Archive for September, 2009
A New Purpose For Old Buildings
Necessity is the mother of invention goes the old saw and it’s never been truer than in this day and age. With construction on new housing at a slow down the real estate market in a slump and on a seemingly unrelated note more and more people calling for a global policy of reduce reuse and recycle the building and architecture industry has had to take some interesting twists and turns to get to the goal of providing the housing that is greatly in demand.
While repurposing buildings is not a new concept its popularity had been on the slide as real estate investors opted for new construction. As prices have been spiraling out of control and developers are becoming reluctant to shell out the initial cost of new construction they’re turning to architects to redesign older buildings for new uses. Reuse on the grandest scale for everyone involved on these projects.
Take the Eastern Columbia Building for example. Built in 1930 just as the Great Depression was getting into full swing the towering 13story structure is a stunning example of the art deco period. It was first built for the Eastern Columbia Outfitting Company as a department store to the stars. In the 1950s it was used for office space. The building is located in downtown Los Angeles California and offers 147 units of two bedroom condominiums to young professionals.
Much of the original features remain including the gold leaf and turquoise terra cotta on the outside of the building. Inside in the lobby the terrazzo floors and antique elevator doors have been refinished. The rooftop boasts a brand new pool.
This concept is not lost on the Ballet Austin dance company. Previously the dance company was scattered throughout the city in four locations with offices here production facilities there meeting rooms and dance studios in yet another space. When renovation was finished in September of 2007 Ballet Austin found its home in the Butler Dance Education Center and Community School: a renovated building that had previously housed a printing company.
The building was a 34000 square foot industrial metal monstrosity but the Austin based Bommarito Group was excited about the project. Its original purpose light industrial was advantageous as the printing press area which comprised about two thirds of the building was already soundproofed. The rest had to be outfitted to accommodate a wide variety of activities from administrative to technical and production staff not to mention the dancers themselves and their visitors or parents.
The ballet company isn’t the only organization to follow the repurposing path. The old Palmer Auditorium built in 1959 has been renovated to house the Long Center for the Performing Arts. The Arthouse contemporary arts organization took a building that had been used first as a theater in the 1920s then a department store then it became an art exhibit hall in the late 1990s.
Repurposing fits right in with Austin’s stated goal of becoming the most sustainable and environmentally friendly city in the nation.
About the writer: Joe Cline writes articles for Austin”>http://www.affinityproperties.com/”>Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to lost”>http://www.joecline.com/lostcreek.php”>lost creek real estate and austin real estate can be found on the net.
10 Creative Ways To Afford Your First Home
Owning a home may well be the best investment many people will ever make in their whole life. The Census Bureau reports a very strong correlation between ones net worth and whether they own a home or not.
OK but that down payment is difficult to accumulate right? Sure it is but its one of the best financial efforts youll ever do for yourself. Following the tips below will give you some good ideas towards coming up with that first down payment and help you own your very first home!
1. Mark a date on your calendar. This will be the date by which you will have accumulated the money necessary to purchase your first home. If you dont follow any of the rest of the tips make sure and do this one! If you dont set a target how can you ever hit it? Right? Pick a date and write it down and ideally view this written goal every day. Please do this right now then return to this list to get you brainstorming for money accumulating ideas.
2. Set up garage sales. You can sell those things that you no longer need but others can find great use of. You can earn hundreds to even thousands of dollars depending on the items and how long your garage sale is. Its also a good way of giving more space to your home.
3. Join bazaars. You can invest a little of your money for a small business you can market in bazaars. This is a good way of not only earning cash but also looking for steady customers and suppliers for your business.
4. Recycle. You just dont know the potential of your unused bottles cans and papers for you. You can sell them in junk shops or you can convert them to unique objects which you can then offer at a much higher price. You can also minimize clutter and help preserve the environment.
5. Offer to babysit. If youre just practically at home most of the time or you have few extra hours you can spend that taking care of children. You can definitely have fun time playing games reading books or lounge together in a chair watching television. The good news is you are paid by the hour.
6. Join message boards. Online there are already a lot of website owners who are looking for someone who can promote their web pages through message boards. You can be it. The job is simple and you can earn for every post you make.
7. Take freelancing jobs. If you are good at something you can start working as a freelancer. You simply need to look for one client and you can start from there. In fact if you do well you can get steady income and even more clients. You can also have more control over your time.
8. Join affiliate programs. The nice thing about affiliate marketing is that you dont have to sell your own products. You just need to look for those who do and then join their affiliate program set up a website and earn money through commissions.
9. Give up some blood. We mean donating your blood to several collection agencies. A lot of them can pay as much as 40 for your donation. Whats more you can do it twice for every week. Thus in a months time you can already have an additional 320 and youve helped others live.
9. Help your town. Do you have patience in walking a dog? Do you know how to cook rake leaves garden or clean homes? You really dont have to go far to earn more. You just have to offer any of your manual services to your neighbor. You can do this in a steady basis and earn on an hourly wage.
10. Rent your stuff. Perhaps you own books dresses and other items that you think would be excellent for others? You can have them rented if you dont want to sell them.
About the writer: Cary NC Real Estate The Real Estate Junction strives to be your one stop shop for all your real estate need. You will be able to search for you next home in Cary and all of its surrounding suburbs with our Home search. For details visit http://www.realestatecary.com/
Young Realtors Guide To Survive
Real estate can be a very lucrative career but it takes hard work perseverance and a little luck along the way. Many people join the real estate field because of the potential for great wealth and because of the relative ease of getting a license. Little do people know how expensive frustrating and stressful this job can be. When getting into this exciting career of real estate I was warned that 70 of agents are out of the business within a year. I do not know how realistic that statistic is but it is obvious that there is a high turnover rate in this business. Too much money goes out and not enough money comes in.
I am now well on my way to have a successful career in Real Estate but it has not been easy. I recently graduated from College with a degree in Business and started my career in real estate at the age of 22. The housing market that I have experienced has been less than forgiving. Many times I have been asked why I started my real estate career at such a poor time but that has not stopped my drive to be a successful Realtor. So here are my tips for surviving.
First and for most prepare yourself for what your getting into. This is not a profession for the faint of heart. You must be prepared for the ups and the downs and be able to survive without getting paid for months on end. When getting into this profession I was told that I should have enough money to last for 6 months without being paid. Many of you may be like me and believe that this would not be the case. I figured it would be a couple of months before I started raking in the money but it was 5 months before I received my first pay check. So let me remind you to have enough money to last for 6 months.
Secondly find a company that has training. I would not be where I am today without the training my company provided. There is so much to learn in this profession that you need someone to guide you. I am currently on a 12 month mentoring program which is an expense every month but an expense that I am willing to pay because of its rewards.
My third suggestion would be to have no inhibitions. Get out there and knock on those doors call expired listings and for sale by owners every day do presentations at local businesses make a habit of calling your sphere of influence talk to your local chamber and ask for their relocation leads. Find ways to get your name out there without spending any money. I spent hours last summer knocking on peoples doors and asking them if they had any plans of moving in the near future. And guess what some of them did have plans of moving!
Fourth get a website and work on Search Engine Optimization. It is no secret that buyers are going to the internet to find a home these days so you better make sure people are getting to your website. I have only had my website for a few months but it is something that I am improving and will continue to improve because of the internets potential.
Finally stay positive! It is too easy in this profession to get down on yourself. You need to remind yourself that things are not always going to go your way and be willing to say next. Just make sure that you are getting things done that will better yourself in the future. So go out there and do it!
About the writer: I serve my clients in Holland Zeeland and neighboring West Michigan cities. For more information please visit my West Michigan Real Estate website.
