Benefits of Refinancing your Mortgage

 

When you refinance a mortgage, you are converting the mortgage you already have into a new loan. The new loan usually has more favorable terms, such as a lower interest rate, that make refinancing worthwhile. Refinancing can have several important benefits, most of which add up to money saved over the life of the loan.

Refinancing helps you save money

 

Most people who refinance do so because the new mortgage will save money, usually because refinancing will allow them to lock in a lower interest rate than the one they currently have. Refinancing can help you save a significant amount of money over the life of the loan, even if the interest rate reduction is small. If you have a mortgage of several hundred thousand dollars, even a small interest rate reduction can save you thousands of dollars in interest. In fact, reducing your interest rate by just one point could save you around $5,000 on a fifteen year mortgage.

Refinancing can save you money in other ways, too, even if you are not able to lock in a lower interest rate. If your current mortgage is sub-prime because your credit rating was poor when you took out the loan, for example, refinancing could save a considerable amount of money if you’ve built up a better credit rating.

Refinancing can reduce the term of your mortgage

 

The potential to save a significant amount of money is the most obvious advantage of refinancing, but there is another important benefit that is often overlooked. This is the ability to refinance to a mortgage with reduced terms. For example, if you are able to refinance from a 30 year to a 20 or even 15 year mortgage, you’ll own your home outright in much less time.

Don’t forget, however, that reducing the terms of your mortgage mean your monthly payments increase. If you’re refinancing for this reason, it is important that you know your finances will remain secure enough that you can continue to meet the higher monthly repayments. The good news is refinancing for this reason is actually another way you can save money on your mortgage. Even though your monthly repayments are higher, reducing the term means you’ll pay significantly less money in interest over the life of the loan.

Refinancing lets you switch mortgage types

 

One of the main reasons many people refinance is to switch to a different mortgage type, for example from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage. Taking out an adjustable rate mortgage is an attractive option, especially for first time home buyers, since securing a low interest rate means lower repayments. However, many homeowners later feel that they would prefer the security of a fixed rate mortgage. Refinancing means that it’s possible to switch from an adjustable to a fixed interest rate, or vice versa, to ensure you have the mortgage that most benefits you. When is a good time to switch? It depends on many things, including your current financial situation, the state of the economy, and how long you plan to live in the home.

Refinancing can free up equity in your home

 

As you make mortgage payments over the months and years of the loan, you build up equity in your home. Every payment you make means you own a little bit more of the equity, and sometimes, it can be financially beneficial to tap into that equity. If you want to make improvements to increase the value of your home, fund college for your kids, or consolidate debts, for example, equity release can provide the necessary cash.

 

If you can get a lower interest rate when you are accessing the equity, so much the better – this will help compensate for the fact that removing some of the equity extends the life of the loan.

 

Time to Refinance?

 

Most homeowners will refinance a mortgage at least once, and statistics say that the average homeowner refinances their home every four years. That might seem a little high, but given that refinancing has so many benefits, it’s not difficult to see why refinancing is a popular option.

So when is refinancing a good idea? Look to the above list to determine when is the right time to refinance. If you can benefit by lowering your interest rate, reducing the terms of your mortgage, or switching to a more favorable mortgage type, or if you need to access some of the equity you’ve built up in your home, refinancing could be a good option.

These are not the only points to consider, of course, but they are a good starting point to think about if you are wondering whether refinancing will work for you.

About the Author

Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer who writes about financial products pertaining to the mortgage industry such as the lowest mortgage rates.

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5 Tips on Attracting Customers to Your Trade Show Display

When an individual or group of individuals embarks upon any business venture, one of the most important things they have to cultivate is name recognition.Indeed, one can make the best darned cherry apple cobbler on the market today, but if no one knows about it, this fact does the magnificent pie baker very little good.

A trade show is a great place to get your name out there and establish a foothold in your chosen industry.This is an especially beneficial marketing tool if the goods you are trying to market are unique but extremely useful to the buying public.

Thing is, trade shows can draw hundreds of entrepreneurs who are trying to do the same thing as you - obtain interest in their product.

