Ask What You Can Do for Your Community

In this tough economy, it is time to ask yourself what you can do for the place where you live and own a business. Since people in your community need all different kinds of financial help, and your business could use any free advertising it can get, volunteering is a great way to create free advertising. Not only will your business get promoted through publicity for the event, the company’s public image will also be strengthened by showing your business cares about the community in which you operate.

Before you decide to donate a percentage of your sales to the local schools or organize a food drive at the homeless shelter, make sure the event is well planned. If you are able to bring together a well publicized event, with radio, television, and newspaper coverage through solid press releases, other companies will want to be part of your event too. Those new participants will be able to spread the word to their clients, put up flyers in their stores, and also mention the event on their web site. Make sure that your company logo and contact information are on every piece of information and you have just created an amazing promotional machine by doing community service.

A well done event to help your community, complete with solid press and strong partners, can be an important, long lasting marketing tool. So, if your business is a bit slower and you have free time to donate, ask what you can do for your community now and your company will thank you later.

Go Green to Help the Environment and Increase Home Value

Now is the time to start thinking seriously about home improvements, especially when it comes to energy savings. The government’s stimulus package includes The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is available to the general public for tax credit when they make energy efficient improvements to their homes. A tax credit of 30% is available when that improvement includes insulation, as well as the substantial savings realized from having lower heating and cooling bills because of the improvement.

There is a myriad of small inexpensive ways of reducing heating and cooling bills, from insulation to caulk and weather stripping. Eco-friendly homes can be more marketable than a similar traditional home. Buyers are more conscious now than ever about the cost of energy, and eco-friendly homes make for a long term energy savings.

In dollars and cents, many experts have found that an eco-friendly home sells for 10 to 15 percent premium than traditional homes. Combine that with the tax credit, in fiscal terms upgrading a home to be eco-friendly can result in a significant increase in sales price. In addition, with the rising price of energy, eco-friendly home demand will continue to rise.

Commercial Foreclosure - Top 5 Counties

Commercial foreclosures have been a hot topic lately. With vacancy rates rising and rents declining, commercial properties are seeing a decline in cash flow. Combined with the lack of financing, this has led to a spike in commercial properties on the foreclosure lists. It is no surprise that this is happening now as the commercial market lags behind the already peaked residential market. Many of our clients are interested in commercial foreclosures and are inquiring as to where to find the largest number. A list of our top five commercial foreclosure areas for May 2009 includes: (1) Clark County, NV (2) Los Angeles County, CA, (3) Miami-Dade County, FL, (4) Maricopa County, AZ and (5) Lee County, FL.

Because commercial loans are generally made on much shorter terms than residential mortgages, many property owners just refinance at the end of their term. However, with the lack of available financing, many financially viable properties are making their way onto our Default Listings. For more information about commercial properties click here.

The commercial foreclosure market seems to be heating up, so those interested should begin by exploring the most up-to-date commercial foreclosure listings that Default Research provides.