Buying a Gift for a Barbie assembler

Collectors can be easy to buy gifts for. At least you know what they like and can't get enough of. Then again, how do you know they don't already have what you're looking to buy? And how can you be sure they verily derive the exact thing you are looking at? Barbie collectors are no different. They love their dolls, but many of them have a stack of them in a closet, so even with your phone cam ready, you can't make sure you won't buy a double and what you get is verily something they'd like?

One great idea is to look for Ooak-Barbie's and fashions. Ooak is a short for "one of a kind" which means that the double issue is taken care of! Now, you only need to worry about what your friend collects. Barbie collectors can be divided into groups, and you'll have to shape out which one your friend belongs to:

Dollhouseclub

1. Vintage Collectors.

They derive Barbies and items that are made before 1975, give or take a concentrate of years (depends on the collector, normally before 1973). It is so hard to find a good gift for a precise vintage collector, that I'll just add a few tips here: Forget it, give money or find a factory second -article of the era, if you can.

2. Silkstone collectors.

They derive a extra accumulator line of Barbie, that is made with the vintage face mold, but are made within the last 10 years. (The line just turned 10 in 2010!) It is normally easy to tell whether a doll is a vintage doll or a Silkstone, but if you are not sure, ask your friend which she collects - she'll be impressed to hear you know about Silkstone!

3. accumulator vinyl collector.

These collectors derive a extra line of contemporary dolls designed specifically for adults. accumulator vinyls resemble the normal dolls at super markets, but have a smaller head and their fashions are made with more detail than the playline-dolls.

4. Playline collector.

These collectors derive the everyday Barbies sold at super markets and toy shops, the same stuff you buy for children.

5. Bit of this, bit of that.

These collectors concentrate separate lines, along with all or some, usual combinations are playline and accumulator vinyl or vintage and Silkstone. Sometimes they are "kitbashers" that take parts of separate sets and concentrate them into one - even doll body parts.

6. Nrfb collector.

These collectors can fit any of the above group with the increasing that they only buy items that are still in their customary boxes and don't take off them from their boxes. (Rare with vintage due to the high cost of such vintage dolls.) Easy to identify by the fact their variety is still in customary boxes!

Now, for an Ooak gift, if your friend belongs to the group one, forget this option. For group 6, only buy Ooak that has a gorgeous display box. For other groups, go onto eBay and do a crusade for Ooak Barbie and add "Silkstone" if your friend collects Silkstone. This is prominent even when only buying clothes, because the Silkstone body is separate from other Barbie doll bodies, and the clothes won't necessarily fit correctly if bought for a wrong type of doll. Note that your crusade will bring up dolls that are marked "for Ooak" which means the distributor intends to sell the doll as a starting point for Ooak artists. Unless your friend is an Ooak artist, ignore them. Commonly speaking, try to avoid dresses that are princessy or childish. Even though we derive a toy, we are still adults and have an adult fashion sense. Keep this in mind when browsing.

Next, let's talk about your friend's personality. Does she take photos of her dolls? Are they taken in a doll size environment, known as diorama, or are they flat background shots? If your friend is into dioramas, you can go shopping looking for anything Barbie-sized that might go into a diorama. Small pots, dishes, flowers, tiny games, keyrings, small teddy bears and other things are great to keep an eye out for. Should you happen to find a small chair or bench, or a sofa-shaped jewellery box, you probably found a treasure! Flea markets and drift shop are great tiny looking places, just as eBay. Keep in mind that Barbie is done in 1:6 scale.

A lot of Barbie collectors would love a good background for their dolls, for photography, too. If you happen to be artistic yourself, why not paint a background for a Barbie photoshoot? If you are not that artistic, you could try and find some nice papers for backgrounds, something like gift wraps, if they are not too glossy. Retro-backdrops are often a great place to start, and if your friend is a vintage collector, think 60's glamour.

If your friend enjoys making clothes for Barbie, you're in luck! You can find all sorts of fabrics verily - as you know! Just make sure the fabric isn't very thick, and that the pattern on it is as small as possible. Again, think adult, not kid.

