Monday, April 30, 2007

An Overview Of The Turkish Property Market

In anticipation of the start of EU entry negotiations, British buyers flocked into the Turkish market eager to benefit from rising property values as the country moved towards accession. Encouraged by the affordability of Turkish property, with prices far lower than more established overseas markets like Spain, thousands took the plunge. Indeed, official statistics show that the British are the leading foreign purchasers, buying over 14,000 properties between July 2003 and the end of 2006.
Although negotiations with the EU have slowed, the reforms introduced to allow the start of membership talks have been hugely beneficial for the country. Economic growth and investor confidence is strong, with $2 billion invested in real estate from abroad last year. Total foreign investment is expected to double in 2007.

A 6-month ban on foreigners buying property in 2005, while the country's property legislation was re-drafted, along with worries about Bird Flu and the 2006 World Cup, put a temporary brake on the market. But the amended law, unveiled in January 2006, has no effect on the vast majority of people, who buy in resorts, towns or cities.

Despite significant increases in prices over the last 3 years, Turkish property remains comparatively cheap. With the recent introduction of mortgages for foreign buyers increasing finance options. It is still possible to pick-up budget apartments for less than £35,000; while at the top end of the market luxurious villas with stunning sea views are available for £275,000 – a lot less than you'd pay elsewhere in the Med! All in all, 2007 looks like being a buyer's market with an excellent choice of property available and some great deals.

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Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Common Mistakes A New Real Estate Inverter Might Make

When investing in real estate there are many mistakes that a new investor might make, if you make a bad enough mistake when investing in real estate it can discouraged you or you can even end up in financial trouble. One mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is that most people will be willing to do an unconventional deal with you. Most people want to do things the conventional way even if the way you propose can benefit them better. If your trying to buy property unconvincingly, just prepare to hear no more than you hear yes. If you are persistent and don't get discouraged you will find a seller that is willing to work with you.

Another mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is buying a house and expecting to resell it fast with out promoting the property. It is a good thing to put a for sale sing in front of the house. The only thing is if you are looking for a fast sale you will have to promote the property more. One place you can promote the sale of the property is the local newspapers another place you can promote the sale of the property is online. The more promotion a property gets the faster it will sell.

One last mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is charging to wrong price when renting a property out. If you charge too high it will be harder to get some one to rent out the property. If you charge to low and something need to be fix or replace it can eat up your profits. When investing in real estate it is common too make mistake but if you use the information you read here you will know some mistakes to stay way from.

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Friday, April 27, 2007

Struggling First Time Buyers In The UK - Look At Spanish Property!

With the average UK property price now reaching 100,000 pounds, rising mortgage rates and a tax mad new Prime Minister just on the horizon could it be time for young Brits looking to get on the property ladder to start looking else where?

More often than not, grown adults are still living with their parents due to the struggle which is not just affecting a small majority; no this is a national wide problem which does not look like ending in the near future. While the richer are getting extremely richer, property investment in the UK is the fastest and most secure way of investing and saving money in the UK alone. Second home owners owning a second property in the UK has increased ten fold leaving thousands and thousands of empty homes un occupied which could be used by persons not on the property ladder in the UK.

As richer are getting richer, the poorer are getting poorer. Salaries may increase however not to the rate of property prices and over the top mortgage rates, leaving thousands penniless month after month when the bills need to be paid at the end of the month. They are the lucky few that have managed the impossible so some of becoming a first time owner in the UK.

So what is the easy or sensible option for potential first time buyers?

Spain offers everything in the property market the UK simply can not, lower deposits to hold properties on the market – generally anything from 3,000 Euros which is just over 2,000 pounds sterling. Longer mortgage schemes which benefit thousands of home owners in Spain, enabling residents more time to repay their mortgage and being able to enjoy their lives instead of a life of hell paying off a mortgage. Also mortgage rates are lower in Spain which obviously saves you more on your repayments of your mortgage and you know the bank is making less out of you for their own pocket!

Yes salaries in Spain are lower, however some jobs will pay the same as you earn in the UK even good jobs that are available will pay a mortgage and an excellent quality of life which the UK just simply can not offer the youth of the UK. Property prices in Spain are a lot cheaper than Britain; a normal two bedroom apartment on the Costa Blanca south near Alicante on average will cost you 100,000 Euros which in pounds is roughly only 68,000 pounds sterling. Near the coast, amenities, nightlife, in an up and coming region, with plenty of opportunities for new businesses and employment to cover gaps in the market, excellent services such as health care and education, near all year round good weather and sun are just a few reasons for the influx of ex-pats leaving the UK for a better life in Spain.

