8 Tips for Keeping Your Oral Health in Top Condition

Knowing that you should brush and floss your teeth regularly is the cornerstone to having a healthy mouth. However, there’s a lot more that goes into keeping those pearls so white. Here are eight tips to make sure they stay that way:

1) Floss like you mean it!

Flossing twice a day ensures that your gums and teeth will be healthier. Period. Wrap it around your fingers and run it through the crevices of your teeth, making sure each tooth is properly taken care of by breaking up plaque.

2) Have your technique down-pat!

Brush at roughly a 45-degree angle towards the gumline. Make sure to use gentle, circular brushes in the same area no more than 15 times or so as to not put excess wear on the enamel and gums.

3) Use a proper toothbrush!

Make sure to select the right toothbrush for your mouth. You will want soft bristles, but electing for an electric brush can be better for those who have problems with motor control. Although there are brushes sold that have stiffer bristles marketed for stained teeth, it is better to reduce the stains by brushing more frequently rather than risk damaging the enamel.

4) Don’t be a chimney!

Smoking is one of the worst things that you could ever do to your throat and teeth, not to mention the rest of your body. Smoking turns your teeth yellow, causes gum recession, and leads to oral cancer.

5) Skip the sugar coating!

One of the main perpetrators of tooth decay, sugary foods fuel bacteria that eat away at your teeth until cavities and infections begin to form. Every time your mouth has refined sugars inside of it, your teeth go through a 20-minute acid wash due to an increase in salivary acidic levels needed to dissolve it.

6) Kick the can of soda down the road!

Not merely content to just be loaded with sugar, the acids in soda that give it that signature fizz can easily eat away at your preciou chompers. The occasional soda, when left on the teeth without brushing, is more damaging to enamel than just sugar itself. Ideally, make the switch to water for as many drinks as possible.

7) Pay attention to the youngest and oldest!

Older folks can have problems keeping up with or even remembering to take care of their oral health. Dentures also create more saliva which in turn raises the risks of tooth decay. young toddlers are given sweets and treats just as their teeth begin to come in; don’t allow it to become a bad habit and make sure that they start life with a healthy mouth.

8) Visit your dentist regularly!

If you usually duck your dentist, then your oral health is at a high risk of being neglected as well. A trained dental professional such as a dentist in Guelph has the expertise and technology to spot oral problems and correct them before they become with worse, or even life threatening.

Taking care of your teeth isn’t the most fun or romantic thing to do, especially if you’re tired at the end of a long day or are in a crunch for time. However, carefully caring for your teeth and gums will not only allow you to keep eating the foods you love pain-free but also keep the rest of your body healthy long into your golden years.

How To Market to Asian Consumers

Intro

Marketing is one of the most important parts of any business. A company that attracts a diverse population of clients is destined for a lot of success. Let’s take a close look at how to market to Asian consumers.

Social Media

First and foremost, Asian countries are all about social media. If you thought social media is big in the west, it’s even bigger in Asia. Young adults are constantly sharing ads and coupons with one another on their mobile devices. If you can publish one feature of your marketing strategy, and it goes viral, you’ll be in for a world of success. Asian social media platforms should be targeted on a regular basis. This is why clips on television or billboards aren’t as effective as they are in western countries. While these clips will definitely be seen, people can’t really interact with these advertisements. If companies do opt for these marketing strategies, they’ll often put some sort of QR code that people can scan for more info. In a nutshell, it’s all about engagement. Asian consumers want something tangible that they can explore, no matter how small or tangential the reward might be.

Asian Marketing Agencies

Asian marketing agencies can also assist you with these strategies. While you likely have strong marketing skills on your own, these agencies can optimize your strategies to target Asian consumers. For example, a China marketing agency will have all the latest info on Chinese trends and swings. They’ll let you know which platforms are the hottest at the moment and what clients are looking for in a product. If you are trying to target a Korean or Japanese audience, seek out these agencies accordingly. Different Asian countries have even more subtleties within them that you can exploit. A lot of this stems from the youth. Younger generations generally dictate what sorts of products trend upwards or downwards. Some Asian countries favor bold, unique products while others favor more traditional ones. With an Asian marketing agency, you can get started right away on communicating the intricacies of your product.

