Only A Major Paradigm Shift In Societal Expectation Can Save Mathematics Education In This Country

A Paradigm shift is a major change from one way of thinking to another. A revolution. A metamorphosis driven by agents of change. Thomas Kuhn said “awareness is prerequisite to all acceptable changes of theory.” It would seem that the necessary awareness already exists when report after report shows the sorry state of mathematics education in this country. The recent release of Harvard’s latest report shows that the US ranks 31st of 56 countries, and only 6% of our high school students take higher level math courses. Another statistic which actually explains the other two is the fact that the failure rate of 1st year Algebra in the country is 50%, and this statistic has stayed consistent of at least four decades. How much more awareness is needed?

A major paradigm shift in something as complicated as our education system is certainly not to be taken lightly. We must first be certain that every possible attempt at positive change has been tried and shown to be a failure. Over the years, there have been at least six major philosophical changes. See my article “The Current State of Mathematics Education In This Country–Caution! You May Not Want To Know This” for a detailed explanation of those philosophical changes. That article also describes the various changes in both textbook series and educational techniques that have been tried over the past several decades. A quick look at No Child Left Behind results will show that there has been no benefit to mathematics education. An extended look at the long-term of effects of NCLB will show that, as with “New Math,” the state of mathematics education has actually made a step backward.

This simply can not be allowed to continue. We are no longer able to compete in a global market. The long-term effects of the Algebra failure rate on both society and the individual student are so harmful that it seems criminal for us to allow either to continue. And, yet, while we all agree that the consequences are bad, no one seems to be trying very hard to find solutions. The educational system for mathematics is quite literally being allowed to flounder. School districts are simply rotating though the same techniques that have failed in the past.

So where do we look for solutions to the problems of mathematics education? I believe that the wisest approach would be to look at what has been successful in the field of education and duplicate that.

It seems that nothing in the field of mathematics education has been successful, but, just the opposite is true for reading and writing education. Our very young children enter school eager for the challenge of learning to read and write, and they seem to possess an ingrained sense that they have the ability to learn. They never doubt their ability to learn. Teachers are able to hit the ground running with these students. These children with their enthusiasm, persistence, and confidence in their own abilities stay successful for many years.

With this in mind, the first obvious question is why do our children excel in reading and writing? Answer? Societal expectation. There has always been a “given assumption” or “generalized understanding” that parents–even the extended family unit–have a role to play in preparing pre-school aged children to enter elementary school ready to read and write. Every mother, father, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandmother, grandfather, and even neighbors take an active interest and role as babies learn to make sounds, say words, crawl, walk, and talk. Babies are incredibly persistent at each of these very difficult tasks because every person in their small universe is quite literally cheering them on. We encourage their every attempt and we reinforce their successes at the same time that we encourage them to “try again” when they fall down. The word “failure” is non-existent at this stage of their little lives.

As the child grows the family unit plays an equal role in language development. Everyone reads to the child and encourages new vocabulary words and correct grammar begins to be evident; and all the while the child is surrounded with reinforcement and encouragement. In some homes, children actually start to read before they enter school. In most homes the necessary preparatory skills for reading are in place for the day school starts. The same has been happening with writings skills. Children are prepared with the alphabet, letter sounds, and letter shapes. They are ready to go to school to learn to read and write. They are filled with excitement. We have filled our children with so much encouragement and reinforcement that they never doubt their own ability to learn to read and write. They know they can learn because we taught them so.

Are the same things happening for mathematics? NO! At most, parents work with their children on counting without realizing that counting is actually a language skill not a math skill. Learning to say “one, two, three, four, five” is the same skill as learning to say “a, b, c, d, e.” Should we be angry with parents for not doing with math what they so wonderfully accomplish with reading and writing. Again, NO! There is no societal expectation for parents to work with anything math related.

