7 Top Summer Jobs for Teens

By Barbara Pronin

For some teenagers, summer is a time to sleep in, kick back and enjoy. But for others, it’s all about money – a good time to earn and stow away cash for whatever is dearest to their hearts.

Summer jobs that are social and flexible are clearly the most popular. High school counselors suggest top possibilities ambitious teens should look into:

Camp counselor – Residential summer camps frequently want counselors with counselor-in-training (CIT) experience. But day camps, whether private or sponsored by churches, schools, or other local organizations, offer plenty of opportunity for responsible teens who can be good role models for children. Check early with camp sponsors for the best chance to snag a position.

Lifeguard – Proficient swimmers who are at least 15 years old can become certified lifeguards by completing a 37-hour training course including CPR, first aid, use of rescue equipment, and more. Passing written and swimming tests may also be required, but once certified, summer lifeguarding can be fun and lucrative for years.

Starting a service business – Entrepreneurial teens who can provide babysitting, lawn care, cleaning, car washing or other needed services, such as computer instruction or tutoring, may want to start a business that could continue long past the summer months. They can get a start by advertising their services at senior center, church and community bulletin boards or in free community newspapers.

Concert and event venues – It takes a lot of people to usher, sell snacks, provide security, and man the parking lots at the many summer event venues available in most communities. Apply early for the best chance of being hired.

Food services – Teens who like interacting with people can choose from cashier, host/hostess, server, bus girl, dish washer, and prep cook positions. Food industry jobs often open up in summer as restaurants seek to staff expanded outdoor dining.

Movie theaters – Indoors or at summer drive-ins, teens can enjoy free movies, free popcorn, and socializing by working at a movie theater in concessions, tickets sales, or cleaning.

Business internship – While many internships are unpaid, some do offer a stipend – and teens can gain invaluable experience to support their professional futures by pursuing a summer internship in a career field of their choice.

Tips for House Hunting with Kids

By Hans Brings

Buying a house is in equal parts exhilarating and nerve wracking. Unless you have that perfect house just waiting for you, financing ready to go, and no competing offers, your home search can be time consuming and fraught with ups and downs. Add your kids into the mix, and you might feel completely overwhelmed before you even get started.

There are many compelling reasons to include your kids in your home search. Moving can be a tough proposition for children, especially if they have to change schools and make new friends. Small children might simply miss the familiarity of the home in which they've grown up. Including kids in the search for your new home can be empowering for them. They can feel that they have a say in the final decision – the degree to which they actually do is up to you, but certainly most parents feel that a new home has to be just right for the entire family.

If you are moving towns, in a time crunch, or if you don't have childcare in the area, you might find yourself going on a house hunt with your kids in tow. Here are a few tips that can help you make your home search an experience that is tolerable – or even exciting – for the entire family.

Research. The more information you can find out ahead of time about the property either online or from your real estate agent, the better background you'll have to target areas of concern or interest when you go for the showing. Make lists of everything you're looking for in a home and screen out any houses that don't fit your needs.

Take your time. If possible, don't cram all your showings into one day. If a full day of showings seems like a marathon to you, just imagine how worn your children's patience will be.

Plan the day. Do you have a contingency plan in the case of a meltdown? Can you take turns viewing the home with your spouse and compare notes in the car?

Bring provisions. You'll need ample snacks, drinks, and entertainment like books, crayons, and sketchbooks. Portable DVD players, laptops, iPads, iPods, and handheld video games can work wonders for "bored" kids, especially if you ordinarily limit their time with such devices – and the promise of some technology time can serve as a reward for good behavior during each showing. Make sure you're stocked with diapers, wipes, and paper towels for any messes on the go.

Set ground rules. Lay out your expectations for your kids' behavior before you even embark on your day, outlining things they must not do while they are "guests" in someone else's home. Let them understand that you won't tolerate running, fighting, sitting on furniture, or fiddling with other people's belongings. Keep careful track of all of your kids at all times to make sure they are observing the rules.

Take breaks. Have lunch a restaurant your kids enjoy or take a midday break for ice cream or some other treat. Stop at a park or playground in one of the neighborhoods you visit. You can make the day a fun adventure that the kids enjoy and remember.

Streamline. Take notes and photos so that you can revisit the details of each property later on when you are free from distractions. If you find yourself with questions later on, you can contact your agent for answers.

