How to Use Special Education Procedural Safeguards to Ensure FAPE for Your Child!

Are you the parent of a child with autism, that struggles to ensure that your child is receiving, a free appropriate public education? Would you like to learn some strategies to help you in your advocacy? Then this is the article for you! You will learn about 9 special education procedural safeguards and how to use them to benefit your child’s education!

#1. The opportunity to examine educational records of your child. You have the right under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA 2004) to look at your child’s school records to include: temporary records, permanent records, E mails, internal memos, discipline records etc. Look for items that you have not seen before, reports, teacher reports, discipline reports; anything that you think that you can use in your advocacy efforts.

#2. The right to participate in all meetings related to your child’s education, and development of their Individual Education Plan (IEP). You can bring people with you to the meetings that have special knowledge of your child; grandparents, babysitters. You also may want to bring an advocate with experience in your child’s disability. Make a list of items that you want discussed and check them off as the meeting goes along.

#3. The right to be a member of the team that makes placement decisions, for your child. As a parent you are an equal member, and schools are not allowed to “vote” on decisions, and say that they get as many votes, as they have people. In reality the school gets 1 vote and the parents get 1 vote-equal members.

#4. The right to give informed consent for testing and special education services. This means that the school district must explain what testing they want to do, what areas they want to test in, and specifically what related and special education services that you are consenting to. IDEA 2004 allows you to consent to only the tests or services you agree to.

#5. The right to obtain an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) at public expense, if the school district evaluates your child, and you disagree with the evaluation. Many schools tell parents that they must tell them before pursuing an IEE at public expense, but no federal law states that this must be done. Parents can “obtain” the IEE at public expense, and then seek reimbursement from the school district. This way the school cannot “interfere” in the independent evaluation.

#6. The right to Prior Written Notice when school districts want to initiate a change in the identification, evaluation, or placement of a child or refuse to initiate a change in the identification, evaluation or placement of a child. IDEA 2004 states that PWN must contain 5 items: A. It must define the changes that the school wants to make or is refusing to make. B. It must explain why the school proposed or refused to take action. C. It must describe each evaluation, procedure, assessment, or record used as a basis for the proposed or refused action. D. Must provide sources that the parent can seek to help them understand this information. E. It must describe the factors that were relevant to the schools proposal or refusal. Very few school districts understand PWN!

#7 The right to receive a copy of the procedural safeguards in writing. Use these to help you understand what the safeguards are and how to use them.

#8 The right to file a state complaint on violations of IDEA 2004. State complaints are filed with your states Department of Education. They can be hit or miss, but if the written right, with the specific violation stated, as well as a resolution of the complaint, it can be helpful.

#9 Right to file for a due process hearing for any disputes between yourself and your school district.

My book Disability Deception contains much more information on this topic, that can help you ensure that your child is receiving a free appropriate public education.

Three Amazing Benefits Of Starting A Home-Based Business

Starting your own home-based business is a great way to build freedom; not only the freedom to break free from a day-to-day job, but freedom from financial worries. Starting a home-based business can be a very challenging yet rewarding experience, and if you have anything deep down in your gut telling you to get going, then you should really take action and get started today.

Now instead of giving you a step-by-step list of exactly how to get started, let’s take a look at three of the amazing benefits you can gain from starting your own home-based business. Now this is a very short list, as there are also many other benefits, ranging from tax deductions to health benefits.

Here are my three favorite benefits of starting a home-based business:

#1 – Building residual income

Now for those who do not know, residual income means you get paid over and over for doing something only once. This is how actors, musicians, and authors build their wealth. No you may be wondering how you will build a residual income if you are not an actor, musician, or author? Well, with the advent of the Internet, you can create many products and services that people are very willing to pay you for. At this point, you simply automate it online and you have created a hands-free source of residual income.

#2 – Potential for unlimited income

Starting your own business is the only way to build unlimited potential for your income. No other way exists, even if you won the lottery your income would be capped at your winnings, but when you start your own home-based business you can essentially make as much money as you want, the only thing getting in your way is you.