The next obvious question then becomes why not? Why does society think that not having parents lay the foundation for math success is desirable? The blame for this can be placed squarely on Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget was a biologist who studied molluscs, but eventually moved into the study of childhood development. He divided a child’s cognitive development into stages based on age. His proclamations that preschool children were capable of learning language and that children were not capable of abstract thought until age 11 have driven the course of education since the early 1970′s. Parents work with preschool children on language because Piaget said they should. And nothing is done with abstract mathematics until almost the teen years because of Piaget. Over the years, we have come to learn that many of his original assumptions were incorrect and that much of his research was flawed. And yet we hang onto those “proclamations” as if they were handed down from God himself. Piaget was wrong! And because of this, the field of mathematics education has been suffering and our children have been failing.

Is it possible for us to change this current state of affairs? I tend to be an optimist and look at things from a positive viewpoint, so, yes, I believed this can be changed. But the change needs to start immediately and it quite literally needs to involve everyone in this society. It will require government support, a great deal of financial investment, and many years to complete.

There are two pieces of research data which do give us hope. The first research result we have known for over 50 years: babies are actually born with an innate number sense the same way they are born with an innate language sense. This doesn’t mean that babies are born knowing how to count any more than they know how to speak English. But they are able from birth to distinguish between one, two, and many. This is a survival issue. And their number sense is active during the preschool years.

The other significant piece of research has come from the brain studies being conducted now that we have technology allowing us to actually study how the brain learns. Eric Jensen has been one of the most recognized names in the area of interpreting brain research data and then applying that information into useful form for the classroom. David Sousa’s book “How the Brain Learns Mathematics” and John Medina’s books “brain rules” and “brain rules for BABY” should become required reading for parents. Why? Because we have learned that the critical or primary period for learning logic and establishing the foundation for arithmetic is–are you sitting down?–ages 1 to 4! Is it any wonder that our children are failing mathematics in large numbers when we in education are totally missing the foundation forming years?

So many wasted years and so many wasted minds. Remember the commercial that said “the mind is a terrible thing to waste?” Yet, for several decades now, we have done exactly that. In trying to find the solution for our Algebra mess, we have repeated philosophy mistakes, we have thrown out textbooks by the millions (billions?), and in the end, we always blame teachers. No Child Left Behind is closing schools and running our best teachers out of the profession. All for the wrong reasons. We have been looking in the wrong places and at the wrong things.

The solution to the problems with mathematics education is not in WHAT we do. It is WHEN we do it.

I hope that you are beginning to see the paradigm shift that needs to happen. We need a major shift in societal expectation to include both language and mathematics in those preschool years. We need families doing for math what they have always done for language. That foundation in math is every bit as important as it is for language. Our children need to be constantly reinforced and encouraged and praised for their persistence for math as much as for language. And maybe most important is that our children need a self concept that says “I am smart enough and I can learn this.” They must never doubt their own ability to learn.

The how to make this happen is the topic of another article, but we can all begin right now by spreading the word. Everyone in society needs to understand that they are an essential part of creating the foundation for a successful future in mathematics for our pre-school children. Again, the solution to the problems with mathematics education is not in WHAT we do. It is WHEN we do it. Spread the word. Time is critical.

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How To Get A New Home Based Business Working Quickly

We all dream about owning our own Home Based Business and making our fortunes working from home, but the truth is 90% of us that try fail!

Why is this?

The bottom line is most of us don’t know how to market our business properly without spending a fortune on advertising, but there is a way that can work for anybody, regardless of budget!

It’s all about picking the right type of business.

Most of us are not I.T. experts yet the majority of new home based business start ups try to concentrate on Internet marketing in one form or another – this is simply a case of the blind leading the blind, or at least trying to, and that is why most new Internet businesses fail!

So the first thing you need to learn should be, unless of course you really are an I.T. genius, not to try to provide other people with a service that you know nothing, or at the least, very little about!

So what should you do?

The bottom line is, your key to success will not be how attractive your website looks or that your prices are 10 cents cheaper than the competition; your success will be determined by how well you market your website, after all, if people don’t know your site is there how are they going to find it?

So before you jump head first into working from home think long and hard about marketing; after all, if you are like most people you don’t have the money to throw at paid advertising.

What types of businesses are easiest to market?

First I want to give you a quick word of warning. If you have been looking for home based business ideas already I have absolutely no doubt that you have been bombarded with all sorts of business opportunities! Before you get sucked in ask yourself this question, “how could I market this for free?”

What you should be looking for is a business that sells physical products that are constantly in demand.

