Palm Harbor Florida Real Estate – It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This

Writen by Robert Lipply

Palm Harbor Florida is a wonderful place to live with a population of approximately 80,000, and only a 15 to 30 minute drive to the beach. The beautiful, sunny weather makes it an attractive place to live for people of all ages. Palm Harbor is known for their outstanding, A rated schools, and there are many activities available for people of all ages and interests. Real Estate in Palm Harbor has significantly increased in value over the past ten years. There are approximately 100 subdivisions in Palm Harbor, ranging from modest 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom ranch style homes in the low $300,000’s to large executive style waterfront property on the Gulf of Mexico or Lake Tarpon. There are many gated subdivisions, golf course communities, condominium developments, and even active adult 55+ communities.

Recreation is very popular in the Palm Harbor area. Innisbrook Golf Course is a beautiful, five time award winning club where the PGA Tour is held every fall. It has four courses with different difficulty and terrain. If you love to golf, this is the place to live. For the boating and fishing enthusiasts, John Chestnut Park is a beautiful park located on Lake Tarpon. It is a great place to have holiday picnics, birthday parties, or just relax. It offers boat docks, many picnic areas and pavilions, playgrounds, a softball field, and a large dog park. With its lush surroundings and lakeside benches, it is a great place to visit.

Palm Harbor is only a 15 to 30 minute drive to one of the top 10 beaches in the world, Clearwater Beach. Many restaurants are located along the beach, as well as volleyball nets, a playground, blown up water slide, bungee trampoline, and a beautiful pier. Other beaches around Palm Harbor include Dunedin Causeway, Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island State Park, Indian Rocks Beach, and Fred Howard Park. Sun worshipers will love these beaches covered with beautiful white sand.

On the first Friday of every month, Downtown Palm Harbor holds a block party with live music, children’s activities, vendors, food, and more. It is a great place to spend time with family and meet new friends. Held off of Alternate 19, the music is great and vendors offer many crafts and activities for everyone.

There are many fun places to dine in Palm Harbor. Molly Goodhead’s, located in Downtown Palm Harbor, is an American seafood and steakhouse restaurant with a sports bar atmosphere. It is a great place to go watch ‘the game’ or for an evening out with others. Another favorite restaurant with the locals is Lucky Dill. With the New York feel and a slice of free cheesecake with every meal, Lucky Dill is the place to frequent.

Many of the schools in the Palm Harbor area are rated ‘A’ by the Pinellas County Education Board. Cypress Woods Elementary, Lake St. George Elementary, Palm Harbor Middle School, and Palm Harbor University High School are recognized for their outstanding educational achievements and community involvement. Academics as well as athletics are very strong in all Palm Harbor area schools.

Palm Harbor is a great place to live because of its central location and outstanding climate. Only minutes from malls, the beach, and about a 45 minute drive to Busch Gardens, many people are proud to make Palm Harbor their home.

Bob Lipply is a top Real Estate Broker Associate in the Palm Harbor Real Estate area. He and his team have been helping families relocate to Florida and on the selling end get top dollar for their homes with great success. Lipply Real Estate also specializes in Clearwater Real Estate, visit his website where you can search the MLS for up to date available homes for sale.

First time Home Buyers 100% Home Loans

Writen by Gino Sterling

There is an increasing trend in South Africa that is seeing youths entering property market at a much earlier age. These youths are mostly first time home buyers, applying for their first home loan, who have been renting for a short while and feel the need to invest in a property of their own.

It is partly due to this increasing trend in South Africa’s property market that is also causing a higher percentage of 100% home loan applications. These prospective home owners often earns salaries large enough to qualify for home loans but they don’t seem to be able to save enough of that salary to put down any type of deposit.

And understandably banks are becoming more and more reluctant to issue these 100% home loans. Foreclosures have cost banks millions of rands and it is not a surprise that some economists are calling to the maximum Loan to value ratio to be dropped to 80% instead.

This should see a rapid decrease in foreclosures which most often occur from 100% home loans.

Before deciding to buy it is advisable to try and save up a small deposit, between R10 000 and R20 000. Displaying the ability to save up a small deposit at least should add weight to your home loan application.

This will also reduce the size of your SA home loan. Remember the hard work and discipline you demonstrate by saving a deposit will assist you when you’re paying off your home loan.

To save money on your SA Home Loan repayments, you should pay at least an extra R100 every month and try to pay it before the due date. This dramatically cuts down the interest you’ll pay on your home loan in turn saving your lots of cash!