#3 – Freedom to do what you want, when you want

While unlimited income potential and the idea of making money around the clock is amazing, there really is no better benefit or feeling than having freedom. When you have your own home-business, you answer to nobody except yourself. Now when you have the ability to decide how to run things, when to do certain things, and when not to do things, you have an amazing feeling and gift that can only come with running your own business. When you have freedom from a boss, you will have more energy, more drive, and more desire to achieve success. Even working 14hr days will not seem as bad to you because you are working for yourself, on your own accord, and having the freedom to decide how much or how little to work is a great feeling.

One Size Does NOT Fit All With Your Top Home Based Business!

You want to earn extra money from home, so you search and search to find something that doesn’t smack of scam and you decide to pull the trigger. The problem with buying programs off the internet, is that they are mostly one-sized-fits all. And unfortunately — its not your size!If you’ve bought any programs lately — and who hasn’t? Then you know the promise that you bought and the promise that you get are most often two different things!I heard a story from a friend just the other day who has plans to own a top home based business, who said she bought a program that was going to teach her home based internet marketing and help her to become “rich quick”! Now, I’ve tried to convince my friend that these too-good-to-be-true sounding deals — are most ALWAYS too good to be true — but she’s bound and determined, so I just sit and listen.Anyway, I listened as she described the program she bought. It promised that anyone could set up this affiliate program and could have it running in under a week. She would be able to earn extra money from home in under one week! Hmmm!As a one-sized-fits-all program, you’d think that it would need to be simple enough so that even the least computer savvy among the purchasers could follow along.In truth, she was hopelessly lost before the end of the second lesson. She struggled mightily to find the answers and ultimately gave up. Fortunately, she was able to get a refund of her money!The point is, to really be a successful program, you have to understand that each person marches to a different drum. No off the shelf program that is targeted to the masses will be able to predict the skill level and talents of everyone who buys the product. In fact, there would need to be several modules for beginner, intermediate and advanced.Another way to look for programs that might benefit you in your search for the perfect home based small business, it to look for something with a coaching component in it. The programs that I’ve seen be the most successful are programs that include coaching elements — they allow you to ask questions, learn at your own pace, take the lessons that are most suited for you and provide encouragement along the way.So if you’re in the market for a program to help you get started in your top home business, just remember that most products that promise to make you a millionaire Monday are junk. Look for good solid programs that will help you through the process and has good solid customer support in case you get stuck!Best of luck!

Serious Home Based Business – What Does It Take To Create A Successful Home Based Business?

At the beginning we are all excited when starting with a serious home based business, and many people take action in the first few days and weeks, but what happens with this initial buzz after a few months? People don´t get where they want to go and MANY of them quit because of frustration, not knowing how to on in their serious home based business and maybe also because of very little till no support from their sponsor, family and others.From what I´ve seen so far and learned from personal experiences a serious home based business depends upon a few factors and these are the following:1) Faith: I think that faith is a very well known word and many people are familiar with it, but what influence has it in our network marketing process? We can describe faith as a pretty strong mental attitude, which should help to stay focused in our business to move forward as an entrepreneur and committed individual. It is something that everybody can fully imply into his daily routine. You´ve to believe in yourself that you´re absolutely in the position to create and form any success that you deeply desire. Don´t forget that everything starts in your mind, and taking action or not taking action is actually the sum of our thoughts.Focus on what is possible in life and business and you can go far. Not having enough faith is probably the reason why 98% of this industry will never achieve a full time income, because they missed this point badly. If you take this seriously you´ll have an advantage over most people out there in the home based business industry.2) Mentor: Now it comes to a vitally aspect of business, because everybody needs a trainer and mentor, would it be in soccer, private life, business or anywhere else. Not having a mentor will lead to LOTS OF headache, being uncertain what to do next, basically we need somebody that points us into the RIGHT DIRECTION. Make sure that your mentor will always be there to support you and educate you, if not pick another. I´m not just talking at the beginning or on unsteady times, it rather means consistently taking care of the student and show him EXACTLY what to do.3) Be Serious: Accepting the fact that you alone determine how big you´ll be and you alone decide whether you are going to succeed in this business or not. There´s nobody else to blame because everyone has his on life in his own hands. As a goal oriented entrepreneur, we´ve to be totally dedicated to continues self growth, self-development and striving for more in our growing process. Having a decent portion of hunger will also allow to grow constantly, and develop further into your ideal performance.4) Education: Your education is the reason why you have the same possibilities like anyone else, it´s because you can acquire the same skills if the same information is available to you, all what you have to do is find something that is really great and work every day on it until you become extremely good in your ability and skill. Commit yourself to permanent education and then review your results at the end of the week and month to see where it brought you.There´s a lot more to say but these are 4 essential attitudes of a serious home based business and you just have to do it and take action.

