Friday, May 23, 2008

Articles, Quick and Easy Traffic

Author: Joe Hunley

There are many methods used today to increase traffic to your Website or Blog. As an Author of a Website, I am constantly trying to get a larger number of viewers to my Site. The sucess of any Website or Blog is directly related to the amount of quality traffic that crosses it's doorstep. The sales of products depends on a large number of visiters, and what good is a Site that offers opinions on anything, if their is no one to read them!

I have used several methods in my pursuit of Traffic, the most effective being Article Writing. Why-Because articles are Quick and Easy Traffic to your Website or Blog!! If well-written, and on a topic people will be searching for, an Article can draw an amazing amount of traffic.

First, you should determine what interest's you, and what you wish to write about. What knowledge do you have that will help the reader, and on a subject that They, the readers will be interested in? Are you willing to research a subject, you are not that familiar with? Remember, the content of your article will determine the sucess of your article. A simple search of keywords on any search engine will inform you of the "HOT" search terms.

Write Your article, give accurate information to your reader, and it will have the potential to increase the traffic to your Website or Blog. Remember, the reader found you, by searching a topic of interest to him. Now your article has to gain his trust that you know what you are talking about, and send the reader to the Author Bio. The Author Bio is where you will mention a little about yourself and suggest to the reader that they visit your Website.

I have found that even if I get a small percentage of my readers to move on to my Site after reading my article, they are interest traffic, not passers-by, or they wouldn't bother clicking my Link or reading my Bio.

So, if you are looking for a Free method of increasing your Targeted traffic, a quick and easy method--Submit Articles to the numerous Article Directories avaliable, give it some time, but you will see results.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/articles-quick-and-easy-traffic-411371.html

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Writers - Make Money With a Blog

Writers - Make Money With a Blog

Author: Paul Jesse

Writing is a career where one can become an overnight success or keep struggling for years without making any money and possibly end up changing to another career. There are problems trying to find an publisher to accept and publish your book or novel or a magazine editor to print your article or column. Hopefully this situation may not arrise often in this day and time, thanks to the internet.

Years ago, people in the writing profession had to depend on others to earn; today’s writers may now produce an income from their writing by switching their passion to write into a business. Difficult as it might sound, this effort may indeed constitute an easy-to-achieve possibility with the use of the internet and blogs. Amazing, as it might appear, you will be able to make money with a blog by just whipping up your hidden writing talent.

If you are new to the internet and don't know what a blog is, or you've been working on or surfing the internet for years, making money with a blog is a possibility that you'll be able to accomplish with a little planning. Here are a few tips that should be able to help you:

1. Earn working with Google - What once constituted merely a search engine Google now comprises one of the the worlds most powerful enterprises, not only in terms of its reach, but also in terms of its income generating possibilities. You will be able to earn from Google by utilizing their free service called AdSense. All that's required of you is to have a blog and sell space on your page for advertisements to be posted by AdSense. The service would then permit you to show ad units – ad boxes – that would show ads associated with the subjects you write on in your blog.

For example, you wrote about the piano you just brought, then the ad unit probably would show ads about pianos. When your visitors click on any of these ads, you'd get paid a certain amount. Once your income reaches one hundred dollars, You would then receive a check.

2. Advertise additional Profitable Web Sites- numerous online businesses offer affiliate programs. These programs work by you having their advertisements placed on your blog. When a visitor clicks the ad and makes a purchase from that company the ad represents, you would earn a commission or a referral fee. Many gurus in internet marketing run such programs including large corporations like Amazon.com, eBay and many others. The income you are able to earn varies depending on each company’s payment policies.

3. Sell Ads – The downside of Google advertisements and affiliate programs is you don't actually have much control over your income and the ads that are showed on your blog. If you would like to play more seriously in the ad marketing game, then you could apply BlogAds’ free databases where you will be able to set your own price for advertisers to place ads on your blog. Several companies search for blogs that match their products and services and rent ad space the same as they do when using those traditional billboards you see along the freeways. Your ad space could then be leased for a certain time period. You would have to pay twenty percent of your income to BlogAd.

4. Donations - several blogs have donation buttons on them. And admittedly, numerous enthusiastic fans and visitors might be willing to make a contribution as a sign of appreciation for your well-written, compelling, and informative blog. Donation buttons are available from PayPal, the renowned online internet service, who would receive a fee for this service when people decide to make a donation. Like options are extended by Amazon and BitPass.

5. Open an Online shopping mall – if your blog becomes so popular that thousands of visitors from all over the world visit it daily. Then you might benefit from that traffic by marketing gifts and souvenirs. And the good news is you would not have to place your logo on those gifts, T-shirts or baseball caps. CafePress would do it for you. CafePress extends to sell for you anything from those precious buttons to defying outerware. The asking price is up to you; you only have to pay the base price of the merchandise.

Making money with a blog is not as difficult as it appears. But naturally like any adventure to make money, you have be be good at doing your job. Keep learning and never give up and You will have the potential to make big earnings utilizing your blog .

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/writers-make-money-with-a-blog-420909.html

About the Author:
Want to earn a 6 figure income but don't know how or where to start? Please visit ==> http://www.sheamarketing.com/special-report.html and read my review of the greatest product ever to come out online in the 6 years I've been doing this.

Making More Money Online With Affiliate Programs

Author: Jerry Leung

If you are now working as an affiliate marketer, you may probably want to increase the sales and make more money. In fact, the main key here is to work hard and spend the time to explore. Yet there are some tips for if you would like to earn more commission.

As mentioned, you need to take the time to explore. You have to spend the time to update your website. You also need to explore various methods to promote your affiliate sites, as well as the affiliate products. Remember, there is no way to become rich overnight when you work as an marketer. If you would like to become rich overnight, you should try to win the jackpots of a lottery. Yet in the field of affiliate marketing you will be able to build your wealth step by step if you are willing to work hard.

As a matter of fact, a lot of people will just join some affiliate programs and they never work! Of course they will never get the check in this case. You may have read a lot of articles or tips on improving sales. You have to put these tips and ideas at work. There is no way to make money if you do not actually work. You should try to learn while you are working. You may think that you should read all the tips first so that you can be well prepared when you start. However, this is not the way to work in this field of business. You should read some tips and articles before you start so that you can have some basic knowledge. However, you will need to start working because you may learn something that you have never read before by actually working.

Besides, you should also work hard everyday. And you have to continuously work if you want to make more money. You can not work for a few days and stop. Discipline is very important in the field of affiliate marketing. If you do not have the discipline to work everyday, it is better for you to quit the business. You will only be disappointed if you are unable to work consistently.

Remember, the key to succeed in affiliate marketing is to get it work. You should think out of the box and try various ideas so that you will become more experienced. And you will be just one step from success if you can do so.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/making-more-money-online-with-affiliate-programs-421874.html

About the Author:
Jerry Leung is an author. You can learn more about Make Money Online from his website. He also runs a site about Niche Affiliate Marketing Program . Be sure to check Website Statistics Analysis Tools .

Affiliate Marketing-insights and Achievements

Author: Lalita Negi

The new age economy is running by the marketing and advertising. Every product needs advertising and for that Internet is a big medium these days. Now, affiliate marketing is that system of advertising and promotion in which a website A agrees to feature some links from another website B and in return the website A gets a percentage from the sales generated. Here A is affiliate and B is the merchant.

Although, the process of affiliate marketing seems very simple and profitable but it is not that easy. It needs expertise and knowledge to practice it. The implementation of the process requires effort and skill and this kind of advertisement is free from risks. Nowadays it is popular among the website startups. The merchant can do various kind of advertisements like banners, images, text links, audio-video presentations and many more. Of late it has been very successful for online consumer product retailers and financial service providers.

This system of promotion has been very successful and there is a reason behind it. As you know that among the Internet users (1.15 Billion worldwide till 2007. Source: The eMarketer), a huge population is doing online shopping and other activities. A lot of activities, apart from Email checking, are happening over the Internet like people are buying and selling products, paying the bills, searching property and matrimony etc. These people are the causes of the success of affiliate marketing.

In fact, the total sales generated through UK affiliate networks in 2006 was £2.16 billion in the UK alone (Source: e-Consultancy Affiliate Networks Buyers Guide 2006) and the UK market for affiliate marketing grew by an estimated 45% last year, taking the total value of online sales generated by this channel in 2007 to more than £3 billion. (Source: e-Consultancy Affiliate Networks Buyers Guide 2008).

This stature of growth of affiliate marketing is mind-blowing and it is growing day by day. Various online marketing companies are striving to become a big affiliate network. As competition is fierce so only the strong would survive.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/affiliate-marketinginsights-and-achievements-422425.html

About the Author:
Resource

Author is a dedicated writer for ePurple Media, with expert knowledge in diverse online marketing subjects includes affiliate marketing , seo services etc.

Promoting Your Business Using Affiliate Marketing

Author: revenue27

You started your own online business, everything’s there; your website’s running, every link in it is functioning as it should be, the products or services you’re selling are there, but your sales are at an all time low.

Why? You probably thought that starting an online business just requires you to put up a functioning website; this is where you are wrong.

