Dallas Suburbs

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by Zack Fair

You'll have no lack of attractive living options. One area to consider is the northwest Dallas suburbs. Many of the sought after suburbs are located in this area. These include: Coppell, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Plano. This area has become very popular because of excellent schools, plentiful restaurants and shopping and a less dense population.
Most of the suburbs all Dallas offer these characteristics:

• High ownership of homes - Most people who live in the Northwest suburbs own their homes. This contirbutes to a higher standard of living for this area.
• Some of the best school districts in Texas are located in the Dallas Fort Worth area. You'll experience peace of mind know that your kids are receiving the best education possible.
• Top notch colleges and universities are located throughout Dallas. If you are thinking about going back to school and starting your college education, you'll have plenty of choices within a reasonable driving distance.
• You'll find not problems locating apartments in Dallas. Scattered throughout Dallas are many upscale apartments that offering a wide variety of amenities.
• There are many desirable neighborhoods located in each suburb of Dallas. Every type of ambience is imaginable. You'll find contemporary, colonial and gothic styles of neighborhoods.
• Restaurants, shopping malls, entertainment and parks are in abundance.

Many love to live in the suburbs because it's less crowded. Families are able to spread out and enjoy the rural settings that many suburbs are able to offer. Getting to work is usually no problem because of the extensive freeway system. Dallas' publica transportation agency (DART) has rapidly expanded making if easier to commute to work.

Below is a list of Dallas suburbs and a short description of each:

Addison - Addison has excellent restaurants and great entertainment centers. This is a city that vibrates with energy and fun.

Arlington - Arlington is the center of the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex. It is the home of the Texas Rangers, Six Flags Over Texas and will the the home to the Dallas Cowboys.

Carrollton - Gently rolling hills, a combination of older and newer homes and a young population are characteristic of this community.

Coppell - Coppell is conveniently located close to the DFW International Airport and the Dallas Dowtown business district. Coppell is home to a 116-acre park system which includes two lakes and scenic hiking and biking trails.

Euless - Euless is know for it dedication to vision and growth. It is only of the fastest growing cities of the DFW metroplex.

Garland - Garland is Texas' ninth largest city. It is located the North Eastern part of the Dallas metroplex. It is know for having excellent golf courses. Garland is located close to several recreational lakes.

Grapevine - Grapevine is named after the Mustand Grapes that grow in the area. Grapevine is home to the largest mall in North Texas. The Grapevine Lake affords the outdoor enthusiast with many outdoor activity options.

Irving - Irving is a significant business center for Dallas. It is home to Exxon-Mobile, Kimberly-Clark and Omni Hotels. Texas Stadium is located in Irving.

Lake Dallas - Lake Dallas is a small community located on the shores of Lewisville Lake. Lake Dallas has a small town charm with a revitalized downtown area.

Las Colinas - Las Colinas is a planned community and home to many Fortune 500 companies. Los Colinas is synonyms with luxury hotels, highrise office towers and private country clubs.

McKinney - Mckinney is an upscale community located north of Dallas.

Plano - In 2005, Plano was named the best place to lives in the Western United States by CNN's Money magazine. Plano has excellent schools and is home to many top corporations.

Richardson - Know for its abundance of restaurants, malls and movie theaters, Richardson is an award winning city with top-rated schools.
The Colony - The Colony is an unique city, master-planned back in the early seventies.

Zack Fair publishes articles for Rent-Dallas-Apartments.com, a website dedicated to promoting Dallas Apartments providing resources on Dallas neighborhoods , communities, and schools to people looking to live in Dallas.

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Stay Safe With Contractors When Flipping Houses For Profit

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by Brad Wozny – INSTANTRealEstateSolutions.com

Investors interested in refurbishing and reselling distressed properties often want inexpensive repair work, but it is important to avoid a contractor scam. Any contractor who offers significant discounts, makes large promises, asks for a lot of money up front, or wants to work without a contract should be avoided.

If you wish to start flipping houses for profit, you will need to work with contractors in order to rescue distressed property so that they're ready for resale. However, some scam artists prey on new investors, especially, by posing as contractors. Since a scam contractor can cost you thousands and can severely reduce any profits you might expect from house flipping, you'll want to watch out for:

1) Contractors soliciting door-to-door. Very few professional contractors need to do this. While some legitimate contractors may use this marketing technique, you have no way of tracing the legitimacy of a contractor who solicits this way.