Connection

Finally, Asian culture has deep roots in connection and loyalty. Studies have shown that ads centered around family and friends tend to be the most successful. For example, you could create a marketing scheme around wisdom and how it is passed down from generation to generation. Or, create a video about social life in school and how students struggle to overcome obstacles. If you’re able to make these marketing tactics highly relatable, you’ll find an enormous amount of success among Asian consumers. As mentioned before, they will likely share these ads on social media, multiplying your hits every single day. By looking at your target demographic, you can find common themes that consumers will relate to.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, there are many great ways to market to Asian consumers. There are both similarities and differences from Western consumers that you should keep in mind. If you can market effectively, your business will surely reach new heights!

How Much Is My Home Worth?

When you decide that it’s time to sell you home or you just want to get an idea of how much equity you have in it, you’ll need to check what it’s worth. Luckily, there are many resources out there to choose from which can give you relatively decent estimates of your home’s value. We’re going to take a look at what these resources are and what factors help to determine how much money your home is worth.

Online Estimators

The major real estate websites out there all have some version of home estimators. Most are based on algorithms of what recent homes have sold for in the area. These estimators compare the listed bed and bath number of your home with others that have sold recently in your area to get their estimates. Some common sites that people utilize are Zillow and Realtor.

It’s a good idea to search a number of these sites. Simply type in your address and you’ll be given an estimated value for your home. You should take the median value of all the online search estimators that you utilize to get a fair estimate of your home’s value. Realize that these websites aren’t the same as an appraisal, they’re just meant to be a ballpark figure.

Get An Appraisal

Home appraisers are a popular way to determine just what the value of your home is. It’s important to note that the value of a home is going to be highly dependent on what method the evaluator uses for the appraisal and can say depending on who does the appraisal. To have an appraisal done, you’ll need to pay a set fee. Most of these fees run around $500 but can change based on the size of your home, property, and geographical location.

Consult With A Local Realtor

If you’re thinking of selling your home, you can enlist the assistance of a local realtor. Many agencies will have their own system that they use to create an estimate for the value of your home. This estimate usually comes free with the listing from your realtor. Realize that your real estate agent may try to list your property higher than the known value so you should take that into account when assessing the actual value of your home.

Contact A Homebuyer Service

If you’re itching to get out of your home because you took another job or simply just don’t want to live there anymore, you can benefit from contacting a home buying service. Leave The Key Homebuyers will come out to your home and do an on-sight evaluation of its value. Then, they’ll offer you money for the home and tend to close within a week. This is great for those who don’t have the time to wait for their realtor to list their home and have potential buyers visiting at all hours.

Understanding how much your home is worth can be a challenge if you don’t know how to do it correctly. While not all evaluations are going to come back with exactly the same number, the methods above should provide you with relatively similar numbers to go off of. Realize that your home’s value can change greatly over time depending on the market in your local area.

Speeding Up The Home Selling Process

When you make the decision to sell your home, you want to get if over with as soon as you possibly can. Unfortunately, if you don’t have the right strategy to get the job done, you may find your home sitting on the market for months on end. Here are some helpful tips that should allow you to sell your home as fast as possible, no matter what the market outlook is like.

Start Out At The Right Price

One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make when trying to sell their home is setting the asking price too high. The reality is that many homebuyers will look at your listing thinking that you won’t accept much below the asking price. If you set your asking price at above the market value of your home, it’s likely that buyers will simply skip over your listing.

Instead, take the time to have your realtor do a market assessment of the value of your home. You can look online at sites like Zillow or Trulia to get a ballpark idea of where your home’s value falls. Expect to list your home for fair market value or below. If you really want to sell your house fast, consider listing it below the market value. It will be likely to catch the eye of many buyer’s agents and homebuyers that scroll through the listings in your local area.

Enlist The Help Of An Agent

If you’ve been looking up how to sell my house fast, then one of the biggest pieces of advice that is recommended time and time again is hiring a realtor. You want to have a seller’s agent who will take care of listing your home, putting up professional photos, and so forth. Yes, the realtor will get a commission when your property is sold. However, it makes complete and total sense to have their experience by your side to get your home sold fast.

