Immobilienmakler Scout

There are currently many misconceptions about Costa Rica when it comes to property prices. The news and media are currently leading many people to believe that the prices of real estate in this country are getting out of reach for most people. After living here for a few years I have found that there still is plenty of great investment opportunities available. The issue that most people were faced with is dealing with real estate agents. Many real estate companies are in the business to make money and they want you to look at the properties in which their commissions are the highest.

When purchasing property in a foreign country it can be difficult to know who you can, and who you cannot trust. This tends to lead people to rely on what they are familiar with so that they can protect their investment with the use of someone else’s knowledge. It is important to understand that it is not always necessary to use a real estate agent to find a very inexpensive piece of property or home to purchase. Many people in Costa Rica are not in a hurry to sell their property and nor do they really understand the fact they have to pay a real estate agent to sell their home or business. When faced with this proposition of commission, many choose to just wait until someone comes along so that they can deal with them directly without having to pay. This is a great benefit for you the buyer to take advantage of. But, where do you start?

Self-employment is very popular in this Central American country. Many men and women do miscellaneous types of odd jobs to support their family. They are very good at this though their income is very low. By asking around you can find some of them that are trustworthy to help you in your cause. You have to be careful because they do have a tendency to try to take advantage of people from other countries just for the chance of making money. On the other hand there are a few that are very honest and will do almost anything to help you. These men and women know people throughout the country and keep close track of anything for sale. It doesn’t matter to them if it’s a cow, chicken, car, or a small piece of property that is located on the Pacific Coast. You can hire these people to find a home or business for sale in which you will pay pennies on the dollar in comparison to what a real estate agent will charge you.

Probably, more than 90% of real estate construction in Costa Rica is composed of cement and cement blocks. The reason for this varies from place to place, but in general this is because they believe that cement foundations and walls will handle earthquakes better than wood construction. The use of insulation is almost nonexistent and in most places unless located on the coastlines, is not needed. If you are one that likes the idea of being your own general contractor you can build a house very inexpensively here. Typical construction costs through completion for a normal three-bedroom home can be around $30-$40000. Property costs can range from $1000 per acre on up.

To wrap this up in a nutshell here’s where you might begin. Plan a trip to visit Costa Rica and reserve some time for looking at real estate. Upon arrival find yourself a copy of the Tico Times newspaper if you speak English, or the country’s largest Spanish newspaper named La Nacion. If your cell phone does not work here then you can find one to rent that is very affordable. Many of these phones come with unlimited minutes for around $10 per day. You can rent a car by looking in the newspaper with full coverage insurance and unlimited mileage for around $35 per day. This amount is far below the rates you will pay from most chain car rental outlets. Contact the people that have real estate in which you have an interest and find out if they speak your language. If not make a note to call them back when you have someone that can interpret for you. The newspaper will also possibly help you find someone to assist you with your Spanish if needed. Ask many of the people you run into if they know someone that can help you communicate while you are here, and that they are trustworthy. Make sure that they come with good references so that you don’t have to be concerned with theft.

Some of the places you might check to find someone to help can include local large and small grocery stores, your hotel, furniture and white goods stores. Make sure to ask each and every person that you call from the classifieds if they have any ideas also.

The majority of Costa Rica’s population is hard workers though the pay is usually around two dollars per hour. If you buy a home, small farm, or ranch in the country, you can hire a person or a family to take care of you and your property. For much less than you can imagine they will clean your house, cook your meals, take care of your yard, and watch your property while you are gone. Most Costa Ricans are very interested in learning English or another foreign language if it involves making an income. Basic things are usually very easy to express to them even without the use of Spanish. There’s always someone nearby that does speak English, French, German, and sometimes even Russian.

By using some of the methods discussed in this article you’ll be able to possibly find a piece of property, or a home, in which you can buy for the right price. This procedure will not produce results as quickly as a realtor but you won’t go broke so quickly either.

Some final notes of caution! When visiting Costa Rica never allow anything you own to be out of sight. Theft rates for foreigners are exceptionally high. As long as you carry what you have with you the chances of something going wrong are very small. Do not leave things of value locked in your car or in your hotel unless you have someone watching them for you. Do not wear expensive jewelry on public streets and always keep a tight grasp on anything you wish to keep. Does this mean that you have to be concerned about your physical well-being? Typically there are only problems with theft. Rarely are people ever mugged or molested in any form. If you feel uncomfortable in an area then you should leave it.

There is real estate in Costa Rica that is still available and will be for many years into the future that could be no better described than Paradise. The weather and the clean air alone is plenty enough for most people to want to stay here forever. Make sure that you find a good attorney that comes with many references from the locals, and also from people in the area that speak your language. Use this attorney to make sure that the title of this property you have an interest in is clear and free of liens or outstanding past-due bills. The legal system in this Third World country is not the same as it is in the US and other more advanced countries.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Lee Johnson

Home sales represent a vital phase for every home owner, regardless of whether you’re utilizing the dwelling to raise your family in or looking for the profit options found with real estate investment. Of the paths you could follow in order to achieve this goal, one of the most sought-after possibility relates to for sale by owner strategies.

