Real Estate Expired And For Sale By Owner Letters

One of the most difficult things for real estate agents to do would be to put a pen to paper and create a letter that they can mail to homeowners that have an expired listing, or perhaps are selling on their own. Expired listings and for sale by owner (FSBO) is an essential part of becoming a successful real estate agent. So exactly what do you say within your letter which will spark the interest with the homeowner. Would it be the old worn-out line saying you have buyers for their house.

With that being said, would there be some additional interesting information for them? If not your letter goes into that famous circular file. All of your hard work, crumpled up and gone. Not only that, it is a well-known fact that one letter on its own will not produce any results. Homeowners are certainly not running for their phone to call you pleading, that you should come over and list their property.

Here Are Some Topic Ideas Of What Can Be Sent

  • So your house didn’t sell, but here’s how I can help you
  • I specialize in getting homes that have failed to sell
  • You shouldn’t Give Up
  • Pinpoint the reasons your house didn’t sell
  • I can put MORE money in your pocket than you could Selling on your own
  • Have many real estate agents been calling you?

It generally requires a number of letters in sequential order so you can get yourself recognized. Which means that now it’s more than one letter that you have to compose, it becomes a number of letters. This also means a number of good ideas that have to come together becoming a well thought out marketing campaign. Writing one letter is without a doubt hard enough, writing a series of letters is a struggle.

Try sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and begin a letter. Do you find yourself just staring at that blank sheet searching your mind for an idea? Just one good idea! Not so easy is it? Just how much time and effort are you going to have to put into getting all those letters written? Another task is proof reading all those letters. Possibly the worst thing you can do is send out a letter that is full of spelling and grammar errors. This is best done by another person or perhaps by a computer program. Do you have the time for all of this.

As soon as you start the composing process you will quickly conclude that the amount of time spent can cost you more money than actually buying letters. Well there’s some good news, you can buy letters by a professional and ready to go. There is a big advantage to purchasing real estate letters, they can cost a dollar or less per letter. A tremendous bargain if I may say so.

When you finish your letters you will have to do the mailing. It is best that you send them out systematically so that your name is frequently viewed by the homeowner. You will have to keep track of what letters you mailed out to who. You don’t want to send the same letter to someone twice. There are contact management programs available that can do that for you. All you have to do is to search contact management programs using the web to find them. I would recommend a follow-up phone call to the owners or perhaps a face-to-face visit to further form a relationship. What you want is to create the opportunity for a consideration to list their property. Good luck!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by John Allegro

For Sale by Owner Property Sales – The Top 5 Warning Signs That You Have an Untrustworthy Buyer

A by owner property sale can be a harrowing experience. The sale by owner process is not an easy one especially if you haven’t done it before. In today’s market it is more stressful than ever to sell a home quick. The majority of FSBO home sellers are having some degree of difficulty in making their monthly mortgage payments. Even though you are very anxious to sell your home quickly, you need to be cautious. If you sign a sale contract with the wrong buyer you will be in a worse position than if you had done nothing. You will not want to trust everybody who expresses interest in your property for sale. In fact it is smarter to trust nobody until they prove they deserve to be trusted. It is also smart to hire a lawyer to look everything over for you and give you good counsel on offer and sale contracts. If you are very aware of your buyer’s moves you should be able to spot some danger signs before they become a problem.

The Top 5 Warning Signs That You Have an Untrustworthy Buyer Do not trust a buyer:

  1. Who wants to make buying your home contingent on the sale of their old house first

  2. Who wants to put up a very small deposit

  3. Who wants you to finance their purchase so they don’t have to apply for a loan

  4. Who has not received pre-approval for a mortgage loan

  5. Who includes many other contingencies in the sale contract which allows them to back out of the deal

Selling your home quickly at a good price is your #1 goal. Be sure to make your #2 goal to watch out for shady buyers so they don’t ruin the whole deal.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Leo J. Vidal

17 Tips to Sell Travel on Ebay

Becoming a seller on ebay can be daunting. Becoming a travel seller can be impossible, unless you know the secrets. My tips on selling on eBay can apply to all categories of items, but some steps are unique to selling travel.

The travel industry is highly regulated on EBay, as it should be. High standards keep out disreputable sellers and scam artists, and adds to your own company’s trustworthiness when you are approved by eBay..

1. Before you are even thinking about selling travel on eBay, it is important to get a username and email address just for eBay. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes. Register as a seller and you can use the same username to buy as well. Choose a name that reflects what you sell i.e., „Bermudabound“ rather than „sexyblueeyes“. Other eBay members will come to recognize you by your User ID, so it’s a good idea to choose one you’ll want to use for the long term.

2. Your eBay name has sunglasses (i.e., read „shady character“) for the first 30 days, so don’t try to sell anything while you are wearing shades. Use this time to buy on eBay and learn good practices from other sellers.

3. Set up a PayPal account. EBay buyers feel more confident purchasing something from a seller who accepts PayPal. According to PayPal, „Listings that offer PayPal are 6% more likely to sell and experience a 5% average increase in final price.“ Go to www. Paypal.com. Get a business account. Registration is free.

4. In the first 30 days, buy small items on EBay, pay for them promptly. I have always found eBay sellers to offer good values, provided that you check their feedback listing first.

5. Pay your seller promptly, because then you will always get positive feedback from your seller. Your feedback profile is the most important aspect of your reputation at eBay. Feedback is extremely important on eBay, as your future buyers can evaluate you at a glance. Even one strike against you counts heavily.

6. Create your „About Me“ page on eBay. Use this page to tell other eBay users about yourself and your interests, your experience and your products.

7. While you are waiting the 30 days, also become a) ID verified and b)square trade approved. a) Get ID Verified through eBay as an extra sign of security for buyers. When a member gets ID Verified, a third-party company working with eBay confirms the member’s identity by cross checking their contact information across consumer and business databases. You’ll see the ID Verify icon in verified members‘ profiles.

