Archive for July, 2010

Condotel or Apart-Hotel Suites Make an Excellent Rental Property Investment

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Condotel or Apart-Hotel Suites Make an Excellent Rental Property Investment

Many people are aware of the strategy of developer extended loans to purchase rental real estate says Beth Collingz, Overseas Sales Director of PLC International, lead marketing partners for Pacific Concord Properties Inc’s Lancaster Brand of Condotels in the Philippines. You make a very small down payment with the majority of the purchase price payable over as long a period the developer extends at zero interest.

In Apart-Hotels or Condotels, the rental income goes a long way to cover the cost of servicing and managing the unit and in the long term after paying off the purchase price, can give a ROI through rentals of up to 16% per annum. Regardless of the possible bumps on the road to greater wealth, condotel investments are at least an easily-understood investment tool that most of us can handle added Collingz

Collingz expects rental income to rise 15 percent in the coming 12 months after gains of as much as 30 percent since January 2006, when Pacific Concord Properties Inc are set to launch Condo Hotel operations of their flagship Lancaster Suites located in the Ortigas business district in Metro Manila.

UK Private equity units of banks and investment clubs, driven in part by the current strength of the Pound Sterling in international trading, are being attracted by returns in the Philippines as much as double those in the United States and Europe, are purchasing significant blocks of real estate for investment trusts for Asian commercial property. There are large amounts of capital now chasing increasingly limited investment-grade real-estate opportunities in Asia, said Collingz. We are currently in the closing stages of packaging the investment of some $20M in private-equity real estate funds for new Lancaster Brand Apart-Hotel or Condotel developments in Metro Manila and Cebu, on the strength of expected rental returns which will continue to grow at a rapid pace. With funds raised for commercial property deals in Asia having doubled in each of the past five years, Collingz see the market value of Condotel investments in the Philippines reaching new heights in 2007/8 as more developments come on line.

Rising demand for homes, hotels, short and medium term rental accommodation, offices and shopping malls in the Philippines, home to a population of almost 80 million and with a significant number of the more than 10 million returning overseas Filipino Baby Boomers, is fueling rents. Residential rents in Metro Manila rose 26 percent in the three months to March 2007, their highest quarter-on-quarter increase in more than a decade, as more and more IT companies set up shop in the Philippines. Companies like Texas Instruments are investing $1B in expanded operations in the Philippines. High-end rents rose some 13 percent from a year earlier, said Collingz.

Collingz projects that Rents in the region are set to effectively jump up by at least 8.7 percent per annum over the next five years, compared with 3.3 percent in the United States and 3.7 percent in Europe. Yields from 8 percent to as high as 14-16 percent ROI on rental income property contrast with the 4 percent to 5 percent that private equity firms get in the United States and Europe.

People are in general looking to shift fund flows relatively towards Asia,” Collingz said. It already has had a profound impact in markets where there’s a lot of this money chasing the same assets. In Singapore, the region’s second- biggest market after Japan, investments by private real estate funds accounted for seven of the 19 office blocks, worth 6.7 billion dollars, sold since September 2005. REITs bought six. A Goldman Sachs fund paid 690 million dollars for two buildings last November that house the headquarters of DBS Group Holdings. In Hong Kong, property funds of Morgan Stanley and Macquarie Bank paid a total of 7.9 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $1.02 billion, for four office blocks from March to May, according a recent article published by CB Richard Ellis.

As the Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong markets become saturated, the Philippines will be the next real estate market to attract substantial overseas investments. Lower prices and retirees spending money are also directing foreign attention to residential condominium hotels in the Philippines, which in turn is driving up more construction. A lot of this interest is being driven by the relatively cheap market prices here compared to Europe especially UK housing prices and the easy payment options available for condominium hotel developments Collingz said. The buyers gain rental incomes that on todays purchase prices give a projected ROI of some 8 percent to 14-16 percent depending on the mode of payment for the unit she said.

Beth Collingz
PLC International Marketing Networks

Bad Credit Car Loans: A Second Chance For Bad Credit

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Bad Credit Car Loans: A Second Chance For Bad Credit Risks

Newsflash: someone said that you are a lowlife. Not directly, of course. But they said it.

