We live in the mountains, but when the rock climbing is right at your doorstep it's easier to watch your kids.

The Portland, OR-based company combined two of the things its clients enjoyed most — fitness and being outside — into a 250-square-foot, custom-built home, said Jason Francis, creative director and co-founder at Tiny Heirloom.

The idea for a tiny home with a bouldering wall came from organic brainstorming, Francis said.

“The rock wall really started as a long-shot idea, but the more we thought about it, the more excited we got,” Francis said. “So we figured out a way to make it happen!”

“We’ve built many custom homes,” Francis added, “but this was definitely one of our most unique.”

His team added some rich design elements, including a roll-up garage-style glass door, to bring the outdoors inside. The couple intends to use the place as their primary residence.

The home cost about $145,000, but $35,000 of that went to building the custom climbing wall.

The home is 24 feet long and 13 feet tall, providing plenty of room for outdoor climbing. The bouldering wall is on one side of the home, and the handholds can be reconfigured to change up the climbing route.

One side has a traditional entryway, while the other has the roll-up door to provide expansive views of wherever the home is parked.

The kitchen features a farmhouse sink and full-sized oven. The cabinets are a rich blue color with brass accents. There are two open shelves above the countertops.

The home also contains a dining space with bench-style seating that doubles as storage.

An arched blue-tile doorway leads to the bathroom, which has a full-sized soaking tub, white subway tiles and a rainfall showerhead.

After completing the tiny home and sharing it on social media, Francis said they’ve had a number of inquiries about building similar spaces for clients.

“Ideas have spread from it quite a bit, but no one else has bought the exact same thing,” Francis said. “We have had a client request a rock wall system in the house as a way up to the lofts for his two young boys.”

3 Simple Social Media

1. Leverage the power of ad platforms:

organic engagement on social media doesn't exist anymore. If you’re relying on organic content to grow your business, you’re wasting huge amounts of time, and holding yourself back from achieving your true potential.

Having multiple ads running on autopilot across social platforms will dramatically increase your online visibility, build your email list and grow your social following - while still giving you the time to manage and scale other aspects of your business.

Ultimately, it boils down to a simple idea - unsuccessful business owners are obsessed with “hustle”, always running around and hoping that the immense effort they’re putting in will pay off.

Successful business owners have leverage, enabling them to focus on what they do best (coaching, speaking, whatever) and letting the lead generation happen without lifting a finger.

2. Commit yourself to a content creation schedule:

Here are my simplified steps to creating a content calendar in a clear, organized, impactful way:

• Step 1: Identify what your brand pillars or values are. What do you stand for? What are the core topics that you regularly speak about? Once you’ve identified those central touchpoints, create a Google Sheet and write those touchpoints at the top to create columns.
• Step 2: Without overthinking it, write down content ideas which fall into each category. A great way to think of new ideas is by thinking of questions that previous clients have asked you, using tools like BuzzSumo, or scrolling an industry-relevant publication. For example, if you’re a consultant for emerging authors, under the 'Writing Process' column, maybe you would write in “5 Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block” and “How To Come Up WIth A Killer Opening Chapter Title”. Essentially, the point of this step is to build up a ton of ideas, so that when it comes time to sit down and create content, you don’t get away with the excuse of feeling “uninspired” or “just not creative” that day. You have tons of killer, on-brand content ideas ready to go, so put them into your content calendar.
• Step 3: Now it’s time to build your content calendar. This can be as easy as opening up another Google Sheet and building out your column titles: 'Day', 'Date', 'Content category', 'Title of content', etc. All you have to do is now take the content ideas that you had in your previous Google Sheet and start building it out, going pillar by pillar. This will enable you to ensure that you're hitting every single brand value consistently, sharing high-value and high-impact information on a regular basis, and that each piece of content has a clear goal. No randomness, no fluff, no off-brand anything. How easy was that? You can now build out your calendar two weeks in advance, have consistent content to share with your growing audience, and convert those followers into clients in a fraction of the time.

3. Consider outsourcing social media tasks:

Write out everything that you do on social media on a daily basis - managing your Facebook group, following and engaging with important industry influencers on Instagram, sharing recent blog posts on LinkedIn, and writing extensive answers to people’s Quora posts might be some examples.

Now, put a checkmark next to those that only you, with your unique skills, can do. You probably can’t identify a single one.

It could be well worth your time and money to find a virtual assistant, or someone who can take over as your social media manager, so that you can focus on optimizing your social ads, coaching or consulting at the highest level, and creating the most thoughtful and valuable content for your audience.

