According to Pensacola, Fla.–based author and business consultant Quint Studer, there are ten key abilities any entrepreneur or small-business owner must have in order to be successful. But he also notes that no one starts out with all of these skills and emphasizes that smart businesspeople are constantly learning and honing their abilities.“No one is born a great business owner, knowing all there is to know. Great business owners evolve. Th
Over the past 12 months, many well-off Americans have been getting wealthier. The United States added more than a million new millionaires over the past year as stock prices rose, according to the Global Wealth Report published last month by Credit Suisse.That has helped fuel increases in many second-home markets across the country. Hawaii and Colorado may be the two luxury markets that saw the largest upticks in 2017, according to data from real
Many real estate professionals say that narrowing your customer base can actually increase your business pipeline. “A niche creates the ability for you to more easily build trust among potential clientele, which increases the likelihood of you gaining new clientele and therefore closing more deals,” writes Chadwick Ciocci, founder and CEO of Chilton & Chadwick in a recent article for Forbes.com. For example, a real estate professional f
Homes at higher elevations in hurricane-risk coastal areas are gaining value at a faster pace than those closer to sea level, CBS News reports.The trend is particularly evident in places like Miami, where “climate gentrification” is becoming a common buzzword. The term is used to describe the increasing role that volatile weather patterns and rising sea levels are playing in reconfiguring land values. Some experts say climate change could
The phrase “house poor” describes buyers who’ve bought a home they can’t afford. Most financial advisers say those who spend 30 percent or more of their pretax income on housing costs qualify for such a label. Under that standard, nearly 40 million U.S. households are considered “house poor,” according to the State of the Nation’s Housing 2017 Report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.Banks use different
Idaho saw the largest percentage of inbound moves in 2017, according to a recent report by Atlas Van Lines, a national moving company. About 65 percent of moves there were made by those relocating to the state, instead of moving away from it.Atlas Van Lines, which conducted nearly 7,300 relocations in 2017, looked at the percentage of moves in and out of each state to determine the states with the highest number of inbound moves. “Historically
The new tax law, which was signed into law at the end of 2017, will directly or indirectly affect most current and prospective homeowners. Those affected directly are mostly found in the higher-cost housing areas of the nation, and will find their mortgage interest deduction limited by a new maximum loan amount of $750,000, down from $1 million. There is also a cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes of $10,000. In addition, the gre
Interior designers are trained to know what works and doesn’t work in a home. Some designers recently advised against purchasing certain home furnishings, whether you are staging a home or moving into one. Avoid these interior design eyesores for the sake of a home’s style:Overstuffed chairs.“I get that lounge chairs are comfortable, but they’re truly the elephant in the room,” Karen Gray-Plaisted, a home staging and decor pro with D
Entertainment areas—wet bars and dry bars—are places to prepare beverages for guests. But these spaces may be losing appeal and could make your listing look dated, designers say.First, make sure you know the difference between a wet bar versus a dry bar. Simply enough, a wet bar has a sink, allowing glasses to easily be rinsed, while a dry bar does not.Home bars became trendy in the 1970s and 1980s. More homeowners outfitted their basements w
Retirees are finding that a $1 million nest egg—which was once considered a benchmark for a secure retirement—may no longer be enough. As younger generations age, they will likely see that having a million dollars in retirement may even put them at poverty risk when they retire, financial planners warn.A 67-year baby boomer retiring with $1 million will generate $40,000 to live off in the first year (adjusted for inflation and assuming a wit
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