The decision to rent or to buy your own home isn’t usually such a difficult decision under normal circumstances. Almost always, it’s better to own your home rather than to rent. Owning your own home allows you to build equity. You even get to write off your mortgage interest and may be eligible for a tax breaks. On the other hand, with the high interest rates and deteriorating property values, it may be a better idea to rent for a while.
Buying property in today’s market may also mean that you should be prepared to hold on to your property for a while, else you lose your principal. Owning your own property also means fees to upkeep the place and property taxes. Renting your home, however, your run the risk of annual rent increase eventually outpacing inflation. In sum, if you have the financial capability to pay for the mortgage and all additional costs, it will still be better to buy your house, but if you are financially hanging by a thread, then renting is the better option for you.
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An estate plan is a legal system for the disposal of your property upon your death. It recognizes your wishes, such as those regarding the care of minors, and it legally minimize taxes. It can take into account your views regarding future medical care; for example, it may state you have no wish to have your life sustained by a life support machine.
Estate planning may or may not involve tax planning. The single most important document associated with estate planning is a will.If you own property, there are basic questions which need to be answered upon your death. If these answers are not set out in the form of a will, then the courts have the right to decide what happens to your assets. The end result may well coincide with your wishes, but often it will not. The value of your estate will be substantially reduced, as professionals such as accountants and lawyers will argue as to what the law of succession means.
The exclusive right to represent is similar to the non-exclusive agreement except the buyer agrees to work exclusively with the agent or the broker. This means that the buyer cannot hire more than one broker or agent to represent him or her, that the commission is negotiable, that the buyer is not obligated to pay the commission if a third party like the seller pays for it, that the agent or broker can get a higher commission than the fee in the agreement if the seller wants to pay more and the amount is disclosed. The terms of an exclusive agreement can last from three months up to a year. If the buyer chooses to buy a property introduced by the agent, the buyer owes a commission to the agency. This agreement also allows the agent to negotiate with unrepresented sellers on the buyer’s behalf.
The non-exclusive buyer-broker agreement lists down the broker or the agent’s duties to the buyer, scope of duty, agency relationships, and the buyer’s obligations. It also provides for compensation and removes the buyer’s obligation to give a commission if the broker or agent is paid by a third party such as the seller. The buyer is allowed to buy a property through another agent or broker as long as this property was not introduced by the first broker. The buyer also has the right to single agency. Finally, the broker or the agent can get a commission higher than the negotiable fee in the agreement if the seller agrees to pay more and if the amount is disclosed.
If you’d like to understand how real estate agents earn a seller or buyer’s commission, you need to look at how agents get paid and how they share commissions. First of all, real estate agents work under a real estate broker. All fees that the real estate agent gets has to go through the broker. Only a broker can give a real estate commission and sign the listing agreement with the seller. New real estate agents usually receive only 30% or 40% of the total commission the broker gets. Other fees might be deducted like sign rentals, office expense, or advertising. Top agents might get 100% commission and only pay a desk fee to the broker.
Today, foreclosures are happening at an all-time high, and the mortgage crisis makes it even more difficult to obtain financing. With all this happening, people wonder when the best time to buy or sell a home is.
The truth is that the best time to buy or sell a home is whenever it’s right for you. It isn’t based on market factors like the number of credit worthy buyers or the number of houses for sale. The only thing that you should really consider is whether you have adequate finances to buy a home in the near future.
If you are unhappy with your home or cannot afford to keep it, then it might be the right time to sell. Whether or not you are downsizing or upsizing, don’t let the market dictate your timing. While considering your finances is very important, let your situation be the main factor for deciding to buy or sell.
Foreclosure occurs when a buyer cannot afford to make payments on his loan. When this happens, the property gets reposessed by the bank or the lender for the amount that could not be repaid. The lender becomes the owner of the bank but instead of keeping reposessed property, they put it on sale in the open market.
Even though real estate prices are starting to come down, homes in foreclosure are still 25% cheaper. Another thing you can do with forclosed homes is to buy it, fix it up, and re-sell it. This is called home-flipping and there is a lot of money to be made in it. However, lots of research on the home and the area need to be made before undertaking in any investment. You’ll need to figure out not only how much the home will cost, but how much renovation needs to be done.
To make sure you get the maximum value out of your house before you sell it, you need to treat your home as if it were any other consumer product. Here are some things you can do to put yourself in control of the selling process.
Walk through your home, look at it objectively, and see what needs improvement. Look for defects buyers might not like, such as stains, peeling paint, or cracks on the wall.
Fix any cracks in your tiles or walls and put on a new coat of paint - you’ll be amazed at what a dramatic change new paint can do. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms as buyers are very particular about them.
Depersonalize your home. Removing all personal effects will make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in your home.
Rearrange your furniture to make your house look bigger. The less clutter there is, the better everything will look.
When there’s a slow down in the market and a decline in home sales, anxious property sellers slash their prices just to make a sale. You probably don’t want to sell your property at a lower value, but if yo keep your price high your property won’t budge. Offering incentives is something that you can do to stay ahead of the competition and get the asking price you want.
Some incentives you can include are high-end appliances, free security systems, granite kitchen counters, an in-ground swimming pool and free pool maintenance, or a prepaid loan on a vehicle. If you don’t want to do this, you can also give financing incentives by buying down the interest rate for the potential buyer or offering your own financing program, which will give a lot of benefits to both you and your potential buyer.
If you’re a landlord, here’s a simple way you can earn a little more income from your tenants. If your tenant wants to buy new furniture, a plasma TV, or a new laptop, they’re probably going to charge it to their credit card or have the store finance the purchase with an interest rate. Why not offer to finance their purchase and collect the interest? For instance, one of your best tenants wants a TV that costs $1,000. They won’t be able to save up $1,000 but they can make payments slowly. Find out what TV they want, and try to negotiate a 10% discount before having it delivered to your tenant. Then charge your tenant $1,000 plus a processing fee, and have them sign a contract where they pay $50 a month for 24 months. This will earn you around 20%.
