Archive for November 2011
How New Condos Design a Front Entry
November 30, 2011 | 
Author Today’s new condos have many unique features that were not available to buyers ten years ago. Gone are the days of square, apartment-style condos. The newly built condos increasingly offer distinctive space with well-designed storage systems. However, the front entry is often the one area that can be difficult to design and decorate. How do new condos manage this tricky space?
The best way to manage a front entry is to define it. Condos that are conscious about space may be reluctant to offer much square footage to an entrance area when that square footage could be incorporated into another room. However, this is simply not functional. New condos, however, think about the space differently. A front entry is needed for footwear and outerwear. It is also a space that will inevitably stash mail, car keys, or a visitor’s purse. Walls, different flooring and/or paint colour can define a front entry. This sends the message that it is a space that is different from the rest of the home.
Once the space is defined, a front entry needs to be well lit. New condos often have entrances that face into a building so the other rooms can take advantage of the natural light from the exterior walls. A front entry can quickly feel dark and dingy if it lacks proper lighting. Developers may choose a dramatic lighting fixture that offers great light to the front entry while simultaneously making a statement about the design of the condo.
The front entry needs decorating just like the rest of the condo. Artwork or photos are a great addition. They can quickly set the tone for the rest of the home. New condos may offer small alcoves where a piece of artwork, small sculpture or photo can be placed. If they add a small spot light to this area, it enhances the art while also offering another source of light.
Not enough can be said about the value of storage in a new condo. The front entry is an excellent area to include built-in storage. This is often in the form of a closet to hang outerwear and stash footwear. But storage solutions can be extended to overhead cupboards or built-in shelves where mail and car keys can be placed.
The front entrance is not an area to be over-looked when shopping for new condos. The front entry plays an important function – it greets visitors and provides the first impression of a home. A great design is an excellent marker of a great condo.
Posted in Home Improvement | 
Tags: Alcoves, Apartment Style, Artwork, Car Keys, Developers, Dramatic Lighting, Entrance Area, Exterior Walls, Flooring, Footwear, Lighting Fixture, Mail Car, New Condos, Paint Colour, Proper Lighting, Purse, Sculpture, Source Of Light, Square Footage, Storage Systems | 
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How to Find the Exact Value For Your Domain?
Like other products domain names also high resale value. To find the value of the domain name some day, get a domain appraisal done to find the estimate domain price. Generally the domain name is appraised on some certain factors and some of them are:
1. Marketability
2. Clarity
3. Memorability
4. Popularity
5. Extension
6. Length
7. Words
8. Hyphens
9. Numerals
10. Substitutions
11. Abbreviations.
Domain name price depends upon certain factors which include some technical factors. The most important factor is the extension of your domain. A domain name with .com extension can fetch more money than other extensions like .net, .org or .info. Another extremely important consideration is the number of words it contains. Domains containing single words are easy to remember and are very valuable. Combination of Single word domains and .com extensions can bring you large amount of money. Two word domains can also be quite valuable, as long as the domain name can easily be monetized, and the TLD is of high quality. The value decreases when domain name have three or more words. Domain name price depends upon the attractiveness of your domain name. Domains names which are easy to remember have high market value. A domain name having hyphen (-) will fetch you less money as it is difficult to write and say.
There are several domain name appraisal service providers on the web. These websites offer services like free automated domain appraisals. They survey the traffic, no. of back-links of your domain and gives you estimated price of your domain.
Manual domain appraisal services are also available but they are quite expensive. Your bill can shoot your budget if you are having multiple domains.
By: Munish Chopra
Posted in Internet And Businesses Online | Tags: Amount Of Money, Appraisal Services, Attractiveness, Back Links, Chopra, Domain Appraisal, Domain Appraisals, Domain Name Appraisal, Domain Name Appraisal Service, Domain Names, Domain Price, Domains Names, Exact Value, Free Appraisals, Marketability, Resale Value, Single Word, Technical Factors, Tld, Word Domains | No Comments »
Obama’s Refinance Plan – Dropping Home Prices Means You’re Losing Equity
If you have tried to refinance your home since the market values on homes have dropped, you have probably figured out that you have lost equity. Most lenders always require 20% equity in a home to do a refinance. If you originally had 20% equity in a home, and it dropped significantly in value, you have lost equity. Obama’s Refinance Plan was set up for people just like you. Through this refinance program, you can refinance even if you owe up to 105% of the value of the home.
If the terms of your home mortgage is less than desirable, you should see if you could qualify for this federal program. You must be current on your mortgage; this is not a loan modification. You cannot have been more than 60 days late with your payments within the last year, either.
