Real Estate: A Quick Look

How is real estate defined? In theory, it covers the entire land, property and everything that can be found on the property from natural resources to man-made structures.

Real estate categories

When we talk of real estate, it is usually in the context of housing or residential ownership. However, it covers more than family homes because it could also be applied to commercial and industrial assets like farm lands, vacation houses, headquarters, malls, and factory buildings.

How value is assessed

It is different from other types of investment because the market value directly depends on the quality of its location. Local issues like the area's economic standing, its crime rate, the quality of education and the cost of property tax are factors that directly affect the prices of a property. Throw in more issues like global and national recession, and you have very unpredictable market.

Investment real estate and real estate investment

Are the two the same? No. These two phrases are used in totally different contexts. Investment real estate is a type of property acquired for the purpose of generating income as an asset, not as a home for the family. When a buyer acquires land for the reason of building his financial portfolio, then it is investment real estate. However, when you say real estate investment, it covers every type of reason for buying property either for commercial or residential use. Thus, the house that you are paying mortgage is a real investment property. So is a vacation house in, say, Carmel, Indiana.

Understanding mortgage

When you say mortgage what comes to mind? For sure it's about paying the bank every month with a fixed amount until term ends or else foreclosure, is the image that will come to mind. Well, the picture is not off the mark. The reason why most buyers prefer to buy property through a loan is that a buyer just pays the value of the property in increment and not obliged to pay the whole amount upfront.

Factors that move the market value

The location of the property is the number one factor that determines the market value. Apart from demographics, the economy, government policies especially on tax and interest are aspects that matters for those who are planning to put money on realty.

A lucrative business

There is always a potential of earning millions if you get into this industry. However, to be successful in this business, you need to understand the process. Realty is more than just buying and selling land. There are lots of considerations to look at and rules to follow, if you want to be in this business. Mortgage, interest, and property tax are only dusts in the surface when talking about this industry.

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All Housing Is Local

Former House Speaker Tip O'Neil once said, "all politics is local." The same can be said for the housing market.

Despite some local markets being depressed, other cities see signs of growth and rebound. What's true of Las Vegas might certainly not be true of Northern Virginia. There are a number of factors that influence markets outside of national trends.

1. Comparative costs - Cost of living standards are fairly standardized across the country. Places like New York City might run approximately 200% more for housing, groceries, insurance, transportation, etc. There are a number of calculators online that can demonstrate comparative costs.

When a location is subject to an influence of buyers from a relatively higher market to a relatively lower market, comparison cost adjustment can be a significant influence towards a bullish market. One such example, is Blacksburg, Virginia, home to Virginia Tech. Many students that attend Virginia Tech come from relatively higher cost markets, such as Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. As such, $175,000 condos appear very reasonably priced when compared to condo's in their home markets that often sell for twice that amount. Radford University tends to parallel this as well.

2. Local economy - Nationally, the unemployment rate hovers around 8.5%. However, some local markets such as North Dakota is just 3.4%. Markets that tend to be more stable against economic slowdown's hold home prices better. As such, the New River Valley has major employers of Virginia Tech (steady and growing), Radford University (steady and growing), Moog (steady and growing), and number of other industries in healthcare, military, research, and technology that have significantly outperformed manufacturing, banking, transportation, and other areas.

3. Quality features - Homes that hold their resell value offer features that offer real value now and in the future. One of the hottest features in the market is energy efficiency, which is impart driven by local and state tax incentives, education, regulation, and "early adaptors." The Blacksburg community, in partnership with the Town and private enterprise, continues to lead in both lean and green initiatives. By doing so, they enhance the region's livability, attractiveness, and ultimately, market value of both homes for sale and the area's relative price index.

4. Location, location, location - The appeal of waterfront property, beach and/or resort communities, being part of the hippest downtown neighborhoods, or easy access to major commercial hubs, offers value that is more "economic resilient" than real estate without similar features. In the New River Valley, homes near Virginia Tech continue to see widespread appeal, as well as homes offered by the convenience of Christiansburg.

