The following states will have tax lien certificate, tax deed or tax deed hybrid sales during the month of April:

- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET

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Existing Use Car lot business with property in a very desirable location in DC. This property consists of two distinct lots which combined total approximately 0.35 acre, and is improved by sidewalks, storage and parking lots, two garage bays, one residential building of approximately 2,000 sq. ft. and a mobile sales center of approximately 880 square feet. Zoned for medium density commercial activity, this property can be converted into other commercial use. For more information please refer to HTTP://Sale.SVN.com/dcland.

High visibility, and very high traffic location. Parcel bound by Georgia Avenue, Gallatin Street and public alley. Entrance from each road. One block from Sixteenth Street. ADC Map coordinates 10A4.

• Downtown Washington LAND
• Only Minutes Away from Metro
• Can Be Converted Into Other Commercial Uses

• Zoned for Medium Density Commercial Activity
• Possible Uses: Apartments, Retail, Office

Courtesy of Sperry Van Ness/Vaaler Real Estate

Saint Patrick’s Day: Be Green with a Green Business Opportunity

Move over cupid and red hearts! Green shamrocks and leprechauns are taking over!  For many Saint Patrick’s Day is a day of celebration filled with green, gold, shamrocks, and lucky leprechauns.  But for others March 17th is a day where the Irish celebrate with a meal of corn beef and cabbage and wash it down with an ice cold beer – maybe a Green one.  But what many overlook is the true meaning behind this green covered holiday.

Saint Patrick is seen as the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland known for bringing Christianity to the country.  But the legend Saint Patrick is most known for is driving the snakes from Ireland.  You are probably thinking of how did he do that?  But you too can be like St. Patrick and “drive the snakes from Ireland”.  However, instead of snakes your will be driving trash out of our environment.  When you stop and think about it, we have a lot of trash that goes undetected surrounding us throughout the day, in our offices, homes, and around the town.  Now think of how often you think about doing something to fix our obvious trash trouble.

It is actually a very simple problem to solve.  In fact, you already have the tools and skills to do so.  By starting your green business, not only will you be able to work from your own home or be your own boss, but you will be passing the knowledge to other companies that they could be saving money by recycling.

I can’t exactly say you’ll be canonized as a Saint and have a holiday named after you, but Saint Patrick started small too! So the next time you pass a celebrant of Saint Patrick’s Day, think of how you can make every day green and drive the trash from our environment by creating your own entirely eco-friendly business.

St. Patrick’s Day Has Retailers Seeing Green

Consumer spending on St. Patrick’s Day is expected to jump 20 percent this year — and retailers are joining the party.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and this year, small retailers may be seeing a little extra green. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual St. Patrick’s Day survey, the average consumer will spend $33.97 this year on St. Patrick’s Day merchandise, up percent from $33.05 in 2010. Overall, spending during the holiday is expected to jump 20 percent from last year, to $4.14 billion, driven primarily by young adults celebrating at bars and restaurants and hosting private parties. According to the survey results, more than 40 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds said they plan to celebrate at a bar or restaurant on March 17, with adults 25 to 34 expected spend the most that day ($41.30). However, retailers may have slightly more competition when it comes to capturing a slice of those spending dollars. Because Easter falls in late April this year, industry experts say March is expected to be a slow month for holiday related sales overall.

“Eager to shake off the winter blues, consumers will look to St. Patrick’s Day as their first spring-related celebration, meaning great things for the economy, retailers and restaurants,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. “As a non-gift giving holiday, retailers will need to make sure they have the best assortment of merchandise, aiming to attract celebrants looking for decorations, holiday food and even apparel.”

Direct-Marketing Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day

Holidays are an excellent time for businesses to launch a direct-marketing campaign, and St. Patrick’s Day is especially great since many are excited about the upcoming spring (and their tax returns). As a graphic designer, you’re used to coming up with creative ideas to help your clients’ marketing materials stand out and look better than their competitors.

Here are a few ideas to spur your creativity for St. Patrick’s Day campaigns:

Thematic association

Thematic association is often used in holiday direct-mail materials. The purpose is twofold: First, you associate a business, service or product with certain emotions from a given holiday. For St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to associate a business with fun by drawing on the many parties the holiday provokes. An investment firm might capitalize on the use of a pot of gold to symbolize wealth. The “Luck o’ the Irish” theme is often used in St. Patrick’s Day ad campaigns.

The second purpose for thematic association is to create an easy-to-remember cutoff date for a sale. By associating the start or close of a great sale with St. Patrick’s Day, you can drive traffic to your storefront, website or phone lines during that period.

