Mortgage Crisis, Good for Business? It Can Be, Here Are Some Simple Tips

I've received quite a few questions relating to the mortgage crisis as of late. Good for business? Bad for business? Well, that all depends on the kind of real estate business you plan to get into. Don't look at all real estate as one blanket market.

Luxury home markets aren't suffering, naturally since the people buying homes in the million plus range rarely need a mortgage. But it's your lower to average priced home that's going to see a decrease in value and that opens oppurtunity for the best time to buy. My first bit of advice will be wait until September to buy homes, I see this recession going deeper and deeper. Don't wait until a new president is elected, you never know what bill could be passed and ruin your buying opprunity. The recession only shows signs of getting worse, so if you buy today - you could be losing money.

Don't buy urban properties, concentrate on suburbs. With the outward growth of dwellings, cities are losing residents to the suburbs steadily. When the mortgage crisis blows over, those with urban properties are going to be hurting to sell. Those with suburb properties are going to be turning a quick dollar. Make sure you get each home you buy reevaluated by the city before you buy, you'll be saving yourself thousands of dollars.

Government checks aren't going to do anything to ease the mortgage crisis. Thousands of dollars are needed and hundreds are being given out, right now would be a great time to buy multi-family and apartment properties. Look for people to be looking for low-rate housing within the next couple months as more and more will have to hand their assets over to the bank.

Here's a checklist of ways to make money off the current housing markets, if done correctly, you'll be rolling in the dough:

1. Don't buy single-family homes until September.

2. Buy multi-family properties right now.

3. Don't use a lender, if possible, gather investors.

4. Let people live it up! If you buy a multi-family property, buy a decent one and fix it up. Remember the people that will be renting/leasing just moved out of a home three times more expensive than their budget allows, they will be picky!

5. Don't become a slum lord, stay out of the $300-$400 apartment game. Look into condos or apartments in the $500-$700 range. You'll save plenty of headaches, time and most importantly, money.

6. If you get involved in multi-family properties, offer amenities other in the area don't. Do other condo owners in the area make residents mow their own lawn? Do the apartments down the block have secured number pads to gain access? Maybe all it takes is a laundromat in the basement. You get the idea, the smallest thing can make a buyer choose between your property or the competitors.

7. Advertise now! I've preached it my entire life, don't advertise when times are good, advertise when they're bad. If the money starts rolling in the door, save your ad budget for another down slump.

8. Build now, buy later. If you can afford to build, now is the time to do it. Don't take face value construction deals, these companies are hurting as bad as the home sellers, talk them down.

9. Join online rental networks. There are so many great sites out there to rally apartment buyers, take advantage of them and eliminate the middle man.

10. Be nice. A mean landlord can result in everybody skipping payments and leaving you high and dry, being the nice guy can leave you with a waiting list of people that want in!

If you're looking at investing outside of where you live, don't look to the bustling cities. Look towards states like Wyoming, Minnesota (hours from Minneapolis), North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri (stay away from St. Louis and Kansas City), and Idaho. You'd be amazed at the towns popping up due to blue collar jobs. People are leaving their big city life for a piece of the american dream in all of these states, just make sure you're focused on the right area.

As always, good luck... and may you be successful!

Automakers, Take Note of Tesla

You've heard it time and time again, "get ready - electric cars are about to take over!" but it's never truly happened. You've read article after article highlighting the appeal of Tesla's Roadster. But has anybody ever actually told you what will really happen? No... but I will.

Tesla Motors, what does that have to do with technology? Well, it's more of a marketing-related issue really, but if it makes you feel any better, Elon Musk (one of PayPal's founders) played a big role in getting the company off the ground. As an added bonus, if you get my kind of money one day, you'll be shopping for these cars. Here we go, rev those engines boys...

Erase any tired mindset you may have of "automakers won't be able to hit that 35mpg benchmark the government set for them" because in all honesty, it's a complete lie. Tesla has lithium-based batteries down to a science. Electric cars are finally here to stay, thanks to Tesla. The motor in Tesla's first production car, roadster, is a highly-protected, patented, trade secret that Tesla has no plans of sharing with the competition. This puppy gets 200+ miles to one charge and can outperform some of the most fierce cars on the road, and that fact is starting to scare the big boys in the US, especially Chevy.

