Is It Still Safe To Invest Money In Real Estate in 2019?

People have been investing for years, and not just in real estate. For years and years, people have been investing in stocks, cryptocurrencies, real estate contracts, investment bonds, etc. If you’re looking for a way to invest your money and make it back with high returns this is the article for you. 

Are you thinking to yourself, “Can I invest in real estate?” It’s a difficult task to invest money in real estate but with the help of this article, you will know if investing in real estate is the job for you. If investing is for you, we must question if it’s still a safe way to make money in the world of 2019? The concept of investing has been traced all the way back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and real estate was established sometime around the beginning of the 1900s. Meaning there has been plenty of time for the rules of the trade to change and evolve. Over the duration of this article, we will analyze the concept of real estate investments and see if it is still a safe way to generate cash flow in the year 2019. Unfortunately, we cant answer this question with a simple yes or no, there are many details involved when buying an investment property so follow closely because everyone can benefit from a little research.

Recent research from Forbes indicates that nothing drastic is set to change in the world of real estate in 2019. However, they did advise investors to stay away from high priced cities like Miami, Denver, San Francisco, etc. in 2019. Despite all the talk about our economy and the fact it’s in great shape, our economy is currently adding jobs at the lowest rate it’s ever been in the last 8 years. Most of the jobs that are being landed are at the modest end of the pay scale. Meaning that investors will continue to see a high demand for rentals – single/family apartments and studios. Forbes indicates that people still won’t opt for high priced rentals during an economic period like this, there just won’t be enough renters for the more expensive properties as time goes by. So far it still looks like it’s a good idea to invest money in real estate, just not the more expensive areas that renters can’t currently afford.

While no one can say for sure how things will pan out in 2019-2020, good research and studying key market trends can get us pretty close. Studies show that home sales are gradually increasing as the aftermath of the recession starts to wear off. Current home sales are looking similar to what investors would have expected them to look like in 2003, while household growth has increased by 13.5 percent. This could lead to increased buyers in the 2019 real estate market. This is where studying the local market comes in handy, after all, real estate is local. When the economy is unpredictable you can expect to see different trends everywhere, even among neighborhoods in the same city. Which is why its good to understand the local economy before investing money in real estate there. You can find the best real estate investments for 2019 by studying neighborhoods that meet your specifications of low property prices. Is buying real estate still a good investment? It is when you can acquire the right resources and the right rental.

You can also answer the question “is buying real estate a good investment in 2019?” depending on your specific investment strategy. Research is revealing that investors should invest for cash flow and not appreciation in the 2019 market. The fix and flip strategy can be expensive for investors especially in the form of taxes. Did you know when investors fix and flip a house they have to give up 20%-40% of their overall profit in taxes? I didn’t until I conducted more research on why buy and hold strategies are favorable in the upcoming 2019 market place.

 Buy and hold means that when investors renovate a property they know they will get a tenant who is paying rent and supplying them with a steady income. This property can keep on generating cash for profit regardless of the property values and the market. Plus the income on long-term rental properties is taxed at a lower rate than you are charged with when flipping houses. Furthermore, renting properties allows for the freedom of location and time through passive income provided by good property management.

Are you still asking yourself “Can I invest in real estate?” If you are it’s okay, its the same question many first-time investors asked themselves before starting their career in real estate investing. Hear what this customer of Real Estate Investing Women Katie Watts has to say about her journey of investing in properties for the first time. “I currently employ Laura as my real estate investing coach. With her assistance, I’ve put together a real estate business and am in the process of purchasing my first property. She takes the fear out of this difficult and challenging business with her excellent advice and creative ideas for solving problems. In a short time, she has saved me from making several beginner mistakes that would have cost me time and money. I highly recommend Laura to the beginning and experienced real estate investors who want to take their businesses to the next level”.

Rental properties can be a smart, money-making investment that allows you to retire early. However, it is not a get rich quick scheme and it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. Smart real estate investing takes patience, time, flexibility, and ambition to make it work well. I think that investing money in real estate is a tricky thing to analyze, it depends on your budget, how you want to invest, where you want to invest, etc. However, I think it’s safe to say that if you want to achieve extra financial independence in 2019 becoming an investor is a safe way to accomplish your long term goals.

