Texas real estate

Homeowners of East Lake Woodlands have many great ways to stay fit and active close to home. There are scenic walking trails throughout this community that are a safe and beautiful place to walk, bike or jog. And if you want a change of scenery, just outside the gates of this community you will find the Pinellas Trail. This trail extends throughout the county and was designed as a fun, carefree place to run, walk or rollerblade with other residents.

Golf lovers will rejoice when discovering not one, but two challenging golf courses inside this community. The private East Lake Woodlands Country Club has two well maintained 18 hole courses to entice even the most discriminating players. And on a hot day, this club is also a great place to swim laps in the swimming pool or just splash and play. Tennis enthusiasts will enjoy playing a match on one of the 17 lighted courts. Play with a friend or client and then make a reservation to have lunch inside in the dining room.

If you find it’s too hot to play your favorite sport outdoors, go inside the ELW Country Club and work out at the state of the art fitness center provided. Or if you are not a member of the country club, you can join the YMCA of North Pinellas which is just a short distance on East Lake Road. This facility has a Jr. Olympic swimming pool, strength training fitness center and offers aerobic classes. It has a wonderful family friendly atmosphere and is most affordable.

And don’t let your four legged friends get bored inside. They can enjoy running and playing with other dogs at the dog park inside the John Chesnut Sr. Park. This park has recreation fields, a boat dock and children’s playground so that even the youngest residents can stay fit. There’s so much to do in this area of Pinellas County!

By: Robert Lipply

Creating a successful joint venture in real estate involves things you definitely want to avoid, and things which you should do because they are solid principles of real estate investing and business. First, the things you want to avoid.

Definitely avoid the following Partnership Killers:

Do not choose the wrong partner.

This is the greatest mistake partners make. It is the biggest killer of what would or could have been a great real estate partnership. Partnership Killer profiles include:

Someone who has a pattern of dishonesty, which may be subtle but could include little misrepresentations, small white lies about numerous aspects of business and life. Many good people do not do their due diligence on a prospective partner and are surprised later to find out that their partner lacks integrity and lies about many things. You have to dig here to find out if the person has integrity. A pretty big sign that they do not is when they don’t completely answer your probing questions into their own business affairs and financial history. A partner who is not transparent with you is dangerous and a Partnership Killer. Someone who is dysfunctional in areas that are important in a successful real estate joint venture. You have to be a student of human behavior to some degree to be able to choose the right partner, or to avoid choosing the wrong partner. That is true of being able to recognize that someone is not what they seem, or that they have another personality you don’t want to have to deal with. But you cannot go by immature gut feeling. Gut feelings only are helpful if there is a level of maturity in understanding human behavior. Someone who has nothing to contribute to the partnership. Someone who is lazy and won’t contribute. Someone who is too busy with a million other things and will never actually have the time to contribute to your partnership. Someone with too much baggage, which could be far too much financial disaster that is dragging him into the pit of despair, or with too many problematic business relationships of his own, i.e. creditors and recorded judgments, and even serious relationship problems on the home front.
Now, let’s look at this from the other perspective, things you want to do. This starts with:

Choosing the Right Partner.

You want someone who is honest and who has integrity. That is actually no small challenge in this day and age. A poll taken a couple of years ago indicated that 50% of all people in American society admit to regularly lying. You don’t need someone who is perfect. There is no such person on this earth. You want honesty, not perfection. Past failures are ok, provided this person brings valuable contributions to the partnership. Your partners should be people you respect and admire. Each partner should be someone with whom you have a kindred spirit. Obviously, you need to get to know someone before you jump into a partnership with them.
The Profile of a Powerful & Successful Joint Venture:

A powerful joint venture will generally consist of 4 to 6 people (could be more but the dynamics of selecting partners changes), with each of them bringing valuable knowledge and experience into the venture, and That knowledge and experience involves an aspect of real estate or business that is important to the specific purposes of your venture, and Each of the partners are pre-qualified by the above criteria.
The Purpose of the Joint Venture:

The knowledge and experience of the individuals you will bring into the partnership will depend on the purpose of your venture. For example, if your partnership is to develop raw property for sale to builders or other buyers, you would want credentials like these, although this is not all-nclusive:

Developing Raw Property For Sale:



An excavator who has experience sufficient to do the dirt work; An engineer/surveyor with sufficient experience to be able to do all the engineering and surveying required for the platting work; Another engineer, if not the same one, who can do all of the plat drafting and submissions to the city or county; A utilities man, if the excavator does not have the experience, who can install the utilities properly and to code (power, sewer, cable, phone); An asphalt company that can pour beautiful roads throughout the project; A real estate lawyer who knows real estate and all the contracts and negotiations involved; A Realtor who can sell the lots to builders or individuals; and A person or persons with financial resources, both cash and credit.
Buying Single Family Homes For Rental or Resale: Here you’ll want partners with different credentials, although still pre-qualifying with the above fundamentals.