Keep in mind that agents sell houses every day. They understand who the ideal buyer is for your property and they’ll market your home to them. They also have connections with other realtors in your area where they can easily get your home in front of potential buyers as quickly as possible. Opting for selling your house on your own can be a new learning process that can take much longer than enlisting the help of an agent.

Make Your Home Spotless

When buyers walk through a potential home, they take in all the main details. If there’s a nasty stain on your carpet, it will put a mark in their don’t buy column. It’s much easier for a potential buyer to put in an offer on your home when there are no negatives going against it. Do yourself a favor and make your home spotless and clean for the potential buyers when they’re walking through.

Carpet cleaning is an absolute must. Over time, dirt and debris can get mashed in your carpets and make them dull in color. A simple carpet cleaning by a professional company can rejuvenate the look of your carpets and give them a fresh look. Make sure when you’re cleaning that you declutter areas so that your home is not too busy looking. The goal should be to make your home seem livable but not too personalized with all your photographs and heirlooms. You want the potential buyers to be able to picture themselves living in your home.

Selling your home fast can be done with the right strategy by your side. The above are some essential tips that should be added to your selling strategy as they’ll greatly enhance your ability to sell your home quickly. Remember, always put yourself in the buyer’s shoes so that you can ensure everything you’re doing will have a positive impact on their buying decision.

Tips for Selling Your Home

When it comes to the task of selling your home, there are many methods to have a successful sale and maximize your profit margin. We would like to guide you on how to achieve this goal with some handy options for you to consider when you place your home out there on the open market.

Touchups and Appearances

As the cliché adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Potential buyers place significant emphasis on the look of the property. What you can do to maximize the appeal of the residence is to conduct a few minor fixes and touchups.

For starters, repainting your front door and adding some plants to the exterior of the house and can do wonders for catching the watchful eye of potential buyers. Also keep an eye out on interior maintenance. Make sure the lightbulbs are in working order and clean the house. Dust and vacuum the floor, and also tidy up the counters to improve the look of the residence.

People often find that a clean home is a welcoming home, and a welcoming home is what you will need if you wish to successfully sell your property.

Decluttering

One of the most important things clients look for when acquiring a home is space. A cluttered house, unfortunately, possesses the potential to dissuade your buyers. By keeping the house tidy and emphasizing the available space, you will be much more likely to generate interest.

You could sell the stuff you don’t need. If need be, you can always rent out a storage unit. Your personal situation will determine how in-depth you’ll have to go with your options to free up the living space in the house.

Sell the House as It Is

You can eliminate a lot of the stress of the prep work by utilizing a service like Nexus Homebuyers. If you need to sell your home fast and are seeking a fair market cash offer, they are more than happy to help you.

They purchase homes in any condition, so if there are any extenuating circumstances in the house, they do take those into consideration when we make our offer.

Staging

Professionals exist on the market to stage a house. This process is where someone comes in and compliments the residency by putting in new furnishings and conducting some rearrangements. The new furnishings can often be purchased or rented.

Sometimes this simple update to the interior of the home can do wonders when it comes to exciting potential buyers. It’ll help the house not look dated and can emphasize the potential of what the home can offer.

Conclusion

The key thing to remember is people judge the residence on its looks. By following these tips you can maximize the potential of your home and generate a buzz in selling it on the open market.

5 Reasons to Choose Furnished Apartments Over Long Hotel Stays

Organizations frequently send their employees on long-distance projects for extended time periods. Hotel accommodation is appropriate for a few nights here and there, but when it comes to months-long stay overs, furnished apartments are far more comfortable and cost-effective. 

This growing market understands the needs of corporate to house employees for long-term work assignments, so it has adapted to accommodate these needs.

Get flexibility

A furnished apartment offers the comfort and flexibility that reminds you of home. Hotels can be convenient for short accommodation arrangements but are unlikely to provide the same comfort and space contained in a furnished apartment. 

The furnished apartment comes with its own appliances, so you don’t need to go looking around for someone to wash and iron your clothes. Dry cleaning daily clothing items is also fine in the short-run but can quickly become expensive if needed over long periods.

Cost-effective solution

Temporary housing is far cheaper in the long-term than hotel accommodation. Places like FurnishedApartmentsCincinnati.com offer a variety of solutions to organizations that want employee housing for a long time. Furnished apartments are often more cost-effective options than hotels, particularly when additional services like dry cleaning and food are taken into account. 

