AC Week

AC Week

Bryan Ellis’ thoughts on The Virtualization Of The Real Estate Industry

December 30th, 2008

A newcomer to the world of investments in the notion of “Virtual Real Estate Investing“. There are many variations on what this term means, encompassing everything from using the internet to aid in real estate investing efforts to participating in online games such as SecondLife.

To get the facts, I sought out the man generally considered to be the father of virtual real estate investing: Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com.

“I began using the term ‘virtual real estate investing’ in the late 1990’s when I realized the clear similiarities in profit strategies, regardless of whether the “real estate” is “virtual” or “physical” said Ellis.

One example of the parallels between virtual and physical real estate Bryan Ellis cites is the similarity between the monetization of domain names versus physical property. He points out that control of a domain name or even a specific web page is much like controlling a real estate property ” those assets can be monetized in similar ways: By selling them for a profit, by leasing them, by offering advertising, etc.

The similarities really are obvious. Consider: A valuable piece of real estate is valuable largely due to the interest that other people have in that specific location. Similarly, ownership of a desirable domain name is valuable for the same reasons. So it doesn’t matter if you own physical real estate or virtual real estate - you’ll likely use similar strategies to turn them into money in your pocket.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

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Posted in Entrepreneurs, Internet Marketing, Realty Management | Comments Off


Navigate With Ease - Why Easy Website Navigation Is The Key To Repeat Business

December 30th, 2008

Although there are many experts who claim to know what makes a website successful, upon researching one would find that almost every expert would agree that navigation has a large part in the formula. Easy website navigation is the key to repeat business. There are thousands of websites out there floating around. Not every one of these websites is successful and that is mainly due to the website structure itself. If you want to create a website that is structurally capable of leading to repeat business, then you should consider these tips during the creating and building processes.

Easy website navigation needs to begin with the design of your website. Before your website is published on the web, it should be finished and able to be easily navigated. Don’t wait for the problems to present themselves through use to figure out what works and what doesn’t, especially if you are running a web business. There is simply no room for needless error when it comes to your business. The first thing to remember during initial design phases is that your website should be so simple to use that an eleven-year-old child should be able to figure it out. It is unlikely someone that young would ever be conducting business online, but many adults need the simplicity on websites. You should also keep it simple enough to run on even the slowest computer you can imagine someone owning. Not everyone has the fastest and newest computers around, so you will need to keep that in mind. If you only design for the highest forms of technology, you will likely loose quite a few potential customers.

When it comes to the actual design, try to use things that are easy to the eye. Pictures and graphics work really well, as long as they are not too large or complicated. If you are using photos, make sure you use thumbprints that can be clicked upon to reveal a larger image of the photo. The thumbprints will load quickly for those with slower connections, but also allow the option of seeing the image in larger form. Consumers would much rather gather information from pictures on the web than by reading boring text. A good rule is to offer a majority of images, with a little text mixed in.

When adding content to your site, there are a few things you should not do. First, you should not repeat common information. If you assume your audience is ignorant, they will likely be offended. Second, you should not repeat information from other websites with the same subject as yours. This will only make you look uniform and basically convince consumers you have nothing unique to offer them. If they can get the same deals at another website, they just might take their business there. Be sure you are adding valuable information and products on your website. Consumers are intelligent and want to be treated as such.

When trying to figure out how to link each page to another, you will need to keep an “obvious” state of mind. This means that any place that you feel you must type “click here” should be so obvious that even without the actual words “click here”; the consumer should feel that is what should be done next. Designing your site with predictability in mind is a great idea. The more comfortable the consumer feels with the site, the better your business will be and the more repeat business you can expect. When the customer “knows” what will happen next, they will automatically feel comfortable. Surprising customers is not usually a great idea, so make sure everything works as it should. Place links in appropriate places so the viewer does not need to search endlessly for the link to the next page.

Lastly, remember to avoid backgrounds and colors that distract from your products and website in general. Never use anything blinking in your site design. Blinking ads and content are annoying to everyone that uses the internet and can even cause medical problems in some viewers. Repeat business will not exist if you use content that is difficult on the eyes or it annoying to viewers. To get people to come back to your website, you need to create a place that can be navigated with complete ease. Make sure that all links are checked daily to ensure that your website is running as smoothly as possible. Also, be sure to have all of the “kinks” taken care of before you even publish your site online. Do these things and you are sure to have repeat business.

