Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Real Estate In Different American States

Due to the upcoming expansion of the state of Oklahoma, neighborhoods around the city of Tulsa had forecast the rise of their homes’ value.

In Scranton, Pennsylvania, houses are expected to rise in value due to the efforts of the mayor to improve its neighborhoods and convert vacant homes into much more saleable empty lots.

The exterior of the house also affects its asking price. In Alabama, where people take pride in their southern heritage, lawns are kept well-manicured and the houses are well-maintained. Prices are expected to steadily grow.

In Texas, builders still show their confidence in the market through the steady inventory of new homes, especially in Edinburg where land is quite inexpensive. However, prices are expected to be more or less the same due to the prevalence of low-paying jobs in the area.

Real estate agents in Florida are expressing confidence over the strength of the local economy and are expecting market stability as result of low interest rates.

In Nevada, however, prices are expected to drop due to rising inventory, with exception of houses near amenities like golf and spa.

California real estate is expected to maintain its tight inventory as population continues to grow.

The recent slump in house prices, however, have affected several states in the country. Due to several layoffs especially in the manufacturing industry, houses in the Midwest area are lowered in value and homes with price tags of more than a million may be discounted just to get it off the market.

If you are looking for value in your real estate investment, it might pay to determine first which localities are considered most ideal. According to a survey done by CNN, the town of Fort Collins in Colorado is chosen as the best town to live in, followed by Naperville, Illinois and Sugar Land, Texas where diverse communities abound. http://www.States-RealEstate.com provides essential resources for buyers, sellers, home owners, real estate professionals, real estate investors, or any one seeking to connect with the world of real estate.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Melbourne Commercial Real Estate

The next piece lists some austere, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Melbourne Commercial factual Estate.

For selling by concealed shrivel A chattels in Elizabeth-boulevard, very contiguous to Flinders-boulevard. This chattels is admirably able to newly indoors mercantile gentlemen, as a comfortable and elegant house, and large and well constructed supplies form the premises. Application to J. Purves Collins-boulevard

THIS tiny advertisement appeared in the docks Phillip Gazette of Wednesday 30 September 1840. It is classic of notices for chattels sellings in the Gazette, which I read in forced volumes. The page on which the advertisement appears faces the first page of the Gazette for the ...

We hope that the first part of this article as brought you a lot of much needed information on the subject at hand.

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The CEO of the factual Estate Institute of Victoria says larger regulation of the real estate activity may be required. Enzo Raimondo was responding to gossip that a house in East Melbourne, which was advertised for selling at "$4 million-good" was accepted in at mart last weekend for $A7.1m. Raimondo said the Institute would look into the lawsuit. The agent treatment the selling, Warwick Anderson of RT Edgar, said that the chattels had been sold to the mart's ultimate bidder, demonstrating that the recommend was not a "dummy bid"

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Friday, November 14, 2008

Alberta Canada Real Estate Market Scenario

Nature of the Canadian real estate market

The real estate market in Canada is a traditional and well established one. This is certainly not an emerging market. The return on investment here follows a cyclical pattern. This serves as an indication of the cyclical growth trends of the country’s underlying economy. However, this is considered as a profitable market for all seasons provided the investor makes a timely move and adopts a targeted investment plan.

The investors in the real estate market in Canada are lured to invest in the state because of the financial reliability and owing to the (growth in) popularity of Alberta or any other region. The investor in real estate in Canada can buy either the property having long term growth prospects or that providing scope for making short term gains or even that which has prospects of ensuring sustainable income. All this is dependent on the position of the real estate market cycle at the particular time and the area of the country concerned.

The property market is at present riding at record highs in the main Canadian cities. So, investors cannot expect to make short term profits in such a market having surplus supply and low demand. But then this is also the market in which there is a great demand for the buy to let opportunities which can be gainfully utilized by the investor.

Special advantages of investing in real estate in Canada

The Canadian real estate market provides two special advantages to the real estate investors which are indeed worthy of consideration by the investor-

A large number of expatriates who are wealthy are attracted to the country and are on the lookout for residence either for spending their retirement years or for joining the key jobs under the Canadian Immigration Department’s skilled worker programs. So, the seeking of property for rent or resale by such persons creates an investment focus in the cities and areas most popular with this group (like Alberta).

With holding emerging markets within its borders and having gained in economic strength Canada is being considered as a safe and neutral country. This has led to the growth of many business sectors and the physical expansion of many Canadian cities like those in Alberta thereby calling forth the development of residential and commercial real estate sectors in these. This is proving to be of immense gain for the investor either for resale or for buy to let purposes of the real estate. Besides, Canada’s tourist sector, though already well established, is expanding further- gradually creeping inward and moving further northwards. This is contributing to opening up opportunities for aiming at profitably investing in second home markets and tourist accommodation markets in many more towns of Canada than before.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

REO’S in Santa Monica Market Real Estate Market

What is an REO?

