Karlee Ferry, Author at Ecommbits

In Featured

Are Rent Controls The Solution To Higher Housing Prices?

July 4, 2021 No Comments

Portugal has some of the most expensive real estate when we compare with the average salary. The country has been a go-to place for foreigners looking to invest in property, and retirees looking to spend their last years in a sunny and welcoming country. This has driven the prices of real estate higher in the most important areas of the country, Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve. The spike in real estate prices around these regions has made it impossible for portuguese with lower salaries to buy or even rent a property. Portugal seems to be the biggest real estate bubble in Europe. As 60% of portuguese make less than €800 a month, the rise in property prices has forced them to allocate most of their salaries to rent or to pay mortgages.

Rent controls

As a way of preventing this kind of situation, some countries, namely in Europe, have set up laws to protect tenants. These rent control laws allow every tenant to get an affordable house with standard living conditions. Many view this as an interference of governments in the free market. Real estate prices in countries with rent controls tend to be affected, reflecting the inability to raise prices. Prices should not be regulated, and governments should not interfere with the free market, but at the same time, some countries are deeply affected by high property prices. Housing has always made up most of a family’s spending, and it is to be expected. When these levels reach over 50% of the spending, then the situation changes.

The reasons behind high property prices

One of the reasons behind the surge in property prices is the amount of capital that is just laying around ready to be deployed. Not everyone knows how to allocate capital in the best way, and real estate becomes an easy and simple way of doing it. This in turn creates a housing shortage that could last for a long time, and has a deep impact on different socioeconomic levels of society. Although there is no simple solution for this problem, rent controls emerge as the most obvious and simple way governments can address the issue at hand.

Author bio: Value of Stocks is an independent financial information provider. Focused on analyzing stocks with a value investing approach. Our main goal is to help investors make better investment decisions.

In Business

Things To Consider When Opening a Hotel Business

July 2, 2021 No Comments

Have you wondered about what it takes to open a hotel business? When business owners decide to go into the hospitality field, there are many things they’ll need to take into consideration. Hotels require various permits and inspections for the diverse services they provide in the course of business. It’s a very intense and interesting process to be able to open a hotel to the public.

Get Various Safety Inspections

When a business owner wants to operate a hotel, there will be necessary safety protocols they will need to follow to get all their ducks in a row. If the building will be equipped with an elevator system, this must be checked by the right authorities to ensure it’s safe for operation. If the establishment will have automatic doors installed, they will need to be inspected to see that they align with automated door safety compliance. These types of machinery are powerful and useful, and it’s important they’re not only installed correctly but that they function in the safe manner for which they were designed.

Acquire the Necessary Permits

All businesses that serve the general public will need some sort of permit for operation. Usually, the municipality in which the building lies is responsible for issuing the necessary certificates. Public operations will need to be inspected for fire safety, and this will include issuing a certificate of maximum occupancy. Another type of permit a hotel may need is an alcohol license. If the hotel serves food or beverages, they’ll need a seller license for the alcohol and a health inspection to ensure the food they’re serving is clean and safe.

Secure the Right Kind of Insurance

Business owners must protect themselves and their companies by securing a liability insurance policy. Insurance policies protect entrepreneurs from potential lawsuits from customers or other employees. Sometimes accidents happen no matter how safely an operation is run. Business insurance policies help pay for damages on the building, medical bills for an injured person, and other expenses that result from an accident. Most lenders require businesses to have some sort of insurance before extending loans to fund the enterprise.

Owning a hotel can be a lucrative opportunity if the right steps are taken. There’s a lot involved in the day-to-day process of running a hospitality operation. When business owners make careful plans and take the right steps, they can end up having a very successful outcome.

In Finance

How Your Canadian Mortgage Rate Is Calculated

June 29, 2021 No Comments

Notoriously technical and difficult to calculate, figuring out your mortgage interest rate can be confusing, so we’ve compiled a short guide to help you if you’re thinking of buying a property in Canada:

Fixed rate or variable rate mortgage

A fixed rate mortgage is a popular option because homeowners can make the same interest payment each month; protecting them from rate increases. Be aware though, that these mortgages are compounded semi-annually, meaning that if you’re quoted a rate of 6%, it could actually be 6.9% because the numbers are compounded using a mortgage rate less than 6%. Typically, the more a mortgage is compounded, the higher the monthly interest payments will be.

These mortgages also often come with harsh penalties when the term is broken.

For more flexibility, you might want to choose a variable rate mortgage, which fluctuates with the market, and while you’ll still be making the same payment every month, the amount going to interest and that going to your principal, will go up and down.

How can you calculate your mortgage interest yourself?

The following equation can help you figure out your rate of interest, you’ll just need your payment amount and PV factor (the number of months in your mortgage term or your total number of payments):

Determine your principal: PV factor x payment amount

Determine your total payment amount: divide your principal with the total number of payments you’ll be required to make.

You should be left with your total payment amount.

