The ML Editor

When you bought your own car, you might not have found the best financing deal. You could have taken out your car financing through a car dealer at an interest rate that is possibly higher than other financers. This could be one of the reasons why you are currently paying way too much your current car loan. If your credit has not been in tip-top shape, you could be paying a higher interest rate as penalty. If so, then it’s high time you looked into refinancing.

Car loan refinancing is fast and easy. Once your car loan refinancing application has been approved, your current loan will be paid off by the new car finance company. You will be making payments at a lower interest rate than you have been previously paying. You’ll be surprised at how much you will be saving on car loan refinancing. Your savings could amount to hundreds, even thousands of dollars over the course of the loan, depending on how much your new interest rate is charged on your car loan refinancing deals.

Car loan refinancing may be a very promising way of saving you money but most people have not thought of refinancing their cars. You can say that car loan refinancing works in the same way as home refinance. In car loan refinancing, you pay off your current car loan with a refinancing car loan. This time the loan comes from a different lender with a lower annual percentage rate, making your monthly car loan payments much less with interest rates that have dropped, while allowing you to pay off the balance of your car loan in a shorter span of time. Car loan refinancing has become a very popular trend because of the dropping interest rates. Use the money you save through your car loan refinancing to pay off credit card debt or accelerate your car loan payoff.

This is exactly the reason why people with bad credit who are paying a high APR need to apply for a car loan refinancing with low APR. Most bad credit borrowers can indeed refinance to a lower APR but many don’t think to try because they were “programmed” or duped by the dealer into thinking they are stuck at the higher APR they have imposed.
It’s very important to have a car loan refinancing early, because with car loans, the interest is mostly paid in the earlier payments. The earlier your car loan refinancing is approved, the more money you save. If you wait until the 4th year to refinance your car loan, your savings will be a lot less.

How much is the ideal APR for a car loan refinancing? If you didn’t get 0% to 3% APR car loan from a dealer or bank, you should consider a car loan refinancing. Even if you got a decent APR auto loan, consider having a car loan refinancing. Most online car loan refinancing sites have a car loan calculator. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save just by lowering your interest rate. Refinance your car loan today!

Simon Gelfand writes for www.ArticlesBase.com, read more about Auto Loan on the website. Submit your Articles and find articles.

‘Total body load’ is the phrase used to describe a principle that relate to factors that bring stress onto the body that lead to an overload on the body which results in illnesses.

‘Total body load’ is one of the most important body healing principles, the principle is the key to beating and recovering from all illnesses. Any illness or disease is cure by nature not doctors, all a good doctor can do is to reduce the body load to allow nature to run its course and cure. Unfortunately, most doctors these days rely too much on modern drugs which only add to the biological burden placed upon the body which makes things worst not better, as intended.

The human being, as with all living creatures, has regulatory mechanisms which defend the body from illnesses, diseases and harm. The skin protects the body from dehydration and temperature variations, poison waste is eliminated from the body by the kidneys, the immune system defends the body from micro-organisms, the liver detoxifies the body from health damaging chemicals and acid-base balance within the body is kept regulated by other factors within the body.

Every second, every minute, every day, the body’s regulatory mechanisms are working to keep the body healthy and we generally feel good and fine. Health problems tend to occur when the body’s health defenses become overworked and symptoms appear, by this stage the body’s defenses have been breached and problems can become serious quiet quickly.

The overloading of the body’s systems is very serious and health problems will occur. The metaphor image that is commonly used to illustrate the overload phenomenon is that of an overflowing barrel. Envisage the barrel being the body’s ability to cope with all the stresses of modern day living, the more stresses added to the barrel the more it gets full, until one day it overflows and produces symptoms which are related to diseases and illnesses. There are a number of factors or combination of factors that can lead to the barrel overflowing and producing illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, ulcers and mental breakdown, a sample of these factors that contribute to the barrel overflowing are allergies, poor nutrition, stress, lack of sleep, acute viral episodes, sudden shock and overwork.

There are many ways to overload the body, psychological factors being excessive work load, high amount of stress and personality disorders, physical factors being the heat and cold, electromagnetic radiation, oxidative stress and mercury toxicity, biological factors being fatigue, allergies, micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, nutritional deficiency and endocrine dysfunction and chemical factors being alcohol, medicines, pollution and recreational drugs.

