Archive for January, 2009

Buying Multifamily Properties and Overcoming Your Fears

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

It is our job as entrepreneurs who are raising private money to learn how to direct energy, other people’s energy, into vehicles that produce more income for us and for them. It is all about managing the energy. You have a choice when it comes to raising private money for real estate: you can put your energy and time into a deal or you can put in your money into a deal. The goal is to put in your energy with someone else’s money. But how do you do that if you are paralyzed by fear?

The number one fear of real estate entrepreneurs is that they can not do a multifamily deal because they do not have any cash or credit. The other fear is that they are going to run out of money or not have enough money to close the deals. No matter where you look, it always comes back to money. You have to remove that fear.

In order to remove that fear, you need to empower yourself with terminology that has powerful connotations. Begin by referring to yourself as a real estate entrepreneur instead of a real estate investor. An investor is someone that brings money to the deal.

If being an investor means you have money and you really do not, then subconsciously your mind says “Who are you kidding, you’re not a real estate investor! You don’t have any money and you don’t know what you are doing.” That little voice strips you of your self-confidence and you are already out of the game. It is a natural defense mechanism because you are out of your comfort zone.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, bring deals to the money. They use other people’s time, talent and resources to achieve their vision. You are the dealmaker. If you declare yourself an entrepreneur from the outset, everybody understands your role; there is no confusion. You are not expected to have any money. You are expected to bring all of the pieces together and make the deal happen.

If you remember that mindset is one of the most powerful tools you have, then you will be able to overcome your fears and insecurities. The words that we use to describe and portray ourselves are very powerful and can either lift us up or limit us. In the world of multifamily investing, the words you choose can make or break the deal.

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit http://www.ApartmentWealthMachine.com.

Working From Home To Build A Profitable Online Business

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Working at home requires discipline, structure, and organization. If these are not your strong areas you have two choices; think twice about building an online business, or learn how to make this a part of your life. The choice is yours and the results can change your life.

The first thing you must do is to have a family meeting to discuss this with everyone who lives in your home. They need to understand that you will be at work during certain hours, and that this must be uninterrupted time if you are going to be successful. When your family members truly understand this concept, you will be on your way to starting your online business.

Now you will need to spend some time researching the different possibilities of working from home. If you have some specialized skills or experience, you may be able to turn this into a home business.

Many people working online hire others on a contract basis to perform certain tasks. This is called outsourcing, and can include email, telephone, graphic design, web design and maintenance, article submission, forum posting, and other types of activities. There are many ways to get started, so it is just a matter of deciding what you want to spend your time doing.

Organization will be key to being successful in a home-based business. Set up a work area that will give you ample room for expansion as you become busier with clients and projects. My work area includes a main desk for my computer and assorted files and accessories, as well as another desk for my second computer and notes. I also have a book shelf that is used exclusively for by notebooks, folders, and books that are related to my business.

Being disciplined means that I complete my work each day, while still allowing time for family, friends, and chores around the house. I have found that working at home for three years has given me the freedom to be more involved with my family and my community, while also giving me the opportunity to make more money than I could by working outside of my home.

Structure refers to the ability to schedule and plan your work days and hours around the activities that must be done, both in your business and in your personal life. If you have a lunch meeting every Wednesday, like I do with my Rotary Club, plan your work schedule around this so that there is time for everything.

Once you build a foundation for your home business, there is no limit to what you can achieve by working from home on the internet.

Connie Ragen Green teaches you how to write articles and eBooks to build an online business, as well as how to use the technology needed. Visit Ebook Writing and Marketing Secrets to find out more.

How Can One Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Affiliate marketing is one of the most uncomplicated methods of generating an online income. If this is the case then why are so many affiliate marketers frustrated. A recent holiday study shows that online shopping has increased by 12% and is expected to grow through 2009. If the profit potential has increased, why are so many affiliates wondering, How can one make money with affiliate marketing? Is it even possible anymore?

