Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Celebrity Huge Time Listings unearthed the listing for today’s home which proves that it pays to date Ashlee Simpson and be managed by her dad. Musician Ryan Cabrera took his modest musical and reality TV success, a gold record in 2004, and bought himself this home in the Hollywood Hills in 2006 for $1.45 million. The optimistically monikered Villa Cabrera is a three-bedroom home built in 1953. The home has some nice classic details like hardwood floors, tiled steps, touches of elaborate iron work, but it Cabrera’s decorating choices are definitely not doing this house much of a favor. Cabrera has painted the interior with a crayon box of colors including turquoise and fuchsia. Cabrera has equipped his home with the requisite massive TVs including one placed rather close to a bed in a guest bedroom. Cabrera’s master bedroom boasts a bed wreathed in electric lights, decked out in red satin sheets and completed with a collection of candles at the foot of the bed, a look Cabrera has repeated in another room. Cabrera has also festooned the home with plenty of art devoted to his musical idols such as the Beatles and Frank Sinatra and he has a huge piano and a rack full of guitars. The outdoor space includes a pool, a spa and an outdoor entertaining area with a full bar and a barbecue as well as an outdoor terrace which Cabrera has thoughtfully outfitted with a rumpled futon. The home is listed at $1.699 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living massive with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

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Continue reading Villa Cabrera, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Small business

A franchise can be a great way to start your entry into self-employment — and strong income. Yet, there are still risks — such as with site locations and hiring employees — and lots of upfront costs.

But there’s another approach; that’s, purchasing an existing franchise (which is known as a “resale”). What are some things to take into account? Well, let’s take a look:

Track Record: With some due diligence, you can determine whether a franchise is successful or not. Besides getting the financials, you can talk to customers as well as vendors.

Turnaround: What if the franchise is failing? Yes, this can be an chance to get a business on the cheap. But, of course, this can be risky. Do you’ve the expertise to make the changes to get the business on track?

Keep in mind that turnarounds are often much tougher than you might anticipate.

Valuation: It’s likely that the franchise owner will be running various personal expenses through the operation. Thus, as much as possible, try to exclude these items. The goal is to come up with the real profitability of the company.

Next, you need a way to value these earnings (assuming you think they have the ability to continue). This is usually done by applying a multiple. For example, a Subway may fetch 4 times cash flows.

Where do you get these multiples? Well, there are some books on the topic, such as The Business Valuation Book (with CD-ROM). You can also get the help from a business broker (the largest operator is VR Business Brokers).

Finding Franchises: There are many websites where you can find franchises for sale. One good resource is BizBuySell, which has an extensive directory.

Fees: There might be a transfer fee (which could be hefty). So, early in the process, get the franchise agreement. And, of course, it’s a good idea to have an attorney help out with things.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

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The last day of the Olympics - it went by so fast!  I had a great time watching the competitions, learning about the athletes.  Their stories were astounding, and I was so impressed by their fortitude, perseverance, hard work.

Memorable moments for me:

•  Watching the women’s marathon and thinking, “How do they do it?”
• Watching the face of Shawn Johnson when she had to do the floor exercise first and then sit and watch the rest of the athletes compete, knowing she did great, but not knowing whether anyone would do superior.  She was so gracious when it was obvious that she was going to get the silver, not the gold.  Quite a mature young lady.
• Watching the softball players, wanting them to win so bad, knowing this was the last Olympics for softball, then having them lose their final game.  Tough break.
• Of course, watching Michael Phelps.  What a fantastic athlete!  The last relay race, at the end, when he knew that the U.S. had won, I could see him state, over and over, “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,” to his teammates.

And more.  What were your favorite moments?

And what about our Baby Boomer athletes?

John Dane III, from New Orleans, didn’t win a medal in sailing.  Zach Railey, from Clearwater, Florida, was the only U.S. athlete to win a sailing medal.

Australian equestrian Laurie Lever also was out of the medals.

Three-time Olympian Brent Erickson, still has not won an Olympic medal.  Maybe 2012 in London?

Finally, the oldest Olympic athlete (I know, he’s not a Baby Boomer),  Hiroshi Hoketsu, who competed in the Dressage (equestrian) also did not win a medal.

My daughter reminded me that you can watch just about any of the Olympic competitions by going to the NBC Olympics website.  I want to check a few events I missed.

At the end of the Olympics, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes: “I enjoy each thing for its season, doing without it at all other times.”  So the time for the Olympics is ended.  But I know where I’ll be in the July of 2012 - firmly planted in front of the TV watching the Olympics from London.  It’s a great show!