A common misleading factor about overload is that the last overload factor that is introduced is the only culprit for producing symptoms. It is very uncommon for one overload factor to overcome the body’s defenses; it is far more likely to be a cumulative of actions by different stressors. For example, a persons lifestyle may consists of a stressful job, which to combat the stress they turn to comfort substances such as smoking, drinking, eating chocolate, to wake themselves up for work in the morning they drink a couple of cups of coffee, to cope with their workload they work long hours and only take half an hour lunch break where they eat at their desk because of these long hours they don’t have time to rest properly or exercise plus there is a rumor of job cuts at their work. All of these are stressors that the person can cope with until one day a close relative dies and the stress from bereavement overloads their ‘barrel’ and symptoms of illness occur. Many people would say that it is the stress of bereavement that caused the person to become ill but in fact it was a cumulative affect of a stressful job, consuming caffeine and alcohol, smoking and not resting and exercising properly that cause the illness.

A doctor, physician or therapist can use the knowledge of ‘total body load’ to help their patients. Any indirect or direct means to reduce ‘total body load’ will help to combat illnesses, for example quitting smoking will help with infertility, good healthy nutrition will help to fight against cancer, eliminating infections such as Candida will help with PMT, reducing the use of hairspray and perfumes will help to improve catarrh and eating fewer stress foods that cause food intolerances and allergy and refined carbohydrates and food additives will certainly help to improve health.

The body can tolerate a certain ‘threshold’ of each stressor but when a stressor reaches the ‘threshold’ illness occurs. Bad allergens are the ones which when taken even in small amounts can put the body into overload. Mild allergens can normally be tolerated but when many mild allergens are taken at once then the ‘threshold’ will be reach and illness occurs. This is why certain allergic food can be eaten without any problems but can also cause problems when taken with other allergic food. This explains why food can be eaten without causing illness at one time and at another time it can cause an allergic reaction. As illustrated earlier, life events, emotional stress and viral infections can all affect the ‘threshold’ of ‘overload’.

In conclusion, understanding the ‘total body load’ principle is vital for a Nutritional therapist. It illustrates why and what makes a person ill and by understanding this, advice can be given about nutrition and lifestyle to reduce the stressors in life. The ‘total body load’ principle can be used to example why a patient can go on a relaxing beach holiday in the Caribbean and eat food that they are intolerant to and not be ill but as soon as they are back in their stressful job in the city they become ill again when eating foods they are intolerant to.

Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh

Bespoke consultations for a healthier natural life

website: http://www.newbeingnutrition.com
Get a free initial nutritional therapy diagnosis now…

What is a chat room?

It’s an area of a website set aside for people to chat in ‘real’ time. In other words, messages appear on a screen as soon as they are typed, and are responded to immediately.

Let’s go to an established chat room for our first visit — Yahoo Chat. Go to http://www.yahoo.com After the home page loads, click on the ‘chat’ link, at the left side of the page right by Connect.

You will first have to register, if you don’t have a yahoo email address. If you already have a yahoo email address, then you can go straight to the chat room.

Under the ‘Enter Chat Room’ link, there are two ‘Featured Rooms’, you can choose instead. After you have made your choice, enter.

You will then be asked to enter your Yahoo ID and Password. The chat room will then begin to load.

Note: You can also download Yahoo Messenger. It’s a Free messaging service that allows you to communicate with friends and family and others. It’s useful by letting you know when certain people come online. You will download the messenger to your computer.

The messages will have the senders name in front of them, so that you will know who they come from. You type your message in a box at the bottom of the screen, then hit send.

It’s fun to chat but beware, Chat Rooms Can Be Addictive!!

If you find that you truly enjoy the chat rooms, limit yourself to one or two hours per day at them.

About The Author

Jane Fulton is Owner & Webmistress of:

http://janes-place.com If you like this article, then subscribe to her newsletters:

http://janes-place.com/sos.htm

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In the early 1900s, Formula 1 Racing began with unsteady racing cars and older gentleman racing drivers, however the genuine Formula 1 Racing event didn?t start until the nineteen fifties. While the decades drove by and the sporting competition became more popular, it almost immediately became apparent that F1 Motor Racing was the high point for motor sport. The racing cars were the speediest, the technology was the most superior and the drivers were at the finest of their physical shape coming from different countries all over the world.