It is possible, and in fact people are seeing a growth in affiliate marketing sales. But those that are approach affiliate marketing a little differently than those who seem to be struggling. Here are five things you can do to make money with affiliate marketing.

1. Look carefully at trends. They way people spend money changes over time; products and services that were in great demand one year may no longer meet the needs of consumers. To get an understanding of how and where people are spending their money you should keep your eyes and ears open to consumer and economic
trends. A walk through a book store and browsing through blogs and forums will alert you to what consumers are spending their time and money on. This is beneficial when choosing affiliate programs.

2. Take consumer reviews seriously. Marketers and advertisers dont have as much power as they did several years ago. A simple ad wont help with affiliate marketing they way it used to, but a consumer review can. Before you sign up for an affiliate program, check out recent consumer reviews. Once you sign up be sure to ask your list for reviews as part of your marketing campaign. Social networking sites and forums are great places to look for and ask for consumer reviews.

3. Build your list. As the market evolves, it is going to be extremely difficult for you to make money with affiliate marketing without a list. Not just any list however, but a responsive one. You want a group of people who take what you say seriously. This means you need to apply your efforts into building trust. As an affiliate marketer you simply guide people to useful resources. However, in order for people to complete the sale they should have confidence in your suggestion.

4. Conduct more surveys. Those who actually make money with affiliate marketing know their consumer. They understand their needs and are better able to deliver. Surveys and polls are perhaps the best way for affiliate marketers to find out what their past and future customers want. Whether the survey regards a product review or opinions about how your performing, the results reveal valuable insight into how to run your business more effectively.

5. Team up. It is becoming gradually more challenging for one to make money with affiliate marketing on their own. More work is now required to outshine your competition and more motivation is needed to do this work. Working with someone or with a group makes it easier to complete your ever growing to do list. You may decide to outsource tasks, collaborate with others in your industry or work with a business coach, but it is recommended that you find ways to use the skills of others.

How can one make money with affiliate marketing? By understanding trends and your target market, building a responsive list, and leveraging the skills of others you can make money with affiliate marketing with a lot less frustration.

The NichePowerGroup teaches beginners how to make money online in niche markets with affiliate marketing. Visit their online business mentoring website here to learn how you can go from making nothing to a full time internet income in 12 months or less. Business Coaching

SEO Copywriting: A Career That’s Flourishing Despite Tough Economic Times

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

In the CareerBuilder article, Five Careers That Sail Through a Tough Economy, one of the professions listed was that of web designer. The author wrote:

“The Internet has evolved from an information resource into a robust economic platform. Companies take advantage of low-overhead Internet storefronts to tap new markets worldwide . . . They need a compelling Web presence to reel in customers — and that’s where you come in.”

Why the Depressed Economy Means Opportunity for Freelance (SEO) Writers

Where web designers are is where the work is for freelance SEO writers. Really, this spells opportunity for all types of freelance writers. But, SEO copywriters have a distinct advantage in that more and more companies are pouring larger portions of their ad budgets into online advertising.

Why are they doing this? For three reasons primarily:

Online advertising is cheaper than traditional media outlets: Compared to television ads, radio spots and newspaper buys, online advertising is much, much cheaper for companies. As online marketing is a relatively new medium, many companies haven’t caught on to just how lucrative this type of advertising can be.

Tough economic times cause many to look — for perhaps the first time — at this outlet. And, once they see the ROI numbers (Return on Investment), they’re simply astounded that they haven’t tried it before.

Speaking of ROI . . .

Large ROI: Marketing is less about how much you spend — as long as it’s in your budget — but what you get back in return. And, online advertising returns have proven to be a lot larger than traditional media advertising. The success of the biggest player in the internet marketing game — Google — tells the story.

In the article, 1/22/09 article, Will Google survive the downturn?, journalist Andrew Horowitz writes, “Google has established consistent earnings per share and sales growth since its inception despite the troubles within the economy as of late.”

