Competition amongst credit card providers has always been tough in the UK, with each provider trying to stay one step ahead of its rivals through the products and deals on offer to consumers. One of the most competitive areas of the credit card market is with regards to balance transfer credit cards, particularly in the current climate where so many credit card users are keen to transfer the balance from their high interest cards onto a 0 percent balance transfer card so that they can save a fortune in interest.
Barclaycard, the credit card giant linked to Barclay’s, has now thrown down the gauntlet with regards to balance transfer credit cards with 0 percent interest after announced that it was launching a two year interest free balance transfer deal for consumers to benefit from. T
When most people buy a car, they take out a loan to pay for it. However, some people pay for all or part of their new car with their credit card. There are quite a few reasons why this can be advantageous if you’re looking for a reasonably priced car. However, there are also reasons why you should avoid doing this.
One reason that you may want to consider funding all or part of your new car purchase with a credit card is if you have a low-interest rate credit card. This is especially useful if you have a card with an introductory rate of 0%.
There are many cards that will provide you with this introductory rate for the first 90 days or so. If you put your down payment on the card, you wouldn’t have to pay any interest on the money within this time frame. Just make sure that you pay as much of it off as possible though.
One of the main benefits of buying a car with a credit card is that your loan will be unsecured. If
I love reading the various articles here on the BiggerPockets Blog, and when I am moved by a topic I always try to add constructive comments.
In May of last year Florence Foote wrote a great article regarding Rent Controls and their negative impact on both the quantity and quality of rental units where ever rent controls have been implemented. You can read that article here:
There were some great comments on the article, and of course I added my two bits. As is always the case when I participate in these discussions I click the box that notifies me when new comments have been added.
So, imagine my surprise when I got a notification this week that a new one had been added to this article an article that was over 15 month old. I headed over to the original article only to find a very lengthy comment which appears to have been provided by a person who clearly has never been a landlord. Here is but one statement that got my attention and this is a direct copy:
If the landlord doesn’t like rent control, he can sell his rental properties and move out to the country where he can feel free to set the rent as high as he wants.
After reading that opening sentence and the remainder of the comment, plus the follow-up to my response I was struck by the following
With increasing certainty our business as real estate investors, especially for those of us who are landlords, is going to come under ever greater attacks as the economy continues to decline, fewer buyers are able to get credit for home purchases, and more and more families will have to rent.
You dont need a crystal ball to figure this out! All you have to do is read the many articles that discuss how this or that politician or advocate wants for our economy to be more FAIR which usually means if you have figured out how to generate positive cash-flow or amass wealth through your real estate portfolio, the politician or advocate believes you are the one who needs to be more fair and they think nothing of taking what you have earned and giving it through taxation, controls, favorable tenant laws, etc to others.
I know getting into a discussion regarding politics is a dangerous place to go, but as a real estate investor I firmly believe this is not a discussion regarding politics, but a discussion about protecting your business especially in the face of individuals, similar to the individual commenting on the referenced article, who harbors strong opinions about landlords and the returns they earn from their rental portfolios.
WE ARE THE TARGET! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!
We are very fortunate to be in a business that has the opportunity to provide one of the basic needs on Maslows hierarchy of needs. Safe, clean shelter. And, if we are good enough at what we do buy right, select good tenants, and properly train and manage those tenants we can make a great living. And, WE SHOULD!
But we wont be if we dont start standing up and defending our business and our profits.
Here are few thoughts I have on how we can advance our cause and protect our business. Some of these items will surprise you.
1. Dont be a slumlord. If you are going to be in this business and you dont want the do-gooders or politicians putting you in the spotlight, make sure your properties are in the best condition possible. Safe and clean is always a great standard to strive for.
2. Select great tenants. Easy to say I know. But if you select a crappy tenant or heaven forbid a professional tenant you will most likely find yourself in court defending yourself and your business at every turn. And, in the process, you as a real estate investor will be made out to be a slumlord, even when you are not one.
3. Dont purchase rental properties that are marginal deals. There is nothing worse then trying to make a deal cash flow when the price you paid for it makes that effort impossible. And, what do you think happens in situations like this? You find that you are less and less able to respond to
Debt is a vicious circle where a person in debt usually turns to more loans to repay the loans taken before. However, once a person accepts that he or she is in debt, half of the fight against debt can be considered complete. Once a person accepts debt, there is more possibility of some changes in their lifestyle to reduce debt. This includes reduced spending, money budgeting and elimination of credit cards.
The other half of the fight against debt can be won with the help of some debt counselors and debt consolidation services that could be found now very easy. You can find the debt consolidation help you in any of these debt consolidation services. When it comes to debt consolidation services, it refers to services that are provided for you to get your debt consolidation loan. With a debt consolidation loan, you will be granted a loan that will include all previous loans.
In the 1990s, the internet was a bunch of banners and brochures. Now we have social networks, which allow for much richer two-way interactions. Instead of just signposts on the web, we have the opportunity to build outposts where people can be seen and heard. Here’s my advice on how to use both tools effectively.
Your main site is your home base There are two things your website should do well: execute a solid call to action and give people a way to connect with you further. Stop reading this article for a moment and bring up your own site. If you squint at it–or if I squint at it–will either of us know what you want me to do next? If not, fix it. That’s your first opportunity to do business with me. No matter how complex your business, your site should give visitors a really clear and obvious action to take.
Second, how easy have you made it for me to contact you? That’s your second chance to get my business.
Pending home sales rose for the second consecutive month in June, posting a modest 2.4 percent seasonally adjusted gain over May’s figures, the National Association of Realtors reported today.
On an annual basis, June’s figures represented an increase of nearly 20 percent from the June 2010 level, when signed contracts for home sales plummeted following the end of the homebuyer tax credit. The current Pending Home Sales Index is at 90.9, up from 75.9 one year ago on a scale where a reading of 100 equals the average sales activity in the year 2001. Pending home sales, reflecting signed sales contracts, typically predict actual sales figures one to two months later, reflecting the time needed to close sales. However, that is not always the case – recently reported figures from the NAR showed that existing home sales fell unexpectedly in June, owing to an unusually large number of sales cancellations that occurred for reasons that are not clear. Lawr Read more…