If you’ve ever considered holding onto your old house when you move instead of selling it and keeping it as a rental property in Charlotte, NC, now may be the time for you to make your move.

Rents in town are going up

In Charlotte, the national rent index is up by 1.9%, and 2.3% locally. With rental prices for a one-bedroom unit averaging a minimum of $1100, you could easily charge enough to cover your mortgage with maybe even a bit leftover. In most cases, the tenant pays their utilities, while you retain responsibility for any repairs. Any additional costs, such as charging for pet rent, will be your decision to assess.

Another decision you’ll be making will be whether to act as property manager directly, or to utilize the services of an agency. Paying for a rental agency relieves you of having to go through the process of screening potential tenants, handling evictions and court filings, contacting repair services when necessary, showing and advertising your property, and calculating monthly expenses/profits. Of course, the cost of these services would be a monthly expenditure prior to your property generating returns for you.

Getting Started

The most common way to enter the rental market is to hold onto the home you’re living in and moving into a new one. Or you might buy a second house or condominium to use. While profits can eventually be made in a market where rental prices are rising, there will be a period of time when you are making repairs you held off on with your old house or on a new property. If you decide to relieve yourself of having to deal with scheduling and contracting for repairmen, make sure you thoroughly research the rental agency beforehand to make sure you’re getting a reputable company. You’ll also want to keep in mind the amount of time you are willing to spend on the management of your property. Utilizing a rental agency will relieve you of many of the day-to-day details of property ownership.

If you do not have a significant savings account you can dig into to purchase a new property of any kind, there are companies, such as Visio Lending, that can assist you with financing the purchase of your new property, especially if it is ready to be occupied. Using a lending company as opposed to a bank can have several advantages. Lending companies offer more flexible terms since they’re not subject to federal compliance and reporting laws the way a bank is. This allows someone who maybe has a slightly lower credit rating to obtain a loan in order to start investing.  Some other sources of loans to consider would be savings and loan associations, private lenders, stock brokerages, and credit unions.

Why Charlotte? 

There are many reasons to live in North Carolina, any of which could be a valuable feature to present to potential renters: the city has a premier NASCAR racetrack, the Billy Graham Library, and many cultural and shopping options. The general cost of living here is slightly below the national average. There is also an international airport, and Charlotte is considered to be a major banking hub in the South. 

Charlotte is a growing city with plentiful job openings featuring an above-average salary range. The current unemployment rate is only 4.9%. There are a plethora of restaurants and breweries and has beaches and mountains within a short drive. Besides, NASCAR, the city has professional basketball, football, and soccer teams, among others. Golf can be played year-round.

Weather-wise, Charlotte has all four seasons. You’ll find the fall colors stunning. You’ll only see snow about once or twice each year. And while the summers are hot, they’re not as hot as states further south, such as Florida or Texas. You’ll also be pleased to know that the air quality in Charlotte is good as well.

A downfall of Charlotte is that there is a slightly higher than average crime rate, although the majority of the city is considered safe.

Investing in a rental property in Charlotte could prove a profitable option for you. You need only take the time to research and explore what options are best for you as far as what kind of property to acquire. With the proper preparation, you can look forward to your property providing you with future income.

Have you been experiencing some serious FOMO lately? You’re far from alone – over the past year, Americans have watched the stock market moon to all-time highs. So, with little else to do during lockdown, you finally looked into trading stocks.

But after a bit of research, it hit you – most of the folks that hit big paydays plowed tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars into their initial position.

Unlike them, you don’t have a money tree growing in your backyard. But if you’re careful, you won’t need one. Unlike conventional equities, you can buy penny stocks in bulk for only a few hundred bucks.

But things aren’t as easy as they seem. In this post, we’ll run down seven things you should know about penny stocks. 

1) What are Penny Stocks?

According to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), a penny stock is any equity that trades for less than $5 per share. Because of this, you can find penny stocks on any stock exchange – even the Dow Jones, NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 have them.

However, when most people talk about penny stocks, they’re referring to equities worth less than $1 per share. But you won’t find these stocks on conventional exchanges, as most delist companies that fall below $1.