With the opening of sponsorship taking notice, Formula 1 took on it’s more universal structure & may today be regarded as being very big business ? with venture reaching millions and billions with ease. With very big business comes politic affairs & every now and then it?s who you are connected to & how much wealth you hold that acquires you what you fancy. Formula One is perforated with conspiracy stories ? I will come clean to being one of them ? but depending on how gripped you yearn to get in the Formula One world, that side of things is easily not catered for. What in actual fact matters is what crops up on the grand prix circuit.

Trekking from corner to corner across the globe for over eight months of the year, Formula 1 Racing stops many different countries large & small, affluent & deprived, with amazing landscapes, fascinating locals and loads of local knowledge to be soaked up. A race weekend spans Friday, Saturday & Sunday, a Formula One weekend is a trying journey, from early testing, to the concluding laps of the Formula 1 motor race.

The basic arrangement features a Formula One race every two-weeks. At times the Formula One calendar is changed with a little bit & there are Formula 1 motor races on back-to-back weekends, or ever so often you have to go several weeks before even seeing the well-known F1 racing drivers again. Once it is time for the next Formula 1 race, you can monitor the news for your favourite Formula 1 constructor as they get to their destination. Friday is made up of practice periods, Saturday is for qualifying & Sunday is for the racing event. For more information about Formula One visit http://www.f1tribute.com today.

The chemistry of the soil is one of the most critical
considerations for any gardener, but it can be particularly
vital when it comes to gardening with perennials. That is
because, whereas annuals provide a fresh start year after year,
gardening with perennials means that the plants stay in the
ground, and the chemistry of the soil can greatly affect all
types of perennials.

It is difficult to overestimate how important proper soil
chemistry is, since the soil provides all the nutrients the
plants need to grow and thrive.

Most types of perennials are quite hardy, but it is very
important to prepare the flower bed properly. A properly
prepared bed is the first step to enjoying a healthy garden full
of perennials. As with all plants, it is important for all
varieties of perennials to have plenty of healthy soil, enough
water and the right amount of sunlight.

One of the most common problems with perennials is that of an
uneven growth pattern. There are many types of perennials, and
they all have different growth rates. It is normal for different
types of perennials to grow faster or more slowly, but if
identical varieties of perennials show very different growth
patterns within different parts of the garden, soil chemistry
may be to blame. Many gardeners assume that the same garden plot
will have the same chemistry everywhere, but this is not always
the case. Soil chemistry can vary even on the same properly,
sometimes even within the same garden plot.

If you suspect that soil chemistry may be to blame for uneven
growth patterns, it is important to have a thorough soil
analysis done to either confirm your suspicions or rule them
out. A good testing lab can quickly point out problems like an
uneven pH level, insufficient organic materials in the soil, or
insufficient nutrients. The analysis will also give you a good
baseline to go from as you improve the soil with various
additives.

The pH level of the soil is an important consideration for the
perennial garden. Most varieties of perennials will grow quite
well in soils with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0, but some perennials have
different requirements. If you do not know which plants will
grow best in your soil, be sure to check with your nursery or
garden center.

If the pH level is excessively alkaline or excessively acidic,
it can be brought back into balance by adding humus. You can
easily make your own humus by using a compost bin to break down
organic material, or humus can be purchased directly from a
garden center or nursery. If the humus is unsuccessful,
limestone can be added to make the soil more alkaline, while
adding sulfur will help make it more acidic.

After the baseline soil chemistry is known, it will be easier to
monitor the quality of the soil going forward. A bed of
perennials should be checked for soil chemistry quality anytime
a significant change in the quality or number of blooms is
noticed. Keeping on top of the quality of your soil, and making
changes as needed, is the best way to keep your perennials
blooming season after season.

Do you have the training and skills needed for copywriting?

Are you looking for a way to get your foot in the door?

Will you have what it takes to succeed with your copywriting businesses?

For many, these three questions drive them day in and day out to become the person that people demand time with. Still for others, the business aspects of copywriting have just been easy to get. Others still have no idea even how to start effective copywriting businesses. Where are you?

First of all, as with any type of business, you need to have the training and knowledge needed. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can just wing it. This is not a high school term paper that needs proofed or a college essay you write the day before it’s due. Copywriting is a business, where people stand to make money from the words you place on the pages, on the ads you help develop, on the e-books you write. Having an effective knowledge basis is crucial to success.

