3 Tips For Successful Real Estate Investing

If you have an interest in real estate investing, one of the first things that you are going to need is real estate investing information.

There are plenty of ways to find this:

All it takes is a little research on your part and you can find out all the information you need to be successful in real estate investing.

One of the best and easiest ways to get real estate investing information is through other people who have experience in real estate investing. Naturally, your next question should be ?Where do I find these people??

It?s a very good question. The answer is ?A real estate investing club?. By being a member of a real estate investing club, you have access to every member of their club along with their knowledge and experience in real estate. There is a wealth of real estate investing information available through a real estate investing club.

If you do not know of a real estate investing club in your area, you can use the National Real Estate Investing Association, NREIA, to find one. Their website, http://www.nationalreia.com, has listings for real estate clubs and associations in each of the states.

Books on the subject are also good sources of real estate investing information. You can take a trip to the local bookstore and browse through the business section for books pertaining to real estate investing information. There are several books on the market that have been written by some of the most successful people in real estate investing.

Through these books you can find out most of the basic real estate investing information as well as some tips and tricks for being successful. It is often a good practice to read a real estate book prior to talking with an experienced investor. This way you won?t waste the investor?s time by asking basic questions that could be found anywhere.

Believe it or not the internet is full of real estate investing information. Just as there have been books published on the subject of real estate investing, there are also websites filled with information. You can easily find these websites by using a search engine.

Peruse through the websites to start building a knowledge base of real estate investing information. While you are reading the websites, you might find a piece of information that leads you to search on a related subject. By doing this, you are able to capture a great deal of real estate investing information.

It?s not at all difficult to find real estate investing information. Most of the resources are available right at your fingertips. All you have to do is make use of what?s been provided to you already, then use this information to gather more.

You can download your own free real estate investing ebook by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

About the Author:

Claim a free e-book that will show you a system used to control $4.1million worth of real estate for just $22 - and you can follow this system to do the same. Comes with resale rights from: Free Real Estate Fortunes Ebook

Virtual Business Ownership - - Marketing The Best You

When you think of the word “marketing”, most people automatically associate the term with a business, however, in this article it will be associated with you, the virtual business owner.

Now picture this, Zipgirl is attending a network gathering and someone walks up to her and says “Hi there, my name is ABC and I represent XYZ company” Zipgirl responds, pleased to meet you, my name is Zipgirl and I work from home. Well, ABC simply nodded and walked away. Would you have done the same as ABC? Did Zipgirl say enough to attract your attention or enough to make you want to stay and listen? I think we both agree in a resounding NO.

To often times when we are asked who we are and what we do, we short change ourselves by not marketing the best in ourselves. How can I do it better you ask? Below are some questions that will help you to identify your marketing strengths as well as your challenges:

- Can you describe your personality in just five words?
- Are you totally committed as well as passionate about what you do?
- Are you always optimistic about what you do in spite of the challenges you face?
- Are you happy doing what you do?
- What’s unique about your service or product?
- What type of energy do you release when you talk about your business? Do you leave people fascinated and wanting to learn more or bored and uninterested?
- When out promoting your business, what does your outward appearance say about you? Do you walk with your head down? Do stay cooped in the corner of the room or are you out in the crowd taking charge, meeting people with a smile, standing tall and bringing out the best in those you meet?

Next, I’ll share with you some tips on how to market the best in you:

- Always present a pleasant smile, whether on the telephone, in person, in email or even in a fax (SMILE)
- Do what you love (you’ll be more fulfilled)
- Dont try to be the jack-of-all-trades (you do everything and anything) rather, specialize (promote the one thing or area you do best)
- Be unique (original)
- Always be professional
- Always be yourself
- Always express a sense of passion in what it is you do
- Always explore ways to enhance yourself (personally, professionally, and/or spiritually)

As you can see, marketing the best you is more than just selling or promoting your business and it’s products or services. As a business owner, you are in most cases the business (when people meet you, they are immediately exposed to the quality of your service or product). In the virtual world however, people won’t necessarily meet you face-to-face but they too are exposed to the quality of your service or product. How? Through your website, telephone conversation, and/or via email responses.

In closing, remember this, first impressions are everlasting, so when given the opportunity always remember to market the best in You…

To learn more about the Virtual Business Owners Initiative go to: www.vsscyberoffice.com.

Now picture this, Zipgirl is attending a network gathering and someone walks up to her and says “Hi there, my name is ABC and I represent XYZ company” Zipgirl responds, pleased to meet you, my name is Zipgirl and I work from home. Well, ABC simply nodded and walked away. Would you have done the same as ABC? Did Zipgirl say enough to attract your attention or enough to make you want to stay and listen? I think we both agree in a resounding NO.