If you’ve ever had a brief period of financial trouble, and couldn’t pay your obligations for any reason, and you had the opportunity to listen to what others said about people in your same situation, you’ve know what people think about people who don’t pay their bills. They are labeled as less than human, with no thought to the individual’s situation.

They are labeled as bums and deadbeats. They are blacklisted as the scum of the earth. Snakes are better than a person who doesnt pay his bills on time. They’re deadbeats. And because they are considered this, and you hear it, might be inclined to put yourself in this same class because of their accusations.

In short: you’ve labeled yourself as a very bad person because of the things that they have said..

You’ve heard that, and you have applied all that talk to yourself. Those around you would never say such things to your face, but when they talk about others that have bad credit, for whatever reason, they always speak about them in a negative light, and you feel something deep inside..

They speak as if nothing bad every happens. That life sometimes takes people down a path they didn’t want to go down. That sometimes, people unknowingly dig financial holes they can’t handle. That sometime people are just stupid, and make stupid mistakes.

Yes, life does happen, and people do stupid things, and people go down paths that they can’t control. And the worst thing about it all is, it could only be for an instant or a season, these side paths. But sadly, in many cases, they have a long-term impact on one’s financial future.

But, even if you’re going through one of these times, it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little persistence, you can find lenders who are ready an willing to give people a second chance.

If you need a car or a truck for transportation, and can’t get financing because of a past mistake, or a series of mistakes, you should consider taking a look at a bad credit car loan. There are many people who automatically think that a bad credit car loan means high, rip off rates, but that doesn’t have to be the case…if you know how to shop for a loan.

You can get a bad credit car loan for very comparable rates with a regular loan. Consider that 6 out 10 people do no shopping for a car loan at a competitive rate. That means only 4 out of 10 people actually took the time to find another offer outside of the one that they got from their bank or the dealer. That’s money that they could have saved, and extra savings that they left on the table when negotiating a new or used car purchase.

Our site has a comprehensive list of the top 10 dealer and financing auto rip offs. You should check it out, as well as our mini-fact page with more information of getting the best deal (even with bad credit) and bad credit car loan lender listings.

Because even so called “bad people” need a break once in a while.

Buying land for sale is a worthy investment

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

The richest men in the world including Donald Trump and Howard Hughes have made billions investing in land for sale. Actually most investors have made fortune in land for sale. So if this idea has never crossed your mind then it is time to get a closer look at land for sale as an investment because it can produce great returns at very low risk.

Most investors have bought land for sale in the UK and this business has been a very profitable one making triple digit returns just in a few years. Many companies specialized in land have made it possible for foreign and UK investors to buy land for sale in UK with just $10,000.

If you are interested in investing by buying land for sale in the UK here are some hints of how you should get started.

UK land is a better investment than other (like properties, equities and derivatives) because the risk one takes is smaller in this case. Business with land for sale in the UK is and will be a good investment in the near future. Prices grow more and more everyday because UK is one of the most populated countries in Europe. The growth in population increases the pressure on house demand, so the investment business with land for sale in the UK can only profit from this aspect. The last few years, the land for sale in UK, near the city areas, has given investors a good opportunity to gain a lot in a short time.

If you want to know the secrets of capital growth through land for sale investments then you should keep on reading. The most important thing to keep in mind is the location. If you are looking to purchase a land for sale then you should buy one that will get a planning permission in the future. When you invest in a land for sale, your capital is guaranteed as soon as you obtain permission in building houses. The trick is that even if it sounds easy there is no guarantee that you will obtain the planning permission.

So there are some downsides but they are limited. There is no certainty that investing in land for sale in UK or any other country will make your capital grow. Lands value may not increase as much as you expect, but statistics show that land prices do grow so the risk is limited. On the other hand, land companies give investors the opportunity to turn their purchased land into money by giving them buy back options. This means that they can liquidate and bank their money quickly. So, the risks are reduced even more and it is very likely for the investor to gain profit.

This method — of buying land for sale in order to gain profit (called land banking)– is the easiest one because all one has to remember is to buy land for sale in the best location, obtain the planning permission and the investment is guaranteed.
In conclusion, investing in land for sale in UK or in other countries is a perfect example of how investors can triple their capital in a short amount of time, with low downside risks.