B) The Square Trade Seal is one way for sellers to show bidders that they are committed to high selling standards and have had their identity verified by a third party. You will need a credit card and your IATA, ARC, or seller of travel number. Both are requirements for selling travel, and you must place these numbers as the first lines of your ads on EBay. All members listing airline tickets, cruises, vacation packages, or lodging must be participants in the Seller Verify by SquareTrade Program. This program combines verification of sellers with ongoing monitoring. For instructions on this, go to eBay.com.

8. When you are ready to list your items at auction, sell small stuff first, building customers and credibility. Sell all items with no reserve, at the lowest price you can afford to accept, and fill all orders promptly.

9. Choose carefully what you will sell. You cannot sell some travel certificates, or vouchers and all listing must list the exceptions, blackout dates, and extra taxes and shipping charges. Travel agents, and other businesses selling travel services are regulated in eBay. According to the eBay rules for selling travel, „Businesses and individuals who sell and/or arrange air or sea travel or accommodations (but do not directly provide the travel service themselves) may list air and ship related travel items (i.e. airplane tickets and cruise trips), along with accommodations, on eBay only if they are licensed as sellers of travel lawfully able to do business in all 50 states and they themselves will be booking the travel for the winning bidder. Their listings should clearly set out their California seller of travel license number as well as any other license information required in other states. It is against eBay policy for travel clearinghouse affiliates, that are not actual agents booking the travel themselves, to list travel auctions on the site. Sellers are required to include the following disclaimer in all listings for travel exactly as it appears below and in a text size and color that can easily be seen and read by all bidders:

„By listing this auction I verify that I am the actual travel agent or travel provider and not a third party affiliate. The travel/accommodations in this auction will be booked directly through me and not an outside agency. I also verify that, other than the government taxes and related government fees stated within the listing description itself, there will be absolutely no additional fees, charges or after auction purchases associated with booking the travel within this listing.“

For travel services other than air or sea travel, businesses and individuals may offer gift certificates or coupons that are issued by a specific provider of travel, such as a gift certificate to a particular hotel. They may not, however, offer travel club memberships or „choice travel“ certificates.“

10. Setting your price

Selecting your starting price requires balancing between how much money you want for the item, and what buyers will pay for it. As part of your pricing strategy, you can research the ending bids for similar items. You can look at similar item completed eBay listings using the completed listings search.

Be sure to include in your price enough to cover your insertion fees, final value fees, and your paypal fees. Set the LOWEST possible price you can afford to accept, but don’t offer something at a price you really don’t want to accept. Buyers expect bargains on ebay purchases, and you may, in the beginning, only get one bid on your item.

Attractively priced items (such as those priced at 99cents) may receive many bids, but unless it is a really outstanding items, the winning bidder may not have bid anything near your cost.

Setting your price involves not only deciding the starting price of your item, but also selecting pricing options based on which selling format you select.

Pricing for the auction-like listings:

The starting price is the lowest price you are willing to sell your item. Bidding will start at this price. Sellers have found that setting the starting price too high may discourage bidding.

If you do not want to sell your item below a certain price, you can specify a reserve price. A reserve price is an option you can use to stimulate bidding on your listing and reserve the right not to sell below the price you want. I do not recommend this option as it discourages buying.

Pricing for fixed price listings: In my experience, this is not a good way to sell anything, since the ebay method is based mainly on auction items. Enter the price at which you wish to sell your item or items as the Buy It Now price.

11. Build a store. EBay stores are free for the first 30 days. Afterwards, they are a small fee per month. ($15.95 / month) According to eBay, Store sellers see on average a 25% incremental increase in sales the 3 months after opening their Store.“ Here is where you can list all those other items that are higher priced, but good value at a low listing fee – at Insertion Fees of .03-.10 per month – use good til cancelled

Note: The Insertion Fee covers a single listing (with any quantity of items in the listing), whether you list 1 or 1,000 of the same item. Final Value Fees range from 12.00% of the closing price for cheap items to

Over $1,000.01

12.00% of the initial $25.00 ($3.00), plus 8.00% of the initial $25.01 – $100.00 ($6.00), plus 4.00% of the initial $100.01 – $1,000.00 ($36.00), plus 2.00% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01-closing value)

Auction and Fixed Price listings appear in your eBay Store as well as in eBay Search and Listings. The store allows your buyers to peruse your other items in addition to your auction items. Go to: http://pages.eBay.com/storefronts/openbenefits.html

12. Completing a sale: Remember, your reputation is of utmost importance. If your item sells successfully, the sale needs to be completed. This includes contacting your buyer, accepting payment and shipping the item.

13. I also recommend a „buy it now“ listing, using the actual price of your item, i.e, what you really want. Using the „best offer“ option allows members to make you a lower offer. Tip: Set a limit on „best offer“ minimum bids, or you will get absurd offers of 1 cent or more.

14. Don’t use Listing Upgrades when you are new. Use your own hosting for pictures or eBay Picture Hosting.

15. For free templates for use on ebay, I like http://www.template-o-matic.com/

16. Examples of actions that are not allowed on eBay:

Bidding on your own item, or having family members, roommates or employees bid on your item (called shill bidding). For policy and examples, see Shill Bidding.

Interfering with another member’s transaction.

Accepting payment and sending an item that is significantly different from the item described in the item listing. For policy and examples, see Seller Non-performance.

Refusing to accept a buyer’s PayPal payment using a credit card when the seller included the PayPal logo in the listing.

Charging buyers an additional fee for their use of ordinary forms of payment including acceptance of checks, money orders, electronic transfers or credit cards.

If something goes wrong, including having problems with your buyer, there are options to help with your transaction problems.

