"The real estate sector's hard times have filtered through to the large-scale retailers who supply the basic building ingredients. Retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) reported weak results for the third quarter on Nov.14 ... on cooler activity in the sector.
HD is also predicting a chilly fourth quarter, with per-share profits falling 12% to 16% from a year ago. "I still think we have deeper to go than we have seen," CEO Bob Nardelli said on a conference call with analysts. "I do not think we have seen bottom yet. I do not see anything that says it's going to get significantly better in '07. "
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Real Estate Mutual Funds Riding High
"Mutual funds that specialize in real estate are still flying high, benefiting from their exposure to commercial property through holdings in real estate investment trusts. Slower home sales [means] more people opt to rent, pushing rents higher and boosting profits at apartment REITs... Investors look to real estate to diversify their portfolios. For that reason, real estate fund managers typically try to generate returns that have a low correlation to the equity market... [The] only concern about apartment REITs is that they are overvalued. Overseas real estate investments are more attractive."
Earthquake Measuring 8.1 Hits Japan
An 8.1 quake was recorded in the Kurile islands on Wednesday, and a tsunami warning issued for eastern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, NHK public television said.The first waves of the tsunami, which was expected to arrive shortly after 9 p.m. local, were predicted to range from 1 to 2 meters in Hokkaido. The site of the quake was roughly 1,700 km northeast of Tokyo. Hokkaido residents reported feeling little to no shaking from the earthquake.
The Kuriles are known as the Chishima islands in Japan. The Southern Kuriles, known to Japanese as the Northern Territories, are the subject of a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Realtors Forecasting Extent of Housing Bubble
Industry trade group says existing home sales and prices should steady in 2007.
After slowing sharply in 2006, the housing market will coast along in 2007, according to a forecast released Friday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the industry's largest trade group.
NAR forecasts that existing home sales will fall 8.6 percent this year, to 6.47 million, still the third highest total ever. For 2007, NAR is calling for sales of 6.43 million, a decline of 0.6 percent. New home sales, which account for about 15 percent of the housing market, are a different story. NAR expects sales of these to plummet 16.8 percent in 2006 to 1.07 million units, and another 8.7 percent next year to 975,000.
New home sales might be even worse except that sellers are offering "more competitive pricing, in addition to some favorable incentives or concessions," said David Lereah, chief economist for NAR.
Expanding inventories will depress prices in both new and existing homes but NAR is still predicting the median price of an existing, single-family home will increase 1.9 percent this year to $223,700 and 1.7 percent next year to $227,500.
New home prices should drop 1.1 percent this year to $238,400, before gaining ground next year, up 1.3 percent to $241,400.
Accounting for a portion of NAR's fairly rosy housing market forecast is their mortgage interest rate prediction; it expects rates to be very stable in 2007, with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage only inching up from 6.4 percent this autumn to 6.6 percent in the spring.
The organization also expects unemployment and inflation to be stable, which could help pave the way for housing markets to recover.
After slowing sharply in 2006, the housing market will coast along in 2007, according to a forecast released Friday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the industry's largest trade group.
NAR forecasts that existing home sales will fall 8.6 percent this year, to 6.47 million, still the third highest total ever. For 2007, NAR is calling for sales of 6.43 million, a decline of 0.6 percent. New home sales, which account for about 15 percent of the housing market, are a different story. NAR expects sales of these to plummet 16.8 percent in 2006 to 1.07 million units, and another 8.7 percent next year to 975,000.
New home sales might be even worse except that sellers are offering "more competitive pricing, in addition to some favorable incentives or concessions," said David Lereah, chief economist for NAR.
Expanding inventories will depress prices in both new and existing homes but NAR is still predicting the median price of an existing, single-family home will increase 1.9 percent this year to $223,700 and 1.7 percent next year to $227,500.
New home prices should drop 1.1 percent this year to $238,400, before gaining ground next year, up 1.3 percent to $241,400.
