TIPS FOR A FAST PROPERTY SALE
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There are many reasons why a homeowner might seek a fast property sale.
These include: mortgage payment in arrears; relocation; emigration; bereavement; ill health, separation/divorce; and fear of a broken property chain.
Whichever you reason, there are now many property investors who are looking to purchase properties for a good price. Many of them are cashed up and ready to buy at very short notice. In fact, in some cases, the sale can be completed within seven days, which is great news if the bailiffs are knocking at your door or if you have experienced a broken property chain and risk losing your dream home. In either case, a quick call to a property investor can result in a cash sale and a celebration.
If you are planning to move overseas, a fast sale would be a great way to guarantee funds to finance your move. It can also be very handy for the elderly who are waiting for a place at a nursing home. Property investors are usually very flexible with completion dates and can often arrange for a settlement that will take place when you need it.
Typically, an investor will purchase your property for between 75% and 90% of the market value. This is comparable to what you would receive from a sale by estate agent after your house has been on the market for 6+ weeks. Add to this the fact that you will not have to pay the agent, and you have a good deal.
Property investors who seek these kinds of deals do not usually charge for their services and in many cases, they will also cover the cost of valuation and legal fees.
Many investors will also pay solicitors’ fees and cover the cost of a valuation. Some work directly with valuers and solicitors who are able to move quickly to ensure that a solution is found in the fastest possible time. Most do not charge service fees.
A quick call to one of these investors is often all that is needed to organize a fast property sale. Typically, homeowners are visited by a company representative who will endeavour to find a win/win solution. Some offer a sell and rent-back option and/or a sell and buy-back option for those who are facing repossession. For others, a long completion date may be the best solution.
While homeowners are warned to shop around, there are some high-integrity operators out there who have a genuine desire to help people, and their businesses are thriving.
Stocks vs. Bonds: Differences and Risks
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In the world of investments, you’ll often hear about stocks and bonds. They are both feasible forms of investment. They allow you the opportunity to invest your money with a specific company or corporation with the possibility of future profits. But how exactly do they work? And what are the differences between the two?
Bonds
Let’s start with bonds. The easiest way to define a bond is through the concept of a loan. When you invest in bonds, you are essentially loaning your money to a company, corporation, or government of your choosing. That institution, in turn, will give you a receipt for your loan, along with a promise of interest, in the form of a bond.
Bonds are bought and sold in the open market. Fluctuation in their values occurs depending on the interest rate of the general economy. Basically, the interest rate directly affects the worth of your investment. For instance, if you have a thousand dollar bond which pays the interest of 5% yearly, you can sell it at a higher face value provided the general interest rate is below 5%. And if the rate of interest rises above 5%, the bond, though it can still be sold, is usually sold at less than its face value.
The logic behind this system is that the investors deal with a higher rate of interest then the actual bond pays. Thus, the bond is sold at lower value in order to offset the gap. The OTC market, which is comprised of banks and security firms, is the favourite trading place for bonds, because corporate bonds can be listed on the stock exchange, and can be purchased through stock brokers.
With bonds, unlike stocks, you, as the investor, will not directly benefit from the success of the company or the amount of its profits. Instead, you will receive a fixed rate of return on your bond. Basically, this means that whether the company is wildly successful OR has an abysmal year of business, it will not affect your investment. Your bond return rate will be the same. Your return rate is the percentage of the original offer of the bond. This percentage is called the coupon rate.
It is also important to remember that bonds have maturity dates. Once a bond hits its maturity date, the principal amount paid for that bond is returned to the investor. Different bonds are issued different maturity dates. Some bonds can have up to 30 years of maturity period.
When dealing in bonds, the greatest investment risk that you face is the possibility of the principal investment amount NOT being paid back to you. Obviously, this risk can be somewhat controlled through the careful assessment of the companies or institutions that you choose to invest in.
Those companies that possess more credit worthiness are generally safer investments when it comes to bonds. The best example of a “safe” bond is the government bond. Another is the blue chip company bond. Blue chip companies are well-established companies that have proven and successful track records over a long span of time. Of course, such companies will have lower coupon rates.
If you’re willing to take a greater risk for better coupon rates, then you would probably end up choosing the companies with low credit ratings, companies that are unproven or unstable. Keep in mind, there is a great risk of default on the bonds from smaller corporations; however, the other side of the coin is that bond holders of such companies are preferential creditors. They get compensated before the stock holders in the event of a business going bankrupt.
