All Forum Posts by: Patricia Joseph

I wasn't surprised about Florida. I've been reading articles and attending webinars on this market; particularly, Jacksonville -- which I have on my list of top 3 markets to invest. I was surprised to see Raleigh, NC on the list. @John P. the article does list the 10 cities that are losing the most residents, and New York is #1.

A recent article from Realtor.com lists the cities where Americans are moving. I thought it was worth sharing. Are you investing in these areas? As a new investor, I would love to hear why you chose a specific area? Below is the list and link to article:

http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/new-hot-spots-where-americans-are-moving/?identityID=55f6f527c430877f11000146&MID=2016_0527_WeeklyNL&RID=3427123222&cid=eml-2016-0527-WeeklyNL-blog_1_americansmoving-blogs_trends

1. Tampa, FL
2. Jacksonville, FL
3. Charlotte, NC
4. San Antonio, TX
5. Austin, TX
6. Las Vegas, NV
7. Orlando, FL
8. Nashville, TN
9. Raleigh, NC
10. Portland, OR

Thanks @Brian Eastman that's good info to know!

@Brian Eastman yes, I understand that the loan from the 401k has to be repaid, which we will repay through payroll deduction. Are you saying that the loan proceeds can't be used to fund the self-directed 401k?

@Raj Vachani very interesting that you mentioned with a self directed 401k you don't need a custodian and have full check writing authority. Can you provide more info? Is it possible to take a loan from an employer 401k and place those funds into a self-directed 401k?

I wish more investors would post their experiences, good or bad; particularly, with turnkey providers. There's nothing like reading a first-hand account of what other investors have experienced: priceless info! 

@Michael L. Thanks for sharing your experience with buying properties from Elite, as my husband and I are considering buying in Chicago. As a new investor, this info is really helpful!

Congratulations @Jessi Hill! Such a cute house! It must be gratifying to turn an ugly duckling into a swan!

Hang in there @Austin Hughes! Although things are not going great now, remember, every day above ground is a good day! Every new day we're given is another opportunity to make tomorrow better. When the dark times come and we don't know what to do and where to go; it's better to just stand still and wait for a guiding light -- it will come!

@Jeff Amore getting sufficient traffic to your website can be a waiting game. Several years ago, I had an Amazon store and did most of the web work myself, since I had experience as a web developer and content manager -- even for me it was frustrating! Now, I manage 12 websites for the Centers for Disease Control and we're working constantly to make sure the sites are optimized for the targeted keywords. We also optimize the content for mobile users, who are driving most of a site's traffic.

Even if your site is highly optimized, it doesn't mean that it's user-friendly, which determines whether users will stay on your website or leave. But what makes a site user-friendly: useful and usable content (does it provide value for your users), findability (can users find the content that they need, and ease of use (is the navigation easy for users to complete their tasks on your website: signup for newsletter, submit a contact form, and navigate through the content).

Don't waste your time with fiverr; bought an SEO deal and it did nothing for my site traffic. I got better results on my own.

There's no one solution for getting traffic. You have to use a variety of methods. Here are my suggestions:

1. Setup a Google Analytics account to track your keywords. Without some sort of web tracking, you're in the dark as to how users found your site, and what they were looking for.

2. Content isn't just text. Try adding videos and blog posts from other sites.

3. Make sure your content includes your targeted keywords, as links; especially on your homepage.

4. Not sure what web provider you're using, but if they offer a responsive web template, I would advise to use. Responsive design optimizes content for mobile, making your content more accessible and usable on various mobile devices.

5. Setup a free, HootSuite account for your social media management. I use it for managing my business social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress. HootSuite does a great job of simplifying the process of updating multiple channels.

If you have any questions about anything I've listed, or need some guidance, you can send me a PM. I also can do an assessment of your site, if you'd like. Let me know.