tom-beaty.com views on real estate

Consumers can become easily confused and misinterpret housing reports. This may cause them to take action that could harm rather than help them when buying or selling a home.

The timing of reports also can be a problem. If you notice most housing reports are released three to four weeks after the fact, which may not reflect current market conditions. Like stock brokers trading stocks, timing is everything.

Relying upon dated information is like trying to decide what to wear today based upon a month old weather report.

Here is an example of how consumers can easily become confused. On Monday the tenth of March the Chicago Tribune published a front page story in their business section reporting Springfield as the best housing market in the Midwest. I had the honor to be interviewed for that story along with fellow RE/MAX agent Betty Shuster.

There is some clarification required about the story. The Tribune reported Springfield home prices were up 14.4% in 2007 from 2006, thus laying the claim to the fourth best appreciating city in the U.S. and the best housing market in the Midwest.

Here’s what leads to confusion. The Tribune received those numbers from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The methodology used by NAR is different from that used by the Capital Area Association of Realtors (CAAR). The criteria for NAR includes multiple associations of Realtors. Their definition of Springfield includes all of Menard, Sangamon, and Macoupin counties. NAR only counts stand alone single family homes.

CAAR includes condos, single family attached homes and the service area covers all of Menard, and Sangamon counties, and parts of Morgan, Christian, and Macoupin counties. So clarification point number one is the type of property, and the geographical areas are different between CAAR and NAR for reporting purposes.

An extremely significant difference, the numbers from NAR were fourth quarter comparisons, not the entire years of 2006, and 2007.

By using different property types, and geographical areas, combined with the fact that the comparison was quarterly not annual, added up to a lot of confusion.

Truth is Springfield’s median sale price did increase from $99,000 in 2006 to $104,500 in 2007, an increase of 5.5%, something 90% of the housing markets in the country wish they could report.

Price is one of the three most important ingredients to successfully selling a home. Please don’t over/under price your home based upon dated housing reports. Contact a reputable professional for the current, and accurate information about your housing market. Real estate is local.

Fritz Pfister is a Realtor with RE/MAX Professionals Springfield IL., since 1989.
Fritz is the leader in the local real estate market with 1050 closed residential sales since 2000, and hosts a live one hour radio program, Let’s Talk Real Estate, now in its’ 13th year on AM970 WMAY Sat. at 10am which streams live.
Fritz’s website is
SpringfieldHome.com

You’ve been planning of mortgaging your home yet you re not so sure if you can afford the high interest that most mortgages yield now a days and you have no idea how to come up with a computation that will give you a clear idea of whether or not you can afford it or not. There are many things involved in computing your home mortgage financing; it involves interest rates, taxes, principal amount, length or years of payment and many more.

With a home mortgage calculator the process is simplified and anyone can walk away with a clear understanding of their financial capabilities and be armed with a well informed decision in making the necessary steps of completing a mortgage application. Whether you are just shopping for the best deal and comparing the best rates in the market, this simple tool will help make the task easier and more convenient.

You don’t even have to buy one for your personal use; there are many home mortgage calculators online which you can use absolutely free. You can even look for the best one or the most easy to use, the choices are somehow many and competitive and all have their own advantage and disadvantages. For a most unbiased opinion of your financial standing, look for something that are not connected to any financing companies or bank or institution but are independent and it’s only purpose is to help you with your computation.

If you think that you will have a hard time figuring your way around this gadget, worry no more. This simple tool is effective yet very friendly to users and most comes with a step by step guide on how to make use of it. You will not be intimidated, all that is needed is that you fill up the information needed and with a few more mouse click the calculator will give you a basic knowledge of the rates, savings and others that you need to know in taking a home mortgage.

It will not even take a lot of your time and most will have a basic explanation of the outcome of your findings. This will give you a basic idea of your capabilities on whether or not you can afford a home mortgage and what are the best rates that you can go with. You are now armed with this very useful information and when you take the next step, you can haggle and negotiate your way with the bank or financing institutions.