The 10 Best Home Based Business Ideas – Online Businesses Are Here to Stay

You may have noticed that Sacramento’s economic condition has not exactly been strong, of late. In fact, while conditions across the country are trying, to say the least, Sacramento, and California as a whole, seems to be leading the pack in economic devastation. With a State budget on the verge of collapse, years of arguing and posturing over the use of public funds, and what appears to be the breakdown of our State’s entire public service sector, local entrepreneurs are turning to online businesses to supplement, and in some cases actually replace their income streams.Over the last several years, but specifically in the last six to nine months, direct sales companies have seen a surge in their membership numbers. Those companies experiencing the highest growth are companies utilizing the internet as a primary means of member recruiting as well as well-developed web purchasing interfaces.We know this economy has been hard on everyone, and we felt that this list would be timely and helpful to our readers. What follows is a list of the 10 best home based business ideas.Leading the pack of home-based direct sales companies are those that offer access to goods and services used by people on a regular basis, and especially those that offer discounts and/or rebates on these every day purchases. People are not interested in buying things they don’t view as necessary any more. Today what they are looking for is access to those items they have to have, and they are looking for ways to buy them cheaper and more efficiently.And clearly in this list, the online options dominate. Fully six of the top 10 best home based business ideas we researched were online opportunities. There is no doubt that online commerce is just in its infancy. According to one report this $305 Billion industry is likely to triple in the next 5 years, and that is allegedly a conservative estimate. More and more businesses are finding online sales to be lucrative, as well as more efficient and cost effective. There are less employees required and businesses can sell to a broader range of clients spread out over a greater geographical territory. The potential is limitless.So, without further ado, our list of the 10 best home based business ideas (in reverse order).10. Home Day Care Center Believe it or not, the home daycare center still ranks in the top ten for home-based businesses. The reason is that in these economic times it is becoming more and more difficult for families to stay afloat on just one income. Everyone is looking to supplement their incomes, and those with two spouses working, and kids at home, must have an alternative to the daily care of their children. Parents of young children looking to supplement income from home may find day care an excellent way to bring in income as well as spend time with their own children. There are some other benefits to this profession as well, such as the opportunity to socialize your own children at a young age. But, beware of the potential pitfalls of this industry: many children find it hard to share their personal space in their own home for lengthy periods of time, this may result in frustration for the care-giver’s own children. Also, licensing is required in most jurisdictions, so be sure to check with your local authorities before you launch a home day care.9. Medical Transcription This is an excellent choice of careers for people with excellent English language skills and typing ability. Many doctors outsource their transcription functions rather than pay employees to handle them. It is more cost effective for the doctors since they do not have to pay Medicare, SDI and other taxes that accompany hiring employees. This business is excellent for start-ups since it requires very low overhead and equipment purchases, and can be done in a minimal amount of space. In fact, most people already have the necessary equipment such as a desk, computer, and tape recorder. Incomes can range from $25,000 per year for part-time work to more than $90,000 per year for full-time efforts.8. Accounting For those would-be stay-at-home working parents, especially those with a strong background in accounting and/or financial skills, an accounting or bookkeeping career may be just the right choice. This career option offers a tremendous amount of flexibility to the working parent, and an excellent income opportunity. You can start the business right from your own home, building on referrals and low cost advertising, but it has the potential to grow with you as your children age and become less dependent, entering school, and freeing up more of your own time. Look heavily to building relationships with other professions, such as attorneys, insurance professionals and real estate agents as they will often refer clients to you. You can begin this business from scratch, or you can buy a tax and accounting franchise (a slightly more expensive option, but perhaps a shorter start-up period). Again, check with local authorities for licensing requirements in your area. Regulations can change from state to state, and there is also a wealth of information available at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.7. Catering Many parents love to cook and entertain, and catering can provide Moms (or Dads) an opportunity to work from home, but still get out and socialize and do what you enjoy. Most of the upfront preparation work can be done from your own home while looking after children, and then meals can be delivered, or in some cases even picked up, for delivery to the event. Parents with a modest approach can make an excellent income by simply providing the meals, those looking to satisfy a larger dream can also provide staff for set up, waiting, and tear down, or even do it themselves. Income potentials can be very good with catering services, and the most successful home-based caterers might make close to six figures.6. Online Affiliate ProgramsOne of the internet’s greatest introductions to home based business owners over the last decade has been that of the affiliate marketer. This is the first