An experienced inspector or builder who knows how to inspect; An experienced contractor/builder who can do great rehab work; A real estate lawyer who knows real estate and all the contracts and negotiations involved; A Realtor who can buy and sell for the partnership; A person or persons with financial resources, both cash and credit.
CONCLUSION:

It is difficult to lay down these principles and rules and expect that a group of people could simply do it without years of experience in successful partnerships and real estate investing. It is critical that you draft a very good partnership agreement that clearly spells out all the rights and obligations of each partner and how each will share in the rewards. You’ve got to have an exit strategy, both for success and for failure. You need a good business plan in writing and
well planned spreadsheets (three, one for the best case scenario, one for the worst case scenario, and one for the most likely scenario). Someone has to be good at conducting partnership meetings, addressing conflicts among partners, and resolving challenges.

Do these things and you will have a Powerful & Successful Joint Venture in Real Estate, and you will make a lot of money in the next five years.

By: Chuck Marunde

A commission rebate is generally provided to buyers from a real estate broker in exchange for the buyer saving the broker time and effort. In most cases these days, the time and effort saved is a result of the buyer taking the lead on their property search. With so much information now available online at places like Trulia.com and Zillow.com,?it’s easier than ever for buyers to head up their own property search. In fact, many buyers prefer to versus working everything through a traditional full-service agent—who often receives upwards of 3% of the sales price for doing so.

The commission rebate is generally provided as a credit to the buyer at the closing table…requiring the buyer to bring less cash at closing! That is why the U.S. Department of Justice has declared that “rebates make buying a home less expensive”. To learn more about rebates and to confirm they are legal in your state, click here to visit the DOJ website.

Looking at the math, instead of having the broker keep the full 3% that they might be paid for representing the buyer, they’ll give part of that 3% back to the buyer. For example, on a $200,000 home, a 3% commission to the broker representing the buyer would be $6,000. If the agreed upon commission rebate was to be %25 of the commission received by the broker, the buyer would get $1,500 back. If they agreed to split it 50-50, the buyer would get $3,000 back.

These are real dollars…and don’t forget that you as the buyer are essentially paying for them! While commissions are generally deducted from the seller’s proceeds, sellers typically account for the commissions they need to pay when setting their price!?

So next time your in the market for real estate, ask yourself if you’re the type to the heavy lifting in terms of finding your own home. If the answer is yes, look for a broker who handles “commission rebates” or “buyer rebates” in your area. They’ll handle the offer and closing processes for you, but because they are doing less, they’ll earn less…putting money back in your pocket!

By: Tommy Lorden

Flat implies a constant figure. Certain industries such as traffic attorneys or amusement parks have for many years utilized some sort of flat fee price to increase sales volume and customer satisfaction, to calm people’s fears about the potential for a large bill after the service has been provided, and to give assurance that all customers will be treated fairly since they are all generating similar revenue for the business. In flat fee real estate, sellers are truly able to achieve a listing fee that stays constant regardless of the sales price of their home. If that figure were $995, for instance, a true flat fee listing would cost the seller no more and no less, regardless of whether their home’s price were $1,000,000 or $100,000. For many sellers, flat fee real estate is a refreshing relief. Traditionally, most commissions were based on a percentage. So a seller might pay ten times more to sell a million dollar home as they would a one hundred thousand dollar home.

A number of listed brokers have instilled some type of flat fee pricing. The range is all over the map. One broker might charge three hundred dollars, another might charge three thousand dollars. The services one receives may be the same or different. In some cases there may be different levels of fees, such as a bronze, silver or gold package that would include increasing prices that were nonetheless not based on a percentage of the eventual sales price of the home. Others charge a flat fee plus a smaller commission based on a percentage of sales price that includes additional components such as negotiation or advisory services. A few others actually have two flat fees with a break point coming at a particular sales price. So regardless of the fee structure selected, it is important for the homeowner to examine exactly what is being offered for a particular price and whether the flat fee price includes everything they need or if they need to pay extra for additional services.

