Deciding to Sell

As you might guess, deciding when to sell a home can be a complex process. Many people get so caught up in the process that they let it dominate their decision making. It should not. The obvious goal is to sell when the market is at its top so you can reap sweet profits. But what about when the market is flat or down? Well, you can still sell. Yes, you will make less money, but it will also cost you less to purchase the home you subsequently move in. As a general rule, don’t let real estate values rule your life. If you need to sell for some life reason, do it.

Assessing the Commercial Real Estate Market

There are many important factors that effect the price of commercial real estate, but perhaps few are as important as that of the local job market. Without a strong and growing job market, it’s nearly impossible for an area to support the retail establishments, restaurants and businesses that sustain neighborhoods.

It’s important for any would be commercial real estate investor, whether they specialize in retail, office, industrial, or warehouse properties, to thoroughly research the health of the local job market before making an investment decision. You have to look at the local unemployment rate and compare it to the averages for the state and the nation as a whole. Those areas of the country with lower than average unemployment rates are likely to enjoy future growth, while those with higher than average unemployment may suffer from such associated problems as high crime, long listing times, and depressed lease rates.

Of course, the raw numbers for unemployment don’t tell the whole story. It’s important for would be commercial real estate investors to look not only at unemployment rates, but at income levels, as well. Those neighborhoods with higher than average salary levels should be far better at sustaining the high end shops that often form the backbone of commercial and retail real estate investment.

Further, real estate investors need to make the distinction between local salary levels and levels of disposable income. If the average salary is $100,000 per year, but that person can only afford a 2 bedroom apartment in the local city (think West Los Angeles or Manhattan), these people won’t be shopping at the local high-end fashion boutiques! How much residents have left at the end of each month is a key economic factor in evaluating a neighborhood for commercial real estate activity. This means you have to look at such factors as the local cost of food, rental housing, utilities and other factors that can influence the lifestyle of those in a particular neighborhood.

Fortunately these kinds of statistics are increasingly available and in many cases this information can be found free of charge on the Internet, your local library, or through a good commercial broker. Even if income, unemployment and job growth figures are not available online, chances are good they will be available with only a minimum of effort. Given the importance of this information to real estate investors, it is certainly worth a bit of effort to ferret it out!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: ’Craig Higdon, “The Investment Property Insider,” works as a commercial mortgage broker. He publishes the weekly “Investment Property Insider” e-zine and blog, http://www.InvestmentPropertyInsider.com/. Visit the blog and get a complimentary report on commercial financing techniques.’

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Lender at Open House

If you're selling your home and decide to hold an open house, consider inviting a lender to be present during the hours your home is "open." The lender can make some good contacts for potential loans, and if someone is interested in buying, he or she can help to qualify them quickly and help you move the process along.

Gainesville, Florida Real Estate On The Rise

With appreciation rates still at 19%, Gainesville Florida boasts the fourth quickest appreciating real estate market in the nation. The city’s many honors include the following; one of the Top Ten Cities in the USA for Outdoor Activities (2005), Most Technologically Advanced City in Florida (2005), Silver-Level Bicycle-Friendly Community Award (2004, 2005), #3 Mid-Market City (2004), #11 of the Top 15 Best Places to Reinvent Your Life (2003), and the Gold Well City USA Award (2003). Gainesville’s own University of Florida is the state’s oldest and largest university with 16 colleges and over 150 research centers. U.S. News and World Report ranks the university within the top fifty in its esteemed annual college guide, The university boasts an exceptionally high freshman retention rate of 94%, indicating a market of returning upperclassmen looking for off-campus housing.

Conveniently situated, Gainesville is less than an hour drive from either of Florida’s coasts, facilitating day trips to the beach. Orlando’s theme parks are just two hours away, as are Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Tampa.

There’s plenty to do in Gainesville, between visiting historical sites and museums, several theaters, golfing, and biking. And football season is a constant activity due to the University of Florida Gators’ cult-like following. In fact, as a means to hydrate the Gators, Gatorade was invented and the UF team still gets a share of the profits.

Gainesville also gave birth to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as a well-known punk-ska scene that includes bands such as Against Me! and Less Than Jake. A relatively cheap place to live, the city offers moderately priced cuisine and all the cheap beer and drink specials of any major college town. Home prices are low, with median prices less than $150,000 for a single-family home and monthly apartment rent at around $600.

Gainesville is located in the growing Alachua County that features eleven other incorporated cities. Gainesville’s 111,000 residents comprise over half the county’s population. Over 65% of the county is wilderness, including scenic lakes, forests, wetlands, and trails, yet the area is still easily accessible by major roadways. Four major highways—I-75, U.S. 301, S.R. 26 and U.S. 441—all travel to Alachua County, linking it to the coasts and the major Florida tourist attractions. And Gainesville Regional Airport is only five miles from downtown Gainesville, and is serviced by two major commercial airlines.

YAERD offers real estate investing advice, Hernando Preconstruction information, and tips to new and veterans in the real estate industry. You will also find information on Cheap Florida Preconstruction, and Florida Spec Homes.

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Delray Beach, Florida Real Estate On The Rise

Delray Beach is a rapidly expanding city in South Florida’s Palm Beach County that boasts award-winning public beaches and upscale dining and shopping. The only Florida city to win the All-America City award twice (connoting credit for constructive citizen cooperation to concur on certain community concerns), Delray Beach residential properties continue to sell quickly when they are priced properly and positioned in profitable parts of town. Downtown Delray is developing without delay, displaying a distinguished diversity of new construction homes and condos. But recently real estate for sale has replaced investor interest and initiated an immense 39% drop in properties sold compared to last year. Homes are sitting on the market for 90- 120 days, vastly varied from the 30 day average just a few months ago. Therefore, rates are regressing, rendering real estate reasonably priced once more, relinquishing ruling power to the buyers.

Regressing real estate rates do not represent a regional repugnance, but rather a national decline in residential real estate rates as supply has surpassed demand. Even as property values wane, Delray Beach continues to build, offering an abundance of new homes for low prices to potential homebuyers who wish to move to the area or use their Delray Beach home as a long tern investments. Local developers have put millions of dollars into building up Atlantic Avenue as a new hot spot for dining, shopping, and nightlife, as well as citywide renovations to promote local economic growth by attracting people to the region. Homes in Delray Beach tend to be younger than the national average (21.7 compared to 27.2 years, respectively) and real estate appreciation is a whopping 25.82% (in contrast to the 13.62 national average). But even with these impressive statistics, Delray Beach real estate remains an affordable alternative to other Florida destinations.

The decline in properties sold mirrors the state and nationwide trend of a softening market, but this lapse in massive appreciation rates is only truly a problem for investors intent on flipping their properties for profit immediately. Such practices are no longer recommended in a softening market, but long term investment is still a viable option as home prices will undoubtedly rise again after buyer interest is renewed. Think of real estate investment like any other short-lived fad; a craze that starts as abruptly as it ends, is reviled for a time as people rebound from the humiliation that only such obsession can warrant, then is brought back for nostalgia by VH1 shows until it is trendy again in a kitschy William Shatner sort of way. Industries operate in cyclical patterns, continuously vacillating so their courses resemble planetary orbits and their relative price indexes are reminiscent of cosine graphs.

Real estate experts are touting the idea that Florida real estate investment is as obsolete as the medieval barber surgeon due to the lapse in exceptional appreciation rates. As they continue to promote investment opportunities in other states, these experts are omitting the real estate market’s chief objective: to provide housing. Industry media has depicted the so-called “collapse” of the Florida real estate market as an economically devastating catastrophe, but this is not necessarily true. Until humanity has degenerated back so far as to revert to its hunter-gatherer past, permanent shelter will be seen as a necessity to human existence, thus the real estate market will endure. And, if the residents do not perform a mass exodus from the state (picture a herd of off-white Cadillacs fleeing Boca Raton at 16-miles-per-hour with their right turn signals on), all signs show that the Florida real estate market will recover from this economic slump and prevail.

And now is an ideal time to invest! Prices are dropping in high quality new developments (like Delray Beach’s The Village at Swinton Square), so formerly unaffordable homes are becoming viable options for those looking for an actual residence or a long term investment opportunity. A discriminating human vision is the only thing that makes a property less attractive because of a price decrease. Viewed objectively and logically, a depreciating market cannot affect Florida’s ambiance or climate.

A high proportion of people who purchase property in the panhandle are retirees in pursuit of a pleasant place to pass the rest of their days. Due to their age, senior citizens are not seeking speedy investment transactions to secure savings as they have selected to stop working and spend their time in leisure activities. Retirees will keep purchasing property in Florida because of its many activities attractive to the elderly and the climate’s therapeutic value.

