Net worth is a measure of wealth. After tax Income determines lifestyle, so learning how to create income without learning how to keep it from being eaten away by taxes does little to improve lifestyle. They go hand in hand. For now, let's look at ways to create more income; first when buying and selling, and then as long term investors.
Probably the most effective way to create more income buying and selling houses is to be able to increase the number of houses bought and sold in a given time period. This is controlled by the availability of houses, and the financing that's available to non-owner occupants.
In recent months, with foreclosures mounting, lenders have tightened loan underwriting standards to that it has become much more difficult and expensive for a non-occupant to finance a house. This has two completely different effects. It reduces competition from other buyers and, at the same time, increases competition among sellers of properties that need to sell. The net result is that they are much more willing to listen to unconventional financing schemes than in the recent past.
There are many ways to arrange seller financing without the use of banks, but the most efficient way to buy houses for sale is not to buy them at all. Rather, with only a minimal earnest money deposit, enter into a contract to buy a house at a discounted price, then sell the contract for a profit to an owner/occupant who can get financing. This uses up very little cash and virtually none of your credit line, yet the profit is comparable to actually buying and selling the same house. When you can buy Options, you can afford to put less down and increase your volume without increasing your investment or risk.
Some lenders are now posing "seasoning" restrictions that require a seller to have owned a property for several months prior to selling it to someone else who would apply for a mortgage. As the Option holder, at closing, your buyer would be buying directly from the long term owner, who would use some of the loan proceeds to buy back your Option, or to induce you to cancel it. Voila; no seasoning problem.
Some States have placed severe restrictions on people who take title "Subject To" a loan, but an Option that calls for a full cash payment legally skirts this problem. Some States don't want a person to "flip" a contract, in that case, once the buyer has gotten to the closing table, you can use your buyer's money to close your contract, have the house deeded to you, and immediately deed it to your buyer. This can cost more because of recording fees and document preparation, but it still offers a way to generate cash when you need it most.
When I started my first ezine - long, long ago! - I was a little worried, too. But I soon realized it wasn't that hard if I kept in mind the various formats I could use.
Your content can include one or more of the following formats:
* Editorials
You will become seen as an expert in your field. Use editorials to express an opinion and share your viewpoint on a topic. You can also write a chatty, personal piece to establish a rapport with your readers.
* Feature articles
These can be by you or other people. The best length is 300-700 words - long enough to have valuable information and short enough to get read. The topic should be related to your business.
* News clips or stories
This can be timely news in the area your business covers that would be of interest to your subscribers.
* Aggregating other content
As an expert on your topic, you can research and gather information from books and/or websites and present it. This can save your subscribers a great deal of time and be seen as quite valuable.
* Reviews
Beyond listing sources of information in your area, you can do in-depth reviews of books, websites, software, etc. This can be a great tie to affiliate programs to which you belong. Tell your readers specifically what is good and bad about the thing you review, making sure to be balanced. But do offer a recommendation about it. Should your reader check it out, or is it a waste of time?
* Announcements
These can be about your company, website updates, or new products or services you're offering.
* Website updates
I've separated this out to mention it again because it's key. You want to get people to keep coming back to your website. The more they visit, the more likely it is that they will buy something. So, mention new articles, new topics you're covering within your theme, a contest, a free giveaway, a special discount, or a seasonal offer. Anything to get them to come back!
* Interviews
Publishing an interview with an expert is valuable content and not hard to create. You'll just need to plan ahead a bit. Pick an expert and get to know a bit about him or her so you can be a knowledgeable interviewer. Decide on a topic for the interview and prepare a list of questions. Ask your expert to do the interview. Usually, they'll be willing in order to get the visibility as an expert in your blog or ezine. Email a copy of the questions to your expert and review the reply. Prepare the article with the responses and get final approval from your expert.
* Q & A
You can have a regular or occasional article where you respond to questions your subscribers or clients ask. You can also make up your own questions and answer them!
* Entertainment
It can be fun to occasionally offer a joke or story. On my blog, I'll sometimes post a funny story, jokes, or a thoughtful story or article that reflects my own philosophy. You can do this instead of a business-related piece, or in addition to one. You just want to make sure you have the right proportion of business content to entertainment content over time.
* Quotes
Many publishers include quotes that are relevant to the topic(s) covered in the current ezine or blog post.
If you keep a list of these presentation styles handy, you'll have an easier time creating content for your next ezine issue or blog post.
Both Jack Miller & Peggy Champlin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jack Miller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Ezine Articles. For forty years, Jack Miller has been offering the most reliable and creative real estate strategies for real estate investing. Sign up for his free weekly real estate lessons at. Jack Miller's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Peggy Champlin has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Ezine Articles and Anger Control. Peggy Champlin's web design business has been providing a full suite of services and products to help small companies build their businesses online since 2002. Visit