1. If you can't afford to lose it, do not invest it. This is undoubtedly Golden Rule, as no matter how much "due diligence" and research you perform on a program, some will always just disappear, for whatever reason, and when they disappear your money disappears with them.

2. Get your initial investment back out of program as soon as you can. This way money invested is pure profit, so it will hurt far less if it disappears. This also frees up your original investment capital to invest in a new program. If a program is going well it will be very tempting to break this rule. We know, and we have and lost because of it. Stick to this rule and you will not regret it.

3. Diversify. Ideally you want only 5-10% of your overall investment fund in any one program, obviously this does take a while to achieve, but is safest strategy. The tough part is finding enough long standing, stable, paying programs to invest in.

4. If you get scammed just move on and learn from experience. Notifying authorities is certainly an option that is open to you and is your choice. The important thing is to work out if you broke one of basic rules and exposed your capital unnecessarily, i.e. learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them.

We hope you find these "rules" or tips useful. They are guidelines that We follow and we have found that We have greatly reduced number of occasions where we lose money. In fact our greatest losses in HYIP were when we first started and did not understand these rules. We now make a profit. www.str8junk.com

Homeowners should plant colorful flowers along walkway leading to door, prune existing trees, shrubs and bushes, and add fresh mulch. Clean out dead plants and weeds from flower beds and refresh with colorful plants and annuals. Taller plants at corners of your house will help anchor it with landscape. Shorter plants near your home's entry bring attention to your front door. However, this could have a negative impact if front door is in need of repair (another reason to rethink exterior improvements noted previously). Last but most definitely not least and probably most important, ensure your lawn is trimmed and green. If you have a lawn in need of attention, you may want to consult a landscaper for advice before trying to repair on your own.

Overall Appeal

Some further touches that will go along way to increasing appeal of your home from curbside are:

Outdoor lighting - Exterior lighting in your garden, walkway or entrance area add a warmth and welcome feeling that will make a viewer want to see more.

Indoor lighting - While your house is on market, leave lamps on in 1 or 2 front rooms. It brings home to life and, again, provides same warmth and welcome feeling as exterior lighting. Exterior lighting alone will not provide appearance of a well loved, lived in home, like combination of exterior and interior lighting can.

Furniture - As long as chairs are well kept and not cluttered looking within space, two chairs on a front porch provides a tremendous visual appeal from street. Buyers view exterior as an extension of home and will want to view more. The best advice for creating great curb appeal, is to take a walk through your favourite neighbourhood. Analyze what works really well and what doesn't. Then determine why and incorporate those items to fit your own exterior. Most of all enjoy outdoors and don't get too overwhelmed by work at hand. © February, 2004 - Xstream Realty Incorporated