10 Reasons to Relocate to Nashville

Anyone who has ever been to Nashville can attest to the fact that it is a great city. But Nashville has become known as a great place to relocate to for a variety of reasons. Not only was Nashville listed as one of the 10 best places to live and work in America, it is also home to one of the lowest costs of living in the Nation. Here are a few other reasons why Nashville is a good choice for relocation.

1. Nashville is home to an appreciating real estate market. With home values on the rise, home owners are seeing a great return on their investments. Naturally this is a great environment for real estate investors who are seeking to increase their equity.

2. Tennessee is one of only 6 American states with no personal income tax. As you can imagine this is a bit of a money saver!

3. One of the most attractive aspects of Nashville is its central location in the South. Tennessee has easy access to numerous surrounding states. Nashville is actually located within a one day drive of 50% of the U.S. population.

4. Nashville is home to a great local arts scene. There is an abundance of live theatre and cultural events that showcase the history and culture of this beautiful city. There is never a shortage of things to do or see in Nashville.

5. No list of Nashville's assets would be complete without mentioning the local music scene. This is the heart of the nation's country music scene. It is also the home of the world famous "Grande Ole Opry" which is one of America's best known and most beloved venues.

6. The Nashville area is blessed by a bounty of beautiful lakes and parks. This is truly some of the most stunning countryside in the nation. Gently rolling hills and prairies set a picturesque backdrop for the homes and properties.

7. Nashville is renowned for its friendly people. This area is home to a diverse and cultural population, it is not hard to find your place in Nashville. This is the kind of community where new residents immediately feel like they are a part of something special.

8. If you are a sports fan, Nashville is a fantastic place to live. With pro football's Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators of the NHL any sports fan will have their calendars full of things to do and games to see.

9. As a national focal point for relocation, Nashville has a remarkably cosmopolitan make up. This city is host to a varied blend of commerce and industry and the outlying areas are home to a thriving agricultural sector. This is also one of the reasons that Nashville is known to be one of the hottest real estate markets in the U.S.

10. What more could be said about the climate in Nashville aside from the fact that it is beautiful, year round. The average temperature in Nashville is 70 degrees! You could really wear shorts all year long.

There are numerous other reasons to consider Nashville for relocation, in fact there are simply too many to list in such a small space. Nashville has excellent employment opportunities, numerous places of worship of all denominations, and excellent health care. Maybe you should check out Nashville sooner rather than later.

Charleston’s Best Places to Grab a Bite to Eat

The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene
Although settled in an old icehouse, this seafood restaurant has all the warm southern charm it needs.  The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene is one of Charleston’s local favorite food establishments.  As hurricane Hugo swept through back in 1989, it plowed over the same spot the restaurant now stands.  Directly in its path was The Richard & Charlene, a North Atlantic trawler.  As the winds and the water did their damage, the trawler was slammed back and forth into the neighboring dock.  This restaurant was named in memory of that stormy day.  If you want a true southern experience, this is the place to come.  To the citizens of Charleston’s, it truly is one of their prized gems. 

Gullah Cuisine
Charlotte & Frank are famous for their traditional Gullah cuisine.  The food became so popular while they were in the catering business that they decided to open up their own restaurant in 1997.  If you are not familiar with the term Gullah, it stems from a unique and rich heritage. The Gullah are African Americans who have settled into the Low Country region of<a href="http://www.charlestonhome.com/areas_of_charleston.html”> Charleston, South Carolina </a> and down into Georgia.  When you come to Gullah Cuisine you will find a plethora of good ol’ country food.  Collard greens, okra soup, green beans, macaroni, succotash, cabbage, candied yams, barbequed chicken and of course, Charlotte’s famous fried chicken.  If you’re looking for Pork Chops, you’re also in for a treat.  Once you’ve eaten here, you’ll be coming back for more.

