Preparing an Accurate Comparative Market Analysis

by Marten W. Davis, SRPA

Realtors often ask us how to prepare an accurate Comparative Market Analysis. The following is an outline of presentations given at Realtor Training Sessions.

Be subdivision specific in both MLS and Public Records.

No more than 3 months from date of valuation, for selection of sales.

Sort recent sales by Living Area (if subject is 1250 SF then search from 1150-1350)

Try to find sales without major differences (pool, water, room count, etc).

Search by Grid first. If there are not 5-10 sales that fit 1-4 above (be sure to screen by size and eliminate major differences) then expand the search area.

Place sales on market grid and make adjustments as necessary to arrive at a value range.

A Sample Market Grid is available free at: http://gulf-to-bay-appraisals.com/Market_adjustment_grid.pdf

Marten Davis, SRPA

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Pepin and the Romeo Y Julieta brand

by Trevor Wallace

Romeo Y Julieta cigars began in 1875 with the business organization of Alvarez y Garcia creating Cuban cigars just for the local smokers in Havana. It’s incredible but the Romeo Y Julieta cigars were never suppose to be shipped to the world that existed outside of the border of Cuba. Ask yourself though, how long can you keep an amazing thing quiet for years, I mean the bubble had to burst some day.

A well known business man should be thanked for introducing us to the Romeo Y Julieta cigars. The man and the legend that was known as “Pepin”. Pepin was known to be man who was always moving or making things happen. I guess you can say he was the Donald Trump of his days or the Bill Gates of Cuban cigars. He was the single force behind inventing, creating and marketing one of the most cherished Cuban cigar brands in the world which is the Romeo Y Julieta cigars.

By taking the Romeo Y Julieta cigars and introducing them directly to the Royal personalities of England the great, everyone who smoked one literally fell in love with it. They were being passed around faster than the salon girls of the wild wild west in good old Texas. The Romeo Y Julieta cigar from their took a life of it’s own and soon ended up in other parts of Europe right in the hands of queens and kings. The income generated here helped Pepin take this brand to another level.

Pepin was caught daily calling his creation as his ‘children’. It signifies the deep love he carried for the Romeo Y Julieta brand. His product was a phenomenal hit with politicians and actors and actresses alike. He used the power of celebrity to market the Romeo Y Julieta brands which made them ever so rare and unique in the eyes of other established individuals of that time and era.

A lot of girls in England now give Romeo Y Julieta cigars as present to their boyfriends or husbands. Nothing expresses real love than a Cuban cigar that is actually called the Romeo Y Julieta cigar. Today this brand is famous worldwide but especially in Europe and other countries near by. Some even call it the Englishman’s Cuban cigar or the true lover’s cigar. Whatever the magic is, Pepin sure helped the whole world experience it.

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Lets Get Traveling

by Jay NaPier

Global Sales Center is the perfect business tool for professionals in the business world. I will be exploring why this is true in this article. Entrepreneur, Jay NaPier explains the profiting opportunities in this seven trillion dollar travel industry to us.

Jay NaPier is speaking from 17 years of experience in marketing and direct sales. For the past five years, he has specialized and profited in the travel industry. He touches on this subject and why Global Sales Center is ideal for business professionals.

Global Resorts Network, or GRN, offers the opportunity for anyone, anywhere with their training program. Video, live webinars, events, phone and tele-seminars are a few of the coaching methods that they provide. Training is informative and detailed and you will learn all the secrets.

How about finding the sales, promoting offers, talking to potential clients and answering questions? How do I know what to do? I am sure you have many questions. The fact is that GRN employs a professional staff with sales experience that will do all that for you.

The program offered by Jay NaPier is based primarily on marketing. As you may know, marketing is what makes things sell. Jay is said to be a Marketing Giant and has provided his equation to success. Jay starts with leverage and adds marketing. Once you have the leverage and marketing you add the coaching the Global Resorts Network offers to equal success. Not bad!

Jay NaPier is living his and some many others dream. He was featured in the November issue of HBC Magazine for obtaining his dream career. He told them While I was on vacation, I realized I should make vacation my vocation.

Do you work many hours for little pay? Are you living from payday to payday? Do you ever have extra spending money after the bills are paid? Is taking a vacation even an option? Are you stuck in a rut? Is this you?

If this is you, you deserve more. Check into how Global Sales Centers can help you. Remember anyone can do it. Read the success stores and remember that you will have professional sales people working for you. Dont wait! Start traveling today!

