The Real Estate Guide

It is the job of a real estate appraiser to appraise the value of your home. Every feature and aspect of your home   plays   a part in its value. However, the value is different than the price. A real estate appraiser will find out what the market value of your home is. The market value isn't a set price, but it typically gives you a good range of what price your home can sell for. So how exactly does a real estate appraiser understand and compute the value of your home? There are many different methods for home valuation. Here are the   three most common methods   to appraise your home’s value. The sales comparison approach :   This is when the appraiser will compare your property’s characteristics with those of comparable properties that have recently sold and set the value accordingly. So this is essentially a market set value. The cost approach : W hen the buyer will not pay more for your property than it would cost to build an equivalent is cal...

When it comes to building wealth and ensuring your future financial security, there are some investments that are almost always in your best interest. Owning a vacation home and renting it out can be a cornerstone of your financial plan. Consider the following factors to see how a second property can help you meet your financial goals. Your Property Can Pay for Itself If the mortgage payment, taxes, utilities and cleaning costs add up to a thousand dollars a month, rent your property for $1500 and watch it pay for itself. Once the mortgage is paid off, the rental fees can be socked away for another property, other investments or your retirement fund. Diversity in Your Investments It's never a good idea to put all your financial eggs in one basket. Many people invest heavily in their primary residence and then panic if its value dips. By owning two properties, you can feel more confident that one of them is bound to rise in value or retain its value. This is especi...

No matter where you move, relocating is challenging. Although there is much involved in the process, remember the three most important things are selling your home, finding a good realtor, and buying a new home. Sell The first step to relocating is selling your current home. In order to do so, you should obtain a professional home appraisal so you can set an appropriate, yet competitive price that suits both you and the buyer. A home appraisal is an estimate of worth or an opinion of value that varies depending on several different factors. Some of those factors may include different property features, the surrounding neighborhood and community, the amenities that are available, and many more. Property features include things like the total square footage of the home, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the size of the kitchen, the number of garages, the overall condition of the home, the quality of landscaping, etc. Typically, a home that has more property features als...

The real estate market of Florida has seen many ups and downs over the last few decades. Huge development was made in the 60s-90s to help sustain huge population growths, while at the same time the Florida market was one of the hardest hit during the credit bubble collapse. Much of the state is still a bit sluggish, but Florida as a whole continues to recover. Area's in particular include the Brevard County regional area in Central Eastern Florida. Foreclosures for  Orlando Medical City & Cocoa Beach Homes  have been decreasing consistently, and one would expect home prices to increase dramatically in the near future. Here are a few reasons few reasons why you should expect the real estate market to improve in such a particular area. Seniors Things haven't changed much when it comes to planning out retirement. You finalize your 401(k), you make sure your loved ones are taken care of, and then you move to Florida. Retired seniors continue to seek housing in ...

If you expect to sell a home in the near future, there are many things you can do before you put your home on the market to help get you the offers you want more quickly. From fixing up trouble spots to hiring a professional, you can get a better price by making your home more attractive to buyers. The first step to make your home more appealing is to make it look bigger and more attractive. Buyers are always in the "would I live here" mindset, and no one wants to live in a dirty, cluttered or old looking house. Unless it's a cool looking old house . The easiest way to make you home look bigger is to clean up the messes and general "stuff". Cleaner houses appear to be bigger for some reason. Also, having proper lighting always makes rooms appear larger, more attractive and more inviting. Apply a fresh coat of paint or get carpets professionally cleaned before an open house, so buyers can see the house in the best condition possible. Increase curb appeal...

condominium (Photo credit: OiMax ) Canaries were often used by miners to detect dangerous gases because, being so small, the gases would overcome them quickly enough for alert miners to get out before they themselves were overcome. So it is with savvy real estate market watchers and condominiums. Condos are typically the first units affected in a real estate market because there is so much speculative activity - from both buyers and sellers - that they tend to move in larger swings and more quickly than the overall market. Takes a look at condos in representative markets across the nation to find if all is well or not. It is quite difficult as markets are widely different from one another. For example, real estate in Syracuse continues to do quite well. However, neighboring areas struggle, making the area as a whole struggle. Keeping in mind that most of the people interviewed are the professional optimists, the underlying theme here is that speculators are getting scared ou...

Image via CrunchBase I recently read an article that was published in the New York Times today about how more real estate interns that are working for no pay.  This is a topic up for discussion across many different fields of industry, but I had never heard it brought up with real estate interns.  You can read the full article here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/nyregion/unpaid-interns-enter-the-world-of-real-estate.html Let me know what you think of it.  Do you think real estate interns deserve some sort of compensation besides experience?  If so, what would it be? If no, how should they expect to pay their bills without going into extreme debt?  I'm trying to answer these questions myself!

Image via Wikipedia I'm always on the lookout for some interesting real estate industry news, interesting real estate advice, or any related stories that catch my eye.  If you find something as well that you think would be good to add to this list, let me know! Real Estate the "Down Under" Way Asian Investors Target London Real Estate Real Estate Stats Say Patriots Win the Super Bowl Commercial Mortgage Bankers Investing in Hopeful Real Estate

When looking through different real estate news sources, it is tough to sort through the clutter and decipher what stories, market predictions and real estate predictions are credible and respected.  I've gone through and made a list of the most respected and trusted real estate market news outlets for that very reason. CNN  - The real estate section in CNN Money offers reliable and up to date statistics from real estate markets across the world.  Realty Times  - Providing meticulous state-by-state market conditions reports that are updated fairly frequently. Reuters  - Great up to date information.  I do wish their website layout was a bit nicer. Wall Street Journal  - Offers real estate news and reports as well as a property search tool for home buyers. Realtor  - Strong focus on global real estate market conditions. If you think there should be another real estate news source on the list, I would love to hear your opinion....

Image via Wikipedia I was recently reading through some real estate articles that covered a topics in the local Oregon area and on a national and international scale.  I thought they were interesting, so I wanted to share them with the world! Let me know what you think of them, always love to hear any input! Oregon Coast A Buyers Market Foreclosures 15% of Oregon's Market Global Real Estate Market Expected to Reach $24.7 Trillion Maine's Real Estate Industry Slowly Recovering Local Real Estate Market Still Troubled