So, for less risk, choose to invest in bonds from established companies. You will be likely to cash in on your returns, but they will probably not be very large. Or, you can choose to invest in smaller, unproven companies. The risk is greater, but if it pays off, your bank account will be greater, too. As in any investment venture, there is a trade-off between the risks and the possible rewards of bonds.
Stocks
Stocks represent shares of a company. These shares give part of the ownership of the company to you, the share-holder. Your stake in that company is defined by the amount of shares that you, the investor, own. Stock comes in mid-caps, small caps, and large caps.
As with bonds, you can decrease the risk of stock trading by choosing your stocks carefully, assessing your investments and weighing the risk of different companies. Obviously, an entrenched and well-known corporation is much more likely to be stable then a new and unproven one. And the stock will reflect the stability of the companies.
Stocks, unlike bonds, fluctuate in value and are traded in the stock market. Their worth is based directly on the performance of the company. If the company is doing well, growing, and attaining profits, then so does the value of the stock. If the company is weakening or failing, the stock of that company decreases in value.
There are various ways in which stocks are traded. In addition to being traded as shares of a company, stock can also be traded in the form of options, which is a type of Futures trading. Stock can also be sold and brought in the stock market on a daily basis. The value of a certain stock can increase and decrease according to the rise and fall in the stock market. Because of this, investing in stocks is much riskier than investing in bonds.
The Wrap-Up
Both stocks and bonds can become profitable investments. But it is important to remember that both options also carry a certain amount of risk. Being aware of that risk and taking steps to minimize it and control it, not the other way around, will help you to make the right choices when it comes to your financial decisions. The key to wise investing is always good research, a solid strategy, and guidance you can trust.
Beware of Affiliate theft and fraud!
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While good affiliates can make you money there are some that can cost you a lot so beware of affiliate theft and fraud that are increasing day by day. Merchants more then ever need to monitor the actions of their affiliates to defend themselves against fraud and prevent them from stealing your income. As long as you do your online business you to need to be cautious to save your hard earned money.
You must be aware of what type of frauds your affiliates may be capable of and then determine what type of preventive measure could be taken to arm yourself. You need to perform careful screening of all your affiliates because you may have hundreds or even thousands of people signing up for your affiliate program and all they could not be honest and serious. There may be frivolous hobbyists, spammers and sophisticated con artists which require to be weeded so that you are left with serious marketers to work with.
The different types of frauds your affiliates may be capable of are Spammers, Malware, Fraudulent and Fake Transactions and Typo squatting. Spammers are those affiliates who involve themselves sending unsolicited e-mails featuring a net marketer’s product and also create difficult situations for the legitimate e-mailers to separate themselves. Some affiliates even use adware specifically designed that is unknowingly installed on a person’s computer to steal traffic from legitimate affiliates by replacing their links with new ones. The result is that the legitimate affiliates do not get their fees for their work and they keep on going with their work and when they come to know about it they had already made a hair tearing loss! Fraudulent and Fake Transactions are performed by the online fraudsters by signing up as affiliates making large purchases employing a stolen credit card or may opt for creating scripts to generate phony clicks, leads, or transactions.
Typo squatting is another way against which you should keep yourself well armed. It is also known as URL hijacking. Person involved in such illegal job are called Typo squatters who manipulates the URL the website address of affiliate program. They register several variations of a high traffic domain names and then sign up for that same merchants affiliate program to sell them which brings them the revenue which is rightly the earnings of the owner of the affiliate programs.
Once you are aware of the types of frauds and armed with certain screening tips like checking out for anyone inactive website of the affiliates that mark them as spammers, the optimized content that must relate to your products and services and the measure of loyalty to follow the policies surrounding the use of content from your site you are sure to safe from being cheated.
The Gifts of Giving
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Giving gifts, whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas, other holiday, or just to let someone know you care can be as much fun as-if not more fun-than getting gifts yourself. It’s always greatly enjoyable to see the look on your loved one’s face after they’ve opened their gift, in that moment you know you picked out the perfect present.
