Things to keep in mind while buying a timeshare

Timeshares, also known as fractional ownership, is something that has been around since the first extended family decided to save on the cost of their vacation by sharing the cost of renting a cottage or vacation property.

An important thing to decide is whether you need fixed or floating timeshare? Actually, it depends on your lifestyle and job. If you always take your vacation the same time every year, then a fixed week is the best bet for you. Families with children who like to take their vacations during school breaks are the typical consumers for fixed week timeshares. People with more flexibility in their scheduling and those who don't like being forced to schedule their vacation a year in advance will best benefit from the floating week timeshare.

If you decide to finance your timeshare, you also need to consider the added cost of interest, which can inflate your timeshare purchase by several thousand dollars if you are financing for 5-10 years. It is better to use cash for buying a timeshare, but if you do need to finance the purchase, try and minimize the cost by only financing for a couple of years.

Some things to watch out for in shopping for timeshares include being wary of prizes, especially prizes that ask that you only to pay the shipping and handling. Never pay for anything while you are just looking at timeshares. Purchasing a timeshare is not nearly the same as purchasing a house or even a condo. Some things are very similar but there are distinct differences that you need to be aware of, and you need to make sure that you have all the necessary details in front of you before you make any kind of decision.

Buy during a prime season - your timeshare will be worth more when you go to sell or exchange it. Never buy a timeshare on the spot. If it is a good deal, it will still be there tomorrow and the next day. It certainly will be there after you've had an opportunity to do a little research online.

There is something quite wonderful about a timeshare especially if you are able to trade or swap your week with someone who holds a timeshare somewhere else in the world. This can make your timeshare a real, lifelong bargain.

The point of having a timeshare is to have fun, not to be fretting about dirty carpets caused by other owners of your timeshare or leaking windows or any other unpleasant maintenance issue. You don’t want to have to worry about getting basic maintenance done. You want peace of mind knowing that the timeshare is well kept, the furnishings and carpets are clean and in good repair, and utilities such as cable television, phone and electricity are up to date. So you have to choose the other owners of your timeshare well.

Finally you have to know that there are plenty of scam artist on the Internet willing to take your money for a property they don't even own. Finding a timeshare deal is not hard but do your homework. Look at several websites on the Internet before making any decisions. Visit the resort you are interested in before buying a timeshare, new or used.

How to find good real estate broker

The value of hiring a real estate broker lies in the fact that they can assist you in the process of either buying or selling a house. A good broker would know how to get proper financing, prepare your home for inspection and help you until the closing date. Just make sure your broker represents your best interest as there are brokers who represent both the buyer and seller in a transaction.

The best sources of information on where to find a good real estate broker are your friends and family who recently bought or sold a home. Ask them to refer you to a broker who is easy to contact. A good indication of a dedicated broker is the one who returns your calls immediately. Do steer away from those who can’t seem to find the time to call you back, no matter how good their referrals are. Other sources of information are newspaper ads and the internet. Try to visit open houses in your neighborhoods, as this is also a converging place for agents and brokers.

Before establishing any formal business relationship, determine just how much your broker asks for commission. This is important as some brokers ask for fees when handling closing documents, apart from the agreed commission.

Always make sure that the broker’s personality fits your own, as you’ll expect to spend a lot of time with him during the whole buying or selling process. If you can establish faith and trust with your broker, then you know you have found a good one. A good broker should also make you feel important and treat your transaction as urgent. Logically, a full-time broker or agent is much preferable to one who just works part-time.

Scrutinize the training your broker had and whether he’s familiar with current trends, especially in using the internet. A technology-savvy broker indicates the willingness to stay on top of his profession.

If you are selling, determine how your broker will market your house and ask for written marketing plan. See to it that your broker will get your property featured in several listings. Also, ask your broker if he’s willing to offer a commission to the buyer’s agent, as there are buyer’s agent who only deal with seller’s agent willing to give them a commission. Needless to say, this would facilitate your transaction.

Avoid brokers who ask you to sign exclusivity contract for several months. This is only beneficial if manage to find a dedicated broker. The downside, of course, is when you find a broker who gives less-than-respectable performance. Try to ensure that you protect your interests at all times.

