It’s a tech-wonder Wednesday, friend! Let’s start with a tech-knowledge enhancer. A full charge cycle for a smartphone battery is defined as charging from 0% to 100%. How many full charge cycles are most batteries designed to endure before their capacity drops considerably? Is it … A.) 100 to 200, B.) 300 to 500, C.) 600 to 800 or D.) Over 1,000? Answer’s at the end.

🤓 Happy you’re here. I’ve got a lot to share today. If you see something that makes you think, do me a solid and use the buttons below each article to share it with a pal. Let’s make this world tech-smarter together. — Kim

In my spare time, I’m a bit of a horse trader in real estate. I’ve purchased and sold over 20 commercial buildings and homes at all price points. I've used realtors and sold properties myself. I've bought foreclosures and short sales. I've remodeled homes and purchased spec homes. I just completed building a new home on a lot I eyeballed for 10 years. It's my hobby.

I've been thinking there’s a looming collapse of the Airbnb and Vrbo model. Desperate owners will need to get rid of pricey investment properties they can no longer afford. Why? Hotels have lowered prices, and people are tired of hidden cameras and a lack of amenities in many Airbnbs.

So, if I’m right and you're either house shopping, thinking about your own investment property or you know someone who'd love to own a home, I'll walk you through what's going on and how to take advantage.

Their loss is your gain

I'm expecting a lot of former Airbnb properties to start hitting the market — many from foreclosures (when a bank repossesses a property) and short sales (when a bank works out a deal with the owner to avoid foreclosure).

Those properties can go for significantly less than their full value … if you can find them and beat the competition. Luckily, there are apps that work much better than just typing "homes for sale" into Google.

Pro tip: For short sales in particular, keep your eyes open for code words like "subject to bank approval," "notice of default," "bank or third-party review required," and similar language. These phrases let you know the owner is forced to sell and the price is likely lower.

Oh, and since foreclosures and short sales can be tricky to navigate, you’ll probably want to have a local property agent with a ton of experience at the ready.

Start at the source

HomePath and HomeSteps are sites managed by federal mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, respectively. They usually have a front seat to foreclosures and related home deals, and these sites help you search their databases directly.

You can get notifications, first-look categories and other helpful tools. Score: They’re both free.

Tools the pros use

Try a realtor service that can search local MLS (multiple listing service) databases where short sales and foreclosures first show up on the market.

One of my favorites is Propwire, a search service with in-depth info on 157 million listings. It’s essentially free to use with an account. The similar PropStream app is another option.

This paid service might be worth it

Foreclosure.com has a free search, but the $40 subscription gives you access to more listing data. You can also see lender files and other handy details to spot the perfect opportunity.

There are even more options if none of these float your boat, including the best service if you’re in a competitive market. See those here on my site.

🤣 I tried bidding on a shopping center in a real estate auction, but someone outbid me at the last minute. I guess the saying is true: You can’t win a mall.

The organization bug bites in January. Trust me, I know. Love these smart tools to help you get the job done.

• Clear bins for the fridge are a game-changer
• A genius holder for all your Tupperware lids
• Stop knocking over the shampoo! Nice shelves that stick better than the suction-cup kind
• A water bottle rack that can hold wine, too
• Useful, stackable storage racks that can go anywhere

You never know what you have … until you clean your house.

⚠️ Attention, Android users: Google's latest fix tackles almost 100 security issues. The biggies? Two critical flaws that allow hackers to take control remotely. Even your Wear OS smartwatch is at risk. Update your devices ASAP!

🕹️ If your kids play Roblox: Scammers are tricking players into copying codes that offer free stuff — but really hand over their account access. They’re pulling shady trade deals on kids, too. My advice: Chat with your little gamers about staying safe online, especially when money is part of the equation.

They’re not even remotely sorry: Remember when ditching cable was the budget-friendly move? Subscribing to the top dogs (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Disney+ and Hulu) now costs over $110 a month — $20 over last year with even more ads. Stay tuned to this newsletter for the full story on how to trim your streaming budget!

The taxman cometh: Brace yourselves, e‑sellers and Airbnb hosts. The U.S. and 37 other countries are part of an initiative to crack down on hidden income. Starting this year, companies like eBay and Etsy are dishing out your earnings to tax authorities. Consider yourself warned if you've been playing hide-and-seek with side hustle income.

