My Florida Home Builder

A nice looking kitchen floor is one of the more influential factors in making a good impression when someone enters your kitchen. Even with cluttered countertops or dishes in the sink, the floor is one of the first places someone looks when they come in the kitchen. If your linoleum or hardwood floor is in poor shape, maybe the sub-floor is showing through the tile, then it is time to consider remodeling your kitchen floor and updating the look to one that impresses visitors and makes it more enjoyable for those using the kitchen on a daily basis.

Never place a new vinyl flooring on top of the former flooring since the wear-and-tear of the old flooring will quickly show through the new one. There is no way to get around the fact that the old floor must come up before placing the new one. Now, the alternative is to lay a new sub-floor over the old flooring which will, ultimately, give the same result as removing the old flooring. However, choosing this alternative can lead to weak spots because the wood flooring will at some point conform to the imperfections of the old flooring.

To make the project faster, take everything out of the kitchen that is not bolted down and even some things are bolted down. Some ovens are bolted to the floor to prevent the oven from tipping when the door is open. But, when laying a new kitchen floor, removing everything from the room before starting the project will speed up the process and also eliminate the need to move things several times during the process.

Although there are machines that can rip up old vinyl floors, but there will still be some spots that must be done by hand such as by the kitchen cabinets. The floor will need to be smooth and level before the new flooring is placed. This is very important to a quality placed flooring, which is one reason why hiring a local professional to do the job may be in the homeowner’s best interest to prevent the need to repeat the work. Many local contractors may offer low cost kitchen remodeling packages that can focus specifically on new flooring.

For those wanting to perform the work without the assistance of a professional, it is important to be sure all of the glue spots and leftover vinyl are gone before laying the new sub-floor. Take your time making the cuts in the wood in corners and around walls and cabinets to ensure they fit perfectly, but allow some space for expansion in those higher humidity climates. Just remember that careful measuring is very important before making the cut.

Once the sub-floor is placed, sweep and use a damp mop to remove any leftover dust and debris that, otherwise, could interfere with the adhesive and proper sealing. If you are using glue, it is important that it is spread evenly across that portion of the floor being worked on at that time. Even glue will prevent peaks and dips that will show through the final surface of the floor. Finally, let the glue dry thoroughly before bringing the furniture and larger appliances back onto the floor. The movement could possibly cause the floor to slide around on the wet glue and, consequently, dry improperly.

The way coffee has been brewed over the last few decades has undergone a total metamorphosis. Especially with the advent of technology and latest techniques, the methods of brewing have developed multi-fold in the recent years. Here, let us trace the development of these processes, with a brief highlight of the accompanying activities.

To begin with, the process started with letting the boiling water flow graciously on a basket full of grounds. Though, the coffee might not have turned out that good, but the procedure was indeed enchanting. Moving on in the 1970s, the drip method was introduced. This method was inexpensive, quick and even offered a better taste. The procedure included a cup of grounds which were put in a plastic container over filter paper. This was soon followed by the introduction of the pre-packaged pods, with innovative controls to adjust the brew. This also included internal spouts that could spread the water evenly over the grounds.

The 1990s

Further in the 1990s, expresso makers revolutionized the entire scene and European culture took over. The process involved forcing hot water under pressure and passing it through the finely ground dark roast. For further taste and luxury, steamed and frothy milk is added in different ratios to produce cappuccino and latte, in accordance with the milk or coffee you’ve put. Recently there is a new device doing rounds amoungst the coffee makers. The French Plunger, as it is known, is another device that has further spread the European methods. In this method, a metal rod goes into the center of a glass cylinder. At the other end, there is a filter, which fits snugly in the container.

Another effective brew method also uses the vacuum brewer, which includes two glass or metal bowls placed over each other. In this process, the heat causes water to rise into the upper bowl from the lower one. When the heat is removed, the liquids begin to cool slightly and a partial vacuum is created which draws the hot water over the grounds, flowing into the lower chamber.

The Facts

There is evidence to show that the oldest method to exist probably is the Ibrik, from Turkey. In this the water was basically heated in a brass container with a long handle and a tongue, which is slightly grooved. Towards the end, finely ground coffee is added directly to the hot water before being poured, which is also done unfiltered, for a stronger taste.