Lastly, never ever give your broker money up front. These professionals earn when your property gets sold, and not a minute less. When a broker tries to ask for any remuneration before any work gets done, it’s time for you to seek another one.

Getting started in tampa real estate investing

Tampa real estate investing is the best opportunity that you can have in order to be a millionaire entrepreneur. With the aid of proper education, knowledge, information, and training, you can be successful even if it is your first time.

With lots of options in Tampa real estate, you can definitely find motivated sellers that will give you fat check and can give you the best deal you want. But before that, you need to be packed with valuable information, tips, secret, advices, methods, strategies that can help you out in Tampa real estate investing.

There are plenty of ways in order to gain all of these and to be armed as you enter Tampa real estate investing. You can enroll yourself in university that offers real estate investing. You can read plenty of books about real estate investing. Checking out some websites that provides tips, strategies and testimonials of successful investors can be done to learn as well.

It is a good idea to find a mentor that can help you with the basics. Let others guide you first until it will come to the point that you can guide yourself. You can attend some seminars about real estate investing and sign up for real estate investor forums so you can interact with successful investors, indeed, you can learn through their experiences.

Yes, there are lots of ways to prepare in Tampa real estate investing. You need to be well-equipped as you enter this venture in order to see great results and not just waste your money with nothing.

Definitely, the main reason why you want to enter Tampa real estate investing is to earn lot of profits like those successful investors who gain millions in investing. But those successful investors educate themselves first before they enter this venture, so you need to learn first as well.

In entering with new venture, you have to start with a business plan that includes marketing, advertising, continuing education, and strategies.

As soon as you gain the proper education and training that you need, you can now go on and enter the market and look for properties that you want. Actually, there are lots of types of investing, so you need to decide which one you can do best and focus to that type, this can help you gain success.

Hiring real estate agent can help you will your quest, he/she can assist you in finding the property or properties that you want and he/she can also help you out in selling it, if this is the type of investing you want. But you have to make sure to hire the right real estate agent, the one that has the proper expertise and experience regarding Tampa real estate investing.

Your agent will assist and guide you with your Tampa real estate investing. Actually, this venture needs lot of work so you have to hire persons that can help you out to have the best deals. You have to look for persons that are familiar with Tampa real estate market.

Stopping foreclosure phase 2

Type in stop foreclosure on any search box on the web and you no doubt will query a string of articles that highlight ways you can negotiate with you lenders, restructure you loans, and usually get things worked out. In a perfect world this would always work, in fact in a perfect world you wouldn't have to worry about foreclosure at all.

But as we snap back to reality, those of you who have tried the tips and techniques discussed earlier may have realized that the world is anything but perfect. In my first article I discussed many ways to talk to your lenders, what to ask for and who to talk too. But where do you go after you run into a dead end with you lending institution? Well my friend, it's time to move to Phase 2. If you read my first article you should already be organized as discussed in "avoiding foreclosure phase 1." You should have also already have started putting aside twenty dollars a week for your "just in case" fund; but if you haven't start today!

A report by realtytrac. com stated that in 2005 approx. 846,982 properties when into some form of foreclosure. So I’m pretty sure your house doesn't need to be added to the list. Consider phase 2 the decision phase. I this phase there are some key decisions that Need to be made.

Where are you going to live? What are you going to do? What is the least amount you can take for your

Home.

The rules of engagement for this phase are pretty simple. Talk to your family or whoever is living with you and explain your situation; get input, get feedback then make your final decision. I said it would be simple not easy so if you have been keeping you situation a secret from someone who should know about it it's time to pay the piper.

Once you have had "THE TALK" it's time to shift focus back on stopping your foreclosure. In most cases the foreclosure process takes between 3-7 months but really depends on the laws of your state (which you should research) and the aggressiveness of you lending institution. That being said if you have spent the last month or so trying to come to an agreement with you lenders and the conversation ended with you still in the same situation, then it’s really time to get moving.

Lets me put it this way: if you make it to phase 2 from here on out you are focusing on selling your home by this time its either sell your home, or lay down and let your lender put you out, it's your choice. Since I never go without a fight I'll assume you don't either, so you need to decide what is the least amount you will take for your home. This isn't some pie in the sky number up with; it should be what you owe. That doesn't necessarily mean that this is what we are shooting for, but you need to have an exit strategy in place.

