Foreigners, particularly Westerners know little about India, its people, the customs and culture of this vast country – second only to China by way of population figure, but bigger in land area. Even those who have studied about India may not know the in-depth details of the diverse cultures prevailing among Indian people, living in the northern and southern States – bifurcated by languages in 1956.
This being a very wide subject for stuffing inside this limited space, an attempt is being made here to bring forth at least the differences in cultures of people of North India and South India, but it should be remembered that as an Indian, all the people of India, irrespective of regional and territorial barriers, have several aspects in common.
The virtues one can find among all Indians are – Faith in God – whether it is one of the many Hindu Gods, Allah or Jesus; respect to elders of the family; traditional values of life preserved for generations and preached to children when they are kids; shunning evil deeds and beholding good deeds fearing justice by destiny; forbearance of life’s challenges with courage and simplicity.
True – India is plagued by poverty, illiteracy and superstitions leading to castism etc., but the binding factor from Kashmir in the North end to Kanyakumari in the South end is unity in diversity, when the nation faces any peril like war or foreign invasion. And this has been proved beyond doubt many times before.
On the cultural aspect, broadly the country can be divided into North India – those States falling north of Vindhya Hills running in the centre horizontally and those falling south of it. Excepting States of Andhra Pradesh; Karnataka; Tamilnadu and Kerala, all other States are considered North India.
Language is the predominant divider here. All North Indian States generally speak Hindi, the National Language, and its derivatives like Bhojpuri, Urdu, Gujarathi, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya and the like. Again, the basis for Hindi is the ancient language (but now extinct) Sanskrit.
South Indian States speak the derivatives of the ancient language Tamil (which is the official language of Tamilnadu) such as Telugu (Andhra Pradesh), Kannada (Karnataka), and Malayalam (Kerala).
But in all the States of India, English is used as the common language and is also recognized as the official language of India. Thanks to 300 years of British Rule, Indian Schools, Colleges and Universities are teaching for generations, impeccable British English. Indians speak and write good and chaste English as taught by text books – not the slang used by native British people by repeated usage in conversations. So any foreigner with English knowledge can comfortably tour all over India.
Ancient India, prior to Independence from British Rule, was largely scattered as separate Kingdoms and Indian history shows many rulers including great Muslim Emperors like Baber. The whole country had its capital – mostly Delhi – in North India for these native as well as alien rulers. Inevitably the cultures of North India were greatly impacted by Muslim rulers and Emperors.
But South India was comparatively peaceful during invasions, blood-shed wars and turmoil, even at the time of separation of Pakistan from India. This explains the flourishing of fine arts in whole of South India, especially Tamilnadu, with peace and harmony prevailing for centuries.
Even today each Indian State is identified in this background for diverse cultures. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for their bravery. West Bengal for its literary works, emotional poets like Rabindranath Tagore, simple lifestyles following communism. Orissa for its sculptures and mountain tribal lives. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for density in population, poverty, illiteracy and ignorance.
Food habits differ only in two ways – whole of North Indian people eating wheat and its products as main course and South Indians would not miss rice and its derivatives for anything. As for vegetarianism, the South Indians are up-front although non-veg items are taken, but not as popular as North Indian varieties.
The entire of South India consists of most Hindu temples in the country, including the monumental Tanjore Bragadeeswar Temple located in Tamilnadu, largest in size of Temple Towers.
For South Indian culture alone one can write volumes.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Home Staging – the new strategy spreading fast among Home Sellers
It is common knowledge that the US Real Estate market is struggling with the foreclosure crisis, whereby hundreds of thousands of residential as well as commercial properties are lying unsold. Even locations where homes were selling like hot cakes during the boom years are hard hit by huge inventories of homes, waiting for buyers.
According to latest reports, more and more “Hotspots” are newly emerging, apart from the long list of cities and metros from California; Florida; Nevada; Michigan; and Arizona, carrying enormous homes on their “For Sale” lists.
According to the reports for February, one such “Hotspot” is Virginia Beach, an Independent City and one of the seven cities of Hampton Roads, and the largest city of Virginia State. It is the easternmost of the Hampton Roads, known as “America’s First Region” consisting of other Independent cities of – Chesapeake; Hampton; New Port News; Norfolk; Portsmouth; and Suffolk along with smaller cities, counties and towns.
