Home Buddies Quarterly Economic Report - Part 3 - Opportunities

By Cliff Pape

Over the past several weeks we have taken a bird's eye view of the US economy. In this post I will be addressing what we will likely see happening in mortgage and real estate markets in 2009. Finally, I will point out the unique opportunities that are available in this type of environment.

Mortgage Markets and Credit

It seems the biggest story coming out of 2008 is the Fed's announcement in November to buy up $600 billion in unsecured debt and mortgage-backed securities from Fannie and Freddie. The push is an attempt by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury to steer toward lower mortgage rates - not just lower short-term rates.

The goal, whether it is a good idea or not, is to make it less expensive to get a mortgage. The idea is to lower debt costs to bring possible home-buyers or investors with credit to stabilize the market.

Investors have always had the role of stabilizing property values after every bust and this cycle is no different. When investors and retail buyers begin to buy up property, values will start to recover which helps the banks' balance sheets. The good news for loan officers is that the cycle so far has been pretty predictable and we have long been anticipating a new refinance boom that usually comes after federal manipulation.

Real Estate Markets

If housing permits continue to slow, it may be some time before the real estate market improves in the US. Keen an eye on a few things in Houston however. Some cities (including Houston) are still countering the global economic trend. However, even in Houston, permits are starting to slow which may lead to a retraction as we move into next year.

However, layoffs will be the big indicator leading into 2009. If we experience substantial job layoffs then the already fragile housing market could experience a deeper setback.

Investment Opportunities

The credit crisis has brought fear into markets whose economic fundamentals would not otherwise justify it. Therefore there may never be a better time to buy single family homes in Houston because the emotional fear does not match the fundamentals and prices have fallen below what they would otherwise warrant without the short-term, emotionally-driven fear.

Lastly, with the current credit standards, many buyers (including many investors) are no longer able to get financing for single family homes. Now there is an opportunity for investors with good credit (or those with other financing options) to buy investment real estate at below-market prices.

About the Author:

Home Buddies is a Houston Credit Repair Coach for business and investors in real estate. Home Buddies' Credit Coaching Program takes clients through the process of restoring credit and overcomes the obstacles to financing properties and growing a portfolio.

Start your Online Business

By Steve Blalock

There are many different online businesses that you can start but most of them come down to three broad categories which are: selling products or services to retail customers, selling on eBay, and business-to-business selling. You'll want to look at what your specialty is in creative business around one of these three broad categories.

If you decide that you want to sell to retail customers, you will have to find a way to sell your products or services in a different manner than many of the other retail websites out there. If you sell on eBay, you'll want to find a wholesale distributor of products where you can buy your products at a great discount. If you already work within the business-to-business forum, this will be an easy transition for you.

Each of these three categories can be broken into but you must decide upon which of the three will focus. Many people will decide to start an online business but have no idea where they should focus their efforts. By focusing your efforts on one of these three categories, you'll know in which direction to start. If you decide to start with eBay, look for a wholesale distributor where you can buy your products at a great discount. This is most effective for many startups because you do not have to buy the products at retail and you can worry about selling online to people who want your product. The people who want your product will be the ones who are bidding so that you know exactly what they want when the auction is over. To find some wholesale distributors for you, look at the following website: www.worldwidebrands.com.

If you decide that you want to sell products or services to retail customers, try and find a niche that is underserved by your Internet competitors right now. This is vital to starting an online retail business because you want to find an area where there is little competition that you can dominate. To find some of these underserved niches, visit the following website: www.findhotniches.com.

Finally, if you decide that you want to do business to business selling, figure out how you can provide benefit to the particular market that you want to go after. Business-to-business selling is similar to the retail strategy in that you want to focus upon a niche and try and dominate that niche.

Hopefully this article on starting an online business gives you an idea on which of the three areas you would like to focus.

About the Author:

Before you start your online business, make sure you read Steve Blalock's free reports. creating your online business

Big Dog - Overview

By Deniss Durrell

There are many storage products for Big Dog Motorcycles on the market today. There are many different things to keep in mind when selecting storage units for the road.

Firstly, you will want to secure that you recognize how much that you have to pay out on the item. Big Dog Motorcycles has some different objects that can support you put away for the open road that are priced in a acceptable way.

The upcoming thing that you should consider while making this category of purchase are the temperature conditions in the areas that you take a trip the most.

It is important that the storage product is able to protect your belongings from rain, snow, and more! Big Dog Motorcycles offers many different lines of storage products that can do just that!

At Big Dog Motorcycles, you will achieve several variance kinds of storage units for your bike. You will achieve tail bags that expand and spin out, zippered and covered units that have several dissimilar parts, road sport packs, and more!

Big Dog Motorcycles recognizes and understands the essential of bikers everywhere. This is why they provide such a big stock of things while it comes to storage.

Now, you can have the room that you need to carry your possessions, at a low cost. Big Dog Motorcycles is considered to be one of the leaders in the industry when it comes to motorcycle storage products today!

About the Author:

About Author: Bigdo-g.com. Big Dog Motorcycles has a wide selection of accessories for your bike. If you are in need of storage products, you are in luck! Check out the information listed here on the selection choices that you have!