Cru Café
One of a Southerner’s favorite past time is sitting on the front porch enjoying a glass of sweet tea.  Why not come to Cru Café and do the same?  With both indoor and outdoor porch seating, you can enjoy Charleston’s food at its finest.  Cru Café is known for their upscale comfort food and indulging desserts.   Renowned Le Cordon Bleu Chef John Zucker opened Cru Café in 2002 and since Charleston has been in love with the place.  The café has won multiple awards for their catering crew and is ranked as a top eatery by locals and tourists.  Get a little taste of heaven while enjoying downtown Charleston and all it has to offer

Changing times of Land Investments UK

Times seem to be changing in "Land Investments Uk" after the Kent Land Scams, Sussex Land Scams and London Land Scams, owe to the initiatives taken by the people of <b>Sussex Farmland</b>, that now companies have started refunding to the dissatisfied customers, which means, that if you are unhappy with your investment in Land you will be refunded your investment amount. There was a time when people of <b>Sussex Farmland</b> were afraid of scamsters and they were making money while being in the broiler rooms. As the idea of an investment thrills the investors' mind with lots of returns, scamster were chasing the concept to flourish their business.

Companies now offer Land at competitive prices and are ready to refund the full amount in case the customer is dissatisfied and doesn't find it a good investment avenue.

Furthermore, as awareness is increasing with the "Land Investments UK" people are getting an idea what to buy and where to buy from, scamsters are basically getting chaffed away.

Government also seems to be in the process of taking this whole process into consideration as this concept has been brought up into the Parliament of UK.

But as the expansion of London continues the buying may not stop and land continues to provide an investment opportunity.

Changes afoot in the broader real estate market

It's finally happening. The recent repeated warnings of economists and industry watchers predicted the housing boom of the 2000s is winding down. The recent news is full of reports about slowing existing home sales, rising inventories, longer selling cycles and lower asking prices.

 
So if the housing market finally appears to be cooling down, commercial real estate investors should take notice. Here’s why: There's a strong connection between the residential boom and the health of the four key commercial sectors — retail, multifamily, office and industrial. Soaring home prices and low interest rates have enabled millions of homeowners to take out home equity loans and cash-out refinancing and the resulting wealth effect has percolated through the economy.

The big beneficiary was retail real estate, where owners of malls and shopping centers have seen valuations skyrocket, along with retail receipts. The boom also has helped drive growth in industrial construction, particularly on the West Coast, to handle incoming Chinese goods. It has also bolstered office occupancies in hot residential markets as the mortgage business expanded. Finally, the housing boom has whipsawed multifamily properties, first crushing occupancy rates as renters became owners and more recently boosting occupancy rates as the condo craze cull units from the rental inventory.

Changes are afoot. Existing home sales plummeted 2.7% last month — more than double the 1.1% that analysts predicted in September — and 2.87 million unsold homes are now on the market (which represents the largest unsold inventory since 1986, reports the National Association of Realtors). Even David Lereah, the chief economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), stated recently that the housing sector “has passed its peak.”

With home-equity cash running dry, homeowners will reign in retail spending next year.

This could materially impact retail REITs, particularly those with large holdings in pricey markets such as Southern California and the Northeastern cities. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ most recent Emerging Trends In Real Estate 2006 report, the only factor that will keep consumer spending afloat are wage increases. However, energy costs and rising mortgage rates could zip pocketbooks. Retail has all the risk.

After retail, multifamily is the most directly affected sector in the housing slowdown. And, in this case, the news could be good. With apartments dropping out of the rental pool and more renters priced out of the purchase market, national apartment vacancies dropped from 6.4% to 5.8% between midyear and the end of September, the largest quarterly drop that Manhattan-based Reis Inc. has measured since it began tracking the apartment market in 1999.

There is one caveat, however: Overhanging the rental market is a potential glut of condos. If converters fail to sell recently converted condominium units and throw them back into the rental market, occupancy rates could fall again.