With so much competition in this varied arena, your product can end up getting lost in a sea of business enterprises.You can avoid this however, by taking a few steps towards making your trade show display eye catching and alluring.

Below are five tips you can utilize to make that happen.

1.Giveaways - Think about it.As a consumer what interests you the most?The ability to try something for free of course.To be sure, giving away samples is a great way to bring the buying public to your booth.Prize drawings and contests are also enticing as they give the consumer a promise of something in return for giving a little of their time to your sales pitch.

2.Sweeten the pot - Another thing that people cannot resist is something tasty.With this idea in mind, candy and edibles would be a welcome treat and a reason to stop by your table.If using candy, do not fill your bowl up as consumers will most likely beeline towards your table in an effort not to miss out on your free sweets.If giving away baked goods, only display a few of your wares at a time for the same reason.Be sure to keep a ready supply of the foodstuffs nearby however, for refills when reserves get low.

3.Interact and get involved - Many trade show goers sit behind their exhibit and wait for interested parties to come to them which is a mistake.People like to engage with individuals who are outgoing and fun, which is why major companies pay millions to celebrities with charismatic personas to endorse their products.If being happy go lucky just isn't in your nature, see if you can hire an attractive female model that has PR experience to address the crowd.

4.A dash of color - human beings are visual creatures, and we respond to colorful things far more often than not.This is why to adding dots of color throughout your display is a marvelous way to attract attention.Make sure to do so tastefully, as too much color can end up being confusing and distracting.A vibrant, easy to read banner or a nice, brightly colored tablecloth is a great way to add pop without being overbearing.

5.presentation boards and visuals prompts -- a wide screen monitor with a power point or slide presentation of a large presentation board can be one way to draw interested crowds towards your table.If at all possible, make the presentation interactive, for example, if utilizing PowerPoint, allow the public access to the mouse so they can move through the presentation at their own speed.If your presentation is stationary, the rule of color would definitely apply.

Above all have fun - people who appear relaxed and happy are most likely to bring interested consumers to their trade show display on a consistent basis.If this is kept up, the business will create the name recognition and appeal that is so essential in helping any new company thrive!

Manufacturer and provider of trade show exhibits and display stands for sale and display booth rental.Whether you are seeking a banner stand display or a custom trade show exhibit, consider Ballance Displays - with 25 years of trade show display experience.

About the Author

Manufacturer and provider of trade show exhibits and display stands for sale and display booth rental.

Whether you are seeking a banner stand display or a custom trade show exhibit, consider Ballance Displays - with 25 years of trade show display experience.

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So You Think You Will Get Rich in General Transcription

So you want to be a transcriber. Your friend told you that a good place to bid for general transcription jobs is freelance sites, and you can charge 25.00 per audio hour. Legal and medical transcription are also options; however, you need schooling to be able to go into these fields. Your initial thought may be Wow I can make 25 an hour. Super

Hold on, Charlie. Let me reiterate; that was per audio hour. So, what is an audio hour Transcription jobs do not normally follow the same pay scales as other freelance jobs. Thats right. General transcription is an odd ball.

An audio hour is the length of time that a speaker or speakers talk. Okay, so whats the big deal You said that they might talk for an hour. So I can type it in an hour. No, no, no, no, no. It could take you 4-6 hours to actually type that audio hour. If you have no experience at it, it can be even longer. Starting to get the picture

You are normally not going to get rich in transcription. Audio recordings are not always clear and easy to understand. Maybe the recording is poor quality, or maybe you need to do extra research in order to get spelling of cities, countries, or industry-specific language, etc., correct. If your client instructs you to transcribe verbatim and to put time stamps every paragraph, every speaker, or whatever, it can cause you to tear out your hair.

My advice before you quit your job and go into the field of general transcription in a virtual environment is to bid for short audio recordings if youre a freelancer like 15-30 minutes long and try it. Or if your friend is still in the transcription business, spend some time with that individual. Learn what type of equipment your friend uses and what exactly does your friend do. It is essential that you do not put out poor quality work, or you will be blackballed in the transcription field; and your business will fail. That brings up another point.