Starting an online business is not as easy as it seems. As with other businesses, you have to advertise your products in order to lure people in and start buying your products.

So just how do you advertise in the internet?

Simple

There are a number of ways to promote your online business in the internet. One of them is through affiliate programs.

Affiliate programs works by posting your banners and links to other websites. Most of these are free; you only pay affiliates for every customer referrals from their website who buys your product.

For example, Customer “A” visits your affiliate’s website, then customer “A” gets interested in the product you are selling, and then customer “A” clicks on your link or banner in your affiliate’s website. Customer “A” is then redirected to your website so that he/she can buy the product you are selling.

You then pay your affiliate with a specified amount of commission for that product.

How would you find affiliates who would want to post your links and banners free?

There are so many people in the internet willing to post your links and banners free. People like to use affiliate programs because they practically do not have to do anything hard through this form of advertising.

All they do is promote their website in order to generate targeted internet traffic to their website, therefore, generating targeted traffic to your website and produce more sales.

All they do is hope and pray that a visitor from their website will buy your product in order to get a commission.

To find a good number of affiliates who are willing to promote your products free, you first have to sign up with an affiliate-tracking program.

After signing up, you now have to make a decision on how much you are going to pay your affiliate for each sold product.

You then design some banners or text link that your affiliates can use to post in their website.

Now you are set. All you have to do is wait for affiliates to sign up in the affiliate tracking program and start promoting your products.

Although affiliates can promote your products or services free, you still have to take care of your affiliates in order to promote your product more diligently and with loyalty.

To get affiliate’s loyalty and get them to work harder in promoting your products, pay them well. Give your affiliates a high commission rate for every products sold with their referrals. Not only that it will keep your affiliates from leaving you but it will also attract more affiliates to sign up for you.

You also have to track the sales generated by each and every affiliates referred to you. If you have lots of affiliate, you can easily track their referrals and sales through the affiliate tracking company you signed up for.

You also have to pay your affiliates as early as possible for their sales. Letting them wait for months will discourage them to promote your products and leave you. For this, you have to set up a minimum payment requirement in order to track which affiliate you have to pay.

Be professional, answer questions from emails from your affiliates regarding your affiliate program as soon as you can. Do this in a friendly and professional manner.

Create an affiliate’s newsletter. This is a great way to show your support your affiliate and a great way to give them tips on how to market your products more effectively.

Give your top affiliates bonuses for the sales they bring you and include them in your newsletter for your affiliates. This will get your other affiliates to work harder in promoting your products, and a little competition is good for your affiliates.

Create an affiliate’s only chat room. This will enable your affiliates to speak with each other and discuss about how to make your products to sell more. Providing them with chat rooms or discussion boards will show how much you support them. It is also a good way to give tips and advice on how to market your products.

Affiliate programs are a great and cheap way to advertise your products. Your affiliates will work hard if you give them enough benefits and bonuses for promoting your products or services.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/promoting-your-business-using-affiliate-marketing-422880.html

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i am a freelance article writer i am interested at how to make a fortune online visit my website
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101 Tips for a Smoother Home-Buying Process

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Cornett]Brandon Cornett

I created this list for two reasons. First, I want to give you a good understanding of the home buying process from start to finish. Secondly, I want to help you identify those areas where your knowledge-level is lacking, so you can conduct further research on your own.

Preliminary Considerations

1. Learn the home buying process in advance. You'll make much better decisions with a better understanding of the process.

2. Learn the lingo while you're at it (especially all the mortgage terms). You'll have a smoother home buying experience if you "speak the language."

3. Obtain your credit report. To get copies from all three credit bureaus at once, visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

4. Review your credit report. Make sure there are no errors. Check everything from the administrative information to the credit history.

5. Fix errors quickly. If you find an error on your credit report, go to the company's website where the report came from (TransUnion, Equifax or Experian) to contest it. Don't delay.

6. Run the numbers. Use an online mortgage calculator to get an idea how various mortgage amounts translate into monthly payments.

7. Check your debt-to-income ratio. Mortgage lenders prefer your overall debt to be no more than 20% of your net monthly income. If your debt is more, pay it down as quickly as possible.

8. Start saving your cash. Mortgage lenders like to see that you have some cash reserves on hand, and you'll need them for any unexpected fees or costs that might arise.

9. Get pre-qualified. Pre-qualification is an informal review of your finances by a mortgage lender to see what amount you might qualify for.

10. Avoid new lines of credit. Don't sign up for new credit cards or make any large credit purchases while you're "under review" by a mortgage lender.

11. Add HomeBuyingInstitute.com to your Internet favorites or bookmarks. Few websites contain as much helpful home buying information for first-time buyers.

Finding a Real Estate Agent

12. Ask friends or family. People who know you well are in the best position to recommend an agent who is right for you.

13. Talk to multiple agents. Don't think you have to sign on with the first agent you meet.

14. Ask how they search. Make sure your agents is going to use every means possible to find the right home for you. That means using the MLS in addition to their preferred listings.

15. Ask how they network. An experienced agent will often be part of a vast network of real estate professionals. This can sometimes help you find a home before it's even listed.

16. Ask about mortgage connections. It will save you time and headache if your agent can point you toward a good mortgage company.

17. Read paperwork carefully. At some point, your chosen agent will ask you to sign an agency agreement. It's usually a boilerplate document, but be sure to read it carefully all the same.

18. Consider the "vibe" factor. You might be working with this person anywhere from 2 to 12 months, so it certainly helps if you like them on a personal level.

19. Exchange cell phone numbers. You should have your agents cell number in your wallet, and vice versa. You don't want to miss an opportunity simply because you couldn't be reached.

House Hunting

20. Create a "need vs. want" list. Make a spreadsheet or checklist of the things you need in a home, versus the things you want. Print a copy for each house you visit and check items off.

21. Practice self-reliance. Don't over-rely on your agent when it comes to finding a home. Get out there and do some hunting yourself. It's a necessity, but it's also exciting!

22. Use multiple channels. The more channels you use to search for a home, the better. Read the newspaper, cruise the neighborhoods, and surf the web.

23. Use the Internet to your full advantage. Bookmark the real estate listing sites you find most helpful. Visit them once a day and write down new homes that meet your criteria.

24. Create a Google Alert. Visit Google's home page, click on "More" and find the Google Alerts. Enter real estate phrases for your area, and you'll get daily updates with news and info.

25. Feel free to snoop (sort of). When house hunting, it's okay to peek into dark corners, basements, storage sheds and the like. Respect the owner's privacy, but see the whole house.

26. Ask plenty of questions. Don't be shy about asking the sellers questions, if they're home.

27. Validate the asking price. It's called an "asking price" for a reason. Compare it to recent sales in the area. Your agent should be expert at this.

28. Consider shopping, dining and the like. Is the home near the places you frequent, or will it be a long drive?

29. Consider the commute. If you're a daily commuter, distance is a big consideration.

30. Visit during rush hour. Is the home hard to access or exit during rush hour? Is there a lot of traffic noise?

31. Check out the zoning. Are you surrounded by residential areas, or is there a soon-to-be-used commercial zone right across the street?

32. Research the neighborhood, not just the house. Neighborhoods impact property value as well as your own happiness.

33. Research taxes. Sometimes, two neighborhoods right across the street from one another will have different tax situations. Don't make assumptions.

34. Research future development. Will that nice meadow down the street be a highway extension or shopping mall in two years?

35. Bring a "disinterested witness." A level-headed friend or family member will help you judge the pros and cons of each home.

36. Avoid "The One" syndrome. Don't pull up to a home and say, "This is the one!" It might be, but you need to be cool-headed and open-minded during your first visit.

37. Bring a digital camera. It's a great way to record the details of each home for later review.

38. Bring a notepad. Jot down some notes about each home, and label each page by address.

39. Ask about ghosts, poltergeists or other forms of haunting. Just kidding.

40. Think five years ahead. Will the home still suit your needs if your family grows?

41. Play home inspector, casually. The full inspection will come later, but you should at least give the "big ticket" items (roof, heating system, etc.) a glance when visiting.

42. Keep an eye out for mold, standing water and other symptoms of disrepair.

43. Research schools. This is important whether or not you have school-aged children. Schools affect property values.

Making an Offer

44. Base your offer on evidence, not emotion. Remember, the lender will appraise the home later on. If it appraises for less than you've agreed to pay, you'll have problems.

45. Use your agent's experience. It might be your first offer, but your agent has probably seen dozens.

46. Discuss contingencies. Will your offer be contingent upon something, like the sale of your current home?

47. Prepare for all possible responses. What will you do if the seller makes a counteroffer or rejects your offer outright? Conduct "rehearsals" for each scenario.

48. Move quickly (but cautiously) in seller's market. Delays can cause a home to slip through your fingers.

49. Plan the closing date. This will normally be agreed upon during the offer process.

Choosing a Mortgage

50. Study the different types of mortgages, especially the pros and cons of each.

51. Consider your staying time. How long you plan to stay in a home will often determine which type of home loan is best for you.

52. Learn about new mortgage packages. A variety of "creative financing" loans have emerged in recent years. Learn about them.

53. Shop for the best interest rate. Mortgage lenders will offer different rates based on how comfortable they are lending to you. So shop around.

54. Read up on RESPA. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act protects you from unethical lenders. Familiarize yourself with it.

55. Consider paying points. A point is one percent of the loan amount. Paying points can lower your interest rate. Look into whether or not it's a good idea for your situation.

56. Don't go it alone. Ask your agent for advice. Talk to friends and family who've been through the home buying / mortgage process before.

57. Factor in PMI. If your down payment is less than 20% of the loan amount, you'll probably have to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI).

58. Visit the mortgage section of HomeBuyingInstitute.com. You can learn about everything mentioned above, in much greater detail.

59. Watch out for unethical lenders. Talk to your agent or real estate attorney is something seems strange or too good to be true.

The Mortgage Application

60. Be honest. Don't let anyone talk you into falsifying information on your mortgage application. You'll be the only one held accountable.

61. Ask questions. And ask them again, until you're comfortable that you understand each part of the application.

62. Read the fine print. Often, the most important parts of an application are in the fine print. Don't let these details go unnoticed.

63. Don't sign blank areas. If a section of the mortgage application is blank, either 'X' it out or leave it unsigned.

64. Keep a copy for yourself. This applies to all documents during the home buying process. Start a folder with copies of everything.

65. Get a truth-in-lending statement. After you apply for the loan, the lender is required to give you an estimate of the total costs associated with the loan.

66. Plan for more than truth-in-lending statement. Unfortunately, it's common for the actual costs of a loan to be more than the lender's estimate. So plan for more.

The Home Inspection

67. Get a home inspection! At around $500, it's a small price to pay for peace of mind.

68. Hire a certified inspector. Anyone can claim to be an inspector. So make sure yours is certified by a professional organization.

69. Tag along if possible. You'll learn a lot about the inner workings of the home.

70. Categorize discrepancies, based on whether or not you want the seller to fix them.

71. Be realistic with repair requests. In a seller's market, you may not get all the repairs you want. So be realistic with what you're asking.

72. Get a termite inspection. Make the offer contingent upon a termite-free inspection.

The Home Appraisal

73. Understand the appraisal process. It's for the lender's protection, but it will also tell you if you're overpaying for the home.

74. Have a plan for under-appraisal. You can pay the difference, the seller can lower the price, or you can walk.

Pre-Closing / Pre-Settlement

75. Read up on closing procedures. Start with a refresher on RESPA.

76

Affiliate Programs: Why You Should Join

Author: Kevin Sinclair

Affiliate programs are remaining steady in their popularity. Every day, more and more webmasters, just like yourself are choosing to join one affiliate program or another. There are many different reasons for this, but the biggest reasons remains that it can be a great source of extra money. Then you add on to the fact that there is not a great deal of work involved with this extra money and you have yourself a jackpot of an opportunity. Even so, many people are still trying to determine if affiliate programs are right for them.

In this article, we will discuss the many different benefits that can be had by joining programs and each one of these will likely surprise you. First, what is an affiliate program? These programs surround many different areas of businesses offering services or products. An affiliate program, a method of marketing their company is a way for the business and the affiliate to make money. They offer different avenues of advertising for their affiliate such as text links, banners, email templates and so much more. Each time an affiliate makes a sale via their method of advertisement, they get a percentage of that sale from the company.

All you need to do as an affiliate is sign up. In some cases, there is an approval process, but this is generally just to ensure that you have a legitimate, professional website that you are going to be placing their information. Generally, as long as the website is professional and lacks any type of content that may be deemed inappropriate, you are approved. After approval, you will get access to their marketing materials, such as banners that have already been created for the business. At the same time, you will be given the necessary coding that you need to place it on your website. You put the banner on your website and you are ready to start earning your money.

Of course, earning money is the most attractive part of any affiliate program. In general, all programs are different and offer different avenues of making money. For instance, you may receive a percentage of every sale made from your specific identification code, this percentage can be as little as 5% or even as much as 50% in some cases, depending on the pricing, the product, the service, and other elements. Your goal should be to locate affiliate programs that offer a percentage rate that looks appealing to you.

The good news is that you have literally hundreds of choices when it comes to finding an affiliate program. There are so many businesses that offer these types of programs that they are almost literally yours for the choosing. In fact, many webmasters such as yourself, are turning to using several different programs at the same time, increasing their earning power. In most cases, there are no conflicts with the other programs.

However, joining several affiliate programs at once can leave you overwhelmed. It can make it difficult to keep track of your earnings. It is important to be sure that you are aware of your earnings and keeping your own run down of sales for each affiliate program. This will make sure that you are getting what you deserve in the way of payment.

However, there is some help with software programs that are dedicated to affiliate traffic, they may be free or you may have to pay a small amount of money to get this program, but it can save you a lot of time, hassles, and money. These are just a few of the many benefits in taking part in affiliate programs. If you have your own website and are looking to make money, you should start with an affiliate program today. Boost your income and start reaping the rewards.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/affiliate-programs-why-you-should-join-424002.html

About the Author:
Discover Kevin Sinclair's system for making profits regardless of whether anyone joins your network marketing business.

Home Buying Process - 5 Most Common Questions Among Home Buyers

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Cornett]Brandon Cornett

Since launching the Home Buying Institute website back in 2005, I've received quite a few home-buying questions by email. As you might imagine, many of these questions came from first-time home buyers who are new to the process of buying a home.

I thought it would be beneficial to home buyers everywhere if I selected five of the most common home-buying questions I receive, and explored them in an article such as this. I've also listed the corresponding areas of HomeBuyingInstitute.com that cover these topics in more detail.

So here we go with five common questions when buying a home:

1. How do I find out my price range?

Determining a price range should be one of your first steps when buying a home. When you know how much you can comfortably afford each month, you'll save time during the house hunting process by only visiting properties within your price range.

To determine your price range, sit down and compare your monthly income to your monthly expenses (savings, credit card payments, car payment, quality of life, etc.). How much is left? Your monthly mortgage should be less than this amount. Now you can use an online mortgage calculator to break each sale price down to a monthly amount, and determine if that amount is inside or outside your comfort zone.

Section of Home Buying Institute: "Self Assessment"

2. Do I need a real estate agent?

Here's the short answer ... yes! If you are buying a first home, you should have a real estate agent. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial transactions you will ever make, so it's always wise to have professional help.

Your agent will help you find homes that match your price range and desired features. He or she will also help you validate the asking process (next item), write up the purchase offer, help you negotiate with the seller, and guide you through the rest of the home buying process.

Section of Home Buying Institute: "Finding an Agent"

3. How do I research the asking price?

The first thing to realize here is that it's called an "asking price" for a reason. The price set by the seller is never set in stone. It's what they are asking for, and you are free to make a counter-offer is you see fit. Your real estate agent will help you validate the asking price by looking at comparable, recent sales in the area. This will tell you if the asking price is reasonable or over-priced, based on current marketing conditions.

Section of Home Buying Institute: "Process Overview" and "What to Avoid"

4. Which type of mortgage loan should I choose?

This question always presents a catch-22 for me. On one hand, I enjoy helping people by answering their home buying questions. On the other hand, I don't dare make a decision like this on behalf of a stranger. It's too important a decision for me to make for somebody else.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here's how you can choose the best type of mortgage loan for your situation. First, do some research on the basic types of home loans -- fixed rate, adjustable rate (ARM), balloon loan, etc. When researching the different mortgage types, pay attention to paragraphs that begin with: "This type of mortgage might be best for you if..." Generally, this type of statement is followed by a series of pros and cons that will explain the type of home buyer who might choose that option.

As a rule of thumb, if you're going to be in the home for quite a while (five years or more), it's probably a good idea to choose a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, if you think you'll only be in the home for two or three years, you might want to choose an adjustable-rate mortgage to save money during your short time of ownership.

Section of Home Buying Institute: "Types of Mortgages"

5. What happens at the real estate closing?

Basically, the real estate closing (also known as a "settlement") is when property ownership transfers from seller to buyer. All remaining fees will be paid as well, and these are known as closing costs. The seller gets their portion of the payment (minus what they still owe on the mortgage), and the deed is transferred to reflect the new owner.

As a home buyer, the best you can do is save more money than you think you'll need at closing, just to be safe. You should also make sure you receive a HUD-1 statement (or "settlement statement") at least one day prior to the closing date. This document gives you an itemized list of the costs you'll be expected to pay at closing. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires that the closing / escrow agent provide this document at least one day before the [http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/closing_article7.php]real estate closing.

Section of Home Buying Institute: "Closing / Settlement"

* You may republish this article online if you retain the author's byline and the active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett.