of our online business opportunities, and is a position that does not require you to work for a company, purchase products, carry inventory, or even to interact with customers. You can easily start a successful and lucrative affiliate marketing business by simply finding products on the internet that you are interested in, joining the company’s affiliate program, and then marketing those products online. Most affiliate programs pay directly to a Pay Pal (or other payment processing service) account on a monthly basis. Of course, this business may require some start up capital if you choose to market through pay for service venues, such as pay per click. There are plenty of free marketing sources online as well, but they may require more effort. Still, this can be an excellent way for work-from-home parents to supplement a one-income family. You can find out all about it by Googling “Affiliate Programs” or on resource sites such as Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Scout. While this is a viable internet opportunity, it does require you to seek out and market individual companies and their products. In my opinion, a far better opportunity to consolidate this effort into a more lucrative, efficient and profitable business exists in item number one below.5. Freelance Writing Everyone has considered writing a book at some point in their lives, or at least liked the sound of that idea. Today’s market for writers is wide open, everything from relevant articles on travel, the arts, local scenes and business to fully fledged e-books on both technical as well as tactical topics. Especially if you are already familiar with a specific subject, this is a great way for you to share that expertise with a very broad market. There are literally millions of people searching the internet every day for information on specific subjects, and they are willing to pay for that information. Try your hand at writing first with shorter venues, and as your skill and experience grow, branch out into more aggressive projects. An excellent resource for freelance writing on the internet can be found at the Freelance Writing Jobs Network or, become an Examiner in your area.4. Business Coach While this opportunity is not necessarily an “online” opportunity, it is a bit of a hybrid, and it really plays to those individuals at the top of their game. This opportunity requires someone with a very strong business background, or at least some formidable business training. In today’s climate with so many people becoming displaced or seeking opportunity outside of the traditional corporate walls, there is a tremendous need for someone off which to bounce ideas, to assist in the business planning activities and to keep over-energetic CEO’s feet on the ground. If you have experience in corporate management, business acumen or other specialized skills then you can share them with those who have ideas but less experience. There is even a coaching certification program and referral service provided to the members of the International Coach Federation.3. Web DesignWeb sites are a must in today’s business climate, even for traditional brick-and-mortar type businesses. With online shopping and information dissemination becoming more and more a requirement companies are jumping onto the web in droves, and they need excellent web site designers to guide them through the process. This is truly a case where it is difficult to see the forest for the trees. There are so many facets to web design and a web presence that it is almost impossible to get started without some heavy duty assistance. For anyone familiar with html programming, CSS, SEO, or even WYSIWYG editors, this opportunity can be a gold mine. Much of your work can be done after hours when the kids are in bed, and this is one thing that makes this opportunity perfect for moonlighters and all-day parents.2. Online Shopping PortalOnline shopping is already a $305 billion industry, and according to most reports, we have barely scratched the surface. There are several companies on the internet now that allow entrepreneurs and home-based business owners to purchase a web portal and profit from sales that occur through that web portal. Several of these companies will not only pay owners for purchases they have made through their websites, but also for the purchases made through the web sites of people they have personally referred. This is the affiliate program on steroids. This business is poised for tremendous growth, and companies also capitalizing on the “green” movement will benefit even more. Recent earth day articles and studies pointed out that online shopping is far more efficient and less harmful to the environment than traditional shopping. Watch this market explode in the next 5 years.1. Online Marketing Education and Financial TrainingOur number one pick of the 10 best home based business ideas – drum roll please – CarbonCopyPro. Whatever business you are in, and whether it is online or brick-and-mortar, these days you have to be able to market yourself online. It is essential in today’s marketplace, and will be indispensable in the future. The best money you can spend is to invest a little in your own training before you begin your online marketing campaign. And if you are going to spend a little on yourself, why not do it in a place where you can also earn while you learn? By far, the best training (and income opportunity) we have found for internet marketing, both free and paid, is through CarbonCopyPRO. At CarbonCopyPRO you will learn from the best of the best, internet marketers earning tens of thousands of dollars online every month, and they have a rather auspicious goal of creating 100 millionaires by 2012 – will you be one of them?So, now you have the 10 best home based business ideas. Of course, there are a number of other considerations you must keep in mind, such as which opportunity best fits your lifestyle, avoiding scams, etc.; and we will delve into some of these issues in future articles. All that is left now is for you to do your own homework and decide which opportunity is best suited to your tastes. Happy hunting.

