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Profit From Your Child’s University Move

With school end approaching, some of us will be spending our summer vacations helping our children to settle into their chosen University town. Arizona State University is located in Arizona’s most populous city of Tempe and if you are planning to look for accommodation in this area - you are in luck!

Tempe has an amazing range of places on offer and you can choose from town houses and condos through to family homes and mansions! Instead of paying out rent for your son or daughter, why not make money on buying an investment property? What are the pros and cons - apart from the obvious advantage of having a ready-made manager on hand to supervise the incoming revenue?

There are several factors that are constant for every family sending an offspring to University: (a) you will need to find a place suitable for your child to live in, (b) you need to find one that they will like, but that you can afford. (c) You hope he/she will make their funds last through the semester.

(d) You will not want your child to be so hampered by residential rules that he/she becomes stressed, (e) you will prefer a place near to University to save on transportation, and (f) you hope that fellow renters will not be into drugs, excessive parties or alcohol, etc

Most of these concerns can be eradicated if you buy a modest home and rent it to students - one of them being your child. You will have as much, or as little, control as you feel you need. Many of your worries will disappear into thin air….read on..

For instance (a) you know that your child will have a suitable place to live in, and (b) you will not have to put out money to pay rent as the other rental students will cover your mortgage. (c) You know that they cannot be given notice half way through the semester.

The residential rules (d) can be made to suit your child’s preferences; for instance, if he is an early riser then noise will cease at 11p.m. (e) You can choose a place near to the school or at least walking distance of up to 20 minutes (therefore no car is needed with all that expense and worry of it being wrapped around a lamp-post!). Finally (f) you and/or your child will write the rules about parties etc and have the control over tenant’s behavior.

Not only is this a worry-free suggestion, but it will actually make you money! You will probably find that you like the idea of having a second property financed for you in this way, and continue with the system long after the degree has been awarded!

Let’s get down to a few technicalities, although a good real estate agent will help you with all this. If you have a home already in which you have accrued equity, you can use this as a surety (collateral) for a second home in Tempe. Perhaps you are retired in which case you can use a pension as ‘income’, or maybe you both work and financing is a doddle!

Your real estate agent can advise you on points to be considered when buying a rental property, practicalities such as suitable layouts, bathroom choices, front and back door positions etc. Sometimes a large bedroom with two windows can be made into two smaller bedrooms if there is also a living room available for residents etc. You can send/email a list of requirements to a local realtor and be the first one to hear of such suitable properties.

Now is a very good time to buy any second home, because of the low mortgage interest rate and also the large choice of homes. It is a buyer’s market now, so you can shop around. It is easy to be more practical when you are not choosing a personal home. Having said that, Tempe is a great place to ‘winter’ in when you become retired, so pick a place you like. Tempe is a fun-loving town with many parks, pools and the large Tempe Town Lake to cool off in during the hot summers.

The fact that your son or daughter is going to move away and go to University need not be viewed upon as a financial drain; it may bring great joy into your lives. You will be financing a second home ready for your retirement! Thank goodness they chose Tempe to study in and not Chicago!

Anne Eliason is a dedicated professional specializing in Phoenix AZ real estate. For information on real estate in or for help with all your Phoenix Valley relocation needs, visit Anne, your Phoenix real estate agent online, at Phoenix-Valley-Real-Estate.com.

Profit From Your Child’s University Move / Author: Anne Eliason

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Curb Appeal is Crucial When Selling Your Home

You don’t just want people to drive by without stopping to look inside. You’ve put a lot of time and effort into cleaning up the house, throwing away clutter and upgrading some outdated areas. It won’t mean a thing if your overgrown shrubs obscure the house from potential buyers driving by. People will judge your house by the way it looks on the outside. Don’t let your home look neglected. It’s relatively inexpensive to make the improvements required to get buyers to come through your door.

A Clean and Fresh-Looking Property Goes a Long Away

Make sure your home is clearly visible from the street. Trim back and thin older shrubbery. Remove them if they have become scraggily and unattractive. You may want to replace them with shorter shrubs or turn the area into a flower bed. At all costs, keep the front windows clear.

