David Reading

Establishing yourself as the expert in your field will help you gain both recognition and respect. Luckily, that recognition and respect transfers directly to your company. If people trust that you truly know what you are talking about, they will feel good about investing in your product.

How to Gain Recognition
There are countless vehicles through which you can brand yourself as an expert. Budgets tend to limit what most companies can do, however. While television and radio appearances will reach the greatest number of people and are also the most personal, most cannot afford such an endeavor. Newspapers, magazines, and other publications are a more cost effective way of gaining exposure.

The Internet has become an increasingly popular place for business owners to showcase their expertise. The opportunities for brand establishment on the Internet are countless.

A website is the best place to start. Build a professional looking site with sound and informative content and you'll have a source of expert information to direct customers to. It is wise to upload a variety of self-written material to that website. Whether it be e-books or articles, good writing commands respect.

Remember that it is okay to give away some of your precious knowledge free of charge. Offer the customer something useful up front and they will label you as a legitimate source to go to for whatever your company may offer.

Branding on the Internet Once your website is in good shape, it is time to attract some site-goers. Article marketing is one way to do this. Appearing as an expert in these self-written articles published on various sites will give readers the option of linking back to your site.

Article marketing is an especially effective way to gain that expert status because it gives you the ability to dispense a small number of articles to a huge number of content-rich sites. The more places your name pops up, the more people will be exposed to your site and product. You can be assured you have risen to an expert level in the eyes of consumers once these associations are made.

Another way to display your expertise is through online forums and blogs. This is a bit more casual than article writing. It allows you to remain in the first person and talk candidly with interested web surfers. The conversational tone used in such settings will put many potential customers at ease.

Not only will they view you as an expert, they'll also feel connected to you as a real human being. Similarly, such an environment gives customers the chance to ask questions as well as giving you the opportunity to back up your product in the face of criticism.

What to Highlight While the language you use and the information you present is most important when it comes to branding, there are other things to consider. Perhaps most vital are your credentials. Related degrees, certifications, licenses and accreditations that you may have are always good to highlight.

For instance, at the bottom of an article you have written about your clown entertainment business for a circus magazine, you might include a small blurb that says something like the following: "Tom Jones received an M.A. in the Creative Arts from Bozonion University. He is a licensed Balloon Animal Artist as well as being certified in professional stilt-walking. Mr. Jones has been successfully entertaining for over twenty-five years."

Find the right places to gain recognition. Put yourself out there and command respect through that exposure. Highlight your achievements and successes. Branding yourself as an expert is all about getting other people to recognize something about you that you already know. It is your business and you know your industry. Get out there and showcase your expert talents!

Email: Dreading@skylinefinancialcorp.com

Direct: (805) 794-4374

Facing an economic crisis like the one we are dealing with now is not easy, and puts consumers at more risk than ever for flailing credit scores. With gas prices sky high, the cost of living on the rise, and the unemployment going up; it is easy for singles and families to get behind on bills and payments. But you are not alone - 60% of Americans have a credit score that is below 750, meaning we've all made mistakes and have had difficulty staying on top of things. So here are a couple tips that will show you how you can still maintain a good credit score, even when living paycheck to paycheck.

1. Know Your Score. The first step to reviving your credit score is to know exactly where you're at. So, contact a trustworthy credit bureau (there are plenty of free ones out there) and ask for a copy of your current credit report. Here, you can identify exactly where you have fallen short in the past, and what to avoid in the future. You will also be able to see all open lines of credit. Perhaps you have forgotten about the Macy's credit card you opened when you were 18, or the student loans from college. You will be able to see exactly why your credit score is the way it is from this report. And in most cases, credit bureaus will also supply you with the contact numbers of all your credit lines, in case there are any inaccuracies you wish to dispute.

2. Pay Your Bills On Time. Perhaps the biggest improvement you can make is paying all your bills on time. After all, payment history is the single greatest factor used in determining your credit score. And this doesn't just mean your mortgage, loan, and credit card payments-things like cell phone bills, medical bills, rent, and utility bills can also be tacked on if past due. So what if there isn't enough money this month to pay them all? DON'T IGNORE THEM. A lot of times, companies and banks will work with you and set up a payment plan if you are having trouble making ends meet. Paying half this month and the rest next is better than paying nothing, and will allow you to avoid late fees, disconnection of service, and bills ending up in collections.