17. Some ebay fees:

When you list an item on eBay, you’re charged an Insertion Fee. If the item sells, you are also charged a Final Value Fee. The total cost of selling an item is the Insertion Fee plus the Final Value Fee. The minimum insertion fee is 15 cents and goes to $4.00, depending upon the starting price of the auction. Final Value Fees:

Item not sold No Fee

$0.01 – $25.00**

8.75% of the closing value

$25.01- $1,000.00

8.75% of the initial $25.00 ($2.19), plus 3.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 to $1,000.00)

Equal to or Over $1000.01

8.75% of the initial $25.00 ($2.19), plus 3.50% of the initial $25.01 – $1,000.00 ($34.12), plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1000.01 – closing value)

For examples of travel stores on eBay, take a look at: http://stores.ebay.com/Travel-Ireland-and-Britain_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

Ellen Mc Nulty is President of Lynott Tours, specialists in travel to Ireland and Britain.. Lynott Tours has been selling travel for 38 years, and can be found on the Internet at www.lynotttours.com and www.cruisetourplanners.com as well as www.australiatravelmaster.com

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Ellen McNulty

How to Borrow Your Way to Wealth

Why does one real estate investor go on to become a millionaire and another stay broke and in debt? Why does one investor always have the money to do the deals and another seemingly always treads on water? Why does one steadily move on up while another just moves on, or worse – just quits?

Without a doubt, some investors have tapped into the best-kept secret that will help you acquire the unlimited success and wealth you've always deserved. It's the secret that helped Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, and Ross Perot build their real estate empires.

What is this secret?

Your wealth is limited only by your ability to borrow money. Yes – your ability to get into debt determines your ability to achieve wealth.

But debt is a complex concept. Not all of it is good – a fact a surprising number of people fail to realize until they're in the hole – and yet not all debt is bad. When used intelligently, the right type of debt can be of tremendous assistance in building your wealth.

The smart investors know the difference between good debt (investment debt) and bad debt (consumer debt). When you buy something that goes down in value immediately, that's bad debt. Buying a car on debt seems to be an inescapable part of life, but the car has no potential to increase in value and that's bad consumer debt.

Conversely, good debt is investment debt that creates value. For example, you find a good property that needs to be fixed up so you can resell it for a profit. You obtain a short-term loan from a Private Lender to buy the ugly house and fix it up quickly. This is definitely good debt.

Post why?

Several months later, you sell the house, pay off the loan from the Private Lender, and you leave the title company with a five-figure check that represents your profit. No doubt, the best type of debt is debt that builds wealth over the long run, and the No. 1 example is debt for the purchase of real estate.

Imagine selling just two houses each and every month. And every time, you sell the house, your loan from your Private Lender is immediately paid off, and you walk away with a generous check.

This may sound like the stuff of fantasy to you, but successful real estate investors use investment debt to routinely achieve their financial goals. These same investors usually buy their properties with no money down. No money down does not mean that no money is involved in the transaction. The goal is to use none of your own cash and that's precisely what seasoned investors accomplish with short-term investment debt.

Most new investors believe that their lack of money is what stops them from doing a deal. Although this is not true, it does keep some investors from launching their business and realizing their goals.

Do not let your lack of money, bad credit, or no credit keep you from building your fortune in real estate. Sure, it takes more than money. Succeeding as an investor also requires time and effort. But you must supply the time and effort when you're just getting started. But what about the money to do the deals? Well, it does not have to be your own.

I have purchased over 200 properties in 4 years. Not only did I borrow the money from Private Lenders to buy the properties, I also borrowed the money to rehab the houses. My consistent use of short-term investment debt has helped me to get out of long-term financial bondage.

So how you find the Private Lenders?

You start by reviewing your current relationships. Do you know any real estate agents? Some realtors that specialize in foreclosures can be excellent sources regarding Private Lenders. How about someone that works at a title company? If you have previously bought a home, you can contact the escrow officer that helped you with the closing on your home. Here are some more possibilities.

■ Attorneys

■ CPAs

■ Insurance Agents

■ Local Real Estate Investors Association

Once you get a referral from one of your valued connections, you'll meet with the Private Lender for a discussion about your real estate investing plan. Repeat the process with multiple Private Lenders and your investing business will seem to be on steroids. You will quickly be on your way to wealth.

Real estate investors can not achieve real wealth without going into debt. And despite what you may have learned growing up or in school about never getting into debt, the more short-term investment debt you incur buying real estate, the more value you will create – and the more rapidly you will create wealth.

You can actually borrow your way to wealth.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Lee Salinas

mississippi payday loans

Marketing Management In Walmart

Introduction

Walmart is the largest retail store in the US. It has over 3, 700  stores countrywide and many others internationally. Despite these positive results, there is a need for injection of new ideas in order to ensure that the retail giant sustains its position as a market leader. The essay seeks to examine its marketing strategies in the present and possible strategies to ensure future growth. (MSNBC, 2007b)

Walmart Strategic business goals and objectives

Walmart has always aimed at increasing sales through its friendly prices. This image has stuck with the company for a very long time. Not only is the company associated with low prices, but it has a variety of items under one roof. These qualities favor the rural clientele.

The company is driven by a commitment to business excellence. This is seen by the quality of care accorded to customers once they report to their retail stores. This is ensured by the participation of employees in this business goal. The company has cultivated a culture of perfection in that they always want to be on top. The Walmart marketing manager has said that Walmart’s major business objective is to ensure that their sales are always increasing. It is one thing to get to the top but remaining there is different. The company ensures their growth rate does not stagnate. Other companies usually work on increasing their performance and once they have reached those targets, they choose to relax. However, this does not apply to Walmart; the company ensures that they always look for ways of sustaining their competitive advantage.

The Company is driven by the pursuance of technological improvements. This is achieved through the use of new technologies in service delivery. Creativity and innovation is another business objective for the company. Through the efforts of their employees, the company aims at maintaining their market positions by brainstorming and looking for new ways of attracting potential clients. (MSNBC, 2007b)

The Company also values being considered as a strategic community partner. The company’s mission is ‘saving money to live better‘. This is an image that the company has worked on very well. Many people consider Walmart as a consumer friendly retailer. The company has cultivating this image through a number of ways. First of all, through their consumer friendly prices, through their satisfactory customer service, and also through their convenience as a one stop shopping centre.

