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In recent years we have slowly seen the real estate market rebuild itself after a cataclysmic collapse in the early 2000s. And as it builds ....

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What Degree Do I Need to Become a Mortgage Broker?

What Degree Do I Need to Become a Mortgage Broker

In recent years we have slowly seen the real estate market rebuild itself after a cataclysmic collapse in the early 2000s. And as it builds itself back up, it is slowly becoming a more profitable job to go after. And one field that is doing especially well in the field of mortgages.

Being a Mortgage Broker is a tough, yet rewarding job. You get to help people find their new home and put a smile on their face while also securing yourself a lucrative and fulfilling job. It offers flexible hours, hands-on interaction with properties, and customers.

But what exactly does a Mortgage Broker do? And more importantly, how can you become one? We are going to walk you through the educational requirements to become a Mortgage Broker, along with explaining what they do during their working day.

 

What Is A Mortgage Broker

A Mortgage Broker, at a first glance, might seem to be someone who provides a Mortgage to a customer. But this isn’t the case. In simple terms, a Mortgage Broker is a middle man working on your behalf to secure you the best mortgage for your financial situation and the property you are interested in.

So why would anyone want a middle man? Why pay extra on top of the mortgage you are about to get. There are a few reasons.

Firstly, Mortage brokers have to be certified. This means they must adhere to strict rules and regulations surrounding the mortgage process. This provides a lot of security to the customer. It can be all too easy to get bogged down by legal jargon or financial terminology as a customer, so having a broker eliminates that and makes sure you aren’t being scammed.

Secondly, Mortgage brokers are able to deal with entities that the general public can’t. This means they can secure a mortgage from a lot of different sources, rather than just a bank. This means by using a mortgage broker a customer has a better chance of securing a great deal.

 

Educational Requierments

The big question you are most likely asking is this: What Degree do I need?

The answer might surprise you. There isn’t one. But let us be more specific. This doesn’t mean you can rock up with no educational background and get a job. It means there isn’t one specific degree you need. Sometimes you don’t even need a college-level degree at all.

But you do need a few things. Firstly is a strong understanding of finance and economics. This has to be a bit above a basic level unless you are joining a training scheme.

Your job as a mortgage broker will involve a lot of equations surrounding repayments, financing processes and you will have to calculate the interest on a mortgage for your client. A lot of numbers. So if numeracy is your weak point, this job is not for you at all.

Now, if you are planning to get a degree, we would highly recommend going into finance or economics, or a merging of both if that is on offer. Some colleges or trade schools offer specific courses in real estate, which includes all the information needed to be a mortgage broker with options to branch into property management or development.

These aren’t your only two options. If you do a maths-based subject, such as physics or maths itself, you still stand a good chance of breaking into the field of real estate. As long as you are willing to learn and can apply your mathematical knowledge into its practical applications, you’ll be fine.

Coming from a legal background is also a strong start. There is a lot of legal work involved in being a mortgage broker, and as long as you are good numerical literacy, you will be off to a roaring start. It will help a lot with the next part of the process as well.

 

Licencing

All Mortgage Brokers need to be registered and receive a license. You might be wondering what purpose this serves. The license is received after attending a 20-hour training course and completing an in-depth test on everything learned.

During the course, you will have to learn all the federal and state laws concerning mortgage payments, loans, and acquisition. This is to make sure everyone involved in the mortgage process is protected and is acting lawfully. The course also looks into the ethical side of being a loan officer. This involves understanding when someone can’t financially afford a loan and when to sit your client down and tell them getting a mortgage isn’t for them.

The test isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. It will require you to study hard and be well prepared. So it helps if your academic background has prepared you for rigorous exam processes.

It is important to note that within this test, known as the SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator Test, has a state-specific requirement around it as well. So you need to make sure whatever material you are studying from is giving you the correct information for your specific state.