To often times when we are asked who we are and what we do, we short change ourselves by not marketing the best in ourselves. How can I do it better you ask? Below are some questions that will help you to identify your marketing strengths as well as your challenges:

- Can you describe your personality in just five words?
- Are you totally committed as well as passionate about what you do?
- Are you always optimistic about what you do in spite of the challenges you face?
- Are you happy doing what you do?
- What’s unique about your service or product?
- What type of energy do you release when you talk about your business? Do you leave people fascinated and wanting to learn more or bored and uninterested?
- When out promoting your business, what does your outward appearance say about you? Do you walk with your head down? Do stay cooped in the corner of the room or are you out in the crowd taking charge, meeting people with a smile, standing tall and bringing out the best in those you meet?

Next, I’ll share with you some tips on how to market the best in you:

- Always present a pleasant smile, whether on the telephone, in person, in email or even in a fax (SMILE)
- Do what you love (you’ll be more fulfilled)
- Dont try to be the jack-of-all-trades (you do everything and anything) rather, specialize (promote the one thing or area you do best)
- Be unique (original)
- Always be professional
- Always be yourself
- Always express a sense of passion in what it is you do
- Always explore ways to enhance yourself (personally, professionally, and/or spiritually)

As you can see, marketing the best you is more than just selling or promoting your business and it’s products or services. As a business owner, you are in most cases the business (when people meet you, they are immediately exposed to the quality of your service or product). In the virtual world however, people won’t necessarily meet you face-to-face but they too are exposed to the quality of your service or product. How? Through your website, telephone conversation, and/or via email responses.

In closing, remember this, first impressions are everlasting, so when given the opportunity always remember to market the best in You…

To learn more about the Virtual Business Owners Initiative go to: www.vsscyberoffice.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Real Estate Investing - Research Before Jumping In

These days, a whole lot of people in America are investing money in real estate. Unless all these people have very poor judgment, there must be a good reason for it. Perhaps it’s because real estate can climb in value very quickly and return a good profit. I can not imagine any other reason.

When so much money is at stake, you must be certain that you know exactly what you are doing, since so many real estate investments turn out to be duds. If you make the wrong investment in a real estate property you can lose your shirt. Perhaps the best advice I could recommend is to educate yourself, and I can not think of a better way to do that than to attend a good real estate investing seminar, taught by someone who has made money investing in real estate.

While I have not yet attended a real estate investing seminar, I am seriously thinking about it. A friend of mine recently sold a home in Palm Coast, Florida, only five months after he bought it. Frankly, he had never attended a real estate investing seminar - he was just lucky that he ended up having made a good deal. He moved there to be closer to his girlfriend but soon discovered that his monthly payments were more than he could handle, so he sold the house. I could not believe it when he told me he made $45,000 on the sale. Neither could he!

Well, unlike my friend, I would not just rely on my luck. But I would like to learn how to do the same thing. That is, buy a home in a good area, fix it up to increase its value and then flip it for a hefty profit. But I would not want to go in blind. Fortunately, there is a load of information on the internet about real estate investing seminars and where to find them. I continue to search and increase my knowledge, and despite new investing in real estate is still very promising. If you would like to do the same thing, I highly recommend that you check out real estate investing seminars online. Hey, there is enough real estate out there for everyone. Maybe I’ll see you at a seminar!

Building Your Real Estate Investing Power Team

Our company buys houses across the United States and we are constantly asked, “How do you do this successfully and live so far away from the properties you buy? How are you handling the rehab living so far away?” and “How are you so successful at this and not even living in the same states you’re investing in?” Here is my answer: I have an awesome power team of people that I trust in each and every market we go into. This team includes lenders, contractors, handymen, property managers, appraisers, attorneys, real estate agents and brokers, sign companies, insurance agents, tenants and buyers! It can sometime take a while to put this team together and yes you are probably going to go through a few not so great ones to get to the ones you like, know and trust. As your portfolio begins to grow, you will need more people on “your team”. The very BEST place to find these people is by a referral. That referral can come from another investor, a local real estate investment group member, a member of a local landlord association, a realtor, a friend or anyone else that you trust. Just be sure that they are “In the Business” and understand what it is that we do as investors. Always remember, the due diligence end of things is always your responsibility. Just because an investor recommends you use a certain agent, appraiser, lender or contractor does not mean they are the best person for the job. You should always get references from anyone you are even thinking of using.