Basic Tips on Personal Finance

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Do you ever wonder where your money goes every month? Does it sometimes seem as though you cannot afford to do things because your financial obligations are holding you back? If you find that you are asking yourself these sorts of questions, perhaps you should take a look at your financial situation and assess whether you are practicing good personal finance management or not. Good personal finance management spends within their income, plan for the future and solve financial problems as they arise. Poor personal finance management pay more, do without and fall behind. If you find yourself in the second category, you can do something about it. You can learn to take charge of your finances by planning your personal finances.

Planning your personal finances doesnt always come naturally, and even if youre just beginning to take your financial matters seriously, then you likely need a few personal finance tips.

Evaluate your current financial situation. One of the most important goals for most people is financial independence. Collect accurate information about your personal financial situation. Calculate your net worth which includes the real estate, saving and retirement accounts, and all other assets. This will help you decide how much money you can set aside for meeting future needs and goals.

A basic personal finance tip is to make a budget. A personal finance budget is information made up of your income and expenses and the more accurate this information is, the more likely you are be able to meet your goals and realize your dreams. A personal finance budget should be made for at most one year at a time and include a list of your monthly expenses.

All expenses must be included. To be sure of that go through all your paid bills, check register and credit card receipts to find expenditures that recure every month and expenditures that happen less frequently. Personal finance budgeting requires some small sacrifices. To be able to make good personal financial decisions and set priorities, you must know where your money is actually going. Start your budget and accomplish your goals.

Get an electronic bill pay. This is a very convenient way to pay your bills. You pay them electronically, by direct withdrawal from your bank account. The transaction is processed immediately. You can even link your bill pay service to your personal finance budget, so that your expenditures are automatically entered in the appropriate category. Personal financial management can be really easy.

Make an investment and finance plan. Now that the fundamental state of your personal financial security has been established, the time has come for the more prosperous part of your personal financial life. You need to make a personal finance plan of what you really want in life that money can buy. Your personal financial plan can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. Find out how to finally start to implement this plan and get the money to finance it. This is the long term part of your financial. This journey is the most interesting and exciting part of personal financing you can have toward financial freedom.

You can prepare for a secure personal financial future by following these simple tips. When you take control with your money, you dont have to worry about debt taking control of you.

Debt Management Friend or Foe?

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

When the option of debt management is brought up as a means of debt relief the more in the know will immediately highlight the major flaw of going on such a program.

Yes of course getting a management company to negotiate with your creditors, lower your monthly payments and reduce the overall amount you owe will put a few noses out of joint. And in turn the creditors will report that back to the scoring companies who will put negative marks on your credit score.

So why do people do it? And more to the point why are there so many debt management companies out there making such good living out of it?

Obviously if your debt problems are not verging on declaring bankruptcy and youre not having trouble making payments every month then knowingly harming your credit score just to lower your payments and overall amount isnt the cleverest of moves.

But what if youre missing payments every month, juggling who to pay in an attempt to stay afloat and keep the wolf from the door? If youre missing and making late payments regularly then your credit score is taking a hammering anyway and you obviously cant keep up with all the obligations each month.

Faced with this unfortunate reality many people will throw in the towel and declare bankruptcy- what happens to their credit score then?

Cue the debt management company, champions of the oppressed debt-ridden consumers and nemesis of the attack-dog debt collectors. Theyll take on all the communication between you and your creditors, theyll negotiate realistic payments you can afford and will lower the overall amount you end up paying back (largely interest).

They enjoy dealing with lenders and negotiating lower payments, they do it all day long, they live and breathe nasty phone calls and red bills, it gets them out of bed in the morning.

In this day and age of ever increasing credit casualties who find themselves in between a rock and a hard place there is definitely a need for a service to cater for those who have reached the end of the line and have nowhere else to turn except for the dreaded big B.

Faced with debt problems many peoples first instinct is to consolidate. When you think about it consolidating is just borrowing the amount you owe plus whatever interest the consolidation loan incurs. Adding to you debt or borrowing your way out of debt is just increasing the amount of your debt and the amount of time you will be in debt.

If you are not at rock bottom and looking for a smart way to become debt free quicker then no, debt management is not for you, however it definitely has its place and many a consumer is sleeping better, worrying less and enjoying a better quality of life right now for it.

Thats not to say that there arent abusers of the system to be wary of, just like the rest of the credit and debt industry. You should look for the usual red flags when prospecting any credit or debt related service:

How much do they stand to make out of you?