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Posted in Web Of Websters | Comments Off


California Bad Credit Mortgage Loans - How Credit Ratings Affects Approval

December 29th, 2008

Applying and getting approved for home loans with bad credit is doable.
Unfortunately, those who accept a bad credit loan must be willing to
pay slightly higher interest rates. The average mortgage rate is about
6%. If you have excellent credit, it may be possible to get approved for
a home loan around 5%. However, if you have a low credit score, you can
expect rates as high as 9%.

Understanding the Importance of Credit

Using credit unwisely can greatly hinder any efforts to obtain a low
rate on home loans, auto loans, credit cards, etc. For this matter, many
people strive to improve their credit rating. Credit ratings can affect
home loan approvals. Although it is possible to get approved for a
mortgage with poor credit, rarely do lenders offer home loans to persons
with credit scores below 500.

Additionally, a few traditional mortgage lenders have strict lending
guidelines. Some only offer prime rates to those with credit scores above
680, whereas others reserve prime rates for those with scores above
720. Thus, if you are hoping to secure a low rate mortgage, it is
important to maintain a high credit rating.

Benefits of a Bad Credit Mortgage Loan

Bad credit mortgage loans are offered by sub prime lenders. These loans
are intended specifically to help individuals with poor credit obtain a
home loan. While bad credit loans are helpful, there are certain
disadvantages.

For starters, individuals with a low credit score will pay higher
rates. Higher mortgage interest rates will increase total mortgage payments.
In some cases, high rates may decrease how much you can afford to pay
for a home.

Nonetheless, bad credit mortgages are ideal for rebuilding credit and
improving credit rating. After paying on a mortgage for several months,
your credit score will begin to gradually increase. In time, you may be
able to obtain other credit accounts at a reasonable rate. Furthermore,
once your credit improves, you will have the option of refinancing the
home loan for a better rate.

Applying for a Bad Credit Mortgage Loan

When applying for a bad credit mortgage loan, research online mortgage
lenders. These lenders offer easy online applications and quick
approvals. Moreover, online mortgage mortgages afford easy loan comparisons.
After receiving a loan request form, brokers will provide multiple
offers from a range of lenders.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.abcloanguide.com. View her recommended sources for California bad credit mortgage loans.

View our recommended bad credit mortgage loan California lenders online. Also, check out our recommended sources for a cheap credit report online.

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Posted in Realty Management | Comments Off


Wedding Planning - How To Choose Music For Your Wedding

December 28th, 2008

One of the most difficult decisions to make when planning your wedding is what music to play. Do you play jazz, classical, country, or should you consider “oldies but goodies?”

Of course, if you have a theme to your wedding then music that fits the theme would be appropriate. For instance, if you intend to “get hitched” at a country themed wedding then you should play some “boot scootin’” music. Otherwise, if you don’t have a specific theme in mind then your song choices are vast.

When considering music for your wedding try to think if there are songs that have special meaning to you. Or maybe a specific genre of music is your favorite. Do you and your fiance have a special song? Think through these questions to help decide what music you should play at your wedding or wedding reception.

Wagner’s “Wedding March” from Lobengrin also known as “Here Comes The Bride” is still the most popular music played as the bride walks down the aisle. But maybe you want something a bit less traditional. Why not walk down the aisle to an appropriate pop song or soundtrack from a favorite movie or musical?

As stated, choosing music for a wedding ceremony or wedding reception is rather difficult. The most important concept to remember is play music that reflects who you are. Think outside the box.

Brandi Clark is the owner of Wedding Decor and More! Visit http://weddingdecorandmore.blogspot.com to take advantage of special offers for your honeymoon and sign up to receive a free wedding planning tips ebook!

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Posted in Relationships + More | Comments Off


Cisco CCNP / BSCI Exam Tutorial: Using Distribute Lists

December 27th, 2008

To be successful on the BSCI exam and in earning your CCNP, you’ve got to master route redistribution. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, because configuring route redistribution is only half the battle. Whether it’s on an exam or in a real-world production network, you’ve got to identify possible points of trouble before you configure route redistribution - and you need to be able to control redistribution as well. You may have an OSPF domain with 100 routes, but only need to redistribute 10 of them into a neighboring RIPv2 domain. You’ve got to know how to do that, and one method is the use of a distribute-list.

