Looking for REO Listings? Read this First

So, you're looking for REO listings. Well, before you even think about getting into REO, you'll probably want to read this article first. I promise you that it will save you a lot of wasted time and effort in your process of looking for just the right listings that will actually bring you some decent results. Keep reading to find out more.

I realize that there is probably no reason to go over what REO properties are, but just in case you're REALLY new to this, an REO property is one that has been purchased either by a bank or mortgage company through an auction. These are properties that have been foreclosed on and now can be purchased for, what most people would call, a song. And out there are listings of these properties. The question is, where do you find these listings and how do you know if they're any good?

Let's start with where you can find REO listings. Thanks to the Internet, REO listings can be found at any bank or mortgage company that has a site online. And let me tell you, there are thousands of these sites online including Wachovia, which is one of the biggest. However, all these sites don't make it any easier. In fact, it makes things harder. With so many choices, how do you know what properties are any good, or for that matter, which ones are the ones YOU'RE looking for?

In this case, the key thing you need to do is look for specialized listings, either one family homes, two family homes, commercial properties or whatever. This will greatly narrow down your search to the properties that you're specifically interested in.

Most sites will have their listings sorted by state and city. Just point and click and you can find the specific location that you're interested in. This makes finding a property a lot easier.

The Importance of Balancing your Small Business Checkbook

How consistent are you with maintaining your business checkbook? Although balancing your checkbook is one of the foremost essentials for managing one's budget effectively, millions of individuals don't do it regularly and that goes for small businesses too. For the sake of saving time, you might engage in some dangerous behaviors like checking the ATM receipt for our current balance, and accepting it as our bottom line without thought to pending checks or other debits; or only balancing the checkbook at tax time. These can be fatal errors that cost you more time than you might have saved by skiping this step.

With the advent of online banking, automated tellers and other advances in technology, it might be easy to believe that one can get away without the monthly task of pulling out the checkbook and verifying their bank balance. However, there are several reasons why doing so can be beneficial - and help them to avoid financial disaster.

Making sure business records match those of the bank - Each month, banks send their account holders a statement of transactions which have taken place on their account. This should include all deposits, transfers, and withdrawals, and the date they posted to their account. Many banks offer their customers the option of going paperless; whether they receive a paper or electronic copy of this information, it is important to review it in a timely fashion.

Time waits on no one - Banks process millions of transactions, and although their failure rate is minimal, mistakes do happen. When an error occurs, you have a limited time to act - sometimes as little as thirty to sixty days. If you aren't taking the time to review your statements, you may not catch the mistake for months - and then it is too late to do anything about it. Whether the error is on your part or the bank's you may not catch it unless you are diligent about reconciling your records on a regular basis.

BOING! - It is an easy thing to have happen. You are on the go, and need cash or have to make a purchase. In your hurry, you tuck the receipt away to deal with ‘later.' One thing leads to another and you never do. A couple weeks later, you are puzzled and dismayed to find returned check and insufficient funds notices in your mailbox! It has happened to even the best of us. Bouncing checks and overdrawing your account can mean fees of $30.00 or more per failed transaction, but more than that, it looks bad (VERY BAD) for your small business. While you can reoup the overdraw fees, you may never recoup your business's damaged reputation.

Time saved is money saved - Proper accounting is one of the most overlooked aspect of running a small business. Nobody likes to do it, but you really can't afford not to. Spending the time to balance your checkbook and properly account for all spending, can save you more time in the long-run...especially during tax time. If you find it tough to find the time to serve your customers or clients regularly, try doing it at tax time when you haven't been keeping good accounting records. Just simply balancing your check book can be a HUGE help. It's a minimal fail safe for those who didn't take the time to keep spreadsheets and/or quickbook records for their small business throughout the year.

Checkbook maintenance is a chore, and unfortunately, few schools teach the art of the balance these days. However, whether you are just getting your business off the ground, or you are trying to expand and need to budget your time, balancing your checkbook is a necessity. Unfortunately, many new small business owners fail to see the benefit of doing so until it is too late.

Business Security Threats: Avoid These Common Mistakes to Protect Critical Data

It's not a matter of if, but when. You might think that as a small business owner, your company is not a target for malicious hackers or attacks, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. Size doesn't matter when it comes to maintaining business continuity in light of security threats - both natural and manmade - anyone and everyone is susceptible. Think about what kind of information you could lose from various business security threats - years worth of tax records, confidential employee information including Social Security numbers, signed customer contracts and customer contact records, just to start.

When an eight person law firm in Miami was hit by Hurricane Ike in 2008, it was forced to close its doors after a decade of being in business. Everything they had was destroyed and irretrievable. Although this was a natural disaster, the business owner could have taken some relatively easy and cost effective precautions to ensure his business was safe from common small business security threats. Fortunately, for today's small business owners, there are many software applications available that are adept at maintaining business continuity. These applications are easily accessible and simple to implement, making your business safer in case the unthinkable should occur.

The Keys to Maintaining Business Continuity

I see many small businesses make the same common mistakes when it comes to securing their data and maintaining business continuity; I've listed them (below) in an effort to help companies protect themselves from business security threats. Most companies I talk to believe they are secure, when in fact, they are unmistakably vulnerable.

