Daniel Bortz

Buying a Home? 7 Unsettling Emotions You’ll Feel Before the Deal Is Done

November 20, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Realtor.comTagged home buyers, home buying, house search

Buying a home may be a financial transaction, but it’s a highly emotional one, too. And while there are highs—like the moments you know you’ve found The One or you get the keys to your new home—you may also go through periods of high anxiety or hopelessness before you close the deal.

Ask any homeowner about their experiences buying a home, and you’ll hear a similar refrain: Purchasing property is utterly nerve-racking. With so many moving pieces, buying a home can feel like a high-stakes juggling act—only you don’t have time to practice.

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The 7 C’s of Becoming an HR Thought Leader

November 5, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in HR magazineTagged HR, human resources, influencer, thought leader

“Thought leader”―what does that even mean? It’s a phrase that has been overused to the point of being a cliché, yet it’s still a status many covet. While there’s no textbook definition of the term, a thought leader is generally a person whose thinking shapes that of others and spurs conversations within his or her field of expertise. The label has gained currency in recent years, since anyone with access to a computer now has the opportunity to influence multitudes.

“A thought leader is someone who professionals look to for advice or insight,” says Tamara Rasberry, SHRM-CP, principal HR consultant at Rasberry Consulting LLC in Washington, D.C. She, like everyone quoted in this article, is considered a thought leader in her own right, as a frequent contributor to HR blogs and on social networks.

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Read This Before You Use Hotel Wi-Fi

October 26, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Budget TravelTagged hotel WiFi, hotels, Travel, wi-fi, WiFi

When it comes to booking a hotel, Wi-Fi is an absolute must for most travelers. Indeed, when asked what services are of particular importance to them, 80 percent of hotel guests said that Internet access is the most crucial, a recent Statista survey of personal and business travelers found.

That data echoes a survey from English hotelier Roomzzz, which found that 65 percent of hotel guests go online within seven minutes of checking in at their hotel, and one third of hotel guests request the Wi-Fi password as soon as they arrive. Granted, that’s not really a surprise, considering you need a good Internet connection to stream the latest episode of, say, “House of Cards” without experiencing slowdowns.

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How to Get a Moving Estimate That Won’t Become a Moving Target

October 22, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Realtor.comTagged moving, moving costs, moving estimates, moving quotes

Newsflash: Moving stinks—and it can be even worse when you don’t know how to get a moving estimate you can trust. This can lead to massive misunderstandings, when movers quote you one price before you move, and whole different (and much higher!) number after it’s over.

So what gives?

The fact is, there are many ways to get a moving estimate, and each come with their pros and cons. Here’s what you need to know to get an estimate that won’t become a moving target.

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Leaving a job? This is how to negotiate your exit

October 15, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Monster.comTagged job exit, job quitting, layoff, resignation

You’re familiar with negotiating the details when you’re offered a job, but how about when you lose a job? That’s right: If you get laid off or resign from a job, you shouldn’t sign your exit papers without taking time to carefully investigate what you can negotiate. In fact, you may have more leverage than you think.

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The Not-So-Private Hell of Family Life in a Home With One Bathroom, Revealed

October 10, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Realtor.comTagged bathrooms, family living, housing, one bathroom

With real estate listings, the number of bedrooms is important, of course, but here’s a close second: the number of bathrooms.

Let’s face it: In a pinch, siblings can share a bedroom and guests can crash on a couch. But only one individual can use the loo at a time.

And this is why a home with just one bathroom makes many recoil in horror.

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How to be a good neighbor

October 2, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in The Washington PostTagged community, neighborhoods, neighbors

To live in a great neighborhood — and enjoy all the comforts that come with being part of a tightknit community — you have to be a good neighbor yourself.

There’s certainly no shortage of examples of bad neighbors in TV shows and films (think Homer Simpson or any neighbor from “Desperate Housewives”). But what does it mean to be a genuinely good neighbor?

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8 resume mistakes that can make you look old

September 25, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in ConsiderableTagged careers, job hunting, job search, older workers

When was the last time you overhauled your resume? As an older, more experienced job hunter, it’s not enough to simply change a few dates and descriptions when you start looking for a new position. The resume style and design that got you in the door years ago can make you look downright prehistoric now.

It’s tough enough out there already: Unemployed job hunters age 55 to 64 spend a median of 34.5 weeks looking for work, vs 22.2 weeks for workers of all ages, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

And in a recent AARP survey of workers 45 and older, three-quarters cited age discrimination as a reason they weren’t confident they could find a new job in short order.

To make sure you don’t look like a dinosaur in your field, don’t make these eight mistakes on your resume.

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How to choose a college major when you’re interested in everything

September 24, 2018May 1, 2019Posted in Monster.comTagged careers, college, college major, college students

It’s a question every would-be college student will ask at one point: “What should I major in?” Thing is, the answer might change—a few times.

So you graduated high school thinking your college major would be political science. Then you got to college and comparative literature became your jam—for a while, that is. Now you’re thinking law school. Or engineering. Or should you just go back to poli-sci? Or would throwing a dart at a list of majors help you decide best?

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