How to Renovate and Cash in on Your Property

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Your property is probably your most valuable asset and it is also a great opportunity to add value to your portfolio. Rather than buying a property that is perfect from the get-go, there is a fair bit of cash to be made by renovating and selling an older property.

There are a few simple rules that will help you to add value to your home, whatever condition it is in. People looking for finished homes will pay extra for spaces they can put their own personal stamp on without too much difficulty.

Neutralize

You might love having bright colours everywhere but to someone looking around a house, this will be too much of your wonderful personality on show. Use neutral cream and white paints on all your walls. This is a quick and cheap way to add value to your home as well. You should also consider putting some of your furniture and most of your possessions into storage to radically declutter the space. People like to see empty rooms to imagine their own furniture filling the space, however tasteful yours is!

Invest in your Outside Space

Having a beautiful outside space adds real value to any property and doesn’t have to be very expensive. If you have a lawn then make sure it is green and fresh for great curb appeal. You might also consider putting a table and chairs outside to give the impression that it is an extra room. If you can afford to add basic landscaping features then do so with the advice of your real estate agent to optimise your expenses.

Use Excellent Real Estate Agents

When it comes to selling properties a real estate agency like The Lauren Sells Team is going to give you a huge advantage in the marketplace. Estate agents pride themselves on matching the right home to the right clients, so it may well be that they already have someone looking for a property just like yours! An estate agent will also be able to offer advice and guide you through the selling process to get you the best price.

Making money in property is a simple pursuit in theory, but in practice, you will need the help and guidance of property experts to help you make the right investment choices. They will also be able to take the time to sell your property and run open houses for you.

Without great expense or effort, you can easily make home improvements that will boost your asking price and give you a greater profit. You could use this profit to move to a finished home and settle down, but you might also consider building up a property portfolio and investing in multiple smaller properties to renovate and sell. Another consideration you might want to keep in mind, is renting out a property rather than selling up. This will give you a regular extra income without losing the asset you have worked for.

What Should Be On Your Must-Have List When Looking For A New Job?

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It’s common place for you to go through a range of different jobs roles in your lifetime. When you’re looking to climb up the ladder, you could even go through them pretty quickly, and even move companies a couple of times too. But when you’re looking to get hired at a new place, you often need to be quite strict with what you’re looking for. Because you don’t always have to feel lucky that you go the job. Instead, you should make sure that the place you’re looking at is really what you want. And to do this, it’s often essential to have a list of things that you’re looking for from that job, in terms of what the position comes with. So let’s take a look at what some of those could be.

Prospects

First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you have a place there long-term. If you do have high aspirations, and you really want to make something of yourself, prospects are important. What are your opportunities to grow? Can you move up the ladder quickly or are the people in the senior positions unlikely to step down any soon? What is their general policy on promotions? These are all things that you need to find out and look into as much as you can before you decide to join a new place.

Pay

Next, there’s always money to think about. To some people, this will be the most important part of all. And if money is the most important thing to you, not only do you need to make sure that the place in question offers you the right amount, but you’re going to want to try and negotiate more to see how willing they are to pay more. Because this can be an indication of how likely it will be for you to get further raises in the future.

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Pension

Another financial incentive that’s important to a lot of people is the pension schemes to that you’re offered too. You’ll find that firms like easisalary offer salary sacrifice solutions that you could look into, or you could let your new place call the shots. Either way, you have to know what is on offer as standard and whether it’s what you’re looking for or not.

People

And what about the people that work there? What are they going to be like to work with? Are you going to like the company dynamics and the teams that you have to work with? This isn’t something that everyone thinks about when they’re looking for a new job, but it’s really important. You’re going to be spending a lot of time here, so you have to know that it’s the right place for you.

Pluses

And what about the other benefits the job comes with? Do you want medical care or a car? What holiday entitlement can they offer? You need to know that you’re getting exactly what you want from the company that’s looking to hire you. And if not, negotiate to get it anyway!

Stand Out And Get Hired - Creative Resume Ideas

Today’s job market is a competitive one, with dozens and even hundreds of people battling it out for just one position. With so much competition, it can be difficult to make your resume stand out from the pile. Difficult, but not impossible thanks to these great ideas for creative resumes that could help you stand out and stand a chance of landing your next job.