Also, you need to think about arrangements for where you are going to move, even if you never considered moving before, you should have an idea of where you can go after you aren't in your home anymore. Since Phase 2 last anywhere from 2-3 weeks now is the time to get aggressive with the saving you are going to need it, save as much as you can afford to.

Now, with that out of the way we'll move on to the next step

Organization

For those of you who read my first article on stopping foreclosure it's time to bring out your notebook. If you haven’t read my first article you can read the first phase of avoiding foreclosure on my website listed in the bio box at the end of this article.

Getting organized deals with collecting comparables because you need to find out what houses in your area are going for. This is easy to do, just jump in your car or take a walk around you neighborhood. You are looking for realtor signs and "For Sale" or

"FSBO" signs with literature about that particular home attached.

When you get back from your trip with the info you went after you are going to call local realtors in your area and ask them what homes in your area are going for. The realtor will usually have a list in the MLS that has the most recent homes sold in you area and what the selling price was.

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples here. If you have a one story three bedrooms with 1 1/2 baths make sure you find the selling prices of similar homes. FYI if the realtor that you call is any good he or she is going to ask a lot of questions. You don't have to tell them your situation but you do need to humor them a bit. And while you are at it have a little fun,” You deserve it."

After you have your comparables you are going to call your local penny saver and your local news paper. You are collecting classified advertising rates. Many times you local penny saver won’t charge you for listing instead the charge readers for the classifieds. One example of this is the Iwanna, the Iwanna is a local penny saver in my area and they don't charge one cent to

List.

Now that you have all your information, you are going to need to collect some supplies again if you read the first article I told you to save $20.00 a week for the first phase; this is why. Go to your local hardware store and buy 2-3 bundles of simple wooden ground stakes. You can find them at home Depot for about $6.00 a bundle.

Next you will go to an arts supply shop or even Wal-Mart and buy 10-20 sheets of the ugliest bright neon orange or yellow poster board you can find. These sheets should be 2'x3' or as close as you can get to it and should only cost around $2.00. If your wondering why the supplies? Well, they are for the for sale signs. (You didn't think we were going to let the bank

Take your home without a fight did you?)

The reason that you aren't buying those pre-made signs is because everyone is doing that, you want to look different and I have found that a simple homemade handwritten sign gets much better results when you’re trying to move a house fast.

Now it's time to automate because you already have enough to think about. This is another crucial step and shouldn't be avoided. You need to set up a dedicated 24hr hotline to take you incoming call all the details about the line and how to use it will be covered in Phase 3. Just know for now that you are going to need this to take messages for potential buyers when you aren't at home. You can find hotlines for less than 14 dollars all day long with a simple search on Google.

You are also going to want to have a way to display details about you home to shoppers. Since most Americans can't just stop working and many realtor won't touch this time of sale you have to be creative. A blend of a good classified ad with a FSBO website can really work wonders when it comes to collecting leads and scheduling showing times.

This opens up your options and will allow you to have more shoppers and buyers than you could reach otherwise. A service like this should only cost about $59-60 dollars for a 9 month listing. The ideal FSBO website allows shoppers to contact you via email and give you the ability to post pictures of your home on the website. This gives a shopper a better feel for the home than a classified ad would alone. Some FSBO websites actually generate an I. D. number so your buyer can pull up your listing.

Now that you have a list of the tools you need get shopping you should not have to spend more then $200.00 If you think you can't afford it, buy less ground stakes just don't skimp on the Hotline or FSBO website.

In the next article we will put it all together structuring a sale that might even make you some money.

James is the webmaster of two great resources that his readers use to help them stop foreclosure and sell their homes faster

Down payment gifts

One of the biggest hurdles to getting into your first home is the down payment. Down payment gifts represent one way of dealing with this issue.

Down Payment Gifts

Down payments can be one of the hardest things to overcome for first time homebuyers. Down payments can be extremely expensive, but the problem is they are extremely important. Although no down payment mortgage loans can be sought out, those loans are tricky and generally carry high interest rates meaning many avoid them. However, first time home buyers still need a way to be able to meet the down payment so they can proceed with purchasing their home. One of the forms of assistance that can be found to achieve this is down payment gifts.

