Thursday, August 21, 2008

Arizona real estate

Arizona real estate: The buying motivation

Arizona real estate market is really hot. The center of a lot of action in Arizona is Phoenix metropolitan area. However, when it comes to real estate investing, every area is hot. Based on whether you are looking for Arizona real estate just as an investment avenue or whether you are looking for Arizona real estate to actually live in, your preferences would change a bit. However, one thing which you would always want is a low price. And that is something that would require some effort.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Real Estate Loan

Real estate loan: Understanding the concept

Real estate loan is what a lot of people use to buy their home. Real estate loans have been instrumental in bringing joy to people by making that unaffordable house affordable. Some real estate investors too make use of real estate loans for buying properties. However, real estate loan is not free money and anyone who buys real estate or plans to buy real estate using real estate loan must understand the concept of real estate loan very clearly.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Commercial real estate

Commercial real estate: The big profits

Real estate is often termed as the safest investment avenue. In fact, real estate investments done with proper evaluation of the property (and its true value), can lead to good profits. This is one reason why some people pursue real estate investment as their full time job.

The talks of real estate are generally focused towards residential real estate; commercial real estate seems to take a back seat. However, commercial real estate too is a good option for investing in real estate.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Types of Real Estate Investments

Types of Real Estate Investments

The idea of real estate and property is much more than just finding a home. There are categories of homes and business properties as well as divisions in the types of real estate that are available to others. If you want to make a different type of investment in something that you know you can make a profit out of, then knowing the different types of real estate investments can help.

Real estate investments begin with two major types; business and residential. Each of these has specific guidelines set with them which will make a difference in the functions of the real estate. After you have determined what type of real estate you will be looking at, you can divide up what is available to you.

If you are looking at pure residential areas, then the real estate will be divided by the size of the home. Typically, this will be known as a single family or multi-family home. If you are looking at a multi-family unit, you can expect to have neighbors sharing the same wall as you, such as condos or town homes. A single family home will be completely independent and will usually be shaped differently because the neighbors can't cross the yard.

Business real estate is also divided into several categories. These will also often be referred to as commercial properties, and will range from office buildings to manufacturing sites. The difference between a business building and a residential building is that it will change the approach towards regulations. Most likely, there will be zoning rules and the lease will have different divisions for things such as taxes and insurance.

If you are in the right area, you might have the opportunity to have both a commercial and residential area in one. Things such as land investments or areas that have been zoned for commercial purposes may have these types of regulations. With this, you can also consider renting a property. If you want to have a business from home or want to expand into a business, this might be something to consider.

The investment that you decide to make can be more than your home. It can also be something that will bring you back profit for the investment. If you are interested in finding a space that is much more than cozy, than knowing the different types of real estate to invest in is the place to begin.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Trump Sells Mansion for US$100mil

"In an age of so many people getting hurt in real estate, it shows that you can still do well in real estate" - Donald Trump

Palm Beach (Florida): The real estate market might be slumping, but not for Donald Trump, who sold a Palm Beach mansion for US$100mil to a Russian billionaire, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

"In an age of so many people getting hurt in real estate, it shows that you can still do well in real estate", Trump said in a telephone interview.

His spokesman said the US$100mil is the most ever paid for an estate in the US, though there is no way to verify that claim.

Russian fertilizer billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev purchased the roughly 5,575-square-metre oceanfront home, which Trump fixed up after buying it for about US$41mil in 2004.

He assigned renovations to Kendra Todd, a winner on Trump's reality TV show The Apprentice,
who dressed it up with marble and 24-karat gold fixtures, even in the bathrooms.

The home, called Maison de L'Amitie, is spread over several buildings and includes separate coat closets and bathrooms for men and women off the main entryway for easy entertaining.

A mammoth fountain greets guests from the front along with 145m of ocean in the back. "I think it's a great sign for Palm Beach and all that Palm Beach represents," Trump said. He originally put the mansion on the market in 2006 for US$125mil - AP

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Selling by Yourself

Is it a Good Idea to Sell Your Home Yourself?

Are you thinking about selling your home? Have you been thinking of selling it by yourself instead of hiring a real estate agent? There are several advantages of selling your home yourself, but there are disadvantages as well. To make it easier for you to make a decision find the most important pros and cons below.

The most important PRO for selling your home yourself is MONEY. Selling your home without the help of an agent means more Money in your pocket!

By selling it yourself you save the commissions and fees. - We are not talking about pennys, we are talking about THOUSANDS of dollars which you would have to pay an agent.
Another advantage is that you are able to decide the times for open houses and showings. It is also completely up to you where and when you want to advertise.

Unlike a real estate agent who is selling many houses, you can focus on YOUR house, because you are only selling your own house. It is obvious that you will have more interest in the sale than an agent..

But as mentioned above there are also disadvantages selling your house yourself. Real estate agents are paid a lot of money for a reason. Selling a home takes a lot of energy and time. Dealing with potential buyers, open houses, closing sales and of course dealing with legal issues. Real estate agents are familiar with all the above and their experience can impact the sale.

Be realistic when making a decision! Will you drop everything to make a showing? Do you think you are indeed a good negotatior and ask for an offer? Are you 100% sure you are able to close a deal? Selling a home is a big project! It is not everyone who can take on such a big project and can stay calm and professional when dealing with buyers.

Selling your home is not impossible, but it is a challenge. If this challenge excites you and if you are willing to learn then it is not impossible managing selling your home without the help of an agent. With some know-how and a lot of energy you can sell your house without the help of a real estate agent and save thousands.

So how to start? Sit down and start evaluating your house. Finding the right price is the first and most important step when selling your home yourself.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Home Selling Guide

Home Selling Guide

Selling home right now can be done by anyone. Support with much information that can be found through the Internet, one person can sell his or her home either by a real estate agents or selling the home by himself or herself. The high technology that you can find anywhere can be a tool for you to sell your home fast and at a reasonable price, etc.

But, whether you want to buy with agents or by yourself, you need some guides in selling home. There are steps in selling your home. Those guides really help you. Never under estimate them because they have lots of impact in your selling home performance.