This pursuit has drawn the attention of many real estate owners since it creates the chance to save thousands when you compare the outcome to the use of a real estate professional. Needless to say, before you make any effort to pursue this sales opportunity, it is vital to recognize the strengths and weaknesses which are related with this sell my house path.

While the financial savings offered with the for sale by owner strategy is undoubtedly the strength of this pursuit, several decide to pass on the savings as a result of the cons of this process. Real estate agents do represent a large cost when it relates to home sales but you get several benefits with their services. You tap into an individual who is devoted to the sale of your home.

Furthermore, they represent access to one of a kind resources which greatly increase your opportunity to make sales. The resources include on-line sites that promote sales, a network of agents seeking opportunities for their investors and access to a trained individual with years of real estate sales experience. In the end anybody can perform several of the tasks which are offered by a real estate agent to sell my house and you are just paying thousands to access the resources they can utilize.

When you understand the value that is associated with these resources, it convinces several to abandon the sale by owner opportunity in order to increase the chance of making a sale. Rather than being forced to pursue this avenue of sales, cut out the middle man of the real estate agent and search for an opportunity which can provide you with all those important resources at a part of a cost.

When you combine those resources with your drive to sell my house, you would greatly increase your odds of selling when compared to attempting this task on your own. This will supply you with the best elements of each sales opportunity and save you money as you make a sale on your real estate investment.

As having a residence is a fundamental requirement in modern society, the demand in the real estate market would forever be strong. How you tap into this market will decide not only your opportunity to sell but even the chances you have of getting the asking price on your home.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jens Raun

Perspective purchasers normally consider all of the various property types available in Cyprus, although any one on a low budget will probably end up with an apartment. You need to compare the varying types of property available throughout the island as you may come across some serious bargains. If you do come across a real bargain try and find out why it is so cheap by comparing it to the surrounding property and always try and get an estate agents reasoning confirmed by other sources.

The advantages for buying property in Cyprus are just endless but you will no doubt come out winning in so many different ways. So let’s not start off on the wrong foot and make any mistakes when it comes to the purchase of your property. You will more than likely have contact with the owner, so always make sure that you ask them any important questions as well as asking the agent. If you don’t have contact with the owner, then try contacting the neighbors. Don’t forget that if you are dealing with an authentic bargain, it is because the owners are after a quick sale, so don’t offer the asking price.

The successful outcome of the operation will be dependent on several factors, so the more local knowledge you have under your belt, the better. Other important factors include you being a cash buyer or having a mortgage agreed and not being caught up in any sort of property chain. Make sure that you give concrete details on exactly what you are looking for and don’t to swayed into buying something else, regardless of how good it may seem. Stick to your guns and check out several estate agents and look through local newspapers for a better overall view of the local property market.

Under normal circumstances when there is a property crisis and the market slows down, well the purchaser tends to have the upper hand on the negotiating table. Although we are seeing this trend at the moment throughout the western world, Cyprus is still a developing nation and the current trends just don’t apply there. If we now had to compare current market property prices in Cyprus with the rest of Europe, you would be shocked to see that a villa in Cyprus would only fetch you an apartment in the UK.

When looking into a possible purchase and especially at an agreed price, you need to take into consideration what it will actually cost you in refurbishment costs in order to get the property up to top standard. Take a professional along with you and get a quote for any work that need carrying out and then make sure that this amount is reflected in your offer. You may also want to take into account a bank survey as this price is what the bank considers as it’s value. It is a good independent way of finding out if you are getting a bargain or not and you could consider it as an insurance policy for not getting ripped off.

On the whole the majority of people that have been going into property investment in Cyprus are those at the lower end of the budget scales. Small studios and apartments are ideal for both holiday breakaways and for letting out to tourists. It is in fact an ideal investment for anyone with limited resources as it will reap quick profits as well as an ideal holiday destination. This type of investment has changed the lives of so many people and the opportunities are still there for many more people to take advantage of.

I have done so much research for people on the internet regarding independent property investment advice in Cyprus and I have only come across one site that hits the mark in those areas. This magnificent blog at CyprusInformer is full of great tips on property investment and even just living in Cyprus so make sure that you do carry out some research and make sure you visit the blog listed below.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Tim Martins

Because of the challenges involved in today’s tough real estate market, more and more realtors are leaving the business. This exodus is causing an unprecedented opportunity for those realtors skilled at marketing to move forward in gaining large amounts of market share! The simplest way to focus your marketing efforts is to select a niche and focus on that group. Here are some niches that you may want to consider:

A Farm – This is the easiest niche for most agents to understand. A farm can be a subdivision, an area like waterfront homes on a certain street or even a county if it is small. Some great ways to start to become an expert in an area are to visit all the homes currently listed for sale in the neighborhood, visit all the FSBO’s who currently have their homes available, and offer to do open houses for agents who have current listings. Let the FSBO’s know when you are going to have your house open so you can coordinate with them to have theirs open also. Send postcards to the homeowners and also start a neighborhood newsletter giving sales information and relevant neighborhood info.

