Buying Island Real Estate.

Is island life for you? Or is having an island getaway for you? Both questions would entail completely different lists of pros and cons. For investment purposes, island homes tend to hold their value, as land is obviously at a premium on an island!

The population of USA has access to many islands, in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the US Virgin Islands and in the Pacific. If you are planning to buy a second home on an island, you will not need to do the same soul-searching that would be required for a permanent move.

Many families have bought an island cabin as a group purchase, and the weekends and vacations are allotted on a casual 'time share' basis within the family. It is shared in turn for weekend getaways where the children can roam free on weekends and vacations and every now and again they will all plan to show up together! It is a great idea for promoting family unity. It also keeps costs down, as boats, fishing rods, repairs etc can be shared.

However, that is a little different to suddenly deciding to sell everything up and move to an island. To some, that would sound idyllic and to others it may bring on claustrophobia!!

The advantages and pitfalls must differ according to each island's amenities, climate, environment and many other factors, but are there any general island 'rules'?

Most island residents who choose permanency would probably opt for an island with a ferry service. There are times when the sea is too rough for a little row boat, or motor boat, and they do not want to feel isolated. Of course, for many people this isolation is exactly what they DO want!

Sometimes a ferry schedule can mean that when you arrive home late (from a vacation flight) or from the theater you cannot make it home on the ferry. Many islands have a water taxi service that you can pre-book, or some residents will just use their own boat, and others will decide ahead to spend a night in the town's hotel.

One other problem with living on an island is that often you may have to worry where to park your car. Is the island big enough to have a car ferry, or do you need to leave your car each time you go over on a tiny ferry? In the latter case, you will need to negotiate parking near the ferry - although this is often provided for.

Such other inconveniences, like arriving home with no sugar, is really just an accepted part of island life, and easily adjusted to. That's what neighbors are for, and community glue is strong on islands!

No matter what the inconveniences are, to islanders, the peace and the feeling of being 'away from it all' is paramount. If you work off island, it only takes a few short weeks for that feeling of peace to pervade your entire being. It happens the minute you step onto that ferry boat each evening to cross the ocean to your island home.

Perhaps this poem by J. Earnhart and reproduced in the magazine "Island Life", sums it up best

:If ever you've lived on an island
if ever you've lived by the sea;
You'll never return to the mainland
once your spirit has been set free.

If ever you've smelled the ocean
or tasted the salt in the air;
You'll know you've discovered a haven
that is uncommon, precious and rare.

If ever you've seen the whales play
or watched the eagles in flight;
You'll remember, again, why you live here
and why it feels so right.

If ever you've seen the sunset
as the ferry passed the shore;
You've seen the beauty of the island
that will be with you forever more.

If ever you've heard the seagulls
the waves, a foghorn, the winds;
Then you've heard the song of the island
and the peaceful message it sends.

Indeed, if you live on an island
if you're lucky to live by the sea;
You'll never return to the mainland
as your spirit has been set free.

Buying Investment Property

First a little story about buying investment property.

My wife and I stayed at a motel in Tucson for a week one winter. Our bill was for twice what it should have been, but since I already paid the correct amount in cash, I thought nothing of it. During our stay, we noticed that the lobby and swimming pool were unheated, and passed it off as frugality. A year later, however, when I read a news story about a new owner struggling to make the motel work, I realized what was really going on.

To prepare the motel for sale, the owner had been using the two most basic ways to inflate the appraised value: decrease expenses and increase reported income. Stopping repairs, turning down the heat, and quietly adding $100 in income to the books every day, might have increased the net income for the year by $45,000 more. With a .08 capitalization rate, that means the appraisal would come in $562,000 higher than it should have. Imagine the the poor guy who overpaid!

To avoid a mistake like this when buying investment property, you need to watch for tricks like these. You also need to understand the basics of appraising income property.

Valuation of income properties start with the capitalization rate, or "cap rate." When investors in an area expect a return of 8% on assets, the cap rate is .08. The net income before debt service is divided by this to arrive at the value of a property. This is expleained further in another article, but the primary point to remember is that every dollar of extra income shown will increase the appraised value by $12.50 with a cap rate of .08 (Or, for example, by $10, if the cap rate is .10).

