Vermont Country Properties Sotheby's International Realty's Weblog …
Endless possibilities await at this 20+ acre lakefront property with open meadows and wooded acreage! 1682 feet of astounding easterly facing shore with magnificent views of the Green Mountains & Lake Champlain. …  read more…

Lake Orion lake front homes and real estate – Detroit Real Estate
Search Oakland County Lake front homes for sale & Oakland county foreclosures, indepth info about Oakland County lakes.  read more…

LAKEFRONT w HOT TUB amp Boat Dock SAVE 150 per night Big Bear Lake …
This lakefront home is pet friendly. Deck with barbecue and amazing views of the lake. Enjoy all the lake activities. Walking distance to the Village or take a short drive to the ski slopes, zoo, hiking, restaurants, and more! Sleeps 8. …  read more…

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Lake Travis Houses
Cooling lakes surrounded by rolling hills and spotted with tree-filled parks, that’s Lakeway Texas for you!

Located just 20 minutes west of the dynamic city of Austin Texas, this small city is home…  read more…

What Types of Accommodation Are There in Taupo New Zealand?
Planning a trip to Taupo New Zealand in the near future and don’t know what types of accommodations are on offer? Well look no further! You are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation …  read more…

Who is Paul Moore?
Paul Moore is an experienced Realtor in the Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia. Paul, a Detroit native, paid a visit to the area and loved it so much that he moved to the Smith Mountain Lake area an…  read more…

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Georgia Real Estate Auctions for Georgia Luxury Homes

Georgia real estate auctions will be held by United Country Certified Real Estate: Auctions, Marketing, and Brokerage Company of Moultrie, Georgia, on May 15th at 2 pm. That Friday afternoon, the real estate auction for 5 Georgia properties in Jackson and Franklin County will be held at 168 Evans Road in Bogart. In these auctions of Georgia real estate, a luxury home for sale at 4296 Waterworks Road in Jefferson, Georgia will be offered. This magnificent brick homes luxury features include 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large kitchen, recreational room, 2 fireplaces and open floor plan. This Georgia luxury home is situated on approximately 2 acres. Property details and event news for these Georgia luxury homes are available online at www.CertifiedRealEstateAuctions.com. Interested parties may register and bid online for these Georgia real estate auctions. Auctioneer/Broker Myers Jackson may be contacted by phone at 800-711-9175 or at Myers@CertifiedAuctionMail.com. 10%B.P. GAL3046.

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Open Question: Why is the US Postal Service buying mansions for employees?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/05/postal.service.relocation/index.html?ir

“A CNN investigation revealed in February that the Postal Service had no limit on the amount it would pay for a home of a relocating employee. It paid more than $1 million for 14 homes in the past five years.

That included $1.2 million for an 8,400-square-foot, six bedroom lakefront home in Lake Wateree, South Carolina.”

“The inspector general’s report found that the Postal Service spent $73 million for relocation benefits to more than 2,000 employees last year.”

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Resolved Question: Which city would you like to host the 2016 olympics?
Chicago. A beautiful, compact games on the lakefront(that can be mistaken for an ocean) with the beautiful skyline as the backdrop. The village is situated so that 90 percent of athletes are 15 mins away from their competition venues.. and 10 mins away from bustling downtown.. with beautiful parks, dining, museums and culture. A good use of existing facilities, while also creating new stadiums that will be downgraded after the games to be used for chicagoans..unlike the “white elephant”stadiums that go unused. Chicagoans are known for their love of sports. It has the two most influential people in OBama and Oprah, supporting the game. Chicago has crime, but is Rarely seen in the downtown area and is not as bad as rio. Chicago has more convention space than any other city except for Las Vegas. More than double the amount of hotel space required by the IOC and at a lesser price than the other candiate cities.It has made a 2.5 billion dollar guarentee for the games, it needs to be noted that NO american city has ever lost money for an olympic games. Chicago is home to dining, sports, culture, music, and pride. I think it will make a fantastic city to host. I think many chicagoans fear that they will be footed with the bill, but the games give chicago a chance to make a big step on the world stage. As chicago city planner Daniel Burnham famously said “Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir mens blood,.. Make big plans..aim high in hope and work”

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Resolved Question: Progressive Field in Cleveland home of bugs and sea gulls and bad players?
Can someone explain why a city would build a stadium on the lakefront?,just watched a 4 gm series with the yankees and the bugs and lake birds was crazy.Why?

