Credit-Counsellor.ca |

Credit Counselling articles and information for consumers
RSS Feed


How To Stop Foreclosure - 3 Legitimate Solutions

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

A superb resource: Stop Foreclosure Houston

To Stop Foreclosure in nearly any city in the United States of America, there are basically only a few legitimate options. Some of these you’ll know, and some will be brand new to you.

Here are a few directions you can take:

  • Sell your house prior to the foreclosure auction. The value of this idea will vary heavily depending on the nature and quality of your local real estate market. If you’re in a market that still has very slow resale rates, selling your home could be a challenge. Ask a local real estate agent to determine the average number of days on the market for properties in your area.
  • Initiate a loan modification. A loan modification is a process through which your lender changes the payment terms of your loan to more closely match your ability to pay. While this is not a guarantee, loan modifications have become more popular in the last 12 months.
  • Refinance the property. If you are not yet fully into the foreclosure process but have reason to expect you will fall behind on your payments, it may be wise to try to refinance your mortgage to a lower rate. If your property is worth less than the balance of the mortgage, you’ll want to inquire regarding a “short refinance”, which is when a lender forgives a portion of the debt against you in order for you to refinance your property and pay off the remainder of the debt you owe.

When you’re trying to stop a foreclosure, the key is fast action.

Warning: Be very wary of people who aggressively attempt to purchase your home for investment purposes. While there are many legitimate real estate investors, there has been a significant amount of fraud with “Stop Foreclosure” scams, and it is wise to be very, very careful.

Please remember: The crisis you now face will soon be over. As a foreclosure survivor myself, I’d like to encourage you to remain hopeful, and to understand that your future does not equal your past!

Thanks for reading this information about how to stop foreclosure. I hope you’ve found value here.


Getting Started In Internet Marketing

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

When you hear the term “internet marketing“, what do you think of?

For many, that term conjures thoughts of websites or spamming or search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. For others, it’s all about graphical design, writing fancy code or even affiliate programs. All of those answers correct, but the essence of internet marketing is much simpler.

At its core, internet marketing is about these things:

* Understanding the target market to which the product/service/cause you’re marketing will appeal
* Determining exactly how your target market interacts with the internet
* Positioning your content on the internet to attract the attention of your target market
* Collecting information about your target market (also known as “leads”) for follow-up and conversion into sales
* Design of offers or incentives to induce the desired actions from your leads

Since there is insufficient space in this article to give all of these topics adequate attention, let’s focus on just one specific topic with the realm of internet marketing: Email Marketing.

My best payoff has always come by focusing on permission-based email marketing. Permission-based email marketing refers to the practice of collecting information (including email addresses) from website visitors and communicating with them via e-mail with their direct consent. The “permission” aspect of permission-based email marketing is what separates legitimate email marketers from the spammers that everyone despises.

My love of email marketing is strong for one reason: It works very well. Email marketing has been much like a never-ending goldmine: It enables us to produce income on demand simply by sending a good offer to our list. When you have thousands of loyal subscribers - as we do - and you put a strong and compatible offer in front of them, income becomes nearly automatic.

However, the key to successful email marketing is the development of a legitimate trust relationship with your subscribers. If you opt to send your subscribers a request for purchases every single day, they will likely tire of your badgering and cease reading your emails altogether.

Alternatively, if you take the time to provide good content to your readers on a regular and frequent basis, you’ll discover that your readers take all of your emails far more seriously, and as a result your emails will be opened, read and acted upon with greater frequency. Essentially, email marketing is really an exercise in trust.

Even though there are more sides to internet marketing than just email marketing (permission based), email has been the foundation that our business sits on.


How To Stop Foreclosure - 3 Legitimate Solutions

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

A great resource: http://realestate.bryanellis.com/1565/stop-foreclosure-in-houston-3-legitimate-solutions/

To Stop Foreclosure in nearly any city in the United States of America, there are basically only a few legitimate options. Some of these you’ll know, and some will be brand new to you.