These are some quick guidance to sell your home:

1. Preparation; show the very best condition of your home
Here is the first step to sell your home. Make a best first impression to your buyers so that they are attracted to buy your home. Get rid of dirt and rubbish, remove all clutter, repairs all flaws of your home, get rid of unused furniture to make it looks spacious

2. Pricing your home effectively
A home that is priced right and reasonable will sell in a short time. You can use a third party service to give suggestion about your home’s value and the furniture in it. Don’t price too low that it will cost you more money, yet never also set high price that the you will loose your potential buyers

3. When To Sell
You also have to know the right time to sell your home. You surely want to sell your home in a good economic condition and strong demand for houses, which tend to be stronger in June and July. If you sell your home at the right time and a good preparation, you will get the highest price of your home than your prediction

4. A Bit About The Costs Involved
You should also involved any costs that you have spent in selling your home, whether it is attorney costs, closing costs, advertisements costs, etc

5. Selling Privately
Selling home by yourself is not as easy as it seems but it is worthy to do because you can save about 2-6% of your selling price. Selling home privately is sure going to take much time and efforts for you to sell it.

6. Selling At Auction
Selling at an auction can also be an option. But it is not a suggested option because it will cost you more money and also it is a volatile way in selling your home

7. Get a real estate lawyer
You can make the flow of documents so easy and having a professional advice by getting a real estate lawyer in your selling process

8. Marketing your home

There are many ways to market your home:
· Writing your sell ad
· Home Photos: a picture can describe a thousand word
· Lawn signs
· Open houses
· Home Brochures/Information sheets
· The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) provided by the agents
· You are your home's best salesman

9. Negotiating an offer on your home

10. Home inspections

These guides will help you to sell your home. Never hesitate to ask for professional advices if you meet some problems while you are in the middle of selling process.

Good luck.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Real Estate License

Getting a real estate license

Real estate brokering is known as a very lucrative business and a lot of people are working as real estate agents throughout the nation. Not only are they making good money, they are also contributing to the society in a way i.e. by helping the sellers in selling their property and at the same time helping the buyers in buying a property. So, can anyone start real estate brokering? Well, not really.

Real estate license is a pre-requisite for becoming a real estate agent. However, obtaining a real estate license is not difficult. In most states, the qualifications for getting a real estate license are very minimal. So you should first check the eligibility criteria for obtaining a real estate license (rather pre-license) in your state. The real estate license eligibility criterion includes things like the minimum age limit (which is mostly 19 years) and educational qualifications (which is mostly high school). Once you know that you satisfy those real estate license (pre-license) eligibility criteria, you can go ahead and enrol for a pre-license training. There a number of real estate schools that offer real estate license training.

Some real estate schools offer online training for real estate license. Choose a course that is spread over a sufficient duration of time e.g. 1 year so that you are able to grasp the concepts properly (after all you want to become a successful real estate agent and not just another real estate agent). You will be taught a number of topics as part of your real estate license training.

All this will help you develop a basic understanding of real estate and various aspects related to real estate (e.g. real estate law, deeds, contracts, ownership transfer, etc). Once you have undergone this real estate license training, you will be required to undergo a state exam. After you pass this exam, you will generally need to undergo another training on state approved courses. And that’s it, you can now get a real estate license which is worth that effort (as you will find in a couple of years of starting real state brokering). Most states also require you to go for continuous education after you have received your real estate license. However, this is a just a few hours every few years.

So real estate license is what you need to start your career as real estate agent. But your success after that will be dependent on how seriously, ethically and smartly you carry out your job.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Getting Your House Ready to Sell

Getting Your House Ready to Sell


How can a buyer get interest for purchasing your house? Impression is the keyword. You just need to get your house ready to sell by doing some preparation. Get inspected by a professional if you want to pay a little effort for maximum results, or if you don’t want to spend much money by paying professional you can do by yourself for getting your house ready to sell.

Now that become a question, how to get your house impressed a buyer? Those are the steps for getting your house ready to sell to a buyer.

Beautify your exterior

What you do is just beautifying. The goal is to make your exterior look pretty and fresh to impress your buyer. Just to inform you that the exterior becomes the first impression to overlook a house. There are two sensory organs of a buyer you must impress. Those are eyes and nose. By bringing the garden homelike condition to your house exterior, making it looked pretty and freshening it up. The steps you can do are:
- Get the grass, trees, flowers, and plants tidy and fresh by mowing and watering it
- Clean up the curb and entering path and put the potted flower in the sides.
- Freshen up the smells by put scented potpourri.
- Clean up all of windows and entering doors.
- Get rid of equipments out of sights.
- Paint the walls if necessary.

Make the Cosy Interior

After buyer got impression from your house exterior, do some simple works to get the cosiness of your house interior. It aims to make a buyer feel homelike buy entering your house. These are the steps:
- Clean up the tile floors; scrub it if there are some bad spots.
- Get rid of spider net from your ceilings.
- Wash the carpets with a fragrant soap.
- Get your furniture placed tidily and gets rid of unnecessary one.
- Brush the closets
- Clean the garage, basement, and attic
- Get the windows opened and clean, it will bring freshness to your house inside
- If you have pets, bath them.
- Put some fresh fragrance in air conditioner.

Repairing and Replacing

Some Repairing and replacement is necessary to do, if there are some broken furniture, equipment, or appliances. Just check out:
- broken or missing door
- cabinet handles
- ceilings
- ventilation filters
- broken tiles in bathroom and kitchen
- faucet
- wallpaper
- some furniture

Get your friends’ opinion

Assume some friends like a buyer, and get some advice and suggestion to make your house get more ready to sell. And the most important thing is your friends feel your home like their own home.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Home Selling Advice

Home Selling Advice

What do buyers need when they plan to buy a home? In fact, there are so many aspects one needs to consider. In the seller's point of view, you should follow some home selling advice. Here are some advices for your success of selling home:

First, your should be an informative seller. You could put the "Home for Sale" in your front yard. Don't forget to put your phone number on it, so a buyer can get contact you..