🐭 Mickey's morbid makeover: Yup, I thought it was a joke at first. "Steamboat Willie" Mickey Mouse just hit the public domain, and what's the first thing we get? A horror flick. "Mickey's Mouse Trap" features the beloved mouse as a killer. YouTube and social media will be swamped with bad Mickeys, so be careful with what your kids click on.

Crash but no burn: Tesla's Cybertruck had its first crash, and the results are impressive. Following a head-on collision with a Toyota Corolla, the Cybertruck ended up with only a few minor dents. The Toyota? It's seen better days. Elon Musk's "tough truck" talk might actually live up to the hype. Maybe.

💄 Maybe it’s not Maybelline: Influencer Aitana Lopez has over 200,000 followers, deals with Victoria's Secret, and makes around $1,000 per ad. Oh, and something else — she's not real. Aitana is an AI model made by The Clueless Agency, which says it makes $11,000 a month with her.

Sometimes the internet is a nice place! Remember Kevin Ford, the loyal Burger King employee who got a measly “goodie bag” for 27 years of perfect attendance? The internet rallied behind him, raising $350,000 on GoFundMe. Happy news: He used some to buy a home in Nevada and is helping his daughter do the same.

If you've got a bunch of unused apps on your phone, they could be eating up a significant chunk of its storage. Time to trash them.

• For iPhone: Head to your Screen Time Settings. Go to Settings > Screen Time > See All App & Website Activity. Here, you'll see which apps you use the most. The ones sitting there gathering dust? It's time to say goodbye. Yes, I'm talking about you, Candy Crush.
• For Android: Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. Find the apps you no longer need, like that diet app you tried for a week, and uninstall them. (FYI, your mileage may vary because Android models are all a little different.)

Keep going! Don’t forget to clear out voicemails. They can hog a surprising amount of space. If you have voicemails you can't bear to delete (like from loved ones), save them. Here’s how.

👋 What was the first form of digital storage? Gloves. (Sorry, I had to.)

Fill out PDFs for free: My brother-in-law, Bill, needed to complete a PDF at my house yesterday. He asked for help connecting to my printer so he could print it, fill it out, scan it and send it back to the lumberyard. I showed him how to eliminate those steps and fill out the PDF online using PDFescape. Afterward, he winked at me and said, “You really are a Digital Goddess!”

The essentials: Maybe you’re a keyboard master. Congrats! Shortcut newbies, start working these into your repertoire. (On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.) Try Ctrl + A to select all, Ctrl + X to cut and Ctrl + P to paste, Ctrl + Z to undo, and Ctrl + Y to redo. Go forth and save time!

🔖 Easier than bookmarks: Want all your last-viewed tabs to open up when you start your browser? In Chrome, click the three vertical dots, then Settings. Click On startup > Continue where you left off. Steps for Safari, Firefox and Edge here.

Didn’t want you to hear that: When you use Bluetooth to take a phone call in the car, the sound leaks like crazy. Before you say something really embarrassing while sitting in a parking lot (“Doctor, this rash is all over my …”), turn the volume way down.

💼 A secret handshake with recruiters: Looking for a new job? Go to your LinkedIn profile and click on the Me icon. Select View Profile, then click on the Open To button. Choose Finding a new job and specify the types of roles and locations you're interested in. Just a warning: Your employer will likely see you’re searching.

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a great place to start. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN’s servers run on RAM, or volatile memory, that’s cleared each time the server is reset — meaning they don’t save your data. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad, you name it.

🚨 Deal alert: Get an extra THREE months free since you subscribe to my newsletter.

When they start up, the PC says, “Hello, it’s me.”

The answer: B.) 300 to 500. Keep your smartphone battery happy by staying in the 20% to 80% charge sweet spot. Avoid extremely hot or cold temps. Skip the all-night-charging marathons. But give your battery a full run from 100% to 0% occasionally to recalibrate.

🥳 I hope 2024 is treating you well so far. I’ll be here along the way! Be sure to leave a review to let us know how we’re doing. Your rating comes through as soon as you click an option. It’s optional to leave a comment, I promise. See you back here tomorrow for the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim