Home Loans: How do companies find responsible borrowers?
Nov 2 at 11:11am by ObverseView
A lot of homeowners have found themselves in really bad trouble by taking out excessive home loans in the United States. And this is part of the problem which led up to the financial crisis. Why? Because lenders forgot the basic principals of lending when they could write off risky loans by passing them off as investment grade materials on the market.
However, the one aspect of this story that has been overlooked is that the homeowners themselves were the ones who shared in the party. They were the ones who signed the papers in the first place, then took out excessive loans based on the premise that the party would continue for the ‘foreseeable future’.
As we are all aware, that did not happen. So let’s suppose that you are a responsible lender. What can you do to educate, inform and manage homeowners who want to borrow home loans sensibly? I’ve got three practical ways that GetSmart helps to homeowners and future homeowners.
Get out your calculators!
First, prospective clients need calculators that can help them work out the details of the loans they are talking about. And, clients need two different kinds of calculators: Type 1 that is a simple calculator; Type 2 offers additional options, including variable APR, insurance, taxes, etc.
It’s difficult to imagine a financial site without at least Type 1 calculators, these days. But type 2 calculators help customers make much clearer calculations that include more variables than the back of the envelope type calculators you’d typically find.
Credit Report
While US customers are entitled to a free credit check, providing potential customers with a credit checking and monitoring service should be a good move because customers can first check if they have any outstanding credit issues that might affect the pricing of their loan or mortgage.
Though this is a monthly subscription of $14.95, it might offer some peace of mind to customers who are worried about their credit history, those who are victims of ID theft, and those looking to improve their credit scores. Be aware, though they offer a free report, it’s free because it’s an introductory offer, and the subsequent months will generate a charge of $14.95.
Resources Center
Educating your customers in your products is absolutely essential. Why? Because better informed customers will be able to take advantage of the products and services you offer. This means not only will you generate more money as a business, but your customers will be better placed to evaluate your selling points, and to discover why they should do business with you.
In GetSmart’s case, there is a plethora of articles on the site, all neatly organised. The articles are well laid out, and they examine a range of issues from Piggyback Loans, Lock-ins, ARMs, Discounting, etc. In addition, the articles seem to be unique and well-written. They do not appear to be articles taken from every day article sites.
What is most interesting though, most pages on the site offer a reasonable number of links to other articles, a few additional resources and links, and a call to action. In fact, they try four different ways to hook potential customers. Let’s hope that they plan to work their mailing lists effectively with all the traffic they are likely to get.
Data Feeds
The only downside is that you don’t get any ‘real’ information to play with, as you almost certainly need to submit an application to get any hard statistics on your loan. It’s also difficult to find a list of actual rate offers anywhere on the site, unlike some financial sites. That would be my one suggestion: get a data feed that can pull actual data to give visitors some feel of what is available.
Nicely Done
Overall, this site is nicely laid out, has the feel of an authentic loan retailer, and the server is responsive to page requests. In addition, I haven’t been able to bring up a link that doesn’t work; unlike some other financial sites I’ve reviewed. They do offer other credit repair services, identity protection, insurance products, and much more. So it’s certainly worth checking out.
Comments OffContinue Reading
Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging
Dec 18 at 12:12pm by ObverseView
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging
Comments OffContinue Reading
Buzz: Online Casino BlueBook – Is it a top site for online Casinos? It could be…
Oct 5 at 2:02pm by ObverseView
Gambling is a passion for those who do…! Whatever the form, you will find gambling websites galore that cater to the particular niche! If you’re a pro-gambler, you’ll likely already know which sites are the best. If you’re not, then you’ll need a little help finding the best sites. It’s this group of gamblers, occasional or amateur or pleasure gamblers who’ll find resources like Online Casino Bluebook, which you can find at http://www.onlinecasinobluebook.com, very useful.
Find the best?
