If you are worried about how long your home could be on the market, Fast Action Home Sales could have you handing over your keys in just weeks.
(NewsUSA) - For the many Americans whose front yards have had a “for sale” sign displayed for months on end, a new sell-it-yourself guide helps homeowners get bids and sell their homes in just weeks. Finally, some good news if you’re having a hard time selling property in today’s turtle-paced housing market.
It’s all laid out for you in a “sell-it-yourself” system, just published by California real estate pros who’ve been selling a different way for nearly 14 years with great success in any market.
It’s called the “Fast Action Home Sales System” -; a step-by-step guide that helps homeowners sell their homes quickly on their own, with or without a real estate agent.
The system uses unique “for sale” signs (and lots of them); compelling print ads; a custom-built web site; even your own 800 phone number to field dozens of calls sellers can expect from the blizzard of advertising they create leading up to one frenzied weekend.
“Even in today’s market, we typically get 75 to 150 prospective buyers to a home on Saturday and Sunday,” says Conrad Kuiken of Compass Realty in Carlsbad, Calif. “Then crowd psychology takes over. Buyers start bidding on the property, and we almost always get at least one bid at fair market value.”
System developers Kuiken and George Cappony have assisted in marketing thousands of houses in all parts of the country and in all price ranges using this system.
“Sellers have sold everything from $100,000 condos to $3 million mansions,” said Cappony. “Good market, bad market, it doesn’t matter; there are buyers out there, and our system will find them.”
The entire process normally takes between two and three weeks from start to finish.
“Pick a date, get everything ready, follow the system, and it’s very likely you’ll sell your property,” Kuiken said.
For more details, you can access a “quick-start guide” to the FAST Action Home Sale System at http://www.RealEstateKit.com , or call 1-800-669-1038.
Corporations are now joining barter networks to help move their millions of dollars worth of excess inventory.
(NewsUSA) - In years past, people didn’t always buy needed goods, they also bartered, or traded, items of equal worth. Today, modern barter proves highly sophisticated.
Companies join business-to-business barter networks that allow them to convert their products or services into “trade dollars” or bartering currency. Businesses can then use their trade dollars to purchase needed products and services without using cold, hard currency.
Businesses that belong to barter networks are not just neighborhood stores. Large barter networks, such as International Monetary Systems (IMS), also support corporate barter opportunities alongside their commercial barter network and therefore maintain a membership that includes large corporations and manufacturers. IMS, now with over 18,000 members, is the country’s largest barter network that offers both commercial and corporate barter solutions to businesses.
“Corporations, manufacturers, the media industry, and the hospitality industry can all benefit from the barter model. In addition to our commercial barter network, IMS also maintains one of the most respected and successful corporate barter networks in the nation, National Trade Association (NTA),” says Don Mardak, CEO of IMS.
Large corporations and manufacturers use barter to keep costs down. But when companies such as this decide to barter, they tend to focus less on trading goods and services and more on moving their inventory or excess capacity.
Every company produces excess inventory, phased-out products or those beyond their selling cycle. The marketplace is competitive, and consumers change their tastes quickly, leaving billions of new, working products unsold. Storing and securing those products puts an unnecessary strain on company finances. Liquidators, or organizations that buy excess inventory, do so for a fraction of its worth for resale. Bartering allows corporations to move excess inventory without taking huge losses.
“Businesses are always surprised to learn what their excess inventory and excess capacity can be worth when applied to a barter model. And for us, providing both commercial and corporate barter channels creates an unparalleled marketplace of products and services for our member businesses to purchase from. It’s a win for everyone.” says Mardak.
For more information, visit www.IMSbarter.com or www.NTAtrade.com.
(ARA) – Last summer you fell in love. Now, just three short seasons later, your beloved has let you down. Time has revealed that your love affair — not to mention the object of your affection – wasn’t nearly as timeless or as durable as you thought.
How did this happen, you wonder. How could you have so badly misjudged the quality and style of the dining-room set you bought just one year ago?