Accounting for a portion of NAR's fairly rosy housing market forecast is their mortgage interest rate prediction; it expects rates to be very stable in 2007, with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage only inching up from 6.4 percent this autumn to 6.6 percent in the spring.
The organization also expects unemployment and inflation to be stable, which could help pave the way for housing markets to recover.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Microsoft Stresses That Vista Users Will Need Anti-Virus
Microsoft's co-president of Platforms and Services, is clarifying some of his earlier statements by saying that most Windows Vista users will need some form of antivirus. During a telephone conference with reporters last week, Allchin described how the computer his seven-year-old son doesn't have antivirus software. Some media reports inferred that Vista doesn't need antivirus software, something Allchin has denied on his Microsoft Vista blog entry.In the entry, Allchin says, "I want to be clear, most users will use some form of antivirus software, and that will be appropriate for their scenarios. In fact, Windows Security Center, a great feature in Windows Vista, specifically encourages the use of antivirus software."
According to Allchin, his son's machine is an example of how effective parental controls can be in locking down a computer. He says the machine doesn't have access to email or instant messaging and that his son cannot run as administrator. This combination allows Allchin to run without antivirus software on that machine only.
Parental controls are one of many of the new features in Windows Vista. Parents can limit the types of programs their children can use, along with the times a computer can be accessed. Back in June, Chris Donahue, Microsoft's Group Manger for Games, stopped by our offices and demonstrated parental gaming controls. You can read the article and view the video demonstration in the link below.
Google Chief Sees Free Cell Phones With Advertising
Google Inc’s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, sees a future where mobile phones are free to consumers who accept watching targeted forms of advertising.Schmidt has said as mobile phones become more like handheld computers and consumers spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the Web on these devices, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy. “Your mobile phone should be free,” Schmidt said. “It just makes sense that subsidies should increase” as advertising rises on mobile phones.
He was interviewed following a speech on the theme of business innovation organised by Italian student groups and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Schmidt also said his company was working on how to allow users to maintain basic control of their personal data.
Google stores consumer data on hundreds of thousands of its own computers to provide additional services to individual users. The company is looking to allow consumers to export their Web search history or e-mail archives and move them to other sites, if they so choose. “We are working to ensure that as long as it is yours, we want to give you the equivalent of number portability,” Schmidt said at another conference earlier this week.
YouTube Video of LA Cop Hitting Suspect!
The FBI is investigating two Los Angeles policemen over a videotape posted on the popular YouTube Web site showing one of the officers punching a suspected gang member in the face as they struggle to handcuff him.The incident has triggered comparisons to the beating of Rodney King that was caught on videotape in 1991, lighting the fuse for deadly riots that would explode across the city a year later and give the Los Angeles Police Department a black eye from which it is still trying to recover.
While King's beating was captured by plumber George Holliday on a camcorder, just a few years after the hand-held video cameras came into widespread use, the latest violent altercation between police officers and a suspect may be the first to confront the LAPD via YouTube.com.
"We have opened a preliminary inquiry into whether or not a violation of civil rights occurred," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. "We will look into it, do a preliminary investigation and the results will go to the Department of Justice."
Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton has also ordered an investigation into the Aug. 11 arrest of 24-year-old William Cardenas by officers Alexander Schlegel and Patrick Farrell, but said the videotape was only part of the story.
The 19-second tape posted on the popular video clips Web site shows the two policemen grappling with Cardenas as he shouts that he can't breathe. One of the police officers is seen punching Cardenas repeatedly in the face.
"There's no denying that the video is disturbing," Bratton told reporters at a press conference. "But as to whether the actions of the officers were appropriate in light of what they were experiencing and the totality of the circumstances is what the investigation will determine."
According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, Cardenas was initially confronted by police while drinking beer on a street corner and taken into custody for failing to appear in court on a warrant for receiving stolen property.
Cardenas' attorney, Kwaku Duren, said that his client, who remains jailed, would sue for violation of his civil rights.