A huge part of Google’s income is made from advertisers spending money on pay-per-click and other internet marketing campaigns. This is only going to increase.

Businesses Love Online Advertising: Once they discover how lucrative internet marketing is, businesses fall in love with it. Features like real-time feedback contribute to the love affair. What is real-time feedback? When a company runs a pay-per-click campaign, for example, they can instantly check the data to see how their ads are performing.

This allows them to tweak what’s not working and to expand what is. This saves thousands — and for some companies — millions of dollars in advertising. Why? Because they don’t have to wait for a newspaper to circulate for example, to know how effective their ad campaign was.

The Career Opportunities for SEO Copywriters are Vast — and Growing Fast!

What drives online advertising? Search engine optimization (SEO). And, there are few who know what it is. Those who learn — and do so now, the beginning of this boom — will be able to build lucrative freelance writing businesses that will sustain them for years to come.

Yuwanda Black is a freelance SEO writer and publisher of InkwellEditorial.com. She is the author of “How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-word Articles,” among other ebooks.

Multifamily Deals: 4 Part Formula to Raising Private Money

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

When it comes to raising private money for your multifamily property deals, you are only limited by the scope of your imagination and creativity. The amazing thing is that there is a simple, four-part formula that you can use to raise private money. Most people, however, don’t know about this formula much less that there are four parts and what those four parts are. Let us take a look at each of these four parts.

Keep in mind that all four of these need to be done simultaneously for the formula to work.

Predisposed: You don’t want to make this a difficult process. So to make it easy, you need to target people who are already predisposed to investing in real estate. They have already shown some affinity, some familiarity, and some willingness to invest in real estate. They don’t need to be sold on the idea of real estate as an investment. The only thing you have to sell them on is you and your deal.

Control : Capital preservation is the first thing that comes into people’s minds before they will release their money. Control is described best as when you are putting together an investment vehicle, how does the investor feel that they are retaining control over the transaction if something goes wrong? If the borrower does not perform, how does the investor get control of the situation?

Low Risk: The second complimentary part to Control is low risk. How do I design a real estate investment vehicle that is as low risk as possible for the investor? Ideally, it is no risk and if you go to the extreme, it is risk reversal. The investor comes out ahead if the borrower doesn’t perform.

High Return: Once you have found someone who is predisposed and you have convinced him that you have a low risk transaction then the other human condition kicks in. The investor then wants to know how good a deal he is getting for the low risk investment. You have to design something that is high return, but doesn’t “give away the farm”.

The premise of this formula is that you are building an investment product. The more you can package up your deal, and quickly and clearly articulate its merits makes all of the difference in the world in raising private monies. With this formula alone, you probably know more about raising private money than 80% of real estate entrepreneurs out there. The key is remembering that all four components need to be done at the same time in order for you to be successful.

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit ApartmentWealthMachine

Multifamily Deals: How to Assess a Multifamily Property in 10 Minutes

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

There is a misconception out there that evaluating real estate deals is a time-consuming and arduous task. Nothing could be further from the truth! Analyzing apartment deals and making money on apartments is all about the numbers. More specifically, it is all about the revenue and expense numbers. With that in mind, you can easily assess a deal in 10 minutes.

Apartment values are based on the numbers and the Net Operating Income (NOI). The more net operating income you can generate, the more money you will have to put in your pocket every month and again when you refinance or cash them out. However, you have a large degree of control over the revenue and the expenses of an apartment. You have the ability to estimate the value up front but you can also predict the value of your property even if you desire to make changes.

There are three simple questions to ask when evaluating a deal:

1. What is the Cap Rate?
2. What is the price per door?
3. What is the unit mix?

Once you have the answers to those three questions, you will know whether you should move forward with the deal. Let us examine each of those questions more closely.

What is the Cap Rate?

This is an abbreviation for the capitalization rate. This is the return on investment on a percentage basis if you paid all cash. The formula for CapRate is your NOI divided by the purchase price.

