The University of Michigan’s April consumer confidence survey results are out.
The headline index fell to 76.4 from last month’s 78.6 reading. However, the index reading is well above both the flash estimate published earlier this month and economists’ predictions for today’s release.
Apartment owners and managers are fighting tooth and claw to dispel the myth that multifamily living is unfriendly to pets, a longstanding motivation that has driven pet-lovers to become homeowners.
A recent Apartments.com survey, released a week before National Pet Week, fund that 75 percent of renters surveyed today are pet owners, compared to 43 percent in 2012.
Half of the pet-loving renters surveyed by Apartments.com would like to believe their fellow apartment residents also adore their four-legged companions. Fortunately, it turns out they are not far off, as nearly 60 percent of renters who do not own pets said they still enjoy living around others with pets.
“Nearly 80 percent of our survey respondents live in a pet-friendly building, indicating both landlords and residents without pets are increasingly recognizing that pet owners are, for the most part, responsible and respectful neighbors,” said Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager, Apartments.com. “However, more than 60 percent of the renters also said they faced some level of difficulty in finding accommodations for them and their pets. Fortunately, renters can tailor search results to only show apartments that allow their beloved furry friends on websites such as Apartments.com.”
Have you ever stumbled upon a blog and thought…”Was this written by an android, a robot or was it a Martian?“
Maybe it was produced by someone that had a personality bypass.
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem human.
That, I think touches on what a “voice” is.
It is about being human, displaying a personality and willing to be vulnerable.
Then the real fun starts.
Writing and creating from the “real” you is your voice. That can be daunting and exposing. Your internal conversations start the jabber….”What if I show a side of me that no one likes or thinks is stupid?”
Looking daft or dork is not cool.
In fact we were all raised on the human craft of hiding behind a facade when the school playground often rewarded the strong, the fake and the facile.
Many childhoods are lived in quiet desperation of hiding the real “you.”
Being grown up means accepting yourself for all its glorious imperfections.
A formula, an evolution or a revelation?
I don’t have a process or a magic potion to finding a writing voice or an expression formula but let’s have a look at what happens when you start to write and create in an online world. What happens when you start to publish on social media networks or your blog.
The journey commences.
I am curious and wanting to express my insights. I write. I record and express myself. The publish button is struck! The blog post is live and the YouTube video is online!
No clapping or cheering can happen until you step onto the stage.
There the music is revealed, the words are displayed and your design is exposed.
Whoa!…on the internet two billion web users can see your thoughts and concepts in black and white and high definition in all its wonderful glory and imperfection.
If you are honest the world will show up and say “fabulous” …work harder and maybe “well done”.
Your genius that is you is on display.
Don’t like what you hear? Then there is more work to do. The fun stuff is in growing….not shrinking!
That is sometimes a painful revelation but is part of your journey of personal evolution.
The unique you
There is only one “unique you”. Own it and embrace it with two arms and welcoming introspection.
It’s all you’ve got.
The strange thing is that creating a writing “voice” is more a journey of subtle growth that happens by stealth and mundane action.
Sitting down to write in the small hours. Staying up so late that the next morning you ask yourself…”Was that necessary?”
It is turning up and “doing the work”.
Influencers and stealing ideas and inspiration
I have had some strange influencers on my writing and expression including Jeremy Clarkson of “Top Gear” fame.
An introduction to a car review that is is 900 words of fun, humour and stories and 100 words of features and functions about a Porsche, Ferrari or Skoda with maybe a telling pithy insight.
That is it.
Who would have thought that. Inspiration from a car magazine writer.
Inspiration comes from content and creators who can be geeks, intellectuals or artists. These can be taken from any walk of life and whose ideas are so good that you want to steal them.
Just ask David Bowie.
“The only art I’ll ever study is stuff I can steal from”
What is your voice?
So what is you?
Your persona and humanity is multi-dimensional and many faceted. It is a jumble of experience, thoughts, expression and passions.
Here are some tips to find your voice.
1. Show your personality
Your voice is your personality on display… warts and all. Place a stake in the ground. Put your hand up and say “this is what I think, believe and feel”. I believe in this and I am sharing it.
When that happens people start trusting and listen. This is how I am and this is how I talk.
That is an insight into your voice.
2. Display your humor
Is you humour dark, dry or ironic? Don’t let your children, friends and family’s seemingly innocous non appreciation dissuade you. Press on.
Have fun.
Sometimes the crowd doesn’t get it. You are not creating for the masses…only those who are fans and believers.
Some of them live in a distant town on the other side of the world. They are your neighbours.
3. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes
The audience you want to communicate with will help you define your voice. How you write will be be also woven into who you are writing for. It must be kept in mind that most people read at a grade school level. Trying to be smart and clever by using big words and complicated sentences will just make them click away.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein
4. Expose your imperfections
Accepting that you are not perfect but a product of a life journey can empower you to realise, write and reveal the naked you. People will find a voice that is transparent and full of bumps, scrapes and scratches will produce a voice tapestry that is much more interesting than a mass produced sound of blandness.
People read books and watch movies to see life’s dramas in all its glory. That is much more interesting than a manufactured sound.
