Questions To Ask The Landlord Before Renting His Apartment

Writen by Sameer Panjwani

Apartment hunting is not the easiest thing around. You may find places not suited to your tastes or those which do are not to your budget. Eventually, you may have to settle for something a little less than perfect or if you’re lucky, you may just find a home you love. However, before you finalise on the apartment, there are a few questions you need to ask the landlord so that there is no reason for disagreement later on during the lease period. In fact, some of the points mentioned below may also be included in the agreement for your safety so that the landlord doesn’t go back on his word.

• When will the unit be available for occupation? If it’s ready to occupy and it’s impractical for you to move in immediately, you may have to negotiate with the landlord so that you don’t pay for unoccupied time.
• How much is the rent payable and when is it due every month? How much is the security deposit and is it fully refundable?
• Is there a penalty fee for late payment of the rent?
• What are the terms for renewing the lease?
• Are pets allowed and if not, would it be possible to have pets if you paid a pet deposit? If a pet deposit policy is in place, is it refundable if there’s no damage caused to be found when you move out?
• What are the conditions if you have to move out before the lease expires? Even if you may think you won’t have to move out for a long time, it’s better to keep your options safe and negotiate secure terms should you need to move out earlier than the expiry of the lease period.
• Are any utilities included in your agreement? What are typical bill amounts in different seasons?
• Are you allowed to share your unit with roommates and what is the policy on subletting the place?
• Can you paint the walls or make other decorating changes?
• Are you allowed to run a home business from your apartment?
• Who will be responsible for property maintenance?
• Who are your neighbours?
• How close is the nearest post office, grocery store, bank, restaurant and public transportation?

Asking these questions only avoids any cause for disagreement in the future between you and your landlord.

Sameer S Panjwani is the CEO of ChoiceOfHomes.com Buy / Sell / Rent Homes Online

5 Tips for Overseas Vacation Home Buying Success

Writen by Rhiannon G Williamson

The dream of owning a vacation home in some sun drenched overseas location is one the majority of us share, and because real estate proves itself time and again as a solid long term investment commodity, many more people are committing to purchasing real estate abroad as an investment that they and their family can also enjoy and benefit from.

When buying a vacation home abroad there are a number of key considerations to bear in mind to avoid some of the traps and pitfalls sometimes associated with buying long distance and in an unfamiliar country. With these 5 tips for overseas vacation home buying success you can quickly cut a swathe through the research process and move towards securing the dream swiftly and securely.

Tip One – Learn the Rules and Regulations

Different countries have different rules relating to the right or otherwise of foreign citizens to own the freehold title to immovable property. Some widely publicised destinations don’t allow foreigners to directly own the land on which their property sits (Bulgaria) or more than one property (Cyprus) for example, and some countries are less economically or politically stable than your own which can mean that real estate related rules and regulations may change in the future. Make sure you’re comfortable with the workings of the country you’re considering buying a vacation home in, and if in doubt seek professional advice about that country and the ambitions you hold for owning a holiday home in it.

Tip Two Good Investment/Bad Investment

If you’re buying a vacation home with a hope that it will go up in value and be not only a family retreat but a great asset, know that real estate, just like any investment commodity, can go down in value as well as up. Furthermore not all countries have a real estate economy the same as the one in your own country – a little research would be wise into the historic nature of the property market in your country of choice as well as predictions for its future. While such data is not a direct indication of how well your investment will perform it will arm you with more data to hopefully make your decisions easier.

Tip Three Title Deeds and Legalities

Legal systems and the title deed registration process differ from country to country therefore know your legal rights and try and find out about the essential searches, surveys and title deed checks that need to be conducted before you should commit to buying your overseas vacation home. Never enter into any form of contractual agreement without the direct assistance of an independent lawyer and never accept someone’s word that a vacation home has its permissions and title deeds valid and up to date. Insist on seeing and checking all important facts and data before signing on the dotted line.

Tip Four Accessibility and Desirability

If you’re thinking about making an income from your vacation home or even hoping to holiday in it yourself regularly, one of the most important factors to bear in mind is the accessibility or otherwise of your vacation home. If your real estate is difficult to reach, with many miles to traverse and complicated and expensive plane journeys to plan, then it will just become a less desirable commodity over time. While a vacation involves getting away from it all and escaping every day life, a vacation destination and home should be easy and affordable to reach.

Tip Five Enlisting Assistance

Consider enlisting the help of a reputable real estate agent, an independent lawyer and if you want to make money from your vacation home, a property management service. Such professionals can save you time, effort and money and they can make the whole process of buying and owning a vacation home that much simpler. Make sure you take references, examine credentials and see qualifications before employing anyone to assist you however, and if at all possible seek recommendations because anyone who does a good job will always get good press!

