You are Everywhere or Anywhere

You are Everywhere or Anywhere
In preparation for some upcoming trips, I have been looking at communication options. My cellphone, of course, will work almost anywhere. There is even a better cheaper way to communicate over long distances. It is VOIP. From Skype or other services one can make or receive calls through the computer anywhere that there is high speed internet access.
It goes beyond just phone calls though. The most expensive rate I found was about $.13 per minute. My cellphone is from $1.50 to $3.00 per minute. If the call is Skype to Skype it is free. You can do video conferencing as well if a web cam is available. A portable person with a portable office can take their “huge” multinational corporation anywhere in this flat world.
The biggest challenge we face is not becoming obsolete. The good news is that technology is getting simpler and cheaper. If we get a little behind on the new stuff, it is not necessary to learn every thing that happened between our outdated knowledge and the new stuff. We just jump right into the new stuff. Where do you want to be?
David Segrest is a REALTOR in Charlotte NC. His website is http://www.segrestrealty.com His email is david@segrestrealty.com

The Flat World and International Real Estate

The Flat World and International Real Estate

Ever since reading Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat, the implications of globalization have had entirely new meanings. A short summary of the book is that because of advances in technology and attitudes, and because of events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, anyone can have and operated a multinational corporation from their bedroom.

The most exciting implication of this to me, is that the bedroom can be anywhere in the world. There may be a few deep valleys somewhere, where a satellite dish would not work and no other internet service is available; but for the most part any location will work for many businesses.

Some businesses of course are highly localized. These people lose the flexibility that globalization affords; but they also avoid much of the global competition. I really love real estate; because my local business has protection from globalization and increased demand from foreign buyers. My international business gives me personal portability. My hardest decision is “where do I want to be”. Where do you want to be?