A housing slowdown could also ripple through pockets of the office market, especially those where residential mortgage firms have aggressively staffed up in recent years. No market exemplifies this trend better than Orange County, Calif., where heated demand to buy homes and refinance existing loans has fueled a leasing binge on behalf of these firms.

This won’t help, either. Roughly 37% of all recent homebuyers in Orange County are using interest-only mortgages (requiring the first few years of the mortgage to be just interest payments). Orange County is the third most expensive housing market in the country after Los Angeles and San Diego, so it’s obvious why so many new owners are resorting to creative financing methods.

Much like the office market, the industrial market is also exposed to ripple effects from a housing slowdown. The difference here is that any negative effects will be delayed for several months because the industrial market tends to move at a much slower pace than its peers. To Bob Bach, national director of research at Grubb & Ellis, the industrial market is possibly the least exposed property class for one simple reason — imports.

Of course, the biggest threat to commercial real estate would be a national recession, sparked by a slowdown in retail sales (consumer spending now accounts for roughly 72% of GDP). The gloom scenario is a downward spiral. Consumer spending falters because the cash-out boom ends and the situation is made worse by rising fuel prices and higher interest rates on all consumer debt. That triggers falling profits, layoffs, deeper cutbacks in consumer spending…

That suggests parallels to the dot.com bust — an economic watershed that the real estate industry misjudged.

On the other hand, the housing market is not the same as the equities market—for all the paper gains and stories of speculation, residential housing is illiquid and most homeowners are invested in keeping a roof over their heads. Indeed, the other news has been a surging stock market, strong durable goods orders and a rebound in consumer confidence. Stay tuned for the next NAR home sales report.

Good luck to you,

Ceiling Fans - Are you a Fan?

You might have seen them in restaurants and hotels: those large fans, fixed to the ceiling, that rotate and keep the whole room cool. But have you ever considered getting one for your home?

Maybe you thought that a ceiling fan would be too expensive, or too difficult to install, but that’s a common misconception. Really, ceiling fans are competitively priced with the best freestanding fans, and installing one is about as difficult as putting in a new light fitting. Additionally, you might not have realised that ceiling fans are also useful in winter: as warm air rises, they can blow it down again, thus saving on heating bills.

The average home ceiling fan rotates about three times per second on the highest speed setting, for safety reasons. To rotate faster, as industrial fans do, the fan would need to have sharper blades, which poses an obvious health hazard. Still, three complete rotations per minute isn’t that slow, and larger fans especially can really make their presence felt.

One thing to consider, if you’re thinking of getting a ceiling fan, is getting one with a light integrated. As the fan will be taking up a space on your ceiling where there used to be a light fitting, it can be good to have a light as part of the fan, so the room doesn’t end up dark. Don’t worry about having to leave the fan on just to use the light, as they can be turned on and off separately.

Another common fear with ceiling fans is that they might fall down and injure someone. However, if you think about it, have you ever seen a lamp fall down from the ceiling? It’s very unlikely that you have, because things that are fixed to ceilings have to be fixed up to certain safety standards, with failsafe mechanisms to keep them from falling down even if one of the connections breaks.

Cedar Village – Apartments of Choice

There are rumors and opinions that the Las Vegas real estate market is heading for a crash. I beg to differ. I agree that the rise in rates has not been as high lately as it was in the dizzy days of the past two years, but that is because certain projects were overpriced and if there is a drop, it is only making the prices more realistic. Investors in Las Vegas properties will still make a decent profit because the number of people coming to Las Vegas is only increasing everyday. Las Vegas real estate investors should expect a lower rate of appreciation compared to the last two years.

Nevada has shown the fastest population growth in the nation for the past eighteen years and in 2005, about 7,200 people moved here every month making that almost 86,500 in just one year. The number of tourists in 2005 touched a staggering 40 million.

