Finding A Qualified Home Inspector

As you should already know, a home inspection is a key part of the real estate process. Of course, your home inspection is only as good as your home inspector. 

Finding a Qualified Home Inspector

If you are considering buying a property, you absolutely must get a home inspection. What most people don’t realize, however, is it can also be valuable to retain one before you sell a property to identify any problems before your accept an offer. Fixing such problems before hand makes a lot more sense than panicking in the middle of escrow.

Regardless of your particular position in the real estate process, the home inspection is only as good as the inspector. Frankly, some inspectors are less than credible when it comes to qualifications and their background. To bypass these individuals, the following organizations should be used as a resource. 

The American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc. is located in Des Plaines, Illinois. Known as ASHI, it was founded in 1976 to create a resource and quality control atmosphere for home inspections. You can get referrals to ASHI inspectors in your area by contacting the Society at 800-743-ASHI. In doing so, you will avoid hacks calling themselves inspectors. 

The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors is another credible organization. Located in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the Association maintains both a code of ethics and strict standards of practice for its members. With over 9,000 members in North America, you can find an inspector in your area by calling 1-877 FIND-INS.

Another organization that stands out in the home inspection industry is the National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the organization also requires members to abide by strict practice standards and a code of ethics, which should be comforting to you. You can contact it to find a home inspector in your area by calling 800-448-3942.

The old cliché is garbage in, garbage out. By using a credible home inspector, you can put this cliché out of your mind.

Sarah Miller offers real estate services in Bryan-College Station Real Estate. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest real properties bryan tx, that any intending settler or buyer can choose from.

Financing Your Renovations

If you have chosen to renovate your home then you know the price can easily exceed your predictions. Home renos tend to have what is known as "scope creep." This is when the renovations start and as they progress new things or problems cause there to be more work than originally predicted. This can be difficult to deal with is funding is limited so its a good idea to build contingencies into your financing plans right at the start. That way when the surprises pop up, you will be ready for them.
When thinking about renovation financing there are two likely candidates for you to consider. The home equity loan and the home owner's line of credit. The amount available for a home equity loan is based on the amount of equity that you have built up in your home. This loan is sometimes referred to as a second mortgage. It is calculated by taking the value of your home and subtracting the amount left outstanding on the original mortgage. If you own your home outright, then the amount would be the home's value. As an example, if you have a home that is worth $250,000 and you have already paid off $110,000 then your accumulated equity would be $140,000. The value of the property is what guarantees the loan so the interest rate is low as well as they payments. It is also normal to be able to secure fixed interest rates for such loans.
The other popular financing option is the home owner's line of credit. This loan does not have a finite amount save for the limit which is once again decided by your equity. This is a popular option as it allows for a lot of room when considering costs. The loan operates much like a credit card, with a variable interest rate. This is certainly the most flexible of the options and does not have a definite end date. The line of credit remains open for as long as you need it and do not close it out.
The best way to discern which type of loan is proper for your needs is to confer with a financial expert or banker. Prioritize your needs and try to find a loan that is tailor made for you. Remember that your home is going to be on the line as collateral so be sure to plan your payment schedule carefully and within what you can afford to pay. Make sure that you research all your options here and find what work s for you and for your budget.

·         Sarah Miller offers real estate services in Bryan-College Station Real Estate. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest real properties bryan tx, that any intending settler or buyer can choose from.

Create a Commercial Real Estate Empire by Specializing in One of These Commercial Properties