Bruce Hardwood Flooring can be just the thing that the floors in your home need to help make your home more inviting and welcoming. This company offers you many options for your floors that will meet anyone’s budget to give you and your home the perfect look. They make many different styles and designs of floors for homes that will allow you to have the flooring that you have been dreaming of, no matter what you have been imagining. From fat hardwood inspired planks to more thin hardwood planks, whatever you can imagine, you can find in Bruce Hardwood Flooring’s offerings.

Bruce Hardwood Flooring is just one small part of the Bruce Flooring Company that gives you all of the different hardwood flooring choices for your home. The hardwood floors that are offered by Bruce come in many different price ranges, as well as styles to help give you a high quality floor for your home, no matter what your budget is. The mission statement of Bruce Hardwood Flooring succinctly describes their dedication to customer satisfaction with, “Warmth, Beauty and Individuality.” From their website that offers homeowners design tools to invaluable advice, you will find that Bruce Hardwood Flooring is a company that you can count on for your hardwood floors.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you will be happy to know that Bruce Hardwood Flooring offers you flooring options that you can install yourself. Installation is made easy by the advice on the Bruce Flooring website or you can find a professional installer on the website, whichever you prefer. They have certified installers listed on their website that they trust for installing their high quality floors. A simple search on their website will net you many different options for your floor installation and your flooring options.

No matter what room that you are considering using the Bruce Hardwood Flooring in, you will be happy with the change that it can make in your home. Bathrooms are not a good choice for hardwood flooring, as this room is especially moist and this can decrease the durability of the hardwood flooring planks, no matter how fat or skinny they are. Bruce does offer you helpful hints on making sure that your hardwood floors will last through years of normal wear and tear, but the excess moisture in the bathroom can decrease the durability of your floors, causing them to warp and cup, which will be unsightly and unsafe.

Bruce Flooring Company offers several different maintenance products that will give you the proper tools to clean and take care of your hardwood floors. By visiting the Bruce website, you will find the retailers that carry the products that they recommend for their flooring. One thing that you will definitely want to keep in mind is that abrasive cleaners and excess water can damage your hardwood floors, decreasing their durability and beauty. You should use these products to help increase the beauty and life of your floors to help increase the value of your investment and satisfaction level.

Foreclosure is not something that should come as a surprise to most homeowners when they are aware that they have missed several mortgage payments. Deciding on foreclosure is something that a lot of people don’t really decide on, but resign themselves to.

Sometimes, foreclosure really is the right decision but in a lot of situations homeowners really don’t have to give up their homes. However because they do not have the proper guidance from the right subject matter experts, they don’t know what is best for them in their specific situation.

Homeowners that are looking at foreclosure should look into debt counseling. These debt specialists will be able to help homeowners decide if foreclosure is indeed the best decision, or if there are actions that they can take to keep their homes.

As every homeowner’s predicament is different, the debt counselors will be able to offer very good advice depending on the situation. Sometimes a debt counselor can help open that communication channel between the bank and the homeowner to see whether an agreement can be reached or, at other times help walk the individual through filing for bankruptcy or deciding that foreclosure really is the right decision to make.

Deciding on foreclosure is truly not an easy decision to make and it also has serious and lengthy implications. Bear in mind that other than the fact that you will lose your home and need to find somewhere else to live, having been foreclosed on will also affect your credit ratings for seven to ten years.

Your life will more often that not, change quite a bit in 10 years, and your buying power will be limited, even if you have changed your ways and your lifestyle. Foreclosure is indeed a big decision to make and one that is often best made with the help of a credit or debt counselor.

Creating a theme for your kitchen is an easy way to figure out how you can pull together the interior design of the room. A great way to give a friendly, inviting atmosphere to your kitchen space is to plan your decoration around a theme of a fruit dcor. This not only evokes ideas of food and eating, but it also infuses the idea warmth and relaxation into your home. Like kitchen bars, a cherry dcor makes a kitchen special, inviting and unique.

One unique fruit themes that you might choose to use is a cherry dcor. This would mean decorating with tones of red, green, and white and incorporating them into various elements of your kitchen. There are plenty of stores that sell cherry-themed materials. You will be happy to see that the prices on these items are completely affordable. Here are some tips to help you get started.

To begin, if you are having a difficult time finding cherry patterned appliances and decorations, what you can use as a substitute is to simply fill the kitchen with red and white furniture, trim and cookware. Dishes, utensils, napkins and towels are just a few of the things that you can decide to make in red colors. This is one way to work around the problem of not being able to find anything specifically cherry-themed for your unique dcor.