Online Casino Bluebook offers the simple proposition: Find the 10 best casinos as reviewed by experienced online gamblers. You’ll notice that this website isn’t a large website as such, but that it lists selected websites of the hundreds potentially available. In my book, this is an asset: too much of late, we’re presented with millions of results that are meaningless… why not have just a few links that are seriously useful. So having an online gambling or casino topsite will generate a lot of interest.
Design, usability and Content
The simplicity of the layout helps to support the purpose of the website, by funneling traffic to the websites in the list, after all. Overall, I’d have to rank usability as ‘good’ because of this, but there are some odd features that I’d like to note:
1. Why place the links to individual games so far down the page, and well below the crease – many gamblers favor particular games, and so would be interested to be able to find links to games in their niche. Make it easier for them by moving the links further up …
2. Casino News is so out of date that I wonder why it’s there. There are plenty of ways to add news sections in your website , so that the information can be pulled in automatically. Why not go to Google News and create your own feed of news using key words? Then use the feed to create links on your site, automatically.
3. The problem of toplist sites is a simple one : you want to get traffic, visitors, registrations, and subscribers for your mailing list. But the success of your website entails sending traffic away to other sites in the directory, the toplist, or wherever else you ad. It would be a much better idea to create a reason for visitors to come back: some ideas could include – a blog with RSS feeds in which you post reviews, articles and tipsm and perhaps even a small forum for visitors to register and chat.
4. The overall design tends to look ‘generic’ (and I know all about ‘generic’!) as the colors and layout seem to shout standard template, standard colors, and other words we might associate with ‘generic’ as a term. I’d suggest that you try to find a more unique theme or even buy a theme from a designer. That should help to set your website apart.
5. The three “I’s” – Impartiality is important: I have checked through several of the reviews that are offered: Bingo for Money Review, Bingo Hall Casino Review, and so on. And I think there is a problem in the balance of reviews, though, that might make readers wary of the rest of the content. There are no negative comments on the casinos mentioned at all. There are no reasons offered for one casino to be rated 10/10 while another is 9/10 or 8/10. While the negative comments could be rated as ‘things to think about’ or ‘suggestions’, it would help to serve the notion that the website was impartial. As it is now, the sense of impartiality is missing.
6. Lastly, though, many visitors don’t like to see affiliate links, so I think a couple of changes should help: make it clear in the disclaimer page that the site uses affiliate links. But then use one of John Chow’s suggestions: use a php file to create the affiliate as a page . Read more there on how to do this.
With a fast server as you have, you should have no problem to add many of the features suggested. Doing so will help you to generate traffic, visitors, and SEO; and will make your website PROFITABLE!
Presented by Online Casino Bluebook .
Warning: Gambling is dangerous to your finances, relationships and health. Should you have any problems that you wish to deal with, look for support, counselling and advice from groups like Gamblers’ Anonymous.
In recent years, though, the US states and federal government have cracked down on online gambling, confiscating millions of players’ dollars, arresting people who have broken laws in the US, but not in Europe, and are ardently trying to prevent online casinos from proliferating. It’s not my position to contest these actions, if you wish this situation changed, please contact your state and national legislators. Therefore, I cannot condone online gambling because of the additional burden of risk that it may place on gamblers’ shoulders.
Comments OffContinue Reading
Trade Displays: is it time to trade up yet?
Jan 25 at 1:01am by ObverseView
Obblogatory Reading has been following the ups and downs of a start up company. You can read about their exploits here.
One of the things I noted was how often they had to attend Trade shows and Conferences. They had these great Trade Show Displays and I always wondered where on earth one would actually get one of those displays.
So I visited this website to see what they had: Trade Displays, Banner Stands, Literature Racks… and more than 9 other kinds of products to help your trade stand go with a bang! Though I had initial sticker shock with prices over $1000 for a display, this could in fact be a great investment for a startup. You won’t have to purchase additional equipment, and you won’t have to rent it each time. The cost savings could be quite substantial really. Now, I wonder… where do exhibitors get their displays?
Sponsored by TradeShowMax.
