Everyone wants their roofs to look terrific as well as be durable and unaffected by constant weather changes. Go to any retail store and ask for a shingle in any color, size or shape and you will get it in the form of a composite shingles. For example you can go for the conventional and standard three tab shingles or the composite slate like shingle. The latest on offering is the woody shake like shingles that is in great demand for houses as well as offices. The modern manufacturing techniques have made the looks of composite roof shingles exact replicas of the traditional shingles. In fact unless you are an expert or the manufacturer yourself, you won’t be able to notice any difference between the two.
Popularity of Composite Roof Shingles
Another reason for the huge demand and popularity of composite shingles is because of their high durability. They last much longer than conventionally used materials. Composite shingles have generally a warranty term of about 30 to 50 years. Whereas the traditional shingles have a life span of anywhere between 15 to a maximum of twenty years. Some manufacturers have such trust on their composite shingles that they even profess a lifelong warranty. This is quite an impressive statement given that roof shingles are exposed to such extreme treatment on your roof top. So you can well imagine the quality of products yourself.
As an additional incentive, some companies are manufacturing composite shingles that have a special additive that makes it resistant to mold growth and algae. This feature of shingles can be especially handy if you are living in a place that has a humid climate or experience a lot of rainfalls. This is a definite deal maker. Thus we can conclude that if you are building your new home or need to install a new roof than your greatest and obvious choice should be composite roof shingles.
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Moving home is becoming once again a normal thing, as the green shoots of recovery start to surface and the housing market starts to pick up.Tension and strain are part and parcel of moving home or office, moving is forever hard work and you will nearly invariably forget things.there are different removals services that home removals companies will be able to offer you, but you need to decide which one you need to use.Not only do you have to choose the type of removals service that you want but also the right removals company to deal with your move. removals companies are pretty easy to find, use the internet and you’ll find hundred of websites dedicated to removals. Removals companies will make your move a lot simpler and save you some time as well. using a removals service which can provide everything you could need will save you yet more time, other things you may require are packaging materials and storehouse choices.Whether you move once in your life or ten times every move will be unique and all specific to themselves, so don’t assume you know everything about moving, leave it to the experts. It’s also good to shop around as it is likely that you will find a cheaper quote than the first quote you get. I hope this article will help make your move less stressful when or in fact if you ever decide to move.
Many Europeans now embrace the concept of purchasing a home in a different country. With a drop in the cost of air fares, interest rates in Europe becoming lower, and the property itself offering capital growth, countries like Spain have become more tempting to prospective buyers. Spain has a quick flight time and a great climate, and much possible prosperity. Although buying property in Spain has received a bad rap, you can get a great deal if you follow a few underlying guidelines. Here is your basic buyers guide for purchasing real estate in Spain:
- Arrange your finances first.
Use an expert in Spanish mortgages to help you.
- Before you sign any binding contracts, seek expert legal advice.
- Take care not to reach beyond your financial limits.
- Be prepared for time deadlines to be extended.
- Wait until you have the funding in place before committing yourself to a private purchase contract.
- Be prepared for the Spanish purchase procedure, which is different in Spain than in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
- Make sure you completely comprehend how taxes are incurred depending on the type of ownership status you choose If you don?t seek expertadvice
Prior to deciding to buy, you should get answers to a list of vital questions from your attorney in Spain. There have been a lot of situations where buyers from abroad do not get the results they seek because they either asked the wrong questions or did not ask questions at all before hand. Before signing on the dotted line you should get answers to some of the following:
- Is the site where the property is located listed as urban or rustic? What might happen when purchasing rustic land?
- What costs will need to be taken into account, such as typical attorney’s fees and taxes?
- Are licenses already in place, for instance property contracts or first liens of residency?
- If the building is less than ten years old, is there a 10year building warranty in place?
- Is this purchase being bought direct or as part of a cessation of contract?
- In this specific purchase, will any be under declaration?
- Will further costs be incurred by you such as capital gains, inheritance, income or other taxes?
- Do you need to pay any extra deposits? At what point in the procedure are they considered nonrefundable?
- What other attorney fees and additional legal expenses will be incurred?
