Rich Talks Real Estate

In the digital age where almost everyone is plugged in, it makes sense to re-evaluate your marketing strategy. In the past, people in the real estate industry would often buy billoards, benches, or any number of traditional advertising outlets. How is that working for you now? Traditional advertising media is generally quite expensive. This is especially the case when it is compared to the reach of say a newspaper or billboard versus an online advertisement.

The rapid spread of technology has allowed businesses to reach far greater numbers of people than could ever be reached before. This reach allows you to not only prospect for new clients but to keep your name in front of your current clients. Though it may not be yet relegated to the past, the days of mailed newsletters and mass mailed marketing are rapidly fading. Email marketing campaigns have proven to be a very cost effective method to reach new clients while an email newsletter is the way to stay in front of your current clients. I am a huge fan of survey tools that allow you to evaluate your marketing while engaging potential clients. I think that this brave new world is opening up a realm of possibility that must be explored. How does your marketing work?

With the current economic crisis, many people who were once homeowners now find themselves looking for a rental property. From renting a single family home to renting an apartment, one thing most rental properties have in common is the use of credit to evaluate a potential residents. This is generally not a problem for say a recent college graduate who is looking to rent their first place as most college students have not had the opportunity to severely damage their credit.

For an adult or family who have recently lost their home to foreclosure this is obviously not the case. In a situation where the family has lost their home they will be facing numerous issues, primary among them is housing. Couple the loss of a family’s home with the serious negative impact incurred on the parent’s credit report and the situation is quite desperate. Temporary accommodations may be the first step for this family to get them past the trauma and its immediate impact. The next step would be to begin to go through the process of credit repair which will allow the displaced family to improve credit rating so they can move from temporary housing to a more permanent and stable home. Immediate needs must be attended to first but do not stop there. It is important to restore permanence to your family by assessing long term goals and not allowing a temporary arrangement to become permanent. The road to repair bad credit may not be an easy one but it is an important, early first step.

Though I was raised in the south, most of my family is from Massachusetts and Connecticut. I remember fondly spending many a summer in western Massachusetts. There were frequent trips to both New York City and Boston. I remember marveling at the many historic land marks in both cities. Of course my family being Massachusetts residents, Boston was always the preferred city.

The thought today as an adult of owning a piece of Boston Real Estate is very appealing. It seems the market in Boston did not take near the hit that the markets in other parts of the country did. There are also numerous options available to those looking to buy in Boston andBushari Group Real Estate can help to focus your search. From Boston Condos to lofts to Boston Luxury Real Estate, there are numerous options available. With the buyer’s market that currently exists, there has been no better time to buy than now.

With all of the controversy about traditional credit cards in the news in the past few months, from sky high interest rates to lowering of spending limits, many people are looking for alternatives. Personally I have been completely credit card free for almost a year now and really like it. Doing away with the traditional credit cards was not easy as I had become accustomed to using them in place of traditional cash money.

For me the security of not having to carry cash was a huge benefit. Though I am not prone to paranoia, I do consider myself to be an aware person. I like the idea of having an alternative to cash such as a Prepaid Mastercard; something that can easily be called and canceled if it is lost or stolen. Nobody wants to spend a bunch of time considering the how to best safeguard your money. There are alternatives like a Prepaid Debit Card which is a viable option. Personally I like knowing that there is wider acceptance of the prepaid card I want to carry because of the Mastercard logo. This logo seems to be the key to whether a place will or will not accept the type of payment I have.

Many people find it difficult to ween themselves off of the traditional credit cards. There are a number of reasons for this but one of the most apparent it that people like to have the ability to spend above what they actually have. Doing this, though it is quite common, can definitely lead one to bust their budget. These prepaid cards are an easy way to budget your money as they don’t allow you to spend beyond what you have placed in your account. For me this is the way to have the convenience and safety of a credit card without all the headaches that traditional cards sometimes carry with them.

Though the economy has been in turmoil for a couple of years now I think it is fair to say that we as a country find some way to muddle through and get by. This is not to say that how we have lived our lives in the past is different from how we live today. Unfortunately that is the reality that many of us faced when we were knocked over the head by what that means.

For well over a year now the refrain we hear from many of our political leaders is that we have to spend our way out of the crisis. While consumer spending will undoubtedly fuel the economy, consumers must spend wisely. There are plenty of places to get information on responsible spending. For example, if you are looking to buy a dodge durango it would be advisable to do a little research on fuel economy and maintenance costs for your prospective vehicle.  The same can be said for any major purchase, from a honda clarity to a ford taurus, doing research on any major purchase can help you to estimate the real cost over the life of the item. I know that many have heard the saturn line is being phased out and while this might be true there is still great hope that this line may be bought by another car manufacturer. While this limbo may be troublesome for several reasons, the features which have made this vehicle successful in the past are still present.Spending alone may not be the only key to helping us put this crisis behind us but wise spending can play a necessary role.

