With the tough economic times and the growing number of unemployed Americans, people are starting their own home-based businesses. Studies are showing that more than half of all U.S. businesses are based out of someone’s home.The question now is which one will work for you. Well, you first need to figure out what you are most passionate about. Doing something that you are interested in will be very important, because sometimes you need to try and get people to invest in your home-based business or spend money for products or services you will give. You will need the enthusiasm when you are trying to sell your services.Some home-based businesses need little or no start-up capital and will provide you flexibility. They could be up and running in no time.Here are some home-based business ideas:1. Affiliate marketing/eBay seller – This is one of the lowest cost home-based business. It is very simple. You just set up a blog and review products in certain niche markets. Also you can learn how to sell items on online auctions. You can sell items for your friends and neighbors. You can set up a commission.2. Freelance Writer (Ghost Writing or Article Writing) – Many make a decent living with ghost-writing articles, topic-related articles or short stories. There are many websites that allow you to offer your services. Most are free, but some you have to pay.3. Dog Walking/ Pet Sitting – This is mostly for teenagers who want to make some extra money.4. Business Mentor/Business Coaching – If you have a business background, you can start with local business and then expand from there. Most small to medium companies don’t have much money to start with. They will contract you to help their business grow.5. Personal trainer – If you’re fitness minded, you can start training other people in their homes or rent some space. Another possibility is to make some short training videos and sell them to your clients. It doesn’t take much.6. Blogging – Many people blog on a daily or weekly basis. There are a number of ways to make money, such as displaying ads like Google AdSense throughout your site, offering unbiased reviews of products and services and providing helpful articles about certain topics.7. Photography – Are you a keen photographer and have your own camera? Then you could look at making money. You can take pictures of people either at their homes, outside scenery or just products or items and you can sell them for websites who buy stock photos.8. Technical support – If you’re computer literate and you can help others with computer problems, you can make money doing that.There are so many ways for everyday people to start making money at home. People just need to take some time to come up with a plan to successfully have a home-based business!
The Three Best Ways to Find the Online Home Based Business Opportunity That’s Right For You
Tip 1
When looking for an online home business opportunity you should make sure it is legit. There are many online businesses that claim that they are great but some could be scams. So if you come across an online business program you that might be interested in it is best to do some research on that program first for it could just be another website after your money. When doing research on an online business program or online home based business opportunity you need to go to the Federal Trade Commission website and do a search on that site, for this can clear up any suspensions you mat have.Also, when checking if an online opportunity is right for you, you need to check the creditability of the site, you can look up a review on the site or you can just check the Alexa ranking and see if it has a high ranking. If the site has a high ranking in Alexa then most likely that program is highly creditable and it gets many visitors. If you are unsure on how to check Alexa ranking you could go to Alexa.com, type in the site’s URL, and Alexa will tell you the ranking of the site out of all the other websites online, plus the traffic stats. If the site has positive results from Alexa that will let you know that the site is very reputable.Tip 2
Finding an online home based business opportunity is not always the easiest thing to do. Another way to ensure that an online business or affiliate program is right for you is to be sure that the compensation plan is great. Some online business programs/ affiliate programs do not have a reasonable compensation plan for you don’t get paid as much as you would for another home business program.One thing you can check when looking for a program with a good compensation plan is to be sure that you get at least 20% commission for the products you sell or the new people you sponsor. Also a good online home based business opportunity that has multiple levels of residual income you can earn from the people you sponsor.Also, make sure the online home based opportunity you may be interested has resources to multiple streams of income within the program. This basically means you can get paid from external programs within the online home based opportunity program you are already in.Tip 3
Make sure the program or company has great and supportive training, for even a legit online home based business opportunity can be very non-supportive. This is much more important then checking if a certain program is a scam or if it has a great compensation plan because with a program that is very supportive and it grants you access to great training and improves your chances in succeeding. Another thing to know when looking for an online home based business opportunity is to be sure it that has a free or money back guaranteed trial, for this proves that this company or program has confidence in what they do and this allows you to test drive it’s resources. I recommend taking advantage of free or money back guaranteed trails because you are able to see if the online home based business opportunity you potentially see yourself in, is actually worth your time.