Home Inspection Software IQ6000 was developed out of with much immense frustration as I was taking advantage the countless old school house inspection software platforms and with over 25 years of heavy experience performing home inspections, drawing from my experiences, I have developed IQ6000. Home inspection software IQ6000 was made to be super simple to figure out and use. You will be able to learn home inspection software IQ6000 after watching one hour of our instructional videos, and be able to do a full inspection. If you experience or have questions or problems, simply e-mail me and we will provide assistance to you with the home inspection software. Atlanta Home inspection and house inspection services. If you are deciding to purchase a home in the Atlanta area, an important consideration is to decide on the correct Atlanta Home Inspection firm to help you with one of the most involved financial investments and emotional buying decisions you will ever make. Because of our morals, great Atlanta home inspection experience and our unequaled customer service will easily convince you that you have decided correctly. SC home inspector firm ACE home inspection offer home buyers from South Carolina with an independent, objective account of the status of your new dwelling. Our sc home inspection addresses all sections of worry of your house - structure, roof, exterior, grounds, fixtures, doors, appliances, heating and cooling systems, plumb ling and electrical systems, windows, as well as crawl space and the attic. ACE inspectors typically take field notes and photos and use these to talk about results with everyone interested; your sc home inspection will usually take approximately 2 -3 hours. Your written home inspection report is served by email prior to 9am the following day. Follow up questions and discussions are totally welcome. Repair South Carolina home inspections are also available.
It seems more and more that technology and the Internet are going to be the future of real estate sales. In Canada one-third of the people are online. This means approximately ten million Canadians, give or take a few. It is projected that by the end of the decade this number will reach one-half of the population, if not more. Pressure is already mounting, in fact, for real estate transactions to take place entirely online.
To be sure, buying and selling a home remains a complex process, with clients needing someone to guide them through the transaction and protect their negotiating positions as well as to provide knowledge of neighbourhoods, future development plans, taxes, zoning, transportation, schools and community services. But more and more baby boomers increasingly like the convenience afforded by online browsing, and today’s children are going to become tomorrow’s real estate consumers. There is no doubt in the minds of industry analysts, that electronic real estate transactions - or ‘e-transactions’ - will become common practice in just a few years.
But exactly what is an e-transaction? It is an electronic sale that includes all the contracts and ancillary documents, and it is done entirely online. Everyone, including sellers, agents, buyers, mortgage lenders, notaries and lawyers will complete their part of the transaction online. The banking industry, for example, has adopted already the online approach with mortgage applications being received by individual branches and the final approval coming from ‘downtown’ . And it is becoming more and more common practice for appraisers to prepare their reports online, without the customary tour of the property being bought and sold.
Electronic signatures are key to e-transactions and here in British Columbia the Government has paved the way by passing the Electronic Transaction Act. Under section 11(1) the legislation states: “If there is a requirement under law for the signature of a person, that requirement is satisfied by an electronic signature“. The legislation is taylored to encourage, wherever practical, the acceptance in law of the use of electronic records in circumstances where non-electronic records are used. This includes Contracts of Purchase and Sale with electronic signatures.
Luigi Frascati
Luigi Frascati is a Real Estate Agent based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics and maintains a weblog entitled the Real Estate Chronicle at http://wwwrealestatechronicle.blogspot.com where you can find the full collection of his articles. Luigi is associated with the Sutton Group, the largest real estate organization in Canada, and is based with Sutton-Centre Realty in Burnaby, BC.
Luigi is very proud to be an EzineArticles Platinum Expert Author. Your rating at the footer of this Article is very much appreciated. Thank you.
If you are investing in real estate you will face a variety of challenges. First you have to find the right property. Finding the right property is a combination of personal preferences and opportunities involved in a real estate deal. My most important real estate investment principle is; “You make money with real estate when you buy the property not when you sell it”. This means that I wouldn’t touch a rehab property where the purchase price is not below 65%-70% of the market value.
Why do you need such a low price to make it work? This is quite simple. A common guideline among investors is that you must make at least $10,000 to make it worthwhile. Remember you’re an investor and not a handyman. Rehab projects last typically 4-6 months, sometimes even longer. You don’t want to end up making minimum wage as a handyman after the project is done. Quite frankly this is not uncommon for first time investors.
