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If You Dream With A House On The Beach…

08 May.
Posted by alojate in Buying | No Comments

Los Cabos will fill all your desires. A secluded destination once only visited by power players and movie stars has become a location for everyone to enjoy.

Whether you want to call Los Cabos home or purchase property for a quick getaway at anytime, it’s one of the hottest places people are interested in today.

It is considered to be the number one fastest growing resort area on the continent. Everyone knows when you buy property at inexpensive prices and the surrounding area grows bigger, the worth of your real estate skyrockets.

This is what’s happening in the Baja California Sur as we write this and will be for years to come.

What started out as an area for pirates and buried treasures many centuries ago has become the center of a booming real estate empire.

In fact, this Mexico golden egg has increased its revenue since the turn of the twenty-first century by one hundred sixty percent. Definitely a low increase compared to what the future holds in the next twenty years.

Having trouble trying to put this all together and picture the development? Since 1997, Los Cabos has had three-quarters of a billion dollars invested in hotel resorts, golf courses, tourist events, shopping areas, and hundreds of businesses to give everyone who visits everything they ever wanted in a vacation destination.

The area is contained within the likes of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, giving off a tranquil serenity like no other.

In the distance, the mountains reveal to everyone around that this is a world of its own. All those who visit will not only enjoy the benefits of the accommodations and activities, but the scenery as well.

When you’re ready to purchase property in Mexico, there are a few things to keep in mind before looking. Since the area lacks largely in financial loans, sellers sometimes offer to finance the buying price themselves.

So don’t be surprised if this type of offer comes from them at some point during negotiations. Oh, one more thing, get your own attorney for the transaction.

Since most likely this purchase will be for vacation purposes, have fun with it. With Los Cabos growing to new heights, there will be plenty of options available.

The only difficulties you’ll have is figuring out how to choose a dream house on the beach because they will all look like one when you see them in person.

Los Cabos is truly a tropical paradise with miles of beaches, world class golf and fishing, five-star Resorts, unbelievable night-life and dining experiences, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing and desert adventures.

These reasons, along with the friendly people and perfect weather, have created a location where international visitors are taking advantage of the real estate opportunities available here.

Dream no more and do what other dream seekers are doing by getting in on the boom of Los Cabos.

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Pedregal.com is the real estate agency located in La Paz with experienced agents and consultants.
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North Loop: Old Meeting New

07 May.
Posted by kigray in Buying | No Comments

The North Loop neighborhood in Austin, Texas is a vibrant, yet quaint place to call home. Over the past few years, and throughout the Austin real estate boom, it has managed its increasingly high profile while generally preserving its qualities that make it so unique and desirable.

Situated about 25 blocks north of UT campus, it has always been a safe haven for students and other left-of-center folks, who have contributed greatly to the neighborhood personality and activism since it was built (mostly in the Fifties). The most defining aspect of this area are the small, attractive houses with well-proportioned yards and lots of tree cover.

Most houses fall into the one-to-two bedroom with one bathroom size, although, like many older Austin neighborhoods, many have converted garage apartments and other nifty conversions. Converted duplexes are also common, as are full-on remodels with two stories. Such homes make it somewhat more difficult to justify moving a family, but for married and expecting couples North Loop is a perfect fit.

The main reason it has been able to resist the increasing development associated with much of central Austin (and for its low rent by Austin standards) has much to do with its less than desirable location in previous years- namely, underneath airplanes. Austin’s old airport placed North Loop squarely underneath the flight path of descending planes, thereby rendering the properties much less valuable.

I remember many days playing at my father’s house when all conversation would be interrupted by the mellifluous tones of jet engines roaring into the runway to the north. Those days have passed, and as the new George H.W. Bush Intercontinental airport opened, the property values soared.

Yet many residents who have been in the neighborhood for decades stayed, and with them the charm of North Loop has been mostly preserved, along with its attraction for the kitschy and unorthodox. When I lived on 51st and Avenue F, our house was purple and yellow with too many trees for our medium-sized yard, and we didn’t stick out.

