Have you ever wondered about working in real estate? Or would you simply like to learn more about the industry and how you could profit from it? Then there’s no time like the present to get an education from American Real Estate Academy in Waltham, Mass., who is one of my clients.

The Academy, or AREA for short, has been educating real estate professionals for over 35 years. They offer the courses to become a real estate salesperson, broker, mortgage lender, property appraiser and home inspector, as well as continuing education courses to maintain your salesperson and broker licenses. Thousands over the years have taken courses from AREA all across Massachusetts and New England and have enjoyed a successful real estate career.

Many people also take courses from AREA to learn more about the real estate industry, and use this knowledge for the purchase of their own home or to become a real estate investor.

Check out their Web site for more information and to register for their courses. AREA also offers a complete line of books, software, audio and accessories to compliment your real estate education.

Business • Diversions • (0) Comments • Permalink

Virtual Hosting has compiled a list of 100 blog posts on the topic of domain names and domaining. They have organized them under the category of Parking, Buying and Selling, Value and Appraisal, For Beginners, Questionable Practices, Making Money, Management, Search Engines and Traffic and Miscellaneous. I am proud to have 2 posts on the list - Know Who Manages Your Domain Name (#74) and Who Should Own a Domain Name? (#96).

I am still going through the list, but the people represented are the leaders in this area. The list also shows the breadth and depth of aspects and issues with regards to domain names. I recommend this list to fellow entrepreneurs as well as those in the domain name business.

Updated 9/5/2017 - Changed links to their new site at HTML.com

---

This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

---

Did you enjoy this? Subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS/XML feed or Read by Email.

  

---

Announcements • Blogging • Domain Names • Strategize • (3) Comments • Permalink

If there is a man on your gift list in the Chicago area, there’s no better gift than a visit to The 316 Club. I have written about them before as I am a member of this men’s spa in the Loop next to the Chicago Board of Trade.

As the “oasis with premium grooming services” for men, you can get a blade shave – even your head for bald guys like me – or a haircut, massage, etc. – check out their menu of services for complete details. They feature a bar with fine scotches, a pool table, WiFi and you can even get a shoe shine. Gift cards are available both at the Club or online, so you can treat someone to a single visit or a membership for a year of services.

Business • Diversions • (1) Comments • Permalink

Regular readers of The Hot Iron know well my gripe with mobile phones locked to particular service providers, and them not allowing unlocked phones on their network. The one exception in the US has been T-Mobile, whom I have used for over a year after switching from Verizon Wireless. Though there were other issues I had with Verizon prompting me to leave them, it looks like one of them may be starting to go away.

This week Verizon Wireless announced at some point in 2008 they would start allowing unlocked phones on their network. However, only certain phones would be allowed “only if the devices have passed tests, which their manufacturers will pay for, in a Verizon lab” – a direct quote from another article on MSNBC.com.

Currently Verizon Wireless and all other mobile providers, including T-Mobile, sell phones that work only on their network. These phones generally come with a lower price than buying them direct from the manufacturer as the providers will subsidize their cost, not to mention control the software on the phones. Where your phone number is portable from one provider to another, your physical phone is not. With T-Mobile, you can buy a phone from just about anyone, and then you place the SIM chip they provide you in the phone and voila – it works. Hmmm, I never heard anything about a T-Mobile lab.

My gut tells me the Verizon Wireless spokesperson and all their executives were clenching their teeth when they made this announcement. This will force them, and all other providers who open their eyes to this, to provide quality service to their customers and not just rely on locking them into service with contracts or hardware. I hope this change for them is one step forward, and not accompanied with 2 steps back.

Business • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink

As an entrepreneur with a home-based business, many people say to me they are impressed I have perfected a system for working at home. I usually respond by saying that they say this like they believe that I have come up with something definitive. When the puzzled look comes over their face, I tell them it is a continuous process to keep organized, managed and motivated. There have been many ideas that I have tried that did not help me, and many that have and I continue to use, and of course tweak.

I recently came up with a new one – I walk to work. Now before you call me lazy and question why I am boasting about walking a few feet to my home office, let me continue. When working from home, the line between living and working can become thin, blurred or sometimes non-existent. Adding more structure to my day was something I sought, not to mention getting a little exercise in the morning. One day I decided to walk with my wife to work. It is not a terribly long walk, but a brisk one as I try to keep up with the 7-time marathoner on her daily trek to her office.

By taking this walk, it has many benefits – a little exercise, a little more conversation with my wife in the morning, showering before noon and I queue up an errand or two for the walk back. Of course I start doing this as the cold winds started blowing off Lake Michigan, but there’s no time like the present to effect positive change!

Business • (1) Comments • Permalink