Many organizations offer down payment gift options to home buyers. Also called a down payment grant program, down payment gift programs are offered by many organizations which essentially allow sellers of homes to help buyers with the down payment so they can sell the home to the buyer. You see, technically, sellers are not allowed to help with the down payment costs of buyers. However, through these down payment gift programs, sellers can go through a third party organization and the organization will handle the down payments and charge a small fee for doing this process. This is completely legal and there are no problems with doing this.

However, there are some things to know. The home buyer must qualify for a loan that allows gift funds. The funds provided can be used for down payments and/or closing costs. These funds can be used for new or existing homes, and any funds not used must be returned to the organization.

Down payment gift programs are just one way to help encourage new buyers to go through with their objective to buy their very own home. Buying a home can be expensive and extremely difficult, especially for new buyers, and down payment gift options are just one way to help make the process a little bit easier and more manageable.

Gated communities a safe bet

Many of the new property developments on Coast Rica's beautiful "Gold Coast" are gated communities. These are an ideal choice for investment, especially if you aren't planning on living in your property all year round.

Owning land in absentia can pose some unique issues in Costa Rica, where squatter laws give an individual some rights to land if the legitimate owner has allowed them to reside there for over a year. This doesn't mean that you've given them consent to live on your land – it simply means that you haven't kicked them off. Squatters look for uninhabited land and set up residence, sometimes planting a few crops, and hope to remain undiscovered long enough to make a claim.

There are many ways to avoid this headache – you can have someone local check on your property, employ a caretaker (and keep good records so that they can't claim squatter status), or visit your property every three months. If squatters are discovered within 90 days the police are required to remove them from your property. To have them removed after a year, the legal landowner must go through a lawsuit which is an expense (and headache) that most people would rather avoid, and in some cases they could even lose ownership of their land.

An easy way to avoid this is to buy property in a gated community. This option ensures that your home is watched when you are not in town as well as having additional benefits. Gated communities are generally a more secure option than striking out alone, especially in areas that are big tourist destinations. Costa Rica is a very safe country: violent crime rates are much lower here than in other countries but petty offenses such as theft and property crime are not uncommon, especially in traveler-dense areas. Many condo developments and gated communities offer an entry system and private security included in the residents' fees, and your neighbors offer many sets of eyes to keep watch over your place.

Most of these developments offer infrastructure that is well above the national average, with underground electricity, great roads and community areas, and some even offer their own water systems and shopping areas.

The other advantage of owning in a gated community is that you can easily enter a property management arrangement, turning your empty home into a money making venture that pays for itself when you aren't around. The Guanacaste area has become an increasingly popular resort destination because of its warm weather, amazing beaches and general beauty. There's no doubt that a smart investment in this area will pay dividends and gated communities are a safe bet!

Best house color to sell

Love at first sight is a concept that applies to the real estate market. So, what is the best house color to sell your home to a love struck buyer?

Best House Color to Sell

When you go to social events, do you make an effort to snazzy yourself up? Of course you do. The simply fact is attraction is a key factor in forming relationships and the same applies to your house. When you put the house on the market, you need to make it look good for the dates with potential buyers. The color of your house can make all the difference.

First, there is no absolutely correct answer to the best color. Instead, the decision depends on the makeup of your home and the surrounding landscape. Let’s take a look at some issues:

1. Whatever color you choose, make sure it doesn’t clash with the other homes in the neighborhood. An otherwise appropriate color could end up making your house an eye-sore.

2. The Roof. What color is the roof on your home? If it is a red tile roof, off-whites are probably going to be the best choice. Dark green will not. Unless you are going to invest money in a new roof, make sure the paint color doesn’t clash with it.

3. Highlights. If there is a particular part of your house that should be emphasized, used light colored paint around it to draw attention.

4. Hide It! Conversely, if there are parts of the house that are mundane, use darker colors to draw attention away from them.

5. On large flat surfaces, such as the side of a garage, keep in mind the color you choose will have a washed out appearance.

Now we get to the fun part. After considering the above issues, make a preliminary list of colors and buy small cans of each color. In a private area of the house, start applying samples strokes a couple feet long and a foot or so wide. Try to paint examples in both shaded areas and those exposed to the sun.

Do not immediately judge the results of your experiments. Instead, wait a few hours for the paint to dry and then start comparing. Dry paint takes on a very different appearance than wet paint.

