Author Archives: Darren Marchal

How To Troubleshoot Foundation Problems

You don’t have to be an expert to detect problems in your home’s foundation, but detecting problems is only half the battle. The other half – and the most difficult one – is to repair these problems before it’s too late. The earlier you discover problems, the more likely it is that you’ll be able…

Bank of America ramps up lending

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan has announced that the company should overtake JPMorgan Chase in direct-to-consumer mortgage lending over the next six months, according to the Financial Times. Moynihan says he has instructed bankers to be “more aggressive” in pursuing and offering loans to companies. In the first nine months of 2012, BofA originated…

How To Stage Your Vacation Rental

You put a lot of effort into marketing your vacation rental. You have a great-looking website, relevant information, and professional photographs. Plus, there’s the time, energy and money you’ve invested in purchasing and maintaining the property.In many ways, all that work boils down to one critical moment: When your renters open the front door.While your…

How To Keep Your Home Safe During The Holidays

Burglaries are often devastating in several ways, and unfortunately for homeowners, they aren’t uncommon in the United States. Millions of burglaries occur each year, and the vast majority of those burglaries occur in residential areas, putting homeowners at a heightened risk of being robbed.When burglaries occur, it isn’t just the physical assets that are lost….

India benefits from a billion brains

Clip on a harness, lift your legs and hurtle down a wire towards the sharp corners of a 15th-century Rajasthani fort. As you whizz, you might have a few niggling doubts. Was the zip-wire serviced by someone who knew what they were doing? Is the safety adviser any good? Who is trained in first aid?…

Global trade enters new era

Historic news this August, as Russia officially became a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after 20 years of negotiations and debates over preferential treatment for domestic manufacturers. A spate of major deals involving its oil, petrochemical and metals industries no doubt greased its path to WTO accession. Putin has since done something of…