With today’s changing Santa Monica real estate market, we are beginning to see not only foreclosures but numerous properties dubbed REO’s as well. Many times here at RealEstate-SantaMonica.com we are asked “What are they?” So we thought we’d give a helpful explanation.

The term REO first of all means “Real Estate Owned.” These homes are very similar to foreclosures…and technically the homes have already been foreclosed upon, but they didn’t sell at a foreclosure auction. Because the homes didn’t sell at auction, the lender (the bank) became the owner of the property.

As you can well imagine, most banks aren’t interested in hanging on to a large portfolio of these homes because they are not in the real estate business. Banks just want to make the loans and take their mortgage checks. That’s why REO’s are potentially good deals for home buyers.

Why buy an REO?

For home buyers thinking about purchasing either a foreclosure or an REO, it’s good to remember that these transactions are a little more complicated than your regular home purchase.

One advantage to buying an REO instead of a foreclosure is that the buyer doesn’t have the pressure of dealing with a home auction. These tend to be frenzied affairs and sometimes peoples’ emotions get the better of them, and before you know it, you’ve paid more for a home than you wanted. With an REO, you write an offer just as you would a regular home.

Another plus to buying an REO is that the buyer gets to do a physical inspection. This is key. Unless you are a real estate zen master, you do not want to be out there buying homes unless you inspect them. With an REO you know up front whether something is wrong with the property and you can make an informed purchasing decision.

What should I be wary of when buying an REO?

REO’s can be great deals for home buyers, but some deals really are too good to be true. So just be mindful of a few things when venturing into one of these purchases.

First make sure that the property is in acceptable shape. Get a physical inspection! We mentioned this above, but it bears mentioning again. You do not want to be getting a home that appears to be an amazing deal only to find out later that it needs $75,000 in foundation repairs.

Also be mindful of the title. Make sure the bank gives you a title report so that you know that the bank truly owns the home. You don’t want any gray area here.

Another heads up…make sure there are no liens on the property. The bank should be able to field title and lien questions, but it is your responsibility to ask.

Why are REO’s priced to low?

As crazy as it sounds, banks price REO’s to sell quickly because banks are not in the real estate business. It could be argued that banks at this point should have some brokers working for them full time, but that’s another discussion entirely.

Banks really want to cut their losses and get these homes off of their books as quickly as possible. The federal government usually penalizes financial institutions for every REO they acquire, so it behooves them to sell these homes fast. Now banks certainly won’t give the homes away but there are definitely some great deals to be had.

Should I buy an REO?

Yes and No. If you are the type of savvy buyer who does his/her homework, REO’s can be an amazing way to go if you want to save money. However, if you are the type of homeowner who just wants to buy a house as easily as possible, perhaps a more traditional home buying transaction is for you.

So in closing, there are many REO’s out there. If you are interested, all of us at RealEstate-SantaMonica.com would be happy to help you out.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Property Market in Portugal

The Property Market



Why not choose to base yourself in an area with over 3000 hours of sunshine each year and give yourself the quality of life you deserve?




Portugal is an attractive location for house buyers, with the Algarve being the most popular area for British buyers, mainly due to the weather, golden beaches, and the abundance of golf courses. It is Portugal’s busiest, most developed region and it is reported that 90 percent of all property sales to foreign buyers are in the Algarve.



The age of Internet and ADSL means that mobility of labour is very much a reality and it is easily possible to maintain instant contact with colleagues anywhere in the world. Satellite TV means access to English language television and VOIP systems give you a U.K. telephone number and U.K. calls at low rates.


Property hunt service


There are excellent air connections to anywhere in Europe and intercontinentally from Faro or Lisbon airports, making it perfectly possible to base yourself in Portugal and ‘commute’ back to the U.K. Many of the ‘budget’ airlines fly into Faro from Stanstead, Luton, Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow, East Midlands, Dublin or Manchester and offer excellent value charter fares. Additional routes come on stream during the summer months.




Where to Buy



The Portuguese property market is showing consistent growth, strong rental demand, relative living costs and safe environment.




There is a wide choice of great properties in wonderful locations and often less expensive than the equivalent in France or Spain.



Remember that the summer months in the Algarve, especially August, are very busy in terms of traffic and there are visitors from the north of Portugal and from Spain as well as holidaymakers from all over Europe, all expecting good access to the beach. Unless you enjoy being part of the crowd you may appreciate being a little removed from the bustle. Being just a few kilometers inland can have considerable benefit.


architectural projects in Algarve


Don’t forget to take into account your proposed usage of the property, if you are expecting to live in Portugal permanently then the factors that affect your decision on what to purchase will vary from those required if you are planning to rent the property out for part of the year.