How much information will they give you about their program before you join?

What are they prepared to do for free?

Are they affiliated with any financial institutions or lenders?

Like with anything in this field the more educated a consumer you are the better choices you can make for your own unique situation.

Debt management is all about immediate relief, and to many it is a welcome relief to become free from harassment and be able to financially breathe again. So is the credit score damage worth it? If it’s taking damage from missed and late payments anyway and/or bankruptcy is staring you in the face there’s really no other option.

Internet Banking – How Secure is it?

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

The biggest concern that people have when they start using Internet banking is security. The media is full of scare stories about foreign hackers breaking into thousands of bank accounts and draining out all the money, leaving some poor old couple missing their life savings. Many people have even been scared out of signing up for Internet banking at all by these kind of stories, thinking that it somehow puts them at risk. However, as long as you take the time to learn a little about the Internet, nothing could be further from the truth.

Before we go any further, there is one thing that is absolutely the most important thing you can know about Internet banking security. It is this: there is absolutely no guarantee that emails are from who they say theyre from. E-mail was designed back before people were concerned about Internet security (thats why you get so much spam), and if you know what youre doing, its really very easy to make an email look like it came from absolutely anyone, anywhere. With this in mind, you should simply ignore any email that says it comes from your bank, and never click any links that the emails may contain.

Thats the biggest risk out of the way, but there are still a few other things to watch out for. When you go to your banks website, make sure that youve really ended up at the right place by looking for the address in the address bar towards the top of the screen it should be the address of your banks website, not anything strange. Also, make sure to look for the padlock icon in the bottom-right of your screen, as this tells you that your connection is secure. If youre ever in doubt, close your web browser and start again, copying the banks website address carefully from a letter they sent you.

A problem called Credit Card Debt

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Credit cards are no more a luxury, they are almost a necessity. So, you would imagine a lot of people going for credit cards. In fact, a lot of people posses more than one credit cards. So, the credit card industry is growing by leaps and bounds. However, the credit card industry and credit card holders are posed with a big problem called Credit Card Debt. In order to understand what credit card debt actually means, we need to understand the workflow associated with the use of credit cards as such.

Credit cards, as the name suggests, are cards on which you can get credit i.e. make borrowings (your credit card debt). Your credit card is a representative of the credit account that you hold with the credit card supplier. Whatever payments you make using your credit card are actually your borrowings that contribute towards your credit card debt. Your total credit card debt is the total amount you owe credit card supplier. You must settle your credit card debt on a monthly basis. So, you receive a monthly statement or your credit card bill which shows your total credit card debt. You must pay off your credit card debt by the payment due date failing which you will incur late fee and interest charges. However, you have the option of making a partial (minimum) payment too, in which case you dont incur late fee but just the interest charges on your credit card debt. If you dont pay off your credit card debt in full, the interest charges too get added to it. So your credit card debt keeps on increasing, more so because the interest rates on credit card debt are generally higher than the interest rates on other kind of loans/borrowings. Further, the interest charges add on to your credit card debt each month to form the new balance or the new credit card debt amount. If you continue making partial payments (or no payments) the interest charges are calculated afresh on the new credit card debt. So you end up paying interest on the last months interest too. Thus your credit card debt accumulates rapidly and soon you find that what was once a relatively small credit card debt has ballooned into a big amount which you find almost impossible to pay. Moreover, if you dont still control your spending habits, your credit card debt rises even faster. This is how the vicious circle of credit card debt works.

The Definition Of Asset Management

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Many of you have probably heard the term “asset management” Before, but you may not have an idea of what it really is. Asset management is a broad term. It can be defined as a process that guides the gaining of assets, along with their use and disposal in order to make the most of the assets and their potential throughout the life of the assets. While doing this, it also manages and maintains any costs and risks associated with the assets. It is not something you can buy, but rather a discipline you must follow in order to maintain your assets.

Asset Management can be used for a variety of things. Most use asset management to keep track of their cash or “liquid assets.” Banking institutions are considered a form of asset management (savings accounts, CD’s, mutual funds, money market accounts, etc.) along with investments. Another example of assets: businesses often have a product to sell. These products are considered assets. The right asset management system can be utilized to make the product more readily available, easier to produce, cheaper to ship to customers, etc.

