Bolton Mansion

Trying to estimate the value of a piece of real estate seems to be everyone's favorite pastime. I've discussed this subject in detail in my book, "What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow"; in previous articles, on PBS's Wealthtrack; in line at the supermarket, and just about everywhere else I'm allowed to talk out loud. Although I thought I had covered the waterfront pretty well on this topic, I continue to be surprised by the number of people who still don't fully understand that there are several approaches to estimating value, and that it is important to choose the one best suited to the particular property you have in mind. First, some necessary preliminaries. Any (actually, every) real estate appraiser will tell you that there are three approaches to value: the cost approach, the market data approach, and the income approach. While they will often try to reconcile these approaches when appraising a particular property, in many cases it is clear that one of the three methods stands out as the most appropriate for that property. The Cost Approach The cost approach uses the cost .. more

Investing in commercial real estate is treated as capital budgeting by using state of the art investment analysis, which integrates the flow of income it will generate and the associated risk adjustments. Any investment of this kind essentially depends on the risks associated with it. Investing in commercial real estate can be attractive if viewed as a business opportunity and can also turn out to be a splendid option for the investors.   The actual magic of investing in commercial real estate is derived from the perceptions of the risks inherent in the process. The time and effort the investors are willing to devote to their investing in commercial real estate can greatly affect the types of properties they should evaluate for acquisition. A commercial property includes office properties, retail centers and multi family properties.   Investing in commercial real estate can generate rental income, using it as collateral to secure a loan for a business venture, to offset otherwise taxable income through cash savings on tax deductible interest rate losses, or simply from the profits garnered from its resale. Basically, there are two principal ways for accomplishing exposure to .. more

If you are a real estate investor, beginner or experienced, it is important for you to learn about real estate investing. One of the ways you can learn about real estate investing is through a real estate investing seminar. When many people first become interested in real estate investing, they think of it in the same way as investing in stocks and bonds. Just as must as real estate investing is similar to other kinds of investments, it is also very much different from these traditional types of investments. In a real estate investing seminar you will learn about how you can invest in real estate and make a profit. Before you attend a real estate investing seminar, you should be forewarned that sometimes these seminars are not what you would expect. In many cases, the seminars do not have a lot of funding for speakers. In addition, real estate seminars do not operate for a profit. Because of this, speakers often are not paid. When you attending a real estate investing seminar you might notice that many of the speakers seem to be attempting to sell some kind of .. more

Buying a house -  The realistic approach This article is not about the secrets of buying a rental property for no money down and half the price of the market value of the house. I am not Tom Vu or Don Lapre and I am not in jail. In Canada, the no money down home did use to exist, but not anymore. Some banks and/or lenders were willing to lend you the 5% down payment so that you don't have to pay a dime out of your own pockets to purchase a home. However, given the current financial situation with tighter lending restrictions, there will be no bank or lenders who can do that in Canada. The buying home for half price did use to exist as well. At one point, foreclosures in Canada would allow foreclosed homes to be sold at rock bottom prices. The new law, which has been in placed for many years now require the homes be sold at the highest possible price for foreclosed homes or else the lenders could be sued. Hence, sometimes foreclosed homes sell higher because Canadians .. more