Get Rid of Tiny House Ants

Because I run a website on pests, many people ask me, "How do I get rid of tiny house ants?" Getting rid of tiny house ants isn't as difficult as you might imagine.

Odorous House Ants (Tapinoma sessile) can be brown or black. Like all insects, they have six legs and also have a segmented oval body. They are typically 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. They have antennae. They swarm in early summer.

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You know you're dealing with them if, when crushed, you smell a faint coconut odor.

Odorous House Ants have extremely large colonies, in some cases having more than 100,000 members and hundreds of breeding Queens.

They like to live in shallow surfaces and can often be found in mulch, debris, and rotting logs. They also can nest indoors preferring the cold dark spaces of walls, hot water pipes, and carpets. This makes getting rid of tiny house ants a problem.

While they don't bite or sting, they are a nuisance. They can also cause some minor house damage.

To get rid of tiny house ants, first remove all potential food sources. You should wipe up spills, keep counter tops clean, and store all food (especially sweets) in sealed containers.

Then, spray the ants that are visible to you with a mixture of water and peppermint essential oil. To keep the ants away, sprinkle coffee grounds around the kitchen.

Ultimately, you'll want to attack the nest though if you want to get rid the ants once and for all.

When you find a nest, use this mixture to destroy it. Mix 5 tspb. Of cornmeal with 3 tspb of bacon grease. Add 3 tspb. of baking powder and 3 packages of yeast. Then, put it on something like a canning jar lid and place the lid near the nest. The ants will literally eat themselves to death!

Getting rid of tiny house ants means remaining vigilant and attacking the problem with simple, everyday solutions.

Get Rid of Tiny House Ants

To learn more about how to get rid of tiny house ants go to the How Do I Get Rid of Ants website found at http://www.howdoigetridofants.com

How I Learned to Declutter My House With These Simple Tips

Decluttering a whole house can seem overwhelming. BUT if it's broken down into bite size chunks, it doesn't seem so bad. These tips helped me declutter my house. Hopefully you'll find them just as useful.

#1. Start with decluttering for 15 minutes a day. It's enough time to achieve something. It's short enough that we can all fit it into our busy schedules. If you do this one thing, it becomes a good habit. It will also ensure you keep your home clutter free in the future.

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#2. Pick one room for your 15 minutes a day sessions and stick to it until it's decluttered. It doesn't really matter which room you start with.

#3. Declutter storage space first. Once you get control of drawers, cabinets and closets it will be so much easier to find a home for everything.

#4. Be ruthless in deciding what to keep and let go. You can't succeed at decluttering unless your willing to let stuff go.

#5. Make it easy to get rid of stuff. Designate space for items you want to sell, donate to charity, give away, send for recycle or bin.

#6. Deal with paper. Little and often works best. Paper causes a lot of clutter. Bills, invoices, receipts... it's so easy to get out of control. Get a simple system going for incoming mail. You'll need a bin and a 2 tier tray. One tray for items that need to be actioned, the other for documents that need to be filed. Set up a filing system. Use a diary for scheduling actions, like paying bills.

#7. As soon as you bring something new into the house, set aside storage space for it. Always keep it in it's place when not in use.

How I Learned to Declutter My House With These Simple Tips

Click here for more ideas on how to declutter your home fast. I followed the advice on how to declutter my house and you can too. Why don't you give it a try?

Discover the best home organization solutions

Kirkland's Home Decor - Find Everything Your House Needs

Kirkland's home decor store is indeed one of the most inspiring accessory stores around. It has a broad selection of distinctive merchandise for the discriminating buyer, coupled with affordable prices to keep the average homeowner happy. Their stock consists of framed art, picture frames, lamps, candles, mirrors, accent rugs, and garden accessories.

A leading specialty retailer since 1966, Kirkland's was co-founded by Carl Kirkland, who is still currently the Chairman Emeritus. They opened their first store in Jackson, TN, and with over 340 stores in 37 states they have put Kirkland's home decor on the map. Home decor at Kirkland's is ever-changing, and offers you value and style at extremely attractive prices for both gift-giving and accessorizing your own home.