 

In conclusion, there is no one degree needed to become a mortgage broker. But economics or finance are the two biggest courses that will put you in good stead for this career. The best advice we can give is to hit the books and learn as much as you possibly can about the world of real estate.

7 Tips To Combating Exam Stress

7 Tips To Combating Exam Stress

After all the hard work and attending classes, the final test of your learning will be exams. When that time comes, you may develop goosebumps and approach the exam with low confidence. Other students fail because they developed high exam stress levels and couldn’t be able to answer questions adequately despite having been taught properly.

Exam related stress can highly affect your overall performance and negatively impact your future career inspiration. However, you may use various strategies to approach the exams without stress and perform your best. This article will share some effective study techniques and self-care practices to help you avoid exam stress.

Keep reading.

1- Prepare and Plan Early

Early planning will help you stay organized and reduce exam stress. Start by creating a study plan that breaks down your study and revision time into manageable tasks. Allocate specific time for each subject and for a specific topic. Use your study time wisely by prioritizing subjects that need more attention based on the difficulty of the content. Use tools such as study planners, calendars, or digital apps to keep track of time.

2- Study Smart

Preparing for exams doesn’t mean reading your class notes every day from page one to the last. It means understanding the content in a manner that you can comprehend and answer questions. Breaking down your study content is the first step towards having manageable tasks and avoiding the feeling of being overworked. Instead of trying to memorize large content, divide your study and aim to understand one topic or concept at a time. By breaking down your study sessions into smaller tasks, you will be able to handle challenging areas at a time.

3- Use Effective Revision Techniques

Your study and revision approach has to be strategic and effective in order to deliver good results. Effective techniques can help you retain what you have learnt and improve your exam performance. Try different study methods, such as active recall, spaced repetition, and elaborate rehearsal, and adapt the one that works best for you.

Experience how questions are phrased and practice answering them as you are supposed to and within the time allocated. Various exam test banks are available online, offering students a series of mock exams they can purchase. They help you revise challenging questions to reinforce learning, test your understanding of specific learning areas, and boost your confidence going into exams.

4- Take Breaks Between Studies

Spending many study hours and having no room for personal recreation or rest won’t make you perform better. Instead, that will only increase your fatigue levels, which may lead to stress and a loss of focus. Taking breaks, resting, and engaging in physical exercise like walking or playing games are important. These activities will help you maintain focus, increase productivity, and improve your health during exam season. Hence, in your schedule, allocate time for your body and mind to rest to prevent burnout.

5- Learn to Maintain Composure

Developing ways to relax during exam sessions can help reduce stress and promote a sense of calm and confidence during exam season. In your daily routine, practice deep breathing exercises and muscle relaxation to remove tension and anxiety. Join relaxation groups at the school or community clubs for activities like yoga, meditation, or tai chi that cultivate a sense of inner peace and tranquillity.

6- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is necessary for managing stress and improving your performance during exams. Regular physical activity boosts mood, energy, and memory function. As part of your daily schedule, including exercises such as sports can revitalize your body systems. Additionally, eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to fuel your body and keep you away from the doctor during the exam season. Also, keep hydrated by drinking enough water during the day, especially on hot days.

7- Seek Help and Support

Exams are challenging no matter how hard you have studied or revised for them. In order to make sure that you are on the right track, dont walk alone in this important journey of your life. Your parents and teachers are very key in helping you pass your exams. They have the capacity and the passion to see you succeed. If you need any help, do not hesitate to reach out to them. You also have classmates with a common goal with whom you can form study groups for support and encouragement during exam preparation.

Conclusion

Passing your exams is the ultimate goal of every academic year you spend in school. The result shapes your destiny in terms of further education and career choice. Although managing to keep exam stress at bay is not easy, with the right strategies and support, you can minimize the risk of freaking out during exams. If you do that, you are assured of performing better in your exams and achieving your academic goals. Most importantly, I need to practice with test exams, read smart, and get support from parents, teachers, and peers.

