Purchasing Investment Property - 10 Things to Consider Before Diving Into Real Estate Investment

When considering including real estate as part of your investment portfolio, there are a lot of factors you will need to consider. It is not just a matter of deciding on a property to invest in, because you will also need to answer a few questions about your investment. Not every real estate investment is the same, and not every investor is the same. Here are ten things to consider before you start investing in real estate.

First, are you ready to invest in real estate? You need to be both mentally ready and financially set. Remember - if your property is between renters, you still have loan payments you need to make and other obligations to uphold. You may wish to consult with your investment advisor about your current portfolio and how much you can afford to carry until you begin to see a real return on investment.

Next, set a plan. It will help map out your strategy and define for you what your goal is in terms of investing. Your plan will help guide you should you want to make changes along the way. Your plan can also help you understand all of the expenses you will incur along the way, including utility bills, fees for your experts, times when no one is renting from you, and maintenance and repair costs.

Then, decide what kind of property you want to invest in. You could invest in rental properties, or you could buy homes with the intent to fix them up and resell them, a process called flipping. Then there are commercial properties you could invest in, like retail buildings or multi-unit residential units.

You will definitely need to have a solid base for financing the properties you choose. If you have the cash to make your initial investment, you can do a lot more with purchasing homes quickly and saving on the mortgage amount every month. Remember that though interest rates are low now, there is no guarantee against future increases, so should you choose to finance, make sure you lock in a low rate with a fixed rate loan.

Consider the current vacancy rates in the area where you want to buy your investment property. A lot of vacancies near the house you choose do not bode well for you to be the successful one to find renters.

Sixth, decide who will do the property management. If you intend to live on-site, you can certainly take on this task yourself. But, if you are not going to live on-site, or you don't feel confident in doing the property management piece yourself, by all means hire a professional property manager or sign a contract with a PM company.

When you are ready to buy, it can be a help to find a real estate agent who specializes in investment properties. They will be more knowledgeable about finding you properties that will suit your unique needs.

Ensure that before you buy you get a complete home inspection done so any minor repairs can be taken care of and any major repairs can be steered clear of. Solving minor repairs may mean that you can add value to the rent.

Remember that being a real estate investor, particularly if you go the landlord route, is a business. You will need to keep financial records, comply with regulations, and file legal documents. Having a team around you who can help you with these tasks will be necessary.

Lastly, what is your exit plan? Though you might be in real estate for the long run, eventually you need to sell the property. If the economy drops again, you won't be able to sell it easily or if you do, it may even be for a loss. Having a plan for what you will do for each property will help ease the stress of a softening of the economy.

Challenges In Rural Marketing

Introduction

Our country is endowed with a good degree of ethnic and regional diversity. About three-fourth of the total population resides in the rural areas and majority of them are dependent upon agriculture for their subsistence. Agriculture contributes about 24.7% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. It also contributes about 13.1% to the total Indian exports. This sector provides employment to 58.4% of the country's workforce and livelihood to more than 650 million people. Despite this fact, the condition of these people has not shown any significant improvement.

The development of the nation largely depends upon the development of the rural population. Mahatma Gandhi had once said: "India's way is not Europe's. India is not Calcutta and Bombay. India lives in her several hundreds of villages".

Rural Market Potential

India is an agro-based economy and the growth of most of the other sectors of economy is driven by rural demand. Urban market is reaching towards the saturation point, thus bringing in and urgent need to focus on rural development. Moreover, more than 70% of India's population lives in villages and constitutions a big market for industry because of increasing disposal incomes and awareness level.

In comparison to just 5,161 towns in India there are 6,38,365 villages in India. This in itself is an indicator where the real India resides. Companies are realizing slowly but surely that the key to gain true market leadership lies in tapping the rural potential. However, the rural sector in India suffers from different kinds of problems. Some areas are having enough money but their level of awareness and hence consumerism is very low. But there are many areas where economic empowerment, education, health etc., are major problems.