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Organic Traffic; What It Is and Why You Want It

by Darrel Hawes

“What is organic traffic?” is a question many new website owners and marketers often ask. For this question there is a simple answer: organic traffic is visits to your web page that are not directed there by a paid advertisement.

The reason it is called organic is because the owner of the website did not pay for an ad to draw the visitor to the site, but rather the visitor found the site himself, either through a search engine like Google or a link on a website directory or another site.

Good organic traffic is desirable because it requires no incremental cost or effort.

There are two basic strategies for getting organic traffic.

The first is simple: getting incoming links, also called backlinks. They’re links from related web pages that link to your site. This strategy makes the assumption that people in your target market will see the link to your site and click on it. The may be in a website directory, a forum, blog, or static website.

The second strategy is SEO, or search engine optimization. This strategy simply means you take certain steps to rank as high in the search engines as possible for the keywords that are important to your business. There are many search engines, but the focus is generally placed on Google, Yahoo, and MSN, in that order, as the top three search engines worldwide.

SEO strategies may change a little from search engine to search engine, but the steps taken are usually the same: keyword density, obtaining backlinks(a seperate strategy, but still relevant to SEO purposes), proper page names, and a proper site map.

The benefits of good SEO are many. First of all, the organic traffic is free. Also, if it’s consistent, it can form the basis of a revenue stream that may be sold.

These are the drawbacks of focusing on SEO implementation: the search engines can change their ranking rules, rending all your work useless, organic traffic may be unpredictable and can take some time to develop in the first place.

And yet, no matter your business model, if you intend to keep your website for any length of time, you would certainly consider the process of seeking traffic via search engine optimization.

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Advanced MCs — Dependable and Versatile

by Steve Collins

The only sure thing in the current world of computers and computer applications is that adaptability and versatility are vital. Think about a toolbox. Sure, everyone wants some specialized tools and gizmos, but simple solutions always work the best. And now that computing and telecommunications are so fully connected, the more dependable, easy to use and versatile computer components need to be. All these positive descriptions aptly describe the Advanced Mezzanine Card, or AdvancedMC.

AdvancedMC, or AMC, is a small daughter board. A daughter board is an undersized circuit board that is attached to the main board or “mother board.” At three inches high, it can attach onto an Advanced TCA card or be plugged directly into a cabinet. What makes AdvancedMC dissimilar from other expansion cards is the presence of pins, sockets, plugs or other connectors, something that ordinary expansion boards don’t have. However, the AdvancedMC cards are only created to connect internally to a computer or other electronic device.

Because it is planned to fit on its side or parallel to the mainboard, AdvancedMC does not take up as much room. This space saving ability is sometimes referred to as a “slim form factor.” In fact, “Mezzanine” is engaged in the name in reference to theatre mezzanines, which can be stacked one on top of the other.

Another good aspect of AMC is the fact that they are “hot swappable.” This means that an AMC can be detached without having to shut down the system. This is certainly useful since there is no delay for shutting down and rebooting the system. In more significant cases, when the equipment or service must always be available, using AdvancedMC is a necessity.

Several different kinds of products are already available in AdvancedMC, including processor cards, memory cards and graphic adapter cards to name a few, and since the AMC allows you to update and reconfigure at will, these adaptable components will be around for the long term.

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Las Vegas the Convention Capital for Trade Show Displays

by Dexter

The Visitors Authority and Las Vegas Convention Las Vegas held over 5 million in Conventions and delegates in 2002 having revenue of $ 5.9 Billion all in non-gaming revenue. The City of Las Vegas held a large percentage of conventions and rented more convention space than any other US city.

Las Vegas has grown since then, we have seen world famous hotels imploded, like the Dunes, Sands and the Stardust hotels; while being replaced by mega hotels such as the Wynn Hotel Resort, the Venetian, Luxor and the Mandalay Bay, etc. We now have more places to hold conventions. We have seen the Las Vegas Convention Center expand in to a mega convention center, while the Sand Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay are not far behind. These convention halls have host such conventions and trade shows like COMDEX, CES, INTEROP, THE GAMING SHOW, SEMA, AAPEX TRADE SHOWS and thousands more.

