The Real Estate Sage

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• Keep in touch with your clients because if you did everything right, then they will be your list of repeat business. A number of owners see their clients every year, because clients always leave with an air of contentment.
• One great way to keep in touch with your customers is by giving greeting cards or giving them a call from time to time to let them know that you still think about them .
• Never be afraid to ask your customers for their feedback about everything from customer service to the cleanliness of the rooms and decors and accessories in their rooms. In fact, some owners have come up with a feedback questionnaire to gauge their customer’s thoughts and feelings
• Have some souvenir items ready to be given to your guests when it’s time for them to go back home. This will serve as a memento of their great vacation in your house.Throw in a handwritten personal thank you note to make them feel that they are welcome to come back at any time.

Green building is one of the buzzwords in the construction industry today. With the rising costs of fuel and gas prices, and the incredible advances made in building materials derived from renewable materials, green building is not only an environmental initiative, but a smart economic move as well. In fact, as early as 2003, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has required that all new federal buildings under its authority be constructed using green building practices.
Green building means a lot of things: building with materials that incorporate sustainable resources or utilize recycled materials, low energy consumption, minimal site disturbance, water conservation, solar orientation, water and energy efficiency, and healthful indoor-air quality.
Although green building practices tend to increase up-front construction costs, they often provide long-term benefits that may offset these increases. In fact, energy efficiency improvements can provide approximately 30 percent less energy than standard homes and can save homeowners approximately $200 to $400 per year.

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You see a lot of articles and books about how to make money “real estate flipping.” Perhaps you’re heard radio or television news reports about the illegalities of flipping real estate. Maybe you’ve seen the late-night infomercials promising you easy overnight fortunes.

What’s the truth about making money flipping real estate?

First, real estate flipping isn’t illegal. Because some dishonest real estate investors conspired with deceitful mortgage brokers and property appraisers, their stories made “good news” for newscasters who love to grab attention with “Investors Scam Banks and Bilk Buyers out of Millions!” sound bites. True, some investors defraud mortgage lenders and/or desperate home buyers. Cheating investors hyped up property values, helped home buyers tell untruths on mortgage applications, and conned banks and buyers.

On the other hand, ethical real estate investors make a lot of money real estate flipping. There are many ways to make money flipping real estate:

1. You can help home sellers in foreclosure save their credit by arranging a sale of the property and never even take title. In other words, buy the property and double-escrow the property to a home buyer who wants to live in the home.

2. Find a seller under stress with a bargain property, secure a sales contract, and sell your contract for roughly $500 to $5,000 to a seasoned real estate investor without financing or taking title.

NATIONAL HOUSING - More ugliness as affordability on the buy side is still a problem. Mortgage resets will continue to make struggling homeowners payments even more unaffordable. I do not think the gov’t sponsored rate freeze plan will be as effective as some think. Inventory will continue to be a drag on national housing and buyer demand will continue to be pressured. Prices will continue to drop in most of the struggling markets like Miami, Las Vegas, & Phoenix with some markets seeing 10-15% drops. I am fairly negative on national housing for 2008, however, if I were in the market for the longer term I would start to get VERY interested in bidding for distressed properties that have realized a 20-30% correction in price since 2006. All in all, I think its going to get uglier before it gets better and I expect foreclosures & delinquencies to rise in 2008 causing more pain for wall street financials. I also expect commercial to follow residential and get hit in 2008.Towards the end of 2008 I expect the rate of declines for major datasets to slow, showing a glimmer of hope for 2009.

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The yellow pages are usually the first thing people turn to when they search for a moving company. Check out the larger ads if you are moving a long distance, since they probably cover more locations nationwide. Call different moving companies, get a quote from each, and compare before deciding which to hire. Searching for them on the internet is also one way to find a moving company. Like with the yellow pages, start by looking at the bigger companies or the ones that you’ve heard before. Word of mouth is also a great way to find a moving company, and your family and friends would be more than happy to let you know about their experiences with a moving company.

The biggest advantage to buying a condominium is that you no longer have to worry about upkeep and maintenance. The association dues you pay every month covers all of that. It might seem expensive at first, but compare it to the cost of replacing a furnace or roof and you’ll realize that the fees are fairly reasonable. Also, you don’t need to have to shovel snow to reach your front door or rake the leaves – the condominium’s staff does all of that for you. Condominiums are also great starter homes, especially for single yuppies or young families. Many people who moved into condos claim that they enjoy the close-knit community. Finally, it’s an investment property that goes up in value especially when renovations are done. A simple renovation in the kitchen or bathroom increases the unit’s value by thousands.

While you can always benefit from the expert knowledge of a real estate agent, there are some advantages to selling your property by yourself. For one, you get to keep all the profit from the sale because you don’t need to pay any commissions. You also get to set your own price without the influence of an agent – but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do the research to come up with a reasonable price. You can also work on your own time instead of working around an agent’s schedule. Remember, you’re not your agent’s only client. When you work with an agent, there’s a compromise on viewing schedules. Finally, you perform the selling process yourself. While you can get an expert valuation, you control the actual sale all by yourself.

Today, sellers can’t expect to put their properties in the market and expect them to be sold in a matter of days. Sellers need to remember to stick to the fundamental rule of making a property attractive to buyers: get it in top condition. Buying a house will require a lot of money, and you need to show your potential buyers that it’s worth their money. First impression is important to sell a home quickly and successfully. Once you’ve made your property presentable, you can now take photographs of focal points like the living room, garden, and bedrooms. Then create a listing on the Internet or with your real estate agent.

On the surface level, it seems as though you might be getting a good deal when you buy short sale but there are times when you’re better off not doing that. Here are a few reasons why you might not want to buy short sale.

The seller borrowed too much. Some banks allow borrowers to overmortgage their home, especially for appreciating markets. This means that the loan balance of the borrower exceeds the property’s value.

The house is not qualified to be a short sale. Some unethical real estate agents might convince sellers to do a short sale when he or she does not even qualify for a short sale.

Lenders change the condition. There are lenders who have the right to renegotiate the short sale’s terms at the last minute, especially when new laws have been passed or if the market changes. They’ll have a lawyer at their disposal while you, the ordinary buyer, won’t.