How the Economy Affects Property Prices

The state of the economy affects property for sale prices.  Economic conditions can dictate the selling price of a house. There are a number of reasons cited for the seeming correlation between the two.

One reason is employment.  When the economy is doing favorably well, a huge number of people have stable employment.  People who are gainfully employed feel confident of their purchasing power.  They know they can afford to pay monthly premium for the house they want to buy.

Unemployment, on the other hand, produces the opposite effect.  When a person does not have a stable job, he is wary about buying a house.  Also, a steady employment is a requirement for mortgage application.  Without a job, it will be impossible for a person to get a mortgage.

Another reason is demand.  A slow-performing economy can cause a fluctuation or fall of demand for housing.  An unstable economy can make the person think twice about making a huge investment such as buying an apartment for sale.  He needs to ascertain first that he has the money to spend for necessities in the next few months or in the event that he loses his job.  Economic uncertainty can curb spending due to fear of economic loss.

During an economic crisis, selling auction property will be difficult.  A property for sale such as bungalow or condominium will not be attractive to people.  They are more concern about buying or paying for the necessities such as electricity bills, food and rent.

The demand for a house for rent may increase in an economic recession because most people would rather rent than buy a house.  This is one of the reasons why a property for rent becomes popular during recession like a low-cost condominium. A cheap apartment for rent is a welcome news for cash strapped buyers.

The third reason why economy affects property prices is the foreign investments coming in.  When a country has a number of foreign investors, understandably, there will be a growing demand for properties.  As the demand grows, the house for sale prices also goes up. Foreign investors need to invest in properties such as a house for sale to be able to operate. More foreign investors mean more people finding employment.  People can now afford to pay for an apartment for rent or buy an apartment for sale.

A fourth reason why economy can affect the price of the property is the crime rate.  A faltering economy will most likely see a rise in crime rates such as robbery and killings.  A place that is high in crime rate will not look desirable to the property buyers.  Even if the property being sold is an auction property, people will still not be motivated to buy it due to fear of being targeted by criminals.  This will cause a decrease in demand for housing such as a bungalow in that specific area. There is also probably a decrease in demand for property for rent or house for rent in that area as well.

All these economic factors can affect the price of the property.  A well-performing economy can induce increase in demand for housing just as a poor economy can discourage purchase of houses. Economic growth can help spur real estate selling and buying.  It can help boost confidence in a potential buyer so he will commit to a long term mortgage associated with property purchase.

Social Media and Politics

Social media plays an important part in politics today.  If a politician wants to win the election, it will be a gross mistake to overlook the role played by the social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and even YouTube, are some of the most potent social networking sites online these days. Harnessing the potentials of these sites can provide competitive edge to the politician or the entire political party.

 

Quick Dissemination of Information

The lightning speed with which social media can disseminate information is simply astounding.  News pertaining to politics or announcements made by politicians would reach all parts of the globe in just a matter of seconds. One Facebook or Twitter posting could be seen by millions of people worldwide, depending on the number of follower the politician has.

Quick access to political news provided by social media sites is unprecedented. Take for example the recent uprisings in Middle East, the Egypt and Tunisia protesters turned to Facebook to voice out their political views and concerns.  This eventually toppled the reigning regime at that time.  Social media can practically change the course of political history if utilized well.

Mobilize Citizens and Youth Votes

Social networking sites can quickly mobilize political movements or political campaigns. One Tweet or Facbook status message by a powerful political figure can mobilize citizens into action.  This is particularly useful during elections wherein politicians need to gather people quickly in a specific area for their political campaign.

Followers of the politician will quickly know where or when the meeting or political rally will be.  Since billions of people are utilizing social media these days, the news will spread rapidly.  The political party can expect a huge turnout in their political rallies.   

A huge number of social media users are the young people.  Political analysts had lamented the lack of active participation of this demographic in the elections.  The use of social media can change all that.  Using the social media makes it easier for election candidates to target the youth and generate their support for the electoral campaigns. 

Break Barriers

The reach of social media goes beyond national borders.  The political party or figure can reach millions of people in all parts of the globe in seconds.  Even at a national level, the networking sites are extremely helpful.  Instead of visiting each and every state, the politician can announce his plans or does his campaign strategy online.