A home mortgage calculator is also advisable for those who do not want to meet with some representatives or agents yet. You need not have to subject yourself with unending intrusions of banks or other financing representatives to convince you that they have the best rates for your home mortgage needs. This gadget will enable you to research and do the work on your own and maintain your information private, until you’ve decided to apply. So go ahead and find out the best deal for your own home mortgage needs.

You can find all about home mortgage calculator articles at http://www.go-home-mortgage-calculator.info

If you are planning of buying your dream house and you’re not sure whether your current financial situation will be enough to cover the monthly amortization, the down payment and taxes and all that are involved when it comes to acquiring your loans, turn to home mortgage calculator. Its a simple tool of helping you make the calculations you need and be better informed of the best way to handle your amortization.

It’s not just a simple calculator and its not also scientific, the main function and the expertise of this simple gadget is all about calculating your options for getting the best mortgage deal. Of course you can opt to use the service of an agent to better explain to you the nitty-gritty details of home financing, but that would cost you extra money and the agent’s opinion might even be biased.

So if you just want to have an unbiased appraisal of your financial capacity, go online and search for the many free home mortgage calculators that abounds in the Internet. All you have to do is fill up some information needed to do the calculations and your all set - you don’t even have to meet face to face with someone you don’t know. It gives you the option of anonymity, especially when you’re not yet ready to take the plunge and you’re just shopping, weighing your options.

Home financing can be quite a fix; there are many details that somehow slip the grasp of our understanding. It’s not a walk in the park, and many of the involved calculation process are difficult to understand and you would not want to burden yourself with such when you can employ the use of a simple and free tool to accomplish just that.

This can be most helpful to those who hates math altogether yet wants to be informed of his best options for home mortgage financing or refinancing. You might be surprised about the savings that the home mortgage calculator will point you to, somehow you did not imagine it possible but it is, and the simple tool has just opened your eyes to that reality.

You can concentrate on what matter most and that is to shop for your dream home. Look for the most competitive listings in the neighborhood of your choice and take extra attention with the agent’s remarks to help you best evaluate the house you are considering to buy. Do not take anything for granted. Most competitive listings will tell you if there’s any repair needed or if there has been new upgrades in the past year.

When you have done proper research and have come up with the short list of your choice, go online and use the calculator to help you decide and compute the best deal for your home financing and how you can go about it. You will be more prepared and better informed with your options and you can better take control of your finances.

You can find all about home mortgage calculator articles at http://www.go-home-mortgage-calculator.info

The general notion is that the rich are getting richer, while there are others aspiring to make it rich. The fact is that there is more money flowing today as compared to any time before. The high net worth individual has put in effort with wisdom in investment opportunities, and is becoming richer by the day. Where is the high net worth individual investing?

One of the investment targets is “offshore”. What does this mean? It simply means investing in a country which is other than the one in which you reside. What is the reason behind investing offshore? Countries with low taxes or no taxes for foreigners are the targeted zones, either for personal or corporate investments.

The investments made are in stocks, bonds and securities, and real estate ownership. The legal and taxation laws are unique for foreign investors, whether individual or business. This is where more than half the world’s wealth thrives.

The other side of being so overly wealthy brings in high quality life style, which is very expensive. This makes it difficult then to hold onto your wealth and assets. You then get subjected to heavy taxes and need to be careful about the kind of investments you choose, to profit from rather than lose out on.

With the stock market crash that occurred in 2001 and the slow recovery that followed, many of the high net worth individuals suffered tremendous losses from which it took them considerable time to recover. This setback made the high net worth wise enough to start spreading out their investments into many baskets rather than one only, for long time gains.

So how should you organize your wealth so that you could continue to become and stay rich always?

One of the ways is to protect yourself and your expected beneficiaries, estates and assets from heavy taxation. Another way is to create and manage an investment portfolio which is diversified and balanced. This is also a cue for those average investors who want to make it rich.