What is rural marketing

While there is a large growth in the urban market, the rural or latent market is yet to be tapped, and has an enormous potential for growth. A rural market can be defined as any market that exists in a area where the population is less than 10, 000. The rural market in India is scattered and spread over a wide geographical area. Indian market is divided into urban and rural markets.

o Urban market is flooded with low demand.

o Rural market witnesses a high demand It's the rural segment of market that contributes more profit than its urban counterpart. Rural marketing broadly involves reaching customers, understanding their wants, supply of goods and services, and ultimately satisfying consumers, leading to more sales. The general impression is that only agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, cattle feed and agricultural machinery have a potential for growth in the rural market. However, there is a growing market for consumer goods now. It has been estimated the rural market is growing at the rate of five times its urban counterpart.

Challenges in Rural Marketing

Though rural markets are a huge attraction to marketers, it is not easy to enter the market and take a sizeable share of the market, in the short time due to the following reasons.

Low Literacy

There are not enough opportunities for education in rural areas. The literacy level is as low (36%) when compared to all- India average of 52%.

Seasonal Demand

Demand for goods in rural markets depends upon agricultural situation, as agriculture is the main source of income. Agriculture to a large extent depends upon monsoon and, therefore, the demand or buying capacity is not stable or regular.

Transportation

Many rural areas are not connected by rail transport. Kacha roads become unserviceable during the monsoon and interior villages get isolated.

Distribution

An effective distribution system requires village-level shopkeeper, Mandal/ Taluka- level wholesaler or preferred dealer, distributor or stockiest at district level and company-owned depot or consignment distribution at state level. The presence of too many tiers in the distribution system increases the cost of distribution.

Communication Problems

Facilities such as telephone, fax and telegram are rather poor in rural areas.

Traditional Life

Life in rural areas is still governed by customs and traditions and people do not easily adapt new practices. For example, even rich and educated class of farmers does not wear jeans or branded shoes.

Buying Decisions

Rural consumers are cautious in buying and decisions are slow and delayed. They like to give a trial and only after being personally satisfied, do they buy the product.

Media for Promotions

Television has made a great impact and large audience has been exposed to this medium. Radio reaches large population in rural areas at a relatively low cost. However, reach of formal media is low in rural households; therefore, the market has to undertake specific sales promotion activities in rural areas like participating in melas or fairs.

Career in Rural Market

While rural marketing offers a challenging career, a rural sales person should require certain qualifications and specialized talent.

Cultural Factors

Culture is a system of shared values, beliefs and perceptions that influence the behavior of consumers. There are different groups based on religion, caste, occupation, income, age, education and politics and each group exerts influence on the behavior of people in villages.

There is a belief among rural people that experience is more important than formal education and they respect salespersons who can offer practical solutions to their problems. Therefore, it is desirable that sales persons, especially those who have been brought up in cities are given a thorough training consisting of both theory and practical aspects of village life. The training will help these sales persons to align themselves with the market realities and settle down smoothly in their jobs.

Rural market has a tremendous potential that is yet to be tapped. A small increase in rural income, results in an exponential increase in buying power.

Future Trends

Markets which are not able to face the stiff competition posed by MNCs, can restore their profits in the rural sector. The market share of urban market when compared to the rural market is low, hence if Indian industries concentrate on rural markets their sales will increase. If rural markets are brought into the limelight of development, they pave way to prosperity. Prosperity of India lies in the prosperity of every Indian, hence no rural segment should be left untapped.

How Games Can Help in Development of a Child

Every child loves to play. The best part of childhood is the time that is spent playing. Games are not just for fun, but they also have other benefits. They can be outdoor or indoor, both have their own set of benefits. Let's discuss the benefits in detail.

- Helpful in Learning:

The growth and development years of a child are very crucial. The personality they develop also depends on those years. If they participate in games, they use their brains more. This helps them learn new things as they will interact more. They are exposed to new people, mentalities and so on. For example, if a child likes to play Scrabble or word games, it will help them in many ways. It will increase their vocabulary, help them learn new words and so on.

- Health Benefits:

According to science, any kind of physical activity promotes early brain development and learning in children. Being physically active is helpful in the longer run. It would decrease the chances of having issues with sugar, obesity and so on. Children would understand the value of fitness.

- Improves Skills:

Children have a large amount of energy. It's impossible to make them concentrate or just convince them to sit down. If a child is kept busy playing, that energy gets utilized. Many skills get developed in this time like running, dancing and so on. Letting kids improve their skills boosts their confidence for the future. If kids play sports, they are developing skills that would be helpful in future. They can transform their love for a sport into a carrier. Won't that be great?

The same is the case when it comes to indoor games. A few examples are games like chess, carom board and many more. They allow the children to sharpen their brain or help them learn sportsman spirit. Both are equally important.

- Making memories:

When children are playing games, they are also making lifelong memories. They will remember the friends they make, the smiles it puts on their faces, the things they learn and so on. It is so important to grow up to have good memories.

Lost in the world of electronics:

We are living in a digital age. Everything is electronic. Virtual games are slowly replacing the other games. People choose to play virtual football more than real football. Isn't that sad? Parents should always help their children understand the importance of games (indoor and outdoor). Children should know the world outside the virtual platform. What do you think?

Business Lawyer - When to Hire One

Two most needed professionals when it comes to any business - the accountant and lawyer. Accountants help ensure that the business runs smoothly and financial records are kept correctly. On the other hand, a business lawyer can address any questions that may arise in the business. He can also assist in any complex process or in time-consuming methods.

The reason behind employing the service of a business lawyer is somehow not so apparent. However, if you've got the most outstanding one, it can help you in almost all of your concerns within your business from copyright to lawsuits, liability and more. But when do you think is the right time to hire one? General rules are tackled below:

• When charges have already been filed against you, then it's something too late. Almost small businesses defer the service of business lawyer until a police officer is already at their concessions with and summon at hand, which is a very bad idea. The best time to connect yourself with a legal adviser is before you're being sued. Once the complaints and summons have already been served, the main problems are now difficult to resolve. Moreover, you have to deal with its complication such as the attorney's fees, settlement, court cost, and more just to have the problem fix. In short, instead of minimizing the cost and resolving minor disputes, the more you have to spend just to settle the differences.

• Is it small or large business? In general, the larger your business is, the larger is the upkeep. With this standing, you would most likely expect to pay higher rates; however, large companies still hold ample advantages over small ones. For the last two decades, lawyers have now been specialized on their field. If you're only hiring a solo practitioner, then chances are way too small for your business grow since his skills are only limited. Meanwhile, if you're hiring a generalist, sooner or later, you will need the help of specialists that will help you in every business needs you have - may it be in filing a trademark, negotiating an office space for lease, supervising a corporate meeting, and many other tasks. Looking at these different legal activities, you will definitely end up hooking yourself with two or more business lawyers.

Larger businesses may demand more economic costs, yet they tend to enjoy great advantages. First, they possessed the legal legal prowess under one roof, and secondly, they got an amount of clout in their locality, even in the region, and oftentimes, in the national legal society.

Imagine receiving a repulsive letter from prestigious law firm with several offices in over thirty-five states. Is not the letter from them feels more intimidating compared to a letter that comes from a single practitioner?

Another great thing in being connected with well-established large firm is its intuitive benefits. It can open more great possibilities like introducing you to some financing sources or you can utilize their names as reference if ever in search of partnership deals.

It's inevitable that if you're planning to operate a rapidly-growing entrepreneurial firm that will sell out to large companies someday, you'll need the help of business lawyers to keep your business running profitably.

Windows Vista Update Error? Heres How Fix It

Are you affected by the Windows Vista Update Error problem? This happens when you are trying to update Vista and instead of working like it should, you receive an error 8000FFFF. So, whats the deal with the Vista update error and what exactly does 8000FFFF mean? Read on to find out more about the cause of this annoying little error and how you can fix it.

The Vista update error problem has been widely reported by Vista users. Its most often found on computers with 4GB or more of ram, but can occur on other configurations as well. There are two main causes of this problem, corrupted Software Distribution folder and corrupted Registry Entries

In order to solve the problem, here are some troubleshooting tips and suggestions that have worked for others:

Solution #1) Rename the "SoftwareDistribution" Folder

First step here is to turn off your Automatic Updates. You can do this by navigating here:

Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> Administrator Tools -> Services -> Automatic Updates Service, then select the "General" tab. Click to stop Automatic Updates.

Next, you will need to navigate to your "C:" drive and look for a folder called SoftwareDistribution. Rename this folder to something else.

Last, you can navigate back to the screen from the first step and turn Automatic Updates back on. This can sometimes clear this error and allow updates to continue.

If that fails, the problem is probably in your Windows registry...

Solution #2) Clean The Registry and Repair Corrupt Elements

For this solution, you will need to download and install a Vista compatible registry cleaner. for your convenience, there's a link at the bottom of this article for a free download of RegCure (my favorite).

After you install your registry cleaner, you will need to let it scan for errors. There can be hundreds or even thousands of these errors on your PC, so don't be shocked when it reports a healthy number.

Next, give the software permission to repair those errors automatically. There is an easy step by step wizard for you to follow. After you set it to run, take a short break and give it a few minutes to work at cleaning and repairing your registry.

When it's finished, you can reboot your computer and find out if this cleared the 8000FFFF Vista update error. If it's still not working, theres one last thing that you can try.

Solution #3) Re-Run Failed Updates

In a few cases, locating and re-running failed updates may clear up the problem. You can do this by opening:

Control Panel -> Windows Update -> View Update History

If you see failed updates, you can try to download the files and install them manually.

Making Money From Home With a Top Health and Wellness Business

With all the home based businesses out there, the health and wellness field is one of the fastest growing fields out there. Why do you think that is? It's because today, we as a world are more unhealthy than ever before! The reason we are so unhealthy is because of what we eat and drink everyday. The food we put in our bodies is making us sick! So sick in-fact, that for the first time in history, our kids are projected to live shorter lives than us! If you ask me, that is sad.

There is a home based business that is trying to turn things around. They are helping people start very profitable businesses, and making them healthy at the same time. This company has been around for a long time. They are not only changing lives, they are saving lives! Most people start this business just looking to make money from home. Before they know it they are losing weight, and living happier lives! Others start on the products and get such great results, that they turn it into a profitable business!

If the food companies cared about people they would make more of an effort to put out products that were more healthy for us. Unfortunately, all they care about is producing food fast and cheap. Really all they care about is the money. It's to bad society has to suffer for it! Think of all the diseases attributed to the food we eat. Diabetes, cancer, obesity, and that's just a few! Speaking of obesity, did you know two thirds of the worlds population is overweight! Not only that but one out of every three children are overweight! Now that's not only sad, I would say its an epidemic!

These are the reasons the health and wellness field is exploding right now! People are becoming aware of these facts and doing something about it. When people realize that not only are they going to end up dying young, but so are their children, it changes the way they think. It makes them realize that there is more to life than eating fatty foods and sitting on the couch. I hope everyone that reads this will look in the mirror, and decide to make a change today! If not for yourself, do it for your children!

If you are looking to start a home based business, I would definitely recommend one in the health and wellness field. There is so much money to be made, and you can learn how to live a healthy life at the same time! That is just one of many perks! Here is to your health and your success!

A Bigger Crisis Than the Sub-Prime Awaits America

Estimates also place an average US householder's debt at $ 9,700 on credit cards.

With borrowers using credit cards to repay loans, defaults on 'better' home loans will rise too. As the sub-prime home loan mess is cleaned up with a $ 700 billion bailout, there is trouble cooking elsewhere too.

Sub-prime is already old news, the venom is spreading to mid-prime and prime mortgages too. So the $ 700 billion bailout will not be enough.

Mid = prime loans have an unusual organization. For the first two years only the interest on the loan has to be paid, aater that the principal portion in, and that has started to happen now.

As the US economy enters into a recession and the principal portion to be repaid also kicking in, the mid-prime borrowers are more and more likely to be defaulters as well.

The US home loan market is estimated to be around $ 11 trillion, of which $ 1 trillion is the sub-prime market, and the mid-prime around $ 1.4 trillion

Mid-prime market is definitely bigger than the sub-prime market, and with more borrowers turning defaulters, there will be more trouble brewing, much more than the existing sub-prime.

For the uninitiated, let me stop to explain. The prime home loan market is the best part of the market in which borrowers who have good credit ratings are given home loans. Mid-prime is not a fully documented loan, and borrowers pay a slightly higher rate of interest. Sub-prime is the lowest level of the market and borrowers are mainly those with very poor credit repayment history, who would not normally be given a loan.

Borrowers are facing a financial crunch and have stared using credit cards to pay off home loans. Cash-strapped mortgagers are using their credit cards because right now, this is the only option left to them, until their cards max out.

Do you think people now get the fact that they should save, or face ruin?

Do you think people now grasp the fact that houses are risky investments , and not savings accounts or ATMs?

It's time people got in touch with reality and started thinking smart.