Walmart uses the aspect of availability as another business objective. The Company has opened up a series of locations in different parts of the country. This means that customers are not inconvenienced when trying to locate them. Additionally, it becomes very difficult to ignore the store when one can see it in virtually all parts of the country. This aspect of availability is one of the reasons why the company has done very well in the past. (MSNBC, 2007b)

Analyzing Walmart’s situation

Walmart is dealing with attacks from a range of stakeholders in the retail industry. For instance Trade unions, human rights organizations and former employees. these groups have all accused the retailer of abusing its employee’s rights. They assert that Walmart discourages its employees from participating in trade unions. Employee rights groups argue that the company’s enumeration package does not reflect the rich profit margins that the company enjoys currently. In the year 2006, Maryland legislature passed a law that would force Walmart to spend a specified amount on health insurance. However, this law was reversed by a federal court. Additionally, some groups have been formed to specifically give anti-Walmart remarks. For instance WakeupWalmart protesters assert that Walmart’s advertisements on their corporate responsibility efforts indicate that Walmart wants to fool the eyes of the American public. Such an image could damage the company’s public relations and this could drive away certain precious clients.

The company has expanded rapidly over the past years. With its three thousand seven thousand retail chains located in the US, the retailer has saturated the market. It is difficult to get to a certain town without locating a Walmart store. This means that the company might face severe obstacles in its expansion procedures. It would therefore be wise for the country to consider other parts of the world such as China and India. However, efforts to replicate this success in other countries have not bore fruit as the country has not done very well in South Korea after recording low profits for a while, the company was forced to close its subsidiary in Germany. The company had to sell this subsidiary at a throw away price in order to stay ahead. Therefore, expansion strategies need to be done systematically (MSNBC, 2006)

The corporation is also faced with the challenge of continuously attracting clients into its stores. Clients have already decided on what they want to buy in Walmart and it is difficult to convince others to join in. This is the reason why the company’s client traffic has been reducing in 2007. The company has reached saturated levels in the US market and it is difficult to convince other individuals to continue with the company. (MSNBC, 2006)

Walmart is faced with the challenge of making its stores more convenient. The company’s representatives asserted that they may consider reducing the sizes of their stores in the future because it is difficult to navigate the stores for just one particular item. There is a need for the company to change its image from its large rural base into smaller, urban and more convenient stores. The company’s major competitors have already embraced this concept as Tesco of the UK has small stores specializing in specific products. (MSNBC, 2006)

Strategic goals for Walmart’s future growth

Walmart needs to target external markets. However, the company should change its market entry techniques. It should focus on customizing its business objectives within each country.

The retail giant needs to make product quality as part its major business strategy. Quality in this regard refers to both the customer service and the nature of the products in its stores.

The company needs to reinforce an image of a community based organization. This means that its employee practices should be enhanced and it should also maintain its low price offering. (MSNBC, 2007a)

Strategic marketing program marketing objectives, targeting and positioning

The Company needs to change its marketing objectives in such a way that they can attract a different market segment. In the past, the company has been associated with the middle class or low-income earners. Affluent clients tend to shy away from the retail giant due to the misconception that Walmart’s products are of lower quality. Most of them use the store for pharmaceutical and grocery shopping and pay no attention to the stores when it comes to other options. The Company has tried to establish this concept in the past. In the year 2006, the company opened up stores with this objective in mind. They stocked a wide range of sophisticated products such as jewelry, electronics, a sushi bar and a variety of electronics. The affluent market is crucial in the company’s efforts to secure new markets because they have saturated current ones. Almost all middle class shoppers prefer Walmart. Therefore, in order to sustain its position, the company needs to assess what competitors are doing to boost sales. Target – Walmart’s rival – has managed to attract affluent consumers. Consequently, Walmart must try and give these shoppers a reason for shopping at the company. Affluent shoppers appreciate quality and need to be assured that they can find it at Walmart. The reason why the company failed in its 2006 efforts to target these clients is because it went about implementing this goal in the wrong way. First of all, the company needs to improve the appearance of their stores through creative store displays. This is particularly important for stores allocated in affluent neighborhoods.

Walmart needs to work on the quality of its items. Some of the affluent consumers believe that Walmart has failed in this regard. In instances where the perceptions about the company are totally wrong, then the company can improve this image by marketing its products in a different way. They could talk about the quality of their items with particular emphasis on merchandise that affluent workers prefer. However, the company should be very careful about the type of products they choose to sell. In the year 2006, the company wanted to follow their rival- Target’s product portfolio. However, this did not work very well because they tried including designer labels in their apparel section. This is a very tricky item to sell and may not necessarily give positive responses. Designer items fluctuate from season to season and it may be difficult for the company to keep up with the trends. It would have been wiser if the company stuck with electronic items as these are less susceptible to change. Additionally, the company needs to make this transition slowly. All successful entrepreneurs agree that there is no need to change a winning team. Therefore, even if Walmart plans on targeting those affluent consumers. They must ensure that these changes do not scare away current clients. Walmart should do a thorough market analysis to find out the most appropriate manner of attracting these clients. Other retail stores that have made a name for themselves among these affluent shoppers have been working on this image for centuries. Consequently, Walmart should not imagine that they could do this overnight. (MSNBC, 2007b)

Additionally, the company should venture into other countries. Despite the fact that the company has done very poorly internationally: it closes one in every three stores overseas, there is need to expand operations. Since the company has reached saturated levels locally, then there is a need to tap some of the internationally resources. First of all, the company should exercise a lot of selectivity before choosing a particular country. Part of the reason why the South Korean outlet had to be closed was that the company still used the same marketing strategies applicable in the US. Different countries have different preferences, the company’s strategy of saving money to live better may not be feasible everywhere. The company should not enter international markets directly. It could collaborate with local leaders in those respective countries in order to work with a winning formula. Alternatively, the company should test an international market by beginning with fewer and smaller stores. If the response is good then it could proceed to expand. Countries chosen for expansion should be economically secure. Therefore, increasing the number of stores in China and India is probably a good idea. However, this should be done slowly and after thorough research. (Pallavi, 2007)

Marketing program

Product

The company should not abandon its idea of attracting the affluent client. However, this should be done sequentially; the Company had introduced Metro 7 stalls in 1,500 stores. These stores offered jewelry, expensive wine and other expensive commodities. The reason why this did not work very well was that the change was introduced rather drastically. The company should introduce expensive products only in stores located in affluent neighborhoods. (Pallavi, 2007)

Additionally, the company needs to exercise selectivity in the types of products chosen. The company should stay away from designer clothes or organic foods because these did not yield good results in the past. The focus should be on electronics.