Today's consumers can use online vehicles to do much research themselves, including online MLS searches, and websites like Zillow and Trulia.

Long and Foster Realtors, Blacksburg

To Learn More, please visit http://www.HomesOfTheNRV.com

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Vancouver Real Estate Profits From Chinese Government Restrictions

A yearly trend, which sees large amounts of Chinese investor's coming to Canada to buy property has many Vancouver real estate experts bracing themselves for another busy Lunar New Year. This anticipation has been peaked of late because of heightened restrictions on Chinese property investment. With this brings high expectations that the first few months of 2012 will be injected with more activity in the local Vancouver housing market.

Research has shown that the Chinese continue to develop an insatiable appetite to live and purchase property in urban areas in and outside of China. China's National Bureau of Statistics revealed that for the first time, the number of city-dwellers outnumbered those in rural areas. The latest figures for 2011 show 51.3 percent of China's population live in urban areas.

Real Estate accounts for nearly 13 percent of China's booming economy and has had few signs of slowing down with growth estimated at 28 percent a year. This has lead to many economists to call for regulations stating that the numbers are unsustainable and are creating an unbalanced housing market.

The benefits of having a red hot real estate market, is that property prices have allowed for the government to spend exorbitant amounts of money. But as provinces and local municipalities sell land and use land for large loans, economist have raised concerns of an emerging debt crisis similar to that of the US and Europe.

In order to address these concerns, a series of new government restrictions including higher down payments and restrictions on multiple home ownership, has seen overall investment in property decrease. The slowing of the Chinese housing market has been in large part intentional, especially in the fastest growing urban property markets like in Shanghai and Beijing.

The cooling real estate market and a larger than expected drop in exports have been the two large influences on the slowdown of the Chinese economy. Investment in property in China fell to 12.3 percent in December from 20.1 percent in the month of November.

With large sums of capital and a thirst for investment opportunities, many Chinese investors have been turning their attention to the Vancouver real estate market. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported gains in the detached housing market in areas such as Richmond and Vancouver West upwards of 56.2 percent and 70.9 percent in the last three years. Both these areas and a growing number of surrounding markets are fuelled by the increasing number of foreign investors with large sums of capital.

Julia Lau, a Chinese real estate specialist at Sotheby's International Realty Canada believes that the efforts by the Chinese government to restrict home purchases in China are pushing investors to look abroad to places like Vancouver. And with Beijing and Shanghai's valuation on properties, Vancouver has been an attractive alternative.

Silver S. Kim HBA
RE/MAX Vancouver
http://silverskim.com
silverskim@remax.net

For expert advice on the Vancouver Real Estate market, please don't hesitate to visit my website or contact me directly at silverskim@remax.net

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Homes in Auburn - A 2012 Real Estate Market Forecast

Should buyers and sellers be excited about homes in Auburn in the year 2012?

What does the 2012 real estate market look like?

Based on the past performance of local real estate markets, 2012 is going to be an exciting year for buying and selling homes in Auburn and Lee County, Alabama. After years of steady growth and appreciating property values, Auburn homes and property values across the U.S. have dropped.

Despite these turbulent conditions in local and national realty markets, home sales are up, prices are down and the housing inventory is moving quickly.

Attractive prices for historic homes, suburban properties, condos and new constructions mean faster sales and a housing inventory that has dropped 7.5 percent. Today, and as we move further into 2012, there will be plenty of properties available so buyers can take advantage of competitive prices while enjoying a comprehensive selection of properties across the Auburn - Opelika AL area. Current statistics show there are more than 900 local properties with a median price of $149,000, which means many homes could be yours for less than $100k.

According to data from the Alabama Center of Real Estate (ACRE), an organization affiliated with the University of Alabama, the average sale price for homes in the Opelika - Auburn Area and Lee County dropped 15 percent during 2011, which means a three-bedroom house with top-notch amenities can be purchased today for $160,000 compared to the $177,000 a buyer would have paid for the same house a year earlier.