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Create a resume website

The days of printed resumes are almost long gone, and with everyone leaning more towards digital - it makes sense to have an online resume that shows off your skill. For a great example of how to get it right, take a look at this great Instagram page from Chris Pivik, it features a link to his online resume - ideal if you work in a creative industry. If you work in digital or design, your own resume website could be a great way to show off your skills.

Film a resume video

Resumes don’t just have to involve words on a page; a video can be just as effective for submitting your resume. It’s easy to create a video resume that you can upload online with a link to send prospective employers. Using a video is a good way to show off your skills and talk about your experience, especially if you don’t feel very confident expressing yourself through words on a page. Keep it short and sweet but remember to include the important elements.

Present your resume differently

Your resume doesn’t have to be the standard two-sided document using a standard format to provide details about you and your career history. The competition for jobs means that recruiters will have to sift through hundreds of resumes that all look the same, making it hard to differentiate one from the other. You can still include all of the relevant information and your achievements, but in a way that highlights the key issues that the employer will be looking for. By designing a resume that offers a different layout, color scheme or even some graphics - you can make sure that your resume is one of the ones that stand out among the masses.

Think of yourself as a brand

Businesses with an amazing brand are much more memorable to consumers than those who don’t put much effort in. By taking the same approach to your career, you can help give potential employers a sense of who you are and what value you can offer as an employee. Consider presenting your resume on a mug, on a chocolate box or even a water bottle for simple but creative ways you can make an impression. Get some more ‘out of the box’ resume ideas that could get you noticed.

Getting your resume noticed is a challenge, but you can get there if you think more creatively to set yourself apart from other candidates. Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, you can then focus your attention on improving your job interview technique to help you impress face to face. Determination and patience will pay off, so don’t be disheartened if your resume doesn’t get picked up by every company you send it to.

Are You A Number Guru? The Perfect Careers For You

Some people just have a knack for dealing with numbers. Give them some sort of quiz or puzzle, and they will have it worked out and completed in minutes. People that have an eye for numbers can spot patterns in things that others may not see straight away. They can work out codes or problem solve a little quicker than the average person, and because of that, there are careers that are more suited for this sort of skill and personality. I wanted to share with you what some of the perfect career choices are for number gurus, such as yourself.

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Accountant

Becoming an accountant is one of the most obvious career choices for someone who is good with numbers, so there was no point missing it out on my list of top career options. There are many different avenues you can take to gain the necessary knowledge for this role such as college and work experience or even an msc accounting and finance distance learning if you prefer. Accountants can vary on different levels of responsibility from managing the day to day books to forecasting profits and working out end of year calculations for businesses.

Scientist

A scientist can be anything from someone working in the pharmaceutical industry to working in a lab where you are conducting experiments. It may mean you specialise in a teaching degree as well. While science is a completely different subject to maths and numbers, you still need to have a certain degree of confidence with numbers and calculations for formulas.

Investment banker

Investment bankers deal with stocks and shares and the trading, buying and selling of them. The main purpose of their job is to make money for their clients by investing at the right time and selling at the right time. Making a profit in between. You need to be able to predict markets and numbers play a huge part in that. There is also an element of risk to this career, and you need to have that sort of “go-getting” entrepreneurial attitude to be successful. It can be overwhelming and very cut throat and often a career, not for the faint-hearted. But at the same time, this career can be very lucrative in regards to financial earning opportunities.

Math teacher or tutor

If you have a passion for teaching and love numbers, then a math teacher or tutor could be a real obvious choice for you. Some of the larger governments in the world are keen to encourage more people to enter STEM careers and being a part of the teaching side of things could see you helping people do that. You could work in a school, college or offer one to one lessons. It would all depend on how you think you would better suit the learning environment.

Economist

Economists are the people that advise governments or administrations on any of their financial policies. They look at past trends, costs and dictate exactly what could be costing the country you live in and where money should be invested. Economists can also go into other business areas and help accountants in regards to forecasting for industries like banking or the public sector.