The company needs to inject more creativity in its product offerings. It indicated this through its partnership agreement with Canopy furnishings. During the month of March this year, the company introduced a range of furniture items from Canopy and it is very optimistic that this would do well. The company should follow such an approach. For instance, the company should partner with other brands for household items and electronic companies. By securing well-known suppliers, the corporation can offer better quality products thus attracting the eye of the affluent clients who are particularly interested in these items.

Place

Since the Company has already saturated the local market, then the focus should be on international markets. However, entry into those international markets should be done tactfully. Walmart should choose economically secure countries. The stores found in these areas need to be located strategically. (Pallavi, 2007)

Price

The pricing aspect of Walmart’s marketing mix is part of the reason why the company has done so well so far; this is its winning formula. The company should maintain their low pricing strategies but they should merge this with product choices. They need to improve on the quality of service and their items in order to make themselves more appropriate in this scenario.

Promotion

One of the most notable promotional strategies in Walmart is the use of public relations. The company takes part in charitable events and has marketed itself as a community based institution. However, there have been a number of accusations in the media that Walmart exploits its employees. The company has had to grapple with lawsuits centering on this poor image. The company has already embarked on this program by marketing the company as a fair employer; it provides its employees with a good health insurance pan. The following issues have been highlighted in an advertisement posted in support of Walmart’s corporate responsibility

  • The retailer is the nation’s largest employer
  • Its offers affordable health plans starting from $ 23
  • The company contributes close to 245 million dollars in charitable events annually(MSNBC, 2007a)

Instead of using advertisements such as the one shown above, Walmart should place more effort in improving their staff management policies. The problem with such advertisements is that they take so long to change consumer opinion. As a matter of fact, they may engrain negative perceptions because clients will see that the company wants to improve a tarnished image. Instead of spending millions on such advertisements, the company could direct those funds to improve their reward systems. A good employer does not need to advertise their employment practices as they will speak for themselves. The company should boost its health insurance plans because other companies offer better health programs yet they earn less than Walmart. This will go a long way in improving company image. (MSNBC, 2007a)

In line with this argument, the Company need not convince the public that its employees are actually happy to work for the company. These employee opinions should not be communicated to the public. Walmart asserted that, it has been found that a whooping eighty one percent of the company’s staff would recommend one of their friends to become Walmart employees. This kind of approach will not work for the company because the company is adopting a defensive strategy. The accusations made against the company could be embraced and turned against the counter accusers by improving organizational policies.

Lastly, the company should embrace the idea of hospital partnerships for its retail clinics. The company already announced that it plans on expanding the number of in-store clinics from fifty five to a whooping four hundred by the year 2010. While it may be a good idea in itself (given the fact that Walmart will be enhancing its corporate image as a company that cares for the community), there is still room for improvement. Walmart has been in the news for a number of wrong reasons. One of the accusations labeled against the retail giant is the fact that their employee health insurance plans do not fit their status as market leaders. Consequently, the company needs to look for ways of improving this image through a number of avenues. First of all, they could offer their employees access to the in-house clinics. This will go long way in enhancing their employment practices. (Pamela Lewis Dolan, 2008)

Conclusion

Walmart has done a lot in the past in order to secure its position as a retail market leader. These include offering low prices, offering good customer service and constant innovation. However, lately the company has grappled with low customer traffic. Market saturation in the middle income market segment, poor international performance and bad public relations as a result of their employee practices. The company should adopt the following strategies in order to ensure future growth; adopt penetrative strategies international markets, introduce good product packages for products favored by affluent clients and improve health insurance plans within the company. These will go a long way in sustaining the company’s positions as the US’s retail leader. (Pallavi, 2007)

reference:

MSNBC (2006): Wal-Mart turns attention to upscale shoppers, The Associated Press

MSNBC (2007a):Wal-Mart to air ads countering attack, The Associated Press

Pallavi Gogoi (2007): Wal-Mart goes abroad for growth; The McGraw-Hill Companies

MSNBC (2007b): Wal-Mart considers not-so-Super centers, The Associated Press

Pamela Lewis Dolan(2008): Wal-Mart partners with hospitals to rapidly expand in-store clinics, retrieved from

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/25/bil10225.htm accessed on 9th July

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Carolyn Smith

Using Color Psychology to Sell Your Home

When painting your home for resale, choosing the right colors can make a huge difference in your paycheck at closing. For instance, did you know that the exterior color of houses selling most quickly is a certain shade of yellow, but that choosing the wrong shade of yellow can kill a sale?

You’ll find many brochures in paint stores, showing various combinations of exterior paint colors. But most people don’t realize that most of those combinations actually include three colors, and not just two. Limiting your exterior paint scheme to just two colors also limits your income potential.

For a fast sale, think fun colors and go for a third, or even a fourth, exterior color. Think „Disneyland Main Street,“ where every shop is painted in glorious multi-colors. Adding more colors will also add definition to the various architectural details of your home. Use gloss or semi-gloss paint on wood trim.

The Psychology of Exterior Colors

When choosing exterior colors, take the sales price of your home into account. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, attract wealthy or highly-educated buyers, whereas buyers with less income or less education generally prefer simpler colors. A complex color contains tints of gray or brown, and usually requires more than one word to describe, such as „sage green,“ as opposed to „green.“

On the other hand, simple colors are straightforward and pure. Generally, houses in the lower price range sell faster and for higher prices when painted in simple colors like yellow or tan, accented by white, blue, or green trim.

The Psychology of Interior Colors

Using colored, rather than bland, white walls will increase your profit potential. Lynette Jennings tested the perception of room size and color, and discovered that a room painted white appeared only appeared larger to a few people when compared to an identical room painted in color – and the perceived difference was only about six inches! Most people also look better when surrounded by color, and feel happier, and since buyers pick houses that make them feel happy, that knowledge can put dollars in your pocket at closing!