The reason I say this is because if you have physical products you can list them for free on a number of high profile high traffic shopping sites, including Google.

Believe it or not, if you are not shy of a bit of hard work, you can set your business up and get its products listed on Google in less than a week. What this means to you is your business will start making sales almost immediately!

Conclusion

To increase your chances of success dramatically, all you need to do is think through and plan what type of business you want to build, with an emphasis on how you can market it, before you spend any money!

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, go with a tried and tested business model that has a proven track record.

Stick to physical products, by doing so you can guarantee getting your products listed on Google, which will generate a good volume of targeted traffic to your website almost immediately.

Remember, traffic equals sales and sales equals profits!

If you do a little research, you can find all sorts of free tips and advice to help you on your way…

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Home Based Business – Procrastination is Your Biggest Enemy

Procrastination can lower the productivity of any type of home based business. In this sense we are speaking of procrastination of time spent doing money making activities VS time spent in necessary but non money making activities. The deferment of actions and duties to a later time works against the completion of a task. Functional lag with activities can add to stress, anxiety and failure with deadlines. Too often this is the spiraling end of your business venture.The proprietor of any business opportunity should be realistic about time and activity management. With your business plan in place and areas broken down into projects and time frames, this can be monitored easily and you can manage deadlines more effectively.
Common distractions with home based business like ringing telephones, frequent meal time and social conversations must be avoided. Many friends will treat you like if you work from home you do not really have a job so you are always available. You are the only one that can set a good example and limits on that.The inclination for procrastination – tips for success:- Efforts must be undertaken to limit distractions in the work environment. Set up rules, for example: when the door to your office is closed, NO one comes in but perhaps if cracked open then can come in quietly and see if you have time for an interruption. If you do not have a door to work space, get creative, a red flag could mean on duty. First you train yourself, then you train your family, this includes spouses and children.- An action plan is best be prepared the night before work to promote optimum productivity. Using some form of day timer or computer organizer of your choice, preplan the next day. This includes by the hour all tasks and the time allotted to them. Phone calls to be made including name and phone number. Time allotted for emails to answer and phone messages to be picked up and returned. It is always wise to set yourself up to do the most important things first and often those will be ones you would prefer to procrastinate on.- The plan can act like a roadmap to initiate activities working towards you business plan.- A clean desk can help focus on the most essential requirements. If you have cluttered your work space it needs cleaned and organized. But are you the one to do it? If so, then do not count this as work hours or you are kidding yourself. The only hours you are at work are those that are income producing activities.- Visual distractions must be avoided to promote diligence. For different people that may mean different thing; give thought to what stimulates you to work and what slows you down in your environment.- Negative work habits that hamper productivity must be curtailed. But first you need to uncover them. Suggest sit down some morning or evening and really take a good hard look at how you spend your day. What is not working? Identify it. Then do something about it. Can it be delegated to someone else, decide it does not need doing at all, or truly is something only you can take care of. Now decide what to do about it. Leaving problems hanging only leaves you feeling the burden.- Essential tools and supplies must be available handy. They should be close to desk to avoid strolling away from work area. Files labeled, and everything you need commonly in reach, or have a rolling chair so you can quickly get something.- If you have fear or apprehension associated with the ability for a task then it must be dealt with if it is necessary to your business. Probably one of the most common ones is using the telephone to contact people and return contact to people who asked via mail, email or phone for more information. Many people have phone phobia. If you do, you must either get over it by working with a plan, doing some each day. Or again, delegate. Often small home businesses have either a spouse working or a person who can be full or part time, or even a business partner to complement your skills. But ignoring this one will not make it go away!- Everyday focus should be towards business objectives and priorities with a positive attitude. As it is said over and over, attitude is everything.- The most suitable approach towards time management has to be pursued by home based business owners. The degree of personal entrepreneurial commitment is often proportional to the ability to work consistently within the time limits and task management.- Big assignments can be broken down in to smaller components to achieve accelerated task completion. Just as multiple tasks must be prioritized in order to achieve targets in time.- Short breaks can help assimilate energy and passion for long working hours.- Lunch hours can be used to venture outdoors and get some fresh air with a short walk.- Frequency of interruptions anticipated must be gauged as to importance of getting off schedule.- Critical functions must be carried out in the time periods which are least susceptible to distractions. Activities can be planned around known interruptions to avoid procrastination in home based business.Your home based business venture will benefit from high work efficiency in the forms of increased profits and lowered business pressures. Yes, one of the biggest benefits of a home business is flexibility of time. Use that wisely and you can make it work for you and your family.