Florida is also heavily powered by the tourism industry, a market that depends on big-spending vacationers who are just passing through town. Palm Beach County’s individual tourism industry clears $1.5 billion per year, making it one of the most profitable businesses in the area. Generally, travelers stay in hotels, therefore a decline in real estate appreciation will not lessen the appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean, thus local employment in the industry will not falter. Tourist attractions will prevail as long as Americans continue to appreciate roller coasters, beaches, alligators, and shaking hands with mascots.

Latin America immigration is also continuing full throttle. Immigrants are quickly gaining significant buying power, especially in the condo conversions that are appearing throughout the state. Mexicans are leading the charge in Delray Beach, which has become far more diverse in the past fifteen years as the white population has dwindled to a mere 66.5% (according to the Sun-Sentinel). Latin American immigration is accelerating annually, Florida being one of the primary destinations. A depreciating real estate investment market is not going to convince immigrants to take a detour to Vermont. And as the immigration continues, buyer interest grows, thus the recovery of the Florida real estate market.

The Florida real estate market’s “softening” is not an endemic epidemic like the bubonic plague—nor even the West Nile Virus—so purchasing Florida real estate for actual home use or long term investment are still viable options. But unfortunately for now, the manic trend to invest in and flip Florida properties is as dead as the slap bracelet.

YAERD offers real estate investing advice, Hernando Preconstruction information, and tips to new and veterans in the real estate industry. You will also find information on Cheap Florida Preconstruction, and Florida Spec Homes.

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Clean The Toy Room When Selling

If you're selling your home and your young child has a room that looks like a toy store, you need to de-clutter! I know it looks charming and your child loves the toys, but they can make a perfectly decent sized room look small and crowded. Let the child choose which things to keep out. Then pack about two-thirds of them into boxes and put them into the attic or the basement. If it takes a while to sell your home, you can always take your child to the storage area to "exchange" toys now and again. It can even make, old, taken for granted items seem fresh and more exciting again.

A History of Buy-to-Let

Property investing is a relatively new phenomenon in the UK. Prior to 1990 the rented sector was dominated by the Government. The private rented sector only began to emerge once the Government changed its housing policy and mortgage lenders introduced specialist buy-to-let products.

In the post-war period of 1945 to 1980 UK Government policy worked against the private rented sector. A combination of housing policies existed that stifled the possibility of ordinary individuals profiting from owning and renting out residential property.

To begin with there was a large council housing scheme that provided rental accommodation for non-homeowners. The accommodation was supplied by the Government at a local level and rent was collected accordingly. In addition to this there were strict rent controls in place as well as tax concessions for owner-occupiers.

During this period the Government controlled a massive scheme to build homes for UK residents. In contrast there are virtually no dwellings being built by today's Government.

The buy-to-let industry can probably trace its roots back to the 1980's when the Thatcher Government began to encourage council tenants to buy the properties they were renting. A "right-to-buy" scheme was introduced that allowed council tenants to buy their properties for a significant discount. During this period the private rented sector also began to emerge because fewer people were renting properties from the Government and instead were more open to renting from private landlords.

Property investment really began to take off in the 1990's thanks to a small group of lenders who began to offer specialist buy-to-let mortgage products. There were six lenders in total and they collectively founded the Association of Rental Letting Agents (ARLA).

In addition to the availability of buy-to-let mortgages, the private rented market experienced a period of growth due to several social and economic factors. These included increases in the number of small households, net immigration, the number of students, and an increase in the average age of first-time-buyers. The combination of these factors lead to an increase in the number of households and the number of tenants wishing to rent property.

Ever since 1996, when the ARLA panel of lenders introduced buy-to-let mortgage products to the UK market, property prices have experienced strong growth. The property market has consistently outperformed the equities market and for this reason more and more individuals have added at least one buy-to-let property to their portfolio of investments.

Many investors who bought property as early as 1996 have experienced high returns on the capital value of their properties. This has allowed them to remortgage in order to release equity and buy even more property with the proceeds. Additionally, people who did not invest early have witnessed the returns the early investors have experienced and have also purchased buy-to-let property, hoping for similar medium to long-term gains.

These factors have combined to ensure that the property market remains strong and that prices continue to rise beyond the rate of inflation each year. The buy-to-let mortgage market has also flourished in line with the property market. In 1999 there were 70,000 outstanding buy-to-let mortgages in the UK. In 2006 the number has increased ten-fold to 700,000.

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Closing vs Settlement

If you are moving from one area of the country to another, the terminology used in buying a home can be at odds. In much of the Western part of the country, a real estate transaction closes on a particular day when payment is made, title transferred and so on. In the East, particularly the South East, closing is called “Settlement.” They mean the same thing, so don’t get confused.

Looking for Land in All the Wrong Places

Have you ever wanted to invest in real estate but didn't really want to fool with buying and selling houses? There is a lot that goes into the trade of buying and selling of houses, or house flipping as it is called and the competition has gotten unusually fierce in the more competitive markets. I can remember at one time in the state of Florida that people, just regular people, were picking up houses for next to nothing and making a quick flip and dumping the for a quick profit, and boy were they profiting!

The market today is quite different, but one thing that has always worked seems to still be doing just as well today, the business of buying land for investment. There are still many areas of the country where you can pick up a lot, or even several acres for a little bit of nothing and within a few years you can turn around and make quite a profit. The secret lies in knowing just where it is that you should buy the property. These areas are hot spots that really are just about to pop, that is where you should start looking.

So if you have the means to do so why not try your hand at investing in some land. House values go up and down but land will always be worth something. Just do a search on the internet to find out where some of the real estate hot spots are and go looking for a few acres. You might just find that investing in that piece of land was the best thing that you ever did.

For more information about FloridaLandforSale, GeorgiaLandforSale, or ArkansasLandforSale visit our website.

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Home vs House

Okay, you are probably wondering why we would raise the issue of a home vs a house. It has to do with perception. Whether you are buying or selling, the terms means something different. A house is a structure that is sold. A home is some place you live and have all types of personal experiences. The use of the term home is reflective of an objective approach, while using the term house means you are viewing something emotionally. In general, you want to stick with the objective approach. When involved in the real estate process, pay attention to how you and others use these words. It will readily become apparent that they have different meanings.

FSBO Jargon – The Language of the FSBO Seller

When you decide to sell your home without a real estate agent, you enter the world of the FSBO sellers. As with any new experience, you need to understand some of the basic language.

FSBO Jargon – The Language of the FSBO Seller

Selling your home on your own makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective. Even though the real estate market has cooled off considerably, home prices are still pumped up compared to historical references. At 6 percent, the commission of a real estate agent can add up to a lot of money. On a $500,000 home, we are talking about a whopping $30,000, which can really eat into the equity you have built up over the years.

If you make the decision to go FSBO, you need to understand a few things. You are essentially taking the oars of the boat and doing all the rowing yourself. This means you need to understand both the concepts involved and the language used during the real estate process. Here are some tips.

FSBO – This term is short for “For Sale By Owner”. It is important to understand that it is used as a noun in the real estate industry. Simply put, you are a FSBO. Agents helping buyers will refer to you and your property by this term. Selling agents will also contact you frequently to try to convert you from a FSBO to a listing client, to wit, they want you to hire them.

FFMLS – This term refers to Flat Fee Multiple Listing Service. Many people that consider selling their home with an agent worry that they will not be able to list their property in the multiple listing service for the area. In the past, the “MLS” was a list controlled solely by agents and realtors. These days, there are ways to access it without using a real estate agent. You can pay a Flat Fee for your listing, thus the name.

CMA – This term refers to a Comparable Market Analysis. It is essentially a breakdown of homes in your neighborhood. Information includes things such as the listing prices of homes, valuations and so on. As a FSBO seller, you can obtain a CMA by just contacting a real estate agent. They use these reports as lead generators and give them out for free. Tell them you are a FSBO and they will still give you one. The eternal hope of the agent, of course, is that you will fail as a FSBO and hire them.

Obviously, there are many terms that arise in the real estate world. Most apply whether or not you are using an agent to promote your property. The above represent a couple you need to know as a FSBO.

Raynor James is with FSBOAmerica.org - save money when selling and buying with FSBO homes for sale by owner.
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Shy FSBO Selling

Selling a home in not a time to be shy. The basic rule is people cannot buy your home if they don’t know it is for sale! This is particularly a problem with FSBO sellers. If you make the decision to save thousands on real estate agent commissions by listing your home for sale by owner, you must get out there and let people know that it is available. Tell friends, family, neighbors and so on. Don’t be shy!