3 High Paying Jobs... That Don't Require a 4 Year College Degree

As a temporarily embarrassed millionaire it can be head-scratchingly difficult knowing where to ply our skills in order to attain the right sort of effort : profit ratio. Gone are the days when a person would go into an entry level job and steadily work their way up the ranks to a directorship. While that model may have worked for our parents, that business model is now as defunct as typewriters, smoking at your desk and offices that feature a drinks cabinet comprehensively stocked with spirits (how they got anything done, we’ll never know). If you were unable or willing to get a four year college degree you may think that you have no choice but to resign yourself to a lifetime of low-paid entry level jobs or risk everything on an entrepreneurial gambit… But you’d be wrong.

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The trouble with college degrees

College degrees exist for the purpose of education and edification, but for some reason the baby-boomer generation seemed to use this interchangeably with ‘increased job prospects’. Thus the lie was peddled from the baby boomers to the Gen Xers to the millennials that going to college is essential to a rewarding and lucrative career. With more graduates than ever living in poverty, slaving away in exploitative unpaid internships the realities of today’s job market tell a very different story. If your passion lies in academia then you owe it to yourself to pursue a four year degree but if you want a well paid job, you can get one with a far less time consuming and expensive education, especially in an age where digital learning affords us more opportunities than ever from the comfort of our own homes.

Here are some rewarding and lucrative jobs that you can train for in two years or less…

Accountancy

With a median pay of around $67,000 and high earners making over $118,000 accounting is definitely an avenue worth exploring if you have a flair for numbers. With an online MBA accounting degree you can get an AACSB-accredited qualification in as little as 20 months. With businesses of all shapes and sizes feeling the need to marshall their financial resources whatever the economic climate accounting is a job that’s virtually recession proof.

Commercial Pilot (Non-Airline)

Ever fantasized about taking to the skies for a living but felt grounded by a lack of a university education. You may be surprised that you can still be a non-airline commercial pilot with an enviable salary and… well… You get to fly for a living! The Federal Aviation Administration offers short flying courses that result in certification. After that, with a median pay of around $77,000 the sky’s literally the limit (just watch out for Harrison Ford).  

Computer Programmer / App Developer

If you have an affinity for computers and are proficient in programming language, you’ll be delighted to know that most software companies don’t distinguish between the self-taught and the college educated. Back end developers in particular are increasingly sought after commanding a median salary of almost $80,000.

The education and job markets are in a near constant state of flux, and now is the time to learn new skills without piling on the debt and launching yourself into a successful new career.

Prosperous Investors Avoid These Mistakes

A financially safe and prosperous future is what most of us want when we look forward to retirement, and many folks use investing as a way to get there. However, when making investments, there are no solid guarantees that you will come out with more money than you put in. That is why you need to educate yourself on the possible risks and how best to avoid them. So read on to find out more on this subject.

Not knowing your market

Most people think that investing is solely concerned with the stock market, but this isn't the case. There are in fact, many different areas that you can put your money into including stocks, shares, bonds, art, and property.

The key to success in any of these areas is that you know the market well, and understanding exactly what you are buying, and how this is likely to perform in the near future. That means you have to use the resources that are available to you to become as knowledgeable as possible.

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Start with some basic knowledge about the market you are interested in, something you can find in books or online. Then use blogs and websites that are tailored to your specialist area to advance your knowledge. Such as articles like 5 Tips for Investing in Property, where you can find out how to choose the right investment, or 5 top tips for buying artwork from emerging artists, where you can find out that art investment isn't all about price. Then when you feel you have a good grasp of the basics you can approach some specialists that deal in these areas and see what they have to bring to the conversion.

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Over-trusting the specialists

However, just because they are professional in the area, it doesn't mean that they have all of the answers. In fact over-reliance on gurus or experts can be damaging in investing because it is often not their own money on the line. That means if they get it wrong they get, egg on their face, while you lose your life savings! So, if you think the advice they are peddling is suspect trust your gut and choose another investing path.

