Month: January 2017

Where are Home Loan Interest Rates Headed?

Post sponsored by MonkeyMoney.com.au

We have been going through an interesting time both politically and economically over the last few months. Even experts can’t really agree whether interest rates are going to go up or down. There is a small majority of analysts who think that mortgage rates are likely to rise, but many also think they are likely to remain the same. The only thing that the experts don’t seem to expect to see happen is for rates to fall.

House-shpaed percentage sign on a background of money.That seems like a fair assessment, given that in many parts of the world, home loan interest rates are so low right now, not just in the US. We’ve just come out of a recession, and low rates are good to stimulate the economy and encourage people to borrow. Increasing rates at this time might put a dampener on the ongoing recovery, but decreasing them would achieve very little.

Why should you care what direction rates go? Well, if you were looking to take out a home loan at any time in the near future, you would want to make sure that you got a good deal, and you might be thinking about whether to get a fixed rate mortgage, or whether to gamble on a variable rate offer.

Fixed rate deals tend to be slightly higher than variable at the time that you sign on to them, but you know that you will have that rate locked in for a certain period of time. If you’re in the camp that believes that rates are likely to go up (which seems to be a common viewpoint), then you should look at getting a fixed rate mortgage. If you’re in the camp that believes rates aren’t going to change, or that they’re going to fall and stay low, then a variable rate is a good option for you.

It’s always a gamble, when you take out a mortgage. You don’t know whether rates are going to go up or down – no-one does. But, given the recent presidential election, and the Brexit vote, we’re entering a period of global uncertainty. England might seem like it’s fairly disconnected from us, but if England leaves Europe, other European states will be watching to see how it fairs. Any major changes to the European economic system will have a knock-on effect on the global economy.

The changeover between Obama and Trump will also have an effect on our local businesses, and that’s going to be something that the Fed will be watching closely. The Fed decides base interest rates. Immigration (something that Trump has been vocal about) affects demand for homes. Both of those things have an impact on home loan interest rates. A strong housing market and low interest borrowing would be an ideal situation for most of us.

It wouldn’t make sense to make an investing decision based on what you read online. If you’re thinking of taking out a mortgage it is very important that you seek professional advice. Compare quotes from several home loan providers, and make sure that you understand the terms fully. Don’t borrow unless you know what you are getting into and you are fully confident that you can pay the loan back. Only borrow what you need, on terms that are fair to you, and remember that if you do not keep up repayments on a loan that is secured on your home, you could lose the property. A good financial advisor will discuss your needs with you, and will be able to tell you the best course of action depending on your financial situation.

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Online Advertising vs Taxi Advertising: Which Works Best?

When it comes to advertising, everyone thinks that they have the ideal platform. There are so many options that it can be difficult at best to select the best form of advertising. However, there is only one way to get the right answer to this question. You have to measure the results yourself.

How Does a Marketer Measure the Impact Of Their Offline Vs Online Advertising?

If you have a specific goal, it’s easy to measure whether your online advertising or offline advertising, such as a taxi advertising campaign, is working best for your company’s needs.

Two taxis with advertisementsThis is where URLs become your best friends. Why? Because you’re going to use them to track different campaigns. On your online advertising, use one URL exclusively. On your taxi advertising, you’ll select a different URL to use.

Now all you have to do is sit back and wait. It couldn’t be simpler. But, stay with us here. You’re going to take this one step farther.

You’re going to gain some “sign-ups” or “Opt-ins” by using this method. You’ll ask people to “sign-up or opt-in” to your mailing list for a freebie. It could be a report, a discount, a short e-book or whatever you like.

Once you’ve captured this information you can then track where each visit came from. If you’re getting more from the form on the Taxi URL, then you know that you’re getting more business from that method of advertising.

If you’re getting more from the online campaign URL, then you’ll know that this is where your money should go.

One important thing to keep in mind is that your online advertising dollars will go toward spreading the word nationally and internationally. If you’re using a taxi advert for your advertising, you’re only going to be reaching a smaller audience in that you’ll only be advertising where the taxi goes.

Now the question arises, where do you want most of your business from? Are you basically an online business? Or, are you a brick and mortar business that sometimes does business online?

If you’re basically online, then you’re going to want to rely on online methods to use your advertising dollars on. If you’re brick and mortar you’ll want to spread the word in your own neighborhood.

This is the best way to brand your business. Once you’ve branded your business as the go-to place you’ll be making a name for yourself and your business, which begins to develop word of mouth.

If your goal is to brand your company, then you’ll want to place your advertising dollars into the method that reaches the most people in your target audience. It may take a few weeks to fully determine where the best place to put your advertising dollars is. However, once you’ve done this you’ll have the vital information that you need.

Using this method of two different URLs will go far in helping you to determine where to best place your advertising dollars and get you the leads and the sales that you want for your company to grow. This method is tried and true and has helped more than one company to determine where best to place their advertising dollars.

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