Rhiannon Williamson writes about buying overseas property and produces buying property abroad guides for many countries around the world. To read her latest buying property abroad guides click here.

An Entrepreneur Business Opportunity How Paul Made $100,000 in Six Months

Writen by Martin Thomas

Starting out as an Entrepreneur is always an unceremonious affair. Your first few deals are small potatoes and the decision to become an entrepreneur go’s unnoticed by most. Even you don’t realize how the decision will impact on your life or how you are going to go about implementing your new focus.

Paul is an associate of mine and a very good friend. He started his compounding campaign with very little money indeed. In fact he was up to his neck in debt because of a bad franchise purchase that whittled away at his capital for two years until he finally needed to get commercial capital to bail him out against the value of his equity built up in his families home.

Paul went back to his job as an electrician for a large retailer and thought his entrepreneurial days were over and this was his final fiscal resting place. Little did he know that not 12 months later, he would have a seed capital account of over $1 million dollars.

His hobby was garage sales and he had a pretty good knowledge of the market and activity in his area. He kept it strictly nickel and dime. There was no real attempt to make money from it but he enjoyed it and used it as a therapeutic activity that he and his wife enjoyed on weekends. Paul decided to see his old hobby in a new light.

It’s funny how we know things, but somehow don’t see them. Its often only when they are pointed out to us that we “know that we know” and only when we truly realize what we are in possession of do we act on our knowledge. This is a classic example of what happened to Paul.

His existing knowledge gave him an incredible advantage, at least while he was compounding his money at this level. He had close to $10,000 within 12 weeks simply discovering intrinsic value and profetizing that value into cash. By the time he had $15,000 he was ready to go where the real leverage and compounding was. Real estate.

By the middle of the year, Paul had gotten into land subdivision and unlocked excellent profits in larger blocks of land that were subdivided and resold at smaller lots for quick profits. He had achieved what we all achieved, fast and rapid compounding of capital. The last block he did was 4 acres of farm land on the outskirts of the city near an existing development of residential housing. Now these 4 acres were ear marked for subdivision and re selling. However, the developer owning the neighbouring development made an offer on the new purchase that Paul couldn’t Resist.

You see that developer had tried to secure that land but the original vendor would not sell for such a low offer. When Paul paid a fair but still low price for the same parcel, the developer became motivated again to secure the adjoining land, which led to a skillful negotiation followed by a purchase. Paul was a millionaire within 12 months starting with absolutely no money. The developer paid him enough to tally the total of his seed capital account well over $1 million dollars.

Martin Thomas (c)2005

Martin is a professional investor and Entrepreneur. If you would like to discover more about being an entrepreneur, you can read “The Million Dollar Mentor” by Hayden Muller. Martin recommends this work highly and has used the very concepts contained in the work for his own successful entrepreneurial activities. http://www.opportunity investor.com

Alaska Real Estate Training

Writen by Rebecca Bisio

Do you want to start your real estate career at Alaska? If yes then the first thing that you should look for is Alaska real estate training. This is because with the increasing market competition you must have enough knowledge about real estate business to be in competition and Alaska real estate training can help you a lot.

Most of the people think that they could leave their mark in the market without having any realtor training. But this is no longer true. Because the market needs are changing at a rapid pace. So update yourself with Alaska real estate training for having a successful real estate agent career in the state of Alaska . By having Alaska real estate training you can get full understanding of your business as well as real estate.
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Since I have an experience of writing an article from long time as an author i just want to tell you about that Richlevin provides Online Real Estate Training and Real Estate Coaching to build Realtor Career.

Turkey’s Hottest Property Spots

Writen by Dominic Whiting

Altinkum is a rapidly growing resort popular with British and Turkish tourists because of its sandy beach. It is close to Bodrum airport and offers some of the cheapest property on the entire Turkish coast, with apartments available from just

Massachusetts Mortgage What to Expect When Buying a Home in Massachusetts

Writen by Jessica Elliott

Maybe you are buying your first home in Massachusetts, or perhaps you’re relocating to Massachusetts from another state. Either way, it’s important that you educate yourself on Massachusetts home loans before shopping for a home and mortgage. This article explains what you’ll need to know before buying a home in Massachusetts:

The median price of a home in Massachusetts is $185,700. Recently, homes in Massachusetts have been appreciating at rates below the national average. However, in some parts of Massachusetts, homes appreciate faster than incomes rise. As a result, income levels in many parts of Massachusetts are too low to purchase a median priced home with a conventional loan.

The price of homes in Massachusetts varies widely between zip codes. For example, in Marion, Massachusetts, the median price of a home in the summer of 2005 was $700,000; however, in Rochester, Massachusetts, the median price of a home was $450,000, and in Acushnet, Massachusetts, it was $350,000. Average interest rates in Pennsylvania are below the national average.