There are many types of commercial properties available to those who work in the commercial real estate industry. Many people like to work in a specific area by working with only one or two types of commercial properties. They do this because they have expertise with that specific type of property.
Commercial properties differ more than in just their appearance and use. How you purchase, sell, operate, manage, evaluate, and price each property can be very different. Although there are some similarities, being an expert in one or two properties can greatly increase your ability to analyze good deals and maximize your profit potential. When you know the inside and out of the processes that take place with a certain type of property, know what hidden things to look for, and what mistakes to avoid, you are less likely to run into problems, and will generate positive, long lasting results.
Let's look at the main commercial properties that you may already be involved with, or are thinking about moving into.
The first are office buildings, or office parks. The term office can be used to refer to floors, parts of floors, an entire building, or an entire office park with multiple buildings positioned in a community type setting. Office space is used for a variety of reasons. It can be used for actual offices for companies, or it can be used for places of business operations, or to meet a tenant's specific functional and technical needs. An example of this would be an office building for medical purposes.
Office buildings can be segmented into three basic levels. The first is low rise, which has fewer than 7 stories above ground. A mid-rise has between 7 and 25 stories above ground. A high-rise has more than 25 stories above ground. These buildings are often rented by the square foot according to the total useable square feet available to the tenant.
The next type of commercial property is retail property. These are places of business where products and services are provided. There are many types of retail properties which include big boxes, outlet centers, strip centers, regional centers and power centers. Each of these has distinct characteristics that differentiate one from another. Business owners can better choose where they want to lease by identifying their product position, where the best location is, and the type of retail center that will best sell their products and services.
A big box is a large, free-standing building that is often much like a huge warehouse. They can often be found near major shopping centers and along major corridors. Companies such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target are all example of big boxes.
Outlet centers are usually located in tourist or rural locations, and the businesses there offer their products and services at a discount. Strip centers are consecutive narrow parcels that have a variety of stores. They are often found along main roads and commercial corridors.
Regional centers are characterized by an enclosed, inward orientation of the stores. A walkway or common area connects the stores that offer a variety of products and services. There is usually a large, common parking lot found along the perimeter of the regional center.
Power centers are areas of business where large retailers, including large discount centers lease out the buildings. Category killers can also be found here. These are companies that offer a large selection at low prices. Ross, Mervyns, and Kohl's can all be found in power centers. Think of the one stop place to shop retail center, and you have a power center.
Any of these types of retail centers can be chosen areas of specialization for an investor, developer or builder. This gives them a competitive advantage in the commercial real estate industry because it is the only thing in which they concentrate their efforts. You can bet there is not one thing that can pass by these people when it comes to retail centers, and they know exactly how to maximize their resources.
Industrial and warehouse properties are the next category of commercial property where you will find freestanding properties, research and development, large manufacturing, as well as industrial park properties.
Freestanding industrial properties can vary greatly in construction type, design, and overall function. They stand alone, and are usually occupied by an end user, so the building is specific to a special purpose.
A research and development property is characterized by having office space and manufacturing on the premises. You can find them most often near universities, and close to other locations of professionals.
Industrial parks are large, planned developments that can be used for special scientific and technological use, or sophisticated communications uses. They have many buildings for mixed-purpose or a single purpose that are scattered in an often functional way.
Industrial buildings and warehouses are crucial to a city's economic development, and cities often provide tax incentives when jobs are provided and new companies are brought to a city, especially to one experiencing rapid growth.
Multi-family property is another type of commercial property in which you can specialize. They offer huge opportunities to create value. A multi-family property is not considered a commercial property unless it is greater than 5 units. Duplexes and fourplexes are not considered commercial properties, though they can be a great investment. The larger the apartment complex, for example more than 100 units, the more money you will be able to return on investment. These multi-family units have living space, appliances and amenities. Multi-family units can range from low-end to luxury type units.
The last type of commercial property is raw land. Raw land is characterized by untouched land with no improvements such as utilities and roads. It can be the most difficult property to involve yourself with; however, it can return the greatest results.
Whichever property you decide to specialize in, only begin a new project in a new area with a person who has lots of experience. You can learn a lot from someone by using this strategy. It will give you a solid foundation to do the next project on your own. This partner or associate will help you to gain the experience and insight that may otherwise take you years to learn.
Sarah Miller offers real estate services in Bryan-College Station Real Estate. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest real properties bryan tx, that any intending settler or buyer can choose from.

Concrete Homes - Your Fortress in a Natural Disaster

If the area you lived in was subject to earthquakes, insect infestation and wildfires, and you could live in a type of housing that could withstand all those perils, why wouldn't you? Concrete homes have an amazing resistance to all of the above and are commonly used in Florida and other hurricane ridden locations, but their popularity hasn't spread to the west coast. 

Due to their unique construction, a number of homes have survived the wildfires in California. Pat Callahan owns a concrete house outside Escondido that only suffered smoke damage during the October Witch Creek fire. Although the vinyl windows were melted, the house remained standing. 

Another success story was that of Lorraine Aledort and her 5,500 square-foot concrete house near Ramona. The upgrades in her home included:

Concrete roof tiles, glued-down to resist high winds.

Interior fire sprinklers (now a local building requirement).

Oversized wood beams to withstand exposure to heat longer than their smaller counterparts.

An emergency power generator.

A 10,000-gallon water tank to be used in a fire emergency. 

Commercial grade aluminum windows with extra thick tempered glass.

Exterior walls were one foot in thickness including reinforcing steel placed in the concrete forms for protection against earthquake damage. 

After spending 3 1/2 years building their home, Lorraine and her husband had only lived there a few weeks when the wildfires struck. The landscape was blackened, but the house withstood only minor smoke damage. The cost of building compared to a comparable wood home was about twenty percent higher; Lorraine considers this money well spent 

Structural engineer, George Easton describes concrete construction similar to assembling Lego blocks. "The “blocks” are polystyrene forms, called insulated concrete forms, into which the concrete is poured. The forms then are left in place to serve as insulation and the backing for stucco on the exterior or drywall on the interior."

The walls can provide up to an R-50 energy rating and require approximately 44 percent less energy to heat and 32 percent less energy to cool compared to a traditional wood home. 

If concrete houses are so effective against natural disasters, why aren't they widely used? Part of the problem is the lack of knowledge in the building industry regarding concrete construction. Even though concrete construction has national code approval, there are many inspectors with little knowledge of how to inspect the structures. 

Many builders feel that the future of widespread concrete housing requires a dominant player in the building industry to come forward and say "we can do this", and others will follow suit.

·         Sarah Miller offers real estate services in Bryan-College Station Real Estate. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest real properties bryan tx, that any intending settler or buyer can choose from.