Comments OffContinue Reading
Motivational Speaking: Mark Hughes could be on his mark!
Jan 18 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
I’ve long been a fan of Toastmasters.org, and in fact was a member for more than two years. I never completed the basic course, but I did find the skills that I learned useful. That was great for me to learn communication skills, leadership skills, and public speaking skills! So hiring a professional speaker could be a smart move! Mark Hughes, former CEO of Half.com spent his life in marketing, and garnered some wonderful business wisdom, esp. where dollars are scarce.
This post has been inspired and motivated by Mark Hughes!
Comments OffContinue Reading
Audiobooks: Whatever the technology – a good way to ‘read’ stuff!?
Jan 13 at 8:08pm by ObverseView
Audiobooks represent a great challenge to traditional reading methods, except for those who love books, as I do. But for those who can’t read, e.g. at the wheel of a car, on a bus, or otherwise disadvantaged, a service like Books on CD
will be a great boon whether you buy, rent or download.
That challenge is perhaps why when Books on CD with services in the U.S. and Canada faced all sorts of commercial problems and legal issues when they started up in the U.K. Of course, when you are breaking ground, it will never be easy!
In fact, even now, 95 per cent of Simply Audiobooks customers come from the United States, 4 per cent are from Canada and 1 per cent from Britain. “Rentals are unheard of” in Britain, Sanjay Singhal, chair and chief marketing officer says. “We’re the first to enter the British market.”
Sponsored Post.
Comments OffContinue Reading
Online Dictionary: Simple, Effective!
Jan 13 at 1:01am by ObverseView
I found this great and powerful website: another online dictionary. Overall, it works well, but it needs a few tweaks to make things go with a swing!
I looked up the word ‘inexorable’ to see what would happen:
What does inexorable mean? (Adjective)
1·· not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty.
“Grim determination.”
“Grim necessity.”
2·· impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason.
“He is adamant in his refusal to change his mind.”
“Cynthia was inexorable; she would have none of him.- W.Churchill; “
It’s a nice looking website, very simple to look at, use. I also like the use of examples to amplify the meaning.
Here’s a couple of suggestions:
1. Get a better name;
2. Sort out the formatting for the answers; and
3. Simplify the design of the home page.
Currently the site is in beta mode, so I hope that some of these suggestions will be taken up. Overall, I’ll be visiting again! It’s in my bookmarks!
This is a sponsored post.
Comments OffContinue Reading
RAZR V3m: So cool you could cut yourself!
Jan 9 at 2:02am by ObverseView
I have a mobile phone by Sharp GX31 that I bought for its multimedia capabilities… I was quite disappointed by the poor performance of the MP3 player (crude), the camera (low quality pictures, except in great light) and the movie features (highly pixelated, too short, and just useless). Also, I found the bridge from the memory card really slow reading the card. It’s fast enough for MP3s but slow when previewing pictures. So I am on the look out for a wonderful new phone.
The Sprint Red RAZR would be a great candidate for me, as it has high quality multimedia functions, with mobile TV (cool!) and a Music Store that you can download stuff from, in fact both of these offer streaming media, now that is what I call trendy. It’s got quite a sleak form factor that is noticeable in red. How many red phones have you seen? It’d be sure to attract some attention! I’d also need a good MP3 player so that I can listen to music without having to carry another Ipod or mp3 device.
However, the digital camera really isn’t much better than mine at 1.3 Megapixels and the zoom is a 4x Digital Zoom, which will reduce the quality of any zoom pictures. Optical zoom would be much more effective in producing clear images.
Another negative with Motorola phone is the need to purchase extra things that other companies include. In this case, it’s software to enable synchronizing with your pc. Now that’s bad. Also, when I purchased my Sharp phone, I was given, yes ‘given’, two chargers, two batteries, an earpiece, a car charger, and a software disk. When I bought a phone for my wife, a Panasonic, it was the same. I didn’t have to buy anything extra for quite some time. She only recently bought a battery for it.