Here are a few directions you can take:

  • Sell your house prior to the foreclosure auction. The value of this idea will vary heavily depending on the nature and quality of your local real estate market. If you’re in a market that still has very slow resale rates, selling your home could be a challenge. Ask a local real estate agent to determine the average number of days on the market for properties in your area.
  • Initiate a loan modification. A loan modification is a process through which your lender changes the payment terms of your loan to more closely match your ability to pay. While this is not a guarantee, loan modifications have become more popular in the last 12 months.
  • Refinance the property. If you are not yet fully into the foreclosure process but have reason to expect you will fall behind on your payments, it may be wise to try to refinance your mortgage to a lower rate. If your property is worth less than the balance of the mortgage, you’ll want to inquire regarding a “short refinance”, which is when a lender forgives a portion of the debt against you in order for you to refinance your property and pay off the remainder of the debt you owe.

When you’re trying to stop a foreclosure, the key is fast action.

Warning: Be very wary of people who aggressively attempt to purchase your home for investment purposes. While there are many legitimate real estate investors, there has been a significant amount of fraud with “Stop Foreclosure” scams, and it is wise to be very, very careful.

Please remember: The crisis you now face will soon be over. As a foreclosure survivor myself, I’d like to encourage you to remain hopeful, and to understand that your future does not equal your past!

Thanks for reading this information about how to stop foreclosure. I hope you’ve found value here.


How To Stop Foreclosure - 3 Legitimate Solutions

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

A great resource: http://realestate.bryanellis.com/1565/stop-foreclosure-in-houston-3-legitimate-solutions/

To Stop Foreclosure in nearly any city in the United States of America, there are basically only a few legitimate options. Some of these you’ll know, and some will be brand new to you.

Here are a few directions you can take:

  • Sell your house prior to the foreclosure auction. The value of this idea will vary heavily depending on the nature and quality of your local real estate market. If you’re in a market that still has very slow resale rates, selling your home could be a challenge. Ask a local real estate agent to determine the average number of days on the market for properties in your area.
  • Initiate a loan modification. A loan modification is a process through which your lender changes the payment terms of your loan to more closely match your ability to pay. While this is not a guarantee, loan modifications have become more popular in the last 12 months.
  • Refinance the property. If you are not yet fully into the foreclosure process but have reason to expect you will fall behind on your payments, it may be wise to try to refinance your mortgage to a lower rate. If your property is worth less than the balance of the mortgage, you’ll want to inquire regarding a “short refinance”, which is when a lender forgives a portion of the debt against you in order for you to refinance your property and pay off the remainder of the debt you owe.

When you’re trying to stop a foreclosure, the key is fast action.

Warning: Be very wary of people who aggressively attempt to purchase your home for investment purposes. While there are many legitimate real estate investors, there has been a significant amount of fraud with “Stop Foreclosure” scams, and it is wise to be very, very careful.

Please remember: The crisis you now face will soon be over. As a foreclosure survivor myself, I’d like to encourage you to remain hopeful, and to understand that your future does not equal your past!

Thanks for reading this information about how to stop foreclosure. I hope you’ve found value here.


How To Stop Foreclosure - 3 Legitimate Solutions

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

A superb resource: Stop Foreclosure In Houston

To Stop Foreclosure in nearly any city in the United States of America, there are basically only a few legitimate options. Some of these you’ll know, and some will be brand new to you.

Here are a few directions you can take:

  • Sell your house prior to the foreclosure auction. The value of this idea will vary heavily depending on the nature and quality of your local real estate market. If you’re in a market that still has very slow resale rates, selling your home could be a challenge. Ask a local real estate agent to determine the average number of days on the market for properties in your area.
  • Initiate a loan modification. A loan modification is a process through which your lender changes the payment terms of your loan to more closely match your ability to pay. While this is not a guarantee, loan modifications have become more popular in the last 12 months.
  • Refinance the property. If you are not yet fully into the foreclosure process but have reason to expect you will fall behind on your payments, it may be wise to try to refinance your mortgage to a lower rate. If your property is worth less than the balance of the mortgage, you’ll want to inquire regarding a “short refinance”, which is when a lender forgives a portion of the debt against you in order for you to refinance your property and pay off the remainder of the debt you owe.

When you’re trying to stop a foreclosure, the key is fast action.

Warning: Be very wary of people who aggressively attempt to purchase your home for investment purposes. While there are many legitimate real estate investors, there has been a significant amount of fraud with “Stop Foreclosure” scams, and it is wise to be very, very careful.