Tags: athletes, baby boomers, london olympics 2012, nbc olympics, olympics

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This week Wall Street eyes oil prices, personal spending data, housing - Los Angeles Times
NEW YORK (AP) _ It was another seesaw week on Wall Street, but it ended with a jolt of good news: a $6-a-barrel tumble in oil. This week, investors will be watching to see if crude extends its drop or bounces back up again. Stocks have been moving

Stocks stage rally - CNN Money
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Falling oil prices and rebounding bank shares helped fire up a stock market rally near midday Friday, as investors eyed a stronger dollar and speculation that Lehman Brothers could be a takeover candidate. The Dow Jones

This week, investors eye oil prices, spending data - Miami Herald
NEW YORK It was another seesaw week on Wall Street, but it ended with a jolt of good news: a $6-a-barrel tumble in oil. This week, investors will be watching to see if crude extends its drop or bounces back up again. Stocks have been moving largely

New clues due on market’s direction - International Herald Tribune
LONDON : With a benchmark for global stock markets down 17 percent this year and the chances of breaking even in 2008 shrinking fast, investors will look to see if markets are able to hold above a two-year low or are set to slide further. World

Consider a global fund - Philadelphia Inquirer
Are you fatigued of the U.S. market upheaval, but itching to start investing some of the cash you’ve been stashing away? If so, you might be confused about which direction to head. Like every down market, there’s little clarity about the near term

This Week’s Barron’s Roundup - Street.Com
Editor’s note: Welcome to Stockpickr’s ” Barron’s Roundup.” Each weekend, James Altucher presents Stockpickr portfolios related to articles in the latest issue of Barron’s. Wall Street’s Best : Barron’s ranks brokers by the accuracy of their purchase

These Stocks Will Burn You - Motley Fool
In his article The Market’s 10 Ideal Stocks Revisited , my colleague Tim Hanson pointed out the benefits of searching for the next multibagger success stories among the smallest of companies. And I concur with him: The best stocks of the next decade

Upcoming Data Could Stun The Street - Forbes
Friday’s surge salvaged what was set to be a brutal week on Wall Street, after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered an encouraging perspective on inflation and financial stocks rebounded. The Fed chief stated sliding commodity prices–after

GLOBAL MARKETS WEEKAHEAD-Investors wary, stocks at tipping point - Reuters
LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - With world stocks down 17 percent this year and the chances of breaking even in 2008 shrinking fast, investors will look this week to see if they hold above a key two-year low or subside further as global growth falters

RPT-Wall St Wk Ahead: US stocks brace for another whipsaw week - Reuters
NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - What should be a holiday lull of a week looks set to be anything but, with Wall Street on high alert for the latest twists and turns in the credit crisis, more volatility in commodity prices and key developments in the

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the LA Times Hot Property:
–Entertainment lawyer and the mastermind behind the Hands Across America and “We Are the World” events, Ken Kragen, has listed his Beverly Hills home, shown above, for $5.595 million. The listing is here.
–Commercial composer Jonathan Elias has sold his 5,865-square-foot Santa Monica home for $4.395 million.
–Nicolas Cage has leased a unit in the downtown Biscuit Company Lofts with an option to buy. He might have picked up a 3,500-square-foot penthouse unit, which was listed at $4.9 million.

From the Real Estalker:
–Rumor has it that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner may have picked up a 1930s Hollywood Georgian in Holmby Hills which has been listed at $27.5 million for around $22 million. The listing is here.
–Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have picked up a home in the Westwood area of Los Angeles for $2.275 million.
–Anne Heche and James Tupper have put their West Vancouver, Canada home on the market for $2,450,00 (Canadian). Heche and Tupper purchased the home for $2.2 million in Might, 2007.
–Michael Bolton has put his Westport, Connecticut home on the market for $11 million. It’s our estate of the day on Monday.

From Berg Properties Large Time Listings:
A five-bedroom home in Bel-Air that was once owned by Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal has come on the market for $9,500,000. The listing is here.
–Ryan Cabrera has put his Hollywood Hills home on the market, it’s our estate of the day later this day.
The four-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills that previously belonged to Charlie Sheen’s wife, Brooke Mueller is back on the market with a $2.395 million listing price (she sold it for $2.317 million last year). The property website is here.
–Actor Justin Long has listed his home for $1.495 million. The listing is here.

From the Luxury Property Blog:
–A home featured in the movie “Moonstruck” as Cher’s character’s home recently sold for close to $4 million.