For example, if you have a property that has a NOI of $100,000 per year and you paid $1,000,000 cash for the property, your Cap Rate is 10% because you are getting 10% return on your $1,000,000. The golden rule in evaluating deals is to look for properties that have a 10% or higher Cap Rate.

What is the price per door?

Price per door equals the price divided by the number of doors (or apartments). As a general rule, if it is less that $25,000 per door, then it is a candidate because it will most likely have a good Cap Rate and it will most likely have cash flow. Your general rule of thumb is that you go with less than $25,000 per door for an apartment building. This figure does include any rehabilitation costs.

What is the unit mix?

The unit mix is the percentage of units that are one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedrooms. A property that has more two bedrooms than one bedrooms will have higher rent or higher revenue per door. It is better to have a property with more two and three bedrooms than one-bedroom units because the rent per apartment will be higher on average. Generally speaking, two bedrooms are easier to rent.

The answers to these three questions reveal a lot of things. The Cap Rate tells you about the cash flow of a property. The price per door will tell you the class of property you are dealing with and the unit mix will tell you about marketability and revenue stream. These answers allow you to assess within 10 minutes whether a property is worth pursuing.

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit ApartmentWealthMachine

Working at Home-Identify Your Why

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

There are countless reasons for you to start your own work at home business. I would venture to say that the main reason is to generate income. But what will you use the extra income for? The reasons may include getting out of debt, saving for a child’s college education, buying a home or car, early retirement, overcome insufficient income, or just to improve your lifestyle overall. Whatever the reason, it is important to your success to identify it and stay focused on it. There are several reasons for this.

First off, identifying your why will get you started. I don’t know how many people investigate starting a work at home business but never get started. A strong why will enable you to take that all important first step. If your why is strong enough, you can attain it and you will do what it takes to achieve it.

Secondly, when you identify your why, you have a goal to work towards and a target to aim at. Staying focused on your why enables you to keep going as you are reminded why you are doing all the hard work involved in working at home.

Thirdly, identifying your why will help you get through those days when things look bleak. I can tell you from experience that there are times when you will want to quit. There are many ups and downs when working at home. You will begin to doubt that that this just won’t work. When you stay focused on your why, you are constantly reminded to not give up. In the end it will be worth it.

Fourthly, focusing on your why will enable you to battle the doubters. You know them. They are the people, often close to you, that tell you how foolish your undertaking is. They let you know up front that you are wasting your time. But your why, if you stay focused on it, will help you overcome these dissenters.

Fifthly, identifying your why will help you in making decisions about your business. There have been times when I had a decision to make about my work at home opportunity. Should I spend money on this, should I take the time to do that? My why was always there, enabling me to make a decision that I would not have made had I not had a goal or vision that I was working towards.

Sixthly, your why will cause you to work harder and longer. There may be days when you just don’t feel like working. You would rather sit in front of the TV or go somewhere or just take a nap. Once that ‘why’ is engrained in your soul, you won’t be able to ignore it. You will spend the necessary time to work at becoming a success with your business. That doesn’t mean that you ignore your family. It does mean that you will use more of your free time to work towards your goal.

Finally, identifying your why will cause you to be a success. If your goal is strong enough, you will succeed. A strong why will cause you to do pretty much whatever it takes to achieve it. There is nothing that will cause you to push forward like a strong why. The question is, “Have you identified yours?”

David L.S.Y is Known for his Home Based Business Knowledge and has helped many
to understand the fundamental know-how of home based business works.

To get more information on how to make real money from your Home, David S.L has
arranged to send out a 133 pages of content packed physical book for you. Claim
it at
http://www.OnlineBusinessLearningCenter.com/

How Foreclosure Cleanup Companies Are Keeping Neighborhoods Safe

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

When a home is foreclosed upon, the community at large suffers. After all, there’s no one to cut the grass, maintain the fence, rake the leaves, paint the shutters or keep out unwanted vagrants.