From this point, it is a matter of establishing yourself. You will need to get your foot in the door somehow. It could be as simple as calling friends that you know have websites, browsing websites that offer opportunities, or even placing ads throughout the web showcasing your talents. All it takes is one person to get you moving in the right direction. But, when you do get your first client, whether you are freelancing or not, you will need to make it count. Give them the best you can, ask them for a reference or to pass your name along.

You can also avoid the freelance world and find a copy writing company to work for. These companies can be found throughout the internet and often are large enough to hire on many people who can show that they are worth it.

No matter how you plan to work with copywriting businesses, you can be sure that if your work is of value, you will find a position, freelance or not, waiting for you. Website owners, advertisers, and other people are always looking for a new, fresh face with fresh ideas and an open mind to work with.

Visit FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Views about Freelance Writing Jobs. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and live links are included intact.

As the popularity of online poker continues to increase, and more and more games are offered, thousands of players are signing up to play everyday. Eventually, as their skill and knowledge of the game increases, many of these people will end up playing online poker tournaments. Almost all of the major online poker sites now offer online poker tournaments seven days a week twenty-four hours a day. But, of course, as with anything else, it is important to know the game well and have a pretty good idea of how tournaments work and the general rules for each one before you rush out and sign up to play in one.

There really is no set in stone rules applied to poker tournaments. Each tournament may have it’s own set of rules and regulations, which is usually determined before the tournament begins. There are a few general rules that can be applied to most tournaments to better help players understand them before play begins.

One of the main rules for online poker tournaments is that each and every player will begin the game with the same number of chips allotted. Some tournaments will allow players to purchase additional chips later in the game, up to the starting amount. These tournaments are called buy-in tournaments. Not all online poker tournaments give players this option, so it is important to find out if it is available before play begins.

Another generally recognized rule of online poker tournaments is that all of the players begin the game at the same time. Some tournaments offer players the chance to just pop into the tournament at any time, but as a general rule of thumb in online poker tournaments that is not an option.

Players are also allowed to play in the tournament until they run completely out of chips, unless there is a re-buy option. The last player left with chips remaining is declared the winner of the tournament. Tournaments with the re-buy option usually will last a lot longer then normal tournaments, and occasionally will offer higher prize pools.

The last general rule for online poker tournaments is that the bid level has to increase at regular times throughout the tournament. Some tournaments will specify certain time frames in which the bid is raised, while others will base it off of a certain amount of play periods.

Online poker tournaments do generally follow these rules, and also have there own set of rules they use as well. It is up to each individual tournament sponsor to determine exactly what they want to happen in that particular tournament. When the online poker tournament has ended, and the final winner has been declared, prizes and winnings will be handed out. The majority of the prize pool will go to the final player left, the top winner of the online poker tournament. This usually breaks down to be about forty percent of all the prizes and money being offered. Twenty percent of the pool will go to the second place winner, and then ten percent will go to the third place winner.

Each online poker tournament will offer different prizes. Certain tournaments offer placement in a higher ranked tournament rather than actual prizes, and as a general rule, the prizes in these tournaments are higher than those of regular tournaments. Players in these tournaments win their right to play in the next tournament without having to pay an entrance fee, which is a bonus in itself.

It is a good idea to research into tournaments and the rules that apply before you sign up to play in one. Most online poker websites will list all of this information, and will also list the prizes to be awarded and how they are distributed among the winners. Once you have looked into the rules and general information on the tournament, you should be well prepared to participate in one.

Read poker room reviews and get a special party poker bonus at www.poker-reviews-online.com .

Every (and I do mean EVERY) human potential success coach from
the most famous to the little known conclude, that habits hold the
key to success or failure.

According to the dictionary, a habit is an acquired pattern of
behavior that has become almost involuntary as a result of frequent
repetition.

Our habits dictate the quality of life we experience. If you
procrastinate, talk negatively to yourself and allow fear to rule,
you are going to have a very stressful life overflowing with anxiety
and sadness. I know, because that is where I’ve come from.

The key to creating lasting positive results in any area of your life,
must first start with changing the way you think before changing the
way you act.

Here are the top three bad habits that effect most of us
at some time in our lives.

1. Fear (Yes fear is a habit!)

It is said F.E.A.R stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real” and
after a lifetime of confronting just about every fear I can think
of, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of letting me be me…

I can tell you for certain that living in fear is the worst habit
of them all. It is the root of all other bad habits like
smoking, overeating, addictions etc. (Fear is the enemy of
inspiration and motivation.)

