Archive for July, 2010

Moving to the ‘Sunshine State’ of Florida or buying property there for rental is a dream for many people; the weather is almost tropical and there are miles of stunning beaches and crystal-clear waters. Florida also boasts fantastic city life, with more attractions than anywhere else in the United States. It also offers convenient access to UK airports and the UK itself is a mere eight hours away.

As a result of the property slump in the US, property developers have been facing difficult market conditions in which to sell their properties. Many US citizens are choosing to hang on to any investment capital they may have or simply cannot release the equity with which to invest in property. Coupled with the dollar’s poor performance against the pound, the market is ripe for UK investors who wish to buy property in Florida at very reasonable prices.

Currently, there are no restrictions on UK citizens buying a house anywhere in US. However, there are restrictions as to how long a person can spend in the US. Thorough research into the residency laws and how they apply to your particular circumstances can pay dividends. Green cards and work visas are not always as straightforward to get hold of as you might first think, so it is worth checking out how likely you are to be granted one before even considering buying property in Florida.

Then there is the location to be taken into account. The Atlantic coast offers some of Florida’s most desirable and, consequently, expensive locations yet there are still some bargains to be found in the current economic climate. The Atlantic coast covers the areas of St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Florida Keys and Key West. Doing some research into the areas you are most interested in will allow you to become familiar with the local property markets and increase your awareness of where the best bargains are to be found.

Another key aspect to buying property in Florida is to familiarise yourself with the buying process, which is markedly different to the system used in the UK. Property in Florida is listed on a central database that is available to all estate agents, removing the need to visit individual agents. Estate agents (realtors) tend to work as the buyers or seller’s agent, so it is worth trying to find a realtor with experience of dealing with British purchases.

Once the price is agreed, the buyer usually makes a goodwill deposit before a formal offer is made in the form of a purchase contract. Once it has been signed, it is legally binding, although most contracts have a clause allowing either party to withdraw within specific circumstances. A 10% deposit is then paid into an escrow account. A title insurance company can then check public records and insure the property against any third party claims. Once this has taken place, the outstanding balance can be transferred into the escrow account and completion can be finalised.

This example has only dealt with a direct purchase. In the event that a mortgage is needed, more legality comes into play that can trip up anyone unfamiliar with the legal intricacies of US property law. It is often a better idea to hire the services of an overseas property specialist and use their experience and expertise to ensure the whole process runs as smoothly as possible.

For more information about this property, please contact First Team Real Estate at 866-938-5812. View all our videos at www.youtube.com Company website www.firstteam.com MLS ID S605541 Unique home in historic Mission Hills, near Mission San Juan Capistrano. Constructed in 1928, this remodeled home contains separate living quarters, each with private entrance, garage and patio. Main residence has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a den. Additional unit has 1 bedroom, 1 bath, dining, living, kitchen, and laundry. ideal for In-Laws quarters, returning family members or income property. Zoned and permitted R2 home.

Okay, ten minutes is a guess. You might absorb what I have to say and thereby become better at real estate investing in less time if you’re a fast reader.

Shall we get stared?

Acknowledge the Basics

Real estate investing involves acquisition, holding, and sale of rights in real property with the expectation of using cash inflows for potential future cash outflows and thereby generating a favorable rate of return on that investment.

More advantageous then stock investments (which usually require more investor equity) real estate investments offer the advantage to leverage a real estate property heavily. In other words, with an investment in real estate, you can use other people’s money to magnify your rate of return and control a much larger investment than would be possible otherwise. Moreover, with rental property, you can virtually use other people’s money to pay off your loan.

But aside from leverage, real estate investing provides other benefits to investors such as yields from annual after-tax cash flows, equity buildup through appreciation of the asset, and cash flow after tax upon sale. Plus, non-monetary returns such as pride of ownership, the security that you control ownership, and portfolio diversification.

You’ll need capital, investing in real estate does have risks, and investment real estate can be management-intensive. Nonetheless, real estate investing is a source of wealth, and that should be enough motivation for us to want to get better at it.

Understand the Elements of Return

Real estate is not purchased, held, or sold on emotion. Real estate is not about love; it’s about a return on investment. As such, prudent real estate investors always consider these four basic elements of return to determine the potential benefits of purchasing, holding on to, or selling an income property investment.