Putting Your Best Foot Forward When Selling Your Home

As the real estate market cools off, it is important to focus on the fundamentals if you want to sell your home. One key step is to put your best foot forward at the outset of your selling effort.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward When Selling Your Home

As strange as it sounds, homeowners became very lazy over the last five years when it came time to sell a home. There was so much buyer demand that sellers really had to make little or no effort to move their properties. As you have probably been reading in the papers or on the net, that market is a memory. If you are getting ready to sell your home, you need to return to the fundamentals of being a seller.

The most important step you can take is to get your home in proper condition prior to listing it. This may sound obvious, but many do not take all the necessary steps. Remember, the appearance of your home is going to be the swaying point in a buyers decision making process. Here are a couple of areas that most sellers fail to think about when giving their home the once over.

If you have a fireplace, make sure to get your chimney cleaned. Yes, it sounds like a strange bit of advice, but it is valid. Buyers know you are going to try to make the home look its best. To counter this, they look in less obvious places to see how you really took care of it before you prepared it to be sold. The chimney is one place the look. I kid you not.

The floor is another place you need to focus on. In this case, I am not talking about the appearance per se, although you should deal with that if it is an issue. Instead, I am talking about any humps or soft areas. In the buyer’s mind, the floor should be flat and rightly so. If you have a bump or any soft spot, you must deal with it. Failure to do so will result in your home sitting on the market for a very long time. Buyers focus on floors, so make sure yours is perfect.

If you have an attic, you need to give it the once over. Let’s be honest, the attic is the place we all shove our junk. I bet you don’t even know what is up there. Well, you need to find out. Buyers are going to want to see it. This means it needs to be organized and clean. If the buyers see a spic and span attic, they are going to be favorably impressed. More importantly, they are going to be under the impression you have really taken care of the home while living there. This impression goes a long way to getting an offer.

At the end of the day, you need to really commit to selling your property. This commitment means going through it with a fine eye for detail.

Raynor James is with FSBOAmerica.org - save money when selling and buying with homes for sale by owner.

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Spring Selling Tip

As the season turns to spring, you can take advantage of it when selling your property. The secret is landscaping. If it blooms, plant it! The assault of color will help spice up even the most bland of properties. Remember, real estate investors like to find apartment buildings with terrible landscaping, fix it up and then resell for a nice profit. You should use the same technique. Make sure to put something that smells nice around your front door as well. The nice smell will give the potential buyer a subtle impression.

Selling Your Home in Winter

Selling your home in the current cool real estate market can be a challenge. Make the decision to sell it in the winter, and you can have a real challenge on your hands.

Selling Your Home in Winter

The old cliché is that location, location, location is the number one rule in real estate. In general, this is true. There is, however, a second major rule regarding the actual act of selling your home. This rule is to create as much curb appeal as possible.

Curb appeal is critical when it comes to moving your property. Why? Well, the home purchasing process is an emotional one. Yes, there are a lot of hard factors that go into it such as the area, price compared to the market, schools and so on. At the end of the day, however, the buying process is still pretty much about love at first site. If a buyer sees your home and immediately pictures themselves living there, you stand an excellent chance of getting an offer.

If you decide to sell your home during the winter months, the issue of curb appeal can become a big one. One of the central themes of creating curb appeal is to buff out your yard. Adding plants, cleaning up the verge and so on are always recommended. If you live in Arizona or Southern California, you can still do this in the winter. Ah, but what if you live in an area where the winter months mean dead plants? Well, you are going to need to get creative.

The first step to dealing with your yard in the winter months is to make sure it is clean. Buyers in the area are not expecting anything great because they already know everything dies during the winter. While this is true, you can still take the extra step of having a clean and tidy dead yard. Sweep up all leaves, trash and so on. Make sure paths are cleaned and edged. Essentially, you want people to be able to envision how it might look in the summer months. This leads us to our second step.

If at all possible, you want to hunt down pictures of your home from the summer months. The pictures should include views of the home with the landscaping in full bloom and healthy. These pictures should be added to your marketing material. You should also put them on prominent display during an open house or when you show the home to a prospective buyer. The goal is to let the buyer know the yard actually will grow back and it will look pretty nice when it does.

Selling your home in the winter might sound like a challenge. By taking these steps, however, you can actually make your home stand out from others around it.

Raynor James is with FSBOAmerica.org - save money when selling and buying with homes for sale by owner.

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The Fine Wine Element of Selling Your Home

Like fine wine, your home has probably aged nicely while you have lived in it. While you may feel this way, it is important to understand buyers may look at it a bit differently.

The Fine Wine Element of Selling Your Home

A home is a fundamental part of our lives. We tend to live in them for a number of years during which time significant things happen in our lives. Maybe you had additions to your family. Maybe you met someone to share the rest of your life with. The list is practically endless. While all of this is wonderful, the one consistent with them is time. While you stack up experiences, you house is aging. When it comes time to sell it, the fine wine element of this aging needs to be addressed.

The age of a home is always on the mind of any perspective buyer. To the surprise of many sellers, buyers usually are not overly sensitive to when the home was built. What they are really interested in is how long is the property going to last if they buy it. With some solid maintenance, an old Victorian will last for a long, long time. Homes built in the last 30 years, however, do not always have such staying power.

If you have an older home, you can take steps to cut this buyer concern off at the knees. It is an extra step that costs you nothing and you will be glad you had done. Yep, you are going to get the answers before you list the property. Being well prepared is the key to getting past the objections and concerns of potential buyers.

When it comes to the age of your home, the key is figuring out how long things will last. So, should you read up on it on the net? Should you just eyeball it? Should you go with what someone told you? No! You should get estimates. Specifically, you should call out contractors and get estimates. The estimates should cover the condition of the area in question, any repairs needed and the remaining life for the area in question. You should do this for the roof, heating system, cooling system, ventilation system and any thing else that might age like bad wine and is unique to your home.

Taking this step will let you know what is right and wrong with your home as well as how long things are going to last. When a buyer asks how long the roof can reasonably be expected to last, you can pull out the estimate and show them. End of question!

Raynor James is with FSBOAmerica.org - providing daily real estate tips to buyers and sellers.
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I Am Your New Landlord and Here Are My Expectations

If you read my first article, “When a Tenant Won’t Pay Rent On Time” (see articles at FreeLandlordSoftware.com) you may remember the first step when dealing with a new tenant is to be firm with that tenant from the start.

Well what about when you inherit new tenants? This happens when you have purchased a new rental property that is currently rented by tenants that you did not select. In this situation, how can you be firm from the start?

The first step is, reading the current lease, and thoroughly understanding the terms specified therein. Second, you need to let the tenant know that you intend on enforcing the terms of the current lease. Finally, when the lease is finished, if you intend on keeping that tenant, resign the tenant to your own lease with your own terms.

It is always better to start the new relationship with the existing tenant on a firm note. Chances are, they feel at home in your property and they see you as the new guy or gal. You need to let them know, they are living in your building and they are expected to follow the terms they agreed to when they signed their lease. When you make your expectations clear and you enforce those expectations, the tenant will have no choice but to follow those expectations or the can expect to find a new place to live. Firm, fair, consistent…

Sometimes a tenant is used to the previous landlord who let them slide regularly. This will be a challenge for you to earn the respect of this tenant who is used to a wishy washy landlord. It is even more important in this scenario to “speak softly and carry a big stick”.

A good idea is to start with an introduction letter to your new tenant hitting several key points:

1. My name is, I just purchased the building and here is my contact information.
2. The rent is due on the 1st of the month and there are late fees (if in the lease) which will be enforced.
3. I am experienced in the eviction process for tenants that do not follow my expectations.
4. I will be doing regular maintenance checks on the property and you will be notified when I will be doing them.

For your convenience, you may download a copy of the “First Letter to Tenants” template for free at FreeLandlordSoftware.com. Save it to your computer. Edit it and I suggest that you save the edited copy in a file named after your tenant.

In conclusion, please remember that it is much easier to begin firm and earn respect from the first introduction than to try to gain back that initial shock value later with a tenant that disregards your rules.

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6 Ways To Invest In Real Estate

The first question I have for someone who's interested in real estate investing is: What

type of investing is right for you?

Now when I ask people this question, the response I often hear is:

"I didn't know there were different types of real estate investments. I just want to make

some money."

Well, there are several ways to invest in real estate.

Let me explain.

1. Make Money Monthly (Cash Flow)

You buy property and become a landlord. This doesn't necessarily mean you deal with tenants.

There are plenty of management companies that will do that for a nominal fee.