Electric cars don't look like futuristic driving pods anymore, they look like the luxury sedan of tomorrow. Chevy is shaking right now, financially and in fear of compaines like Tesla. Why else would they have built the Volt? The Volt works much like the Tesla, but with a much lower electric range, 40 miles. The advantage the Volt has (let's be honest, this thing won't get anywhere near the power of the Roadster if it rolls off the production line) is it can get the equivalent of 150mpg when the biodiesel motor kicks in to recharge the battery. That means the range isn't any more limited than your average vehicle and you don't have to wait overnight to give it the reboot. Tesla should add a similar option to stay competitive, if the Volt is to be produced. But the Volt is still a concept and the Roadster is a reality. Not to mention that GM's sales are heavily carried by the truck market.

With all this action, Chrysler couldn't wait to jump in. They quickly bought up Global Electric Motor cars out of Fargo, North Dakota. These GEM cars are basically a glorified golf cart with a maximum speed of 25mph, but companies like this are bought for their technology. We'll have to wait and see what Chrysler is able to cook up in their lab. I'm willing to promise you that both Chrysler and Ford (by the way, Ford will be lucky if they don't get bought out) are working on electric cars right now, if they don't have concepts already built. Look at the whole automotive industry as a pile of liars that won't sell you the next greatest thing until you prove (by not buying it) that you're tired of the old. It's only fair to mention that other automakers are rolling out plans for electric concepts also.

Now on to why automakers need to watch their back! With the Roadster, Tesla is saying "Hey, look at us! We're smarter than you are, we care more than you do, and we're going to take you outside like the schoolyard bully and teach you a thing or..." ok, I became a little carried away. but Tesla is flexing their new kid on the block muscle. Sure the Roadster has a $98,000 price tag, but Tesla plans on coming out with more affordable vehicles in the not-so-distant future while Ford and GM sit on their butts and make concepts. Tesla could very well become the big automaker of tomorrow, a welcomed change for their great customer service and eco-friendliness.

Tesla has the technology of GM and Ford beat by miles. If I had to bet money, based on today, who the first automaker to produce an electric towing-capable truck would be, I'd say Tesla. A move like that could whipe out Ford and GM virtually overnight. Please don't tell me your position on global warming, I honestly am not interested. Believe in it or not, we can all agree that pollution is bad. By all means, if you'd like your children to inhale smog all day long, go right ahead and let them.

Young web entrepreneurs like myself are scratching our heads and waiting six more months (I swear, not a day more!) to see if the Volt will be put into production. If not, we're left deciding between the Tesla Roadster, and the super-expensive Venturi Fetish... which I can't justify buying since I could provide a scholarship with that kind of money.

Numero Uno

Being this is the first posting I've made to any kind of blog (outside a corporate blog) you're more than likely curious as to who "CEO Luke" is. Most importantly, don't let the name deceive you... "Luke" is not, nor will it ever be my name.

I'm the founder, CEO, president, etc. of a new company that you will be hearing more about in a short while. It's a media-based website and I want to guide you from the beginnings of this fine company all the way through to the eventual sale. You'll have to ignore any poor writing skills I display - this is a true to life blog, not a corporate kickback.

I've been known to be a risk-taker. From managing events to the fast-paced world of advertising/marketing... I've done it all. Heck, I've even dipped my hands into the world of music-management. The backbone of my operations has always been the internet. I know how to use it to make money and if you follow my advice, maybe you will too. Don't kid yourself, it's a tough game and no how-to book or promise of fortune will ever be able to enable you to do the same. You have to be dedicated and be willing to get your hands dirty. I can't provide you with a get-rich-quick scheme or sell you anything. I can only share with you my knowledge that has made me successful and hope you are able to do the same.

I'll be sharing with you, multiple times each week, where my latest venture is headed and the techniques I've used to become successful in what I do. Don't be surprised if this single venture turns into multiple ventures . I've been dubbed a "marketing genius" and was once even called a "internet captain of industry," but I don't buy that. The only thing I believe is that with a lot of work and a little bit of luck, anybody can use the internet and marketing to their advantage. My blogs won't only apply to the internet, I'll be covering some of the most clever uses of marketing I've used - and those used by my friends, they're universal.

Before I forget, I'll be highlighting important business events, businesses that I love their models (business model, not the lookers wearing their product you pervert), and any other thing I can think of. I might even indulge myself and let you know of any new thing I'm digging.

So kick back, keep checking back and tell your friends that the new kid is back in town.