13 Online Sources for Affordable Art

I wish I had the kind of disposable income that allowed me to walk into my favorite galleries and buy the work that I love right off the walls, but let's get real, that's just not gonna happen anytime soon. So instead I will rely on the next best (affordable) thing: the internet.

Buying art on the internet has really improved in the last five years. You can now find quality work from great unknown artists who you may not have found otherwise as well as prints of well-known established faves. So go grab a cup of joe, take a seat and start browsing.

Alysha Findley

Alysha is a photographer and designer living in Seattle who loves dark chocolate, tea, and all things furry. In her spare time you'll find her with paint in her hair renovating her 1919 Craftsman and sharing the process on her blog Old House New Tricks.

Reproduction Print Sales Impact Artists in a Big Way

The commercialization of the art business by big business is nowhere more evident than in the marketing of reproduction prints, particularly giclees (computer prints of digital files) by entities billing themselves as fine art publishing companies. These reproductions are typically advertised as signed limited edition "fine art" prints and can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The great majority, however, are nothing more than computer printouts of scans or photographs of paintings, watercolors, or works of art in other mediums (as opposed to digital works of art created by digital artists entirely or in part on computers which ARE considered to be originals). Repro print artists usually have nothing to do with producing these editions, their only participation being signing their names which takes maybe thirty seconds or so per print at most. And that's supposed to be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars? No way. But the people hawking these reproductions sure want you to think so and sure manage to talk plenty of people believing it.

The Art of Business: Print Buying Made Simpler

The best way to avoid the unpleasant surprises of print buying is to spend a little time on the business side of the relationship before laying down the specs for the job.

If you ever get a chance, don't pass up the opportunity to attend a seminar or talk given by Dick Gorelick, president of Gorelick and Associates. Dick is a 25 year veteran of the industry both as a buyer and seller, and his firm surveys some 25,000 print buyers a year, so he's got a pulse on the print market like few others.
I had a chance to hear Dick speak recently on tips for buying printing services, and you could almost hear the "amens" muttered in the crowd. He has some tips worth passing on, though these thoughts are but a sampling of what he offers in his talks.

Making Giclee or Art Prints

Think about all the time and effort you put into a painting. And then the joy of selling it. Trouble is, when it is gone, it is gone. And you have to start all over again. Now imagine selling it over and over again, at a reduced price so that many others can share your work, with minimum effort and high long-term returns. That is what can happen if you make prints your paintings. The methods available today are very sophisticated, and easy, with minimum outlay.

Making Giclee or Art Prints

Why should I buy an art or Giclee print rather than an original?

Ten Tips For Better Picture Framing

Ten Do's and Don'ts of Picture Hanging

To help you get the “hang” of artful arranging, the following are some positive pointers on picture grouping. REMEMBER! Your front door talks about you to everyone who passes by... your walls gossip about you to all your friends. Walls are the largest single feature in any room! Be sure yours make a positive statement by careful selection of your artwork, framing and hanging!

Practical Framing Tips

The first thing to know about framing is that it should make the art look good.  

Good presentation enhances the art; bad presentation can kill it. Choices of presentation should provide a background that draws the observer's eye to the art, but should not overpower or compete with the art.

Solutions at Home - Philadelphia Magazine

Framed and Fabulous

Start with the art. Then celbrate it, showcase it,
and make your walls sing.

Written by ELAINE ROGERS

With swirls of color and poignant images seemingly created out of thin air, paintings and even posters elicit emotions in powerful ways. And artwork that speaks to our heart urges us to place it where others can share.
"Art is an emotional purchase," says Suzanne Gallagher, founder of Walldesgndivea.com. " We buy it because we love it and respond to the color and how it makes us feel. And then we say, " Now what am I going to do with it?"

How to Frame a Picture Like a Pro

Pat McNulty is a landscape and wildlife photographer. He has extensive experience integrating framed images into home décor and shares some of the hard-won lessons he’s learned along the way. 

4 Ways To Structure Your Multifamily Deal With The Seller

Another thing you need to keep in mind along with the four ways to structure your multifamily apartment deal with a seller is that there are two types of sellers. You have previous sellers that you can work with as well as sellers from marketing.

By Lance Edwards

Testing Your Fair Housing Knowledge.: An article from: Units 

Investing: 5 Lead Generation Resources For Finding Motivated Sellers

Lead Generation is at the heart and soul of any business and it is no different with multifamily apartment investing. Are you at a loss as to how to track down sellers of multifamily properties? There are five solid resources for finding motivated sellers. These five sources are direct mail, brokers, www.loopnet.com, bird dogs and other venues.

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10 Creative Applications For Getting Your Mutifamily Investing Deals Done

When you are trying to figure out how to get your multifamily apartment investing deals done, there are techniques that you can use to do so. Any one of these techniques can be used individually or in a combination. They can be applied by rehabbers, wholesalers or buy and hold entrepreneurs.

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401K, HELOC And Other Options You Can Use To Fund Your Apartment Investing Deal

Are you still looking for inventive ways to get your multifamily apartment property deal done? The venues that you can utilize to get your investing deal done are numerous. Below are ten more possibilities for you to consider.