Sometimes gift-giving can be difficult, especially if limitations have been placed. The person you are giving the gift to may have very specific needs or desires, be particularly picky about their gifts, or they may have no passions at all, which makes it hard to personalize things. You may feel as though the person you are giving the gift to might already have everything, so you are left with the thought there is nothing left to get. There are many Internet businesses that can help you find the right gifts for anyone for any occasion. Look up the term gift ideas and you will be amazed at the results returned to you. Take your time browsing the online stores so you can find the perfect gift that will bring a smile to your loved one’s face.
For those who are electronic and gadget lovers, why not get the newest technology in clocks? This is a neat gift idea. Almost everyone has at least one time clock that they use every day, but few can say their clock is as fun as a projection clock. A projection clock projects the time onto an adjacent wall, using a brilliant laser light that is bright enough to view any time of day. For the gadget lover who enjoys a bit of exercise, why not get him a pedometer jogging kit? Most come complete with a tracking device to keep them on their toes-a great gift in the spirit of promoting good health!
They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but is it true? Find out the truth with a fun Vegas-like gambling gift set, complete with poker chips, cards, and instructions for playing the games. A gift like this is definitely the easier (and cheaper!) way to enjoy a remake of Vegas nights without the crowds. For the true party animal, you can give them the gift of hosting their own Vegas-themed party with our host gambling night set. All they’ll need are some fun guests, and it is Vegas in the comfort of their own home!
What to get the couple who has different likes and dislikes? Whether you are purchasing gifts for an anniversary or just to be nice, why not search for a gift the couple can use together? Everyone has different passions, but one thing most couples have in common is intimacy and the desire to become closer. For the adventurous couples who enjoy a bit of fun, why not grab them a pair of edible underwear, or maybe sexy matching underwear. How about something to bring out the naughtiness at night, like handcuffs? Most companies have them available in chrome, furry pink, and furry black, complete with two keys and a safety release mechanism. Another very popular gift is a wild strawberry-flavored warming massage lotion, great for hands-on action. Who wouldn’t like an intimate massage? One of the most popular gifts for couples is the glow-in-the dark foreplay dice set. Couples love this game, as it brings variety and spice into the bedroom with hundreds of combinations of tasks that the other partner must complete. This gift is a great idea for the couple who prefers to have fun with the lights turned down low.
If you can’t decide on just one of the wonderful gift ideas we have given you, consider giving them a gift package, which is a great way to get a little bit of everything! You can find gift packs available for candles, perfume, cologne, and beauty supplies-truly a gift that keeps on giving. Or get them a gift card so the recipient has the opportunity to choose for themselves from the multitude of products available online. If you can’t find them the perfect gift, let them do it themselves.
Avoid Making Errors While Making Money Online
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There are many websites and advertisements that announce that making money online is very easy to do. They are like preachers convincing the masses how easy it is to earn an extra income. You will come across several hot and attractive phrases like ‘avalanche of cash,’ ‘floods of traffic’ and ‘mountains of moolar’ that are alluring enough to pull people towards them making money from them instead of helping them to make money. Unfortunately there are hundreds of people out there who jumped into the sea to seek treasure without proper knowledge. It is like trying hands blindly.
Always remember that there are two sides of every story. Do not go blindly for anything instead train your mind to evaluate what is true and what is untrue, what is possible and what is impossible. Making money is not so easy as it seems or as it is said by so called gurus. These so called marketing guru verse themselves with powerful words that most of the people gets convinced quickly. Therefore it is advisable to take time to come up to certain decision with positive result. There is certainly no proven way to get rich quick, but your business opportunities on the Internet is virtually limitless!
Your chances for making money online depend on many factors and the key to starting a business is to do some research, collect as much information as possible before joining or parting with your money. The Internet offers endless opportunities to everyone to do just whatever you wish, regardless whether you are doing it as an individual or you are looking to expand your existing business. Therefore it is important that to become successful one needs time, perseverance, determination and just a little luck. The average person surfing the net are impatience consumers looking for ways to make extra money.
Patience is required throughout the business and failing to hold patience may lead to business failure. It is not impossible to make huge amount but it is not so easy to get the same in a couple of days. Building a strong profitable online home business takes time and a great deal of work so does not fall for the hype. There are many unscrupulous so-called marketers online literally lying to convince the people to victimizing them and making money for themselves. Thankfully there are many marketers who educate consumers to understand what they will be getting into when they begin their businesses.