A distribute-list is an access-list that is used to determine what routes can and cannot be redistributed. Distribute-lists let you specify what routes will be filtered from the process. You can use standard or extended ACLs, and you can filter routes that are coming into a routing process or being injected into another process.

In the following example, R1 is redistributing RIP routes into OSPF, but only wants to advertise network 150.1.1.0 /24 to other OSPF routers. An ACL will be written to match that particular network, and then the distribute-list will be written under the routing process. I’m going to show you the IOS Help output for the distribute-list command, and please note that routing updates can be controlled at the interface level or protocol level.

R1(config)#access-list 24 permit 150.1.1.0 0.0.0.255

R1(config)#router ospf 1

R1(config-router)#redistribute rip subnets

R1(config-router)#distribute-list 24 ?

in Filter incoming routing updates

out Filter outgoing routing updates

R1(config-router)#distribute-list 11 out ?

Async Async interface

BRI ISDN Basic Rate Interface

BVI Bridge-Group Virtual Interface

CTunnel CTunnel interface

Dialer Dialer interface

Ethernet IEEE 802.3

Lex Lex interface

Loopback Loopback interface

Multilink Multilink-group interface

Null Null interface

Serial Serial

Tunnel Tunnel interface

Vif PGM Multicast Host interface

Virtual-Template Virtual Template interface

Virtual-TokenRing Virtual TokenRing

bgp Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

connected Connected

egp Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)

eigrp Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP)

igrp Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP)

ospf Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)

rip Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

static Static routes

R1(config-router)#distribute-list 11 out rip

Using distribute-lists does guard against routing loops, but they have other purposes. You may have a network segment that should be kept secret from the rest of your company; a distribute-list can filter that segment’s network number from the redistribution process. In this way, distribute-lists serve as a basic form of network security. (Very basic. I wouldn’t sell that firewall on ebay if I were you.)

Keeping such networks out of routing updates and routing tables throughout the network has the side effect of reducing routing update overhead as well.

Chris Bryant - EzineArticles Expert Author

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Posted in Technology Resources | Comments Off


Congratulations! You’ve Gotten Visitors To Your Site! Now, Can They Find What They’re Looking For?

December 27th, 2008

As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of time trying to get targeted traffic to our site. But, once those visitors get to our site, can they find what they’re looking for? If not, guess what? We’ve lost a customer.

Think about it this way. How many times have you found a site through a major search engine or directory, only to visit the site and not be able to find what you’re looking for anywhere on the site? What do you do next? You go back to the search engine and click on the next site. That site has lost a customer: you.

Helping your visitors find what they’re looking for on your site can cover a great many areas, such as navigation, user interface issues, and the lack of a clear “call to action.”

But one way around many of those issues is to offer an onsite search engine, so that once visitors hit your site, they can easily find exactly what they’re looking for.

The really neat thing about onsite search engines is that many of them are FREE. Yes, you read right: free. Of course, that also means that you may have ads in your search results, which may or may not present problems for you. However, even if you choose to purchase an onsite engine, the cost is generally not expensive.

What should you look for in an onsite search engine?

  • Good customer support. If you begin to have problems with the engine, you want to be able to get help in fixing it.

  • Reports that let you know what people are searching for once they reach your site. Just think of the GOLD this will tell you! If you don’t have a page that covers a particular topic, make one!

  • Ease in setting up the engine. This may or may not be an issue to you, but if you’re like me, you want something that is simple to set up and maintain.

  • An extensive “help” section at the site that will walk you through setting up the engine and answer any questions you might have.

  • The ability to keep the engine out of certain areas of your site that you don’t want spidered and available through the search, such as employee areas, password-protected member areas, etc.

  • The ability to spider password-protected areas so that your member areas can have their own onsite search.

  • The ability to customize search results pages.

  • The capability to request re-indexing whenever you update the site, or even to schedule re-indexing on a regular basis.

In my training material and resource library at the Academy, I had an onsite search engine for a long time. Then, the company folded. Until recently, I hadn’t set up another onsite engine, because the one onsite engine that I really wanted to use didn’t index password-protected areas. So, I “patiently” waited for the onsite engine, FreeFind, to add this to their list of features. When they recently did, I jumped on it, and now both of my online training programs have excellent onsite search engines through FreeFind (http://www.freefind.com).

