How to Choose a Landscape Designer Or Landscaping Company and Save You Time & Money

Choosing the right landscape designer or landscaping company is not always easy.

Why? Because you may be bombarded with misleading claims, confusing advertising, or simply bad information.

You see, making the decision to hire a landscape designer can be a daunting task. There are so many designers and landscape companies hustling for your business. On the surface, they may all appear to be pretty much the same. But often times by simply digging a little bit deeper and knowing what to look for, you'll be much better prepared to make the right decision.

Whether you've hired a Landscape Company in the past, or if you're searching for the perfect designer for the very first time, this information will save you some time and money ... maybe even a headache or two.

Below are 5 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring A Landscape Company:

1) Is the company properly licensed and insured?

This first seemingly obvious thing to consider when hiring any landscape company. Let's talk about licensing first. Sure, you want to hire a landscape company that's licensed, but what does that really mean?

Through countless conversations with prospects and clients over the years, I've discovered that most people are not even aware of the different licenses that landscape companies are required to have - much less when or not they have them.

Did you know there are different licenses that landscapers in Texas may be required to carry? a) General Liability Insurance, b) Texas Nursery / Floral Certificate from Department of Agriculture, c) Irrigation License from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Any company without the proper licenses could present a potential liability issue for you. You'll certainly want to hire a company that is insured. Always insist on certificates of liability; it's also a good idea to be asked as "additional insured."

2) Are quoted prices fixed or just cost estimates?

A low price can often be presented in the form of an "estimate" Always be cautious of these. Instead, insist on a firm proposal which details the service to be provided and sets forth fixed pricing for those services. Without a significant amount of excavation is involved, an experienced landscape company should not have a problem with this type of arrangement.

It's no secret - professional landscape companies base their pricing on three basic factors: labor, equipment, materials and profit. However, there are also overhead costs that you may not realize. Things like employee uniforms, the employee training programs, and many other expenses that go into bringing you a high level of service. If you expect a professional company with great quality and great customer service, it's unquestionably you'll be happy with a landscape company offering the lowest "rock-bottom" pricing.

Keep this in mind when comparing prices and proposals. Quite often what appears to be the low price can be deceiving. It is critical for you to clarify and understand exactly what's included and what's required to achieve your desired outcome.

Once you are comfortable with a proposal, you'll want to get a signed contract that will legally document the terms and scope of work agreed upon by both parties.

3) Will you be able to talk to other clients who have used the landscape company for similar projects?

Any landscape company can make comments regarding their company practices and quality of their work. Unfortunately, some of what they say may not be completely accurate.

Established companies will be able to offer you plenty of testimonials and references from current and past clients - if they can not, then it is probably a good idea to keep looking. It is also important to personally contact a few of those references, and if possible to get out and take a look at their properties. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau and get the customer's rating.

Be sure to ask for references from other customers whose properties are similar in size and and scope of work to that of your own. A landscape company who specializes in maintenance and has a great reputation in that regard may not be your best choice for a comprehensive landscape installation project.

When collecting feedback from other customers, make sure you ask about the level of communication offered by the landscaper, their reliability and overall quality of work and if their project was finished on time and within budget.

4) What will be your line of communication with the company while your project is underway?

As with any relationship, an open line of communication is critical to a successful relationship with your landscape contractor. The ability to effectively communicate with you, the client, AND the crew that is working is essential should unexpected circumstances arise.

The labor force within the landscape industry today is made up in large of Hispanics - often non English speaking individuals. This could pose a problem.

It is always a good idea to confirm with any landscape company that there will be someone on your project that understands and speaks fluent English - this way you can communicate with them.

Be sure to ask about communications and who your point of contact within the company will be. This way, you'll be in the best position to handle issues that may come up.

A professional company should report to you the progress of each days work and a plan for the next day. This could be done verbally or documented as a written report.

5) What type of guarantees will the company offer on your project?

Any company should be full accounting for their performance on your property and plantations or other products they install. This seems fairly straightforward, right? However, not all landscape companies offer a guarantee - and if they do, they're not all created equal. You should look for guarantees for 100% satisfaction for their product.