St. Patrick’s Day theme

There are several ways to give your direct mailer a St. Patrick’s Day theme, but first you must know your target audience, choose what type of direct-marketing piece you’re sending, and select an appropriate promotion. If your target audience is senior citizens, you probably don’t want to send them a mailer that plays on the green beer party scene. Conversely, college students are not a primary market for investment firms. Your direct-marketing piece could be a sales letter, door hanger or postcard; and the bargain you have to offer is up to you. Don’t take the promotion part of your direct mailer lightly; a great deal goes a long way to attracting new customers and getting old customers back in the door. For a St. Patty’s Day theme, try the following:

Copywriting that plays on the St. Patrick’s Day tradition: “Get Online Bill Payer and avoid getting in a PINCH this St. Patrick’s Day” or “You don’t need the Luck o’ the Irish to get great deals at Discount Bob’s”

Use a green envelope or shades of green in your postcard or door hanger. Also, orange is another color associated with St. Patrick’s Day

Use icons associated with St. Patrick’s Day such as shamrocks, leprechauns. or a pot of gold

Have your flyer die cut into the shape of a shamrock or pot of gold

Play on the holiday’s history. A quick online search will reveal many stories and legends of St. Patrick

The best designs meld these all of these things into an effective, cohesive direct-marketing piece sure to drive sales. Make sure you set the proper tone – fun, professional, elegant, extraordinary – through words and images; and don’t forget your call to action that will entice prospects to take the next step in the purchasing process.

Time To Invest In Ireland Will Be St Patrick’s Day Message – PM Kenny

DUBLIN (Dow Jones)–Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny will bring the message to the world that his country is open for business when he meets President Barack Obama in the White House around the St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 17.

“The government will use the unique global opportunity of St. Patrick’s Day to bring that message to all our key global markets and to Ireland’s many friends around the world,” he said in a statement.

Kenny said he will be in the U.S. over the St. Patrick’s Day period from March 16-21, while other ministers will travel to other world cities to promote Irish business.

-By Eamon Quinn, Dow Jones Newswires; +353 1 6762189; eamon.quinn@dowjones.com

references:

http://www.environmental-waste-solutions.com/saint-patrick%E2%80%99s-day-be-green-with-a-green-business-opportunity

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2011/03/11/st-patricks-day-has-small-business-retailers-seeing-green/

http://www.psprint.com/resources/holidays-and-special-events/st-patricks-day/direct-marketing-st-patricks.asp

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120306-711469.html

born August 4, 1961 is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.

Following an unsuccessful bid against the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for the United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Illinois Democratic primary for the Senate election and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in Illinois in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party’s nomination. In the 2008 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Other domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 and the Budget Control Act of 2011. In foreign policy, he ended the war in Iraq, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered US involvement in the 2011 Libya military intervention, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. In April 2011, Obama declared his intention to seek re-election in the 2012 presidential election.

references:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

Repubs & Dems AGREE

www.seanambush.com

202.438.1800

Cupid’s arrow strikes gold on Valentine’s Day

From sellers of flowers to purveyors of chocolates to restaurateurs, Cupid’s arrow strikes gold for many small businesses on Valentine’s Day.

In the United States, consumers are expected to drop $17.6-billion on Valentine’s Day gifts and activities this year, according to the National Retail Federation, as quoted in this story. According to a survey the NRF carried out, they’ll spend $126.03 apiece, which is up 8.5 per cent over last year and a record for the 10 year the survey has been conducted.

Canadians are no Valentine’s Day spending slouches either. According to this CTV News story, Canadians will drop an average of $126 apiece.

And according to this Valentine’s Day By the Numbers, compiled by Statistics Canada, Canadians spent $1.6-billion on lingerie and other intimate items and $3-billion on jewellery and watches in 2010. They spent $5.8-billion on wine in 2009-2010 and $1.5-billion on chocolate in 2009. 3 That doesn’t taken into account the 12 million roses they purchased in 2010.

ABC News reports that florists are seeing an unprecedented demand for roses this Valentine’s Day. One reason that might be happening: With Valentine’s Day falling mid-week this year, many men are caught by surprise, suggests this story. While on a weekend, they might peruse stores for “cheaper chocolates or stuffed animals,” at mid-week, they go for quick and easy flower deliveries, and are willing to pay a premium.

Anxious to find a unique gift? Huffington Post offers a slide show of items made by “some of America’s most creative entrepreneurs.”

Small Business Trends offers a nice roundup of stories across the Net today about Valentine’s Day — even why it’s turned into big business in China and Iran.

But here’s some food for thought for those in the selling business: This MSNBC story poses the question of whether businesses risk alienating consumers by inflating prices on Valentine’s Day. And one business coach reminds small businesses to share the love with customers all year round.

U.S. small business confidence makes insignificant gain: NFIB

U.S. small business confidence made the slightest of gains in January, but is still sitting at recession levels, according to the latest index of small business optimism from the National Federation of Independent Business.

The index gained 0.1 points to reach a level of 93.9 in January. That was the highest reading since December, 2007, when the recession began, but, even though the index made gains five months in a row, it’s still below where it was a year ago, according to the NFIB.

“Nothing happened last month that would significantly improve the small-business outlook,” said NFIB chief economist William Dunkelberg in a statement. “The index remains below its level a year ago of 94.1, which means that no progress was made in 2011.”

EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Social media smarts

Join our very own Sean Stanleigh as he moderates a panel of socia media experts who will talk about how small businesses can leverage social media platforms and online tools to grow their businesses. The event, called “Accelerating Small Business Growth in our Economic Times,” presented by Bank of Montreal and part of Social Media Week Toronto, takes place in Toronto on Thurs, Feb. 16. For more information, click here.