2) Special prices or discounts that seem suspiciously low. Be especially wary if you are told that you must sign up right away in order to get special pricing. Be extra suspicious if you're asked to give money up front in order to qualify for the special pricing. Professional contractors may occasionally offer a discount, but they do not do so with a hard sell and they cannot afford to offer hugely slashed prices while also offering quality work. If someone is offering to do the work for a fraction of its actual price, you need to wonder where the corners will be cut. You also need to consider that some contractors who are scam artists will slowly increase the price of the work as they go along. Therefore, that surprisingly low figure will end up being a much overcharged amount by the time the job is done

3) Contractors who want to work with no contract. Some contractors will try to make it sound as though they work on just a handshake. You should never have any contract work done without a legal contract in place. A contract protects both you and the contractor, so any professional contractor will naturally want to have a contract in place. The contractor who does not have a contract in place knows that he or she can walk away at any time, since no official agreement was made.

4) Large down payments. About a third of the total cost of materials is generally the maximum down payment required. Be very suspicious of anything that requires a larger down payment.

5) Long-term warranties and lifetime guarantees. Coming from a contractor who has not been in business very long, these may simply not mean much because there is no guarantee that the contractor will be in business for very much longer. Also, many of the very long-term warranties only apply to parts, rather than labor. Therefore, you or your future house owners will still be responsible for large share of the costs of any repairs. If you are flipping houses for profit, you'll want to make sure that any warranties can be transferred over to the new owners as well.

6) No business address. Look out for contractors who only have a PO address, a single private phone number, or no good way of getting in touch. These people can easily disappear overnight. Look for contractors with an established retail business or an address that has been around for at least a year or more. Make sure that you can track down the contractors if anything does go wrong. When flipping houses for profit, the last thing you want to have to deal with is a shoddy repair job and a contractor who has suddenly skipped town.

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Fort Lauderdale Real Estate: Health Of The City's Condo Market

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by Vanessa Doctor

The popularity of Fort Lauderdale as a prime tourist destination has been in the works since the early 70's. As the word spreads around, many are migrating into the region either to settle down and enjoy the beauty of the city, or to add their own muscles to the growing demand of manpower.

Young professional who are planning to stay in Fort Lauderdale are targeting the city's horde of condominiums for home acquisition. Both local and foreign investors are showing interest in having the luxury of a Fort Lauderdale condo unit.

The Status Of Fort Lauderdale Condos

As with most case in condo acquisition, the prices of each can affect our decisions greatly. Even if the prices soar to eye-bulging heights, we might even consider it if it's worth it or not. But in truth, the mortgage bust that hit the state contributed to the steep decline in Fort Lauderdale real estate, and so is their market value.

The rising number of foreclosure and overbuilding added to the rising number of unsold homes in the area. But despite the rising demands, the prices are still going down every month. This is an opportune moment in getting your hands on prime properties at lower price.

You might want to hurry up in acquiring your own condo unit since the declining condo prices did not go unnoticed to the eyes of foreign investors. Canadians and Europeans have been eyeing these condo units ever since the U.S. currency devaluated, and are moving out buying these amenities left and right.

Acquisition Of Condo Units

It is true that foreign acquisition of these luxurious condos is on the rise since the early months of 2007. Local buyers are now biding their time for the prices to go a bit lower before coming out into the open and buying them out. The main reason for this is to make the profit margin a bit larger by selling out when the prices of these real estate goes back to normal.

If you are in the mind of acquiring Fort Lauderdale Condo units, then you better start early if you don't want to wait in line. The best way to start your search is through the Internet. Since most real estate firms are now going online with their venture, you can easily find the best Fort Lauderdale condo that will fit your needs. It's better than running around on foot, if you know what I mean.

Next, if you have an idea on what condo you wish to acquire, give them a call or a visit, if you will, and ask for complete price quotes with their assortment of condo units. You may even want to check out their mortgage rates and pick one out that's well within your budget. Rather than checking out the images, you might want to as a tour of their condo units and get a first-hand experience on its feel and look.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor


Fort Lauderdale Real Estate
Miami Condos

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The Real Estate Short Sale- How It Works

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If real estate investing is new to you then you might wonder what the term "short sale" means. You might also be thinking, in a market that exists today, what short sales could offer you in the way of opportunities.