Real estate investment is all about numbers. If the numbers are right you must make every mistake in the book to turn your project into a financial disaster. That’s why you must buy the property as cheap as possible. Selling the property is your least problem. First you have to put together a budget. Here’s a little example.
Property A is located in a decent neighborhood with average home resale values of $150,000. That’s what our property will appraise after the repairs are done. We also take out a hard money loan with 4 points and 12% (interest only) for 100% of the purchase price. We calculate that the property will sell for $150,000 in 6 months. There are about $10,000 in repairs you have to take care of.
Property A
Purchase Price $100,000
Purchase Closing Cost $8,000 (fees + 4 points)
Holding Cost $6,000 (6 months of interest)
Repair Cost $10,000
Insurance, Utilities $2,000 (you need a vacant property insurance which is more expensive)
Selling Closing Cost $13,000 (6% realtor fee of $150,000 + closing cost)
Total $139,000
Selling Price $150,000
Expenses -$139,000
Total Profit $11,000
This is just a very simple example, but I hope you get the picture. Keeping track of the numbers is essential in real estate investment. In the example above just imagine what happens if you spend more money for the repairs or you have to sell the property for less money. Even worst if you can’t sell the property within 6 months and after 9 months you sell it for less money. Not only did you loose on the selling price you had 3 months of interest piling up as well.
When you’re investing in rehab properties you have to have an exit strategy. My exit strategy is, to rent the house and refinance the hard money loan if I can’t sell the property after 6 months for the price I’m asking for. This will cover my monthly expenses and I have more time to sell the property when the market is better. Actually converting a rehab property into a rental can be a very profitable choice of real estate investment. Friends of mine are doing quite well with this strategy.
Bottom-line; crunch the numbers, make a budget, keep track of your expenses and have an exit strategy. Having this in place you’re good to go.
Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner.
Learn more about real estate investments at http://www.doblerproperties.com or send a blank email to mailto:suncoastrenttoown@getresponse.com
The art of flipping property may seem like the road to quick
riches, but it’s anything other than that for the majority of
investors. Only a small percentage of people who buy real estate
to flip it actually make a quick profit, according to a new
survey.
Flipping property is the business of buying real estate, making
repairs to it or playing a rapidly appreciating real estate
market to make a quick profit.
Flipping real estate may be part art, part business. But in a
survey of 500 of the Nation’s wealthiest real estate investors
only 10.4% made a profit. The survey was conducted by Real
Estate Add, an information driven real estate website.
Nearly half of all investors surveyed ended up holding on to
their property for more than a year after the original purchase.
Some 52% said they broke even and had to hold on to the property
for much longer than they originally intended. The remaining
nearly 38% suffered a loss.
Rick and Mary Coughlin of Santa Rosa, California purchased a
3-bedroom, two-bath home, which needed repairs. The Coughlins
went about getting contractors estimates for the work before
purchasing the home. Estimates ranged from $18,000 to $31,000.
The Coughlins purchased the home, which was built in the
mid-1970’s, budgeting $40,000 for the work with the idea that
they would do a lot of the repairs themselves. However, they
encountered problems when they opened up one of the bathroom
floors to find dry-rot that far exceeded their expectations.
The couple did most of the work to the home themselves, but
still retained a contractor to do some of the repairs, including
the bathroom, kitchen floor, kitchen counters and replacing a
wall in the livingroom.
“We had made pretty good money flipping property up until that
home,” said Rick. “But the profits on five other homes were
going down the drain on this one. It took us five months and
three contractors to get the job done, and then by the time we
sold it the place was eating us alive.”
The Coughlins had a mortgage with taxes and insurance on the
home of nearly $2,900 a month. Mary would paint the inside
evenings after work. Rick spent evenings and mornings at the
place between work hours. The stress of turning a profit on the
home seemed near impossible.
The Coughlins were successful flipping five homes before this
one, making nearly $300,000 in profit over three years. But this
home turned into a nightmare. One of the bedroom floors caved in
when Mary was moving furniture and had to be replaced by a
contractor at a cost of $17,423.00, including walls that needed
to be replaced as a result of damage to the room.
