Archive for June, 2008

International Auto Shipping To Costa Rica

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Everything you need to do know about international auto shipping to Costa Rica is right here at your finger tips. If you are unsure of where to start, you can fill in the online form and get 100% non binding quotes from international auto shipping agents in your area. Completely free!

Whether you want to ship your car by air, sea or by land, there are certain regulations that need to be met, and rules that need to be followed. You will find details of all of these here.

Before you begin, you need to decide which mode of transport you are going to choose. Then you can narrow the field of international auto shipping agents to choose from. Sea freight is the preferred method, and there are 3 ports where your vehicle can enter Costa Rica: Puerto Limon – largest port, Puerto Caldera and San Jose.

Once you have decided on your method of transport, you will need to take note of and be able to meet the following points:

Documents Required:

•    Original receipt of purchase for the vehicle being transported
•    All registration documentation pertaining to the vehicle

Fees and Taxes payable:

There is a high tax charge when bringing your vehicle into Costa Rica using international auto shipping. Some examples of the taxes charged are: Import tax; sales tax; consumption tax etc. No amount is set as there are various items that are taken into consideration when calculating your tax payable. For instance:

•    The value of your car
•    The model of your car
•    The year it was purchased
•    Consumption levels and engine capacity

These are all take into account and a unique amount is presented to you.

It can be arranged, upon your physical entry into Costa Rica, that you drive your vehicle for 3 months without paying tax. This can be discussed with the Consulate of Costa Rica.

Gas Emissions Certificate:

You will need to obtain a gas emissions clearance certificate that has been issued within 30 days of the vehicle arriving in Costa Rica. Without this document stating that your car has been cleared for entry based on its levels of gas emissions, you will not be able to transport your car via international auto shipping into the country.

Customs Procedures:

One more decision you will need to make is: are you going to import the car by yourself, or will you use the services of a freight forwarder? Most people choose to use the services of freight forwarders as they will know exactly what is required and have all the relevant contacts. Added to this, they will be local and able to speak the language.

However, if you choose to import the car yourself, it is strongly advised to do so in San Jose. The reason behind this is that your vehicle will be cleared far quicker here than at the other two ports where you would probably be required to stay overnight.

Taking this into account, you will no doubt find it easier to choose your international auto shipping agency using our online form. Best of luck!

International Moving

Biblical Mold Inspections

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Most people realize that mold is a health hazard if it is let to grow inside our homes in almost any quantity, but trying to file an insurance claim on it is a pretty hard thing to do, since most homeowner’s insurance policies do not allow for mold claims.  Unless the mold was caused by something that was covered by the policy and it occurred as a direct result of that event, it is not covered under most policies.  A separate insurance policy covering only mold damage needs to be purchased.

Many insurance claims adjusters inspecting your home after water damage that your home was covered for will tell you that mold is not the big issue that everyone says that it is and it will not cause you any harm if you leave it there, but this is completely untrue.  They will possibly attempt to get you to agree with them or concede that you may not actually need the remediation done, but unfortunately, this is a trick.  If they need proof that mold has been a problem since ancient times, something that you can do is quote the Bible to them.  

The texts in Leviticus chapter 14 are the oldest written accounts of mold affecting a home or business building.  The book actually calls the infestation a “leprous plague” and it states it as a growth that appears on the walls.  Families went to priests for this problem just as they would for any other problem occurring that concerned their homes or their lives and as with any other problem, the advice was always followed.  That advice was to take everything out of the home contaminated with the growth and to throw it away far from town in what the scripture called an “unclean place”.  After this was done, the house was closed off for a week and when the priest came back to do another inspection, if the growth had returned, then the house was torn down.  All the building materials were taken to that unclean place also.

It is thought that even the last plague of Moses could be attributed to mold growth on the grains that the Egyptians stored underground to protect them from the locusts.  Stachybotrys atra is thought to have contaminated these stored grains and those who ate them would have likely become sick.  In ancient times, the first born Egyptian male was given special privileges that other children were not, such as a second portion of dinner.  These children were given special privileges because they were the heirs to whatever property their fathers owned.  Since they received more food than the rest of their family members, it is likely it would have been enough to make them deathly sick.

Orlando Water Damage 

Cleaning Moldy Fabric

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Sometimes we look into the backs of our closets while we are cleaning them out and we discover an old article of clothing with a fuzzy substance all over it. If you find something like this in the back of your closet, the best thing to do is drop it immediately and go wash your hands. What you were handling was a piece of clothing that has been contaminated with mold and it has been advised to not touch mold spores with your bare hands. This can possibly cause an allergic reaction or just some skin rashes, but either way, there will probably be consequences to deal with.

Most items of clothing that are contaminated with mold can be cleaned and the mold done away with, but most of the time the mold ends up leaving stains. Using bleach to remove the stains can be effective if you are dealing with mold on white clothing, but this is not always the case and chlorine bleach is not effective in killing molds on porous surfaces. You can use a brush to remove the majority of the mold and put a pre-wash spray on it; allow this to soak for about 45 minutes and put it through the washing machine. After this, allow them to dry outside naturally in the sun. Using an artificial source of heat to dry the clothes can set the stain deeper into the fabric and if you are dealing with white clothing, the sun can actually help to bleach the fabric further.

If you are looking to remove the mold and mold stains from something that was made with real leather, you are probably not going to have any luck. Items made out of leather become discolored very easily and mold does a good job of this. They cannot usually be restored after coming into contact with mold.

You can clean off upholstery or curtains that have come into contact with mold using the same method described above and one of the best purchases you can make to keep your home mold free is a vacuum that has a HEPA filter in it. Use this vacuum and its brush attachment to suck up all the mold and its spores; the filter will make sure that the spores are not re-released into the air in your home after being collected.

Article By: Water Damage Restoration Ohio

Start With a Solid Foundation

Friday, June 13th, 2008

Your home represents one of the most lucrative investments you will ever make. When choosing foundation repair specialists to repair your home, it is important to have several opinions on the project. While damage may seem obvious, having experts look at the extent of it can help determine what repair options are available and how much it will cost.

Getting multiple opinions ensures that you are choosing the correct foundation repair specialists for the job. If considering the hiring of a contractor, you can have a solid estimate on costs if you get multiple opinions. Rates can vary from contractor to contractor. Foundation repair specialists can charge very cheap prices, or they can charge an overblown rate. By having three or more foundation repair specialists come in and look at the job, you can get a better idea of the correct pricing. Do not simply go with the cheapest specialist; this is an important job, and it requires that the contractor does no sloppy work!

It also helps by determining the extent of the damage. If you go with a cheap contractor that does a shoddy job, then you may risk oversight of other damage. Even the smallest problems can be costly and detrimental to the health of the house. Having more foundation repair specialists ensures that most, if not all, problems related to your foundation get covered.