Second, your should put a reasonable price, valued by the physical price of your home, environment and location. The better location where your home is placed, the better price you can put. And the better physical condition of your home, better price should be granted. Don't forget that a buyer needs an achievable price. So the process of the negotoation will determine it.

Third, correlated on physical condition of your home, your home curb appeal is the most important thing. You can do some works to improve appealing of your home exterior. Just to make it beautiful, tidy, and fresh. The color of your home is necceesary to be considered.

Fourth, get your buyer in the right mood by creating a cozy environment in your home. What do I mean by "cozy environment"? Very important is fresh air, clean environment, fresh odor, and the most important is a homelike sitation. Just make a buyer feel like in his own home sweet home.

Fifth, When you get down on the negotiation, your should learn how to make a great offer. The point is, you should be a great win-win negotiator. On the Internet there are many articles about how to be a great communicator and negotiator. Just follow the rules and tips.

Sixth, good presentation of your home selling can add great value to attract a buyer. Know your entire home and its contents, and present it to your buyer. Tell them how sweet your home is, how much you love it, your experience in your home, the great moments you have passed by etc. Just be a familiar and friendly seller that can give much impression to your buyer.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Real Estate School

Real estate schools of thought

Everyone seems to be after real estate investments as that is regarded as one of the safest high return investments. There are various schools of thought on real estate investments. Let’s explore two of the most common real estate schools of thought.

One real estate school of thought talks about doing a lot of analysis. This real estate school of thought advocates studying a lot of factors which are generally linked to economic indicators. This real estate school of thought evaluates the economic indicators in many different ways. It takes its cues from a number of financial indices and how they are expected to perform in the near future. This real estate school of thought evaluates various socio-economic indicators at all levels – Global, national and local.

This real estate school of thought evaluates inflation and things like value of money today and value of money next year etc. It uses all these evaluations in order to come up with predictions on how real estate industry is expected to fare in the next few years. So, this real estate school of thought tries to determine the buying power of people in order to determine the course of real estate prices.

When it comes to evaluating the real estate trend with regards to a particular place (i.e. locally), this real estate school of thought takes into account various local factors like the unemployment rate, the industrial development in the region, the change in tax policies and any events that might affect the real estate prices in the area.

It also takes into consideration the surrounding areas and the real estate trend in those areas. So, this real estate school of thought is really followed by arch real estate consultants/investors who know a lot about finance and put all that knowledge to use in determining the trends for real estate industry. However, that is just one real estate school of thought.

The other real estate school of thought doesn’t consider those factors at all. According to this real estate school of thought, real estate is always lucrative at all times and at all places. This real estate school of thought advocates looking for great deals. It’s this real estate school of thought that asks you to go to public auctions, look for distress sales and foreclosures, find motivated seller, rehab and sell, etc. So, this real estate school of thought focuses on getting the information about the best deals in town and taking advantage of them to make good profits.

So, those are the two real estate schools of thought and following either or both calls for time and effort (if you are to make any profits out of real estate investments).

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing

5 tricks to make it big with real estate investing

Real estate investing is one of the most attractive ways of making good money (that is if you do it correct). Moreover, real estate investing is also a lot of fun. A lot of people practice real estate investing as their core profession and, in fact, make a lot of money that way.

Real estate investing is really an art and, like any art, it takes time to master the art of real estate investing. The key, of course, is to buy at a lower price and sell at higher price and make a profit even after paying all the costs involved in the two (buy/sell) transactions. Generally, people are of the opinion that real estate investing makes sense only when the rates are on the rise. However, real estate investing for profits is possible just about any time (and as I just said, real estate investing is an art).

Here is a list of tricks that can make real estate investing profitable for you:

1) Look for public auctions, divorce settlements and foreclosures (bank/FHA/VA): Since quick settlement is the preference here (and not price), you might get a property at a price that is much lower than the prevailing market rate. You can then make arrangements to sell it at the market rate over a short period of time. However, make sure that the property is worth the price you are paying.

2) Looking for old listings: The old listings that are still unsold may provide you with good real estate investing opportunities. Just get hold of an old newspaper and call up the sellers. They might have given up hope of selling that property at all and with a bit of negotiation you can get the property for a real low price.

3) The hidden treasure: A really old (and dirty) looking house may scare off buyers. But this might be your chance for real estate investing that can yield good profits. So, explore such properties and check if spending a bit on them can make them shine. You can get these at very low prices and make a big profit in a short time.

4) Team up with attorneys: There are a number of attorneys who handle property sales on behalf of sellers or in special circumstances (like the death of the property owner). They might sometimes be looking to dispose off the property rather quickly and hence at a low price. Be the first one to grab such real estate investing opportunities and enjoy the profits.

5) Keep tab on the newspaper announcements: Property sell offs due to deaths, divorce settlements, immediate cash requirements and other reason are frequently announced in local papers. Keep track of such real estate investing avenues.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Real Estate Investment Trust

Real Estate Investment Trust: Enabling you to be a part of the party

Real estate is a big business and everyone seems to want to invest in real estate. You keep hearing a lot of stories about how people made a quick buck by investing in real estate. There are stories about people who made $50000 in a fortnight by making the right kind of investment in real estate. Every now and then, newspapers keep coming up with statistics about the appreciation in the real estate prices. There seems a mad rush for investing in real estate (and this gets even bigger when the mortgage interest rates are falling). However, not everyone has the time, money and expertise to be able to profitably invest in real estate. So what does one do? Is there any other option?

Yes, there is another way of investing in real estate and that is through Real Estate Investment Trust. Real Estate Investment Trust is an organization that invests in real estate as a full fledged business. By investing in a Real Estate Investment Trust, you can become part of the real estate investment party and enjoy profits (of course, the assumption here is that the Real Estate Investment Trust is good and professionally managed).