Today with news channels and other specialized websites updating you on the money market there is much to be informed about investments, risks involved, and how to offset and cope. What really is required for a long term asset growth and protection is the specialized advice of wealth managers.

Today there are offshore financial advisors who offer their services to investors irrespective of their wealth potential. Some suggest buying in the new economy of IT, media and telecoms, and considering pharmaceuticals, which are forward looking rather than stocks and shares.

Some brokers prefer to see where the profits lie and invest accordingly while funds invested in the stock market are left aside to grow. They literally get into the skins of businesspersons to predict where the profit lies. Most sell outs are for redemptions and the volatility of the market. Another thing that people are opting for are the small cap companies rather than the large cap ones. Fund managers are also recommending offshore gilt, equity and umbrella funds.

More and more offshore companies are being hired to legally mitigate taxes and protect your assets.

Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

All investors prefer to invest in a diversified and balanced way, whereby the funds are spread out rather than being concentrated in one basket alone. Present day investments range over stocks, shares, mutual funds, insurances, pension plans and most importantly into estates and properties. Allocation of funds is governed by a number of parameters like taxes, goals and preferences.

Is real estate a good investment? The rich seem to think so! Without a doubt most high net worth individuals put their money into real estate. This is either in the country where they reside or “offshore” in places where they like to holiday or let it out to holidayers. Places which feature and fall into the popularly opted for locations are Hawaii being close to the US, or in the Balerean Islands in close proximity to Spain and such other places.

Why do high net worth individuals invest in real estate? Today most families love to holiday at sea resorts or in the mountains and other places of interest. So buying property in such places is ideal for letting out during peak seasons when the place is crowded with tourists. Out of season is the time then when the place is available for you to holiday or get-away.

The category of residential and commercial properties falls within real estate investments, and are available in most areas, dependent on where you would like to invest. Many high net worth individuals invest in resorts and hotels as well. The various offshore companies and brokers can inform you on real estate available and how the taxation laws work.

Investing in real estate with mortgage facility helps save taxes legally. Most of the brokers and financial advisors offer their customers personalized and comprehensive advice on matters of real estate. They also arrange for local finances in cases of investing abroad. Investors are taking advantage of the low borrowing rates to finance direct investments in commercial and residential properties.

The good thing about locating and identifying real estate abroad and even locally today is that it is becoming easier and easier. All you have to do is access the information over the net. However, in the case of high net worth individuals, you do not have to do it yourself. You only have to tell your broker or investor and the job is done. The broker will do all the research and may even check out the property to give complete information on the property to his client, i.e. the net worth individual. He will save you the time and effort of running property to property, which is to be done only after he has short-listed the ones nearest to your requirements.

The broker takes on the responsibility of reviewing the various financial models and the current interest rates on mortgage taken by banks and insurance companies.

Real estate investments are on the rise for the simple reason there is an increase in the number of high net worth individuals all over the world. High net worth individuals have major global or national investment advisors handling their asset management portfolios.

Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

High net worth individuals are persons who are super rich, having huge financial holdings. Earlier, these people were referred to as millionaires. Any person possessing financial assets worth more than US $1 million belongs to the high net income group. Real estate ownership is not taken into account while calculating the financial assets of the high net income group individual or HNWI as commonly referred to. More and more people are getting richer and wealthier in the present times, with the growing economy. Recent statistics show an increase of 9 to11% in the number of HNWI in North America, with assets rising to a worth of $11.3 trillion.

With the capacity of a handsome proportion of disposable liquidity, investing in vacation homes or the second home is becoming popular with the high net worth individuals. Vacation homes are properties that are solely utilized for the recreation or leisure requirements of families or individuals. The home is usually a home away from home, meant for relaxing and enjoying a vacation. Owning a vacation home is a profitable venture as, this can be rented out when you are not using it. Renting out the vacation home provides you with additional rental income, plus the house will be maintained well.