The Spanish property market has also seen a drop in prices in many areas as the construction just never seems to end, investment is also high on the agenda and readily easy for people to get involved in with excellent deals on new build properties (off plan property) and with a larger slice of Spain's coastal population moving further inland to cheaper and larger properties. Spain does hold a policy of only handing out two mortgages per person, however if you have a mortgage in the UK it will not affect you over here.

Buying a property in Spain is easy and open to all to who are seeking to get their foot on the property ladder in Spain for the first time. Real Estate agents in Spain offer some great deals on property for sale, bargaining is normal here and you could stand to save a lot more off the original price of the owners starting asking price. Also due to the fierce Spanish Real Estate market and too many Estate agents competing against each other, you will find companies do what ever they can to push the sale of a property through even dropping their commissions!

Spain is a buyers market, you want the property and they want you to buy it and it is as simply as that. So for all you potential first time buyers still struggling in Britain, don't you think it is time to look else where?

Spanish property for UK first time buyers.

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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Moving Inland - Spanish Country Property

Go back ten or fifteen years, Spain's coastal regions were still very much untouched and blossomed with natural beauty, however with the massive influx of foreign property buyers Spain has seen an unfortunate decay along the coasts which has been caused directly from the greed of builders, construction companies and Real Estate agents pushing for more developments which will probably never be completely filled.

The countryside regions that still hold the beauty, tradition and way of life that so many dearly love about Spain are still very much thriving and benefiting from the recent rise in population. The scenery has not been spoilt and views that will take your breath away still exist, the government has taken upon itself to protect more and more of its beauty spots with new laws which will protect the countryside that is of great importance to Spain.

Not only for permanent living but also for overseas property investment with prices starting in places such as Granada, Jaen and inland Valencia from only 20,000 euros! Business wise buying inland is a great investment opportunity as already prices are beginning to rise and as things look set to continue, many property renovators are also looking at such areas to find a country property bargain to reform and place back on the property market to make a good return on what they had paid and for the work put in to the property.

Local tradesmen in the small country villages are cheap to hire and plenty of them to call on, materials are way below coastal prices and easy to come by, so in all restoring a property in a small country village is not as expensive as first might seem.

Many dream of purchasing a property out in the countryside in the UK but due to the high property prices are a distant dream, with Spain that dream is within easy reach of claiming, second home owners can easily afford such a property.

What is so great about the Spanish countryside and property in these regions is that the properties are all unique, coastal developments cram in so many similar or exactly the same properties into a small plot (urbanization) and sell them for ridiculous prices. Inland properties are more or less completely different and boast great character that you will not see along the coasts.

So how do you go about it?

Firstly, decide what use the property will serve? Permanent living, second home / holiday home, renovation / restoration project or investment? Do some research on the different areas such as Granada, Jaen and Valencia; some people will need different requirements depending on your situation.

Use and choose a trusted Spanish country property specialist that will be able to advise and assist you throughout the purchase process, help with your needs be it for building materials or simply normal domestic household equipment, local information and contacts to get you on your way and finally to make sure you have made the best decision for you and your family.

Your agent will make all the necessary checks on the property, but getting an independent solicitor or lawyer to do the paper work will stop any unnecessary problems from occurring.

With all the bad press in the UK about horror stories of buying property in Spain making the right choices and decisions, not rushing in a putting a deposit on the first house you see and standing back to assess the real situation with save a lot of heartache and stress. Be aware of the Spanish laws on property, taxes and costs to increase your knowledge so you are not walking blindfolded into a situation that others have found themselves in.

Buying a property in Spain is not hard and certainly not a risk as long as you know what you are doing and what you should not do – and what other better place to do it than inland rural Spain…

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

South African Real Estate - Clean Beaches And Changing Scenery

Living in a Global Village, more and more people from all over the world have come to realize that one can live in one's own country and at the same time own South African real estate. It is rather easy to buy a holiday home or apartment in South Africa at very affordable prices.

It is more specifically the coastal areas that are drawing tourists to buy property as these areas offer spectacular views, vibrant entertainment and amazing tourist attractions.

As far as South African real estate is concerned, the Cape Garden Route for one, provides the enthusiastic golfer with world renowned courses where the immense Indian ocean is a backdrop to the flight of the little white ball. There are look-out posts over hundreds of kilometers where one can view the play of the whales during the mating season. The beaches are clean and the scenery changes consistently to provide endless variety of mountains, indigenous trees, dark deep rivers, game reserves, bird life and beautiful flowers.

