Archive for July, 2007

If it is a buyers’ market and you need to sell - strategies for you.

Tuesday, July 24th, 2007

Obviously, if you are considering Selling Your Home in a known Buyers Market then you are truly motivated to sell and are facing an opportunity that causes you to taken action sooner, rather than later. You do not have the option of waiting. No matter what the market conditions are, you need to sell your house.

The first one to sell, WINS in a Buyers’ Market. Put yourself in the shoes of the Buyer. Looking at it like a buyer, If you knew that your area was in a Buyer Market, and you knew that the last property sold for $450,000 & that prices had been dropping over the past few months. would you as the buyer, offer more or less than $450,000 for the next home that came on the market? How could the answer not be less? With this being the case, being the next one to sell would be better than being the second one to sell, wouldn’t it? If you were the one at $450,000 you make more than the next one & so on & so on.

Determine a number known as your holding cost: Most sellers look at the one shear number of how much less they are going to list for as compared to the home that sold 2 years ago or the last property that sold prior to your listing without taking into account something called the waiting cost. Holding cost normally includes the Principal, Interest, Taxes & Insurance that would be outlayed plus any HOA or Condo dues. In addition, add on the amount that property values have been declining and multiple this by the period of time that it has been taking homes to sell. Then ask yourself is it better to hold or wait or is it better to take the “hit” up front, rather than prolonging the issue.

The most amount of buyers you will get to consider your property will be in the first 30 days - Ride the Wave: In a Buyers Market, there is no room for the old mindset or Sellers Market mindset of Pricing it high with room to negotiate or room to come down in the future. The time to price the property correctly & have it in the best condition is right away. The greatest number of prospective buyers will be coming through your property in the 1st 30 days and most of these will categorize your property as overpriced & move on to another property if it is not correct when they first see it. It is very important that you determine your Northern Virginia Condo & House Values correctly.

The Silver Lining to selling a condo in Northern Virginia during in a Buyers Market is when you are trading up. Sure, you are not getting as much as you wanted on your existing property, but you will be paying the same percentage less in a trade up situation. And the same % of a larger number means you are saving more money than you “lost” on your current property.

Remember, In a Buyers Market, marked by declining prices, each month you wait to sell results in less money you will get at closing.

Robert Earl - Founder of The Earl of Real Estate Team is a Real Estate Entrepreneur & Real Estate Coach based in the Northern Virginia. The Earl of Real Estate Team focuses on Springfield VA Real Estate, Condos, Townhomes & Homes for Sale

- Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate

Personal Coaching To Be All You Can Be

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

It is extremely important to set goals if you want to achieve results. We all know this; we’ve all heard it repeatedly. For goal-setting, you need clarity and balance. A personal coach will help you in determining your goals, which will lead to better performance and a better chance to get what you want from your career and personal life.

Personal coaches help individuals to improve themselves by clarifying their thinking, setting goals they can achieve, and otherwise helping them be all that they can be. While this is a rather new job, the number of personal coaches is growing rapidly- for example, Vancouver has more than a hundred compared to just five in 1998.

The personal coach is a facilitator, not a therapist. A therapist treats disorders with remedial or rehabilitative processes that focus on the past, while coaches look to the future to maximize the potential that exists within each client. A coach can serve as a trusted confidant who is always there for you.

The personal coach doesn’t give you an advice. Instead, personal coaching helps the client identify what he or she most wants to be or do and helps them build on their strengths and create a plan of action. We’re always more committed to a plan of action we ourselves have created, compared to a plan that someone else created.

One of the best way to ensure positive results is to install accountability. The best way to do this is to have an outsider regularly assess your progress. Studies have shown that while only one in five people who start exercise programs reach their goals, the vast majority of them had a coach to provide advice and progress reports.

Personal coaching can be useful for anyone who has unachieved goals and wants to maximize his potential. Nearly every professional athlete has a coach, and now more and more executives and professionals have them as well. Many human resource management strategies at large corporation make extensive use of coaching to help their employees perform better.

The coach will ask questions such as: What’s the biggest challenge you have? What do you really want? What are you merely tolerating? What manageable steps would help you to achieve your goals? Personal coaching may involve homework and exercises, and your coach will seek feedback.

We all know that goal setting is important to achieve results in life. Personal coaching allows you to clarify your thoughts so that you can set reasonable goals. There is a large and growing market for personal coaches. They differ from therapists in that they focus on the future instead of the past. They don’t focus on giving advice but on building on strengths. It has been shown that third parties can help people succeed in reaching their goals. Coaches will want to help you ask the right questions about your life. They are considered a major part of modern human resource management.

