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Vancouver Real Estate to buy or not to buy
With the escalating prices of real estate in downtown Vancouver reaching never-before seen heights, many hesitant investors are asking the questions, is this a bubble? Will it all come crashing down? Is it all pre-olympic hype? As an experienced realtor who has followed the market for many years, I can say with confidence that this is not a bubble, but a dose of reality for a city that simply does not have enough land to supply the demand for accommodation, now, and in the future. Many people are quick to compare Vancouver to areas of the United States which are experiencing a burst bubble effect with an increase in foreclosures. Some may say that we will follow suit because of recent gains over the past few years. It must be noted, however, that the situation in the United States is extremely different to Canada. For example, the majority of home buyers in this dire situation provide the lowest possible down payment, or even borrow more money than the property was worth. Even the slightest change in interest rates can have an extremely damaging effect. In Vancouver, a common down payment on a piece of real estate is 20%. That s REAL money down versus creative financing in the US. With the soaring increase in construction in the Vancouver, particularly concentrated in the Yaletown and Coal Harbour areas, there is the fear that supply will flood the market. There are already approximately 1800 units in development slated for completion in 2008, 90% of which are already sold, and almost 1300 units in development for 2009 of which 82% are sold. The market is NOT OVERSUPPLIED, the demand is still very much there, and between that demand and the rising cost of construction, the prices keep rising. We are now faced with a situation where the only potential development sites left in downtown are BC place, the Plaza of Nations, and Port areas. It is reasonable to wonder how a unit that cost $300,000 three or four years ago could cost $500,000 today. The cost of construction has risen so much that a developer could not build the same suite for $300,000 today. Take a development like Yaletown Park in Downtown Vancouver. That development originally sold for $325 per square foot. Today, it would cost a developer $750 per square foot, leaving no choice but to increase prices. In Coal Harbor, the Fairmont development has already broken new ground by selling some units at over $2000 per square foot. That is TODAY S prices, not ten years from now. The demand is there, and the $2000 per square foot ceiling has been broken. Finally, the 2010 Olympics will have the largest impact on Vancouver real estate for years to come. Although it is only a two week event, the money and exposure it will bring to our city is priceless. The world will be introduced to Vancouver as never before and the infrastructure that comes with it in transportation improvements, new venues, and conferences will remain with our city. When if comes to investing in real estate, there are two types of speculators: one who buys and hopes that the property goes up and then there is the one who is a position to buy but doesn t for fear the property value will down. In my opinion, not buying when you can perhaps is the bigger risk. The world has its eyes open to Vancouver, and it is my goal to assist future clients in what will be the most important financial decision of their lives.

I ve been in business for over 13 years, and have personally bought and sold almost every kind of property to build my own portfolio, including apartments, condos, small homes, raw land, commercial space, renovation properties, as well as building my own home at the age of 30. I ve had a lot of success with negotiations, getting as much for my clients as possible. My personal mantra when it comes to negotiating deals is Win, Win, Win whenever possible. I feel best when everyone involved walks away feeling great about the transaction. When choosing a realtor, having one who's been through it all before personally, makes a big difference.

Gated Community: Lifestyles
There is a real surge in the development of gated communities in America. This is for a variety of reasons, some fairly apparent and some that are more understated. Of course one of the most well known aspects of the gated community is the safety factor. Most gated communities are gated for one major reason and that is the fact that access to the community can be controlled and monitored. By this method the developers have woven a crime prevention measure right into the fabric of the community itself. Many gated communities also employ security professionals to tend to the day to day security of the complex. Even the presence of a visible security force has been shown to reduce home based crime as criminals typically seek out easy targets that are unprotected.

Another innovation in the gated community has been the evolution of country club or golf communities. There has been a literal explosion of this type of community across the country. Country Club living is hard to describe in mere words. Waking up to beautifully manicured greens and fairways is truly something to behold. The purchase of a home in a Country Club community usually comes with all the benefits of club membership including full use of the club facilities. This is a valuable thing as many clubs come with much more than just a golf course. In fact the golf is just the beginning. Communities in development are adding many different recreational options to their plans and current communities are adding amenities at an alarming rate.

