A New-Exurb Wealth Plan
Issue #2318
- WEALTHY: The next big thing in real estate (Marc Charles)
- HEALTHY: Boost your energy and endurance with an exotic fruit (Dr. Ray Sahelian)
- WISE: Michael Masterson on investing in trends
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- What’s the ultimate goal of your business? (Charlie Byrne)
- The perfect day for wordplay (Don Hauptman)
- It’s Fun to Know… about the "excrement of the gods"
- Add "abominate" to your vocabulary
What’s Wrong With this Picture?
By now, you could be forgiven for thinking making money online is akin to some kind of black magic! You’ve probably heard the talk about SEO, XML, PPC and ended up more confused than when you started.
But you know, it’s really very simple. Make no mistake, what I’m about to share with you (for FREE) is THE secret. It only fills a couple of lines but this is the truth you’ve been denied by so many of the so-called “gurus”.
Ready? Here it is (drum roll please)…
"Of the considerable money I have made in my lifetime, the great majority of it has come from investing in trends. Not foolishly running behind the herd (I’d like to think), but shrewdly going with the flow."
Michael Masterson
A New-Exurb Real Estate Wealth Plan
By Marc Charles
Tens of thousands of amateur investors bought into the "spec-home" hysteria during the heyday of the real estate boom and built huge luxury homes. Building a house "on spec" ("spec" is short for "speculation") means that you purchase a piece of property and build a house on it that you believe will sell quickly… at a huge profit.
A friend of mine built such a house (and acted as the general contractor) on an oceanfront lot not far from where I live. He worked on the house for about a year and a half. One problem he encountered was finding reliable, quality-conscious workers. He hired as many freelance carpenters as he could get his hands on. His house was finally finished… but it’s been on the market for almost two years!
Though there may be some exceptions (in Vienna, VA, Orlando, FL, or Las Vegas, for example), building spec homes is a fool’s game in today’s market. You could easily be left holding the bag.
There’s an old adage in the financial markets: "The trend is your friend." Well, the same holds true with real estate.
One recent trend is toward smaller homes and apartments in the "new exurbs" - and that’s where your real estate money should be invested.
What the Heck Are the New Exurbs?
* The new exurbs are typically three to four hours (or more) from major metro areas. They have access to clean water and dependable utilities. The new exurbs are typically not an easy commute to a big city. The new exurbs are not the suburbs!
- The new exurbs have an educated population that is generally tech-literate. There is typically a concentration of ex-corporate professionals and entrepreneurs.
- The new exurbs tend to have quality restaurants, small museums, and entertainment (but obviously on a smaller scale than in the big cities). And in the best-case scenario, there will be a private or municipal airport nearby.
- The new exurbs are almost always clean, quiet, and scenic, and often border national or state parks.
Some examples of the new exurbs in the U.S. :
- Telluride, CO
- Laconia, NH
- Coeur d’Alene, ID
- Sedona, AZ
- Hilton Head Island
- Jackson Hole, WY
- Marshalltown, IA
In Canada :
- Mission, British Columbia
- King City, Ontario
- Airdrie, Alberta
- Carleton Place, Ontario
- Leduc, Alberta
- Vancouver Island
I’m not talking, here, about developing spec homes in those places. As I said, that’s a fool’s game. I’m talking about buying existing properties in the new exurbs that you sell or rent to the people who are flocking there.
The idea is to find small (two- or three-bedroom) homes, apartment buildings, or lots that are not overvalued.
If you can find properties below market value that can be easily updated - that’s even better.
Another strategy would be to buy modular homes or apartment buildings that could be used as long- or short-term vacation rentals.
Where Do You Find These Gems?
The trend toward investing in real estate in the new exurbs is still young. But it will pick up steam as people continue to exit the large metro areas and suburbs.
Properties that can be bought below market value will usually be bank-owned or have highly motivated private sellers. They won’t be easy to find. But, generally speaking, you’ll have the most success if you look within a few miles of the center of town.
Start by investigating the new exurb areas that are most appealing to you. A great "instant properties check" tool is Intelius.com (a fee-based service). Trulia.com is another hot tool.
Once you’ve targeted a few neighborhoods, set your New Exurb Real Estate Strategy - and go! The new exurbs will prove to be the next big thing in real estate.
