
Don't let this equity walk away. I have just made my first Squidoo lens. The title of this lens is: Short Sale Opportunity: Cash Ready Buyers Save 10's of thousands Click on this title to see the lens, and find out about the opportunity. Do it sooner rather than later! Today, June 29, 2008 is your last chance!Shortly after I started blogging I wrote an article entitled: DIY: Ceramic Tiling With Professional Results. Many people seem to find Real Estate Investor Girl, by typing in the search something they are wondering about tiling. I have often wondered why so many people come to my blog by searching for an answer for a tiling problem. I guess I am slow to figure things out, but it is because that article is on the first page of Google search. The similar article with the title of How To Tile A Kitchen Floor which I wrote and submitted to the writer’s site Helium, was the second listing on the first page of Google.
The purpose of this article though isn’t to talk about my success with my other articles, but is to answer some of the questions about tiling that the search phrases allude to.
1. Can you use thinset to level floors? Usually to level floors before putting thinset down and tiling, you would use a leveling compound. There are directions on the bag for use, and it self levels. Times you could use thinset is when there is just a small depression in a concrete floor, and the rest of the floor is level. Also, if you are using two different tiles, and one is slightly thinner than the other, extra thinset could be used to build up where the tile will be placed in order to make the tiles level.
2. Do you have to use backer board when tiling the floor? There is only one time that I know of that you don’t have to use backer board. That is when you are tiling directly on to concrete. Like on a basement floor or in the house that has exposed slab. Sometimes you hear someone say you don’t have to use backer board when tiling over vinyl flooring, but I disagree. You will not get good adhesion if you tile directly onto the vinyl.
3. What do you do if you cut the door jam too short when tiling? If the door jam is a painted surface there are a couple ways to fix that. If the piece you cut out is available, trim a smaller slice from it, and fill in the extra space. Glue it in place. For concealing the line between the two pieces of wood, use wood filler, or bondo. Smear it over the crack area, filling it to excess. After it dries, sand it smooth and touch up with paint. If you don’t have the wood piece, then use all wood filler or bondo to fill the space. Mold it with your hands to the shape, then when dry, sand to shape with sandpaper. If you have a stained door jam you can do it the same way, but it will take more time to try to bring the filler to match the stain.
I hope this helps all you DIY’ers that want a nice tile floor but do not want to pay $5.00 and more per square foot for installation.
If you like the information you receive on Real Estate Investor Girl, why not subscribe?
Please leave tiling hints, questions or comments below.
Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, left interest rates as is. This is the first time in 10 months that the interest rate has not been cut. Fears of possible recession and rising inflation worries was the stated reason. Some analyst feel the interest rate will start rising as soon as August, and others fell it won't happen until after the November election.

“Boy I
Really Told Them”
So many
times I have heard the above statement made in referencing how someone
straightened out a bank employee when the employee was the bearer of news that
the bank did not agree with the investor. I will be the first to agree that
sometimes when you try to negotiate a short sale with a bank, good reasoning on
their part often seems to be lacking.
What do you
really think you will gain by telling off a bank employee? All it will do is raise your blood pressure,
and heart rate, and cause the employee to be more determined not to work with
you. Your anger is a trap. It is the best way to put a permanent stall on
negotiations. Remember the old
adage: “You can attract more flies with
honey, than with vinegar.”
Persistence
is something that is needed in short sale negotiations. Sometimes you do have to talk to someone else
up the chain. Or you may have to
resubmit the offer again. Just remember when
you feel your anger rising, it might be better just to say, I’ll call you back,
rather that explode. Yes, negotiate, but
don’t bully.
The person
you are talking to is just paid by the lending institute, and most likely is
not the decision maker. So, keep your
cool, and make them want to work with you, not avoid you.