North Loop has also fostered a variety of small local businesses, from guitar repairman extraordinaire Walter Hutchison’s Musical Exchange to the aptly named Flightpath Coffehouse. While these two specific examples have resided in the North Loop area for decades, the area has expanded to include many interesting stores such as Monkeywrench books, a self-described “anarchist book store” where activists meet to help shape the world around them.

Between Monkeywrench and local pizza restaurant The Parlor, about 3-4 shows for local bands of all persuasions go down weekly. Other personal favorites of mine include Sound on Sound Records, local bike shop The Peddler, and the self-explanatory Sign Store, although that covers less than half of the recent additions to the North Loop shopping experience. The majority of these businesses have arrived in the past ten years, but there is one common thread that unites them: local owners who are looking out for the benefit of the neighborhood.

In conclusion, if local businesses and smaller, unique houses sound like a great place to spend your days, then North Loop is the right place for you. Austin real estate has many choices, and this neighborhood is one of the unique places to end up.

Ki helps buyers interested in Austin real estate http://www.escapesomewhere.com his website has a free search of the Austin MLS http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html along with updates on his Austin real estate blog http://www.escapesomewhere.com/austinblog/

Austin Texas Neighborhood Profiles : Clarksville

07 May.
Posted by kigray in Buying | No Comments

The West Austin area of Clarksville was originally a freedman’s colony for slaves freed after the Civil War. It now has a very diverse population, and this diversity is reflected in the various nationalities of the residents. There is an excellent public grade school in Clarksville, named Mathews Elementary.

Every fall, Mathews holds a carnival on the grounds, which includes the Clarksville Annual International Dinner and the Octoborama Festival, which is held at the end of October. During Octoberama, local musicians, many of whom are the parents or relatives of Mathews School students, perform at the carnival. Also, most of the kids bring large quantities of food to be sold at the International Dinner, to reflect the cuisine of the countries of their origin.

Since most of the University of Texas Division of Housing apartment complexes are located in the West Austin area, and the grade school children residing there with their parents attend Mathews, many ethnicities and heritages are represented at the dinner, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, and various African and other nationalities. While at the Octoberama Festival, you can hear local musicians, sample all kinds of homemade food, watch contests such as two-legged races and relay races, and enjoy juggling and face-painting, which all of the kids love.

Right down the street from the school is another Austin legend, Nau’s pharmacy, which has one of the oldest soda fountains in Austin. You can have eggs for breakfast or a shake after school at Nau’s, and then head down to the 9th Street dog park.

There are many good restaurants in the Clarksville area, and this area is a short bus ride or long walk to Lady Bird Lake, and the jogging trails, or you can go downtown by bus or on the sidewalk, just a mile or so in the other direction. There are also a number of historic homes in the area, including a home referred to by the children as “the Castle”, since it looks just like a medieval castle, but which was originally a military college building.

There is also a “Moonlight Tower”, another local landmark, in the area of the Castle. Austin and Clarksville are home to many local politicians and well-known Austinites. Ann Richards was a regular at the drug store soda fountain, and most Hollywood celebrities visit the restaurants when in Austin.

The Johnson Creek Hike and Bike Trail skirts the western edge of Clarksville, and winds along under the Loop One freeway, also called the MoPac for the Missouri Pacific rail line which runs directly alongside the freeway. You can walk, ride a bike, or jog up and down the hike and bike trail, which crosses Johnson Creek in one place and begins at Austin High School, on the northern shore of Lady Bird Lake.

From the Austin High School access point to the trails, You can cross the lake, which is actually the Colorado River, and hike through Zilker Park or swim in Barton Springs, or go north, and once past Clarksville, you eventually wind up in the Brykerwoods area, if you go south you can head down to the Barton Hills and Travis Heights.

Clarksville is also home to various arts and crafts establishments, and the yearly Eeyore’s Birthday Party Celebration, another fun local event, which is held in Pease Park, on the north-eastern perimeter of the Clarksville area. All in all, The Clarksviile area of Austin is truly a great place to live, whether you’re raising a family, a student, retired, or any one of the varied lifestyles which flourish in Austin. You will always feel at home in Clarksville.