Golf course communities are becoming a highly prized luxury in this country as home buyers are demanding more for their hard earned dollar, and the country club communities are delivering the goods. With additional amenities such as spas, community meeting places, parks, fitness clubs and much more; these developments are offering buyers a package that was previously unheard of in the single family home market. These homes have incredible value and tend to retain that value and more over the years. With many such developments happening we are seeing a re-emergence of community based living in the single family home market.

Cyndi Gerken and her husband Cary both specialize in Thunderbird Country Club Communities. For the best in California Golf Communities, Cyndi and Cary are your "in the know" Thunderbird experts. Please, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. Or, feel free to visit us online at www.thunderbirdonly.com

Stop Any Foreclosure Right Away - Dirty Secrets Your Lender Isn’t Telling You Posted By : Alan Largo
There are a lot of reasons that can cause anyone to have their home end up in foreclosure. Maybe you lost your job and are having a difficult time securing another one. Imaginably there happened to be an illness in the family or you just fell on difficult times and just can’t seem to make ends meet. No matter what the reason is that got you where you are today, definitely you want to do everything you can to keep your home from slipping into foreclosure. One major mistake that people make most often is ignoring their mortgage lender when they’re having financial problems.

How To Raise The Rent At Your Investment Property
Having your rents keep pace with your expenses and market rents is an critical part of running investment real estate business Although it can seem intimidating at first if you just take your time and think through the process with each tenant it can be a simple process when lease renewal time comes around

Why East European Real Estate Is A Hot Commodity For Investors
The United States housing market may still be in the middle of a downward slump but East European real estate investors are reaping the benefits of double-digit returns some as high as over 50 percent

What is a Real Estate Short Sale?
The term “real estate short sale” is being bandied about more and more as of late. Read the newspapers, or turn on the TV and the odds are high that you will come across stories about declining real estate market conditions and the increasing willingness of banks and other financial institutions to consider real estate short sales as an alternative to foreclosure.

In all parts of the country, real estate prices are down and the time it takes to sell properties has risen dramatically. It is no exaggeration to say that some regions are experiencing a virtual market meltdown (the Detroit market is one good example). Declining real estate markets are the primary reason for the rise in short sale real estate opportunities.

So, what is a real estate short sale? A real estate short sale is when a bank agrees to allow a property to be sold for less than the amount owed on it. There are two conditions that must be met before a bank is likely to approve a real estate short sale:

1) Market values are such that the property’s sale price cannot cover the outstanding mortgage balance(s).

2) The owners find themselves unable to continue to make mortgage payments on the property.

As an example, suppose a property was purchased five years ago for $217,000 with an adjustable rate mortgage. Let’s say that two years after purchasing the property the owners took out an additional $10,000 second mortgage, which means that today the owners owe $227,000 on the property (note that in five years the amount that the mortgages would have been paid down is negligible).

Further assume that the property is in a part of the country where market values have fallen to $215,000 for comparable properties, and that the adjustable mortgage interest rate has recently increased from 7% to 11%. Finally, add the fact that one of the owners has just lost her job and the makings of a real estate short sale situation become apparent.

Rather than go through the expense and time delays that a foreclosure proceeding would require, the bank may decide that allowing a short sale makes more sense in the long run — better to have a known amount of money now and the property off of the bank’s books than an unknown amount of money at some distant point in the future. Of course there are numerous complications to the process that can arise, such as when multiple owners and/or multiple lenders cannot agree to the terms and conditions of a sale, but in a nut-shell that is the gist of a real estate short sale.

While a real estate short sale is an unfortunate and unpleasant experience for an owner forced to go through the process, it s not the end of the world and it s better than having a foreclosure on one s credit report. On the other side of the coin, a real estate short sale can often represent an excellent buying opportunity for the savvy real estate investor.

John A. Michailidis, Esq. is an attorney, broker, investor, small business consultant, and author of the WealthLoop Series book, <a target="_new" href="http://www.WealthLoop.com">"Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses."</a> Learn more about <a target="_new" href="http://wealthloop.com/?s=bronchick">real estate short sales</a> at http://www.WealthLoop.com