Political battles very often have real economic consequences, and the current skirmishes over the federal budget and raising the nation’s debt ceiling are no exception. The budget battle, in fact, could result in a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1. To date, the housing market recovery has proven it is on solid ground, and it should be able to weather a short-term shutdown of the federal government fairly well. But a default on the nation’s debt would cause far more economic harm. Here are a few key points to keep in mind: Mortgages The reason housing, in particular, might be more isolated from the impact of shuttered federal coffers is because it is funded largely outside the federal government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, though technically under government conservatorship, fund their operations through fees collected from private lenders, not through taxpayer funds. So the backers of the majority of mortgages in this country should continue to operate more or less normally. Other government sources of funding for the housing market, including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), may be impacted more directly. If applications for funds from these agencies aren’t approved before the government shuts down, then those applications likely won’t be processed until the government reopens. But a short-term disruption in these funds, while certainly detrimental, shouldn’t have much long-term impact on either demand or housing affordability. Consumer confidence Where a government shutdown does have an impact, especially on housing, is in consumer […]

Many B2B websites are stuck in the past, functioning an online brochure rather than a member of the business development team—engaging prospects throughout the sales cycle. Though the sales cycles differ, B2B sites can learn from B2C. While B2B buyers have a different purpose than B2C consumers, they both still want a great user experience when they visit a company’s website. The fact is, many B2B websites need to make some B2C-inspired changes to keep up with their savvy buyers and prospects. So here are some ways that B2B companies can learn from B2C websites about user experience. B2C Purchase = B2B Lead Generation The main purpose of a B2C website is to lead a prospect to purchase during that site visit; however, the goal for a B2B website is to generate leads. The problem lies in the fact that many B2B companies don’t know where to begin or how to capitalize on the power their website could have with an online marketing program. A B2B study done by Nielsen Norman Group found that many B2B sites have poor usability because the website is less directly accountable for sales. B2C sites know exactly how much money they lose when a customer doesn’t convert, but this is not the case for B2B. However, B2B companies need to realize that buyers do extensive research before contacting a company and starting a conversation with the sales team. If a website fails to show credibility for the company, then the prospective buyer will leave […]

Whether you are a small business owner, a college student, or simply a gadget geek, there are dozens of technological goodies out on the market now available for personal use. There are smartphones and tablets. And as soon as you purchase the latest gadget, the technology companies come out with newer, more modern and improved versions. It can be difficult to keep up. Some people are determined to stay up to date by waiting for days in advance outside the stores of these techno gadget companies in anticipation of their new products. But you are busy—you do not have the time to camp out, waiting for the latest cool gadget. You have a business to run, or schoolwork to do. So, how do you know which techno gadgets are worth your time and money? The truth is that the “best techno gadgets” vary from person to person because we all have different hobbies and there are different tools for each of them. For instance, a pedometer is great for measuring your walking distance, but it would be ineffective for measuring your skiing distance. With each of us having different needs, the best techno gadget for one person will not be the same for another. That is not to say, however, that there are no techno gadgets that we would not all benefit from. Heck, there are some darn fine inventions out there—here are the top five best gadgets on the market for your personal use: 1.  iDock—You have an iPhone, […]

I was going through my closet after more than a year had gone by since the last time I put aside some clothes for charity. This time, when I encountered something I no longer wished to wear I didn’t immediately put it aside to donate as usual—a different thought came to mind. I sat there, long sleeved purple Polo collared shirt I no longer wore in hand: consignment. So maybe I don’t wear this grey J.Crew cardigan anymore, but someone would! I could even make a couple bucks off of it!  You can use services like “RodeoDriveResale.com” to advertise high quality clothing you no longer wear. You don’t even have to drive over to a store and drop it off. Since everything is done electronically, you can hold on to your items until they’re sold. By selling online, your client base is much larger and unaffected by how well your local economy is doing. Consignment is a good alternative to ebay because the consignment stores are experts at pricing your products. Instead of pricing based on what you personally see others doing, a consignment store will put a fair price on your clothes.  So clean out your closet! You’d be surprised to see how much clothing you can actually salvage for a good price.