An Author Wednesday Interview with Guy Fraser-Sampson, author of “No Fear Finance”

Realtor Thursday

A conversation with Pacita Dimacali, REALTOR and e-PRO at Alain Pinel Realtors, Located in Alameda, California.

This article was originally posted on August 25, 2011.

Ala-what? Ala-where? These were the typical reactions people have when I tell them I live in Alameda, CA. Their knowledge of this fabulous island town is so limited – perhaps compounded by the fact that in San Francisco Chronicle’s weather map, Alameda is nowhere to be found. Star Trek buffs at least got an inkling of where or what Alameda is when it was mentioned in the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Part of the mortgage application process is to verify the history of your current housing expenses, whether it is a mortgage or rent payment. The bank wants to see that you have been making your current housing expenses in a timely manner, so they can guess how you will pay your mortgage, etc in the future. This is especially important for first time home buyers, with no mortgage debt history.

Are you thinking of living in Hollywood, California?

A conversation with Eric Smilay of Smilay Properties 

This article was originally posted on August 19, 2010.

I live and work in the heart of the action in burgeoning Hollywood.  Lying to the East of Beverly Hills and to the West of Downtown is this consistently evolving and ever changing pocket of Los Angeles.  Of course the entertainment industry has always been at the center of its growth and appeal since its inception, and what most would think about when the name “Hollywood” is mentioned.  Dating back to the early 1900's, Hollywood was a town of stars as it evolved out of the major studios opening up shop in the new area due to its ideal climate.  Hollywood certainly hit its downtimes throughout the end of the 20^th century, but now due to an influx of investments with companies investing literally Billions of dollars, Hollywood is on its way back up to the top and is surely poised to become one of the most desirable places to live on the West Coast.  The hills have always been highly coveted due to their great city views, stylish architecture, and peaceful surroundings, but currently the city below is rapidly transforming into a dense urban haven for a diverse group of people who want that New York City vibe, but with California sunshine.         

Technology Tuesday

Industry insiders have praised the NearBuy application for iPhone due to its simplicity and quick and easy assistance to help individuals search for the perfect home. This award winning app has simple pictures that are appealing to the eye. Another plus to this free app is that your friends do not need an iPhone to view the listings that are put. With an introduction of over 20,000 downloads within its first week, it was a hit and even was used with Google Base. This displays different listings for homes and apartments that give an interactive technology driven tour.

Mortgage Monday

The two most common errors that entrepreneurs make include misjudging the consumers desire by not interacting with them face to face and underestimating how much time the business will acquire. Although there are several other common errors that entrepreneurs make, these are important to understand the business process and learning to not make these mistakes will lead to not making even worse decisions.

By not communicating with the customer, there will be no feedback and one may underrate what the consumer needs. A quote that helps individuals not make this error is “I can have everything I want in my life if I help you get what you want first”. To fail is to learn and it acts as a foundation to be persistent and try until one succeeds.

A conversation with Belinda Spillman, Realtor from Cornerstone Homes Realty, Metro Brokers, Inc.

Aurora, Colorado is a great place to live. Once you get a taste of the Colorado lifestyle, you won’t want to leave.

Aurora, Colorado originated in the 1880’s as the town of Fletcher, named after a Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. He and his partners staked out four square miles east of Denver, but the town struggled after the silver crash of 1893 and Donald Fletcher left town, leaving the town of Fletcher with a huge water debt. The remaining inhabitants decided to rename their town Aurora in 1907, and it slowly began to grow becoming the fastest growing city in the United States during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.