High net income group people have numerous options while choosing the locales for their vacation home. These include exotic places all over the world, like the Caribbean, Greece, France, Italy, Florida, Hawaii, Spain, Thailand and Portugal etc. The many alternatives available are beach front condos, mountain lodges, country side farmhouses, private castles, chateaus, villas or even ultra luxurious apartments. These luxurious homes provide you with the privacy and comfort of a vacation home.

There are luxury vacation homes designed for the high net income group that have all the world class services to make the vacation a truly memorable experience- theater, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, state of the art gym, beauty salon, indoor and outdoor games and activities. All of these facilities and more are available at most of the exotic luxury vacation homes.

Keeping the focus on the needs of the high net income group, these vacation homes are furnished with grace and style. Spacious living rooms, luxurious bedrooms, dining areas, and ultra modern kitchens are all done up with opulent interiors, to reflect classic taste. It is even possible to get domestic help staff for housekeeping and cooking services. Touring arrangements are also taken care of along with sight seeing. Skiing sessions are arranged if you are at a skiing station or if you are vacationing at the beach, then cruise in a luxury yacht complete with a cabin crew will give that memorable yachting experience.

Vacation homes are becoming popular with high net income groups. They are perfect getaways for winding down and enjoying with family members. A place where you can relax in epitomized luxury after spending the day in leisurely and adventurous activities. World class dining accompanied with the finest wines make vacation homes most suitable for the rich and famous.

Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

People are becoming more conscious about building their assets and wealth in many ways. This is a gradual process which happens through moderate living and aggressive saving. Becoming a high net worth individual cannot happen overnight. It requires a great amount of patience, discipline, vision and ambition to become a high net worth individual. Investing wisely and disciplining one’s expenditures is what will make you a net worth individual in time to come, depending on how long ago you started.

The opportunities are plenty to make you a net worth individual. They cover financial investments like stocks and bonds, tax saving opportunities through insurances and loans or mortgages, real estates and regular savings. The most attractive scheme today in the market is real estate and if you are ambitious, you will look for the right opportunities in the right directions. With finances at a general high, people are taking advantage of selling their properties at better profits. They then consider reinvestment in real estate to circulate their money. People find this one of the safer ways of investing rather than in stocks and bonds where investments are subject to market fluctuations.

Moreover, real estate helps recover some of the losses suffered in stock market depreciations. What is the kind of real estate high net worth individuals are targeting? They prefer to locate and identify those properties which they tend to visit regularly or where they stay and can keep track of the property. Some of these properties span places like Las Vegas, Atlanta and Miami which are frequented by holiday visitors. Other places are the warmer regions of Southern California and Arizona. Being close in proximity to such areas helps investors to include the expenses of these visits as business expenses.

Today, along with the old time investors there are fresh investors who find investing into real estate worthwhile. There is one fact however; the new investors have rather unrealistic expectations as far as returns are concerned. Not being familiar with the real estate market trends investors tend to raise their return expectations much higher than expected. This becomes challenging and difficult to handle in view of the current stock market performance.

It is expected that real estate will open up a flood of new trends in the market by way of net lease. With the expected recovery in world economy, there would be new products in the market with developers going in for single tenant lease opportunities. This would attract more buyers and investors. As of now there are a considerable number of markets which are small, but hope to flourish soon as investor attractions.

The Internal Revenue Service has permitted purchase of new property before sale of existing property, which shows a rise in transactions bringing in the smaller players into the field of real estates. As a matter of fact the value of transactions is no longer small as compared to those dealt in earlier. The IRS guidelines show how the different transactions are to be treated for tax purposes. At the moment, investors prefer to go in for simple transactions, but with time it could change.

Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

Homes in North America continue to remain popular with high net worth individuals till today. But with the drop in the dollar, the returns of this investment are not as high as it used to be before the drop. And even though the high net worth individual is diverting his vision to other regions, North America still retains the highest attraction for the high net worth, when it comes to choosing a home.

The high net worth individual’s worth is at least thirty million dollars by way of assets, which excludes the primary residence and other consumables. Statistics have gone to show that a large number of high net worth individuals prefer to have homes in North America first and then else where. One of the reasons why the high net worth prefer North America is that the returns are high and the creation of wealth is more on the rise than in any other part of the world. The high net worth are definitely benefiting from their North American investments.