It is important to note that while many listing brokers have taken on a flat fee structure, most buyer’s agents are still compensated on a percentage amount that varies with the sales price of the home. It is not uncommon to see three percent of the sales price being offered to a buyer’s agent. Sellers often are not as concerned that the buyer’s agent commission is not a flat fee but instead percentage-based, because of the fact that they want their property to offer competitive compensation compared to other homes and because they generally perceive that buyer’s agents provide an extremely valuable service in delivering qualified buyers to a home seller. Flat fees to buyers’ agents may gain traction in the future, however, today they are somewhat uncommon. During certain periods of an extremely hot seller’s market, some homeowners and builders have moved to the flat fee structure for buyers’ agents, however, the trend generally has not lasted long. As the Internet and other disintermediation continues, however, it would not be a surprise for even more flat fee real estate to take place with all sorts of brokers.

By: Donald Plunkett

Texas land for sale is a hot investment market and many investors have been taking advantage of buying land here and making some big profits, but will these continue and will investors continue to make healthy profits?

Here we will look at the prospects for Texas land for sale as an investment and also some problems that could occur in the future, as well as an alternative land for sale investment market that can provide more profit potential with less risk.

Texas land for sale storm clouds

From Austin to San Antonio to Dallas, Texas land for sale is a booming market and many investors are looking at land for sale in Texas as a safe and secure investment that can give them long term capital gains.

Rural real estate prices have risen around 10% and over the last couple of years prices have risen faster than at anytime since 1981.

Of course, land near major cities in prime locations has risen even more, with as much as 50% a year being made.

So what are the problems that could occur? Well the economy for a start.

Check out the price of oil and unleaded gas, which are near record highs.

What’s that got to do with Texas land for sale?

A lot actually!

High fuel prices increase inflation and choke economic growth, when a downturn comes in stocks then so to will real estate and land prices turn down.

The real boom has already taken already taken place and with a slowing economy over the next few years’ land prices could suffer and the gains we have seen may well disappear as they could in all the boom states including Florida and Arizona.

Today, the economy is global and many Americans are looking at opportunities overseas. The fact is many overseas markets offer far bigger land profits than Texas land for sale.

The good news is:

You don’t have to look far from Texas for a booming land for sale market that will continue to boom and it’s a three hour flight south in Costa Rica.

Here land for sale investments have been turning over 100% annual profits with low downside risk! Let’s see why this has happened and will continue in the near future.

Americans have been snapping up real estate as second homes here in record numbers getting more for their money as property costs up to 70% less.

Investing in Costa Rica land will not be affected by a downturn in the economy like Texas land for sale.

Why?

Quite simply because the trend in migration from America will not drop. The baby boomer generation are waking up tot the fact that the state is providing less, medical insurance is soaring and they haven’t saved enough.

To maintain their standard of living their moving to Costa Rica for a cheaper and better standard of living, in a beautiful country that has strong ties with the US and makes immigration easy.

Investors who previously were making money in Texas land for sale, are now casting their eye toward Costa Rica and buying investment lots in ever increasing numbers.

Many are making 100% annual profits, downside risk is low and profit potential in the future is excellent.

If you are considering buying Texas land for sale as an investment, check out Costa Rica its close and offers a risk to reward that is hard to beat anywhere.

By: Sacha Tarkovsky

If you are considering hiring a real estate appraiser, then relax, it is not a complicated process. In fact, it can be darn right exciting. It is a time in your life that you are investing in your home- doing what is necessary and taking the strides that should be taken to ensure your investment. The most difficult element involved is the time that it takes to find a real estate appraiser that is the right fit for you. And, this is an important decision, so don’t just grab at the first agent that comes along.

The process of finding a real estate appraiser starts with making a list of those in your area and getting in touch with them. This is best done by making a list of local appraisers from the phone book and from the Internet. Make a list of your results and then begin to contact each one by one.

Have your questions ready when speaking to them. Your questions should include what services they will provide and how much they will charge you. You will find that you receive a variety of response. This is because each appraiser has their own way of working.

Also, hire an appraiser that you are comfortable with. For a working relationship, it is important that you are completely comfortable and able to communicate well with the appraiser.

Take the time to research the appraisers and get one that you are 100% sure is the right fit for you. This is not a difficult process. It is simply a process of taking the time to find the right one.

