A real estate agent brokering a Fannie Mae property failed to mention (unintentionally, one supposes) to the client that it was on a lake. Still, it contracted for sale in three days for $176,000, $32,900 over the asking price.
A Michigan broker who sold a property for Fannie Mae listed it on Oakland County’s Dixie Lake. Perfect. Only the house was on Walters Lake, a dozen miles away.
Dust off that real estate license because the real estate industry is on the mend! Or is it?
Reports by the National Association of Realtors suggest that a stabilizing process is underway (at least in some areas) borne on the back of a modest second-quarter decline in median existing-home prices with 27 percent of metropolitan areas experiencing price gains from 2010.
In 41 out of 151 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), the median existing single-family home price climbed in the second quarter from the same period in 2010. The price rise included four with double-digit increases; one was unchanged and 109 areas showed declines. In the first quarter, 34 metro areas had posted gains from a year ago.
NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, confirmed that home prices have been moderating. “Markets showing consistent price stability or increases are those with solid labor market conditions, such as in Washington, D.C.; San Antonio; or Fargo, N.D.” A spot of good news for all you holders of a Texas real estate license (or pre-license)!
There appears to be a divide today in the housing market in the aftermath of the subprime crash of 2008, one that has the market going in two directions at once. One side of the divide has the market in the doldrums, with some home prices even diving 30 percent below their peaks in 2007 before the big fall. The other side, meanwhile, has prices going up, buoyed by the antigravity, antirecession effect of foreign buyers snapping up houses on Millionaires’ Row.
In an article appearing on www.businessweek.com (“In the US, 2 housing markets and 2 directions”), Michelle Conlin reports: ”In this land of luxury properties, the Great Recession seems over.” She reveals that the prices of $1-million-plus properties have actually edged up 0.7 percent since early this year even as the prices of houses under $1 million have slipped by over 1.5 percent. In tony Birmingham, Michigan, for example, multimillion-dollar mansions are going quick, remarkably enough, with sales this August about 21 percent higher than the previous year’s.
The likely reason for the bipolar behavior of the market, says Conlin, is foreign dinero. And it’s easy to see why. In 2010, foreigners snagged $82 billion worth of residential real estate, a full $16 billion higher than in 2009. In Florida, Conlin adds, some 33 percent of all purchases were by foreigners. For these international buyers, the U.S. housing market is the new fire sale.
Green is hot, even after the subprime meltdown and the natural disasters (hurricane and wildfires) on the East Coast. This according to McGraw-Hill’s 2006 Smart Market report, which predicted that 10 percent of all new commercial construction in 2010 was sustainable (as in green sustainable), and that 5 percent of all new U.S. commercial construction received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, also last year.
Also according to the McGraw-Hill report, real-estate investment trusts (REITs) are also landing half-empty office buildings and updating them to green standards—an initiative that usually brings in 3 percent higher rents and a 7.5 percent boost in a building’s value.
Home construction is not as far in the green yet as building construction is, but it is being predicted that it is about to take off.
With rebuilding poised to roll out in Texas and other disaster-struck areas on the East Coast, the possibility of green helping spur the home-building is a realistic one, what with the reputation of the state as one of the greenest states in terms of policy. Rebound is bringing in some sense of excitement
Posted:
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Category:
OSHA and Safety
This September, Amazon.com and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) became the oddest couple to share the pages of some major news outlets, including the venerable New York Times. The beef? Amazon.com got too hot for its own good.
We all know that Amazon.com is a top-dog retailer, what with a whopping market value of $110 billion. That kind of value doesn’t come to be by chance. It got there because Amazon.com owns a whole galaxy of disposable desirables that you and I spend good dollars on to have Amazon.com deliver them to our doorsteps. Unbeknownst to many, these goods don’t enjoy the luxury of Santa’s elves’ stowing magic. These goods get stored instead in big, nonmagical warehouses all over America, such as the one in eastern Pennsylvania—the same one that caused Amazon.com’s unplanned appearance with OSHA in the news.
Last summer, the temperatures in the PA warehouse got so high (102 degrees) that 15 workers were reported to have collapsed. It seems that Amazon.com had its eyes elsewhere (on main competitor Santa, perhaps?) that it took an employee and not management to remedy the situation. The employee called OSHA.
Amazon.com, for its part, was quick to issue an avowal to healthy working conditions and worker safety. It did very well to have hired the employee who was all too happy to report it to OSHA. Almost certainly, that employee had an OSHA 30 course or OSHA 10 training, which teaches workers to recognize unsafe working conditions—and how to report erring employers.
Posted:
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Category:
OSHA and Safety
After the catastrophic September wildfires in Texas, some basics to remember, courtesy of the Texas Forest Service, to prevent starting an accidental fire and causing another wildfire disaster in the future:
- Don’t do any outdoor burning, especially during the driest times of the year.
- If you have to do any burning at all, make sure to use a burn barrel or other fire-safe receptacle with a wire mesh. Stay with your fire until it is out.
- Mind the sparks when welding.
- Keep mufflers and spark arresters in good shape and beware of rocks and metal when bush hogging or mowing. These can throw out sparks that can ignite dry grass.
- Keep an eye on hay-baling operations; dry hay can ignite within the baler.
