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I was in the middle of a hot negotiation.

Both of us felt we were making inexorable progress toward a mutually satisfactory deal, but I caught a cold.

So, instead of communicating by phone, I decided to carry on our “discussions” via email, admittedly a less interactive medium, but one that has definite strengths.

I simply made this shift by announcing at the beginning of an email, that I’d be relying on it for the next few days instead of the phone.

I thought email would be serviceable because it can disguise the state of your health at the moment, whether it’s a froggy throat, sniffles, or the sort of general sloth or weakness that I loath to show at any time, but especially during negotiations.

But even more significant, in good health or bad, email can slow the tempo, make each message more deliberate and thoughtful, and of course, get things reduced to writing that might otherwise become mere ephemera, and in a legal sense, unusable or relatively worthless later on, should there be a dispute about what one party, or both promised.

In this case, my counterpart expressed surprise that there wouldn’t be phone contact, but nonetheless he persevered and gave me answers to most of my questions.

But he declined to comment on the most important query, one dealing with money, and this tipped me off that he was trying to nuance, to fudge, to embroider, instead of biting the bullet and committing to ante up hard dollars and cents.

On at least an unconscious level, I suspected he was not “in with both feet,” that his overall commitment to a fair deal was absent.

In a word, there wasn’t a deal, and there wasn’t going to be one, and a quick exchange of emails confirmed this fact.

I’m a subscriber to the notion that a bad deal is far worse than none, because a bad one, sooner or later will be undone; it must be, and that can be messy, costly, and it’s almost always distracting.

So, when you’re negotiating, use the media that will serve your purposes, and when it is in your interest to shift, from face to face to the phone, or from the phone to email, don’t hesitate to act.

Le Pays Lauragais is the region that encompasses the Haute Garronne(31), Tarn (81) and Aude (11) departments in the South of France. I would imagine that most people are aware of Tarn, with it’s capital Albi, as an area of outstanding beauty but may be less familiar with the Aude and Haute Garronne departments, until of course the fabulous cities of Carcassonne and Toulouse are mentioned.

Carcassonne is the capital of the Aude department and home to 2 world heritage sites, and Toulouse known either as the ‘Ville Rose’ or the ‘Cite d’Espace’ is of course the capital of Haute Garrone and is the principle city in the South of France. It is also home of France’s aerospace industry and the headquarters of Airbus.

All three departments are named after the primary rivers that run through them and two of them also play host to the famous Canal du Midi which was championed into existence by Pierre-Paul Riquet, France’s answer to Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The main feed reservoir for the Canal du Midi is a gorgeous lake that sits above the market town of Revel famous for its food market and furniture industry. To form the lake, a large dam that is 30m high, 10m thick and stretches some 871m in length was constructed in the 17th century.

Today the lake is used as a recreational area providing a beach from where you can swim, sailing, fishing and walking facilities in a very pleasant and attractive part of France, it has also been made more interesting through the provision of an arboretum around it’s shores that has over a 150 different varieties of trees including one which is circa 400 year old . It has been classified as a Worldwide Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO

The lake has become a natural attraction for leisure facilities and there are a number of restaurants, shops, a large hotel, an equestrian center, camping site and cafes with views over the lake. The most recent addition being a museum dedicated to Monsieur Riquet (opened in 2008 overlooking a large fountain) which provides a detailed insight into his life and works, you can also get a nice lunch in it’s new restaurant if you want to make a day or half day of it.

Castelnaudary of cassoulet fame, is a little further south from Revel and actually sits on the Canal du Midi, it also has a very good food market which takes place on a Monday morning. There are boat trips along the canal from the port in the summer months and some fine examples of the locks of the Canal du Midi can be found here.

Going towards Toulouse from Castelnaudary you will find Villefrance de Lauragais and opportunities for hiring bikes to cycle the paths of the canal and explore the small villages, restaurants and a little bit of wildlife on route.

Circling back towards Revel you can find the towns of Durfort and Soreze, Durfort is well known for it’s copper based products that are hand crafted and sold in the local shops, a good place to visit on a Sunday morning, especially since the portfolio of hand crafted products has now extended to include leather, pottery basketry and cabinetwork.