Answering these questions give you a level of confidence when choosing a quality landscape company. You'll have peace of mind; save yourself time and money in the long run and know exactly what to expect.

Great landscape designers and landscape companies should be able to specify plants and trees that will work for your specific region. For example, landscaping in Austin TX can be tricky when choosing the right plants. The soil requirements as well as the abundant deer population make the plant selection not as easy as looking in a plant book under Zone 8. However, a knowledgeable and reputable landscaping company can make the right design selections and have your yard looking great with little or no hassle.

Chose wisely and be thorough when selecting a landscape company. You'll be glad you went through the extra effort. Good Luck!

The Best Free iPhone Apps Reviewed and Tested

The Light application





Do you find yourself fumbling in the dark for a flashlight? This app turns your iPhone into a





flashlight quickly and easily. This is ideal when you are looking for your keys or are trying to track something down in your car.

The EReader





Forget about a bulky and cumbersome Kindle, this app makes your iPhone into a eBook reader. You





can buy and download them at ereader, or Fictionwise as well as many other eBook outlets. The eReader is a fantastic little tool.

Evernote





If you are a post-it note writer, and are fed up with misplacing them, or simply forgetting





about them, then this app is a cool way to jot down all those things that are jotted down all





over your apartment, and carry them with you. It even syncs your iPhone to your PC or Mac. How fab is that?

Twittererrific





For those of you that simply can't live without updating your friends on a second by second





basis. With this app, you can Tweet your heart out.

TypePad





This app lets you upload content to a blog, or upload photos to your site, and even let's your twitter followers know when you have something new on your site, as it tweets them all automatically. Theres a small catch - you will have to use their web based service.

Remote App





In conjunction with your Wi-Fi Network, turn your phone into a remote control and enjoy tunes throughout the house. Why get off the couch when this app plays the music you want without you





having to move.

Save Benjis





My personal favorite, as I am continually hunting for the best deal. This iPhone app lets you track down the very best deal on the web by comparing an item with upto a thousand other stores. Over fifteen million products can be searched and compared. Plus you can purchase products and read reviews straight from your phone too!

Get To Know HSBC Online Banking Services

HSBC, known as the world's local bank, is a global leader in banking and financial services. According to Forbes magazine, it is the second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company in terms of composite measures as of 2011. It has approximately 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. HSBC is a universal bank that has four divisions or lines of services: private, commercial, investment and retail banking. It also offers a number of financial products such as credit/debit cards, loans, insurance and the like.

HSBC enables its clients to perform banking activities through its online banking. This service option allows the customer to do banking transaction online. These transactions include but not limited to bill payments, fund transfer, loan applications, viewing recent bank transactions and account administration. Online banking caters to clients with advanced technological preference and those that cannot make transactions during the regular banking hours. This gives them the opportunity to manage financial matters via the internet even during the wee hours of the morning right from their homes.

You simply have to have an account with HSBC to qualify for its internet banking. It is also recommended that you use an HSBC-supported browser for you to be able to use Personal Internet Banking and safeguard your account.

To register to this banking service, you may need to have your Social Security Number, your HSBC ATM, credit/debit card along with its PIN. If you don't have either of these, your other account information such as your savings/checking account, mortgage, home equity and/or loan account information will do but it will take 5 days for the registration to be completed. This will help verify your identity in a secure manner and will allow you immediate access to internet banking.

A confirmation mail will be sent containing your temporary username and password to notify you of access. You will then be able to do personal internet banking the first time you access it but you will be prompted to change it to your preferred username and password. Likewise, you will be provided with a security key the first time you log on to the service.

Internet Banking is guaranteed fast and secured by HSBC. It has modified banking style for different kinds of clients by introducing internet banking and a lot more that this has to offer. Surely, all it takes is effort to log on to the internet and banking is at its best.

Benefits of Learning Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is one of the most commonly used business applications used worldwide today. Learning Microsoft Excel can be an investment that benefits many people both personally and professionally. If you have ever wondered how learning Excel can help you in your life or career, or even just been curious about all the things Excel has to offer, you will want to read this article. After you read about the benefits of getting up to speed with Excel you will have a better idea of how it might relate to your own situation.