Facebook has released a new set of monetization options and best practices for video creators

Monetization Options

• Pre-Roll ads – Facebook says it’s seen “promising signs” from their initial tests of pre-roll ads, which they’re now expanding to additional areas, including in search results and on Page timelines. “For example, if a person searches for a show, a pre-roll may play when they select the episode to watch”.
• Preview Trailers – Facebook’s also testing a new preview trailer format for Watch shows that will improve discovery in News Feed. “When a viewer taps on the trailer, we’ll play a short ad before moving them to view the full episode in Watch. Partners will also be able to boost this format, reaching new audiences and driving more predictable tune-in while still being able to monetize”. Preview trailers will only be available to approved Watch shows.
• Ad Breaks Auto Insertion – Facebook’s also working to advance its recently announced auto ad breaks tool, which automatically detects the ideal place for an ad break within an eligible video. The option could make it easier for creators to understand when and where ad breaks fit best within their content.
• Pre-Publish Brand Safety Check – Finally, Facebook’s rolling out a new option which will enable content partners to submit videos for monetization eligibility review before posting, which will help to ensure their video will receive relevant ad opportunities.

Video Best Practices:

• Build audiences on Facebook surfaces where people seek out content – Encourage audience engagement outside of News Feed on surfaces that support repeat, loyal viewership such as in Watch, on a Page or in a Group. These places allow for audiences to meaningfully interact with each other to build community around your content.
• Set and fulfill the creative expectations of viewers – A consistent voice and format drives repeat viewing and longer view times. Some successful formats that foster communities of fans around content include serialized shows or videos with a predictable cast and format.
• Establish a release cadence – A set publishing schedule encourages audiences to consistently return to watch the next episode. Posting related videos, photos, or text posts helps to keep your fans engaged between episodes and seasons.
• Create an active experience – Sourcing topics from audiences and engaging with commenters draws the audience closer to the content.                                                                                                                              
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• In other words, the best way to build an audience is to adopt a regular TV-show type model, using consistent characters/cast and publishing at the same time every week/month.

Do you understand Loan-to-Value Ratio on a Mortgage....

Formulation:

Loan Amount ÷ Lessor of Appraised Value or Selling Price = Loan-to-Value Ration

Example:

You are purchase a home for $900,000 and approach a lender with a request to borrow $720,000. Then later the property appraises for the selling price and therefore establishes the property value at $900,000, and you want to know whether the property will qualify for the mortgage you're requesting.

$720,000 ÷ $990,000  = 80%

So what does an 80% LTV signify?

LTV signifies that the bank has an 80% equity position in your apartment property, and you have 20%. Whether it would be acceptable to the underwriters depends on the policies of the lender.

Good Rule of Thumb:

The real estate investor typically prefers to buy a rental property with as little cash down as possible. This is known as "leverage" because the investor is able to use more of the banks money to make the investment and thus leverage his or her investment. In some case, like with our example, the investor might not have a choice and might have to forsake leverage in order to make the acquisition. 

Marketing strategies you may not have tried yet

If the old tactics to market your business aren’t working. It’s time you try some new strategies.

1. Offer an award for referrals

Oscar Wilde once said, “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

With 74 percent of consumers reporting that word-of-mouth recommendations greatly influence their purchases, you need to build some chatter around your business.

How can you encourage referrals and endorsements?

Give an added incentive by offering discounts and deals to current customers who refer your business to friends and family.

2. Combine email and social

Email marketing is your most powerful tool for gaining and retaining customers.

While social media platforms make algorithm tweaks that limit the visibility of your posts, email marketing allows you to reach your customers directly in their inboxes.

Turn your social media followers into engaged email subscribers by sharing a link to your email sign-up form or sharing your Text-to-Join keyword on your various social media channels.

3. Run a contest

Contests are an easy way to encourage audience engagement.

Organize a photo contest or raffle where potential customers can win prizes.

Just make sure the prize is something your audience actually cares about.

In addition to a valuable prize, every good contest needs a clearly defined goal that benefits your business.

Increasing social media followers, getting visits to your store, and building your email lists are all worthwhile contest results, as long as you clearly decide the goal beforehand and measure your success.

Announce your contest through social media and an email blast for maximum participation.

4. Boost value with content

What’s in it for your customers?

That’s the question you should constantly consider when deciding on the best marketing strategies to use. If you aren’t offering something the customer wants, they won’t give your business a second thought.

Attract potential customers while positioning your business as an industry expert by writing and curating content. This may include articles, images, and videos that appeal to your target audience.

Here’s how Paula Higman brings value to her real estate audience through content in her email newsletter:

5. Join (and lead) the discussion

Find places where you can discuss your industry with potential customers and show your expertise. This can be in-person on panels or online on forums. 

The more exposure you get, the more top-of-mind you’ll be for your audience. When they need your good or service, yours will be the first business they’ll think of.

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