Soreze is best known for its ‘Parc de l’Abbaye-Ecole’ which, in it’s hey day around 1776, was one of 12 military academies created by Louis XVI. Later it was managed by Father Lacordaire, who revived the Dominican Order in France, but after educating a number of famous people, including officers, writers, philosophers and politicians it ultimately closed it’s doors as a school in 1991. Since then (starting in 1993) the whole site has been under a program of restoration and has been listed as a historic monument.

The town itself is full of old world charm with half timbered village houses from the 16th and 17th centuries and its famous building is the ‘bell tower of St Martin’ which is believed to have been completed around 1512.

Soreze is located at the foot of the ‘Montagne Noire’ and has become a favorite tourist destination for the region, it provides a gateway to the Parc natural regional du Haut-Languedoc, where you will find caves, grottos and streams plus plenty of places to cycle or walk.

Before you get your automobile insured, it is necessary to make automobile insurance comparisons. The more quotes you get and compare the better will be your chances of finding an automobile insurance plan that fits your needs and your budget. Otherwise, you can easily end up with the wrong plan and what’s worse; you could end up paying more than is absolutely necessary.

The simple truth is that insurance providers that do not have competition will hardly be willing to offer any incentives to the buyer who will then not be offered any discounts or perks. An insurance company that does not give their customers any privileges will be able to make money without having to give any tangible benefits in return.

However, when the same insurance company comes under pressure and is faced with stiff competition from other insurance providers, it will be more than willing to sell you insurance at more attractive terms. This means that they will start offering discounts on their premium and will otherwise lower their rates – just so that they can get your business.

Of course, it is often quite tedious to make the comparisons of different auto insurance plans; but with the help of the Internet it has become much simpler to get the job done. Today, there are many websites that deal solely with comparing auto insurance quotes and these are the sites that you need to check out.

You can also go online and request quotes from different auto insurance companies which they will do for free. But, a comparison site will prove to be simpler and more convenient to use as all the quotations will already be readily available in one place. There, with just a few keystrokes and mouse button clicks you will get to find the cheapest and best auto insurance plan.

Of course, you can also choose to make comparisons in the traditional manner in which case you will want to personally visit different auto insurance company offices to ask for their quotations. In this way you can meet face to face with the representative and have everything explained to you. The sales representatives are all experts in auto insurance and so will be able to provide you with useful information and tips regarding the best auto insurance plan.

After making your automobile insurance comparisons it is then necessary that you look closely at the provisions of the various plans. You will need to ensure that you only buy a plan that has maximum coverage while at the same time is most affordable as well.

Purchasing automobile insurance can become confusing, quickly. Knowing the types of coverage can certainly help clarify in your mind what you are doing when buying insurance. Many states have laws about minimum coverage. Lenders also require certain coverage to be carried while the vehicle is being paid off. Liability insurance is certainly something you are going to have to know about.

There are actually several types of liability insurance. They are as follows:

Bodily Injury Liability (BI) - This insurance covers bodily injury to other people or death for which you may be responsible in an accident. This insurance also helps to provide for a lawyer if someone else in the accident decides to file a lawsuit against you. Bodily injury claims can be for medical bills, loss of income or pain and suffering. The basic idea is to have enough coverage to cover a judgment against you in a lawsuit and therefore protecting our personal assets. Remember, BI liability is for injury to people, not your vehicle. So, it is a good idea (and often required) that you have the same level of coverage for all of your vehicles. Remember, BI liability doesn’t cover you or other people on your policy. This insurance is mandatory in most states.

Some things to consider in purchasing bodily liability insurance: If damages in an accident for which you are responsible exceed the limits of your coverage, you will be personally responsible for the amount that exceeds the limits. That may mean having to sell property, turn over savings, and liquidating other assets. It may also mean that future earnings could be secured. So, BI liability insurance is about protecting yourself against risk.

Property Damage Liability (PD) - This coverage is here in case your car damages someone else’s property. Typically, that is their car, but it could be any property damaged in an accident (house, fence, etc.). It also provides you with a lawyer if you happened to be sued as the result of an accident. So, again, you will want enough coverage to cover the amount of damage your vehicle might do in an accident. Coverage is limited to the terms and conditions contained in the policy.

Again, the idea is provide enough coverage to protect yourself financially. Your personal assets can be at risk if damages exceed the limits of coverage as stated in your policy.