Companies don’t need to pay for hotel brand prices or hotel taxes for people who stay longer than 30-days. Furnished apartments don’t’ have these problems, adding to the attractive pricing of this accommodation. 

Comprehensive service provision  

Furnishings are modern, and apartments contain all the contemporary appliances that one would expect from an upmarket service. Cable television and high-speed internet connectivity is readily available. Large flat screen tv’s ensure you’re able to relax when you return to your temporary home after a hard day at work.

Utilities and services are of the best, so there is no need to worry about inconvenient issues such as getting your washing and ironing done. Comprehensive security and services enable you to focus on your work while living in a home environment. Home cleaning and plant maintenance also ensure an enjoyable stay.

Many furnished apartments also have their own gyms, swimming pool, clubhouse, and remote garage door openers and closers. Convenience, comfort and security are assured with furnished apartments, which isn’t always the case with hotels.

Hire furnished apartments for new employees

Organizations tend to employ new staff members on a contract basis to test their suitability for work positions. Hiring furnished apartments for their accommodation is cost-effective and avoids long-term commitment by the organization should the new hire prove to not be a good match. 

Furnished apartments also save the costs of expensive relocations should new employee hires demonstrate that they will not be suited for permanent employment. When the company has recently hired several temp staff members, short-term rentals will be the most cost-effective method to manage their accommodation arrangements.

Permanent employee hire

The relocation plan of permanent employees across country is an expensive affair. Companies may also wish to test the waters to check that internal employee transfers or new permanent hires will work out as intended. Fully furnished apartments give these individuals the familiarity of the home environment for stability while they adapt to their new surroundings.

Hotels are just not geared to offer the same level of comfort. They’re typically small and confining, promoting a feeling of claustrophobia. Nothing feels or looks like home, and you don’t have the same type of freedom when moving between bedrooms, eating areas or fitness centers. Hotels are impersonal, unlike furnished apartments that support change. 

Decisions to use hotels or furnished apartments for long stays should be simple. The comfort and familiarity offered by furnished apartments far exceed that of hotels. When away from home for months, this level of familiarity provides stability needed to maintain productivity.

Avoid These Mistakes When Selling Your Home

Trying to sell a home can be a difficult process, and making certain mistakes along the way can create additional hassles. By educating yourself on the dos and don’ts of selling a home, you’ll have an easier time closing the deal and moving onto a new life. It’s important to try to avoid these five mistakes when selling your home.

Setting the Price Too High or Low

You’ll want to get as big of a return as possible for your home, but listing it at a price that’s too high is sure to turn off potential buyers. It’s also not a good idea to undervalue your home by listing it at a price that’s too low so that you don’t shortchange yourself. When choosing a sale price, you’ll want to know exactly how much your house is worth on the current market and what similar homes in your area have sold for so that you can list at a fair price.

Not Taking Enough Photos

It’s best to include as many photos as possible of your house with your listing online as well as on any printed materials that are used to advertise your home. People like to know exactly what they’re getting, and you’ll have a better chance of attracting greater attention with the more photos that you include. For the best photos, it’s best to take clear pictures when natural outdoor light is optimal using a camera with a wide-angle lens. A video tour of your home that you post online can be another great way to generate more interest from potential buyers.

Drawing Out the Process

A lot can go into selling a home, but that doesn’t mean that you should draw out the process if you can avoid doing so. You’ll want to do everything possible to close the deal quickly so that you can move onto your next residence faster. Cream City Home Buyers and similar companies pay cash for houses and can expedite the selling process by eliminating the need to list your home and hire a real estate agent.

Trying to Avoid Home Repairs

Having damaged parts of your house repaired may seem like a waste of time and money, and you may feel that the new owner should be responsible for taking care of any needed repairs. However, any noticeable repairs that haven’t been performed may cause buyers to look elsewhere for a new home. By taking care of the necessary repairs and upgrades before you list your home, you may increase your property’s value and be able to demand a higher amount.