Get More Answers

Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Home Buying Institute, a library of home buying advice and articles. If you have additional questions about [http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/homebuyingprocess_article13.php]buying a home, be sure to visit http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

How to make paying off debt pay

When you're buried in debt, choosing a credit card is typically a question of finding the one with the lowest interest rate -- not one that has a rewards program. After all, a 1% cash-back bonus isn't much of a perk when you're paying 18% or more in annual interest. Now some credit card companies, including Discover and Bank of America, are trying to convince you otherwise by launching credit cards that offer special cash-back rewards meant to appeal to those carrying a balance. The goal, they say, is to help folks manage their debt better. "We found 85% of (consumers who carry a balance) prefer rewards for paying on time versus rewards on spending," says Margo Georgialis, the chief marketing officer for Discover. "So we created a program that combined both. It wasn't just about rewards, but about a total experience of being on top of your credit." Discover's Motive card, launched this month, offers a twice-a-year cash-back bonus equal to your interest charges for one month, provided you make payments on time for six months in a row. Bank of America's Money Return Visa, on the other hand, gives revolvers a 10% rebate on the interest charges they've paid for the past year. Both cards feature low-rate promotional periods -- 3.9% until 2010 and 0% for six months, respectively -- on balance transfers and no balance-transfer fees, making it easier for consumers to make a dent in their debt.How the math works out But do these new cards stand up to the no-frills low-rate cards or attractive 0% APR (annual percentage rate) balance-transfer offers that revolvers typically favor? It all boils down to the math, says Scott Bilker, the founder of DebtSmart.com. With Bilker's help, we ran debt payoff scenarios for the two new cards, comparing them with two "old-school" credit cards that also target revolvers, but by using low rates rather than special rewards. The Simmons First Visa Platinum card is currently the lowest-rate card out there, according to Cardratings.com, with a 7.25% fixed APR. And with a promotional offer of 0% APR for the life of the balance, as long as you make two purchases a month (use code F1K7), Citibank's Diamond Preferred Card is one of the best balance-transfer deals around, as long as you approach it smartly. (For details on each offer, see the table below.)

10 low-cost gifts from the heart

The holidays are supposed to be about visiting with loved ones -- laughing around the fire, chatting up Grandma, hosting people in your home. So stop the holiday madness. Stop trudging all over town, waiting in lines. Stop running after your own sense of Christmas past. Isn't it time to focus on giving gifts that really mean something? Here are 10 suggestions for how to spend less money and put more of yourself into creative gift giving. Some of the best ideas require a fair amount of time, but they're far more rewarding than creating an attack plan for the mall.Not everything on the list is charmingly homemade, but everything is a step above the generic gift card. Family cookbook: Do you miss Grandma's shepherd's pie or Aunt Aggie's famous French toast? You can bet your siblings do, too. Try compiling all the favorite family recipes into a cookbook. Use your design skills to create an attractive cover and add photos or stories to create a wonderful record of family history that extends beyond the kitchen table. For help, check out books such as "Scrapbooking with Recipes" by Better Homes and Gardens or how-to guides online. Web sites such as Secret Ingredients allow you to create a book online for printing.Video tribute: Who doesn't want to be a star, especially when the rewards are as sweet as a personal video tribute from loved ones? Ask family and friends for funny stories and favorite memories of the honoree. Too often we share these stories only on special occasions, such as weddings, or after the people are gone. This is a great idea for parents and grandparents. Just have the tissues handy -- this one's sure to be a tear-jerker. If you need a camcorder, start here. Then check out the simple video-editing software that came with your computer.Personalized/homemade gifts: Anything homemade -- soaps, stationery, jams -- offers something stores cannot: your love and effort in all its imperfect glory. The best ideas take advantage of family history or photos (see "Turn your memories into precious gifts"). You can embellish your gifts with magazines or newspapers that were published on auspicious dates in your family's history -- a wedding or a birthday, perhaps. (You can search for Time magazine covers or for Life magazines and newspapers online.) Or check out the nearest paint-your-own-ceramics shop. Children (and adults) can add charm and personal messages to gifts such as mugs and picture frames for grandparents. The hostess with the mostest: Anyone who has put on a family reunion knows that the level of detail and schedule juggling can be mind-boggling. By taking on the planning, you're freeing everyone else to relax and look forward to the event. Even a simple picnic at a park can be tons of fun.Cover the family beat: It can be difficult to keep up with the comings and goings of your immediate family, let alone extended family across the globe (chances are, they're not all addicted to Facebook). So don your reporter's cap and create a newsletter that includes the extended family's news. Even if you keep track with a blog online, you can compile the news at the end of the year in a great keepsake for family members. "Creating Family Newsletters" by Elaine Floyd is just one book that can help.Gift of the month: You've probably seen the commercial gift-of-the-month clubs that offer flowers, wines or cigars. By drawing on your own talents, you can create a personal monthly gift service at a fraction of the dollar cost. Maybe it's freshly baked bread, homemade candles, flowers or vegetables from your garden that you bestow on lucky friends or family each month -- even a poem or car washing. Be careful, though. It can be a big time commitment. You might want to make it quarterly or consider doing something that you can make ahead, such as jams or homemade soaps. The worst thing you can do with this kind of gift? Not deliver on your promises.A new survey finds 38% of shoppers say high energy prices will make them cut their holiday spending plans.Prepaid cell phones or calling cards: For elderly relatives living on fixed incomes, prepaid calling cards mean they won't have to forgo a comforting call because money is tight. (And for parents of overseas-bound college kids, they can offer invaluable peace of mind.) Try local groceries or drugstores, or research calling cards online. Every major carrier, as well as others such as Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, TracFone and Liberty Wireless, offers prepaid cell plans.Chip in on a group outing: Get everyone to agree to forgo the gifts and instead put the money toward a shared experience. It can be dinner at a fancy restaurant, a day sledding or a whole weekend away in a rented cabin. Not only does it reduce the focus on material goods, but you also will have time to enjoy each other's company.Spread the joy: In the "it's better to give than to receive" camp, consider sponsoring a needy child or giving to a charity in someone else's name. Have your kids pick one of their toys to donate to charity, or make a family event out of preparing a holiday meal for a local family in need. (See "How to tell a good charity from a bad one" or ePhilanthropyFoundation.org for help choosing a charity.)Your time: Ah, the most valuable gift of all. This can take any form you want, but formalizing your offer makes it worthy of being put under the tree. Consider monthly baby-sitting or dog-care coupons, or help someone with a difficult all-day project, such as getting garden beds ready for spring planting or building shelves for a hobby room. Lend your expertise to things your loved ones especially need help with, whether it's an all-day class on how to use their computer or how to cook some of the family recipes you've compiled for them.

Luxuries for the rest of us

Living in Los Angeles exposes one to a lot of luxury-spending opportunities. Most of them are wasted on me.I don't get the appeal of a $500 T-shirt, a $2,000 purse or a $100,000 sports car with a trunk smaller than the overpriced handbag.But the appeal of some perks the rich enjoy is obvious even to skinflints like me. In fact, when I can get a taste of the luxe life at fraction of the price, I go for it -- because what I envy most is the luxury of less hassle. And there are ways to buy that without being Leona Helmsley.Richie Rich perk No. 1: A private jet No security lines. No set schedules. No wasting hours on a tarmac or at a luggage carousel. Just zip to your destination -- and would Madame like her prime rib rare or medium?The appeal is obvious even to fellow cheapskate Warren Buffett, who for years resisted buying a private jet before caving. Now the investing superstar understands the appeal. In his latest letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett declared that "once you've flown (private), returning to commercial flights is like going back to holding hands."Of course, Hollywood's greenest types now frown on private airplane transportation, citing the contribution of increased carbon dioxide emissions to global climate change. So we can solace ourselves that we're doing less damage to the planet stuffed back in coach.But here are ways for fliers to get a taste of luxury:• Be elite. If you fly a lot, concentrate your trips on one airline to qualify for its elite frequent-flier status (typically 25,000 miles flown a year). That will qualify you for shorter security lines at many airports and win you more-frequent upgrades to first class.• Invest in an airport lounge. Again, if you travel frequently, consider investing in your airline's lounge pass. Most are quiet, comfortable places to read, work and get a free snack.• Get a pass. Even if you travel infrequently, consider buying a day pass to an airport lounge if you have a long layover. Day passes typically cost $25 to $50.• Pick the right flights. Choose nonstops and flights that depart early in the day to minimize hassles. Because airports and airlines are so overbooked, any weather or mechanical problem can touch off a cascade of delays that get worse as the day progresses. The later you leave and the more connections you have to make, the more likely you are to get caught in the gears.Richie Rich perk No. 2: A personal assistant Someone to mail your packages, pick up your dry cleaning, wash the dog, fill your prescriptions and listen -- for the 100th time -- to your complaints about your ex.Personal assistants are a de rigueur accessory in La-La land. Their full-time pay ranges from $40,000 to $120,000, said Jack Lippman, the owner of the Elizabeth Rose Agency, a Los Angeles placement agency for domestic help. The more experienced the assistant and the more intense the job, the higher the pay.Wannabes who can't quite shoulder those costs turn to services that provide assistants for as few as four to eight hours a week, usually for about $30 an hour.CNBC reporter Darren Rovell takes a look at what $1 million can buy you.Can't quite swing that? Here are ways to shed some of the hassles of daily living:• Investigate which businesses near you will deliver. In my neighborhood, for example, are several dry cleaners that pick up, deliver or both; independent pharmacies that bring medicine to your door; and a delivery service that picks up food from most area restaurants.• Schedule pickups for packages. This isn't just a perk for businesses. The Postal Service and most delivery companies will come to your home to collect packages if you schedule in advance. It sure beats standing in long lines to ship holiday packages.• Hire an errand service. These businesses have cropped up in many areas and do everything from waiting for the cable guy to stocking up for your New Year's Eve party. Craigslist is one way to find them. • Check out the world of virtual assistants. If your task can be handled on the phone or the Web, a virtual assistant can do it. They can buy movie tickets, wrangle with customer service departments, research airfares and write letters. There are a ton of sites to choose from, including Elance, Workaholics4Hire.com and GetFriday.Timothy Ferriss, the author of the best-selling book "The 4-Hour Workweek," extols the value of virtual assistants and recommends considering one anytime you can pay less for the outsourced task than your time is worth. A quick way to assess the value of your time, he says, is to knock the zeros off your annual pay, then cut the result in half. Thus, if you make $50,000 a year, your time is worth about $25 an hour.