But why did FreeFind stand out among the others, and why was it so important to me to wait until they could index password- protected areas? FreeFind offers some features that I couldn’t find on other onsite search engines, features that would help me tremendously with my work.

For example:

  • FreeFind will automatically create a What’s New page, after you’ve any changes to the site. Just think of how much help that will be for me with my training material? Between my two programs (beginning and advanced), I have over 1000 resource pages to update every single month, and I’ve been creating the “What’s New” page by hand. Now, it’s automatically created for me.

  • FreeFind is the only onsite search engine that enables your visitors to find the page they’re looking for, then keeps an eye on it for any changes. Their ChangeDetection ™ monitoring system lets your users monitor a page for content changes, then notifies them when the page is changed. If you set up this engine on your own site, it will build traffic by turning casual, one- time visitors into repeat and loyal visitors who return again and again to look at changes made to the page that are of particular interest to them.

  • FreeFind will automatically create a Site Map of your site. This Site Map is an alphabetical listing of the pages on your site. The Site Map will be even more valuable to you if you have a regular, non-password protected site, because it will give the Web search engines a page of links to spider.

  • FreeFind will search across several domains. So, if your company has numerous domains, your onsite search engine will cover each of those domains, without having to set up separate engines.

In Conclusion

Look closely at your site. Is it time to add an onsite search engine? Is it time to make sure visitors can find exactly what they’re looking for when they land on your site? Are you losing customers who get lost and can’t find what they want?

FreeFind (http://www.freefind.com) is an excellent onsite search engine that met my exact needs. However, to be fair, and because this article isn’t meant to be an advertisement for FreeFind, here are some other onsite engines that you may want to consider. Look closely at their features, and find the one that works best for you.

Other Onsite Search Engines

Atomz: http://www.atomz.com

PicoSearch: http://www.picosearch.com

SiteLevel.com: http://www.sitelevel.com/

FusionBot.com: http://www.fusionbot.com

A listing of numerous onsite search tools: http://www.searchtools.com/tools/tools.html

Copyright 2002 Robin Nobles. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Robin Nobles, Director of Training, Academy of Web Specialists, has trained several thousand people in her online search engine marketing (http://www.academywebspecialists.com) training programs. Visit the Academy’s training site to learn more about their online search engine marketing training (http://www.onlinewebtraining.com) and search engine optimization (http://www.se-optimizer.com) software. She also teaches 3-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe with Search Engine Workshops (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com).

Email: RobinN@acws.com

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Posted in Web Of Websters | Comments Off


VOIP or IP Telephony Implementations: Tips for Success

December 26th, 2008

Few IT professionals have practical experience in implementing IP Telephony solutions because there is both a voice and data component. It is not as simple as loading software on a server, assigning IP addresses and dropping telephones on employee desks. The voice professionals understand PBX and voice technologies and the IT professionals understand LANs and WANs. Implementing an IP Telephony solution requires expertise in both the voice and data world. A complete understanding of the two will ensure success.

As the business community migrates its voice and data systems to IP telephony, it is important to understand what elements need to be considered. An IP telephony implementation is very different than installing a traditional TDM PBX. Consideration must be given to the following when developing the initial project plan:

Assessment and planning of current voice and data infrastructure

Network readiness (QOS, capacity, network management, security, IP addressing, etc.).

Voice and Data Infrastructure preparation (cabling, power, etc.).

Equipment or data room preparation (back up power, cooling, etc.).

Integration of applications such as Voice mail, ACD or branch office solutions.

Validation of System design.

New goals and expectations from affected departments.

Organization readiness (aptitude and training of voice, data and user groups).

Risk Assessment.

Sign Off of the Project Plan by all team members

Now that the project plan outline is developed, take the following items into account to ensure project success:

Ensure the Project timeline is realistic.

It is imperative that the voice people talk to and understand the data people.

Order any Telco services well in advance of assumed time frames.

IP Telephony will require more planning than you expect.

Have regular POTS circuits in place for back up.

Ensure the IP Telephony PBX or Server supports POTS analog circuits or telephones.

Treat station reviews as an important task.

All PC’s connected to IP Telephone sets must have all the latest patches loaded.

IP Telephone sets require power to operate. What’s your power continuance plan?

Simplify your LAN architecture.

Communication is key to users and department leaders.

Minimize the number of vendors in your architecture.

Identify any potential hidden and often overlooked costs of implementation.