[Ed. Note: Marc Charles, "The King of Business Opportunities," has launched more than 40 profitable businesses in the last 25 years. If you're looking for more ways to earn extra income, Marc's weekly Profit Center Dispatch service reveals some of the hottest business opportunities around and how you can get started. Marc also includes insider tips to accelerate your success.
To learn more about wealth-building strategies - including investing advice, entrepreneurship opportunities, and real estate investing techniques - check out ETR's "Profits in Paradise" Wealth Building Summit this April. For more information, click here.]
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You CAN learn to become wealthy!
Success is not encoded in an individual’s DNA and does not transfer from father to son or mother to daughter. It is a process - and learning the process is a major KEY to setting up for success.
Today I’d like to offer you two complimentary reports to help you get started: “How To Get What You Need To Succeed In Life" and "Simple Guidelines for Creating Abundance In Your Life."
There will be many steps you take towards your goals where it will feel like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back. You will have breakthroughs, triumphs, and opportunities to overcome adversity.
But to keep moving forward, you just might need a friendly kick-in-the-pants every once in a while. Here’s how to stay energized towards action and success every day of the year.
- Charlie Byrne
Reader Feedback: "ETR has been a great inspiration for me."
"I have been reading ETR for just over a year. I have found it extremely interesting and informative. In fact, it has been a great inspiration for me.
"I have been working in the same trade for about 27 years. Due to a change in the market, my business is shrinking - and now that downturn is being somewhat accelerated by the doom and gloom in just about every newscast.
"It is largely due to the tremendous articles on ETR that I am seriously working toward an online store. When it comes together and becomes a successful online business, I will share more of the story.
"The inspiration for my writing today is your article ‘Does ETR Give Away Too Much Free Information?‘ It is a good example of what sets your newsletter apart from any other I have subscribed to.
"Your free gems of information have established trust and respect with me, the reader. I can buy products from you and expect good value for my money. That trust and respect converts to more than just dollars - also to the good feeling of being part of something that makes a real difference for others.
"Your articles are very balanced, filled with common sense and good advice for a business at any level.
"A heartfelt thanks to all at ETR."
- Grant Pattingale
Smiths Falls, Ontario
[Ed. Note: Want to get your name and opinions published in ETR? Let us know how reading ETR has helped you - maybe even changed your life. Send your comments to ReaderFeedback@gmail.com. Include your name and hometown... and we may print your e-mail in a future issue.]
A Mission Statement That Gets Right Down to Business
It was about seven years ago on the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria that I first enjoyed their delicious cooked-to-order burgers. Since then, the owners of that surprisingly good little place - called Five Guys - have rapidly expanded to over 200 locations.
But it was only last week that I came across the Five Guys company mission statement - and I may like that even more than their burgers and fries.
Is Five Guys dedicated to saving the environment? Celebrating diversity? Stopping war? Nothing wrong with those things… but what do they have to do with business?
The Five Guys plan is much simpler:
"Mission : We are in the business of selling burgers.
"Goal: Five Guys’ goal is to sell the best quality burgers possible. To sell the best burger possible, we focus on Quality, Service, and Cleanliness."
Sounds like THE place to go if you want to buy a burger. And isn’t that what it should be all about?
Once your business is a success, you may find tons of personal fulfillment in engaging in charitable acts on your own dime. But mixing business and charitable objectives in a company’s mission statement - especially that of a start-up company - seems risky to me.
[Ed Note: Charlie Byrne is Creative Director at Early to Rise. Sign up for e-mail delivery of his blog and get edgy and useful ideas on copywriting, marketing, and other category-defying posts.]
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The Language Perfectionist: "Is That a Pun in Your Pocket, or…?"
By Don Hauptman
It’s time for a break from my usual serious grammar and usage topics. April Fool’s Day is the ideal occasion to celebrate the pun. In fact, for many years, an annual dinner in Chicago on this date attracted punsters from across the nation.
Puns are often disparaged. But while it’s true that some are silly and juvenile, others are so complex, sophisticated, and cerebral that they might tax the brain of a Ph.D.
See if any of these specimens strike your funny bone:
- Suburban commuting hazard: Carpool tunnel syndrome.
- Headline: Podiatrist found guilty of callous neglect.
- Museum announces major Andy Warhol exhibition. Kitschy coup!