Is the weaker dollar a sign that the worldwide economic crisis is abating? With the dollar sinking to its lowest position against the euro since March, many economists are taking this as a sign that the economic crisis will be drawing to a close. The Dollar Index, which tracks the relative strength of the US dollar against numerous other foreign currencies is at its lowest point since January 9th.

Many Americans may be wondering how this signifies an end to the crisis? The answer is multi pronged with Ben Bernake stating that the US government will keep the dollar strong by containing inflation and beginning the withdraw of credit from the markets. Another tactic the FED could take would be to buy even longer term debt. This move to fight inflation by buying longer term debt could easily push mortgage interest rates higher; 30 year fixed interest rates have risen above 5% over the past week.

Though these moves could help to head off inflation, the US budget deficit hangs like an albatross around the neck of the American economy. Signs of a strengthening US dollar could signify the time is right for selling it which may negate dollar gains while strengthening foreign currencies. The US led the world into this crisis, and though we may help to lead the way out of it, we may be one of the last to feel the effects of the recovery.

When I was a kid I used to spend the night at my best friend’s house quite often. He lived in our neighborhood and our parents often played tennis together. One of the cool things about staying at his house is that he lived only a couple of blocks from our elementary school and it awesome playgrounds. We were only allowed to go to the playground if we went together. As an adult, I understand the reasoning for this was for safety. This was the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and crime was not apparent in our neighborhood. Thinking back, I recall that his home was one of the only ones in the neighborhood to have those metal security bars on the windows.

Protecting your home, your belongings, and your loved ones should be one of your primary concerns and these bars surely afforded his parents a sense of security. Today, a Home Security System is often standard with any newly constructed home. While those old steel bars looked imposing and perhaps made a possible intruder or thief think twice about breaking in, they were never very visually appealing. It seems that many of these security bars have been replaced by the rectangular ADT signs in many front yards as a visual deterrent. Whether you have iron bars, a big dog, or a monitored Security System, these all give us a piece of mind and a heightened sense of security.

Last month the CEO of General Motors (GM), Rick Wagoner stepped down from that position. It was widely misreported that President Obama had fired Wagoner. Granted the stepping down of Wagoner was at the request of Steven Rattner who had been chosen to lead the White House’s auto industry task force. Regardless of whether one chooses to believe that President Obama “fired” Wagoner or that Wagoner “stepped down” at the White House’s request, there is definitely something afoot with this Detroit based auto maker.

Yesterday there were reports that the Saturn division of GM was being seriously considered for purchase by a group of American investors led by Black Oak Partners. The Saturn division is 25 years old. It first appeared to be a strong contender against stiff Japanes competition but has slumped in the past decade. Other investment groups have shown serious interest and several Chinese automakers have been talked about as possible buyers.

On another serious matter for GM, the auto giant has been asked by the White House to try to seek out of court settlements with its bondholders. In an effort to try to and avoid bankruptcy in the courts, GM is exploring some combination of equity stakes and money for bondholders. The U.S. government is also considering an equity swap with GM for some of the $13.4 billion already given to GM. Avoiding bankruptcy will be key to proving the company’s viability which is a requirement to keep the $13.4  billion government loan. It seems logical that GM would want to avoid going to court because it would have to pay much more in concessions to the bondholders than if it settled out of court. GM will also have to seek substantial concessions from the United Auto Workers Union (UAW). This UAW concession would most likely come in the form of a +50% cut in the auto giant’s contribution to the union retiree’s healthcare fund. If GM does go into federal bankruptcy, the unions will undoubtedly get very favorable treatment as the UAW workers are the skilled labor force that will be needed after any type of reorganization.

Though the GM news could of course be better, I am encouraged by the real possibility that the darkest days of GM could be nearing an end, if not over already. The possibility of raising capital through the sale of one or more division is a great development. Similarly, the very fact that GM, the UAW, and the federal government are actively exploring options for viability is also promising. These developments should provide hope for the people of Detroit in particular and the U.S. in general.

The economic volatility of the past couple of years has been very unsettling for many people. Many people have watched with fear, heightened by sensational mainstream news reports, as job losses and foreclosures have risen and the future of retirement funds were cast into doubt. Luckily many people came to the realization that they no longer wanted to observe what was happening but wanted to have some measure of control over their personal finances and how it impacted them. Online Trading, though it had been around long before the current crisis, has been a way for individuals to feel they have a measure of control.

Stock Trading is not something that one should simply jump into. Being unprepared or reckless with you personal finances is definitely not something anyone wants. If you are considering taking control of this type, do your research and start small. There are numerous online tools to help you with research. There is also the Online Broker who can give you as much or as little advice and assistance as you desire. Don’t be afraid to take control of your finances, but don’t be uninformed if you do.