Investing in Real Estate Investment Trust is very easy too. You can just buy Real Estate Investment Trust shares which trade on all major exchanges. There are certain laws governing the Real Estate Investment Trusts that help them avoiding the tax at corporate levels e.g. it is mandated that Real Estate Investment Trust’s portfolio has 75 percent of investment in real estate. Moreover, 75% of the income of Real Estate Investment Trust must be from rents or mortgage interest. There are various types of Real Estate Investment Trusts. Some Real Estate Investment Trusts own properties themselves and hence feed on the rental income from those properties. Some others indulge in providing only mortgage loans or go for mortgage backed securities. Then there are Real Estate Investment Trusts which do both i.e. rental focussed investments and mortgage based investments.

There are a number of Real Estate Investment Trusts operating in the market and a lot of these Real Estate Investment Trusts are doing good business. By investing in Real Estate Investment Trust you are basically investing in real estate without actually buying a property yourself. This is one easy way of investing in real estate (and much safer too). You must surely evaluate this option for your real estate investments.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Best Selling Home Plan

Best Selling Home Plan

At this very moment, home is not just a place to live or a shelter from a harsh weather. Home also reflects the personality of the people living there. Nevertheless, home is now become an investment that a person can have. Lots of people invest their money in the form of their own home. And they invest a huge amount of money in it.

Before we come to how to sell you home plan, let we talk about the home plan itself. Home plan is what people need to build their home. Home plan can seem as a complicated thing because you have to consider a lot of factors and try to sort them one-by-one and listing which things that need to be put into your home plan. You have a lot of things that you want them to be as a part of your home plan. However, you have to be very careful in selecting the right composition of your home plan to be a very lovely home.

You can also try to list the pluses or minuses of your old home and you can also ask some friends’ suggestion to make a perfect and beautiful home plan. Make a home plan that is attracted to the home buyers. Put something different that you think has never been made into your home plan such as an energy-wise design. You also have to consider the size of the house, are it going to be a one story or two story home, how many rooms are there, how many bathrooms, etc. After that, you can start to calculate the estimate price of your home, but this can be done later.

Besides that, you also have to consider the home’s location that you plan to build your home. Create a home that "fits in" with its surrounding environment. Never make a home plan that does not suitable for the surroundings environment; it would make the home buyers hesitate to buy your home plan.

Nowadays, it can be easier to make a home plan because there is lots of tools that making a home plan as an easy task. On the Internet, we can also find lots of interesting home plans and get some ideas from there and know which kind of house that most people want to have as their home plan. You can also put your home plans there. This is the easiest and the fastest way to sell your home plan.

As we see now, some people invest their money to their home. Another people will give away much money just to have the right home plan that suits him or her desire. Now it is your turn to be a home planners and make the very best purchase from your home plans.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Real Estate Law: Not For You?

Real estate law
Real estate law: Not for you?

Real estate is indeed one of the safest investments and a lot of people use real estate as an investment avenue. Real estate law is not the forte of real estate attorneys and real estate agents only. Every real estate investor should understand at least the basics of real estate law. In fact, a short course or a concise book on real estate law can sometimes be of great help (and is generally sufficient for understanding the basics of real estate law).

What you need to understand is the real estate law with respect to the legal procedures that you need to follow for ensuring a smooth transfer of title to the property you acquire/sell and other related procedures. You need to understand the fee structure (e.g. stamp duty, etc) that you need to take care of as per real estate law. You can also understand the classification of properties and how the basic real estate law applies to them. How the commercial and residential properties are treated differently by the real estate law. The tax laws with respect to real estate are one of the things that would be of most interest to you. So, your study on real estate law should also cover all the aspects related to taxes. How mortgages are treated in the perspective of real estate law is another thing that you should know about. Then again, the real estate law with respect to tenancy should also be well understood by people who wish to rent out their property.

However, you should not overdo that i.e. you should not start becoming hysterical about learning real estate law (lest you end up wasting a lot of time in trying to learn everything about real estate law and be left with no time to evaluate your real estate investment). Leave the intricacies of real estate law with the real estate attorneys (and to some extent real estate brokers who too are taught real estate law as part of their course for obtaining broker license).

Understanding the various legal terms referred to in real estate laws can help you in not only enhancing your understanding of real estate but also help in making your conversations with real estate attorneys/agents really fruitful. You should also note that though some of the basics remain the same, the real estate laws vary across various states. Also, real estate laws (especially the tax related real estate laws) can undergo a change over a period of time, so you need to keep a tab on such changes. Any big changes will anyhow appear prominently in news and you will get to know of them anyhow.

So knowing a little bit of real estate law can really be helpful (and is, in fact, essential).

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Quick Sell Tips

Often wonder why some houses can have a number of showings after its first week on the market, and similar ones seems to be left with no attention?

A quick sell of a house is common enough to be expected by home sellers, but rare enough to remain a phenomenon in the market. It’s really a question of readiness – the houses being sold quickly are more well prepared to accept a new resident. Surely price and location is the major reason a house can appeal to home buyers, but there’s also more than meets the buyer’s eye.

Here are some quick sell tips to make sure your house reaches that contract as soon as possible.

(a) Get a top-quality, state-of-the-art real estate agent. Sounds obvious, but the better qualified your agent is, the more experienced they are and the more guarantee that your house can be a quick sell

(b) Play the role of a buyer. Observe your house in the eye of a potential customer. Is there anything you see that makes you think “This is good, but it looks like they’re still working on that...”? Ask your friends or neighbors to do the same if necessary.

(c) There’s one sure-fire tip to get your house quickly noticed, and that’s putting out the heaviest advertising campaign you can manage. So many houses are being sold daily, how do you make sure the buyers would even see your home? Quick selling houses are results of excellent marketing skills.

(d) Offer incentives. When it’s time to take any means necessary, start negotiating extra perks to your buyers to lure them even more. A closing-cost help, for example, would motivate the buyers to speed up the decision to buying your house.

(e) When all else fails, and you’re starting to get really desperate, you might want to try renting your house. Afraid of never getting it off your back? Discuss with the renters that your initial need is to sell the house. A rented house with an option to buy is also a good idea.