“For most people, furniture-buying decisions are either based on emotion – ‘falling in love’ with a piece – or on the lowest price,” says Brad Haas, a furniture expert with manufacturer Carrington Court. “Neither way is likely to lead to a happy, satisfying long-term relationship with your furniture. This is especially true of upholstered furniture, where poor construction and quality can be hidden beneath layers of fabric and padding.”
Successful furniture shopping requires a careful balance between emotion and intellect, Haas points out. If you’re planning to update your décor with some new furniture this summer, here are two important areas to examine when assessing furniture. If the piece measures up to these standards, chances are you’ll still be able to love it next summer.
Frame Construction
If you’re shopping in a showroom, be sure to ask the sales person about the frame under the upholstery. If you’re shopping online, be sure it’s with a company that can answer this basic question – what is the frame made of? Hardwood frames like oak, maple and poplar provide a strong, solid foundation for the furniture. Avoid soft woods like pine or plywood.
Wood should be kiln-dried hardwood, which imparts strength and durability. Several types of hardwood are good; Carrington Court Direct uses maple/poplar and ash. “Of course, the strongest wood in the world is no good if it’s cut too thin,” Haas notes. Many manufacturers use 5/4-inch lumber, Carrington Court uses 8/4-inch lumber, meaning the wood is nearly 65 percent thicker than planks commonly found in wood frames.
Fabric
If you’re buying from a big-box furniture store, you’ll likely have only a few fabric selections to choose from. Limited fabric choices allow manufacturers to buy their fabric in volume, keeping their costs down. If you go with a smaller company you may find yourself with more choices – or even the ability to supply your own fabric; Carrington Court offers 200 fabrics and has a “customer’s own material” program. If you’re having furniture made for you, the manufacturer should be willing to send you sample swatches of the fabric you choose.
When choosing a fabric type for your upholstered furniture, keep in mind that durability is a key consideration. Some materials commonly used include:
* Cotton – A natural fiber, cotton resists wear, fading and piling, but is less resistant to soiling. Blending cotton with other fabrics can address soiling issues.
* Acrylic – Originally developed as imitation wool, this synthetic fabric resists wear, wrinkling, soiling and fading.
* Nylon – One of the most resilient fabrics, nylon is rarely used alone. Most often, it is blended with other fibers, making it one of the strongest upholstery fabrics. It’s highly resistant to soiling and fading.
* Olefin – Often used in blends with other fibers, olefin is a perfect choice for furniture that will get heavy use and wear.
* Polyester – Most often blended with other fibers, polyester resists wrinkles.
* Rayon – Developed as a silk alternative, this synthetic is more durable than silk but does wrinkle.
If you’re furniture shopping in a showroom, carefully inspect the upholstery and repeat your inspection when the furniture is delivered to your home. Look for fabric that is clean, free of rips, tears or stains. Also, if the fabric is patterned, be sure the patterns line up at fabric seams.
Carrington Court Direct has sold furniture for 23 years. Its Parsons and dining-room chairs can be found in dining rooms, bedrooms and living areas of homes across the country, as well as in quality hotels, designer showrooms, restaurants and offices. To learn more, or purchase furniture online, visit www.CarringtonCourtDirect.com.
(ARA) – From Star Wars stamps to Pez dispensers, collectors all over the world scour everything from auctions to antique festivals searching for pieces equal to the “holy grail” in their collectible categories. What drives them? For some, it’s the thrill of the hunt. For others, it’s having the most prized possession in the palm of their hands. For all, however, it’s the camaraderie amongst like collectors looking for that same big find.
For the avid collector or amateur, the world’s most devout — fanatics of Fiesta Dinnerware — share their secrets to building a collection that will make your collecting comrades green with envy.
Determine your goals
There are two goals in collecting: buying what you love and buying what will resell at a higher price. First, determine if you love to collect this item or if you plan to buy, sell or even trade. Then collect accordingly, says Wendy English of Arizona. English is literally “driven” by her love of Fiesta. Vanity plates on both her vehicles are: FIESTA1 and LVDISHES.
Pick your passion
People start collections for as many reasons as there are items to collect — nostalgia, as a means of investment and carrying on a tradition. For Harvey Linn of North Carolina, it’s personal. He ate off of a Fiesta plate (always Cobalt blue) at his grandmother’s house in the mid 1960s. With her passing in 1986, he found that same, now vintage, plate and became a collector of his grandmother’s beloved dinnerware.
