It seems that as social media outlets have become more and more popular, our attention span to view the content from such sites and applications has gotten shorter and shorter. Twitter forced us to squeeze our thoughts into a mere 140 characters, and then Instagram took the need for written communication out of the equation altogether.

Pay attention to any of the financial news shows, and you'll hear the talking heads discussing how current events have an impact on the stock market. From disasters, both natural and man-made, to decisions by the Fed to recent actions by the President, news events affect our investments. Or, to put it more accurately, investors' responses to these news events affect our investments. The emotional state of investors and the psychology of fear and risk-taking play into the ups and downs of the various markets.

The world of real estate can be confusing-- downright scary, even-- for people who are just getting their feet wet. In some respects, it can be similar to a new relationship. When you're just getting started out, you're this mishmash of excited and scared. You have ideas and opinions and are sure to get plenty of "advice" from everyone around you.  You have high hopes, but at the same time, you don't want to get burned. The potential rewards are great, but the potential for disaster can make you gun-shy. She wants to go to the opera; you've already bought tickets to an MMA bout.

When you're first getting started out in the real estate investing game, you're a novice. A newbie. You're green. You're all those things that mean, "I have no idea what I'm doing." And you know what? That's okay.

As we all well know, real estate is cyclical. A buyer's market will eventually become a seller's market...which will eventually become a buyer's market again, and so on and so forth. Supplies rise, supplies fall, the sun rises, and the sun sets. For those looking to make money in real estate, the ability to foresee trends and to capitalize on them at the right time is imperative.  

People with an eye toward retirement have started looking for alternative ways to fund their golden years.  In some cases, they're looking to supplement their current retirement plan, in others to bypass traditional plans altogether.

There's a reason that smoking bans have been so hotly debated, and it's clear to see if one frames the debate in a way that eliminates the smoking preference of either side. For instance:

Do you agree that people have a right to reasonable protection from the unhealthy choices of others?

Do you agree that people have a right to be free from unreasonable intrusion into their personal lives?

If you're trying to sell a property, it's a no-brainer that you want it to look good. It's a given that the property should be clean and well kept. But making a property attractive to potential buyers goes beyond that: You want them to see how it can look--what the potential of the space is. Selling real estate is all about helping a potential buyer see a property in its' best light and you want them to remember it when they see other potential properties to buy.  This is where professional home staging comes in. A home stager's job is to draw attention to the things about a property that make it special and to show it in the best possible light.