How to Judge the Best Easy Home Based Business

A person can be home bound for many reasons and similarly, there is no limited time as well for one to work from home. You can be a housewife, a retired personal, a student or even a working person who is always willing to earn something extra which can be of good use in needs. Money can be earned in many ways and it is all up to you as to which way you opt for.The type of the easy home based top business varies from one person to another as for some the legitimate internet business is the perfect source of income while some others prefer to for the networking businesses. But while going for a home based business one must note this very important factor that the capital amount invested for the business decides the capacity of it being a easy home based business. If you have a 6 figure home business in mind then for that the investments too have to be good. The smaller a business, the lesser is the income. But any 6 figure home business may not be reliable and the scam businesses should be kept miles away.With a number of MLM businesses mushrooming all over, it is often hard for one to track the reliable top home business. However, still it is not that difficult for one and if you choose to research about a business by taking help from the internet, things get easier and a great deal of time too is saved.Try following the steps mentioned below while looking for a easy home based business and get benefited:1. A proper research about the company and its roots:Before jumping into a business you must know the past records of the company. The success graph of the company too matters a lot along with members’ feedback. Together with that, you must also notice whether it is a legitimate internet business or not.2. Find out the features of its products and its goodness:Right after knowing about the company you should know well about the products or services that it provides and for which it is existing in the market. A company or a business will exist and prosper only if its products can meet the standard.3. Get your doubts cleared:If you have any kind of doubt about the type of the business, regarding the investment of money or regarding the growth of your income with it, then it is better if you get all these cleared before you really start with.4. Talk to the staffsThe members of the business who have been involved with it since a long time can be the best people to guide you. You can have face to face meeting with the staffs and come to an adequate conclusion as to whether it falls in the category of being legitimate online jobs or not.5. Seek for an expert’s or a friend’s opinion:An experienced person who is already involved with home based top business or a very close friend of you can be of great help while taking the final decisions. Building a top home business is not always a one man’s job.6. No need to hurry:Always take your time for having an eye on the positive and negative aspects of a business. Try investing your time in studying the legitimate online jobs only. A hasty mind may lead you to a wrong direction.7. Are you the perfect person for it:Lastly, compare your eligibility and qualifications and your interest with the business and then think is it the right kind of thing that you have been made for. If your mindsets are in no way on the same track with this business then you better not go for it.The way to a easy home based business therefore, is not that smooth and you should go for it with proper preparations only. An extended homework on the business that you are thinking of opting for will be your best help in moving further.