<b>Avoid Dirty Tricks When Buying Investment Property</b>

When sellers of income properties increase the net income by honest means, the property should sell for more. However, there are many dishonest ways, both legal and fraudulent, that are sometimes used. Sellers of houses may cover foundation cracks with plaster, but the tricks used by sellers of income properties aren't about appearance. These tricks are about income and expenses.

One way income can be inflated, is by showing you the "pro forma," or projected income, instead of the actual rents collected. Demand the actual figures, and check to see that none of the apartments listed as occupied are actually vacant. See if any of the income is from one time events, like the sale of something.

The income from vending machines is a gray area. Many smart investors subtract this from the net income before applying the cap rate, then add back the value of the machines themselves. For example, if laundry machines make $6,000, that would add $75,000 to the appraised value (.08 cap rate), if you included it. However, since they are easily replaceable, adding the $10,000 replacement cost instead makes more sense.

The other important tricks sellers play involve hiding expenses. These can include paying for repairs off the books, or just avoiding necessary repairs for a year. This can dramatically increase the net income, meaning you pay more for the property. It also means you have less income than expected, and deferred maintenance to catch up on.

Ask for an accounting of all expenditures. If a number in an expense category is suspicious, replace it with your own best guess. Then re-figure the net income.

Look at each of the following, verifying the figures as much as possible, and substituting your own guesses if they are too suspect: vacancy rates, advertising, cleaning, maintenance, repairs, management fees, supplies, taxes, insurance, utilities, commissions, legal fees and any other expenses. Do your homework, and avoid seller's tricks when buying investment property.

Buying Investment Properties

Investment may be counted on the gross or the net basis. Net investment is gross investment minus depreciation. Investment may be ex-ante or planned or anticipated or intended investment; or it may be ex-post, i.e., actually realized investment, or when investment is not merely planned or intended, but which has actually been invested or implemented. This is so true when Buying Investment Properties. 

Another classification of investment may be private investment or public investment. Private investment is on private account, i.e., by private individuals, and public investment is by the government. Private investment is influenced by marginal efficiency of capital i.e., profit expectations and the rate of interest. It is profit-elastic. Public investment is by the state or local authorities, such as building of roads, public parks etc. In public investment, profit motive does not enter into consideration. It is undertaken for social good and not for private gain.

Investment which is independent of the level of income, is called autonomous investment. Such investment does not vary with the level of income. In other words, it is income-inelastic. Autonomous investment depends more on population growth and technical progress than on anything else. The influence of change in income is not altogether ruled out, because higher income would probably result in more investment. But the influence of income is negligible as compared with the influence of population growth and progress of technical knowledge.

Examples of autonomous investment are long-range investments in houses, roads, public buildings and other forms of public investment. Most of the investment is undertaken to promote planned economic development. It also includes long-range investment to bring about technical progress or innovations. Public investment means investment which occurs in direct response to invention, and much of the long-range investment, which is only expected to pay for itself over a long period, can be regarded as autonomous investments.

Buying Homes that have Faced Foreclosures

You’ll find there are some people who tout the benefits and advantages of buying homes that have gone through foreclosures. Often, those homes are offered up for auction to the highest bidder and there are some really good deals to be had at that point.
There are some very important pieces of information you should have before you start planning to buy homes that have been foreclose upon.

First, understand that a lender gave money to the person who wanted to buy that house in order for that borrower to make the transaction. The lender had some expectation that he’d recover all that money plus some interest, but most lenders simply aren’t in a position to handle property. They don’t want to foreclose on the house because then they’re going to have to do something with it. That means that the foreclosure process could take a long time while they look for some way to recover the loan from the original borrower, but it also means that most lenders are going to foreclose and then quickly offer the property at auction.
You’ve probably heard about auctions that ended with buyers getting really good deals. That happens, but it’s not always the case. Why would a lender agree to let a particular piece of property go for less than it’s worth? Remember that the lender isn’t in the real estate business and their primary objective will usually be to recover the amount of the original loan plus interest, if possible. If the original loan had been paid down significantly, the lender could agree to sell the property for a fraction of its value.