Some would tell you that quick sells are by means of luck. Though this is inevitably true, waiting for luck will do nothing to speed up the process. Preparation, preparation, and preparation are the three things you most need to ensure a quick sell.

Home Selling Contract

When it’s time to finally seal the deal on your home selling, it’s time to take out the contract. Since it’s the document that will supposedly ends the process, it’s very important for home owners to understand the components of a real estate contract (even more if you’re selling the house on your own). Remember that even the contents in a contract is negotiable, so getting to know home selling contracts would put you in a better position for further discussion. You would also have less risk of being scammed by random contracts offered.

Although not all home selling contracts follow the same standard, most of them should answer the following questions:

  • What’s being sold? A description of the property on hand
  • How much is it?
  • How is the contingency of mortgage? An amount or a mortgage rate is needed.
  • How much will the deposit be and whom will it be given to?
  • When and where is the closing?
  • What is the exact scope of the selling? A home selling contract, in its essence, should give a firm limit of what’s being sold and what’s not.
  • Will the seller be able to do further home inspections?
  • What kind of inspections (wellness, hygiene, termite inspection) will be done?
  • Is there any insurance covering the house?

Once again, remember that familiarizing yourself with these points will prove useful for those suspicious clauses. Pay extra attention to the contingencies, as this is usually the most essential part of a home selling contract. The home buyers would want to make sure that if something occurs in the house before closing, they would have a way to back out without penalty. Make sure that you as the seller is equally unharmed by this.

The tough job is, even after you understand the main elements of a home selling contracts, you might experience difficulty in designing one for your transaction. Once again, it’s good to let your agent deal on these things, but if you’re selling your home on your own, do some research.

Some websites could give you a format of a contract that you could use for self-selling that will not lead to detrimental effects. It’s very important to hire an attorney to help you get through the legal terms in contracts, especially when you chose not to hire a real estate agent.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Real Estate Management


Real estate management firms
– making life easier

Real estate investment
can happen for various reasons. You could invest in real estate because you need a house for yourself (that house of your dreams that you so badly want). You could use real estate as a means for supplementing your income either by buying at a lower price and selling at a higher price or by letting it out. Sometimes you might buy a property for the purpose of resale but might want to wait for a few years before you actually sell it. In such a case, again it would make sense to rent out the property and earn some money till you actually decide to sell it off.

Whatever the reason, letting out real estate demands real estate management and real estate management is not an easy job for everyone. In fact, a lot of people find it so much of a hassle that they prefer keeping their property vacant instead of letting it. Real estate management demands time, which you will rarely have.

Real estate management is not just about finding tenants and collecting rent from them. Real estate management is also about ensuring that you do all the duties that a landlord/landlady is required to do. Real estate management is about verifying the credentials of the tenants before you actually let out your property to them. Real estate management is about ensuring that all the paper work is complete and correct i.e. the tenancy agreement etc are properly done. Real estate management also requires you to do repairs as and when required. Real estate management activities also include maintenance, painting, polishing etc of the house when the tenants move out and before the new tenants get in. So, really, real estate management is not that easy a job for someone who is in a full time job.

However, there is a solution to this and that is hiring a real estate management firm to do all these activities on your behalf. Yes, this will mean that what you receive as an income by letting your property will be reduced (due to the commission/ fee charged by the real estate management firm). But that is just a small price for the convenience that a real estate management firm brings to you.

However, it’s important that you choose the real estate management firm carefully. There are all kinds of real estate management firms out there (good and bad). You must check the references of the real estate management firm before you actually hire them for the job. A good real estate management firm will not only keep your property occupied at all times but will also ensure that you always receive the rent in time and without any hassle.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Successfully Investing In Real Estate/Land

If one is thinking of investing in real-estate/land there are several things to be kept in mind before one begins investing in real estate. A single wrong step may be enough to make one's investment a failure.

The first thing one should do is decide one's budget. Investing in real estate is an expensive affair and so the affordability factor should be considered. The likelihood of taking a loan for investing in real estate is high and so it is necessary to consider whether one will be able to pay back the loan. Real estate investment is a big commitment one makes and so it is necessary to know whether one will be able to pay back in time. In case one is not able to pay back the whole amount in time the chances of having a bad credit rating is high and ones this happens the chances of a loan approval is low. Even if one is approved for a loan at a later date the rate of interest will be higher.


There is a need to decide the reason for investing in real-estate - whether it is for commercial purpose or for the purpose of the family. If the real-estate is for commercial purpose an appropriate location should be chosen. The location should be such that there is a lot of traffic like near the railway station or bus station. In these locations different kinds of commercial real estate can be established like hotels, restaurants etc.

If one wants to invest in the real-estate for the purpose of the family then one should check several formalities that comes with investing with real-estate. It should be kept in mind that real-estate property for the purpose of homes should be located near schools, malls and shops. The road connectivity and water supply should also be considered. The interior and outdoor walls should be observed so as to be sure of any faults that may be there or any repairs that may be required.

A lot of research is required for reselling a real-estate property in future. So if one is thinking of investing in real-estate or land that is to be sold in future then the trend in appreciation rates should be considered. Every year the rates of the real estate property increases and so the average rate of increase should be calculated. After calculating this rate the projected rate of growth should be calculated to get the approximate rate of a real estate property in future. The best way to get an appropriate rate is to consult a financial planner of real-estate. An agent will also be able to give an approximate rate of increase in future. A real estate or land that is not in demand should not be bought as the rate of return is uncertain.

A good and reliable agent should be chosen so as to succeed in investing in real estate/land. A good agent not only gives the best rates of the property but also helps in finding the approximate rate of property later on.


About the Author: Stephen C Campbell (MBA, MSc) is an international internet marketer and business consultant, and has published more information about investments on
http://www.investinukland.com

Monday, June 9, 2008

Growth, Stability Of Commercial Real Estate Investing

Commercial real estate investing is a kind of investing which is used for business purpose. The commercial real estate investing property is different from other real estate investing like agriculture, residential and other industrial purpose. Commercial real estate investing property provides reasonable price consideration from the investment property and also provides income for long period. In real estate investing, real estate investors make investment on commercial real estate investing. Commercial real estate investing is made by most of the real estate investors, because it fetches more profit for the seller at the time of sale of real estate investment property.

