The Atlanta commercial real estate market still has much to offer in these difficult economic times. These past two years have opened up many opportunities for the large corporations and small business owner alike. The suburbs of Metro Atlanta which include Woodstock, Canton, Cumming, Alpharetta, and Kennesaw have helped Atlanta stay on top of its game in the commercial real estate market. There have been a large number of commercial constructions in these suburban cities over the past couple of years despite the economic slowdown.

Many small to big sized companies have been relocating to Atlanta from other US cities. They have been seeking executive office space for there new corporate headquarters. Atlanta has been a popular pick lately for all types of businesses including technology firms, manufacturing, and medical. Atlanta’s wonderful climate and seasonal weather is always another nice draw for companies looking to move their employees to a warmer location.

A large amount of high tech companies have been relocating into research and development parks, medical laboratories and setting up call centers within the Atlanta metro area. These companies have created many jobs and improved the city’s economy and job outlook over the last one to five years. Many of the Atlanta’s economic leaders are confident this trend will continue into the upcoming years.

With Atlanta’s centralized location, it is a perfect region for distribution. Serving as the gateway to the south, Atlanta is hands down one of the largest transportation hub cities in the USA. With three major interstate highways, a complex rail hub network, and the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta is a great city for transportation and logistics based companies. Major players such as UPS and Delta already call Atlanta home and will continue to do so in the future.

It’s easy to see that, commercial real estate in Atlanta is a great investment for any company’s future. Companies any size can find success here in this great southern city. A high quality of life, excellent schools, and a great climate make Atlanta a great place to work and play!

When it comes to transitioning from the military to civilian life, there are obstacles to deal with and the adjustment that veterans must make is important. Possibly the most difficult part of the transition is the job search, but there are ways to make make it as smooth as possible.

First, you need to ensure that you are aware of what skills you have obtained in the military, as well as how to use them to your advantage in your military to civilian conversion. You need to figure out what civilian field best matches the skills that you acquired in the military and then attempt to find a career in that field.

If you have several options, start by focusing on the one that fits you best. For example, if you have accounting and computer programming experience, you need to decide which field you prefer and stick to that specialty. However, if you have various skill sets that can be applied to the same field, use this to your advantage.

Once you have decided what field you like and what skills and experience you can use for that position, you should start look for jobs and prepare your military transition resume. There are many resources that can help you with this; from Federal assistance to private trainings, there is no shortage of help!

To craft an original, polished resume there are many factors to consider. First, you need to be sure to provide all of your education, experience and accomplishments as they relate to the job. Second, you need to be sure to use detailed statements to explain everything. To end with, as a veteran, you need to disconnect from the military jargon and learn how to write your resume with words that will be understood by civilian employers.

This is probably the hardest part of resume writing. After being in service for a while, it is hard to make the transition back to civilian language, especially when referring to your military tasks.

However, if you list complicated military terms and rankings on your resume, no civilian employer will understand what you are capable of. Therefore, you need to make sure that you can translate your rankings and accomplishments into normal language, so that the recruiter can understand clearly what you have done, as well as what you are capable of. If you are having a hard time, there are classes and assistance available to help you with your conversion.

Whether you tackle resume writing alone or seek help, you should keep these points in mind. Having a resume that stands out from the crowd is going to be your best asset, so do not neglect it.

Employment911 is a premier provider of military to civilian conversion resume services.

There is a common misconception that FHA loan are for first time home buyers only. This is not true! Anyone can apply for a FHA loan. If you have several houses, you can still apply!

A requirement of a 3.5% down payment is needed for a FHA loan. You can get this as a gift from a relative too! If your credit score is not perfect, that’s ok! FHA loans can still get you a great 30 yr fixed rate competitive to a conventional loan.

To get a FHA loan, the property has to be your primary residence. A non-occupying person can even co-sign with you for a FHA loan. In most cases, you can have only 1 FHA loan at a time.

Currently you can get a FHA loan up to $625,000. It might go up to $729,000 with the new Stimulus Bill.