Trade Skills: 6 Lucrative Career Paths Worth Considering

Trade Skills: 6 Lucrative Career Paths Worth Considering

For a long time, the idea that you could get a good job with high pay often came along when discussing the importance of getting a higher education. The reality nowadays though is that if you want to make money you have to fulfill jobs that are in high demand on the market. Add it happens that some of the jobs that are in most items and currently are trade skill jobs that require less education and more actual hands-on work. So let’s look at some of the most lucrative trade skill jobs on the market that you should consider.

Electrician

Nowadays it’s impossible to say that we are not reliant or even dependent on all of our electrical amenities as well as our gadgets. One of the great things about being an electrician is of course that most of the learning is done on the job as you learn from a master. This allows you to constantly be supervised by someone who knows better and can share their knowledge with you as you work through it. One of the great things too is that they are always needed which means that there is a very high demand which allows electricians to make a lot of money.

Plumber

Plumbing is extremely important when it comes to modernizing homes as you might realize. Plumbers jobs have become harder and more necessary than ever now that we are seeing record amounts of rain as well as many other issues that are causing drainage blocks that can potentially threaten your home. So if you need a plumber in Huntington Beach or a big city like New York you will realize that they charge high prices because they are in high demand. If you are looking for a career with a lot of work in the foreseeable future this is the way to go.

Construction

If we take a look at the current state of the housing market and the ever-growing demand for single-family homes as well as apartment complexes you might realize that construction is not only inevitable but it is also the core of our current economy. The reality is there is always a need for more construction as the population of the world is ever growing especially as we see more and more immigration between countries. These population movements are a great economic opportunity that benefits both construction companies as well as many other industries.

Mechanic

If you love working with cars you might consider it the fact that currently, we are seeing a whole generation of cars that is bound to become obsolete. As we slowly transition to electric cars especially with the many Western governments putting in place transitional plans that are aiming for a 2035 or 2050 deadline it becomes more and more apparent that if you want to get your car repaired you’re going to need a mechanic with experience and knowledge of those new technologies. So if you are looking for a mechanic job looking into electric car mechanic and getting this knowledge that many older mechanics do not have this might be a good place for you to start.

Landscaping

Landscaping is of course very grueling and hard work but as you can imagine it is also extremely popular in suburban areas. Landscapers also have their work cut out for them as many green areas in suburban areas as well as in cities have become prey to the climate change effects. Whether it is flooding or high winds if you dedicate yourself to landscaping you will find out that there is no shortage of work available to you.

Roofing

One of the best things that keeps a lot of these trade skill jobs in business is the fact that there is constant evolution in the way we do things. Roofing is no different, especially considering that there are many types of roofing opportunities whether it is commercial or residential. While this is another job that requires a lot of work it is still an incredibly lucrative opportunity especially if you start your own company. There is one of the benefits of being a trade skill worker is that you have the opportunity to start your own business and potentially you rake in all of the benefits.

Gaming News: Is PlayerUnknown In Financial Trouble?

Gaming News: Is PlayerUnknown In Financial Trouble?

PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds is a very popular, fun to play video game. It’s a multiplayer game which makes it super appealing as it allows friends and family to play together, and it is a battle royale style game. It was developed by PUBG and was inspired by the early 2000’s film ‘Battle Royale’ and it was released by them onto steam in March 2017, later that month it was released onto Xbox One and the following year in 2018 it became a mobile game. As it became available on more platforms is became even more popular and had more people playing it than ever. It’s a highly competitive game and there have been hundreds of players finding sneaky ways to one up their opponents for the win, if you’re one of these people then have a look online for these cheats and tips as this will help you win more with pubg mobile. It’s an enjoyable game as each round it basically resets and you have an equal chance of winning as the rest of the people you’re playing against as players don’t start with any equipment, they all parachute into the same map and have to find tools and weapons once they land meaning no player has an advantage with better equipment before the game begins. Despite the success of the game initially, in recent gaming news there has been rumours circulating that PlayerUnknown is in financial trouble, keep on reading to find out more.