It is highly cost effective, convenient and quick to begin political campaigns online. 

Connect Personally with the Crowd

Social networking sites make it possible for politicians to talk to constituents, supporters or even their critics and foes online.  They can express their views to their followers.  The followers can also provide their ideas on a certain topic, for instance.  It is a great way to get to know supporters on a more personal level.

It would have been physically impossible for a politician to talk to each and every supporter. But with online media sites, he can do so without leaving the comforts of his home. This is vital for the political party because they get to understand what the ordinary people are thinking thus, making it easier for them to address their concerns.

The social media creates a platform for citizens that enable them to voice their opinions immediately and effectively.  This was the strategy utilized by the then US presidential aspirant and current US President Barack Obama.  While his opponents focus on impressing the bigwigs, President Obama focused his campaign on grassroots campaigning. 

He personally communicated with the voters in his website and social media accounts and provided them with straightforward answers to their queries.  Consequently, the voters feel confident in voting for him.  His campaign style of allaying the apprehensions of the masses later won him the votes.

The power of social media can make or break a political figure.  They cannot be undermined. Failure to utilize the free networking sites for political activities is a major mistake.  The social media provides the masses a venue to communicate with the ruling classes. At the same time, help political parties promote their political agenda.

Get Free Work Training through Job Corps

Job Corps is heaven sent for students who want to further their education, acquire technical skills and earn a college degree at no cost. Yes, this program is totally FREE to all youths who want to learn and earn a degree.

This education program is sponsored by US Department of Labor and is available for students between the age 16 and 24, who are US citizens or permanent residents, and those who want to acquire technical training or help getting a job.

Location

The Job Corps program offers 100 technical courses in more than 125 centers spread all across the US.  If you do not live near the center, the program offers residential housing. They even provide transportation to students for the first visit. Then on winter and summer trips.

Courses Offered

With more than 100 technical courses available, you can surely find one that matches your interest.  They offer courses on office medical assistant, bookkeeping, green job training in advanced manufacturing, construction, automotive and so many others to choose from.

Aside from technical courses, they also offer courses that help the student develop social skills, employability skills, how to live independently and English proficiency.

Other Benefits Provided

The student will not only learn different technical and living skills, they will also get to enjoy a number of benefits such as:

1. free residential housing

2. free career planning

3. free meals

4. free driver's education

5. free health and dental care

6. living allowance allotted bi-weekly and

7. clothing allowance

It depends on the center, but in some instances, they also provide free childcare programs for single mothers/fathers.

They have separate male and female dormitories to allow students privacy and security within the campus.  The number of roommates could vary from center to center. It could be as little as one roommate or at most 7 roommates.

How Long are the Courses

The courses are self-paced. This means the student can learn at his or her own pace. It could be done as little as 8 months or 2 years.  The center recommends at least 1 year stay to be able to get maximum benefits from the program.

Rules 

Just like any campus, Job Corps Center requires students to be well-behaved. Drugs and violence are NOT tolerated. Students who violate this rule will be immediately removed from the program.

Job Placement

Before the students finish the program he or she chooses, the center will help them do the job search. Six months after graduation, a career specialist will contact the student to ensure that things are transitioning smoothly.

Job Corps also helps students with various social services such as health care and other needs.

Take advantage of this free opportunity provided by the Department of Labor USA.  For the young people, this could mean the difference between living in poverty or having a brighter future.

Your decision today could change your life for the better forever. So take that leap. Face the challenge. Equip yourself with the necessary skills to up your chances of getting hired.

If you are interested, you can enroll in Job Corps by calling (800) 733-JOBS or (800) 733-5627 right now!  

For more details, here is a link to their Frequent Asked Questions:  Jobcorps FAQs

How to Earn Income in Esthetics

Esthetics or Aesthetics pertain to the industry of beauty.  Cosmetology, massage therapy, plastic surgery and even fashion fall under this industry.  Esthetics sells because it nurtures the cusomter's self-esteem. Looking good always equates to feeling good.  Esthetics help achieve that goal.

Perhaps, the most popular is cosmetology.   Hair and make-up, manicure, pedicure, hair color, facials and spa.  More and more people, not just women, are drawn to these aesthetic services.