Your lender must be on the approved list to participate in the Home Stimulus Plan programs. Your particular loan has to be on a primary home, serviced by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, also. You will just obtain a lower interest rate and maintain whatever equity you have in your home.
This program is quite unusual, and when it ends, you will probably not find this opportunity anywhere else. The date this program expires is June 30, 2010. President Obama has set up a very favorable stimulus plan for homeowners.
If you don’t qualify for this because you are in default on your loan, you might qualify for a federal loan modification. These are completely reworked loans for people nearing foreclosure. Their home loan is totally restructure, even sometimes the length of the loan is lengthened to 40 years.
You should investigate whether you might qualify for Obama’s Refinance Plan. You may never have a similar opportunity.
By: Ryan A. Harris
Posted in Real Estate | Tags: Current, Fannie Mae, Federal Loan, Foreclosure Loan, Freddie Mac, Home Loan, Home Mortgage, Interest Rate, Lenders, Loan Modification, Loans, Lost, Market Values, Obama, People, Refinance, Stimulus Plan | No Comments »
Sarasota Foreclosure Market Offers Quality Homes at Lower Prices
Sarasota real estate offers the best homes in Florida, but your favorite might be too expensive for your wallet – especially if you’re in a financial pinch. A solution to acquiring a quality home at the lowest possible price is to pick from the wide selection of foreclosed units in the city.
The Sarasota Foreclosure Market
Purchasing a foreclose property is the latest trend in home acquisition in Sarasota real estate. Despite the negative impact of buying these homes, especially from the word “foreclosed” attached to the property, you might want to take a personal look in order to see the real deal with your very own eyes and start judging from there.
Foreclosed homes are properties from homeowners who weren’t able to pay their mortgage loan. Financial institutions or lenders confiscate the property and sell it at a lower price to break even with their investment – as well as getting the property sold off quick and to attract potential homebuyers.
Quality Selections In The City
There are hundreds, or thousands of foreclosed units you can purchase in Sarasota’s foreclosure market. The most popular ones are usually those found near the waterfront. There are two types of residential units in this location – condos and single family homes.
This is the perfect chance to purchase a quality condo with a cheaper price tag. Popular foreclosed condos are usually found near Bardenton Beach, Longboat Key, and Little Sarasota Bay. Condos in these areas are priced around $250,000 to $700,000 – a lot cheaper compared to acquiring new ones in the region.
If you really want to get the best deals out of the project, then the best option for you are foreclosed single family homes in Sarasota. These residential properties have suitable living environment fit for raising families or for those who prefer to live in a quieter neighborhood, away from the hustle and bustle of city lifestyle.
Comparing Foreclosed Properties Before Purchase
Keep in mind that quality should always be a homebuyer’s major concern in picking out a foreclosed residential property in the city. It would do you no good to spend less for a home without even taking into consideration your wants and needs.
It is advisable to compare foreclosed homes in Sarasota first before you decide with the purchase. You can check out online real estate sites that offers Sarasota foreclosed units – and compare them out according to their price, location, type of property, interior facilities, and of course, the amenities in surrounding areas to maximize your stay in the city.
By: Vanessa A. Doctor
Posted in Real Estate | Tags: Bay Condos, Bustle, City Lifestyle, Financial Institutions, Foreclose Property, Foreclosed Condos, Foreclosure Market, Little Sarasota Bay, Lowest Possible Price, Mortgage Loan, Own Eyes, Quality Condo, Quality Selections, Residential Properties, Residential Units, Sarasota Condos, Sarasota Homes, Sarasota Properties, Sarasota Real Estate, Suitable Living Environment | No Comments »
Determining Value in Training
How does one determine value when training? Does it seem possible that many of us have lost our ability to correctly assess the value of the programs that are delivered? I know, starting an article with two questions is not the ideal method for making an argument. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that the value of ‘questions’ is greater than the value of ‘answers’. Therefore, I submit these questions for review
A traditional method for determining value is in the ‘content’. Many programs are built around the training content. The belief is that the ‘content’ is of such great value that irrespective of the delivery, that the student will immediately absorb the material and be capable of mastery of the topic. (At least that is how many training departments are acting in today’s corporate environment.)
I have seen training department after training department continue this error of value. It is interesting that many of these corporate training groups believe that they can take a 20-something trainer (please continue to read so that you get the point and not take offense at the example) and provide them with relevant material, and somehow that combination of inexperience and content will mix up a potent brew of high-quality-training!
Could someone please explain how this mix of inexperience and content morph into elegant training?