Your mortgage payment could be similar to what you are payment in rent in you take into consideration that there are low rates,and low house prices. This with a FHA loan and a 3.5% down, home ownership is possible.

Buyers of real estate that include residential properties are often doing so for the first time. If that’s the case, you will need to learn about the finer points of negotiating with the seller for a better price. If you ask for too much, you’ll lose the sale- and with too little you will be throwing your money out the door.

You will have to take a crash course in negotiation to learn the intricate techniques that business men and women use. For instance, the initial value you offer the property owner shouldn’t be too low. If the value you offer is indeed much lower than expectations, you can guarantee yourself that you will have small odds of even getting the seller into the negotation room, as this can be seen as offensive to the seller.

It’s hard to judge the value of a property or home, since there are so many variables that you have to consider. The current real estate market, local conditions, cost of the home, surrounding land, and neighborhood are all large factors to consider. If your research indicates that the value asked by the seller is about right, you might not want to peg down the offer too much to avoid losing it.

One way to bring down the seller’s expectations is to politely discuss anything that would make the property less appealing to the buyer. You could discuss a small property size, any type of infestation, dirty carpets, or other things that would count as something the buyer would not be pleased with. This way the seller is more obligated to appease the lower offer that the buyer has made for the real estate.

The offer you make can be counter-offered, and often is. When you receive a counter to your original offer, you will be safe in assuming that you are either the only one interested, or one of few interested. The seller at this point recognizes your offer, but wants perhaps a bit more to cover their costs in moving or buying a new home. At this point you could deny the counter offer if you are confident that you are the only one interested.

A real estate broker can help you find a good deal if you haven’t ever been skilled in persuasion tactics. Real estate brokers can do the negotiation for you, while you sit back and wait for the numbers to be presented to you. It’s a handy tool, but also costs more money for you.

Closing Comments

Homes are coming down in price dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages. You will be able to find a home that fits your style with a bit of research.

Two weeks ago, the ribbon was cut outside of Prosperity America Inc.s new call center near the military hub of Columbus, Ga. The business is billing itself as an alternative to the overseas outsourcing of debt collection and tele-services jobs.

The call center expects to hire 300 people over the next three years. Chief Executive Officer Fred Landrum said that he hopes to add 25 employees each quarter. By 2012, the center expects to bring in $15 million revenue. Prosperitys call center will not only focus on debt collection business, but also on a wide array of tele-services to insure that it can successfully provide jobs in the country. The company plans to offer its clients call center support, customer payment reminders, customer acquisitions and retention.

My background is in debt collections, one of my partners formerly ran outsourcing for debt collection at GE, our roots are very strong in that industry, but were not going to limit ourselves to debt collection,” Landrum told insideARM. Landrum elected to locate the call center in Midland, Ga. It is Close to the massive military base Fort Benning reason being is because he believes; America should give back to its soldiers. We want to be a source of jobs for Americans and the military veteran community, he said.

Although the call center will be tackling plenty of work outside of the accounts receivable management industry, Prosperity hopes to provide the debt collection industry with an onshore alternative that will provide work for Americans, and especially military veterans. Many credit grantors offshore, or send first party collections to call centers in India and the Philippines.”

We will have an alternative to that. Well be doing debt collection, but well also represent debt collectors directly as an alternative to outsourcing to an overseas operation, Landrum said. Placing the call center very close to Fort Benning was also a strategic operational tactic for Landrum. He believes that the focused-minded, disciplined and very skilled workforce in Columbuss pro-military town will make for a successful call center.

Im a veteran, and as a veteran Ive always been of the opinion we need to give something back,” he noted. President Obama even mentioned that the veteran population, as a group, has a higher homeless rate than any other segment of the population and its just not something we as Americans should allow to happen. We owe something of a debt to the folks who have put it all on the line — their lives for our freedom.” That is why I feel there is a special need to realize these folks. The call center environment enables us, especially with our technology, to employ people that may not even be in Columbus but may be somewhere else. As long as they have access to the Internet and a telephone line, we can provide jobs for them. The call center is expected to begin operations on June 1.