"I'll be filing a complaint for damages. He's been in jail three months and he did sustain physical injuries," Duren said. "There are definitely sufficient facts for for malicious conduct and punitive damages."
The April 1992 acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers in King's beating touched off the worst urban riots in modern U.S. history. More than 50 people were killed, thousands of businesses were destroyed and damage was estimated at more than $1 billion.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Design A Fast Loading Website Tutorial
Minimize the use of images - The key to a fast loading web site is to minimize the use of images. Images do enhance a page but don't make 80% of your web site only images. Instead break it down as much as possible to simple HTML. Notice the popular sites like Yahoo, Google, Ebay, Amazon etc., they have very few images because the load time is more important. Very often simple designs are the best.
Optimize images for the web - Once you have decided on the images that you need on your site, make sure that it is optimized for the web. They should be in the gif or jpeg format. You can also minimize the size of the image by choosing the number of colors you need, from the color palette. The less the colors you choose, the less the size of the image. You can also use online tools like Gif Wizard to optimize your images or to get a recommendation on how to cut down the size of an image.
Use Tables creatively - You can get some great looking designs by using tables creatively . Tables load very fast because it is just HTML code. Tables can be used in the homepage, menus or anywhere you like. Check out our homepage and our menus to see how we have used tables in our site. Read more on Using HTML Tables Creatively.
Cut down the use of animated gifs - Don't use animated gifs unless it is necessary. Animated gifs take a long time to load and can also be very irritating. But since they catch your attention you could use small animated gifs to draw a visitor's attention to a particular section of your site.
Design simple icons - Instead of using big, bulky images use simple and small icons that add a little color and draw the attention of a visitor. We have used small icons in our homepage to highlight the main sections of our site.
Use background images instead of big images whenever possible - This is usually a very useful tip for headers and footers. Instead of using an image of width 580 which is a uniform design you can use just a part of that as a background fill. This reduces the size of the web page as the image is small. The code will look like this :
Try out CSS Styles - Have fun with CSS styles to get some cool text effects. Again, a CSS Style is simple HTML code so it loads very fast. You can create cool rollovers using CSS Styles.
Use Flash sparingly - There seems to be a lot of hype about Flash but I recommend that you minimize the use of Flash on a site. Don't make entire sites using Flash. It may look great but it takes hours to load and can really put off visitors. If you do want to use Flash use it within an HTML site and make sure it loads fast.
Design most of your site in HTML - As much as possible try to design your site using HTML. You can create great designs by just using HTML code. Use tables, CSS Styles and simple fonts to design your site. Minimize the use of animated gifs, Flash, bulky images etc.
Keep checking your load time - Last but not least, before you decide on the final design of your web site, check its load time on NetMechanic. This site gives you a free analysis of your web site which is extremely useful. We kept using it to improve our site till we got a report that said good loading time!
Optimize images for the web - Once you have decided on the images that you need on your site, make sure that it is optimized for the web. They should be in the gif or jpeg format. You can also minimize the size of the image by choosing the number of colors you need, from the color palette. The less the colors you choose, the less the size of the image. You can also use online tools like Gif Wizard to optimize your images or to get a recommendation on how to cut down the size of an image.
Use Tables creatively - You can get some great looking designs by using tables creatively . Tables load very fast because it is just HTML code. Tables can be used in the homepage, menus or anywhere you like. Check out our homepage and our menus to see how we have used tables in our site. Read more on Using HTML Tables Creatively.
Cut down the use of animated gifs - Don't use animated gifs unless it is necessary. Animated gifs take a long time to load and can also be very irritating. But since they catch your attention you could use small animated gifs to draw a visitor's attention to a particular section of your site.
Design simple icons - Instead of using big, bulky images use simple and small icons that add a little color and draw the attention of a visitor. We have used small icons in our homepage to highlight the main sections of our site.