2) Most Penny Stocks are Traded on the OTC Markets 

So, where can you find sub-dollar per share penny stocks? To buy them, you’ll need to trade on the OTC market. OTC stands for over-the-counter, which refers to how OTC stocks are traded.

Unlike the Dow Jones or NASDAQ, the OTC market is not a centralized exchange. Instead, it is a network of dealers. This is where the term “over-the-counter” comes from – instead of going through a central exchange, you’re buying shares from dealers directly over their counter.

This setup has its pros and cons. On the positive side, money-hungry enterprises can raise equity from the public far more quickly, and investors can buy up shares in promising startups.

However, unlike mainstream exchanges, OTC markets often suffer from capitalization issues. In the S&P 500, Dow Jones and NASDAQ, massive investment banks serve as market makers. That is, they provide the capital needed to facilitate trades.

In the OTC markets, the dealers are the market makers. These small operations don’t have the deep pockets that Goldman Sachs or Barclays does. So when volume is heavy, lacking sufficient cash can delay the processing of trades. That’s not a good situation for traders when a stock is plunging 10% or more.     

3) Penny Stocks Are Incredibly Volatile

That brings us to our next point – volatility. Because of the affordability of penny stocks, they are often subject to considerable hype. When a specific equity gets significant attention from investment blogs and newsletters, buying activity spikes, causing its price to increase exponentially.

These price rises usually precede a major announcement, like the outcome of a drug trial. When these announcements don’t result in a happy outcome, the price of an affected equity can tank HARD. As mentioned above, lack of timely access to capital can delay sell orders, leading to a bigger loss than expected – beware!

4) Learn the Fundamentals of Stock Trading Before Diving In

So, you’re ready to start trading – great! However, before spending a dime on penny stocks, take time to learn trading basics. Search for courses on platforms like Udemy – they will contain all the information you’ll need to get started.

By the end, you should know the difference between a call and a put, bear and bull markets, and more.

5) Always Do Your Research

Now it’s time to make your first trade – so, what should you buy? The answer changes with every equity you look at. It all starts by asking questions about its fundamentals. 

What sector are they in? How much revenue did they bring in last quarter? What are their expenditures like? Is their leadership team competent? These are just a few examples – you should have an exhaustive list of questions that addresses every unknown you can identify. 

There’s no way around it – getting satisfactory answers can take hours. It’s much more involved than simply buying whatever a newsletter tells you to buy. But if you put in the effort, you’ll have a much greater chance of turning a profit.    

6) Watch Out for Pump & Dump Scams

Some penny stocks don’t have anything special going on. However, that hasn’t stopped bad actors from targeting these equities at random. They buy a position, then they promote it aggressively to retail investors.

Your Average Joe doesn’t do research – they buy whatever is hot, hoping it’ll “go to the moon”. Pump-and-dump scammers prey on this lottery mentality – as their hype draws in early adopters, their sell job becomes easier. As the price of the targeted equity spikes, the fear of missing out (FOMO) does the rest.

Then, at a predetermined time, the original investment group dumps their shares at a massive profit. This act causes the price to collapse, leaving their victims holding the proverbial bag. In investment circles, this tactic is called a pump-and-dump.

If there is no apparent reason for the sudden appreciation of a penny stock, stay away.

7) Penny Stock Success Takes Time

By now, you should understand why penny stocks are so popular. The average person seeks a quick fix to their investment problems. So they approach the OTC markets with a lottery mentality, hoping that the next hot stock is the one that makes them rich. This approach almost always ends in tears.

And yet, some traders enjoy long-term success trading penny stocks – and they aren’t pump-and-dumpers. People like Timothy Sykes have made millions buying & selling these equities – but they’ve done it over decades, not months.

How do they do it? By investing in lifelong education, learning from their mistakes, and applying those lessons to subsequent trades. It’s not a silver-bullet solution, but it’s the truth.

Do Your Research and Invest With Care

Nothing worthwhile comes easily. If you want to grow wealthy through penny stock trading, commit to a continuous research and learning process. When you lose, don’t take it personally – find the lesson, learn it, and move on.

As you go along, you’ll build a process that works. That said, we wish you nothing but the best of luck.

All everyone wants is to have a good night’s sleep, and mattresses play a significant role in how well one sleeps every night. But, picking which type of mattress can be confusing and overwhelming. Not only do you have to browse through a wide array of brands, but you also have to consider if it’s of good quality. 