First Time Homebuyers – These are people who need the expertise and connections that a realtor can provide. To reach these buyers you can send postcards or walk apartment complexes, renters make great first time homebuyers! Offer to hold „lunch and learns“ to large area employers who have younger workforces that need to find housing solutions. You can partner with the affordable housing government agencies in your area, finding out the requirements for buyers to qualify. Offer to send them „hot“ listings that are in great shape and meet the pricing requirements of their programs. Make sure you preview and hold open all the houses in these price ranges that you can get your hands on so that you can know the ones that will be worth taking your clients to!

Luxury Home Buyers and Sellers – This one can feel like a farm but it is a little different. Targeting high end buyers and sellers will result in larger commissions AND larger expenses! Make sure your marketing materials are professionally designed to appeal to people in a top tier demographic. Target international buyers by displaying high end properties on your website and blog (if you do not have your own listings „borrow“ some from the other agents in your office after asking for permission). Make sure you list information about marinas, yacht clubs, tennis clubs, country clubs and golf courses on your website. If there are high end retail areas in your market list those shops and also any five star restaurants that may be nearby. Join the local country club and support the regional arts councils.

Baby Boomers – If you live in a warm climate this group is for you! Find out all the retirement and 55+ communities in your area and list them on your website or blog. Become familiar with the restrictions of the different communities (some allow pets, some don’t, some allow one person to be under 55, some require everyone to be over 62). Advertise in the senior magazines in your area, focusing on your expertise as a benefit to finding the perfect retirement home. Have a group of vendors that you can recommend if they need property management services while they go north for the summer or visit family for extended periods of time.

Those are just four of thousands of different niches you could choose! Whether you like boating or golfing, like working with buyers or sellers, love children or dogs, there is a niche for someone like you. Pick something today and focus on it with all your energy and you will be able to capture more of the market than you ever thought possible!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Tara Jacobsen

Flipping, the real estate investment vehicle in which you purchase a property below value and soon sell it for a profit, is a very good way to generate positive cash flow. Cash flow is important if you want to pay the bills and feed the family. Flipping has become a big business. I encourage my protégées to buy and sell for a profit without getting into the rehab business if their goal is to be an investor.

In Oregon you need to be careful how you proceed with a flip. If you buy a house and sell it without doing work on it you will not butt heads with the state construction contractors board (CCB). But be careful. If you think you can buy a house, remodel it, and then sell it, you can – if you have a general contractors license or a developers license. In other words, it’s regulated by the state. The purpose is to offer some semblance of protection to the consumer.

The stated mission of the CCB is:

„The Construction Contractors Board protects the public’s interest relating to improvements to real property. The Board regulates construction contractors and promotes a competitive business environment through education, contractor licensing, dispute resolution, and law enforcement.“

A general contracting license with allow you to do the work yourself on a house you plan to buy, fix up, and sell. A developers license will allow you to buy, hire contractors to do the rehab, and sell.

Who needs to be licensed?

According the CCB:

Oregon law requires anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property to be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB). This includes roofing, siding, painting, carpentry, concrete, on-site appliance repair, heating and air conditioning, home inspections, tree service, plumbing, electrical, floor covering, manufactured dwelling installations, land development and most other construction and repair services.

A CCB license is also required for:

*those who purchase homes with the intent to fix them up and resell them, even if they do not perform the work themselves.

*material suppliers that receive compensation for installing or arranging the installation of the materials.

It’s not difficult to meet the requirements for a contractor or developer license. You simply take a short course that costs around $200 and you learn about OSHA, lien laws, and such – there’s very little in it about how to be carpenter, etc. You then take a test which adds an additional $50 to $100. The test is designed, like most state tests, to be passed so the state can collect fees. You can get through it. When I was first licensed all I needed was a bond and liability insurance, which cost about $125 if I remember correctly, and $50 for the state license, and I was a contractor – no course to take and no test.

The hard part of the process now is securing liability insurance you can afford. My insurance broker, Bob Gorham at Century Insurance in Bend (541-382-4211), has done a good job for me in the past. The insurance part of the equation is tough but you have to obtain it in order to comply with the state regulations.

Who does not need to have a license to work on a house?

The July issue of the Construction Contractors Board Bulletin says the answer to that question is:

1. A person who works on their own house

2. A person who furnishes the materials, supplies or equipment and does not for compensations, install or arrange to have them installed.

3. An owner who arranges for the work to be done by a licensed contractor. But this exemption does not apply to a person who in the pursuit of an independent business, does the work themselves or arranges for the work with the intent of offering the structure for sale before, upon or after completion. It is considered prima facie evidence that it was the intent to offer the structure for sale if the owner does not occupy the structure after completion.

4. A person who performs work on property they own even if they do not live there. And an owner’s employee can perform work.

5. A real estate licensee who performs work on the structure that the real estate licensee manages under contract.

For more information on licensing, you can call the CCB at 503-378-4621. Their web address is http://www.oregon.gov/ccb.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Donald Loyd

Because real estate prices have dropped quite a bit, the potential commissions that real estate agents and brokers could earn have also dropped. But the drop in commissions can be more than offset by the amount of properties that can be sold. And getting quality real estate leads is one of the keys to making this a reality for real estate professionals. This is because there are so many more properties on the market now than there were before the bubble burst.

