Day: March 3, 2021

The year 2020 brought with it many surprising developments or the United States economy and the lifestyles of many Americans. With the COVID-19 pandemic ushering in a new age of working from home, homeowners are considering packing up their belongings and moving to a state they’d never lived in before. Maybe you’ve always had a thing for the Pacific Northwest or the Florida Keys, but your big-city East Coast job kept you in the Tri-state area. Well, no longer.

Now, if you want to make Oregon your new home, you can. Sure, you’ll need to do some research into Oregon charter schools instead of public schools for your kids, but there’s nothing else keeping you from the greenery of the Oregon forests. So, what do you need to keep in mind to move to a new state? Let’s look at four great things to be mindful of as you gear up to find a new home.

1. Find reliable general contractors in your new region.

Buying a new home often entails a certain amount of renovations, and that’s true wherever you’re moving to. It’s a good idea to head to your new area and scope out the home before moving in. That’s a great way to clarify any renovations that need doing, like work on the exterior or laying new tile floors, and get them done by reliable general contractors before you move. To find a contractor you can trust to do a remodel while you keep tabs from afar, use the web, and read plenty of reviews. Also, if you know someone in the city or town you’re moving to, consider asking them to be a point person for your remodel team to speak to.

2. Find out if your new home comes with appliances.

While it’s common practice to rent a home with appliances, that’s not always the case for a new home. That being said, some sellers are willing to sell their used appliances or fixtures for a discount simply because it saves them the trouble and cost of moving a refrigerator or dishwasher. If you don’t want to move the appliances from your current home clear across the country, ask your realtor about this option.

3. It’s a good idea to think about the weather, too.

If this is your first home in the State of Oregon or any other state, you may not be prepared for the weather conditions you’ll be encountering. For example, when you think about the Sunshine State, you may not be thinking about hurricanes, but hurricane season is a real (and dangerous!) fixture of Floridian’s life. Read up on home renovation tips for Florida homeowners and ensure that any home renovation projects include provisions for extreme weather, like floods and hurricanes. You should also make sure that your homeowner’s insurance includes coverage for damage caused by hurricanes or floods.

Virtual schools still need to be good schools.

If you have kids who you’re moving to a new city, keep them in mind when you’re thinking about buying a new home. There’s a difference between charter schools, public schools, and public charter schools. Even if your kids have been attending virtual schools for a year now, they should still be included in any conversations about choosing frameworks for their education. After all, they’ll be the ones sitting in front of a Chromebook and doing the actual schoolwork.

Wherever you’re moving to, the best way to find a new house is to do your research and keep the conversation about this new era an open one. Remember, this is a grand adventure, so even if you experience some hiccups on the way, it’s all part of the journey.

It seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone is launching a startup and praying that it’s a unicorn, like Facebook or Uber. It’s the age of the entrepreneur, and it’s an exciting time to be alive if you have big business ideas. With that being said, not every startup will make a profit. Actually, most small businesses fail within the first five years, leaving the entrepreneurs who launched them without much to offer the lenders who backed the project.

How can you make sure that your startup is a success and even see some serious profit margins sooner rather than later? One part of it is pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but another part is hedging your bets in a smart way. Did you know that you don’t have to start a small business from scratch to be a business owner? It’s true. Franchisees are business owners, too, and they have an easier time getting venture capital for their projects. If you’re considering getting into a franchise, here are some reasons why that’s a great idea for a successful startup.

It’s easier to find lenders to cover cash flow.

The first and most important, reason why it’s a good idea to be a franchisee is simply that it’s easier to do. Lenders, whether traditional financial institutions, the SBA (Small Business Administration), or other lenders are more likely to back your project because it’s not a brand-new concept. Many startup entrepreneurs spend ages searching for an angel investor in the early stages of a startup, while franchisees can turn to dedicated franchise revenue loans to get off the ground. This means that you don’t have to put as much of your own money into the launch, and you can still be the founder of your own business. That’s not to say that starting a small business that’s a franchise isn’t hard work—it is. It just means it’s easier to get a leg up on your startup.

You can rely on the wisdom of the franchisor.

You’re not starting from scratch, and that’s great for a lot of reasons. The franchisor has already figured out a business plan that works. They have a successful business. You’re just joining the party, and you can rely on the wisdom of the franchisor to serve as a compass. Instead of perusing a guide to bootstrapping a business, you can leave your bootstraps where they are and learn from the playbook the franchisor gives you when you buy into the business.

There are tools to keep your own business safe online.

If you’re concerned about online safety for your new business, that’s good. There are far too many crooked folks online just waiting to steal sensitive information from you and your customers. Any advisor would tell you that investing in IPv4 addresses will keep you safer than relying on the IP address that comes with your laptop. Actually, the most updated IP addresses are IPv6, but IPv4 addresses are still in high demand—as long as they’re scrubbed clean. When you buy an IP address for your business, it’s like owning your startup office space instead of renting it—it’s just more secure. It’s worth spending money on the kind of security you can buy with an IPv4 address block.

Starting a business will take hard work and a lot of money. That’s just the way it goes. However, you don’t have to go the hardest route and put all the business cash flow on your credit card. Be smart. Turn to a dedicated franchise lender, and get a business loan to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.