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Caution: You're About To Enter An Affordable Housing Zone
Inclusionary zoning ordinances and density bonuses—also known as "below market rate" (BMR) housing programs—can negatively impact the community. These affordable housing programs reward developers who earmark a percentage of new homes or condos for those ...
Denver Real Estate Remains The Most Commonly Searched City!
According to data from Yahoo.com, "Denver Real Estate" was the second most commonly searched real estate term in the month of October, 2005 (second only to "Florida real estate"). When you factor in that "Florida real estate" covers the entire state, and ...
Foreign Investment In U.S. Real Estate
Alien investiture in U.S. commercial message real number estate of the realm continues to grow by leaps and bounds, merely fierce competition has boosted the price of admission and led to More creative ways to finance deals - from marijuana cigarette ...
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Most Americans watching mortgage rates rise are deciding that now is the time to buy or sell before it’s too late. Whether you want to sell, or just improve your home’s value before you tap into your equity, here are five things experts suggest you consider before calling your bank or putting the ‘for sale’ sign on your lawn.
Make Only Renovations That Count.
Experts agree that the right renovations, especially bathrooms and kitchens, affect the marketability of your home. Bathrooms have become a popular remodeling choice, and for good reason— they have the highest rate of return of any home addition or home remodel. Real estate agents agree that a gleaming kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances, cork or hardwood flooring, stone countertop and lots of cupboard space can sell a house the instant a prospective buyer sees it. Conversely, a cramped, ill-lit kitchen with outdated linoleum and harvest gold appliances might actually scare buyers away.
Improve What You Can’t Renovate.
If you can't afford to renovate, update and refresh key rooms instead. Replacing an old countertop, repainting cupboards and walls, and installing new door pulls and lighting make big improvements to your kitchen for a very modest price. Similar touches increase the appeal of older bathrooms, too. Fresh paint throughout your home is another low-cost, high-return project — it makes everything look cleaner and brighter, and buyers love a house they won't have to redecorate immediately.
Maintain Where You Can.
Depending on the age of your house, you can expect to spend between one and three percent of its value every year on maintenance and repair. Your
maintenance budget should increase as your house ages, so remember to include funds to replace major systems as required. Foundations and roofs are things that are difficult to inspect, but in the long run minor repairs can save you about ten times the cost of work necessary to replace or rebuild.
Don’t Overimprove.
Before you commit to any big project, ask, “Is this three-car garage or pool out of character for my neighborhood?” If the answer is yes—you may be consigning your house to an oddity status. If your house is improved beyond the scope of all the neighborhood homes that surrounds it, it is likely that the value of your home won’t be realized when it comes time to sell.
Do Your Home Value Homework.
Many sites promising to give you the value of your home don’t deliver, but at http://www.domania.com you can use their Value Check tool to get an instant valuation from a real estate professional that includes a value range and neighborhood statistics. If you want to “value it yourself” at Domania, you can search through their database of 28 million historical home price records. Searching by price, by location or by address you’ll develop a better understanding of neighborhood trends—and if you look hard enough—what your neighbor paid for their house.
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SF's diverse real estate frenzy expected to lastSan Francisco ChronicleHow much hotter is the San Francisco real estate market getting? Let us count the ways. -- Office buildings: The 33-story tower at 555 Mission St. is in escrow. Reported price: $450 million. That's about $800 per square foot - the highest figure since ...and more » |
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Commercial real estate services expanding in USReutersBy Ilaina Jonas | NEW YORK (Reuters) - New commercial real estate brokerages are launching in the United States, in what may be a sign that the market's recovery is durable. Australia's UGL Ltd (UGL.AX), a huge property manager, plans to expand in the ...and more » |
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Real estate spotlight, May 25, 2012Seattle Post IntelligencerBy AUBREY COHEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF Is your dream to live on Lake Washington? How about in this home, 8750 Sand Point Way NE, listed for $3.395 million? The 6200-square-foot house has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, including a master suite with a ... |
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