If the premise of this mix had any value to it, the argument could be extended to education in our universities. We all know that the professors at Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League universities publish a tremendous amount. The professors write books, articles and provide analytic case-studies that are available to just about any and everyone. How is it that with the availability of these valuable resources, that we still have great disparity of value attributed to our different university experiences? Why isn’t the local community college’s degrees of equal value to those of Harvard and Yale. If the material is the same, why should not the student come away with the same value?
This leads to the crux of the initial question: how to correct assess value in training programs.
If value is not determined by the content, then what DOES determine value? Simply, it is all in the delivery and presentation. In our university example, the professors at these esteemed institutions are just superior to those of your local community college. (In disclosure, I did not attend an Ivy League college.)These professors are at these universities because of all that they had done prior to arriving there. They were already on the forefront of the material they teach. They have been pushing the envelopes far beyond their peers in their fields. They showed that their grasp of the material was so complete that they could deliver a highly-engaging presentation to their students. In short, they could inspire their students with the material.
This brings us back to corporate training. Value, it seems, is related to the ‘trainer as well as the material’. If we are seeking to take our staffs and elevate them in performance, knowledge and conduct, we have to seek solutions to insure those objectives. Doesn’t the trainer, sometimes, make all of the difference in the world? How many times have we found ourselves interested in the material to then experience a trainer who kills our desire for it? Conversely, how many times did we find undesirable subjects take flight when a teacher/trainer was there to elevate the material?
Giving thought to WHO provides training should be of greater importance than to WHAT material should be delivered. Value is always determined by those who attend and then engage the material once they return to their jobs. Making the hard decision to deliver high-quality programs will never be easy. Nevertheless, it is the most sure way to guarantee that your training department and programs continue within your corporate walls.
By: Bryant Nielson
Posted in Business | Tags: Belief, Books Articles, Case Studies, Corporate Environment, Different University, Disparity, Experiences, Harvard, High Quality Training, Inexperience, Ivy League Universities, Local Community College, Morph, Potent Brew, Premise, Professors, Relevant Material, Training Departments, Valuable Resources, Yale | No Comments »
Don’t Lose Buying Discipline in This Real Estate Market
Let’s face it. This is one of the epic buyers’ markets in the history of real estate. The heady days of easy money are over and the market is stuffed with inventory. That doesn’t mean you should forgo the usual discipline when buying a home.
Buying a home is both an emotional and practical decision. On the emotional side, you want to find that perfect home of your dreams with the white picket fence and so on. We all have an image in our mind. From a practical side, you want to make a good investment. Get the balance of these two issues wrong and you could end up in a mess.
Temptation is all around you. Home values are bombing, which means those that have money on hand are in an absolutely great position. If you fall in this class, congratulations. Now don’t blow it! Stick to the basic rules of buying a home so you don’t go down the drain like so many.
The number one mistake buyers make in this type of market is buying beyond the neighborhood. What does this mean? Well, there is always one or two homes in a neighborhood that have been over improved. The owner has put in more money then he or she will ever recover from the sale.
When confronted with this opportunity, it can be easy to jump in and buy. There isn’t anything wrong with this if you are getting a good deal so long as you remember one thing. The home will only recover its value to the range supported by the neighborhood. If the neighborhood has a home value range of $350,000 to $450,000, don’t assume you can sell the over improved home for $600,000. You can’t!
Along this line, it can be incredibly tempting to buy the unique home in an area. Personally, I like unique homes because they have character and so on. You might feel the same way. All that being said, unique homes are harder to move than your run of the mill home. Why? Because they are unique! Almost by definition, a certain population of buyers is not going to like the design of the home. If this population is big, you are in a tough position when you try to resell it.
There is no doubt that we are one of the great buyers’ markets these days. Stick to the basics of buying and you should make out like a bandit when prices bounce back. Go wild, and you probably will regret it.
By: Raynor James
Posted in Real Estate | Tags: Blow, Buying A Home, Discipline, Dreams, Easy Money, Emotional Side, Epic, Face, Heady Days, Home Value, Home Values, Image, Mistake, Neighborhood, Opportunity, Perfect Home, Population, Real Estate Market, Temptation, White Picket Fence | No Comments »
Getting the Real Value of Homes Foreclosure for Sale
The number of homes foreclosure for sale is at the brink of reaching a critical mass and, as a result, the price of homes continues to spiral down. Investors are in a good position to acquire foreclosures during this time when all the elements of a successful purchase are laid out to them. Perhaps the biggest task for buyers apart from sourcing the funds to invest in foreclosures is to get to the heart of the matter, which would be the value of the property.