However, my first phone was in fact a Motorola, though. I was less than impressed by the extra essentials that I had to buy: namely a car charger, additional charger, extra batteries, … . Also, I found the PIM features of most mobile phones poor in quality compared to a PALM pilot or mobile PC. So, I wouldn’t purchase the phone based on this need, either. Another issue that I found with Motorola was its clunky OS, which occasionally crashed. I think that’s a feature that has been talked about by other bloggers.
Overall, I’d recommend this phone for its size, its standby time and its cool design. Oh, and by the way, if you buy the phone, you can also support the fight against AIDS in South Africa ( a truly depressing situation! )! Now that ought to make you feel good every time you open your phone!
This post has been brought to you by Wirefly and my own ‘sharp’ words!
Comments OffContinue Reading
Can ManagerAssistant help the busy SME boss?
Jan 4 at 12:12am by ObverseView
“Ever have a late review, didnt get a review, got a bad review? This software will help with reviews and more.”
Oh, hello, another software package for the overworked boss to learn, along with Excel, Word, Access, … “Can it really do all it promises?” asks the cynical boss.
Performance Review Software may actually help the time pressed SME chief do the kinds of things that are best done informally otherwise. These questions occupy a lot of time: How do you appraise your employees? How do you manage your employees? There are only 24 hours in the day, and sometimes it seems that the SME boss has to be a master of everything.
ManagerAssistant will allow you to organize your information in one location. No longer do you need to go chasing that lost excel file with the Johnny’s poor sales performance, while he’s sitting waiting for an appraisal outside your office. It’s all at your fingertips. It’s price, while not cheap, could certainly offset some costly mistakes on your part, e.g. if you fire the wrong person for the wrong reason! And, best of all, there’s a demo, you can download to try. So, come on, SME bosses, give it a try. I know I will.
This post is sponsored by ManagerAssistant.com LLC
Comments OffContinue Reading
HP, Calendars and a brand new camera system!
Jan 3 at 12:12am by ObverseView
Well, Ted from PPP is giving away 5 sets of HP Photo Gear to encourage us Posties to improve our skills in digital photography.
Ted just got a shipment of ten awesome new 6 megapixel digital cameras and photo printers from our friends at HP. These things are SWEET and we want to get them in the hands of our Posties. Ted heard Tamale’s sob story and she found a new camera on her desk the next week.
Now who wouldn’t want one, eh? I ask you… WHO? And I am not going to tell Ted a sob story. I got too much to do right now, and I can’t find my box of tissues. So here are my three reasons why I think a great HP Camera should be finding its way to me, despite the fact that I spurned this offer three times, until I saw my Calendar that I had made, courtesy of Lulu.com, for 2007. You can read about that here.
First reason: I really want to make some great Calendars. I am now planning several themed calendars: including North East Coast of Taiwan (where I live); and Sights of Taipei. I know that they will never be great sellers, but hey, I can dream, can’t I?
Second reason: I’m also planning a book called “Soup, Sandwiches and S**!” My wife has learned the knack of making some great sandwiches including a B(E)LT – the E stands for Egg! I love making great soups, and the last category is up for grabs, it could be Snacks, Sweets or Shakes or Smoothies? I dunno yet. But a great camera would help a great deal to make some mouth-watering, belly rumble causing pictures to entice people to open their wallets for my book!
Third reason: My wife’s school has lots of great cute children all learning English, and it would be just dandy to be able to take photographs of the cutest ones, printout the pictures and give them to the parents as they go home! Now that would be a great advertisement – all those smiling faces, big and small, coming out of our building!
So those are my reasons… I don’t know of any of them being good enough! But if Ted gives me a camera, I’ll be sending him a copy of my book, should it be published in 2007! That’s a promise!
In fact, I’m now posting a series of photographs on a weekly basis, the first one is already up.
“HP sponsored this post.” or “This post was brought to you by HP.”
Comments OffContinue Reading
Recent Visitors