Property Managers - Like your real estate agent and attorney, you need to find someone you can get along with. Interview them, as if you were going to rent a property to them. You want to make sure your property managers will handle your house like a landlord not a slumlord.

Insurance Agents- Shop Around to find an agent who can do non owner occupied (NOO) properties and give you a fair rate! I always look for a broker who can give me a competitive rate and is fair and most importantly, honest. I like to find insurance agents through referrals-that usually seems to be the best!

Lenders - This can be a tedious process. However, once you find just a couple of lenders in a specific area and they understand Investment property and NOO (Non-owner occupied) loans, you’re set! First and foremost, you will need to find someone that can loan in the area you are looking at investing in. There are private money and hard money lenders that are available in every state there is and sometimes using private money or hard money loans can be the easiest way to buy and rehab a house without using your own cash, especially if you don’t have good credit or much cash to put into the deal. Most private and hard money lenders charge anywhere from 4-8 points to originate the loan and 10-18% interest. This is not cheap, but it’s not really a horrible price to pay for the convenience of having money in 1-2 days. Sometimes, its not the cost of the money but the availability of the money that is most important. As long ad the yield is higher than the cost….that’s all that matters. In other words, if you are going to make more than what you spent to get into the deal, it should be a no-brainer! Here is the difference between lenders: Private and Hard Money Lenders are quick and can provide you with the cash you need quickly, but you are going to pay more. They provide a service that mortgage lenders and banks cannot typically do. They give you the money to purchase the house as well as provide the money to complete the rehab on the house. However, you must remember that you can’t keep a hard money loan on your property for any long period of time and expect to make any money-the money is expensive and will eat up your profits quickly. When taking out a private or hard money loan, you should not plan on keeping it more than 90-120 days at the most. If the project cannot be completed in that timeframe, don’t use hard money! To get a copy of our Hard Money Lender Rolodex, go to reitrainingcenter.com or reiconferences.com and enter your name and email on the popup that comes up.

Conventional Lenders are much less expensive but usually require better credit-at least decent credit. There is definitely more documentation and it takes a lot longer to complete a deal-typically 30-45 days to close. It’s nice to find a funding source that can provide both; however that’s usually not your typical scenario.

Whatever type of lender you decide to use, be sure to always line them up before you go searching for properties. It’s always best to have the money in place BEFORE you need it. Then, when you go to make offers, there I no delay. The last thing you want to do is get a property under contract only to find out you can’t get the money to purchase it. The investment market is a very small one and you definitely don’t want to develop a reputation for not being able to close deals!

Sign Companies - You can pick any sign company out of a phone book or wherever. I have previously used sign companies to put out and pick up signs in addition to showing my vacant properties to prospective tenants.

If you are going to manage your own properties, while living in another state, you will need a person to show the property to potential tenants. Realtors, Handymen and sometimes even appraisers can be great people to use for this, but sign companies are going to put out your signs in front of the house anyway. For a nominal fee, they may be willing to let someone in and show them the property. Don’t try to use a large national company for this. Call a local one-man type of shop. You can sometimes find them through referrals from other real estate investors or realtors.

Real Estate Agents & Brokers - This is not the easiest person to recruit for your team! You should never put all your eggs in one basket (ie…one realtor) However, you definitely want to develop strong relationships where agents know you, know you are a serious investor and that you are serious about purchasing multiple deals in one given area. You need to be on a mission to find a buyers agent who is willing to put in some legwork and then be compensated accordingly. If the agent knows you are looking to buy properties in this same area over and over again, they will almost always do whatever they can to accommodate you (take picture, email you comps in a timely fashion, for research, run the financials, etc) There are a lot of gents out there doing the real estate thing part time-those are not the ones you want. You also want to din agents whoa re investors themselves or who work with investors frequently and understand how to “play the game.”

After, you have a property in mind and you are calling an agent for the first time, you need to know a couple of things about the property. What work does the property need? What will it be worth once the work is done-that is the ARV (After repaired value)? What will this property rent for-what are rents in the area for properties similar to this one (Have them send you a rental analysis or something on paper-don’t just take their word. Alternatively, you can look in a local newspaper for the area and calla few local property management companies to verify local rents) What is the average time on the market if I were to resell the property? What do the ? mile and ? mile comps look like? If the agent can’t give you this information on a property , they are not the right agent. Also, you will want to make sure you find an agent who will go to the properties you are looking at buying and take several digital pictures and send them along to you. If they are not willing, find another agent! These agents need to understand that the chances are that you are going to buy this property without seeing it. They are acting as your eyes and ears on this purchase and its important that they look at this as if they were going to buy the property themselves and pay close attention to detail. After you purchase a home or two from one agent, they are going to be more willing to work with you and do what you need them to do. They want to see that you are serious and then they will usually perk up, pay attention and do whatever it is that you need them to do. This is the type of relationship you are seeking.