Read more about Sa Home Loans

Real Estate Open Houses Are Business Affairs In 2006

Writen by Mark Nash

The last couple of years public open houses were cursory in most markets as homes sold before the advertised date. Listing agents used them to prospect for new clients and let curious neighbors and too little too late buyers see what could have been. Not so in 2006. Softening sales and rising inventories of available homes have made public open houses the bread and butter this year in residential real estate marketing.Spring’s arrival kicks off the largest annual exchange of residential real estate in the United States. Open houses are as much a part of this ritual as cherry blossoms, your Saturday or Sunday best and freshly mowed grass.

Who will you expect to see flocking to these business affairs held to market private homes? New real estate agents trying to see inventory or experienced ones with clients or previewing homes for time starved ones, nosy neighbors, those looking for decorating tips, trends or nightmares and course the proverbial real estate groupies who make an event of seeing how the rest of the world lives. Oh yes, and the occasional real thing; a homebuyer. The real thing are hard to come by at public open houses as less than five percent of all homes are sold at public open houses according to industry sources. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home offers do’s and don’ts for those planning to attend public open houses in 2006.

Do’s

Expect to be asked to sign in and show identification. Even with do not call realty agents and property owners want to know that they’re safe during open houses. If you don’t want to sign in which can create a relationship where an agent can follow up from an open house, than be prepared to show identification. There has been a rise in crimes against real estate agents in recent years and safety is a number one priority with them.

Observe starting and ending times. If you run early wait outside until the designated starting time. From experience I can tell you home sellers are frantic preparing and vacating their home before a public open house. If you arrive at the very end of an open house don’t be surprised if the hosting agent can’t wait an additional fifteen minutes after hours. They most likely have another appointment after and week end days are their busiest, especially in spring.

Wipe your shoes before entering a home. Many a homebuyer never made it to the kitchen after walking across freshly cleaned carpet with dirty shoes.

Do leave wet umbrella, bicycles and helmets outside. These items should be parked outside the front door, not on hardwood floors or entry tables and chairs.

Be prepared, do wear socks or stockings. No sandals, period. If you are asked to remove your shoes, owners don’t necessarily want your bare feet on their floors.

Omit questions related to neighborhood safety. Real estate agents under Federal Fair Housing Laws are not allowed to answer these types of questions, as their answer could be construed as discrimination. Call the local police department for statistics.

Put cigarettes, cigars and pipes out of view. Discard and extinguish appropriately before entering any home.

Feel free to open cabinets and closets. Homeowners and realty agents expect open house guests to investigate built in cabinets and closets, built in being the key word. If your in doubt remember built in yes, otherwise no. In doubt ask the host or hostess.

Ask before taking pictures. If you need to take some photos, do, but limit to overview photos and not every detail such as the insides of kitchen cabinets. Pick up the listing sheet for additional information. Ask if there is a virtual tour available on the Internet.

Respect others property. Don’t sit down, turn the television on and watch the ball game unless your invited. Close up garages if you found them that way. Don’t turn air conditioning on or off unless asked. If you want to see the amount of natural light ask the host or hostess to turn lights down or off.

Don’ts

Gossip about the property when you’re in it. Decorating style, property condition and personal photos might prompt you to make unfavorable comments. Save them for later.

Don’t bring coffee into open houses.Coffee is easily spilled on carpets when walking up stairs or opening closets and cabinets when touring properties. Ditto all beverages.

Turn cell phones to vibrate. If you need to make or receive a call go to a place where you won’t disturb others at the open house. Never negotiate a home purchase contract on a different property contract while your viewing a home.

Bring too many people with you. Leave the children, your ten closest friends and your fourth cousins at home. You’ll keep focused on evaluating the property with less distractions and obligatory entertaining.

No pets. Period. Except seeing eye dogs. Many people today are allergic and afraid of strange dogs, even if they are the love of your life.

Don’t ask to use the bathroom unless an emergency. Homeowners don’t want strangers using their bathrooms. Don’t ask to change diapers and don’t arrive with a soiled one to through in some strangers kitchen garbage.

Arrive intoxicated. Open houses are business events, would you go to the office in that condition?

Wear high heel shoes. Spiked heels on shoes can easily dent bamboo and other softer wood floors. Plus if you get into the yard to take a look at the roof you might end up aerating the lawn.

Present verbal offers. In most states offers to purchase are only enforceable in writing. Besides you might be tipping your hand in front of another interested party.