Financial Background

PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds got off to a great start financially, when it was initially released in March 2017 in the first 3 days alone the game had made $11 million, which is a huge amount even for a video game. Then following the initial purchases in the next month sales exceeded $34 million which means this game lands a place on the top 10 list for highest grossing revenue within 1 month. This trend continued, by the start of May the game had brought in $60 million and by the end of May, only 3 months after its release the game had reached $100 million in sales revenue, reaching this major milestone faster than extremely popular games such as Minecraft. In 2018 its popularity grew even more, it became the 2nd most downloaded mobile game in the world, with over 300 million downloads. The country that this game was most popular in and made up most of the market was China with 29% of all the game’s downloads.

What Changed

This game was received better than ever expected, it gained a big audience on release and managed to carry on attracting more players consistently and grew even bigger the following year. So, what happened then for a game that was doing this well to end up with the company that developed it in financial trouble? The reason they’re now in financial trouble is due to the Chinese government legislation changes around in game selling. As we told you earlier China was the biggest market for the game, so this change was really damaging, the developers of the game are still waiting for the approval of the Chinese media regulator. Many people believe it is due to politics between the Chinese and South Korea, although Beijing hasn’t formally imposed a ban on things by South Korean companies, since 2017 no games based on South Korean content have been granted approval by the media regulator. This has massively impacted the earnings of the game and it is unlikely to be resolves unless South Korea and China improve their relationship.

6 Tips for Studying For Your LSAT

6 Tips for Studying For Your LSAT

So you’ve decided to take the LSAT. Great! That means you’re serious about getting into law school, and you know that the LSAT is the primary hurdle standing in your way. But now what? There are a lot of resources out there for prepping for the LSAT, which can be overwhelming.
Test prep companies offer courses, flashcards, and books that all claim to help you succeed on the exam.

You probably even have friends or family members who can recommend a particular program or tutor. The problem is figuring out which one will help you achieve an improved score rather than just another test prep company recommendation. Given how much the outcome of your application hinges on this one exam, it’s important to understand what makes for good LSAT preparation and what doesn’t.

Tips on How to Study For Your LSAT

The LSAT is a standardized test that most law schools require candidates to take. It is also one of the most widely used tests in the world. The LSAT is one of the most important exams that you will ever take, and it can be a very stressful test to study for. When I was preparing for my LSATs I used what I consider the best LSAT tutor in the NY area who helped me to attain a score of 165/170. Here are some useful tips to obtain the best score on your LSAT.

Find the Best LSAT Tutor

Before you start studying, find a good LSAT tutor. You should look for someone who has experience teaching other students who are looking for similar advice and services as you are. The best way to do this is by checking out local schools and organizations where students go after they finish their studies at your school or place of employment.

You can also ask around at local colleges or community centers, or even ask your friends and family members. A good tutor can help you understand how to approach each question and make sure that you don’t miss any important information.

Don’t Over-rely on LSAT Prep Materials

The reason so many people fail at studying for the LSAT is that they rely on prep materials too much. They read through their books and essays and practice tests, then put them down and forget all about them until test day. This approach won’t work. You need to study in real life, not just on paper.

Take a Diagnostic Test and Learn From It

A diagnostic test will help you determine where your weaknesses lie so that you can focus your study time on those areas. This can include logic games and reading comprehension questions from our free LSAT prep courses, which we offer through PrepScholar’s Premium Membership program (or in-person tutoring). You’ll also find that our course materials are designed around specific topics such as logic games.