Most of the United States high net worth individuals prefer to invest domestically, while the high-net-worth individuals of other countries also prefer the United States. This of course previously prevented the North American high net worth individual from benefiting as much in his taxation, which, however, his counterpart non-resident of America was benefiting.

North America still has properties to offer which fall within the scope and description of prime properties which are the most expensive because of their location and sophistication. The demand is high and so also is the supply on the higher side, allowing for a wonderful choice of selection to high net worth individuals. However, all too often every property does not yield that high a return as proportionate to the investment.

The good thing about North American Homes for the high net worth individual is that you get a choice of homes starting from old architectural styles to the mid Victorian styles, and the modern styles incorporating the latest in architecture. The style and choice being vast, you can choose almost anything that you wish to buy. There are ranch homes and bungalows and twin bungalows. The sizes of the yard may vary to suit your choice. But the living space is always large and airy with many amenities and equipment to meet all your requirements.

Today high net worth individuals are going in for the sprawling house with plenty of open space around for that feel of independence and openness. The areas in which these homes are located are as beautiful as the very home itself and the choice is a difficult one. Nevertheless, the one which best suits your requirement, whether for living purpose or for investment purpose and matches your budget, is the home to opt for.

The high net worth individual feels that choosing a home in North America is the best choice he can make as it complies with his requirements from every aspect of the selection of a home-area, interiors and equipment and location of the home. The budget too is one that is well affordable.

Real Estate Investments in 2008 are a bargain for high net worth individuals who can afford to buy and hold properties. This Real Estate Investment Company specializes in finding wholesale investment homes for investors at no extra cost. Their website is http://www.realnetusa.com

When the time comes to sell your home, it seems like your To Do list is a mile long. The house has to be immaculate inside and out, the hoards of potential buyers are beating on your door, and the legal and financial details of the home sale process loom. Don’t be tempted to handle this situation by yourself; instead, make your life infinitely easier and use a Realtor to help you sell your home.

The lure of saving money is a strong one. Most Realtors charge between 5% and 7% on commission. As the seller, this comes out of your proceeds at closing. I know you’re doing the math right now, and thinking that there’s no way that using a Realtor is worth anywhere near this much money. However, it truly is worth every penny; here are the top 3 reasons why you should use a Realtor when selling your home.

1. The Security of Your Family and Home

You cannot put a value on the security of your family and home. You want your family to be safe in your home without having to worry. But remember when I mentioned the hoards of potential buyers for your home? If you sell your home yourself, you have to meet with each one of these buyers by yourself. The problem is you never know who these people really are. It’s horrific to consider, but it has happened where people have gone to a home on the premise of looking to purchase it and instead have committed a crime.

When you use a Realtor, you don’t have to meet with the potential buyers and thus expose yourself and your family to possible harm. Instead, each person that enters your home is accompanied by a licensed Realtor. This helps you twofold. First, because the person is in your home with a Realtor, you and your family don’t need to be there. This mitigates the risk of someone harming you while in your home. Secondly, the chance of someone committing a crime against your property, either through theft or vandalism, is drastically reduced by their Realtor being present.

2. The Value of Your Time

Let’s backup for the moment to a point I mentioned previously - the hassle of dealing with potential buyers. When you sell your home yourself, you’re the sole contact with potential buyers. If someone wants information, they contact you. This means your phone will be ringing constantly. And you can’t just ignore these calls; if you do, your house will take even longer to sell.

Even better - remember the part about keeping your house immaculate? When you sell your home yourself, this has to be true 100% of the time. People can and will pull up outside your home and demand to look inside at any time of the day or night. If you ask them to come back at a more convenient time, you could easily lose a sale.

But by using a Realtor, this hassle is saved and your time is reaffirmed to be as valuable as you and I both know that it is. Your Realtor handles all the phone calls, and is specially trained in how to answer these calls professionally without compromising the sale of your home. And your Realtor coordinates the showings with other Realtors, leaving you with specific times for the showings. This will allow you to relax and enjoy the time you have remaining in your home.

