Four Questions To Guide Your Financial Journey

A financial journey starts from the moment you receive a stable income. The salary from your first job, the earnings from your business after a year of operation, or the commissions from offering your skills and services to others are all sources of stable income. Though a majority of the adult population has a job, a lot of them still struggle with managing their money.

Starting as early as possible to manage finances will go a long way. It preps you for the future. You can establish an emergency fund, purchase a home in Cavite's Vermosa, or travel in style. Whichever are your goals, here are four questions to ponder on regarding your money matters.

1. "What do you want to do with your money this year?"

It helps to remember that money comes and goes. You can earn back what you lost. However, it's gone forever once you lose it. All you can do is double your effort to earn the same amount or more than that.

An adult with a stable job continues to earn their keep and receive their keep twice a month. The person will have a lot of cash at the end of the year assuming there are no expenses. Living with no expenses is the ideal lifestyle but far from reality.

To remain debt-free and keep your balances afloat, ask yourself what you wish to do with your money. Is there anything you want to achieve? Do you have a big ticket purchase on your sleeve? Do you want to travel? Think about the things you need, first then follow it with your wants. Identifying the activities involved in achieving your goal lets you create a picture of your path.

2. "Does shopping or purchasing a certain item relieve your feelings?"

Some people relish the high from finding a bargain. Others occasionally indulge in a few purchases to keep their stock in check or get ahold of the latest trends. If you excessively spend your time and paycheck on shopping, you need to assess yourself.

Shopping is fun, but it isn't a form of therapy. The rush of shopping is short-lived. On top of that, you can end up with debt that will take you awhile to pay up. You can also get into the habit of buying expensive things just to impress people.

When you know the reason behind your shopping trips, you will understand how to control your habits and spur our impulses. Moreover, you won't have to rely on spending to feel good about yourself.

3. "Do you spend more time outside with friends and colleagues than you do at home?"

The people with you can influence your spending habits. Going out to indulge in after-work feasts or late night adventures with friends can burn a hole in your wallet. It can also lead you to a costly lifestyle. Meanwhile, preferring to stay at home with family can minimize the incidences of unnecessary spending.

Being out most of the time also places you under pressure. You need to pay for everything to achieve the conveniences that are only available at home. Overspending and maintaining a break-even status can set you a few years from your financial journey.

4. "Are family members aware of your financial condition?"

Single people can easily manage their finances as they don't have to worry about obligations. They can quickly pay off a debt, apply for a loan, and rely on credit. As long as they put their mind to it, they can take hold of their destiny. They can ask their parents or established siblings to help the rut during the early stages of their independence.

It's a different story for married couples and those with children. If one of the pairs undertakes a debt, both sides have to adjust. The other person needs the support and encouragement of others. Their financial decisions will vary as they improve their lifestyle.

Thinking of finances can be stressful, so it's important to take care of yourself. Better financial health may push you to shift your life choices, but you must not neglect eating well, exercise, and spending time with people important to you.

A financial journey is a journey of the self. Take care of your body, so it takes care of the rest.

Housing Tenure in the Philippines

It's a must to consider housing tenure when investing in real estate. The type of tenure determines the ownership of the occupants in particular housing unit. As settlers and inhabitants of the area, it informs you the extent of your legal status and duration of stay.

Tenure can be tricky as it varies by location, existing laws and, the nature of the structure. It also depends on mortgage terms, the economic and emotional connection between the unit and the household. Currently, there are four terms of tenure in the country. Some of them may apply in other housing locations.

Hybrid housing tenures are products of changing societal norms and community structures. They are a combination of the common types and other elements that affect dues, monitoring and stewardship.

The four common types of tenure are:

1. 1. Owned or being amortized
2. Rented 
3. Free settlement with the permission of the owner
4. Free settlement without the consent of the owner

When the settlers have the right to claim the housing unit, then they own the property. They have legal claims over the occupied are regardless if they are on mortgage or amortization. A house and lot for sale in Cavite, such as those in Vermosa, are examples of homeownership acquisition.

The next type of tenure is the rental. To utilize the unit, its occupants must pay rent in cash or kind. They have temporary claims on their settlement. Their right to occupy the area depends on a contract or drafted stipulation.

On the other hand, occupants may dwell in a location without payment. As long as they have the consent of the owner of the area, they may use it as their settlement. Rent-free houses and living quarters under private ownership can are examples of this tenure.

Contrast to these free housing units is makeshift houses and slums in various communities. Squatters and households with no permanent address who take over abandoned public and private properties are part of the fourth type of tenure. These residents settle on an area without the consent of an owner.

If you are investing in real estate properties, you use housing tenure as a guide to make decisions and sound judgment. Still, it's essential to consider other housing tenures. Non-profit organizations and the public sector came up with solutions to the widespread housing problem.