For these reasons and many others, foreclosures are magnets for crime on every level – from graffiti, to loitering to drugs and prostitution. And, this is why it pays to hire foreclosure cleanup companies. They, in essence, help to keep neighborhoods safe. Read on for how.

Services Foreclosure Cleanup Companies Provide That Keep Neighborhoods Safe

Foreclosure Cleanup Companies Give Properties a Lived-In Look: Many times, when residents vacate a property, they may leave behind trash and other unsightly materials that cause a property to scream – abandoned!

According to the Las Vegas Sun article, Clean up foreclosed home, or city will, “Anger over the blight caused by foreclosed and abandoned homes is evident in the number of complaints reported by the Southern Nevada Health District.”

Foreclosure cleanup companies give a property a lived-in look; or at least a well-maintained one. All trash and debris is removed. Because these companies do so much – from lawn care and maintenance to trash hauling, it removes the outward signs that a property is not occupied.

Foreclosure Cleanup Companies Provide Locksmithing Services: As mentioned just above, these companies provide many services. One of them is locksmithing.

Once a property officially reverts to a bank as a foreclosure, one of the first things they do is change the locks. This prevents the previous tenants – and anyone they may have given a key, from accessing the property.

Foreclosure Cleanup Companies Provide Ongoing Property Maintenance: Many (not all) foreclosure cleanup companies do more than provide one-time cleanup services; they provide ongoing care, eg, lawn maintenance.

And, at the rate it’s taking to sell properties in the current real estate market, this can be a real crime deterrent. For, the more likely a property looks unoccupied, the more likely it is to be a crime magnet. In a good economy with a thriving real estate market, a home typically sells within 90 days. If it’s on the market longer than that, it’s considered to be a “slow mover.”

But, in a recessed economy with a poor real estate market, it’s not uncommon for homes to sit vacant for six months or more.

Foreclosure cleanup companies can help realtors and banks not only clean up the initial mess, but maintain the property until it’s sold. This is vital to keeping neighborhoods safe.

To learn everything you need on how to start a foreclosure cleanup business, log on to Start-a-Foreclosure-Cleanup-Business.com for 200 pages of first-hand information from the owner of a leading foreclosure cleanup company in Atlanta, GA.

Make Money Online – Market Research Is The Key To Success

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

It is true that most of the niche markets have already been tapped and there is a huge competition out there. So, the idea is to find something very, very specific. If you know how to do a market research and you follow the right strategies, you will end up finding thousands of markets that are still untapped, waiting for somebody to come along and stake their claim on them. If you are successful in picking the right market, it will help you develop that profit instinct, which will further motivate you to work hard in the right direction and convert that gut feeling into real money.

Identify Who You Have To Serve And What

The most common mistake that most people make is that they choose a general niche, such as sports, medicine, yoga, health, and other such things. It is very important for you to understand that these are not niches; these are markets. They actually represent a group. For example, the yoga industry is a huge one. It is made of all types of different yoga related products, such as yoga mats, yoga classes, yoga cloths, yoga books, yoga bags, yoga DVDs, yoga gifts, and hundreds of other such things. No matter how hard you try, success will never come easily to you if you have chosen yoga as your niche market. On the other hand, by picking a more specific niche, you can maximize your chances of success.

The Google keyword suggestion tool is probably the best free tool available on Internet to research on the right niche market. When you enter a specific keyword in Google search box, it starts giving you suggestions on various related keyword phrases (including the long tail ones). For example, when you enter ‘yoga’, you get suggestions like ‘yoga poses’, ‘yoga journal’, ‘yoga toes’, ‘yoga positions’, ‘yoga pants’, ‘yoga mat’, ‘yoga cloths’, and others. You can dig deeper by entering one of these keyword phrases in the search box. For example, when you enter ‘yoga poses’ in the box, you get suggestions like ‘yoga poses for beginners’, ‘yoga poses for weight loss’, ‘yoga poses for back pain’, and many others.