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Kirkland's even has a designer advantage for interior designers looking for the best for their clients. The home decor at Kirkland's helps to create stylish and sophisticated looks on a budget that almost anyone can handle. Designers who buy at Kirkland's can now receive a 10% discount on all client related purchases, providing they spend over 0.00 per year. This would hardly be a difficult task with the selection that Kirkland's has to offer.

Kirkland's Holiday Home Decor

Apart from everyday accessories, Kirkland's offers much more - its seasonal stock is extensive and covers all major holidays. Kirkland's prides themselves on offering the latest looks with inspiring styles. For Christmas, you can find themed trees to inspire you with new decorating ideas, and suggestions for coordinating gifts that you can buy for a special couple.

Warm candle light, lamps, and other lighting are always popular during the holidays. Kirkland's home decor section offers a huge selection of holiday candelabras, votive runners for your fireplace, or red hurricane candle holders for your holiday needs. For the younger clientele they have plenty of Santa Claus knick knacks, reindeer ornaments, and lots of fun Christmas decorations to enthuse even the littlest buyer.

Kirkland's home decor also has plenty of amazing holiday selections for Halloween, New Years, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. Their huge choice will give you numerous options for your decorating style. Whether you prefer whimsical or sophisticated, you are nearly guaranteed to find what you are looking for at this store. The home decor at Kirkland's, both for the holidays and everyday decorating, is inspiring, creative, and unique.

Kirkland's Home Decor - Find Everything Your House Needs

For more information on Kirkland's Home Decor check out http://www.homedecordiscussion.com . You'll find loads of tips and techniques plus you'll find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Home Decor Software at absolutely no cost.

Finding Houses For Sale in Lagos, Nigeria

In Lagos, Nigeria, there is a tourism boom about to be unleashed following development efforts and economic growth that promises many opportunities to investors. The result of this is a rapidly expanding real estate sector offering unlimited opportunities to reap bountiful harvests from. Take for instance 5 years ago undeveloped land in the Lekki axis of Lagos Nigeria and Ikoyi areas sold for less than half its current market value with developed properties selling in some cases for less than one third of the current market price. This is indicative of a real estate boom and unlike the stock market boom of 2004 - 2008 the real estate boom is an investor's haven.

This brings us to some of the issues that will naturally be encountered as a result of people preferences and choices with buying houses. A number of problems are associated with buying and selling of houses in Lagos Nigeria and it is only proper I mention some of them before listing out places to find houses to buy or sell.

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One of the major problems will be the omooniles (descendants of the land owners or original occupants of various communities in Lagos Nigeria). These are usually idle and Lazy people who want to lay claim to almost any major development taking place on Land they may have already sold to people. By extorting money and collecting illegal fees these omooniles make life difficult for home owners or people desiring to build their own houses. Be on the look out for them whenever you decide to buy a house in Lagos Nigeria. Your best protection against omooniles is to buy directly from reputable real estate companies or acquire land directly from the government and build as quickly as possible. Another problem you face would be real estate fraudsters who could go as far as faking contact details of some reputable real estate companies in order to hoodwink home seekers and other real estate investors. Many of these fraudsters make offers that are too good to be true or unrealistically attractive in order to get at your money. Always insist on patronizing reputable real estate agencies and companies and ensure that you visit their offices to verify their authenticity.

In 2009, and onwards there are many places to start your search for houses available for sale in Lagos Nigeria. Here is a compilation of a list of places to find houses for sale in Lagos Nigeria;

1. Online Classified Adverts

Classified online adverts such as those on nairalist.com, nairaland.com and several websites of real estate companies is a major channel for finding houses and other property for sale in Lagos Nigeria.

2. News papers and magazine publications

A number of newspapers run dedicated editions for advertising or informing the public about opportunities to buy and sell houses in Lagos Nigeria. The most recognized of these is the Guardian Newspaper which runs a Monday Edition dedicated to the real estate sector. Another well known publication for finding houses for sale in Lagos Nigeria is castles magazine. There is also Properties and Homes magazine among others. The draw back is that these publications can only be bought in Nigeria as they do not circulate globally hence people living abroad may not find this option convenient.