- George Purdy

Big Money Stocks Are They A Risk?

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

With stock markets booming at unprecedented levels, there are many experts eager to show how to trade smartly and invest wisely in stocks. So-called ‘easy to learn systems’ are advertised through websites and infomercials that promise many things including four and five figure trades. However, an investor need not shell out money to earn profits from their stock market investments.

Each rising market has its premium sectors, and each such sector - its top stocks. They are called big money stocks and can not only their peer stocks and stocks in different sectors, but the whole market as well. Thus one of the surest ways to catch big trends in the market is to take a position in these high performers at a proper time, right before a huge price leap.

The momentum stocks are those, which outperform the other market stocks. For example, the rising oil price in the world market will make the oil sector stocks to outperform the other stocks. However, some stocks will follow these stocks whereas a few will under perform the sector. Identifying the out performers in a hot sector needs careful planning, patience and a bit of luck. In the ultimate analysis, these highly profitable stocks become the momentum stocks, which the fund managers and investors all want to own.

It takes time of at least several months to aggregate profit on big money stocks, so you need to be patient. There are active traders that prefer to keep core position and trade with their remaining funds, both purchasing and short selling, but true investors will wait for an opportunity to buy and then ride their position for a planned period, either to meet a price or a schedule target - unless an opportunity of higher profits appears elswhere sooner. Of course not all choices will be right, so it is important to be nimble enough to liquidate the losers.

Timing can be everything and it’s often the difference between a profit and loss in the short term. With good timing one can even turn a profit on lousy pick. So a large component of timing a stock, sector, or the market, is luck. But big money stocks will go up because buyers will continue to bid up shares for many weeks and months. The best use of timing is to pick up (more) shares during a dip in the price. This can add a higher margin of comfort and profitability in the long run.

Stocks giving maximum profits exist whether the market trend is bullish or bearish. However, identifying them in good times is easy. By reading the newspapers or watching TV channels it is easy to identify the hot stocks (present and future) in the current bull market. With a little homework, patience and luck it is easy to find which stocks in these sectors are poised to get the maximum attention.

Usually, every bull run has its winning sectors and every sector has high performers in a stock market. These big money stocks can outperform not only their peer stocks in their own sector and stocks in other sectors, but also the market as a whole. In order to catch big trends in the market, the surest way is to take a position in these high performers. The winner momentum stocks will attract practically all fund managers and investors. One needs luck to be on his side to be able to time a stock, sector or the market. Stocks giving maximum profits exist whether the market trend is bullish or bearish.

- Mark Crisp

The Psychology Of Human Resource Management On The Job

Friday, July 20th, 2007

It’s reasonable to say human resource management has changed more than any other aspect of organizations in recent years. Previously, departments or divisions for personell or labor relations existed in companies and organizations, and their role was normally to ensure production flowed smoothing. They tried to discourage strikes or other labor activism, and looked after appraisal and compensation in line with the law.

There is a shift from controlling to managing these resources due to changes and improvements in industry and economy in addition to the realisation that employees are its most resourceful asset. It’s the people not the capital, technology that is the most vital asset in any organisation. Since people are emotional, ever changing and susceptible to ups and downs and they need careful handling.

In human resource management various activities find a place, such as recruiting the right kind of employees, training them to enhance themselves and enrich the organization at the same time, keep them motivated and enthusiastic and encourage high performance. More fields include hrm and psychology, benefits and compensation, compliance with regulations, equal opportunity to minorities, women and physically challenged.

A figure which has come to play an increasingly important role in an organization’s success is the human resource manager. He has the complex task of searching for and recruiting people having not only the qualifications required by the organization but also the right attitude and emotional balance. He has to then use hrm and psychology to ensure that they all work towards the same direction set by the organization and at the same time, not just creativity and individuality.

An effective human resource management has some fundamental features like a system to bring suggestions and complaints and to apply/think over them immediately and effectively. Some other functions of a good human resource management are to have a responding appraisal system that contains the facility of giving counsel to each employee in his/her career and in building their personality and also an honest feedback mechanism.

All organizations, whether they are a large corporation, a non-profit or a small business unit, has to take care of its people if it has to grow and prosper. It has to identify and nurture those who are high performers and groom them for leadership roles. At the same time, it has to identify and help average performers to improve themselves and their productivity. Without a well-developed human resource management, it cannot hope to achieve these objectives. It has to keep its people happy. After all, a happy person is a productive person essentially.