Internet marketing is an industry just like any other, and so it must be learnt before it is applied and you can practically market anything to build revenue. And where there is a market; there is an opportunity to make money.
Bob Geldof calls for more nuclear power
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Anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof joined the global warming debate on Thursday with a call for the rapid expansion of nuclear power, describing renewable energy as a “Mickey Mouse” answer to the climate crisis. The Irish former rock star, known for his campaigning on poverty relief in Africa, was writing on a blog set up by carmaker Lexus to promote hybrid road vehicles.
“The reality is that we need to do much more than change the type of car we drive to make an impact on climate change. In the UK, we’ll soon have to scramble for more nuclear power,” Geldof wrote.
“On this issue, I don’t care what anyone says: we’re going to go with it, big-time. We may mess around with wind and waves and other renewable energy sources, trying to make them sustainable, but they’re not. They’re Mickey Mouse,” he added.
The comments are unlikely to endear him to the environmental lobby which condemns nuclear power as dirty, dangerous and expensive.
For its part the nuclear power industry says it is at least part of the answer to global warming caused by emissions of carbon gases from burning fossil fuels for power and transport.
United Nations environment ministers meeting in Indonesia are split over the guidelines for starting two years of formal negotiations on a deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, a U.N. pact capping greenhouse gas emissions of all industrial nations except the United States until 2012.
Two Surveys Show Big Rate Moves In Opposite Directions
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The two mortgage interest rate surveys upon which we report each week showed big changes for long term rates during the week ended December 6 and 7, but the difference in the outcomes was striking. Two of the products tracked by Freddie Mac dropped to new two year lows while the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported substantial upward movement.
The most recent result of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey for showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 5.96 percent with 0.4 point. One week earlier it averaged 6.10 percent with 0.5 point. This is the lowest rate for the 30-year FRM since the week ended September 29, 2005 when it averaged 5.91 percent.
But the MBA Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey reported in increase in the 30-year FRM of 25 basis points to 6.07 percent with points, including the origination fee, increasing to 1.17 from 1.07.
According to Freddie Mac the 15-year FRM reached the lowest point since the week ended October 13, 2005 when it averaged 5.62 percent by dropping 11 basis points between November 29 and December 6, ending the week at 5.65 percent with 0.5 point.
MBA reported an increase for the 15-year FRM from 5.38 percent with 1.12 points to 5.72 percent with 1.01.
Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) which are only tracked by Freddie Mac had an average interest rate of 5.75 percent with 0.5 point compared to the previous week when it was at 5.92 percent also with 0.5 point. This is also a more than 2-year low. During the week ending October 27, 2005 the five-year averaged 5.63 percent.
Both surveys reported a small increase in the rate for one-year ARMs. Freddie Mac’s survey showed an average interest rate of 5.46 percent with 0.6 point, compared to the previous week when it averaged 5.43 percent with 0.7 point. MBA reported an average contract interest rate of 6.31 percent with 0.97 point from 6.28 percent with 0.99 point.
Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist commented, “House prices rose only 1.8 percent over the 12-months ending September 30th, the slowest rate of growth since the 12-month period ending March 31, 1995, according to the Federal Housing Finance Board’s national house-price index. With lower consumer spending and personal income gains in October, interest rates on U.S. Treasury securities fell lower this week and mortgage rates followed.
“In addition, U.S. nonfarm productivity jumped by an annual rate of 6.3 percent in the third quarter, the most since 2003, while labor costs fell 2.0 percent. Greater efficiencies and lower costs ease pressures for companies to raise prices and offer the Federal Reserve (Fed) more leeway to reduce short-term rates. Currently, the federal funds futures market has almost a 100 percent probability that the Fed will lower rates in its December 11th policy committee meeting. These combined factors will likely diminish upward pressures on mortgage rates over the next few months.”
And, of course as predicted, the Federal Reserve did cut the federal funds rate by one-quarter point Tuesday.
MBA also reported that the volume of mortgage applications increased 2.5 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted basis and 1.4 percent unadjusted from one week earlier. The volume was 14.2 percent above the activity reported during the same week in 2006.
Refinancing activity represented 57.6 percent of total mortgage applications compared to 56.0 percent one week earlier while the popularity of adjustable rate mortgages continued to fall. ARMs now represent only 9.4 percent of applications; one week earlier ARMs had a market share of 11.6 percent.