3. Start Building a Positive Credit History NOW. So your credit is not perfect, or you do not have enough established credit. What to do? Start small now and work your way up. But be smart; only take on things you can handle. Make sure you have a checking and savings account. Apply for a secured credit card to begin proving your financial responsibility. Get a co-signer for a small loan or credit card and be sure to make your payments on time. Also, another handy tip is to work with local lenders. They are more likely to cut you a break, and are also less likely to use big credit reporting agencies to run your credit. This means all past blemishes are less likely to show up and reflect poorly on their decision.

4. Avoid Constant Change. Frequent changes in employers and addresses can make you look unreliable and unstable. Lenders want to see a solid history of responsibility and stability-- a steady job means a steady income, which means you are more likely to pay your bills. The same thing goes for your residence. If you are moving every year, lenders will question why and often view you as a higher credit risk. Also, if you currently own your home, you are off to a great start; lenders look favorably on home owners.

5. Stay on Top of Things. The key to getting your credit back on track and keeping it that way is always knowing what is on your credit report. That means making sure your bills do not go into collections, knowing what lenders are checking your credit history, and knowing what lenders are reporting your credit, bad or good, to the credit bureaus. It is a good idea to review your credit report at least once a year to evaluate all activity. You will want to keep an eye out for an inaccuracies or potential fraudulent material.

Rebuilding your credit will most definitely not happen overnight, as not many things do. But, following these simple steps will help you start to transform your not-so-perfect credit into a score that you can be proud of. Just remember to identify your problems and start small, and work up from there. You'll get the hang of it and know what to do. Starting now will set you up for an even better future.

Dreading@skylinefinancialcorp.com

Direct Line: (805) 794-4374

Why Investors Club rejects almost 90% of the properties research. Main things we look for in a property.

Location

The main factor to consider when selecting a property is which location will have the greatest potential for capital growth? We look for locations where there is an increasing population and the locations will remain popular in the future. If we get this right, you are almost guaranteed long-term growth. We avoid areas that are currently booming and based on a single industry or that may have a limited future. The reason for current demand can quickly vanish.

It is all about supply and demand and areas that are experiencing consistent and strong population growth are particularly appealing and usually outperform the general market. Some suburbs hold more investment promise than others.

Properties close to the inner city are generally highly desirable, display strong capital growth over the long term and have consistently outperformed the general market.

Recently, these properties have become even more attractive from an investment point of view following increasing fuel costs and inadequate levels of infrastructure (including public transport), typical of the fringe areas of major cities.

Industrial areas close to the centre of our major cities are prime locations for redevelopment into residential or mixed-use areas. As travel times and fuel costs increase, the popularity of such areas is assured. The value of inner-city land continues to increase and encourages industry to move and make way for
inner-city dwellers.

Property investment researchers favour property in inner-city areas as it ensures good infrastructure such as shops, public transport, schools, childcare, doctors and hospitals. Such areas also mean lots of jobs and people prefer the convenience of living close to work.

Property investment researchers target properties with a ‘wow factor' such as proximity to the city, parks, golf courses and water. Being close to a beach, river, or lake is highly desirable.

Direct waterfront and beachfront properties that are close to amenities are likely to outperform the general market. Waterfront and beachfront properties have typically experienced higher rates of growth and therefore, better overall returns.

Design and build quality

How well the property is built, and even more importantly how well it is designed, may seem simple concepts but properties with inadequate attention to internal design underperform their potential.

Poorly designed property can have a significant impact on how your investment will perform in the future-it must stand the test of time and remain popular in years to come. Examine in considerable detail the floor plan of the property, ensuring that spaces are functional and suitable for long-term residential use.

Pay attention to room sizes, natural light, ventilation, aspect, access to bathrooms and patio areas, direction of north, storage etc. Note the position of the property in relation to other areas of a multi-unit development like the pool, gym, traffic areas, bin enclosures etc. Quality fixtures and finishes are also important.