Energy efficient washing machines will save you money on your monthly bills which is a great reason to buy one, in addition you also have the options to have a tax break for the year, that makes the choice of buying a brand new energy efficient washing machine worth the amount of money you are going to spend from your hard earned income.

First you want to make sure that the washing machine you are looking to buy has the energy star logo on the machine to qualify for the tax credit. Some brands will say they are energy efficient and they probably are however the stamp of energy star will prove it you.

Next the tax credit is easy to apply for while working on your taxes at the end of the year. You do need to file for the tax credit of the year you bought it. As an example if you have bought it in 2009 you need to file it on your 2009 taxes and each year to follow will be the same.

You will need to file the tax form with your taxes. This is IRS form 5695. Also on the IRS form 1040 line 52 is where you add the claim. Your tax credit can be up to $1,500 every two years. You will receive 30% back on your taxes of the amount that you spent on the washer and all energy star products up to $5,000 purchased.

When you buy your energy efficient energy start washing machine you will need to have the manufactures certification statement this will come with your washer at the time of purchase. The store that you bought the machine from will not have a copy of this for you, make sure to file it with important papers so you do not miss place it. You will also need the original purchase receipt. You can also find certificate information on the manufactures website.

At one website, it states that persons with average credit scores of 500 to 600 will be able to get a “preferred loan” for a mortgage provided such persons make down payments. The site does not say whether there are other requirements such as paying off any outstanding balances appearing on credit reports. However, those with credit scores less than 500 are most likely out of luck.

This prospect of a loan to those with credit scores of 600 while promising does not tell the full story. A mortgage loan on a house selling for $100,000.00 will require a down payment of 10 to 20 percent. This translates into $10,000 to $20,000.00. In addition, you can expect to pay higher interest rates which will cost you thousands of dollars over the term of your mortgage and will raise your monthly payments significantly.

But suppose after reviewing your credit reports you discover that your total outstanding debt is less than $10,000.00. It is to your advantage to pay off that debt with agreements for immediate notification to the credit bureaus. Doing so will raise your credit scores, although it might be several months before the increase shows up in your credit files. However, if you can delay your credit purchase a few months, then it will pay you to wait while you take steps to increase your score.

You should also consider the other benefits of raising your credit score, which include not having to make a down payment on your mortgage and maybe even getting a fixed interest rate. A 600 credit score is not the worst score there is but it may not be enough to get you the best credit terms. It pays to raise average and below average credit scores whatever they may be!

The answer is yes. But it’s not as simple as someone just swooping in and paying off your taxes, and then kicking you out.

If you are behind on your taxes, you are not at risk of someone else buying your property just for the taxes. There is a legal process involved that the government must follow before they can seize your home for back taxes. This varies state by state, but in most states, your home will be put up for sale at tax auction, or a lien will be sold on your home at auction. After that, you will have another period of time – a year or so in most cases – to pay the back taxes, interest, and penalties, and get your house back. After that, the buyer at tax sale will be allowed to apply for your deed, and you will be evicted if you are still living in the property.

You will likely have been notified many times of your delinquent tax status before the property goes to tax sale. And you will definitely be notified when it is set to be put up for auction. Also, your home will likely not be sold for just the back taxes owed. Generally, at tax sale auction, the opening bid for a property is the amount of taxes owed on it. Properties, especially nicer ones, are often bid up much higher than the original amount of taxes owed. Which creates an interesting opportunity for investors…

If you are an investor looking to invest in these properties, you’re going to love this next concept. It’s got all the real estate sized paychecks, without property ownership.

When more is bid for a property at tax sale than is owed in back taxes, the overage amount is generally due back to the owner. Unfortunately for them, many have gotten so good at ignoring communication from creditors and the government that they miss the notice of the funds they are due, and move on, leaving them behind. They eventually are lost permanently to the government.

Because a legal loophole exempts these funds from having finder’s fee caps, you can locate their owners, who generally have no clue where they could have “unclaimed funds” coming from, and charge a 50% finder’s fee. With the number of foreclosures shooting up, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to do several finder’s fee agreements a month. And since these funds are often for hefty sums, you can easily make a five-figure income every month just from connecting owners with their lost overages.