3. Recognized real estate companies and Agencies

There are a lot of real estate companies in Nigeria but a few well known include Jide Taiwo and co, Ubosi Eleh and Co, Diya Fatimilehin and co, UAC Properties Limited and Unions Homes among others. Contacting any of these companies is search of houses for sale is another way to go about it. This option covers you although not completely from the activities of omooniles.

4. Enquiries on on-going projects

You could also make enquiries about on going projects such as construction of housing estates and other similar projects directly through the contractors who could refer you to the real estate agency or company handling the project or possibly the owner in order to meet with and negotiate a deal if possible. However not all housing projects have options for selling houses as some of them might actually be tenement projects in which case the owners are only interested in letting out.

Conclusion

Be warned that not all adverts or information made available on channels for sale of houses in Lagos are credible and reliable, you are advised to still carryout some investigation into the claims because some real estate fraudsters are on the prowl looking to defraud unsuspecting buyers of houses in Lagos Nigeria. Also possible for locating houses for sale in Lagos Nigeria is the option of word of mouth from people within your social network although this is hardly as reliable as the other earlier options.

Finding Houses For Sale in Lagos, Nigeria

Paul Onwueme is a business reporter and writes about business opportunities in Lagos Nigeria.

To find out more about Lagos Nigeria real estate and business opportunities in Lagos Nigeria visit his blog at Lagos Nigeria real estate or his other blog at Lagos Nigeria business Guide.

Finding Parts for Old Motor Homes; RV Junkyards and Recycling

If you own an older motor home you may have problems finding parts because those models are no longer need built or the manufacturer has gone out of business. Even if you own a new recreational vehicle you may want to find stronger and sturdier parts that are no longer offered on the newer motor homes, but they used to be used on other older motor home series. This is when a good motor home junkyard comes in handy.

Believe it or not there are a lot of motor home junkyards in the United States and they make great places to get parts. Some recreational vehicle junkyards have motor homes that are over 30 years old and that means you can find nearly any part you need. The junkyards are well known to those RV repair shops, which will use them to get parts when they cannot find a part in the catalog they need to repair someone's motor home or recreational vehicle.

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There are very large recreational vehicle and motor home junkyards in 13 states and many junkyards do have motor homes in them although they are not specializing in only recreational vehicles. If you need an obscure part for your motor home it makes sense to cruise the junkyards.

I have only been to two RV junkyards. But in each case I had found things that were very valuable and cost very little. Parts, which were stronger than anything you see in the market today. Things I could not get anywhere else and they were not listed in any catalog. Perhaps you might consider this in 2006 and help the world recycle all those old RVs.

Finding Parts for Old Motor Homes; RV Junkyards and Recycling

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Hummingbird Houses - A Shelter For The Birds And A Delight For You

Through the centuries, bird enthusiasts and other people have been putting up bird houses all over the country and all over the world. These bird houses are designed to attract different kinds of birds, and they are very helpful in enhancing your bird-watching experience.

One of the most intriguing and captivating birds to watch is the hummingbird. Hummingbirds are generally found in South America, and they are the smallest birds in the world. They are the only birds in the world that are able to fly backwards. Because of these characteristics, hummingbirds are among the most sought-after creatures of bird watchers everywhere.

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In order to spend hours watching this delightful little bird, you would have to be able to make it stay in the same place for a long time. You can do this by creating a hummingbird house in your own backyard. This is a bird house specifically designed for the unusual hummingbird species.

You do not need to spend a lot to put up hummingbird houses. You can even make them yourself. Hummingbird houses are small, so you can use small boxes or even tin cans for this. When building hummingbird houses, just remember that if your open hand can fit in the box, then it is big enough for the hummingbird.

In order to prevent other birds from crashing your hummingbird house, make sure that the opening is only big enough for a hummingbird.

Hummingbird houses are quite tiny, and it is rather hard to see them once they are in position. Typically, hummingbird houses are placed on the trees themselves, very near the tree trunk. However, they can also be put up practically anywhere else in your backyard, such as under the roof of your house, or on other tall plants in the garden. Just make sure that the hummingbird houses are out of reach of cats and other house pets on the ground.

