Posted by reREP on 11/19/08 in Finance
I read an amusing article just the other day where an author and investor recommended investing in trends that aren’t likely to change, such as obesity and women’s legs. The author of the book is James Altucher, and he apparently really believes that his recommendations represent a good investment strategy.
However, I couldn’t help but notice that many of the funds he lists as his favorites, he also admits haven’t done well. Those trends can’t have that much staying power if the related funds are tanking, right?
Personally, I think real estate is an investment strategy that has been largely forgotten now, when people are spending more time watching the housing market tank than investing any money into it. Right now, actually, prices are low and sales are increasing, which makes it a pretty good time to buy — you can get property at a good price and rest assured that values are on their way back up.
But what if you already own a house? Well, it’s obviously not a good time to sell, but the word investing intimates that you will own more than one piece of property. If you want your investment to pay for itself while you wait for values to increase, you can rent the home out and let someone else essentially pay your mortgage for you.
One way to rent out a house that many landlords overlook is to turn it into a vacation rental, or a villa. For instance, Orlando villas are quite popular, as they are in a hot vacation spot — and I mean, really, who actually likes staying in a hotel when they could have a private Florida villa instead? Just furnish your vacation rental and list it with a management company that specializes in villas in Orlando, and you’ll find that renting out to vacationers is much more lucrative — and much less risky — than leasing the property to tenants.
Technorati Tags: Florida villa, investment strategy, James Altucher, Orlando villas, Real Estate, vacation rental, villas in Orlando
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Posted by Homer on 10/29/08 in Real Estate
Just when we all thought our home values have hit rock bottom, we get chopped again at the knees. Many homeowners are seeing an increase in their homeowner’s insurance rates. This is not confined to the areas of our country that have suffered catastrophic losses due to hurricanes. It is happening all over the country.
We all pay the price for bad weather. Even if we are not in the hurricane path or live near Tornado Alley, insurance premiums have increased across the nation because of bad weather.
While insurance companies used to base their premiums on these bad weather factors happening once in a decade or two, even averaging the occurrences over 30 to 100 years, they have changed their model now to include a much shorter period of time which has seen its share of hurricanes.
Advocates aren’t buying the new model. Many say the model should spread risk out over very long periods of time, keeping premiums steady through calm and turbulent periods. Changing to such a short-term history as a basis for rates is unfair.
The premium increase will most likely stay in force, yet we very well could see the calming trend (we are all praying for) over the next few decades. Our rates will stay at this high level with no adjustment once this stretch of bad weather comes to an end.
Technorati Tags: home investments, home prices, homeowner insurance
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Posted by Rerp on 09/24/08 in Real Estate
Buying a new home can be daunting, even scary, especially if it’s your first home. There are numerous, lengthy home buying guides available, many of which are worth reading, but consider the following information as an opportunity to quickly familiarize yourself with the process. You should begin by conducting a real estate search. You can search a variety of areas, ranging anywhere from Jacksonville real estate to Denver real estate. You can even include within your search, parameters to feature foreclosed homes. The next step is to view the home in person. If you plan on buying it, you can place a bid and enter negotiations with the home’s current owner. Of course, buying a foreclosed home takes a different path. Once you’ve secured your bid and are ready to actually purchase the home, you must prepare for the closing. The closing is when you’ll sign all legal documents and pay the required down payment in order to receive the deed, signed over into your name. By this time, you must have your insurance in place and your down payment ready to go, or you will not be able to complete the closing and you might be required to purchase insurance from your financing institution…which is very expensive.
Technorati Tags: Denver real estate, foreclosed homes, Jacksonville real estate, real estate search
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Posted by REreviews on 08/28/08 in Real Estate
I have had my car in trader magazine for over a month now. What a pain in the rear! I have had good response from the ad as far as phone calls, but real prospects had been few and far between. Several people offered me a lot less than what I was asking for, to the point of being insulting. There were also a few people who wanted to come over to see the car, but after setting up a time to come over they didn’t bother showing up. Why don’t these people at least have the courtesy to call and say they won’t show up?
So finally I get a guy who shows up, and he wants to buy the car. I’m thinking how great this is since he has brought a great big wad of cash with him. So I trot off to my little fire safe and grab the title only to find out I need a notary signing agent. Where am I going to find a notary at the last minute like this? Well it turns out that finding a California notary really isn’t that hard after all. All I had to do was go to the little shipping place down by my grocery store. For five bucks they notarized my title, and I was on my way. Good to know if I ever have real estate stuff to get notarized too! Guess this adventure was a valuable lesson after all.
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Posted by REreviews on 07/23/08 in Real Estate
Moving a business is difficult at best. Starting a business is difficult as well. When you plan to move to Florida to start a business or to bring the one you already have, there are some important considerations to think about.
First, where should you invest in property? Commercial properties Florida offers are available throughout the state, but some areas are ideal. For example, South Florida is attractive for the large cities there, as well as the weather and tourism aspects.
You should also consider local laws for the type of business you have. Large, industrial businesses may require specialized permits. Much of Florida is governed by limiting laws in terms of wetlands, too.
Find a great real estate agent to help you navigate the system. You are sure to find more than a few good opportunities out there to consider when you know what commercial real estate they have to offer. An agent will locate the best locations based on the criteria they give you.
The State of Florida’s website provides some valuable resources to those starting a business here. Take some time to read through the details it offers, including local and state requirements, financial considerations and property purchase. It may answer those questions you have.
Technorati Tags: commercial properties Florida
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