You buy property and structure the deal so that any mortgage payment, plus the sum total of

expenses, are less than the amount of income (rent) you are receiving. Hence the term -

Positive Cash Flow!

When calculating positive cash flow, don't forget there are annual tax benefits to owning

real estate and appreciation (realized at the time of sale.)

2. Buying and Selling (Flipping)
The idea here is simple: buy property for less than you sell it for. You can buy a

distressed property that needs improvement, or buy from a distressed owner that needs out.

When you buy property that needs improvement, to make the most money you will want to bring

the property up to snuff. Whether you do the work, or hire it done, you will need to

calculate your cost to improve the property, as well as your holding costs. Holding costs

are the expenses of owning the property during the time of repairs and until the property is

sold. These costs include taxes, any mortgage interest payments, utilities, and normal

maintenance such as grass cutting, and snow removal.

When you buy property from a distressed owner, often the property is fine, but the owner has

either fallen behind in mortgage payments or taxes, or does not want the property for other

reasons such as relocation, divorce, probate, etc. In this situation, you payoff the owner抯

debt, take over the property, and sell for a profit. Obviously the debt needs to be lower

than the market value for you to profit.

3. Lease Option
This less common method involves controlling the property without taking title. You lease

the property and either sell the property or lease to another tenant until the property

sells. This one is a bit more complicated and has some drawbacks, such as the inability to

depreciate your lease, but you can reap big profits.

4. Buying Tax Liens
Property in default for back taxes can be purchased from the government. You simply place a

deposit as designated by the government and sit out the waiting period. If the taxes are not

paid, you get the property. Oh, in the meantime your money earns interest and you are

guaranteed by the government not to lose a dime!

5. Private Lending
Individuals are allowed to finance so many properties per year without the regulations of

becoming a mortgage company. This is a great way to invest passively in the real estate

market. By holding a first deed of trust, your money is secured by the property, and you can

charge more interest than you would otherwise earn with a typical safe passive investment

such as CDs.

6. Pre-Construction:

Buy property direct from builders before they are built. You lock in a wholesale price and

market the property upon completion. This is a good opportunity in many areas. You have no

tenants to worry about and no mortgage payments during the construction.

So there are six choices for you to start making money in real estate!


Learn more about investing real estate now at: http://www.iloverealestateinvesting.com

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Live Your Dream of Becoming a Real Estate Investor!

Anyone who has ever wanted to be real estate investor, or to become an investor in the foreign property market, should consider buying real estate in Costa Rica. The purchase of land in Costa Rica not only diversifies your financial portfolio, but also allows you to acquire assets in a real estate market at a time when the investment could soon be very lucrative indeed.

If it has always been a dream of yours to live in a tropical paradise, then Costa Rica is the place for you! As a country with a stable economy, and home to more than 4 million people, this would be a sound financial investment in a friendly and peaceful country.

With so many square miles of land available for purchase currently, it has become relatively hassle-free for foreigners to enter into the market of investing into Costa Rica land. One of the main benefits is not only the abundance of ocean view property, but also that anyone looking for Costa Rica beachfront property can purchase it at a fraction of the cost as compared to buying it within their home country. This huge cost savings has made it affordable for modest income earners around the world.

Another benefit to purchasing Costa Rican property is land ownership. Unlike other countries where only citizens of the country are allowed to own land, in Costa Rica, land ownership is granted regardless of citizenship. With such a large amount of undeveloped land available, and foreigners being able to legally own, it brings the investor one step closer to purchasing in beautiful Costa Rica.

A third benefit to purchasing Costa Rica land for sale would be the minimal property taxes required. Anyone previously paying property tax in a large city will be amazed at how affordable the property tax in Costa Rica will be. (It is only about $350/year US, for a 5-acre parcel as of late 2006.)

A fourth benefit to investing in Costa Rica is the exceptional value you get for your money. In Costa Rica, a real estate investor is able to spend less money, but acquire more acreage and build a larger square foot home. This equates into an investor being able to buy more real estate at a more affordable price. Based on this, acquiring Costa Rica real estate will be a great way for you to climb onto the property ladder as a first time real estate investor.

by David Lovendahl, Costa Vista Marketing

About Costa Vista Land
Costa Vista Land (http://www.costavistaland.com) is ‘developing paradise’ in Costa Rica. They purchase large quantities of raw land at discount prices and develop the properties in less than 18 months. Hence, the unique program in which investors can obtain developed land at undeveloped prices and why company president, Brad Hogan says, "We are an investment company first and a land sale company second." Parcel choices range from valleys to mountains, to beautiful coastline property. Costa Vista Land encourages investors to visit Costa Rica to view their property and will pay for accommodations, meals and transportation to do so. This lucrative program comes with 100% money back guarantee.

For more information, contact 1-877-55-COSTA or in San Jose, Costa Rica (506) 234-7509. And grab your Free 50 minute CD Now by visiting http://www.developingparadise.com

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What's Happening In The Orange County Real Estate Market Regarding Homes For Sale And Home Values.

ORANGE COUNTY REAL ESTATE ON A POSSITIVE NOTE… In spite of reports that Orange County real estate was headed downhill, it may just be a very momentary delay as headlines in all papers conclusively report the facts, we are in a correcting market shifting to a moderating market. What are the exact news headlines? The LA Times prints “Region’s Home Prices Hold Firm,” and the OC Register, “A Moderating Market.” Both articles continued to report that after months of price adjustments, it did appear that the median home price in Orange County had stabilized. It is important here to remember the newspapers goal is to sell papers and so dramatize what really didn’t justify it. Namely, the reports were about sales plummeting as well as prices. Well, that’s not truly valid. The Orange County real estate market had appreciated 200% over 6 years and then fallen 5% to 8% over 8 months, “plummeting” seems a bit unjust. Similarly, when you have sales in excess of 4,500 in a month to set an all time high number of sales, “plunging volume” seems a bit untruthful as sales numbers adjust to a customary volume peak for the seasonal real estate cycle. Late November and early December inventory levels have done exactly what this newsletter calculated; they’ve reduced. Sellers who were trying to get more than the market accepted have seen their listings expire which most have not re-listed their home for sale. Now the sellers entering the market are realistic about current market conditions are listing their homes at market price and are watching them sell.

THE REAL NUMBERS… The total sales numbers for October (the most recent month available) is 2,715, up 1.9% from September and September’s sales were up from August. The percent change from the previous October 05’ is down 24.9%, which should be no surprise to anyone. The median Orange County home price held solid at $625,000- up 3.1% from last Octobers medium sales price. There were 1,685 single-family resale, 655 condominium resale, and 375 new homes. The price range sales statistics are: below $400,000 = 339, subsequently is $400,000 - $500,000 = 320, after that $500,000 - $600,000 = 479, followed by $600,000 - $700,000 = 506 and finally we have over $700,000 = 955.

DON’T BE CONCERNED ABOUT EMPLOYMENT SHIFTS AS HOUSING ADJUSTS… The Kiplinger California Letter reports on the impact of $43 billion in bonds. According to the report, “A public works construction boom over the next 10 years, benefiting builders, designers and construction materials firms. Not since the 1960s has there been so much work undertaken on the state’s infrastructure.” The article further states an expected 140,000 new jobs over 10 years, in excess of those to be gone in the current home-building downturn. These jobs will assist strengthen the employment for more population entering California as well as the trickle down and trickle up economics associated with that number jobs. FROM KIPLINGER LETTER, “The area’s tech industry is robust and likely to expand hiring.” There have also been reports of up to 30% 3rd quarter sales increases compared to the same quarter in 05’ from Irvine based companies such asBroadcom, Ingram Micro, Western Digital, and Microsemi.

This article can be freely published on a website as long as it is not modified in any way including author bylines, plus the hyperlink must be made active just like below.

Andrew Thomas is the editor of "What's Happening In The Orange County Real Estate Market Regarding Homes For Sale And Home Prices."
Visit
Orange County Real Estate - Reduced Price Homes,
Yorba Linda Real Estate - Reduced Prices Homes,
Anaheim Hills Real Estate - Reduced Prices Homes,
Websites

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Occupation: Realtor

-State License in California Real Estate since 1999. -Worked for Remax, Century 21, and Currently Prudential Realty. -Started in Real Estate Finance working for three different companies. On a more personal note: I really enjoy bass fishing in my spare time and have fished in tournaments as an ameteur. I won my first tournament in 2003 at San Vicente Lake in San Diego, Ca.

http://http:www.ocbuyersmarket.com

They could devalue your house by $100,000 – or more.

They could devalue your house by $100,000 – or more.

They cause up to five times more damage annually than storms, flood and fire combined.