Don’t underestimate the importance of network management.

Prepare and draw out all call flows including the call center and voice mail back door.

Analyze voice traffic and understand trunking traffic studies.

Don’t upgrade your data network at the same time of IP PBX cut-over.

Make sure all software is compatible.

It is useful to develop a multi-phase plan.

Watch out for alarm circuits, HVAC and fire safety equipment circuits.

Elevator telephones, Overhead Paging?

Test, test, test.

Any 911 issues?

Address any additional network security concerns.

Ensure all users are properly trained.

Develop a post cutover action plan.

Do not try to save money on the installation.

This is by no means a comprehensive plan as every project is unique, but I hope that you may have found some items to consider that maybe would have been overlooked.

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How to Drive Laser-Targeted Traffic - 7 Ways

December 25th, 2008

by Fred Farah

How to Drive Laser-Targeted Traffic - 7 Ways that you can use, and really benefit from.

As an affiliate marketer you may have all the attributes needed to succeed. You may have the necessary drive, diligence and perseverance to be able to understand how the system works. You may even have all the tools necessary to maintain the business, including a really unique and interesting website which could earn you a fortune.

If only the whole world could see it!!

However, all the above would prove useless if you don’t know how to drive traffic to your website. Your business would sink into oblivion unless you knew how to actually drive traffic effectivly.

Getting people to see your website is a difficult undertaking if you consider that your rivals are waiting to cut your legs out from under you. The immensity of the internet as well as the affiliate marketing world, has given birth to fierce competition between affiliate marketers, each of whom has his own great product to offer.

With all the websites piling on top of each other, how would you be able to stand out? Here are the seven best ways to drive laser-targeted traffic to your own website.

1 - Know your market through and through.

It’s important for traffic to be targeted to those who have a special interest in the theme or topic of your website. This way, a solid customer base is going to be created. Once a potential customer shows an interest in your website and your newsletter, then don’t lose them by failing to provide great information they’re looking for.

2 - The next step in driving traffic to your website is by relying on search engines and what they can do for the affiliate marketer concerned. Because they are popular for driving free targeted traffic, they should not be ignored by any means. Having top search engine rankings is vital to building popularity links, and the use of the right keywords is important in attaining this goal. Once a website is on top of the list, it is easily accessible to anyone who wants to find it for himself.

3 - The next step is link exchange Contact other webmasters for a possible link exchange partnership. Locating websites that are related to yours is the primary task. Once there, you need to establish communication by personalizing your communication with other webmasters. If you use a plain form letter, it may not get read.

4 - The next step is through writing your own articles. or at least posting releveant guest author’s articles on your site. This is an effective way to promote a website, because good content is what people are looking for.

If satisfied with the quality of your content, they will come back for more. And what’s more powerful than repeat visitors who have grown to trust you and your site. At the time of this writing, Best Affiliate Products reached 330 pages of great content. Search engine traffic is increasing daily, and people are staying longer and reading more pages.

5 - The fifth is through joining affiliate programs. Having affiliates to do the work means allowing them to bring tons of traffic to the merchant’s website through their promotion of his product. Increased sales would be realized as a result, and both the affiliate and the seller will benefit.

6 - The next step is through joint ventures. This is one of the most effective ways of promoting a product or a service. Having a partner with a targetted list is beneficial to both parties, as it allows them to reach a wide customer base in a short amount of time.

7 - And finally, have a list of subscribers that you can write to on a regular basis. This is your most valuable asset. The use of autoresponders to send out your personalized newsletters is the best way of benefitting from your list. Letting them know about new products and services through a cleverly prepared regular newsletter is almost a guarantee of success.

Traffic generating strategies are important in making your affiliate marketing career surge forward. It’s always to your advantage to plan your moves in whatever business you undertake. This is particularly so in affiliate marketing. Once you know how to get people to see what your site has to offer, then you’re on the right track to affiliate gold.

Now it’s time to move forward, by taking action on these tips. 7 tips or 20 tips will achieve nothing until you act. Just do it…now!

by Fred Farah

copyright 2005

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The Secret Health Benefits Of A Good Nature Poster

December 24th, 2008

Do we really need another nature poster in our life? It’s likely. While a fortunate few of us do have an office or studio in a natural setting, the fact is, most of us work in an environment that’s not always ‘natural’.

