It's Your Move

Bernie Reifkind Google: It's Your Move.

Ten Commandment's You Haven't Seen
(Blog by Bernie Reifkind)

1. Thou shall never forget that in business everyone acts out of their own self interest first. If anyone believes or tells you otherwise then this person is either delusional or lying.

2. Thou shall trust, but verify. However, once trust has been broken it can never be fully repaired. Thereafter, trust is an illusion only if it benefits one's self interest.

3. Thou shall not assume that a subordinate, boss, co-worker or client has complete comprehension of a communication or an order. Most people hear what they want to hear or are too busy anticipating their response. Communicate as if you are speaking to a small child.

4. Thou shall never sign an agreement unless every item is clearly spelled out and agreed upon and only if it will better serve one's own self interest.

5. Thou shall never be time pressured by anyone to make a decision even at the expense of potential loss. Decisions should be made only after all of the facts both tangible and emotional have been discovered. Being rushed to make a decision is dangerous. Beware. Enough said.

6. Thou shall take and make every business decision personal. In business, when you are told that it isn't personal, it is. Act accordingly by either accepting or taking an action but never fool yourself about your emotions. Deal with it, allow yourself the time to heal, then move on.

7. Thou shall surround themselves with the ony very best talent and work with only the very best clients. If your co workers, boss or a client is too difficult to work with, fire yourself as soon as you can. Failure to do so will lead to a miserable working experience. Life is too short to surround yourself with C average players.

8. Thou shall be bold in all business endeavors. Ask, respectfully for what you want. You may not receive a desired outcome; however you never know unless you ask. In addition, dream huge and never let someone tell you that it can't be done. If it hasn't been done before, then all the more reason to dream it.

9. Thou shall never compose and send an emotional email or letter unless at least 48 hours have gone by. If one still feels the same after 48 hours then continue with extreme caution. Never forget that the written word is permanent.

10. Thou shall have the right to earn as much money as possible, without guilt. This is America, the land of opportunity and you have the right to earn huge sums of money as long as your pursuit contains and maintains unshakeable honesty, integrity and humility. Never feel guilty about cash flow that you have earned. The market pays you what you are worth.

SENIORS HOUSING AND CARE INDUSTRY

ANNAPOLIS, MD –Seniors housing and care “held its own” in the fourth quarter of 2007, despite the slowing economy. This industry pulse, taken by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC) through its NIC Key Financial Indicators, is updated quarterly and posted free of charge at www.NIC.org.

“The percentage of performing loans during the fourth quarter continued to be very strong at 99.5 percent,” said Robert G. Kramer, president of NIC. “So far, we’re not seeing any impact in our sector in terms of troubled loan performance. In fact, other seniors housing and care industry metrics would suggest that the performance of loans during the first half of 2008 will be similar to that from the fourth quarter of 2007.”

The loan data collected by NIC represents the quarterly lending activity of major national lenders (non-REITs) that make permanent and short-term debt investments in seniors housing and care. This includes data provided by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and several of the larger credit companies and banks.

Loan volume placed during the quarter also continued to be strong at $1.64 billion. However, it was down both quarter-over-quarter (from $2.15 billion) and year-over-year (from $2.22 billion).

On the occupancy front, percentage rates basically held steady, particularly quarter-over-quarter. But year-over-year, average independent living occupancy rates were down 200 basis points from 92.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 90.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. Also year-over year, average skilled nursing occupancy rates fell 250 basis points from 88 percent to 85.5 percent. More than 3,100 properties reported their occupancy data to NIC during the fourth quarter of 2007, representing about 365,000 units.

Capitalization rates also remained stable compared to the previous quarter. Only continuing care retirement communities showed a major downtick – of about 130 basis points – but that was from a relatively small sample of 13 transactions. Overall, about 220 transactions were reported to NIC for the fourth quarter of 2007, which came from a survey of all the major appraisal firms that do seniors housing appraisals.

Stocks, God and Music by Bernie Reifkind

One of my favorite quotes:

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful, which God has implanted in the soul.

- Goethe

View Bernie Reifkind's EPK

The Key

To

Is

Hiring the right people!

The Only Recruiting Solution

by Bernie Reifkind, CEO of Premier Search, Inc

Yeah, right..........there's only one recruiting solution to finding the best candidates. I am so sick of reading and hearing about the "best" the "only" and every piece of garbage advice by someone with a fancy title. Do you really want the solution to recruiting the best candidates?

The solution is you.

Let's assume that you have some resumes for a critical job opening that you desperatley need to fill. When you read a resume, are you ruling people in or are you ruling people out?

In a previous blog I wrote that emailing has almost replaced the telephone. Picking up the phone and calling someone and using a personal touch is far more effective than sending a cold email.

Maybe you have a resume that looks 'luke warm" - you know what I mean. Why not give this candidate a phone call and allow this person to explain themselves. In 3 minutes you can assertain everything that you need to know. Pick up the phone and make the call right now. If you leave a message and do not hear back, call again!

The solution is you.

Make sure that your best representative contacts a prosepctive candidate. First impressions can be lasting impressions. The call should be with extreme enthusiasm about the job opening. You can always decided later whether or not to interview.

I have found some of my best candidates, by calling and giving candidates the benefit of the doubt. Even if they were not the right candidate, I've gotten great referrals. How's that for a concept? Call a candidate with a lousy resume and ask for a referral.

What are you waiting for?

I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO of Premier Search, Inc.