Prioritize. Make sure to visit the homes that most interest you early in the day so that you don't end up missing them if you have to cut the day short. If there are any homes that would be "nice to see," but not compelling, save them until the end of the day and only visit them if the family is holding together well.

Buying a new home is one of the most important decisions you can make. It's imperative to make a sound choice that will assure your happiness down the road. Including your kids in your home search doesn't have to be difficult if you plan your search with them in mind. You might find that they have questions about a property that you haven't thought of – and their additional perspective could prove useful when you finally make your decision.

Real Estate Agent Ranked 'Happiest' Job

Real Estate Agent Ranked 'Happiest' Job

Does Buyer Urgency Boost the Housing Urgency?

Is housing getting hot again? After the historic collapse of a few years ago, the housing market has been on a slow rebound marked by increases in new home starts and demand for a limited supply of available houses. Now, a new survey reported in Business Insider offers evidence that the US housing market isn’t just working its way back from the brink in fits and starts, it’s rushing forward at a speed not seen in years.

According to Business Insider, the financial services company Credit Suisse recently conducted its monthly survey of real estate agents and housing industry experts in 40 US housing markets in an attempt to profile the actual state of the recovery. Their results? Housing is at its strongest in the history of the survey.

Granted, Credit Suisse’s survey only dates back to 2005. But it spans the period of the housing bubble and its disastrous collapse as well as events since then, so behind the hyperbole stand some real data that could shed light on the state of he market as spring selling season approaches.

What’s driving the upswing in market strength? One key factor appears to be a sense of urgency on the part of potential home purchasers. These buyers fear that time is running out on those historically low mortgage rates, and waiting to buy may lock them into higher rates. Home prices are rising, too, and this along with low rates fuels a rush to get a good deal before it’s too late.

Another factor driving buyer urgency is the well-publicized low supply of available houses for purchase. That supply continues to shrink nationwide, for numerous reasons including the holdup of many potentially available properties in the foreclosure pipeline. What’s more, the length of time required to sell a home also fell to a new low in major markets around the country, signaling even higher prices in the coming months as demand outstrips supply.

These indicators of a housing market that’s not just recovering but surging come at a time when tighter mortgage lending standards threatened to exclude numerous potential buyers from getting a loan, and financial experts predicted am upsurge in the rental markets. But as numerous consumer surveys continue to affirm, the “American Dream” of homeownership is still alive and kicking for many, and potential buyers feel the need to act now in the face of future uncertainties in the market.

Debbie McClymont Addresses International Event Focused on Real Estate Marketing and Technology

 Debbie McClymont, Manager of Online Services for Cutler Real Estate presented at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® MarTech event, February 26-28 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. This prestigious conference attracted a sell-out crowd and was part of LeadingRE Conference Week, a series of events that drew nearly 2,000 top real estate professionals from 17 countries. Those in attendance were marketing and technology professionals affiliated with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^®, a global network of 500+ market-leading real estate firms representing more home sales than any other real estate network.

Sessions offered at MarTech focused on a range of timely topics, including the effective use of social media, mobile and internet marketing; innovations to improve lead conversion and the use of data to improve customer experience and business results. Debbie McClymont presented information on Popular Tools for Boosting SEO Efforts, sharing insights on improving search engine ranking. Debbie focused on the latest information, tools and considerations such as quality link building, meta data best practices and social media metrics that matter.

“The success of MarTech was due in large part to our talented member speakers, who generously shared their strategies and insights with other members,” Pam O’Connor, president/CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® said. “These market-leading professionals help set a standard of excellence and innovation for our events, and we are thankful for their contributions.”

McClymont was among a distinguished line-up of speakers that included keynote speakers Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist and a bestselling author, and Shawn Achor, author of the international bestseller The Happiness Advantage. Matthew Ferrara, who serves as Dean of Innovation for LeadingRE’s professional development platform, was also featured, along with real estate technology innovator and co-founder of Home Junction Grant Gould and internet marketing authority Jim Marks of Virtual Results. An array of talented and accomplished LeadingRE member speakers also shared unique insights and perspectives on the use of marketing and technology to support the success of a real estate brokerage.

Cutler Real Estate is the Columbus, Akron and Canton representative of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^®, the largest network of premier locally-branded firms producing over $234 billion in annual home sales. LeadingRE provides its affiliates with an extensive range of brokerage services, which include lead generation, cross-market referrals, branding support, luxury marketing, online exposure, technology systems, and industry-leading professional development.