We may safely say that in the recent past, no other area of an organization has changed so much as human resource management. It involves activities such as recruiting the right kind of employees, training them to enhance themselves and enrich the organization at the same time, keep them motivated and enthusiastic and encourage high performance, hrm and psychology, benefits and compensation, equal opportunity to minorities, women and physically challenged. Due to these reasons, the human resource manager has come to play an increasingly important role in an organization’s success. Every organization needs to look after its human resources to be successful in the long run.

- George Purdy

Internet Jobs Are Excellent Moneymaking Opportunities Over The Internet

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Many people are spending a great deal of time online these days, and since they are why not make a little money at the same time? Despite the fact that some view the internet as a bit of a dangerous place, it can actually be quite safe and reliable for money making. Several jobs that are available on the internet are legitimate and well paying for the effort that you put forth.

Jobs on the Internet have several advantages that real world jobs simply cannot provide. They are convenient - there’s no need to buy expensive suits and spend hundreds of dollars on gas and commuting money when you can just work from home. In many cases, they are easy and almost automatic. Finally, they are flexible. You work as much as you want to work and you are usually your own boss.

Merchandising sites, selling goods and services, are extremely popular on the Internet. If you are to make money on these sites, you must follow the rule of merchants since time immemorial: buy low, sell high. This can be a highly lucrative undertaking if you know your markets, but is highly time-consuming and requires you to do your research first.

Other Internet jobs make use of the Web 2.0 phenomenon known as “crowd sourcing”. These jobs will typically ask you to do small tasks, which you will get paid small sums of money for. It might not seem like much at first, but it adds up very quickly. Other jobs are more lucrative, but these have the advantage of flexibility and minimal time investment off the computer.

If you have or can generate a good bit of traffic to your personal website, another opportunity for income is through working with ad affiliate programs. Basically, you link up your page with one of the many available Internet ad programs and you get paid to host their ads. You can get paid by either pay per click, which means you get paid each time a visitor to your site actually clicks on an ad, or by pay per view, where you get paid every time someone just sees the ad.

Whenever you are working online it is wise to take precautions. Be certain that any site you work with is trustworthy, especially if they ask you for a credit card number, or any other identifying information. Asking for these things doesn’t mean that they are a bad site, but there are disreputable people so it is good to be cautious. Lastly of importance is to be certain that you know the tax laws involved with the income that you earn online, so that you know what you are getting yourself in to.

Internet jobs are significantly better deals than many people believe they are. They can pay well and provide you with a flexible, convenient, and even steady source of income. With the increasingly pervasive influence the Internet has over the world’s lives, it is easy for you to find your own perfect making money online business opportunity.

Legitimate Internet jobs that pay well for one’s efforts are available/reliable and people can make money using this. An online job has the convenience of working from home, economical due to saving in transport/clothing and flexible timing. By selling goods/services one can make money on merchandising sites. Rule is buy low, sell high. “Crowd sourcing,” wherein simple tasks are performed on the net for varied amounts, which adds to a large sum. Ad affiliate programs make money by pay per view/click ads. In Internet business, one must ensure that the site is trustworthy especially when personal information is asked. Popularity of the Internet produces making money online business opportunity.

- Mark Farrar

Optimum service from real estate teams as opposed to the old model of one agent doing everything.

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Lets face it, Some people prefer to make sure that one person is responsible for & doing everything involved with a particular service. They don’t want to have to track down multiple people & get multiple answers to what is going on.

If this describes you then you probably will not need to read along any further. This write-up is provided to show the benefits of working with a real estate team as opposed to using the services of a single agent.

You see, the local grocery store, restaurant and gas station all take a team approach to service, and no one bats a eye at that.

All of these industries take a team approach to customer service. Rarely does the same person that takes your order actually prepare your meal.

The Real Estate Industry has been slow to take up this approach.

In the past few years, The Real Estate Team approach has been brought to the marketplace & provided great benefits to home buyers & sellers.

Experience real estate agents, in an attempt to meet the demands of the real estate buying and selling public have taken the time to examine the entire real estate process and identify the key steps and the standards of service that are needed for each step while looking at the skill sets needed from the team members that would be providing the services.

Team Members are empowered to make the necessary decisions and to take the required actions. They are trained to know when something is outside their area of expertise so that they can get the Managing Agent involved if needed.

Team members usually are specialist in the areas of Marketing, Transaction Coordination & Feedback follow-up. These administrative based task allow the agent to have more time devoted towards customer service and finding buyers for listings and houses for buyers.

Team members are empowered to proactively coordinated & communicate with the lender, settlement company & other Agents to avoid potential problems that may arise during the closing process.