Attorneys - You need to employ the services of any attorney when wholesaling houses to other investors. We won’t get into the legalities and tax issues of “double closings”. This is where you use your buyer’s funds to pay the seller. You don’t spend any money out of your pocket. Your buyer writes a check to the attorney, the attorney pays the seller and writes you a check for the difference. Some attorneys will do this, some will not. If you don’t have the cash to fund the purchase, it’s nice to identify an attorney who will allow this. It can be as simple as asking. “Will they do a double close? And can you use buyers funds for your deal?” I recommend the honest approach, tell the attorney what it is that you want to accomplish and if he can make it work, great!

Before you decide who you are going to use, speak with a few different attorneys via telephone. Make sure are clear about your investment goals and what you are trying to achieve. Also make sure they are experienced attorneys who are used to working with investors because if the attorney understands you as an investor and what you are trying to accomplish, he or she can better protect you in the long run!

Tenants - If you are planning to buy, fix and rent out your properties, then you need to have tenants for your properties. Two great places to look if you want to rent your properties out through Section 8 is www.socialserve.com and www.gosection8.com. They will allow you to list your property in their databases for free and then those properties are marketed to tenants with section 8 vouchers who are looking for housing. This program is great and has saved me thousands of dollars in advertising costs to get tenants! If you decide not to rent your properties through section 8, you can run ads in the local newspaper. Also, be sure and put a sign in the yard letting everyone who drives or walks by the property that it is for rent. You will be surprised how quickly the word will travel!

Buyers - If you are going to wholesale a house here and there to another investor, you need to have a list of people that you can sell to and who buy houses wholesale to rehab and rent or sell. Its best to develop this list of people BEFORE you go out and put properties under contract.

As a company,, we have thousand of people on out list that say that they “Buy Properties.” However, our core list of really serious buyers who have lines of credit lined up and can pay cash for a property on a days notice is less than 100 people long. In your area, you need to know who that core group. You can always find buyers at your local landlord association or investment group meetings. You can also find buyers via referral through other investors or even agents. WE find a lot of our buyers online in local news and chat groups like yahoo as well. Ask local appraisers and title companies who the “Serious Investors” in the area are. They are usually more than willing to share this information with you. As you develop a reputation in a given market, the buyers will come to you for the deals. This is the best case scenario!

Appraisers, Handymen and Contractors - With these contacts, you not only need to find professionals that you trust and can work with. But you also you need someone that is preferably an investor themselves but if not, understands investment property and the end financial result you are seeking. A $45,000 home in a lower income neighborhood would be rehabbed differently than a $450,000 house in an expensive neighborhood and your appraiser and rehab crew need to understand those differences. Also your appraiser must understand the need to go through the house and give you an after repair value (ARV)as if any needed repairs were complete. In other words, he need to give you an AS-IS appraisal and at the same time a solid professional guesstimate of what the ARV will be when the property has been rehabbed completely.

You may need to go through a few appraisers to find a good one who is honest. You can usually call your bank or lender you are planning on using. This is sometimes best as they have specific lists of people they will and will not work with.

Take the same approach with your handymen and contractors. Tell them you need the job done for $4000, when you know it will cost $8,000. Make sure they are not cutting costs when they give you a bid, just to get the job. Some trimming is fine, but cutting the price in half, just to get the job, will almost always end up in a poor quality job as far as workmanship is concerned.

When identifying a new contractor, be tough. Ask for the moon and stars. Tell them that you want a rehab quote with pictures and estimates broken down by labor and materials as well as room by room. If they offer to give you this, then you have someone who is flexible and is willing to work with you.

Since time is the biggest factor when rehabbing a house, make sure your contractor gives you a firm date that the job will be completed. Also, when getting bids,make sure you get them back from the contractor in a timely manner. If you have a 7 day inspection clause in your purchase contract, tell your contractor “We are rushed and need thi back within 48 hours. Can you get this done for us right away and fax the bid to me within 48 hours?” You want to make sure they follow through on what they promise.

