Unknow Real Estate

Home Prep Needed For Great Sales

If you are considering putting your home on the market realize that it will take some preparation to get your home up to show quality. Experience is proving that when a home is staged it can bring in up to many thousands of dollars more than the asking price. Also staging helps in all types of markets. When there are a glut of homes for sale in an area what they call a buyer’s market the home that’s staged is more noticable to buyers and the price for it can’t be lowballed the same as a house that doesn’t look as good. Alternatively in what they call a seller’s market when there are few homes for sale and real estate is in high demand staged homes again stand out often attracting numerous offers. In this way the price can get driven up as buyers compete with each other for the home. Either way the homeowner who took the time to stage comes out the winner.

Home staging can mean different things. Everything from just decluttering a home or a rearrangement of furnature up to making minor repairs or even completely emptying the house and renting new furnature are all considered efforts to stage a home. It appears that the more effort and money one puts into staging the home the more they are repayed for their efforts when the home sells. Not only that staged homes tend to sell much more quickly than asis homes.

While many people these days are choosing to hire a professional home stager and whether or not you can afford that is up to you. Professionals certainly have good ideas and the experience to know what works and what doesn’t. However there’s no reason you can’t do the prep work yourself with a bit of research and applied effort.

There area few key elements to home staging that tend to be universal. First and foremost getting rid of excess furniture and knick knacks seems to be key. A cluttered house becomes invisable to a viewer blanketed under the acoutrements of someone elses life. If necessary rent storage for all your extra stuff. If you have a storage room empty it or set it up to look like an office or wieght room to highlight features you don’t use but someone else might love. Sometimes all that’s needed is an objective rearranging of your things to create more space and order.

Another key area is repairs. Don’t launch into major renovations but do fix up really obvious minor flaws especially around the front door. First impressions are key. Keep in mind that people viewing your home will likely open cupboards and closets. Repair squeeks and sticks so they don’t notice a problem. Since doorways have a tendencey to get worn consider new paint.

If you’re planning to sell your home you might want to do a little research online to help with your staging ideas or even look into hiring a professional in your area. No doubt you’ll be glad you did.

About the writer:  Written on behalf of Kevin Billberry HomesByLender.com one of the nations largest networks of “for sale by owner” homes. Contact us for real estate investor homes and tips on buying homes for sale by owner.

Finding Profitable Commercial Properties

Profitability is the goal for any business pursuit and commercial real estate is no different. When you invest in a commercial property you are essentially buying a business one that has expenses overhead marketing costs maintenance and of course revenue to contend with. The obvious idea is to have the revenue exceed all expenses producing profit in this case monthly cash flow.

Since the goal of profitability is not really in any doubt the real question that abounds is how to find a property that is profitable. There are always skeptics out there many of whom will pose the following challenges:

• If a property is so profitable why would someone be selling it?
• There must be a catch.
• There must be more to it than simply making money as that would just be too easy.

I generally take the stance of listening to skeptical responses to the value of commercial real estate but I let the negative connotation go in one ear and out the other. There is simply too much money to be made to listen too closely to the skeptics who would have you believe that what I am doing on a regular basis just isnt possible for most people.

Skeptics aside how do we actually determine profitability? This will be based upon several key factors:

• Monthly cash flow
• Equity/appreciation
• Leverage
• Depreciation
• Tax advantages

The monthly cash flow is the most important barometer for commercial property profitability because if it is solid the other benefits mentioned are simply icing on the cake and only make a good deal even better. For example a 20unit apartment building produces 240000 annually in gross revenue 1000 per month per unit. Is it profitable? Only if the net revenue after all expenses including mortgage payments leaves you in the black.

Provided the monthly cash flow for a property is positive consider the other factors that additionally enhance profitability of the property as a business. Each year the property will have more equity due to the fact that tenants are paying off any loan you have. Most commercial properties are financed for 1520 years meaning that several years of ownership can actually increase the equity position with some significance.

Profitability can also come from leverage through equity lines of credit business lines of credit based upon the financial strength of the property or reinvestment of cash flow proceeds into other investments. Consider too the tax write offs from depreciation mortgage interest and many other fixed expenses and commercial property can be a hugely profitable business for you to consider.

About the writer:  David Lindahl also known as the “Apartment King” has been successfully investing in singlefamily homes and apartments for the last 14 years and currently owns over 7000 units around the US. David regularly shares his secrets and experience on the same stage as Tony Robbins Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump! For two FREE copies of his highly recognized newsletter Real Estate Insights please go to http://www.davesoffer.com/ezine

2 Situations When Sale And Rent Back Is The Wrong Choice

This article assumes you understand the sale and rent back process and will discuss 2 scenarios where selling and renting back your property is most likely not the best solution. If you are in these situations it is advisable you look at the alternatives which are suggested.

If you can reduce your monthly outgoings

Some people may find that they can reduce their monthly outgoings by consolidating their debts to a rate that is more affordable. This does not mean taking out more debts to pay off existing ones but getting all existing debts onto the best interest rate possible. If financial difficulties are causing you to consider sale and rent back it is often worth while looking at loan consolidation as a possible alternative.

This may allow you to keep ownership of your house but it does not guarantee that your future outgoings would be less than if you sold and rented back. If you are not sure what to do it may be worth getting a rental quote from a rent back specialist the good ones will give this free and compare it to your potential outgoings if you consolidate your loan. This way you will be able to make a more informed decision.

When you want to get full market value for your property

If you want to get the best possible price for your property then sale and rent back is most probably not for you. Sale and rent back companies are not able to offer you 100 of the market value of your property due to the costs they incur buying it and the profit margin they need. Those companies that say they will offer 100 of the market value and rent your property back to you are most likely not telling the truth. They are trying to get their foot in the door and then will offer less. If they did offer 100 of the market value they could not survive as a business as they would incur a loss for every property they bought. Reputable sale and rent back companies normally offer up to 80 of the properties value.

You need to make sure you sell to a company that 1 is honest and upfront with you and 2 has a sound business model because if they go out of business there are going to be complications with you staying in your house.

If you want the best price possible for your property and do not need to stay in it then selling via an estate agent is the best solution. If you want the best price for your property do not want to rent back and need a quick sale then a cash buyer is often the best solution. Many rent back companies can offer this quick cash sale service.

The bottom line is: sale and rent back is not the solution for those wanting full market value for their property and beware of companies that say they can offer this.

About the writer:  Carl Robinson is an experienced UK property consultant who works for Quick Homebuyers. If you want to sell and rent back your property or want to find out more about how to rent back your house visit the website for a Free Report and a no obligation sale and rent back offer.