Mark Nash’s fourth real estate book, “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home” (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor’s Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

Buy To Let The Pitfalls

Writen by Joseph Kenny

Taking on a property in addition to your home can be a time consuming and complex matter. Before you become a landlord (or lady), make sure you’ve thought it through!

Tenants

While you may be lucky and find the perfect tenant by chance, it’s a good idea to interview potential tenants first. You can ask for references from previous landlords or employers to reassure yourself that they are trustworthy and solvent. While students provide a large part of the tenant market, bear in mind that young people are not always as responsible as they should be!

The Property

When looking for a property to buy, try to focus on suitable areas where you are likely to find a ready supply of tenants – close to a university, for example, or in a city centre near businesses are safe bets for students and young professionals looking to rent. Check out local transport links and shopping facilities too. You should also consider the resale aspects of the property – you may not want to keep it forever, and a large part of your investment is the equity of the property. This is called capital growth – sometimes it may be worth buying in a more downmarket location where the rent will be lower, if you consider that property prices are likely to rise. If, however, you want to maximise your income, the more expensive areas of town might bring you higher rent. Leasehold properties are subject to ground rent.

Agents

A letting agent will charge around 10% of the monthly rent to take care of finding tenants, and if you want a full management service to minimise the work you do, expect to pay around 15%. It’s advisable to choose an agent that is a member of the ARLA – check www.arla.co.uk for details.

Tax

You can make tax deductions for the maintenance of your property, including general ‘running costs’ like insurance, cleaning, and agents fees. Home improvements are not tax deductible, nor are initial costs of furniture and fittings. However, you can claim a wear and tear allowance of 10% of the rent you receive.

Mortgage

Often a buy to let mortgage is assessed on the anticipated rental income from the property – the rent potential. Expect to pay slightly higher interest rates, and provide a larger deposit on the property. Lenders usually require 20% to 25% of the value of the property.

Joseph Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store which offers information on loans and other loan types including home loans, secured loans and others.

Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

Vacation Homes Resort Investments

Writen by Bill Carey

Villas, condos, townhouses, twins, quads, and single family homes at the beach or in beach resorts. Vacation homes offer a great opportunity for investors. The second home and vacation home market has been skyrocketing. The baby boomer generation is in or approaching its’ peak earning years and not afraid to spend money on real value.

Beach Property

Across the board from coast to coast the Pacific, Atlantic, or along the Gulf beach front and beach areas have taken off. Some coastal resort properties have increased in value 60% and more over a 12 month time period. The areas are not only the prime high priced island and gated communities but almost any where near the ocean. A couple of years ago the quiet lower priced areas saw a big demand and their values have exploded. Two years ago the $140,000 rancher near the beach has now become the $350,000 beach house with no renovations just straight appreciation.

Making a Boat Load of Money

Friends bought a 2 bed 2 bath 1000 sq ft condo near the beach (not on the beach) for $355,000 Feb 2005. 4 months later another friend bought in the same building, same size unit for $415,000. Now 10 months later another condo in the same building, same size unit sold for $495,000. Can you believe it $140,000 in10 months with no money down. There is a waiting list to buy these 23 year old condos they are sold over the phone when they become available.

1.4 Million Dollar Beach Front Condos

16 Beach front condos sold in 45 minutes. Average price was 1.4 million dollars the 2 penthouse units sold for1.8 million. The sale was pre construction by lottery. Each potential buyer either deposited or had a letter of credit for $200,000 in order to be placed on the list. Pricing was fixed by the developer on the day of the drawing no one knew in advance. The drawing process was very simple as your name was drawn you could pick which unit you wanted and at the pre determined priced. The buyers’ only decision was yes or no. The 16 units sold to the first 16 names drawn no one backed out. There were 190 buyers in the lottery. This year the second building sold faster and for more money.

Did you miss it? No way. The opportunities it appears are never ending when we are talking about vacation homes, second homes and resort properties. I have personal experience in each of these examples above. They took place along the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. To top it off mortgage companies are offering to vacation home owners and 2nd home owners 100% financing. How would you like to make $150,000 in a year with zero down payment? It’s unbelievable.

Bill Carey with over 30 years in real estate sales, investments, and home building offers a unique perspective to the buying and selling process of residential real estate for F*R*E*E consumer information and reports log on to http://www.CharlotteNCExecutiveHomes.com and see “Insider Real Estate Secrets Revealed” …a must read for Home Owners and Renters! It’s a F*R*E*E 12 lesson e course covering more than 20 topics exposing the realities behind buying and selling a home. It Could Make(or Save) You Thousands of Dollars

See http://www.BillCareyRealtor.com and sign up for our monthly e newsletter with tips for buyers, sellers, home owners and soon to be home owners.