Ki helps buyers interested in Austin real estate http://www.escapesomewhere.com his website has a free search of the Austin MLS http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html along with updates on his Austin real estate blog http://www.escapesomewhere.com/austinblog/

Strong Real Estate Market in Lanzarote

06 May.
Posted by Tribune2 in Buying | No Comments

Real estate investors world wide are looking at buying property on Lanzarote.

Why would so many people, under such financial turmoil, look at buying property on an island?

The answer is simple. Investment property - or even better, the return on investment they’re sure to see years in the future. Buying inexpensive property on one of the world’s leading tourist islands is a smart move, no matter how you look at it.

Island property is almost guaranteed to increase in value over time. Although it is one of the larger of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote will eventually run out of buildable land. This is a simple fact facing all islands. When there is no room to build more homes, property prices will skyrocket. This will make your investment well worth the time, money and effort you put into it.

In January and February 2008, a detailed analysis showed that of the 636 property inquiries received, 88 percent were overseas investors. That equals about 538 overseas investors looking to buy property in Lanzarote. This study suggests that changes in market conditions recently affecting the UK are not affecting Lanzarote properties in the least. In fact, it proves that Lanzarote is a very hot spot for buying prime investment real estate.

Puerto del Carmen is currently the driving market accounting for 43 percent of all property inquiries used in the analysis. Costa Teguise came in second with 30 percent and Playa Blanca third with 19 percent.

For residents of the Irish Republic, the island has become the most popular Spanish tourist destination. Irish investors make up a large percentage of those looking to invest in property on Lanzarote.

It would seem that investors looking to buy property on Lanzarote are looking for low cost, low risk options. The primary property types people are looking for are apartments or flats. Properties priced below 150,000 Euros received the most enquiries. Properties priced above 500,000 Euros attracted only 3 per cent of overseas investors enquiries.

Playa Blanca is one of the newer resorts on the island. It boasts a five star hotel where you will find restaurants, bars, spas and much more. Other features of the resort include pools, a children’s playground and an amphitheatre. Sports fans will enjoy the tennis courts, beach volleyball, soccer, a 9-hole putting course and more daily activities for kids and adults.

Those looking to invest in a villa property look primarily to Lanzarote’s Playa Blanca. Properties in Playa Blanca receive five times more inquiries than rival resort Costa Teguise. It is believed the reason for this is the newest resorts offer a better value than the older resorts on the island.

Lanzarote’s resort areas are always growing and increasing in value.

Tourists book months in advance for their favourite hotels. Many tourists have decided to buy an apartment or villa, not only for holiday stays, but also as investment properties. As tourism continues to grow in the Canary Islands, property prices on the islands will continue to rise.

http://www.yourlanzarote.net has information for Lanzarote flights and holidays.

Staying Informed with the Help of a Realtor

28 Apr.
Posted by ericbramlett in Buying | No Comments

As you begin your house hunting process, you will probably already have a good idea of what type of home you are looking for. For example, you might know the size and style of the home you want to purchase and you might have a general idea of the city or town in which you want to live. Of course, it is important for you to share this information with your Realtor so you can be certain to find the home of your dreams. At the same time, there is plenty of information that your Realtor can provide to you that will also help you in your decision making process. Therefore, you should be certain to ask plenty of questions and to utilize your Realtor’s knowledge to the fullest extent possible.

Finding Out About Schools

If you have a family or plan to start a family in the foreseeable future, schooling will likely be quite important to you. Therefore, you might want to ask your Realtor to help you acquire information about the school district you would like to live in. Many Realtors will not guarantee that you will be in a specific school district because these district boundaries can change. Nonetheless, he or she should be willing to help you find out what the current district boundaries are. In addition, the Realtor should be able to help you look up information about the school district, such as the scores the school has received on standardized testing and what the current teacher/student ratio is a the school.

Learning About Utilities

In addition to helping you find school information, your Realtor should also be able to help you learn more about utilities for the home you are considering purchasing. For example, the Realtor can help you find out whether or not the property is served by city water and sanitation. You will also be able to find out who supplies the electricity and gas to the home as well as whether or not cable is available on the property.

Zoning Information

You can also ask your Realtor to provide you with zoning information. If you think you might like to start a business in the home at some point, for example, you might want to look for property that is commercially and residentially zoned. The zoning may also have an impact on the resale value of the home, so it is worth your while to look into this information before making a purchase.