Mistake #1: "My data is secure; I've got it backed up on-premise."

Let's say you are fortunate enough to have a security system, a fire detection system and are part of a secured office park with security personnel roaming the grounds 24/7. Just because your premises are secured doesn't mean your records are safe from business security threats. In fact, it's the opposite. Many businesses commonly make the mistake of backing up files only on-premise or back-up on premise and remove discs or tapes manually on a regularly scheduled interval (ex. once per month). The smartest solution to combating business security threats is to have all your data saved and stored in an off-premise data center. By having your data backed up off-site, you ensure the safety of all your important files and you get the added benefit of being able to access important files from any Internet connected computer (with the right security authentication of course!)

Like in the earlier example of the law firm affected by Hurricane Ike, if it had stored all of its files off-premise in a hosted data center, the employees would have been able to save all of the files, retrieve and reinstate them and gotten the business back up with minimal interruption. Backing up to an external hard drive or NAS (Network Attached Storage) device is critical to maintaining business continuity and preventing data loss due to hardware failures. However, small businesses commonly face fires, floods, thefts, and other business security threats that require backups to be offsite. Make sure your business has a secure backup solution in place to allow data to be stored offsite. These solutions are relatively inexpensive in terms of maintaining business continuity, especially considering the alternative.

Mistake #2:"I just bought a new PC, so I've already got the latest and greatest security software loaded."

You may be thinking to yourself "I already have all the security I need." Yes, Microsoft Windows does have a firewall feature guarding against common business security threats, but these off-the-shelf components aren't nearly enough to support the needs of a company. Ideally, small businesses should employ the same "defense in depth" strategy large enterprises use to secure their internal networks. PCs should have their software firewalls enabled and properly configured, and have a firewall router on the network's edge to provide a second layer of defense against business security threats. This way, if a PC's firewall is not configured properly, there is still a layer of protection between the computer and Internet threats. By selecting a managed firewall application, small businesses will shield themselves from critical network threats, block unnecessary Internet traffic, and restrict applications used on your network. This type of security product is a necessity for protecting small business networks from malicious Internet threats and maintaining business continuity.

Mistake #3:"I installed new security protection software in the past couple years or so."

As you may know, many laptops and desktops come with pre-installed free trials of a brand name security offering, although this will keep your desktop secure for a brief time, many small businesses commonly make the mistake of letting this software expire and forgetting to update it. In order to protect your desktops and laptops from online business security threats, you must install a secure desktop solution to protect PCs from viruses, spyware, and other Internet-borne attacks. Sold as a bundle as part of many communications and IT services, secure desktop applications have no expiration dates to keep track of. The best part of this software application is that updates are automatic, which means there are no more software upgrades to install--reducing the cost of IT management. Maintaining business continuity is easy--just secure your desktop as soon as you can!

Mistake #4: "I have to update my browser and operating system (OS) security patches myself, and I just don't have the time."

Small businesses can easily be taken advantage of due to low security on their browsers and operating systems, but these types of business security threats can be easily avoided with automatic security patch updates. Many small businesses take the burden of updating their PCs with the latest software versions on themselves, but OS security can be easily automated, which makes maintaining business continuity a breeze. Yes, small businesses should ensure the updates take place and check in on them regularly, but today's technology helps alleviate some of the time it takes to manage the situation.

By avoiding these common culprits of business security threats, companies can protect one of their most precious assets - data and files. Most businesses will face many threats in their lifecycle. Learn from the mistakes others have made and take these steps towards maintaining your business continuity.

Balancing Work and Life: 8 Tips to Help Women Entrepreneurs Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

As a woman entrepreneur who travels a lot for work, I know it's hard to balance work and life. Because I travel so much, I constantly find myself watching the behavior of other people. The variety of personalities always astounds me.

During a recent two week stint where I spoke at five different engagements in 4 different states, I couldn't help but zero in on individuals who couldn't sit still.

Cell phone and impassioned discussions with work counterparts fill the air as the talkers stride down the airport halls. I've heard individuals have cell phone conversations in bathroom stalls, along the street and during their grocery shopping excursions. I swear competitions will evolve around who has the fastest draw off the belt in answering that urgent ring.

Here Are My Two Important Questions For You to Answer:

1. Do we really have to be that available?
2. What happened to "down" time?

During the fourteen day tour of bookings, other work surfaced. Now faced with handling the keynote and training sessions as well as those business items piling up at home, stress continued to mount.

How did I know I was stressed?

I woke up at 3:00 AM five nights in a row to make sure I hadn't over slept the 6 AM wake-up call. No peaceful rest for me...there was business to attend to!

Is Your Desire to Succeed Harming Your Health?

Our need to succeed and be perceived as competent, efficient and effective often interferes with our duty to take care of our bodies, minds and families. In fact, Fast Company's magazine recently cited research indication that only 1 out of 10 people would actually change their lifestyle if they knew they were going to die without the making the necessary changes.

