How to Transfer Your LinkedIn Contacts to Your iPhone

Hello to all of my friends!  Are you an iPhone user and just wondering how to save time and transfer all of your contact information from LinkedIn, quickly and efficiently directly to your iPhone?  

With the LinkedIn app installed, the procedure can be done in mere seconds.  Have a look...just click on the picture below and you'll be linked to the short video explaining the procedure:

Enjoy!

The Two Standards By Which Everything Is Measured

I was chatting with a good friend of mine this evening, and I asked her, "Why do women always read into the things men say."  She wrote, "I wonder why guys say things that make women read into things. Lol."  

It's interesting about perception and reality, isn't it?  This isn't really what I wanted to discuss, but it's along the same lines, when it comes to business:

1) We measure people by their actions and not their words.  Are they "performing" or are they just talking.  There is a huge difference.  Do we cut people some slack on this?  Sometimes...however, everyone needs to draw the line when we are doing the work and the other party is either slacking, dragging, or just not following through.

2) We also measure people by their honesty.  We should almost always have faith in people, regardless of how many times we've been taken or had, or misled, or lied to by others.  If we don't, and pre-judge first, it could impede your relationship in the future if that particular person who you're suspecting of something is indeed real, honest and someone with integrity.  

As long as human beings roam the earth, there will be some that simply want to take advantage of others.  The key to protecting yourself against people like that is to keep your eyes open and your ears in tune.  Watch, learn, and listen to what is happening, and if you feel that something is going wrong, your gut is almost always right.  

I had a recent occurrence where I trusted someone and they sent an email to a colleague that I introduced to them without copying me on the email.  My colleague informed me of this "lapse in judgement".  I asked the "someone" whether they "had contacted" my colleague?  They said they did and sent me a copy of the email in question and did not apologize for not copying me.  Then about two weeks later it happened yet again, this time with another person I introduced to the same "someone".  How did I find out?  The other person courtesy copied me in his response.  When I read the email, I noticed there were in fact two communications spread four days apart which I wasn't aware of.  You know what I did?  I confronted the "someone" and their answer to me was that the server they had went down and that was the reason I wasn't copied.

Of course, this makes absolutely no sense since the email obviously reached my colleague twice and never reached me until my colleague courtesy copied me.

End result...........good bye "someone".  

The moral of the story is that integrity and trust is earned.  People in business should be evaluated by 1) performance and 2) honesty & integrity but not necessarily in that order.  If they lack one or both of those, you are most likely better off moving on and not dealing with them again.

Until next time, be well and take care.

I Told You So Twice

Yesterday, February 23, 2012, we hear from the Bank of Canada that there is a raising of concern about a housing "correction" in Canada.  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/boc-says-canadians-increasingly-vulnerable-due-rise-home-155811667.html.

I pointed to this possibility in my blog in July, 2011 here: http://almavesta.blogspot.com/2011/07/do-real-estate-values-always-go-up.html

and just a few days ago here:
http://almavesta.blogspot.com/2012/02/unprecedented-opportunity-right-in.html

The purpose of this is NOT to toot my own horn but to point out to folks that you have to look at what's going on around you and not wait until the media tells you so.  By that time, it's usually too late.  Anyone ever heard from the media: "The stock market went down today because of....so and so....?"  Well, if it went down, that's already history and it's too late to take advantage of that information, isn't it?????  Well, you get my point, I'm sure.

Now is literally the best time in history to invest in United States real estate and I've been writing about this for a long time now, trying to reach out to those that don't believe it.  Canada for now, is in general a very risky proposition for real estate investment, and if the Bank of Canada is concerned....well, fellow investors, perhaps it's time that you should be concerned and do something about it as well?  For Canadians specifically and for my American friends who need a primer on their own market, please read my article from July, 2011 : http://almavesta.blogspot.com/2011/07/do-real-estate-values-always-go-up.html.  You'll find some very interesting facts there because charts and numbers don't lie.

Enjoy your day.

Unprecedented Opportunity Right in Front of Your Eyes

Hello friends!

As I sit here at the end of the day, I wanted to take a few minutes and write about the general state of the real estate markets in the United States.  There is absolutely so much opportunity, and money being made in various markets right now, yet there are many investors who are still sitting on their hands, putting their hard earned good money into long term marginal causes such as the stock market (unless you know exactly what you are doing), and into other low interest bearing investments that barely manage to better the inflation rate, or in some cases don't even beat inflation! (Why the heck would you bother)?  Why do these investors make these poor decisions for themselves and their families?  Only they can tell you the reasons.