The rise in the number of homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages has increased so much that a very large number of them have decided that they cannot afford to stay in their homes. They would rather sell their home and buy a comparable home for a much lower price, and take the loss so that they can improve their cash flow situation by having a lower mortgage payment each month. And since there is no shortage of properties to buy, these people had no problem finding a suitable home for a good price.

And another result of the rise in available properties is that more and more people are becoming first-time homeowners. Since prices on homes are falling, more and more people are able to afford a home for the same amount they are currently paying in rent. So the logical choice for these people is to buy a house rather than continuing to rent.

These factors all lead to one thing – a higher need for real estate agents to help the buying and selling of all of these properties. Therefore, even though prices have fallen, the quantity of available properties, buyers, and sellers has raised which more than makes up for the lower prices in terms of how much a given real estate agent could make in the current real estate market. And as we all know, the more clients a real estate agent has, the more properties they’ll sell and the more money they’ll make.

The problem comes in when a real estate agent has already gone through their current client list. The best way for them to get more clients is to somehow obtain more real estate leads. Not only do they need more leads, they need high quality leads if they are going to be successful in converting a high number of them into clients who actually follow through on buying and/or selling one or more properties.

So how can you get more real estate leads? There are of course many different ways. These include buying them from an agency that offers them, advertising, subscribing to lead generation websites, developing and keeping current your own real estate website that draws potential

clients to it, and best of all by getting them through your own network. There are undoubtedly other ways of generating real estate leads as well, but these are the most common methods – all of which have proven to work to a certain degree.

One of the easiest ways to get real estate leads is by purchasing them. There are companies whose sole purpose is to find people who want to buy or sell a property. They then sell this information to people who are willing to pay for it. So if you are a real estate agent looking for real estate leads and either don’t have the time to find your own, or simply don’t want to, then this may be a good option for you.

There are two different major ways to do this. You can purchase the real estate leads from a company as a set of data that you will get in the form of a list or spreadsheet. Then you will need to start sifting through them and using the data available to qualify and categorize them yourself. And after that, it’s time to start making calls to find out they are valid leads or not.

The other way of purchasing real estate leads is by subscribing to a real estate lead generator website that will send you much smaller lists of leads on a regular basis. This can be nice because the information is likely to be much more current than buying a single very large list of leads. But this also means that there are fewer to work with so it doesn’t give you as much freedom in terms of choosing who to contact first.

Purchasing real estate leads or subscribing to a lead generation website can also be expensive. This can be a very bad thing since the whole intent of buying leads is to find clients, sell properties, and make commissions, if the leads that you buy don’t turn into commissions. In that case, not only did you not sell any properties (or many properties), but you wasted money on worthless information, and you wasted time contacting worthless leads when you could have been working on finding good real estate leads instead.

Another way to generate real estate leads is by advertising. If you are a real estate agent, broker, or business person, advertising your services may be a good way to generate real estate leads. This type of lead generation is great because rather than you doing the work to find people who want to buy or sell a property, the tables are turned and they come looking for you instead.

In addition to having people try to find you instead of you trying to find them, there is another benefit to advertising to generate real estate leads. The people who are trying to find you are already definitely interested in buying or selling a property. This means that you don’t have to worry about whether they are going to turn out to be qualified leads or not, because they definitely will be.

A similar way to generate real estate leads by advertising which can be even more effective than simply advertising on a billboard or in the paper is by setting up your own real estate website. Websites are surprisingly inexpensive to have hosted, and having one developed for you doesn’t have to be expensive either. And if you learn the basics of website development, you’ll be able to maintain it by yourself after it’s been set up so that you can always keep it current.

The reasons to keep your website current cannot be understated. First, you have to keep it updated with the properties you are trying to sell so that the people who visit your website will have something to look at – and since this list of properties will be changing frequently as your client list grows and changes, you’ll need to change your website often to incorporate the new properties and eliminate the ones that are no longer available.

A second reason for keeping your website updated on a regular basis your page rank will grow higher. Search engines use a number of factors to determine how relevant they are to certain keywords, and where to display them in a list of search results. And one of the biggest things that moves a website toward the top of the list is it’s page rank, which is greatly affected by how active and how current the website is. So the more often you update your website, the higher its page rank will be, the higher it’ll show up in search results related to real estate keywords, and the more visitors you’ll get to your site.

Once you get visitors to your site, you’ll be getting the exposure you want to potential clients for free. They can stay on your site for as long as they want to and look at as few or as many properties as they want to. And you don’t have to do anything in order to help them. In fact there could be thousands of people all on your website at the same time. That is something that you would not likely ever have the opportunity to do in person. This phenomenon is what is known as leverage, and leverage is what can turn a small business into a fortune 500 business in short order when managed correctly.

The best way to do real estate lead generation also happens to be one of the most difficult – at least in the beginning. The method of finding leads is by building a very large network, and using it. This is one of the best ways to get leads because it is one of the most surprisingly effective ways. But unfortunately, it’s also one of the more difficult ways to start, and takes a while to yield significant results.