Entryways should bring the exterior colors into the house. Repeating shades of the exterior throughout your home will make the entire home seem to be in harmony. Living and family rooms painted in a slightly lighter shade of the exterior color will ensure that you’ve picked a color your buyers like, because if they didn’t like your exterior colors, they wouldn’t have bothered to look inside. If they loved the exterior colors, they’ll love the interior, too.

When choosing interior colors, consider the use of each room. For instance, kitchen and dining areas that are painted in „food colors,“ such as coffee browns, celery greens, and scrambled egg yellows, feel natural.

Since, deeper shades of color imply intimacy and serenity, I like to paint master bedrooms a medium shade of green or blue for warm selling seasons, and rouge red for cooler weather. Other bedrooms can be painted in creamy tones of green, blue, or a pale shell pink. (See the chapter on the Psychology of Color in my book „Joy to the Home: Secrets of Interior Design Psychology“ for further information.)

Selling Season

Always consider your selling season (the time of year you’ll be marketing your home) and climate when choosing colors. Estimate the amount of time you’ll need to get your home ready for sale, and then add on extra days for unexpected delays. Use cool colors, such as blues, greens, and grays, to sell during spring and summer, and warm colors, such as yellows, reds, and maroons, when selling in the fall and winter.

Color Intensity

My husband and I usually use lighter colors when painting the exteriors of our investment dollhouses, because it makes them appear larger. On the other hand, our cabin in the woods looks richer when painted a darker color. When we decided to have it painted, I considered the usual cabin colors of dark brown and barn red, but fell in love with Olympic’s gorgeous „Gooseberry“ plum color.

When getting ready to paint your house, look at the colors of neighboring houses and choose colors that harmonize, yet stand out from the crowd. Colors that clash badly with other houses will detract from the overall neighborhood.

At the beginning of the article, I told you that homes with yellow exteriors sell the quickest. But which shade of yellow sells best? First, the yellows to avoid: yellows with green undertones look sickly to most buyers, and yellows with orange undertones give buyers an impression of cheapness.

The best-selling yellow exterior color is actually a pale, sunny yellow, especially when complimented with one or more carefully-chosen accent colors. For instance, a semi-gloss white trim will give your home a clean and fresh look, and adding a third color, such as green, can make your home even more attractive to prospective buyers.

Colors affect human beings in many ways, and by using the principles of Color Psychology, you can make your home stand out from the competition, sell more quickly, and at a higher price.

(c) Copyright 2014, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Jeanette Joy Fisher

Why Are Luxury Homes So Difficult to Sell?

The most difficult homes to sell are those in the luxury home market.

Why is that?

Let’s look at what goes on in the mind of a luxury home owner who wants/needs to sell their property. This may actually apply to a home in any price range but as you recall, we are going to focus on the luxury home market in particular today.

Typically, a savvy luxury home owner will go back to the real estate agent who helped purchase the home.  Another common practice is to do a Google search of nearby realty firms and decide on the best realtor to sell their home using various criteria. Some reasons a person may choose a realtor is because that person has the most sold listings or they received a flyer in the mail or because they liked the realtor’s smile. Another way to choose a realtor is using personal connections, such as a relative, a classmate or a friend.

For whatever reason, when choosing ABC Company and XYZ real estate agent, the process is usually the same.

– Decide on a Real Estate Agent or Realty Company
– Sign a contract with the Real Estate Company to represent you
– The Agent suggests a price based on comparable homes in the area
– A listing price is negotiated and decided upon
– The Agent lists the property on the MLS

So what is „the MLS“?

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. Basically, it is the main listing source that pools all member real estate companies‘ available inventory or list of luxury homes that are registered with them so that everyone can see what is available on the market at any given time.

What are the advantages of having an MLS listing?

– Ease in finding the majority of luxury homes that are for sale right now
– Comparing luxury homes presently on the market without difficulty
– Listings are contracted for a specified amount of time
– Accessible only through a certified member of the Board of Realtors
who has a fiduciary duty to represent you and protect your interests

Real Estate Companies Specialize in Selling Homes at Market Value.

With the centralized pool of listings on the MLS, real estate companies are able to establish and check on the value of a piece of real estate in any given area. Determining value is crucial to selling a property. Without a tool to measure its value, it becomes difficult to know the true worth of a luxury home.

Another thing to remember when determining the value of a luxury home is of course, the condition of the luxury home. A newly constructed luxury home is more desirable than a remodeled luxury home, which in turn is more saleable than a fixer upper. Keeping your luxury home well-maintained enables you to ask top dollar for the home.

There is only one catch to the retail market of luxury homes and that is you can list your luxury home for whatever price you want to but it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, in other words, market value.

The real estate professional uses many tools to sell your luxury home. Some are:

– informs his clients and fellow realtors of your listing to see if there may be a potential buyer
– puts a For Sale sign out in front of the property
– lists it on the MLS
– advertises it in newspapers or in magazines
– holds open house events
– more sophisticated companies have marketing campaigns in place to give more exposure to their listings that the seller more often than not will have to pay upfront.

Real estate professionals more often than not, cater to owner-occupant buyers.

Once a realtor is decided on, an agreement is reached on length of listing and the luxury home is appraised, the luxury house is put on the market and the roller coaster ride of when-will-my-house-sell begins.

The 3 types of Buyers

From a business perspective, the luxury home is considered a commodity for which there are buyers. Identifying your end buyer will dramatically increase your chances of selling and/or selling quickly.

– Owner occupant’s 1st,2nd, 3rd + home
– Buy-and-hold investor’s rental unit
o entry level investor
o modest investor
o sophisticated investor
– Niche investors
o Short sales
o Foreclosures
o Rehabbing
o Wholesaling

Determining which end buyer you want to target will determine the price and how quickly you may be able to sell the home. As with anything else, there are those who are better than others in getting the job done.