Broke? 5 ways to turn your finances around

A recent study painted a dismal portrait of America's working poor, estimating that some 41 million people cannot afford to make ends meet, despite being employed.These hardworking Americans earn low wages, have few benefits and often can't qualify for government help -- and many of the Women in Red are in a similar quandary.But the Women in Red are discovering a way out.Not poor, but struggling to get by "Bridging the Gaps: A Picture of How Work Supports Work in 10 States" was issued in October by the progressive Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington, D.C., and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts, focusing on families in 10 states with incomes far above the official poverty threshold.The median monthly incomes studied in the report ranged from a low of $2,293 in Iowa to $4,515 in Washington, D.C. Despite not being officially "poor," these families are struggling to get by in a variety of ways:• More than one in five workers (22.1%) are in jobs with low pay and no benefits (no health insurance or retirement plan).• The median monthly "hardship gap" between families' expenses and their earnings was about $1,500.• Those who got "work supports," or aid from the government, still faced an $855 median monthly shortfall.The circumstances of poverty Although the report outlines the broad financial circumstances of the working poor, it attributes them to "bad jobs" and a failure of government programs. What the report misses is the other side of being broke, as many in the Women in Red can testify. That's when your economic stress is partly, if not primarily, of your own making. I'm not referring to those who are impoverished due to a snowballing of circumstances beyond their control. There are countless Americans who live on the financial edge through no fault of their own. • Talk back: What tactics work when you're really broke?But many of the Women in Red are finding that, even amid tough economic straits, it is possible to turn things around. Here's how:1. Get to know your money Being good with money doesn't require a Ph.D. in physics. But you do have to get a certain amount of good, basic personal finance knowledge under your belt to recover from past mistakes, ditch bad money habits and make real financial progress.Tricia, 42, became an avid personal finance reader. As a single mom with three kids and an income of about $1,700 a month -- not the poverty line, but close -- she banked on the fact that knowledge was power. A good book makes abstract money ideas doable, she says. "Someone is always telling you, 'Get a budget, get a budget -- all financially successful people have a budget' -- but you tend to shrug it off," she says."It's when you read about it and see how they work, that's when you can begin to do it yourself."While Tricia says she learned a lot of money basics from personal finance expert Suze Orman, the book that really changed her life, "hands down," was "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. 2. Get to know your financial self One of the hardest tasks in taking financial control has nothing to do with money but with getting to know yourself financially.This is one of the primary goals for women who join the ranks of the Women in Red. You can't fix those numbers until you have some idea of where your weak spots lurk, what your financial demons look like, and how and why they manage to trip you up.The idea of working at home certainly sounds appealing: save gas, choose your hours and wear whatever you want. But are these jobs real, and how do you find one? Kimber, 28, took a classic head-in-the-sand approach to her money for a long time, taking on close to $18,000 in debt even before she'd graduated from college. A serious illness and the birth of her son, all in the last couple of years, helped her face the mess. A single mom living on a modest income of about $2,200 a month, Kimber isn't poor, but her past financial habits had made life unmanageable."I had to change my whole attitude toward money. I had to drop that I'll-pay-for-it-later fantasy," she says. "Now I buy everything with cash. I don't even have a credit card. That's how I keep myself in check."

How I Work: Bill Gates

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - It's pretty incredible to look back 30 years to when Microsoft (Research) was starting and realize how work has been transformed. We're finally getting close to what I call the digital workstyle.If you look at this office, there isn't much paper in it. On my desk I have three screens, synchronized to form a single desktop. I can drag items from one screen to the next. Once you have that large display area, you'll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity. The screen on the left has my list of e-mails. On the center screen is usually the specific e-mail I'm reading and responding to. And my browser is on the right-hand screen. This setup gives me the ability to glance and see what new has come in while I'm working on something, and to bring up a link that's related to an e-mail and look at it while the e-mail is still in front of me.At Microsoft, e-mail is the medium of choice, more than phone calls, documents, blogs, bulletin boards, or even meetings (voicemails and faxes are actually integrated into our e-mail in-boxes).I get about 100 e-mails a day. We apply filtering to keep it to that level�e-mail comes straight to me from anyone I've ever corresponded with, anyone from Microsoft, Intel, HP, and all the other partner companies, and anyone I know. And I always see a write-up from my assistant of any other e-mail, from companies that aren't on my permission list or individuals I don't know. That way I know what people are praising us for, what they are complaining about, and what they are asking.We're at the point now where the challenge isn't how to communicate effectively with e-mail, it's ensuring that you spend your time on the e-mail that matters most. I use tools like "in-box rules" and search folders to mark and group messages based on their content and importance.I'm not big on to-do lists. Instead, I use e-mail and desktop folders and my online calendar. So when I walk up to my desk, I can focus on the e-mails I've flagged and check the folders that are monitoring particular projects and particular blogs.Outlook also has a little notification box that comes up in the lower right whenever a new e-mail comes in. We call it the toast. I'm very disciplined about ignoring that unless I see that it's a high-priority topic.Staying focused is one issue; that's the problem of information overload. The other problem is information underload. Being flooded with information doesn't mean we have the right information or that we're in touch with the right people.I deal with this by using SharePoint, a tool that creates websites for collaboration on specific projects. These sites contain plans, schedules, discussion boards, and other information, and they can be created by just about anyone in the company with a couple of clicks.Right now, I'm getting ready for Think Week. In May, I'll go off for a week and read 100 or more papers from Microsoft employees that examine issues related to the company and the future of technology. I've been doing this for over 12 years. It used to be an all-paper process in which I was the only one doing the reading and commenting. Today the whole process is digital and open to the entire company.I'm now far more efficient in picking the right papers to read, and I can add electronic comments that everyone sees in real time.Microsoft has more than 50,000 people, so when I'm thinking, "Hey, what's the future of the online payment system?" or "What's a great way to keep track of your memories of your kid?" or any neat new thing, I write it down. Then people can see it and say, "No, you're wrong" or "Did you know about this work being done at such-and-such a place?"SharePoint puts me in touch with lots of people deep in the organization. It's like having a super-website that lets many people edit and discuss�far more than the standard practice of sending e-mails with enclosures. And it notifies you if anything comes up in an area you're interested in.Another digital tool that has had a big effect on my productivity is desktop search. It has transformed the way I access information on my PC, on servers, and on the Internet. With larger hard drives and increasing bandwidth, I now have gigabytes of information on my PC and servers in the form of e-mails, documents, media files, contact databases, and so on.Instead of having to navigate through folders to find that one document where I think a piece of information might be, I simply type search terms into a toolbar and all the e-mails and documents that contain that information are at my fingertips. The same goes for phone numbers and email addresses.Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting and want to jot things down, I bring my Tablet PC. It's fully synchronized with my office machine so I have all the files I need. It also has a note-taking piece of software called OneNote, so all my notes are in digital form.The one low-tech piece of equipment still in my office is my whiteboard. I always have nice color pens, and it's great for brainstorming when I'm with other people, and even sometimes by myself.The whiteboards in some Microsoft offices have the ability to capture an image and send it up to the computer, almost like a huge Tablet PC. I don't have that right now, but probably I'll get a digital whiteboard in the next year. Today, if there's something up there that's brilliant, I just get out my pen and my Tablet PC and recreate it.Days are often filled with meetings. It's a nice luxury to get some time to go write up my thoughts or follow up on meetings during the day. But sometimes that doesn't happen. So then it's great after the kids go to bed to be able to just sit at home and go through whatever e-mail I didn't get to. If the entire week is very busy, it's the weekend when I'll send the long, thoughtful pieces of e-mail. When people come in Monday morning, they'll see that I've been quite busy� they'll have a lot of e-mail.