Poor Home Staging

Not staging your house in the proper way could make people who tour your home less enthusiastic to buy. Common home staging mistakes that could be stalling your home’s sale include featuring old or unattractive furniture or creating distracting design themes that aren’t visually appealing to most people. If your home is unclean and cluttered, prospective buyers will have a tougher time envisioning themselves living there comfortably. It’s also important to make sure that your landscaping and other parts of your home’s interior are in pristine shape to enhance your property’s curb appeal.

It’s possible to simplify the process of selling a home by steering clear of certain mistakes. Doing everything that’s right when selling your home is sure to yield great results.

5 Steps to Help You to Become a Social Media Influencer Today

Influencer marketing is a mainstream marketing tactic today and brands leverage influencers today more than ever. Social media influencers don’t just achieve success by chance. It takes patience, dedication and a strong commitment to their brand. Here are some of the steps you need to take if you want to become a social media influencer today. 

Find your voice

It’s important to choose a niche you’re passionate about and will enjoy spending time on; otherwise, you won’t be able to stick with it. There is no one quite like you and you need to find your voice and stay true to your brand. The most important thing is to be authentic if you want to find an audience to connect specifically to you. 

Jessie Sims is a social media influencer who has made her mark by showcasing her fun personality. It helps that she used to be a gymnast and a model who knows how to use her body. 

She currently has 562.5k followers on Instagram and almost two million followers across all platforms. Follow Jessie Sims on social media and you will see videos of her out drinking, taking dares from her friends and pulling pranks on the unsuspecting public. Her antics have resonated with thousands of followers. 

Optimize your social media profiles

If you want to become a social media influencer, you need to create business accounts as this opens up more options. Your bio creates an important impression and should tell your story in an engaging way. It should also include your name, contact details, location and areas of expertise. Having a good quality profile pic is an important way to express your brand identity. 

Know your audience

You must know exactly who you’re targeting and do it well if you want to build up a loyal fan base. Most social platforms have built-in analytics tools to give you insights into demographics like age, gender, location etc. Twitter Analytics, for example, gives you these insights as well as a follower’s top interests. 

When you know your audience, you can ask the right questions and start conversations about mutual topics of interest. You can answer their questions and reply to their comments or “like” them to show your appreciation. These interactions all help to build those personal connections you need to be an influencer. 

Create and post relevant content

The most important requirement for being an influencer is that your followers listen to you and they are more likely to do so if you engage with them. 

Influencers usually keep their feed all about their topic of interest, whether this is music, food, travel, fashion or beauty. A food influencer might post photos of restaurant visits, recipes, and reviews of food brands. Some influencers will mix in content from their personal lives to become more relatable and strengthen the connection with followers. 

Whichever content strategy you use, you will need to make future incorporation of sponsored products seamless. This happens organically if you work with brands that suit your feed. 

Be regular and consistent

The algorithms of most social media platforms give precedence to accounts that post regularly. Instagram is the largest influencer marketing platform and it requires regular posting frequency for best visibility. On most platforms, you can post once or twice a week. Select days and times to post and post consistently. 

Once you have been posting consistently for a while and have a good following, you can approach brands interested in collaborations or they might even approach you. Remember that it will take some time and effort before you can expect to see results. 

How to Protect Your Retirement Investments

The value of retirement savings is linked to what happens in the financial markets and the way they are reacting at present probably doesn’t make you feel very confident if you’re retired or planning to retire soon. 

Experts caution that making any dramatic moves in a low market is the worst thing you can do. Impulsive reactions can leave you with savings that fall far short of your needs. Instead, it may be helpful to look at other strategies outside your investment portfolio to help extend how long your assets last. 

1. Evaluate the income you’ll need for retirement

Estimating how much you will need for every year of retirement will help you decide how much of a nest egg you’ll need. If you retire at 65, you should have a financial plan for 20 years that addresses how you will cover your daily expenses during that period. 

Setting up a budget for retirement can help you to avoid overspending, depleting your savings or falling into debt in the preceding years.

2. Understand what risks you’re willing to take

When investing in the long term, there are many ways you can allocate your funds, some of which have more risk than others. For example, stocks have higher risks and higher potential returns. You can align your portfolio with the level of risk you’re prepared to take. 

For example, you might consider a 1% allocation to Bitcoin enough to give you the benefit of diversifying your portfolio without exposing you to too much risk. 

