Gadgets To Make Your Life Easier
Introducing the Flybook VM laptop. I love how the screen pops out and stands upright to help your beady little eyes out. I really see this design as being successful for someone trying to type a blog entry like this one at the airport.
If you like to carry your music around with you on your WRIST, check out iRiver's S10 bracelet that's equipped with bluetooth baby!
Need I say more? Toshiba's Porteger 400 is a 12 inch screen of brilliance.
A new mp3 player hitting the shores of all music listeners. Meizu's newest release is very similar to a super duper popular gadget already in the US. But I have to say... this design is VERY NICE.
Beckham Joins Los Angeles Galaxy!
One of the world's most recognizable athletes is coming to... you guessed it... LOS ANGELES!!!! He's not coming just to party, schmooze it up at the Ivy, or shop on Rodeo Drive with his Spice Girl wife Victoria Beckham. He's actually going to suit up and play as a Galaxy starting this August.
Beckham will be 32 when he joins the Galaxy and still has years left in his career. The stereotype of European players coming to play in the US is that they are at the end of their careers and would like to appear as stellar as ever against weaker US competition. Not so says Beckham. He's planning to grow a club in the States where the sport is rapidly growing in popularity (every 4 years when a World Cup comes around).
His salary will be a freaking phenomenal $250,000,000. That's nearly $1,000,000 a WEEK for 5 years. Apparently the MLS is doing away with the salary cap. Why? Because the league is bringing in the dough. Not exactly. It's because they want to promote our league by bringing the world's best athletes to the good ol' US of A. Beckham is the first of hopefully many to come Stateside.
The Real Estate Industry
Are you interested in working in commercial real estate? Always wanted to sell a skyscraper? Your shopping mall? The amusement park you always visited as a kid?
Well there are a few things I thought I would lay out for you. The real estate industry, despite what everybody tells you, is a SLOW industry. Properties sell, and then held in escrow for several weeks or months, and then you get paid. Don't expect to get paid quickly or right away unless you're the Michael Jordan of your office. If you're young and you've always wanted to pull in $250,000 - $400,000 a year and you didn't get your medical or law degree, then I will say that this industry has the potential to provide that type of income. But it comes at a price, and a hefty price at that.
Your first day you come in and you're given training. They give you a sheet of things to say whenever a certain objection arises from a phone call. Now that you've learned the basics of what to say during a phone conversation, it's time to start making some phone calls. Now the sales manager doesn't just hand you a list of warm leads as you might expect in the insurance, travel, or financial industries. You get a giant book called the Directory that has some phone numbers in it (a la Yellow Pages). However, you're only ONE of the new hires and have to share this resource with everyone else.
One thing about the Directory is that the numbers in there are the most called. Why? Because the number is published! Duh! What do you think the typical reaction to an agent giving them a phone call is going to be?
- Stop calling me
- I get calls from guys like you ALL day and ALL night
- Please put me on your DO NOT CALL list
- I'm ALLERGIC TO YOU. So DIE!!!!!
The part we love talking about most is the income you'll be generating. If you choose to work at a large, established real estate firm you'll probably receive an offer of $0 if you're willing to start out as your own broker. But more likely you'll start out as a Senior Agent's Junior making minimum wage and a share of the commission of any leads you bring into the office. Expect to make anywhere between $30,000 - $50,000 if you close a relatively good sized deal. Luckily, the company I've worked for this past year gives you a much bigger cut right away.
Also, if you're going to break into the industry: FIND AN HONEST BROKER. Working for someone that is dishonest can really set you back IMMEDIATELY and you'll probably ruin your credibility before your reputation has even been built. What traits does an honest broker have?
That's easy:
- An honest broker does what he/she says they are going to do. If they say they are going to show your property to everyone, then they'll do it. If they say they are going to cooperate with another firm if that firm brings an offer, then they are going to do it (even if it means cutting your commission in half). Nothing faciliates better more easily than honesty.
In the future I'll put up more information about the industry if you are all interested.