The main purpose why people prefer to make their real estate investing is that commercial real estate investing provides stability and high return in the market. The other advantage we obtained from commercial real estate investing is that it provides investment securities for the real estate investment property purchased from the real market. Real estate investing market is said to be the stable market and it also carries high returns on investment for the property purchased. It is the obligation of the real estate investor to see that the real estate investing property fetch more profit among the customer and it realize more profit. Some of the standard features of commercial real estate investing are

High return

The main advantage of commercial real estate investing property is that it carries high return on investment. More number of people procures real estate property because of its returns provided. Real estate investor enjoys the benefits provided by the real estate property with high return and turnover during the period of sale of real estate investment property. Real estate sector is the wide sector where it carries huge number of properties required with desire prices.

Stability

The other unique feature of commercial real estate investing property is that its stability and consistency with the world market. When though more number of real properties are available in real estate investing market, still commercial estate investment obtains more demand among the customers for reasonable price consideration. Real estate investing benefits are provided more in real estate investing and it is due to the stability provided in the real market.

Commercial estate investment provides long term security of cash flow for the real estate investors who had made their real estate investing. Commercial real estate obtains more demand among the customer and they provides more return on investment with principal and interest. This kind of investment obtains more demand, growth, return and stability compared to other real estate investment property in the real estate market.

Kumaran is a seo copywriter having more than 3 years of experience in this field who is currently working for the site real-estate-investing-information.net. For further information on real estate investing information, real estate investing and real estate investing tips please visit http://www.real-estate-investing-information.net/ or contact me through mail: kumaran.reii@gmail.com

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Do You Know That You Can Get Your Own Real Estate For 90% Off Market Value?

I always wonder why many people don't take the time to get the right information that can help their lives. If you are wondering what this has got to do with you... listen up.

Have you ever taken a good time to consider investing in Real Estates? If not, then this article is for you. It will show you why you should stop putting off the idea of investing in Real Estate.

If you think it isn't important to think about Real Estate, think again. According to the foremost American Business Speaker - Jim Rohn - "Cars don't make you rich... it's HOUSES that make you rich".

And in HOUSES he is talking about Real Estates.

Let's analyze what I am trying to say here.

When you buy a car, from that first day it looses it's value. If you try to resell it that same day, you can't get the same amount you spent in buying it.

But if you buy a Real Estate and try to resell it that same day, the value most always increases!

That seems incredible, right? Yes, but it is really true.

You see, Real Estates most always increase in value with each and every passing day. The reason is mostly because there are not too many lands around. If one land is already taken by Mr A. it is already taken. If Mr. B wants that same land, he has to buy it from Mr. A.

So, if you have been putting off investing in Real Estate, this is the time to get serious about it.

And here is a good news...

Do you know that you can get a Real Estate for 90% off market value? It may sound incredible, but it is possible! Every month thousands of Real Estate And Homes are repossesed by both Government and Banks in the United States. And those who know are taking adavantage and buying choice Real Estate at dead cheap prices. You too Can, it is your right as a citizine of United States of America.

To own your Dream Home at 90% off market value, and also start a Real Estate Business on a shoe string via repossesed Real Estate Auctions, checkout Real Estate Listings for an opportunity of a life time right now. You can't afford to put off this opportnity.

Monday, June 2, 2008

The Middle East

Real Estate Boom in the Middle East...

will continue for at least another 10 years. Experts view is that if there is no natural calamities this trend will remain buoyant for the next decade and it will be difficult to get hotel rooms to residence to live in next five years.

As we saw in the last 4 to 5 years the real estate market in the Middle East, specially in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or adjacent areas have been booming. There is no end of construction. Due to over construction the supply of building materials becomes even scarce. The prices of such commodities have gone up. Example cements are not found, still price is sky rocketing. Builders face difficulties to hand over their buildings on time and the cost is so, high that they can seldom make any profits. But the demands of new apartments in some area are so great that it has increased even 500% to 1000%. Buildings are not completed, yet renting or leasing is done in no time.

The prices of land and the apartments have gone up beyond control. Yesterday I went to check some apartments to have a look inf I could buy one, I found it is so high that beyond my reach. While the agents advised that the rent is about AED80,000 to100,000 for a normal mid sized two bed apartment. In some areas of palm the price per sq. foot residential lands costs about AED18,000 or move.

This is surprising as 10 years back we saw in those area only sands and no construction while now we do not see any place that is empty to put our feet. Why and how it happened no one knows. But their were some good initiatives from the ruler or the developers who advised to go ahead to resell the real estate. Once it was experimented people are lured to buy heavily, so the price is gone up. American citizen Mr. Donald Trump even put his hand on the Dubai Property market. And other celebrities have already bought their own towers and some even put for resale.

This made the market more upward trend. We do not know what will happen in the next 10 years from now if this trend sustained. Investors may see the feasibilities by themselves before buying any properties here. Read more...

Dr Altaf Hossain is an article writer. You may copy the article provided my signature and permission from EzineArticles.com is taken.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Altaf_Hossain

Saturday, May 31, 2008

The best place to invest

If you were to read any personal development book, then you would realize that many of the gurus in the world today and of the past would tell you that the best place to invest is in yourself.

Now, you may be putting $40,000 in securities or in stocks and you may think that it would increase by about 10%. But what really happens is this, you are putting in something that you have no control over because the market may change, anything may change. But one thing that you definitely have control over is how YOU are going to change. Now you are in total control of how you can grow as a person. So in my opinion, the best place to invest is definitely in your mind.