Also, send more than one handyman or contractor to a job, unless you’ve worked with them before. If you are working with someone new, make sure they are not the only quote you get. They may be too high or may do poor work and you will have no idea-even if they have been referred. If you get three or four bids for that same house, you will have a really solid idea of the scope of work and an accurate price of what it’s going to cost you to rehab that property.

About the Author

Please feel free to check Charrissa Cawley’s websites at REI Conferences or REI Training Center for other great Real Estate Investing Resources, tips and trends! Type in your name and email address and then click on Free Resources. You will find a tremendous amount of FREE and useful information! Feel free to give us a call at 1-888-2500-6616.

Single Moms & Home Business Ownership: A Reality Or A Fantasy?

Can a single mother start a home-based business?

Can she make enough money to support her herself and her children?

How difficult is running a home-based business when no spouse is available to help with the childcare or contribute financially?

Women-Owned Home-Based Businesses

After researching and writing about home-based business issues for a while, it seemed that most women-owned home-based businesses involved a husband or significant other in the home. The significant other may help take care of the children after work so that the woman can have a chunk of uninterrupted time to work at her business. In addition, the family is not solely dependent on her business for its survival, since someone in the household has a steady income.

Of course, these women still face—and struggle with—issues facing all home-based business owners, such as financing, marketing, growing their business, customer service problems, as well as personal issues such as isolation and fear. On top of these issues, stay-at-home women with home-based businesses usually must also deal with their “mom” responsibilities, such as laundry, meals, housecleaning, transporting school-age children, baby care, grocery shopping, etc., AND still find time to bathe, sleep, eat, and take care of her business. The amazing fact is that most women home-business owners do all of these things on a daily basis.

The Single Mother

But what about the single mother? Whether divorced, widowed, or never married, she has no one to relieve her of child care for a period of time her so she can sit down and take care of her business. She is the sole source of support for her family. That fact puts her in a “Catch-22″ situation: If she works at her home-based business full-time, it must quickly bring in enough money for food, clothing, and shelter. If she works outside the home to ensure a steady income and runs her business part-time, that leaves little time for her children and for her “mom” responsibilities and an ever-increasing amount of guilt feelings.

I began searching for information about single mother home-based business ownership. My goals were to determine whether or not single mothers could and did own and operate successful home-based businesses. If they did, I wanted information about how they managed to balance children, business, and personal issues by themselves. Furthermore, I wanted to know the WHY—why they took the risk and made the leap to home business ownership.

All Around, But Never There

I expected to readily find information on the Internet about single mothers who own home-based businesses; the particular issues facing them; as well as demographics and other statistics. To my surprise, such information was not readily available.

I found much information and many Websites about work-at-home

Click Here! for opportunity 1

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Click Here! TO ENJOY A LUCRATIVE TAX FREE INCOME My mother was a widow and she survived with the help of the earning power of the internet

About the Author

hafiz lecky is an oracle certified associates currently running a home based internet business http://moreinfo247.com/8723322/free , http://webmillionaire.blogspot.com , http://ld.net?lecky

Why Getting The Right Start Is So Important In Real Estate Investing

Real estate has the potential of huge payoffs on your investments; however, not everyone is guaranteed to automatically realize this potential windfall because of some misconceptions.

Investing in real estate properties is not a get rich quick system because just like any other types of investment, you have to keep up to date with the latest trends and developments, keep getting leads and contracts and keep putting time and effort into it to protect your investment.

To engage in the real estate business, you have to identify the exact area you want to work in.

Keep focused and channel your efforts in one or two areas only in order not to spread your resources too thin.

Do you want to purchase properties and engage in Buy, Renovate and Sell? Do you want to buy properties and sell them right away? Do you to lease properties to potential buyers with an option to purchase at a later date?

All these should be given careful consideration depending on your financial position, location and other resources.

Once you have established your exact investment preference, writ down your plans.

Set goals for 3, 5 and 10 year periods and write down your goals in terms of your cash position, equity and property holdings as you want them to be.

From here, break down your goals into manageable chunks of quarterly and semi-annual mini-goals to make it easier to achieve your long term goals. Keep in mind that these plans are fluid and subject to change according to varying market and financial conditions.

Do not resign from your job right away, stay with it for as long as possible to relieve yourself of the pressure and frustration of jumping head first into the real estate investment market.

Before finally quitting your job, secure low- to no-interest credit cards (using your employment as proof of stable income). When you finally engage in real estate, you never know when it may come in handy to cover a $12,000 bill for your renovation and repair projects.

You don?t want to use up your cash reserves early on in the ball game.

Make sure you retain the services of a good real estate lawyer. Nothing beats having somebody knowledgeable about the several creative options of real estate investment.