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 August 1, 2009 Absolute Auction: 2 Lakefront Homes and Guns, Knives, and collectibles – http://postlets.com/res/2509534
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If you are looking for a private school at which you can further your education, you will be thrilled by the options you have available to you in the Austin area.

Trinity University

Trinity University, which is located in nearby San Antonio, is one of the top private undergraduate institutions in the United States. 37 different majors as well as 13 interdisciplinary minors are offered by this university. Some of the programs offered at Trinity University include:

Business administration Communication Computer science Education Engineering science

The university has an extensive liberal arts and sciences program and offers Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Music degrees. The university was cited as having strong academics regardless of the major chosen and was also listed in The Princeton Review as one of The Best 361 Colleges.

St. Edwards University

St. Edward’s University is a private Catholic institution with a focus on liberal arts. Located in Austin, the university places an emphasis on ethical practice as well as on critical thinking. The class sizes are kept small in order to provide students with an excellent education and personal attention. Also, the university offers numerous service-learning and internship opportunities. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and awards both bachelor and master’s degrees.

Concordia University

Also located on a 20 acre campus in the heart of Austin is Concordia University. This coeducational, private institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts and sciences field. In all, the university offers 22 different majors housed within four colleges:

Adult Education Business Education Liberal Arts & Sciences

Apart from that, the university offers an Accelerated Degree Program. This program is made keeping in mind to assist part time students and adult students who are returning to school by allowing them to finish their studies more quickly. Apart from its Austin campus, Concordia also has extension campuses located in Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of College and Schools and awards associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees.

Texas Lutheran University

Texas Lutheran University is located in Seguin and offers undergraduate degrees in sciences, liberal arts, and professional studies. The class sizes are capped at just 18 students and each class is taught by a professor that is highly qualified, never by a graduate student. The university focuses on providing hands on experiences to its students by providing them with opportunities to partake in scientific research, internships, senior seminars, and study abroad programs. This university has been listed as one of America’s best colleges by U.S. News & World Report and was included in the Best Western Colleges list created by The Princeton Review due to the result of the excellent education it provides.

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When most people imagine what their dream home will be like, they usually have an idea in their mind of how it will look on the outside. Building a dream home is not only an exciting time in one’s life, but it is also a major undertaking. It is easy to imagine the final product, but to get there one has many steps to go through. If you are planning on building a dream home, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind before you plunge into the project.

Budget Planning: It is important to consider how much you can afford to spend on building a new home. You will likely have to get a home loan so research carefully and compare loan options. You should also see what size loan you will actually qualify for. Get an estimate of building costs as well so you will know how much you may be spending. It is important to budget for unexpected expenses. A good way to finance is a ‘pay as you go’ plan, meaning you pay for each stage of the building process.

Consider the Style and Size of the Home: You should think about what type of home you want such as a rustic log home, Cape Cod, Ranch, Colonial, Modernetc. This is what you and others will see when you pull up in the driveway so make sure it is exactly what you want. You have to consider how many square feet you want, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, size of each room, and any additions such as a garage or mudroom.

Lot Considerations: You have to consider such lot features as the size, location such as urban, rural, near an oceanetc. You should also consider such location aspects as approximation to amenities, schools, work, parksetc. Make sure that you obtain information on such aspects as drainage, zoning laws, building regulations, weather conditions, and soil conditions.

Choose a Plan Design: You can locate many designs on the internet or you can enlist the services of an architect. Modern homes tend to have specific plans, but the builder can usually make modifications. There are also software packages that can help you design your dream house. It is important to pick a plan that will meet you and your family’s current and future needs.

Choose a Contractor/Builder: You will need a contractor who will usually have a building team that is qualified in all areas associated with building a home. You will also require a surveyor, electrician, plumber, and building inspector for the various stages of the building process. Ask the builder to review your design to make there won’t be any problems during building. Whoever you choose should have a good reputation so make sure you obtain references. You will also need an excavator for the septic tank installation. You will be required to have a local government official inspect where the septic installation will take place before you receive a permit to install it.

Home Inspector: Make sure you have a home inspector review the home to make sure everything was done correctly and the home is safe and in good condition. A home inspector will be able to identify any errors or poor quality work.

Building a dream home can be a wonderful and exciting time in one’s life. In order to ensure that your dream comes true, it is important to have all of the information about building before you start. It will make the project easier, less expensive, and will help ensure that your new home is a dream come true, and not a nightmare.