And, if you’re like 1 in 5 other Australians, they could be in your home right now.


Termites cost Australian home owners 100 million dollars EVERY year. And yet this damage is easily preventable.

Mal Trotter is the Managing Director of Pink Pest Services, a leading pest inspection service with over 30 years experience, based in Sydney. Mr Trotter says that every home needs regular termite inspection.

He says that any of the following may be an indication of termites:

• Cracked plaster and/or paint
• Sagging doors and floors
• Brown mud ‘shelter tubes’. You will probably find these either under your home, or around the outside of it. Termites use the tubes to get access to the timbers of your house.

Termites can also cause power failures. Electrical fittings attract termites with their warmth and often the termites will then chew through the electrical insulation, causing black outs. If you’ve had unexplained power failures recently, this may be the cause.

Pink Pest Services says that if you find telltale signs, or termites themselves, don’t panic and don’t disturb the insects.

Your first course of action should be to get in contact with a qualified and accredited pest inspector.

We’ve all heard the horror stories of pest inspectors who bring their own bugs with them in order to make money from unsuspecting home owners. That’s why you should always ensure that your inspector is accredited by the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA) and by PestCert. By doing this, you’ll ensure not only that you get a knowledgable, fully trained pest inspector – you also give yourself the peace of mind of knowing that, through AEPMA, you also have access to a complaint handling system should your needs not be met.

Pink Pest Services are members of AEPMA and one of the few companies to be fully accredited by PestCert.

For more information on how Pink Pest Services can help stop you becoming another statistic and save you potentially thousands of dollars, contact them at Pink Pest Services.

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Investing in a house that will have good resale value

Well, you are buying a house, congratulations! But before making the purchase, read these helpful tips first.

Home and shelter is the number one priority for everyone. Everyone must have a roof over their head whether to rent or to own. When you own a house, the house is not only served as a shelter, it is also served as a vehicle for you to build wealth or equity. Having said that, you should pay attention to the following tips to making sure that the house that you are going to buy will have a good resale value.

How to choose a house that has good resale value?

LOCATION
The most important thing in real estate is location. It is the most important element in real estate because land is heterogeneous and it is permanently fixed in one place. You cannot move your house to another location if it is in a bad location. Since location is an element that is beyond your reach for change, it is the most important element to consider. The rule of thumb for determining a good location is to choose a location that is integrating and flourishing, such as an area that is moving in the forward direction. Look for location that is situated in an area that has structured economic development, transportation, infrastructure, and local government. One of the examples would be a house in a suburban area that is moving toward becoming a major city with a lot of economic activities going on. To look around an area, you can enter an address on zillow.com to get the aerial view of the property that you are interested and survey the surrounding environment. Besides, you can also do some research in the library or go to the local Chamber of Commerce to get information about a city or log on to the city's web site. At all costs, avoid airport, rail road, and heavy industrial area that constantly produce noise and air pollutants.

SCHOOL DISTRICT
The next thing is the local school district of your home. When buying a house, try to do some research on the local school district and find out the school performance ranking and public review of the school system there. Whether or not you have a family, you should consider the quality of the school system in the district where you want to live because an excellent school district will guarantee excellent resale value since there are always a lot of buyers seeking to buy a home in an excellent school district for their kids to have the opportunity to go to excellent schools.

NEIGHBORHOOD AND CRIME RATE
Look for a safe and well organized housing community. Your home should be in a safe and well maintained neighborhood to make it marketable for high resale value. New housing developments usually have Homeowners Associations established for taking care of the community; they enforce the covenants of their community, and also ensure that proper maintenance, care and order are in place to maintain their property values. At all costs, avoid run down neighborhood or a neighborhood that is going downhill. Go to the local police station to find out the crime rate in your area.

HOME STRUCTURE AND APPEAL
The home itself has to be pleasant in and out. A pleasant home should be well designed, constructed and maintained. If there is something that will turn you off in the house, walk away because your buyers will probably have the same kind of negative feeling of the house when it comes the time to sell it. Remember that no deal is better than a bad deal. There are always plenty of houses on the market for you to choose from.

Finally, buying a house that will have a good resale value is the key to building wealth in real estate and it would be a nightmare for anyone to move into a house and then later on regret it if the above elements were not considered before buying the house.


Emi also writes for www.findmyroof.com, a web site that provides free nationwide real estate listing service.

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Occupation: Technical Writer, specialized in real estate and m

Emi writes for several real estate/mortgage related websites. Check out her favorite real estate website, FindMyRoof.com, a free real estate listing site for FSBOs, landlords, agents and brokers nationwide.

http://www.findmyroof.com

California Reverse Mortgage

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that helps protect seniors from unscrupulous lenders when they enter into reverse mortgages.

"It is our responsibility to help protect those who are most vulnerable in our society," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "Getting a reverse mortgage can be very helpful, but it is a huge decision. We want to make sure people have all the information they need before making any financial commitment and we want to make sure everyone is getting the right deal, a fair deal and an honest deal."

Specifically, this bill prohibits a reverse mortgage lender from accepting a reverse mortgage application or assessing any fees until the potential borrower has received independent counseling regarding the loan. In addition, it prohibits a lender from requiring a borrower to purchase an annuity as a part of the reverse mortgage transaction and requires a reverse mortgage contract to be translated into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean if the contract was primarily negotiated in one of those languages.

A Reverse Mortgage applicant is already required to go through counseling through a HUD sponsored counselor. This has been a requirement since the government took over the program almost 15 years ago. But has time has gone on, safety measures must evolve and be update and it is good to see that Gov. Schwarzenegger see this and is acting accordingly.

A reverse mortgage generally allows homeowners 62 and above to receive either monthly payments or one lump sum from the property’s equity without having to sell the property or make monthly repayments. Reverse mortgage loans typically require no repayment for as long as residents do not move, but they must be repaid in full, including all interest and other charges, when the last living borrower dies, sells the home or permanently moves away. Reverse mortgage borrowers continue to own their homes. They remain responsible for property taxes, insurance, and repairs.

Troy Shellhammer is associated with a nationwide Reverse Mortgage Lender. Reverse Mortgage Nation will provide you access to education material, loan officers nationwide, reverse mortgage information, online calculator, and other consumer benefits.

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Mortgage Relief, Short Sales and Taxes

As the real estate market has changed in the last year, many homeowners are starting to have problems meeting their mortgage. Short sales are touted as a solution, but you must consider taxes before doing it.

Mortgage Relief, Short Sales and Taxes

Lenders have been criticized for the last few years for creating loan programs that set borrowers up for trouble. These programs came in many forms, but interest only, zero down and various hybrid loans were the chief programs criticized. Specifically, critics charged that these loans would lead to disaster when housing prices eventually corrected and interest rates rose from their historic lows. Well, it appears as though the criticism was correct.

We are just starting to see a trend where many homeowners are staring a mortgage nightmare in the face. What is the nightmare? They are upside down on their homes and cannot afford the mortgage payments. Many people have borrowed beyond the equity in their home. If they haven’t, they may have taken on a debt that they cannot afford to service, to wit, make the month payments. At the outset of the loan, they had no problem with the payments. As the initial teaser rate periods have ended and interest rates have risen, they are feeling the pinch. Frankly, this trend is going to grow over 2007, which should be a banner year for loan defaults.

One solution for the above scenario is to pursue a short sale. A short sale occurs when a lender agrees to let you sell the home for less than you owe. Realizing you are headed for foreclosure, the lender basically takes its licks and walks away from the situation. Various companies suggest this is an easy solution, but you need to understand most lenders will not be receptive to this strategy. Instead, they will offer to modify the terms of your loan or forebear payments for a few months. Still, what if they agree to a short sale?

Short sales sound like the perfect solution for most borrowers in over their heads. There is, however, a potential nasty trap out there – taxes. In certain situations, the IRS will view your release from the mortgage debt as a taxable event and expect you to pay income taxes on the amount in question. Contrary to the commercials you see and hear, this is not an automatic occurrence. Instead, there is a particular formula you can use.

To figure out if you are going to have to pay income taxes from a short sale, you need to focus on the tax basis and the amount you owe at the short sale. The tax basis is simply your purchase price plus any capital expenses such as home improvements. Assume you buy a home for $500,000 and put $100,000 into it in improvements. Assume you refinance a few times and owe $500,000. Your tax basis is $600,000, which is more than you owe. In such a scenario, you will not have to pay income tax on the short sale relief. For most people, however, this is not the case.