Your lawyer can ensure that all negotiations and transaction go smoothly to save you time and money. Your lawyer should be able to assist you in almost all phases of real estate acquisition and sales.

Before you decide to engage full-time in real estate investing, build up your list of potential buyers. Ask real estate brokers how they go about doing what they do, and learn from them. Most people love to talk about their successes, just be sure to ask politely for advice and do not waste their valuable time.

However, be very careful about going into a long-term partnership. If you want, you can go into a limited deal-to-deal partnership while you are still learning the ropes.

As much as possible, set up a separate LLC entity for each deal. It is relatively easy and cheap to set up and you get to keep your personal assets off the insolvency table should something go wrong. Your lawyer is in the best position to give you advice and help you set up your corporate entity.

Finally, set a number of deals you have to work on weekly basis and do your best to close deals in order to realize the goals you have set for your business portfolio.

About the Author:

Download A Free Ebook That Shows You How You Can Make $2000 Plus Per Deal From Real Estate: Free Real Estate Profits Ebook

Definition of Security: Small Business Ownership

What your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!
Yes, that IS security when nobody can downsize you because you OWN that small business of yours! But preserving that special advantage is a never-ending job. In fact, do you know what needs to be preserved more than anything else?

Well, since they hold the future of your business in their hands, I believe that an outside group of people whose behaviors can effect your business survival more than any other, deserves your rapt attention.

What Id like you to conclude from that is, what your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!

0 customers displeased with your product or service dont come back 0 prospects who dont know about you dont buy 0 employees who believe you dont care about them lean on their oars 0 when minority folks believe you discrimminate, you have new problems 0 and if community residents believe your business is a lousy place to work, you have hiring and retention problems.

Even though help is on the way, you cant work on everything at once, so prioritize those key audiences. That is, which external audience is of immediate concern?

The good news is that problems like those above just dont happen when you closely and regularly monitor what those key publics think about you. First, you find ways to interact with them.

Then probe what they think about you and the business. In what behaviors are they engaging? What about misunderstandings? Do you see any problems brewing?

When you take the trouble to stay in touch with those folks whose behaviors affect your business the most, youve taken an important first step towards preserving your business.

Theres a real sequence here. Once you gather those facts from monitoring your key, target audience, it becomes obvious what your problem is and, thus, the public relations goal. For example, correct that misconception about your product; or reinforce a budding perception that you deliver superior service; or correct a suspicion that you dont put women in positions of responsibility.

With your goal in-hand, how are you going to achieve it? You need a strategy which, in public relations, only comes in three flavors: create opinion (perception) where none may exist; change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

So, youve set your public relations goal AND a very doable strategy. Now, what must your message have to say to implement that strategy? It must address the fix you decided upon when you set the goal. It must be clear, specific, persuasive and, above all, believable. As you write it, remain sensitive to what you are trying to do: change somebodys perception which almost always leads to the change in behavior you really want. Does your message meet this challenge?

Many would now find themselves with a great goal, a super strategy and a first class message, and nowhere to go.

But not you. Here, you select the beasts of burden you need to carry that message to the eyes and ears of those members of your key, target audience whom you need to reach and move to action.

And that means communications tactics. There are more available to you than we have time or space to list. Among them: community briefings, seminars, special events, news releases, speeches, brochures and personal contacts.

Is your work completed? Nope, because how will you track your progress? The answer is, Round 2 of the monitoring job. Interact with members of your prime outside audience all over again, carefully evaluating what you hear. If the goal was correct a misconception, are you beginning to notice signs of that correction? Do those you talk to show, however little, a better understanding of the facts of the matter as represented in your message?

Whats the bottom line? Behaviors, of course.

When your messages and communications tactics combine to alter a questionable perception held by members of your key, target audience, certain behaviors will soon follow. Among them, favorable mentions in the media and in individual speeches and lectures; increased patronage for your business; corrected perceptions by influential members of that important group of people, and many other similar signs that your message and your communications tactics have, indeed, drawn blood.

Happily, what that adds up to is a successful public relations effort.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

About the Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Real Estate Investing ? Three Ways To Make More

Are you considering Real estate investing just to make that extra profit? There are many who believe that investing in real estate is a great source to make money. You can do real estate investing by buying houses and reselling them at a profit. Buying a house is probably the most expensive investment you can make in your life. Thus each sale you make selling your real estate, generates more profit potential for this reason.