Do your homework
If you don’t know much about the category you’re collecting, you might be duped when purchasing a coveted item. Know the value of certain items, how rare they are compared to others and what conditions are acceptable for resale, especially if you plan to sell or trade.
Make friends
What better way to find the latest and greatest information about your collectables than from your peers? Join a club dedicated to your desires. You’ll find everything you want to know about the category and you’ll make friends that share your passion.
Display the prize
Don’t make the mistake of storing items in a cardboard box in the garage. Maintain them by keeping them out where you and others can enjoy them. And what better way to keep inventory of what you have and need? However, be sure to keep fragile and extremely rare items behind glass or in cases to keep them from being broken or soiled.
Display by theme, style or time period
To create an eye-catching display, look for commonalities like color or time period. English collects only vintage pieces and displays them by the place setting in her kitchen. “I have a set in every color, except Sapphire,” she says. While shelving or cabinets are ideal, some collectors designate entire rooms to their collections. “It really depends on the size of your items, and overall collection,” adds English.
Don’t settle
Settling for a specific piece that is less than perfect is a big mistake. For instance, don’t purchase the sugar bowl sans lid — it will surely disappoint. Most collectors buy an item thinking they’ll find the missing lid or accessory, which is rarely the case. Purchase only intact, well-maintained pieces for the best return on investment.
Look for “numbered” items or limited editions
Linn collects for quality, not quantity. “I used to pick up odds and ends,” he says. “Now, I only buy numbered or special edition items.”
Shop “secondary” markets
Linn looks to the Internet, online shopping sites and even blogs for hard-to-find pieces. “I look for items made in a year ending in five or zero,” he says. This year, Fiesta collectors are buzzing about the first of three anniversary collections. Considered an American icon, the brand turns 75 in 2011. “When there is a limited color collection with special back-stamp, it makes the collecting community very happy,” he says. Today, the 75th anniversary mixing bowls are available at retail stores, but next year the item retires and says Linn, “will trickle into secondary markets and become the newest must-have.”
(ARA) - For those in the market to buy a used vehicle, there is definitely some homework to be done. Online price comparisons, vehicle ratings, personal inspections, professional inspections and vehicle history checks are all critical parts of the process. Despite all this information gathering, however, even the most savvy and educated used car buyers can sometimes fall back on folklore passing as common wisdom about what is or isn’t a good purchase. Unfortunately, myths and assumptions can keep people from choosing the vehicle that is truly best for them.
For instance, most everyone is drawn to the idea of a car that was owned by another person – someone like them. However, when many used car buyers happen upon a former rental car, it typically sends up a red flag. But should it?
According to research from Experian Automotive, being a former rental car is not necessarily a negative for potential buyers. Short-term rental cars tend to have been through strict maintenance regimens, which can help ensure their longevity even though they may be driven harder than non-rental vehicles.
Another common misconception is that cars with only one prior owner are automatically better than similar vehicles that have had more than one owner.
Though farfetched, the notion of a car owned only by some sweet elderly woman whose commutes were restricted to church and the grocery store remains appealing and sought after. However, Experian’s vehicle history research shows that unless a vehicle is eight years or older, the number of owners isn’t a major factor in the vehicle’s projected longevity.
Other people avoid buying used cars from the “saltwater states” bordering the ocean, or those that may have often been driven on bumpy, unpaved roads. Geography, in fact, has little to do with the longevity of a used vehicle. Whether a vehicle was used on highways or rural routes, in icy, northern winters or balmy, southern summers, statistics show that location has no material bearing on the projected longevity of the car.
Cars having been through a wholesale auction are also frequently seen as less favorable. But these auctions are and have been a common way for used car dealers to find vehicles for their lot or to eliminate excessive inventory. Many times vehicles at auctions are fresh off a lease – usually meaning they are only slightly used with relatively low mileage – which statistics show is a definite positive for potential buyers.
