Usually an executor is assigned to carry out the terms of a deceased estate in order to prevent matters being settled by an anonymous judge in probate. However, there are times when a court settlement is a preferable solution. One of those times is in disposing the real property of the deceased.

There are several reasons and some benefit to having a non-probate property disposed of in this manner, and this issue is something that an executor of an estate should take into consideration.

- It settles things with beneficiaries who prefer not to be in charge of a home or other real estate and all of the potential problems associated with property management. Let’s face it, not everyone wishes to live in the home of a deceased relative or to manage the sell, renovation, management, or rental of their property.

- In the case of multiple beneficiaries, it is a more favorable solution to liquidate the property  and split the cash.

- In the case of debt settlement, it may be necessary to liquidate real estate in order to settle the deceased’s financial obligations.

- Liquidation of real property may be a stipulation of the will in order to satisfy other wishes such as the funding of a trust or charitable interest.

- It can be financially expedient to the beneficiaries of an estate to liquidate the real property when the expense of maintaining the property outweighs the potential financial gain of keeping it versus selling.

Sometimes the executor or the family of the deceased simply don’t have the time, the willingness, or know-how to handle real estate matters and for these and the above mentioned reasons, allowing the matter to be settled in this manner makes sense. It also serves to remove any potentially volatile emotional element from the process of settling an estate.

“Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not the merits of who receives them.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author

We make a life by what we give. Knowing how to give well is the mark of a wise and successful human being. We can learn the value of giving to others and make certain we do it frequently.

We don’t need to have any secret knowledge to observe the many benefits rendered to us by giving little gifts of goods, time and support to other people. We can make it a practice of letting others know they are important to us. We can do this by giving small gift baskets to others, giving kind words to others and through giving recognition for their accomplishments and contributions regularly.

We can start small and stay consistent. The benefits will begin piling up quickly. Sending a basket of teas, or a beautiful thank you card, to your dog sitter after you have returned from vacation will likely encourage her to say yes the next time you call on the spur of the moment. Offering a box of coveted chocolates to a co-worker who helped you get through a particularly tough project lets her know how sincerely appreciated her help has been.

Not everyone would be willing to drop everything to come help us the next time we need help, but people we have treated well have more reason to do so than those we have not. Giving presents is one way of expressing that we value our relationship with someone else, even if it isn’t a deep and meaningful relationship.

We, like them, tend to do things readily for people we like and that we believe like and value us. The human brain has a way of filing things away mentally and then uses these files to inform our choices and decisions each day. Your co-worker will remember the gift hamper the next time you ask for help. Your dog sitter will pass up that grunge concert so you can go on that weekend getaway.

Giving has many benefits for both the giver and the receiver. Giving and getting are just two sides of the same coin. Both sides bring happiness and contentment to our lives.

Patrick Hollingworth is a normal, everyday person from Perth who has worked as a marine scientist in the oil and gas sector for the past 15 years. He also happens to be an experienced and passionate mountaineer and has served a ten-year climbing apprenticeship amongst the world’s great mountain ranges.  He is also a keynote speaker in Australia.

Having decided early on in life that a life half-lived is a life wasted, Patrick decided one day that a short stroll up Mount Everest was in order. Patrick overcame numerous obstacles on the long journey to reach the summit of Everest, which he did in May 2010. Standing on the world’s highest point reinforced his belief that passion, self-belief and a dogged persistence can empower normal individuals to achieve great things.

During his climb of Everest, Patrick provided daily updates to his website in an honest and candid manner which is rarely seen amongst climbers. His willingness during the climb to openly discuss his previous experiences with depression, and the subsequent raising of awareness for men’s health issues, contributed to Patrick’s expedition being widely followed in the Western Australian community, where high-altitude mountaineers are a rare breed. Patrick’s enthusiasm for his climbing shines through in his presentations, as does his stunning still and video footage from the summits of the world’s highest mountains.

During his ten year journey, Patrick encountered numerous setbacks, including the loss of climbing friends and he himself coming close to dying from a severe altitude illness; as such his presentations include a certain element of rawness. As a conference speaker, Patrick aims to take his audiences on a journey so they too will have an understanding of what it’s like to climb the world’s highest mountain. His audiences are likely to walk away with a sound understanding of how planning for success through appropriate preparation can lead anyone to achieve their goals.

Treadmills are a hugely popular home exercise machine that have been around for many years. In fact, the first machine was created by Dr. Robert Bruce and Wayne Quinton in the early 1950′s for diagnosis purposes. Today, they have become integral to our lives and can be found everywhere, from homes to gyms. Read on to learn about the numerous benefits of using this ever popular home exercise piece of equipment for your workout.

Treadmills are very easy to use and provide a simple, stationery and efficient aerobic workout that can be catered to the user’s needs. Users can choose to walk, run or jog and may adjust their pace during the workout as often as necessary. Users are forced to exercise at the set pace and are provided with an excellent cardiovascular workout. They are also great for burning calories and fat, toning up and losing weight. Furthermore, jogging on this home exercise machine will burn more calories in comparison to any other home exercise machine.

With regular use, users gain numerous health benefits, such as increased heart rate and oxygen levels during workouts and reduced stress. Additionally, users may gain relief from pain, improved sleep and a stronger immune system.

The cushioned tread surface is consistently level and more comfortable with less impact to the joints in comparison to outdoor surfaces. In addition, the chance of tripping is very low and the workout is not dependent upon the weather.

There is no limit to the number of users and users have full control of the workout. They may adjust the various settings, such as speed, time and incline/resistance, as desired. Additionally, users have the opportunity to create a custom program to meet their needs and time is never an issue.

There are a variety of treadmills on the market with specific features to meet a range of needs. Features include distance calculators and heart rate monitors, among others to track individual progress. Incline settings provide resistance and burn a greater amount of calories as a result. This constant uphill training is oftentimes not practical in the natural environment. In addition, some feature a variety of simulations, such as terrains, for a concise, pre-programmed workout.

Users are able to multitask to some degree during their workout. They can engage in tasks such as watching TV, reading or listening to music. This makes for a much more interesting workout.

While the majority of Perth property owners have lost staggering chunks of value in their homes in the past two years, one single mother has turned the plummet into a multi-million-dollar empire.

Million Dollar Makeovers also feature in the Entrepreneur of the year awards.

Sasha de Bretton was among the thousands of property investors who took a massive hit during the global financial crisis in 2008, and she took to renovating others’ homes in a bid to claw back some of her missing money.

“I’m very balanced because the business used to run me in the first couple of years.”

Before she knew it she had fallen upon a honey pot of gold that has seen her named WA’s most innovative businesswoman and made her company one of the fastest growing.

The 39-year-old launched her renovation business with a fold-away table at a trade show in winter 2009, accepting in the first month three jobs worth less than $30,000 each.

By the third month she was raking in five renovations per month and had employed a project manager while she continued to juggle her full-time job at YellowPages because jittery banks post-GFC refused to give her finance.

Read more about Million Dollar Makeovers on WA Today.