Compared with prices at other international coastal destinations, property prices in South Africa are still relatively cheap. The prices will not stay this way, as the coming Soccer World Cup in 2010 will most likely draw much tourist attention and, as is always the case, with attractive propositions, the supply and demand equation will tilt heavily towards the demand side.

Many buyers of South African real estate already know that when they cannot utilize their coastal property, it can be rented out to other tourists without much effort in order to keep the holding costs down. The prices of prime coastal properties have continued to rise way above the South African inflation rate, and therefore provide the investor with solid capital growth opportunities.

The infrastructure is advanced enough to cater for various needs of visitors. One can, for example, land in Cape Town, board on a plane to George and an hour later be sitting on your verandah overlooking the ocean and the mesmerizing mountains.

Car rental companies have offices at all the airports, should one have the desire to find the serendipitous along the planned route by car. Tour operators are well trained to offer services that will take one to view sharks from cages below the water, lions hunting at night, famous battle fields, the locations where ancient people lived and where the film stars of today play.

The places of interest are endless and once one has decide to explore South Africa thoroughly, the time and desire to be anywhere else will become less and less. It therefore makes sense to own a comfortable piece of South African real estate in order to cement your unique exploring life style.

There are many estate agents that will be able and qualified to provide valuable information, but one should always discuss a proposition with various other agents to ensure the best qualified decision on investing in South African real estate.

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Friday, April 20, 2007

Private Label Rights - How To Make Money With Private Label Rights

Private label rights are the very best type of product you
can purchase.

Private label rights include the entire resale rights, and the
master resale rights.

Private label rights also have one more huge benefit that is you
can actually change and rewrite the content.

You can also add your name to the product as sole owner, creator,
and seller.

When you go to purchase private label rights, you should be given
the product as is, plus be given the master document so you can
make any changes or edit the content as you see fit.

Again, purchasing private label rights will be somewhat expensive.

The price ranges from $297.00 - $1000.00 or more depending on
what is included with the package.

A great benefit to owning private label rights, is it makes you
an instant product owner with the power to control the content.

You could break the product down and sell it in individual reports
or you could put the content on cd and sell it as a physical
product.

You can even resell the private label rights to the edited content
you made.

This make it a brand new product that you can offer many different
resale rights to.

Make sure that the private label rights come with any and all
websites, graphics, ad copy, source codes, etc.

You can make a great income from just buying the private label rights
to one product if you are unique and find ways of expanding on the
original.

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

Frisco Texas Real Estate - Whether You Are Buying Or Selling A Home

The Frisco Texas real estate market covers an area of 70 square miles, north of Dallas and west of Lewisville Lake and is home to numerous indoor and outdoor events, retail businesses, restaurants and a variety of home styles. From apartments and townhouses to luxury homes in gated communities and everything in between, Frisco TX real estate has it all. Choosing the right Frisco Texas real estate agent can make the process of buying or selling easier for you and hopefully the information provided here will make it easier for you to choose the right community and the right agent.

Current Facts for the Frisco TX Real Estate Market

Currently there are 2011 homes in the MLS listings for Frisco Texas real estate, including 615 new homes. The median price for a home is $323,999, up nearly 1.5% from the previous month. Asking prices range from less than $100,000 to several million, depending on square footage, lot size, community and other considerations. If you are looking to sell Frisco TX real estate, ask your Realtor how he or she will help you determine the asking price. A Comparative Market Analysis is the best tool for this purpose. It will allow you to see the final selling price of other properties similar to yours.

Frisco Square

One of the unique communities in the Frisco Texas real estate market is Frisco Square, a 147 acre mixed-use community designed for those who want to live, work and play in the same neighborhood. This planned community designed by world renowned architects focuses on being pedestrian friendly. You can walk to the restaurants, shops, city hall, the library, the Heritage Center and Pizza Hut Park. The Square hosts several yearly festivals including Fair in the Square and the Great Steak of Texas Festival. Townhomes in the Square range in size from 2000 to 3000 square feet and in price from around $350,000 to $600,000.

Stonebriar Park

This gated community in the Frisco TX real estate market offers luxury home buyers estate sized homes and lower maintenance villas. Stonebriar is composed of six picturesque residential villages arranged in a European style around large expanses of parks, ponds, fountains and custom landscaping. Luxury home builders have created one-of-a-kind homes, using historically accurate European style architecture. Located minutes from Dallas North Tollway and Preston Road, Stonebriar is an easy commute to Dallas, DFW and Love Field. Nearby amenities include Stonebriar Centre Mall, Frisco Medical Center and Hall Office Park. Prices range from the $700's to over $3 million.