The remaining tenures target lack of housing units and decreasing land areas to develop. Examples of these are community land trusts, cooperative housing, mutual housing associations and government housing.

Cooperative housing, also known as limited equity co-ops, is synonymous with community land trusts. A legal entity such as a corporation or non-profit organization oversees and manages the residential buildings and complex. They are responsible for keeping the price of the units at an affordable price.

Entities are responsible for coop housing and community trust low to medium income households. Thus, shareholders of the development have the right to settle on a unit. They are similar to homeowners in this manner.

Mutual housing associations are prevalent in condominiums. Individuals have the right to own a housing unit. In this manner, they form a community of homeowners considering their joint ownership over the communal areas.

Last but not least, there are public settlements under the initiative of government housing agencies. Relocation homes and sites are examples of these. The public sector may partner with private entities and non-stock, non-profit organizations. The accommodations are free or offered as rentals at a low price.

A lot of communities have mixed types of housing tenures due to various economic and societal factors. Several influences determine the relationship of the housing unit to its owner. It's best to research the current housing tenures in an area before settling on a home.

5 Condo Hacks To Living in Luxury

People mistaken luxury for expensive tastes. However, luxury is all about comfort and quality combined with pleasing architecture or design. An example of luxury is the expanse of Bonifacio Global City. Almost everything you need for a great urban lifestyle is within a distance of condominiums and communities.

If your condo is in the area of BGC, it's only ideal to pattern its design to the aura of the city. Here are some ways to hack your condo and enjoy the feel of the modern lifestyle.

1. Fill an empty space.

To be more specific, fill an empty wall. Start by painting a fresh coat of white on plain walls. White walls are easier to work with in terms of design. They are friendly to various colors and prints. A clear wall is also similar to a blank canvas. It allows you to install shelves, cupboards, artwork and other kinds of wall hangings.

You can make a gallery wall in the living room by using different sizes of frames for family photos and mementos. You can hang sculptures, mirrors and other pieces of art to create a salon-like arrangement for promising hallways and bare center.

2. Make use of surfaces. 

A luxurious condo caters to refined tastes and simplicity. It makes use of the less-is-more approach and avoid clutter and over accessorizing the areas of the home. To achieve a simple look, keep the items with the highest value. These items and pieces of furniture may have sentimental value or string of positive memories attached to them.

You can place small items on coffee tables, desks, and countertops. If you don’t have a lot of items to display, you make the surface of the table the center of attention. A pastel marble coffee table, a glass top dining table or a sleek matted wooden desk are enough to serve as centerpieces.

3. Prioritize the sitting area.

After the kitchen, the busiest area in the house is the living room. The TV is usually in the living room. Other than that, people come in the foyer to socialize or relax. If you plan on spending a sum of money on decorating, you better spend it on the couch.

Most of the activities in the area will involve sitting on the sofa. Hence, it pays to make it a comfortable experience. Moreover, the couch is the most prominent piece of furniture in the room. It’s best to choose a sofa made of materials that last such as linen, wool, and velvet.

4. Identify the colors you want to include in your home.

The ultimate cheat to making a luxurious casa is in the colors of the elements of design. Tasteful and well-decorated homes are color coordinated. It follows a palette or a set of colors that run throughout the indoors of the house. 

Light colors are perfect for smaller spaces such as condos and lofts. Pastel hues and soft, muted tones allow light to enter the area. It also helps it appear larger than it is. Integrating a contrasting color or a slightly darker shade enables you to create an exciting palette you can use in the different area of your home.

5. Install additional light fixtures.

Natural light can be limited because of a tree, building or structure next door. It can also be due to wrong window placement. These factors can your home appear darker due to the lack of light. Enhancing the shadows and dark areas shrinks the appearance of your home.

Fortunately, these details can be fixed. Having proper ambient and task light fixtures provides instant design while increasing the brightness of the area. Each room can have a combination of both - several lamps and an intense hanging light. 

These hacks are simple and easy to integrate. They also won't cost you a lot. Though living in a business district like BGC can be expensive, the ways to make a luxurious condo is cheap and modest.

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The Living Nightmare: Working in Sales and Retail

Halloween is over, but for some people, the horror of dealing with the unexplainable and unknown happens every day. Most people look forward to catching up on the spooky and thrilling movies on Netflix, but people dabbling in sales or retail would instead take a shot of tequila or vodka to forget the day’s horrors.

There are lots of unforgettable stories when you work with people. Some stories bring chills and raise the hairs on the back of the neck while others just have the shock factor. They make you forget to form the right words because of the extreme emotions it produces. A haunted office space for rent in Quezon City sure has more appeal than dealing with inconsiderate or rude customers daily.

Of all the industries in the world, there’s nothing crazier and more chaotic than Sales and Retail.

Customers

Some people are just insensitive and mean.

