Why should you become a property financier? To answer that I need to ask you another question. Why do you invest in property?You probably have the following three reasons.1. It gives you chance to make outstanding profit potential through using your bank’s money2. It provides you with a steady monthly cash flow; and3. Provided you buy sensibly it is a safe investment!!!However you also know what are the absolutely worst things are about being a landlord.1 You have to put up with annoying tenants and pay the costs for all repairs to the property after they have trashed it!! There are also other large costs involved in owning property.2. You can tie up a lot of cash – as much as 20% of the value of the property.3. Property cycles can last as long as 20 years. We are now in the middle of a housing bust. If you have bought or are thinking about buying now you might not see much cash from your property until you sell in the next 10-15 years.In short, although I love property, it also has its headaches. This is why I love being a property financier!! It gives you the freedom of investing in the safe property asset class and provides you with fantastic monthly cash flow. So what is property financier. In short it is a person, or group of people (commonly called a ‘syndicate’) who lend money to property developers in order for the developer to use the funds to build a new property or to improve an existing property to significantly enhance its value.For example the property developer finds a site to build a house on. He knows he can buy the land and build the house for $200,000 and sell it for $350,000. The developer takes his plan to the bank who like it and provide him with 80% of the funding for the project (just like Buy to Let mortgages, a bank will not provide 100% funding) on the basis that the bank will take a first charge over the property. The developer therefore needs to obtain a further $40,000 in funding.This is where you come in.You look at the developer, the site, the plans and the area and think that this house will have no trouble for selling at $350,000. You agree to lend the Developer (or lend part of the money in a syndicate) the $40,000 on the basis that you receive a second charge over the property after the bank (this basically means that if the property is sold, the bank is entitled to its money first and then you are entitled second). Because you are taking a second charge, your risk is greater and therefore you are entitled to charge a high rate of interest on your $40,000.This is the juicy part!!!Typically, as a private investor you will be looking to receive 2-4% per month on your money. 4% on $40,000 is a whopping $1,600 per month you will receive in your pocket, every month for the life of the loan. Now that is what I call explosive cash flow!!! And what have you done – nothing other than carefully check out the investment and the developer. Of course you don’t get to keep the property at the end of the project, but you do get your money back plus a dynamite return and you did not experience one property related hassle!!! Your investment is also fairly safe in that you will have carried out your due diligence on the project AND you have the second charge.
How to Become a Property Financier
The 5 Reasons Why Web Video Is the Most Economical Tool Your Company Can Use to Increase Profits
This is the Age of Video. Not only is it everywhere, but technological advancements make it look amazing. Using only a cell phone, video can be captured and uploaded onto YouTube instantly…and people are watching it by the millions. Video and the internet make perfect partners, allowing anybody in the world with something to say, to broadcast the message widely.
Astute corporations are also utilizing the power of online video to stand-out in the marketplace, with videos produced exclusively for their websites. Although video can be shot with an ordinary cell phone, an organization would be wise to leave that job to a professional video production company with years of experience. Companies will find that polished and targeted web videos deliver incredible return-on-investment and are the cheapest and most effective marketing tool they can employ.
Here’s why:
1. 24/7 INTERNET: In the past, a television commercial was the only platform a company could use to speak to potential customers using the power of moving imagery, music and voice. The process of creating the ad and buying air time was astronomically expensive and thus, only the biggest companies could afford to do it. Despite the massive expense, TV commercials are highly limited for many reasons, the biggest being that they are only 30 seconds long. Now with PVRs, many television viewers simply fast-forward through the commercials entirely.
The great news is that online video offers all companies more bang for the buck than a TV commercial ever could. Web videos can be any length (although shorter is always better), cover a series of topics, and are free to be played over and over on a company website.
2. POWERFUL MEDIUM: Web Video is an “engagement object”, meaning that it can reach and captivate countless new customers, prompting them to make buying decisions just by watching! Having web video on your company website increases the conversion rate (the rate at which a potential customer decides to become an actual customer). This important consumer decision is made off-site in the prospect’s home or office, not in your place of business. A good video captures the hearts and minds of potential customers and converts them into real customers.
3. CUTS OUT OTHER EXPENSES: Web Video can save your company money in other departments! One how-to video or a series of instructional videos can save your company a fortune in payroll expenses by reducing the need for live customer service support. Printed manuals and instruction sheets can be reduced eliminated entirely with online video which can be watched indefinitely by countless customers on the company website.
4. COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH CUSTOMERS: In the past, products that needed to be demonstrated also needed a costly sales force to travel into the marketplace do the demonstrating. A single web video that demonstrates the product puts an end to that on-going expense. A demo video also allows potential customers to familiarize themselves with the product from their own personal computer at home.
5. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS: A good video is excellent at building brand and awareness for a company. Superior to a print campaign, video has a “human touch” and allows viewers to see, hear and perceive a company’s message on many different levels. A professional video production company can work with your organization to build web videos that not only effectively promote and market but also position the company as a friendly expert in the marketplace. For example, an Indian restaurant may consider doing a series of cooking web videos in the kitchen with their head chef. Not only does it showcase the wonderful food and show the fresh ingredients prepared with care, but it also provides free, useful information that the customer can take away.
The possibilities of web video are endless and people are watching videos online in greater numbers every day. Web video has the power to transform your business and attract new customers from far and wide. Be sure to consult with a professional web video production company to ensure your video brings out the right message and is perceived in the right way.
THe Difference Between Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing
It utilizes an assortment of digital channels like SEO (search engine optimization), social media and PPC (pay per click) to entice audiences towards a prospective brand. Digital marketing uses internet as the core medium of promotion which can be accessed using electronic gadgets like computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.Internet marketing techniques such as search engine marketing (SEM), e-mails form an integral part of digital marketing. Moreover, it also includes non-internet channels like short messaging service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS), callbacks, etc. All these different channels form an integrated part of digital marketing. Digital marketing is considered a BTL Below-The-Line marketing as it targets a smaller and more concentrated group and works on forming loyal customers and creating conversions.SMO or (SMM), on the other hand, is a branch or subset of digital marketing that excels at promotion using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and so forth. It makes the use of social media for the purpose of marketing. Social media relies heavily on the interaction of the users, sharing information and forming a community of sorts and hence has a ‘social’ element to it. It utilizes the creation of artistic content which is presented accordingly to lure the audience towards your products or services and create a brand following.According to Zephoria Digital Marketing Consultants, there are over 1.71 billion monthly active Facebook users worldwide. This means that statistically Facebook is too big to ignore and hence, should be a vital part of your social media marketing strategies. Online video consumption on such platforms has been on a steady rise and is the next big thing in terms of marketing strategies. SMM is also a BTL Below-The-Line marketing as it relates to segregated groups formed over common interests on social media platforms.Companies looking to address their marketing needs need to choose between a digital marketing agency or a specialist agency. If you are looking for someone to plan out your entire marketing strategy, then a digital marketing agency would be a good choice. However, if you are looking for someone to only handle the social media aspect of your strategy, then you are better off working with a specialist agency.With the extreme popularity of digital media, people are more willing to incorporate digital marketing into their everyday lifestyle. As per the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report, Internet ad revenues in the United States reached a staggering $27.5 billion in the first half of 2015.This has opened up several job opportunities world over. There is a high demand; however, we experience a dearth in the skilled workforce as people are still coming to terms with the rapid evolution of digital media.To meet the increasing demands of talented individuals, there are several online courses in digital marketing available. A quick Google search on this topic will enlist a host of institutes that offer the mentioned lessons. The courses run for a number of days where all the related topics under the umbrella of digital marketing are addressed. Students gain valuable insights into the subject that enables them to carve a niche for themselves.The digital marketing course includes basic understanding of marketing and advertising concepts and fundamental knowledge of statistical and analytical tools. They are also given comprehensive information about email marketing, SEO/SEM, pay per click, mobile marketing, online video among others.Social media marketing courses include an in-depth understanding of the principles of social media, major social media sites, social media strategy and measuring social media. It offers a look into the strengths and weaknesses of the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc. and delves deeper into the newest trends surfacing on social media.Social media is an indispensable part of digital media strategy. SM platforms are leveraged for the purpose of branding of a product or service as it provides a more interactive medium open for a two-way conversation. Digital marketing is more relevant in terms of creating brand awareness, marketing or reputation management. Although they have different online applications, they serve the larger purpose of brand advancement and customer conversion into leads and sales. Consumers have become more brand conscious with active participation and most spoilt for choice with the plethora of options available online. Their share in the overall marketing strategy has grown manifold rendering traditional strategy techniques obsolete. The rate at which digital media is advancing, it won’t be far fetched to imagine a future where virtual reality has transpired to every aspect of our existence.