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The Difference Between A Divided And Undivided Property

Writen by Jennifer Walker

Undivided, “a co op”, means that the owners share the same mortgages, rights and obligations.

These are some important tips to know:

• You need 25% down
• You can only bank with the Caisse Desjardins or La Banque Nationale
• You own shares, which may not be split 50%/50%
• Sometimes you may have to share the same furnace (heat source)
• You don’t have to pay welcome tax
• There is a transfer tax on the sale
• Cheaper taxes because they are divided in half
• There is a co op agreement in place (make sure you see it before you buy). It is a good idea to go through it together with the other owner (s)
• Usually one person receives the common bills and collects payment from the other person. Both parties are liable if the taxes do not get paid
• There is no tax assessed if the property is held in undivided co ownership by a corporation, where the transaction is a sale of shares
• You cannot turn a plex into an undivided if you have a mortgage and a renter.

Because you will be part owners with someone, take the time to get to know them.

If you are interested in turning your plex into a co op, you will have to make sure that the apartments are not being rented. They have to be vacant for the deed to take place. It is a process that a specialized notary can do for you. It will take about 2 3 weeks, $900 for the notary fees and about $1000 for the land surveyor.

To turn your plex into a condo, from my experience, it can take well up to nine months. There is a lot more red tape involved, but the outcome is a lot more appealing to most buyers.

One very important note that I found out, you will not be able to evict a tenant. So be very, very cautious. Get in touch with the R

Don’t Get Housing Sticker Shock After Accepting Job Offer

Writen by Mark Nash

In the flurry of activity interviewing and traveling for a position you really want, you might overlook the housing quotient of your new career move. Housing prices are at record highs, and sadly your new job location may put you in the housing poor house, even if your compensation is also at record highs. Moving from a smaller market to a major metropolitan area can inflect major sticker shock when it comes to purchasing a new home. What’s a potential transferee to do? Be prepared to do some research to arm yourself in salary and relocation negotiations.

Ask your recruiter if you are working with one, or the human resources contact at your potential new company to provide housing statistics on the area your moving to. Look for average sold home prices and commuting times.

Spend a considerable amount of time on real estate web sites looking at available properties. Realtor.com offers the largest data base. You’ll have a good idea of where you fit into a new housing market and how close or far you’ll be, considering how much you can afford to pay for a home.

Direct your recruiter to not share your plans for a potential job move with either local real estate agents or those in the destination city. You have enough to juggle without agents looking to appraise your current home or meeting with new ones where you might be moving. Don’t go house hunting until there is a formal written offer on the table.

If your new to corporate relocation, this is an experienced business model. Basically the employer is trying to contain costs moving you, but at the same time understands happy transferees and content families make better employees.

Costs and expenses that can be covered by a relocation policy include; 1 3 all expense paid familiarization trips to destination city, home sale and purchase assistance, temporary housing in destination, and storage of household goods.

When looking for a new home in a market new to you, be diligent about local real estate market conditions. Ask how long the average home is on the market before going under contract. This will provide you with information if you need an exit strategy sooner than later.

Read and study your relocation policy carefully, all your benefits will be outlined in detail. Procedures typically must be followed to receive all financial compensation under a policy.

If you are moving for a first job or moving to a new company in a new location, there might not be any relocation benefits for you. Factor all the costs if you must bear them. Sales costs on your existing home, purchase costs on your new home, moving and transportation costs, temporary housing, and household goods storage costs.

Mark Nash is the author of “Fundamentals of Marketing for the Real Estate Professional”, “Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate”, “Reaching Out: The Financial Power of Niche Marketing”, and “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home”. Mark is a contributing writer for: Realtor (R) Magazine Online, Broker Agent News, Real Estate Executive Magazine, Principal Broker, and Realty Times. His tried and true real estate tips has been featured on CBS The Early Show, CNN, HGTVpro.com, The New York Times, and USA Today. Purchase his books at http://www.1001RealEstateTips.com

The Cost of a Renovation

Writen by Bill Nadraszky

Many people think about selling their home but first decide to renovate so that the house will sell for more money. This is a mistake and I would like to explain why.