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A Lucrative, Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity That is Easy – What Moms Are Looking For

Moms throughout this country are seeking ways to make money working from home. Many are extremely talented and are very capable of working in high-level positions in corporate America.But there are many reasons why moms are looking for a lucrative, legitimate home based business opportunity that is also easy.Why do I say that? First of all, take a look at the different categories of moms hoping to work at home:1. Some moms are currently working in corporate America. They may have high level, challenging positions. Others do not. Many of these moms want to get out of the rat race and to at least replace their current income by owning their own home based business.2. Some moms have young children in the house. They need a second income to help pay the bills or add to the family savings.3. Some moms are working from home but have a job that is not interesting and doesn’t pay well.4. Other moms have seen their children graduate and move away from home. They are looking for significant income in a work from home business rather than returning to the work force.Moms in these categories are probably looking for more income, possibly a lot more. They are looking for a business they can do at home that will be fun and interesting.At the same time, moms need a business that will allow them to participate in other activities that involve children, family, home making, church, charities, and maybe a regular job. So what are they looking for in a business? Here are a few possibilities:1. A business that does not require a significant amount of time.
2. A business that requires only basic phone and computer skills.
3. A business that provides step-by-step training.
4. A business that provides time flexibility and the advantage of not having to deal with a boss or a set schedule.
5. A business that allows them to take control of their finances.
6. A business that utilizes their talents, abilities, interests, and passions.
7. A business that is lucrative and provides a sense of accomplishment.
8. A business that allows them to participate in children’s activities, church and charitable activities no matter what time of the day.It’s very important that moms select a business that is in line with their own interests. By doing this, the business can be fun as well as rewarding.I said at the beginning of this article that a business should be easy as well as lucrative and legitimate. Of course, the business must be legitimate. It must also provide the opportunity to earn a significant amount of income. But for moms, I feel it is best if it is also easy.I certainly don’t make that statement in a negative way. I say that because it is difficult to be a mom and to also operate a home business. Some women have a regular job. Taking care of children, a husband, and a household is a full time job. Placing the responsibility of a business on top of those activities is not easy for a mom. I greatly admire women who take on that additional responsibility.Even if a mom no longer has child responsibilities, church and charitable activities can be very time consuming in addition to being very rewarding.So it makes perfect sense to me for a mom to try to find a lucrative, legitimate home based business opportunity that is also easy.I have good news. There are a few businesses like that out there.

Five Principles For Starting Your Home-Based Business Today

In these times of economic uncertainty, wouldn’t it be nice to create a business opportunity that could provide you with a secondary income? This is exactly why most people enter the world of Internet home-based businesses: bills are piling up and they just can’t get ahead with their nine-to-five jobs.What is the difference between the average Joe and the successful Internet entrepreneur? Time, patience, commitment and adherence to some basic principles that anyone who wants to succeed at the world of home-based businesses should stick to.What are these five tried, tested and true pieces of advice to Internet home-based business success, you might ask? Find a mentor, develop a solid marketing campaign, stay focused and committed, don’t jump the gun at false leads and be realistic.Finding a mentor is not as easy as it seems. The Internet is still a fairly anonymous communication medium, which means that there are a lot of scam artists out there. When choosing a mentor, do some digging. Are there bad reports on this individual with your preferred business regulation agency? Does this person have an established online presence? Is this person actually available for contact, or are they little more than smoke and mirrors? Finding a mentor, someone who is available for continuing education, instruction and support, is one of the most vital components to your home-based business success – just be sure to do your homework so you don’t get duped.Developing a solid marketing campaign is a multi-level process that is crucial to your online success with your home-based business. A good mentor will advise you on such areas such as: content-based marketing, article and press release writing, promoting through social network mediums and other ways to boost your search engine status. The most important thing about your marketing campaign is to be relentless and never stop promoting.Staying focused and committed means setting aside time each day to work at your home-based business. At the beginning stage, this is easy – because you’re excited and eager to earn a secondary source of income. But, as time rambles on, you may find your home-based business sits on the back burner as kids, full-time jobs and other commitments override your Internet business in priority. If you’re going to succeed in the world of home-based businesses, you have to work at it every day, on both your business itself and your marketing campaign.Don’t jump the gun at false leads. Again, your mentor should show you the dangers in paying too much for false leads.Also, watch out for home-based business opportunities that simply sound too good to be true. Trust your instincts.