Many properties inland or ‘up in the hills’ do not have mains water or drainage. Instead they rely on a system of cisternas (tanks) to collect rainwater and store water brought in by or pumped from a ‘furo’ (a bore-hole), whilst a ‘fossa’ or sceptic tank contains and treats sewage waste.



All of these facilities are reliable and capable of many years of unattended operation. Bear in mind if you plan to re-plant the garden, water can be at a premium in the summer months and a new garden may require a bore-hole to be drilled to obtain the necessary extra water needed for irrigation.



Drilling companies charge per metre for drilling and then the cost of the pump, control equipment and electrical installation must be added.



At Exclusive Algarve Villas, we try our hardest to give you the latest and most up to date information on the Portugal property market and costs.



Please feel free to question our consultants about anything to do with buying and investing in Portugal, in person, via email at info@eavillas.com or on the telephone (+351) 282 353 019



Portugal remains an exclusive location, with fewer of the ‘over development’ problems of some of its neighbours. The opportunity to buy quality property in a great location remains excellent but, like all good things in life, availability can’t last. Portugal is slowly but surely being ‘discovered’ and if you’re going to do it, now could be the perfect time to step in to this beautiful country!


yacht service algarve


Portugal is an utterly charming country and relatively speaking still overlooked by second-homebuyers.



Many areas have an exclusive feel and second-homebuyers and investors are waking up to the advantages of buying in a country which has not suffered the mass development of other parts of Europe, which is quick and easy to get to, and where the cost of living is still relatively cheap.



The Portuguese market is very active, with purchasers from across Europe. There are plenty of Dutch, French, Spanish and Scandinavians buying, as well as the British. This means that to buy your dream property, quick and decisive action is often required. New developments are selling particularly quickly at the moment and many properties are sold from plans.

Mortgage Payments Vs Rent Payments

There is an age-old debate on whether or not it makes more sense for people to rent or buy. Though it is hard to really understand why there is a debate at all. You will definitely hear arguments from both camps that appear logical but if you do a little digging you may find that some of the arguments are thin at best.

The simple fact of the matter is you are always better off making a mortgage payment over a rent payment if you can afford to do so. It is not uncommon for mortgage payments to actually be lower than many rent payments are. So the key is to understand an important, fundamental difference between making a rent payment and making a mortgage payment.

Rent payments are made on a monthly basis for the most part. That money gives you the right to live in the house or apartment for the specified period of time, typically one month. You receive no other tangible benefits from that rent payment. It does not improve your credit score, it does not produce equity, it simply gives you the ability to live in the residence.

A mortgage payment, first and foremost, also gives you the ability to remain in the residence, however, it does much more than just that. First, the mortgage payment helps you build equity in your home. Equity is the difference between what you owe on the property and what the property is worth. That equity can be used for many things including debt consolidation, home improvements, extra funds, etc. Equity becomes a powerful tool in your overall financial plan.

Mortgage payments also include interest payments which can be tax deductible, helping your overall bottom line at the end of the year. Rent is not tax deductible in most cases. Your mortgage payments will also help improve your credit score if you continue to make payments on time. Mortgage payments are tracked if your lender reports the loan, which most lenders typically do. Your overall financial outlook can improve dramatically with an increased credit score resulting from on-time mortgage payments.

Some will argue that you are tied down to a home if you buy it, while renting gives you more flexibility. Though it is important to remember that if you rent a residence you are typically obligated for a specific period of time, typically a year. If you own a home, however, you are able to sell and relocate any time you wish, or you can rent the residence and relocate any time you wish. This is an important and fundamental difference between the two. It is true, however, that how quickly you are able to sell your home will depend on the location, its value, its condition and the market at the time of the sale. You do have the flexibility, however, to sell anytime you find a willing and able buyer.

One time where renting may seem like a more logical choice than buying is if you are going to live in a particular area for only a short period of time. In order to determine if it makes sense to rent or buy in this type of situation you really need to analyze your overall financial plans. You need to get a full understanding of any and all costs associated with you buying the home, the likelihood you would be able to sell it or rent it when you were relocating from the area, etc. For some, even in a short term situation the better financial decision may be buying, especially if they are able to rent it and build equity on their tenant. This may, however, impede them buying a second home, though if they have adequate credit and income they may not have any problem buying the second residence as well.