Virginia Beach is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest pleasure beach in the world.
Virginia Beach has excellent neighborhoods and communities such as Acredale, Chesapeake Beach, Brigadoon, Great Neck, Kings Grant, Alanton, Green Run, Buckner Farms, Bayside, Blackwater, Brighton on the Bay, College Park, Glenwood, Croaton Beach, Church Point, Greenwich, the North End, Kempsville, Landstown, London Bridge, Lynnhaven, Little Neck, Middle Plantation, Munden, Oceana, Ocean Lakes, Ocean Park, Pembroke Shores, Hilltop, Pine Meadows, Princes Anne, Pungo, Indian River Plantation, Salem, Salem, Sand Bridge, Seatack, Shadowlawn, Thaila, Thaila Shores, Thoroughgood, Witchduck Point and the Oceanfront.
Housing demands in these first-class locations were far exceeding the supply and home sellers got what they wanted by way of asking their price just like that. But not anymore – since there are 4,470 homes waiting for sale as of this date, together with 480 foreclosed homes listed for distress sale.
So it becomes immensely necessary for any home seller, who wants their home sold fast amidst the above crowd and fetches the asking price set for it. It follows without saying that unless they make their home stand out of the crowd and attract prospective buyers flipping through the long list of homes available for sale, there is no way.
It is here many home sellers use the new strategy of Home Staging. They contact a seasoned Home Staging professional for help. The Accredited Home Staging professional visits the concerned property, views the present status of the home and suggests appropriate Home Staging techniques needed to be undertaken.
Thus the Home Staging professional in consultation with the home owner and selling agent carries out proper “Home Staging” of the property, in the least expensive way possible. After that, the property gets a totally new look – “curb appeal” is what they call it – whereby the existing disadvantages are minimized and the advantages that the home has are maximized.
Now the home is ready for listing in the market for sale. Any buyer seeing the photos or videos of the property in the Multiple Listings cannot stop whistling ….”Oh! What a Beautiful Home this is!”...and immediately gets attracted to call their buying agent to make an appointment to view the property in person.
If you want to know more about Home Staging and its advantages, please click www.xanadustaging.com
According to latest reports, more and more “Hotspots” are newly emerging, apart from the long list of cities and metros from California; Florida; Nevada; Michigan; and Arizona, carrying enormous homes on their “For Sale” lists.
According to the reports for February, one such “Hotspot” is Virginia Beach, an Independent City and one of the seven cities of Hampton Roads, and the largest city of Virginia State. It is the easternmost of the Hampton Roads, known as “America’s First Region” consisting of other Independent cities of – Chesapeake; Hampton; New Port News; Norfolk; Portsmouth; and Suffolk along with smaller cities, counties and towns.
Virginia Beach is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest pleasure beach in the world.
Virginia Beach has excellent neighborhoods and communities such as Acredale, Chesapeake Beach, Brigadoon, Great Neck, Kings Grant, Alanton, Green Run, Buckner Farms, Bayside, Blackwater, Brighton on the Bay, College Park, Glenwood, Croaton Beach, Church Point, Greenwich, the North End, Kempsville, Landstown, London Bridge, Lynnhaven, Little Neck, Middle Plantation, Munden, Oceana, Ocean Lakes, Ocean Park, Pembroke Shores, Hilltop, Pine Meadows, Princes Anne, Pungo, Indian River Plantation, Salem, Salem, Sand Bridge, Seatack, Shadowlawn, Thaila, Thaila Shores, Thoroughgood, Witchduck Point and the Oceanfront.
Housing demands in these first-class locations were far exceeding the supply and home sellers got what they wanted by way of asking their price just like that. But not anymore – since there are 4,470 homes waiting for sale as of this date, together with 480 foreclosed homes listed for distress sale.
So it becomes immensely necessary for any home seller, who wants their home sold fast amidst the above crowd and fetches the asking price set for it. It follows without saying that unless they make their home stand out of the crowd and attract prospective buyers flipping through the long list of homes available for sale, there is no way.