Real Estate Auctions – The New Land Rush
On a sunny afternoon in Florida, an energetic crowd gathers on the lawn of a high end luxury estate. A loud and eager banter between an auctioneer, a group of bidders and bidder assistants fills the air. For several minutes the auctioneer asks for the next highest bid and the bidders respond. Suddenly the bidders grow silent. The high bidder holds his breath in anticipation of winning the auction. The auctioneer calls for one more bid. In a loud clear voice which rolls over the audience he says, “Fair warning, last chance” the auctioneer pauses, “SOLD!” And in less than 10 minutes another multimillion dollar estate has changed owners.
Successful real estate auctions like the one above are happening all over North America and the Caribbean. Recently real estate auctions have been on the rise, the increase in popularity is partly driven by growing inventories and fading buyer confidence. Properties that were selling in weeks using traditional methods are now languishing on the market unable to attract buyers even as seller’s lower prices. Many say the real estate boom is over but savvy buyers and sellers are profiting from real estate auctions.
Real Estate Auctions Work in Up or Down Markets.
Regardless of trends or market cycles, real estate auctions provide an open and transparent process for buyers and sellers. Properly conducted real estate auctions attract ready and willing buyers and motivate them to act now.
The auction method removes the “wait and see” attitude which serves to further depress real estate values. Buyers are always concerned about overpaying. Buyers gain confidence with their purchases at real estate auctions because they can see what others are willing to pay.
When market demand is high and inventories low, real estate auctions can deliver selling prices well above what a willing seller would have accepted in a negotiated private treaty sale. In good selling climates many property owners using traditional real estate methods; negotiating with one buyer at a time, leave thousands of dollars of equity on the table. During up markets real estate auctions are the best way to establish top market price.
Evaluating Your Real Estate for Auction
Not every property or seller for that matter makes a good candidate for auction. First of all sellers must be ready to sell now and for the current market value. Also a real estate auction will not fix problems caused by a downturn in market value of your property, if you owe more than a willing buyer will pay, be prepared to come to closing with your check book.
Properties that do well in real estate auctions have a high uniqueness factor. Ask your self, “What makes my property different from most others?” Maybe you own a resort property or high end luxury home, commercial properties and land do very well at auction. Real estate auctions thrive on uniqueness. If your property is like everyone else’s, the best thing you can do is offer the most competitive price.
Most importantly sellers must be reasonable about setting a minimum bid. A seller must look at the lowest, most current comps and price below that to generate the interest and urgency necessary for a successful real estate auction. Once the auction begins and qualified bidders start competing against one another you can watch the selling price increase.
Locate a Qualified Real Estate Auctioneer
Start by checking with the National Auctioneers Association, the best real estate auctioneers belong to this organization. These real estate auctioneers are well trained and adhere to a standard of practice and a code of ethics. Many attend the annual International Auctioneers Conference where the latest techniques and innovations in the real estate auction industry are presented.
Find out if the company you are interviewing is a full time real estate auction firm. Many real estate agents are getting auction licenses yet have no experience with the auction method of marketing. Conducting a successful real estate auction is nothing like (private treaty) traditional real estate sales. Go with a real estate auction pro.
You’re probably better of with an auction house that specializes in real estate auctions. There are many qualified auctioneers who have generations of experience selling personal property; furniture, dishes, lawn equipment and the occasional rare painting. Selling real estate at auction is a complex matter that should only be attempted by full time experienced real estate auction professionals.
Commissions and fees may vary, sellers must pay all marketing expenses up front and buyers typically pay 10% of the sales price to the auctioneer of which a share goes to participating real estate agents.
Types of Real Estate Auctions
Auctions are effective because they create a seller’s market. Professionally conducted real estate auctions create urgency, a reason to buy today and competition for the property. Terms and conditions of sale are established ahead of the auction. Real estate auctions will follow one of these three approaches:
Absolute Auction
The property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of price- using this process often returns the highest sale price.
Minimum Bid Auction
Seller agrees to sell at or above a published minimum bid price – this method is useful for internet auctions.
Seller Confirmation or Reserve Auction
With a reserve auction, the seller “reserves” the right to accept or decline any bids usually within 48 hours of the auction. Reserve auctions are used when there is a lien on the property from a lender or a court ordered sale with a minimum selling price.