Use background images instead of big images whenever possible - This is usually a very useful tip for headers and footers. Instead of using an image of width 580 which is a uniform design you can use just a part of that as a background fill. This reduces the size of the web page as the image is small. The code will look like this :
Try out CSS Styles - Have fun with CSS styles to get some cool text effects. Again, a CSS Style is simple HTML code so it loads very fast. You can create cool rollovers using CSS Styles.
Use Flash sparingly - There seems to be a lot of hype about Flash but I recommend that you minimize the use of Flash on a site. Don't make entire sites using Flash. It may look great but it takes hours to load and can really put off visitors. If you do want to use Flash use it within an HTML site and make sure it loads fast.
Design most of your site in HTML - As much as possible try to design your site using HTML. You can create great designs by just using HTML code. Use tables, CSS Styles and simple fonts to design your site. Minimize the use of animated gifs, Flash, bulky images etc.
Keep checking your load time - Last but not least, before you decide on the final design of your web site, check its load time on NetMechanic. This site gives you a free analysis of your web site which is extremely useful. We kept using it to improve our site till we got a report that said good loading time!
Eliminate Green Tint Photos Using A Fluorescent Filter
To your eye, fluorescent light seems slightly on the blue side. To your digital camera, it is greenish and subjects tend to appear slightly seasick.
Daylight fluorescent filters will eliminate the green tint you will usually get when shooting indoor photos. This is a medium-density, magenta-hued filter that provides pleasing skin tones and accurate color by removing the harsh green cast you can get with nonflash pictures under cool white fluorescent lights. Since they emit a discontinuous spectrum, color correction will not be perfect in all cases, but it’s generally pretty good.
Many digital shooters say they get better results with an FL-D (Tiffen’s registered name) than with white-balance settings alone, and you may also like the rosy “twilight” effect you get by shooting with an FL-D indoors. Although you lose about one stop in light transmission with this filter, the effects can be well worth it.
Below, are two examples using a fluorescent filter and not using a fluorescent filter in the same lighting environment where no flash was used and the depth of field was approximately the same distance.
Daylight fluorescent filters will eliminate the green tint you will usually get when shooting indoor photos. This is a medium-density, magenta-hued filter that provides pleasing skin tones and accurate color by removing the harsh green cast you can get with nonflash pictures under cool white fluorescent lights. Since they emit a discontinuous spectrum, color correction will not be perfect in all cases, but it’s generally pretty good.
Many digital shooters say they get better results with an FL-D (Tiffen’s registered name) than with white-balance settings alone, and you may also like the rosy “twilight” effect you get by shooting with an FL-D indoors. Although you lose about one stop in light transmission with this filter, the effects can be well worth it.
Below, are two examples using a fluorescent filter and not using a fluorescent filter in the same lighting environment where no flash was used and the depth of field was approximately the same distance.
Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington DC
A fluorescent filter WAS used in this photo above
Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington DC
A fluorescent filter WAS NOT used in this photo above
Will my Insurance Cover a Rental Car After an Accident?
Many drivers don't think about their insurance coverage until after they have an accident and call their insurance company to file a claim to help pay for car repairs, a rental car and other expenses.
Unfortunately, many insured drivers are surprised to find out that their auto insurance does not automatically cover the cost of a replacement rental car after an accident. Since the average car is in the repair shop for two weeks after an accident, it can cost as much as $500 to rent a replacement car. But, some insured drivers pay little or nothing to rent a car because of an inexpensive but often overlooked option known as rental reimbursement.
Rental reimbursement coverage is available for only $1 or $2 a month with almost every auto insurance policy, but it is bypassed frequently by those who believe they will not have a car accident or those shopping only for the lowest cost premium. The cost of a rental replacement car adds up fast, so even if you don't have an accident for eight or nine years, the coverage pays for itself when you need it most.
Sometimes working out the details of a claim with the auto insurance company can take time. Even if the accident is the other driver's fault, you may have to wait several days or longer to get the other insurance company to agree to pay for a rental car. With your own coverage, there is no waiting.