In a recessionary market when potential borrowers may be more timid about buying a home and when it is more difficult than ever to qualify for a loan, it is important to take effective steps to attract business. Direct marketing and networking campaigns are a way to generate business, both through past clients and through people who haven’t thought about obtaining a home loan

Whether you feel you already have the perfect mix of marketing methods or you’re looking for suggestions, it’s likely you can find something effective you aren’t implementing right now. Below are some methods you can consider so as to get leads and clients. Remember, whether a person has already decided to apply for a home loan or they are still considering it, you should be their first mortgage professional who comes to their minds.

Use your database: if you’ve been doing your job right, you should have a database of old and current clients. To be really effective, you should also be tracking the contact information of people who might be interested in the future but who haven’t done business with you yet. Try to approach them and market your mortgage products. Send cards, newsletters and everything that can remind them on your company and your products or inform them on new terms and offers. Direct mail marketing is one of the possible tools to generate business.

Market to professionals: one good way to find new clients is to receive referrals from the people who work with potential borrowers. Attorneys, financial consultants, even architects can provide you with lists of potential borrowers and clients. You can get in touch with potential clients, informing them on your products and offers. The idea is to make them trust you and address you when time comes. When you are referred by someone you already trust, clients have fewer hesitations in approaching you for a home loan.

Private sellers: many houses are sold by their owners. Contact these sellers. You may be able to help them obtain the mortgage to their new home, or could work with the people who want to buy the seller’s home.

Well crafted message: Direct marketing would be rather inefficient and unsuccessful if the initial message was not gripping enough. Brokers who wish to thrive assure their clients and prospective customers that they can address their needs with care and honesty, helping them make a very serious decision such as a mortgage. Creating a good name and impression due to a well appointed marketing campaign is a key to success for modern brokers and loan officers.

Home equity loans are a great source of cash. However, before you plunge right into the process of drawing out a loan out of the equity of your property; you should take a look at the fine print and what it means to you.

Are you thinking about getting a home equity loan? Home equity loans might be an easy to acquire type of loan, but somehow even a seemingly great deal might turn out to be bad if the process of getting one is not done right. Make sure you understand all the language used in the loan process.The more you know and understand going in the better off you are at spotting trouble spots.

Let us look at the following areas to better understand the “speak” used for this type of loan.

Points

If you are charged 1 point, this would mean 1 percent of the loan. And so 1 percent of a 100,000 dollar loan is an up front charge of 1000 dollars. Do not worry, there are lenders that do not charge points.How are you affected by this? Most lenders charge a part of the loan for commissions for themselves and for their sub-agents. Actually such points vary from little to exorbitant; it all depends on the company.

Loan “rate” terms

It it a fixed or variable loan. A fixed rate means you pay the same amount every month for the life of the loan. But on the other hand, if you have variable type of loan, you may actually have an initial good interest rate. Interest rates that go up naturally makes your monthly payments go up too in the process. So what do you want ” a home equity loan with interest rate that stays the same all throughout the duration of the loan, or one with the possibility of going up anytime? Understand that more often then not, a variable loan starts out one or two percent lower then a fixed rate. The big question is where does it stop once it starts to adjust?

Pre Payment penalties

Pre payment penalties are a fee that the lender places on you in the event you decide to pay of your loan early. These “pre-pays” can cost several thousand dollars in some cases. The reason for this is that by paying off the loan early, the lender will be missing out on the intrest payments you have agreed to pay over the life of the loan. (these interest payments are normally in the several thousands of dollars)

Late payment penalties

Does a home equity loans interest rate go up with late payments? With many lenders, with delinquent payment, penalties usually follow. More so, there sometimes is a clause on default interest rate increase in the loan which raises automatically the loan rates when payments are late. This can actually be costly for the borrower.

Insurance

You have to check if the home equity loan that you are prospecting has insurance costs hidden somewhere, a cost that you definitely do not want. Whenever you get a loan, you can take in corresponding credit insurance. You can have credit life insurance, which takes care of your loan in the event that you die. However, if in the case of home equity loan, if you feel that insurance is just added cost, then by all means avoid the lender that requires you to pay for them.