If you’ve been planning to replace your old mattress but are still torn between choosing a memory foam or an innerspring one, worry no more! Hybrid mattresses are there to provide you the best of both worlds. Learn more about hybrid mattresses below and read through the reasons why you definitely have to have one in your bedroom.

Hybrid Mattresses: An Overview

Also known as the combination mattress, a hybrid mattress is a multi-layered bed that combines foam and spring layers to give sleepers the best comfort and support. This type of mattress is an excellent alternative if you fancy the comfort of foam and the bounce and support of pocket sprung mattresses. 

Hybrid mattresses are also perfect if you switch into different sleeping positions. For its structure and style, it may vary depending on the manufacturer. But the general components of the best hybrid mattresses are the following: 

• Steel support coil system that reduces motion transfer
• Cooling materials, like gel, that slow down the transfer of body warmth to the mattress.
• Comfort layer that consists of memory foam, polyfoam, latex, or other types of foam. 
• Pillow top that gives sleepers extra cushioning. 

Benefits of a Hybrid Mattress

Many people are now switching to hybrid mattresses for their many benefits. Some of it includes optimal comfort and excellent support to every body type and sleeping position. Discover more of hybrid mattresses’ benefits below:

Versatility

When getting either a basic spring mattress or pure foam, there is only so much to customize. One type might not actually be your type. But with hybrid mattresses, you can have a bed that is specifically made for your preference. 

For its core, you can choose the traditional innerspring system or pocket coil springs. For your mattress’s comfort layers, you can opt for any combination of memory foam, latex, polyfoam, or some material suited for your body. You can even customize it with a pillow top or some other puffed cushioning for the topmost layer. 

Perfect For Every Sleeping Position

It won’t matter if you sleep on your side, front, or back; hybrid mattresses can accommodate all three just fine! When sleeping on your side, its foam layers are great for adding cushioning comfort to both your shoulders and hips. And for the other sleeping positions, pocket springs of hybrid mattresses are great material for supporting the body.

Say Goodbye to Motion Transfer

If you are an absolute light sleeper, there is no reason for you not to pick hybrid mattresses, Thanks to its foam and pocket springs; you’ll feel less movement around the bed, giving you uninterrupted sleep during the night.

The secret of hybrid mattresses’ pocket springs can be traced down to their independent movement. Since each spring is tailored to respond to a specific weight and pressure, the other springs won’t move at all. This only means that neither of you and your partner’s movement will be transferred to one another.

No More Roll-Togethers

Compared to traditional spring mattresses, pocket springs in hybrid mattresses equally support individual parts of your body. It does not distribute weight across the entire row of springs, unlike open coil mattresses, making it ideal to sleep on it when laying with a partner. Due to its superior support, you won’t have to roll into your partner’s side when sleeping.

Breezy and Breathable

One of the biggest consumer complaints against memory foam mattresses is that they can get hot when laying on them as time goes by. But, with a hybrid mattress, you can expect to have a much cooler sleeping environment thanks to its innerspring core’s breathability. 

As a matter of fact, its innerspring coils can transfer body heat 28% better than traditional memory foam. So if you’re a hot sleeper, you can pick some brands of hybrid mattresses that use a special layer of hypersoft cooling-gel foam. Some brands even have a customized fabric that helps in regulating body temperature.  

Provides Excellent Edge Support

If you constantly find yourself rolling towards your old mattress’s edge, it is now time for you to switch to an all-natural hybrid bamboo mattress. This type of mattress comes with standard built-in edge support that increases the overall surface area of your bed. You can now have all the space you want without rolling off the bed. 

Relieves Body Aches and Pains

If you always go home tired and achy, laying on a hybrid mattress is perfect for you. With this type of mattress, you can get better pressure relief, especially if you’re suffering from joint pain. Because of its excellent foam and pocket springs, you don’t have to worry about alleviating any discomfort in your body. 

Takeaway

Why choose between memory foam and innerspring mattresses when you can have both? With hybrid mattresses, you can enjoy all the benefits that the two types offer. You may review the list of benefits that you can get from a hybrid mattress when shopping for one.