Unfortunately, many insured drivers are surprised to find out that their auto insurance does not automatically cover the cost of a replacement rental car after an accident. Since the average car is in the repair shop for two weeks after an accident, it can cost as much as $500 to rent a replacement car. But, some insured drivers pay little or nothing to rent a car because of an inexpensive but often overlooked option known as rental reimbursement.
Rental reimbursement coverage is available for only $1 or $2 a month with almost every auto insurance policy, but it is bypassed frequently by those who believe they will not have a car accident or those shopping only for the lowest cost premium. The cost of a rental replacement car adds up fast, so even if you don't have an accident for eight or nine years, the coverage pays for itself when you need it most.
Sometimes working out the details of a claim with the auto insurance company can take time. Even if the accident is the other driver's fault, you may have to wait several days or longer to get the other insurance company to agree to pay for a rental car. With your own coverage, there is no waiting.
Windows Vista license allows only one reinstall
If you own a retail version of Windows XP there are no restrictions on the number of times you can transfer the software from one computer to another. Well, that’s about to change for the worse in Vista, with only one lifetime transfer allowed! That limitation on retail licenses is a remarkable change. Previously, a retail license could be removed from one computer and reinstalled on another with no limits. Now, you get to reinstall one time and one time only.
Cheap Flight Tactics When Buying Your Airline Flight
NOTE: Due to the recent spate of terrorist attacks to international flights, there may be changes within each airline in relation to the number of flights, hand luggage permitted, as well as increased security in airports.
Airline ticket prices can depend on where you are going, when you are going and how long you stay. You may need to sacrifice convenience for cheaper fares so be flexible and always check for different options.
* Try to buy your ticket about 2-3 weeks ahead.
* Be as flexible as possible and check if flying on a different day is cheaper. For example Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are low-demand days for flying, and airfares tend to be cheaper, as are late evening flights or early mornings. Sometimes staying over on a Saturday night also results in cheaper fares.
* Try to travel in off-season periods.* Check the fare prices at different airports in the cities of your departure and destination.
* Ticket Agents have the seats in front of them with all of the pricing for each and this includes the discounted seats. They try to sell expensive seats so don't buy on the first quote. If you make them search their database for a while, you can hundreds for just another 5 minutes of them searching. If you have flexibility, ask about buying a "standby" ticket which can be heavily discounted.
* Save airline discount coupons, check newspapers for promotional fares (restrictions may apply).
* Don’t book directly with the airline. Visit their websites and sign up for newsletters. Airlines can make last minute discounts via email or on their website.
* Travel agents are useful but are not always the cheapest option. Keep notes on flight prices so you can compare your options.
* After you buy your ticket keep checking prices. Some airlines will refund the difference if discounts are made.
* Many airlines offer “compassion fares” if there has been a death or serious family illness. These are about 50-70% off the usual fares. Ask what kind of documentation is needed.
* Return tickets are usually cheaper and are a good defense against immigration officials who want to be assured that you are going to leave the country. Get a ticket with an airline that allows you to make changes to the ticket without any problems. If you are working or studying for more than one year you may wish to get a one-way ticket (if you are in Europe you can utilize the cheap tickets out of London to come home).
Airline ticket prices can depend on where you are going, when you are going and how long you stay. You may need to sacrifice convenience for cheaper fares so be flexible and always check for different options.
* Try to buy your ticket about 2-3 weeks ahead.
* Be as flexible as possible and check if flying on a different day is cheaper. For example Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are low-demand days for flying, and airfares tend to be cheaper, as are late evening flights or early mornings. Sometimes staying over on a Saturday night also results in cheaper fares.
* Try to travel in off-season periods.* Check the fare prices at different airports in the cities of your departure and destination.
* Ticket Agents have the seats in front of them with all of the pricing for each and this includes the discounted seats. They try to sell expensive seats so don't buy on the first quote. If you make them search their database for a while, you can hundreds for just another 5 minutes of them searching. If you have flexibility, ask about buying a "standby" ticket which can be heavily discounted.