Finding Out About Crime

Your Realtor can also help you learn more about the crime rate in the area you are considering moving to. By finding out about these statistics, you can determine whether or not the property is in a neighborhood where you and your family can feel safe.

Remember, your main purpose is to find a home where you can enjoy living for the next several years and where you can feel comfortable with raising a family if you so desire. Similarly, you want to make a good investment, so take advantage of the knowledge the Realtor possesses so you can get the best of both worlds.

Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty, an Austin real estate company. Eric currently invests, renovates, and develops Austin Real Estate.
http://www.ericbramlett.com
http://www.lifeinsteiner.com
http://austinrulz.blogspot.com

How TO Buy A Foreclosed Home

28 Apr.
Posted by teahupoo in Buying | No Comments

Foreclosure begins when a property owner defaults on the mortgage of a property, mainly due to financial difficulties or the inability to keep up with the mortgage payments for some reason or another. In the event that a property succumbs to a foreclosure, it’s most likely that the property has not been maintained as it should have been.

This means that perhaps the roof is in dire need of repair, a damaged foundation or the landscaping has been severely neglected, or a number of other maintenance or repair issues that may be costly. Some foreclosure homes may only need a fair amount of TLC. The amount of repairs needed or required for the foreclosure property may greatly reflect on the asking price. A major fixer upper may be offered at a lower than normal price, whereas a property that is in fair condition may go for a price just the below the market value.

When a mortgage lending institution decides to foreclose on a property, they will file a notice of default that will become a public record for all buyers who are interested in locating foreclosed properties for purchase. There are many places buyers can look to find foreclosed properties such as: various web sites on the Internet, real estate agents or brokers and real estate magazines.

Once the buyer locates a foreclosed property they are interested in, the buyer can assess the public records and check for any liens on the property. Most liens that are placed on foreclosed properties are for unpaid taxes. Interested buyers should also check the values of the neighboring properties before entering into a contract, to make sure they would be getting a fair market value.

Novice buyers may be interested in checking out bank owned foreclosure properties. These bank owned foreclosure properties may prove to be at lower risks to the novice buyer. With bank owned foreclosure properties, there are usually no tenants to evict, no liens against the property and no past due taxes.

Some lending institutions may be eager to sell their foreclosed properties and may offer to finance the foreclosed property to the buyer at a low market rate or with a small down payment. If the lending institution has already done an appraisal, the interested buyer may not have to pay an additional appraisal fee. Most lending institutions that are eager to sell a foreclosed property may also include title insurance that generally removes most of the risks that come with buying properties early on in the foreclosure process.

The more experienced buyer may decide to find a pre-foreclosure property owner about to go into default and offer to buy the property for a portion of the difference between the property equity and the market value. This may be an acceptable offer to a property owner who doesn’t want to end up losing all of the equity that has been invested in the property. Some pre-foreclosure property owners may offer bargains to a persistent buyer. This is mostly because at this stage, credit collection agencies are constantly hounding the property owners, who would in turn want to resolve these issues to avoid any further harassment.

Buyers may sometimes find that contacting the owner of a pre-foreclosed property can be difficult. Usually by this time, the property owner may not have any electricity or a telephone. Sometimes these pre-foreclosed property owners may also be difficult to deal with directly, due to a drug or alcohol addiction that put them in their situation in the first place. Some owners may also be hostile to the buyer or unpleasant to deal with because they are bitter and frightened about losing their home and perhaps they have no other place to go. Some of these owners may even see the buyers of their foreclosed properties as their mortal enemy and may do some extra damage to the foreclosed property before evacuating the premises.

Many foreclosed properties are normally sold at prices close to the assessed value. Depending on what city or neighborhood the buyer is interested in, what the neighboring property values are, how long it has been on the market and what amount of work needs to be done to the foreclosed property will greatly reflect on the asking price.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. See foreclosures at http://www.houseandpropertyforeclosures.com

Investing in Foreclosures The Right Way!

27 Apr.
Posted by carnegie7 in Buying | No Comments

Investing in foreclosures can be a big money maker when it comes to real estate investing niches. While investing in foreclosures results in large profits when you choose the right house, there are a lot of other factors to consider.