When you are living in a house you do the upgrades necessary to keep your house up, things like changing windows, painting, upkeep on gutters and roofs and even sometimes a small addition for the kids to have an extra room. These changes and updates to your house are things that you have to do in the course of owning a house for years. When you go to sell your house buyers will be comparing your home to other houses in the neighborhood and hopefully it is the same because those buyers are there to buy a house in a certain price range.

Let’s say as an extreme that your neighborhood has houses that are in the 150,000 180,000 dollar range and you decided to add an extra floor to your home that costs 50,000 dollars. Now once you have put that extra floor on the house you will want to sell your house, trouble is since you just sunk 50,000 into the house and you would like to get 60,000 for your trouble then you will need to get 240,000 for the house when it is listed and sold.

The kind of buyers that buy a 150,000 dollar house and the kind of buyers that buy a 240,000 dollar house are different people that have an idea where they would like to own. No one wants to have the best home in a poorer neighborhood instead they would like to have an OK house in a better neighborhood.

In the end you will of course get your home sold but you are not likely to get what you wanted for it. I remember the days back when I was a Realtor and you would go through a fantastic house that really didn’t belong in the neighborhood that it was in, Realtors would marvel at this and that in the house but in the end didn’t bring offers. People looking in that price range were not interested in the neighborhood they were interested in another area altogether.

Please remember that if you are thinking of doing an addition or adding some feature to your house that is out of place with where you live that it is better to thing of it as a feature that you want to have and live with and not think about how it will affect the resale price of your home.

Bill Nadraszky is an ex Realtor and runs several websites. For more home seller tips you can visit Bills home seller tip weblog.

Real Estate: A Strong Investment

Writen by Naomi Warne

Description: Even in uncertain economic times like these, history shows that real estate is one of the soundest investments a family can make. Also remember that the stock market is not the only place where people can make their fortunes. And also, you’ll hardly ever hear of real estate investors who’ve gone bankrupt, unlike stock market investors.

Even in uncertain economic times like these, history shows that real estate is one of the soundest investments a family can make. During the Great Depression of the 1930s when the stock market plummeted as much as 89 percent, housing prices dropped only 39 percent. So, according to most of the research on housing trends, prices continually stay at the same level as, and most often appreciate faster than the rate of inflation. In fact, the prices of houses actually increased by 10 percent during the economic recessions of the mid 19702 and the early 1980s.

The last downturn of the global stock market resulted in millions of investors who got their fingers burned. Overnight, life savings were eaten away, retirement funds went into decline and the economic forecast for all of us who had any money invested in stocks and shares was gloomy, to say the very least. And as a direct result, investors sought alternative asset classes to invest their hard earned money in. This has led to a global boom in real estate markets and property prices, and has spawned a generation of budding real estate investors.

However, the opportunities to make big, quick profits in residential real estate tend to come and go. If the local market is hot, families might get to buy and sell a house at a profit. but, if the market is not so hot, there are chances that you’ll have to hold on to the house for a longer period of time before selling it or at least till the market turns.

Tips for First Time Real Estate Buyers
If you play well, you can be the big winners in this current environment of boom. However, it’s important to draw up a good budget to help you decide what you can afford. And, once you’ve determined a price and picked your desired community, you can shop around to find the best house within your budget.

However, for those of you who’re still uncertain about how to go about it, there are five things that might just help you close a great deal. While deciding on the house to invest in, never make the mistake of assuming anything. Instead get help from an expert if you’ve any doubts. Also, it’s important to set a realistic budget and stick to it. You also need to consider every single area of cost and payment to make sure that there are no nasty surprises on the way.

More than Just an Investment
Residential real estate is more than just an investment. For example, if you purchase a vacation home, it will not only be a great deal when housing prices move upwards, but it can also be a place for some great vacations for your family and you.

Also, there is another advantage. The federal government believes that home ownership is so important to the future of our country that it has allowed mortgage interests to remain a substantial tax shelter for families. So, homeowners are allowed deductions on their property taxes. And, the profit on the sale of your home remains tax free as long as you buy a house for a greater or equal price.

So, before you decide that residential real estate investment is not exactly your cup of tea, re examine the financial benefits of owning your own home. Also remember that the stock market is not the only place where people can make their fortunes. And also, you’ll hardly ever hear of real estate investors who’ve gone bankrupt, unlike stock market investors.

Naomi Warne of Around the Corner Real Estate Dealers, Sydney, has helped her clients with profitable property investments and numerous tax benefits. Having started as a Real Estate Agent, Naomi has established herself as an analyst and Property Consultant, Australia.

http://www.mortgagemall.com.au