Create A Work Space That Reflects Your Companys Image

All business owners know the importance of corporate culture, charity work, image, marketing, etc. The truth is, I could go on for ages about all the different things that can make or break an upcoming business. Creating a business from the ground up is an extremely daunting task. There are so many things to consider when establishing a business that it can be easy to miss a few minor, but important aspects. When you think about creating a business it takes a lot of work and dedication. Meaning when you start a big project, you want to do it right the first time around. We are going to touch on a few things that can be easily overlooked when creating a successful company, and how we as business owners can try to maximize our benefits. 

Image result for general contractor

All business owners know the importance of corporate culture, charity work, image, marketing, etc. The truth is, I could go on for ages about all the different things that can make or break an upcoming business. Creating a business from the ground up is an extremely daunting task. There are so many things to consider when establishing a business that it can be easy to miss a few minor, but important aspects. When you think about creating a business it takes a lot of work and dedication. Meaning when you start a big project, you want to do it right the first time around. We are going to touch on a few things that can be easily overlooked when creating a successful company, and how we as business owners can try to maximize our benefits. 

First, I want you all to think about what you consider when choosing a company to do business with. For example, maybe the cost of a product is your biggest concern. If you want a specific brown leather couch and two different places have it you’re obviously going to opt for the cheaper option. Like any right-minded person would. These are the “typical” concerns that every business owner knows to consider when establishing their business. We all know that the price, quality, location, customer service, and availability dominate the industry of business and very much so control our everyday lives. These factors are so deeply immersed in our lives that as consumers we are very aware that businesses are trying to win over our attention. Which is okay because this is what we want. We want our products to be well made, preform how they are supposed to perform and be sold to us at a fair price. But what about the things businesses do that we are unaware of?

Secondly, ask yourself “What are businesses doing to get my attention that I’m currently unaware of?”. Although there are many examples, advertisements, aesthetics, promotion deals, social media, etc. The reality is that there is really one answer that comes in many different shapes and sizes- Marketing. 

Marketing is how a business builds awareness about its services or products to receive customers and optimize sales. Everything that I mentioned previously (advertisements, social media, promotions) are all very important aspects of business marketing. Marketing helps convince consumers to use a service or product, most of the time without their immediate knowledge. Branding goes hand in hand with marketing. Branding could be considered a trademark, in simple terms, it is defined as a name, design or symbol that identifies a seller’s goods or services distinctively from other sellers.

Marketing and branding are single-handedly the most important aspect of any successful business. Branding is important because it creates a memorable impression on consumers and allows your customers to know exactly what to expect from your company. For most consumers, the overall environment of the business has a large effect on how they view your company and its goods/services. Let’s say I want to take my kids out for ice cream. We approach two ice cream shops as we walk down the street. The first one is a small parlor connected to a convenience store with styrofoam ice cream cones on display, cheap prices, and 5-6 different ice cream flavors. The second one is a bright pink and blue building with ice cream painted dripping down the door, and sticker sprinkles on the windows. This ice cream store is a little more expensive but offers 15-20 different types of ice cream and an area for kids to play. Which ice cream store would you be more inclined to go to? Most of us would choose the second ice cream shop, but why? The second ice cream store knew their ideal clientele and portrayed their business in an attractive fashion. Even though this store is more expensive customers will still choose to go here over a smaller, less attractive ice cream shop. This is why business owners need to represent their company in an appealing fashion in order to attract potential customers. If you are a business owner you should consider hiring a commercial general contractor near Ft Lauderdale to give your company the transformation it needs, let’s look into why you should. 

For example, a commercial building construction company near Fort Lauderdale called Millers construction completely transformed a site just north of downtown. Their new construction & renovation project includes a 30,000 square-foot sales building with distinct showroom areas for the Aston Martin, Bentley, and Rolls Royce brands. The unique location allowed for a strong design statement about the cachet of the automotive brands- luxury, chic, detailed, magnificence. The commercial general contractor in Ft Lauderdale helped showcase the cars AND the company. Miller construction produced a landmark that would represent luxury and convenience for all their customers. The building upgrade also made Fort Lauderdale an exciting international market for buyers all around the world! Thus attracting more customers than ever before.

The commercial building construction in Fort Lauderdale was distinct to each automotive brand. Miller’s crew knew they had to construct different exterior faces and interiors for each of the three brands within the showroom. Because well, every aspect of the Bentley, Aston, and Rolls design specifications are very different. Miller’s construction team helped portray the beauty and elegance of each brand in a different way. The commercial general contractor on the Ft Lauderdale project helped the company manage the entire process of construction and even worked to create a cost-effective approach for the client.

If you are ready to upgrade your commercial building in Fort Lauderdale, don’t wait to start planning your future construction! Construction managers can handle a variety of services including tenant improvements, renovation, and build-out. They will serve as an extension of your staff and focus on setting objectives for your company. Hopefully, by now you have a small idea of what you want your dream business to portray and how you want to brand yourself as a company.  But if you don’t know what you have pictured yet, dream big, because if you can dream it, someone can build it.

Things To Consider Before Starting A Franchise Career

There are many reasons why you might be thinking about starting your franchise career. A vast variety of companies have already succeeded, built their brands, and established themselves in this niche market. Opening a franchise is one of the best and easiest ways to become an entrepreneur, with low costs, low risks, and high rewards. In this blog, we will list the types of people that are the best suited to be a franchisee, the most successful franchisor industries in the year of 2019 and what is expected for 2020; along with all the costs associated with opening a franchise, the benefits that come with it as well as the disadvantages. Let’s start discussing everything to ensure you are ready to open your franchise! 

Who is the best fit to be a franchisee?

First off, anyone can open a franchise – let’s make this clear. Although, the most successful franchisees have things available at hand; items that are beneficial to the franchisee’s career. One of these things is time. To start off, you will have to go after all the things you need in order to get started. Some of these things are documents for your operation to get started, perhaps, even going after a legal team that specializes in franchises. Also, you might think about hiring an accounting person. There are many special financial statements for franchises. There are also audited statements that you might want to seek professional help in order to make sure that you are doing everything right. Knowing all this, the best asset you need to have to be a franchisee is having an entrepreneurial mind; excitement about your business, but at the same time being aware of all the processes and implications you might encounter along the way. You also need to be patient. Sometimes, profit does not come until one, two, or maybe three years. Most of the people who decide to open a franchise have either recently retired or are looking for a career change. 

What are the most successful industries for franchises?

There are many different types of industries to choose from. Some you may not even have ever thought about, such as home health care franchises. In fact, home health care franchises are one of the most promising industries for the year 2020. Some other industries include offices of real estate and brokers, fitness and recreation sports centers, janitor services, gas stations, and convenience stores, new car dealers, snack bars, coffee places, fast-food shops, and beauty salons. In nursing home franchise opportunities, you can also find assisted-living as well as home health care franchises. Nursing home franchise opportunities are more successful in states that have a high percentage of their citizens as senior-adults. Warmer states are usually where people decide to go in order to have an easy retirement. Keep in mind that this is one of the US’ most rapidly growing business sectors since the senior-citizen percentage is the fastest-growing as well. Until the year 2060, the number of Americans over the age of 65 is projected to go from 46 million to 98 million. 

What are the costs that I am going to have?

This is something that has a wide range. How much you will spend in order to start your franchise depends highly on the industry that you are in. These costs are undisclosed when you make an agreement with the franchisor. Most of the franchise fees range from 20 thousand dollars to 50 thousand dollars. These fees usually cover things such as training, support, and site selection. Also, the agreement and license to use the brand’s name. You definitely need to read the contract and see what the franchise fee gives you in return. There are also build-out costs. This includes the location (that will need to be approved by the franchisor), all the furniture, fixtures, and equipment necessary to get your business started. Keep in mind that you will also need to build an inventory if you are selling goods. As previously said, you will also need to consider the legal and accounting fees, since you will have to hire someone to deal with the paperwork.

What are the major benefits?

The major benefits of a franchise are that you can operate a small business while having the benefits of a big one since your brand name is from a corporation. You also do not really need to have experience being a business person or an entrepreneur since with your franchise agreement, you also receive a blueprint of how to run the business. As a result, it is also a lot easier to have a successful business. We have already presented you with the costs of opening a franchise and even though it may seem like a lot, it does not even compare to starting a business from the ground up. You will also have a nicer experience overall with your business, since worrying about operating it will be less of a worry than starting your own business. Instead, you can be able to focus on customer loyalty. Some types of franchises have the social rewarding factor, for example, a nursing home franchise will give you opportunities to help people and deliver immeasurable value to them.

What are the biggest disadvantages?

Even though opening a franchise comes with many advantages, there are also bad sides as well. Being a franchisee, you will have to follow guidelines from the corporation very closely, therefore, you will not have a lot of room for creativity. You may also be restricted to where you can locate the business and even your business open times. All of this will be listed in a formal agreement you will have to sign in order to get started and this agreement has to be renewed every term, as stipulated in the contract. In the end, franchising is just another way of doing business. This is a great option if you still want to operate a business but do not have room for failure. 

