Don't Overpay for a House, Even in Today's Market
If there's one thing American investors love, it's an over-inflated market. Which is why they keep buying houses and new ones keep coming onto the market. According to the latest data, housing starts rose an annualized 3.4% in September, matching a 17-year high. Whoo-ha! Go, baby go.I wonder if ... more...

Home Equity Loans Beware of Appraisal Fraud
A new report by the independent Demos group has revealed what may not be a surprise to many people corruption is rampant in the home appraisal industry. The bust in the dot-com market of some five years ago has left would-be lenders with a surplus of cash to lend. This has led to a huge boom in ... more...

The US Dollar Is Not Weak
In 2004, The USD Was Falling, But the Dollar Was Never Weak!Germany's long term economic policy has been to cultivate a permanent trade surplus by saving more, and consuming less. But there is another side to their trade surplus/high savings rate story. Growth in Germany is 1/3rd that in the US, ... more...

Leverage - Margin Debt
What is leverage?Here is a definition of leverage from an online dictionary "leverage - The use of credit or borrowed funds to improve one's speculative capacity and increase the rate of return from an investment, as in buying securities on margin."Essentially, the core idea of leverage is that ... more...

UK Sales and Marketing Terminology
Terminology / AcronymsABC figures: This is the independently audited sales figure for all recognised publications in the UK. By using the ABC figure, you can quickly establish how much the advertising will cost per 1,000 readers. Account Managers: These are sales people who have great skills in ... more...

Adoption: Laughter and Tears
If you ever walk through an orphanage, it will be an experience youll never forget. Witnessing children in poverty, children discarded, children stunted both physically and emotionally, will stir your heart beyond belief. And adopting a child is a joy as great as witnessing the first sharp intake ... more...

Cutting Edge Real Estate: Is There Anything New? Part 1
The world of real estate has pretty much stayed the same for decades. Its no different today than it was 50 years ago. The basic principles will never change. Is this true? Only part of it? Well, lets look at what is different in the real estate world. Also, lets see what is the same.Because of ... more...

Social Networking: A Link To Like Minds
Not all dot-com dreams died when the Internet stock bubble burst.Amazon.com, the king of the dot-com era, is keeping some of them alive in 2005 inside a small office on Capitol Hill.Light floods into a sparse whitewashed room above a yoga studio, where former Amazon director Josh Petersen and his ... more...

Real Estate Bubble: Fact or Fiction?
The real estate market buzz across the country these days revolves around the anticipated and much feared bubble. The implication is that once burst, prices will spiral downward taking with them the major assets of those foolish enough to buy at a time when disaster looms large. It could happen ... more...

Prices: Where Are They Headed?
Money is the source of all evils - so goes the popular saying. Money is also what makes real estate spin around. So the critical question of the year becomes: where are real estate prices headed? Short of using a crystal ball, there are indeed a few considerations that can be made to have a general ... more...