To get a job this industry, it is important to get a certification.  A short course on aesthetics or cosmetology can get your foot on the door.  Job opportunities can include working in hair salons, hotels, spa facilities, wellness centers, doctor's office and having your own private practice.

It does not take long to get the certification.  Some of the courses last 3 months. Others could go 6 months or beyond.  It depends on the range of courses you will get. If you just want to do mani/pedi, 3 months is enough.  But if you want a whole range of beauty services such as hair, make-up, spa, facial treatments, dermabrasion and others, 6 months would be the minimum requirement.

For a busy cosmetologist, it is not unusual for them to earn $60,000 a year.  The more customers, the more you will get paid. Added to that is the handsome tips you will receive on top of the pay.

Here are some jobs related to the beauty industry:

Hairstylist

This is particularly in demand on special events or occasions like wedding, debut, graduation, anniversary and others. An experienced hairstylist could make a killing on these events.  In weddings, it will not be unusual for hairstylists to come up with bridal packages for the bride, mother of the bride and the bridesmaids.

Make-up artists

Make-up artists just like hairstylists are in huge demand for special occasions just like hairstylists.  They can come up with package deals too to sweeten the pot like discounts for JS proms or wedding packages.

Salon Owner

This requires investment on your part.  You need to rent a place.  Buy equipment and supplies. Pay electricity. Pay for repairs and maintenance.  Inventory of products like nail polish or hair products.  Pay salary for staffs. But this can be financially rewarding if your business takes off.

You can hire cosmetologists and pay them commission depending on the number   of clients they have that day. Or, you can pay them a fixed rate every day.

The number of clients you will attract to your salon depends on a number of factors. One is the location of the salon.  Being at the city center or near a number of business establishments, schools, or a high-end community could entice a number of patrons to the salon.

Beauty Product Developer  

These are the people who work behind the scenes.  They develop new hair products or new equipment to be used by cosmetologists.  If you invent your own product, have it patented and distribute it, this could mean huge business for you.

Consider the story of Alli Webb, who turns a blow dry business, called Drybar, into a $50 million venture in just 2 short years.   Webb developed a business that offers a simple blow-dry-and-style no cuts, no color "non salon" business format.

Beauty Writer  

You can go freelance or full-time writer for a beauty publishing company.  There are sites online that accepts people who can write for the beauty industry.  Demand Media hires beauty writers and pays $20-35 per 300 to 500-word article.  Topics for this writing gig include hair and make-up and fashion advice.

If you type "beauty writer" at indeed.com search box, a number of jobs would show up.  These jobs are updated daily so check every day to see the latest jobs in this field.

Remember that in every endeavor, you need to have passion in what you do.  I cannot stress enough that passion in your job is what makes the difference between spectacular and so-so performance.  If your passionate about the beauty industry, you enjoy making people look good and feel good about themselves and it does not feel like a chore to you, then you should go for it.  If you love what you're doing, it will show. And customers would enjoy coming to you.  The more customers you have, the higher money you will make. Do what you love and the money will come.

How to Make Money Teaching English Abroad

1.    

For native English speakers teaching English online could be a good source of income. With many people wanting to learn English from other parts of the globe, being able to speak English fluently could turn into a wonderful money making strategy.

 Most of these English-learning clients come from Asia.   They prefer to talk to the English teacher via video chat.  Some of these English schools are based offline.  Others are online.

 A lot of native English speakers are making lucrative income teaching abroad.  Countries like South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and the Arab States are huge markets for native English speakers.

 Teachers usually earn anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 per month.  This is particularly true in the Arab States.

 For Asian-bound English teachers, the low cost of living in Asia is a huge draw.  Also, free housing, health insurance and plane fares help sweeten the deal.  To be able to travel to Asia free is a huge perk for Native speakers who want to  explore the world.

 It is like being paid to travel.  Teaching contracts usually run up to a year. Some teachers renew their contracts to be able to stay longer. Cultural immersion at its best.

 Some of these English teaching positions abroad require TESOL, TEFL or CELTA certification.   These are short courses offered online or offline. Some schools do not require certification. But having a certification can be an advantage.

 A bachelor's degree is often required in these jobs.  Some may not need teaching experience.  But a teaching experience would give you a distinct advantage.