3. The Value of Peace of Mind for the Future

Selling a home is a complicated legal and financial prospect. Sure, you can buy generic forms to fill out for the Purchase Agreement and everything else needed. But what assurance do you have that they’re filled out in a way that protects you for the future? After all, you certainly don’t want to deal with a lawsuit five years from now with your buyer saying that you made an error in the paperwork on the transaction.

When you hire a Realtor, they shoulder this burden. Realtors are required to carry what’s known as Errors & Omissions insurance. This insurance protects you from such little errors. If there’s a problem, the insurance company is who works to resolve the situation, not you.

So don’t succumb to the lure of saving the commission money. Hiring a Realtor is the absolute best thing you can do as you prepare to sell your home.

Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin, Texas. Eric currently manages his Austin Real Estate website, his Lake Travis real estate company’s website, & his Austin condos website.

Having trouble selling your house? Sell This House, a new reality show on the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E) can help! Each Sunday evening at 5 (Eastern Time), the Sell This House team tackles a ‘problem house’ - one that’s been on the market for some time and isn’t selling. After snooping on prospective buyers who tour the house and recording their concerns, the show’s team steps in to work wonders and transform a no-sell house into a hot property.

Hosted by Tanya Memme and Roger Hazard, Sell This House features a new property each week. Memme, a former Miss World Canada, is a sassy, wisecracking hostess who helps viewers see inside the minds and hearts of both buyers and sellers. Hazard is a decorator and design maven who has designed celebrity homes and restaurants, from the outside in. Together, the pair bring the concept of ’staging’ to life - and manage to combine a great deal of entertainment for the viewer with a heaping helping of excellent advice for anyone trying to sell a house in today’s real estate markets.

Says Hazard, “People want to feel good in a home, and it doesn’t take much to create that environment.”

And that is what “staging” is all about - creating an environment that appeals to the psychology of the buyer and makes them feel good just being in your house. Sell This House capitalizes on the concept of staging, and shows viewers easy tips and tricks to help them use staging to move their own homes in a slow market.

Sell This House has featured homes in Los Angeles, Seattle, Maui, Memphis, Fort Worth, Baltimore, Austin, Chicago and about 40 other cities. The houses are selected from homes submitted by viewers. After the camera spies on prospective buyers to hear concerns about the home, decorator Hazard sets to work to transform the property that won’t sell into a property that gets snapped up in a heartbeat.

Each episode of Sell This House also features selling tips from the experts and advice on staging your own home to sell quickly in a soft real estate market. The reality decorating real estate show is sponsored by Coldwell Banker, who offer these top 10 real estate tips to both buyers and sellers.

1. Start with a plan when you purchase a home. Know whether you’re buying a short term investment or a long term home.

2. Know your credit rating.

3. Use a professional realtor to have someone on your side who knows the local market and the real estate business inside out.

4. If you’re buying - take photos to help you remember details of the houses that you view.

5. If you’re the buyer, seek out all the alternative funding opportunities. If you the seller, KNOW them. Being able to steer prospective buyers to financing that works for them can make the difference between disappointment and a sale.

6. Know the local schools. According to realtors, being in a district with good schools increases the sale value of your house. If you’re buying, choose a house in a good school district. If you’re selling, be sure to point it out!

7. Do your research into local prices so that you know you’re pricing your home in the right ballpark. An overpriced home is not likely to sell, no matter how beautiful it is.

8. Be sure to include information about local amenities in your sell this house ads. Travel routes, close to highway, good schools, within easy walking distance to stores are all great selling points.

9. Get feedback from realtors and prospective buyers who view your house. It will help you adjust your selling angle to sell more quickly.

10. Go for full disclosure. The law is very clear on what must be disclosed to prospective buyers about defects. If there are any, you’re best off being open about them.

Learn more at
www.House-Selling-Pros.com.