The best way to describe short sales is with an illustration:

The loan on a home is greater than the price the owner can sell it for. Let's assume that the unpaid balance of the loan is $140,000 but the house won't sell for more than $120,000. Obviously this is not an ideal scenario for the owner or for the lender. It means the lender is at risk of losing money and that's not something they want! In order to have minimal losses, the lenders agree to accept less than the total amount due. In this illustration, the lender considers the $120,000 as payment in full. Now it's clear that this amount is "short" of the full $140,000 payment. You can now see where they derived the term "short sale".

Why in the world would a lender consider a short sale? Well, there are many reasons often related to "hardship cases"; e.g., the homeowner has permanent injuries; financial insolvency; convictions; job layoffs, etc. In such cases, lenders are willing to consider a short sale as part of their "loss mitigation" policy. However, lenders don't go into business to lose money, so they consider short sales a last resort. Foreclosure can be a better option for them.

So, should you consider short sales as a money-making opportunity?

Well, good deals can be found in short sales, but it's a much more complicated process than conventional real estate sales. It's made complicated by the fact that there are so many factors involved: - The loan mitigation policies of the lender and third-party investors - The borrower's financial condition - The property's as-is value an as-repaired expenses - Approval for short sale needs to come from the investor who is actually the owner of the loan.

So, how do you know if a short sale is worth pursuing? Here are the steps to follow in order to make that determination:

Step 1: Identify potential short sale properties (e.g., contact a listing agent, check the public records, etc.). Step 2: Check the lender's loss mitigation policy. For example, if they deal with short sales on a fairly regular basis, they're a good choice. If, on the other hand, they seldom or never accept short sale offers, don't waste your time. Step 3: Determine the number of liens recorded against the property and the total amount of money in those liens. Step 4: Determine the borrower's present financial condition. Step 5: Analyze the type of loan that's in default and its current status. Step 6: Determine both the property's as-is market value and its as-repaired value. Step 7: Analyze current real estate market conditions.

Once you've followed all these steps and determined that a short sale is worth pursuing, then you'll need to take further steps. First, keep in mind that all short sales are cash transactions. This means you'll need to have cash on hand and verifiable proof that you have that money. Otherwise, the lender will not do business with you. Follow these steps:

- Contact the homeowner who's in foreclosure and determine the homeowner's financial condition.

- Determine the property's condition.

- If you conclude that both the financial and property condition are suitable, ask the homeowner to give you written authorization to contact the lender's loan loss mitigation department.

- Contact the decision-maker in the loan loss mitigation department of the lender and provide him or her with a copy of the authorization signed by the homeowner. Discuss the short sale and ask him or her to send the appropriate short-sale documents to the homeowner.

- Instruct the homeowner to compile all documentation in order to prove financial hardship.

- Get repair cost estimates from at least three licensed home improvement contractors.

- Assess the value of three similar neighborhood properties sold in the last six months (a comparable value study).

- Return the short sale proposal to the lender's decision-maker. It should include a signed purchase agreement for a percentage less than the amount owed to the lender; e.g., 20%, 30%, less, etc.

- At this point, the lender's decision-maker reviews your proposal and orders a BPO ("broker's price opinion") to determine the property's as-is and as-repaired values. The decision-maker either accepts your proposal or rejects it.

- If the decision-maker thinks a short sale is appropriate, he or she makes a counteroffer.

- You accept or reject the counteroffer.

- Assuming you accept the counteroffer, you close on the transaction within 30 days.

One last point: Short sales can't be made to relatives, family members, or close friends of the homeowner. If a lender later finds out after the sale that, say, the homeowner's sister bought the property, then that lender can sue to have the sale overturned.

My advice: Approach short sales with caution and be prepared to put in a whole lot of work in order to make them succeed.

Jack Sternberg

Jack Sternberg is a nationally recognized expert on real estate investment and the creator of the renowned "Buyers First Program" who's been in the business for more than 30 years. Sternberg's deals have totaled over $750 million and he's been to the closing table more than 1,500 times. For more, visit http://www.askjacksternberg.com

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Los Angeles Foreclosure Homes: Winning Property Investments

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by Philip. Smith

Los Angeles has always been a desirable city, especially for homebuyers and real estate investors. But these days it seems that making a real estate investment here is riskier than ever. We constantly hear about the struggling real estate market in California, and with home values bottoming out across the nation, it can be difficult to tell when and where investment value will begin to rise again. That's why Los Angeles foreclosure homes offer such an interesting option.