Determining the value of homes foreclosure for sale is no easy task, although some sellers like banks and other lending companies enlist the services of value appraisers for this task. Buyers need to be able to come up with their own estimate so that they can decide whether to complete the purchase or pull out from it.
Some Factors Influencing Fair Market Value
There are several factors that come into play as far as the value of foreclosure homes for sale is concerned. Since these homes are sold in their present condition, the cost of repairs and rehabilitation must be imputed to the value assessment. A professional home inspector can do a once over on the property and give the prospective buyer an accurate assessment of just how much the repairs will be.
Another factor affecting the cost is the home’s title situation. A visit to the county records office will yield all the documents pertaining to a specific property. Buyers should concentrate on seeing whether the home has a secondary mortgage, a slew of back taxes or any other holds or liens. The value of these obligations must also go into the valuation of the home.
Another important factor to consider when attempting to discover the closest approximation of the value of homes foreclosure for sale is the value of similar properties located in the same neighborhood. For this, buyers or their representatives should conduct some neighborhood canvassing to see which properties are more or less the same as the home they are considering. They can go straight to the owners and ask to know this number only for comparison purposes.
By: John Evan Miller
Posted in Real Estate | Tags: Accurate Assessment, Appraisers, Approximation, Back Taxes, Banks, Brink, Critical Mass, Elements, Foreclosure Homes For Sale, Foreclosures, Heart Of The Matter, Homes For Sale, Neighborhood, Professional Home Inspector, Property Foreclosure, Prospective Buyer, Secondary Mortgage, Several Factors, Slew, Value Assessment | No Comments »
Property Tax Valuation – How to Calculate
How exactly does your city come up with your property tax value? Are you concerned that your real estate taxes might be unfairly high and want to see if you are eligible for a reduction? That is what we discuss here.
First of all, no matter how confusing your property tax statement is, with all of the various terms, ratios, millage rates, etc calculating your real estate taxes really boils down to only a few factors: the market value of your property, your cities assessment ratio and the tax rate.
The market value is what your property would sell for on the open market, without any “undue influences,” like being in a state of foreclosure, structural issues with the property, short sales time frame, etc. Again it’s what your property sells for under a normal sale.
Property Tax Valuation
The assessment ratio is very important to calculating your real estate taxes and is what is sometimes referred to as your “property tax value”. What cities do is multiple your market value, by the assessment ratio, the resulting number is the assessed value.
For example if your properties market value is $500,000 and your cities assessment ratio is 80% your property tax value would be: $500,000 x.80= $400,000 assesed value. Assessment ratios vary from state to state and from jurisdictions. Your assessment rate could be totaling different than your neighboring town.
Tax Rate
The tax rate is also known as a millage rate and is the actual rate that property owners pay in their given town. Like the assessment ratio the tax rate varies from town to town and also from building types. For example a commercial building will be taxed at a different rate than a single family home.
In addition, a single family home used as a rental property will normally be taxed at a high rate than a single family home that is occupied by the owner.
To figure out your annual taxes you multiple the tax rate by the assessed value. For example take the assessed value of $400,000 x.020 (tax rate/millage rate) = $8,000 in annual property taxes.
Property Tax Valuation
On a real estate tax appeal you can only debate the fair market value of your property. You cannot argue the tax rate or the assessment ratio (unless they made a mistake and recorded your property in the wrong category). But again, you can only argue the assessors opinion of your properties value. Keep in mind that most cities assessors are over worked and or under qualified, so they very often make outright mistakes. If you know of other similar properties in your area that sold for less than what they have recorded your property at, than you most likely have a case and could save a lot of money.
Don’t be like the 98% of property owners that don’t bother to appeal their real estate taxes. They are leaving thousands of dollars on the table for no reason. The process to appeal is really not complex and won’t eat that much of your time.
By: Jeff Rauth
Posted in Finance | Tags: Assessment Rate, Assessment Ratio, Assessment Ratios, Boils, Foreclosure, Jurisdictions, Millage Rate, Millage Rates, Property Assessment, Property Owners, Property Tax Statement, Property Tax Value, Property Valuation, Real Estate Taxes, Rental Property, Single Family, Tax Rate, Tax Valuation, Time Frame, Value Assessment | No Comments »
Housing Market Bottom – Price-to-Income Ratio Estimates
One method used to evaluation residential real estate prices is the price-to-income ratio. Since people borrow the vast majority of the funds necessary to purchase residential real estate, and this borrowing must be financed from current income, the ratio of house prices to rent is a useful barometer of market valuation.