The first thing you’ll need to do is to start building your network. And it’s not that you just need to start building it, you need to intentionally focus on building your network each end every day, no matter where you are or who you’re talking to. This is because for most people, networking does not come naturally.

If you are like most people, you are probably somewhat shy and don’t make it a point to intentionally meet and talk to new people on a regular basis. But if you want to build a network, you’ll have to do exactly that. This is something that can come as a challenge to say the least, both emotionally and technically, but it is well worth the effort in the long run.

It can be emotionally difficult because a large part of building a large network is dealing with rejection. And if you want to build a large network quickly, you’ll have to deal with a lot of rejection each and every day. Too many people, being rejected is taken personally and it ends up wearing them down so that they eventually give up before they gain the benefits that building a large network provides. But if you can learn how to not take rejection personally, you’ll succeed where so many others have given up and failed as a result.

And networking to generate real estate leads can be done almost anywhere. When you need to put some gas in your car, park on the other side of the pump from someone who’s already there and try to strike up a conversation where you’ll be able to tell them that you’re in the real estate business and can help them or anyone else they know who may be looking to buy or sell. And if you’re really serious about it, you may want to only get $10 or some other small amount of gas at a time so that you’ll need to go to the gas station more often and have more opportunities to network.

You can also build your network by meeting new people at any other place. You could talk to someone at the grocery store, library, church, waiting in line at the bank, or anywhere you are around other people for more than a few minutes at a time and starting a conversation wouldn’t be too awkward. It can be done anywhere, with just about anyone, at almost any time. And the more dedicated you are to it, the faster you’ll be able to grow your network and the better off you’ll be in the long run.

Some of the best ways to network are by talking to the people you already know. These are people who are already in your network, and you can use them to help you grow your network even larger. The most obvious way is to simply ask them if they are interested in buying or selling a property in the near future, and to keep you in mind if they are.

But another way to help you grow your network is to ask them who they know that may be interested in buying or selling a property. You are basically asking them for real estate leads using different words. You could ask them for the names and numbers of people who they know who may be interested in buying or selling a property, or you could ask them to give your contact information to the people they have in mind when you ask them that question.

It’s a great idea to have business cards with your contact information made up when you’re networking. That way you won’t have to rely on people’s memories which are definitely not the most reliable things when compared to something they can simply read from a card. Cards on the other hand make it so that the person you are giving your contact information to doesn’t have to rely on their memory, and it puts forth a more professional image as well which can only benefit you.

Real estate values have taken a dive and one of the results has led to there being many, many more properties on the market now compared to before the economy took a dive in 2008. This means that even though the prices are lower, the higher quantity of properties on the market make it possible to buy and sell more of them and make more money in commissions as a result which will more than make up for the decreased individual property values.

I order to sell more properties you must have more clients. And to get more clients, you need to have more real estate leads. These real estate leads can be generated in a variety of different ways, all of which can be useful to real estate professionals. Having reliable leads will definitely result in more clients, more sales, and more money made in commissions. Purchasing them, advertising for them, or getting them from your network is all great ways go get leads that all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Pick the one that will work best for you, and you’ll be on your way to making more money through real estate in less time that you think.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jeff Deveau

Property tax reduction:

According to a survey, over 60% of property owners are over assessed by the city taxation authorities. The most shocking fact is to know that less than 2% of the property owners requested re-assessment and still 58% of the owners are paying tax on their over-assessed property. People may feel surprised to know that 70% of owners win their case and enjoy the reduced property taxes. Therefore, it is important for the house owners to scrutinize their annual property levy assessment.

Have you ever think that your property is over-assessed? If yes, then carry out the research. Contact your taxation authority to know your property tax assessment. However, if the owners find their property is over scrutinized and become successful in collecting the strong evidence, they can save $200-$3000 dollars about every year. However, the savings value may vary depending on number of factors such as your property, tax rate of your city, over-assessed amount of your property, etc.

Getting property tax reduction is not at all a complicated job for the house owners. It will take certain time to understand the process and how to present your appeal in front of authorities. When you are planning to file a property tax appeal, collect enough and suitable evidence to prove your appeal. If you file a property tax protest, but fail to produce suitable evidence to prove your appeal, you need to lose the case. You need to prove your case by submitting the assessment value of other properties sold for less than what your city taxation authority claims your property is worth.

Filing a tax appeal

House owners should know that as a levy payer they have the rights to file an appeal to know the current financial year tax assessment. The first step of appeal process starts with written notification to the local scrutinizing officer. Taxpayers have forty-five-days‘ time from the date of notice to file their appeal. If property owners didn’t receive any notice, they need to file for re-assessment by the later of May 10th of the assessment year or 45 days after the date of the levy bill.

Once you decide to file a tax appeal, you need to collect the evidence to support your case. The evidence can be in the form of a sale of the subject property, listing prices, sales of comparable properties and duty appraisal prepared by the licensed evaluator. Once the appeal is filed, the board of evaluators review your petition. If the board finds that your property is over-assessed, the authority sends a new notice stating the change of assessment value.