Buying Los Angeles foreclosure homes involves a different process than buying other types of real estate, as they are sold off by mortgage lenders to collect debts. However, the process is easy to learn, and once you do, you'll find discounts of anywhere from 10 to 50% off market value at almost every sale. Buying below market value is the one way to ensure instant investment value in a tough and uncertain market.

The market for Los Angeles foreclosure homes is thriving these days as well, offering plenty of chances for discounted home purchase to buyers. In the past year alone, foreclosures in the area have increased by over 90%,and with 2008 predicted to be one of the biggest years on record for foreclosures, finding deals can be quite simple.

Try searching for Los Angeles foreclosure homes with a trusted online listings service like ForeclosureDeals.com to find out what's available. ForeclosureDeals.com can be especially helpful, as they provide detailed listings and plenty of tips and info on buying for the best prices.

Philip Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of Los Angeles Foreclosed Homes purchase at ForeclosureDeals.com for over nine years. Click here to visit and read more advice on buying discount real estate.

Article Source: Los Angeles Foreclosure Homes: Winning Property Investments.

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Los Angeles Foreclosure Homes: Winning Property Investments

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by Philip. Smith

Los Angeles has always been a desirable city, especially for homebuyers and real estate investors. But these days it seems that making a real estate investment here is riskier than ever. We constantly hear about the struggling real estate market in California, and with home values bottoming out across the nation, it can be difficult to tell when and where investment value will begin to rise again. That's why Los Angeles foreclosure homes offer such an interesting option.

Buying Los Angeles foreclosure homes involves a different process than buying other types of real estate, as they are sold off by mortgage lenders to collect debts. However, the process is easy to learn, and once you do, you'll find discounts of anywhere from 10 to 50% off market value at almost every sale. Buying below market value is the one way to ensure instant investment value in a tough and uncertain market.

The market for Los Angeles foreclosure homes is thriving these days as well, offering plenty of chances for discounted home purchase to buyers. In the past year alone, foreclosures in the area have increased by over 90%,and with 2008 predicted to be one of the biggest years on record for foreclosures, finding deals can be quite simple.

Try searching for Los Angeles foreclosure homes with a trusted online listings service like ForeclosureDeals.com to find out what's available. ForeclosureDeals.com can be especially helpful, as they provide detailed listings and plenty of tips and info on buying for the best prices.

Philip Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of Foreclosed Homes purchase at ForeclosureDeals.com for over nine years. Click here to visit and read more advice on buying discount real estate.

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Chicago Foreclosure Homes Showing Excellent Value Potential

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by Philip. Smith

When it comes to finding good values on real estate these days, the market can be pretty tough. Property values have fallen off nationwide now that the housing market has collapsed, but while prices are low as a result, it's also impossible to tell when these properties will start to have appreciating value again. Therefore it's hard to have confidence in an investment, which is why so many people have turned to the market for Chicago foreclosure homes.

Chicago foreclosure homes are very interesting real estate commodities. Sold by lenders as a means of collecting an outstanding debt, many buyers simply overlook them as they are not traditionally advertised publicly. However, with most Chicago foreclosure homes going for discounts ranging from 10 to 50% off their actual market value, more and more buyers have started to take notice of this opportunity for instant value, especially in today's uncertain market.

Chicago is a beautiful city, with plenty of chances for finding homes that will have great value once the market turns around, and with Chicago foreclosure homes currently booming, there are great chances to buy for less. Between late 2006 and late 2007, foreclosures increased by over 100% city wide, with the hardest hit areas being the historic South side and posh West side neighborhoods. These areas have great potential for growth, and thus present excellent investments.

A good place to learn more about Chicago foreclosure homes is ForeclosureDeals.com, where you can perform searches for listings all over the city, as well as learn a great deal about the buying process and what it takes to make the best investments possible.

Philip Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of Chicago Foreclosure Homes purchase at ForeclosureDeals.com for over nine years. Click here to visit and read more advice on buying discount real estate.