The expansion has served as a great backdrop for convention goers. The exhibitors now have more space to show all of their new and innovative products. The exhibit booths have gotten more and more elaborate. One company that provides this type of trade show booth is ELDS, INC. They are a full one stop exhibit company that provides custom modular and portable trade show display for all shows. The LVCC has more competition form all the newer hotels emerging

With this growth traffic can be a nightmare. Las Vegas introduced its monorail system. The system runs along the strip to and from most Mega hotels and conventions halls. This certainly helps in getting around in such a tight knit environment. The system reaches up to 50 mile an hour and runs from one end of the strip to the next in less than 15 minutes. The parking situation can also be a mess, this cut down on parking as well.

The slogan “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas? means let your hair down and enjoy the new expansion of the City. The night life is fabulous

Now with more that 9 million square ft of convention and meeting space there over 127,00 guest rooms, all in close driving to McCarran International airport. Adding to this in 2003 we have had The Mandalay Bay add 1.5 million square foot of convention center. The city is still growing and certainly the conventions will also grow with it.

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If You Want To Build A Website Quickly And Easily Use WordPress

by Dave Jones

WordPress is not just for bloggers even though it is now the most used blogging platform. You can use it to quickly and easily get your website designed, built and then maintained all using the WordPress interface. Best of this software is free to anyone who wants it. Whatever your website requirement you will be able to build it with this amazing software.

Yes that is right, the WordPress software is open source and as such it is free to download and use on your own website or blog. If you are thinking of building your own website then you do not even have to look for any other type of site builder system as WordPress does it all.

If you are not technically minded then you will be happy to know that in order to use this impressive content management system you will not require any specialist technical skills at all. If you can use Microsoft Word then WordPress will be easy!

There is no requirement for knowledge of source code such as php or html and you save on costs as you can set up your site yourself. Just build your own website for free as the only cost to you will be your time and even this will not be much after you have learned how to build you first website.

One this amazing content management and site building software is installed on your web host’s server you will need to find and choose a Theme to use with your site. The theme you choose will determine the layout and colors of your new website and can be changed with one click of your mouse so it is very easy to try different themes until you find one that you like.

With WordPress you change the theme you are using at any time so if next year you decide you website needs a face lift then just find a new theme and use the one-clink install to totally change the look of your site. Top professional magazine type themes are also available but you will have to pay for these. But whichever theme you choose you are going to get a stylish website.

Special pieces of software called Plugins are also available to enable you to add extra functionality to your website. These too are also easily installed by a single mouse click and you never see the code but just the enhancements to your website that the plugin provides. Most plugins are also free and can really add more power to your website in many different ways.

An RSS feed is provided as standard with WordPress and this means that any new content you write will be quickly notified to the search engines, such as Google, resulting in effective web site promotion to new visitors, who will also be able to subscribe to your RSS feed for future updates. This type of website promotion works well with all the search engines and you will quickly get higher rankings with a WordPress site.

If you need a great website that is easy to build and manage yourself then there really is no other choice. Do not waste your time looking at alternatives as WordPress already does everything you need. WordPress is the best software for building websites and it is free!

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Home Based Business: Choosing The Right One Online

by Frank Bolsom

Searching for a home business online is not a difficult job. Whats difficult is finding a good one, and one that suits you well. Most often, people ask me for suggestions about online money making. In some way, I get a feeling that they are taking it as the easy way out to make money while shirking the routine work. Though it may sound stupid to you, it is basically true. People just need to have something to read and visit some sites for a few times in a day and make money out of it.

But to the contrary, online home business is not even remotely like it. Unless you follow guidelines and the system, not the best tool to make money would be of any help.

However, the best online gigs are ones that you enjoy and thus it doesnt seem like work. Some work might include: e-book selling, writing content for websites, graphic designing, software coding, website design and finding ways to make money with Google.

But as with any job, you cant expect something for nothing and sacrifices must be made to get a paycheck.

Before the years of the computer and Internet, people worked at home. They made a living working on their farm, creating products at home, or operated a business out of their home or at a nearby location. And now with the world of information today, home based business opportunities are more abundant than ever. So you dont need to leave your home to have a job.

In a few countries working at home is still the norm even without the Internet. Although the Internet has undoubtedly revived the idea of home-based businesses today in the United States.

Working at home online does have its downfalls. There are those scams and frauds to be aware of but with proper research such downfalls can be minimized.

Be sure and check whether or not a refund is offered on the site and how long you have to request such a refund if you are not happy with work-at-home opportunities.

