Should I Study At Ashford University? An Online Review Saturday, August 7, 2010

I will be looking at Ashford today. Ashford University is a private, for-profit, co-ed liberal arts university located in Iowa, accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. There are both physical campus courses and online courses, but I will be looking at and focusing on the online courses.

Associate, Bachelors, MBAs, and Masters are all offered by Ashford University. For instance, business, social science, accounting, sociology, MBAs, Masters of organisational management and Masters of teaching and learning with technology, are some of the courses that they offer here.

A brief look at the online degrees offered by this university suggests that their main courses are in the arts and social sciences; it is indeed an arts college that does specialise in the arts, after all. Please note that this is not to say that the other online or degree programmes offered by Ashford University that are not arts based are useless or not worth doing, so take note.

There is a benefit to studying with Ashford University, because the fees here are lower than other private online degree programmes and other universities. The website has all its fees for the various associate degrees, bachelors of arts degrees and masters programmes, and it is indeed one of the most inexpensive around. In addition, some classes are 5-6 weeks long and a few degrees can be completed in less than 2 years, which is really fast. That would mean that from a money viewpoint or an economics opportunity cost viewpoint, Ashford University offers one of the lowest costs for studying at a university. Financial viewpoint here means that because it seems to be cheaper, and you finish the degree earlier, you pay less as compared to other online degree programmes. Also note that in addition, there are veteran bursaries and scholarships available, and that might help you should you need aid.

This University's online programmes are affordable accredited programmes that are easy to do and accelerated. These three points make it distinct and unique and different from other universities and other courses. Yes the fees are lower, compared to Kaplan for instance. Yes, the degrees are accelerated, especially since some of them can be done in 24 months and yet others in 12 months, and they still possess the same validity as a degree from the physical campus at Ashford. These key points thus make Ashford a very good recommendation for arts subjects. You might want to consider this university. Cheers and all the best for your online education!

For more online education reviews, please visit Get Your University Degree Online. Studying online should be good!

Iowa Home Mortgage Loans - Should You Use A Broker Online (yes!) Friday, August 6, 2010

Iowa continues to have strong home sales, even while many other parts of the country have seen a weakening in the real estate market. With a slightly higher job growth rate than the rest of the nation, cities in Iowa are still attracting homebuyers. And with the insurance and technology fields continuing to grow in the state, homes sales look likely to remain strong. So for new homebuyers, it is important that you have your mortgage financing figured out ahead of time. An online mortgage broker can help you get pre-approved with a low costing home loan - all from the convenience of your home.

Better Mortgage Rates Online For Iowa Residents

Mortgage brokers sort through financing companies to give you the best deals that they can find. Some brokers have also worked out lower costing loans with financial companies, which you can't find anywhere else. You can save yourself time and money by working with a broker. So whether you live in the metro areas of Cedar Rapids or the rural farmlands around Perry, you have an equal opportunity of getting a low costing home loan.

Working With Multiple Brokers

To make sure that your mortgage broker is getting you the best deal, don't be afraid to request loan quotes from a number of different brokers. Based on your new Iowa address, income, and credit score, you should receive fairly accurate information on home loan rates and fees.

Easier Loan Process With An Online Broker

With the tight housing market and expected decrease in future home construction, getting pre-approved for a loan is one of the few ways you can edge out other homebuyers. Fortunately, with online brokers your mortgage application can be processed in just a few days. Paperwork is finalized through FedEx or USPS, so you don't have to travel to an office.

Visit Iowa Lending Center for a list of Recommended Iowa Home Mortgage Lenders, whether you are looking for home purchase, refinance or a home equity loan.

Finding Iowa Court Records Online Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Many states, including Iowa, are starting to provide access to their court records online through comprehensive computer databases. This is good news for the average person or small business that needs to do background checks on people who they interact with everyday or prospective new employees.

Before online access to court records was available these types of checks had to be done manually. A request was made of each courthouse to do a search of their criminal records archives for the person in question. When you consider that there are 99 counties in the state of Iowa you would need to make 99 different requests if you wanted to cover the entire state. When you add in state and federal courthouses the number of requests gets even larger.

You will also need to take into account that many people move between states and may have criminal records that cross state lines. This makes it important to be able to look beyond just one state when doing a background check. While finding Iowa court records online can be what you need for your intended purposes you may be missing an important part of the background check puzzle if you limit yourself by staying inside state lines.

To do this you need to use one of the big online court records search websites. They provide comprehensive searches not only in the state of you choice but also nationwide. In many cases these sites will also provide data outside of the United States, with the most likely choice being Canada and the United Kingdom.

If you do decide to join a criminal records website there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. First make sure they charge a one time fee that is 100% refundable. You don''t want to spend your money only to find out they don't have the information they are looking for. You also don't want to end up at a site that charges by the month or even worse by the search. At the reputable sites a one time nominal fee will give you unlimited criminal record searches for the length of your membership.

To learn more about doing a state background check and to start your Iowa Court Records Search Click Here.