Team members are trained to implement checks & balances and are trained to coordinate reviews and hand offs, all while the Lead Agent is available to Manage, Oversee & Clarify.

When assembled, a well running, trained, Real Estate Team is Truly a Time & Money saving benefit to those looking to buy a home in Northern Virginia or sell a home in Northern Virginia as opposed to working with an individual agent.

Robert Earl - Founder of The Earl of Real Estate Team is a Real Estate Entrepreneur & Real Estate Coach based in the Northern Virginia. The Earl of Real Estate Team loves working with McLean VA Real Estate, Condos, Townhomes & Homes for Sale

- Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate

Navigating your way through the obscure terminology associated with the loan application process

Thursday, July 19th, 2007

Buying a home could be the most thrilling, baffling and stressful financial transaction you ever undertake. Even if you have done it numerous times you can still find the process complicated and intimidating, particularly when it comes to getting a loan for a house. Countless loan documents, obscure terminology and anxiety serve to temper the joy of buying a new home. As soon as the sales contract is ratified, securing the financing for the purchase becomes pre-eminent for all but a very few home buyers. If you master the steps required to qualify for a mortgage, however, much of the stress can be avoided. The following explanation of the loan application interview process is intended to help you through the intricacies of qualifying for a loan.

The Loan Application Interview

Once you have elected a mortgage lender, the next step will most likely be a conference with a loan officer or other lender representative, whose job is to begin the collection of information the lender desires to approve the mortgage. They will clarify the types of mortgage loans available to you, the interest rates and fees for each type and the qualification requirements. During the meeting, the loan officer will fill out, or assist you in filling out, the loan application form.

By this time you should have a good idea of the general interest rates and fees being charged in the area. The total cost of a mortgage loan consists of the interest rate on the loan, origination fees, discount points, and miscellaneous other charges. One point is equal to one percent of the amount of the loan and is usually collected at the loan closing, or settlement. The interest rate affects the amount of the monthly payment, while points affect the amount of cash you must have at closing. Most lenders will offer a range of interest rate/point combinations to meet the borrower needs. In general, the higher the interest rate, the lower the points. For example, if the current market provides for an 8.5 percent interest rate with 2 points, a nine percent rate may be offered at no points. If you are a corporate transferee, however, your company’s relocation policy may pay all or part of origination costs and the lower rate will have more appeal. The loan officer is prepared to explain all of the mortgage information and your options to you when buying a home.

Robert Earl - Founder of The Earl of Real Estate Team is a Real Estate Entrepreneur & Real Estate Coach serving the Northern Virginia Real Estate Market. The Earl of Real Estate Team loves working with Reston VA Real Estate, Condos, Townhomes & Homes for Sale

- Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate

Measuring the true motivation of Listing Agents

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

Have you ever take the time to ask what is the true motivation of the Agent that you select to sell your home?

When considering listing your home, you probably have 3 choices when it comes to the type of agent you select based upon the Fee Structure that they employee and the resulting motivation that this may or may not cause the agent to have. These 3 approaches are a “full fee” structure, a “discounter fee” structure and a blend called a “flexible fee” structure.

The distinction between the different approaches can be drawn in two main areas. 1.) How the Deal Comes Together & 2.) Who Finds the Buyer

A “full fee” approach agent structures the commission charges that no matter how the deal comes together and with no concern as to which agent actually ends up working with the buyer of the property. Consider the following, there is little motivation for a “Full Fee” agent to market the property out to the Agent community because the Full Fee Agent may be looking to represent both you, the Seller & the Buyer. This would influence what marketing avenues and vehicles that an agent would be looking to employee.

A “discounter fee” approach real estate agent goes into the transaction with a fee that is reduced for the amount sought by the full fee agent. Their business model that limits the scope of services that are going to be performed during the course of the transaction. In the end, this approach also will pay out more money to the party that is trying to negotiate against you, the buyers agent. Consider that the Discount Agent may be looking to “Double End” the transaction because there is more money available to the Buyers Agent as compared to the Sellers Agent. Translation: They make more money representing the other parties best interest then they would if they represented strictly your best interest.

A flexible fee - choose your own commission approach agent will charge a predetermined, yet different amount dependent upon the way inwhich the sale comes together. If the listing agent is able to attract the buyer directly then they get a minimal increase in the overall compensation, sometimes ranging up to 1% in addition to the amount being charged for listing the property. This is a far cry from the amount charged by the Full Fee agent that double ends the property and thus doubles the commission. This is also a lower amount than the Discounter charges for double ending the property..