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Cyprus to pull them in?

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by Jim Barnaby

Cyprus has been one of the apparent success stories in overseas property investment terms in recent years, with rising prices, the economic kudos of first joining the European Union and then adopting the euro as its national currency, followed by the tantalising possibilities for the future that reunification with the Turkish north could bring.

In the midst of it all, the appeal of Cyprus has not been too hard to talk up, given its position in the Mediterranean with plenty of sun, sea and sand, yet with a rich cultural and archaeological history created by the presence of so many civilisations.

Yet surprising as it may seem to some, the tourist industry on the island has taken a dip in recent years, not something which buy-to-let investors owning property in tourist areas may want to hear. But, the Cypriot Financial Mirror reports, the Cyprus Hoteliers' Association and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation both expect the trend to improve, quoting research from the former organisation's trade magazine and expressing the view that the credit crunch will not deter tourists from Britain and the US.

Of course, the question some will ask is that of how good the Cyprus tourist industry actually is. There is currently a major advertising drive underway involving tennis star Marcos Baghdatis and UK viewers may have seen the adverts on TV, but the presence of quality facilities matters for those tourists who want a little more than just a few natural attractions and the near-guarantee of hot weather.

For that reason it may be reassuring to hear that the Colombia Beach Resort in Pissouri Bay has been nominated for two World Travel awards, Easier reports. The presence of five star hotels in such locations may be a clear implication that the Cypriots are not pitching themselves low.

More importantly, the presence of high-quality Cyprus property for investment to buy is also present. The Daily Telegraph reports that the sort of property that is available for overseas buyers includes examples such as the newly-built Vikla village above Paphos Cyprus Property for as little as €260,000 (£203,000), with this particular instance involving a buy now-pay later deal.

How the Cypriot tourist market performs this year is, of course, something that remains to be seen, although many European visitors will enjoy not having to change currency before flying in. But further growth in the industry - whether stimulated by advertising or changes in taste that see visitors try the country as an alternative to other Mediterranean destinations - could see the property market boosted yet further.

In today's world Property investment is an excellent investment option especially investment in UK

Jim Barnaby is a real estate investment broker and successful property investment adviser delivering research and selected UK and overseas property investment solutions with experience in spanish properties, french property investment, German property, Cyprus holiday homes, Property in Cape Verde, German property investment, cape verde property buy to let property

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Seniors and Real Estate - Making Modifications to a Home

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by TerriAnn Ford

Across Canada, the overwhelming majority of seniors prefer to continue to live safely and independently in their own homes for as long as possible. However, many homes are simply not designed to meet seniors changing needs. There are a number of ways to adapt a home to keep pace with changing needs.

To help keep costs low the best time to start making the adaptations for safety and independence is when you are renovating your home.

For example, if you get easy to use door handles now you won't need to change the doorknobs later on when your fingers become less nimble. Also, you may not want to grab bars in your bathroom for quite some time, but you can design your shower or bath to have reinforced walls that will accommodate grab bars in the future. Planning far enough in advance will help you stay in your home longer and control your independence level.

A simple way to make your home easier to live in is to make at least one entrance of the main living level of the home accessible without going up or down steps.

This may mean re routing the entranceway but if you do this when you're having the stairs replaced or the walkways resurface there should be little additional cost.

You make modifications to your homes try to make sure you have a full glass, a kitchen and a beggar all of the main level. Having the clothing washer and dryer on the same level is also a big convenience. Use floor surfaces that don't become slippery when wet. Replace old faucets with single lever faucets and light up dark spots. These are helpful and inexpensive changes you can make.

Falls in stairwells can be avoided. Start by any ensuring your stairways area as safe as possible by using handrails and good lighting. Have the lighting controlled at both top and bottom of stairway. If replacing stairs make sure the back portion of the step

(The rise) is not too high and that the horizontal part of the step (the tread) nice and wide.

Another idea could be to consider adding a garden suite on the lot as your land. These suites are small self - contained homes that enable the seniors in your family to live close to you while maintaining their independence. This will give you greater peace of mind.

TerriAnn Ford loves being a Real Estate Agent in Guelph Ontario. She specializes in finding the right home for her clients.. Ford is an Accredited Buyer Representative and also offers free foreclosure listings to anyone looking for a real estate bargain in Ontario.

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