This Can Increase Your Homes Value

January 7, 2012 – 10:20 pm

Every one wants to get the top price for their real estate whether they are trying to sell it or rent it out. To do so they will usually do some repainting and some decorating to give that house a new and clean feel to it. Having an up to date kitchen and bath will also add value to a home.

But with today’s energy prices, showing that you can save the new homeowner that they can save money on home oil prices or propane price will also help increase the value of your home.

Now you don’t have to go out and spend a fortune on improving the insulation of your home. In fact these are basically do it yourself projects that you can do over a weekend.

For example if your attic isn’t insulated or doesn’t have enough, you can simply add new insulation to it. It is a simple job. The only tools you will need are a knife, a tape measure and a staple gun.

Carefully measure how long you need the insulation to be. Cut it at the appropriate mark and then staple it to the studs. It can be time consuming, but thing how much money you will save doing it yourself and how much money you will save in energy costs too.

Doing the above can possibly increase the value of your home.

http://youtu.be/JyZt3nZo7Ao

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Real Estate | Comments Off

Home Based Real Estate Business

December 23, 2011 – 11:57 am

A few years ago, tons of people were walking around with a big smile on their face. They were one of the many who invested in a second home because they heard house prices were on the rise and it will keep rising. Lenders wanted to get in on the action and gave out loans like crazy even to people who wouldn’t normally qualify for one. With the rising home values, some were thinking of starting some home based businesses with the money they were building up. Then it came, the housing crash. Within a year, home prices plummeted. People were having a hard time selling their house. Many ended up in foreclosure. To make ends meet, some even searched for legit work from home jobs to help with their expenses.

housing

Who’s to blame for this crisis? Some blame the lenders for making it too easy to get loans. Others blame the home buyers for being too greedy and buying homes they couldn’t afford. Although years has passed, the problem hasn’t gone away yet. People are still defaulting on their loan payments and foreclosures continue to occur each month. If you happen to have money since you didn’t join the crowd a few years back, perhaps now would be a good time to buy some properties since they’re so cheap.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Real Estate | Comments Off

Is It Time Now To Invest In Real Estate?

December 16, 2011 – 9:25 pm

There was an article not too long ago on the Wall Street Journal, talking about all the negative things that can come from being a landlord. Surprisingly, while the article was titled “Are you ready to be a landlord” and subtitled “Buying investment properties can be risky. Here’s how to do it smartly”, there were literally no positives! It seemed to be as if it were written by someone who either had personally lost money in real estate or had been personally affected by one or more real estate deals that had gone south.

I happen to think that this current economy is the best time to invest in real estate, because we have a number of things that are playing in favor of any prospective investor.

First off, there has been a very severe market correction, meaning that houses are now cheaper than they have been in a very long time. What does that mean? The barriers to entry have been lowered.

Secondly, rates are at or near historical lows. That means that the cost of money is very low, and best of all, you can lock it for 30 years so that you’re unaffected by any future rate increases. This is especially appealing when you consider that history suggests that rates are not going to stay at that level, they’re going to go up.

Finally, with the wave of foreclosures since the recession hit, there’s no shortage of homes on the market, at every price point and in every sector of the real estate market you would like to invest in.

The biggest obstacles to anyone launching a successful career as a real estate investor are knowledge and access to capital. The knowledge is there: as long as you have enough common sense to avoid anyone that claims to make you millions with no out of pocket money, you should be alright. There are risks, but every business has risks.

As for access to capital, well this is something that you will want to address before you get started. A few percentage points will make a big difference in the cash flow you can derive from a property.

I really think it’s one of the best times to get started in real estate investing.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Property | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Home refinancing tips

December 8, 2011 – 6:56 pm

Beginner investing generally implies that you do not have much financial knowledge or experience and this is true of any form of financial activity. If you are new to home refinancing, you should remember that refinancing your home to reduce your personal debt such as credit card debt [which is invariably expensive] is a good idea to save money. If, however, you are refinancing to raise cash for other forms of expenditure such as an expensive holiday, you should be careful not to leave yourself overstretched financially. It also makes sense to refinance to save money if your existing mortgage carries a higher interest rate than the rate prevailing in the market today.

http://youtu.be/MWt1SitxU-w

You should examine the terms and conditions of your present mortgage to assess what it is going to cost you in terms of penalties and fees for prepayment. This will tell you whether refinancing makes financial sense. Before approaching potential lenders, you should check your credit score. Remember that the lender is under no obligation to do the best possible terms and it is up to you to negotiate based on your credit score. If your refinancing is still in the future, you can take steps to improve your credit worthiness by paying down some of your current debt.