It is here many home sellers use the new strategy of Home Staging. They contact a seasoned Home Staging professional for help. The Accredited Home Staging professional visits the concerned property, views the present status of the home and suggests appropriate Home Staging techniques needed to be undertaken.
Thus the Home Staging professional in consultation with the home owner and selling agent carries out proper “Home Staging” of the property, in the least expensive way possible. After that, the property gets a totally new look – “curb appeal” is what they call it – whereby the existing disadvantages are minimized and the advantages that the home has are maximized.
Now the home is ready for listing in the market for sale. Any buyer seeing the photos or videos of the property in the Multiple Listings cannot stop whistling ….”Oh! What a Beautiful Home this is!”...and immediately gets attracted to call their buying agent to make an appointment to view the property in person.
If you want to know more about Home Staging and its advantages, please click www.xanadustaging.com
What A Home Staging Professional Can Do For You?
In a nutshell - you can give your home the magic touch, attracting buyers to pay the asking price. A Home Staging professional does not have a “magic wand” in their hands. Instead they have the experience and expertise to know the psychology of buyers; what they are looking for in a home to entice them and how to “stage” your home – with its advantages magnified and disadvantages minimized – to sell it quickly in today’s sluggish and competitive housing market.
Let us see how Home Staging works. The myths about home selling first.
Myth #1 = You love your home and do not want it to be compared with others. Wrong – the prospective buyers might have seen many homes and invariably compare your home with others in your neighborhood or elsewhere.
Myth #2 = You value your house to be most comfortable and so the buyer will think that way too and buy it “as it is”.
Wrong – You are seeing it from your angle. You do not know the needs of the buyer. They will find many flaws in your house right from the main door to backyard –any excuse to give up the idea of buying it.
Myth #3 = You estimate your house as a property you have hard-earned. It is a place of solace or paradise for you.
Wrong – From the buyer’ view point your house is a commodity that has come to the market for sale. They need not have any attachment or obsession at all like you and would not hesitate to analyze its merits and demerits thread-bare.
Myth #4 = You are going to sell the house – then why should you bother about making improvements.
Wrong – Your property is to be marketed amidst competition. Therefore it is imperative that you “package” the commodity well so to make it stand out from the others on the market.
Myth #5 – Home Staging is expensive and what is the use in spending?
Wrong – Home Staging is a service undertaken in the most inexpensive way; after due consultation with you and your selling agent; to suit your budget and make the most with least expense. You are not going to redesign your home completely. The cost involved is negligible, compared to value enhancement and profit you are going to derive in getting the asking price.
Remember – by inviting an Accredited Home Staging professional to view your home and carry out what is necessary for “staging” it before listing for sale, you make your property stand out from the crowd. Your property is sure to capture the attention of the buyer and lure them to buy it at once – unmindful of the price.
Want proof? Just for example see below what an Accredited Home Staging professional has to say about making “First Impression” of your home by the prospective buyer:
You never know how the curb appeal or lack thereof will affect different people.
Here are some definite no-no’s:
• The lawn is not mowed and trimmed and there are bare spots
• The shrubbery and trees are not neatly pruned
• There are children’s toys all over the yard
• The car in the drive is in various stages of being worked on
• The gutters are full
• The exterior is showing signs of needing new paint or cleaning
• There are cobwebs at the front entrance
• The walkways are stained or not clean
• The garage door is up
• The yard is strewn with garden tools, lawnmower etc
• There are no colorful flowers adorning the beds
• The flower beds are not weeded and mulched
• The windows are not clean
• The For Sale sign is old and dirty
• The roof is stained
• The fencing and house needs to be power washed
• The deck is not neat
• The front door is damaged or needs painting
• The door bell is broken
• The screen doors are damaged
• The house numbers are missing
• The gutters and downspouts are damaged
• The siding is damaged from a weed whacker
• The font lights are burned out
Take care of all these items before you list your home For Sale and buyers will want to see what’s inside. A house with curb appeal welcomes the buyer and incites interest.
Interested in getting more Home Staging information? Click to www.xanadustaging.com
Let us see how Home Staging works. The myths about home selling first.
