Real estate Tax
The real-estate provisions in the act would have destroyed real-estate investments in sounder shape than many of ours were at that time. Depreciation schedules were lengthened from 19 years to 31, thus collapsing the present values of real-estate properties. The normal tax deductions were denied to "passive investors," causing them to walk away from investments. Finally, as if to make certain investors would not hold on for the long haul, the capital-gains tax rate was raised by 40 per cent. These tax-law changes were retroactive and did not exclude completed properties or properties under construction. Thus, an over-invested market was hit with punitive tax measures that destroyed the expected rate of return on real-estate investments. Soon large numbers of S&Ls and banks were collapsing, forcing taxpayers to pick up the multi-hundred-billion ....

Why Commercial Real Estate is the Hottest Retirement Asset
For small business owners, commercial real estate investment is the hottest new retirement asset. If your mind has already jumped to “REITs” — or shares in Real Estate Investment Trusts — think again. I’m referring to the ownership of the commercial facilities small business owners currently lease, or new commercial facilities they can buy or develop. Small business owners can thank the U.S. Small Business Administration for this rather substantial opportunity. The SBA sponsors a specialty lending program designed to assist successful small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities. The SBA did not design the program as a vehicle for creating superior retirement assets, but it doesn’t take a financial genius to connect the dots — and the business owners who have done so already are profiting enormously from their decision. It’s called the SBA 504 program and it’s been around, though...

Why Commercial Real Estate is the Hottest Retirement Asset
Over the last two years there has been so much condo activity that many commercial real estate lenders are starting to express concern over the future stability of condo markets. Some lenders have recently found themselves over allocated in condominiums as a result of the recent activity and have therefore become wary of all but the best opportunities. While the best opportunities (typically in Florida, Southern California and select destination markets) are still attractive, developers in smaller markets are finding condos much more difficult to finance in recent months. The reality is that many of the lenders expressing concern over the current state of affairs in the condo market are the lenders that have been the least active and have less knowledge about the asset class. Lenders familiar with the condo market...

Real Estate Investors - Red Alert
How's the real estate marketing doing? Is the huge jump in home prices that is evident in some areas symptoms of a value bubble? Good questions, yes? Two things to keep in mind when surveying the market: 1. All real estate is local, 2. Real estate is cyclical. Here in Arizona some residential areas have seen as much as a 30% jump in value in the last 8 to 12 months. The word about increasing Arizona home values has spread across the country. We recently sold a home to an out of state buyer who never looked at the property. His agent is just buying homes, because the buyer is sure prices will continue to escalate. In the case of another of our houses a buyer offered $2,000 above our asking price on the day we posted a for sale sign on the property. We were asking more than we expected to get! At the same time we received a telephone call from a relative living in California. He was very excited because his brother-in-law was sure he would get rich by buying a couple of Arizona homes. Should her do the same...

The Irish Property Market - Expensive But Worth It?
Lying on the edge of Europe facing out to the Atlantic Ocean sits Ireland, one of Europe’s smallest countries and often described as ‘The Emerald Isle”. A beautiful country characterised by vibrant, colourful cities and towns set amidst endless unspoilt green fields, Ireland is now officially the best place in the world to live. Combining increasing wealth with traditional values gives Ireland the conditions most likely to make its people happy, according to the Economist’s quality of life assessment for 2005. Add to this its longstanding reputation for a green and clean environment and Ireland has become a very desirable place to live in. Already 60,000 Americans have claimed a piece of Irish soil as their own, planning to live out their days in the Celtic gem and many of our Europeans neighbours are following suit. Ireland’s desirability comes at a cost. Increasing wealth, resulting from the Celtic Tiger boom years has pushed property prices up to one of the highest levels in Europe...