Obtaining a refinancing for a shorter period is another way to get better terms and conditions. If you feel that you can handle the higher repayments, you will put yourself in a much stronger negotiating position. You should also consider buying points because this upfront payment will result in a reduction in your interest rate. Buying points are only worth your while if you plan to stay in the house long enough for the reduced interest payment to compensate for the upfront point payment. You should also try to maintain the same income levels so that lenders would consider your case

favorably.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Mortgages | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Picture Perfect Properties, a Trademark of Myrtle Beach

November 22, 2011 – 1:47 am

Myrtle Beach real estate is on the rise, and that does not come as a surprise to those who have been there.  A surfside beach is just one of the many things Myrtle Beach has to offer. A South Carolina coastal location also stands for ideal weather many months every year.  That is one benefit no prospective buyer, re-locator, or investor should overlook. Not only surfers appreciate Myrtle Beach. It is also the American golf paradise. It is the dream of every golfer to take that ballgame to the incredible golf courses at Myrtle Beach.  Myrtle Beach stands for a 60 mile shoreline with unlimited vacation possibilities.

Once you are as they say “over the hill” it is time to consider the future.  Do you see yourself living  in the same area as where you are now once you reach retirement age? Even if you answer affirmatively, don’t you think you want to break loose from time to time and spend some time near a surfside beach? But why would you want to wait to explore your retirement options until the moment you retire? There are some great opportunities that you can start considering now, and the benefits of that are of a nature you will not regret.

Even if you are in your thirties or forties and are undetermined about how and where you want to be once you retire, you will not regret looking into purchasing Myrtle Beach real estate. Rental properties near a surfside beach are easy to rent out short term. You and your family can enjoy staying at your property in between renters. Your kids can build sand castles and go swim.

Maintenance of a property like those in Myrtle Beach is generally quite simple and can easily be outsourced to one of the high qualified property managers. The property manager of your choice can also provide you with carefully screened short term renters. The income that is generated that way will take care of most or all of the financial responsibilities, including a mortgage. By the time you reach retirement age the property can be paid for with the revenues. As a bonus, you will remember great family vacations that did not cost you an arm and a leg.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Real Estate | Tagged | Comments Off

Why Is It So Hard To Find Data On Property Prices In Nicaragua?

November 11, 2011 – 5:49 am

If you’re expecting the mountains of real estate data that you can get in seconds on any US real estate market, you’ll be sorely disappointed when you start to look at properties in Nicaragua (or anywhere else in central America for that matter).   If in the US the problem is too much data and not enough meaning, in Nicaragua it’s simply no data and a too much hype (in both directions).

 Here are some of the reasons why it’s hard to get hold of data in Nicaragua:

Firstly much of the property registration system is not computerized. When a property passes from person to person the transaction gets written up, generally by hand, in large leather bound books. For most of the country this is never collated all drawn together into a central database tracking the transactions.

Even if it was, it’s still common practice for the actual price paid for the property not to be noted down in an accurate manner. This is changing but the practice of plucking a figure out of the air is still widespread.  Generally the figure that is recorded is lower than the actual price paid for tax reasons.

Another feature of the market is that there isn’t a multiple listing system. So it’s impossible to access a central database that will tell you all the properties that are for sale in a particular market or how long they have been on the market. The only way you can hope to get majority coverage is to visit every agent that is active locally and interrogate their private listing database.

Official statistics on the market and not collated or published centrally by any organization in any rigorous manner at all.

The good news is that sites like RevealRealEstate.com are trying to collate some of this information together. But it’s still tough and you can have to be prepared to put the leg work in yourself to get a handle on the market in some detail.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Real Estate | Tagged | Comments Off

Property Investment for Beginners

November 6, 2011 – 8:38 pm

People have been interested in real estate investing for as long as houses have been built. Although it is a different method of investing from say, the stock market, done correctly, you can still earn a tidy sum from investing in property. 

You will need to estimate the taxes properly and understand all the tax implications before you sign your first form.