Make it emotional

Another major problem with investing is the emotional aspect. We, humans, are emotional beings and so can bring feeling into anything we do, and investing is no exception to this. We can fall in love with a piece of art that is meant to be an investment or get addicted to the high when ours shares go up. The problem is that it can become too much like gambling if we get emotional, meaning that we make bad decisions because we are trying to recover the money we have lost, instead of just clocking it up to experience and waiting for the next right opportunity to come along.

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This can be massively problematic because it creates a cycle of bad investment choices that can increase our losses instead of our gains. So whenever possible try and remember that investing is just business, and it's perfectly acceptable to take some time out before you make your next investment after a loss.

Simple Ways to Save Money Every Day

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In the world of instant payments and instant gratification that we currently live in, it’s almost easier to spend money on a daily basis than it is to save it, but it doesn’t mean we should stop trying to save. In fact, if we want to have any degree of financial stability now and in the future, it is vital that we take any measures we can to save money today, tomorrow, the day after that and so on.

Here are some simple things we can all do to start saving money every day starting from today:

Have a Money ‘Date Night’ Each Week

One day each week, you should take the time to sit down and go over your incomings and outgoings for the week. During this time, you should create a revised budget for the following week, take a look at your accounts and pinpoint any areas of spending that you could further cut back on. The more time you spend with your money, the better you’ll get at making good decisions and saving more and the less you’ll be tempted to overspend.

Do What You Can to Minimize Debts

One thing that will really help you to save money, now and in the future, is decreasing your debt burden. So, if you have tax issues, get in touch with a good tax lawyer like Travis W. Watkins to see what can be done; if you have lots of credit card debt, start paying off more than the minimum or get in touch with a debt consolidation company to minimize your monthly burden; or if you’re way over your head, speak to a debt counselor and see what can be done. The second you eliminate excessive debts and interest rates, the second you can start saving more.

Pack Your Own Lunch

If you generally eat out at lunchtime, one thing that can help you save a surprising amount of money is packing your own lunch. The average American spends approximately $3008 on restaurants and takeout dinners each year, and by at least brown bagging your lunch each day, you can significantly cut down on this figure and put it directly into savings.

Meal Plan

On the subject of meals, another great way to make daily savings on the cost of feeding ourselves is by meal planning. Working out exactly what you’re going to eat for the week and then taking the time to buy just the ingredients you’ll need on the weekend, will save you money, not only because you’ll be cooking your own meals instead of eating out, but also because you’ll be less tempted to buy groceries you don’t really need.

Cut the Cord

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The mere thought of cutting the cable cord might be enough to fill you with dread, but in this day and age, it really isn;’t a big deal because you don’t have to go completely without. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime enable you to watch all of your favorite shows for a fraction of the $1476 the average American pays for cable each year.

Downsize

If you’re in the position to do so, downsizing to a smaller home in a less expensive neighborhood is a really fantastic way of saving money every day because your mortgage or rent payments will be a lot smaller, freeing up more money to invest in your future.

Start a 30-Day Shopping List

The 30-day shopping list is a very simple, but very effective technique for curbing those instant gratification impulses. Basically, every time you come across something you want to buy, instead of buying it there and then, you write the details down on a list and wait 30 days. If you still want the item, whatever it is, after that time, you go ahead and buy it. However, quite often you’ll find that the initial desire for the thing has subsided, leaving you better off and not feeling at all like you’ve missed out.

Use Online Tutorials to Cut Costs

Whether you love having your nails professionally painted, your eyebrows threaded or your home to always look amazing; you can save money on the costs of personal care, beauty and DIY by utilizing online tutorials to learn the skills yourself. If you get really good at it, you could even earn money by selling your newly learned skills to others.

As you can see, there are many ways, big and small, to save money every day. All it takes is the will to get started and the determination to carry on even when temptation rears its ugly head, and you’ll see greater financial stability in your life, in no time at all.

Subtle Attitudes Which Can Impede Financial Security

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Planning your financial behavior is not always easy. It seems there are always plenty of things just waiting to scupper your savings and demand you pay out towards costs you weren’t originally expecting. Over time, if you don’t keep the correct money attitudes, these can really prevent you from keeping a positive and generative cash saving or work towards a financial goal you have set out.