Another important point is that these auctions will typically be made public. For the person hoping to bid on the property after the foreclosure is complete, this probably means you’re going to have some competition. This is the main reason it’s not a good idea to allow the foreclosure process to run its course before you try to buy a particular piece of property – or to buy it back if you were the owner before the foreclosure.

Most lenders aren’t anxious to see property in foreclosure. They’ll often work with the owner for a long time, hoping that the loan will eventually be repaid. But when they have to foreclose, they usually don’t want to hold the property long while looking for a buyer who’ll offer up a good deal. If you’re planning to visit some foreclosure auctions, you may very well find an incredible deal.

Buying Holiday Homes In Greece

Greece doesn't require any introduction, when it comes to speaking about its role in the worldwide tourism. The nation's timeless ancient history and its unharmed natural landscape, provide with the needed pull for drawing in millions of visitors to its soil each year. But, the story doesn't stop there, and the recent trends might say, even the Greece property market was about to experience a major boom due to the greater keenness being shown by the foreign buyers. Greece property provides the buyers with an option to buy holiday homes, villas and apartments over a wide range of tourist places. These places are scattered allover its mainland, the coastal area and several of its well-known islands. Least to say, these are well developed urban areas with the air links and sea routes arriving in from and leading out to the entire globe.

There is no definite answer as to why this latest upsurge may have taken place in the Greek property market, but the analysts attribute two major geopolitical events for this transformation. The first one was the admission of Greece into the European Union in 1981, and the second one, the return of Olympic games in Athens in 2004. Both events proved crucial in helping out the Greek tourism and its real estate market to resurrect themselves in the eyes of the global community. A whole lot of new construction was undertaken during the Olympics campaign, which subsequently became the selling ground for the Greek real estate.

From what we understand about today's Grecian real estate, it is hard to buy a low-cost single family house in Athens, where the demand to supply ratio for such units is much higher compared to the other regions of the country. This leaves out the buyers with an option to buy apartments in Athens, which are easier to locate in the Greece property since the 2004 Olympic games ended here. At the same time, people can buy luxurious villas in the resort towns as an investment option or to have extended holidays there.

Buyers eye the hectic profits these days, when deciding to invest in the villas or farm lands across the Greek countryside. Villas can be sold to other buyers at a handsome premium later. On the other hand, many villa owners lend their properties to holidaymakers, who flock in huge numbers after each winter season. Thus, the market for Greece property provides with a great investment value to all those who might be willing to cash in from its buoyant trend.

Anybody who might be seeking to own a Greece property will have to fulfill certain conditions before doing so. These are, having a Greek bank account, being enrolled as a tax payer in Greece and getting a prior permission to buy properties in certain areas. The permission to buy properties can be obtained from the chief administrative or judicial officer in the area of concern. It should also be noted down that, those hailing from the European Union should easily be able to own properties in their names, as compared to those from the non-EU countries.

Buying great pre foreclosures

Buying great pre foreclosures is one of the most effective ways to find discount property available for direct purchase in today's competitive market. With so many people searching for homes through real estate agents and other traditional forms of property purchase, it can be tough to find any substantial savings. And buying other forms of repossessed or distressed types of houses often means competing with others in an auction scenario. But buying pre-foreclosures means dealing directly with a homeowner on your own to negotiate a sale, so it can be a great way to get the price you want.

These unique homes are available for purchase because the owner has defaulted on their mortgage loan, and is in danger of having their property repossessed and sold through an auction by a lender. Unless the homeowner can find a way to come up with the remaining amount of debt owed on their loan, the lender will use the sale as a method of collecting. To keep this from happening, many homeowners seek to sell their homes once they go into default. A foreclosure sale can ruin a homeowner's credit, as well as their chances of ever getting another home loan, so they will often be very willing to sell their property to avoid it.

