Shadow

Blog

Smart Buildings – Living Green in a Big Way

Green Real Estate
How to live green, find green materials, and go green.Smart BuildingsIn recent years we have heard more and more about how we need to live green, go green with the products we use, and of course build with green materials. In our series of Green Articles, you will read much about Smart Systems, or Integrated Systems in the "Intelligent" Buildings or "Smart" Buildings. What are they, and who is building them?Intelligent or Smart Buildings (referred to as SB's hereafter) are basically any building that has incorporated streamline operations which deliver better service to their end users. Many would call this a "Smart System". This system will help you live green in many ways.A decade or two ago, you may have immediately thought of the Jetson's when confronted with the idea, that an elevator...

Number 1 Reason for Purchasing a Massachusetts Home in 2010 “Desire to Own a Home”

Buying and Selling
I recently read a Massachusetts REALTORĀ® Study Report in which they state that the "desire to own a home" was the top motivating factor cited by home buyers for the purchase of a home in 2010. Below, is a breakdown of survey responses of first-time and repeat home buyers:Desire to own a home 36%Desire for a larger home 8%Change in family situation 8%Desire for a better location 8%Home Buyer Tax Credit 7%While 55% of all homes sold in Massachusetts were made by first time home buyers, only 7% stated it was because of the home buyer tax credit. The study also showed that the median age of a first-time homebuyer is 32 vs. 30 years old in 2009.25-34 years old 54%35-44 years old 28%18-24 years old 8%Do home purchasers think that buying a home is a good financial investment? 46% of all buyers th...

Tips On Becoming The Best In Commercial Real Estate

Commercial Property
Industrial and commercial properties constantly come to market, but don't get the highlighted attention or preferential treatment that residential homes do. Use what you learn from this article in order to understand what you should be doing as you need to learn about the market and how to properly navigate it.Ensure that you have reviewed your contracts before negotiating leases so that you minimize the chances of default. This will decrease the probability of the tenant defaulting on the lease. You, of course, would not desire this to occur.You should examine the surrounding neighborhood of any commercial real estate you may be interested in. Buying property in an affluent neighborhood is likely to mean that any business which opens there will be successful thanks to having a clientele w...
Real Estate Investment – Tips to Be Successful

Real Estate Investment – Tips to Be Successful

Investing
I want to start with the most important thing in real estate investment business and that is to buy a good property. For understanding what I meant by a good property, I would like to introduce some terminologies: 1. After Repair Value or ARV This tells you the worth of a property after it has been rehabbed. 2. Highest Best Use or HBU This term is basically used for commercial properties, which means that what's the highest to best use of that particular property. HBU is also used for residential properties, where after evaluating a property; you can decide what would be the highest to best use of your money. For example, after evaluating a property you decide that you can only spend $25,000 on repairs instead of $40,000 as you've thought because the total worth of th...

Why Green Homes Are a Smart Investment

Green Real Estate
There are two major ways of looking at a green home as a great investment for you and your family. One of the ways is that is will save you money every month on utility bills and usage, making it a perfect everyday investment. Another way to look at it as an investment is that because everyone is going green in today's modern age, your home will be more desirable. Of course there is the obvious environmental investment to consider as well.The way a green home saves you money every month is because everything in the house runs efficiently. You use air conditioning and heating less because the windows of the home are special, and keep heat and cool air inside the home. Your plumbing system is more efficient because the pipes are run to keep the environment in mind. If you are using less wate...

A Few Words About Living in an Apartment

Leasing Renting
If you are thinking of making a real estate investment, chances are that the first step is buying yourself a house. It is an open secret that home ownership has a number of benefits but perhaps you need to consider living in an apartment for a change. Living in an apartment comes with a number of benefits that most people don't consider upfront. Ask yourself for example whether you want to stay at the same job for the next number of years or even whether your current city of residence is where you plan to stay for the rest of your life.If you think that you cannot stay in the same job or city for the next five years, perhaps renting an apartment would be the best thing for you to do in your circumstances. When you have simple rented an apartment and it is time to relocate, all that you wil...

Rental Property – How to Find a Good Eviction Attorney

Property Management
In a previous article we posed the question: How do you collect rent? And the answer was an emphatic: Get a good Eviction Attorney! Gee, that is all well and good but how do you find a good eviction attorney? Let's start there.We recommend that, if at all possible, you need to go from personal reference; from a friend or your local Board of Realtors or Apartment Association. If that isn't a possibility for you then check your local yellow pages or search the web in your area. Once you have the names there are three things you will want to make sure of: 1. That they only do evictions (unlawful detainers) or at least it is a regular part of their business. You don't want a family law attorney who will do one for you "this time".Your eviction attorney should be well versed at the ins and outs...

Four Types of Real Estate Sales

Buying and Selling
I see people asking about foreclosures all of the time. The supposition is that foreclosures are the best deals. Some people think that the banks are so anxious to get the foreclosed home off their books that the homes are priced 10% or more below market value.Here are the four types of sales:New Construction: This is when you purchase a home from the builder. In our area, these homes typically sell for 3-10% above market value. People value being the first person to live in a new home. There is value to being able to pick out your finishes and live in a super-clean home with that new-home smell. But much like a new car, when you sell, you are selling a "used" home and that 3-10% extra value is gone.Resale Home: Also known as a traditional sale or "normal" sale. This is when the owner of t...
Commercial Real Estate Tips – How to Position Market Your Business

Commercial Real Estate Tips – How to Position Market Your Business

Marketing
To build your commercial real estate business as an office in your local town or city, and to gain the right market share for yourself, you are going to need a 'Strategic Marketing Plan'. Before you create the plan, you will need a 'Strategic Marketing Position'. In this way will you make an impact on a consistent basis with the right prospects and players of the commercial property industry. Simply you want the market, the business owners, the property investors, and all the local tenants and buyers, to know that you are the best out there and can help them with their special property need. So before you start to consider your marketing plan it is worthwhile considering what makes you better than the other agents and brokers in the area. You should have a real reason in being differ...
Real Estate Flyers That Work

Real Estate Flyers That Work

Marketing
Real estate flyers are now regularly delivered to letterboxes in an effort to attract more buyers and sellers. In such a competitive market, it's challenging to stand out from your competitors. Here are some tips on real estate flyer design that really will make an impact. Design for your target market The flyers are not about you or for you. It's about your customers or potential customers. So the flyer design needs to reflect this. This means turning "features" into "benefits. For example, instead of "We have 20 years experience in the real estate industry", try a different angle like "With 20 years experience in the industry, you're guaranteed expert advice and high selling value". Consistency and frequency is key You know from your own experience that seeing the same adver...