We no longer need as many large homes as we once required. Smaller and more compact properties allow more people to live closer to our city centres and other desirable locations.

Apartments and townhouses take into account changing demographics, lifestyle and household sizes and therefore, make great investments.

Design and build quality of your investment property is critical. Property investment researchers always scrutinise the design and build quality of properties, selecting for our stocklist only those with the highest standards.

Attractiveness to tenants

Location, design and quality factors boost the likelihood of attracting and retaining quality tenants. A property that has been well designed and soundly built will always outperform a lesser quality property in the same area. Rents will be higher and tenants will stay longer. This provides greater overall return on investment.

Properties close to major infrastructure such as a CBD, a university or hospital and locations within an easy walk to the beach also have great appeal. Community facilities such as swimming pools, barbecue areas and gyms are attractive to tenants. Lifestyle facilities encourage tenants to stay for longer
periods.

Scarcity of available land in sought-after locations means prices are much more likely to rise than fall-even in a downturn or tough times.

For homeowners who have been in their homes for a while, one of the easiest and possibly cheapest ways of getting money out of their house is to refinance their home loan. Depending on the interest rate being offered on home loans, they may also be able to save money on the cost of their loan as well as on the loan's monthly payments.

Many homeowners bought their houses during the boom a few years back when interest rates were lower by agreeing to a fixed rate mortgage for a set number of years. With the loan converting to a variable rate hinging on the prime rate and in recent years when the prime rate went skyward they find themselves struggling to keep up with the payments. In many cases, they have not been able to make the payments and for different reasons have not been able to refinance the mortgage, ending up with the home loan being foreclosed.

Those who are able to refinance, have also been able to realize extra cash by taking the money earned as equity on their home as part of the loan process. Equity in a home is the difference in the appraised value of the property and balance due on the mortgage and in most cases, after about five years it will be a positive number. Those who are able to refinance their home loans are usually able to receive a loan of about 80 percent of the appraised value, using it to pay off the original loan and have cash left over for other uses. Stellar credit reports can sometimes realize a loan of 100 percent of the value.

Unfortunately, not all houses increase in value and houses that may have fallen into disrepair or been heavily damaged by disaster, may not be appraised at an amount equal to the loan balance. This is considered negative equity and obtaining a refinance loan is usually not possible. For a few, their only option is to either attempt to sell the house for less than they owe, or allow it to go into foreclosure and lose everything they have paid to date.

Home refinance plans are available to those with a clean credit history and in addition to the money available through the equity of the home; they can generally see additional savings through a lower interest rate. It is almost always better to obtain a new loan through the company holding the original mortgage as often the loan can go through quicker and the payment history has already been established. By lopping a percent or two off the interest rate, converting to a fixed rate mortgage, the loan payments will also drop saving money on a monthly basis. Be sure to fully understand the terms of your loan and payment information. If you feel you are not getting the best deal, be sure to shop around for better rates. You may find that you can get exactly what you want by comparison shopping.

Dreading@skylinfinancialcorp.com

Direct (805) 794-4374

Deals, Deals & More Deals!!

I've been a big believer in trying to make the process of helping Real Estate Agents get more deals by finding tech tips. I want to help all Real Estate Agents to add value to their business. When I meet with agent or Broker, I will always ask the question. "How, can I help you add a few more close deals to your business? I always seem to get a verity of answers.

Lot of the Real Estate agents are always trying to maneuver around time management, appointment conflicts in their daily activity. Lot of agents might already use this software Tech Tip to help their business'scurrently, but here goes.

Linking your WinForms to www.Docusign.com can help get your clients to sign electronically. Just think having the capability of electronic signature's. Sending your offers, counters & many other document's via email frees up a lot of time to prospect more, take one more listing, or show another home to a buyer.

The company has a great user friendly product to help real estate professionals be a Little efficient in their career.

You are probably wonder why my blog is so short with content. Well this is my first blog. I will be bringing more of my Real Estate Tech Tips to help all agent's to get more deals.

Contact me for any Loan questions or scenarios.

dreading@skylinefinancialcorp.com

(805) 794-4374