Web sites such as Clickbank, where you can buy, sell or promote your digital product, is a trusted source to offer a refund if you are not satisfied.

Take for example, MLM or multilevel marketing opportunities. If you happen to sign up for one of these first make sure it is a legitimate one. Dont be influenced by phone calls from an agent of an MLM made to you making promises. Do your research and talk with your family before signing on for this.

If the agents claim that by not signing up immediately, you will lose an excellent opportunity, give them a cold shoulder. Taking a good decision is a better choice than to lose dollars just for a free gift in the beginning!

People who live in the West have great opportunities available. If you are knowledgeable about English, computers and the Internet, than an opportunity might just be waiting for you.

Just make a good decision and youll be flooded with offers of working from home!

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Turn a Profit Using Credit Card Debt

by Darren Cason

Taking a proactive approach to paying off your credit card debt is like making a great investment decision. We would all love to find a stock or investment strategy that returned us 15-20% interest; well this is the type of savings you can achieve by paying down that credit debt.

While it’s tempting to just make the minimum payments possible on your card, this is exactly what the credit companies want you to do. They get a steady stream of long term income coming in, well above and beyond what they lent you. Interest of 18% can end up working out to as much as 40% of the total credit amount by the time the debt is finally paid off. That’s a lot of extra money out of your pocket that doesn’t need to leave it.

In 2007, it was estimated that the average American household owed $6,600 in credit debt, and to be sure, this amount is beyond what many of them initially borrowed.

Credit card debt is of course the worst kind, as they charge interest rates as high as double what you would be charged on a home or car loan, with additional fees to boot. It’s also the debt that’s easiest to go overboard on, as consumers become hooked on the power of their plastic.

By eliminating that costly credit card debt and reinvesting the future savings from it, you’re really helping your bottom line two-fold. Biting into that chunk of debt is not easy though, and takes sacrifice, a sacrifice most are unwilling to make. And let’s face it, if luxury and lifestyle weren’t an issue, you probably wouldn’t be carrying around that debt in the first place.

Short of resigning yourself to a life of high interest and debt which you could remedy with a zero interest balance transfer card, you need to start somewhere. The first recommended step is to get rid of that high interest loan immediately. Instead of making equal payments on loans with varying interest rates, make a large payment on the loan with the highest rate. Even if incurring penalties on your other loans by doing so, you’ll likely be saving yourself a lot of money in the long run.

Setting goals for yourself is important. Coming up with a concrete and realistic plan and sticking to it is the best means of achieving success. Not having a plan makes it easier to waffle when the decision comes as to how much money to spend on paying off what.

The beginning is the toughest stretch. Once you start biting into that debt it has the same snowball effect in a positive direction that the debt normally has in a negative one. You’ll find once you get ahead that it’s easier to take bigger and bigger chunks out of it each month, as the effects continue to pile on exponentially.

Eliminating credit card debt could save you thousands of dollars a year for many years, all of which could be better spent planning your retirement and ensuring your kids get the education and opportunities you want them to have. It just takes that first difficult shove to get the ball rolling.

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The Web Hosting Decision: How To Choose A Web Host

by Darrel Hawes

If you are launching a new website, one critical decision is where to have the site hosted. A web host is the location of where your web site actually resides on the internet. It may help to think about this in relationship to a human family. They have many options where they may live, and there is just a single place that is there home at any given time.

Websites reside on web servers, which are computers attached to the internet which keep website pages and serve them up when people want to view them. A computer which stores websites is called a web host.

One choice you will need to make is if you will use a paid web host or a free one.

Using one of the free sites is tempting, because not only are they free, they often include easy site building tools. While using a free site can be quick and easy (not to mention free!), you should not rely on them. Not only do many of them display ads, but you also do not have control over whether they decide to delete your site or shut down the service tomorrow. That being said, using a free site can be an effective marketing strategy. Some popular services include Blogger.com and Weebly.com.

For your paid site, you can either buy space yourself or if you use the services of a web designer, they will often arrange or provide it for you as part of your fee. There are many capable web hosts available. When selecting a web host, you should consider the following:

Price: how much are they going to charge you every month? What features might you need that will cost extra?

Reliability: does the company have a history of problems with keeping sites up? Try and look beyond the actual out of pocket cost of hosting and gauge what it will cost if your site goes down for any period of time.

Cpanel: you should not consider any web host that does not offer cpanel for configuration.

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