For example, there are laws that vary from state to state and county to county that govern foreclosures and if you violate those laws, accidentally or purposefully, serious consequences will follow.

Don’t Believe The Hype -

A lot of the home study courses and infomercial gurus advise buying a foreclosure and then renting the property back to the homeowner with the hope that they’ll repurchase it at a higher price in the near future. One of the highest risks an investor can take is letting the previous owner come back and reclaim their property because they misunderstood what you had agreed upon.

Besides, would you really want a tenant in your property that has a history as a credit criminal who doesn’t pay their bills? Of course you wouldn’t. However, beginner as well as many experienced foreclosure investors do that very same thing each day and pay a high price for doing so, oftentimes losing their investment completely when a judge declares that the transaction was indeed a usurious loan instead of an option to repurchase.

Something Else To Consider -

During various stages of foreclosure, you can make a deal happen between you and the homeowner in default, wait and purchase at the auction, buy after the auction or many other more sophisticated strategies. If you intend to buy a property at the public auction, know that in some states, the law sets a certain time frame for foreclosures to become finalized commonly referred to as a redemption period.

If you’re considering investing in foreclosures, it is highly advisable for you to find out if and how this law potentially affects the ownership and possession of the property in your local area. You may think you own the property, when in fact you are a temporary caretaker for a set period of time.

Meanwhile, the homeowner could be working out a deal with another investor or attempting to sell the property in some other manner without you even being aware what is happening. This can obviously have a big impact on what you do to the property during the redemption period, even if the property is vacant at the time of the auction.

You could find yourself investing in foreclosures, putting money into them, only to lose all of the profit you thought you had coming to you.

Let’s Back Up For A Minute -

A foreclosure occurs when the owner defaults on the mortgage. The bank has to start the process of taking the property that was pledged as security for the homeowner’s loan. If the homeowner can’t remedy the situation by paying the bank any money that is then owed, the property will likely make its way to public auction where it will be sold to the highest bidder at a sheriff’s or trustee’s sale.

Many real estate investors look at investing in foreclosures as a sure bet to increase their wealth and or portfolio but fail to realize the potential pitfalls that await them. Knowing what to do as well as what not to do will save you a ton of money and headaches as you progress into the arena of investing in foreclosures.

Exit Stage Left For Quick Profits -

When you are investing in a foreclosure, the first step is to determine what you are doing with the property. Do you plan on flipping it for a profit? Are you going to keep it as a rental? This will determine what area you should look in when searching what type of foreclosure properties you’re interested in pursuing.

Choosing a property to flip takes some critical research. It’s not typically quite as easy as all of the reality shows make it out to be. You may find a great deal only to discover no house has sold in that neighborhood for 8-12 months at the price that you need to make your minimum profit. Are you prepared to maintain the property for the length of time it takes to sell?

Can you afford the taxes and insurance on the property? Will the house be subject to vandalism if it remains vacant? If you don’t study your market and fully understand what makes the difference between a good deal and a bad deal, you could be surprised to learn that your quick turn investment could possibly turn into a rental property. Would it make a good rental?

When investing in foreclosures, the bottom line is always the profit. A good rule of thumb to follow is only consider buying a foreclosure if you stand to make at least a 30% profit no matter what happens. That way, you’ll never have to worry whether or not you should make a deal or not.

Some foreclosures can bring a much higher profit. Some determining factors are the area, past sales, the market value of the home, current condition of the property and the asking price. Once you learn the basics of foreclosure investing in your particular area as well as property values, repair costs, negotiation basics, etc, your success rate and profit potential will dramatically increase.

The Bottom Line Is This -

Once you learn your local market for investing in foreclosures, you will find yourself keeping an eye on which properties are headed to foreclosure and how to potentially make potentially high profit deals happen on a regular basis. You will also begin networking and becoming familiar with other investors in your area as you exchange possible leads that meet each other’s buying criteria.

You never need to do everything yourself and should actively seek out someone more experienced than yourself to model if you are just beginning investing in foreclosures. Borrowing the experience from an professional investor can shave years off of the learning curve and help you to avoid potentially serious pitfalls.

