Fish Sales Group

Is it time to start thinking about international properties?

jasonkazian — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:07:58 +0000

Percentage of Americans planning to move abroad triples

14 November 2011 14:58

According to a new survey by America Wave SA, the percentage of US Citizens planning to move overseas has tripled “dramatically” to 2.4% from 0.8% in the previous 2009 survey … and more or less doubled on the 1.4% figure in 2007.

Bob Adams, president and CEO of America Wave SA, has overseen all nine of the surveys on American relocation since their inception in 2005, and told OPP that the trend ins not surprising.

“The simple fact is that it has never been easier or cheaper to relocate than it is today,” he says. “And the American middle class has taken a terrible hit in this period of financial crisis. Why should we be surprised that they are looking wherever they can for a better life?”

“In today’s highly polarised, sometimes poisonous, social, economic, and political atmosphere in the US, there is a clear tendency to see anything and everything new as either a huge step forward or a looming disaster, more often than not the latter. It is no different with trends in American relocation outside the US.”

Many Americans view Adam’s research with disbelief. “One of the first things I noticed back in 2007 when I first wrote about our findings,” he told OPP, “were common reactions such as … How could this be true? Why haven’t we heard about it before? Why would they want to live anywhere else?”

Calling the increase in numbers planning to move overseas as “dramatic,” Adams goes on to say it is young adults who are the most interested in leaving the country. “There’s no doubt about it in my mind, the lousy economy and lack of good jobs are the primary underlying factors in this growth. The 25-34 age group has always been a leader in relocation, with the 18-24 group very much partners. This is also no surprise. These are the adults most familiar with the Internet and far more likely to have travelled outside the US than their parents. We are all travelling to more places.”

Adams says that the 2.4% wanting to move overseas “translates into nearly 3,000,000 households … or more than 6,000,000 Americans. And many of them are middle-class Americans have become very active in investment and speculation over the last few decades.”

Of those who are in the planning stages for relocation, the statistics show two dramatic shifts when divided by age group, he adds:

“The first is that all age groups, except those 18-24, whose numbers collapsed and were too small to appear in this sample as had been the case with those over 70 in 2009, have jumped above the comparable results in 2007 and 2009.”

“The second, even more obvious, is that those 25-34 have risen to an astonishing level of 5.1%, roughly one in 20. That is an unprecedented upward shift from all our surveys for all age groups.”

“I would suggest,” says Adams, “that those who are willingly to pack their bags and leave their home nation are also those who are the “risk-takers” and include many of the most creative people in US society. They may only be 5.1% of their age group, but their percentage of those in their age group with this sort of motivation and outlook is likely to be much, much higher. No nation is well-served if these are the people who choose to leave. They are among the most energetic and productive segments of any society, anywhere.”

“However, this age group is also one of the most ‘globalised.’ They do not sit and reminisce about the “good old days”; they are looking and working to create their own “good new days” and that requires dealing with today’s reality and trends.”

For a full breakdown of all the America Wave results go to:

http://www.americawave.com/2011/09/28/why-are-people-leaving/

Percentage of Americans planning to move abroad triples 14 November 2011 14:58
According to a new survey by America Wave SA, the percentage of US Citizens planning to move overseas has tripled “dramatically” to 2.4% from 0.8% in the previous 2009 survey … and more or less doubled on the 1.4% figure in 2007. Bob Adams, president and CEO of America Wave SA, has overseen all nine of the surveys on American relocation since their inception in 2005, and told OPP that the trend ins not surprising. “The simple fact is that it has never been easier or cheaper to relocate than it is today,” he says. “And the American middle class has taken a terrible hit in this period of financial crisis. Why should we be surprised that they are looking wherever they can for a better life?”
“In today’s highly polarised, sometimes poisonous, social, economic, and political atmosphere in the US, there is a clear tendency to see anything and everything new as either a huge step forward or a looming disaster, more often than not the latter. It is no different with trends in American relocation outside the US.” Many Americans view Adam’s research with disbelief. “One of the first things I noticed back in 2007 when I first wrote about our findings,” he told OPP, “were common reactions such as … How could this be true? Why haven’t we heard about it before? Why would they want to live anywhere else?” Calling the increase in numbers planning to move overseas as “dramatic,” Adams goes on to say it is young adults who are the most interested in leaving the country. “There’s no doubt about it in my mind, the lousy economy and lack of good jobs are the primary underlying factors in this growth. The 25-34 age group has always been a leader in relocation, with the 18-24 group very much partners. This is also no surprise. These are the adults most familiar with the Internet and far more likely to have travelled outside the US than their parents. We are all travelling to more places.” Adams says that the 2.4% wanting to move overseas “translates into nearly 3,000,000 households … or more than 6,000,000 Americans. And many of them are middle-class Americans have become very active in investment and speculation over the last few decades.”Of those who are in the planning stages for relocation, the statistics show two dramatic shifts when divided by age group, he adds:“The first is that all age groups, except those 18-24, whose numbers collapsed and were too small to appear in this sample as had been the case with those over 70 in 2009, have jumped above the comparable results in 2007 and 2009.”“The second, even more obvious, is that those 25-34 have risen to an astonishing level of 5.1%, roughly one in 20. That is an unprecedented upward shift from all our surveys for all age groups.”“I would suggest,” says Adams, “that those who are willingly to pack their bags and leave their home nation are also those who are the “risk-takers” and include many of the most creative people in US society. They may only be 5.1% of their age group, but their percentage of those in their age group with this sort of motivation and outlook is likely to be much, much higher. No nation is well-served if these are the people who choose to leave. They are among the most energetic and productive segments of any society, anywhere.”“However, this age group is also one of the most ‘globalised.’ They do not sit and reminisce about the “good old days”; they are looking and working to create their own “good new days” and that requires dealing with today’s reality and trends.” For a full breakdown of all the America Wave results go to:http://www.americawave.com/2011/09/28/why-are-people-leaving/

Housing Market May Be Nearing a Bottom

jasonkazian — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:17:46 +0000

The housing market is starting to show a pulse.

For the first time in a long time, housing figures are coming in better than expected. The National Association of Home Builders’ sentiment index jumped three points this month to 20, its highest reading in over a year. Last week, the Commerce Department said building permits and construction of single-family homes rose in October. The Federal Reserve’s fourth-quarter loan survey showed a pickup in demand for mortgage loans.

Mission accomplished?

BY KELLY EVANS

excerpts taken from WSJ.com. Full article may be found here: Housing Market May Be Nearing a Bottom

US Airways expanding non-stop service to GSP

jasonkazian — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:19:04 +0000

US Airways Bolsters Flying to the Big Apple; Airline Introduces New Service from Seven Cities

Posted: August 17th, 2010 10:29 AM GMT-05:00

Business Wire

US Airways (NYSE:LCC) today announced it is adding more flights from more destinations to New York City, including new service from seven East Coast cities to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Two of the cities receiving new air service, Hartford, Conn. and Harrisburg, Pa., currently do not have non-stop flights to LaGuardia on any other airline. In addition to the seven new markets, three additional cities are seeing an increase in round trips to LaGuardia.

The new and expanded service begins Oct. 31 and will be operated by US Airways Express partners Air Wisconsin, Chautauqua Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, PSA Airlines and Republic Airways. With these additions, US Airways increases its presence at LaGuardia to 194 peak-day departures to 34 airports. The cities and their peak-day round trips are listed below:

New Service *Only non-stop airline service to New York’s LaGuardia Airport

City	Peak-DayRound Trips
Asheville, N.C.	2
Hartford, Conn.*	3
Columbia, S.C.	1
Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.	1
Washington, D.C. (Dulles)	4
Lexington, Ky.	2
Harrisburg, Pa*	3

Enhanced Service

City	Peak-DayRound Trips	Increase
Charleston, S.C.	3	1
Columbus, Ohio	5	1
Syracuse, N.Y.	5	1

“US Airways is pleased to offer more choices for our customers who visit the Big Apple, whether it’s for business or pleasure,” said Andrew Nocella, senior vice president, marketing and planning for US Airways. “We are making these enhancements to our New York service in response to the growing demand for air travel to this important and popular business and leisure destination.”