Massachusetts law prohibits the issuance of balloon laws. Additionally, Massachusetts law requires that homes with individual sewage disposal systems must be inspected by a state approved inspector, and all necessary repairs must be completed prior to loan closing.

Jessica Elliott recommends that you visit Mortgage Lenders Plus.com for more information about Massachusetts Mortgage Rates and Loans.

The Truth About Salt Lake City Real Estate

Writen by Marc Keller

Experts are looking closing at the real estate market in Salt Lake City. Population trends for the area are indicating a strong future. The Salt Lake City metropolitan area has a total estimated population of 1.2 million as of 2003. Salt Lake City alone has a population of 181,743. It’s the central part of the Wasatch Front which in total contains 1.7 million. The Wasatch Front is roughly 80 miles long with Ogden approximately 40 miles north of the Salt Lake Valley and Provo approximately 40 miles south of the Salt Lake Valley. For a state boasting a total population of 2.5 million the Wasatch Front is home for a significant proportion of the population. The Salt Lake City real estate market is strong due to the areas highly favored location.

Utah’s population growth of 29.6% more than doubled that of the nation (13.2%). Utah’s growth is attributed to natural increase (88%) rather than net in migration (12%).Net in migration occurred for the 13th straight year. Salt Lake City real estate is a growing market attracting more national attention than ever before. The large homes and the low prices are attracting home buyers from the rest of the country. Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the country and ranks 35th in the nation for population growth. The state’s rapid growth is attributed to both the area’s high birth rate and to in migration. Utah’s population reached 2.5 million in late 2005, positive increases every year since 1990. The State of California continues to be the major source of the flow of migration to Utah. Employment related migration accounts for the majority of population movement to and from Utah.

Overall, Utah is expected to continue to have the youngest population in the nation. Utah’s median age during 2005 is 27.1 years, well below the national figure of 35.2 years. Utah’s population is younger (27.1), lives longer (77.7), has higher fertility rates (2.68) and more persons per household (3.13 persons). Utah is number one in the nation in the number of persons per household at 3.13, compared to the national average of 2.62. In addition, Utah’s number of people per family is 3.67, compared to the national figure of 3.16. This is attributed to the Church of Jesus Christ’s belief in and support of large families!

Currently the median home price for available homes is $300,000 with homes ranging from an affordable $69,900 to $5,000,000. Salt Lake City real estate is a good buy. The average home price is $184,756. The average condo price in Salt Lake City is an affordable $132,979. Utah recently ranked among the leaders for appreciation. Due to the State’s new found popularity property is becoming a high demand asset. Local realtors say the key to buying Salt Lake City Real Estate is to buy early when rates are low and appreciation will still likely occur. Now is a great time to get involved with real estate here because home values are steadily increasing. If similar patterns are followed as in other states around the country there will be large increase and it will happen soon. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to jump start your real estate investing career or to find your dream home. With the help of a realtor in the Valley I recently purchased a town home for $159,000 and now it is worth over $176,000. That appreciation happened in less than 5 months.

The population trends, the quality of the area, and recent history all indicate Salt Lake City real estate is ready to flourish. Acting now could save you thousands. Salt Lake is a great area with beautiful mountains and very family centered communities. Buying real estate here will be one of the best decisions you have made.

Mark Keller is an Internet Marketer for http://www.10xmarketing.com Learn more about Salt Lake City real estate by visiting the http://www.LucidiaGroup.com at http://www.lucidiagroup.com/salt lake city real estate.aspx

Buying Pre Foreclosures

Writen by Marc Rasmussen

These methods work in Florida because we have mortgages, however I am not sure of the process for states that use deeds of trust. Much of this information will apply to Florida and its laws so it is best to get the overall gist and apply it to your area.

I have purchased several properties over the last 6 years in the Sarasota, Florida area by finding pre foreclosures. Pre foreclosures are simply homes that have gone into foreclosure but have not sold at the auction yet.

This used to be a great way to pick up undervalued real estate. However, recently it has not worked that well do to the super hot Sarasota, Florida real estate market. I started out with pre foreclosures because I did not have the money to purchase homes at the county auctions. Typically the auctions require you to pay cash at the day of the auction.

Step 1 Find the website for your county that contains courthouse information. Many counties now have their court information online, however smaller areas may not be that advanced yet. You are basically trying to find information on lawsuits.

Step 2 You will want to look for people who are being sued by their mortgage lender. In my area the very first step to a foreclosure is the “Lis Pendens”. Latin for “a suit pending,” a written notice that a lawsuit has been filed which concerns the title to real property or some interest in that real property.

When a homeowner stops paying their mortgage the time it takes for a bank to start foreclosure proceedings varies. However, I have noticed it is around 4 6 months. I guess the banks figure at that time the homeowners are in too deep and will not be able to pull themselves out.