Once the paint is dry, take a long look at each sample. You will typically find the colors look much different than you thought they would. You may find one color is perfect or you may find something a little different would be best. Either way, you’ll have come up with the best house color to sell your home.

Your las vegas mortgage prequalification letter

Congratulations on your decision to move to Las Vegas! Once simply a quiet casino outpost, Las Vegas has been transformed into a thriving entertainment mecca and remains one of the fastest growing cities in America. If you are planning to purchase property in Las Vegas, you can expedite the process by having your mortgage prequalification letter in hand before you begin looking for a home. Read on and we shall see why this all important step can ease your home buying experience.

A Las Vegas mortgage prequalification letter is issued by a mortgage company to let you know exactly how much of a home you can purchase. It tells sellers and real estate agents the following about you:

You are ready to buy.

You are qualified to purchase a home within a specific price range.

You are a good customer.

Indeed, a seller is more likely to consider you as a purchaser if you have already obtained this all important letter. When multiple bids are being tendered, the seller will consider those offers backed by a prequalification letter first.

Don’t let your Las Vegas dream home slip through your fingers just because you forgot this important step. Get qualified for a Las Vegas mortgage today to show everyone that you are a serious homebuyer.

Service for life newsletter may 2008

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The guide to subdivide

People find many creative ways to leverage a profit on real estate. One possible way to turn a profit on a purchased property is to subdivide. Subdividing your property can allow you to keep your home, by reducing your lot size and selling it off. The process to obtain a permit to subdivide may not be an easy or quick one, but if you're armed with the right information and follow your application methodically, it's certainly a possible and potentially profitable option.

First off, it's important to note that each municipality will have their own unique application process for subdivision. This article details the most common steps in the subdivision process, although the process may differ from state to state, or town to town.

If you're looking into purchasing a property that you'll subdivide down the line, do some investigating before hand. You'll need to look at a survey of the land in question and look into the municipality's subdivision requirements. The property your looking at subdividing will have to satisfy certain minimum lot requirements according to your municipality's application. Take note, that different areas of the same town may have different minimum lot requirements. Doing such an investigation can not guarantee that you'll be successful with a subdivision application on a given property, but it can give you an idea as to whether or not subdivision may be possible.

If you're looking into subdividing a property you already own, you'll want to start with cross comparing your local subdivision requirements with a survey of your property. If by dividing your lot into two, both sections satisfy the minimum lot requirements, you're on the right track. If this is not the case, check into minimum lot requirements for differently zoned areas in your town. If there's a zone in which you can satisfy the minimum lot requirements, you might consider applying for re-zoning as a first step towards subdividing.

If the zoning code permits your lot, the next step is to check for any subdivision ordinances that may make it impossible for you to do so. These ordinances, for example, may require a particular amount of frontage onto city streets. In some cases, new streets and utilities will have to be installed prior to the sale of a lot within the new subdivision. If you qualify under zoning and subdivision ordinances you can then move onto the next steps.

If you've jumped through the above hoops and still seem to be standing, the next step, typically, will be to hire a land surveyor who'll draw up a plan of the prospective lot. If you talk with your local building and zoning department you'll be able to get a good reference and sort out how much the process will cost.

This plan will then go to the city, who may require numerous amendments to your original plan. Likewise, they may not approve it. It's often recommended that you talk with a local attorney who handles zoning and land use matters, to help you through this process.

Another aspect to consider before subdividing is how you plan on making your profit. When you subdivide, your property will be considered two parcels. If you sell the land you're currently living on, you're selling a primary residence and so are eligible to keep up to $250,000 in profits from the sale, tax free. On the other hand, if you're selling the lot that you do not live in, this is treated as an investment property, and you'll be taxed appropriately on it-- 15 percent capital gains, plus whatever your state charges for capital gains tax.

One way to avoid the capital gains tax is through the 1031 tax free exchange, or like-kind exchange. To defer taxes on the sale of this property, you must purchase a different investment property for at least the same price as the property you are selling. You'll need to meet specific deadlines and have a third party intermediary hold the revenue from your property in escrow while you find a replacement property.

In the case of subdivision applications it's truly best to follow every step with precision and accuracy if you want to be successful. This may cost you up front, but you'll be rewarded in the long run.