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Tips and Techniques When Hiring a Real Estate Broker

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Real estate brokers usually get a commission, and it is common for this commission to become a negotiation process. A much dreaded negotiation process at that. The simplest way to begin this process is by simply asking.

Of course, before meeting with the broker, ensure you find out how much your home is worth from another party. To do this, you can either get a professional appraiser or look at other homes in the area.

Always remember that the longer a house takes to sell, the more a broker will charge you. For this reason, you will want to research how long a house stays on the market.

In addition, you should examine the pros of your house and what points will really make it sell. An excellent example of this includes the overall condition of the house or the location. If you have additional properties, you can see if you can get a volume discount.

Perhaps you already have a buyer in mind. If this is the case, it will take a significantly less amount of time to sell the house. This means you will not need to pay the broker a huge amount of commission.

If you ever find yourself in the position to sell another property, ensure you get the same broker. By using the same one, you are giving him or her two commissions, and you will find much more flexibility when it comes to negotiating.

Before dealing with an agent, you should always determine whether or not their rates are negotiable by checking with the broker in-charge. Furthermore, you should pick three different companies that can provide you with the best rates.

Finally, never do the negotiations within your home. You may get distracted by kids or different responsibilities. The agent also feels like a guest, and you may be surprised as just how hard it can be to get aggressive. In order to ensure negotiating success, do this process outside of your home and remain strong.

Welcoming Change Whilst in the Realm of Agile Software Development

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One of the most difficult principles of Agile Software Development to actually implement is the principle of welcoming change. Two of the statements of values in the Agile manifesto are:

  1. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
  2. Responding to change over following a plan

Both of these statements lead to the idea that Agile Software Development welcomes changes from customers and other stakeholders in the project. The Software Development team aims to gather feedback by developing frequent releases through developing the software in a series of iterations. A customer, changing their minds concerning the requirements of a project, isn’t viewed as a problem, which can be in sharp contrast to how a lot of methodologies approach the topic of requirements changing. This incorporation of feedback and customer involvement is an important contribution to the success of Agile methodologies as it leads to the development of software that customers really want. Following this principle is no easy task because the application of this principle needs to start at the very beginning of a project. Guides to implementing Agile Software Development frequently mention the role of the executive sponsor, and other business oriented roles within a company which need to buy-in and support an initiative to introduce Agile Software Development. But in a Software Development company that develops bespoke software directly for customers, the business people in the company need to understand and stick to the principles of Agile Software Development likewise.

There may be support for Agile Software Development in a project of all members but the general perception amongst the business people is that it is one area which the developers do, and does not directly concern them. As much of the material available on Agile Software Development does specifically concern Software Development teams, that is quite an understandable assumption to make. In a company developing bespoke software, the client needs to be made aware of the nature of an Agile Software Development project, and a contract needs to be negotiated that is compatible with the chosen methodology. And it’s the business people who are associated with a project that usually hold the responsibility of setting the customer’s expectations for a project and negotiating the contract.

Customers not really acquainted with Software Development expect that when negotiating a new project with a Software Development company that the process is quite like purchasing almost every other goods and services. The client explains what they need, they agree a price together with a delivery date, and the customer then waits for it to be achieved. The Software Development company will not want to challenge these expectations for the fear of making a customer uncomfortable, and potentially losing their business. This often leads to a binding agreement that mirrors these expectations. The customer continues to expect that the software, by the release date, is going to be ready and do everything the customer wants, and they only need to wait.

However it is inevitable that the customer will need to provide feedback on the software and will be very keen to make some changes. In the above scenario the client is going to find themselves giving their feedback at a time towards the release date when they actually get to see the software.

These changes are unlikely to be very welcome to the Software Development company at this point. In practice these requests for changes results in friction between the customer and the Software Development company, possibly bringing about arguments between the company and the customer. The company will believe that these requirements wasn’t specified originally when the contract was signed and demand additional cash to implement these changes. If the customer agrees, a new contract will need to be negotiated. On the other hand the company may agree to do these changes for free given that the customer is without a doubt quite upset that the software does not do what the customer wants. The more often these changes are handled for free; the company gets closer to generating a loss on the project. In both of these scenarios, the project is sure to be late.

If the development team itself is trying to be Agile and is developing the project in iterations, the case is often improved through getting feedback from the customer earlier on in the project. But if the contract remains to be the same, these changes will still be unwelcome to the business people associated with the project. They will be seen as an extra expense and the developers are going to be instructed to extend the time on making these changes until a new or revised contract can be negotiated. Once the business people perceive that changes will be happening between iterations and that this needs addressing, they should recognise that a new approach will probably be required in future for making new contracts with customers. An effective option that they might choose is to try to break down the ‘development’ of the project into separate, ready planned phases and then make this the substance of the contract. This approach doesn’t challenge the customer’s expectations of being certain of the outcome of a project, and so it appears like a safe option. At the start of a project, a customer is frequently quite positive that they know what they aspire to. In practice, actually seeing and using the software might most likely make the customer consider the project in a whole lot more depth than they had previously.

This phased approach to making contracts is not going to solve the issue of welcoming changes and introduces new problems. When the first phase of the project completes, the customer gets to use the software for the first time and starts making requests for changes. As a consequence the next phase will have to be planned again. If the original phases were time estimated then the next phase will require a new estimation from the development team. And the business people will have to create a new contract for the next phase. Normally, this approach will demand a large administrative overhead for relatively small amounts of work. The customer can also be likely to get impatient over the length of time it takes just to get some more work done. More steps need to be taken to effectively develop within an iterative fashion.