Note that calculations obtained using this equation obviously don’t factor in any other payments, such as insurance premiums and property taxes.

How will you be affected if your interest rate goes up?

Provided you know your current mortgage rate, mortgage payment, amortization period (PV factor) and frequency of payments, you should be able to figure out your payment amount after a rate increase, by using an online mortgage calculator.

Below are definitions of the above terms to help you navigate the calculation process:

Current Mortgage Rate: This is the existing interest rate you’re paying onyour mortgage loan.
Current Mortgage Payment: The monthly mortgage payment you make.
Amortization Period: The number of months (i.e., total amount of payments) there are in your mortgage term.
Payment Frequency: How often you are making payments towards your mortgage (usually monthly).

Even if you have a mortgage with a variable rate, you can put the figures into a mortgage calculator while accounting for the fluctuating rate of interest.

Working with a financial advisor or mortgage broker can help you make better sense of your mortgage rate and how it’s calculated, and armed with the above information, you can prepare yourself for buying your first Canadian home.

In Finance

Important things that are worth investing in

June 23, 2021 No Comments

Being thrifty is a good thing. If you are frugal, you will almost certainly never run into financial difficulties. Being frugal, on the other hand, entails giving up a lot of creature comforts in the hopes of expanding your financial account. Regrettably, that is not the way to conduct your life. Some people become so engrossed in the habit of being frugal with their money that they find it difficult to let go and enjoy it. However, there are a lot of things worth spending money on. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Eyes– Perhaps our most crucial sense is vision. As a result, investing in the most comfortable contacts or glasses is a must. If you use spectacles, choose the thinnest lenses possible with anti-reflection and scratch-resistant coatings. Purchase contacts with the most up-to-date breathable technology for daily use. Stop reusing your disposable contacts after the expiration date. Make an investment in a pair of UV-protective sunglasses.
High-quality Mattress – A third of your life is spent sleeping. It’s only natural to want the comfiest and supportive mattress you can buy. Make sure you’re at the top of your game every day so you’re completely rested and ready to take on the challenges ahead. Just keep in mind that mattresses have exorbitant markups, which is why there have been so many mattress companies throughout the years.
Clothing– When it comes to shopping for clothes, stay away from the discount stores and invest in some high-quality items. Sure, that off-the-rack suit appears to be inexpensive, but it makes you look like you’re clothed in a shabby suit. You might be surprised to realize how much your co-workers and employer put into looking their best.
Delicious food– What you eat determines who you are. Eating a healthy diet boosts your metabolism and strengthens your immune system. As a result, you’ll be less likely to get sick and keep healthy body weight. As a result, if you eat a healthy diet, you should expect to prevent diet-related disorders like diabetes and arteriosclerosis.

A frugal person’s worst nightmare is to spend money on any of the items on this list. However, there are moments when you must learn to relax and enjoy yourself. While we all want to retire early, the majority of us don’t want to do so in bad physical and mental conditions. You improve your situation by spending your money on things that are important to you.

In Business

High Demand Technology for Remote Working

June 19, 2021 No Comments

Since the concept of Remote Working has come into great effect the employers have started to panic way too much. It is also seen for a fact that the old method of going to an office and sitting on a proper desk is slowly fading away and getting replaced by distant or remote working.

Remote Working has started to be the new normal for many people. The main reason being that they find it really comfortable this way. However, as seen, the challenges for the companies have increased. The companies are in a state of confusion as to whom should they trust and whom they should not. The distance has increased the strain in the relationship between employee and employer.

However, some relief is provided to the employers due to the advanced technology and introduction of various employee monitoring software’s. These software’s help the employers in keeping a close watch on the activities and behavior of the employees.

In this article, we would be discussing one such employee monitoring software – Work Examiner. This software has proven to be the most effective and secure for usage by employers. They have expressed their full trust in this software.

Why to choose Work Examiner?

Work Examiner has been stated as the most reliable and secure employee monitoring software by its users. It provides in total various features which prove to be extremely valuable and enriching to the employers.

If your employees are distant working, then the biggest issue arises of keeping an eye on them and their progress. In a proper office setting the superior authority constantly takes a round to the desk of the employee to check whether if the task is going on as planned or not. But, in distant working, no employers know what is going on the other side.

The Work Examiner Software in a way also helps the employees psychologically because as their productivity is reduced their employer knows and then talks to his/her employees given them an emotional boost throughout.

Moreover, the job of protecting the company from external theft is also done by this software. The employer knows about the emails sent and received by the employee and also, what kind of information is shared outside the company.

The keylogging feature of this software is the most outstanding. This feature enables the employer to know about what key has been pressed by the employee and what has been typed by him/her. Moreover, the employer can also get a track of the conversations that take place between the employee and the client.

Capterra Rating for Work Examiner – 5/5

Remote Working if looked at positively is of great advantage to any company. It reduces and eliminates the extra office expenses and also increases profits. However, it should be ensured by the manager that the employees work with full heart and dedication.

Karlee Ferry