Assume you purchased a home in 2002 for $300,000 and it appreciated to $500,000. Along the way, you refinanced a couple of times and sucked cash out. You now have a mortgage for $450,000 and are in trouble with the payments. The lender agrees to a short sale and you sell the home. You now have a large tax problem. Your tax basis is $300,000, but you owed $450,000 on it at the time of the sale. In the view of the IRS, the $150,000 debt relief is a form of income to you. You now must report and pay income taxes on $150,000 even though you didn’t put a red penny in your pocket. Talk about a nightmare!

If you are having problems meeting your mortgage obligations, it is important that you do not panic. Talk with your lender about your options. If a short sale looks like the solution, make sure you sit down with an accountant before selling. While defaulting on a mortgage is unfortunate, creating a tax nightmare is definitely worse.

Dan Lewis is with Great Western Mortgage - providing San Diego mortgage loans for new purchases, refinance and more.

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Sell house to avoid forclosure

This is a foreclosure. They can damage your credit rating, a problem that can prevent you from purchasing another home in the future. If you want to know how to avoid foreclosures, keep reading. We have some advice that may help you avoid foreclosure.

At the first sign of financial trouble, we recommend talking to your lender to help avoid foreclosure. This may seem embarrassing or nerve-wracking, but it is the first step towards avoiding foreclosure. Your lender doesn't want to take your home as they are not in the business of real estate! The longer you wait to talk about financial problems with your lender, the more difficult it will become to find a solution that works for everyone and avoid foreclosures.

If something comes up that prevents you from making your payments for a short period of time, like temporary unemployment, illness or unforeseen medical expenses, there are several options to help you avoid foreclosure. You might consider forbearance, a repayment plan or a reinstatement plan to avoid foreclosure.

Forbearance means a temporary hold on your payments. Interest will continue to accrue in the interim and the interest will be added to the remaining balance of the loan. When the forbearance period closes, you will make full payments on the mortgage (including the accrued interest).

A repayment plan, otherwise known as an amortization schedule, works on the basis of nominal interest. If you calculate how much income you have and how much money you spend, you can determine if a repayment plan will work for you to avoid foreclosure. If you can make your regular payments on time, you set up a payment schedule in which you pay more money each month to work off the late payments over a set period of time. Although the repayment plan takes time for you to get out of debt, it will help you avoid foreclosure in the long run.

The third option to avoid foreclosure is a reinstatement plan. You can use a reinstatement plan if you are able to resume your regular payments and provide a lump-sum payment that includes back payments, late fees and any other legal expenses. This is the quickest method of resolving your financial problems, if you can manage the lump sum and it helps avoid foreclosure.

However, if you are in more serious financial troubles that will prevent you from making payments over a long period of time, you have some different options to help avoid foreclosure.

One option to avoid foreclosure is to refinance your existing mortgage. This means you will be applying for a second secured loan that will allow you to pay off your existing mortgage at a more favorable interest rate. This method works well if you have a fair amount of equity in your home. Because interest rates fluctuate over time, you may be able to exchange a higher interest rate on your existing mortgage for a lower one, which will lower your monthly payments.

Refinancing can also help avoid foreclosure by shortening the term of your mortgage. Another option to avoid foreclosure is to give your property back to the lender via Deed in Lieu foreclosure. This means that the bank takes your property as payment for your outstanding debt. Although this means giving up your home, it will not affect your credit rating as negatively as an actual foreclosure. You might consider selling your house to avoid foreclosure. You may be able to avoid foreclosure by getting the bank to stop proceedings by agreeing to sell your home. To avoid foreclosure, you might need to accept a lower asking price for your home due to time limits set by the lender.

The most important thing for you to gain from reading this guide to avoiding foreclosure is the understanding that time is the key factor. If you want to avoid foreclosure, speak with your lender as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the less desirable your options become. Avoid foreclosure of your home by investigating the options available to you now!

Tim is the founder of Community Real Estate Investors Association, a network of real estate investors who advertise "We Buy Homes in Houston" across the nation. Visit our website at http://www.sellmyhomeforcash.com to"We Buy Ugly Houses Houston and our Blog at Blog on Real Estate Business

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How To Pool Lender Money To Fund Your Real Estate Deals

When you pool money from private lenders, you're putting funds together from two or more different private lenders.

You obviously need to look at doing something different where your state's paperwork is concerned. This means you will need to file paperwork with your state and provide a disclosure document to your potential private lenders.

In Ohio, for example, we have what is known as 6(A)1 filing. This filing allow for pooling private lenders' money in running your real-estate investment business.

This filing also allows advertising and unlimited private lenders.

Remember, securities laws and regulations vary from state to state and the Federal SEC has its own set of laws and regulations.

Pooling money occurs when you combine funds from two or more different private lenders.

You should use or form a new business entity. You should choose a corporation which could be an S-corporation or an LLC. Some states have different filings available depending upon whether you have a corporation or an LLC, and LLC's are sometimes treated as partnerships. Most states won't allow you to pool money when you're operating as a sole proprietorship or DBA.

You cannot use your state's exemption for real-estate transactions, similar to Ohio's 3(H) exemption, when you pool lenders together. You can not use this particular exemption because there is no paperwork involved. In Ohio, you must "upgrade" to the 6(A)1 form, which allows pooling. All states have similar paperwork levels.

You should use one of your state's filings that allow for pooling money. As an example, Ohio has a number of these filings available, such as a 6(A)1.

These filings require you to fill out paperwork, informing the state regulator about your business and what you're doing. It usually requires you to disclose information to your potential private lenders, which is for your benefit as well as your private lenders' benefit.

You'll pay a fee to your state regulator when you file your paperwork.

One of the things I've taught my students and continue to stress is that you shouldn't be pooling money from private lenders unless you make sure you're in compliance.
In order to be in compliance with your home state's securities laws, you'll need to find the proper exemption, filing or registration option and comply with its requirements.

The following is some general information on staying in compliance with your state's requirements.

When you use an exemption to bring in private lenders, you are making an offer and sale of a security. It's important to understand that an offer to sell is usually treated the same as a sale when it comes to securities compliance.

Two key concepts to understand when you sell securities are that there are exempt securities and there are exempt transactions. Whether you're selling stock, equities, borrowing money, or debt, these are treated as securities. An exempt security usually means a security issued by a governmental agency or authority.

An exempt transaction refers to the sale of a security not issued by a government agency that has been given an exemption under state law (or federal law) because of the nature of the security and how it's sold.

Many of my students are basing their compliance on the exemptions in their states that are similar to the one in Ohio found under 3(H):

Ohio Revised Code, Chapter XVII, Title 1707.03(H) The sale of notes, bonds, or other evidences of indebtedness that are secured by a mortgage lien upon real estate, leasehold estate other than oil, gas, or mining leasehold, or tangible personal property, or which evidence of indebtedness is due under or based upon a conditional-sale contract, if all such notes, bonds, or other evidences of indebtedness are sold to a single purchaser at a single sale, is exempt.

Remember, these are still securities, and the sale of these securities can be exempt under securities laws in Ohio. Compliance with the offer and sale of these securities is still required.

Some states may offer you more than one choice, so you'll want to evaluate those choices


Alan Cowgill is a national speaker, author, and real estate entrepreneur. Alan had bought or sold over 200 investment properties. His step-by-step system "Private Lending Made Easy" teaches Real Estate investors and mortgage brokers how to find private lenders. Contact Alan at 937-390-0816 or 866-831-3540. For a FREE audio CD go to http://www.PrivateLendingMadeEasy.com

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Acquiring international property is easier than you might think

Now is a great time to start thinking about where you've always dreamed of owning property; that's because the international property market is currently burgeoning. Overseas home ownership by British nationals, for example, has risen by over 95% within the last ten years - and why not? The rewards of owning international property are numerous; whether you're looking to diversify your investment portfolio or soak up the sheer joy of living abroad.


Spain is currently one of the top international property markets - and it's not hard to see why as it emanates history, culture and colourful attractions. What's more, Spain is teeming with new and traditional residential property, as well as commercial and rural property in most locations. So if you've been dreaming of acquiring property in a rural village near Mallorca, amidst the paradise of Ibiza or in the bustling centre of Barcelona, you can rest assured that your choices are abundant.


However, searching for international property can be an overly-intricate process if you don't take the right steps. While it can be tempting to advance directly on to the search process, it's important to consider a few essential aspects of property-buying first: make sure you're aware of your resources, whether they're in the financial or legal sectors of the property market, and organize an approach before you begin your search. But above all, get to know an area in detail before you jump into any property deals. In fact, it would be a good idea to take several trips to the area of interest, as well as to rent a house during your stay to ensure you get a good feel for the locality.