Right now, there are many emerging real estate markets in the USA that have good, stable employment, and have tremendous cash flow, low vacancy rates and incredible upside for long term appreciation.  There are so many properties available that will give an investor not only great immediate cash flow, but instant equity.  Can you get instant equity when buying a stock????...not very likely unless you're in the "know".

There are banks literally begging to get rid of their REO's, and mortgage notes.  Owners who need cash fast and are motivated to sell their property are out there, and the government also has a tremendous load of foreclosed properties.  Many of these are as a result of the sub-prime meltdown and the climate for the disposal of these assets will likely continue in the masses for the next year to two years.  But this incredible window is short and those that see it will amass tremendous gains, while those that ignore this fact will be wondering what happened a few years from now and they will be saying, "I shoulda, woulda, coulda!" and kicking themselves.  For those investors who want to build their portfolios at a high speed, now is the time to be selective, cautious about where and what to invest in, but also to make the decisions to move forward.  Why keep money in an IRA or 401(k) earning little to no return??  You are able to invest in real estate among other things with your retirement money and excellent projects and deals are out there to be had if you know where to look not only for bargains, but for quality.

Now a brief for my Canadian friends....the Canadian dollar is effectively at par with the US dollar and prices are deflated compared to the ridiculously appreciating Canadian markets that have been in a sustained upswing in price for over 15 years and are vastly overdue for a downward correction.  Markets simply do not continue to rise without some correction.  We have an insured solution for Canadians as well as US and other world investors to invest in the United States.  I urge you to consider investing in the United States for these as well as many other reasons not mentioned here.  For further information on our insured solution, contact me directly at: info@almavesta.com.  I'm very busy, but will respond personally to you to answer your questions.

If your investment dollars are sitting on the sidelines or are tied up in low return or negative return investments, talk to people that are not only in the market but are proficient and professional in their systematized approach to increasing wealth.  Deal with someone that you trust, whether it's us or someone else, but make a decision to do something with your investment dollars that is good for you.  You will be all the better for it in the long term.  Remember that Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."  Until next time.....Carpe Diem.

Buying a Single Family Home for Wholesale!

Everybody wants a great deal, right?  The problem lies in determining whether you first have a deal at all, and then further figuring out whether you have that really great deal.  Where are you going to buy your property?  What is your purpose?....Is it for your family, or for investment?  There are many factors that will determine where to buy, but ultimately, it has to make sense to you.  You can source your property through a realtor, you can look at private listings, you can look at completed listings on eBay, or look at Craigslist.com, zillow.com, redfin.com, realtor.com, and the list goes on and on.  There are so many properties for sale that if you don't know what you're doing you can quickly get disoriented and make the wrong decision.

If you're buying for your family, you may have different factors to determine what your buying price will be and/or the location you want your home.  If you're an investor looking for an income producing property, you have to buy right or you will lose money.  This starts with comparing similar properties in the neighborhoods you are interested in and seeing what the "comps" really are and you need recent comps, which means sold within the last 90 days.  If the sale date is much older than that, that's not a comp!  You have to see what homes have been selling for and not what the ask prices are.  Although almost no two houses are exactly the same, by comparing lot sizes, neighborhoods, house size, house design, etc.  The more similarities the home you're looking at has to the ones that have sold nearby, the better a feel for the value of the home you will have.  You can get comps through a realtor with whom you have a working relationship with, or through web sites such as zillow.com, eppraisal.com etc.  Ideally, your local title insurance company (with whom you hopefully have a working relationship with) will have the best comps because their information will include private FSBO's (for sale by owner) properties which zillow and similar comps including those that you get from your realtor do not include.  Be careful and get the best comp information you can get to determine market value.

The next step is to buy knowing what it's going to cost to bring the property up to good living standards.  You need to know your numbers.  Do you need to walk the property?  Good idea.  If you can't walk it because you're too far away, hire someone who you trust.  You need to understand what it's going to cost to clean and fix, and/or rehab your home BEFORE you make an offer.  In other words, get a good, reliable estimate of repairs.  Even if you just need carpets and paint, you still need to factor in at least $10,000 for an average 3 bed / 2 bath home.  Don't think you can get away with just a couple of thousand dollars because you'll likely be way off and end up paying too much for your home because you underestimated the repair costs.  You have to factor in expected carrying costs if you're flipping the home, realtor commisions if applicable, closing costs and rehab costs.  Now that you know all your costs to a fairly good accuracy, you can determine your strike price, which is the maximum price that you can pay for the house depending on what you want to do with it.  If you're flipping or wholesaling, make sure that you have enough "room" in your price relative to the comps for the house so that you will make enough money to make it worthwhile.