From the NY Post’s Gimme Shelter:
–Baseball player Mike Piazza will officially list his duplex TriBeCa loft for $6.8 million in September and is looking for a larger place in Manhattan.
– Jocelyn Wildenstein spent almost $8 million for a 3,000-square-foot condo on the Plaza and now another Wildenstein, thought to be Guy Wildenstein, bought on the floor below his former in-law for $31.7 million. Two apartments - 409 and 411 - sold for $21.926 million and $9.787 million under Wildenstein & Company.
–Model Adriana Lima and basketball player Marko Jaric are looking for an apartment in New York. The couple has been seen checking out the penthouse at 40 Walker, a new residential building in TriBeCa, which is listed at $7 million.
–from Page Six, –Ricky Gervais and his girlfriend Jane Fallon have spent $1.66 million for a one-bedroom condo at the converted Barbizon hotel on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

From the Wall Street Journal’s Private Properties:
–President Ford’s Vail, Colorado ski retreat is on the market for the second time in less than two years. Real-estate investor Kevin Hayes, bought the home in early 2007 after Ford’s death for $6.65 million and says he spent over $4 million on renovations. He has listed the home for $14.9 million.
–NFL star Michael Strahan paid between $1.5 and $2 million for a loft in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood.
–Real-estate developer R. Donahue Peebles has listed his Washington, D.C., stone Tudor home for $8.3 million. It was our estate of the day on Saturday.

From Real LI:
–Baseball player Edgardo Alfonzo has reduced the price on his home in Tiny Neck, New York. It went on the market in late 2006 for $8 million and has now been lowered at least four times since then is now listed at $5.3 million. Alfonzo paid $900,000 for the property in 1999 and has spent nearly as much in remodeling. The listing is here.
–New York Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas has taken his Huntington home off the market and has decided to rent the property instead of selling.

From TMZ:
Michael Phelps spent $1.69 million for a condo on the waterfront in Baltimore, Md.

From the NY Observer’s Manhattan Transfers:
–The Kress family penthouse, a 17-room Fifth Avenue apartment with ballroom ceilings imported from 17th-century Venetian palaces and marble staircases carved from Michelangelo’s quarry was previously listed for $50 million then pulled off the market. Next month, the penthouse will be back on the market again with a listing price of around $45 million with Leighton Candler of Corcoran.

From AOL Real Estate:
Remodeling Myths: Water Your Plants at Night?
Dying Cities
Web Sites Let You Check Your Neighbors
Smalltown USA: America’s Dreamtowns
Overpriced ZIP Codes

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PimpYourWork.com

You’ve got your GTD planner, cross off everything on your daily task list, and your email inbox has zero items.  Then, it happens.

You fall off the productivity wagon.

It was accidental, maybe you were sick a couple of days, or you were thrown off schedule by an extended vacation.  Or maybe you just watched too much TV.  It doesn’t matter what the cause is - it just occurred.

You stopped being productive and went back to your old, bad habits.

Did I state ‘you’?  Excuse me, I meant  to state ‘I’. I’ve fallen off the productivity wagon these past two weeks.  The reasons behind it?  A mixture of some unexpected illnesses, a broken body clock, and the Olympics.  Despite these halfway valid reasons (except maybe the Olympics), I’m ashamed of myself.  But I’m trying to get back to being productive, and here’s how:

Find and eliminate time sinks.  These things (or people)  suck your time and attention from the stuff you should be doing (such as work, sleep, recreation, etc.)  Most of my time sinks are computer-based, so I had to reinstall RescueTime (which I talked about before).  It turns out that I’ve been checking email more often than I should, and I tend to spend too much time on on the internet forums (which I didn’t do before). However, I’ve also gained some offline time sinks, such as leaving the Television on while working.

Once you’ve found your new time sinks, either eliminate them completely or find a way to reduce the time you spend on them.

Check your processes for flaws and possible areas of improvement.  It’s also possible that you’ve fallen off the wagon because of flaws in your productivity system or work flow.  Are there steps that make you likely to distraction?  Do you do a regular review of how productive you are?

I think my main mistake is not doing a weekly review for a long time, so I wasn’t able to scare myself with the realization on how far I’ve lagged behind. Also, I’ve been taking down hand-written notes, but my note-taking system is far from efficient - so I’ll have to research on how to do that superior.

Get work done in advance. So that falling off the wagon won’t injured as much next time, it’s important to be ahead of schedule with work, if it’s possible.  This might mean sacrificing a couple of rest days to get some extra work done,but I find that doing this has long term rewards and can grant you to have a more relaxed schedule after.

Eat healthier and exercise.  Sickness is often something we can avoid.  The key is to take care of our bodies so that they don’t break down on us while we’re in the middle of important projects.

Falling off the productivity wagon may injured (and be very embarrassing),  but it’s perfectly human.  The important thing is that we try to get back to our old productive selves once we’ve realized that we’ve fallen.

Image by Elisa Perosio from sxc.hu

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