Technorati Tags: building, business, condo, construction, home, home improvement, homes, Houses, new homes, Real Estate, rental

Have you and your family come upon financial issues recently due to the economy? Is your income not at the level it used to be? If you have been cutting back on spending you might want to consider downgrading your current apartment to a affordable apartment for rent.

To find affordable apartments for rent go to Craigslist. This is a popular website for people that want to list their things for sale. Many people also list apartments and you can easily find affordable apartments there.

Next, get with a realtor who also manages property. Since they are knowledgeable about the area and also have managed property, then can help you find some affordable apartments for rent. Either they may be managing some or they will know of people that are renting out.

Another place where you can find affordable apartments for rent is in the apartment rental magazines. Pick up a free magazine at your local news stand.

Finally, try using the service of apartment hunters. Apartment hunters have a deal with many apartments where they get a commission if they refer people to the apartments. Therefore the service to you is free to use.

Try to talk to residents currently living in affordable apartments for rent. They can give you some clues as to whether the apartment complex staff cares about the residents.

Look up the apartment complex online and see if there any resident reviews of the apartments. There are some websites that allow people to write their opinions on the apartments that they live in. This is another way to get a preview of what that complex is like.

When you have found the apartment of your choice, make sure you do a thorough check of the apartment before you rent. By doing a check you will lessen your chance of renting a bad apartment which requires constant repairs.

Theft can be fairly common in affordable apartments so you should protect yourself by buying renters insurance. This insurance protects all of your belongs from theft or destruction.

Technorati Tags: affordable apartments for rent, cheap apartments, finance, inexpensive apartments, low income, Real Estate, save money, students

Anyone who is trying to sell a house for the first time should be using a real estate agent, especially in today economic environment. The most common reason people try to sell homes on their own is to avoid the commission but is that really worth it? Using an agent will benefit you in many ways and now that it is so difficult to sell any house, you probably need all the expertise an agent can bring with them.

When you set out to sell your house, you will quickly become aware that there is a lot of work involved. Not only do you have to do everything to fix up the house and get it ready to be shown and sold, but you need to be able to stay on top of all the paper work as well. Using an agent is a good idea because they will take care of all the legalities and forms that every homeowner must fill out and file. Also, you will sleep better knowing that there is a solid real estate company behind you that will take care of any unforeseen problems.

Selling a house for the first time can be scary as there is a lot of legal paperwork to fill out and you have to know what to do and when to do it. This is not the time to be experimenting and it is better, for your first sale, to use an agent and then learn things by watching. If you are intent on learning how to sell your own house, if you watch and learn from an agent the first time then you will have a good shot at successfully doing it when you sell your second house. For most people, this is the smartest route.

Another reason to use a real estate agent is that they have methods of getting your house seen by as many people as possible. In todays economy, it is important to get your house listed in all the for sale databases and to spread awareness about your house. This is the job of a real estate agent and they can most certainly do it better than you can. You might in the end be able to sell your house yourself but you may be able to sell it a lot quicker with the aid of a competent real estate agent.

We have a buyers market right now and it will probably stay that way for some time to come. Even if you do everything right and do all you can to spread the word and show your house, it still might not be enough unless the price is right. Buyers are very aware that they are in the drivers seat right now that you might have to lower the price of your house lower than you really want to. If you dont price your house low enough, there might be nothing you can do to get it sold. In the end, whether you use a real estate agent or not, it might be the price that is the determining factor in whether you are successful in selling your home.

Technorati Tags: diy, family, home improvement, homes, Houses, Interior Design, Landscaping, Real Estate

Recently, a 1.8 million square foot building in New York City was purchased for $600 million. That may not seem newsworthy except that the asking price prior to the sale was $1.74 billion. The drop in price could be attributed to a variety of factors, one of which may be that of the 1.6 million square feet available for rent, only half was actually occupied.

At first glance, a 65% reduction may seem like a steal, but a closer look reveals the true reasons behind the urgent need to sell. When such desperate measures are taken, the only logical conclusion is that there must be a reason. And that reason is what investors must investigate before succumbing to the lure of initial savings.

Just as the rest of the country is experiencing economic hardships, New York City is seeing drops in monthly rental rates and less demand for rental units. With a building that is only half full, as was this building, the investor is most certainly losing money. In the best possible scenario, the buyer would have paid cash for the property, and still the operating costs would be higher than the rental income. The bottom line is that the buyer who thought he was getting a great deal, paid $600 million on a property that will cost more to maintain than the income it will generate.