B.C. small business awards

The ninth annual Small Business BC Successful You Awards night will take place on Feb. 28 in Vancouver. The province-wide contest recognizes and celebrates important contributions of B.C. entrepreneurs. For more details, click here.

EDITOR’S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS

Red-hot dating apps to spice up your love life

Sick of spending Friday nights alone? Eager to get back in the saddle, but turned off by traditional dating sites, like eHarmony, Plenty of Fish and Match.com? Check out our lineup of cutting-edge mobile apps, which use real-time, GPS and push notifications, can help you meet new people, and maybe even score a date for Valentine’s Day

FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES

Couples share the love in business

In case you missed it last Valentine’s Day, three couples who took the entrepreneurial leap of faith by going into business together shared what they learned from the experience.

Valentine’s Day Business

(ABC 6 News) — Valentine’s Day is considered one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year.

In fact, the National Retail Federation says as Americans we’re expected to shell out more than $17 billion on Valentine’s Day stuff this year.

That’s no surprise to local retailers. For many shops, it’s the busiest day of the year.

“Probably 20 times busier than a typical day,” Flowers by Jerry owner Kevin Patton says.

At Flowers by Jerry, it’s not the hundreds of red balloons, candy, or teddy bears that makes it the craziest day of the year, it’s the flowers.

“We had to rent eight delivery vehicles. I probably have about 15 drivers out today,” Patton explains.

That’s what it takes to deliver 600 bouquets. Throw in a few hundred walk ins and last minute orders, and you can see why they need all the help they can get.

“Roses are the number one. The mixed arrangements are number two,” Patton says.

But if flowers aren’t your thing, there’s always chocolate.

“These are long stemmed strawberries. They were picked last night in California and flown in this morning,” White Wolf Creek owner David Christenson says.

It’s just one of many sweet treats you can find at White Wolf Creek, but their specialty is the annual wild game dinner for two.

“Alligator crepes which has alligator, crab and shrimp in it. Then we’ll be doing also a duck crepe this evening. It has a wild rice and duck in a raspberry sauce,” Christenson explains.

Other menu items include wild boar and rainbow trout.

It’s a unique way to show that special someone just how much you care.

“Last year we had a line out the door,” Christenson says.

But White Wolf Creek wasn’t the only shop with a line out its door.

“Today has been extremely busy,” Diane Schaap of Chocolaterie Sam says.

Chocolaterie Sam had a line out the door all morning. Countless shoppers rushed to get that last minute gift.

“Men will run in. They say, “I need a box, put a bow on it. Make it pretty.”  Then they’re out of here,” Schaap says.

After everyone bought their flowers and chocolates, the last minute shopping moved to restaurants.

Many feature special meals and decorations to celebrate the holiday.

Florist

Florists do brisk business thanks to Valentine’s Day

Florists did roaring business of an estimated Rs.10 crore in Delhi and neighbouring cities on Tuesday with the demand for flowers, particularly roses and carnations, soaring on Valentine’s Day that symbolises affection, love and romance.

It also goes without saying that the day left a deep hole in the pockets of buyers as the price of a single rose was as high as Rs.100 at some places.

“Valentine’s Day (February 14) is a golden day for florists,” All-India Cut Flower and Growers’ Association president Brij Mohan Khanagwal told PTI.

Flowers worth over Rs.10 crore were sold in a single day on Tuesday in Delhi and cities of Lucknow, Jaipur, Jammu and Patiala, he said.

Sher Singh Saini, a wholesaler at Ghazipur, the biggest wholesale flower market in the national Capital, said sales were nearly two times higher on Tuesday as compared to any other day. In fact, this year sales have been picking up for the past one week, he added.

Ferns ‘n’ Petals, with 113 outlets across the country, said sales are almost 10 times more in its outlets today as compared to a normal day. The maximum sales were in Delhi where it has 34 outlets, said an F ‘n’ P official, Tarana. Roses, especially red ones, and carnations registered high sales, she added.

Khanagwal said Delhi receives roses mainly from Bangalore and Pune, while carnations are brought from Himachal Pradesh and Dehra Dun in addition to Bangalore and Pune.

Orchids sourced from Thailand and Bangkok are also in great demand, Saini said.

Traders said a single rose is sold for Rs.10 in wholesale while carnation costs between Rs.10 and 15 apiece. The retail prices ranged from Rs.50 to 100 apiece, they said.

Delhi is Asia’s largest flower market. India’s flower production stands at around 1,000 tonnes per annum and most of the flower trade occur in the Delhi region.

There are a total of about 500 flower sellers in Delhi, said Khanagwal, who owns a flower outlet in Connaught Place. – PTI

references:

http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S2496958.shtml?cat=10226

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article2895608.ece

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/why-small-businesses-love-valentines-day/article2337724/

(November 24, 1920 – December 26, 2009) was a prominent black American political and business leader. A civil-rights activist and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X. He was the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York City when he was Manhattan boroughpresident from 1966 to 1977, the longest tenure at that position. He later became an entrepreneur whose included investments included the New York Amsterdam News and the Apollo Theater in Harlem.^[1]

references:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Sutton