Archive for October, 2009
Like It Or Not Buyers Judge A House By Its Appearance
When you went in search of your new home did you even briefly consider the structures that were dirty on the inside or out? If paint was chipping rugs were stained or wood chipped did you look twice at the asking price or turn around in search of a home with more upkeep more shine and more polish? If you say that the appearance of the home didnt phase you at all youre lying.
The look of a building is often the final tipping point for an interested buyer. If it looks rundown and unloved people will think there is no reason to consider it let alone purchase and revitalize it. If it appears to be falling down it will appear to be worthless. You will never sell your home and move to the pretty clean one you discovered in the neighborhood you are moving to. Therefore it is important from the moment you move in to the moment you relocate that you maintain the appearance of your house.
Begin by keeping the paint fresh and clean. Do not let it chip and fade into a disgusting example of neglect. Give it life by reapplying paint every few years. And when you do dont opt for the cheap noname brands. Invest in highquality paint that will give the rooms a feel of class and warmth. The best way to do this is to consult a paint dealer. Hes not just there to make money; hes there to make happy customers which means he is there to do whatever you need to maintain the look of your home. Hell point you in the right direction for the right paint.
When you start applying the color do so carefully and meticulously. Do not just slap it on as if there were no other concerns in the world. Color alone does not make the room. You are trying to make a good impression not convey to the public that you couldnt care less about the condition of your walls. Go over the corners and edges slowly; clean up any bumps; and create an atmosphere that screams I took my time; I care. This is worth something.
Once youve got the walls taken care of take a look at the wood surrounding them. Do they need to be refinished? Do the carpets need to be shampooed? Do they need to be replaced entirely? Are any of your tiles cracked or missing? Have the wood floors seen better days? Examine everything that could detract from the appearance of your home and give it life.
If you dont care about how your home looks no one will care about your home. Take the time to breathe beauty into the walls floors and extras in your home and youll reap the rewards. Youll have people oohing and aahing over the extras youve added. Youll have friends envious of your gorgeous dining room and redone floors and most importantly youll have buyers scrambling to retrieve their checkbooks before the person behind them can do the same and snatch this wellloved property out from under their noses.
About the writer: The author writes articles on Austin Real Estate Blog. For more information about Austin real estate Austin builders and Austin Texas real estate can be found on the net.
Liberia: Key To The Beach
It’s no secret that Costa Rica has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world but you may be surprised at just how easy it is to get to them. Many people know of Costa Rica’s central international airport in San Jose which is a five hour commute from the coast. However a smaller second international center Liberia’s Daniel Odbur International Airport LIR is hot with those in the know and it’s gaining popularity fast. Just seven miles southwest of Liberia’s city center LIR is only 20 minutes to an hour from most of the beaches on the North Pacific Coast. Liberia is the capital of Guanacaste province and provides easy access to Playa del Coco Tamarindo Playa Negra Playa Flamingo Playa Grande Playa Hermosa and beautiful nearby parks.
Since the inaugural international flight in 1995 this bustling arrival zone has grown to serve almost 30 airlines including Air Canada Delta American Airlines US Airways and Continental Airlines with flights arriving from cities like Miami Houston Atlanta Chicago Toronto and Vancouver.
In fact Continental offers 16 weekly flights from the US to Liberia. LIR saw 237199 passengers in the first six months of 2007 an increase of more than 15 percent from the same time period the year before and a figure that continues to grow. With the first direct flight from England arriving in May 2007 the Costa Rican government is currently in discussion with at least four European carriers in hopes of securing regularly scheduled flights.
By 2017 LIR is expected to see over a million passengers a year and plans are underway for a new terminal capable of processing 15000 people an hour the current terminal sees about 700 people an hour during peak times. With two new temporary open air terminals the Daniel Odbur International Airport now offers a bank medical services a gift shop an Internet kiosk a fire department and snack bars. The facility can handle up to four planes at once and offers domestic connections to several Costa Rican destinations.
A number of shuttles service the airport making it an easy hassle free alternative to get to your destination quickly. If you’d prefer to drive yourself you can rent a vehicle from any number of the nearby agencies that provide pick up and drop off services.
Because of its intimate safe environment and desirable location Liberia’s quickly gaining a positive reputation with Costa Rica’s more seasoned travelers and travel agents alike. For some the deciding factor is finding flights to this airport at better rates than those to San Jose.
So the secrets out! It’s a great time to consider investing in Guanacaste province besides the year round appeal of the amazing climate and beautiful beaches this area is only growing in popularity as it becomes more accessible. Whether you’re looking to invest in a vacation rental or live out your retirement dreams Costa Rica is within reach.
About the writer: Century 21 Coastal Estates. Nicholas Viale is a professional Costa Rica real estate agent who specializes in making your dreams a reality. To find the perfect Costa Rica beach property or luxury home visit Nicholas online at CostaRica1RealEstate.com.
Lease Options : A Great Way To Make Money In Real Estate
For all of you aspiring real estate entrepreneurs and investors who want to make money in the real estate game Lease Options and Options are great way to accomplish this with little money or no credit. Let’s examine the beauty of making money in real estate using this creative way.
Lease Options and Options. Lease options are a great way to take control of a property without owning it. In a lease option scenario you would take control of the property by leasing it from the owner with the option to buy it.
When you lease the property from the owner of course “subject to” their existing mortgage you must have in your lease agreement the right to sublease to a tenant buyer. Buying a property “subject to” the current mortgage loan it simply means that you don’t get new financing you would just leave the existing loan in place and take over the payments.
Once you have made a “subject to agreement” with the seller you would then sublease it to your tenant buyer. When you sublease to a tenant buyer the difference between the payment on the mortgage and the rent that you would collect from your tenant buyer would be your “spread” or the monthly cash flow that you would receive.
In addition to this fabulous arrangement you would also make money when that tenant buyer has paid you a nonrefundable deposit to move into the house. The deposit would go right in your pocket. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
This nonrefundable deposit would be applied as a down payment for them on the house and subtracted from their purchase price. Furthermore you make money on the back end when that tenant buyer finally gets financing and buys the house from you.
When the house is bought by the tenant/buyer the owner’s loan balance is paid off and if they had any equity and they were willing to leave some on the table your back end profit would derived from that.
Your back end profits would be the difference between the price that you optioned to buy the house for from the owner and the purchase price that you gave to that tenant buyer. Sound easy doesn’t it? Well in reality it is.
Let’s move on to examine a straight option. In a straight option you would simply get an option to buy a property at a specific ideal price. An ideal price would be a price that would allow you to make a substantial profit when you’ve have sold the property.
For example a house by the lake is appraised at 700000 and has been on the market for a while and the owner is willing to sacrifice some equity to get rid of it.
You’ve negotiated with the seller to get an option to buy the house for 600000 and you then turn around and sell that option to a buyer for 650000 .You just made 50000 and everyone benefits from your efforts. The seller sold a house they had trouble selling and the buyer of your option and the house instantly gets 50000 of equity from the house and of course you made your 50000.
In conclusion as you can clearly see using the Lease Option and Option methods are creative ways that A Real Estate Investor or Entrepreneur can use to easily make money in real estate.
About the writer: Omar Johnson is a successful Real Estate Investor and author of the home study course The Real Estate Investor’s Guide To Finding The Motivated Seller for more info http://www.findingthemotivatedsellers.com
