Where to Look Online to Get Valuable Information for Free
The internet is loaded with information via news articles, helpful guides, and, to a lesser extent, social media. However, it’s not always easy to wade through it all to locate the hard facts or valuable information that you can then use to your advantage. It is recounted by The Verge that the free exchange of ideas was the core concept of the internet, but these ideas aren’t always of use.
However, there are several platforms put out by professional services that do provide valuable information and services free of charge. Naturally, some of these have some aspects put behind a paywall. But for the most part, you can get to the good stuff without typing in your debit card numbers.
Get a MIP for free
Despite how integral it is to many people’s everyday lives, future plans, and the economy, the housing market overall leans heavily into surprisingly archaic practices – by modern standards. Much of the process is done in-person, by liaising with people in regional offices and speaking with experts in person. There’s not much wrong with this tried-and-trusted setup, considering the sums of money on the line, but it can be streamlined.
Right now, there’s a toll to pay at just about every step towards getting a house. So, when a free service like Trussle can offer a MIP (mortgage in principle) for free and at your convenience online, it’s certainly worth a look. Here, what’s required of you is the same as it would be getting a broker to establish and request a mortgage in principle. The difference here is that you can do it online and without charge, thanks to the Trussle service. Once you have the MIP, you can print or download it to start your property search straight away.
Learn to code for free
Computer science, particularly coding, has become a very popular discipline in recent years. No doubt this is down to our ever-increasing reliance on computers and the internet. In fact, the number of people who applied to study computer science as a degree last year shot up by four percent. Of course, pursuing the profession through university is the conventional way to do it, but you can also learn many of the skills for free online.
This is thanks to the prevalence of classes Codecademy offers its 50 million learners. There are the Pro career paths on the site that require payment, but outside of those, you can take several different courses of different skill levels to learn how to code. The method of teaching is also very intuitive and enjoyable. Plus, since it’s online, you get to learn at your own pace at whatever time suits you. Best of all, if you don’t know exactly what you want to learn, you can take their quick quiz for free to get recommendations.
Cash in on your old smartphone
Despite how high-powered and truly durable most smartphones are, the industry is fixated on subscription and new model cycles that subtly force its customers to acquire upgrades at least every two years. For most of us, a smartphone could serve its purpose for well over three years, with built-in warranties fixing most early breaks free of charge. However, as operating systems only have a limited lifespan, and companies seek to push the latest models as must-have devices, even phones that cost thousands seem redundant after a couple of years.
Luckily, the phones that you cast aside well before they break still hold value in the right circles. To help with this, the free comparison platform Sell My Gadget compiles offers from all potentially interested parties so that you can get the best price for your now unneeded device. This quickly offers you the info that you need to cash in on a device that, for very little reason, loses a tremendous amount of value almost as soon as you open its box. Still, it’s good to be able to recuperate some of the costs and get the best price for doing so online.
There may be more paywalls and misinformation than ever before online, but there are still several ways to get true value for free. Whether you want to get a house, learn a computing skill, or cash in on a working premium device, it’s well worth having a look around the internet for free services.