Top 8 Home Based Business Opportunities For Women

As a woman there are more reasons for you than most men to start your own home-based business. A combination of corporate prejudice and the demands of raising a family are all key factors in most women’s decision to call it a day in the corporate rat race and try their entrepreneurial hand at working from home.And because women are that bit more creative than guys you’ll find that you’re also far more suited to a wider variety of home based businesses than most men.So what we’re going to take a look at here is a mix of both traditional home-based jobs and also the best home based businesses for women. At least that way you’re getting a balanced look at all the options that are available to you and will also help if you’re a tiny bit technophobic! And ideally at the end you’ll have made a choice from our selection of the best home based businesses for women.1. Life CoachingWith such low overheads the option of Life Coaching is a great choice for women who are drawn to helping others improve their lives. There are many accredited coaching courses available and most are online distance learning courses with only limited face time required. The challenge, like most businesses is to find regular clients to keep the practice going strong which is why most coaches soon realise that marketing is a huge aspect to running a successful practice.2. Home BakingOK this might sound a little bit 1950s for your “taste”, but there’s a huge demand for home-baked cookies, cakes and muffins and I personally know women who have built a full-time business from just baking muffins from home. The reality is home baked cookies always; always taste better than the store bought ones. If you’re ever-so-handy in the kitchen then this is one might be worth considering.3. Dog Walking or Dog SittingAgain because most people are either busy going to or coming from work dogs aren’t getting walked nearly as often as they should be. And you have dog owners who hate the idea of their pooches being stuck at home on their own all day. A dog sitter can charge $80 or more to make house visits to a client’s dog or if you’re dog sitting at home around $25 per day is about average. You get 4 dogs per day that’s $500 per week – that’s better than no cash right?4. Adult Novelty Toy PartiesOk, before you get all hot and flustered, or perhaps a little offended it’s worth mentioning this option because there is a booming trade in house parties where adult novelty toys and costumes are sold. The idea here is that you create a party atmosphere by playing harmless games to set the stage for selling more risqué items later on. I won’t go into any more detail here – but I’m sure you get the idea.5. CafePressNow here’s one that most people have never considered. Have you got some cute or funny pet pictures that your friends love? Or how about some holiday snaps that people admire? Or are you just a natural for coming up with funny phrases? In that case you can take your skills and create a free CaféPress store and upload your digital images or funny catch phrases and have them printed onto t-shirts, mugs, beer coasters etc. that are then drop shipped to customers who like your designs and you get paid a share of the sale price!6. Etsy.comAre you an arty crafty type of person? Can you draw, sculpt, paint, stitch, sew, crochet, dye or make knitted goods or handmade jewelry? If you’re even remotely artistic then Etsy.com is the perfect place to sell your wares. Think of them like the EBay of arts and crafts and there are plenty of stay-at-home moms who are making a full time living from selling their arts and craft goods on Etsy.com7. MLMThe multi-level marketing model has been around a long time and there are many companies to choose from that sell every product you can think of. It really comes down to choosing a company that has great integrity, loads of support and training and leadership that can help you and mentor you as you grow your business. People don’t buy product, they buy people so don’t fall for the line ‘our products are the best and sell them selves’ line. This is simply not true. When considering an MLM company look past the products and look for the quality and longevity of people involved in the opportunity and make your mind up from there.8. Affiliate MarketingAnd last, but by no means least, we have affiliate marketing. This is often referred to as the ideal business model for women if you want to start your own home based internet business and work from home because of the limitless earning potential and the fact that once the business is set up it can be set to autopilot after several months of work. Unlike mlm most affiliate marketing products are all sold online so you don’t need to stock product or have an inventory at all. This makes for a very ‘light’ business and extremely portable and can be highly profitable.If you’re not familiar with affiliate marketing it’s a business opportunity where you sell goods for other companies through your blog or website and earn a commission for doing that. You never have to handle any goods or customer support calls so it’s proven to be very popular with thousands of women and who are having incredible success online while working from home or anywhere with just a phone and a laptop.So it’s time for you to grab a cup of tea or coffee and a pen and paper and plan out how to start your own home-based business selling a product or service that you’re passionate about – we’ve given you some of the best home-based business opportunities for women you’ll find.

Getting The Most From Your Investment: GO Zone Property Management Options

INTRODUCTION

In Part 1 of this series, we went over some of the basics for getting a tenant into your newly purchased GO Zone property. In this article, we will go into more details on the options you have for getting that tenant and, more importantly, starting that cash flow as soon as possible.