In an ideal scenario, the people setting the customer’s expectations for the project would have bought in to the concept of Agile Software Development and grasp the principles involved. They would have the responsibility of also convincing the customer of these benefits and negotiating a contract that works well with their chosen methodology. Three typical customer expectations shall be challenged during this process:

  1. that they already know exactly what they want
  2. that they can be certain of what to expect at the end of the project
  3. that the Software Development company is exclusively responsible for the success of the project

To convince the customer that developing the project the Agile way is a good idea; the benefits need to be emphasised:

  • That they can change their minds if they want, when they want
  • Their changes will be incorporated in to their application quickly with minimal administrative overhead
  • They will not have to wait long to see their changes in the software
  • The application developed will be what they want it to be not now but what they want on the release date
  • They will have an important role in guiding the development of the project throughout its development

There are of course trade-offs for these benefits:

  • The customer can’t be certain what they are certain to get at the end of the project when signing the contract
  • The criteria for the success of the project will change with time and will not be stated explicitly in the contract as a detailed specification
  • The customer must take an enthusiastic role participating in the project. The project’s success all hangs on on the effectiveness of the collaboration between the customer and the Software Development team.
  • The customer will have to prioritise their changes, choosing which ones are developed first and which of them have to be dropped when necessary

A compatible contract will likely not state a detailed project plan, and make that plan a binding agreement for the Software Development company. General, advanced level requirements will be used as the success criteria for the project.

In return the contract will enable the customer to request changes to the project when the customer wants to. A formal definition of how changes are handled will be included in the contract. This definition will match the methodology used by the Software Development team. With most Agile methodologies this will mean that the development team will incorporate these changes in the next iteration following the change request from the customer. The contract will also not contain specific time estimations for high level requirements. It will instead contain an iteration schedule. A contract that welcomes change is a contract that does not have to be changed.

While the process described is known as change, this term doesn’t accurately describe the all that is taking place. A changing business environment can motivate changes in requirements but what is happening most often is the creation of new ideas for the software from both the customers and the development team. It is part of the creative process that makes the software and it is definitely something that ought to be welcomed.

How To Start An Internet Business – There’s Something More Important To Consider!

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This is a big question! Asking “how do I start an Internet business?” is like asking how long is a piece of string.

The very first things that you need to consider is what kind of Internet business it is that you want? Why do you want to start an Internet business? What relevant skills do you have? What resources do you have available? There are many questions to be answered!

One of the main questions is, “why do you want to start an Internet business?” For most people the answer will be to generate an extra income, especially in these tough economic times (and by the way, the Internet is the perfect medium to achieve this). For others, it will be to have a better lifestyle with the time and money freedom that comes with a successful Internet business, this too is achievable.

Business Model

The Internet offers vast opportunities to those who are willing to commit the effort to learn and make it work for them. Deciding what kind of Internet business you want to develop is an important decision to make as there are many different ways to making money online.

Ecommerce is a huge growth area and is like opening a retail store but without the high costs associated with it. Within the ecommerce industry itself there are many different business models to decide upon. Will you stock products yourself? Will you dropship? Will you sell on eBay or Amazon? Lots of questions to answer!

Perhaps you don’t want to open an ecommerce store but want to work as an affiliate marketer, selling other peoples products for a nice fat commission. There is big money to be made working in affiliate marketing. We are talking big five to six figures here! And again, there are many other options to decide within the affiliate marketing industry itself. What you need to understand is that people are making huge amounts of money on the Internet in all business models, whether it be ecommerce or affiliate marketing. The key differentiator between those who succeed and those who do not, is knowledge of marketing.

The Key Skill

I would say that the main question you need to ask yourself is, “what experience do you have with Internet businesses?”. Running a successful Internet business requires that you master the core skill of Internet marketing. This is the most important point that I have learned in my years. Learning the skill and art of Internet marketing is the absolute key to success. Without it, you will have a very difficult job surviving online (or even getting started!).

If you understand how Internet marketing works, then you understand the fundamentals of how all Internet businesses operate. And you can apply your knowledge to whichever area you decide to put your efforts into. This is truly “teaching a man to fish” stuff. If you learn good, solid and ethical Internet marketing skills, then you will have one of the most valuable skillsets on the Internet. So, whether you decide to run an ecommerce store, work as an affiliate marketer or sell digital products, it all requires the same fundamental skill of Internet marketing.

In my experience, learning all the strategies of Internet marketing was fascinating and when applied it was gratifying to see results (as well as profitable). However, there are more factors to consider. There are many Internet marketing courses out there and they can all bring you a degree of success if you apply what you learn.

What you really need to learn is how everything works in the bigger scheme of things and how each component relates to one another. For example, how does building a list work? What role does a blog have in relation to a squeeze page. In fact, what is the difference between a squeeze page and sales page? And how should they be used?

Best Solution

If you can find a company or organization that teaches you all of this stuff, then you are half-way there. In addition, learning Internet marketing in a vacuum, can be quite a lonely and difficult journey. If you can find other like-minded entrepreneurs who share your goals and dreams, then your journey will be a lot easier. You can exchange ideas, get feedback and have somewhere to go for any unanswered questions that you might have.

So, to answer the question of this article, how to start an Internet business? Well, before you do that, learn Internet marketing and learn it well. It forms the foundation of all Internet businesses and your chance of success is multiplied massively.