Myth #1 = You love your home and do not want it to be compared with others. Wrong – the prospective buyers might have seen many homes and invariably compare your home with others in your neighborhood or elsewhere.
Myth #2 = You value your house to be most comfortable and so the buyer will think that way too and buy it “as it is”.
Wrong – You are seeing it from your angle. You do not know the needs of the buyer. They will find many flaws in your house right from the main door to backyard –any excuse to give up the idea of buying it.
Myth #3 = You estimate your house as a property you have hard-earned. It is a place of solace or paradise for you.
Wrong – From the buyer’ view point your house is a commodity that has come to the market for sale. They need not have any attachment or obsession at all like you and would not hesitate to analyze its merits and demerits thread-bare.
Myth #4 = You are going to sell the house – then why should you bother about making improvements.
Wrong – Your property is to be marketed amidst competition. Therefore it is imperative that you “package” the commodity well so to make it stand out from the others on the market.
Myth #5 – Home Staging is expensive and what is the use in spending?
Wrong – Home Staging is a service undertaken in the most inexpensive way; after due consultation with you and your selling agent; to suit your budget and make the most with least expense. You are not going to redesign your home completely. The cost involved is negligible, compared to value enhancement and profit you are going to derive in getting the asking price.
Remember – by inviting an Accredited Home Staging professional to view your home and carry out what is necessary for “staging” it before listing for sale, you make your property stand out from the crowd. Your property is sure to capture the attention of the buyer and lure them to buy it at once – unmindful of the price.
Want proof? Just for example see below what an Accredited Home Staging professional has to say about making “First Impression” of your home by the prospective buyer:
You never know how the curb appeal or lack thereof will affect different people.
Here are some definite no-no’s:
• The lawn is not mowed and trimmed and there are bare spots
• The shrubbery and trees are not neatly pruned
• There are children’s toys all over the yard
• The car in the drive is in various stages of being worked on
• The gutters are full
• The exterior is showing signs of needing new paint or cleaning
• There are cobwebs at the front entrance
• The walkways are stained or not clean
• The garage door is up
• The yard is strewn with garden tools, lawnmower etc
• There are no colorful flowers adorning the beds
• The flower beds are not weeded and mulched
• The windows are not clean
• The For Sale sign is old and dirty
• The roof is stained
• The fencing and house needs to be power washed
• The deck is not neat
• The front door is damaged or needs painting
• The door bell is broken
• The screen doors are damaged
• The house numbers are missing
• The gutters and downspouts are damaged
• The siding is damaged from a weed whacker
• The font lights are burned out
Take care of all these items before you list your home For Sale and buyers will want to see what’s inside. A house with curb appeal welcomes the buyer and incites interest.
Interested in getting more Home Staging information? Click to www.xanadustaging.com
To Get What You Want in Home Selling – Home Staging is the Key
It is not everyday home owners indulge in selling their homes. It is once-in-a-lifetime activity for many. By selling a home - the property built with brick and mortar or wood and iron construction – is converted into money. Why at all is a home sold? There are many reasons for this – including but not limited to – the following:
• Purchasing a new home
• Relocating to some other place for whatever reason
• Personal reasons like meeting financial commitments and in need of cash
and so on.
What a home seller wants?
Without exception, all home sellers want their property to be sold for the right price they are setting (asking price) and quickly without delay. They want the right purchaser to buy the home and make payment without any hassles.
Towards this objective, they resort to the help of a real estate agent and list their property for sale in the housing market of their area.
How is the present day US Housing Market?
“Down” is the right word to describe the condition of all US housing markets. For quite some years now, there is a flood of foreclosure properties made available for home buyers. The result is - it has become a strenuous task to sell off a home in the open market. Unsold properties are piling up in the inventory and for months they are unable to see a qualified buyer.
Overall, hundreds of thousands of homes are lying unsold for months in the sluggish US housing markets now. Obviously the strategies for home selling should also change. For example Norfolk is one of the cities consisted in the 9 cities of Hamptons Road Metropolitan Area in Virginia State. This Independent but small city of 234,220 population (steadily maintained more or less from the year 2000) has 86,210 households.
As on date Norfolk has in its record 2,143 residential properties listed for sale, apart from 801 foreclosed properties under “distress sale”.