Has the sun faded your front door? Now is a good time to give it a fresh coat of paint. Give that hardware a good shine. If it is worn out, replacing it is an easy do-it-yourself project. The same goes for that shabby mailbox; a new mailbox will freshen up your front entrance. Also, make sure that the paint on shutters, windows and door frames are in good condition.

A Beautifully Landscaped Yard Will Make Selling Your Home a Breeze

There should be no bald areas in your front lawn; give your lawn extra fertilizer and water to make it green and lush. Make sure that the lawn is mowed and the edges trimmed so that all of the walks are nice and neat. If necessary, use weed killer to keep grass and weeds from growing between pavers or bricks.

Trees with dead branches can be a hazard. If necessary, hire a qualified tree trimmer to remove the branches or tree. Also, low-hanging branches are distracting; trim them so that home buyers don’t have to duck as they come up your walk or drive.

Add Color to Your Yard with Flowers

If you haven’t already done so, put in pavers or edging around the borders of your flower beds, shrubs and ground cover. This keeps your yard looking neat and fresh. Don’t forget to pull up any weeds or grass growing in places they shouldn’t be. It’s a nice touch to add seasonal flowers near the front door, giving your entrance an extra dash of color. Adding fresh mulch your flower beds will give it a polished appearance.

These improvements will not cost you much, but will go a long way to boost your home’s curb appeal and make huge difference in how long your home is on the market.

Find College Grove Homes for Sale in San Diego, CA

Curb Appeal is Crucial When Selling Your Home / Author: Karen Bellas

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Real Estate in Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a mountain town that is nestled in the valley near the base of Grand Teton National Park. This dramatic setting offers extraordinary outdoor activities such as golf, hiking, skiing, camping, climbing, fishing, biking and more. There is something for everyone in this laid back town called Jackson. Whether you’re seeking slopeside real estate at the world-class ski destination, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, looking for the perfect fishing property on the Snake River, investing in your hole-in-one mountain retreat, or a first-time home buyer searching for a quaint mountain town residence, you can find exactly what you a looking for in one of the many areas of Jackson Hole.

For golf, look no further than Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, Teton Pines Country Club & Resort or the upcoming Shooting Star Golf Community, located at the base of Teton Village. For fishing, the possibilities are endless at The Snake River Sporting Club, 3-Creek Ranch, or just anywhere along the Snake or Hoback rivers. If you are looking for quiet solitude, try Spring Creek Ranch, Indian Paintbrush or the small towns of Wilson or Kelly. Also, many family-friendly neighborhoods abound, such as Rafter J, Melody Ranch, Skyline Ranch or Indian Springs. Finally, if it is ski-in/ski-out that you are looking for then all of the many homeowner options await you at Teton Village.

The greater Jackson Hole area enjoys the close proximity to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park, which offer more abundant wildlife and National Park access than any other mountain town community in the Lower 48. With nature and all of the many outside activities truly out your back door, you have the recipe for a fulfilled and peaceful lifestyle. Beautiful Teton sunsets, enchanting mountain landscapes, and friendly people are what make Jackson Hole the perfect home for anyone. www.searchjacksonholerealestate.com

Real Estate in Jackson Hole / Author: Caroline Kelm

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Less New Homes in California

This year Californian home builders are pulling up stakes and moving on. The number of new house starts planned for 2008 is the lowest number planned for over 50 years. Before you think this must spell out more doom and gloom for California - think about it - it is good news!

It means that the inventory of homes on the market will not be inundated with new properties and all the incentives that can be offered with their sale. New homes are proving more difficult to sell, perhaps because most people seem to prefer to buy an established home. Of course, the favorite is still a new home, but not a brand new home. Why is this? What are the advantages of buying a home has already been lived in?

The idea that everything in the home is brand new and pristine can be offset by the fact that you have to traipse through mud to reach your front door and arrange for land fill and diggers to level out your garden.