* Save airline discount coupons, check newspapers for promotional fares (restrictions may apply).
* Don’t book directly with the airline. Visit their websites and sign up for newsletters. Airlines can make last minute discounts via email or on their website.
* Travel agents are useful but are not always the cheapest option. Keep notes on flight prices so you can compare your options.
* After you buy your ticket keep checking prices. Some airlines will refund the difference if discounts are made.
* Many airlines offer “compassion fares” if there has been a death or serious family illness. These are about 50-70% off the usual fares. Ask what kind of documentation is needed.
* Return tickets are usually cheaper and are a good defense against immigration officials who want to be assured that you are going to leave the country. Get a ticket with an airline that allows you to make changes to the ticket without any problems. If you are working or studying for more than one year you may wish to get a one-way ticket (if you are in Europe you can utilize the cheap tickets out of London to come home).
How Long do Negative Items Stay on my Credit Report?
Accurate negative information generally can be reported for seven years, but there are exceptions:
Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years.
Information reported because of an application for a job with a salary of more than $20,000 has no time limitation.
Information reported because of an application for more than $50,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limitation.
Information concerning a lawsuit or a judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer.
Default information concerning U.S. Government insured or guaranteed student loans can be reported for seven years after certain guarantor actions.
Tax liens stay on 7 years from the date PAID.
Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years.
Information reported because of an application for a job with a salary of more than $20,000 has no time limitation.
Information reported because of an application for more than $50,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limitation.
Information concerning a lawsuit or a judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer.
Default information concerning U.S. Government insured or guaranteed student loans can be reported for seven years after certain guarantor actions.
Tax liens stay on 7 years from the date PAID.
Tips to Get Into First Class When Flying The Airlines
Most frequent flyers know you can upgrade using miles or buying upgrade certificates. But there are other ways to get to the front of the plane:
1. Concentrate on one airline: Many frequent flyers get more free upgrades, often pay less to buy upgrades, and get preferred treatment on standby upgrade lists.
2. Sign up for e-mail offers and read your frequent flyer mail: Airlines often advertise upgrade specials this way.
3. Fly in the morning: Many people save their precious few upgrade coupons for afternoon and evening flights to take advantage of a free dinner and cocktails, but lots of first class cabins are only partially full in the morning.
4. Favor foodless flights: If you can't fly in the morning, pick a flight where food is not served in first class. Many flyers won't "waste" their upgrades unless they are assured of a meal.
5. Fly at non-business hours: Saturdays, holidays, mid-day and late evenings are times when business travelers are scarce. You'll have fewer competitors for first class seats.
6. Fly planes with larger first class sections: The more first class seats on an airplane, the better your chances for upgrading. Know thy airplanes and check seat maps on airline and frequent traveler Web sites.
7. Pick less crowded flights: It doesn't hurt to check the seat map in coach as well. Flights that aren't crowded in the back will provide less competition for upgrading, plus, if you end up in the back it's still a lot more comfortable.
8. Avoid hub airports: Most frequent flyers live in hub cities. The more you can avoid flying dominant airlines in or out of their hub, the less competition you will have for a first class seat.
9. Fly at "reverse commute" times: If you cannot avoid hubs, try the "reverse commute". Business travelers may start their trips in the morning or evening, but will usually come home in the evening. On a trip from Chicago to Salt Lake City, for example, I would try to fly Delta out of Chicago in the morning and fly back in the morning again on United to minimize competition on both legs of the trip by avoiding peak travel times for Delta frequent flyers based in Salt Lake City and United frequent flyers based in Chicago respectively.
10. Upgrade early: Seats set aside for upgrades are limited. Try to upgrade as soon as you book your flight or as soon as you are allowed to upgrade according to the frequent flyer programs rule. Airline reservations phones are often busiest at midnight Eastern time as many savvy frequent travelers make their upgrade call as soon as the new day begins.