Customers may book their flights now through US Airways’ website at www.usairways.com , by calling US Airways Reservations at 1-800-428-4322 or through their travel agent.

About US Airways

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 31,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. And for the eleventh consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Charlotte hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit usairways.com. (LCCG)

CONTACT: US Airways Media Relations, 480-693-5729

Cliffs at Keowee Falls South Wellness Center

jasonkazian — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:16:56 +0000

Construction crews have begun the initial phases of construction at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls South Wellness Center site. The current phase calls for tennis courts, swimming pool, a lawn for croquet and a half-court basketball court. Here are a couple pictures of the ground clearing and dirt-moving.

Greenville, SC makes third in list of nation's strongest job markets

jasonkazian — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:26:40 +0000

REAL ESTATE July 13, 2010, 5:30PM EST

Washington is the Nation’s Strongest Job Market

A Manpower survey indicates that more employers intend to increase hiring in the third quarter as the U.S. capital sees the biggest gain

By Venessa Wong

(Updated in the fourth paragraph to identify the correct location of Manpower’s headquarters.)

It took more than a year, but Bernice Spicer finally found a job. Spicer, 52, has been working since April as a sales associate at the new Bel Air, Md., store of hhgregg (HGG), an Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retailer that has been expanding in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Until she was laid off in March 2009, Spicer had for nine years been marketing director for Bel Air’s Harford Mall. Suddenly without work, she fell behind on bills, was forced to sell her house, and moved in with her mother. “It wasn’t total destitution but it rearranged my lifestyle completely,” she says. While some may see her new position as a step down from her former management role, Spicer says: “I was very thankful to be extended the opportunity.” She hopes to be promoted within the company.

Spicer was able to seize the opportunity just as fresh jobs arrived in her area—a rare victory for the unemployed these days. Nearly two years after the U.S. economy tumbled, millions continue to feel the financial and emotional stings of unemployment—among them debt, late payments, and anxiety. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in June some 125,000 jobs were lost. Given so much gloom, what’s surprising is that more employers are saying they plan to start hiring again.

Milwaukee-based employment services company Manpower (MAN), in its most recent employment-outlook report, says 18 percent of 18,000 employers surveyed nationwide expect to increase full-time, part-time, contract, and temporary hiring in the third quarter, while 8 percent expect a decline in their payrolls. The outlook, although weak compared to that of several years ago, marks an improvement from recent forecasts: From January to March only 12 percent of businesses planned to increase hiring and an equal proportion expected to decrease staff levels.

An additional indicator trending upwards: the volume of online jobs ads has grown consistently from February to June, according to a monthly survey by online jobs site company Monster Worldwide (MWW). New York-based nonprofit the Conference Board further reports that there were 4.15 million unduplicated online ads for U.S. jobs in June, up 26.1 percent year-on-year.

JOBS SURGE IN U.S. CAPITAL

“We’re a lot better off than one year ago” in terms of job availability, says Jeff Quinn, a senior director of research at Monster Worldwide. “Year-on-year there are strong, positive signs. However, we still have not regained all of the ground lost during the recession. It will take some time.”

Where is hiring strongest? Businessweek.com ranked the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, based on Manpower’s data about businesses’ Q1, Q2, and Q3 hiring forecasts. So far this year, Washington has shown the strongest overall employment outlook, followed by San Antonio and Greenville, S.C. Employers display the worst employment outlook in Las Vegas, Reno, Nev., and Detroit.

In Manpower’s survey, 23 percent of Washington area employers plan to increase staff levels in the third quarter, while 4 percent plan to decrease employment and 69 percent envision no change.

Washington is the only metropolitan area in which the number of advertised job vacancies in May (201,000) was greater than the number of unemployed (184,600), according to the Conference Board.

By contrast, the New York area had 298,700 online job ads in May—highest among the nation’s metro areas—yet the supply of jobs does not meet demand. The region counted 828,400 unemployed people, an 8.7 percent jobless rate, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

HELP WANTED AT ACCENTURE AND DELOITTE

In addition to hhgregg, which plans to hire 2,500 people nationwide in 2010—including 500 to staff 10 new stores in Washington—an additional employer that is significantly increasing head count is Accenture (ACN). The management consulting firm announced plans to hire 50,000 people around the world during fiscal 2010 (which ends on Aug. 31), including 7,000 in the U.S. In the greater Washington area alone, Accenture will hire more than 1,000 people, according to a spokesperson.