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How to Advertise For Your Home Based Business

Cut the chase and listen to this basic truth. Everything you are doing becomes a joke until the word about your home based business gets to the street. It is also very helpful if and when people like what you do and how will they like it if they were never told? The way you tell them and what you tell them is the heart beat of your home based business and that is what we are going to address right now.You are about to learn one of the most powerful ways to get the word out about your home based business. As earlier mentioned, without people knowing about what you do, there will be no work, which in other words is the business you are doing in the first place.Let me ask you a question so as to bring a good perspective to this advertising your home based business process.What do you actually do?Can you summarize it within two sentences or a paragraph of talking to someone? Do you have an elevator speech about what you really do? In case you are wondering what an elevator speech is, it is a one to two minute description of your work. You know the kind of time it takes you to move from one level of an elevator to another reasonable height before getting out. Just imagine that kind of timing, one to two minutes.If you are given two minutes to talk to someone about what you do, what will you tell them? If this is hard for you to figure out or come up with, then we are not ready to advertise anything to begin with. What you tell people every step of the way, every day of your life is all advertisement. Even the way you laugh! You are thinking, what is this all about. Exactly what it is – advertising.In case you have not figured it out, everything you do off the work or business will determine how well you perform in or on the work and business you set out to do. And think of a scenario where someone just found you using the toilet and speeding off without washing your hand in a very public place and next few moments find you behind an ice cream vehicle selling the cone and cream to people, do you expect such a person to buy your product or do business with you? Secondly, do you expect the person to tell others about your business? You get the idea.Yes, you must tell people about your business but before you pay for that newspaper or local magazine advert, before you go on the internet and start spending your hard earned currency, before you open your mouth to create a viral effect of unstoppable word of mouth marketing, stop to think about what you really do and the message you are really sending across.Most people miss this and once you get the fundamentals wrong, everything else goes wrong. Let me inspire you a bit about how to advertise for your home based business. Think about your favourite beverage or food, why do you patronize them and what is their message. Why will you tell someone else about them? Exactly, they do things excellently well. That is another way to advertise your home based business.How often do you get these kind of ideas that totally goes to the rudiments of what makes your home based business work and give you on a gold platter the missing pieces. There is more where this came from and you can access it if and when you reach out to us because we will be more than happy to share as many as we believe you can start using right away to turn around your home based business for the best.Let us talk again soon and thank you so very much for your most precious time.

Home Based Business Opportunities – What Are Their Advantages?