With any of these services you want to make sure that only the fee is flexible & not the level of service. By doing this you can be assured that you as the home owner & seller are getting the best value for your dollars. Keep in mind that all of this is controlled and regulated by your own areas laws on agency and whether or not an agent can truly represent both parties to a transaction under a dual or designated representation agreement. Check to see what applies in your particular area.

Bottom Line, As with anything, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Make sure that you select an agent and a structure when selling your home in Northern Virginia that provides you with the level of comfort that the agent is truly motivated to get your home sold and that you will be getting value for your commission dollars.

Robert Earl - Founder of The Earl of Real Estate Team is a Real Estate Entrepreneur & Real Estate Coach serving the Northern Virginia Real Estate Market. The Earl of Real Estate Team focuses on Sterling VA Real Estate, Condos, Townhomes & Homes for Sale

- Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate

Earn Money Online: Earning Cash From Your Couch

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

It is a known fact that the Internet has brought the world to our desktops. You need any information on any product or service, just a few clicks and the job is done. But do you know that more and more people across the globe are getting connected to the Internet just to make money through online ventures?

It is a fact that you can easily earn money online. You don’t need any kind of technical qualifications or special skills to make money using internet. An amount of dedication and discipline to understand the basics of Internet marketing and using the same is all one required to start. Ofcourse, to earn money online you need to put sincere efforts and it will surely pay off handsomely once a serious attempt is made.

So what equipment do you need to start earning money online? A computer and access to the Internet. Pick a program to start working with to make money and then sign up to a payment processor in order to receive your payments. The only time you will ever need to leave your home is to bank a cheque or withdraw money from an ATM. Even that may soon no longer be necessary, as some programs now provide payments through debit cards. This makes it even easier to access the money you make.

The great thing about making money over the internet is that not only can you work from your home, but you can even take your business with you when you travel. You can make money while sunbathing on the beach. And you can work the hours and times that you choose. There’s money to be made all the time in a global market. Your internet venture will be working earning you money twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are making money online, probably you may be working from home most of the time. This gives you lot more opportunites to spend quality time with your family. You will be hardly spending any time for commuting purpose when you work from home. This will enable you to save money, energy and lot of time that you might have been spending to commute daily from your home to office if you are on a traditional job.

You can definitely find a lots of legitimate online jobs - which may be paid to read emails, surf for money, paid surveys, selling products, writing articles, etc. There are also a number of online businesses through which you can create fortunes. The list is endless but it is you who has to decide how you want to earn money online.

Using Internet one can find any information on product/service faster and also earn money online. This does not require special skills/ qualifications but requires dedication/discipline. Equipment required for making money online is a computer/Internet connection. Payment for the work can be received online through payment processor. Some programs allow payments through debit cards, which is easy. Internet facilitates working at flexi hours from home/anywhere. Saving in travel time, money and energy are the benefits. The time saved can be spent with your family. legitimate online jobs are reading e-mails, surfing for money, paid surveys, selling products, and writing articles and the choice is wide to make a fortune.

- Mark Farrar

Are You Getting the Best Prices on Airline Tickets?

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

You can’t merely rely on price wars, your travel broker, or promotional discounts in order to get the best prices for airline tickets. Certainly, the Web is a rich supply for Cheap Last Minute Airline Tickets, however, there are a few really hot strategies which will permit you to get the best prices for airline tickets.

Get the Best Prices for Airline Tickets at Midnight People do not know that almost all airlines upload their new fares at midnight, therefore, if you call them at about 1 am or so, you will get the best prices for airline tickets.

Get the Best Prices for Airline Tickets at Smaller Airports Almost all towns have two airports and if you want to get the best prices for airline tickets, then consider flying from the smaller, less busy one. You might save a few hundred dollars in costs this way. On the other hand, bigger busier airports also give more discounts on less popular flights so check the fares at both airports to get the best prices for airline tickets.

Other Tips to Get the Best Prices for Airline Tickets

- Book your tickets as soon as possible and even though you will get only non-refundable tickets, you will also be able to get the best prices for airline tickets with their hefty early bird discounts. - Alternatively, if you can’t book your tickets that soon, consider waiting for the last minute discounts. - Try flying mid-week and keep your return date within 7 days in order to get the best prices for airline tickets. Most people prefer flying Friday - Sunday, and mid-week the flights are relatively empty, so you might just be able to get the best prices for airline tickets then. - Select a one-way or a connecting ticket. Connecting tickets and 1-way flights frequently allow you to get the best prices for airline tickets. - Open jaw tickets allow you to come and go from different towns and they also result in the best prices for airline tickets. - Visit websites which give you the best prices on Airline Tickets.

- Millard Hiner