Another wonderful thing to add to your cherry-themed kitchen are cloths, such as curtains and tablecloths that have a cherry patterning. This will go far to create an immediate impact when somebody walks into your kitchen. The look will practically be screaming “cherry!”

Places to Shop for Your Kitchen Dcor

A few of you may not know already, but using a cherry dcor in your kitchen for your house is truly simple to pull together. This is especially true since there are so many outlets that stock cherry-themed appliances, and just about any other thing that may be useful when decorating a kitchen. Affordable chain stores like Target carry a range of products useful when decorating in addition to stylish clothes and accessories. Target also carries cherry themed kitchen designs that you could use to improve the look of your home. If you would like to see more, you can go to their store online at www.target.com. This will at least give you an idea of what price points are available and the sort of things they stock.

Further, there is an online shop you can check out at www.funnytummy.com. This site specializes in themed appliances for just about any kitchen theme you could imagine. They carry cherry accessories like kitchen clocks, beautiful tablecloths, dishes and much, much more. Go here to see the exciting things that you might buy to bring your cherry themed kitchen together.

A short sale is the sale of a house in which the proceeds fall short of what the owner still owes on the mortgage. Here’s an example of such a situation:

Assume that “Joe”, a home owner, has debt on a house that’s greater than the amount for which the property can be sold. In fact, Joe has an unpaid loan balance of $140,000; however, the property will only sell for $120,000.

Obviously, this is terrible situation for Joe, but it’s also bad for the lenders. They’re losing money! So, to keep their losses down, the lenders are willing to accept less than the total amount due.

So, in this situation, the lender accepts that $125,000 as full payment from an investor or other buyer. This amount is clearly “short” of the full $145,000 payment. And that’s where the term “short sale” comes from.

At this point, you may be wondering, “Why in the world would a lender consider a short sale?” Well, there are many reasons often related to “hardship cases”; e.g., the homeowner has permanent injuries; financial insolvency; convictions; job layoffs; military call ups, etc. In such cases, lenders are willing to consider a short sale as part of their “loss mitigation” policy.

However, lenders don’t go into business to lose money, so they consider short sales a last resort! Foreclosures can be a better option for them. So, as an investor, should you consider short sales as a money-making opportunity?

The answer is “Yes” if you’re an experienced investor. If you’re a beginner, stay away until you’ve gained enough knowledge to work successfully with lenders. If possible, find a mentor to guide you through short sale deals.

Good deals are available in this market, but short sales are definitely not the ticket to “instant wealth” as some gurus noisily proclaim. Also, these gurus usually forget to mention that short sale transactions can be very difficult to execute (compared to conventional deals). I describe some of the complications you have to deal with below.

Short Sales and Their Complications Several elements are involved in short sale transactions, and that multiplies the complications you have to master in order to achieve success in this market.

First, there are the loan mitigation policies of the lender and third-party investors. These policies (and the attitudes of the lenders) aren’t always easy to deal with. You have to both master the details of the policies and master the “politics” of dealing with lenders in the loss mitigation department.

Factor 2: the property’s as-is value compared with the as-repaired expenses. You have to do full due diligence to make sure a short sale purchase will make a profit after the expense of “rehabbing” it.

The third factor concerns approval for short sale. It needs to come from the investor who’s actually the owner of the loan. This can lead to more complications as you may need to work with several people involved in the sale of the property.

The fourth factor, depending on economic conditions, is that investors can flood into the market, increasing competition.

So, how can you determine if a short sale is worth pursuing? Here are the general steps to follow in order to make that determination

Short Sales-General Steps to Follow The steps described below occur in most short sale transactions. They may vary, depending on your area.

Step 1 Identify potential short sale properties (e.g., contact a listing agent, check the public records, etc.).

Step 2 Check the lender’s loss mitigation policy. For example, if they deal with short sales on a fairly regular basis, they’re a good choice. If, on the other hand, they seldom or never accept short sale offers, don’t waste your time.

Step 3 Determine the number of liens recorded against the property and the total amount of money in those liens.

Step 4 Determine the borrower’s present financial condition.

Step 5 Analyze the type of loan that’s in default and its current status.

Step 6 Determine both the property’s as-is market value and its as-repaired value.

Step 7 Analyze current real estate market conditions.

Specific Steps to Take In a Short Step Situation Once you determine a short sale is worth pursuing, then you’ll need to take additional steps.

