Mar
29

When Ethics And Morality Are Separated In Business We All Lose

I recently heard a friend of mine had lost alot of money and was turning into a nightmare. He had run to an affair, he began to hit every transaction he did on his credit card with a charge back, he was running to and fro doing anything to save himself. Sadly, the same ethics he was using to recover from his bad situation were the same ethics he used in building his business. My heart bleeds for him because this is not the man I knew as friend.

Mar
28

Know Your Money Budget

Here are a few tips I would like to share with you, who I have found to be helpful in our business; I call it the B.E.T (Bills, Extra, Total) formula.

1) Create a BILLS spreadsheet (bills.xls) that lists ALL of your bills for the month. This allows you to know for sure how much money you need to make in order to pay all of your bills.

2) Then add the EXTRA category which will cover your miscellaneous items, such as lunches or morning lattes that you would like to have as a part of your weekly expenses. These are items that are NOT essentials. Use discretion here. Allow yourself some extras but don’t get too crazy.

Mar
28

Wheel Chair Lift - Ascending In Style

Typically, when we think about a wheel chair lift we think about them in terms of being for vehicles like a car, bus, or van. We think that because that is the type of wheel chair lift we see most in society. I remember them mostly from when I attended school. The buses for the special needs students would pull up and a huge wheel chair lift would come out of the bus and lower a student down to the sidewalk so that he or she could start their day of learning. The student would roll off and it would ascend again for the next student or to hide itself back away in the bus. That is the memory about them that is most dominant in my mind. I’m sure all of you out there have similar experiences, but those are not the only places you can find a wheel chair life. They can also be found in houses and buildings to assist people in wheelchairs get up stairs and other elevated areas otherwise inaccessible to them. By reading further, you will learn about the different options out there and if you are in need of one, this article might give you some things to think about that you previously had not.

Mar
28

Put Service First And The Money Will Follow

I have said it before the numbers ARE extremely important. I would never advocate a deal where the numbers didn’t work so that you could feel good about yourself, get the first deal under your belt, or quite basically for any other reason including “trying to help someone out.” I had to say that upfront so no one gets the wrong idea. You can help others but do not do it as you put yourself out of business. Doing a bad deal once to help someone out may cut your career short enough that you won’t be able to help out anyone else.

Mar
28

Water Intrusion - Not Just A Caulking Issue

I recently did an inspection where water intrusion & moisture was an issue. The sellers had done limited exterior maintenance in the 20 years they had been there so consequently there we a few areas of concern. Additionally, of the things they did do, some were done wrong. Here’s some general suggestions:

Mar
28

5 Work At Home Rules To Abide By

So you have decided to launch out and work at home. Whether it is your own business or you are employed, doing work from home will pose it own set of challenges. Too many people who decide to work at home tend to believe that it’s going to be easy and that they are prepared only to find out otherwise. Be absolutely sure you have thought it through as you made find that to work at home is simply not for you.

There are certain rules you should abide by if you work at home or are considering it and you will do well to keep them in mind.

Mar
27

Are You Over Working Full Time Employees?

It’s all too easy to overlook the amount of overtime your salaried teammates are logging in because those extras hours aren’t tracked. And you can bet those team members who consistently pull more than 40-hour workweeks won’t complain.

However, they may be feeling overworked, exhausted and underappreciated. And it’s those hardworking, loyal people you need to hold on to. So regularly–and anonymously–survey your salaried workers to ensure that you’re not working them to death. Ask these four questions:

• Do we currently have enough manpower to handle our workload?

Mar
27

Investing In Commercial Real Estate

Commercial real estate is a type of property that generates cash flow for a business and is generally very expensive. The other common way to achieve exposure to commercial real estate is through REITs. Clearly, the business of commercial real estate is an ever-expanding investment market that is here to stay.

Commercial

Commercial real estate loans are normally long term loans that are very large in size. Commercial real estate investments can be broken down into basic asset classes, each with unique set characteristics that address a wide range of investor needs. Commercial properties are generally classified by type of use, such as Residential Rental, Office, Industrial, Hospitality, Land, and Retail. Commercial real estate is all about supply and demand.

Mar
27

Renovations And Repairs - Getting Your Condominium Or Townhome Ready To Sell

Should you renovate?

If your condo or townhome needs some work, making smart renovations can yield a good return on your investment. And doing some work on your condominium or townhome prior to listing can be a great way to get your unit looking its best and to help you sell faster and for more money. But before you get started on renovations or repairs there are a few things that you should think about first:

Mar
27

Your Listing Just Expired - Want To Know Why?

After months on the market your listing just expired? You are probably upset with your Realtor, frustrated with the market, and trying to figure out what to do next.

You don’t want to make the same mistake twice. Your mind is full of questions. Did my Realtor do a good enough job? Should I try to sell it myself? Why aren’t buyers interested in my property? Why did no one even make an offer? If I do re-list the property, how do I find the right Realtor?

These are all excellent questions that deserve some thought.