Three ways to make money investing in Real Estate

1. Fixing and Flipping Houses:

Fixing and flipping houses is one of the most popular ways to make money in real estate investing. The concept of fixing and flipping houses is simple all you have to do is find a home that needs repair and maintenance. You go in and do all the repairs that are necessary and then put your home on the retail market. Don?t be surprised to make a profit, which is as high as $25,000 just on a single transaction.

2. Fix, hold and sell later:

You can also make money on real estate investing by buying a rundown property and doing all the repairs and maintenance that are necessary to bring the property up to the standard. Once this is done you can rent the home on a lease-option basis.

3. Flipping Houses:

If you do not want to spend on repairs yourself then this type of method will be suitable for you. All you need is some knowledge of home prices and also home up gradation cost. You need to find properties and resell them to other investors on an as-is-basis. Compared to the above two methods this method will not help you to make more profit per transaction as you?ll have to sell at a below- market price to the next investor.

Real Estate investing has been an effective way of making profit for centuries. You can continue to make profit by fixing and reselling homes as long as you are good at bargains and know your market well.

Copyright ? 2006 Joel Teo. All rights reserved.

About the Author:

Joel Teo writes on arizona estate goodyear investment real . Learn more about Property Investment by signing up for his free Property Investment Ezine

Small Business Ownership and Whole Business Accommodations

Self-employment is never easy, and there are increased challenges when the business owner has disabilities. Business owners with disabilities need to find ways to operate their businesses successful in a competitive environment.
Small Business Ownership and Whole Business Accommodations; By Alice Weiss Doyel; BOLD Consulting Group, LLC

This article contains excerpts from No More Job Interviews! Self-Employment Strategies for People with Disabilities, by Alice Weiss Doyel (2000). Used with permission of the publisher, Training Resource Network, Inc.

Even when the economy was strong, three-fourths of the people with moderate to severe disabilities remained unemployed. Not surprisingly, many people with disabilities see small business ownership as their chance for economic self-sufficiency.

Self-employment is never easy, and there are increased challenges when the business owner has disabilities. Business owners with disabilities need to find ways to operate their businesses successful in a competitive environment. A few years ago I saw my own disabilities become more severe. I knew that I needed to find ways to run my company more effectively. My years of experience as a small business consultant helped me develop the concept of Whole Business Accommodations. I realized that as business owners with disabilities, we must create workplace accommodations which take into consideration the success of our entire business.

Whole Business Accommodations permeate the full scope of the business.

* Operations planning should include accommodations for the owner’s disabilities. These accommodations are not just for the physical attributes of the office, e.g., access, furniture, equipment. These accommodations should take into consideration the people who will be part of the business, or closely associated with it. Whether they are business partners, associates, employees, vendors, family members or support providers, these people are an integral part of making the business work. Their roles in supporting the business owner with disabilities must be integrated into their business functions through the business planning process.

* Marketing capabilities are often affected by the owners disabilities. Determining potentially effective marketing approaches during business planning will allow the company to test and determine the best ways to reach and sell to customers. Some people with disabilities believe that an Internet website is the answer to their marketing challenges. However, the Internet should almost always be used as a secondary marketing approach. There must be direct marketing either by the owner with disabilities, by other company owners or employees, or by sales representatives in order to create a successful marketing effort. * Financial planning is a challenge for business owners with disabilities. Many people with disabilities have few assets of value to help secure a business loan. They may have lived for years in poverty, unable to establish a sound credit record. They may have poor credit due to an unexpected health emergency or accident that created large medical expenses at the same time that they were no longer able to work. Micro-loan programs are a resource for small business owners with disabilities who have viable business plans for start up or existing businesses. These programs will take into consideration disability-related financial limitations and credit problems. Some Whole Business Accommodations are free while others may be quite expensive. All accommodations must meet the same financial test as any other business expense: 1. Can the Whole Business Accommodation be paid for? 2. Is this an effective use of limited company funds? The following are specific examples of Whole Business Accommodations which are consistent with best business practices:

* Creating an accessible office. Many accessibility methods are free or inexpensive, e.g., arranging office furniture and equipment for the greatest ease of use, telephones with easy to read displays and/or large keys, speakerphones or head sets, open storage shelving for easy access, keyboard and mouse that fits the owners physical needs, free Microsoft accessibility utilities, and tables and desks with comfortable wheelchair access. Good office design saves time and energy that the business owner can put into the business. * Including alternative means of transportation in the business plan, e.g., hiring a part-time driver, finding volunteer drivers such as family members or friends, determining effective methods for using public transportation and/or taxi services, and teleconferencing instead of in-person meetings. Business owners with disabilities can host meetings in their own offices, minimizing the need for transportation.