You will need to find good investment property for sale. One way many people invest is to invest in REIT’s, or Real Estate Investment Trusts. With an REIT you can take a small share in large malls, hotels or other properties you wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. These investments can be held in brokerage or retirement accounts. 

Many people start their property investment with foreclosure listings. These are properties that have been seized by the bank and are sold at way below market value. 

Most real estate investing makes good use of good debt. One of the biggest hurdles to real estate investors is leaving themselves short of cashflow. The desire to pay off the debt must take second place to having cash at hand for unknown emergencies that may arise. If you do things right you will lower your risk of losing your investment. 

 

 

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Real Estate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Buy Laptop Coolers

September 27, 2011 – 10:39 am

Any laptop owner should own a laptop cooler, it is no good waiting until you NEED a laptop cooler, you should be using one in order to ensure that you DON’T need to buy a laptop cooler. They don’t just enable you to continue to use a damaged overheating laptop but also ensure that your expensive laptop never gets into the situation whereas it is overheating.

Finding the best laptop cooler for your specific laptop isn’t easy however, there are a lot of factors to consider, including the size, location of the fans in relation to your hot spots, and practical issues such as whether you need a portable laptop cooler or whether you just need one to sit on your desk. You will notice above that a hyperlink has been inserted into that post, following that link will take you to a website which helps you to identify the best laptop cooler for your specific laptop.

For example, you might need a laptop cooler for a netbook, in which case your choices are very limited if you want a cooler which is actually effective. Alternatively you may be looking for the best laptop coolers for gamers. Whatever your needs are, that website will help!

By Benny Godwin | Posted in REO | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Ghost Figurines for Your Halloween Decorations

September 19, 2011 – 2:52 pm

In the black and orange colors of Halloween decor, a white ghost offers a refreshing burst, of well, no color! The white and flowing form of the Halloween ghost will soar over it’s darker companions. Not only does the white color spark visual interest, but the ghostly shape also pops. You can choose a ghost figurine that is cute and friendly or more on the spooky side.

All of the major figurine designers have a series of Halloween figurines. You’ll find many primitive folk-inspired Jim Shore ghost figurines. If you love Disney characters, then you’ll love the Jim Short Disney ghost figurines. For example Shore turned Mickey Mouse into a ghost and has him jumping out of a pumpkin.

For the cutest and friendliest ghost take a look at the Casper the Ghost figurines. I always loved the antics of the little ghost who just wanted friends and inadvertently keept scaring people when he tried to play with them.

For a super hero touch, sure to be a hit with the boys in the room, you can include the Classic Marvel figurine Ghost Rider in your Halloween decorations.

I love the way the white ghost figurines look in my dark leaved front door Halloween wreaths. All you have to do is take some thin crafting wire and secure one or two into your wreath.

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Bank Owned | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Outdoor Halloween Decoration

September 1, 2011 – 7:56 pm

I love that first little crisp breeze in the air after a hot summer. Not only do I sleep better, but I get to start to think about Halloween and plan my halloween decoration props. While I decorate both indoor and outdoors, I have to admit that it is my outdoor Halloween decoration plan that I have the most fun with. Why? because I love to find a scary Halloween decoration for my yard and put it out where it gives people a bit of a fright. Nothing vicious, mind you, just a bit of a startle.

I also try to stay current on the latest trends. This year follows past years with the popularity of zombies. Everybody has a favorite zombie story – the parody Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,  the Max Brooks thriller World War Z or Laurell Hamilton’s sexy animator  Anita Blake, who raises zombies from the grave.

So for the past few Halloweens I’ve been perfecting my scary zombie graveyard with lots of tombstones, covered in cobwebs. This year I’ll be adding creepy skeletons that look like they’re clawing their way out of graves in front of the tombstones. Then I’ll line the walkway between the tombstones and path with six foot tall zombies. There will be all sorts of halloween props at their feet – bloody hands, feet, heads. Just the kind of carnage you’d expect when the zombies are attacking! I’ll use green lights to give the zombies an eerie glow.

For those brave enough to run this gauntlet I’ll have lots of creepy candy – eyeball candy. Of course the bowl will be surrounded with bloody eyeball Halloween props. All and all I expect a good time to be had by all!

By Benny Godwin | Posted in Bank Owned | Tagged , , , | Comments Off