Feed Your Head -

Always keep in mind that education and specialized knowledge are key as well as taking massive action on what you learn along the way will guarantee your success as a pro real estate investor!

To discover how to create your own profitable push button house buying system that never fails and to claim your FREE video detailing how Dan O’Connor’s renowned Your First Deal System will work for you - Go here now: http://www.YourFirstDeal.com

Locate Private Property - Is Internet The Better Choice To Market Your Property When Compared To New

27 Apr.
Posted by homebizgears in Buying | No Comments

Sometimes the process of locating a private property to buy or rent is very frustrating. There are 2 mediums that I always depend on to look for my ideal property and they are the Internet and newspaper. If you want to successfully locate your ideal private property, you need to effectively make use of both Internet and newspaper. However, Internet is slowly becoming the better choice to look for property when compared to newspaper.

Nowadays, searching for information on the Internet is so simple due to the wonderful search technology provided by Google. If you are looking for property, there are tons of property listing directories and information available on the Internet.

Although searching for a property through newspaper is still useful and sometime effective, it is a very time-consuming process. You have to read through many pages of listing and sort them out yourself. Then you still need to call up the agent one by one and arrange an appointment to view the property. With online property listing, you can browse through hundreds of listing easily and have all the necessary information including pictures in a single listing page. Once you find the one you like, you can contact the agent directly through the listing and he or she will call you back.

Moreover, newspapers usually update their property listings weekly when compared to daily updates by some of the more popular online property directories. With this, if there is a deal happening in the meanwhile, you will not miss out on it.

To find some useful and popular property directories, you can go to Google and type in “property directories” or “property listings” in the search query box. You can also choose to add the name of a city or country at the back of the query like this: “property directories Singapore”, so as to make Google returns a more relevant search result based on your preference. Listings on the Internet are updated everyday which ensures that you will not miss out on the latest deals available.

So, if you are currently only using newspaper to source out for your ideal property, give Internet a try and see the difference it makes to your sourcing process. Furthermore, with Internet listings, you will not need to go through all the different property listings. You can just use the site’s internal search function to locate a property either by its address or target area. This will really help quicken your sourcing process.

Once you have found your ideal property, call the agent by getting his or her phone number directly from the website. Then, print out the listing to take note of the address and you are ready to go shopping. How easy can it get?

To locate or list private property for sale and rent in Singapore, visit the website below now:

Click Here: http://singaporeproperty.myoochi.com

Why Online Property Valuation Sites Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

26 Apr.
Posted by prettyone in Buying | No Comments

When we sell our property it is easy to give a valuation that is in fact over the actually worth. This happens because many of us build up an emotional attachment to our property and tend to place higher value upon it. A great way to gain a property valuation that is valid is to use an online property valuation service. This should help you create an unbiased and independent valuation of your home, just do not be to put out by the figure the online system may produce.

The process of gaining an online property valuation could not be easier. There are many sites online that will be able to carry out the valuation for your property. In some cases this can only take an hour and leave you with a valuation that gives you real idea of what your property is worth. Having this knowledge is useful whilst performing the task of selling and used regularly can help you keep up to date with market fluctuations.

Naturally, some people will worry of the trustworthiness of some of these sites. Whilst there may be some unscrupulous online property websites out there, the majority are trustworthy. Some are even related to the major banks and estate agents making any motives to hoodwink users a pointless exercise.

The majority of these online property valuation websites are more than happy to give information on their business. Giving users information on the history of their company and the ways in which they operate can help create clarity. The vast majority will also possess customer service sections that create a portal for direct contact should any major issues occur. This is the minority of course; the efficiency and user satisfaction with online valuations is on the whole, good.

The process of gaining a valuation for your property online is relatively simple; most of the time it involves filling in a form. The information on this form is then compared with similar information on a database with thousands of other property valuations. If your property is quite generic it can be extremely useful, unfortunately if your property is dissimilar to other properties and has distinct features the valuation may be less accurate. When filling in the form, ensure any features that are distinctive are described in detail to aid the database in making the most complete comparisons.