1. Cash Flow – This is determined by the amount of money collected from rents and other income less operating expenses and loan payment. Furthermore, real estate investing is all about the investment property’s cash flow. You’re buying income stream, therefore be certain that the numbers you use to calculate cash flow are truthful.

2. Appreciation – This is the growth in value of a property over time, or future selling price minus original purchase price. The fundamental truth to understand about appreciation, however, is that real estate investors buy the income stream of investment property. It stands to reason, therefore, that the more income you can sell, the more you can expect your property to be worth. In other words, make a determination about the likelihood of an increase in income and throw it into your decision-making.

3. Loan Amortization – This means a periodic reduction of the loan over time leading to increased equity. Because lenders evaluate rental property based on income stream, when buying multifamily property, present lenders with clear and concise cash flow reports. Properties with income and expenses represented accurately to the lender increase the chances the investor will obtain a favorable financing.

4. Tax Shelter – This signifies a legal way to use real estate investment property to reduce annual or ultimate income taxes. No one-size-fits-all, though, and the prudent real estate investor should check with a tax expert to be sure what the current tax laws are for the investor in any particular year.

Do Your Homework

1. Form the correct attitude. Dispel the thought that investing in rental properties is like buying a home and develop the attitude that real estate investing is business. Look beyond curb appeal, exciting amenities, and desirable floor plans unless they contribute to the income. Focus on the numbers. “Only women are beautiful,” an investor once told me. “What are the numbers?”

2. Develop a real estate investment goal with meaningful objectives. Have a plan with stated goals that best frames your investment strategy; it’s one of the most important elements of successful investing. What do you want to achieve? By when do you want to achieve it? How much cash are you willing to invest comfortably, and what rate of return are you hoping to generate?

3. Research your market. Understanding as much as possible about the conditions of the real estate market surrounding the rental property you want to purchase is a necessary and prudent approach to real estate investing. Learn about property values, rents, and occupancy rates in your local area. You can turn to a qualified real estate professional or speak with the county tax assessor.

4. Learn the terms and returns and how to compute them. Get familiar with the nuances of real estate investing and learn the terms, formulas, and calculations. There are sites online that provide free information.

5. Consider investing in real estate investment software. Having the ability to create your own rental property analysis gives you more control about how the cash flow numbers are presented and a better understanding about a property’s profitability. There are numerous software solutions to choose from online.

6. Create a relationship with a real estate professional that knows the local real estate market and understands rental property. It won’t advance your investment objectives to spend time with an agent unless that person knows about investment property and is adequately prepared to help you correctly procure it. Work with a real estate investment specialist.

There you have it. As concise an insight into real estate investing as I could provide without boring you to death. Just take them to heart and you should be fine. Here’s to your investing success.

Un bosque muy cerca para el reencuentro con la naturaleza Amarylis es un club de campo situado en un maravilloso bosque centenario de 45 hectáreas, en el que se contempla el desarrollo de un emprendimiento con 134 lotes, 58 townhouses, un exclusivo hotel con spa y restaurant y áreas de esparcimiento y deportes. Los 134 lotes de Amarylis van desde los 1500 a los 2200 m2, con un costo aproximado desde los u$s 37 el m2. Los townhouses de 2 y 3 ambientes, construidos en ladrillo, piedra y madera, con amplios ventanales y equipadas con todo el confort, tendrán una superficie que irán desde los 50 m2. a los 75 m2, los que se encuentran en un sector de 2,5 hectáreas en el que predominan grandes pinares.

While it is probably most famous for its vibrant nightlife and booming tourist industry, there is another side to the Costa del Sol that has been attracting investors and second-home buyers for many years. Behind the glitz and the glamour, the Costa del Sol also plays host to traditional little Spanish villages, secluded bays, tranquil and breathtaking scenery and classic, cobbled streets.