Choosing a Frisco Texas Real Estate Agent

First, look for a Realtor. Not all agents are members of the National Association of Realtors. This is an organization for the self-regulation of the Frisco TX real estate industry. Realtors are committed to providing expert service to buyers and sellers. Other certifications can make choosing a Realtor for your specific needs easier. A CLHMS designation means that the agent is an expert in luxury home marketing. An ABR is an Accredited Buyer Representative, someone who is particularly helpful for first-time buyers. There are many other certifications that you can look for.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Three Step System for Real Estate Investors in the United States

Real Estate is traditionally one of the best investment vehicles available. Over the last century, investing in residential real estate and commercial real estate has proven to be one of the best ways to build wealth over time in the United States. And has outperformed just about every other form of investing over the longer term. What this has meant though is that the area has become increasingly competitive for would be real estate investors in the United States, and so it is increasingly important to be fully informed of the latest legislation, tax considerations and real estate investment strategies BEFORE dipping your toes in the water.

Here is the Better-News.info Three Step Real Estate Investors System to ensure that you are around for the long haul:

1/ Be ready to work with Real Estate Agents - Agents can either be some of your best friends, or your worst nightmare in the real estate game. You need to create relationships with them so that they call you first when a good new property comes on the market. They need to know that you are serious, and that you will actually follow through if they find you a property that appears to fit the profile you have described to them. This profile needs to be in terms of several different factors:

Price - The price has to be right for the type of property, the condition and the area.

Type - The agent needs to know if you are only interested in flats, six bedroom houses or commercial property. Be very clear with them about what you are seeking.

Area - The property can be just the right type. A great price, and in great condition. But if its in the wrong area, forget it! So make sure that your agent knows whereabouts you are seeking to buy property, so that you neither waste his time or yours in looking at real estate that you will never be interested in.

Condition - Are you willing to take on re-developments? Or are you only interested in new builds? Make sure that your real estate agent knows.

2/ Bank Owned Properties (also known as Real Estate Property or REO) – Banks take back ownership of properties because the owner failed to make their mortgage payments. And this can be a real goldmine if you tap into it correctly. Make contact with all the banks in your area and get on their books to be informed when they have any re-possessions that need to be sold quickly, and hopefully for a very reasonable price.

3/ Door to Door Marketing - Door knocking is a lead generation, qualification, and development tool used by real estate investors for years to gather information, build rapport, and negotiate with the seller. Fortunately it is also a technique that you can use. Get some cards printed up and leaflet an area you want to invest in with them asking for people to contact you directly. You may be surprised at how many responses you get.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Domain Name Dispute, What To Expect after You've Won

You file a UDRP complaint under ICANN and a panel has ordered a transfer of the stolen domain name. From this point, you would think everything would automatically fall into place, but more often than not, you will still have some work to do.

Under the domain name dispute policy, more specifically UDRP Policy Paragraph 4(K), it states that the registrar is required to implement the Panel's decision 10 (ten) business days after it receives notification of the decision from the dispute resolution service provider, except if the registrar receives information from the domain name registrant (Respondent) in that 10-day period that it is challenging.

Here are some steps cybersquatting lawyers use to ensure that the stolen domain name is transferred back to you:

  • Establish an account for the domain name
  • Ensure the registrar updates the domain name servers (DNS)
  • Ensure the registrar provides you with an Authorization Code so that you can initiate the transfer of the registrar and modify the contact information
  • Initiate a request for the transfer of registrar using the Authorization Code
    • Note: most registrars have an automated process that requires confirmation from the Admin-C contact on the account.
  • Ensure the registrar updates the WHOIS database for the domain name to include your information for the Admin/Technical/Billing contact.

If you become a victim of domain name theft, winning your cybersquatting arbitration is key. Still, the domain name transfer process doesn't always go as smoothly as it should and may require experienced cybersquatting lawyers to get the domain name back for you. This involves working with your IT person and the registrar, both new and old, to ensure the cybersquatting Panel's decision is implemented.

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Monday, April 09, 2007

Property Value Increases

Understanding how property value increases can be triggered is very important in real estate investing, since in most cases, high returns are achieved when the property appreciates a lot after its purchase. The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about property value increases within the context of a free economy is that when the demand-supply balance is disturbed, market rents and prices start moving accordingly in order to bring the market back into balance.