Deloitte’s federal government practice also hired 1,200 new employees in the Washington metro area so far this year and plans to hire about 160 per month through the end of May 2011.

Despite improvements, the U.S. labor market remains anemic. Economists estimate that the private sector must create more than 150,000 jobs per month over several months to have a significant impact on the unemployment rate.

“There are 11 million more people in the labor market than 10 years ago, but the same number of jobs, says Carl Van Horn, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University. In recent months, he says: “We’ve had a little progress, but not enough.”

Job hunting has become highly competitive. In June, there were 14.6 million unemployed people in the U.S.—nearly twice as many as in late 2007. The Conference Board says there are nearly four unemployed workers for every online advertised vacancy in the U.S. Also, many new jobs posted last month were in accommodation and food services, reports Monster. These tend to be seasonal, rather than permanent positions.

WANTED: GREATER QUALIFICATIONS

Van Horn notes that the number of online job ads can be misleading; employers might post ads, even when there are no openings, to see if there are qualified workers willing to do current employees’ jobs for less pay. A company may also be required to post a vacancy even if it already has a preferred candidate.

Another hurdle for job seekers: Employers are pickier now. June Shelp, vice-president of the Conference Board, says ads tend to feature stricter qualifications, eliminating many potential applicants. With millions of people unemployed and college graduates entering the workforce, “[companies] have a better chance of asking for exactly what you want.”

For many, securing a new job has thus been impossible. In a survey of 908 unemployed people published by Rutgers in May, two-thirds of those who were jobless in August 2009 had still not found work by March; 16 percent had been unemployed for more than two years. Most of those who did find work took pay cuts and diminished benefits. “While the worst phase of the Great Recession is behind us, the vast majority of jobless Americans have not found new jobs,” states the Rutgers report.

The labor market has stagnated, says Van Horn. While there are glimmers of improvement quarter by quarter, businesses must continually add hundreds of thousands of new jobs before we can say employment is truly growing again, he says. “We fell a long way and climbing back up takes a long time.”

Click here to see America’s Strongest Job Markets.

Wong is a lifestyle and real estate reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek.

Cliffs at Keowee Springs Beach Club [updated pics]

jasonkazian — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:45:55 +0000

Greenville, SC makes '5 Great Places to Retire'

jasonkazian — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:56:40 +0000

Fortune just recently named Greenville, SC to it’s list of “5 Great Places to Retire.” For residents of this area, many already understand why Greenville made the list but for those who have yet to visit the area there are many questions. From the beautiful downtown Main Street to a temperate, four-season climate to proximity of mountains and beaches to easy travel in and out of the area, Greenville is making its mark. Greenville has seen its fair share of international business investment as well as continued growth in the technology sector that has allowed for continued job growth and investment in the area.

If you haven’t already been, come visit and see what makes this area so special! You can read the entire article online by clicking here!

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1005/gallery.retire_rich_places.fortune/index.html

Happy Memorial Day from FSG!

jasonkazian — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:00:12 +0000

With the start of the traditional summer boating season upon us we hope you will enjoy a weekend with friends and family.

Happy Memorial Day!

Enjoying downtown Greenville

jasonkazian — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:40:03 +0000

This time of year is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the out of doors and especially all that downtown Greenville, SC has to offer.

pictured is an iPhone shot from the Greenville Drive game at Fluor Field last night.

Southwest Airlines coming to GSP

jasonkazian — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:07:40 +0000

Earlier this week Southwest Airlines announced they will begin servicing Greenville Spartanburg International Airport next year. This has generating a lot of excitement in the area and if you have ever flown with Southwest you can understand why that is the case. Southwest is known for it’s customer-friendly staff, reliability and recently the motto: “Bags Fly Free, It’s On!”

You can see a recent article regarding Southwest Airlines coming to Greenville from Greenville Online by clicking the link below.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100518/GGN/305180054/Southwest-Airlines-plans-service-to-GSP-next-year

Stay tuned for more info next year!