The economy is booming here because of tourism and the construction jobs available. A growing economy and population will continue to drive real estate prices upward. Inflated prices have created a demand for housing under $200,000 and there are over thirty high-rise condominium projects currently under construction. This has also led to the conversion of 15,000 apartment units to condos. Out-of-town buyers will pick up most of these condominium units that range in price from the low $200,000s to several million dollars.

The high-rise development has not had a direct affect on the local housing market. The strong economy has seen to that but the dramatic increase in price of starter homes has resulted in many young families and retirees seeking rented accommodation. The city has a growing labor force of construction workers and workers to fill new positions in the growing entertainment and hospitality industry. Most of them seek rental housing at least to begin with. There is an acute shortage of apartments in Las Vegas and apartment demand is expected to increase rapidly. One of the most incredible rises in the real estate market was the 346-unit apartment complex that sold for $12,750,000 in April of 2004 and then resold in January for $40,500,000.

There is very little land available for development in the central part of Las Vegas and if you are working in the city, you may not want to move too far out. In east central Las Vegas near Stewart Avenue and Mojave Road, you could find just what you are looking for in Cedar Village Apartments on East Cedar Avenue. This is a gated community with a gated entrance having remote controlled access. Security is further enhanced by the presence of foot patrol. The apartments range from one to three bedrooms and have large eat in kitchen, well equipped with dishwashers etc. The rooms are fitted with vertical blinds, air conditioning and free satellite TV. Most have either a balcony or a patio and there is laundry facility as well.

Common facilities include playgrounds, a swimming pool and hot tub and spa and there is convenient public transport as well. The only snag for animal lovers is that they have a no pets policy. Nevada Housing Division recommends the complex and assists in finances.

Categories of Real Estate Investment

Below are ten categories of real estate, and different ways to invest in them. The best one for you is something only you can decide, according to your particular needs. To help you do that, I list a couple good points and bad points for each type.

 1. Renting single family homes. Good points: An easier way to get started, and good long term return on investment. Bad points: Being a landlord isn't much fun, and you typically wait a long time for the big pay-off. You also lose all your income when a house is vacant.

 2. Fixer-uppers. Good points: Fast return on your investment, and it can be more creative work. Bad points: More risk (many unpredictables), and you get taxed heavily on the gain.

 3. Low income housing. Good points: Similar to any other rentals, but with higher cash flow. Bad points: Similar to any other rentals, but with more repairs and tenant problems.

 4. Selling rent-to-own houses. Good points: If you buy, then sell on a rent-to-own arrangement, you get higher rent, and the buyer is usually responsible for maintenance. Bad points: Bookkeeping can be tricky, and most tenants don't complete the purchase (this can be an advantage too, but it does mean more work for you).

 5. Commercial properties. Good points: Multi-year triple-net leases mean little management and high returns. Bad points: A tough market to break into, and you can lose income on vacant storefronts for a year at a time.

 6. Land, split and resold. Good points: Simpler than some real estate investments, with the possibility of great profits. Bad points: It can be a slow process, and you have expenses, but no cash flow while you wait.

 7. Boarding houses. Good points: You'll generate more cash flow renting a house by the room, especially in a college town. Bad points: You'll generate more headaches renting a house by the room, especially in a college town.

 8. Invest cash, sell with terms. Good points: A high rate of return is possible by paying cash to get a good price, and selling on easy terms to get a high price AND high interest. Bad points: You need a lot of cash, and you tie up your capital for a long time.

 9. Invest, live in it, sell it. Good points: The tax law lets you fix it up, and sell it for a big tax-free profit after two years (if you live in it), then start the process again. Bad points: You may become attached to your investment, and you'll have to move a lot.

 10. Pure speculation. Good points: You can make large profits buying in the path of growth and holding until values rise, and it is a low-management investment. Bad points: Growth in value isn't always predictable, you have expenses with no income while you're waiting, and transaction costs can eat much of the profits.

There are many ways to invest in real estate. These ten are just to get you thinking about what is possible, and what type of investing suits your personality. Once you figure that out, you may want to look into other categories of real estate investment.