It is advisable for the property owners to get the experts help when they really wish to file a property tax appeal. Expert solicitors help the owners to save time and reinforce their petition by producing suitable evidence. Another benefit of hiring expert is that they have complete know-how about the local market, good hold on the taxation laws and work with complete professionalism and leave no coin turn around to win the case.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Varun Tamagond

In the beginning, real estate brokers were known as middlemen and optioneers. Back then, the customary practice was for a middleman to know about a property for sale, but to keep it secret from other middlemen. It was difficult for these middleman to collect a fee for their services so they would resort to tactics that were not always in their seller’s best interest. Optioneers, on the other hand, were usually more successful in collecting their fees because they would tie up the seller’s property on an option to purchase, sell the property to a buyer at a price over the option amount, pay the seller the option price, and then pocket the rest.

The early real estate brokerage business was loosely organized and used methods of brokering that were often dishonest, subject to fraud, and that took advantage of sellers and buyers. Eventually, a newer concept with the real estate broker being an agent of and owing a fiduciary duty to the seller and receiving payment for his services was developed. This new concept forced the seller and broker relationship to a higher level of service and duty. It also allowed brokers to list property for sale using contracts. These contracts are what we now refer to listings. The earlier forms of listings we called open listings. The open listing is a type of non exclusive listing contract authorizing a real estate broker to offer a property for sale, find a buyer and get paid for services upon the closing of that transaction.

Other brokers could also have open listings for the same property, but only the broker who actually found the buyer would receive a commission. In addition, no broker would get paid a fee if the seller sold the property. The open listing discouraged cooperation between brokers, since each broker could obtain their own open listing. To solve the open listing problem, the exclusive agency listing became popular.

The exclusive agency listing is a type of listing contract wherein the seller offers only the listing brokerage compensation if the buyer is procured through the brokerage’s efforts or the efforts of other real estate brokerages. This means that in certain situations, such as For Sale by Owner, the listing brokerage may not receive compensation when the property is sold. In the exclusive agency listing, the listing brokerage or another brokerage working with the listing brokerage must procure the buyer in order to have a claim on compensation.

The exclusive agency listing encourages competing brokers to find buyers for listing, since the listing brokerage pays the selling brokerage’s fee. However, the seller still does not pay a fee when a seller finds the buyer. The exclusive agency listing eventually gave rise to the exclusive right to sell listing.

The exclusive right-to-sell agreement, the listing brokerage is offered compensation in the event of a sale regardless of who procured the buyer. The exclusive right to sell listing guarantees that the listing broker will get paid a fee, even if a competing broker or the seller sells property. It provides the most protection for the listing broker and is considered in the best interest of the seller because the listing brokerage will put effort and resources into marketing the property, since a commission is guaranteed during the term of the agreement.

Even after the exclusive right to sell listing became popular, there was little cooperation between brokerages, since a buyer who wanted to buy a specific property would have to deal with the broker who had exclusive listings of interest. It was also quite clear to all parties in that the broker represented the seller and that the buyer had no representation.

By the 1950s there was pressure for more cooperation between brokerages. As a result, a broker working with a buyer would contact competing brokerages to to learn of their inventory and possible matches for their clients. Deals often resulted where the selling agent did not know the seller or their agent and the selling agent’s only dealings were with the buyer. Suddenly, the concept that the selling brokerage owed its fiduciary duty to only the seller was no longer a neat and logical concept. However, it would take many years before the unworkable agency concepts would be sorted out and lead to buyer representation.

As the 1950s and 1960s progressed, a more formalized cooperative brokerage system, known as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), was developed. Through the MLS, the concept of subagency evolved. Simply stated, this meant the listing broker was the agent of and represented only the seller. The listing brokerage would hire sales associates who were considered subagents of the seller. The listing MLS brokerage was required to make the listing available to all cooperating brokerage within their MLS. These cooperating brokerages were also deemed subagents of the listing brokerage, who were agents of the seller. If the cooperating brokerage had sales associates, they were subagents of the cooperating brokerage, who were subagents of the listing brokerage, who was the agent of the seller. During this period, an agency relationship with a buyer was not possible, since the agency relationship was always with the seller. The only duty a licensee owed to a buyer was to not lie when asked questions about a property. The concept of „buyer beware“ was truly the reality of how the brokerage business operated and buyers were always unrepresented.

The rise of consumerism, as manifested in numerous court decisions, put pressure on the brokerage business to be more concerned with the interests of the buyer. Because of that, licensees working with buyers had an affirmative duty to disclose known matters affecting a property. For example, if the broker knew that a roof leaked, he would have to disclose this fact. This disclosure concept was later expanded by the courts to include conditions about the property that the brokers should or could have known.

By the 1980s, a government study found that nearly three-quarters of all buyers thought the brokerage they were working with was representing them as a client. The same study concluded that nearly three-quarters of all sellers also thought that the cooperating brokerage represented the buyer’s interests. It soon became obvious the concepts of agency law that the industry and governmental regulators had attempted to impose in order to simplify and clarify the agency relationships had not worked. Continued pressure from consumer groups and the courts finally led to the buyer representation movement of the 1990s.