Pre-foreclosures can be very attractive to homebuyers and investors, because the owner will often be willing to undersell their home simply to raise enough money to cover their debt. Since the amount owed is usually much less than the full value of the home, homebuyers often are able to work out mutually beneficial deals with homeowners that can earn them huge discounts on purchase. Often times, the only trouble is finding pre foreclosed homes, but that's where ForeclosureConnections.com can help.

With our vast online database of listings for pre foreclosures, anyone can find hundreds of incredible properties available for purchase all over the country. No matter where you're looking for apartments, houses, commercial property or any other type of real estate, you can find it with our easy to use service. We'll also teach you all about how to buy these valuable commodities for the best values possible by walking you through the process of determining values and costs and placing bids. You'll also be able to find all kinds of other discount houses available from banks, lenders and even government property such as Fannie Mae foreclosures. Visit us today and let us help you locate the home of your dreams for an incredible price!

Buying Foreclosure Homes - You Win by Offering the Homeowner Options

In teaching workshops on how to buy foreclosure homes (often listed on a foreclosure auctions report), I often write on the markerboard in big bold letters, "Gain They're Trust to Close More Deals".

The principle of gaining the trust of the homeowner threatened with foreclosure is a deal-maker. If they trust you, they are more likely to accept your offer. Besides that, if you have earned their trust by explaining their options to them, then if they choose to let the home go to auction where it will likely end up on a foreclosure auctions report (and you win it) they are much more likely to vacate the property without a fight.

1. Work with their Current Lender

Forbearance: An agreement between the lender and the borrower that reinstates the delinquent loan because the homeowner will put up an initial lump sum of the total delinquency and pay the rest over a period of time.

Loan Modification: A change in any of the terms of the original note. This includes decreasing the interest rate, re-amortizing the remaining balance, extending the term of the note.

2. Work with a New Lender

Refinance: Where a new lender loan the borrower monies to pay off existing debt. This option is generally open to borrowers that face a temporary setback in their financial situation and can prove that they can afford the new mortgage payment. Most financial institutions will not loan to people unless they have the above mentioned criteria and at least 20% equity in the residence.

Junior Mortgage: Where a new lender will offer a second loan or junior lien in order to make up any back payments, late fees and other charges necessary to reinstate the loan. Rates are typically 12%-18% and terms are 5 to 10 years.

3. File Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a way for people who owe more money than they can pay right now, to either work out a plan to repay the secure creditors over time in Chapter 13 filings, or wipe out (discharge) most of their bill in a Chapter 7 filing. While the debtor is working out a plan, or the trustee is gathering the available assets to sell, the Bankruptcy Code provides that creditors must stop all collection efforts against the debtor. What happens to your bills, debts and house will be controlled by the Bankruptcy Code and the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy(the owner will NO longer have control over any of their assets). Bankruptcy will have a serious impact on the credit lives for the next 10 years.

4. Sell Their Home

List with a Realtor on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service)- Due to the short foreclosure period in Texas, listing their home with an real estate broker and being able to close within 21 days is a very unrealistic task due to the new buyers financing. The process of lenders approving the buyers credit, appraising the house, completing underwriting, reviewing title, getting a new survey, getting payoff demands and drawing documents--can take 3-4 weeks to complete (assuming no problems pop up). Just because the property is under contract and scheduled to close will NOT stop the auction.

Sell to an Investor- Selling their house to an investor who offers " cash at closing"; no new loan contingencies; no repairs to be made (AS IS); fast escrow; a for sure sale providing a fresh start with reputation and integrity intact would be their best option. Although the investor's price is less, the investor can salvage the seller's credit, bring loans current, rebuild seller's credit by paying the sellers debt on time every month. This is a much BETTER solution than doing nothing and losing everything at the foreclosure auction.

5.Giving Up and Letting it Go:

Deed-in-Lieu: Borrower voluntary conveys the title (property) back to lender in lieu of the lender foreclosing. Most lenders would rather go through with the auction and clean title by extinguishing inferior liens.

Let it Go to Auction: Obviously, nothing good can come from this, the owner loses their home with no money, credit problems, hard to find new housing due to past history and the lender can sue for any deficiency.