Make Money – a Sure Way to Earn Profits

Many people start out writing articles to promote affiliate programs without success. There are a number of possible reasons for this. You could be promoting a product that converts at a very low rate. Try to find out the conversion ratio before you begin commit a product. Another reason for little or no sales is improper targeting. That is, you are promoting a pay-per-click product and writing articles on traveling. Many people make this mistake. If you’ve been writing articles for a while, and have not achieved any success, there is another alternative where you are almost certain to make money.You can sell your articles to content provider sites. Some of these sites will pay you upfront when they accept your article. This way, you can be assured that you will make some money. You won’t get rich using this technique, but you are assured of making some money. And, if you haven’t been making any money at all, $30 to $50 for a few hours of work may be just the thing that you are looking for. These sites will pay you anywhere from $3 to $ 25 per article, depending on the subject, type, and length of the article.Associated Content is a good content provider site. You must register to begin submitting articles. The nice thing about this site is that they pay you upfront. You can maximize the money that you make with this site by participating in their contests and submitting articles on subjects that they request. These programs tend to pay more than unsolicited submissions. Another good content provider is Constant Content. With this site, you are not paid until someone purchases your article. However, they allow you to decide how much to charge for your article. Constant Content will allow you to charge whatever you like. However, you should be aware that if you price your 500-word article on knitting techniques at $100, few people would consider using it. So, you should price your article according to what the market will pay. Both of these sites allow you to determine what type of rights that you want to offer with your article. That is, you can keep the right to offer your article to other publishers if you wish. But, keep in mind that you are likely to get more money if you offer it as an exclusive to that site.All-in-all, this is an excellent alternative to making money with affiliate programs. With this technique, you are assured of making some money. What are you waiting for, start writing and make money!Do you want to learn more about how I make money? Get my brand new guide on how to make money each and every day.

Make Money – an Easy Technique for Online Profits

Are you making money from your online efforts? Many people complain that that aren’t making any money at all. In most cases, it is because they aren’t doing the right things to make money. If you can write an article, you can make money. In fact, by investing just a few hours of your time, you can easily make $30 to $50 dollars per day. How, you ask? There are a number of sites on the Internet that will pay you to write articles. Some of them will even pay you upfront. You won’t get rich from this technique, but you can earn some nice money on a daily basis and start generating some online profits. By doing a search, you will find a number of sites that will pay you for submitting content.Associated Content is a site that that I have used in the past. They will pay you between $3 and $25 for each article they accept. The amount that they pay depends upon a number of different factors. There is no limit to the number of articles that you can submit. One nice thing about Associated Content is the fact that they pay you upfront for the articles that you submit.Another good thing about Associated Content is the fact that you can determine the type of rights that you offer with each article. However, if you maintain the right to resubmit the article elsewhere, you will be paid less than if you offer them exclusive rights. They often send out emails requesting certain types of articles. This does not mean that they will ONLY accept these categories. It means that they will pay extra for articles on these subjects. If you are looking to maximize your online profits, you should participate in these special offers.They do not put limits on the categories that you can write about. So, if you are just starting out, write articles on subjects that interest you. That way, you can have a little fun writing on subjects you enjoy, and possibly make money too. It is nice to be able to do something that you enjoy, and make money from it. To get started, all you need to do is visit the site and fill out the registration form. Then, start submitting articles and finally start to make money!Do you want to learn more about how I make money? Get my brand new guide on how to make money each and every day.

How to Make Money Right From the Comfort of your House!

You have to have the go getting attitude to achieve this and to know how to make money. If you want your hard work to pay off and succeed in your venture you can join any of the online ventures and learn how to make money. With the numerous choices available for earning more money you can very easily feel that money does grow on trees!Work and business options online By way of work and business there are many avenues that will open out to you on the internet. Working online is something that is very popular and many people who already hold jobs opt for this way to earn some additional income. Business online is one more way that will give you a very viable opportunity on how to make money. Online business venturesAmong the most popular and “in rage” buying and selling business is the eBay category. You could buy and sell any product online through your own website. Create a website and give all the information of your products on it along with your contact details. Ideas on how to make money are already spinning in your thoughts, so it will not be long before you will have some idea as to how to make money. Some of the business that does very well online is with clients who are available online and who you communicate with via email. Create a databank of your contacts and increase the contacts as you go along so that you have an increased number and this will keep increasing as you go along. Drop shipping marketing and sellingSomething that has become almost an internet online entrepreneur’s ideal business is drop shipping. Unlike ecommerce where you make sales to chosen customers via the internet, in drop shipping you would have to market the product too online and then sell it at a price that you can fix for it on your own. Though the product is sent directly to the buyer, the payment will come to you from the drop shipper, and you can keep the excess amount that you have charged the customer. This is a way how to make money with selling products and by being the middle man for the product. This is a hassle free way of selling goods, because you will have none of the problems for shipping the goods and keeping inventories for anything that you sell. But like in any venture that you undertake, it is always safe to do your research on the product and know what the sales options of this product are. If you are interested to know how to make money, you should also learn how to play it safe and not take unnecessary risks. Global business with the internetWith the internet all online business has gone global, and you can also be part of this international business by creating your own website and advertising and marketing you wares and those that you represent on the website.

How to Write Magnetic Headlines for your Ebook Website

The headline is the most important part of your sales page. If your headline doesn't grab the readers attention, the rest of your sales copy might as well not even be there as people won't read on. A good headline will entice the reader to continue on to the body of your sales pitch. You can take it one step further, a truly great headline will communicate your full message to your readers and may even be enough to seal the deal and entice them to purchase your e-book.A good headline should promise a benefit or solution to a problem for the reader. Posing a question can be a good approach as well. Your main aim is to invoke an emotional response in the reader. This is the real key to writing a great headline, once they feel emotionally attached to the content, you have their attention and you can happily go about pitching your ebook to them. There are a few different types of headline formulas:Direct Headline: These go straight to the point and forget all the fluff. An example of a direct headline might be "Get The New Money Making Ebook Here"Indirect headline: These types of headlines try to raise the curiosity level in your customer. An example of an indirect headline is "Don't Be Weighed Down" . This can have a double meaning in feeling physically worn out or literally weighed down. This headline might be suitable for a weigh loss ebook.The Question Headline: These headlines need to pose questions that would be in the customers best interests to answer. A good example of this is "How would you like to make $1234 in just one hour?"The How To Headline: This type of headline is exactly what it says. You need to start the headline with the words 'how to'. An example of this is "How to sell 100 ebooks in under one week"The Command Headline: This type of headline invokes a strong call to action. Ideally you will almost be telling the reader to do something. "Discover The Techniques I Use To Sell eBooks" would be a good example.With ebook sales pages, in addition to the words the color is also important. It is a good idea to create headlines in either red or blue. The idea being that blue implies trust, and red implies warning tempting people to read on.In conclusion, it is important to remember that your headline is the most important part of your sales page. The headline must grab the readers attention. Without that you may have no hope of being able to pitch your ebook to the customer.

Build Traffic Using Basic Techniques

The lifeblood of any Internet business is traffic. But, how to you increase traffic to your site? The truth is, there are many things that you can do to bring more people to your site. To drive traffic to your site, use some of the following techniques.Use relevant keywords for your site. Search engines pay particular attention, and will send you traffic if you use the right keywords. Traffic from search engines can be a significant part of your business if you optimize properly for the search engines. Well optimized sites will stand out above others. When you consider that there are over 2 billion websites in existence, proper optimization becomes increasingly important.Provide free items of value to your visitors. It can be anything that you like as long as it is perceived as something of value. Articles, ebooks, and pdf’s, are particularly good because they can be downloaded immediately. People like instant gratification. Make sure that you have a squeeze page on your site so that you can capture the name and email address. (This could be important for your future success.) Write and submit articles often. Many people write a couple each week and then complain that articles writing is useless for building traffic. To generate significant amounts of traffic, you need to submit a significant number of articles. Writing at least one or two each day will begin to generate some nice traffic numbers after a month or two. If you really want to be successful, write 1000 or more articles over the course of a year and the traffic will come flooding into your site.If you are making less than $500 per month with your online business, you should consider investing half of your profits into advertising. There are hundreds of advertising methods that you can use. A few that you might consider are: freeads, classifieds, ezine ads, solo ads, and pay-per-click. And traffic feeds on itself, the more you have, the more you get. So, use the techniques described above to generate traffic (and profits) for your online business. Do you want to know how I make money online? Download my free ebook, Make Money Every Day!

Make Quick Cash on the Internet

How many times have you fallen for that line? Many people make little or no money with their online business. There are two possible reasons for this. The number one reason is that they just don’t know how to make money. It doesn’t mean that they are not intelligent; making money is not a skill that we are born with. In most cases, we have to be shown how it is done.Unfortunately, some people will some quick research on one or two techniques and choose the one that doesn’t work. If you are looking for techniques to make money on the Internet, it is important to be thorough in you research. Spend some time in forums and questions about a particular program that you are considering. You will usually get some very good advice there.The other reason people fail to make money is that they will not do enough work to make it successful. If a particular program says that you need to do 5 things to be successful, do all five things. Don’t do two of them and then quit. That is a sure fire strategy to failure.Most honest Internet money making programs actually require you to work. There is no such thing as free money. So don’t fall for the programs that say you can easily make millions with little or no work. These programs don’t work, don’t fall for them. All they succeed in doing is removing some cash from your wallet.However, if you are willing to work, there are thousands of ways that you can make money on the Internet. Are you good with a video camera? There are many ways that you can earn money by using video. Are you a talented writer, there are tons of ways to make money for people who can write. It’s just a matter of doing it.Do you want to know how I make money? Download my free ebook, Make Money Every Day!