The median home market has many more investors to turn to than the luxury home residential market. These investors may have ads or signs stating, „We buy homes.“ „We take over payments.“

Real estate investors are, as a whole, people trying to help others out of a difficult situation and trying to make a profit in the process. These types of businesses are NOT non-profit companies so they expect to make some monetary gain from the transaction. After all, investors are not a charity operation and are not going to make your problem luxury home their problem luxury home. They make investments of their money and time to do transactions that they specialize in and expect to make a profit for their talents.

Investors are specialists in their field just as real estate agents, doctors or lawyers are specialists in their respective fields. They help people out of circumstances that could potentially become worse.

What about the Luxury Homes owners?

Waiting for an owner occupant is a great choice if you can afford to wait for the right buyer to come along for your luxury home. Listing it with a Real Estate professional is the most effective way in selling a luxury home „retail“.  In the luxury home market, the average time it takes for the „right“ buyer to come along is from 1 to 5 years. The more the luxury home costs, typically, the longer the wait. The 1-3 Million price point of luxury homes has heavy competition and there are better options when comparing what is available entirely and not just in a particular neighborhood.

Since investors who typically do business at the 2M-200M price points or at retail prices are few and far between, what problems would a typical luxury home owner-seller face?

– $12k or $50k monthly house payment are typical for a luxury home. Who can you turn to? How do you solve your financial situation? A part time job at Wal-Mart will not cover this kind of expense.
– Sometimes, when upgrading to a new home, you may have found the perfect house to move into but you may still be stuck with the home that you grew out of.  You still have to keep up payments on that luxury house because 1031 exchanges aren’t always as smooth as they could be. In addition, remember you have a limited amount of time to do that exchange in.
– What if your key to financial stability is through the sale of your multi-million dollar home? Who do you turn to for guidance and confidentiality?
– Do you need to relocate because of business or personal reasons and must sell your property quickly?
–           Divorce or health problems place an urgency to liquidate assests

So what is a luxury home owner to do in the event that holding costs are too high and keeping the property means essentially losing money with each day that goes by?

Luxury home investors

There are companies that specializes in the acquisition of luxury homes and commercial properties all over the world? A company that closes the transaction quickly and uses CASH in all transactions? No waiting for approvals from the bank, which may not even come through especially in today’s lending environment.

How can you meet investors who specialize in luxury homes and who purchase luxury homes at a fair price? Investors who have an established list of prequalified clients wanting to buy luxury homes at a fair price can re-sell those acquired luxury homes. That is a scenario which would work for all parties involved.

These investors are not in the business of stealing luxury homes. They solve problems and make their money on the sheer volume of luxury homes that are bought and sold.  It is the investor that has his or her own buyers‘ list that will get business done quickly and efficiently.

Business much easier and quicker

Investors typically have a database of buyers that do business with them exclusively due to the relationships that have been built and the value that is gained by buying through them exclusively. The clients entrust investors in this industry who do business honestly, ethically, with integrity and also guarantee good value. They have access to an unlimited amount of cash to complete transactions. Usually what ends up happening is the need to buy more houses to keep up with the demand.

As with any business, the cost of doing business prevents a wholesaler from buying at retail value of the luxury home. If a miscalculated purchase occurs the outcome is not being able to make any profit or worse yet paying money which would put one out of business rather quickly, and be the laughing stock of the industry. Here are some examples of the overhead and costs involved in running a real estate investment business:
– Cost of cash (8-18%)
– Closing costs on the buy and the sell
– Marketing costs
– Insurance
– Prepping a home
– Travel costs
– Inspectors
– Other miscellaneous costs

If an agreement of price is reached………

That is what you will get. Cash in your hands for your luxury home, the exact amount that is agreed upon in order to acquire your home at closing. Closing on the date of your choice is a relief to know and to use the title company of your choice. Wholesalers take the anxiety out of selling your home. This is an all around WIN-WIN-WIN situation and this is the only business we do. It is that simple.

If you want to sell your luxury home, wholesalers want to buy your luxury home…………….. NOW

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by RE Private Investments

Will a Real Estate Agent Sell My House For Top Dollar?

Some of the benefits of selling your property to a real estate agent are that they can tell you how much your property is worth (retail value) and sell it close to that price. Unfortunately for most sellers, their houses are typically worth a lot less today than they would like. Neither an investor nor a real estate agent will be able to be help much with this aspect of home selling because a seller’s house is worth what the market is willing to pay. To find out what the market is willing to pay for your house a real estate agent uses comparable sales. „Comparable sales“ is a real estate term for nearby, similar houses that have sold recently. Anyone can now check the value of their house based on comparable sales with websites such as CyberHomes.com and Eppraisal.com. You can find the value of your property through an agent but now through the internet, you can also figure out the value yourself.

Can a real estate agent sell your house close to your house’s actual value or greater? In my local area most houses are selling for about 90% of their value. Subtract the 6% real estate fee and most home sellers are getting 84% of the value for their house. On RealEstate.AOL.com you can check the average house value and average house sale prices for your local market – right now you will find a discrepancy with the sale price being a lot lower than the value.

However, the higher the price your house sells for, the more money your agent will make, so therefore an agent has more motivation to sell your house quickly, right? Consider this, the average home sale price (in my local market) is about $180,000. Your agent will make 6% of the sell price or $10,800. This commission is shared between the listing agent and the selling agent. So now, your agent will get $5,400 for your house. However, the real estate agent needs an agency since it is illegal for a real estate agent to represent buyers or sellers in a real estate transaction without first signing with a broker’s agency. Each agency requires different commission splits from a 50/50 split with a novice agent to an 80/20 split with an experienced agent. So now the agent has $2,700. The agent is taxed on their income rate plus 15.3% in „self-employment income.“ That may be 30% + 15.3% taxes on the $2,700. $2,700 – 45.3% is about $1,500 leftover. So for your $180,000 house a real estate agent will make probably a little more than $1,500. Let’s say that he or she works very hard to market your property and gets you an extra $5,000. The agent will only earn $41 ($5,000 x.06 – 50% (list agent and buyers agent) – 50%+ (agency) – 45.3% (taxes)). How likely is it than an agent will do the work required to bring you $5,000 and then get paid $41 for their efforts? The chance of this happening is nil.