Create and care for your own virtual pet on your Nokia device
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Nokia now offers a world of virtual pet-care so your pet is never left alone again. Creebies, available through the N-Gage mobile games service, gives each player their own 3D Creebi to care for, entertain, feed and even breed!
Supplied with a trailer and some virtual cash, you can customize your new friend and home with various accessories. Soon, the 3D pet will take on its own personality and appearance based on the attention it receives. With care, the pet will grow and become more independent. However, make sure to keep an eye on its individual health meters, which will let you know when its hungry or feeling ill.
“Nokia Games Publishing has brought a quirky game to N-Gage that appeal to all ages,” said Dr Mark Ollila, Director of Technology and Strategy and Head of Games Publishing, Nokia. “With Creebies anyone can have the pleasure of owning a pet without the trouble of cleaning up the mess.”
Your Creebi can also interact with other Creebies via Bluetooth technology - for instance, they can play games together or even breed. Players can show off their newborns to others or send them to new homes through the Adoption Center in the N-Gage Arena.
Creebies is expected to be available in early 2008.
About N-Gage
N-Gage is a made-for-mobile games service available in compatible Nokia Nseries and other S60 3rd Edition devices from Nokia. N-Gage makes it easy to find, try, buy, play and manage high-quality mobile games as well as connect to friends and other players in the N-Gage Arena, Nokia’s mobile gaming community. Nokia is working with the world’s leading publishers to deliver a broad portfolio of games. www.n-gage.com
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks. www.nokia.com
CityView Completes $10 Million Placement
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CityView Corporation Limited (”CityView”)(OTCBB:CTVWF)(ASX:CVI) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the placement of 41.71 million ordinary shares at $0.24 per share to raise $10 million. Intersuisse Corporate Pty Ltd acted as a manager to the placement, with participation from local and overseas sophisticated and other investors under Section 708 of the Corporations Act.
The Company will primarily utilise the funds raised through this placement to finalise its oil projects in Angola and Cameroon and increase its holding in Fortitude Minerals Limited.
Mark Smyth, Chief Executive Officer
About CityView Corporation
City View Corporation Ltd. is an exploration and development company. It is managements’ objective to grow CityView into a significant uranium, beryllium, oil and gas project by developing its interest in Angola. The company trades on the OTCBB market under the symbol “CTVWF” and on the Australian Exchange under the symbol “CVI”. For more information please visit the company’s web site at: www.cityviewcorp.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes comments that may be deemed forward-looking within the meaning of the safe harbor provision of the U.S. Federal Securities Laws. These include, among other things, statements about expectations of future transactions or events, revenues, and performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to risk and uncertainties that may cause the company’s results to differ materially from expectations. These risks include the company’s ability to complete transactions which remain subject to a due diligence review, obtaining any regulatory approvals, having necessary financing in time to meet contractual obligations, developing appropriate strategic alliances, raising working capital, building a functional infrastructure, and other such risks as the company may identify from time to time. Accordingly, there is no certainty that the company’s plans will be achieved.
Forbes on Macworld keynote expectations
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A fair number of new devices and other offerings may be announced at next month’s Macworld Expo, says Forbes. The magazine notes that while Apple followers can sometimes have fantastic expectations for the keynotes delivered by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, some of the products they previously speculated about may finally materialize. Among these is a sub-notebook, which is rumored to have a 12- to 13-inch screen with LED backlighting, optional flash memory, and no optical drive.The forecast price of the system is said to be approximately $1,500, which if true, would be more expensive than most conventional notebooks. Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin notes that ultra-mobile machines account for only 10 percent of the notebook market; Blackfriars analyst Carl Howe suggests this may not be an issue, however, if Apple’s product has a unique interface, such as iPhone-like multi-touch.
Apple is further rumored to be working on a tablet, which may the same product as the sub-notebook, or completely separate. The tablet may also be intended as a media-sharing device, for which the iPod touch could be the template.
At least one new iPhone is guaranteed to release in 2008, though it may not be announced at Macworld. Jobs could however touch on the subject, and there is speculation that cheaper phones such as an “iPhone nano” are in development.
Some form of new content is expected on the iTunes Store as well, whether it is the first HD video releases, or the availability of The Beatles’ back catalogue, which has never been sold before via digital download. The Store recently managed to acquire all four band members’ solo projects.
Source: MacNN