Excel Helps With Organization

One of the primary benefits of a spreadsheet application like Excel is that it can help you stay organized in a very hectic world. In your personal life you can use the power and simplicity of Excel to create checklists and budgets of every type. You may have a weekly list of tasks that you want to make sure to do each week, or even just use Excel to compose a grocery or shopping list. Of course because Excel is so powerful with manipulating numbers, it is an ideal tool for managing your personal household budget, and planning for big expenses like retirement or even your next vacation abroad.

Excel is Great for Monitoring Financial Performance

The primary purpose of Excel is for use as a business tool. As such, it is well suited for monitoring financial performance of all kinds over time. Regardless of what your function is in your company, chances are Excel has a potential benefit for you. Sales managers can use Excel to track their employees' performance versus their goals and quotas. Marketing managers can monitor the performance and ROI of their media budgets, and of course accountants can monitor and track the financial transactions and performance of the company as a whole.

Learning Excel Can Provide Career Advantages

It is probably obvious, but having knowledge of Excel can give you a significant boost in your career. Most traditional office jobs these days require at least some rudimentary knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Being able to use spreadsheets efficiently brings value to your employer that helps justify your salary, and maybe even an increase! In addition, having skills with this great tool can give you an instant advantage against your fellow employees who are competing for the same promotions and advancement you are.

As you can see, learning how to use spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel can have a powerful effect on many facets of your life. From staying organized at home, to performing important business functions at work, this is a great tool for almost anyone who needs a little extra efficiency in their world.

Financial Education 101 - For Sovereign Wealth and Emergency Financial Preparedness

It is similar. As a culture and a society we have not been very well financially educated. At times it is important to cut through all the confusion and get down to the basics of financial knowledge and financial security to help lead us into sovereign wealth. Do you know the old saying, "a dollar just does not buy what it used to", well, keep that in mind as you read this article.

The question was posed to me, "How does the value of a dollar relate to a declining economy?" And the simple answer to that is, "what can it by you?" It's all about PURCHASING POWER. Think commodities, the simple things that make your life easier. The oil that makes the gas that drives your car. The food ingredients to the meals that fuel your body. The materials used to dress you and your family.

Now if you have ever held stocks, more definitively, a stock which has split, you get double the amount of shares, although each share only has half of its buying power. For instance, if you have 100 shares at $ 100 dollars, and it splits, well then suddenly you have 200 shares at $ 50. It's the same with the value of the dollar or any other fiat currency.

There are essentially 2 reasons why the value of a fiat currency (aka the dollar) will lose its value.

1. The amount of dollars increases in circulation (ex- the federal reserve printing money out of thin area often to cover outstanding debts to other countries - think China)
2. A decreasing demand for that said fiat currency (ex- the United States dollar, when steeped in so much debt, other countries or loaner's lose faith on ever being paid back, will stop buying into it - think China)

So now, say that the same example happened with the dollar as did the stock in our above example of a stock split. Either supply doubles or demand gets cut in half, and the value of our dollar is cut in half. Now when you want to go out and fuel your car, feed your family, or cloth yourself ... you dollar will only buy half as much as before, so "a dollar just does not buy what it used to." This is an important basic of knowledge to keep in mind when planning for your financial security, especially when speaking of growing sovereign wealth and planning for emergency financial security.

Opportunity Cost: Making Gold In WoW

Today I would like to talk about something that not many people consider when making gold in WoW, opportunity cost. For the serious gold maker, or someone just starting out this can be important. Just as in real life, businesses must make decisions about their assets and inventories related to opportunity cost, so must you as a wow gold maker. The effects of opportunity costs essentially come down to risk versus reward.

A popular strategy of many players is to stockpile goods for the next patch so they can cash in and make tens of thousands of gold in a few days. While this is an effective strategy and one that can make you a ton of gold there is something that not many of these players consider, opportunity cost.