In order to be a good general transcriptionist, you must have excellent language skills. Know frontwards and backwards your punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Pardon me if I am blunt here; your client does not want a piece of crap that he or she has to go back over and correct. You must have good listening skills. You will be listening to an audio that will sometimes have traffic in the background, airplanes, banging noises, and all sorts of extraneous sounds; and you will need to listen carefully to hear what the speakers are saying. This will all add to how long it takes to transcribe the material.

So in summary, it is not a piece of cake to transcribe. The pay is low, and there is a lot of time involved. You can charge by audio hour or even by audio minute, but be reasonable. If you like to type and enjoy providing good quality work to a client, general transcription can be a good way to supplement your income. When my partner and I first started transcribing, it would take the two of us a week or more to transcribe thirty minutes of audio. Now, we generally say that it takes us 24-48 hours to provide a completed audio hour of transcription. Transcribing is not always easy, and you definitely wont get rich overnight.
About the Author

BORLOK Virtual Assistants has the global expert services with quality, on-time delivery that you require. Borlok VA is a small partnership that was formed in September, 1967.

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Construction In Crisis Meet The Decision Makers

In marketing for construction, as with any other industry, getting in front of the key decision makers is crucial for the development of your business. The most important rule about appointment-making is to sell the appointment and not the product.

Appointment-making is a skill in its own right. Some construction companies and architects for that matter, use canvassers or telemarketing staff to do this job for them. However, it is far better to use staff internally, or if you are a small family run business or sole trader, you should try to do this yourself rather than outsourcing. That way you have direct contact with your prospect from the word go.

It will also be very useful for you or your marketing person to combine the appointment-making with the initial researching activity. When combined in this way it helps to build initial relationships with helpful people in the prospect organisation, and you or your marketing person can collect additional useful information that would otherwise be missed or not picked up by a separate appointment-maker or canvasser.

Sending a well written letter of introduction is a useful and often essential requirement before an appointment can be made. Generally the larger the prospect organisation, then the more essential an introductory letter will be. This is mainly because PAs and secretaries almost always suggest that any approach to a decision-maker i.e. the boss, whose time the secretary is protecting be put in writing first.

Bear in mind that the PA is there as a defence shield for the boss, and rightly so, or the boss would never get anything done So for any approach to succeed in getting through to the right person, the PA must effectively endorse its credibility. Whether by writing or telephoning, the reason for wanting to meet must be serious and interesting enough, which is why researching and understanding the organisations strategic priorities are so crucial.

General product and service approaches do not work because they are not seen to relate or benefit the prospects own strategic priorities. So a carefully thought-through UPB Unique Perceived Benefit, forms the basis of the appointment approach. If it strikes the right chord the appointment will be granted.

A good introductory letter may win an appointment without the need even to speak to the decision-maker. Remember, the PA often holds the key to achieving an appointment She certainly holds the diary So in your contact with the PA, do not be pushy or arrogant. If you are the door will close You should assume that the loyalty and trust between boss and PA are strong, so you need to get him or her on your side.

A point to remember: The PA will generally try to divert the sales persons approach to a less senior member of staff. So its important to tailor the approach to fit with the level of, and functional responsibility of the person being approached for the appointment. On occasions, the sales person will not be granted an appointment with the targeted main decision-maker, but instead will be referred by them to make an appointment with a lower ranking manager or director. If this happens its no problem - the sales person then proceeds with the MDs or FDs endorsement to develop the situation with the lower ranking contact.

The fact that its been referred by the MD or FD gives the sales person vital authority and credibility. Being referred down the line is fine; but trying to refer upwards for eventual purchase authorisation or budgetary approval is nearly impossible, which is why appointment-making should always aim high, with a strategically orientated proposition.

Dont use a script, it will become your downfall. And also remember, unhappy people cant sell. So if you are having a grumpy, bad mood day, STAY AWAY FROM THE PHONE Do some paperwork instead until you cheer up a bit If you always see the glass half empty, GET OUT OF SALES AND MARKETING Its not your thing

So let your personality shine through and be yourself. Be professional, enthusiastic and straight-forward. Resist any temptation to employ gimmicks, jokes and flashing ties - your credibility will be undermined before you even open your mouth

Happy sales hunting


About the Author

Steve Flashman is a Marketing Consultant with a unique edge He is a public speaker published author, recording artist, media broadcaster and communications expert.

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How to Successfully Pitch a Reporter to Get Interviewed and Obtain Media Coverage

When I was up against a book deadline and needed a couple of people to interview who had achieved business results from podcasting, I put out a call through a service called Help a Reporter Out (www.helpareporter.com). This free service functions very much like paid reporter lead services such as Profnet or Travel Publicity Leads. Generally media people put out such calls either when they need interview leads extremely soon (like a deadline in two days) or when they have rather unusual interview needs that cant be satisfied through the usual channels (such as looking for someone who has diabetes, owns pets and is gay or lesbian).

Someday you may be in a position to pitch a reporter, so Id like to help you understand what to do and what not to do in this situation, and why, so you can seize the opportunity to meet the reporter's needs and receive valuable media coverage. Here is the meat of the request I made:

"Need phone interviews by end of the week with 3 podcasters who can cite specific, tangible business results achieved through podcasting. Tell me briefly the topic of your podcast, your URL, your results and your phone number. Thanks."

I received 30 replies. Of these, five stood out as excitingly fulfilling my criteria. At least half of the rest put themselves completely out of the running by ignoring my stated requirements, while several others were wasting their time and mine in their reply for other reasons.

Im not sure how I could have been more clear and explicit about what information I wanted from respondents in order to screen them. I said I wanted potential interviewees to tell me the "specific, tangible business results achieved through podcasting." Anyone who did not say exactly how theyd gotten new opportunities or earned money from their podcast got eliminated. Perhaps they had a great story to tell, but they hadnt pre-qualified themselves with me to tell it. Instead they said, in effect, "Im the one you want. Call me." One wrote, "We are number 1 in the world, business results are amazing. I am so busy I would rather speak on the phone." As far as Im concerned, thats hot air and does not show willingness to help me with my story.

This may sound "Mickey Mouse," but whatever details are in the reporters request are there for a reason, and it doesnt work to ignore them. I saw much the same thing happen when I judged a couple of business contests. The application form asked several questions that numerous otherwise appealing candidates left blank. These people were disqualified. The time and in some cases money theyd spent entering the contest was for naught.

Besides those who neglected to specify their podcasting results, a few people wasted their time by sending me contact information for someone who they said met my criteria, such as their boss, their client or someone they knew of from afar. For someone on a tight deadline who receives sufficient responses directly from interviewees, this doesnt work, either. From the underling or PR representatives suggestion, I have no way of knowing whether or not their referral is actually available to talk during my time frame. If you know of someone who fits a reporters request, always forward it to that person and urge them to respond right away instead of replying on their behalf.

Another bunch of people wasted their time writing to me because they did not have a podcast of their own but rather provided podcasting services for a fee. Id said, "Tell me briefly the topic of your podcast," and theyd violated that portion of my request.

One of the top five respondents whom I emailed back right away to set up a time to talk by phone took more than 24 hours to reply. "Sorry, your email landed in my spam folder," he said. "Heres when Im available today." Unfortunately, by then Id already completed the interviews I needed. Unfortunately too for another respondent who met all of my criteria: He initiated contact after Id finished all the interviews.

My advice on getting publicity by replying to reporters requests boils down to this: Reply promptly. Explicitly address the stated criteria in your reply. Volunteer only yourself. Check for the reporters email or phone call so you can follow through on having caught his or her interest.

Paradoxically, by treating the media person as a prince or princess, you position yourself to become a star.


About the Author

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 11 books, including 6 Steps to Free Publicity and Persuading on Paper. For more information on getting a profitable round of visibility for ideas, tips, products, services, events, expertise or controversial views, visit http://www.pressreleasehelp.com

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