Most states require both the buyer and the seller to be represented by an attorney at the closing of any real estate transaction. Even if you aren't required by law to hire an attorney, doing so will save you a lot of time and effort and significantly reduces the risk of an error in the paperwork.  Although you're hiring them for a transactional purpose, you still want to make sure the attorney you hire has a good reputation and experience handling real estate closings. Many real estate attorneys provide a free initial consultation. It's a good idea to talk to 2 or 3 first, so you can make sure you're hiring the attorney who best meets your needs. The purchase agreement includes the final terms of the sale, along with an amount of "earnest money" you must deposit to demonstrate that you're serious about buying the property. Once the purchase agreement is signed and the earnest money is deposited, the house will be off the market. The earnest money, or escrow, must be held by a third party – typically a real estate agent or attorney. Normally, the listing agent would hold the escrow money until you close on the house. If there isn't a listing agent, either you or the seller should hire another attorney to act as the escrow agent. Your pre-approval may have included a guaranteed rate. Regardless, once you've found the house you want and begun the closing process, finalize the mortgage with your lender.  Pre-approvals typically are only valid for a limited period of time. If it's been several months since your pre-approval, your lender may require additional paperwork, such as updated bank statements, to finalize your loan. Once you've chosen your house, you'll get an exact interest rate as well as an exact figure of how much your monthly mortgage payment will be. Your attorney will go through the papers you need to sign to buy the house. Depending on the size and complexity of the deal, there may be hundreds of pages. You are responsible for understanding anything you sign. Ask questions if a document is confusing to you. During your final walkthrough, make sure nothing has been damaged since you were last in the house. If you and the seller agreed the seller would make repairs after the inspection, make sure those repairs were made. In some instances, you may need to bring back the original inspector to verify that the repairs have been made. You and your attorney will meet with the sellers and their attorney to sign all the paperwork and finally close on the house. You may be in the same room, or you may sign the agreements separately. This is the last chance you have to ask any questions about the agreement. Make sure you understand it. After everything is signed, you will own the house.

Summary: Hire an attorney for the closing. Sign the purchase agreement and fund escrow. Lock in your interest rate with your lender. Go over the closing paperwork with your attorney. Do a final walkthrough of the house. Sign the closing paperwork.


If you install multiple homes, give them the recommended space. Without this space, you won't have enough nesting room for each bird, as bluebirds are territorial. If you decide to install bluebird houses in pairs next to each other, keep them 5 to 25 feet (1.5 to 7.6 m) apart. Find a post to mount your bluebird house. Always make sure the entrance faces the nearest shrub or large tree. Try and install it in a location that is open or lightly wooded. For example, pastures with scattered trees or wooded patches are best. Other locations suitable for bluebird houses are cemeteries, golf courses, new sub-divisions, and farmsteads. Outside of this, try to clean each bluebird house when the young have left. This will prepare the house for more young birds, as it is likely that adults will return to the box for additional broods. Young birds typically leave about 11 days after their eggs hatch.

Summary: Keep each bluebird house at least 125 to 150 yards (114 to 137 m) from each other. Mount your bluebird house 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) high. Clean and repair bluebird houses every February.


Seek out a local CBT therapist through the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies’s online database. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help reduce stress that causes constipation and increase your compliance with helpful lifestyle changes.  CBT has been shown to effectively reduce IBS-C symptoms. Even if you can’t afford ongoing therapy, self administered CBT therapy has also been shown effective in improving troublesome IBS-C symptoms. Attend a few sessions, and ask the therapist to teach you some helpful strategies you can employ on your own at home. Locate a hypnotherapist in your area through the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists. Hypnotherapists can help you relax strained intestinal muscles to ease constipation and the pain associated with IBS-C. Many studies support the idea that hypnotherapy can be an effective IBS-C treatment. Search the database of certified acupuncturists on the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture website if you’re based in the U.S. or Canada. This can help you locate a qualified acupuncturist near you to help with your IBS-C symptoms. Research has confirmed that acupuncture can reduce painful IBS-C symptoms and help you lead a more normal life. Avoid supplementing your diet with herbs and essential oils until you’ve discussed potential interactions with your doctor. Peppermint oil, a popular IBS remedy, is better suited for people with diarrhea variant IBS. Most herbs are not regulated by the FDA and may also slow or change the absorption of your IBS-C medications.

Summary: Try cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Consider hypnosis to help ease intestinal symptoms. Explore using acupuncture to relieve abdominal bloating and pain. Talk to your doctor before pursuing herbal remedies.


If someone is lying to you, there’s a good chance that electronic proof exists. People often log their locations and activities on social media. Texting and instant messaging also make up a large portion of person to person communication. If you can gain access to someone’s phone or social media account, you will likely know who they are talking to and what they have been doing. Think long and hard before you go snooping around in your partner’s digital accounts, though. What if they aren’t lying? Are you going to lie about doubting them and invading their privacy, or come clean? If you believe someone is lying about where they are going, you can find out with a simple stakeout. Go to the place that they claim to be and keep yourself out of sight. Watch closely to see what time they arrive, what time they leave, or if they were even there at all. If their story checks out, they were telling the truth. If not, you have proof that they were lying to you. You may want to hire a professional (such as a private investigator) if you might need proof for legal proceedings, such as evidence of infidelity for a potential divorce.  Also, stakeouts aren’t as easy or as fun as they might appear to be on TV. If you suspect someone is lying to you, you can always ask other people they know. You can ask bluntly (“Were they really with you last night?”) if you are comfortable doing that. If not, you can try to get the information you need through casual conversation (“Did you two have a good time last night?”). A skilled liar will try to concoct a good “cover story” for the people you’re likely to ask; but those people may not be good liars themselves. If you’ve built up a strong case that the person isn’t telling you the truth, go ahead and confront them directly with the evidence: “I’m sorry, but your story about what you did last night just doesn’t add up, and I’m confident that you’re not telling me the truth. What really happened?” The person will either finally come clean, fumble around trying to build another lie around the old one, or get upset that you don’t trust them.  If you’re worried they’ll respond poorly, wait until you’re both calm and composed before confronting them. If the person is a compulsive liar, don’t assume that catching them in a lie will cause them to change their ways.
Summary: Look for digital proof. Conduct a stakeout. Verify their story with friends or family. Confront the liar.