Plenty of you will get new PCs in the next few weeks, either for Christmas or as end-of-year tax shelters. What you may not know is there are tools and online support available to make it easier to set up WinTOTAL on your new machine without having to re-invent the wheel.

The most efficient way to have your new machine up and running WinTOTAL in no time is to use Exact, which is bundled with the Vault online backup service. Exact backs up all your WinTOTAL preferences like your digital signature, quicklists, file cabinet settings, and so on so WinTOTAL on your new PC doesn't feel like a brand new installation with all the default settings. Even if you plan on using CDs, DVDs or zip drives for the one-time backup/restore of your files, you'll save yourself a lot of time with system settings by using Exact.

If you have our Elite bundle, you already have Exact, but if you're like a lot of your colleagues, you haven't set it up or you aren't using it to its full potential. If you don't have Elite or the Vault, click here for purchase information.

Once you have Exact set up and working for you, click here to read and print a support document that will take you through the "Exact" steps for using Exact (and the Vault) to move WinTOTAL to your new PC.

Market to Zillow's sales-minded users

The company says it already has a dedicated Web page for more than 60 million homes in the United States, and now allows owners "to plant virtual 'For Sale' signs in their Zillow front yards for free." Free listing capabilities include the ability to upload photos, neighborhood information and brief property descriptions.

Another new feature, in keeping with what Zillow founder Richard Barton calls the "frivolous entertainment value" of the site, is letting homeowners post a Make Me Move price associated with their home. This is supposed to be the value of an offer that would make an owner sell even though their home isn't technically for sale. To go along with their dream price, owners can post photos, information about improvements, and what they love about the property and area. (See an example by clicking here.)

Because we're all about appraiser marketing here, we can't help but think this could be a way to drum up new business from homeowners. People who flag their homes with "Make Me Move" prices on Zillow have identified themselves as at least interested in their home's value. You don't know who's browsing Zillow looking at their and their neighbors' properties, but you know who's giving some thought to what kind of offer would make them sell.

You could search your coverage area on Zillow, browsing all the blue flags (the Make Me Move properties). If you've appraised any of those properties before, contact the owners with an offer to perform a new appraisal of the property to help them decide whether to sell. Or reassure them that they're placing a value on their property that's in line with today's market. Or, just as valuably, tell them they're not.

A recent study of 25 Seattle-area homes by the Seattle Times (article available by clicking here) found that roughly half sold for more than their "Zestimate" values -- what Zillow tells the world they're probably worth -- and half for less. Of those that sold for more, a significant number sold for more than 10 percent more. Homeowners pinning the tail on the donkey by setting a Make Me Move price of X percent more than their Zestimate might be setting themselves up for a raw deal, or selling themselves short.

Regardless of the immediate business potential, as Zillow expands its capabilities to attract more visitors and therefore more ad revenue, its Zestimate values are put into more appropriate context. Homeowners can already post "corrections" to their home's Zestimate, and with the addition of For Sale and Make Me Move listings, there are potentially four different values associated with a given property. To the extent this makes homeowners -- and your lender clients -- view Zestimates more as one possible figure associated with the value of a home and not the last word, that's a good thing for the integrity of the appraisal process and profession.

Time to think about your 2006 tax return

In some cases, IRS regulations allow small businesses to expense capital equipment costs in the year of purchase, even if you finance them. Ask whether it would be beneficial to buy that new computer system, software (hmmm...) or even a new SUV for use in your appraisal practice before 2006 comes to a close.

If you had any casualty or theft losses that you didn't recoup from insurance or elsewhere, those are usually tax deductible.

2007 will bring new documentation requirements for charitable deductions. Now might be the time to donate cash or old equipment to your favorite charity.

Taking a deduction for mortgage interest? Worried you might owe on your taxes come April 15? You can make an extra mortgage payment this month and add to the amount of interest you paid -- and the amount which is deductible -- in 2006.

Did you change jobs (to a new one at least 50 miles away) and move in 2006? You might have a wealth of deductions related to the relocation if you don't have an employer who helped out.

Finally, a word of caution. Simply working from home does not entitle you to a deduction for a "home office" without more. Your home office generally needs to be your principal place of business, and you're best off having a portion of your home you use exclusively for work. The IRS guidelines for deducting home office expenses are available in PDF form by clicking here, and again, with this and with all the ideas above, consult a tax professional. It may be worth it!