As you may remember, there is a lot involved with getting to that first rent check. All the marketing, potential tenant due diligence, and then management of the tenant after they get into the property can be very taxing on an individual.

RENTING FROM LONG DISTANCE

All the previous discussions are further complicated depending on how far you live from the property. Take it from me, trying to do all the lease-up work and property management yourself from a long distance is an all consuming task; one which I do not recommend to anyone who has other obligations (i.e. a life). More on this shortly.

PROFESSIONAL PROPERTY MANAGERS

Enter the professional Property Manager. Typically, a property manager gets paid for both the lease up of a property, and also on the management of the tenant once in the property. During the lease up, property managers spend very real dollars advertising the property and thus they typically can command a lease up fee. In many locations (both inside and outside of the GO Zone), this typically equates to a charge of 1/2 of the first month’s rent.

In addition, a management fee is also received by the property manager on a monthly basis and is a percentage of the monthly rent amount. For long term leases, this averages in the 10-12% range. Note that the actual management fee can vary widely depending upon the area where the property is located, the type of property, etc.

OPTION 1: DOING IT YOURSELF

If you are like the overwhelming majority of GO Zone investors, you most likely do not live near your GO Zone property. In this situation, as a property owner and a real estate investor you need to think hard about taking on the property management task yourself.

With the Internet, you may be tempted to do some of the marketing on your own. However, there still is the need for the local presence on the ground for showing the property to potential tenants, getting contracts and agreements in hands, reviewed and executed, and for knocking on the door when rent is late.

In addition, if you are new to real estate investing and new to rental properties, it is probably not a good idea to try this on your own from a distance. It is usually recommended that you try your hand at self property management in your own back yard first before even considering the task of doing this long distance.

OPTION 2: COMBO PLATTER 1

Here is the case where you would pay someone else to lease up your property, and then you manage the property yourself. For this, you may get a property manager, licensed professional or other lease-up specialist to go out and market your property, find a tenant, do the tenant screening, etc.

Unfortunately, not many professionals, rental managers, etc., want to do all this work and only get some of the front end funds. IF you can find someone to take on this portion of the front end business, you should really also consider the additional lease up time that may be required; especially if they are managing other similar properties where they also get a portion of the monthly rent that comes in.

The only time that this situation works well for all parties is if you know of a real estate professional (or other person) that already knows of a tenant and does not have an available property to put them in.

OPTION 3: COMBO PLATTER 2

In this case, you try your hand at doing the front end marketing and obtaining the tenant yourself. Similar to the above situation, You figure that you may be able to save on some front end marketing costs (i.e. 1/2 of the first month’s rent as the front end cost) if you can do it on your own.

However as previously mentioned, you not only need the local presence on the ground for the showing of the property and getting the tenant into contract, but there is still something to be said about meeting the (potential) tenant face to face as part of the screening and having someone who is geared up to do this on a day in and day out basis do this for you. The old expression of “Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish” comes into play here.

OPTION 4: PAYING SOMEONE ELSE

As implied by the above, this is where you let someone else completely to the front end work, get the tenant into your property, and completely manage the tenant and the property for you. As someone who is and out of state real estate investor, this is the most common path you will likely go down.

From the GO Zone property point of view, you do want to have your hands in the pot some to make sure that you are involved in the management process. This may be as simple as working closely with your property manager on screening criteria, final approval of tenants (if outside of your normal criteria for screening), etc. Make sure, however, that you are very responsive in this situation as time is critical with getting someone into a property.

When you hire someone else to completely manage your property for you, you are typically signing an agreement with them (usually for at least 12-months) that spells out all the terms, fee schedule, services offered, payment/rent collection and the transfer of funds to you (after expenses, etc.).

OPTION 5: LEASEBACK WITH BUILDER (SEE NOTE)

Remember that this article series is about getting your GO Zone property rented as soon as possible and getting cash flowing into your pockets quickly. While this option is not really a property management solution in the traditional sense, it definitely solves the issue of rent-up times.