If we assume the market begins from a point at which space demanded is equal to the space supplied, prices should be stable. Economists describe this situation as the market being at equilibrium. If this balance is disturbed, either in favor of demand or in favor of supply, prices should start moving. In particular, if demand becomes greater than supply (due to non-rent/price factors) then rents/prices have to rise in order to force enough buyers/renters to drop out of the market and enough suppliers to enter the market so that the amount of space demanded equals the amount of space supplied. Similarly, if supply decreases while demand remains constant, there will be excess demand, which will again force prices/rents to rise. However, because of the durability of real estate, sudden decreases of an area's property inventory cannot occur in the normal course of events. An area's inventory of properties, however, may decline gradually if the amount of space build is smaller than the amount of space that "drops out" of the market due to physical deterioration and functional obsolescence.

If supply increases while demand remains constant, or if demand decreases while supply remains constant, there will be excess supply, which will force prices to fall in order to induce enough suppliers to drop out of the market and enough buyers/renters to enter the market.

Based on this discussion, we can identify two broad principles of rent and value increases, with the condition that the market is neither oversupplied nor undersupplied:

1) An increase in the demand for space or properties while supply remains constant

2) A decrease in the supply of space or properties while demand remains constant

To better understand the first principle of property-income and value increases, consider a nice residential community, called Paradise, with few vacant housing units and limited development under way, due to zoning controls. If, for some reason, demand for housing suddenly increases considerably so that the existing vacant units are far from adequate to cover it, housing rents and prices in Paradise will register strong increases.

Demand for housing in Paradise may increase considerably, due to a number of reasons, such as intensive office development in a nearby community, which brings a great number of new white-collar employees to the area. Since there is a tendency for people to seek housing close to their workplace, it is logical to assume that many of these new employees will seek housing in Paradise too.

An important characteristic of the supply of real estate, which explains why short-run increases in prices/rents can be very strong in response to a strong increase in demand, is the construction lag, that is, the lag between the time a real estate project is perceived and the time it comes out in the market. This lag, which is due to the time needed to complete necessary studies, de-sign, secure financing, get permits, and build a project, ranges from one to many years, depending on the size and nature of the development. This characteristic is very important, because if demand suddenly increases considerably, supply will not be able to respond immediately, unless lots of new buildings are about to be completed and enter the market. This is not very likely, however, if the demand increase is sudden or considerably greater than usual.

As a result of the supply's inability to respond quickly to changing market conditions, a strong increase in demand will originally create supply shortages, which will force prices to start rising, at least in the short-run. Because of the inertia/rigidity of supply, strong demand increases can trigger strong rent/price increases as long as the market is not oversupplied. However, as new supply starts to come out gradually, rent and price growth should decelerate, unless demand keeps rising faster than supply. As we have seen in the discussion of the cyclical behavior of the real estate market, property prices (and rents) seem to rise for a few years at an accelerating rate when the market comes out of the downturn, but after that, rent and price growth decelerates and turns negative eventually, due to a combination of strong supply growth and a slowdown in demand growth.

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Monday, April 02, 2007

Backup Tapes Can Help Your Case

Backup tapes are important. Aside from the fact that backup tapes can save a company's data in the event of a software failure, hard drive failure, or a database corruption... backing up a company's data on a regular basis should be a part of every IT department's disaster recovery plan.

As part of that plan, IT departments should test and validate that the backups are in fact backing up data and is able to be restored. Most companies assume that once the backup is running everything will be safe. However, not many IT departments routinely check the error logs to discover problems. And only when a disaster occurs do they realized that the scheduled backups have not been collecting all of the data.

From an IT point of view, the above is one of the hurdles they deal with on a daily basis. From a legal point of view, those backup tapes are even more valuable. Those tapes represent a snapshot in time for that company.

In a recent case, AAB Joint Venture v. United States, 2007 WL 646157 (Fed. Cl. Feb. 28, 2007), the court heard an argument regarding the a period of time (data) for which that data was not available. The defendant claimed that it had provided all e-mails related to the case. However, the court was not persuaded by defendant's arguments, and agreed that defendant's overall production of emails had been far from adequate. The court also said that, while cost was an issue for the court to consider in addressing a motion to compel, it was not the only consideration. The court continued with the following statement:

Here, because the Court finds that defendant had a duty to preserve evidence, as set forth below, the Court cannot relieve Defendant of its duty to produce those documents merely because Defendant has chosen a means to preserve the evidence which makes ultimate production of relevant documents expensive. Accordingly, the Court concludes that Defendant has not adequately responded to Plaintiff's requests for production of electronic documents and that supplementation of its response to Plaintiff's requests is necessary.

As the field of Computer Forensics and E-Discovery becomes more mainstream in litigation, more companies may find they need to take a look at what exactly is in the disaster recovery plan for both data loss and litigation.

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