Make Money, Build Traffic, and Increase Sales

When you are just starting out with your Internet business, you want to keep expenses down to a minimum. Yet, you must still attract people to visit your website. Without traffic, you have no business. Fortunately, there are many free or low cost ways to attract visitors to your website. One of the best free and easy techniques to make money, build traffic, and increase sales is through the use of online Internet forums.Internet forums are websites that focus on the exchange of information. Some people are asking questions and others provide answers. And others just want to vent or discuss topics that are related to their niche. Most forums are targeted to one particular area. An advantage of using forums is the fact that almost all of the people on the site are interested in the same topic. Almost all forums allow you to participate for free, but in most cases, you must first register in order to participate. You can find forums related to your website by going to Google. Once there, go to Groups and enter your keyword information.An important matter related to forums is the fact that you must take the time to read their terms of service. Those who repeatedly violate the rules will quickly be banned and prohibited from using that forum in the future. That brings us to the main focus of this article. How can you advertise your business, make money, build traffic, and increase sales using online forums? Most forums allow you to add a signature (sig) file to each posting that you make. Develop a signature file that promotes the website or product that you are promoting. Your sig file should read like a small two or three line classified ad. When you set up your account, check the box to indicate that your sig file should appear with each posting that you enter.Don’t start posting blatant advertisements on your first visit to a forum. If you do this, people will view your postings as spam and will ignore the information you post. Start out by answering questions in your area of expertise. Of course, with each question you answer, your sig file will quietly advertise your site. After you have answered a number questions, people will begin to see you as an expert in the field, and you will begin to see increased traffic to your site. Make sure you register with as many related forums as possible. To get maximum advantage from your forum sig file, post information every day on each forum you are registered with. By using this technique, you will be quite surprised at the amount of traffic that you can generate through forums. Do you want to learn more about how I make money? I have just completed my brand new guide on how to Make Money Every Day!

Work at Home Jobs. Do you Want to Work From Home?

Many people are looking for work at home jobs. Perhaps you're a busy mum wanting to make a little extra money. Maybe you already have a job and want to try something new. Whatever your reason for wanting to work at home the internet has opened up a whole new world for online jobs. It has never been easier to work from home. Websites are the new shop window. What's more, you don't need to pay large rents, carry loads of stock or employ extra staff. You can literally start with next to nothing. All it takes to work from home is you, your computer and a little know how.But where do you start? Well the first thing you will need is a website. Now if this is something entirely new to you, before you scream in horror at the thought of building a website let me reassure you that it is far easier than you may think. So easy in fact that the 11 year old son of a friend of mine managed to design one in less than an hour. Of course it all depends on the programme you use and the instructions you're given, however I, myself have gone from being a complete novice to having several sites online with page 1 Google rankings in the space of 1 year. I have also built a good business hosting webpages for other people, and all of this without having a single lesson on how to do it. Everything I do has been self taught. And if I can do it, so can you.Therefore the key to modern day work at home jobs is operating a website. Of course building it is just the start. You then have to go about finding your market, advertising and promoting your business. There are lots of online information guides offering some fairly invaluable tips for example, how to choose good keywords and how to link to other sites to improve search engine ranking etc. However you shouldn't need to spend lots of money on this information. Most of the guides on offer contain more or less the same information. The most important thing is to stick to something you know well. Find a subject or a product you're familiar with, check to see if there is actually a market for what you want to sell, i.e. look at other websites already doing what you're interested in doing to see 1. how many there are. 2. how professional they look etc. Once you're satisfied there's a market for your product a website will prove to be the perfect work at home job. If you would like to reprint this article you may do so provided the text remains unchanged and you include the "Author Bio" statement below:

Website Design for your Customers

Yes, believe it or not, your website design should not concentrate on what you want or what you would like to see in your website, but it is about what your customers want from your website and its design. You can get website designers to make great looking website for yourself, however you cannot get customers to visit and re-visit your website just because you have got a great looking website or you cannot convert visitors in customers just because you have a great looking website design. Neither do you need a website that offers a lot of functionality if your customers dont need that functionality. If you are selling flowers, the functionality your customers desire from your website will be different to the functionality available on a tyre manufacturers website. So in simple terms you need to develop a website design and functionality that your customers expect from your type of business.
What should I be aiming at?
Even before you go to a see a website designer to undertake website design for your business, I would recommend that you do your fieldwork.
It would be useful to understand:
1. Who your audience is: This probably is the most important step before you go and see a website designer to develop a website for your company. You have to understand who your audience is. Try and estimate who are the people who would regularly come to my website?
2. What does my audience expect: once you identify your audience, the next step is to understand what your audience expect from your website design? Understanding this will not only help you understand the path you should take with your website design, but will also help you explain your requirement to your website designer.
3. What will bring my audience back: An important aspect of a good website design and a successful website is the ability to bring the visitors back. In marketing terms, it is like customer retention. For any business it is important to retain customer loyalty, similarly for any successful website, the ability to bring back your customers is paramount. Customer loyalty leads to increase in traffic. Look at some of the successful websites around you: amazon.com, Youtube, myspace. The success of these websites is an example of the power of customer retention and referrals. If you analyse the website design of these sites, it is fairly simple but it offers its visitors what they need: products and services that matter to their audience.
If you think through the above points, you will realise that a lot of information is already available to you (especially if you are an established business). Your website in many terms is an extension of your physical business. The above mentioned information should be available to you in terms of corporate knowledge. Talk to your sale people, look at your customer files and your sales pattern, try and source information from your suppliers. For a new business, it could include analysing your competitors.
Inc conclusion, I would remind you that try and understand your market before you undertake any part of website design or website development process. Without knowing your market you wont be able to communicate your requirement to your website designer. It is important to go through this process before you start website development instead of re-inventing the loop after your have developed your website and realised after one year that you are not getting enough leverage from your website design. At the end of the day you will only achieve from your website design what you tell your website designer.

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Making Money with Articles: Where to Find Affiliates For Your Niche Website

To make money with articles that you place on websites, you will also need a variety of good affiliate links that will help to generate revenue. It is important that you know where to find affiliates and that you choose the best affiliates for you and your niche site.
When you pick an affiliate, it is important that you determine which companies you will profit best from based on the frequency that the product is likely to sell. There are several types of affiliates and some will offer you more money from a sale than others will. Before you get hazy-eyed by dollar signs, however, remember some products are bound to sell more than others. If you sell on product four times a year from a little known company that gives you $100 per sale or sell a well known product 3 times a week at the rate of $10 per sale, then you will make much more money with the $10 per sale product. Often times large well known companies will offer a very small profit per sale because they are established and know that their product is likely to sell well. Small, unknown companies, on the other hand, need all of the promotion they can get. Also, because they are unknown, their products are likely to sell less frequently.
The most important rule when picking affiliates to promote on your site is to pick products that would be of interest to those who would likely visit your niche site. Otherwise you will be promoting a product to a group of people who do not even want nor need it. If your niche site targets parents of young children, then promote baby products. If you niche site targets gardeners, then promote gardening products. If you promote baby products to gardeners, you are almost guaranteed to not make a profit no matter how much money the affiliate company offers for a sale.
Lastly, there are two main ways to find an affiliate company for your niche website. You can sign up with a company that manages the accounts of hundreds of companies, big and small, and apply for the products within these accounts or you can do a web search for companies that would match well with your niche, visit their websites, and see if they advertise an affiliate program.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