* Contact the homeowner and analyze their financial condition. * Do due diligence on the property’s condition. * If your analysis determines that both the financial and property condition are suitable, ask the homeowner to give you written authorization to contact the lender’s loan loss mitigation department. * Contact the decision-maker in the loan loss-mitigation department of the lender and give him or her with a copy of the authorization signed by the homeowner. * Discuss the short sale and ask him or her to send the appropriate short-sale documents to the homeowner. * Instruct the homeowner to gather all documentation in order to prove financial hardship. * Get repair cost estimates from a minimum of three licensed home improvement contractors. * Determine the value of three similar neighborhood properties sold in the last six months (a comparable value study). * Return the short sale proposal to the lender’s decision-maker. It should include a signed purchase agreement for a percentage less than the amount owed to the lender; e.g., 20%, 30% less, etc. * At this point, the lender’s decision-maker reviews your proposal and orders a BPO (”broker’s price opinion”) to determine the property’s as-is and as-repaired values. The BPO is normally a realtor giving his or her opinion on the property. You’ll want to meet with this realtor and influence his or her opinion as much as possible. It’s perhaps the most critical aspect of getting a short sale offer accepted and closing the deal! * The decision-maker accepts your proposal or rejects it. * If the decision-maker believes a short sale is appropriate, he or she makes a counteroffer. * You accept or reject the counteroffer. * In the event you accept the counteroffer, you close on the transaction within 30 days.

Additional Points Always remember that all short sales are cash transactions; therefore, you’ll need to have cash on hand and verifiable proof that you have that money. If you don’t, lenders will not do business with you.

In addition, keep in mind that short sales can’t be made to relatives, family members, or close friends of the homeowner. If a lender finds out after the sale that, say, the homeowner’s sister bought the property, then that lender can sue to have the sale overturned.

Key Idea: Short sale transactions are not for amateurs; be fully knowledgeable, experienced, and professional before approaching the loss-mitigation departments of lenders in this market.

Most people know that having a good plan is the best foundation for a kitchen remodeling project. Many people are discovering that using a virtual plan is the easiest and best way to go. It shows an imagine that just is not possible with two dimensional plans. They give the most reasonable and accurate idea of how the final project will look.

A virtual kitchen remodeling plan is a good idea for many reasons. The biggest reason it that it will give you a pretty accurate picture of how your finished kitchen will look. This is major because you can easily see if something does not look good or be able to make subtle changes that will help you tweak the plan to get the kitchen you really want. You will be able to plug in the actual colors and products you will use so you can make sure they are the right ones for your kitchen.

An additional perk to a virtual plan is that it will also help you create a budget. Many have plug ins that will record costs and help you to know the complete cost of your finished kitchen. This is great because it will help to ensure that you stay on track during the project and that you make your budget. This is especially great if you are in need of financing. You can take the plan to your bank and show them the exact details. They can also be helpful if you need to meet building codes.

There are many virtual programs you can use. You should go with one that you find easy to understand and work with. You may want to try out a few different programs before you make the final decision. Be sure to check out the features each program offers, as well. Making a good choice is important because you will get the best results from a program that will suit your needs and that you can use without any problem. You should be able to use it easily.

You can use your virtual remodeling plan to help you design your dream kitchen. It can help you decide exactly where to place your new kitchen islands. It can be an amazing way to see the results before you even finish. You will find that it will go a long way to helping ensure that your kitchen ends up just the way you want and make the whole process much easier to handle.

The most basic of real estate strategies is “flipping.” It’s basic because it involves the simple process of buying a property, fixing it up, waiting for a short time, and then re-selling it for a fast profit. This is called “rehabbing.” A variation is to “wholesale” the property. In other words, you buy only the contract and then immediately sell it to another investor without getting involved in any rehabbing.

Flipping is essentially a speculative strategy. Investors bet that the market value of a property will rise to the point at which they can make a quick profit before they close on the deal.

With flipping, there’s the potential for big profits; however, there’s also the potential for big losses. This article looks at the pros and cons in turn so you have both sides of the picture.

The Upsides The first–and primary–upside is investing a very small amount of money for substantial gains. Here’s a rehabbing example to illustrate this point: * Let’s assume you put down $12,500 (5%) on a $250,000 house. * Then, you spend $5,000 and 60 days fixing it up and another $3,500 in payments. * So, your cash investment equals $21,000. * If you then sell the house for an $80,000 profit, the return on your investment is a great one. For that investment and two months’ worth of time and money, you’ve made $59,000.

A second benefit of this approach is that you can do flipping full-time or part time. The part-time option can be a good way to work your way into real estate investment because you learn the rules as you go along.