 To be able to find jobs for English teachers abroad, you need to look into jobsites that specifically feature these jobs.

Some of these websites include the following:

ESLJoblink 

EPIK

Teach in China

Aeon

Hess International

Make sure you check out their requirements before applying.  Also, find out what the benefits are and how much they pay for the job.  You could get free accommodation, airfare, health insurance, work visa, teacher training and teacher materials.

How to Make Money as Online Therapist

If you have a degree in psychology.  Or, you have been working as a counselor for a number of years.  Then an online counseling or therapist job might be the one for you.

E-counseling is becoming a by word now these days because of the ease it provides to clients.  All the client has to do is sign in online, email, Skype or even text the therapist to get some counseling.

I think it also offers the client some degree of anonymity since they do not really see their therapist in person.  Living in another part of the US probably makes it easier for the client to talk about his or her woes.

The client has a choice of wide range of therapists.  Since his or her options are no longer limited to local boundaries, this means there's a huge chance that he or she can find a therapist that truly suits the personal needs.

This also eliminates, the stigma of seeing a therapist, on the part of the customer.  Often of people know that a person is seeing is therapist they judge him or her as a troubled person or mentally ill.  Seeing an online therapist minimizes this stigma.

On the part of the therapist, this is also beneficial since she or he can reach clients beyond local town or city.  A broad range of clients allow him or her to practice his profession more.

It also helps the counselor to earn more.  On top of that, he or she can work anywhere and anytime.  As long as there is an internet connection and a laptop, the therapist can work with the client. This is a win-win situation for both the therapists and the clients.

For those aspiring to be e-counselor, please check the website's requirements.  Some may require higher education like Master's degree.  Others may only need experience. Still others, require a license to practice therapy.  The requirements differ for each and every online site.

E-counselors services vary.  They could provide marriage therapy, anxiety, anger, depression, substance abuse counseling and others.

Here are some of the e-counseling websites hiring online therapists or counselors.  To see their requirements, Please click on the individual link below:

Talkspace 

Therapion

Breakthrough

PrestoExperts

ProvenTherapy

BetterHelp

Theravive

eCounselingNetwork

How To Make Money Doing Online Couponing

  

Online couponing is when you collect coupons so you can use them to buy supplies or groceries.  It can be a lucrative business idea. If you enjoy clipping online coupons, this could be a great money-making venture for you. You need to invest money on this business though.

First Step.  Clip Coupons

First, you need to clip coupons. Find coupons online and offline.  Newspapers, mailed company coupons, newletters, magazines and others are good sources of coupons.  If you go to your favorite stores, you will surely find printed coupons in there.

 There are also a lot of coupons you can print online.  Some sites feature a compilation of coupons direct from the company websites. If you are looking for a particular product, you might as well go directly to the company site.  This way, you will be able to find and print a number of coupons from them.

Second Step.  Buy in Bulk Using Coupons

Second, use these print coupons to buy bulk items from the store. It is not unusual for coupon clippers to end up with 20 dishwashing pastes, for instance. Or, a whole box of noodles. Bulk purchase often enables the seller to sell at a discount.  The buyer also enjoys bigger markdowns in prices if a product is purchased in bulk.

 Third Step. Sell

Once you got your items, the Third step is to sell them online through Facebook, Ebay and other selling sites. Or, you can call your friends and sell them directly the items you bought at rock bottom prices for a profit. You're helping them get the things they need at a discounted price and they're helping you make a small profit. The store where you bought it from also makes sales from the the bulk buy you made.  It's a win-win situation.

 Other Methods to Make Money

Cashbacks

If you do not enjoy clipping coupons then using cashback on purchases could also be a good way to get goods at a discount and sell them for a profit.  Sites like ebates.com pay you money for the purchases you make.

Use Credit Card to Purchase Products with Coupons

Credit cards also offer you Cashbacks. But be wary when it comes to using credit cards because of its high interest rates.  Credit cards with NO interest plus provide cash back is a better way to buy and sell goods.  If you use coupons on top of interest-free, cash back credit card purchase, you could make huge profits.

 Overtime, the small profit from each item could add up and you could have a neat income for the entire month.

If you do not like selling the extra stuffs you accumulated, you can always donate them to the food bank or other charitable institutions.