In a recent poll involving 1,000 residents of the U.S., 65% said that they think that economic conditions in the country are worsening. Nearly half have already cut back on their spending and almost 20% are apprehensive about the stability of their jobs. Now that recession has finally landed, is there hope for businesses to thrive, much less survive? If starting a business in these tough times is still an option for you, here are the top 5 recession-proof businesses you might want to consider:
Health care
Regardless of the times, someone somewhere will always be in need of good, professional health service. This is an industry that has experienced some significant growth over the last few years. And it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down any time soon.
If you have the resources – training, manpower and capital – becoming involved in a business that offers health services will assure you of a comfortable market. Consider businesses that focus on offering affordable preventive solutions to people, alternative health care and home health.
Food and beverages
We’re not talking about pooling your hard-earned money and starting a restaurant – although if that seems like a feasible thing to do, it just might work. However, going into the restaurant business still has its risk – and a very high one at that.
Instead, you might consider going into a food and beverage business by focusing on offering healthier fare. These days, going into a recession is even a better excuse to eat healthy because it encourages people to cut down on their consumption and to avoid unnecessary purchases.
Consider alternative menus that are tasty and creative or specialized cafes and diners or even vegetarian eateries. Concept plus good taste are usually the best ingredients to a successful recession-proof business.
Funeral services
Yes, this is a recession-proof business, morbid as it may sound. It deals with an inevitability, which means you’ll never run out of customers. You could either get involved in selling services or offering related products. Cremation, which has increased in popularity in the last few years, is also a good option.
Repair services
Repair services are also recession-proof businesses. There will always be people whose kitchen sinks clog, whose airconditioning breaks down, whose roof starts leaking or whose car suffers from overheating. What these mean is pure business opportunity, even when economic times seem shaky. And even if potential clients try to delay much-needed repair, they will still come to you for help eventually.
A caveat: many, if not all, of these businesses require specialized training, skills and equipment. However, once you have these resources, you’ll have access to a recession-proof business that does not only offer a potential for high margins, it’s also a venture that won’t require you to wait too long for a return on your investment. Provided your services are tops, it’s likely that you could be in business for a very long time.
Personals
It may seem surprising but starting a business involving dating and matchmaking could help you tide the recession over. Recession or no, people will always be looking for someone special either for dating or marriage. Already, this business has hit over $650 million in sales.
As a recession-proof business, starting a personals venture could mean good profits and steady work. And no one even has to leave home. Some of the most popular companies today are those that offer online dating (internet speed dating included) to their clients. With sufficient support, attractive and secure platforms and savvy, targeted marketing, this type of business is set to fly.
home building decline continues because of 2 things. One, it is hard to borrow money right now since we are experiencing a financial crisis. Two, what a lot of people are earning right now is not enough for them to buy a new home.
You might be thinking about if then bank is able to give you a loan? Though this can happen, it is still not a good idea because mortgages have been quite high in the past few years. In fact this is one of the reasons why this country in such a financial mess.
A lot of people borrow money and in the end could not pay the interest. Because of that, there have been massive foreclosures and the government has stepped in to try and solve the problem with a $700 billion bailout plan.
The bailout plan is designed to overpay banks for bad mortgages but will this work? Some analysts say no because the rollercoaster ride seen on Wall Street has nothing to do with the housing prices. In fact some politicians who were not in favor of the bailout plan argue that the government should never have stepped in the first place because this is a free market economy.
Because this was done, you are forcing the American tax payer, the honest and good ones to give their hard earned money to people and companies who made this problem happen in the first place.
What makes matter worse is that banks who happily loaned money to homeowners sold this to companies like Fannie Mae or to buyers of mortgage backed bonds. As a result, the value of most homes is now falling so you will have a hard time making a profit if you decide to sell your home.
The sad reality out of all of this is that this is not expected to stabilize any time soon. The value of most homes will continue to drop for 5 years or even more which bring us back to the conclusion that it is better to rent than to build a home.
To cite one example yearly rents in for homes especially around the coastal areas are 3% less than their actual acquire price. The mortgage rates are much higher so it is really not worth to buy or even build a house.
But this may not be the same in other states since some property values and lots have already fallen into line with what people are actually earning so you should check whether or you can afford to build a house given your location.
We mentioned earlier that the second reason for the decline in home building is that people are not earning enough to buy a home. This is true for new families especially those who have children because it’s hard to do both when you already have children.
