Introducing REITMedia for the Real Estate Investment Trust Market
I've been working on a new site focused on the high-yield real estate investment trust market. As a small individual investor in REITs (rhymes with treat), I've been very happy with this investment vehicle.
So why build a REIT web service now? I was searching for a site that presents a snapshot of the industry, and I also believe that analytic information can be obtained about a company on the sheer volume of their PR efforts. Just like the housing market, the REIT market is also experiencing a downtown, however long-term I think REITs are a smart choice.
Continue reading Comments (0) Jun.26.2007.
Business “Savings Account”
If you own a small business, you may have searched for a way to earn an interest on your small cash balance. Most banks offer business savings accounts, but the minimum to open an account is typically in the thousands or your business is required to pay a maintenance fee that completely negates the pennies in interest you would earn.
Additionally, most of the high-yield accounts offered by banks like ING Direct are personal accounts only. For some reason banks seem to avoid offering the same great rates to businesses that they offer to individuals.
I’ve found a solution to this problem with my Paypal Business Account. All I had to do was click on a few links to convert my Paypal Cash Balance to a Money Market account. The best part is that the average yield is in line with ING Direct and HSBC. For example, the current 7 day average yield on the Paypal Money Market Fund as of 1/3/2007 was 5.02%.
It’s important to remember that monies invested in the Paypal Money Market Fund are not FDIC insured and while unlikely for this type of investment vehicle you could lose money. I’ve never been a huge fan of Paypal, but this type product is a huge satisfier for my business.
Continue reading Comments (0) Jan.31.2007.
Ajax Is Open for Business
We've all heard the significance of dynamic and hot-from-the-oven content to keep our web-sites relevant. With the advent of Web 2.0, web-sites once again impress us with easier to use and more responsive user experiences. These new enhancements are not powered by new technology, but rather by a new way of using old technology. This everything old is new again approach is called Ajax.
Technically speaking Ajax is an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. JavaScript and XML are the building blocks of Ajax solutions and both have been around for years. Interestingly, the XML portion in practice runs in the background and is facilitated by standard HTTP requests.
Quite simply Ajax techniques allow web-sites to behave and feel more like our standard desktop applications, and this is done by allowing the web page to exchange data with the web server in the background. Only a portion of the web-page is refreshing as a result. This limits the need for the web browser to reload other data and graphics that did not change.
Okay, enough technical paraphrasing. The how in the case of Ajax is less important than the why. For example, Google has embraced Ajax like no other company. They rapidly created a suite of Ajax enabled applications that directly confront Microsoft. Their first solution was the widely successful Gmail. Since then they have rolled out a web-based spreadsheet program and word processor. While these solutions are not fully featured like their Microsoft counterparts they embrace the simple core of Google.
You can start using Ajax today. Everything one needs to deploy an Ajax solution is readily available, and included in your web-browser and can be interpreted by your web server. Most existing web applications can be rewritten to use AJAX technology instead of traditional HTML forms vastly improving performance and exceeding expectations. As documented by the original Ajax enthusiasts, Jesse James Garret, the only limit with Ajax is "to forget what we think we know about the limitations of the Web, and begin to imagine a wider, richer range of possibilities".Continue reading Comments (1) Nov.29.2006.
Individui SMS Text Messaging for Real Estate
If you've ever browsed a neighborhood for a home, you know the frustration associated with trying to call the number on the for sale sign to obtain the specifics and the price. When you call you get the Real Estate office receptionist or you get voice mail. A start-up company based in Celebration, Florida has a "why didn't I think of that" solution. The company, Individui, will allow house hunters to use two-way SMS text messaging to address the problem.
It works like this. The real estate agent sets up their listing on the Individui site. They then advertise the listing and instructions on how to retrieve that information using SMS text messaging. These simple set of instructions will then be integrated into the for sale sign at the property. When the potential home buyer requests more information via the SMS text messaging protocol the information selected by the real estate agent is pulled directly from the multiple listing system (MLS). The real estate agent is then instantly notified of the home buyer's request.
Continue reading Comments (0) Oct.27.2006.