How to Become a Millionaire Even if you Only Earn a Minimum Wage

If you are an employee, you may have the mindset that you can never become a millionaire unless you are a boss, having a team of workers to work for you and making big bucks like moneymaking machine. However, this is not true, in fact, according to a self-made millionaire, it is possible for you, even if you make a minimum wage to be a millionaire.According to him, if you save 10% of your income every month throughout your working lifetime, and make investment that bring at least 10% of returns annually, of course if you can get a higher return, it would be great! Whatever investment vehicles you choose, make sure it gives you 10% of returns or higher. You will become a millionaire by the time you retire. Provided you start young and continue saving and investing along the years.For example, with a monthly investment of $100 with 10% returns for 45 years, you will become a millionaire. To achieve your millionaire goal in 38 years, you may double up your monthly investment to $200 with the same yield. If you have an investment vehicle that gives you 15% returns with a monthly investment of $200, you may become a millionaire in 28 years.If you would like to be a millionaire in shorter years, diversify your investment portfolio into different yield, from 10% to 20% or even higher. ALTERNATIVELY, you may increase your investment capital OR you can combine both of these methods (higher returns and higher capital), that would speed up your dream to become a millionaire.If you cannot save 10% or higher of your income, you may consider to reduce the rate to a level you are comfortable with. The rule of thumb is TO PAY YOURSELF FIRST. Yes! This is what I learn from millionaires and wealth creation programs.Even if you have tons of bills to pay, set aside at least 1%, if not higher of your take-home income for saving / investment fund first. Otherwise, if you spend all your money in bill paying, you are telling yourself that the bill companies are more important than you are!As you become comfortable with living on 99 %, increase your saving up to 2% of your income, then 3%, 5% , 10% or even 50 %. As you save more, your savings and investment also start to grow.Nevertheless, if you are afraid that the money that you have saved may be used for emergency fund or other purposes later, then you can split the money for saving under 2 accounts, one is for a emergency fund (3—6 months of your living expenses) and the other one is for investment only.At first, the amount that you invest may seem very little, but it pays off over the years.I totally understand that it is not easy to save money especially when you live in a material society nowadays. However, if you can practice frugality overtime, it will help you building your wealth.You may think that millionaires do not really care about little money, but this is not true. Even Bill Gates, the world richest man cared about how much he pays for parking fee. There was a time where Gates and his friend went to Hilton Hotel for a meeting, as they were late and could not find a place for parking. Thus, his friend suggested parking the car at the VIP parking lot, which cost $12, Gates disagreed despite the friend offered to pay the fee. And eventually they parked the car elsewhere with a cheaper rate.To Gates, a man that has contributed large amount of money on charity, $12 is very little, yet he ensures himself practiced frugality every moment and maximizes the benefits of every single penny he spend.Another case, have you ever asked for discount when you visit Starbucks coffee house, maybe not! Right? A millionaire told me that he always asks for discount whenever he visits Starbucks, and he got it! Many of us may think that asking for discount is ridiculous and it may bruise your ego if you get rejected or even make the request, especially in such a “high-quality coffee house”, but if a millionaire can do that, why not you? !!Always remember a dollar saved is a dollar earned, whenever you buy something, it is wise to ask yourself: Do I really need this or I just want it! In addition, if the one dollar can bring you a higher return, go for it!

Top 5 Reasons Why Goal Setting Does not Work for You!!

Despite the fact that success gurus recommend you to set goals, from the yearly, monthly then daily goals, have you ever wondered why you do not feel motivated to work on your own goals?The success gurus say that setting goals is important, they state that you need to plan for success; if you do not plan, you plan to fail! However, why don’t you get motivated by the goals you set? Below are some of the reasons that may cause the blockage, check if any of the reasons below describe your conditions:1. UnrealisticBefore you set your goals, have you to ensure that those goals are realistic and achievable? For example if you never become a millionaire, but your goal is to be a millionaire in 1 month without guidance then your goal is unrealistic. Instead, you should set your millionaire goal into a few years, and break it into small goals then it become more realistic.2. Values MisalignmentBefore you set your goals, it is important to ensure that your goals align with your values or your purpose in life. When people become disconnected from their values, they lose their motivation. For example, if a person’s main value is justice, and he sets a goal on becoming a millionaire in one year, there is no way he will feel motivate towards this financial goal especially if he does not feel that his main value—justice is fulfilled.So when you set your goals, make sure they align with your own values. These goals are not what people tell you to set, but they are your own goals. In other words, if you want to achieve your goals, make sure they align with your values or purpose in life first.3. FearDo you have any fears that keep you from achieving your goals? Any fear of rejection or fear of failure? Too concern about how people may perceive you when you tell them you want to be a millionaire?According to Bill Gates, if you want to be successful, you have to ignore rejection and self-esteem. Fear's real function is to keep you safe. However, sometimes, it can paralyze you into inaction.Have you ever experienced rejection, judgment, or embarrassment? Sure, we all have! It's fear's job to keep you safe from feeling those emotions. When you're about to take a step toward success, you may think of 100 reasons not to take the step, and they all may be centered on fear. If fear over-control your life, you need to learn to handle it.4. ThoughtsIs there any self-criticism in your unconscious mind when you set your goals? Check. Do you always have negative thoughts in your mind: “Stupid!! XXX(your name), you think you can really achieve this! Don’t fantasize anymore!” If yes, you need to learn to analyze why inner self-criticism occur, go to the root of the problem and solve it. Otherwise, there is no way you can achieve your goals.5. WordsStart to analyze from now on with the words you use verbally or internally, are they all conducive towards your goals, or do the words actually sabotage your dreams or goals? Observe if you say…• “ I’m not sure if I can achieve this dream” OR• “I’ll try to make this dreams come true” OR• “ I’m 100% committed to make my dream a success”From the 1st statement, you may not even try to take any action for your goals because you don’t even believe if you can do it. Check for your reasons of doubt and solve it before you work towards your goals.From the 2nd statement, you may put 50% effort or lesser to make your dream come true, because you are not even sure if you can achieve your dream.From the 3rd statement, you will do everything it takes to make your dream come true!Ask yourself, which type of sentence you usually use in your self-talk, as I have stated earlier on, the result for each statement, so speak wisely to yourself, and most importantly honor what you say to yourself. If not, how would others honor your word?

How to Find and Profit From Joint Ventures

What is a joint venture? A joint venture is an agreement between two or more parties or businesses. This agreement, usually short term in nature, details the distribution of goods, services, and money and allows both parties to share in the profits or losses of the venture.There are three types of Internet Entrepreneurs that might benefit by using joint ventures.1. Those have a good product, but do not have a list. This would include those who are relatively new to the Internet business. This type of person would benefit by finding partners who are in need of a good product and already have a large (or medium sized) list.2. Those who have a large (or medium sized) list, but are in need of a good product. This would include people who focus on list building and do not have the time to develop their own product. It also includes people who do not have the desire or ability to create their own product.3. Just about everybody else. Almost every Internet business could benefit in some way by considering joint ventures. A good joint venture can provide profits for all parties concerned and increase the size of your list. And almost every business can benefit by these two activities.There is little downside in using joint ventures. Of course, you do not want to hammer your list with new offers on a daily basis. That is a recipe for disaster; your subscribers would quickly unsubscribe. (In that case, you would need to do joint ventures to build up your list again!)One of the most difficult things regarding joint ventures is recruiting potential partners. Most successful Internet marketers are extremely busy and receive numerous joint venture requests daily. In order to attract their attention, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd and make a good impression. Never send an email to ‘Dear Webmaster’; these emails are deleted without being read. Do some research and personalize your offer.One of the best ways to recruit partners is to create a unique offer for each person. One way to make your offer unique is to offer them a higher commission. Or you can offer to provide a substantial discount available only to their subscribers. To achieve this, you need to create a new sales page on your website and set up a unique affiliate link or special price for that joint venture. You can even offer some combination of the offers above. You are only limited by your imagination.One thing is certain; there is little downside in doing a joint venture. If you’ve never done one before, go to a few marketing chat rooms and keep your eyes open for posts regarding joint ventures. By doing this on a regular basis, you are bound to find good partnership opportunities. And after you’ve done one, you’ll be hooked.

The Five Secrets To Making Money

If you were granted one wish what would it be? Most people, in one way or another would wish for more money. They believe that making more money will solve all of their problems and buy them happiness.Many of these people play the lottery, or are always looking for the next get rich quick scheme, but the real reason only 1% of the world's population controls 98% of the wealth is because they know things others don't.What do they know? They know the secrets to making money. These methods are tried and true and haven't changed for hundreds of years. On their own these practices will not guarantee you wealth, but if you use them in accordance with good business and marketing strategies it is hard not to become successful.Making Money Secret #1"Start your own business." Hardly anyone gets rich from a job, unless they are about to be the next CEO at a giant corporation. Even then, you only technically make your money when you are physically at work.Really making money entails making money 24/7, when you work, play, eat or sleep. Start a business that provides you cash flow whether you are there or not.Making Money Secret #2"Time." Time is the one variable on this earth that is the same for everyone. There are only twenty-four hours in a day and one of the main differences between the wealthy and those that aren't is how their time is spent. Wealthy individuals use their spare time to improve their future quality of life. The rest spend their time eating potato chips and zoning out in front of the television.Making Money Secret #3"You are what you think about." If you think about negative things and negative circumstances, you will get negative results. On the other hand, if you think positively about your future, you will achieve positive results.Making money is no different, you need to tell yourself exactly how much you want to make and then believe it to be true. It is this unconditional belief, along with good business skills that will make you money and bring you success in whatever you desire.Making Money Secret #4"Learn, learn, learn, and apply." You are going to need to devour and I mean devour every piece of instructional or educational material that pertains to business and making money. Then you are going to need to take action and apply that knowledge.Making Money Secret #5"Be persistent." This doesn't mean to use the same newspaper ad over and over again if it isn't producing customers or leads, being persistent means to always be focused on your end goal and do whatever is necessary to achieve it.You will probably be surprised at the amount of effort required and the difficult earning experiences you need to go through to become successful. Always keep trying new angles.The road to wealth will be bumpy so you had better be able to face whatever comes your way without getting down on yourself. This is why most people quit, they expect impossible results in a very short amount of time and then when they aren't meant they shout out, "this stuff doesn't work," and go back to their job saying that "money is the root of all evil."Believe me, money is not the root of all evil. Have you ever heard a wealthy person say that? I haven't. Follow the secrets to making money and give your life the freedom it deserves.

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