Since incomes and rents are closely related, evidence for the Great Housing Bubble that appears in the price-to-rent ratio also appears in the price-to-income ratio. National price-to-income ratios are quite stable. There has been a slight upward drift with the decline of interest rates since the early 1980s peak, but from the period from 1987 to 2001, this ratio remained in a tight range from 3.9 to 4.2. The increase from 4.1 to 4.5 witnessed from 2001 to 2003 can be explained by the lowering of interest rates; however, the increase from 4.5 to 5.2 from 2003 to 2006 can only be explained by exotic financing and irrational exuberance.
If national price-to-income ratios decline to their historic norm of 4.0, prices nationally will fall 9% peak-to-trough, bottom in 2011 and return to peak pricing in 2014. A 10% decline and a nine year waiting period would be difficult on homeowners nationally, but the magnitude and the duration will not be nearly as severe for most as it will be for homeowners in the extreme bubble markets like Irvine, California.
The volatility in price-to-income ratios caused by bubble behavior is clearly visible in the historic price-to-income ratios from Irvine, California. During the coastal bubble of the late 80s, in which Irvine participated, the price-to-income ratio increased from 3.7 to 4.6, a 25% increase. In the decline of the early 90s, price-to-income ratios dropped to a range from 4.0 to 4.1 and stabilized there from 1994 to 1999 before rocketing up to an unprecedented 8.6, a 115% increase. This new ratio was achieved by the extensive use of exotic financing, in particular negative amortization loans that rendered the new ratio inherently unstable.
If house prices in Irvine decline to the point where the price-to-income ratio reaches its average of 4.2, a ratio higher above this historic range of stability between 4.0 and 4.1, prices will decline 43% peak-to-trough, bottom in 2011 and return to the peak in 2029. The magnitude of this decline would be catastrophic to homeowners who purchased during the bubble. Twenty-four years is a long time to wait for peak buyers hoping to get out at breakeven.
Using the price-to-income ratio is a good predictor of the market bottom. The stability of the price-to-income ratio is more variable than the price-to-rent ratio, but it is still quite stable. The ratio deviates from its tight range only when irrational exuberance takes over a market. One such time was during the financial mania, the Great Housing Bubble.
By: Lawrence D Roberts
Posted in Real Estate | Tags: Amortiz, Barometer, Bottom Price, House Prices, Housing Bubble, Housing Market, Income Ratio, Income Ratios, Incomes, Irrational Exuberance, Irvine California, Magnitude, Market Bottom, Market Valuation, Rents, Residential Real Estate, Tight Range, Trough, Volatility, Waiting Period | No Comments »
Understanding Equity Finance Mortgages
In an attempt to capture more of the first home owners market, Lenders have been lending up to 100% of the value of homes. In the past year, many have started lending all of the home price, as well as the taxes and fees to the value of an additional 6% above the price of the home. This makes the total borrowing 106% of the value of the property.
At a time where home affordability is a critical discussion point in Australia, there is a new solution to buying a home. It comes under many names but the principles are similar; They are called EFM’s.
EFM’s come into play If you want to buy a house but can’t afford the repayments on the loan or you don’t have enough for a deposit. Some lenders are willing to pay up to 20% of the cost without asking you to pay one cent in interest on that part of the loan – ever. Working in conjunction with a traditional home loan, an equity finance mortgage (EFM) allows you some slack on the cost of buying a home, in return for a certain amount of shared equity in the future value of the home.
An example is where you have to have saved 5% of the purchase price. The lender will contribute at ‘no cost or interest’ 20% of the home’s value. So, you have to borrow the remaining 75% of the cost of the property.
e.g.
House purchase price is $300k. Money you can contribute is 5% or $15k Lender will contribute 20% of the price or $60k. Home loan (and repayments) is 75% of the value of the property is $225k instead of: 95% of the value of the property or a loan of $285k.
The benefit of doing this is no interest or principle repayments for up to 25 years (or until the house is sold) on the EFM and because you have only borrowed 75%, your savings are significant each month in repayments.
The downside is your ‘finance silent partner’ can take up to 40% share in capital gains once your home is sold or you refinance. Should the value of your home fall, its capital loss is capped at 20%.
If you buy a house in a high capital growth area, you will be better off with a traditional mortgage but if you buy in markets where growth rates are modest or flat, an EFM is definitely a great option.
A concern is that they could drive property prices even further, making it harder for battlers to get into the market -even with such innovative products.
By: Harry Pontikis
Posted in Finance | Tags: Benefit, Buying A Home, Capital Gains, Conjunction, Discussion Point, Downside, Efm, Finance Mortgage, Finance Mortgages, Future Value, Home Affordability, Home Loan, Lenders, Loan Mortgage, Many Names, New Solution, Principle, Repayments, Silent Partner, Slack | No Comments »