Of course, you have to approach any investment in Bitcoin with a long-term mentality and be prepared to ride out volatile times. You can use Bitcoin ATMs to buy and sell Bitcoin. Bank of America has many Bitcoin ATMs in different locations, such as a Columbus Bitcoin ATM

3. Consider how soon you want to retire

When you’re young, you can consider making some higher or medium-risk investments. For instance, if you invest in stocks and the markets take a downturn, you still have years before you need the funds and they have time to recover. Once you’re in your fifties, it is better to shift your money into lower-risk investments. 

The longer you continue working, the less money you will need to save for retirement. Consider working for as long as you can do so and you will keep earning an income, shortening the time on which you will have to rely on your investments. 

4. Have an emergency fund

You don’t want to dip into long-term savings to cover unexpected expenses, like medical costs or home repairs. Keeping some emergency funds, you can easily access helps you to avoid this. 

The last thing you want is to pay huge penalties for dipping into retirement accounts early. In addition to paying fees for early withdrawal, the amount you take out doesn’t have the opportunity to earn interest and grow in the coming years. 

5. Plan for taxes

Tax surprises could cut into your savings so it’s important to know what to expect. The way you invest can impact not only your current tax returns but future ones as well. 

For instance, if you put money into a traditional IRA, you can deduct the contributions from your current tax return but you will pay taxes on withdrawal of the money in retirement. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes on the amount you contribute to the account but you don’t have to pay taxes on it when you take it out in retirement. 

How to Work from Home – Comfortably

Ergonomics are key to the creation of a comfortable workspace in your home. Get the right desk and share for posture support. Observe good posture guides to protect your health, and you will go a long way toward avoiding physical aches and pains. 

Luxuries may be necessities in certain environments, such as the installation of an aircon in extreme climates. Few people are impressed with working in humid conditions or icy weather if an aircon can add to their comfort levels. Get started with your comfy ergonomic home office design.

Install an air conditioner

An air conditioner may not be necessary for ergonomic physical comfort, but it is definitely a requirement for basic comfort. No-one wants to sit at their PC trying to bash out content with frozen fingers. Likewise, trying to focus on creation of a brilliant job online is complicated if you have perspiration pouring into your eyes. 

Get an air conditioner installed, and when you need help with AC repair or maintenance, contact the supplier to book an appointment. Until then, stay comfortable in your office space with soothing climate control equipment.

Select the right chair

Choose a chair that is comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time. Test the chair before you purchase to see whether it will suit your size, weight and body shape. 

Even though you should get up and exercise or just walk around for several minutes every hour, the chair should be comfortable enough to avoid any pain or discomfort developing. Focus on finding a chair that has natural back support. Arm and thigh support are equally important to ensure a comfortable day at the office.

Choose a comfortable sitting desk

Your desk and office chair should work in unison. Adjust your chair height to attain a comfortable seated position at your desk with plenty of room for arm support. Make sure your PC is close enough for easy viewing, or make space for a larger monitor to aid your site at your desk. 

As with getting up from your desk for 10 minutes every hour to stretch, you should exercise your eyes when at your monitor. Blink rapidly several times every few minutes to prevent eye strain and excessive drying of your eyes. You’ll be more productive when you’re comfortable.

Opt for a standing desk

New standing desks are becoming popular to avoid the disadvantages of sitting for long periods. Standing desk are adjustable, and your body is always ergonomically aligned if you’re standing up straight. Both options have their drawbacks. 

Sitting or standing for long periods can be equally uncomfortable, but the standing desk may be better suited for intermittent PC use.

Lightning-fast internet speeds

Fast internet speeds are desirable but not always a reality. The fact is though that they make for a much more comfortable office environment because frustration with low, unstable internet connections is avoided. 

If your local ISP provider doesn’t provide the level of service you need, hopefully, your smartphone has a different provider to pick up the slack. The bottom line is that two different internet outlets will be less likely to leave you in the lurch when you need reliability the most.

Greenery and art

Plants always lift spirits, as do a few favorite artworks. Spruce up your office environment for that little extra level of comfort. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the nicer things in life.

Productivity is directly associated with a comfortable environment. The same concept applies to your office or home environment. Just because these two happen to share the same space, doesn’t mean you should take shortcuts. Buy the good stuff so that you will be comfortable in your home workspace.