Buying A Holiday Home in Rural Ireland
Ireland has recently witnessed an upsurge in the number of investors buying holiday homes in some of the country’s most scenic areas. With stars like Jeremy Irons and Daniel Day-Lewis popping up in the quaint villages of West Cork, prices in many of these areas are at a premium. Kerry and West Cork, in particular, and the south coast in general, known as the Irish Riviera are attracting a steady flow of Britons and American’s. The majority of the British buyers are investing in a property to use as a holiday home with the intention of retiring to it in the future. The south coast of Ireland tends to have a milder climate than the rest of Ireland, experiencing warm summers and milder winters brought in by the Gulf Stream current that flows past its shoreline. The climate, coupled with the breath-taking scenery and strong sense of heritage and culture, has made Cork an attractive location not only for Britons searching for a rural retirement idyll but also for the French and Dutch...

Investing in the Baltic Tiger: What Has Estonia Got to Offer?
Estonia’s reputation is growing within the property investment market. Rising far above her new European neighbours in terms of infrastructure and growth, Estonia is fast becoming the Baltic’s very own ‘Tiger’ economy with a healthy growth rate of 5.5% in 2004. In fact, all the economic indicators are looking very positive with employment growing steadily last year in construction, transport and communications, areas that suggest a growing emphasis on attracting inward investment and a strong property development market. All these factors have contributed to Estonia being ranked 28th in the IMD’s “World Competitiveness Yearbook” of 2004 and 6th place in the Heritage Foundation’s “Index of Economic Freedom” of 2004. The rankings are a further affirmation of Estonia’s positive economic development, which stands in contrast to many European states, which are now experiencing economic slowdowns. The ‘interest war’ of early 2004, helped fast track thousands of Estonians onto the property ladder...

Getting Ready to Sell Your Property
We all have had the experience of someone important coming to the house and whether the visitor is an in-law, an old friend, or business associate you know the drill: Have the house in "show" condition. For investors the situation is much the same: First impressions count!!!! Even though you may not be able to tell a book by its cover, you'll probably pay more for a book if the cover is inviting, and attractive. If you have a home is for sale or soon to be for sale, in addition to a general cleaning here are some steps you can take to benefit from that all-important first look: 1. Start with the outside. Mow the law, prune bushes, remove dead branches and get rid of outdoor furniture you don't intend to move. 2. Paint the front door and window frames, or at least clean them up. 3. Check for leaks. A drip may not seem important, but does it suggest poor maintenance in those places that maybe the buyer can't see? Eliminate buyer worries and fix the little items which may be seen as clues relating to the general condition and upkeep of the house. 4. Clean out closets and storage areas. Paint them off-white inside to make them seem roomier...

Conversation & The Real Estate Investor
One key that makes investors is conversation or should I say "The Art Of Conversation". All successful investors are skilled in conversation and I'm not talking about the investors that does 10, 20 or even 30 deal a year! I'm talking about the "BTO" Big Time Operator; The Big Dog's slamming down 100 or more deals every year. This is no discredit to any that do not fall in the arena with the "Big Dog's", but if you want to play with the "Big Boy's" you must master the art of conversation! Have you every wondered why you have not been able to get to the next level in your investing carrier it's simply in your conversation as most professionals in real estate investing rise simply from respect from others. You need to develop this skill so that you can converse with any type of homeowner in any type of situation...

Stay Motivated With REI Till The Deal Comes
I know many investors step into the game of real estate investing with high hopes of landing the deal that will turn their financial situation around and yes some do and this is not for you - this is for the investors still looking for that first deal! The best way starting out in this business, staying motivated and sticking to real estate investing has to do with one big factor! Keep your JOB - Yes you may be "Just Over Broke" but real estate investing comes with no guarantees of doing a deal in 30, 90, or 120 days as a matter of fact deals come and they go. real estate investing has its good times and it's bad times! You need a source of income and without it the likely hood of failure will soon follow! Having a stable income is the number one goal to having financial well being and your mental and emotional well being also. How to stay motivated in this game of real estate investing until you succeed can be a process but in the end the benefits of a successful real estate business outweigh the time from...