The best way to attract hummingbirds, though, is to place your hummingbird houses near flowering plants. Hummingbirds like hovering near flowers because they feed on the nectar of the flower. These birds are most attracted to colorful flowers like the trumpet vine and honeysuckle.

Your hummingbird house will also be more attractive to the tiny critters if you put hummingbird nectar inside. Make sure you do not offer them sugar water because this might cause fungus on their beaks, and could even be potentially lethal to the little birds.

Hummingbird Houses - A Shelter For The Birds And A Delight For You

You can also find more info on Hummingbird Houses and Martin Bird Houses. Thisbirdhouse.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Bird House Crafts, Kits and Plans.

A Duck For a Pet, in the House, Wears Diapers - Yes!

It is surprising to hear and not many people have heard of this but; yes there are ducks that live in human homes. It is very rare but, seems to be occurring more often these days. Ducks are becoming domesticated in several areas of the country. Believe it or not, Ducks make great pets.

There is a lot involved in the care of having a Duck for a Pet. There is also a lot of learning to be done. Most families receive their ducks for Easter as gifts. Then families have no idea what to do with their duck. Families start to realize that their new duck is not around her/his mom and other ducklings that they need to grow and survive. Right after Easter many families (if they care) have to start researching about Duck Care. Most families decide to give away their precious duck after they get them and bond with them. It is important for families to know that, within a few days of having their duck he/she has already "imprinted" with them. The family becomes his/her pack. What most families should do is learn how to care for this precious Duck without the neglect of leaving her outside, in a pen all day, and with no attention. This duck they have will need the love, affection, care, and attention that our other pets in their family always receive.

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Now a days, most duck owners start with the internet. The search can be started by searching for information on house training a duck, duck diapers, what to feed a duck, duck as pets, and much more. Pet Duck Care and Duck Diapers are easy to find in the search engines. More people are raising Ducks for Pets. But, some advice to be taken; there are all sorts of different opinions and advice for Domestic Duck and Goose Care. Pet duck owners will have to do some studying of on the different duck care sites and services that are now easier to find on the internet.

In the beginning it will be very hard to care for this Duck. You see, ducks are very clean creatures in one way but, very messy in another. The messy part of a duck is the "Poop". It will be all over if you do not control it. If you are thinking of a way to "litter train" your duck...that will Never happen. The only thing that will control the duck poop is "The Miracle Duck Diapers". What a life saver and difference they will make. The diapers will allow your duck baby to be in the house anytime that he/she has the harness and diaper on. There are also Duck Outfits that are adorable and fun to sport ducks around in.

Not only will the new duck love being in the house with you but, he/she will just love to be in the duck bath more. Do not let them have baths for a few weeks though. They can get very ill and die is they are put into a cold bath with in the first few weeks of their lives. They can also drown. The favorite thing for most ducks is bath time, rather it be by sprinkler, hose, or a special bath. They love outside kiddie pools so much and will literally swim, splash, and have a great time. Most ducks love to be out in the yard, graze the grass, and eat bugs. Their favorite bugs are meal worms. You can even raise your own meal worms. There are instructions for that on You Tube. Meal worms are getting pretty costly. If you raise them, not only will it be more economical, but there will also be more of an abundance of the worms.

If you do have or get a duck, it is important to know Exactly what their most favorite thing to do is. Their most favorite thing in the entire world is To Be With You or their Family. If you raise your duck from a little bitty baby, they "imprint" on you. You and the family become their "pack". If you put your "imprinted" duck with other ducks...your duck will not know what to do. Many people get and give ducks for Easter Gifts. Then they keep them until they are tired of them and then they dump them off where other ducks live. Big mistake! Those folks are setting their duck up for Death. A "Human Imprinted Duck" does not know how to survive with other ducks. Other ducks will not accept her/him either, and the "human imprinted duck" will not survive. Most often getting or giving a Duck for Easter is a Big Mistake. If you get or give a Duck for Easter, then you better be Serious about having one.

Did you know that Ducks have a lifespan of 20 years? It is true. It is all depends on the care that they receive and the ailments that they endure.

