Choosing a hall tree is not difficult, and trees and hall stands are classic forms of hall furniture. However, you also have a wide range of other hall furniture available to choose from - yet most tend to forget their halls! When people furnish their home, their thoughts first tend to focus on their living room, and then the dining room and finally the bedroom before they consider such areas as the kitchen and the hall.
It is a natural thing to do - the living room and dining room because these are the rooms their visitors, guests and relatives are most likely to see, and then the bedroom because they spend about a third of their lives there. However, there is a flaw here, particularly in connection with the hall - can you spot it?
Yes, you likely have it! Anybody entering your house, or even looking through your open front door, will see your hall before any other part of your home - so why leave it till last in the furnishing and decorating plan? It doesn't take a great deal of furniture to make your entrance hall look fabulous - here are a few tips on hall stands and other hall furniture.
Tips on Selecting a Hall Tree
There are several types of furniture suitable for halls, among them hall stands, a hall tree and telephone tables. A hall tree is another name for a coat or hat stand, and many also come with an umbrella holder. When you come home after being out in the rain with your umbrella, you will want something in your hall where you can place your umbrella to dry out.
A hall tree is the name given to the traditional hat-stands with the usual pegs, and they are no more than a stand or vertical piece of wood with pegs attached. You can use them to hang coats, raincoats or hats, although not many wear hats these days, hence the likely reason for the change of name from hat-stand to hall tree!
Although there is a great deal of terminology use with regard to hall furniture, hall stands are often distinguished from hall trees by coming with a mirror and perhaps also a seat. Why somebody should want to sit down in the hall is questionable, although it makes more sense to have a seat attached to a hall telephone table.
Many families have their landline in the hall, with extensions in other rooms. It makes sense to have a seat by it so you don't have to stand throughout the call. Hall seats, on the other hand, are generally for show, and can be in the form of loveseats or hall seats with a high back containing a mirror.
There are some beautiful mission hall seats available from furniture stores with a high back to which is affixed an oval or rectangular beveled mirror. Not only can you have a final look at yourself before leaving the house, but they also come with storage in the form of drawers or a cupboard. Many also offer a lower shelf for dirty or wet shoes or boots.
If your hall is on the larger side, then individual accent pieces might be appropriate, such as a corner cabinet to take up a corner that would otherwise be empty space. You can use that to show off your collection of figurines, your sports trophies or even your Star Wars figures! Alternatively, you could put in a small circular table, perhaps with a parquetry top or finely polished holding a chess set or a single beautiful ornament.
Many halls are too small for much hall furniture other than a small hall tree, but you can still brighten it up with a good choice of mirrors and lighting. A small, narrow hall can be made to look much longer and wider using well-placed mirrors so they reflect each other, and also your lighting. This can be in the form of small wall lights, or even a single floor-standing lamp placed strategically in a corner to reflect its light from mirrors.
It's amazing what mirrors can do to a small hall, and also amazing how paintings or prints and spotlights can be combined to create a focal point in the smallest of halls that takes your visitors' eyes away from the hall itself. Many prefer a hall stand with a mirror to a simple hall tree - they take up much the same room - but it's your choice what you prefer.
A hall stand, hall tree and other hall furniture can be used in your hall to give your visitors a good first impression: first impressions count, and your hallway is the first area of your home that visitors will see. Don't ignore it, because if you do the rest of your home will have to be extra-special to remove that first impression!
California is a tax deed state. Unlike most other states, whose fiscal year mirrors the actual year (January through December), California property taxes are assessed for the period between July 1 and June 30. Therefore, instead of a 2008 tax year, you have a 2007-2008 tax year and a 2008-2009 tax year. A first position lien attaches to all real property on the assessment date each year by law.
California property taxes are due in two equal installments. The first installment is due November 1 and delinquent December 10th. The second installment is due February 1 and delinquent April 10th. Late payments adds a 10% penalty to the property tax bill. Unpaid properties are considered tax defaulted if not paid in full by June 30 of each year. Starting July 1, title to these parcels is vested in the name of the state and interest on any unpaid bill begins to accrue at a rate of 1.5% per month (18% per annum).
Online and Public Auctions
Similar to how California runs its tax year, tax deed sales are a little different in California. The tax deed to a parcel is not put up for sale for at least five years after the property tax bill becomes delinquent. In California, the "redemption period" starts when the property becomes tax defaulted on July 1 of any given year, and ends when the property is offered for sale to investors at a tax deed sale five (or more) years later. In most other tax deed states, tax-defaulted properties go up for sale shortly after they first default, but property owners are given an opportunity to essentially buy back their property even if the tax deed was already sold at a sale. Barring a county error and/or a successful lawsuit by the former property owner, a property in California may not be redeemed once it is sold at a public auction. In other words, there is no extended right of redemption in the State of California.
California tax deed sales use the premium bidding method. The minimum bid is equal to the amount of taxes, interest, penalties, and fees due upon the property. Most counties only hold an auction once during a year; however, some counties hold more than one per year.
Generally, California property owners have up to the day before the tax sale to redeem their property. If possible, investors planning to participate in a California tax deed sale are advised to check the sale list just prior to the sale. This may entail contacting the county tax collector office directly, or checking the county or third-party Web site.
Bid4assets.com is a third-party Web site that holds online auctions for 28 California counties, including Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Solano, San Diego, and San Bernardino. Tax sale lists for Bid4Assets counties generally become available three to four weeks before the online auction. The Bid4Assets Web site has all of the information you need about each auction, including contact, registration and deposit information.
California Tax Deed Sale Payment Plans
According to California statute, and at their discretion, California county tax collectors may offer a "payment plan" for properties that sell for over a threshold amount. This "threshold" varies by county and can vary year to year. Generally, in a "payment plan", the county requires the threshold amount and the remaining balance on the tax deed is due within 90 days of the tax deed sale. The property title is not transferred to the tax deed purchaser until the tax collector receives payment in full.
After the Tax Deed Sale
Successful bidders are awarded a Tax Collector's Deed. Pursuant to California Statute, this deed conveys title to the purchaser free of all encumbrances of any kind existing before the sale, with the exception of liens for subsequent taxes and/or special assessments.
When a property has been offered for sale at least once and no acceptable bids have been submitted, the tax collector may re-offer those properties at the next scheduled sale at a minimum bid he/she deems appropriate. The county's Board of Supervisors must approve a drop in the minimum bid. Currently, there are no over-the-counter sales in California.
