Investing in Real Estate

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Think carefully about making the decision to buy property, and look at the advantages and disadvantages.

The decision to invest in real estate is not one that you should take lightly. Unlike putting your money into a static high interest bank account, investing in real estate is rather like climbing a mountain. You will only get to the top by putting in time and effort and taking good advice.  There will be times of exhilaration and times when you wonder why you started. Sometimes you will take a wrong turning and other times you’ll find a path to take you further than you thought possible.

Investments in real estate are considered to be reasonably secure. Of course there are some pitfalls: for instance, a hike in interest rates could stretch your finances further than anticipated or the housing market could fall. There are times when you could have no tenants, or they might cause damage to the property. This is when insurance, tax breaks and how you have your finances set up, come into their own. Eventually, as you build up equity in your property, and if rents rise over this period (which they usually do), its value will increase and you will more easily cope with any short-term fluctuations in the property market.

Advantages of investing in real estate

As with any form of investment, there are advantages and disadvantages to becoming involved with real estate.

The main advantage is that a property is a physical asset. If your finances become dire, you can always sell it. There is always going to be a demand for land and property, and in times of recession, there are more people looking for houses to rent. You may be able to use your own house as equity to make your first purchase and depending how high you set your sights, you may not need a huge deposit to begin your property portfolio.

Disadvantages of investing in real estate

Of course, as with any form of investment there are disadvantages, the main one being that you have to take a long-term approach to investing in real estate, as your money becomes tied up for a relatively long period. You will also need to be able to cover losses such as losing tenants, fixing any damage and maintaining the property.

The final consideration can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Owning rental properties can be very time-consuming, but this is fine if you love dealing with people and making things work. It can also be quite stressful, mainly due to problems with tenants. Some landlords get around this by using property management companies, but even they have to be regularly checked to ensure they are keeping up with their obligations.

Becoming involved in real estate is indeed a big mountain to climb. If you’re thinking of starting, make all the correct preparations and take expert advice. When you get to the top, you’ll be very glad you took that first step!  It is very rewarding.

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On-Line Technology Retailers Review

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As our economy continues to sputter, it is no surprise that most of us are looking for creative ways to make our money go a bit further. It stands to reason, then, why so many people are turning to the internet to find bargains, especially when considering a high dollar technology item like a laptop or big screen HDTV. However, with so many retailers claiming to have the “best prices and service,” it is often very difficult and time consuming to find out which ones actually do. In the effort to save the reader a little bit of time and energy, this article will suggest some of these e-tailers actually do.

This piece is based on my own personal experiences in buying technology products to write on line reviews, as well as simply an end user. This article will discuss only some of the recent purchases and my experiences surrounding them, and thus is not intended to be an A-Z list of all the good and bad on line shops. I will also not rank the mentioned stores, as those mentioned herein are among the best overall in terms of price, service, and ease of use.

Our first store will mention is MicroCenter, which has both physical locations and on-line stores. I have purchased several products from MicroCenter over the years. Most recently, I picked up an ACER 19″ monitor for about $109.00, which was a great deal. Shipping was a tad slow, but it was mid-December and the holiday rush was in full swing. I have always had good service, and prices are really good. The only bad experience I have ever had was when I returned something that didn’t work-I had to jump through hoops to get a resolution. Microcenter has several physical stores.

Tiger Direct has amazing deals on many products, and are among the lowest in terms of price. A word of caution, though-be sure that you order new products and that you actually get new ones. Had an instance when my “new” item was actually a refurb. Honest mistake? I am almost certain it was, because this store always has items in great condition

The final store we will mention here – chipsdigitalpc.com – is a recent find of ours. I was a little apprehensive about buying from them at first because I hadn’t heard of them like the previous two. After a bit of online research, I managed to ease my apprehensions, and made a purchase of a computer motherboard. The price was lower than what I found on the previous two sites, and I got the item 3 days after ordering. Since then, I have made a couple more purchases from them with the same positive results. I also got a chance to talk with the owner, who revealed that they have been in business for about two years. He also said that they are strictly an e-commerce operation and entirely family based, which allows them to keep their prices low despite being a trimmed down operation. I also learned that a good chunk of their profits go to the animal shelter which the family runs a few miles from their business.

Well, there are three of the stores that I like. Which ones do you prefer?