5 Things To Consider Before Choosing An Architect in Miami

Building or renovating your home can be one of the most exciting moments in your life. You get to express your style, create your dream home and seeing it become a reality. It can also be an immensely stressful and nerve-racking period. Building your own home is complex and there is a lot at stake. There are ideas, some good, some bad, some amazingly zany and elusive, and there are budgets and financial aspects you’ll need to worry about. There are also permits, time constraints, and other unexpected events. You’ll need to make important decisions almost on a daily basis, and you’ll need a professional by your side to help you out.

The best way to make sure you have everything in check and running smoothly is to hire one of the best architects in Miami. By doing so, you’ll have someone to design the house, take care of building permits, technical paperwork, and documentation, handle budgets and help you with the actual construction. But how can you find a good architect? What should you pay attention to when looking for one? 

Let’s take a look at this short guide:

The architect’s reputation and credibility

Building a house will probably be one of, if not, the biggest financial investment of your life, so you should pay attention to who the best architects in Miami are and decide which one you would choose. You owe it to yourself to check the reputation and credibility of an architect. Conduct thorough research before making the decision to go ahead with any architect. Google his or her background, reference their specialties against their peers and other relevant firms. Look for anything related to the architect: articles, accreditation, references, news, blogs, videos, photos and so on. Check everything you come across online, even if it’s a small blurb in a local news website. There are also some questions you’ll need to think about: Are they reliable? What do past clients have to say about their services? Were they pleased? Did the architect stay within the budget? Was the communication helpful and open? How adept is the architect at problem-solving? Do you like their designs? Can the architect respect and include their clients’ needs into the project?

There are a lot of questions that will need an answer, but as long as you get these right, you are good to go.

The independent architect

Choosing an independent architect is your best bet when building your own house. An independent architect will be autonomous and will not be part of the construction team and will be your personal advocate whenever you will be dealing with private contractors. An architect who is not compromised by an association will always pay attention to your needs and will not force you to choose a specific contractor or supplier. You are their priority and your project will be the most important part of the deal. Keep in mind that the best architects work best when they are not tied to any business agreement and they don’t get financial benefits from third-party deals. However, independent architects can give you advice on finding contractors or suppliers.

The aesthetic

An architect’s artistic vision is very important when building or renovating your home. The best architects have a firm grasp of engineering and how materials work, but also can create and materialize an artistic vision. The architecture reflects the modern time, your personality, and serves as an important aspect in the functionality of your house. What’s more, you have to like it, be proud of it and see it as a true reflection of your personality and your lifestyle. It has fit your family’s needs and it needs to be adaptable. Plus, it has to be energy efficient, respect the local building rules and regulations and it has to be long-lasting. Always ask for past references, past projects or similar buildings designed by the architect. Discover what kind of buildings they usually design and see if it’s a fit for you and your family.

The chemistry

The architect – client relationship must be successful in order to create the perfect house for your family. An architect is not just a simple contractor hired to build your fireplace. The relationship between you and your architect should be akin to friendship. You can talk to them, express your personal needs, frustrations, desires, zany ideas and concepts. You can be open to your architect about your family, how you work, how you live, how you eat – everything matters when designing your home. The whole process is a journey where both you and the architect come up with ideas and create a new building, the perfect setting for you. This involves discussions about hobbies, style preferences, habits, budgets, intimate desires, family issues and so on. You’ll have to feel that the architect understands your feelings, hears you and knows how to incorporate everything in the new design. They will have to adapt the style to your needs, come up with solutions to problems and crystallize your vision. Architects with fixed, unbending ideas and a singular approach to the built environment won’t be able to relate to your needs and the project will suffer.

The costs – what and how do they charge?Most clients put this aspect at the top of their list when looking for the best architects in Miami, and it’s understandable. If not careful, the budget can explode and your whole project can become a disaster. The best architects charge a percentage of the total project cost, usually around 5 to 20 percent of all the services provided. Other architects may charge you depending on the size of the building. Discuss these pricing models with the architect before contracting their services. Ask for a rough estimate of the total project cost and how much their fee will be. Some architects will ask for monthly payments, while others will ask for installments based on how the project progresses. Sometimes, architects will charge an hourly rate for consultation and small projects.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

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