi is now married to John and has two pet cats and a couple of dogs too. Naturally we had a pretty good time. We spent a while talking about what we’ve all been up to and they were (at least pretended to be) interested in our photos. Little Red Bean was so cute it was an effort not to take him with us.

We had a couple more days in San Antonio to kill before heading back to Houston for Thanksgiving so we occupied ourselves by watching movies and going bowling both of which were great fun.

Tracy had one more friend to catch up with: Nicole. I wasn’t there so don’t know everything that went on (I’m not sure I want to…) but I believe that the Riverwalk was walked and snacks were eaten. I’m pretty sure that conversation was had and suchlike, but I’m afraid I can’t confirm or deny those rumours.

Anyway, we’re now in Houston - about to enjoy what is sure to be a huge Thanksgiving day meal. Just a couple of things before I leave you:

1. No news on Bart & Lauren’s baby.
2. Congrats to Liz & James!
3. Happy Thanksgiving! Be thankful or else…

WIE/ WAT IS HET
Voel je als een vogel die over Londen vliegt en geniet van het spectaculaire uitzicht. The Londen Eye is het grootste reuzenrad ter wereld. Het rad bestaat uit 32 glazen capsules. Gedurende een vlucht van 30 minuten wordt je in een glazen capsule omhoog gevoerd naar 135 meter vanwaar je (bij goed weer) een uitzicht hebt van circa 40 km. Elke capsule bied plek aan maximaal 25 personen. Omdat British Airways de hoofdsponser van de atractie is luid de volledige naam: The British Airways Londen Eye. Het rad is zo ontworpen dat er niet stil gestaan hoeft te worden om in en uit stappen. De Londen Eye is de meest populaire betaalde atractie van Groot Britaine, bezocht door meer dan 3.5 miljoen bezoekers per jaar. Daarmee is het in korte tijd uitgegroeid tot een icoon van de stad.

GESCHIEDENIS
De Londen Eye is gebouwd als symbool voor de wisseling van de eeuw. Het symboleert het draaien van de seizoenen. Tony Blair opende het rad op 31 december 1999, maar wegens technische problemen konden de eerste passagiers pas een rit maken in maart 2000. De Londen Eye is ontworpen naar de visie van het ontwerpers echtpaar David Marks en Julia Barfield.

WAAR LIGT HET
The Londen Eye ligt aan de Thames tegenover “the houses of parliament”.
British Airways London Eye
Riverside Building
County Hall
Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7PB

De ticket office is gevestigd en de gemeente hal welke direct naast de attractie ligt.

ENTREE
De entree prijs ligt op circa 14 pond.
De openingstijden zijn:
In de zomer (juni – september)
Dagelijks van 10.00 - 21.00
In de winter (Oktober - Mei)
Dagelijks van 10.00 - 20.00

MEER INFO
http://www.londoneye.com/

Just a quick note: I’ve added some more piccies for general consumption. Expect an update from Houston soon.

That is all.

by Anne Peterson

With the economy where it is today, there is no better time than now to get involved with real estate. In order to sell real estate with a company, you’ll need to have your license - which is where a real estate school can help you. As you may know, buying a home involves many different decisions about where you will live and for how many years. Along with geographical decisions, it will often have implication for your financial future as well.

For this very reason, almost all home buyers will enlist the services of a real estate broker or agent to help them make those types of decisions. A real estate agent is someone who is licensed by their state to handle the sales of real estate, while a real estate broker is also licensed by the state, but who has the overall responsibility for the actions of a real estate agent. To determine the value and fair market retail of a home that is for sale, a real estate agent may enlist the services of a real estate appraiser.

No matter what you state you happen to reside in, you can find a real estate school to help you obtain your license. Those of you who are time restrictions or don’t like to travel too far from home, can get your license online. A real estate license doesn’t require a lot of time, yet it will help you get your foot in the door when it comes to the vast world of real estate. Real estate agents, brokers, and appraisers make really good money, and generally get a commission on each house they successfully sell.

If you’ve been looking for a career that will give to you what you put into it, real estate is the career for you. Even if you have no experience with real estate, a real estate school can give you all of the training you need. Then, when the time comes to buy your own home, you can do it yourself. Knowing the real estate market and knowing what to look for can save you a ton of money when buying your own house or property.

About the Author
The author’s website is Brandon Routh. Any or all parts of this article may be reprinted in any form, as long as there is a link to the website.

WAT IS HET
Wat de eifel toren is voor Parijs is de Tower Bridge samen met de Big Ben voor Londen. De brug over de theems. Is door zijn karaketeristieke uiterlijk het symbool van londen geworden. De brug herbergt een museum waar je kan ontdekken hoe de brug is gebouwd, hoe ie werkt en waar je kan genieten van een fantatisch uitzicht vanuit een de 65 m hoge torens. De Tower Brigde ontleent zijn naam aan de naastgelegen Londen Tower die ook zeker een bezoekje waard is.

GESCHIEDENIS
In de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw ontstond er behoeft aan een nieuwe brug. Vanwege de scheepvaart was het niet mogelijk een vaste brug te bouwen. In 1876 werd een Bridge or Subway Committee opgericht, die een oplossing voor het probleem moest zien te vinden. Uit meer dan 50 inzendingen van ontwerpen werd in 1884 het ontwerp van Horace Jones (de City Architect), goedgekeurd.

WAAR LIGT HET
London, SE1 2UP

ENTREE
toegang tot de brug is vrij. Het museum kent een entree prijs van circa 6 pond voor volwassenen
(Actuele prijzen staan vermeld op de website www.towerbridge.org.uk)

MEER INFO
towerbridge