It is difficult to come up with a scenario that makes renting the clear cut right decision. It seems in most situations buying, if an option for you is the better decision financially. Though consulting with a mortgage professional is the only real way to help determine these things as they can give you a clear understanding of what is and what is not possible for you. Your financial advisor can also assist you in making this decision.

Owning your own home has many non-financial benefits as well, however, only you can evaluate those. You know what is and what is not important for you. You know what obligations you are comfortable having and which you are not. The key is to evaluate your personal situation rather than listen to those who are convinced that one or the other is right for you.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Investing in Rental Properties

In some ways, rental properties are like reptiles. They don't need to be fed every day, but periodically, they do require a rather substantial meal.

For example, let's say that you have a pretty decent rental with about $200 per month in positive cash flow. Great! That's $2,400 extra dollars of income a year! But...not so fast. This extra money is critical to your success as an investor, but it should be looked at as part of the reserve you should keep on hand to feed your rental when it gets hungry.

So, let's say that in your pretty decent rental, you have a pretty decent tenant that pays their rent on time every month for two years. Great! That's $4,800 extra dollars in the bank. But, like I said before, not so fast. During these two years, you were only plagued periodically with small maintenance items. There was a little trouble with some ants which cost you $95 in pest control. Then the plumber had to pay a visit - that was $200. And, of course, the furnace needed to be serviced which ran you close to $300.

Still, not so bad, $595 from your $4,800 leaves you up $4,205. But then your tenant moves out. The good news is that a portion of their security deposit covers the clean up as was mandated in the lease. The bad news is that you need to replace the carpet and that's going to cost you about $1,500. Between getting it fixed up and placing a qualified new tenant, your rental ends up sitting vacant for about a month, which means another $700 going out for your mortgage payment.

But still, you're at a healthy $2,005 profit for this property. Not too bad. But then, and here's the kicker, a nasty winter storm blows through and causes the roof to sprout a leak. The contractor comes out and tells you that your roof was already in poor condition, and it's time to put a whole new roof on.

The cost for this? $5,000. Ouch. No more profits left, you come out of pocket $2,995 because, after two years of sparse meals, your rental property is hungry.

What exactly am I trying to say here? Only this: investing in rental real estate is a long term commitment.

Should you acquire properties that cash flow? Absolutely! Should you expect this cash flow to supplement your income in the short term? Probably not, unless you either got an extraordinarily good deal (above and beyond what most investors get), or you put a significant amount of money down.

Investing in rental real estate has many benefits, but, in my opinion, short term income is usually not one of them.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Real Estate Investor Seminar

Have you noticed that many property investment courses have started offering a Free Real Estate Investor Seminar to try and get clients in the door? Over the past few years the financial education industry seems to have gotten a bad name. Unfortunately many investment seminars have been run by less than heroic people who have simply been looking to scam people for their money. This is very unfortunate because it alienates the general public from investing and more importantly from gaining a financial education. Nobody likes to be scammed, it makes you feel stupid and you resent the person or thing that did that to you. In order to stop this client backlash many real estate investor seminars are offering you a free ticket to see their event. Let's have a look at why they are doing this, if you should attend and if you do - which one should you attend?

By giving away free Real Estate Investor Seminars the investment companies are effectively getting rid of your risk. A common technique is to give you a free ticket to a 1,2,3 or 4 day property investment course and then offer you a package that will either continue your education or help you with the hands on task of buying an investment property. So what should we make of these Free Real Estate Investor Seminars? Should we steer clear of them or should we take advantage of the free information that is on offer?

First of all lets look at the most common question that I get asked about buying your first investment property. "Can you tell me how to become a real estate investor and teach me all the special tricks that I need to know"? If you look at this question it has basically answered my own question about whether or not we should attend these Free Investment seminars. People want to gain the right knowledge so that they can become successful real estate investors and the best and quickest way to do that is to learn form somebody who has already achieved the results that you are looking for. So Yes, I definitely think that everybody should take advantage of the great free real estate investing seminars that are out there at the moment. What better way to learn that to immerse yourself into a weekend of pure Real Estate. Now of course not all Real Estate Investor Seminars will be great but the best thing about them being free is that you can leave at any time and it won't have cost you a penny.

So Which Real Estate Investor Seminars should you attend? There are probably some of you out there that are saying "What free real estate investing seminars - I don't see any"? Well you simply aren't looking hard enough. There are plenty of websites that are dedicated solely to free investment resources. Now if you are lucky enough to find a few Real Estate Investor Seminars that are being run in your state then how do you choose which one to go to? My personal advice would be to go with your gut feeling, it's normally right. Most importantly just make sure you actually go! The worst thing that could happen is you waste a morning of your life - Whereas on the positive side you might learn that one bit of information that you needed to give you the confidence to become a successful real estate investor.