The Costa is one of the warmest parts of Spain, tempered by a cooling sea breeze. There are around 320 days of sunshine per year in this region with temperatures averaging at around 24?C in the off-peak months and rising into the thirties during the summer. The tourist industry has taken advantage of the longer strips of beach, but has had to overlook the smaller, more intimate bays that are known mainly to the locals. Further inland are the mountain villages (pueblos blancos) that are instantly associated with a more traditional Spain. Many property buyers are purchasing property here, either to integrate themselves into the local community or to own a secluded property that presents a real investment opportunity.

Buying property in the Costa del Sol offers its own set of variables, particularly in light of the deregulation of the real estate industry in 1999. Before you consider buying property in the Costa del Sol, there are a few aspects that are worth researching.

Since the deregulation laws were passed, hundreds of agencies have sprung up, with the majority of them being unlicensed. Thankfully, in 2003 the government passed legislation requiring all businesses to clearly display the registered name and address of the company. By looking at their websites, you will be able to see which agencies comply and which do not.  You will also be able to see which agencies are registered with the professional associations of GIPE and API. These authorities ensure their members adhere to strict codes of practice, offering protection to clients. If an agency doesn’t display its business address or is not affiliated to either GIPE or API, then continue searching.

It is also worth checking to see if an agent is a member of the Costa del Sol Property Index; members will have access to a central database of properties and other members in those areas. This means that they can find all the property in the Costa del Sol that match your requirements by simply making a quick call to the other independent licensed agencies. This saves you time and money, as you don’t have to see lots of different agents to access all the properties available.

Once you have found a property, you will then need the services of a Spanish lawyer. You need to find on before you sign any contracts. A Spanish lawyer will usually charge around 1% of the sale price of the property and handle the financial aspects of the purchase.

There are variations in the legal system that makes the Spanish system very different from that of the UK. In order to avoid pitfalls, you need to do as much research as possible. Alternatively it may be worth hiring the services of an overseas property specialist. Overseas property specialists will have experience and expertise in the property industry, as well as a pool of contacts and connections to help the purchase of your property in the Costa del Sol run as smoothly as possible.

Rentals have continued their upward climb down and are predicted to go even higher as certain factors that kept the rental market healthy continue to have an impact on the rental figures in the UK. According to figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the demand for rental accommodations has continuously increased due to the stabilisation of property prices and the tightening of mortgage lending conditions. This bodes well for the property investor looking to add to his investment property portfolio.

Where to buy investment property

Buying a property despite the credit crunch may seem a disadvantageous move. However, according to investor 1st Asset, there are two markets that a property investor can look to. 1st Asset states that properties located in super-prime locations such as west London are worth considering. Areas that are set to receive major new investment boosts are likewise considered by the company as an excellent option. An example is east London which is being primed for the 2012 Olympics. For you to be able to take advantage of these areas, it’s best if you get in the market quickly before the spotlight is directed at these markets and before buyers start to move in and prompt the increase of property prices.

Advantages of buying today

If you’re looking to make a property purchase, today is a good time to go ahead with it. The reason? Stamp duty amongst many other things. Recently, the one per cent stamp duty threshold was increased from £125,000 to £175,000 for a period of one year. Because of this, many property buyers had the opportunity of paying lower stamp duty and significantly lowering transaction costs – which of course translated to considerable savings. Another good reason to buy today is the emergence of the buyer’s market and therefore, the abundance of affordable properties. The current property climate has led to a rise in the number of repossessed properties, which are often sold cheaply.

What investment property to consider

With the increase in rents, it becomes sensible to invest in a buy to let investment property. It’s true that the media is painting buy to let properties as investment vehicles to stay away from. However, the Council of Mortgage Lenders recently expressed its belief that the media representation of the fall of buy to let company Bradford & Bingley is erroneous. The media portrayal of the firm was thought to have caused a furore among many in the industry. CML released figures for the first half of 2008 that showed a lower proportion of buy to let mortgages in arrears of more than three months compared to residential mortgages. Apart from that, CML data indicated no difference in the rate of repossessions.

When buying an investment property for conversion into a buy to let, you should consider obtaining it at a price below its true market value to enable significant savings from the day of purchase. Acquiring a BMV property is possible by finding sellers motivated enough to agree to sell for lower than the market value of their properties – some define this as the price an estate agent could reasonably expect to achieve within three months of marketing the property. Once you have found such a property, you’ll be able to take advantage of 100% financing from several private property investors ready to finance your investment.