Be Selective With Vocabulary Builders

You should only use vocabulary builders as part of an LSAT prep program. Vocabulary builders are words that you can use in your LSAT practice tests, but that you don’t see on the LSAT itself. These are important because they help increase your speed and accuracy on the real thing. But be careful not to overuse them. The last thing you want is for your brain to become so used to seeing these words that it starts to associate them with answers. That would make it harder for you to recognize vocabulary-heavy questions on test day.

Set Goals for Your LSAT Prep

The best way to set goals for your LSAT prep is by breaking down each section into smaller bite-sized pieces that you can work on each day or week. For example, if you’re studying Constitutional Law, start by making flashcards with all of the concepts in section 1 (theory) and then move on to section 2 (analysis).

Ask Educated Questions When Choosing Strategies

The LSAT is a difficult test. It’s designed to be that way. The test is designed to weed out the weak and expose the strong. There are many strategies you can use to study for this test, but remember that it’s all about finding the right strategies for your specific needs as an individual. The LSAT is an adaptive test, which means that it adapts to what you’re doing, so keep trying different strategies until something sticks.

Conclusion

Before you start, know what you want to get out of studying. Is your goal to get a high score for scholarship, employment, or law school admissions? All of these different motivations will lead to different approaches to how to improve your LSAT score. With the above tips, you can make a good score and land your dream course.

The Funniest Quiz Shows we Can’t Stop Watching

The Funniest Quiz Shows we Can't Stop Watching

If you love a good quiz show, you are probably in the market for a new one. Quiz shows are a lot of fun, and if you have been taking part in quizzes at FridayTrivia, then you may be in the mood to sit back and watch someone else struggle with the humiliation of not being able to answer the difficult questions. Everyone loves a quiz show, and here are some of the funniest quiz shows that you can watch on TV right now.

The Chase

If you are someone that loves competitive quizzes, then you will love the chase. The chase consists of a team of quizzers going up against one of the best quizzers in England to take on several difficult trivia questions. The goal is to finish the game as a team and quiz the chaser to go home with a cash prize. The team has to complete several steps before winning the cash prize, making it all the more exciting.

Tipping Point

When you were a child, you probably went to an arcade and played the penny machines. The penny machines are a fond part of everyone’s childhood, and Tipping Point has taken this love and made it an excellent game show. Contestants have to answer questions to earn counters, which can be put in the machine. The machine works like a classic penny machine, and the goal of the contestants is to knock off coins for money and special coins to win special prizes such as trips away and grand prizes.

Family Feud

Family Feud has been around for some now, and there are versions of it in every country worldwide. This quiz show consists of two families going head to head to guess what the public has answered to a series of questions. The best part about this show is just how competitive people get when they play with their families, you can see the pain in the eyes of contestants when their family members give a bad answer, which makes it hilarious to watch. This show also does several celebrity versions, so you can see one of your favorite celebrities play with their families.

Who wants to be a Millionaire?

This is another classic quiz show that is loved throughout the world. If you love quizzes that are challenging and have many difficulties, then you are bound to love Who wants to be a millionaire. They recently changed their host for a popular TV personality known for his witty remarks and controversial opinions. People believe that this has only made the show better, as the host now has a lot of banter with the contestants and offers commentary that the show was previously missing.

Don’t Forget the Lyrics.

If you are prone to forgetting the song lyrics to songs easily, this show will frustrate and entertain you. This game show consists of people having to sing along to several popular songs of different categories. The lyrics then disappear from the screen, and they have to try and remember what the next lyric is, which is harder than it sounds. You can win a fantastic cash prize if you remember the lyrics to a lot of the world’s most popular songs, and the show is currently looking for contestants, so if you feel as though you have the skill, why not take it on?

Catchphrase

This is another show that has been around for some time. Catchphrase consists of showing contestants several different videos that are supposed to represent commonly known catchphrases. They then have to race to be the first one to guess what the catchphrase may be. This show is so fun because of all of the random catchphrases people think of, and a lot of the guesses that contestants make are extremely wrong. If you love to see people have a good time, you are bound to enjoy this quiz show.