To deal with these issues, you want to make sure that your lesser known behaviors aren’t impeding your sound financial sense. In the effort to enjoy a social life, improve the comfort of your home and maybe even raise a family, you really can’t afford to keep the following attitudes regarding your finances. This article will serve as a forewarning, and hopefully, if you can identify yourself in some of these headings, you know where the work should lie. We’d also recommend that you find some form of solid financial advice services, such as a women's wealth community which gives you practical solutions to reach your saving and investment goals in an appropriate time.

Without further ado:

Living Paycheck To Paycheck

Some people can’t help but live paycheck to paycheck in order to pay rent and all of the costs associated with living well. However, if your bank account is regularly hitting zero, it’s important to reflect on what is making this happen. Is there no way you can’t be a little more frugal each month? Instead of getting taxi’s or the bus pass to work, could cycling there be more reasonable? Instead of heading out every weekend, could lessening your drinking budget help you save more money, and on the whole feel healthier?

If you can, save 10% of your paycheck each time. Wanton spending will only make you used to treating yourself. The funny part about this is that treating yourself often takes away the importance and value of each treat in your mind. Could you do without that pumpkin latte twice a week, and purchase some home filter coffee? There are always ways to save money, and so exercising a little restraint (hard to do,) can work wonders for you as time passes.

Social Spending

We all know that it’s harder to save and be more frugal when out with friends, or trying to emulate an experience with them. A day out with your friends which suddenly turns into a cinema trip and a meal out, then on to drinks can be an unexpected investment hard to back away from, even if that morning you had been painstakingly figuring out your new budget.

Clearly and concisely explain to your friends that you are saving money, and politely refuse and remind them of your current frugal period if they try to suggest extended activities. If they’re your friends, they should understand well. Also, if you can, avoid accepting their offer to pay for you now. Developing debts between friends can be a sticky business, and it puts the whole friendship on an odd footing.

Watch out for both of these issues, and you’re sure to be a little more wise about your financial growth over the next few years. These tips can be very helpful if you’re still in your youth, so try and exercise some wisdom here, and you’ll develop into a smart person regarding finances in no time.

Investment: Where Should I Put My Money?

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If you want to be successful and smart with your money; you’ve probably already heard of investment. Whether you are working your way up to being the next Richard Branson, saving up for your family’s future, or even just saving up for a holiday. Investing your assets is a great way to earn extra cash. Investment is the practice of putting your putting into something and hoping that you get a profitable return. It can be a risk sometimes, but it can also be very lucrative.

When it comes to exploring the avenues you can go for with investment, there are three main type which you could look into:

Cash- You have probably been investing for your entire adult life in a small way without realising it. Believe it or not, having a bank account which you put money into is classed as an investment. A bank or building society will pay you interest for the duration you have money in an account with them.

Shares- The second, and possibly most infamous type of investment is in shares. This is where you put money down in order to purchase a stake in a company. You may have seen the stock market before and been totally confused, don’t worry, most of us are. But it’s actually pretty simple. If you decide to buy a share in a company for a cost of $15.00, and subsequently the value of the share increases  to $80.00 due to successful business, then you can sell you share for a profit of $65.00. This is why you will see people fighting at the stock market to get a great deal while they can, because if a company’s stock value goes down, and then back up again- you could make a lot of money.

Property – Property is one of the most popular types of investment, and many people decide to go down this route if they have some extra cash to invest. Marshall White real estate is an excellent way to make money on property through renovation and renting. You can buy a shell of a property at auction, do it up and sell it on for a much higher value.  

Before you jump the gun and throw your money at anything and everything, you need to first consider the risk involved in investment. Sure, it can be a great way to earn some extra cash to stash away for a rainy day, but things don’t always go to plan.

What if you invest in a company such as United Airlines, and they encounter an online scandal? The value of your stock will plummet and you will be left at a loss. This can also be the case with fluctuating house prices and even interest rates at the bank. If you are going to invest, start of small and get a feel for the process before you go all in. It will save you from losing your hard-earned cash. Maybe even invest small amounts in multiple things to give you that safety blanket should any of them fall through.