If you are one who does have a duck or is serious about getting one, then you are more then likely looking for the right care. Experienced advice is to trust The "Gooses Mother and Father" site. You will be able to learn: the proper feeding for a duck, training, how to maintain good health for your duck, how to treat ailments or infections, and much, much more.

Just learn all that you can and the journey with your duck will be a great and a rewarding success.

A Duck For a Pet, in the House, Wears Diapers - Yes!

Kami is an avid pet lover. She is a pet sitter and focuses on pet care. She is a strong supporter for Animal Rights and Animal Organizations. Kami's main objective is on Pet Care Advice and Tactics. She promotes the Best Pet Care Practices. She loves opinions, comments, and discussions.

You can contact Me by going to my Blog. Leave your comment and share your views. It's Fun! Learn more on Duck Care too. http://www.XpectMorePetCare.com

A Sense Of Tranquility In Remodeling Gardens In A Home

Remodeling the gardens in a home will instill a sense of tranquility and posterity in one remodeling project. Remodeling a home is the process of remaking or restyling existing structures or designs, updating the existing fabric of the home into something new, whether it really is new or just fresh in the setting of your house. Remodeling a home or adding an addition calls for careful planning and the help of professional contractors.

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These garden areas can be quite thrilling when visitors see hummingbirds swarming around a feeder and birds chirping in many areas of the property at one time. Some people plan their home remodeling projects with gardens to specifically exclude some of their backyard living spaces from view by neighbors. Many of these backyard gardens will be centered on hiding a backyard pool area and evergreens will make grand choices when a barrier wall is needed. The remodeling projects for the gardens in front of the house might require the homeowner to hire a landscaper. Some homeowners choose to plant large trees that they find at home and garden shops in their local area. Some homeowners prefer to use waterfalls in place of fountains in their gardens.

Slowly but surely, people have returned to natural materials like wood and stone when remodeling their homes. "Certainly regional economies and housing markets play an important role, but overall we see continued growth in high levels of remodeling activity. Some people plan their home remodeling projects with gardens to specifically exclude some of their backyard living spaces from view by neighbors. The remodeling projects for the gardens in front of the house might require the homeowner to hire a landscaper.

Exterior

Exterior home remodeling projects can be as simple and exciting as a new front door, to a larger project such as vinyl siding, soffit and fascia. To further dress the exterior of the board, you may choose to attach roping to outline the edges of your cornice board. A patio enclosure exterior home remodeling can be like building a completely new room at a fraction of the cost. But if your remodeling project requires new doors, windows, or changes to exterior walls, be sure you discuss adequate insulation and energy efficiency options with your contractor. In many cases it's simply an ugly wallpaper or oddly-placed window that gets the creative remodeling juices flowing, but most of the time it's for the better. Before you pound the first nail, your home remodeling and improvement jobs will face urgent decision points along the way.

Some homeowners try to increase the value of their property by doing some small scale remodeling projects in their garden. Remodeling homes with gardens is a great way to enjoy the great outdoors and create a sense of home to everyone that visits. Many costs associated with remodeling have spiked.

The enjoyment of home remodeling can be enhanced if you're ready to handle any bumps in the road that may come up in the course of your remodeling project.

A Sense Of Tranquility In Remodeling Gardens In A Home

Clarisse Brown is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.ImprovingYourHomeNow.com [http://www.ImprovingYourHomeNow.com]. She provides more information about home and home improvement issues [http://www.ImprovingYourHomeNow.com] that you can research in your pajamas on her website.

Control Your Electronic Home Through the Internet

Through a web browser or a smart phone, you can water your plants or monitor your house through the security cameras even when you are not home. While this is more costly than a home automation system within the confines of the home, it definitely is very convenient. It saves you the trouble of having to tell your neighbor to check on your plants every other day or feed your pet or air the home when out on a trip.

How does it work?
For every home automation system, a server is required which generates commands for the different devices around the house. The PC is the most flexible device you have on hand to control the system. Since the PC also has access to a web server, the PC acts as a point where you can bring both internet and home automation systems to create unique home technology.

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For this you will need software which has a web interface. Some of the options are Homeseer and Home Control Assistant. These software solutions require a broadband connection.