11. Get voluntarily bumped: Those who volunteer to give up their seats in oversold situations not only get discounted tickets or other compensation, but will often end up in first class on the next flight out if coach is also oversold on that flight.
12. Find a good travel agent: Many travel agencies receive complimentary upgrades from airlines as a reward for sending a lot of business their way.
13. Be charming and polite: Airport personnel are often empowered to make decisions as they see fit. Being nice and friendly to these folks could make all the difference. If you fly to the same places all the time, get to know these people.
14. Dress nicely: Casual dress might be widely acceptable today, but I have seen and personally experienced many situations where the guy in the suit got the first class seat.
15. Don't take no for an answer: Ask everyone you see. I usually start asking about an upgrade from the moment I book the flight. And never stop asking until all the first class seats are gone and the airplane door is closed. I have been refused by reservation agents only to be upgraded at the ticket counter, refused at the ticket counter only to be upgraded at the gate, and refused at the gate only to be upgraded by a flight attendant.
1. Concentrate on one airline: Many frequent flyers get more free upgrades, often pay less to buy upgrades, and get preferred treatment on standby upgrade lists.
2. Sign up for e-mail offers and read your frequent flyer mail: Airlines often advertise upgrade specials this way.
3. Fly in the morning: Many people save their precious few upgrade coupons for afternoon and evening flights to take advantage of a free dinner and cocktails, but lots of first class cabins are only partially full in the morning.
4. Favor foodless flights: If you can't fly in the morning, pick a flight where food is not served in first class. Many flyers won't "waste" their upgrades unless they are assured of a meal.
5. Fly at non-business hours: Saturdays, holidays, mid-day and late evenings are times when business travelers are scarce. You'll have fewer competitors for first class seats.
6. Fly planes with larger first class sections: The more first class seats on an airplane, the better your chances for upgrading. Know thy airplanes and check seat maps on airline and frequent traveler Web sites.
7. Pick less crowded flights: It doesn't hurt to check the seat map in coach as well. Flights that aren't crowded in the back will provide less competition for upgrading, plus, if you end up in the back it's still a lot more comfortable.
8. Avoid hub airports: Most frequent flyers live in hub cities. The more you can avoid flying dominant airlines in or out of their hub, the less competition you will have for a first class seat.
9. Fly at "reverse commute" times: If you cannot avoid hubs, try the "reverse commute". Business travelers may start their trips in the morning or evening, but will usually come home in the evening. On a trip from Chicago to Salt Lake City, for example, I would try to fly Delta out of Chicago in the morning and fly back in the morning again on United to minimize competition on both legs of the trip by avoiding peak travel times for Delta frequent flyers based in Salt Lake City and United frequent flyers based in Chicago respectively.
10. Upgrade early: Seats set aside for upgrades are limited. Try to upgrade as soon as you book your flight or as soon as you are allowed to upgrade according to the frequent flyer programs rule. Airline reservations phones are often busiest at midnight Eastern time as many savvy frequent travelers make their upgrade call as soon as the new day begins.
11. Get voluntarily bumped: Those who volunteer to give up their seats in oversold situations not only get discounted tickets or other compensation, but will often end up in first class on the next flight out if coach is also oversold on that flight.
12. Find a good travel agent: Many travel agencies receive complimentary upgrades from airlines as a reward for sending a lot of business their way.
13. Be charming and polite: Airport personnel are often empowered to make decisions as they see fit. Being nice and friendly to these folks could make all the difference. If you fly to the same places all the time, get to know these people.
14. Dress nicely: Casual dress might be widely acceptable today, but I have seen and personally experienced many situations where the guy in the suit got the first class seat.
15. Don't take no for an answer: Ask everyone you see. I usually start asking about an upgrade from the moment I book the flight. And never stop asking until all the first class seats are gone and the airplane door is closed. I have been refused by reservation agents only to be upgraded at the ticket counter, refused at the ticket counter only to be upgraded at the gate, and refused at the gate only to be upgraded by a flight attendant.
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