No matter what changes you want to make in your life you are
going to feel some degree of fear. But I can tell you from
experience that the secret is to feel the fear and take action anyway.
Action defeats fear!

2. Negative self-talk

I am also guilty of this self-inflicted punishment as well.
I have come to discover that humans are in fact self
fulfilling prophecies and that our thoughts do matter.

The problem is that most of us don’t consciously use negative
self talk, it ends up becoming more like a mantra or a label we
brand ourselves with.

For Example:

I used to call my self a lot of things, a procrastinator, fat,
shy and I would follow it up whenever someone challenged me
with a reinforcing, “That’s just the way I am.”

Although I thought I was just poking fun at myself, I realize
after years of unconscious repetition that negative self-talk
was one of the main things holding me back from following my
heart and creating the life of my dreams.

3. Procrastination

Up until a few months ago you could look this word up in the
dictionary and see my picture. I would beat myself up night
after night for not following through with a phone call or an
article idea. I would wait until the last minute to do anything,
then become so stressed out that I wasn’t much fun to be around.

Overcoming the negative habit of procrastination can truly
change your life. When you learn to take action as soon as the
mood strikes and stop when the feeling is gone, you will find after
just a few weeks of inspired action that you have begun to create
something of value. Practice anything with conscious awareness and
specific intent for 21 days and you will amaze yourself. I promise!

It is worth taking the steps to replace the habits that have been
holding you back from living a richer more fulfilling life. If I can
do it, anyone can.

My 6th grade teacher dragged me into the hall by my hair, looked me
in the eye, pounded his finger in my chest and told me I was stupid
and would never amount to anything…

…See Mr. McCarthy I’m not stupid.

© Andy Thompson - All Rights Reserved

Andy Thompson is a writer who enjoys the “growth” part of the
Self Growth Process. He recommends the breakthrough 21-day
self empowerment program Habit Busting and publishes a quality,
information packed monthly newsletter. Read more at
http://www.BadHabitBreaking101.com/discovery2/ and sign up for our
free 7-day goal setting e-course.

You may reprint this article in your newsletter as long as appears
exactly as printed above including the link.

Deciding which point of view (POV) to use in your ms is a very important aspect of your story. Depending on which one you use, it can change the story completely.

There are three main POV’s:

• Omniscient

• Third Person Omniscient

• First Person

So how do you decide which one to use? First you need to understand the mechanics of each POV, then work out which one will best tell the story.

Omniscient:

This POV is basically an all seeing, all hearing, all knowing, POV. The ‘narrator’ knows pretty much everything that is going on in the story. In some ways, this POV is very similar to ‘head-hopping’ although in the true sense it’s not. With omniscient, the viewpoint moves all around the place. This particular POV is still used, but not as frequently as in the past.

Third Person Omniscient:

A large proportion of modern-day novels are written in this POV. Third person omniscient tells the story from one point of view, but in the one story that may vary. Huh?

Let’s say you have two main characters - you might decide to tell the story from Pete’s POV in the first scene, and perhaps Mary Allen’s in the second. You may leave it in Mary Allen’s for another two scenes, because it suits the purpose of the story, then back to Pete’s. But in each case, the story is only told from the relevant protagonist’s POV, and the other one does not know what’s going on.

Reasons for writing in third person omniscient POV:

* You want the reader to understand each character’s motivation

* To build tension

Here are a couple of examples -

Pete’s POV:

Pete could feel the anger churning up inside himself. He knew he was clenching and unclenching his fists, could feel the vein in his neck pulsing, and could feel that ache in his head getting stronger. He could even feel the sweat begin to trickle down his face.

Mary Allen’s POV:

Oops! Now she’d done it. Pete was not happy - far from it.

Mary Allen sat anxiously in her chair, her back upright, her shoulders squared. She watched as Pete’s hands firstly clenched, then unclenched. Sweat trickled down his face and glistened above his lips. As she watched the vein on his neck tick almost continuously, Mary Allen realised just how angry Pete really was.

First Person:

First person POV is literally the story being told by one person; the ‘me’ in the story.

It’s a little more tricky, mainly because you need to ensure that only that one person’s POV is used. You also need to make certain that you only mention something that the first person protagonist can see, hear, or feel. For instance, if someone was coming up behind your protagonist, they can’t see it, so you (the writer) cannot mention it.