For every item you stockpile there is a risk that inherently comes with holding that item. That risk is the amount of demand behind the item in the future, which is unknown. Maybe people will not want it as much as you predict so you sat on a stack of items for a month and they did not pay off for you at all.That's why its riskier than playing the market at the current time, because at this point in time you can accurately gauge demand for certain items, while in the future you can not.

You need to consider the possible return of your gold now, versus later. Maybe you invest a bunch of your gold into pyrite ore in order to make a killing once you can prospect it for epic gems. Let's say this happens 2 months from now once patch 4.3 comes out just as a random example. So you have 1000g to invest in pyrite ore and you buy as much as you can with it. Then you wait 2 months doing nothing since you have no gold. After the 2 months you can sell the prospect epic gems for 4000g. That's 4x what you invested, although you had to wait 2 months for it and got nothing during that down time. Not only that but you faced the risk that epic gems did not come out in patch 4.3, as well as the fact that you may not be able to accurately gauge demand for them.

Now consider a different scenario. You spend 1000g on pyrite ore and prospect it, or transform it into items for people to use. After a week you make 1500g, 1.5x what you originally spent. Assuming you invest the 1000g each week and come back with 500g in net profit at the end of the week after 8 weeks you will have made 4000g not including the initial 1000g investment.

Either way you make the same amount of gold, however the second method is far less risky than the other. This is because you are spreading your earnings out and learning a consistent cashflow over time, instead of large lump sum payments. Not only that but it is far easier to predict what your current demand for any product is right now than at a time in the future when demand may be completely unknown.

While both methods are viable for making gold it can be much less risky to have a consistent stream of gold running into your hands versus investing everything into potential future profits that you can get by stockpiling materials.

Samsung Internet TV

Users of Samsung's Internet TV platform can now benefit from video-on-demand thanks to DIVA TV, a provider of cross-platform digital content focusing on popular movies. The first countries to benefit from this collaboration include Germany, Switzerland and the UK. DIVA TV expects to extend this service further very soon, to reach other territories including the US in months to come.
Users of this platform in Germany, Switzerland and the UK will be first to benefit from DIVA TV, with the company optimistic of extending the partnership to cover other territories, including the US, in the coming months.

DIVA TV's library of content allows users to easily find the programs that they are looking for or to discover new programs that they will like, without their having to browse their way through hundreds of titles that do not particularly interest them. Now that hand-picked entertainment is becoming the norm, it is only natural that this is the next step for this platform as well. Those already owning it in the selected countries will soon be able to enjoy this next-step technology.

Users can also enjoy Day and Date and free content thanks to DIVA TV. Plus, the DIVA TV catalog keeps topping up their library with new movie releases, in genres such as action, comedy, thrillers, popular TV shows and more. Now folks can enjoy TVoD (TV on Demand) thanks to the DIVA TV widget. Current titles available are supplemented with certain related movies and shows offered as free aVoD content as well.

There are many types of movies that will be offered through this service. Some of the movie types include a vast library of popular films, classic movies and hot Hollywood favorites. The library of content will be constantly refurbished with new offerings to keep things current and evolving. This way customers do not need to keep seeing repeat content but have a selection of new movies at all times. The current estimate is that about 10% of the library's content will be replaced each month with fresh content, and each title will stay in the library for at least 3 months to ensure that most users get an opportunity to see it.

One of the other interesting aspects of the DIVA TV widget is that is brings users some unique minority content, catering to various ethnic groups and expat communities. This includes the best of Turkish, Russian and Arabic films and drama series currently available, in an effort to reach an even wider audience.

DIVA was founded in 2007 and has quickly become a prominent provider of entertainment content including films, TV shows and short-format content. Its primary roles is in providing video-on-demand platforms and connected devices around the world. With a focus on award-winning films, classic pictures and specialty-genre content, DIVA finds that its main customers are over-the-top platforms, IPTV operators and device manufacturers in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the USA.

Samsung's Internet TV platform is well-suited for DIVA content, and users of Samsung HDTVs are all set to start enjoying high-quality content on demand. The platform has taken entertainment to a new level with its ability to bring a world of choice content right to your TV, all browsed easily at the touch of a few buttons from the comfort of your home.