A new feature of Experian’s AutoCheck (http://www.autocheck.com ) called the AutoCheck Score takes statistical analysis of millions of vehicle histories and compares that to an individual used car you may be considering. Like a credit score, it produces a numeric summary for that specific car based on dozens of factors in that vehicle’s past, and compares it to the scores of similar vehicles. It’s the picture of a vehicle’s history based on real research, not on myths and guesses.
“There is no safe or sane way to buy a used car or truck based solely on common myths or assumptions. Buy a vehicle history report that makes it easy to understand and compare a vehicle’s history. The best way to do this is to purchase a report with a score, which offers the quick and easy information you need to buy with confidence,” says Adam Goldfein, host of consumer automotive show AutoScoop. “Buying a used car without a vehicle history report, especially without one that includes a score, is asking for a lot of expensive trouble.”
Besides its age and odometer reading, the AutoCheck Score factors in reported events such as title and registration information, collisions, auction data, the vehicle’s emission history, whether it’s ever been repossessed or stolen, whether the vehicle has ever been a government car, police car or taxi and whether it’s ever been leased. The AutoCheck Score does the analysis, helping you easily understand what a vehicle history report really says about that used car and buy with more confidence.
(NewsUSA) - As rising prices leave Americans low on cash, many turn to credit cards to cover expenses. But people shouldn’t use credit cards if they cannot pay credit card bills -; bad credit ratings can create lifelong, devastating effects.
Banks, financial institutions and businesses use credit card ratings to establish consumers’ reliability. People with no or bad credit can find themselves unable to get car or home loans. Landlords and potential employers check credit ratings, too. So, Americans without good credit can have trouble renting an apartment or getting a job.
But people looking to recover from bad credit do not need to declare bankruptcy. With some creativity and judicious spending, people can establish or recover good credit ratings -; and end up with some high-end electronics to boot.
Companies now offer low-rate financing options, which help people buy products while also building good credit.
One company, Pay by the Day (www.abuckaday.com), allows customers to finance IBM computers, Toshiba notebooks, JVC televisions and Canon digital cameras -; along with other electronics, sporting goods and furniture -; for as little as a few dollars a day.
Buyers determine a set amount of money, which is automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts to go towards their purchase. Pay by the Day sends products to homes with no extra money down. The service has no hidden costs. Once people pay off their purchases, they own them completely.
Pay by the Day will approve customers for financing, even if they don’t have good -; or any-; credit ratings. In purchasing a computer or camcorder through Pay by the Day, people can establish or improve their credit ratings.
Having a credit card -; and the credit rating that comes with it -; has become a necessity. For people finding their loan applications and resumes continuously declined due to bad or nonexistent credit, financial recovery can seem endlessly frustrating. But with companies like Pay by the Day offering low-financing options, buying a laptop or television now can help Americans rent apartments, buy homes and cars, or get jobs later in life
(ARA) - When the time comes to make a significant purchase, whether it be a new TV, video game, pair of shoes or a new appliance, most shoppers do a bit of homework before swiping the credit card.Before the days of the Internet, doing your “shopping homework” consisted of hitting three or four major retailers to find the best price for the product. Nowadays, the Internet has evolved into a phenomenal resource for finding the perfect gift for your loved ones or yourself. Products are not only much easier to obtain online but can be purchased at significantly discounted rates.
Here are some suggestions for shopping online that are sure to find you the best deal without spending hours surfing the net.
* When making major purchases, know the product before you buy it. While you can often find the best deals online, when buying an expensive item such as a plasma TV or digital camera, check out product reviews before you make your purchase. Consider dropping by your local Best Buy or Circuit City to have a sales associate talk you through your options. You will find some of the best product information from a sales associate; however the best deals when it’s time to make the actual purchase can be found online.
* Use online coupon sites to uncover additional savings from your favorite merchants. Online coupon sites are a fabulous addition to online shopping. These sites offer coupon deals that you may not find in-store or even on the Web site of a particular merchant. For example, CouponCabin.com is updated throughout the day and provides deals from over 900 online merchants.