If you are handy, nothing would make your friend happier than to receive doll fashions made by you! A knitted jumper, a crocheted beanie (remember grown up's dolls have smaller heads than your child's dolls, but the bodies are often the same. If you have your own childhood dolls somewhere, their heads are the size you need). Or, you could make something else, sofas are often easy to make, chairs, shelving, tables, anything for the doll house. If you enjoy arts and crafts, look nearby on crafts blogs to see if you could find something that you could squeeze into a doll size thing. Or, make her a flea market shopping bag - with pockets for a few clothing articles when she buys a nude doll at the market so the poor doll doesn't have to go nude all the way home!

Now I'm sure you got the gist of it! Think 1:6!

Buying a Gift for a Barbie assembler

Buying Houses: Types of Bargains to Find

To make a good behalf in real estate, you must buy right. Check out all asset types available to find the best transaction for your specific situation. Think fixers, distressed sales, repossessions, multiple listings, for sale by owners, and vacant properties just wasting away.

Distressed Properties

Dollhouseclub

Recognize the unlikeness between a fixer and a distressed property. Distressed properties may be fixers or just unwanted houses. Divorce, job loss or transfer, death, financial difficulty, and other problems often force a sale for less than store value. Just because an owner's problem causes a distressed sale does not mean the house requires fixing.

Repossessions

Although the repossession store seemed dried up last summer, houses are beginning to appear on foreclosed lists again. Lender Rob Kramarz with Nationwide Mortgage (www.seetloan.com) says that this may be the beginning of other real estate investor boom.

Look for great deal properties for sale by Hud, Va, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Bank-Reos (acronym for real estate owned). Real estate agents try to discourage you from repos and switch you to multiple listed homes. Do not listen to negative remarks about how hard it is to find a good deal property. Find other agent. Even in the hot store at the time of this writing, when the average house sells in less than three weeks, we found two properties for at least forty thousand dollars under store value.

Paying a listing service to mail you lists of repossessed properties is a waste of money. Actually, by the time you get these lists, the houses are already sold. Many web sites listing foreclosures thrive on the web for no charge to you.

Take a flashlight with you to view a repossessed property. With no electrical service and boards face windows, viewing dark rooms is tough. A good real estate agent will have her own flashlight, but you want to see what you want and not what she wants you to see.

Hud

In our area, new Hud listings post online late Thursday night or Friday morning. New "Daily's," homes previously sold which fell out of escrow, post Saturday morning. Properties not sold during the bid time stay listed as daily's. Bids, due by the following Tuesday at midnight, must be submitted by a real estate agent who has completed Hud registration. Don't waste your time using a Realtor who is not customary with selling Hud homes. Any mistake causes the bid to be rejected. Don't use an agent who says you must bid way over minimum bid. Find an agent specializing in Hud homes who wants to work with you on your terms. Many deal Hud homes do sell for far more than the minimum bid. Hold out for the one asset which doesn't get way overbid. (I bid about ,000 under minimum on our second home owner-occupant mountain cabin.)

We submit many bids and win adequate to make it pay us well. Hud only allows one repo purchase as an owner-occupant every two years from the date of closing.

Rely on your gut instinct and don't let your real estate agent unduly work on you. It is not a difficult process for your agent to make a computer bid. You need an agent willing to make a few bids to get a prosperous bid. This is like winning a lottery, with the odds in your favor.

Bids must have a lender's loan commitment statement. Lenders unfamiliar with Hud requirements also waste your time. Any mistake causes you to lose the purchase. Not all lenders understand Hud's bid, finance, and purchase process.

When placing a Hud bid, raise your offering bid to cover some of your end costs. This means you get Hud to pay your end costs and save out-of-pocket expenses. Also, the higher sales price impacts the store comparable sales in your favor for sale later. Your purchase price influences the values of the store area. Retention prices higher for active sales during your renovation time protects your venture potential.

