Archive for October, 2009
Sell Your Annuity Payments
There is a well known commercial that says “It’s my money and I need it now”. How true that is. If you have a structured settlement that is paying you off with annuity payments and you need the money now, you can sell those payments and receive a lump sum. But you need to do some research before you jump into that.
Sure you want to sell annuity payments but you don’t want to sell them to the wrong company. Some companies will give you more for the payments than will other companies. This needs to be checked into thoroughly.
And of course you don’t have to sell all of the payments if you don’t wish to. You may want to sell a few just to tide you over for a while. Ask the company about doing that.
Of course the amount you receive will be a reduced lump sum because that is how these companies make their money. You want to check each one out to see just how much they are charging for the lump sum. You don’t want to sell annuity payments and realize that there were some hidden charges. Double check and make sure.
Just remember that these companies are not all the same. Some charge more and some charge less. These companies all have different rates that they use to obtain the money they will pay for the payments so you need to be aware of that.
The bottom line is this. Don’t jump at the first bone that is waved to you. Do a search and research the companies and find out which one is right for you to sell your annuity payments to.
Top 3 Tips on Deciding the Best Television Brands on the Market Today
There are many different television brands lining the shelves these days. If you are interested in purchasing a new TV, it is important to know how to decide the best brand. The top brands include companies like Philips, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, Zenith, and Pioneer. Here, I will provide you with the top 3 tips on deciding the best television brands on the market today.
1. The first thing that you will want to research when it comes to television brands is the picture quality associated with their products. There are many different ways in which you can do this. First, you may take a trip to the local electronics retailer in your community and observe the picture quality firsthand. Second, you may go online and review consumer product reviews – paying close attention to the quality of the picture when it is mentioned.
2. If you are interested in television brands that focus on technologically advanced systems such as plasma televisions, you will want to determine if there has been a history with what is referred to as “burn in” issues. This is a situation in which images are actually burnt in to the plasma and reduce the clarification and quality of the picture that is displayed.
3. When evaluating various television brands, it is important to consider any and all recalls or manufacturer defects in which a particular brand has experienced. While it is common for these situations to occur, you will need to decide if it appears to be an ongoing issue in all sets produced by a particular brand.
It may not appear to be important, but deciding on television brands is an important consideration when it comes to purchasing a new television set. It is important to properly protect your purchase. By using the top 3 tips listed here, you will be able to successfully discover the right choice when it comes to quality home entertainment.
The author of this article runs a web site devoted to basketball hoop nets and basketball hoop attachment and basketball hoop picture.
Is the NAR’s SFR Certification a Case of Too Little, Too Late?
You may have seen that in late August, the National Association of Realtors® announced the introduction of their Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource Certification Program (SFR). According to the press release, “The program includes training on how to manage short-sale, foreclosure, and real-estate owned transactions, and provides resources to help Realtors® stay current on national and state-specific information as the market for these distressed properties evolves.”
Now, while this program is definitely a step in the right direction for the NAR–who finally seem to have realized (about a year late) that knowing how to successfully process short sales and foreclosures is essential for Realtors® who want to succeed in today’s distressed market–it seems to me that it falls a bit short of being the complete answer for a few reasons.
First of all, while the program promises that the two core courses (members must complete one of the two to be certified) will be available in online versions in October and, “at the end of 2009″ respectively, at this point they are only offered in a one-day classroom format in very limited locations in 26 states. For example, the only course being offered in California is on November 12 at the NAR Conference and Expo in San Diego. Seriously? Only ONE class on ONE DAY for the ENTIRE STATE? Come on! Since Realtors® are in desperate to get the skills and information they need to process short sales and foreclosures, this lack of convenient locations is a pretty serious downer.
Secondly, as I suggested in my introduction, the program seems kind of late in arriving–especially considering the fact that all the coursework required for certification still isn’t even available! In addition to the core courses not being available online until later this year, the online “webinars” Realtors® need for certification (they must complete three) won’t be available until early October either. All of this makes the NAR’s announcement even less inspiring.
Finally, while the program does seem to offer a fair amount of education for Realtors® looking for short sale and foreclosure processing expertise (or should I say will offer–once the courses and webinars are readily available), what it fails to provide is much in the way of continuous updates on short sale and foreclosure laws and regulations, access to each lender’s specific requirements and paperwork, and tools to successfully market themselves to potential clients. While the program’s website claims that it offers Realtors® opportunities to, “Network with [their] peers, reach consumers and stay up-to-date on the latest news and events related to short sales and foreclosure transactions,” this is accomplished by joining the program’s Facebook page–hardly the kind of serious, professional support you’d expect from an NAR certification program!
So, while the program does have it’s positives, it’s pretty clear that Realtors® who really want to have success in the short sale and foreclosure market will still want to use third-party sources like The Agent Center who specialize in providing the knowledge and support they need. This includes regular updates on applicable laws and regulations, specific lender packages and current submission requirements, and marketing and presentation tools to help sell themselves to clients.
It’s true that adding “SFR Certified” to their resume won’t hurt Realtors® looking to profit from the wealth of short sale and foreclosure opportunities currently available, but it looks like an effective third-party source is still going to be a necessity!
Christina Inman, the CEO of TheAgentCenter.com, has been a real estate industry specialist, author and broker for 17 years.