By: Ashlee Pannell

Have you ever been to San Antonio, Texas: One of the best family vacation destinations in Texas?

When it comes to finding the best family vacation destinations, you won’t go wrong when you vacation with your family in San Antonio, Texas. The reason this city makes the list as one of the best family vacation destinations is because of the flavor of this south Texas city. Although it is a large city, it has a very small town feel, and the atmosphere is all about family and togetherness. Not only this but the cost for food and amenities is a lot less expensive than other comparable tourist cities.

The thing that San Antonio is known for the most is the Alamo.

The Alamo was an outpost and one of the historic missions when Texas was at war with Mexico. Today, it is located right downtown, still standing in pretty much its original condition, although restored and maintained by the Daughters of the Republic. The first thing a tourist will notice, is it’s located just a block down from a shopping mall, and not in a field somewhere.

When the city planners decided to build up the downtown area of San Antonio, they built the stores and restaurants around the land the Alamo sits on. So, the Alamo in its historic state is surrounded by 20th century amenities. When the family is taking a tour of the Alamo, they can either walk through on their own, or they can take a guided tour. The building itself isn’t very large in scale and in the back of the property is a Koi fishpond that was constructed in later years.

Another reason San Antonio is one of the best family vacation destinations is because of the plethora of restaurants on the Riverwalk.

The Riverwalk is a man-made structure that flows through parts of the downtown area. Along the banks of the river are hotels, restaurants, and shops. The restaurants serve their share of Mexican food, but there are also specialty restaurants.

There is even one restaurant that specializes in rude service as part of its appeal. There is also the Hard Rock Cafe for family dining. Most of the restaurants, especially the Mexican restaurants, are very inexpensive, especially when the amount of food that is served is taken into consideration. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that is especially the case in the food and drink servings.

When touring San Antonio, families need to visit the Tower Of The Americas. This also makes San Antonio one of the best family vacation destinations.

The Tower was built in 1969 and tourists can go up to the top to get a panoramic view of the whole city of San Antonio. There is a restaurant on the observation deck, and there is an interactive movie theater on the ground floor. The theater gives tourist a tour of Texas via a simulated helicopter.

There are many more places to visit that are either especially for tourist, or are for the family with children.

One more place to visit in San Antonio helps make it one of the best family vacation destinations is Sea World of San Antonio.

By: Jace Clark

When you compare the number of properties for sale to the number of recently completed real estate transactions Wayne County MI, homes appear to be selling slowly.

However, if you are looking to purchase a home, even if you have poor credit, the Wayne County real estate market is the right place for you. You might think that you are only daydreaming, but home ownership is a real possibility, regardless of your past credit issues, as long as you have the proper assistance.

Formed early in the history of the United States, Wayne County originally contained the entire lower peninsula of Michigan, as well as parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

Over the years the boundaries were changed as new states and other counties were formed. Today the county’s total size is 672 square miles (58 square miles are in the waters of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair) divided into 33 different cities, 10 different townships and one village. Detroit is the county seat and the largest city, both in the county and the state.

For many years, the economic survival of the county and the majority of its residents were directly linked to the automobile industry, namely GM, Ford and Chrysler or the “Big Three”.

With the auto industry in a state of dismay, all of this has affected the credit ratings of many good people. Credit card companies do not care about auto industry problems; they report every late payment and every late payment negatively affects a person’s credit rating. If your credit has been damaged over the years by any of this, you should know that there is help.

Real estate transactions Wayne County MI

Over the years auto industry economics have affected the values of Wayne County real estate. If you count foreclosures as real estate transactions Wayne County MI has more than its fair share. About 1000 properties per year revert to the county treasurer for unpaid property taxes. Currently there are about 3400 county owned properties, most of which are in Detroit.

Because of budget shortfalls and the struggling economy, the county was unable to “do” anything with these properties, allowing many to stand empty and in disrepair. This affected the appearance of the neighborhoods and property values declined.

If you are currently having difficulty selling a piece of Wayne County real estate, you should know that a number of potential buyers are often overlooked.

For years, economists advised county officials that diversification, attracting different industries and different jobs, and revitalization of the downtown Detroit area were absolute necessities. Finally, things are improving.

In June 2006, the Wayne County Land Bank was formed to redevelop the properties that had reverted to the county, which will, not only improve the neighborhoods and the property values in the area, but also create more construction jobs. The unemployment rate, while still high, has dropped significantly in Detroit.