Don't get attached to one particular property. We placed a bid on a home I loved in Apple Valley and lost it by a few hundred dollars. The house came back on the list later, not at all uncommon for Hud repos. But, by this time, we had already purchased a good distressed property.

Va

Cleaner than Hud repos, homes owned by the Veterans management are also offered on a bidding theory through real estate agents. The Va partially fixes up their repossessed homes. The Va sometimes offers vendee (seller) financing with few processing costs, low interest, and no prepayment penalty. You do not have to be a Veteran to buy these easy to qualify for homes.

As of this writing, the Va is changing the way these homes are offered for sale. This is other speculate you need a real estate agent who stays on top of recently revised marketing procedures relating to government-owned properties.

Less known government agencies such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Fdic, Sba, the Irs, and Gsa list repossessed properties on their private web sites. These properties, rarer than Hud and Va, usually get cleaned and repaired before listing with real estate agencies with sale prices closer to store value.

Reos

Banks often offer their real estate owned--Reo homes at deal prices. Depending on the bank's resale policy, conditions of the property, and available financing, Reo opportunities vary widely. Any banks lend on their repos while other banks just want out. Great financing becomes possible through the banks who offer in-house terms. Ask for no points, minimal loan costs, and no prepayment penalties. Check with your local lending institutions and find out how they store their repossessions. Many of these bankers will give you their web page listing available property. Befriend real estate agents who specialize in listing bank-owned repossessions so they will forewarn you of a new listing immediately.

Multiple Listings

It is hard to find a deal in multiple listings, but not impossible. Check out listings which have been on the store for awhile. Look for vacant houses, as these cost the wholesaler money every month. Make an offer for much less than asking price with a quick escrow. Many anxious sellers jump on an offer if they think they will be out of their problem in only ten days. This is other speculate you need a lender and an escrow officer who achieve fast.

I succeed the multiple listings in our area on the multiple Listing Service. One of my agents emails me new listings daily. You need an agent who calls you the wee a new distressed asset listing becomes available. Under-priced listings mostly get snapped up by the real estate agents and their investors before they hit the market.

Just like production many bids, make many offers. You never know when a seller's problems reach a considerable point causing abrupt action.

For Sale by Owners

Houses for sale by owner may not always be a great buy, but there is always at least one deal out there. Many investors prefer buying directly from the owner. If you have ever tried to sell your home by yourself, you probably met some of these investors. Cruel, hard, and in some cases, fraudulent investors dream up all kinds of schemes to steal houses from distraught homeowners. Understand that the home wholesaler most likely dealt with these callous investors before you and therefore may view you with suspicion. Earn their trust by working with them indeed and compassionately.

Seller's Motivation

Let honesty and kindness guide your actions with sellers. Looking out the seller's specific problem is the key to helping them and yourself. Locate the seller's particular need and find a solution. Because it is embarrassing for some sellers to let you in on their troubles, extra condolence and relaxed timing helps you unearth their basic motivation. Listen carefully, stop talking, and pay attention to details which lead to insight the real speculate they need to sell.

The wholesaler may need a quick escrow, need to rent back the home for a while, or want immediate cash. You could give the wholesaler a loan of cash with a note secured by the property. Ask an attorney about your state laws with regard to this type of purchase advance. We offered a wholesaler a ,000 deposit face of escrow, which went toward the down payment, to entice a money-hungry wholesaler to commit to our low price.

Many sellers do not need all of their cash out. Owner financing is a great deal for you. Usually, you get a lower interest rate and you don't have to pay lender's points or prepayment penalties. Also, these loans typically won't show on your credit record so you won't have these payments counted against you. If you have a good credit report, take a copy with you to show to the seller. This prevents more inquiries on your credit history and keeps your credit score from dropping.

Ready to Buy

Be prepared to make an offer immediately when you find a bargain. Make sure you are pre-approved with a great lender who can close quickly.

Distressed sellers and fixer houses offer you a great way to get into the real estate investing business.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All proprietary reserved.

Buying Houses: Types of Bargains to Find