However, if a real estate agent lists your house lower, it will sell quicker. If your house sells quicker the agent can sell more properties and earn money faster then they can by negotiating a high sale price on fewer properties.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Jonathan Hendrix

Sell My House Fast And Find Out How Much Is My House Worth

Given the recent decline in the real estate market many home owners are wondering how their homes value is holding up and how it has been affected.

Now days there are great ways to tell your homes value but you have to know which ones you can trust, which ones are accurate, and which ones are quick and easy.

Here are the fastest and easy ways to find out what your house with worth if you were to sell it today. The best and fastest way to find out what your property is worth is to complete a quick online form to receive an offer from your local home buyer.

Many people do not realize that local home buyers exist in every major metropolitan area across the United States. The easy online form will take you less than 1 minute to complete and is very quick. Once you complete the online form your information will be forwarded to a professional local home buyer in your area that is very knowledgeable with your local real estate economy.

You will typically be contact within 48 hours to give you details on how much your house is worth if you would like to sell it today. The offer you receive is a no obligation offer and all your information is confidential. Most often attached to the offer will be a market analysis showing houses that are similar to yours that have sold in the last 3 months.

If you want to know your homes sales price would be if you sold Many people like to find out what their house is worth by driving their neighborhood to see how much their neighbors are selling their houses for. The problem with this method is every house is different and most people make the mistake of looking at active houses on the market for sale.

When you determine your homes value you need to consider what homes have sold for in the past, not what they are currently on the market for today. Many times the asking sale price of a home is not what the home actually will sell for. Especially in this real estate market where home buyer are offering low ball offers to see how much of a discount they can get.

Another way people try to determine the value of their house is to look up their tax assessed value of their home. The value of the home is based on two numbers, the land value and the home or structure value. Many tax assessors estimates are not accurate and are either over or under estimated.

If you are wondering how can I sell my house and you need to know how much your house is worth, contact your local home buyer. It is the fastest and easiest way to determine your homes value with no obligation or effort, Contact your local home buyer and receive a free offer.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Shaun Greer

Five Ways to Protect Yourself When Selling Your Business

I read with interest a report of April 23, 2008, entitled „Millions involved in local business purchase scam“ published in the Christian County Headliner News. As a certified public accountant that has represented buyers/sellers in business sales transactions and also as Managing Partner of Sunbelt Business Advisors – a business brokerage firm, I thought it beneficial to write about the many red-flags that were present in the article. Red flags that others should be aware of and protect themselves against as they attempt to either sell or buy a business.

SMALL BUSINESSES ARE NORMALLY SOLD AS AN ASSET PURCHASE AND NOT A STOCK PURCHASE. This transaction appears to have been a stock purchase and not an asset purchase. This should have been one of the first very large red flags. Small, privately held businesses are almost never sold as a stock purchase. A stock purchase means the current owners legal entity-the company, continues on instead of the new buyer creating a new company. In a stock purchase the new owners get everything the sellers business owns – bank accounts, receivables, any potential and actual liabilities. This includes contingent liabilities the new owner may not even know about. Additionally, a stock purchase does not allow a new owner to get stepped up basis of the company furniture, fixtures and equipment. The stepped up basis of the FF&E could mean thousands of dollars in tax savings to a new owner that would be very beneficial the first few years of ownership. A buyer walking in and immediately wanting to purchase the stock of business and assume all liabilities, potential future liabilities – known or unknown and leaving the additional depreciation on the table is almost unheard of. A normal asset purchase agreement (not a stock purchase) would have generally excluded cash and bank accounts of the prior company. The new owners in an asset purchase agreement, unlike a stock purchase would not have been able to transfer funds from the company accounts. They would need to open new bank accounts in their new company name.

AT CLOSING, BUYERS FUNDS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE. Apparently this deal closed without confirmation or having actual funds from the buyer. No business purchase transaction should close without having funds available and present at closing. This would be the same as selling your house to someone, closing the transaction, but the buyers not having loan approval yet. You wouldn’t do it and neither should sellers of small businesses.

ALWAYS USE A QUALIFIED CLOSING ATTORNEY. The sale of a business should be closed by a qualified closing attorney. Qualified closing attorneys will have their own space and normally not need to use others. A qualified closing attorney will make sure all legal documents are in order; make sure funds are available to pay the seller and file all required legal and IRS documents. Anyone selling or purchasing a business should insist upon having a qualified closing attorney conduct the closing. The absence of a qualified closing attorney should be a red flag.

USE A QUALIFIED BUSINESS BROKER – DON’T TRY IT ALONE. Not using a qualified, professional business broker is another red flag. Can business deals be completed without using a business broker? Certainly! One can also write their own contracts without using an attorney or prepare their own tax return without using a CPA, but it isn’t necessarily the smartest thing to do. Especially when talking about the sale of a business which is probably one of the largest if not the largest asset a person owns. Something as important as this should not be attempted alone. A qualified business broker will help educate the seller as to the process, help establish a valid market price, effectively market the business, screen buyers, and help qualify buyers, assist with negotiations, work with existing seller CPA and attorney, and work with closing attorney and overall management of the process and be there to advise the seller as to red flags!

NEVER CHANGE THE BANK ACCOUNTS UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR MONEY. Another subtle, but yet red flag is it appears the seller changed the signature cards at the bank(s) and the names of the people allowed access. Even in a stock purchase, the current bank account holder – the seller would have to have the bank change the names and cards. Obviously, if this did in fact happen, it happened prior to the seller having funds from the buyer. The new buyer also apparently had the „keys“ to the business before the seller was paid the purchase price. It is like selling your car to someone and agreeing to be paid at some future date; while you watch the „new buyers“ that you just met drive off into the sunset with your car. You probably will never see your money or your car.

Most small business stories like your article remain non-public. Just like most financial frauds that occur at small businesses. People do not like to talk about the failures of small business transactions but, they are happening all the time and all across the country. It is very important that sellers and buyers understand the process of selling/buying a business, watch for red flags and use qualified professionals to help them in the process. Doing so will save them money, time and effort and make for a much better business transaction.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg



Source by Ted A. Smith

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