What are the returns from letting property?

According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents, gross returns vary between 7% and 10% and will be lower for pricey properties. ARLA adds that the average rental return in Britain today flits around the 10% mark with the capital appreciation expected to match, if not surpass, inflation for the immediate future. As a general rule, the gross rents should range between 130% and 150% of the monthly mortgage payments.

Investing in property today may be regarded by some as unfavourable. But if you do your homework, make the necessary preparations and invest for the long term, you can be on your way to a successful and thriving career in property.

Visit www.PhilDeCarolis.com to sign up for my free weekly newsletter that includes Economic and Real Estate updates or for more Peter Schiff videos and real estate advice from an experienced Investor Let me help you protect and grow your wealth NOW before it is too late. Contact me right away for a referral to my own personal broker with Euro Pacific Capital that can advise you on the purchase of precious metals (Gold, Silver, etc..), Commodities And/Or Foreign Dividend paying stocks to hedge against rising prices and your loss of hard earned wealth. Join me in preserving your savings so that we can utilize our retained purchasing power to purchase Discounted/Cash Flowing California Real Estate Assets at the bottom of this downturn for pennies on the dollar that will rise in value dramatically during Californias’ next cyclical inflationary real estate bull market.

If you know what you are doing then real estate investing can be the most effective, and profitable, way to invest your money long term. But what about real estate investments for the short-term, quick return investor? In today’s real estate market many people are shying away from real estate investing because it seems like everyone is getting foreclosed on and making a profit in real estate is impossible. You have to remember that real estate investing, just like the stock market or any other investment, is cyclical. Yes the market is down right now but that is only after many years of a boom in the real estate market that created many new millionaires and added to the portfolio of already established real estate investing experts. So you can rest assured that the U.S. economy, and the real estate market, will make a comeback. If you really look at it, logic would suggest that it will make a huge comeback and if you want to be part of that initial windfall then the time to get involved is now.

Just like any other investment real estate investing is risky so always know that there is a risk to investing in real estate. But the chances that your real estate will appreciate in value are very good over time. It is just a matter of how long you can afford to wait. What you should be doing is scouting out properties to invest in because right now many prime pieces of real estate are available for prices that they may never be available for again. Homes that you never thought you could afford could be bought off the foreclosure market for a fraction of their original cost and held by you to be sold for a profit later. But what can you do in the interim to quickly increase the value of that home and maximize your profits even more? It is called house flipping.

Flipping Is The Fast Money Maker

Flipping a house means that you purchase a property at a price that is significantly below its assessed value, fix it up, then sell it for a profit. In a normal real estate market this is the best way to make fast money in real estate investing. But in a market like this you have to be a little smarter with your real estate investing and realize that flipping is still the way to go but the cycle will take a little longer than it does in a good market. A house flip that would normally take weeks you may have to hold on to for months in this market, but with the rate of foreclosures so high, and the possibility that the government may give large tax breaks to people that buy foreclosed properties, the return in nine months or so could be very large.

Normally in a house flip you would buy a house in need of repair because those are the ones that have depreciated in cost but not necessarily in value. You would do the repairs and then put the house on the market for a large profit. If you take the time to become a little savvier with real estate investing then you can use this current mortgage crisis to become a house flipper that invests in foreclosed properties, fixes them up and then waits for the upturn in the market to sell them at a huge profit. The only variables you need to contend with is how long before the upturn and can you afford to hold the properties while you wait for the market to recover? If you can come to grips with months of holding costs then this may be the perfect time to make your money in real estate investing and you can add value to your real estate with the quick house flipping technique of fixing up the property to add even more value.

Rochmond Condos Video Trailer For: Evergreen 6191 Buswell Street Richmond, BC Canada To view information for all Condos and Townhouses in Richmond, British Columbia Please visit: www.condorichmond.com The Official Website of Networkofcondos.com

Rochmond Condos Video Trailer For: Evergreen 6191 Buswell Street Richmond, BC Canada To view information for all Condos and Townhouses in Richmond, British Columbia Please visit: www.condorichmond.com The Official Website of Networkofcondos.com