So what should people do? The right thing to do as home building decline continues is simply to ride it out and then see what happens in the next 3 to 5 years. Yes that means still renting that place you have been living in for a few more years but look at the bright side, you are not one of hundreds of Americans who are forced to foreclose their homes and no longer have a place to stay.
The US housing market consists of the construction, sale and resale of residential properties all across the country. In the second quarter of this year, reports have shown that there has been a decline in home building as well as the sale and resale because of the collapse in the subprime lending industry last year which was one of the factors that contributed to the current financial crisis.
This means that a lot of people have to foreclose their homes if they can’t pay the amortization. Those who have not yet lost their homes are trying to find a way to keep theirs. Individuals who are well of have to think twice before considering building a home so they don’t fall in the same situation as others are also experiencing.
Companies involved in the construction industry have to layoff some workers rather than keeping them on the payroll because they are just wasting money keeping them around when there is no work to be done.
But it is not as bad as you think. There are advantages when there is a decline in home building. The price of materials and cost of labor are much cheaper so you can do a lot with your hard earned money. Since contractors need projects to survive, you will be able to find one very easily and also get a good price.
When you hire a contractor, you should know that your home will be built at a slower pace. This is not to stiff more money from you but to make sure that it is done right. Surely, you don’t want to stay in your new home and experience some problems less than 6 months after moving in right?
One way to make sure it is done just the way you want it is that the contractor of your choice will be able to hire only the best to work on your home.
The only catch to build your dream home is that you must have money stored somewhere since you will have a hard time lending this money right now from the bank.
If you don’t have that much cash on hand to build a house, another option will be to buy one because there are a lot of foreclosed homes right now and banks would rather sell it than just keep it with them.
Just how bad is the decline in home building? A report released by the US Commerce Department reveals that in August, there was 6.2% decline so that existing built units could be sold. This is their way to restore stability between supply and demand but it is going to take more than that to change the current situation.
Some stronger remedy is needed and maybe the $700 billion bailout plan could be the answer. Will it work? Only time will tell but a lot of people hope that it does so the economy will be in good shape and we can see a construction boom in the foreseeable future.
So what should we do until that happens? Pray and just hope for the best. If things work out like what most analysts predict, we will see a recovery by the 2nd half of 2009 which means thee will be no longer a decline in home building.
Anytime you spend your hard earned money to buy something, you should always have it documented. When you buy smaller items, such as items at a convenience store, you’ll usually be given a receipt. When you buy larger items, such as televisions and furniture, it will involve a bit more documentation. In exchange for your money, the seller will give you a receipt and in most cases a warranty that will protect your investment.
As you may already know, buying a home involves a lot more paperwork than furniture or even an automobile. Whether you are buying or selling a house, you should always have each step of the process documented. If any revisions are made, they should be recorded as well. Although buyers and sellers can prepare the documentation themselves, most choose not to due to the number of revisions that a single document can have. To help prevent consumers from these types of headaches, ready made real estate forms were introduced.
You can get a ready made form from a real estate agent or download the forms right off the Internet through a real estate website. Ready made real estate forms are easy to use, as they cover virtually all transactions you may encounter – from buying homes to selling them. There are forms that cover just the basics, which are ideal for those with no experience. If you are looking for a more legally binding form, there are also those that cover legal requirements and those that cover disclosure laws as well.
You can choose to buy these forms on an individual basis as you need them, or buy an entire set instead. Individual forms are ideal for anyone who is involved with short term leases, such as rental property or homes that have been leased out. If you are planning to sell a home or buy a home, you are better of purchasing the entire set of ready made forms. This way, you’ll have all of the documentation you need and you won’t have to worry about purchasing more.
Unlike other types of real estate forms, ready made forms are assured for their accuracy, legality, and even their contents. Manufacturers of these forms spend a lot of time and a lot of energy verifying their documents, and making sure that they are perfect. Although these forms are usually up to date, you should still check with your local law and real estate offices to see if there are any updates. real estate laws and regulations aren’t revised that often, and usually tend to stay the same for a long period of time.
If you aren’t sure about what forms you need, you should always ask a real estate agent. Even though ready made real estate forms are easy to understand and use, there are a few types available. If you are selling a home, you certainly wouldn’t want to use the same form as someone else who is buying a home. There are also ready made rental forms as well, which are ideal for those who are renting out property or leasing.
With ready made real estate forms, the process of real estate transactions are easier than ever before. By using these forms, you can do everything yourself – without having to forego realtors. You’ll save a lot of money as well, simply because there is no realtor involved. The next time you are buying, selling, or leasing out your property, you should look into ready made real estate forms and see just how easy they make real estate transactions.