New Construction Homes in 2012

The pricing of new constructions homes in Auburn have seen a modest increase of 5.9 percent during the past year, which means 2012 will be a great time to purchase a new home or condo before the prices go up. One of the most exciting statistics is Auburn home sales have increased more than 24 percent over the past year. In fact, the ACRE reported that growth in the Auburn real estate market exceeded the state average where 64 percent of local markets experienced improved sales numbers.

Buying and Selling Homes in Auburn in 2012

As a current homeowner looking to sell, your chances of finding a buyer quickly are growing all the time. The year 2012 will be a great time to buy and sell homes in Auburn. Auburn real estate market forecasts and predictions from the statistical analysis provider Forecast-Chart estimate home prices may continue to fall over the next 12 months, which means now is the ideal time to list your home, trade up or secure your first property.

Viewing Homes in Auburn for Sale

Whether home values go up or down, some things will always stay the same here in beautiful Auburn, Alabama, like our top-rated schools, Auburn University and the historic downtown area. If you're buying, selling or relocating to this thriving college community for work, school or family, 2012 will provide you with a great window of opportunity. Use the online Auburn homes map search feature to search, save and share your favorite properties.

About Porter Properties

Porter Properties is a real estate company servicing buyers and sellers in the Auburn - Opelika AL area since 1975. They use technology to syndicate property listings for their sellers and offer an online map feature to search, save and share homes in Auburn AL for sale.

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Booming Florida Real Estate Market

The growth of the once sleepy little town of Naples, Florida has branded it the reputation of "The Palm Beach of Florida's West Coast." It's known for its luxury and elegance, offering such famous shopping stables that include:

• Fifth Avenue South
• The Village on Venetian Bay
• Third Street South
• Coastland Center
• The Waterside Shops

Naples showcases the finest in just about everything in several cultural categories, including The Philharmonic Center for the Arts, numerous restaurants, museums and art galleries, a litany of world-class golf courses, fresh and salt water sports, boating, tennis, the finest healthcare facilities and, of course, some of the best white sand beaches all of Florida has to offer.

Though Naples real estate prices have softened since the 2008 crisis that has had disastrous effects on the real estate market, prices across the board are very low in general. In 2005, a home in Naples valued at $500,000 was probably valued at $280,000 in 2010. However, in 2012, very positive signs have been gradually peaking through the black clouds looming over the housing market, even from years before 2012.

According to the Naples Area Board of Realtors, by the end of 2011, both pending sales and closed sales increased ten percent. Inventory decreased by nineteen percent. With inventory down, buyers are entering into bidding wars on bank foreclosure deals. New construction is also on the rise. Real estate development projects that were once on hold are actively under construction in places such as:

• Riverstone
• Lely Resort
• Estuary at Grey Oaks

New single and multi-family homes, condos and communities are popping up with styles that range from Old Southwest Florida to Mediterranean, which include such amenities as pools, tennis courts and fitness centers to make them more attractive to investors. This influx of new development and supply and demand is gradually moving prices up, slowly but surely. Indecisive and hesitant buyers, trying to predict the bottom of the Naples market, are missing golden opportunities to secure the "perfect" property at the "perfect" price. As the saying goes in this case; "you snooze, you lose."

Developers are also capitalizing on spectacular views with both waterfront and skyward properties, such as ultra contemporary towers at Cape Marco and Pelican Bay. Naples also continues its good reputation as the premiere golfing location in the country, with pristine sculpted championship courses that continue to dazzle golf-lovers, such as:

• Eagle Creek
• Lely Resort
• Grey Oaks
• Collier Reserve
• Wilderness Country Club

Consistently ranked as one of the top luxury areas in the country by prestigious magazines and newsletters, a gradual rebounding market, coupled with resident-friendly tax policies and competitive lease incentives all account for the recent surge in growth in Naples.

In a nutshell, Naples, Florida is not only a location that is a great place to visit and live, but a great place to settle-in as the real estate market makes its slow rebound to an eventual recovery. Keeping a balance between controlled growth and a cherished natural environment are issues that the community consensus revolves around, which adheres to the need of its residents and returning visitors.

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