In 1991, the National Association of REALTORS® formed an advisory group to study agency representation issues. Testimony was received from real estate practitioners, industry experts, the public, and state regulatory authorities. The advisory group’s report made the following recommendations:

• The NAR’s multiple listing policy should be modified to make subagency offers optional. If subagency was not accepted by a cooperating brokerage, then the listing brokerage was to offer compensation to the brokerage representing the buyer.
• The NAR would encourage state associations to promote changes in real estate law and regulations in order to promote disclosure of agency options. These options would include seller agency, buyer agency, and disclosed dual agency. The purpose of this recommendation was to assist consumers in making informed decisions regarding representation.
• The NAR should encourage real estate brokerages to adopt written company policies addressing the handling of agency relationships with its clients and customers.
• The NAR would encourage education of all members on the topic of agency representation. State regulatory agencies would also be encouraged to include agency as a mandatory topic in continuing education requirements for all licensees.

As of 1992, the National Association of REALTORS® adopted the following policy:

„The National Association of REALTORS® recognizes seller agency, buyer agency and disclosed dual agency with informed consent as appropriate forms of consumer representation in real estate transactions. The association respects the need for all REALTORS® to be able to make individual business decisions about their companies‘ agency practices. Furthermore, NAR endorses freedom of choice and informed consent for consumers or real estate services when creating agency relationships with real estate licensee.“

These NAR changes to representation policy modified the way the industry practices. Exclusive Right to Represent buyer agreements now allow a buyer to contract with a brokerage to find, and negotiate, the purchase of real property. Generally, these agreements are for a specified period and require the buyer to pay a commission upon the closing of the real property transaction. As an agent of the buyer, the buyer’s brokerage owes all of the fiduciary duties (care, loyalty, disclosure, obedience, and accounting) to his principal, the buyer.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jeff Sorg

Trying to sell a house in the midst of a global recession is not a fun thing to do.. Not only does there seem to be more time wasters on the prowl, but the serious buyers seem to always come up short on cash. However, by taking a proactive approach to your sales strategy you can turn your luck around quite easily. This article shows you how!

The Recession Salesperson

You need to take aim at people’s wallets. If they’re looking to buy a house in such a bad economy, they’re probably rich. Keep this in mind when choosing your asking price. Don’t just offer your house for half price, as you’ll be cheating yourself out of cash. Focus on a small profit that doesn’t overstretch the mark.

Urgent, No-fuss Advertising

When setting up your marketing campaign, think about the message you want to convey. Don’t seem desperate in your approach, as you’ll attract only low bidding prospects. Instead, focus on speed and originality. „Own This House Today“ is a much better call-to-action than „Urgent To Sell To Avoid Foreclosure“. Be original and exciting!

IKEA Tweaking Guide

To boost the perception of high value in your home, consider the following IKEA options:

– Go out and buy modern, attractive light and shower fittings. Think about energy efficiency and water saving options, as being eco-friendly will boost your sale chances.

– By some cheap furniture and do the wood staining yourself. Sell these bits and pieces with the house for a bit of extra value for your buyer.

– Door knobs, cupboard handles, even your shower curtains will make a big impression on how much your home seems to be worth.

– If you’ve got an outdoor entertainment area, think about buying cheap but attractive outdoor furniture set. Again, you can do the wood staining yourself to give a less IKEA-style appearance.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jack Ingles

Selling inherited property & how to probate a will can be a pain, if you are not familiar with the steps involved in the probate process can be a pain that you do not wish to keep can be a pain if you do not understand the probate process or how to probate a will.

What Is Probate

Probate is the practice of transferring legal title to estate from someone who has passed away to that individual’s heirs or beneficiaries. The steps are managed by the legal system and can consist of paying taxes or debts that are outstanding, confirming the assets, determining if the will is valid, and settling conflicts about who will be receiving and disputes over who’s inheriting and allocating the possessions.

The official term for this course of action is testate proceedings. Take the probate process as guidelines of the proper reassignment of a dwelling.

How To Probate A Will In 7 Easy Steps

1) You’ll have to locate the will. You may find this to be a simple task or extremely difficult. The will can be any where as in folder in the bureau, a desk drawer, security box at the bank, attorney’s file in his office, secret wall home safe, a close old friends house.

2) If you are not sure if there is property involved you must find out if the person who died owned real property which is anything that is part of the ground like a house or even the land. Anything else is that is not real property is just personal property.

3) Investigate where your state probates wills. This will differ from state to state but some states have probate courts while others don’t. If you find out there’s a probate court, pay them a visit for more info. A certain percentage of states use the Circuit Court.

4) Research thoroughly the assets by the deceased individual. Immediately make arrangement to get all mail forwarded to your home so you can find out about any mortgage loans outstanding, personal vehicle payments, retirement updates and other crucial paper work. Have the mail redirected to your house so you are alerted to mortgages, car payments, retirement updates, and other important documents.

5) If the deceased individual did not specify an executor to his attorney, request the appointment of administrator. The individual who has legal responsibility to the deceased assets is the executor or administrator.