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4 Areas Of Asset Management Of A Multifamily Property

The ability to improve your multifamily apartment property boils down to you being a good asset manager. The purpose of asset management is to increase equity by raising NOI to cap out the property. Asset management boils down to four areas: property management, repositioning, adding income sources and reducing expenses.

By Lance Edwards

Additional Sources Of Revenue For Investing In Your Multifamily Property

The great thing about multifamily apartment properties is that there are several ways to increase revenues available to you. You are not limited to the rent that you charge per unit. There are some relatively standard things you can add to create additional income streams as well as some rather ingenious items. Below is a list of possibilities for your consideration.

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 Investing in Kentucky's future: An examination of coal resources and revenues for Letcher County, Ky

3 Ways To Reposition Your Multifamily Property

Are you trying to figure out a way to raise the rent on your multifamily apartment property? You can raise rents through a process called repositioning. Whenever you buy a property and make improvements or repairs or convert a property from a Class D to a Class C or a Class C to a Class B, you are repositioning. There are three ways you can reposition your multifamily apartment property.

By Lance Edwards

Are you trying to figure out a way to raise the rent on your multifamily apartment property?  You can raise rents through a process called repositioning.  Whenever you buy a property and make improvements or repairs or convert a property from a Class D to a Class C or a Class C to a Class B, you are repositioning.  There are three ways you can reposition your multifamily apartment property.

1.  Cosmetic:  You are likely to hear some vernacular in the industry like “putting lipstick on a pig”.  This refers to things like painting or landscaping and anything else that is non-structural in nature.

2.  Complete Rehab and facelift:  This option is more involved.  You can put in all new appliances and new carpet on the vacant units and completely rehab it so some of the stuff looks new.  The rehab does not necessarily change the class that the property is in.  For instance, if you have a Class C multifamily apartment property that was built in the 60’s, it will still be a Class C after you rehab it.

3.  Put new management in place:  If you buy a distressed property that has a 70% occupancy rate and has an existing manger, the first thing you want to do is fire the manager because he probably has bad habits.  If you are serious about what you are doing, you want to put new guidelines in place.  Clean house and replace the apartment property manager because that is the first step to raising rents and increasing the occupancy.

There might be a contract in place with the apartment property manager but most have a 30- or 60- day out clause for both parties so you would have to give notice.  Management contracts are usually pretty flexible.
The first thing you want to do when repositioning is to remove the bad tenants because they are dragging down your property.  Other tenants in the complex know who the bad tenants are.  You want to get rid of the bad tenants so you can create a family-friendly environment.  You want your tenants to feel safe and secure.
Even if the bad tenant is paying his rent on time, you still want to remove him because he is bringing down the rest of the apartment property.

Repositioning offers you a way to raise the rent on your multifamily apartment property.  You can either go “all out” and completely rehab the property or go with the less intensive changes of cosmetic improvements or management restructuring.  Be sure to carefully evaluate which option is best suited for your investing needs.

Think you need big cash and experience to do apartments? Well, Lance Edwards is living proof that you can start with multifamily investing - just like he did and using none of his own money. Utilizing the multifamily apartment strategies he now teaches and writes about, Lance retired from his job in July, 2005. For more information on how you can achieve financial freedom using other people's money, visit http://www.ApartmentWealthMachine.com

 

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Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Buy Multifamily Properties

When you sit down and examine the advantage of owning multifamily properties, you will be amazed at the multitude of benefits. While other avenues of income generation offer some attractive incentives, owning multifamily properties brings many great things to the table. Let us explore these advantages:

By Lance Edwards

Buying Multifamily Apartment Properties And Overcoming Your Fears

It is our job as entrepreneurs who are raising private money to learn how to direct energy, other people's energy, into vehicles that produce more income for us and for them. It is all about managing the energy. You have a choice when it comes to raising private money for real estate investing: you can put your energy and time into a deal or you can put in your money into a deal.

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Overcoming drug problems in multifamily housing.: An article from: Journal of Property Management 

5-Step Process To Financial Freedom Through Real Estate Investing

You have learned how to create a real estate business. But at the same time, you want to create your net worth. The steps to getting this done are a 5-step process. Not only can you apply this process to your business, but you can apply it to your personal life.

By Lance Edwards

What An Apartment Property's Class Can Tell You

When you are dealing with multifamily apartment properties, it is very important to understand the different classes of properties. The class that a property is assigned can tell you a lot about the property and if it is worth your time and money to invest in. There are four different property classes: A, B, C, and D.

By Lance Edwards

C & W to lease Downtown Brooklyn's newest Class A tower.(Sales & Leasing): An article from: Real Estate Weekly 

Investing: Types Of Investors For Your Multifamily Deals

The word "investor" is quite a general term that means different things to different people. Dictionary.com defines an investor as "someone who commits capital in order to gain financial returns". So what does this mean in terms of real estate investing? There are three types of investors: lending, equity and hybrid (or combination). Here is a breakdown of these three types of investors.

By Lance Edwards