Yet, I believe that’s what a lot of us are aiming for. Somewhere in our dreams of how we see our life unfolding, we hold pictures of us in nature or in a natural environment. This might be a home farm, studio in the hills, or even an indoor garden, anywhere where we can get that necessary ‘direct contact’ with nature.

More and more, research is pointing to the value of ‘direct contact’ with nature, informing us that it leads to ‘increased mental health and psychological development’ and explains why city-dwellers have such an attraction for nature.

Cities do have their place. And yet, when we get out of the city we start to appreciate nature even more. Nature allows us to free up our senses more, reduce stress, relax and enjoy the tranquility of it all.

“Research… shows that a window view of nature (rather than a built environment)… improves work performance in job settings, and increases job satisfaction. (This may also help explain the predominance of posters and picture calendars with nature scenes on walls of windowless office cubicles.)” - John V Davis

So there you have it. And of course, a nature poster is often very beautiful to look at, so that’s a positive aspect. We can’t all be hanging out in national parks or on Antartic ice caps or on the top of Mount Kilamanjaro. There’s too many of us. For most of us, the concept of doing such a thing is way too big anyway.

So next best is to get a visual picture of what we know exists, what we often find to be profound and truly amazing. Viewing a nature poster bring us back to a humble, awe like state where often we can grasp an appreciation for just how magnificent and incredible we are, and nature is. In fact, it’s one and the same, but that’s another story :-)

“Nature experiences increase fascination, intrinsic interest, and enjoyment. The wilderness inspires feelings of awe and wonder… individuals feel better acquainted with their own thoughts and feelings, and they feel ‘different’ in some way — calmer, at peace with themselves, ‘more beautiful on the inside and unstifled.’ ” - John V Davis

So where were we? Ah that’s right, nature posters. For a moment then, I was completely zoned out in some beautiful, misty zen Japanese garden! ‘You can’t get too much of this stuff.’ Obviously we all need it, and it’s a part of us. A nature poster gives us the ability to connect, to go there, to travel to a place of wonder and beauty…

I know, it’s just a poster. But surely if it moves us in some way, be it just briefly, it can motivate us to move towards our dreams and realization of our goals. A nature poster is certainly inspiring. How many times have you heard yourself saying ‘wow I want to do that’ or ‘I want to go there?’

And you can, if you really want to! And just think - we see in pictures. So by looking at a nature poster can you imagine… see yourself in a similar environment, doing something you’ve always wanted to do? Or moving further towards a huge goal or project that makes you uncomfortable just thinking about its potential!?

Or of course - just enjoy the sheer pleasure of the moment!

Have fun. And when you come back, let me know!

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What Happens To My Mortgage When I Sell My Home

December 23rd, 2008

You’ve decided to make the plunge and sell you home. More than a few people have innocently asked me, “What happens to my mortgage when I sell my home?”

What Happens to My Mortgage When I sell My Home

If you own a home, you undoubtedly are carrying a mortgage on it. A mortgage is simply a loan from a bank or financial institution for percentage of the value of the home, which you pay to the person you purchased the home from when you bought it. Depend on the type of mortgage you have, the amount due on the loan should have decreased during the time you lived in the home and made monthly payments.

When you go to sell your home, the simple question is what happens to the then due balance on the mortgage? The simple answer is the financial institution is going to be paid out of the proceeds of the sale before you see anything. As a result, it is critical that you calculate in the loan repayment amount when determining if it makes sense to sell a home. If you have a home worth $300,000 and owe $280,000 on the mortgage, you are going to realize little or no profit after the costs associated with the sale and probably shouldn’t sell it.

If you have plenty of equity built up in the home, your mortgage can still end up costing you more than you originally expected. Many modern mortgages have restrictive penalties built into them. These penalties are designed to encourage you to hold onto the home for a set period of time, usually a couple of years, so the bank can recover a certain amount of interest up front. Put another way, the bank is trying to lock in a certain amount of profit on the loan.

When it comes to these restrictive penalties, lending institutions get pretty creative. Many will include a penalty if you sell or refinance the property within the first two years of the loan period. The penalties can be anything from the equivalent of three months of payments to a preset amount or even a percentage of the loan. State law often influences these issues, so you need to read your mortgage loan documents closely.

Regardless, you mortgage is going to be paid off as part of the sales process. The exact amount will depend upon the nature of your loan.

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Posted in Realty Management | Comments Off