It also made a good test of our listing code.  We were pleased to see that it scaled well and resulted in a good looking site (In our humble opinion).  In fact, it went so well we are considering using the same approach to publish the 2,500 page Shapleigh's hardware store catalog of 1935

Right now it has AdSense ads on it, but we may be able to develop some products to sell there too. The book has eleven color plates that would make covers for an attractive set of greeting cards.  For someone involved in renovating an old house or who knows someone who is, a box of these cards might make a good gift.

We are considering turning our scans of all the pages into one huge PDF and offering that for sale.  It is possible to make PDF's searchable which would help people find what they are looking for.

All that is in the future though; it took five 16 hour days from start to finish. If that seems like a lot, remember I don't just copy the old book.  I like to add comments and give each page unique titles, metatags, etc.  That slows the process down considerably, but I believe it improves the quality.

Home alarm systems have benefited from the same technological explosion as computers and cell phones.  The same computer chips that power computers can be assembled to power alarm systems.  Wireless alarm sensors and video cameras can be connected to the home computer network and alarms sent to selected recipients via the internet.  It would have been science fiction 15 years ago.

We (Paul) had our first wired home alarm system installed after our home was broken in to in 1976.  When we moved to a new house in 1977 we had it wired before we even moved in.  That cost thousands of dollars because we moved to an adobe house, on a cement slab, with no attic space.  The installers had to run the wires along the walls as best they could.  It was not especially  pretty and they worked hard to get the job done.

If you have had your home broken into you will understand the powerful motivation it provides the think about your safety and that of your family.  It's all to easy to imagine what could have happened if we had been home at the time.

We lived with that wired alarm system from 1977 until 2007 when we moved.  Two of our three kids were born there so we have 30 years of experience with all the things that can go haywire with even a high end, professionally installed  alarm system.

Erik grew up in that house and learned how to manage the alarm system.  As an electrical engineer he is also well equipped to look at modern home alarm systems, interpret what the technical specifications actually say, and offer advice to people looking to buy/install a modern alarm system.

Most services and online selling systems seem to be aimed at people looking to grow a business online.  There is nothing wrong with that, but their software and systems assume you will be selling the same product(s) over and over.  They include things like inventory management for example.

Repeat sales are great and the process scales.  Mailing list management is important.  However, we have a lot of one-of-a-kind items and for selling stuff like that the systems don't work so well.

In adition, the people who want to make a business out of selling stuff online, are willing to put in a lot of time, hire employees, etc.  Those of us who just want to get rid of the accumulation of decades would rather not do that.  In fact, I don't enjoy the selling process, and would prefer to get it over with as quickly and easily as possible.  So I am looking for, or would like to build, a selling system that

1. Scales
2. Requires minimal time and energy

Google Apps looks to me like it might work quite well for that.  Time will tell.

Their system was based around a sandardized set of mouldings that could be used to build a variety of designs.  The pictures of those designs should help renovators replace/repair damaged woodwork in old Craftsman style homes.

The site is  only part way built, but has house plans and the moulding pictures.  Still to come are art glass windows and more interior details.

In these times of economic uncertainty with falling house prices and difficulty find loans, there are more and more reasons for considering owner financing.  When done well it makes a lot of sense and can work to the advantage of both buyer and seller.  When done poorly it can make life difficult for both.

A unique feature of the site is regular analysis and comment on notes & mortgages which have been submitted to note brokers for purchase.  We explore the strengths and weaknesses of each note we review.  If the note is rejected we explain why and make suggestions for how it could be improved.

German-Nutcrackers.com is where we have started to build a website focused on these folk art items.  We have some pictures posted and will publish more as we get our collection photographed.

The site includes links to Ebay auctions which are specific to each type of glass.  This allows visitors who may be working to identify a piece of glass they purchased or inherited to see examples which help them in their search.

The individual niche sites will take this identification deeper by exploring the variations in more detail; also with examples.

Auctions can be used to identify the antique or collectible you own and then determine it's actual cash value.

We build niche content websites for many antiques and collectibles.  OnlineAppraisalService.com will have links to/from these niche sites to help visitors identify what they have and find out what it's worth.

We think of it as Do It Yourself  (DIY) appraisals.