The extent to which devices in a smart home can be controlled via the internet is amazing. Below is the list of automation systems installed at your place that you can control and give commands to on-the-go.

  • Monitor cameras: You can monitor multiple cameras around your house from a PC or PDA anywhere around the world.

  • Receive alerts: Your tech home will generate alerts via phone messages and email based on motion sensed around the house if no one is supposed to be home. Water (e.g. in case of basement leak) and temperature will also generate alerts.

  • Control thermostats, lighting and home theater via internet at your smart home.

  • Secure the home: Now you can automate and control doors, blinds, drapes and windows even when sitting miles away from home. This creates the feeling of occupancy at home. Remember how Kevin in Home Alone used to fool the robbers by playing the television in a loud volume and switching on lights around the house? You do not have to go through that trouble if you get the home automation system linked to internet! Lights can be turned on at sunset at your electronic home, for safety.

  • Connect the intercoms through Wi-Fi to your PDA.

  • Listen to voicemail: From your PDA or PC, you can access any screen on the home network or any web browser which allows listening to your voicemail.

Control Your Electronic Home Through the Internet

If you like knowing more about smart homes, please visit this link Home Automation 101.

Government Auction Foreclosures - Houses For Under $10,000?

While searching through some foreclosure and FSBO (For Sale By Owner) listings at the best foreclosure government auction site a few days ago, I was amazed at the consistency of how low some of the prices on houses and properties are. Many of these homes are in decent to great shape and are located in good areas of the country.

What is amazing is that for the price of a good used car you could actually buy a house. We all know which is a better investment, so why not change your car oil more often to get a few more years out of it and use that money to buy a rental property. Now you're probably thinking 'just try to get a mortgage or loan these days'. Well when prices are this low then the risk is low as well, not to mention current lenders are under extreme pressures to reduce housing foreclosure inventories so they will be more then eager to discuss a good deal with you.

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As for the real estate crises and housing price declines, well there is no doubt that we are in a real estate crisis, however, I'm hearing many experts say that we are either at the real estate bottom or will be, within the next six months. The thing about a market housing bottom is that you don't know when you have hit it until a year to two afterwards and by that time the deals will not be as plentiful. This combined with the government providing the banks with basically unlimited liquidity has made this perhaps the best time in our lifetime in which to invest in real estate. You may know the saying "be fearful when everyone else is greedy, and greedy when everyone is fearful", well it's time to get greedy.

Here are examples of some of the listings I came across from the government auction site that I previously mentioned. This site is ranked as the number one site on my government auctions review site and the reason for that is simply because they have more government auction types, dates, locations and more property listings then any other site. Without further a due:

* 4 Bedroom Home in Marion, Indiana for ,500

* nice 4 Bedroom Home in Bay City Michigan for ,000

* 3 bedroom home in Pittsburg PA for ,000

* 5 Bedroom home in Peekskill NY (near New York City) for ,000

Yes these houses are for real and in good shape. You can see actual pictures of these and many other great deals on my site (link in last paragraph). Also before you bid or buy any property have a house inspector look over the house as thoroughly as possible. A local inspector or realtor would be familiar with the current area and approximate potential worth of the property. With their help, you can make a decision as to what work, if any, would have to be factored in and whether the property is a good investment. Obviously if you can get a house for under ,000 it leaves a little extra cash for any work that may need to be done before you move in or renting it out. A realtor can also help to guide you in the buying process of foreclosed and FSBO homes.

Whether buying a foreclosure, pre-foreclosure or FSBO property, you should also conduct a background check. Some properties may have a history of liens or may be levied off to another party.

The foreclosure list mentioned here is just a sample of the many distressed properties that are available in all states. Following the trend in foreclosed properties is a good way on working towards your dream home. Remember it's time to get greedy, how that everyone is fearful, so you can resell the house later when everyone else is feeling greedy.

Government Auction Foreclosures - Houses For Under ,000?

To review the top government auction sites, each with over 250,000 foreclosure and sale by owner listings check out government auctions reviews or to see more sample listings of great real estate deals visit seized properties.

Nolan Speers has been investing in real estate for over 15 years and specialising in foreclosures for the last 5.