For those people who are interested in buying a home for a deep discount wholesale price, with free and clear title, contact me as we have a direct link to substantial unadvertised REO's throughout the nation.  You'll get a great deal and we'll give you inspection data to help you.  Whether you're a wholesaler, investor or owner occupant, we will help you save big and give you a one-stop-shop.  The only way we do deals is completely transparent and through escrow to protect you to ensure that your money goes exactly where it's supposed to.....the purchase of your home.

Send us an email to: info@almavesta.com or call us at 1-888-799-7740 for more information.

Unique Insurance Income on Real Estate Investments with AlmaVesta Group

Happy New Year!  By now hopefully you are settled into 2012 and all it has to offer.  The interesting part of this business is that one can look at all the negative news and get discouraged and swayed in the wrong direction.  Don't get me wrong here...the news on the surface is good to know, however, the underlying aspects of the news are in many cases skewed or disseminated in a way to invoke a reaction or lead you in the wrong direction.  Let's keep our heads straight and our goals in plain view at all times.


Let's face it, the Fed has been printing money so fast to maintain economic stimulus, that there is a very real risk of inflation, and a devaluation of the US dollar.  Will this happen for certain?  Nobody really knows for sure, however there is a risk for both.  Now, how to mitigate that risk?


We are focused on multi-family and commercial properties in the United States.  In the next two years, there will be a continuing substantial amount of foreclosures, and issues related to these types of properties..This means that for those of us that maintain clarity, there is tremendous opportunity!!

We have a rather unique method of tempering the inflation and US dollar risk in such properties (and yes, we should be looking at those issues as potentials in the next few years...are you?)  


Our approach is to provide for a completely transparent, third party transaction of acquiring properties to our investor partners, and in so doing, we not only acquire deeply discounted properties, but we have a unique insurance component that is included within the acquisition, so not only is there cash flow, appreciation due to value add modifications and/or rehab, but there is an insurance income component.  The insurance component is 150% of the acquisition price typically, to not only protect against inflation and possible currency devaluation, but also as an additional source of income.  How many companies out there are doing this for your hard earned dollar, and looking out for your best interest???  I would venture to say very, very, very few...I'm not tooting our horn here, just laying out a fact, and through us, you can do your own due diligence and find that we have tremendous projects right now, so don't miss out, learn more...

For those investors that are tired of losing money in the stock market or in bad investments or having their hard earned funds sitting on the sideline, please contact us for further information about how our program can not only meet but also exceed your financial goals in an escrow, third party format that will ensure that your funds are transparently invested where agreed and that the great returns you will receive are ensured to go back into your account.  


Now is the time to utilize your self-directed IRA or 401(k) for solid, verifiable returns through commercial properties throughout the strongest markets in the United States with AlmaVesta Group.  There are markets that are booming right now in the USA, so don't wait any longer...contact us for further information and take charge of your investments now.

Call toll-free, 1-888-799-7740 ext. 129 and ask for Alex, or email us at: info@almavesta.com for further information.


All the best until next time...

Real Estate Investor Mistake # 5 - Not Charging Tenants for Damage

It isn't OK to allow your tenants to get away with damaging your property and not paying for it.  You are running a business after all, and your responsibility does not include being their baby-sitter and repairing things that are either damaged by accident or willfully.  Realize that if you fix things that you shouldn't, you're telling the tenants that it is just fine to be negligent.  And guess what?....they'll take that to mean that they can be negligent in the future and this will cost you $$.  Stop these activities by clearly advising the tenants at the first time you meet with them or have your manager meet with them of what is taken care of and what isn't.  


Place repair limits by writing into your lease.  For example, write in that any repairs under $100 are the responsibility of the tenant.  Alternatively, a more aggressive approach if the tenants call complaining about a damage repair that wasn't your fault, is to estimate what the repair would be on the phone and tell them to have payment ready when the repair person arrives.  This is not a recommended technique as it may create tension between your tenant and manager, but it can be used depending on the situation.  Many times, the tenant will just take care of the problem themselves.


How about If your tenant tells you that their apartment has been "broken-into"?  Insist that they give you a police report.  Only do related repairs on receiving a copy of the police report.  Most likely what happened is that they either lost their key or misplaced it...were likely drunk at the time and broke into their own apartment.  Now they're claiming that there was a break-in.  Doesn't it make sense that if you have a break-in, you'd call the police anyway???  It sure does. Don't believe everything you hear or see.  

Until next time........