In the best-selling book called 'Master your mind, design your destiny' by Adam Khoo, he mentions that he invest in stocks and shares, but he ultimately spends most of his money investing in his personal development. He recounts to his participants that if he invest $4000 in a stock and it rises by 10% over the course of one year, he will be very happy. But as he did his calculations, he realized that 10% of $4000 is a mere $400. But if he were to put in $4000 into himself for education or in other words, if he were to invest himself, after a course of one-year, he's almost hundred percent sure that the amount of profits he'll make is definitely more than $400. So a 10% interest on a share is definitely not a good investment compared to investing in himself. So that is why the best place to invest is always in your own mind. When Adam makes the decision to study NLP or Nero Linguistic Programming, his life changed forever. At the age of 26 he was able to reach the goal of earning $1 million. He started his first business when he was only 15 years old. That was a very very clear calculated investment in himself. So as you are reading this article, you will begin to realize that the best place to invest is not in shares, in books or in real estate but really in this space between your ears.

About the Author

Perry is a trainer with Singapore's largest training company. Learning from his NLP master trainer mentors, he quit his dead end civil service job and now work as a platform speaker and intrapreneur. With his designed success system of the "Empowering Communicator", he helps others achieve success a step at a time. To find the success system that got him started, click here.

6 Tips For the Safe Realtor

In the haste to make a sale, many realtors have forgotten that their safety is more important than any amount of commission. Realtors have been robbed, beaten, raped and murdered while showing homes. The isolated nature of an empty house makes it easy for people to be assaulted without the neighbors knowing. Here are a few tips to make your safety a priority while still closing sales.

1. Take a self-defense course

Good self defense courses don't generally teach you fancy moves to make someone wish they'd never touched you. The aim is to teach you to be more aware of your surroundings and more aware of your body and what it can do to protect you. Attitude is a big component of self-defense. Also, the course will teach you a few good strategies - holds, blocks and kicks that will get you free from someone's grip and RUN. Don't try to be a hero, just get away and out of the house.

2. Don't take anything at face value

Murderers and rapists are most often not slavering creatures hiding behind bushes and in scuzzy alleyways. They can be well-dressed, have a wife, have a husband, have kids, prefer their tea with lemon. In short, they're just as human as the non-rapist and can't be distinguished by looks alone. Don't trust someone just because they dress in an Armani suit. Do background checks and note their I.D. numbers, license plate numbers and other identifying characteristics.

3. Let someone know

Actually, let several someones know. Where you are going, who you're going with and how long you plan to be. Leave information with your office, friends and family. Let the client know that other people know where you've gone and who with.

4. Take someone with you

Would you rather deal with the awkwardness of having someone there who is obviously there for safety or end up being taken advantage of in the worst possible way? Would you rather risk being alone with someone you don't know in an isolated setting or delay a prospective sale long enough to get someone to go with you? If it makes you feel better, you can have them pretend that they're a junior realtor coming along for experience or whatever - just bring someone with you.

5. Choose defensive instruments carefully

Pepper spray only works if it's aimed in the right direction and has a directed stream. Some jurisdictions place limits on pepper spray possession and usage - be aware of your rights and responsibilities. A travel bottle of hairspray may also produce unpleasant sensations in the eyes of an attacker and it's legal just about everywhere.

On guns: Many law enforcement personnel recommend against carrying a gun because of the liability and in some places, it's illegal (Canada). If you decide to go this route, don't just go out and get a gun; learn how to use, clean, carry, and store it safely. Also, learn the laws of your area concerning gun usage for self defense. If you don't know how to handle a loaded weapon and when to use it, then you have no business carrying it around with you.

6. Trust your gut

It's been said a million times before, but it's still true. If something gives you a bad feeling, GET OUT. No sale is worth your life or your physical well being. Read Gavin de Becker's "Gift of Fear" for more information on trusting your instincts. Sometimes it may play you false, but most people have a decently developed sense of what is right and what isn't, even if their conscious mind isn't aware of that fact.

HomesByLender.com is the elite source for FSBO financing and homes for sale by owners. Utilize our nationwide search to locate FSBO homes in any state or town. HomesByLender.com is your one-stop FSBO information source.

Friday, May 30, 2008

What the Real Estate Ads Really Mean

We’ve all read them and used them, in the search for the perfect house. My dad and sister have sold real estate and I once had a license. Crafting an ad is a challenge to promote the best features of a home. After reviewing thousands of newspaper ads, I think I’m qualified to decipher the words and phrases that are most used. Here they are:

Quaint: Really old without being historic

Picturesque: Hard to look at

Cozy: Small

Under Appraisal; Originally overpriced

Remodeled: Repainted

Close to Shopping: there’s a 7/11 on the corner

Owner Must Sell: Duh!

Gourmet Kitchen: Has a sink and oven

View Lot: View of the lot next door

Extra Security: Front door has a lock and key

Fixer Upper: Ready for Demolition

Family Neighborhood: Lots of screaming kids and barking dogs

Privacy: Overgrown bushes

Executive Home: Includes bathrooms and bedrooms

Three-Car Garage: If one of them is a motorcycle

Dream House: Because ‘Nightmare House’ would scare you away

Custom Cabinets: Handpainted by the previous owner

Upgraded Flooring: New area rugs from Walmart

Highly Desirable: The owner desires to get out

Model Home: If you happen to be Twiggy

Well-Maintained: They occasionally mowed the lawn

Working Fireplace: You can still smell the smoke in the living room

Water View: When the sprinkler is on

Needs TLC: It was totaled in a fire

Just Reduced: It was totaled in a fire

Ideal Location: If you like living near a toxic waste dump

Large Lot: Makes up for the itsy, bitsy house

Original Owner: The house is older than the Bible

Priced to Sell: (refer back to ‘Owner Must Sell’ above)

For Sale by Owner: Too cheap to pay a Realtor

Perfect for You: Are they really psychic?


If you’re a real estate agent and I have offended you by any of these terms, get a life. However, if you are in the market for a home, I happen to have a beautiful, inviting, open floor plan, 3 bedroom beauty…

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree from Monmouth University. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix," available at amazon.com. His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages." Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

Luxury Properties for High Net Worth Individuals

High net worth individuals are investing in properties of a varied nature. There are those that serve them for their living purposes, while there are others to earn them major yields. These could be resorts and holiday homes to hotels and the like, where holiday makers throng during vacations. The high net worth individuals are also investing in racing cars, horses, jets for private and commercial use, yachts and boats.