On a clothing retail store, some customers tend to try on a lot of stuff and ask about everything. Later on, they come up to say they want nothing from the pile. These customers don’t understand how difficult it was to pull out a pair of jeans under the mass of clothes. You had to twist and extend your body to reach the box of size 9 shoes only to find out they dropped the order.

On top of that, some people leave their trash in dressing rooms. All the gross stuff that shouldn’t be there all over the floor. Soiled diapers, napkins and fast food wrappers are examples of things that shouldn’t be in changing cubicles. 

Meanwhile, this happens in any store. Snoopers probe a lot of questions about the product condescendingly and tell you they are just “looking.” Then, there are “frequent shoppers.” They boss around and act like they own the place because of their loyalty to the brand or store. If they love it so much, why don’t they work there? Also, if they are loyal shoppers, they should know the company’s policy of asking for i.d. A lot of people still complain about this.

Of course, who would forget the live-fast-die-young people? These people will shop like there’s no tomorrow only to return the items by Monday. Unfortunately, some of these shoppers replace or exchange the stuff in a less-than-stellar state, which makes the job ten times harder. 

Don’t forget the teenagers. The young crowd is excellent for attracting crowds. Their high energy and unrefined tastes are great for marketing the basics - food and clothing. Sometimes, their energy gets out of hand that they are starting to bother other shoppers. Moreover, they TOUCH everything and wreak havoc in the store.

Children are cute, but once they start to open their mouth, annoying cries and loud screams come out. Toddlers who are beginning to walk or like to run around the shop are also prone to breaking stuff and cover everything with saliva.

The Crouton Lady

If you think you’re done dealing with children, there are those who act like children. Children are not into responsibilities so those the kind of shoppers who enter the store before closing time. These people don’t think that store employees and shopkeepers are human too. What’s worse, they specifically ask you for help after you’ve clocked out. The same goes when people give the exact money after you’ve entered the amount they gave you on the register.

One thing that would add to a great day is when clients and customers ask for the manager, and they won’t talk to you because you are too YOUNG to be a general manager.

Management

There are days you doubt there’s someone out there who plays tricks on you especially when you have to work on your day off. It’s only been a year since you’ve been in this job and you like you’ve gained years because of stress and exhaustion.

If you’re the middleman, you’ll eventually get tired of customers complaining about management and the quality of service they got. If they want to change something about the company or service, they should go ahead and complain to the manager. They should go ahead and do it because no one can hold their pee that long.

Careers in Real Estate: Working on Commission

1. To close off a deal, they have to establish rapport with the buyers. Moreover, they have to ensure the sellers they are representing are set on selling the property.

It doesn’t help when the owners keep changing their mind each time the economy drops a few points in three months.

2. Clients, in particular couples, will disagree on a LOT of things. 

Husbands and wives will find fault on a counter top, the front door, the ceiling, the windows… the list goes on. It’s such a relief to have them agree on a property after months of looking at showrooms and model units.

3. When they do settle on a property, it’s the one you visited a while back. It can also be the house you visited MONTHS AGO which they insisted on never getting.

Can’t they decide on their dream home sooner?

4. When they finally settle on a home, they get super excited that it becomes your job to keep them in line and act normal in front of the listing agent. Because you know, they may reject your clients.

5. Next, comes the waiting game.

The lending company won’t call you or the company back. Do they even know how long it took these buyers to make up their minds?

Then you have to wait for the listing agent for the disclosure. It may take weeks. Months even.

6. If you ask anyone the most fulfilling part of being in this job, it's getting the offer accepted.

IT’S THE BEST FEELING EVER. 

You own the world. You feel like Jack on Titanic minus the part where you die because you still have a list of stuff for worth catching up.

Finding a listing client, for example. I mean, do you know how difficult it is to convince a seller? Clients can be hard to budge. They often don't know what they're doing. More reason to seek your service so you can offer them guidance. 

7. Still, you need patience. 

You have to tell them how listing prices are determined. They don’t understand how they can be ripped off by, say, online listing companies who didn’t even see the place in person.

8. You quote, "A responsible professional like me will visit your home even on WEEKENDS. That's how much I love my job. Endless inquiries on Friday, open house on Saturday and catching up on readings on Sunday. I LIVE FOR MY JOB," end quote.

9. Even though you’ve spent all your Saturdays working your butt off, your clients still think you're upping the price for you (partly because you worked for it) but it’s more of placing the right value on the property.

Moreover, your expertise and hard work can get them to sell the house much faster. *wink*

10. After all the hard work, the client decides to cut your commissions, so you go in for the kill. The offer you usually reject? IT'S GOING TO BE THE ONE.

Once again, you’ve closed another deal. 

These are just a few of the inner workings of the people in the real estate industry. But, the industry and the people in it are so much more than that. Each person has their manner and perspective on how they handle things so they may not necessarily be in this state of mind while on their job.

These are merely depictions of how real estate agents are when working on commission. The article's purpose is to provide entertainment and insight to its readers.