Starting a home based business enterprise is much rewarding. By starting such an enterprise, the owner of the business has full control of the business and enjoys the benefits of being his/her own boss. A home based business enterprise allows the owner to explore his/her full potentials. Rather than looking for formal employments where you assist someone else to realize his/her dreams, starting a home based business will help you to focus on your own dreams and help you achieve your financial freedom faster.Turning home based business opportunities into reality may be a daunting task for many as it involves resource mobilization. It starts with the idea generation, which is hard for many. Starting a business opportunity also requires one to work hard. It needs the owner to work extra hours so as to make the idea a reality. Entrepreneurs must also be smart in mind; they employ both mental and physical efforts in the business.However, the entrepreneurs should be able to foresee the benefits behind the hard tasks as it has more rewards. For a determined entrepreneur, starting home based business enterprise is the easiest. The entrepreneur enjoys cheap labor from family members who he may not pay for sometimes. He can also use the family resources to start the business, which reduces business expenses. The government does not charge tax on home based business enterprises; the business owner is relieved from the cost of commuting, there are flexible working hours and the owner enjoys the satisfaction of being his/her own boss.Exploring home based business opportunities and turning them into realities creates employment opportunities. This reduces the global problem of unemployment. The jobless citizens come and secure jobs in the business. When employment opportunities are available, people are able to earn a living, which improves their living standards. The employment opportunities created by these businesses also increases the Gross Domestic product of the concerned countries, which finally improves the global economies.The home based business enterprises lead to development of urban centers. People move to the business enterprises in search of employment opportunities, in the process they interact and socialize. They then start to invest in other business opportunities around the place. The fact that different people from different social backgrounds interact, leads to exchange of business ideas and technologies that are important for economic development. The interaction of various people from different backgrounds also leads to civilization and modernization.Home based business enterprises provide avenues for the owners to make extra cash. The owner can operate them along other economic activities. This is because the owner can hire cheap services and labor from the family members who he/she can employ to attend to the business while on other duties.Once a home based business enterprise has been set-up, it can improve its image in the market through the process of affiliate marketing. This is where the business owner for having brought a new customer into the business rewards an individual or customer of the business. Given that most modern businesses operate online, the owner of such businesses can design an ecommerce website for the enterprise to reach many clients and increase the sales volume.

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Make Finding a Property Management Company Easier on Yourself by Asking the Right Questions

This is part 2 of a 4 part series where we have outlined important questions to ask a property management company before hiring them.

Series 1 Companies Credentials
Series 2 Property Management Services
Series 3 Property Management Fees
Series 4 Tenant Screening Process

Property management companies come in all sizes, capabilities and expertise. Just because one works for one investor does not necessarily mean they will work for you. Below we have outlined some important questions to ask a company during your initial interview process regarding services they provide. Their answers to these questions will give insight into their business capabilities and can provide you with an understanding of the type of services they offer which are important to you.

Series 2 – Property Management Services

Properties they manage – Property management companies are as different as car dealerships are to each other. For example, a Mercedes dealership will have the best inventory and the most knowledge of the latest selection of new Mercedes. You could visit the Toyota dealership in your neighborhood, but chances are you will not find what you are looking for. Of course, they would love your business and will try and talk you into why a Toyota is a better fit for you than a Mercedes.

Same with a property manager, they are not created equal when it comes down to their property portfolios. You need to ask what types of property they manage and make sure your type of property is one they manage. If you own a single family home, a company that manages mostly large apartment buildings or commercial property would not be a good match. In this case, your best match would be a company that has a minimum 50% or greater of single family homes in their rental pool.

Some companies manage all types of investment properties…single family homes, apartments, commercial and community associations, but chances are they hold a specialty in one or two areas.

Inspections – A thorough property inspection should never be overlooked by a property management company. A property inspection needs to be conducted upon tenant move-in and at move-out. A property inspection can range from drive-bys, a walk-through or a video inspection. If disagreements arise between tenant and manager as to items missing or damaged, actual documentation from the move-in inspection and pictures of before and after hold validity versus a verbal agreement.

A video inspection of the interior as well as the exterior of property is the best option. Still pictures are good, but sometimes do not capture all areas of property. The video will not only capture all areas, but is easily interpreted and validated as the subject property. A signed checklist at move-in from tenant validates that tenant concurs with the inspection findings.

Maintenance – When it comes time to performing maintenance or repair work to their rental properties some property management companies have their own in-house maintenance personnel. These are usually employees of the company and are paid a salary through the company. The costs or hourly rate of any maintenance or repair work that is required will be dictated by the management company itself.

On the other hand, the management company may decide to outsource all or some maintenance work to outside vendors. These vendors could range from a handyman, specialized tradesman such as a plumber or a large facility that performs all types of maintenance work.