For example, a good friend of mine, Jake, recently suffered a severe heart attack. He was healthy one moment and in the hospital the next. When the physician told him to take six weeks off work, Jake's immediate response was "I can't! The backlog of work will be too much and probably give me another heart attack from the stress of playing catch up!" The physician, with obvious misgivings, shortened the recovery period to two weeks and included strict dietary instructions.

He was making the conscious choice to put his work over his own health. Now what are you committed to?

Here Are 8 Commitments To Help You Achieve A Positive Lifestyle Today:

1. Take inventory of what makes you genuinely happy. As you list each item, evaluate what you do every day to ensure that joy remains solidly in your life. Also list things you do that jeopardize your ability to be happy. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and don't even know it.

2. Be accountable for the decisions you make. Every time you say "just a minute while I finish these e-mails" and you end up missing dinner with your spouse, understand you chose to stay "plugged in" to the business. It doesn't control you...you control your choices.

3. Learn to turn off the phone. Voice mail was created for a reason. Use it wisely.

4. Laugh at the absurdities that otherwise contribute to your stress level. A young lady in shorts, sitting next to me at the airport terminal, was the recent victim of a walk-by sneezing. Another passenger inadvertently spit on her leg in his convulsion. He ambled on oblivious. She, however, quietly dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue. She wiped her leg, careful to shield her actions from others... Except I caught her eye and we both howled with laughter. Bless her heart, she showed class in an awkward situation and exemplified the statement "Stuff happens...deal with it!"

5. Learn to say "NO" with love and affection. Only you know what your priorities and life goals are. Evaluate what others ask you to do, and then determine your response in terms of how it interfaces with your plans.

6. Find out how your behaviors affect the ones you love most. Sometimes a mirror held up before us can tell us more than what our mind eye chooses to rationalize. It may not be pretty, but at least you will have an honest starting point on which to make your lifestyle decisions.

7. Handle your business tasks correctly the first time you deal with them. Quite frequently I consult with clients who feel like the rats in the race are winning. They are overwhelmed by the volume of work they deal with so they do the same tasks over and over again. My advice is simple - slow down and check twice. Not a bad motto to live by.

8. Balance your high-tech and low-tech mentality. Using email exclusively only broadens the distance between us and our clients. Find ways to make your contact personal. A warm voice over the phone or a quick face to face visit can go a long way to cement a relationship. I've learned that it's the eyes, body language, and tone of voice that speaks volumes - imparting information that e-mail could never provide.


We have to define how far we are willing to push ourselves before we damage the positive aspects of our lives that give us true satisfaction and joy.

It's my choice. It's your choice... business as usual or live your life like you mean it. Choose well. If your choice is to live your life then check out my new book, "Hitting Our Stride: Women, Work and What Matters

Does Living Your Talents Lead to Success?

Recently, my colleague and I were discussing the validity of the idea that if you have a positive attitude, follow your passion, and do what you love then success and money will follow. My position generally was that the idea was valid; hers was that it was not.

The discussion arose during a seminar in which the main speaker ridiculed the idea and gave several examples to make her point. It got both of us thinking about it because following your passion and doing more of what you love and what you do best is part of the VRFT philosophy. As the discussion progressed it became apparent that the message meant one thing to me, another to Lynda-Ross, and yet another to the seminar speaker. So, I concluded that if three pretty smart people were confused then there was a good chance that others were confused as well.

The idea has been expressed in many different ways and there are many popularized versions of the message. Off the top of my head I come up with: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar, The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson, and the popular film What The Bleep Do We Know. All are variations on the same theme.

The internet is full of discussion and debate both pro and con about whether or not doing what you love and following your passion will lead to money and success. I cannot speak for my colleague, the seminar speaker, or authors, both cited and un-cited, who have written books on the subject. But as the idea of Living Your Talents as a way to success is pretty important to what I do, I will express my ideas on the subject!

I think that the critique of this concept comes from three fallacies implied or stated:

• thought or attitude is the only necessary criteria for success,
• following your passion will make you successful, and
• doing what you love to do by itself will make you successful

Lets take them one at a time and examine what is left out.

Thought or attitude is the only necessary criteria for success.

This one is pretty obvious. Action is always required, as Jim Rohn says “After you have leapt about, there are some things that you must do.” Visioning success and having a positive attitude are important, but in order for things to happen we must also act. To paraphrase Goethe, too much reflection without experience drives us mad.

Following your passion will make you successful.

It all depends on what you mean by passion and how you follow it. Too many people confuse a passion for an external object or thing with an internal enthusiasm for a subject or activity that is skill and talent based. Following a passion for Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp is unlikely to result in success (unless you define charges of stalking as success!) while developing an innate skill for organization into a talent could lead to both success and money.

Doing what you love to do by itself will make you successful.

Beyond doing what you love to do you must evaluate failures and adjust, learn and develop new skills, and most importantly learn what is missing from your natural repertoire of skills and talents and find others who have those skills and can compliment yours.

Success and wealth are never guaranteed in any undertaking in life. There is no guarantee that using Your Talent Advantage will lead to success. But I do believe that pursuing activities that take advantage of skills and talents at which you are naturally gifted increases the odds of you doing the things described above which leads to success.