* Use shopping comparison sites when you have a final product in mind and want to search multiple merchants. Once a specific item has been identified and you want to know which retailer offers the best price, a shopping comparison site is the way to go. These sites find the lowest price on a particular product by searching hundreds of online merchants. A new web site, http://www.CheapUncle.com , recently launched that merges comparison shopping and online couponing, giving consumers the best possible price.
* You can still save money even after an online purchase is final. Most of the major online retailers have a customer protection policy. This policy enables you to ask for a refund of the price difference if the price drops soon after your purchase an item. Some online merchants will even beat a competitor’s price if you find a better deal soon after your purchase.
* If you’re still stumped on what to get for your family, friend or significant other, let them decide with a gift card. Gift cards are a convenient option and now Web sites like http://www.Cardways.com allow shoppers the ability to upload photos and add a personal message on the gift card, making it a little more personal and less generic.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
(ARA) - It’s no wonder that online shopping has become so popular when you can shop from home, work, and now - thanks to Blackberries and cell phones - even on the go. New shopping sites pop up every day, making it extremely easy for you and your money to get lost in the virtual world. Any savvy online shopper will agree that it is possible to spend frugally while still living fabulously.
Here are some smart tips for saving money online that will leave cash in your wallet and a smile on your face:
Read the Reviews
Before you buy anything, read the reviews. Just because a product is flashy and has a high ticket price does not mean that it works well or even at all. Trust your fellow shoppers, and let their advice guide you to the perfect product.
Compare Prices
Comparison shopping sites are great for shoppers who already know exactly what they want but don’t want to spend the time searching multiple merchants for the best price. These sites search hundreds of online merchants to find the lowest price on your chosen item.
Think With Your Head, Not Your Heart
How many times have you fallen so hard for a hot pair of shoes, the newest MP3 player, or even a 12-cup coffee maker that you overlooked the unnecessarily high sticker price in order to get the object of your affection, only to feel guilty later? Next time, stop yourself before you add the item to your virtual cart. Take a couple of hours or even a couple of days to think about your purchase. Do you really want it? Do you really need it? If the answer is still “yes,” you’ll be able to make the purchase with a clear conscience.
Search for Online Coupons
Before making your final purchase, be sure to check out an online couponing site to save extra cash. Online couponing sites provide deals that you may not find in-store or even on the Web site of a particular merchant. CouponCabin.com (www.couponcabin.com), for example, is updated throughout the day and provides deals from over 900 merchants.
Save Money Even after You’ve Spent It
Most of the major online retailers have a customer protection policy that allows shoppers to ask for a refund of the price difference if the price drops shortly after you purchased the item. Some online merchants will even beat a competitor’s price. This requires some follow-up on your part, but it will pay off in the end - literally.
Online shopping may be an open frontier, but you don’t have to be afraid. With these tips in mind, you and your wallet can tame any shopping Web site.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
RALEIGH, N.C. - Now truly is a great time to buy a home, and The Home Builders Associations of Raleigh-Wake County, The Home Builders Associations of Durham and Orange County, and the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors want to tell you why. The campaign, called
“Now Is a Great Time to Buy a Home,”
was created by The King Partnership, a Raleigh advertising and marketing communications agency specializing in real estate. The recently launched campaign is airing on Triangle television and radio stations as well as in print media. Broadcast commercials were created by Capstone Production Group, The King Partnership’s in-house production company.
“The purpose of the campaign is to tell the public that now is truly the perfect time to buy a home in the Triangle, said Tim Minton, Executive Vice President of the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County. “With interest rates so incredibly low and the large number of homes available for purchase, it’s definitely a great time to buy a home.”
In the Triangle, there is a great variety of homes on the market ranging from condominiums to townhomes to starter homes, transitional homes, traditional homes and estate homes.
“The selection of homes has never been better,” said Ray Larcher, Executive Vice President of the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors. “Buyers can get everything they want in a home at a great price. We’re seeing a lot of first-time home buyers, families moving to bigger homes and people who are finally able to buy a home with all the features they have always wanted.”
The ads feature an illuminated light bulb with a home in the background with “Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home” emblazoned across the graphics. The light bulb signifies an enlightened decision to buy a home when prices are great, interest rates are low, and inventory is high.