How you can act smart in the present situation?
Home owners wishing to sell their properties come from different walks of life, apart from business – salaried employee; self-employed professional, teacher, nurse, artist or anything you can think of. Justifiably these people cannot be expected to be wizards in real estate business and know the “tricks of the trade”. All they want is to sell their property listed in the housing market, as quickly as possible and at the price they have set and count the currency.
Go to the Norfolk example again. The property you want to get listed – either through MLS or FSBO – should get the attention of the buyer flipping through the photos and virtual tour videos of 2,143 properties available for sale at Norfolk housing market. How to do this?
This is where Home Staging comes into the picture and helps you achieve the desired result.
Create “Love at first sight” situation for your property.
When a prospective buyer sees a property, the first and foremost thing attracts them is the “curb appeal” – meaning how a property looks at the first glance. An Accredited Home Stage professional can make this happen. By magnifying the advantages of your home and reducing the disadvantages to the best extent possible, your property can make the buyer exclaim “Wow….this is what I have been looking for”. From the outside appearance to the interior decoration and arrangement, a professional Home Staging service can work like magic.
Is Home Staging a costly affair?
Not necessarily – an Accredited Home Staging professional works in consultation with you, to suit your budget and enhances the return on investment manifold.
For all your queries in respect of your individual Home Staging requirements, there is an expert – seasoned realtor-turned Accredit Home Staging professional - waiting to provide answers at http://xanadustaging.com/. You can get in touch obligation-free.
• Purchasing a new home
• Relocating to some other place for whatever reason
• Personal reasons like meeting financial commitments and in need of cash
and so on.
What a home seller wants?
Without exception, all home sellers want their property to be sold for the right price they are setting (asking price) and quickly without delay. They want the right purchaser to buy the home and make payment without any hassles.
Towards this objective, they resort to the help of a real estate agent and list their property for sale in the housing market of their area.
How is the present day US Housing Market?
“Down” is the right word to describe the condition of all US housing markets. For quite some years now, there is a flood of foreclosure properties made available for home buyers. The result is - it has become a strenuous task to sell off a home in the open market. Unsold properties are piling up in the inventory and for months they are unable to see a qualified buyer.
Overall, hundreds of thousands of homes are lying unsold for months in the sluggish US housing markets now. Obviously the strategies for home selling should also change. For example Norfolk is one of the cities consisted in the 9 cities of Hamptons Road Metropolitan Area in Virginia State. This Independent but small city of 234,220 population (steadily maintained more or less from the year 2000) has 86,210 households.
As on date Norfolk has in its record 2,143 residential properties listed for sale, apart from 801 foreclosed properties under “distress sale”.
How you can act smart in the present situation?
Home owners wishing to sell their properties come from different walks of life, apart from business – salaried employee; self-employed professional, teacher, nurse, artist or anything you can think of. Justifiably these people cannot be expected to be wizards in real estate business and know the “tricks of the trade”. All they want is to sell their property listed in the housing market, as quickly as possible and at the price they have set and count the currency.
Go to the Norfolk example again. The property you want to get listed – either through MLS or FSBO – should get the attention of the buyer flipping through the photos and virtual tour videos of 2,143 properties available for sale at Norfolk housing market. How to do this?
This is where Home Staging comes into the picture and helps you achieve the desired result.
Create “Love at first sight” situation for your property.
When a prospective buyer sees a property, the first and foremost thing attracts them is the “curb appeal” – meaning how a property looks at the first glance. An Accredited Home Stage professional can make this happen. By magnifying the advantages of your home and reducing the disadvantages to the best extent possible, your property can make the buyer exclaim “Wow….this is what I have been looking for”. From the outside appearance to the interior decoration and arrangement, a professional Home Staging service can work like magic.
Is Home Staging a costly affair?
Not necessarily – an Accredited Home Staging professional works in consultation with you, to suit your budget and enhances the return on investment manifold.
For all your queries in respect of your individual Home Staging requirements, there is an expert – seasoned realtor-turned Accredit Home Staging professional - waiting to provide answers at http://xanadustaging.com/. You can get in touch obligation-free.
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