- Avoid driving or parking a vehicle in areas where dry grass can come into contact with hot pollution-control equipment under vehicles. The grass can catch fire.
The basics are the stuff to prevent accidents (and disasters) from happening in the first place. This is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has required safety training for workers across America. OSHA 10 hour and OSHA 30 hour training are two courses that teach workers how to identify, mitigate, and avoid or prevent hazards in the workplace.
OSHA 10 hour training is for the entry-level worker and is intended to teach the worker to recognize, reduce, and prevent hazards in the workplace. OSHA 30 hour training, on the other hand, is a comprehensive safety program designed for safety directors, foremen, and field supervisors.
In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, the main character Tevye sings, “If I were a rich man, ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum. All day long I’d biddy biddy bum…”
One might imagine that a pharmacist in search of a better practice would be singing (ala Tevye) the same, too. But since the pharmacy business isn’t big on singing but on serving, the pharmacist is better served wishing for the best assistant around. Enter the pharmacy technician.
What should the pharmacist look for in his or her pharmacy technician? Straight from the medicine cabinet, some off-the-counter attributes:
- The pharmacy technician must have the best pharmacy technician training. You can’t have someone from Snake Oil Pharmacy here. For best results, think Meditec.com.
- The pharmacy technician should know how to fill a prescription—without asking for the pharmacist’s help on every other prescription.
- The pharmacy technician must know how to do medical inventory, and stock taking, and ordering drugs. One who cannot find where the Tylenol is should probably do motorcycle maintenance instead.
- The pharmacy technician must know how to deal with insurance claims. Well, probably not too much. Otherwise, the pharmacist will end up with an insurance agent not a pharmacy assistant.
- Finally, the pharmacy technician must be willing to make day-to-day enquiries on behalf of the pharmacist. If he is unable to, there’s always medical office assistant training (or medical billing and coding training) for him. If, however, he won’t, there’s always the door.
Quick quiz: What do a pharmacy technician and a medical transcriptionist have in common? Aside from the fact that the best preparation for both can be had at Meditec.com, the most experienced resource (it bears repeating that it has 40-plus years in the business) for pharmacy-technician and medical-transcriptionist training, nothing really.
But then again, they might just have another thing in common. According to PayScale, the average medical transcriptionist salary is about $40K. Top veterans, with at least 20 years of experience, can draw something like $51K to $70K per year. Those with intermediate experience (about 10-19 years) earn a top salary of about $45K.
On the other hand, a pharmacy technician can expect to earn an average of $45k a year, although long-time pharmacy technicians associated with top medical units can expect as much as $60k.
Both careers pay more than the average annual income of $40K.
Meditec.com offers a catalog of online certificate training programs, including thePharmacy Technician Certificate Program and the Medical Transcription Certificate Program. The first is an online course for those who want to obtain comprehensive preparation for the pharmacy certification exam. The second is an online course for those who would like to pursue a career as medical transcriptionists.
Posted:
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Category:
ISO Training
Recently, ISO announced the release of its newest standard, the ISO 11156, Packaging – Accessible design – General requirements. It provides general guidelines—a scaffolding, if you will—for designing packages that will be easier to use for all end users, but especially for the elderly and folks with disabilities.
The new standard is chiefly for designers and evaluators, but it can also be used by laboratories, manufacturers, educators, and others. ISO 11156 is soundly grounded in ergonomic principles and takes into consideration all aspects of the packaging, including identification, handling, opening, removal of contents, storage, separation, and disposal.
The painstaking manner in which the new standard details each consideration and recommendation actually reflects the thoroughness that goes into each standard developed and published by the ISO. All ISO existing standards, such as the ISO 14001, ISO 9001, and ISO 27001, were developed with the same exacting rigor.
At ISOCampus.com thoroughness is also a cardinal standard. ISOCampus.com offers to corporations, government and semi-government organizations, subject-matter experts, and to ISO consultants and training providers thorough ISO training online; specifically: ISO 9001 training, ISO 14001 training, and ISO 27001 training. It also provides OHSAS 18001 training. (OHSAS stands for Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Services. OHSAS provides expertise in occupational health and safety skills.
Posted:
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Category:
ISO Training
Texas, with its huge petrochemical industry, has a vested interest in the ISO standards: they are keeping it productive, efficient, and safe. Standards such as the ISO 14001, which covers the “environmental management” aspects of the ISO 14000 family of standards, or the ISO 9001, which covers the quality-management aspects of the ISO 9000 family of standards, act as a company’s first line of defence against natural and manmade disasters.
The ISO, of course, is the International Organization for Standardization, which puts together and propagates internationally accepted standards for business, government, and society. It’s also the Lone Star State’s best friend as it shakes off the after effects of hurricanes, wildfires, and the occasional spat with the federal government.
ISO standards are also very much a part of the petrochemical industry’s main product: oil. These standards set guidelines on oil cleanliness through the ISO Cleanliness Code.
Because of the extensiveness of these standards and their impact on company operations, formal ISO training is needed to implement them. Such training is available from both traditional and online providers, among them the ISOCampus.com, which offers ISO 9001 training (quality management), ISO 14001 training (environmental management), and OHSAS 18001 training (health and safety), among others.