Those who were previously unemployed will be struggling with credit issues and looking for a place to live. One of the best options for property owners and buyers alike is a lease option agreement.

Experienced real estate investors like us in Michigan help structure these beneficial lease options for both sellers and buyers. If you want to buy Wayne County real estate home, but because of past credit issues are ineligible for traditional financing, we can help.

If you have bruised credit, you should know that it is possible to repair your credit score, in less time than you think. If you have a small down payment and can afford to pay rent, you can actually own a home instead.

Using a lease option agreement, which is a simple contract between the buyer and the seller, with terms satisfactory to both, a portion of your monthly rent will go towards the eventual purchase of your home. In other words, your money will start working for you to build your future, rather than just pay the landlord.

As new businesses and better jobs move into Wayne County real estate prices will continue to rise and so will the number of real estate transactions.

Wayne County, MI is just one place to look for your new home. Our lease options can help you sell your home, or buy one.

By: Dan Ho

If you are into golf and have considered living in a golf community, you need to have a look at The Tradition?in La Quinta. The Tradition is a unique and beautiful golf community boasting beautiful vistas and a world class golfing experience. Unlike any other community in the area, The Tradition is located up above the desert floor allowing gorgeous views and unsurpassed privacy. This combination gives its residents serenity and beauty in one spectacular package. The real estate at The Tradition is just as spectacular as the scenery and offers the utmost in luxurious living.

Old world charm is brought to this unique golf community through its selection of luxury homes. Each home is a testament to taste and style and offers something for everyone. These multi-million dollar dwellings are the epitome of true country club living surrounded by opulence at every turn. Whatever your personal style choice, The Tradition at La Quinta has the home for you. This is true luxury living in a gorgeous desert setting. Life in this Palm Springs area is comfortable and exciting all at the same time. The quality of the homes at The Tradition set them aside from any other golf community and reflect what homes situated in such a spectacular desert setting should reflect.

Let’s not forget the golf. One of the golf courses located at The Tradition at La Quinta, was inspired and designed by Arnold Palmer and is one of the finest and most beautiful golf courses in the West. The Tradition Golf Club at La Quinta has?a championship course available to members and their guests and is famous for the many legends that have been made on the course. Located where an old ranch used to be, this 18 hole par 3 course offers a challenging and fulfilling game for all skill levels. And, the beautiful vistas will make your golfing experience one of beauty and class.

With everything the Tradition offers it is surely no wonder it remains one of the most sought after golf communities to live in at La Quinta. Beautiful mountain and desert views, fabulous homes and spectacular golf make this community a must have for the serious golfer who wants to live in luxury amongst other golf enthusiasts. Country club living in a beautiful desert setting is what The Tradition at La Quinta is all about.?

By: Elaine Stewart

When a homeowner sells his home by himself without the help of any realtor then this type of transaction is termed as “For sale by owner” or FSBO in short. In a FSBO real estate contract, the owner trying to sell his home by himself must do all work of advertising, communication with clients etc on his own. There are many benefits of selling your home on your own but there are some disadvantages also.

Disadvantage of FSBO sale

The main point to remember in selling your home on your own is your location. Your location would define the types of legal forms you require in buying or selling a home because the requirements may be different at different places. For example, a FSBO sale in California may have different requirements than a FSBO sale in Texas. You must improve your knowledge of the requirements for FSBO sale in your city or state to sell your home effectively and efficiently. If you can do this then you can enjoy all the benefits of selling your home on your own.

The FSBO Kit

You can take care of this disadvantage with the help of a FSBO kit. The kit contains the legal forms required for sale in your state. Many companies offer this kit to their customers. The sellers can get help from this kit but the entire dependence on this kit must be avoided because this may contain only the basic forms or the most common forms needed in a contract to sell a home. So it is essential for the seller to depend on other sources also to gain knowledge of all the forms required and use the kit only as a reference.

The kit also provides the instructions required to fill the forms. The instructions in the kit show how to fill the forms and where to file the filled forms. The instructions will also help the sellers to learn how to advertise their home for selling it effectively and how to prepare their home for sale. Some kits may also provide the details of the listing services and the sellers can contact these listing services to bring their offer in front of many prospective buyers. So if a seller or a homeowner wants to sell his home on his own and do not want to involve a real estate agent in selling his home then the seller must not forget to get a FSBO kit because these kits provide great help to the sellers in the real estate contract.

By: Nitesh Pandey