If they blush, you can’t say “I saw my face blushing”. You could say “I could feel the heat creeping up my face” because the protagonist would feel it.

A lot of writers keep away from this POV, simply because they believe it’s too hard. Please don’t do that to yourself. Once you understand and master the basic concepts, it is a very easy POV to write, and it’s incredibly effective.

One of the simplest ways to conquer this POV is to literally put yourself in the protagonist’s shoes. Pretend you are wearing a spy cam on your head. Walk into a room, take a look around. Notice the television and video, the coffee table and sofa. Look at the ceiling fan, with its light sprinkling of dust.

Look down and study the carpet. Can you see the intricate pattern? What about your ten year old son coming up behind you, a bucket of water in his hands?

If you saw your adolescent offspring, then you just blew it. Because you do not have eyes in the back of your head, you cannot see behind you. The lesson here is that a first person narrator cannot see what she physically cannot see.

Reasons for writing in first person POV:

* You don’t want the reader to have the full story

* You only want one POV to come across

* To make only one character’s motivation clearer.

Now that you understand the concepts, let’s look at the above two examples and turn them into first person POV -

“Pete! What’s wrong?” From the minute Joe mentioned what had happened, Pete’s reaction was predictable. Before I’d even glanced across the room at him I knew that tell-tale vein would be ticking; the way it always did when he was angry.

*As you can see, POV is extremely important to your story. Understand it correctly, and utilize its full potential to your advantage. ©

Cheryl Wright is an award-winning Australian author and freelance journalist. In addition to an array of other projects, she is the owner of the Writer2Writer.com website and the Writer to Writer monthly ezine for writers. (http://www.writer2writer.com) She is also the author of a series of ebooks for writers. Her romantic suspense novel “Saving Emma” was released January 2005 by Whiskey Creek Press. Visit Cheryl’s website: http://www.cheryl-wright.com

Demanding consumers

“Internet buyers tend to be better informed on market conditions and better prepared to act on the home they want when they start working with a realtor. Luckily for realtors, these changes don’t necessarily hurt, as long as they are able to adjust to the new relationship and realize that the new-style buyers value speed and efficiency over guidance when finding a home.”

- E-marketer, Internet Home Buyers Changing the House Rules

Thanks to the Internet and other technological innovations, more real estate information is freely available than ever before. As a result, consumers are demanding new choices, improved services, faster transactions and lower prices. According to a recent NAR survey, the number of sellers stating that they didn’t want to pay a sales commission fee rose from 46 percent in 2003 to 61 percent in 2004. In 2004, 23 percent of Florida home sellers opted to sell independently without an agent, up from 14 percent in 2003 and nearly double the 14 percent national average, according to Planet Realtor.

And Web-enabled consumers are demanding a high digital IQ when working with real estate professionals. In addition to being well-versed on their own industry-specific technology, real estate professionals now are expected to utilize laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants and global positioning systems to keep pace with Internet buyers and sellers.

Downward pressure

“If consumers are going to do their own home-shopping online, they expect to save some money, just as they would for using the self-service lane. That’s why they are susceptible to online discount brokers and the new affinity companies that are promoting lower commissions if only the consumers will use their agents. These business models promote the idea to consumers that they ought to be paying less money in commissions.”

Realty Times Columnist Blanche Evans

Traditional real estate commissions, typically around six percent of a home’s selling price, are facing downward pressure from consumers and competition. Some consumers claim traditional real estate commissions don’t reflect:

- Today’s home prices. Years ago, when median-priced homes sold for $25,000, real estate commissions were typically five percent, or $1,250. Today, with South Florida median home prices around $300,000, the cost of a six percent full-service real estate commission becomes $18,000. Some brokers even charge additional fees to cover administrative costs. When you consider that today’s average homeowner sells a home every five to seven years, real estate commissions can dramatically impact your personal savings and net worth.

- Owner equity. When selling properties, most homeowners calculate the cost of selling as a portion of sales price, though the commissions are paid out of owner equity. (Equity is the difference between the value of your property and amount of mortgages owed.) Consider this example: You decide to sell a property for $250,000 in which you hold 10 percent equity, or $25,000. After paying a six percent commission of $15,000, you are left with $10,000 before any applicable closing costs. In this example, the $15,000 commission is six percent of the selling price, but 60 percent of the $25,000 equity.