Your Guide to Choosing the Right Smartphone to Give

If you've noticed more smartphones and tablets on your holiday wish lists, you're not alone. A recent survey by Kelton Research found that 69 percent of people would like to receive something wireless as a holiday gift.

The report also found it's not always easy to shop for these kinds of gifts. In fact, 43 percent of people surveyed said they find shopping for technology items more confusing than assembling a child's toy with multiple parts.

To minimize the confusion around shopping for a wireless device, Ami Silverman, senior vice president of sales operations, T-Mobile USA, has a few tips for selecting the right smartphone and getting the most value for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Smart Tips for Choosing a Smartphone
There are many options to choose from, and at first glance they might all seem the same. The key to picking the right one is to start by matching the phone's featured functions to what you know about the user. For example, here are some typical mobile users and the features which would be ideal for their devices:
Heavy texter/social networker - Consider phones with a physical QWERTY keyboard to enable quick connections with inner circles.
Gamer - Look for devices that have preloaded or easy access to premium games as well as large, high-definition screens, powerful processors (preferably a quad-core processor) and long lasting batteries.
Entertainment junkie - Keep an eye out for fast 4G smartphones with touch screens featuring large high-definition display for watching videos and enjoying online entertainment.
Worker bee - Seek phones that offer business-ready capabilities and the ability to accurately and quickly view and edit documents and share files fast.
Style maven - Choose touch screen phones that are thin, look sleek, and can be customized with a range of accessories, including stylish protective cases.
Photographer - Prioritize phones with high-resolution cameras and high storage capacity.

While these tips can point you in the right direction, it's best to talk to experts in the store. Explain the type of person you are buying for and how they'll be using the device. Knowledgeable sales associates have tools and resources so they can help you find exactly what you need

Reviews can also be helpful in finding the right phone. Check out independent reviews at www.consumerreports.org or www.cnet.com, and get user reviews at www.consumersearch.com.

10 Hot Trends in Kitchen Countertops

By Barbara Pronin, RISMedia Columnist

While granite and marble remain the most popular choices for kitchen countertops, young homemakers are opting for a surprising number of chic, new countertop choices.

“These trendy alternatives offer a clean, sleek, sometimes industrial look that suggests heavy duty cooking is going on here,” say designers at architectural firm Freshome.

The hottest countertop materials available today include:

Poured concrete – Stain resistant when sealed, they are relatively inexpensive and can be tinted to any color. Appearance improves with age, but while the concrete is heat-resistant, the sealer is not. It requires trivets under hot pots and cutting boards for chopping.

Butcher block - Elegant yet casual and environmentally friendly, butcher block requires monthly sealing and oiling to prevent drying or cracking. Its soft surfaces require cutting boards, but cleanup demands only mild dish detergent and a light cloth or sponge.

Reclaimed wood – Salvaged from older homes, reclaimed wood is attractive, sturdier than newer wood, and saves trees. It requires the same maintenance as butcher block.

Cork – Dense, sturdy and lightweight, cork is a sustainable option with sound-cutting properties. It is resistant to water and heat and has antibacterial properties.

Stainless steel – Elegant, sleek and classy looking, these counters are water, heat and germ resistant. Susceptible to dings and scratches, they show every fingerprint, but maintenance requires only washing and polishing.

Soapstone - A natural stone quarried like granite, soapstone is a softer surface that is sturdy but not impervious to dents and scratches, which may be sanded or oiled away. The color is naturally gray and darkens with age, offering a smooth, matte feel.

Recycled glass – Like reclaimed wood, this is a ‘greener’ choice, available in many beautiful colors and patterns. With a life expectancy of 50 years, it is easy to clean and care for. This option is a bit cheaper than granite.

Pewter – Offers a less clinical look than stainless steel, but is softer and susceptible to nicks and dents, although a hammered, antique look can mask damage. This muted, dark silvery color looks good in any kitchen.

Slate – A natural, fine-grained rock, slate is softer than granite but harder than marble. Resists bacteria and cleans with soap and water, but is not entirely heat-proof.

Quartz – An extremely scratch-resistant mineral, easy to care for and clean. Needs no sealing and has a long lifetime and more unique look than granite.