There are pros and cons to both and I do not advocate one over the other but will outline a few points of interest:

In-house Maintenance

Pros:
- More readily available, since they work within the management company
- Direct communication with management company and their policies
- More intimate with property…they are the “one” contact and know the history of your property

Cons:
- May be more of a “jack of all trades” versus being specialized in a certain field and having the appropriate licenses
- May not be as determined to perform or finish maintenance work in a timely manner as he/she is not being paid based on the job. Whether he/she finishes in 2 hours or 8 hours, its all the same.
- If in-house maintenance crew is not available, either the repair work waits or the company will need to search for a outside vendor on short notice

Outsourcing Maintenance

Pros:
- This allows the property management company the luxury of competitive bidding among vendors, which could equate to lower costs
- Vendors will be eager to sign contracts with a property management company that can bring stable business to them, and as a result will most likely perform quality work in a timely manner
- Most vendors will be specialized tradesman carrying all required licenses, insurance and being bonded

Cons:
- Some property management companies will add a surcharge or mark-up above the actual cost of any repair work to cover their time in acquiring these bids.
- If work was not completed properly, it may be difficult to get the vendor back on the job.

Another option is coordinating all maintenance work yourself. This may work for you if you have reliable contractors you have work with and are dependable. You can probably save yourself some money but this will involve a bit of your time on your part.

Accounting – Most full service property management company will offer as a customary service some type of accounting procedure. This usually comes in the form of a monthly paper statement itemizing all income and expenses funneled through the management company on your property for that particular month. It will show rental income and any expenses such as management fees, repair costs, lawn care service, advertising charges, lease renewal fees and possibly utility charges. The monies owed the owner also referred to as the net amount should be clearly spelled out on this statement. The monthly statements are usually mailed every month to the owner along with a deposit check for the net amount. You should also be provided with a end year statement along with a 1099 for tax purposes.

With the advancement of online technology many management companies are now offering their owners the ability to view and print their monthly statements via the company’s’ website or online portal. These portals have the ability to store other documents such as the management contract, vendor invoices, pictures of property, inspection reports etc…all at your fingertips.

Another great advantage of working with a savvy property management company is their ability to setup automatic deposit of your monthly checks. No more waiting for the postal service, your deposit checks can be deposited directly into your bank account. Chances are they will also have the ability to setup automatic debit of tenants rent from either a checking account or credit card.

Coming soon: Part 3 of 4 “Make finding a property management company easier on yourself by asking the right questions – Property Management Fees”

Karen McDaniel
Principal/CEO
Property Management Profile LLC

Property Management Profile offers the most up-to-date listing of full-service property management companies nationwide. We have become a wealth of information and resource for the first-time landlord as well as the seasoned investors. We should know what we’re talking about, as owner and creator of Property Management Profile, Karen McDaniel, has owned and managed many of her own properties. Today, all are managed by professional property management companies, so she now has more time to continue her work educating and helping others make better choices when it comes to finding a qualified property management company.

What to Keep in Mind When Making a Real Estate Investment

Not all of us know the difference between a good investment and an invaluable investment. You might think that you are already looking at a perfect property, but you’re actually not. There are several things that you need to take into consideration when investing in real estate, such as the location of the property, its price, its value, the seller and many others. Here are some ways on how you can have a wise investment:

Offer a low price

Offering a low price is just normal in a real estate transaction. As much as possible, start with the lowest offer possible and go up little by little until the seller will agree on your price. There are certain techniques that can help you convince the seller. Make sure that you do this process right so as not to irritate sellers, but if you can’t, just leave the job to a real estate agent.

Hire a real estate agent

If you only have little knowledge about real estate investment, let a real estate agent help you. He is well versed with real estate laws, the negotiation as well as the transaction processes. When choosing an agent for your home, pick out the one that holds the most properties within your locality and the one that has already sold quite a number of homes.

Choose sellers that are easy to transact with

This can be done just by merely basing it on the words written in the advertisements of sellers. You can also use your instinct and identify which of the sellers can give you the best deal. Sellers who are usually out of the country or state are easier to deal with as it is assumed that they are on a rush selling the property and they may take any first good offer more openly.

Look for extra benefits

When buying a home, do not be satisfied with how the property looks from the outside and how it amazes you in the inside. You have to find areas or spaces in the property that you can soon make use of and give you profit or an extra living space, for instance. You also have to consider the benefits that your family can get from the property. If you have kids, it is a good idea to find a spacious place.

When investing on a property, you have to make sure that you are investing on the right one. Know the ways on how you would be able to own a valuable investment. If you think you can’t do it on your own, just simply hire a real estate agent.

How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.

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