This way, you can find a specific niche for Internet marketing. After you choose your niche, the next step is to find products related to that niche. The best product for you is the one that is strong and compelling enough to attract your target audience. And, when you choose a niche like ‘yoga poses for weight loss’, you very well know who your target audience is. You know whom you are going to serve.

This way, we can say that ‘yoga’ is a market, ‘yoga poses’ is a niche, and ‘yoga poses for weight loss’ is a micro niche. You have to focus your market research to find out that micro niche.

David L.S.Y is Known for his Home Based Business Knowledge and has helped many
to understand the fundamental know-how of home based business works.

To get more information on how to make real money from your Home, David S.L has
arranged to send out a 133 pages of content packed physical book for you. Claim
it at
http://www.OnlineBusinessLearningCenter.com/

Niche Marketing Aptitude Test: Your Road Map to Success

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Why is niche marketing so hot now? If you’re in business one fact comes with the word recession and that word is competition. Would you like a way to jump ahead of your competition? If your answer is yes then you need a way to increase your niche marketing aptitude. The niche is your answer and solution in a time of growing competition.

In tough economic times, with tight money and stiff competition, it’s essential to find ways to get an edge on your competition. There have been truckloads of articles, books and newsletters on how to improve your niche marketing skills. Finding your niche is job one for every business who wants to succeed long term.

To increase your niche marketing aptitude, take the revealing quiz below, it acts as your microscope and road map to a stronger niche marketing aptitude. The importance in having it gives you a sense of confidence in the middle of stiff competition.

This is not one of those articles you passively read and then toss aside forever. This is an active involvement article. Meaning, to get the best results from reading this you must take action. How? By taking the test and answering the questions honestly. The answers will help you quickly form a solid niche strategy.

To get the maximum benefit, keep taking the test until you can get a perfect 10. The 3 minutes spent with this quiz will be worth their weight in gold to your financial future. With the enormous number of me-too products, services and businesses in the marketplace, it’s essential to keep your niche aptitude strong and vigorous.

If you fail to find ways to separate yourself from your competitors, you risk getting lost in the crowd of competition. This is especially true if you’re a small business with limited capital and resources to work with. Finding your best niche requires focus and a strong knowledge of who your target market is and their current needs.

You often see a business develop a product or service, enjoy a burst of sales success, then suddenly sales fall flat or even nosedives. Your first impression goes to the economy, competition or limited capital. Those may have added to the problem, but the core problem goes back to the niche marketing aptitude of the owner and management.

Often a failing business didn’t have a sales, money or profit problem, they had a hidden niche marketing problem. For example, most failing businesses had a weak, unfocused or changing niche market long before they noticed the other obvious problems.

To increase your niche marketing aptitude take the Niche Marketing Aptitude test below: Give yourself 1 point for each yes answer. Take it for each new business, product or service you create or obtain. Continue taking it until you reach a score of 10. Your goal should be to maintain a score of 10 for each business, product or service you control.

1. Do I know who the next 3 competitors ahead of me are?

2. Do I know what my competitive advantages are over them?

3. Do I have them written down? And do I constantly try to add to them?

4. Can I Name at least one new problem my target customers are facing that I can solve through my product or service this week or month?

5. What extra service can I provide that my competition can’t provide?

6. What ways can I speed up service to my customers without sacrificing quality?

7. What ways can I get my satisfied customers to recommend me to others?

8. Do I aggressively seek comments, complaints or questions from my customers?

9. Do I know my competitors latest competitive advantages over my product or service?

10. Do I aggressively seek and test new ideas while holding on to what works?

Roy Primm helps you improve your niche finding and development skills with Free Niche Idea Course. Conquer and dominate your market by finding hidden niches. Dozens of the latest tips and ideas. Plus get free “Niche Improvement Chart” your At-A-Glance road map to increasing your niche finding skills. Don’t wait go now to TheNicheMan.com