A new home is inevitably more expensive than buying an established home and you often have to add on the price of appliances and finishes. A spokesman for one of the larger home builders in the country compared the prices recently. A new home is reckoned to be more expensive than a fifteen year old home, but it will offer more amenities.

Today’s brand new homes are mostly being built bigger, although with the energy and environmental situations this may soon change. In the eighties and nineties homes were still being built to around 1200 square feet, whereas in 2008 the average square footage was nineteen hundred.

The vogue in bathrooms has also changed, with homes jumping up from being built with only one and a half baths to sometimes as much as three bathrooms and one of these often being an over-size bathroom.

Brand new homes come with wiring for multiple phones, multiple technology points that are secured and everything is often concealed in the walls during construction. The price may be higher, but it may also reflect value.

However, buying an established home does have advantages, one of them being the mature neighborhood. You have no need to worry if the undeveloped land nearby will turn out to be a skate boarding arena, because the whole area is already developed.

Another joy that can only be appreciated by those who have experienced the alternative: the yard is landscaped. It may sound like an exciting challenge to transform heaps of mud, weeds, slopes and stray concrete into a horticultural dream, but it doesn’t come without a few back aches!

Other plusses are that your appliances are already in place, the neighbors can help you with ‘local’ questions and you do not have to worry about ’settling’ cracks.

You also have a better chance to negotiate a good discount with a home owner, whereas a builder has boundaries that usually limit his discretionary discounts. His home was built reflecting current labor costs, whereas fifteen years ago wages were lower.

Whether you choose new or established, with these low mortgage interest rates and lower house prices, the idea would be to just BUY before prices and financing all jump out of your reach!

Joshua Sloan is an experienced San Diego real estate agent. Visit his site at SanDiegoRealEstateBuzz.com for help finding new homes with the San Diego MLS listings.

Less New Homes in California / Author: Josh Sloan

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It’s In The Name: The Rising Popularity of Property in Dubai

Since the discovery of oil in 1962, the United Arab Emirates has been transformed from an impoverished region made up of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living, and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

In particular, the emirate (and city) of Dubai gained a reputation for offering a luxurious lifestyle, helping it become one of the top holiday locations for the rich and powerful from all over the world.

Strangely, this reputation for wealth and luxury in turn helped Dubai establish a flourishing tourism industry, which today surpasses the revenue that the country accumulates.

Of Dubai’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP – a measure of the country’s income), oil revenues in 2006 only accounted for 3% of the country’s income, down from 10% in 2000. Compared to this, Dubai’s tourism industry now accounts for around 30% of the country’s economy, with apartments and hotels in Dubai recording 6.5 million guests in 2006, generating revenues of £1.77 billion.

With a tourism industry as lively as this, and with a reputation for the highest quality of life, it is little wonder that over 100,000 Britons have bought property in Dubai since 2002 (according to Barclays). And, according to ShelterOffshore.com, this number is only set to rise, with Dubai offering more and more for the overseas property buyer.

Some of the additions to Dubai’s tourism industry that are already in the construction stages (and worth close to a staggering £100 billion) were showcased in January 2008, and included the Dubai Mall; set to open in August 2008 and is set to be the world’s largest shopping centre; the Burj Dubai, which will soon be the world’s tallest building; Dubailand, which will be the world’s largest theme park; and The Palm Project, a collection of the world’s largest man-made islands. In fact, it’s not unlikely that the future will see Dubai’s attractions holding every tourism and construction record known to man!

Additionally, United Airlines are preparing to introduce direct services to Dubai from Washington in October 2008. Added to the fact that a further 20 check-in counters are set to be opened in Dubai International Airport (potentially earning the country’s tourism industry an extra £1.6 billion a year) and what you’re left with is a recipe for success – for investors, property owners, and visitors.

For many investors, the clue to the city’s success is in its name: Do-Buy. And who knows, with so many advancements to its tourism industry, maybe future holidaymakers will call it Do-Go!

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.

It’s In The Name: The Rising Popularity of Property in Dubai / Author: Daniel Collins

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