Trustworthy online property valuation sites will not give out your personal data to any external companies. For instance there should be no way that a potential buyer will be able to find out who lives in any particular property. This is obviously a major concern in the ever increasingly sceptical world of the consumer.

Online property valuation sites can also be a useful tool for buyers as well as sellers. With so many properties listed on a database a buyer can receive a quick and accurate estimate on any particular type of property. This can be fortuitous for those who are in the redesigning and renovating business, as finding properties that are ripe for investment is a major constituent of the process.

While an online property valuation is a valuable and efficient tool for getting a general idea of the worth of your property it is purely a guide. The values given by these sites are rarely cast iron and should be taken with pinch of salt. If you are in the process of selling your house it is usually worth asking an estate agent to come and make a valuation personally; while if you are trying to re-mortgage, a chartered surveyor will have to have a look for the bank to agree to a new mortgage figure. That said, these websites provide a useful resource for sellers and buyers to gain a ball-park figure for properties, giving them a better idea of what they can afford and what is feasible to purchase.

Real estate expert Thomas Pretty looks into increased use of online property valuation tools and how these can be useful for sellers and buyers. To find out more please visit http://www.haart.co.uk/sell-house/house-valuation-online.aspx

Malta Properties Snub 2008 European Downturn

26 Apr.
Posted by Tribune2 in Buying | No Comments

Property prices on Mediterranean coastlines are still increasing in the first months of 2008 despite nervous markets elsewhere in Europe.

A recent agreement between France, Italy, Morocco and Malta is possibly helping the latest surge in real estate prices in the Mediterranean. The agreement to stop building properties within 100 meters of the coastline means no more new growth in waterfront properties. The existing homes and other real estate could continue to rise in value for months to come.

Homes and real estate on the waterfront are highly desired commodities among home buyers and investors in the Mediterranean on islands like Malta.

‘Demand is likely to outstrip supply and this will push the property price up’ said Foreign Property Buyer, an online community for foreign real estate investors. They agree this pledge will probably be good news for people who already own property in the new ‘no-build’ zones. The demand for waterfront properties will drastically increase the price of existing homes and properties.

For several years, property experts have stated that by the year 2013 the world-wide real estate market would likely see an increase of 13 percent annually. With agreements such as the one previously mentioned, that estimate could possibly be lower than reality yields. This could be especially true in popular holiday destinations, such as Malta.

Malta, along with several other Mediterranean countries, received a commendation from the World Tourism Organization in February 2008 for its tourism performance last year. In 2007, Malta’s growth rate exceeded European and world averages. Malta’s growth in tourist arrivals was just under 11 percent last year, more than double that of 2006. The results, according to Francis Zammit Dimech, Malta’s tourism minister, are simply a reward for governmental effort - although some onlime travel sites say it is despite the government and not because of them that tourism has increased in Malta as they blocked the low cost airlines for so long, and are now trying to claim credit for something private enterprise has achieved.

The 2007 world tourism growth rate was nearly 4 percent lower than Malta’s, at 6.2 percent.

‘This is just another confirmation of how Malta can outperform its competitors when we all work together as a team’, Dimech said. ‘We agreed on a plan of action with tourism stakeholders and worked together to ensure it was implemented.’ Whatever the reason, 898 million tourists stayed for at least one night in a country other than their own last year worldwide.

Malta’s national airline boasts great results for a minimal number of lost bags according to the Air Transport Users Council. Losing fewer than five bags per 1,000 fliers was the lowest rate of lost baggage among all European airlines. British Airways registered at 26.5 losses per 1,000 customers and Portugal’s TAP registered 27.8 losses per 1,000. Tourists agree that the amount of luggage lost worldwide is the biggest problem facing tourists. Many believe Malta’s airline has set a new standard for baggage security.

Astounding results from Malta’s airline, tourism on a steady and steep incline, and ‘no-build’ agreements help add to the demand for real estate in Malta. A relatively small country with so much to offer is enticing to real estate investors, as well as those looking for an amazing place to retire.

The implementation of a policy that keeps new properties from springing up in highly desired areas could send property prices higher. It will also help keep Mediterranean shorelines from becoming overly crowded as more people wish to own this highly sought-after property.

More details about property for sale can be found at http://www.maltaproperty.info