* Using company business policies that protect business owners with disabilities from working in a manner adverse to their health. Developing these policies requires the owner to evaluate and determine the most effective means of running the business. This analysis leads to more effective and profitable management of the entire company.

* Creating a positive, supportive work culture for the business. This includes a culture that values everyones abilities and supports the concept that disabilities do not decrease a persons humanity or value . . . that for many people, the challenges from their disabilities are a means for personal growth. This work culture will be a positive environment for all employees who share these values.

* Hiring a full-time or part-time employee who does work that is difficult or not possible for the business owner. This is a common practice in all businesses; however, here the focus is on assisting in the area of the business owners disabilities. The same employee can serve other functions for the business, bringing more capabilities to the company.

* Partners are often used to create a company where the owners have complementary business or technical skills. Business owners with disabilities can find partners with the skills, time, or energy to compensate for their disability needs.

* Creating alliances with other companies is often an excellent strategy for business owners with disabilities. It allows them to provide a variety of services or products through their alliance partners, while limiting the size of their business and the number of employees they manage. In summary, business owners with disabilities report a wide range of positive experiences when they use Whole Business Accommodations to run their companies more effectively. Whole Business Accommodations are powerful tools for success in business and for success in living a complete and satisfying life.

About the Author

Alice Doyel is the founder of BOLD Consulting Group: where she heads the consulting practice specializing in operations management for small businesses. Also, she is a national speaker, consultant, and advocate on self-employment for people with disabilities. Alice wrote the book, No More Job Interviews! Self-Employment Strategies for People with Disabilities.

Pitfalls Of Real Estate Investing

Pitfalls Of Real Estate Investing Submitted By: Kim Lee

Investing in real estate most likely won’t produce the get-rich-quick results promised by many a late-night infomercial. But for investors willing to do some homework, make a good purchase and properly manage a piece of property, the rewards can be substantial. There are some common mistakes made in real estate investing that almost every novice makes. These pitfalls of real estate investing can easily be avoided. You need to know these mistakes or it could cost you a fortune. Paying attention to the smallest detail could net even more profits than you could imagine. The first mistake you must not make is not formulating a plan. Every successful business has started with a marketing plan. They recognized the marketing niche which needed filled and offered the service to fill the void. This is what you must do to avoid the pitfalls of real estate investing. The marketing plan is easy to write. You must write it down. This gives you a visual of what you are doing. When you seem to get lost in the transactions, you can refer to this plan and get back on track. The marketing plan should include how many deals you want to process. You will want to list how much money you want to make. You will also want to put down how long this is going to take. Setting goals and sticking to them will make it easier to realize your real estate dreams. Another pitfall of real estate investing is not knowing the market. You must know what areas are growing and which ones are becoming depressed. The last thing you want is to buy the dream home in an area where no one wants to live. This can be a costly mistake. Getting to know your market means knowing the price you can buy at and sell for. This is one thing that is a must when investing in real estate. Expecting every deal to be like the last one is a mistake many novice investors make. They get frustrated and disgusted when the second or third deal does not go as smoothly as the first. Some times the first deal is harder to put together than any other. Each transaction is going to be different. The home is different. The sellers want something different. You may have to use a lender or you may not. Each deal should be treated as though it were your first. This way you pay close attention to every detail and the risk of making a mistake is lower. One of the biggest pitfalls in real estate investing is not properly estimating the property. The home you are looking at must be able to yield a profit. It does not matter if the neighborhood is great or that you would love to own that house. It must make sense financially to buy the property. If it is not a sound investment, do not do it. There may be a snag in the deal where the net profit is jeopardized. If this happens, check to make sure you are still going to gain. At any time, you can walk out of the deal should it turn sour. Do not try to salvage a sinking ship. Let someone else do that. Cut your losses before it is too late. Avoiding these common pitfalls when investing in real estate can save you headaches and finances. Remember to set up a marketing plan, know your market, research the property, and bail if the deal goes bad. If you remember these points you should succeed in the real estate investment market. Article Tags: estate, investing, make Tags: Costly Mistake, Dream Home, Estate Dreams, First Mistake, Fortune, Homework, Infomercial, Investing In Real Estate, Kim Lee, Late Night, Marketing Plan, Niche, Novice Investors, Paying Attention, Pitfall, Pitfalls, Real Estate Investing, Rewards, Setting Goals, Successful Business Next Page » eNews & Updates Sign up to receive breaking news as well as receive other site updates! 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