- When Martha Stewart was on trial, New York Times columnist Clyde Haberman reported on her arrival at the courthouse, where a group of supporters had assembled to greet her. "They included a man in a chef’s hat who stood with the others behind a metal barrier - one toque over the line."
- Some years ago, in the science magazine Omni, Scot Morris attempted to determine the best pun of all time. The winner, a favorite of several prominent writers and wordplay connoisseurs, was the following story (which had been crafted, with a colleague, by astronomer Edwin Hubble, for whom the space telescope was named). Three brothers decide to go into the cattle business. They ask their father what they should call their new ranch. He suggests the name Focus, because that’s where the sons raise meat.
Well, if you didn’t laugh, remember what diamond cutters say: "They can’t all be gems!"
Puns and wordplay are not just entertaining. America is facing a crisis of escalating illiteracy. Last year, a report by the National Endowment for the Arts concluded that students’ reading skills are stagnating or falling, and that employers routinely complain that new hires are unable to comprehend what they read or to write clearly.
How can this problem be solved? Humor is a powerful motivator. Wordplay can encourage reading and language learning at all levels. Young children love puns ("I scream for ice cream!"), and playing with words helps them increase their vocabulary and master language skills. Immigrants studying English often delight in the absurdity of its multiple meanings.
So don’t let April Fool’s Day - or any other day, for that matter - go by without laughing at a pun… or even creating one yourself.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was a direct-response copywriter. He is author of the wordplay books Cruel and Unusual Puns and Acronymania, and is writing a new book that also blends language and humor.]
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Noni for Energy Enhancement
Whether you need a little pick-me-up to get through the afternoon… or an energy boost to get you through your workout… you might consider drinking noni juice. It comes from the fruit of the Indian mulberry of the South Pacific Islands of Tahiti and, more recently, from Hawaii.
Over the last two decades, a growing number of people have become interested in the medicinal uses of noni juice. Polynesians have used it in folk remedies for over 2,000 years. And the fruit itself is said to have a broad range of therapeutic benefits, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing effects.
Noni juice is also said to enhance energy and well-being - and now that claim has been backed up by modern research.
Researchers in China gave aged mice Tahitian noni juice. They then compared them in a swim test with young mice and with aged mice that did not drink the juice. The noni-drinking mice were able to swim longer and had more endurance than their non-juice-drinking counterparts. In fact, their performance was similar to that of the young mice. The researchers concluded: "These results confirm the reported use of noni juice to combat fatigue, improve endurance, and increase overall physical performance."
If you can’t find the juice, you can get your energy boost from noni supplements. One advantage of the capsules is that they don’t have the calories in the form of fructose that noni juice has.
[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, M.D., the author of Mind Boosters, is internationally recognized as a moderate voice in the evaluation of natural supplements. Visit Dr. Sahelian's website at www.RaySahelian.com, and read more of his articles about the supplements you should and shouldn't be taking at ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
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It’s Fun to Know: The "Excrement of the Gods"
The Aztecs called gold teocuitlatl, which translates as "excrement of the gods."
(Source: Discover Magazine )
Start Making Money Today
Interested in getting a nice little side-business going on the Internet? Or maybe even from your living-room table?
But you don’t have too much money, you don’t have too much time, and you’re not exactly Bill Gates when it comes to technology. Sound familiar?
A lot of people are in the same boat. The good news is that ETR has heard you. And now we’ve done something about it…
We’ve asked our colleague Marc Charles to be on the lookout for profit opportunities that can be run from a kitchen table, your desktop or out on the road.
Criteria? They’ve got to be inexpensive, easy to start, and still have great income potential, but without a lot of red tape.
They say when you’re first getting your feet wet with a side-business, the most important dollar to make is the first one. Well, Marc is an expert at taking beginning entrepreneurs and showing you how to make that first buck. He knows, because he’s done it dozens of times for himself, his family and his friends.
If you’ve been dreaming about starting your own business… now you can get started for about the price of 2 lattes.
And get this - you could be making money literally just hours from now. Imagine the feeling of finally getting a side business launched -TODAY!
Why not go for it?
Let me introduce you to “The King of Business Opportunities.”
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Abominate
To "abominate" (uh-BOM-uh-nate) is to hate intensely. The word is derived from the Latin for "to deprecate as a bad omen."
Example (as used by Charles Tyng in Before the Wind): "I had no wish to study or learn anything, and as for Latin, I abominated it."
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008