As I mentioned earlier, flipping is the most basic of all real estate strategies, and that means it’s the easiest to learn. This leads to the third advantage: You don’t have to be a real estate “genius” to get started in the field. Flipping is the simplest strategy to master.

The Cons of Flipping To be blunt, the risks of flipping can be considerable. First, if you don’t stay on top of things, the cost of renovations, mortgages and time can exceed your profit margin. You can lose money instead of making it!

The second downside is that there’s the chance that too many speculators can get into the market. If that happens, prices can drop very quickly, and there goes your profit!

Third, if you fail to do thorough due diligence, it can cost you a lot of money. Hidden property problems can turn what appeared to be a good deal into a nightmare. Leaky plumbing, faulty wiring, roof problems, termite damage, etc.-they can all cost you dearly.

The fourth downside is that if you don’t flip a property fast enough, a tax audit may result By that, I mean that if the money made off the flip doesn’t immediately roll into a similar investment (another house flip), then the profit may be subject to a capital gains tax.

Finally, in some cases, you be required to pay a realtor’s commission.

Types of Flippers There are three basic types of flippers:

Bird dogs or “scouts” This is often a strategy beginning investors follow to get into the real estate business. As the name indicates, the bird dog’s job is to scout for potential deals and then sell information on those deals to investors. Investors pay bird dogs a fee for each deal that’s closed. These fees can range from $250 to $1,000 or more, depending on the price of the property and its potential. The downside of being a scout is that you make the least amount of money in comparison to dealers and retailers.

Dealers Often called “wholesalers”, the strategy of dealers is to locate bargain properties, get control of the contracts, and then do one of two things. They can close on the properties and sell them outright; or, they can simply sell the contracts to other investors. For dealers, there’s considerable profit potential, no hassle with tenants, and no improvement costs.

Retailers Another name for these investors is “rehabbers.” They buy a property at a wholesale price, improve it, and then sell it for full retail price to buyers. This option has the greatest profit potential, but also the big risks I mentioned earlier.

Guidelines for Successful Flipping Guideline 1: Know your market There are several simple but effective methods you can use to learn your market. One is to drive the neighborhoods you’re interested in to find out what types of homes are selling well. Nothing beats seeing properties with your own eyes to get a true sense of value. Also, you can work with a realtor, if necessary, to find out the comparable worth of your targeted properties. But, be sure to dig deeper to find out everything you can about a market–property taxes, crime rates, quality of the school systems, etc. Knowledge is definitely power in the real estate business; the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to spot good flipping deals because your radar will be well-tuned.

Guideline 2: Plan carefully before entering the market Diving into the flipping market without a plan is like trying to swim the ocean without a life jacket; it’s a recipe for a financial drowning. A better idea is to learn the basics and study the market carefully before dipping your toes in the water. To put it another way, prepare yourself for success. Once you enter the market, evaluate each property carefully and objectively to see how much work it needs in order to make it a great value for you and for any potential buyer.

Guideline 3: Put together an informal team Unless you have to ability to clone yourself, you can’t be everywhere at once, and you can’t know everything. That’s why you need an informal team to support your investment efforts. The team can supply the knowledge and experience you lack. Think of it as multiplying yourself in order to achieve maximum efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability. So, it’s crucial to build an informal support team of realtors, property inspectors, contractors, tax accountants, attorneys, etc. Also, be sure to choose the best possible people for your team. You want advice from experienced and reliable people, not amateurs or incompetents.

Guideline 4: Prepare to encounter problems It’s a certain guarantee that you’ll encounter problems when dealing with the flipping of properties. You can’t always prevent these problems, but you can prepare to handle them in the best way possible. That means setting up a financial reserve. So, be sure to save up enough money to absorb the expense of unexpected problems.

Guideline 5: Think long range There may come a time when you get hold of a property and then find you can’t flip it right away. If that’s the case, remember the basic rule that real estate investments perform well over time. So, if you can’t sell the property immediately, the options are to live in it yourself or rent it out to others.

The Flipping Process The process of flipping can vary from region to region within the country, but here’s a general description of the method so you can familiarize yourself with it:

Step 1: Determine the markets you’re interested in.

Step 2: Establish a clear goal. Know what type of flipper you want to be-a scout, a dealer, or a retailer.

Step 3: Put your informal team together.

Step 4: Identify investors and then seek out the properties they want to buy.