If you're looking for property for sale in Spain, for example, it's best to consult a property search company which has a sector specialising in Spanish property. This will ensure that you'll have access to a wide range of property listings as well as the ability to make comparisons with ease. Furthermore, you'll be able to track quality estate agents who specialise in property within specific locations, making your overall property search experience a positive one.


There are also a number of residential and commercial property companies which offer a comprehensive set of services in addition to property search. Whether you need to develop your new home or secure a valuation of commercial investment property it's reassuring to know that you'll be able to manage everything through a single resource.


Furthermore, you'll need to consider the financial aspect of your property purchase far in advance. In fact, it's a good idea to seek guidance on mortgages, protection plans and loans before you even begin searching for your dream home or property; that way, you'll be able to make well-informed decisions when it comes to actually purchasing your property.


So, while it's a great time to acquire property abroad, it's important that you obtain professional expertise in all aspects of the property market, so that when you finally make your purchase you'll be confident that all the essentials have been covered.

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Why Invest in Real Estate ?

Historically, real estate has produced more wealth than any other single industry. Indeed Fortune magazine reported that 97% of all millionaires in the U.S.achieved their goals through property investing. For some reason many people are somewhat apprehensive and reluctant to invest in property.Here are 10 reasons to change their minds.

1) The fundamental concepts of real estate investing are relatively straightforward and easy to understand. Unlike stocks and bonds property is "real" and tangible. 2) Property tends to hold its value remarkably well, often growing in value at a pace faster than inflation. 3) It is capable of producing phenomenal profits if bought and sold correctly. 4) Property investing is also a great cash flow vehicle. Several properties can easily provide a steady stream of income that could potentially replace dependency on a monthly paycheck. 5) Property investment has excellent residual income potential: simply do the work once and continue to get paid many months and even years later. 6) Property investing in the form of rentals is also a scalable vehicle. Rent one property, achieve one income stream. Rent two properties achieve two income streams. Rent many properties achieve multiple income streams! 7) Investing in paper ie mortgages secured by real estate can provide a management and maintenance free investment for those who have accumulated cash and desire a less hands on approach. 8) Real estate has a preferential tax treatment allowing for valuable write-offs, and tax advantages for profits from capital gains on sale of the property. 9) Few investment opportunities are able to match the phenomenal leverage offered by property investing. Even a traditional mortgage

has a leverge ratio of 9 to 1. For example a $100,000 property can be acquired for $10,000. With a little experience and some creativity the down payment can even be as low as zero. 10) Upon completion of a project the property can be quickly sold or farmed out to a property management company thus freeing the investor for the next project !

Real estate investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It requires work sometimes a great deal of hard work but with research and an effective plan the rewards far outweigh the risk. In my experience, real estate is the only business that has provided consistent rewards in terms of net worth,equity and passive income. It offers exceptional returns and is one of the few businesses that provides a realistic path towards financial freedom.

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How to Buy a House - Buyers Procedure

How to Buy a House – Buyers Guide

People usually dream of for owning a house. For many people it will just be
a dream and for some only it becomes a fact. Buying a house in the market is
not a difficult one. If we have some fund for the down payment, then it is more
enough.

The buyer should follow some procedure while purchasing a house

1. Before buying a house think weather you will stay in the same house, if
it satisfies the situation. If you find a job, which was keep on, moving from
one place to another, then you can stay in a single house. The house buying
should be based on the situation of mobility of fund, desire and satisfaction.

2. The next main task the buyer is to face is mobility of funds. Mobility of
funds means that the buyer should have proper funds to invest in the house market.
Availability of Credit rating is the main task that decides the purchase of
your house. This stability is must needed in the market. Estimate the budget
of your house. By mortgaging the property also, the buyer can pay for his desire
house. Funds can be collected by mortgaging.

3. Collect the funds for purchase of your house. This will help you to purchase
your desire house. The buyer should see to that whether the desire house is
a bungalow, single-family house, cartage or an apartment. This should be estimated
properly while buying a house for you.

4. List in the market properly what kind of house is needed. The agent will
help you to buy your desire house. The buyer can purchase the house either on
his own or with the help of the agent. Once he entered in the market, he can
find the best possible house as per his desire. He can estimate the design,
living situation, stability and other facilities for his desire house. Layout
the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen needed, to the agent or to the
seller.

5. The buyer should purchase his house only, when he knows the trade. Otherwise,
with the help of the agent only, the buyer has to purchase his house.

6. Collect proper details regarding the house you going to purchase, whether
the house will legally bind. The buyer should be satisfied regarding the down
payment, conditions, designs, bedrooms, bathrooms and so on.

7. The buyer should estimate the value of the property carefully. Fixing the
value of the property is the main task that helps the buyer from over mortgaging.
The buyer should fix the price consideration as per his budget. The buyer can
also seek the help of the agent while bidding takes place for the house. Select
the appropriate price for your house.

8. The buyer should be careful while signing a house. After taking proper decision
only, the buyer has to sign the property. Proper inspections and finalization
helps a buyer to avoid from risk. Get the documents legally and carefully and
estimate the value of the property before fixing the prices for the house you
are purchasing.

9. Consult your solicitor if you decide to buy a house. The solicitor will
check whether the documents will legally bind. After his consult, you can decide
to purchase the house for you.

10. Finally, when you decide to purchase the house and fixed the price consideration,
your house purchase will end. The agent will also help you while purchasing
the house property. This will complete your house property purchase.

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Private Lending - The Key to Freedom and Real Profit in Real Estate Investing

Most people don’t realize it, but obtaining money for real estate deals has nothing to do with saving money for a down payment, going to a bank, filling out an application, and waiting to be approved.

In fact, if you’re going about things this way, as I did for many years, you’re wasting time and losing money.

For me, discovering how to use private lenders in my real estate business has been truly life altering. The amount of money I make and the kind of work I do each day is incredible to me. And not only is it possible, it’s really very simple. If I can do it, anyone can.

For seventeen years I languished in a full-time corporate position. I wasn’t happy and I was barely making ends meet. I was thousands of dollars in debt and it was only getting worse. It wasn’t the life I wanted. I felt that my life was just ticking away. When I sat down and really faced things, I knew in the end I could actually retire poor.

Something had to be done.

Real estate investing came to me in the form of an infomercial at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday. The course piqued my interest, but the cost was $159. Money was so tight, I didn’t have $159, but I did have a credit card and the company offered a 30-day money back guarantee. I held that credit card in my hand and considered the future I wanted. Then I picked up the phone and ordered the course. It was the first step toward a brand new life and eventual wealth beyond what I could have imagined.

But that was only the beginning. After a few years I took a second step that propelled my business and my life to a whole new level. In 2001, when I quit my corporate job and took the plunge full-time into the world of real estate, I was immediately faced with a very big problem. It turns out that this problem was the best thing that could have happened to me. You see, without full-time employment, traditional lenders weren’t exactly eager to loan me funds. And without consistently available money to fuel my real estate transactions, I had no business at all. I tried everything:

• Banks
• Line of credit
• Hard money lenders
• Partners
• Credit cards

If only I had known that all of these methods, even if they had been eager to give me a loan, were complete wastes of my time!

Finally, about five years ago I learned a lesson I’ll never forget. I came across a foreclosure on a $150,000 property that was going for only $70,000. I’d hit the jackpot! It was almost too good to be true. Of course I jumped at the chance to get in on this incredible deal. But I didn’t have the available funds. It’s every real estate dealer’s nightmare. I scrambled to the bank, to my partner. I tried to extend lines of credit. But all of this took time, and time is exactly what you don’t have with a lucrative short sale like this.

As you can guess, I didn’t get the sale. By the time I had secured funds, the property was sold to someone who had the cash ready and could close within days. In this one deal I lost a potential $60,000.
I swore then and there that this would never happen to me again. And it never did, because then I discovered private lending.

A whole new world opened to me and my investing has never been the same. Private lenders literally provide you with your own private bank to fund your real estate deals. Imagine: limitless funds that are constantly and immediately available. Today, I have more available capital than I do property in which to invest it. It’s simply a store of money waiting for me to make use of it. And anyone can have this
– that’s what’s so amazing. It’s like a dream come true for any serious investor.

It sounds a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? Let’s slow down. I’ll explain the specifics of private lending, and you’ll see for yourself how this incredible system works.

Who are private lenders?
First of all, private lenders are everyday people. Some are retired, some work, some have substantial investment capital, and others have only a little. They may want to make the most of the savings they’ve spent their lives building, or perhaps they suddenly came into money through an inheritance or property sale. Regardless of their background, all private lenders are looking for a safe, high-yield opportunity for their funds. I give my lenders a guaranteed 10-15% return on their investment. There’s nothing like it anywhere. The incredible thing is that most people don’t know about this opportunity. They let their hard-earned money sit in CD’s or IRA’s. Some even risk the volatile stock market. The win-win reality of private lending is unparalleled. Really, you get immediate, limitless funds to invest in real estate opportunities at a moment’s notice.