The bathroom turned into a $21,000.00 project and the Coughlin’s
luck seemed to have run out. Including contractors fees and
building supplies, the Coughlins spent $107,000. Once they sold
the house seven months after buying it in a hot California real
estate market the Coughlin’s were pleased to be free of the
mortgage.
After all expenses and payments the Coughlins figure they were
lucky, spending $131.000.00. This was their sixth flip so they
had experienced success before and they were banking on these
funds to help pay off a second mortgage on their primary
residence. Instead, the Coughlins suffered a loss of nearly
$90,000. The home sold for $624,000.
Nearly a year after the sale on the home, Rick said that was his
last flip. “You don’t realize how risky it is until you hit the
wrong house,” he said. “We were lucky to sell that place.”
The Coughlins are typical of real estate investors who take the
risk to quick riches. Rick and his wife have since bought a
rental home they intend to hold on to for at least 10 years to
make a substantial long term profit. Overtime pay has helped
them to pay-off the second on their principal residence.
Rick’s best advice to others considering a flip is to purchase
property in an area where the prices are lower and hold on to “a
lot of the cash.”
We all see them every day, those ads for 4 point this or 5 point
that interest rates. Unfortunately many, probably most Americans
would not qualify for these. Mostly they are for people with
perfect credit or just teasers to just get you in the door. Have
you paid any attention to the fine print in the ad? Well for
starters, it’s so small that no one could possibly read them.
Even it the print was large enough to read, they only show it
for a few seconds so you could never read it.
The bottom line is you would need a credit score of 700 or
higher and an LTV of 80% or less. You also need to go “full doc”
with W2s, pay-stubs or tax returns if you’re self-employed,
proving sufficient income.
And those super low closing costs, that’s just another ploy.
There are no free lunches. No matter how you cut it, you pay
these costs either directly or through a higher rate.
So what really determines your interest rate? Well, it’s all
about perceived risk by the lender. There are several risk
factors.
1) Your LTV (Loan to Value) - The higher the LTV, the higher the
rate. The lower the LTV, the lower the rate, up to a point - say
around 70%. Below this LTV, your rate may not change at all.
2) Your Credit Score - It’s the middle score of the three
bureaus. The lower the score, the higher the rate will be.
3) Your Rent or Mortgage Payment History - While a few sub-prime
lenders don’t check this, most do. The more “lates” (30 days
late) you have, the higher the rate, and mortgage “lates” of 120
days are treated as a foreclosure even if it wasn’t technically
foreclosed on. Remember the golden rule.
4) The Period the rate is fixed - The longer the rate is fixed,
i.e. 30 years vs. a 2 year ARM, the higher the rate.
5) Rural Property - Some lenders reduce the LTV allowed if the
property is rural, however some will raise the rate.
6) Loan size - Every lender has a minimum loan size. Most are
$50,000 although some will go lower. They really don’t like
small loans as they are just as time consuming and they make
less money on them. As a result, they add on to the rate so the
payment on a $75,000 loan may be less than the payment on a
$74,000 loan.
That’s about it for interest rate factors except to say all
lenders have what may seem as quirky rules. So you may get
“dinged” for some off the wall credit blip, but these are the
exception and not the rule. A good broker should know these.
They should also know if your loan is right for a particular
lender to be sure you get the best rate with the least amount of
problems. Lenders have “sweet spots” just like athletes. The
more you fall outside their normal loan type, the more problems
you will have. I have seen brokers try to push a loan through
their favorite lender as they have the best rates and after a
long delay, the rate is no better due to various “add-ons”.
Worse yet, the process drags on and you get turned down and
loose the home to another buyer. Don’t be shy. Quiz the broker
about how he selects a lender so this doesn’t happen to you.
When looking at investments for long-term capital growth potential, investments in UK land have returned stunning rates of growth coupled with low risk.
Overall prices (farmland) have increased by up to 30% in the last 12 months and 130% since the early 1990s with an average 920% growth in the last 20 years.
An Attractive Alternative Investment
When looking at investments for long-term capital growth most investors consider mutual funds, investment trusts, stocks, equities, and hedge funds. However, the fact is that land has shown better average growth with less downside volatility. This makes land a solid investment for the conservative risk conscious investor.