- Services performed. Under today’s commission structure, selling a $100,000 house at six percent typically costs $6,000, while selling a $500,000 house costs $30,000. Does selling the more expensive home really require five times more effort? Your cost is the same whether the agent spends one hour or 100 hours marketing your home. This is one reason many real estate consumers find fee-for-service real estate so appealing.
Developing alternatives

“Consumers want what they want, when they want it and will gravitate to the most cost-effective source to obtain it. Why? Because our “one-size-fits-all” approach to working with sellers and buyers is archaic and won’t allow consumers to access various segments of help they need in a timely fashion. That’s why .com Web start-ups are finding a receptive audience in real estate consumers and why for-sale-by-owners are burgeoning.”

Julie Garton-Good, Author of “Real Estate a la Carte: Selecting the Services You Need, Paying What They’re Worth”

Until recently, you have had few practical alternatives to the traditional full-service, full-commission real estate transaction with a broker. Most sellers paid a single commission fee for a full range of real estate services, whether they needed them or not. Now traditional real estate agencies face the challenge of identifying new services that have value to today’s sophisticated online and empowered consumers.

One result is an “unbundling” of traditional one-size-fits-all real estate services for consumers who want more control over real estate transactions and their associated costs. If you’re willing to take on some tasks traditionally performed by agents and brokers, you could receive lower transaction costs. You might benefit from the following emerging alternatives:

Fee-for-services

“Consumers want assistance from real estate professionals, but don’t want to pay for it in the form of traditional commissions,” says a la Carte real estate Pioneer Julie Garton-Good. Garton-Good has been preaching the fee-for-services gospel for more than 20 years. As the name implies, you can choose which tasks you feel comfortable performing and hire qualified real estate professionals to do the rest. Many traditional real estate brokerages are beginning to offer a more menu-based service plan. For example, you may not mind listing your home and holding open houses, but you may want assistance with contracts and closings.

One-stop shopping

In response to dwindling margins and the rising costs of technology and lead generation, some real estate companies are attempting to combine traditional and Web-based services to provide consumers a single source for all their real estate needs. One-stop shopping sites generally provide or partner with lenders, insurers, title companies, real estate attorneys and others to facilitate all aspects of buying and selling. In addition, some sites are adding home-improvement and related services to stay in touch with consumers between buying and selling transactions.

Web-based discounters

Although many Web-based real estate companies flamed out in the dotcom era, scores of new companies have emerged to take their place. By offering targeted services such as flat-fee MLS listings, buyer rebates and AVM tools, these sites are appealing to independent buyers and sellers who prefer to take a more active role in transactions. In addition to listings, some sites also offer how-to articles and advice for those who choose to go it alone.
Tradition + technology + turbulence = opportunities

So, given the trends, changes and ongoing industry evolution, what can independent buyers, sellers and investors expect in this new era of real estate?

• The Web and other technologies will continue to evolve and transform the $1.3 trillion real-estate industry. Technology will continue to reduce the time, expense and complexity of manual processes, and increasingly sophisticated search and valuation tools will play a more strategic role.

• Free and low-cost real estate resources will continue to be available and even multiply on the Web. In real estate, knowledge truly is power. Consumers will try to use their power to gain more control of the real estate process and subsequently expect to be compensated in the form of reduced and fee-for-service commissions.

• The role of traditional real estate brokerages will evolve as Web-enabled consumers become more knowledgeable. This likely will trigger some restructuring and consolidation of traditional brokerages, but will also drive the development of innovative new practices targeting online and empowered consumers. Real estate professionals will focus more on promoting their local knowledge and industry expertise, while consumers will perform some buying and selling tasks on their own.

• Traditional real estate commissions and profitability levels will continue to face downward pressure from various sources. The future will be profitable for brokerages that are able to extend their core expertise of neighborhood and industry knowledge into flexible new consumer-centric offerings.

• The traditional high-touch, full-service real estate agency is evolving, not disappearing. Real estate professionals who provide exceptional service and value to their customers will always be in demand.

You now can find more real estate knowledge, tools and resources on the Web than ever before, enabling you to buy and sell with increased confidence. For real estate professionals, reinventing the industry means making hard decisions, changing processes and managing new opportunities. But for consumers, reinvention in real estate is a winner, hands-down.

Learn more at www.homekeys.net

Charles Warnock is Marketing Communications Manager at Homexperts in Miami, Florida. Their Web site is http://www.homekeys.net. Charles writes frequently on real estate, finance, advertising and marketing communications.