5. Reveal your passion
Allowing the passion that drives you to radiate and express your ideas and creativity will allow the genius that is you to shine. Passion is not a singular word but a synergy of interests, skills and focus that is wrangled and woven together.
Put passion on display.
A primary passion might lead the pack but all around it are the chorus of sounds that make the symphony rich and deep. Put them up to the light, place them on a pedestal and let them sing.
Talk and write how you “feel”.
6. Tell your stories
Your voice can be evolved as you tell your stories that make up the days and years that is your life. Those stories can be tales of woe, insightful experiences or even just plain side splitting fun.
Tell those tales and let them communicate a powerful message.
7. Develop brand “you”
Can you write down a few key words and phrases that could encapsulate you and could be turned into a caricature or a logo. This is more an art more than a science but is worth a try.
Sally Hogshead is an author that wrote the book “Fascinate”. Her byline is an insight into her brand voice.
“A hogshead is a barrel that holds 62 gallons, so what’s your name smartass”
Now, that is part of her voice and reveals her personality and sense of life. You can’t borrow or steal that line but you can learn from it.
What about you?
What is your voice? Are you putting your personality on display? Are you willing to be judged.
Now that is a scary thought.
Are you telling your story and revealing your passions. Don’t hide behind a faceless set of words. Are you willing to stand up.
We stand outside the arena and say “I am going to go in and kick some ass when I am bullet proof and perfect. That is seductive. The truth is that you will never be perfect” – Author Brene Brown “Daring Greatly”
Let the words you create speak for you.
Want to learn how to create a powerful blog that has “your” voice?
My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.
It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.
I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.
Image by Shutterstock:
76
inShare
South Salem NY Real Estate Report RobReportBlog
2013 6 months ending 4/25 201224 Sales 19$482,500.00 median sold price $530,000.00$180,000.00 low sold price $247,500.00$1,551,000.00 high sold price $891,000.002932 average size 2576$216.00 ave. price per foot $219.00277 ave days on market 306$619,375.00 average sold price $548,000.0094.62% ave sold to ask 94.95%
As any experienced real estate investor will tell you, not all investment properties are created equal. Homes that might be perfect for a primary residence, for example, might not yield positive cash flows — and without positive cash flows, you’re losing money, not making it.
Here are a few things to think about and properties to avoid when you are ready to invest your hard-earned cash equity capital.
1. Anything that doesn’t generate rental income
These include second homes and land investments. Too many people invest in properties hoping that they will go up in value. But there is an opportunity cost to having money sit in real estate that doesn’t pay any income. Even if the property goes up in value, you’ve got to reconcile and account for all the money you would have earned if your money had instead been in the bank or in stocks and/or bonds.
2. Anything with negative cash flows
If you buy a “prize property” — such as a fancy downtown fancy condo, beach property or vacation rental — it’s probably going to be 20+ years before you get your first dime of positive cash flow. And that’s just no way to invest your hard-earned money. Pencil out any potential deal ahead of time, and buy properties that pay cash flow from day one — the moderately priced properties in non-prize areas.
3.Tenant-in-common (TIC) investments
These were popular from 2005 to 2007 as a way to diversify a portfolio without having to deal with the hassle of owning and managing real estate. But few people ever earned a dime because of all the costs and fees associated with the agreements.
4.Development deals
Development of land is extremely high risk. There are entitlement, construction and market pricing risks, plus countless others. These investments are best left to the extremely wealthy and experienced investors who can take the chance that they’ll never see their money again.
5.Condo-hotels, intervals & time-shares
These aren’t even investments. There’s no ability to predict cash flows, rental income or future value/sales prices. And they are very hard to resell and typically only at a fraction of the original cost.
6.Foreign real estate
You might be OK buying real estate in Canada or Britain – however don’t forget about the foreign currency risk — but foreign countries generally have different real estate laws, protections and fluctuating currencies, making these properties extremely high risk.
Related:
Leonard Baron, MBA, is America’s Real Estate Professor®. His unbiased, neutral and inexpensive “Real Estate Ownership, Investment and Due Diligence 101” textbook teaches real estate owners how to make smart and safe purchase decisions. He is a San Diego State University Lecturer, blogs at Zillow.com, and loves kicking the tires of a good piece of dirt! More at ProfessorBaron.com.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.
Fox Business writes:
“We’ll see how the summer goes and that will be a little bit of an indicator but my estimate would be another year until we have a good housing market,” said Joe Gross, national mortgage expert and author. “If employment goes down, within the year the housing market should be in a much better position than we are today.”
There are a few reasons for the rent appreciation. One is that New York has become a much more attractive place to live and work over the last few decades as crime has fallen and other amenities have improved, according to The New York Times’ economic reporter Catherine Rampell.
A second key reason that housing has become so expensive is that as demand for housing from both these occasional visitors and full-time residents has grown, supply has not kept up, writes the Times.
A third key reason housing is so expensive, related to the first one I mentioned, is that a lot of amenities that wealthy people like are bundled into the price of an apartment in New York, including a high concentration of bars, restaurants and theaters, and a greater variety of high-end goods.
Given the better pay in New York, housing costs are actually less onerous than they might seem, writes the Times.
Read the full report by Rampell in the Times here.
Charlotte foreclosure rate falls