Please remember: The crisis you now face will soon be over. As a foreclosure survivor myself, I’d like to encourage you to remain hopeful, and to understand that your future does not equal your past!

Thanks for reading this information about how to stop foreclosure. I hope you’ve found value here.


Getting on Top of Bad Credit

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

Have you been knocked back for a credit application? You will soon find that if you have a mountain of personal debt, trying to obtain credit for simple things is only going to get harder. In fact, if you have bad credit many stores or credit card companies will deny you for their cards because you have less than desirable credit ratings! In fact, in today’s world bad credit is just not allowed!

If you are a person that has a lot of personal debt to juggle, then there are many things that you should do to help yourself out! What you really should do is onbtain a copy of your credit report so you can see what exactly is causing you to have a bad credit rating. Once you see what is on your credit report, you will then be able to start making payments to the companies (they don’t have to big large amounts as anything you send will show that you are making an effort). Even a small payment is better than none, as it shows that you are making an effort and sticking to a plan. Of course, if you do not have that much in debt, and just have a few thing on the credit report, if you have the money you can pay the entire bill off (which is even greater than making payments)!

If you are in a position where you cannot pay off the accumulated debt, then you should consider a single loan to consolidate all the smaller loans into one payment. In some cases, a financial institution will be willing to give you the loan because you are showing that you are willing to pay off all your bad credit. Another possibility that you mave have with paying down a high level of bad debtis by accessing a debt consolidation program, where the companies are able to help you reduce your payments as well as eliminate any interest rates so that you can pay the debt off more quickly. Debt consolidation programs can be very helpful as you are paying off all your debt at the same time and your credit report will show that they are being paid off, or have been paid off. With many people, the only way that they are able to go through a debt consolidation program is if they have a certain amount in debt (usually no less than $5,000).

Whether you are trying to manage a small amount of debt or a lot of debt, it does not matter what the amount it; it is still considered to be a bad debt which could eventually be bad credit! It might sound very obvious, but the best way to avoid getting a bad credit score is to pay your bills on time all the time!


Some things that make a great wedding photographer

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

One thing people over look in a wedding is the need for a good wedding photographer.Most of the time people in general think all photographers are created equal.  Or at least they act like they are.  But they are not.  A wedding is a special day.Because of that you should want the best wedding photographer.  A person who can capture the moment memorably.You don’t want a person who thinks it is all about pointing and clicking.So here are a few qualities that make a great photographer.

First thing you want to seek out is a photographer who is an artist as well.Because if you can find a photographer like that, they are able to capture those moments memorably. How you are able to figure that out is by taking a look at their portfolio.  I let all my clients of my San Diego wedding photographer business look at my portfolio.So that they are able to see for themselves the style of shots I take.  But also how I put it all together.You will be able to tell they have an artisitc side by their work.

Another thing you want is someone with a good personality. In photography it isn’t just the technical aspects of it.  A photographer with a good personality is needed to interact with the crowd.  As a San Diego photographer who has done a lot of weddings it makes a difference.  Someone who charms the crowd can get great shots out of them.Keep in mind that your guests are going to make up a large portion of those great moments as well.

Finally you want someone that is a good portrait photographer.Also you will want somebody who also is a great event photographer as well.This is critical for the pictures of the wedding party.  As a San Diego portrait photographer that has to be one of the photogapher’s strengths.For the fact of the matter is that these shots are important as well.

So those are 3 good qualites that most good photographers have.  If you look for them in a photogapher you will be pleased in how your pictures turn out. Remember these photos are for a lifetime.


Financial Planning Seminar

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

The traditional seminar days are long gone! In the past, attending a seminar would mean visiting a luxurious place (usually a hotel) in prim and proper suits while, trying to compete with the sophistication of thought of fellow colleagues and attendees.

financial planning seminars

Financial planning seminars have walked far and beyond these traditional concepts, as of today. The new method is not as hot as being on a lovely beach with Hawaiian shirts on but rather at the luxury of being able to appear informal and from the comfort of your own home.

The trend nowadays is to transmit financial planning seminars online enabling thousands of participants to join in. They are also known as webinars and they are known to be highly effective in the world of finances. The concept it simple. It does not matter in which corner of the world you are located, as long as you get the information shared.

Unfortunately, financial planning seminars on the internet are not as cheap as we would like to think they are. These financial planning seminars, attended by thousands of people from all across the globe, usually come with a big enough entrance free.

The cost is not at all a concern for corporate giants, however for lay people like you and I, attending financial planning seminars may be a dream. So what could be done in this view?

Let’s not give in to negative thoughts just as yet. Some charity organizations that operate internationally facilitate financial planning seminars to lay people from time to time. They may request you to make a nominal fee or may provide this service totally free of charge. These financial planning seminars will add a lot of simple tips and tricks that you can add to day to day to life. If your purpose for needing financial planning seminars is specific to your business, investment or career, then you may have to spend some solid cash and join the sophisticated financial planning seminars on offer.

financial planning seminar

Many people ask why anyone would ever want to attend a financial planning seminar. For some, it looks like a useless thing to do. But trust me, without attending a financial planning seminar, at least once in your life, you wouldn t know good enough details to judge the outcome!


How To Have Lower Phone Costs

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009

Know what costs to reduce –Reducing costs is sometimes just a percentage game with a focus on the areas of main expenditure. A 25% saving on an £60,000 telecoms bill is more important than working towards a 50% reduction on a £4,500 spend on vending machines.

Prior to carrying on I would like to make you aware that I am by no way involved in this business sector; I am in fact a stuttering therapy coach.

Length of Contracts – Signing a contract for 1-3 years is good for the telecoms company as reductions don’t have to be passed on and customers cannot benefit from moving to a lower cost provider. Also, if there is a 3-month notice period, who at your organisation will send out the letter to the telecoms company?

Minimum Call Charges and Rounding - Take an example where the headline rate for a local call is 1.5p per minute. Now with a 1p minimum call charge a 20 second call will cost 1p or double the advertised rate. If calls are rounded up to the nearest minute the cost will be 300% more than expected. In addition, 30% of business calls are below 30 seconds and nearly all business calls are under 2 minutes. What impact are these two areas going to have on your telephone bill?

Capped Calls and Cheap Calls – Another minefield. With most business calls of less than 2 minutes duration, these calls would be considerably more expensive on a capped call tariff. You may well be shocked to hear that some of the most established companies in the market have a seven pence set up charge with a ten pence per minute rate to mobile phones. Without even going too deeply into the mathematics of it all you can no doubt see just how much more than they cost on the standard rate. 90% of businesses on capped calls tariffs are paying much more than they should be paying.

I hope some of the above helps you to gain lower business overheads.

 


How To Stop Foreclosure - 3 Legitimate Solutions

Tuesday Sep 29, 2009

A great resource: http://realestate.bryanellis.com/1565/stop-foreclosure-in-houston-3-legitimate-solutions/

To Stop Foreclosure in nearly any city in the United States of America, there are basically only a few legitimate options. Some of these you’ll know, and some will be brand new to you.

Here are a few directions you can take:

  • Sell your house prior to the foreclosure auction. The value of this idea will vary heavily depending on the nature and quality of your local real estate market. If you’re in a market that still has very slow resale rates, selling your home could be a challenge. Ask a local real estate agent to determine the average number of days on the market for properties in your area.
  • Initiate a loan modification. A loan modification is a process through which your lender changes the payment terms of your loan to more closely match your ability to pay. While this is not a guarantee, loan modifications have become more popular in the last 12 months.
  • Refinance the property. If you are not yet fully into the foreclosure process but have reason to expect you will fall behind on your payments, it may be wise to try to refinance your mortgage to a lower rate. If your property is worth less than the balance of the mortgage, you’ll want to inquire regarding a “short refinance”, which is when a lender forgives a portion of the debt against you in order for you to refinance your property and pay off the remainder of the debt you owe.

When you’re trying to stop a foreclosure, the key is fast action.

Warning: Be very wary of people who aggressively attempt to purchase your home for investment purposes. While there are many legitimate real estate investors, there has been a significant amount of fraud with “Stop Foreclosure” scams, and it is wise to be very, very careful.

Please remember: The crisis you now face will soon be over. As a foreclosure survivor myself, I’d like to encourage you to remain hopeful, and to understand that your future does not equal your past!

Thanks for reading this information about how to stop foreclosure. I hope you’ve found value here.