Along with on-line financial research, the high net worth individuals are constantly tracking information on shares trading, travel, news and technology advances. They are becoming more and more net-savvy, according to the real estate professionals. The reason behind this is their tremendous capacity for investing. Luxury real estates continue to grow on the strength of the purchasing capacity of the high net worth individual.

Financial management tools now available in the market enable the high net worth individual understand the value of his high-end, real estate holdings which run into multiple properties. Today, high net worth individuals are glancing in the direction of luxury properties on islands.

With the number of high net worth individuals increasing, the right properties are running short. Properties that high net worth individuals try to locate are falling short of meeting with the expectations of the buyers. Properties have been selling out like hot cakes when the right kind of property is available or identified. The criteria for locating luxury properties for the high net worth individual are different from those for the common person.

Time is one of the criteria for high net worth individuals for who distance or proximity, accessibility and convenience are a priority. Prestige and lifestyle are two of the other criteria which are taken into consideration when locating luxury properties. Hence, to remain ahead of the common crowd, the high net worth individuals are constantly on the look out for properties approachable by private jets and more so on islands which are away from the 'madding crowd', yet approachable by them at short notice and for short periods of visit.

Properties that meet with the criteria of the high net worth individuals should be in close proximity to the mainland of residence. The house should be so architectured that the occupants should be able to capture the surrounding view from each of the rooms. These properties are created with the most luxurious of interiors, having sourced material from different parts of the world, like roof tops from India, doors from Sweden and windows from the US, granite from China and fireplaces from Holland.

The entire place is made to exude an impression of luxury with its number of rooms, spaciousness and lighting, the landscaped gardens and the driveways. The floors are richly carpeted, with a mix of modern and antique furniture and artifacts. The drapes too are rich and lend individuality and character to each room. A rich collection of books goes to make up a much treasured library to complement their home. Many of these properties are sea facing or on beaches from where the high net worth individuals are able to sail out on their private yachts. Author Resource:- Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Setting Up Passive Income in Real Estate

Anyone that knows anything about business, wants to make passive income. Many folks would like to have a primary, or secondary source of passive income in real estate. I am one of those people. Currently, my passive income in real estate is around $500-$550 per month (including signing a lease agreement just this past Tuesday). Not much, huh? Well what could you do with an extra $500 per month? Today, I would like to present a high level overview of my plans for passive income in real estate. But first, let me define "passive" as I see it, for you.

There are lots of definitions out there, but to me, passive income is "hands off" or "almost hands off" income streams. The real estate investing that I do, coupled with property management, has great potential for current and future benefits. However, investing in real estate takes a lot of initial work, with some additional work down the road. Likewise property management requires a lot of startup effort, with a lot less in the future. I don't believe there are too many highly lucrative, true blue, do nothing type income streams, unless you are planning to hire someone else to manage your businesses (BE CAREFUL!).

Bottom line, the income streams I am building should prove to be low maintenance in the future. So now, I want to give you a guide that I am using to create passive income in real estate:

1. Finding and negotiate excellent buys on single, two, three, and four family homes. See my Real Estate Analysis Spreadsheet and Simple Guide to Real Estate Investment Property Evaluation for help in the most important part of real estate investing -- BUYING RIGHT!
2. Rehabbing the property(ies).
3. Renting Out Your House
4. Seller Financing Agreement
5. Residential Lease Option
6. Residential Lease Purchase
7. Later down the road find, negotiate, buy, and develop land projects.
8. Develop my Business Plan for Property Management on a part time basis (for now).

Now these all seem to be active streams of income, but I assure you that once you have a portfolio of properties that you own yourself or manage for others, the workload will decrease dramatically. I have a property that I manage in a neighboring town that I setup a few months ago, and have never heard from the renter a single time after the initial signing of the lease, I only collect a check! Author Resource:- Get more great finance and investing tips at Jeffry Evans' personal finance blog. Passive Income in Real Estate is just one of many great articles you will find at Personal Finance Resources.

Luxury Real Estate - Is it Impervious?

If you are interested in purchasing luxury real estate, you likely have a great many questions about what options are available to you. Beyond trying to make a decision about what options are available to you today, you may also have concerns about how the volatility of the real estate marketplace may impact your interest in purchasing luxury real estate. Through this article, you are provided with an overview of both what is available to you when it comes to luxury real estate as well as how the current state of the real estate market generally is impacting the luxury market.

In looking at the luxury real estate market, the pinnacle of that marketplace may include water view homes. Many people traverse the country – indeed, the world – in order to obtain luxury real estate in the form of water view homes. Simply put, people are drawn to the sunny states to obtain such residential properties with water views.

Overall, the ticket price attached to water view homes will be at the higher end of the property valuation scale. Obviously, residential properties with water views are in solid demand – even in this time when the real estate market on other levels and in other locales are experiencing dips. However, with some effort, a buyer might be able to find some price reductions on these homes.

Beyond water view homes, there are also luxury homes and condos that do not have a water view but that are located on prime locations. These types of luxury real estate options allow for many different housing options. For example, a Snow Bird who desires an elegant and idyllic condo can find such an option in the state of Florida.

As mentioned at the start of this article, many individuals are wondering how the overall state of the real estate market in the United States is (or is not) impacting the luxury real estate market. Of course, at this point in time it is hard to find any segment of the real estate market that has been immune from the struggles, problems and issues that are becoming prevalent all of the more often.

With this in mind, while the luxury real estate market is holding its own, there are occasions in which a buyer can obtain a better than expected deal when it comes to the purchase of a high end. In short, by taking the time to shop around and take in the larger luxury real estate market, a potential buyer may have the chance to obtain the proverbial dream home for an unexpectedly lower cost.

Lance Mohr is a full time, full service licensed broker associate with Keller Williams Realty. He has many years of experience helping families buy and sell Tampa Real Estate Please feel free to copy any of his articles as long as you credit the author and retain the link to his website above. Don't forget to add our Tampa Real Estate Blog to your favorites section of your browser.