I will point out again (as I did in the first part of this series), that you should not run out and start getting properties that are offering lease back just on that merit alone. Remember that as an investor, the property still needs to stand on its own and “make sense” before a leaseback offer is even thrown on the table.

Some property owners and builders may throw a long-term leaseback into the deal to sweeten things up and make the overall sale attractive. You need to ask yourself, how will the property rent out without the leaseback? Is this a situation where a developer may have excess inventory on hand and is offering a leaseback on everything to make the sale (and adding it to the pricing as well)? So as an example, condos on the beach in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Without the leaseback these do not seem like a very sound investment based on the strong competition from the casinos for short term rentals and given the fact that the Mississippi Gulf Coast is really not a hot beach destination. In this case a leaseback does not make sense.

In the case where a builder of single family homes has 1 or 2 model homes that they would like to build, use as a model home, and would also like to keep that off their builder’s line, then offering a 12-month (with additional options typically) leaseback while building out that phase of the community makes perfect sense. Here you would only need to convince yourself that the community is where you would like to invest in.

Advantages of this option, other than the obvious cash flow from day 1, is that you do not have to spend any funds on marketing fees or even on property management fees since you are dealing with the builder directly.

Another advantage of this option is that if your tenant (i.e. the builder) is also using this as a model home, you have built in marketing for a home sale once the builder is finished using it as a model.

SUMMARY

There are many different paths and options for you to consider when trying to rent out and manage your GO Zone property including:

Doing it all yourself;
Having someone else find a tenant and you manage;
You find the tenant and have someone else manage;
Have someone else do it all for you
Find the right leaseback situation
Whichever path you go down, make sure that you do your homework before the property purchase.

In the next part of this series, the author goes over the key point of finding the right property management group to help you with getting someone in your GO Zone property fast.

Construction And Real Estate Litigation Safeguarding Your Interests

The latter-day problems that are arising in the housing industry has resulted in cancelled and discarded construction projects. As a consequence, there is an increased need of construction and real estate litigation like never before.

The project of construction comprises a range of contracts between numerous parties. Real estate law is not an ordinary law because of involvement of so many people in a single project. As it is related with many people, among those people anyone who feel he is not treated as mentioned in contract, can seek legal help.

As construction litigation covers a plenty of issues, so you need a construction law attorney who can help with proper formulation, reviewing and negotiation. A construction lawyer helps you in making a legal contract that provides you protection for your business interest and gives you real peace of mind. If a contract has been already made, a lawyer can help you with the reviewing. This will prevent you from future problems by detecting the loopholes in the project (if any). A lawyer can also help you with the negotiation like he can negotiate with the customers, sub contractors and suppliers. He can help you to divide money according to the priorities assigned.

There are numerous real estate law firms all of them deals in some specific issue like:

Delay in construction that leads to constructor’s problem as he has invested his money in the project, cost overruns and change orders, contracts, defective work claims including roofing defects, water intrusion, safety issues regarding structural life, liens, mold and mildew claims, insurance coverage issues and the related documents including loan documentation. Choose the appropriate lawyer who is experienced enough to handle that particular issue.

If you have already entered into a project, you can still seek help from construction lawyer. He can help you with the administration, enforcement, documentation and providing you with the best possible defence.

Administration: Your attorney will help you to stay within your contract limits. If you will understand clauses thoroughly, it will help you at the time of execution of the contract.

Enforcement: A lawyer can help you in setting right agreements especially if you are entering a contract with sub contractors or material suppliers so that the agreements will be maintained legally.

Documentation: A lawyer will ensure you proper protection with the legalised documentation so that if you encounter any problem in future, you can seek legalised help.

Defence: Your attorney is the only person who can defend you from legal obligations or for the loopholes o the contract.
You must have understood the need of real estate litigation. So, be prepared with your attorney whenever you are going to sign any new contract or deals with the other parties involved in the project. Make sure you have chosen the right lawyer who has done expertise in the particular arena in which you are seeking his help. As only an experienced lawyer can help you resolving your litigation related issues and provide you with legally sound solution.

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.