Once the preserve of large institutional investors, this exciting market is now open to smaller investors.
Why Land Has Such Great Potential
When looking at investments for long-term capital growth potential, we need to look at the supply and demand equation.
Land has all the ingredients for demand to exceed supply and see land prices climb higher in the coming years.
The Case for UK Land
When looking at investments for long-term capital growth potential, it is clear that of all the countries in the world to invest in land, the UK is one of the most attractive for the following reasons:
1. Rapid Population Growth - The population of the UK in 1981 was 56.2 million. In 2001, the population had increased by about 2.6 million to 58.8 million inhabitants.
2. Immigration - In terms of immigration, there is the granting of entry to the UK, of over 170,000 people per year. This constitutes over 60% of the annual population growth. Therefore, at current rates of growth the UK can expect to see at least an additional 3.4 million inhabitants within the next 20 years.
3. Social Trends - There is also a rising divorce rate in the UK. In 1980 and there were approximately 148,500 divorces throughout the UK In 2000 this figure climbed to nearly 200,000, an increase of over 30%. Furthermore, more people are staying single by choice and getting married later in life.
A recent treasury report stated that: In the next 17 years, with the rising population and increased lack of affordable housing, the UK will need another 1.5 million homes with 300,000 required in and around London alone.
Essentially, this means that there is a need for massive scale housing development in the UK at present and for the near future.
This will see land remain one of the most attractive investments for long term capital growth.
The Demand for UK Land
The building of much of this housing is to be on brown field sites, or redeveloped areas, this land is in short supply and is expensive to purchase and develop.
The priority to build new housing will necessitate the reclassification and development of green belt land throughout Britain.
Land Banking - The Key to Long Term Capital Growth
Land banking simply involves the acquisition of land, which does not enjoy planning consent, in advance of expanding urbanization. When urban expansion occurs the land rises in value with the granting of planning consent.
The way to make big capital gains in land banking involves buying land in specific areas, in the hope of future development.
With the granting of planning permission, a significant capital gain is possible.
Land Investments for Long Term Capital Growth
Good past performance with low risk and the prospect of good future capital growth, makes investing in land for longer term growth an attractive option for all investors.
To learn more about investing in UK land and other low risk high return land investments please visit our web site: http://www.lpgroupinternational.com
Finding a cheap home improvement loan can be a challenge at times, but the extra work involved can pay off by saving you money in the long run.
Taking the time to get extra quotes, do a bit more research, and finding the best people to work on your home improvements is always a good idea… and if it results in a cheap home improvement loan, all the better!
How home improvement loans work
The first step to finding a cheap home improvement loan is to know exactly how it is that home improvement loans work.
The key to this kind of loan is a thing called “equity”… basically, it’s the portion of your house or property that’s already paid for (in other words, how much of the home loan you’ve paid off), and is an indication of how much money you have invested in your house.
The more equity you have, the more a bank or other lender will be willing to loan to you… and the more they’d be willing to loan to you, the more likely you are to be able to get a cheap home improvement loan.
Equity versus need
One of the quickest ways to drive interest rates down and secure a cheap home improvement loan is to have a lot more equity available than the amount that you’re asking for.
When you take out a loan of this type, the equity in your house or real estate serves as collateral for the loan… and when the value of your collateral is a lot higher than the amount that you want to borrow there’s a good chance that the lender will offer you a lower interest rate as a result. After all, there’s a much lower risk of you defaulting on the loan if you have a lot more to lose than the amount of the loan.
This lowered risk is one of the best things that can happen if you’re looking for a cheap home improvement loan; after all, lowered interest rates mean less money that you have to pay in the long run.
Shop around
Don’t accept the first offer that you get for a cheap home improvement loan, however.
Take the time to shop around and get at least 2 or 3 offers, if not more… then compare the interest rates and loan terms of each offer to decide which one is the best deal.
A cheap home improvement loan can take time to find, but they do exist; it’s just a matter of knowing where to look, and knowing when to keep looking. After all, it’s your money and your equity… you shouldn’t spend any more of it than you have to.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
About The Author
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.
