Archive for December, 2010
Surprised Realtor
As a Realtor you never stop being surprised. Earlier this week for one of my clients I made an offer on a wonderful Sacramento area home. We have been looking for the perfect home during past several months. We finally found a house in their price range and met all of their needs. In today’s market where the numbers of sales are down and inventory is still high I was shocked by how the listing agent chose to deal with our offer.
After submitting the offer I got a call from the listing agent who informed me she was going to get a second offer but if my clients would like to make a full price offer she would accept my word and “take it to the church.” Who knows what the church has to do with it I thought it went to the bank? We were not going to get into a bidding war with a nonexistent second offer so we remained quiet and waited.
The deadline to for the sellers to respond came and went without any news. This morning I found a counter offer on my fax indicating they are in a multiple offer situation. Their counter is for more than the full asking price with an amount back to cover my buyers closing costs. In addition without any explanation or elaboration they added the sale is subject to the seller finding and closing on another home. In a multioffer situation I can understand countering back at full price to give both potential buyers a chance to make their best offer but am I crazy thinking making it subject to finding and closing on a new house too much especially without any information?
The point I want to make is not why the sellers made their counter offer but how it was handled by their agent and how it may impact the sale. In my opinion the sellers are not being represented well by their agent. When she tried the “strong arm” tactic my clients were annoyed. When she let the “respond by” deadline pass without any communication they moved to “mad.” Coming back with a counter over asking price and subject to the seller’s whims and desires moved them emotionally to another home. They will make another counter offer but it will not be what they may have done had we been treated better.
In addition based on my analysis of the subject house I am not sure it will appraise for the asking price and am sure it will NOT appraise for 8000 above that number. Second this house has been on the market for 60 days and the sellers want buyers to sit on their butts waiting for them to find and close on a new house before they are assured the sellers are moving forward…..I think not!
In every kind of market to maximize service as well as price or cost everything about a selling or buying a home must be done right. What surprises me is when the easy parts are not done right.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;MORE FREE INFO ON HOW TO LOCK IN YOUR PROPERTY VALUE
On all aspects of real estate and a free report on locking in your property value visit our website for a huge resource of articles features and downloads and at http://www.netplanet.org/index.html
St. Kitts And Nevis Real Estate
St. Kitts and Nevis are two unique islands in the Caribbean. They offer a tropical paradise that is lush and rich landscape with a South Pacific atmosphere. St. Kitts and Nevis real estate is popular among investors for its luxurious landscape.
Mount Liamuiga sits in the middle of St. Kitts. Mount Liamugia is a dormant volcano and lends itself to a lush tropical forest. Nevis too offers a tropical forest with vervet monkeys and breathtaking tropical flora. It is this fertile landscape and magnificent natural beauty that makes St. Kitts and Nevis real estate attractive to those who wish to live in the beauty of nature.
The “Secret Caribbean”
St. Kitts and Nevis are affectionately known as the Secret Caribbean. With its long stretches of white sandy beaches and colonial harbor towns that look like a picture postcard. The law states that no building on the islands may be built to be taller than the palm trees that so heavily populate them. This makes St. Kitts and Nevis real estate even more attractive to investors of real property.
Visitors and property owners enjoy the many outdoor activities which include fishing diving boating and snorkeling. They can hike through the lush green rain forests that populate the island. There are internationally ranked golf courses to take in a few rounds. Additionally there is an abundance of historical area which include fortresses that have been restored ancient petroglyphs and even haunted plantations.
Valid Property Transactions
Nonnationals who seek to purchase St. Kitts and Nevis real estate have certain authorizations that they must obtain in order for the transaction to be valid. An alien land holding license is required per the Alien Land Holding Regulation Act Cap. 102. There are two methods of transferring ownership of real estate and of showing ownership.
The Conveyancing and Law of Property Act requires that a search for more than 35 years be performed at the Registry of Deeds. This is a part of the British deed system. It comes from the colonial period. Under this system the property title can be transferred with a deed per the Conveyancing and Law of Property Act.
Another way to acquire St. Kitts and Nevis real estate is by certificate of title. Land surveying plans provide a basis for this certificate. It also requires entry in a title register. This is per the Title by Registration Act. This method however is not as secure because it does not prevent a third party from declaring a title that is better.
Real estate investments
St. Kitts and Nevis real estate requires a minimum investment of 350000 in order to qualify under the government’s economic citizenship program. There is no top limit on the price and there are many luxury properties available for those investors who have the money to spend. As with any foreign real estate investment it is wise to employ the aid of a knowledgeable real estate agent or company to help you navigate the governmental requirements.
About the writer: John Hicks lives in Los Angeles California. To find out more information on Los Angeles apartments for rent and Yuba City CA apartment search please visit www.caliapartments.net
Should A Landlord Include Cable TV And Internet As Part Of Their Rental Agreement?
One may believe that more services attract more renters. I use to believe that. To me I thought it would be more cost effective if I manage the Internet and cable for my renters since I knew how to get the best deal. Then I could increase the rent because I was providing Internet and Cable TV.
I was right in that I knew how to get the best deal but I was wrong in that it was more cost effective.
Cable and Internet is not an expense that is tax deductible! The Ontario provincial government does not allow you to claim this expense because they do not believe a rental property needs Cable and Internet. Hence although I pay taxes on the rent income I was not able to claim the expense of the Internet and Cable that my renter was using.
So what is the strategy?
Now if you are living with your tenant you could offer free Internet because really my renters seem to find Internet as a necessary part of life. In fact they claim immediately when the Internet is down. And I must fix it fast. The other option is to split the Internet and Cable bill as part of different expense which is not part of the rent.
I chose to just offer the Internet for free because it was just easier to maintain. However when I moved out of the house I did not provide them with the Internet or Cable service. They were on their own. Choosing to split the cable and Internet bill was just an additional maintenance that I didn’t care to waste my time on.
Depending on how open you want your target client to be offering free Internet and Cable would appeal to short term Tenants. Offering Cable and Internet does not appeal to longterm tenants because if they have intentions to stay there for a longer period then they wouldn’t mind making the effort to get the services that fit their needs.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Tom LoiDirector ofRentBin.ca Rent your Room