Your lenders get an incredible 15% simple interest on their money. They are secured by both a mortgage and hazard insurance on the home. There is safety in their investment because the total investment is never more than 70% of the appraised value of the property. If for some reason you would fail to repay the loan, they have the value of the property to reclaim their funds.

Not a bad deal for your lenders, or you.



Alan Cowgill is a national speaker, author, and real estate entrepreneur. Alan had bought or sold over 200 investment properties. His step-by-step system "Private Lending Made Easy" teaches Real Estate investors and mortgage brokers how to find private lenders. Contact Alan at 937-390-0816 or 866-831-3540. For a FREE audio CD go to http://www.PrivateLendingMadeEasy.com

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Essential Tips to Keep Home Improvement Costs Down

Before you strike the first nail, your home improvement projects will face critical make or break points along the way. The choices you make at these points can be critical to the success of the project. To get the most of your home improvement dollar, be sure to follow the steps below to keep your home improvement projects within budget.

Hire a pro - Good architects, designers and contractors will add to the initial cost of the project, but can save you money and frustration in the long run. Their experience will help you find design pitfalls early that can cause budget and timeline creep later. So how do you find a good architect or contractor? The best way is through word of mouth and referrals. Talk to your friends to see if any of them recently used either and if they were happy with the results. Local builders can also provide referrals. Another great source can be your local parade of homes or home builders association. Also, check with your real estate agent if you have one.

Design Fees and Contractor Costs - Most large scale home improvement projects will require the services of a professional interior designer, architect or contractor. Insist that each bid include a detailed propose on the scope and itmeline for the work. Do some analysis to determine if the fees are comparative when you shop for rates. The bargain rate firm may leave you with the clean-up and finishing work. The pricier bid may include oversight costs that you can do yourself. Keep in mind, that you often get what you pay for and cutting costs may harm you in the long run.

Planning is Key- Like any significant project, planning is a key to success. Spend quality time early in the home improvement project to make informed decisions ahead of time. Be sure to adequately review bids from contractors and don't select a contractor just because they are the lowest cost provider or are available immediately. Do your homework. Choose the design materials carefully to avoid costly changes later.

Develop Goals- Develop cost and timeline goals and stick to them as much as possible. Breaking the home improvement project down into smaller elements makes it easier to estimate the costs and manage the timeline later.

Helping Hand- Stay involved and pitch in where you can. By removing old fixtures, cabinets or doing other clean-up work you can save on the overall remodeling project. If capable, do some of the final finishing work yourself to also drive down the costs. Painting, touch up or installing faucets or other fixtures yourself can keep you within budget and give you the satisfaction of knowing you did some of the work yourself. You can also save considerable money if you do the clean-up yourself.

Design Choices and Customizations- Using custom cabinetry, windows, doors or other products can quickly drive the costs up for any home improvement project. This is one of the area where you can exercise a great deal of control over the costs. A standard window at your local home improvement store may cost $250, but a custom-sized window will cost at least double. Some elements of the project may need to be site specific and customized. But some product categories - such as windows, doors and cabinetry - offer a wide variety of standard or semi-custom choices. Adding your own trim or embellishments later may make these standard choices look customized.

Stick to the Plan- Don't let yourself get side tracked. For example, if you are painting your bedroom and you discover that the adjoining bathroom paint now looks dingy, don't get side tracked. Schedule the bathroom paint upgrade for another weekend. The desire to add or change along the way will be tempting and may prove irresistible. If your remodeling projects stick to the original plan, most would finish on time and within budget.

The key to avoiding cost overruns and other pitfalls during your remodeling projects is to properly manage the variables along the way. Estimating the costs is both an art and a science. The better you plan, manage those variables and stick to the original plan the more likely you are to be satisfied with the project and complete it within your cost and timeline budgets.

For more home remodeling tips visit: www.inhomeimprovements.com

Webmasters and publishers, please feel free to use this article provided this reference is included and all links remain active.

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Why You Should Have Large House Address Numbers

It’s not difficult to find my house because the house address numbers on my home are large and very easy to see. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone can find me and that no one would find me if I didn’t have these. Anyway, your house should have these displayed where they are easy to read so that your friends can find your house and you can also protect your family.

A person who wants to find your house will find house address numbers very helpful. These numbers are important for the delivery person who has to find your home when you order in food. However, they sometimes still can’t find me and have to call to see where I am even with the large house address numbers that I have on my front porch.

You should help the delivery person find your house if you want packages delivered to you on time. Mailpersons that are familiar with your home can sometimes have substitutes that can find it hard to find your home. You have no one to blame but yourself if your mail doesn’t seem to get to you in a timely fashion because you don’t have numbers on your house.

It is very important to have large house address numbers on your home so that emergency services can find you in cases of emergency. If someone has had an accident or a heart attack in your home, then it might not be so easy for the EMTs to find you. Anyone can find you when you call with an emergency if your house address numbers are visible. Otherwise, you might have to stand outside to wave them down.

You can easily find house address numbers and you won’t spend a lot of money to get them. The best kind to purchase might be the kind that is nailed on. Your house address numbers will be securely affixed to a porch post or to the siding if you get this kind of houses numbers.

You have to make sure that they are secure and that they are protected from the weather if you get the adhesive type. You have to keep an eye on them to make sure they are still there. You should also make sure they are lit by your outside light so that someone can easily find your house at night.

About the Author:

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning House Address Numbers. Visit our site for more helpful information about House Address Numbers and other similar topics.

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Premier Properties Longport NJ Real Estate

Premier Properties Real Estate Inc. owners, Jerome and Angel DiPentino, have shaped this boutique real estate firm in Longport, New Jersey into the community’s leading real estate agency. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Jerome summered in Longport since the 1960’s and has long-time family ties to the New Jersey shore. His father, Daniel DiPentino, founded a real estate firm in northeast Philadelphia, and by the age of 18, Jerome became a licensed real estate broker. He went on to major in real estate at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) where majored in Real Estate. He is now recognized as an industry leader for real estate in Longport NJ.

Jerome worked full time for his father’s real estate firm and became a successful residential real estate broker, working the Philadelphia markets for 15 years. In 1990, Jerome decided to leave the family business in the capable hands of his brother to pursue a real estate career at the New Jersey shore. Angel’s family also summered in Longport since the 1960’s. Angel grew up in Camden, New Jersey, where she attended the Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken and was in the first female graduating class. She went on to attend Rider University (Lawrenceville, NJ) and graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.

Angel moved to the shore on a full time basis and opened a gift boutique, aptly named “Angel’s Heaven”, in Margate New Jersey, which quickly became a popular and successful gift shop. Angel successfully operated this retail business for eight years, before deciding she was ready for a career change. Angel’s brother, Joseph DiLorenzo a local Realtor / Developer, persuaded Angel to consider a career path in real estate in Longport NJ.

Jerome and Angel purchased Premier Properties Real Estate Inc. from Angel’s brother in 1994. Jerome and Angel have developed a team approach and began offering highly specialized, personalized service for real estate in Longport NJ. Their goal was to make their growing firm unique in the market. Together, they have built a team of community-based, experienced, knowledgeable “career” agents passionately committed to delivering an exceptionally high level of customer service.


Specializing in vacation and luxury homes in the upscale Longport market and neighboring Absecon Island beach communities for over 18 years; Premier Properties Real Estate Inc. sells nearly 75% of all real estate in Longport, NJ. Premier Properties Real Estate Inc. team consists of hand selected full time agents in addition to Angel and Jerome as well as 3 full time support staff members.

Jerome and Angel also possess development and new construction experience which is an invaluable asset when interacting with builder / developer clients. Jerome and Angel reside in Longport, New Jersey along with numerous family members and are active members of the community.

Their commitment to serving this community is unparalleled in the industry. Some community interests for Premier Properties are high school football coaching, quarterly senior luncheons, fund raising for Longport fire and rescue, volunteering at the Epiphany Catholic Church and sponsors of Longport Senior Citizen Help.

As the real estate market fluctuates, Premier Properties remains solid and consistent. For Real estate in Longport NJ, they are the undeniable leader and pillar in their community.

Reference/About author: Jerome DiPentino has built Premier Properties using old fashion hard work and unparalleled customer service to a loyal customer base. Specializing in real estate in Longport, NJ he can be found online at http://www.premiersells.com.

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