Money Insider

New Sites To Help You Finance, Buy or Sell a Business

Despite a troubled U.S. economy, the parade of new websites promising to help entrepreneurs buy or sell an existing business, or finance a startup continues apace. Raisecapital.com is a new and free "matchmaking" site where you can put your business concept and capital needs in front of investors. Businesses ranging from a small pizzeria seeking a few thousand dollars to tech companies seeking millions have posted on the site. You get a unique URL (such as Raisecapital.com/yourname), a blog and tracking that counts visitors to your listing. Another new site just launched is SellMyBusiness.com, which matches biz buyers with biz sellers. There's a handy notification service that sends email alerts of potential matches, based on criteria the buyer and seller have entered. And here's something unique: live reps are available to answer questions by phone!  -- Daniel Kehrer, Business.com Editor

Foreclosure Shopping? Better Know the Risks!

The only hot area these days in real estate is foreclosures, at record levels in many parts of the U.S. But buying foreclosure properties is fraught with risks that sink many buyers. Some "bargains" really aren't, when the property is damaged, the copper pipes have been stolen and the savings are all eaten by repairs. Maintenance on many such properties has been nil, as prior owners didn't care. Foreclosures may not be available for prior inspection, and financing is tricky in auction situations. And you could even get stuck with a previous owner refusing to leave, and big legal bills to pry them out. To avoid pitfalls, check out Nolo publishing's upcoming book The Foreclosure Survival Guide by Steve Elias. -- Daniel Kehrer, Business.com Editor

A New Loan Source for Small Business

Bank loan iffy? Factoring too pricey? Uncle Bob stiffed you? Never fear, On Deck Capital is here. On Deck is a new loan platform offering to connect business owners with loans of up to $100,000 based on business performance, NOT the biz owner's personal credit history.  If your biz has been open at least a year, you can apply online at On Deck Capital. The process is quick. On Deck says it usually makes decisions within two business days, and funds within seven. VC-backed On Deck has been in development for two years and describes itself as "an innovative financing network for small businesses that are unable to access traditional bank loans." On Deck's board members include a former American Express CEO. -- Daniel Kehrer, Business.com Editor

Get Your Money! Mileage Logging Made Easy

Technology is finally catching up to the routine but often botched business of tracking and logging mileage for reimbursement or tax purposes. With driving costs soaring on the heels of sky-high gas prices, keeping accurate records of your business miles is more important than ever. A new web-based solution combined with a GPS-based device called Mileage Logger offers a great way to improve your tax and business records, and make sure you deduct or collect every dollar you are due. Just plug it into your vehicle and drive. Sales people, real estate agents, appraisers, financial planners, home health aids and a wide range of other professionals are finding it highly helpful.You can review and manage your travel log online, and export reports to Excel.  -- Daniel Kehrer, Business.com Editor

Girding for Ghastly Gas Prices

Think $4/gallon gas is bad? Just wait! CIBC World Markets, the research and corporate banking arm of Canadian bank CIBC, says the pain at the pump has just begun. In an economic outlook just issued, CIBC says US$5.50/ gallon gas will arrive two summers from now, and $7/gallon two summers after that, when the price of oil will have soared to US$225 a barrel because today's overstated supplies won't grow much, and exploding demand in developing and oil-producing nations will claim far more oil. To cope, more and more businesses are tacking on special fuel charges. Some are restricting the areas they serve, or charging more to go out of area. Others are raising minimum charges or putting tiered pricing in place to compensate for having to travel greater distances. Our Guide to Coping with High Gas Prices can help. -- Daniel Kehrer, Business.com Editor

AAA to Launch Foreign Currency Exchange Program

A 360 Degree Street View for Real Estate Shoppers

Imagine standing on the street in front of a property you might want to buy, checking out what the street looks like in both directions, as well as what's across from the property. Shazam! Now you can do exactly that right from your desktop PC. Starting today, RealEstate.com is providing the Google Maps Street View feature across its entire portal of nearly 2 million property listings, bringing online real estate search a startling step closer to real life. The Street View screen lets you zoom in or out, and rotate right or left a full circle, seeing, well, a full view of the entire street. Pretty cool. Image quality is a little inconsistent, but that may improve. At RealEstate.com, Street Views are available in over 40 major metro areas. -- Dan Kehrer, Business.com Editor