Asset Management Resource:
Tracking and insuring the product is also a way of asset managagemant. The product is an asset to the business and essential for its survival and for financial stability. So, maintaining and managing this product is of the up most importance.

There is another type of asset that many people do not think of when they think of the term “asset management.” This asset has to do with public and shared assets such as: the building and maintaining of streets, highways, water treatment facilities, sewage, electricity, natural gas, clean air, etc. All of these are assets that everyone on this earth needs. Usually, your city or local government uses asset management to maintain the cost of these assets.

They also use it to produce some of these assets more effectively and in a more cost efficient manner. Natural resources such as: water, electricity, and natural gas are managed so that they can be renewed constantly and thus available inexpensively.

Asset Management Resource:

There are many different means of asset management. It often depends on what type of asset is involved. There are companies and software products available to assist in asset management. Whatever method you choose, there are many similar things that your asset manager system should entail:

1. Optimize asset use and manage all maintenance efforts involved by
making assets as accurate, reliable, and efficient as possible.

2. Reducing the demand for new assets and thus save money by using demand management techniques and maintaining current assets.

3. Uses a form of asset tracking: knowing where the asset is at all times, how much the asset is worth, and how much the asset cost you to begin with. It should also incorporate this throughout the entire life of the asset.

4. Always tries to achieve greater value for money through evaluating the asset options: the cost of maintaining, producing, the use of it, etc.

5. Always provides a report on the value of the assets, along with any costs involved in maintaining the assets.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the many forms of asset management. There are so many different things that can be defined as assets, thus there are so many different means of asset management. Now that you understand it a bit, you can decide what your assets are and how you can maintain them better in order for them to be more advantageous for you!

Bad Debt Personal LoansEasy way to finance your needs

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Bad debt is no more considered a blot on credit report of an individual. Lenders now know that majority of the people fall into bad debt trap for no fault of theirs. Many lenders now offer loan to people with default, arrears or bankruptcy. So even if you are going thorough a lean phase you can avail a bad debt personal loan for a variety of purposes like buying a car or going on a holiday.

Borrowers, however, use bad debt personal loan mostly for paying off previous debts. In fact, previous bad debts are of big concern to any borrower and he wants to get rid of them as early as possible for different reasons. One reason may be that the debt was taken at a higher interest rate, which is crushing the borrower financially because of the larger outgo. On availing new personal loan at a lower interest rate, he can pay off those previous bad debts himself or can ask the new lender to do the job. Moreover one saves valuable time that goes waste in going around to visit the different lenders just to pay the installments. Those bad debts may also be impacting the creditability of a person adversely. To improve it, there is no other better way than to take bad debt personal loan. A better management of previous debts surely helps him in many ways.

However, lenders usually become cautious while offering loan to such borrowers because of their previous bad debts. To assure the lender that he can safely lend the money, the borrower shall have to put some property as a collateral with the lender.

Any property such as home, car or even a saving account serves as a collateral. When opting for a secured bad debt personal loan one makes use of the equity in the property without selling it. This enables the borrower in not only getting the desired rate of interest but the required amount as well.

Usually lenders provide bad debt personal loans in a range of 5000 to 75000.If the borrower is in need of a higher amount then the lender will look for the value of the property placed as a collateral. Higher the value, higher the amount one may get as loan.

Lenders offer loan to such borrowers for a period of 5 to 30 years. This long duration enables borrower to choose a repayment term that suits him the most. However, lenders usually give maximum repayment term to those borrowers whose collateral in the form of property is of higher value.

But, it is the interest rate that is of main concern to a bad debt personal loan seeker. The lender offers bad debt personal loan at a higher interest rate, as risk potential in such loans is higher. But there is a solution to this problem. Such borrowers can extract a lower interest rate if they put down some more cash payment. So, one strategy is to save as much as possible for a down payment. This way the interest rate may come down to desired level.

For bad debt personal loan seekers it would be good if they compare rates of interest of different lenders to get a rough idea of which lender has a competitive package for them. The interest rates are offered online by many lenders. Once you have compared the rates you can request specific quotes from a handful of lenders.

These tips may be of a big help to borrowers who have bad debts and are looking for a new lender to finance their requirements. They can hunt for lower interest rate and larger amount as well.