Step 5: Do your research by: * Reading newspaper ads * Attending real estate investment club meetings * Attending foreclosure auctions, tax sales, trustee sales, etc. * Touring neighborhoods. * Looking within a 10 to 20 mile radius of your home. * Seeking out vacant houses, houses in need of fixing up, and houses with at least 50% equity. * Contacting owners, talking with neighbors. * Checking sources (county court house, tax offices, etc.) for code violations, divorces, probate, evictions, bankruptcy, criminal acts, out-of-state owners and liens or judgments for possible leads. * Keeping track of all opportunities through voice mail services, computer tracking software, etc. * Networking with other investors. * Understanding all agreements and contracts down to the last detail!

Key Concept: Gather as much information and knowledge as you can before you entering into flipping deals; it’s a simple market, but not one for the uninformed!

With home foreclosures on the rise, those with money just sitting earning pennies in a Checkbook IRA account can put their money to work for them. Why is now a great time to be investing in the foreclosure market? There are three reasons.

Self-Directed IRA LLC / Checkbook IRA: 3 Reasons to Invest in Foreclosures Now

Buy Low/Sell High: If you’re looking for the proverbial good deal, now is the best time to find one. Good deals, or buying a property with enough equity to sell it for a profit, are plentiful right now. So, one of the most difficult parts of making money in foreclosures is taken care of.

Why are so many foreclosures happening right now? Actually, two reasons: a recession and adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). As ARMs adjust up and more people lose their jobs, more lose their homes. This makes homeowners and/or banks more negotiable on price.

Banks Don’t Want to Be Property Mangers: Banks are not in the business of managing property. They want homeowners to do that. So, as they become inundated with more and more foreclosures, they’re doing everything they can to sell them as fast as possible. Why don’t’ banks want to be landlords?

Because they usually wind up losing money - in two different ways. First, there’s nobody paying the mortgage when house is sitting empty. This cost banks. Secondly, when a house is in foreclosure, the bank is responsible for keeping it up until it sells. This means hiring contractors to mow the lawn, fix broken windows, clean up and haul away traffic from previous owners, etc. So, they’re quite eager to sell, sell, sell.

Long-Term Gain: Using your Self-Directed IRA LLC / Checkbook IRA account funds to purchase foreclosures now will pay off in the long run. Especially if you buy and hold properties. Real estate is a cyclical market. Meaning, what goes down will eventually go up again. When the market starts to sizzle again, you’ll be perfectly situated to take advantage of the smart investments you make now.

There are almost as many schools of thought about pruning trees as there are people who prune! And I’m not talking about dried plums, either. To try and shed some light of this confusion, I’m offering my own recommendations and interpretations.

Trim back any over exuberant branches that are out of line with the rest of your tree or shrub, remove any dead, broken, or dying branches, and cut out any crossed branches that might rub together. Don’t forget to cut back those weak and spindly shoots (suckers) that come up around the trunk.Before you start to prune anything, take a good look at it and make sure it really needs to be pruned! As you stand there and stare at your potential victim, notice its general shape, and its size in relationship to its location and other trees and shrubs nearby. If the overall impression is favorable, then all you really need to do is a little “clean up” pruning.

Young trees need to be pruned so that they develop into strong, healthy, and attractive adults. In general, choose one strong central branch to be the leader, and prune out all other competing secondary leaders. A tree with 2 rival leaders, just like a country, can split down the middle since the crotch of that tree is very weak.

Avoid cutting above a bud or branchlet that is pointing back in towards the central trunk, as this will result in an untidy mess of crossing branches in the interior of your tree. When pruning, consider which way you are going to want the new growth to go, and make your cut close to a bud or branchlet which is already headed in that direction.Always make your cuts at or just above a bud, a branch, or night at the trunk of the tree itself, so you don’t leave a little stub sticking out. That bud or branchlet is going to become the dominant one on that branch.

So what should you do if you are in the unfortunate position of having a tree that is too big for the spot it’s in? It’s sort of like having a Saint Bernard that thinks it is a lap dog. I don’t know what you would do about the dog but the best thing you can do with the tree is to have it removed, and to plant a more appropriate choice in its place.

To shape young pines, pinch back the growing tip by about half in the spring. Don’t head them back, since on most evergreens, once a branch is cut, no new growth will form.As your tree grows, you can determine the form it will take. If you want your tree to develop into an open, airy tree, thin out branchlets that develop along the sides of the main branches. If you want a tight, compact tree, leave these branchlets alone, and head back the very tips of the main lateral branches.