The King Partnership’s CEO, George E. King Jr. said the agency was excited about working on this campaign. “We live in one of the best markets in the country,” said King. “The Triangle will continue to prosper and is a great place to invest in a home. It was a privilege to work on a project about which we feel so passionate.”
The “Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home” campaign is scheduled to run through April.
The King Partnership is a full-service marketing communications agency specializing in real estate and retail marketing. Founded in 1986, The King Partnership offers a variety of marketing, communications services, including branding, strategic real estate consulting, marketing, graphic design, public relations, media buying, direct mail, radio and TV production. Located at 1210 Trinity Road in Raleigh, TKP offers a unique entrepreneurial “Run It Like You Own It” approach to business. For additional information visit the King Partnership online at www.thekingpartnership.com
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
Need a special gift or garden and yard product that’s more than just a nice looking work of art, but a useful item for your whole neighborhood. A craft that last for years with very little maintenance and easy to install? Tools-and-Things.com offers the birdhouse, feeder, butterfly house that you are looking for.
Sold all over the USA since 1996 and local NC since 1991 these products speak for themselves. Well made by Azor Israel in his small workshop in Raleigh NC, Azor make these woodworks one by one and there’s not one that’s exactly alike, very unique craftsmanship. After offering his products at crafts shows and consignment shops,
Azor decided to open an online storefront in May of 2000 and had no online experience in selling or promoting anything in this new medium and it was going nowhere, but fast. Azor did’nt have the time to make his products and travel around to show to show and everone that was hired for these shows had to be paid and sometimes after he paid the cost of the shows, his help, and overhead it was hardly enough to purchase new material to reinvest for new products.
Plus the consignment shops was charging way over the normal 20 to 25% but like 40 to 60% commissions and they were selling, but they where the only one making a profit. I told Azor (Judy Israel)to pull all his crafts from the consignment shops and just keep making his products, “birdhouses and bird feeders” and we went to work on our website.
Azor and I put into action what we had learned, from May of 2000 about selling on line in August of 2000 and we started getting orders, not a lot of orders but two or three every couple of weeks. Azor would go to our local State Farmers Market here in Raleigh NC and he would sell a moderate amount of his birdhouses, but he was still making his product as usual and coming up with new ones.
Azor keept this up until September 11th 2001, (the darkest day in our Nation’s history)after we got over the initial shock 911, selling at the local State Farmers Market went down hill. I think it was do to our Nation was still in shock and things was just slow and most people was a bit unsure about the economy.
Azor keept on building his product, working on his website and taking classes on internet marketing and other classes, and one day in the Spring of 2003 a store owner came to his crafts display, and the store owner and his wife started to sit products from the display off to the side and when they were finished, they had set over $900.00 in birdhouses and butterfly houses out for purchase.
The next few days was great, we had sold over $2,000 worth of products and each day from then on we sold at least one birdhouse from the market or online at the web store. Azor was glad that I had told him to keep making his products.
We started get people calling us asking if they could reorder and custom order different styles and colors, telling us how they just love our products, and how well they held-up. In Apirl, May and June of 2005 we got orders for 3265 items most from the internet store.
You would think this was great, but not quite!
Remember Azor builds his crafts one by one and at that time he refused to let anyone help but me and two of our children and that was limited to painting and sealing. Azor had to do something to aleast atempt to deliver these orders.
After getting about 650 items finished and shipped, Azor asked three of his friends to help part time until he could catch-up, and that helped but before we could get the other orders completed a lot of them was asking for their money back.
Well this was the last time this happened, Azor put in place a first come first served policy, better know as ( if your porduct is not instock made and ready to ship with in 24hrs then you can order it on back order and he will let you know when you can exspect shipment and orders over 90 days out, will have a smaller up-front deposit.
Now Azor has three employees that only work, from March the 10th until July the 3rd of each year.Things are going well a this time and we are back to running smooth again and we are keeping all our customers happy.
You can see most of our best selling products at:
TOOLS-AND-THINGS.COM
We all are very proud of Azor Israel not just for the great work he do, but he is very fair with all who is come to know him. Judy Israel