Every counties computer query system is going to be different so this is where you will need to do some investigating. Typically, you will see the large banks or lenders vs. Joe Schmoe. This is the first step in the foreclosure process. These people are going into foreclosure.

Step 3 Once you have found the “Lis Pendens” create a list of people who are in foreclosure. Take this list and cross reference them with county property records. Get to know your local real estate market. I am Realtor here in Sarasota so I know the real estate market well. There will be houses you may not want to buy so there is no point in chasing them. You also need to know the real estate market to find out if what you are buying is a deal. There is no point in going through these steps if you are just going to be a house for retail. The point is to buy the house undervalued. You need to know the real estate market to determine what is a good deal and what is not.

Step 4 Contact these people find a way to contact them that most suits your personality. You can call them on the telephone, knock on their door or write them a letter. I took the less aggressive approach and wrote letters. Sometimes these people do not want phone calls or to be contacted in person because they may have already been getting harrassing phone calls from banks and bill collectors.

Step 5 Try to buy the house. Be sympathetic to their situation and try to find a win win scenario for you and the homeowner. Obviously, you are trying to buy the house at an attractive price to you. This price will depend on what you plan to do with the property. If you plan to live there then you don’t need too much of a discount. If you plan to flip it then you need a larger discount.

Here are a couple of things to remember about buying homes in foreclosure:

Need More Income from Your Investment Property?

Writen by Paula Straub

The goal of every real estate investor is to see their property appreciate in value and to have it generate a positive cash flow. The appreciation normally takes care of itself if the property is of good quality, in a good location, and is held over a long enough period of time. Just like the stock market, real estate has proven to go up way more than it goes down over time.

The positive cash flow component is not always a given though. Ask any seasoned investor, and unless the property is owned free and clear, there have probably been times when he’s had to dip into his own pocket to pay for some aspect of his rental. Who hasn’t seen a raise in homeowner’s fees, property taxes, an outlay of cash for a new roof, plumbing, paint, carpet, appliances, or a length of time supporting it between tenants.

So, what if you’re nearing retirement age and see the need for increased and steady income? You may even look forward to taking a permanent break from the “joys” of hands on property management. We all deserve to reap the rewards of our labors, right?

Basically, to meet these goals, one can do one of two things.

1. Sell the property, pay all the capital gains taxes, recaptured depreciation, etc. and pocket what is left. To receive an income, one would have to either live off whatever interest/gains your proceeds produced, or begin depleting your funds to provide you with the amount of monthly income you deem necessary. Depending on your age and financial needs and whether or not you desire to leave as large a legacy as possible, this approach may or may not work for you.

2. Employ a strategy that will defer the payment of any tax or depreciation. Let all of your gains continue to work for you throughout the course of your retirement and into the next generation. Yet, you will still get a significant and partially tax deductible monthly income.

What strategy is #2? If your property is over a million and you are not a young retiree, you might consider a Private Annuity Trust. You will get monthly income for the rest of your life, but you will be depleting your asset and only spreading out the repayment of capital gains tax over a longer period of time. That is a simplification of a complex agreement, but that is the gist.

A better option may be a 1031 exchange into a tenant in common (TIC), Basically, you exchange your property for a deeded partial interest in a grade A commercial property. You sign a contract with a property management company, and in turn receive a monthly income (typically 6 7% of your total equity). You never have to deplete your asset, and it can pass to your heirs at the stepped up basis.

The 1031/TIC exchange is a fairly new concept, sanctioned by the IRS in 2002. It is projected that the influx of property assets into this type of exchange will be close to 5 Billion dollars in 2005. That’s a lot of equity. Why not let your equity continue to work for you instead of parting with a lot of profits that would take you years to replace.

How much would you pay to save thousands in Capital Gains Tax? I’ll teach you for free in a Teleconference that may change your life. Visit this link for details: Save Capital Gains Tax

Real Estate Agents Safety is an Issue

Writen by Nancy Woodward

As a Real Estate Agent, I read articles from various sources. I read an article today that gave me reason to think. Is safety an issue when you are showing a house?

The article I read indicated the agent gets to an open house and hides the knives and sharp objects prior to hosting the open house. This agent is very safety conscious. She protects herself from the public as much as she can. Her point I’m doing an open house. Everyone knows it is going on see the sign and balloons. They know there is a potential to find a Real Estate Agent alone if there are no vehicles in the area.

This agent checks the sex offender registry before going to an appointment with a potential client she is has never met. Agents in other areas have experienced problems in vacant houses.

Is she right? Well, I think that is a matter of opinion. I agree you must be safety conscious at all times. You must be aware of the potential, the crime rate in your area, the trends going on in the area you work, the neighborhood you are visiting and/or working in regularly. Use good judgment and mostly importantly “be aware”.

Nancy Woodward is an Accountant and Real Estate Professional. She is online RealEstate