6) Call the Probate Court or Circuit Court & make an appointment in the correct location. Make sure you get together everything you have to bring the court, take the assets list and estimated values, the will and deceased death.

7) Research where to get free legal advice like from clerk at the courthouse, or a probate attorney for fee

Alerting creditors and the public

In some states, they require the personal representative to place a death notice in the newspapers. This announcement notifies the public of the decreased probated property. It gives the opportunity for others such as creditors who are interested in your estate to submit a claim. As a result, the nature of this real estate transaction becomes public record for anyone to research.

Taking Inventorying of the property

There must be a real and personal inventory taken of the property so the value can be estimated. This is required for the following reasons:

* To cover debts and distributions to beneficiaries: the residence didn’t meet the monetary obligation of the creditors and the property goes to the beneficiaries, an abatement statute occur. This means that one or more beneficiaries can get limited financial gain or none at all

* To guarantee that all property is accounted for. The personal representative is responsible for gathering and inventory the property’s assets to ensure that it’s available for dispensing at the final stages of the probate process. If the property is misplaced or not in the ownership status of the deceased at the time of their death, a redemption statute can occur. This statute can decide if assets or cash can substitute missing property belonging to the beneficiary.

How To Probate A Will

Depending in what state you live in, the process is similar, however call the probate court and start there to get familiar with your own state rules and steps to follow to be sure you are following their rules. Before this process begins, the death certificate for the deceased must be obtained. There are time restrictions on procedures which is a challenge for those with demanding lives.

If the paperwork is submitted late, there are penalties causing delays. There’s a particular order of precedence when giving the letters of administration which is as follows: the surviving spouse, children, grandchildren, father or mother of the deceased, brother or sisters and the rest who qualify.

The petitions have to be updated particularly on who’s allowed to make them in order to obtain appointment for administration. Anyone who’s attracted in the property of an individual without a valid will (intestate) or of a person claiming to be departed may petition to the court. To begin the probate proceedings, the required documentation is a must.

A misplaced or damaged will is allowed to probate if it’s proven that same will was not cancelled, the implementation of it is verified by the court, and its‘ requirements are confirmed by two trustworthy witnesses.

13 Steps To Selling Inherited Property

1. The initial step is to have the property in your name.

2. If the home is in the trust, the trustee must be contacted to transfer the title.

3. If the property isn’t in the trust, a visit to probate court is required to have this done.

4. Depending on the state, land must be sent through probate.

5. Probate Letters or Letters of Administration are needed in order for the property to be in someone’s name.

6. If a home is going through probate, it takes a few months unless someone challenges it.

7. The court’s approval is required to transfer the title from the deceased to the heir.

8. The home must be appraised and inspected professionals to assess its‘ value before being sold. You have to think of selling a home as if you’re going to a job interview, appearance is key.

9. The interior and exterior of the home has to be modified such as painting, upgrading the kitchen and bath which are the two focal points of the sale.

10. Hire a real estate representative to promote your home in newspapers, websites, and other outlets.

11. Buyers are visual so by taking photos highlighting the inside and outside of your home is ideal. Once a buyer is located and the offer is presented, review it with your realtor before making any final decisions.

12. When the final offer is accepted, the buyer will conduct their own inspection and appraisal. The buyer may request to have other things fixed.

13. The last step is to sign the titles, escrow documents, and wait for the closing date.

Insider Secret Owner Financing Strategies That Will Sell Your House Fast

If you do not know anything about seller financing, you are missing out on a very powerful tool that can help sell your fast super fast.

4 Ways You Benefit With Owner Financing

You and the buyer are in control and can set your own terms for the sale

You cut out the banks and realtors and save money on the fees

You can sell the house very fast if you decide to use this strategy

You’re the bank – sell it to buyers whom have the money and great work history but banks rejected them for a home loan

Warning:

If you do not research these insider secret owner financing strategies – and you’re interested in selling your inherited property, these insider strategies can definitely help you sell fast if you run into a problem and can t sell your house!!!

„If you wish to avoid a costly mistake, not get caught without a backup plan in case you can t sell your house, educate your self about these owner financing insider secrets… the experts don’t want you to know about!“

Taxes On Inherited Property

There may be a deduction of federal, state and/or local taxes from the estate depending on the state. In addition there’s the inheritance tax and estate tax which have different definitions. Inheritance taxes placed when there’s a transfer of possessions received before it’s given out.

The amount depends on the affiliation between the deceased and the offspring. Estate taxis applicable on how much the property is worth when the individual passes. Some states may have one, one of the other or both.

In the case of the sold inherited home, there’s a possibility of paying a capital gains tax on the differentiation between the remaining from the sale and the basis. The basis is the purchase price plus upgrades minus depreciation. Presently, the federal capital-gains tax is 15%.

The handling of the estate is a complex state of affairs. It’s important to have a lawyer manage this matter to ensure the property is distributed without any hindrance. Understanding all the rules and regulations independently can be overwhelming to someone who’s inheriting property from a loved one who passed away.

How to probate a will & selling inherited property does not have to be difficult, the information you have just read should help you get through the probate process easier and less confusion. Just make sure you look into what the probate procedures and rules are for your given state.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Edwin Rosario