The overarching question is: What do the new owners need to do to convert their failing office building business into a successful one? The obvious goal is to increase the percentage of leased space from 50% to 95%. Not impossible, but very difficult. Following are some realistic scenarios. Increasing occupancy in 10% increments per annum means it will take five years to get there. To accomplish this, the buyer needs to be prepared to spend a significant amount of capital. These costs will include tenant improvements (TIs), leasing commission, and negative cash flow.

New lessees never say the space is perfect. In weaker markets, lessees are more demanding and the lessor pays. To get to 95% physical occupancy, 360,000 square feet need to be leased. The going rate for TIs is in the area of $125 per square foot. That comes to approximately $45 million.

Another cost to be considered is the 5% – 6% commission paid to the agents responsible for acquiring the renters. Let’s say the owner can charge $55 per square foot each year for five years. At a rate of 5%, almost $5 million must be paid to the leasing agent upon finalization of the lease agreement.

Interestingly enough, this investment may have a positive outcome for individuals involved in the transaction, such as the recipient of the fees for insurance, management, and oversight. As for the investor, if concessions do not have a negative impact and the market takes a turn for the better, in five years time the property has the potential of growing to $750 million at a 6% capitalization rate. All that is left for the buyer to do is weigh the options and determine the best course of action.

Technorati Tags: business, capitalization rates, finance, investment, Real Estate, Real Estate Investment

Owners often struggle with finding a tenant for their home. Most often the problem is the market, but not always. Sometime the problem can be with how you manage the first impression.

Most people know that first impressions are important when it comes to finding a job. But first impressions are also important when it comes to finding someone to rent out your house.

First impressions are so important when it comes to showing your rental home to a prospect.

If your rental home was the only one on the market, then the first impression would not be so important. But the reality is that the prospective renter has many options available. You are in a competition with other owners for the best renters in your area. Therefore, you must make an excellent first impression and beat out your competitors.

You need to show that you have a professional attitude. A professional attitude communicates to your prospect that you will meet their needs quickly when a maintenance problem occurs. A professional attitude also says that you know what you are doing and have confidence in your ability as a landlord. A professional attitude is something that a professional property management company has an advantage on most self managing owners.

Part of making a good first impression is returning your prospects phone call as quickly as possible. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when renting out your home is to not return prospect phone calls immediately. It is a big turn off to your prospect if they can’t reach you. Immediately they think that if you are hard to get on the phone now, what’s going to happen if you move in and have a maintenance issue? A very interested prospect will only call once or twice before giving up and moving on to another rental home.

Always have your paperwork ready. Your rental application and rental contract should always be carried on you. A huge error is to not bring your paperwork with you and when the prospect is emotionally attached to your property and ready to fill out a rental application the worst thing you can say is, “Uh… I forgot to bring the rental application with me. I will call you back later when I find it.” This is a great way to lose a potential tenant. You will call him back later, but he will not return your call because he has called one of your competitors.

Giving off a professional first impression is key. You do this by returning potential renters calls as fast as you can. Make the potential renter feel important. When you show your rental house, make sure you are wearing professional looking clothes. Make sure you are organized. Have your renters application and rental agreement with you.

Technorati Tags: business, business and finance, diy, madera property management, Property Management, Real Estate

Billboards, news print advertisements, billboards, and television and radio commercials are the most common forms of marketing that Realtors turn to when it comes to their overall marketing strategy. However, in this day and age it is dire that creative marketing for Realtors is turned to in order to produce the results that a real estate agent or company desires to have.

One of the most under used assets that a Realtor can turn to is the World Wide Web. The use of Internet Marketing can increase a real estates business by more than 30% each and every year. In fact, it has been determined that Realtors generate more sales from online marketing than from all physical means of marketing put together.

The first thing that should be consider when it concerns marketing for Realtors, is creating a dynamic web-presence. A website is a must if you are a Realtor. Your website should be user friendly and she would easy enough for a teenager to navigate.

Simple text property listings on your companies website is ineffective! If you truly want to increase your sales and gain more exposure for your company and properties then you need to go the extra mile and create a website that features dynamic content. You need a website that allows users to see the properties you have for sale or rent in video and photo directly on your website.

Many Realtors have started to take advantage of video sharing websites such as YouTube. You can create short video tours of each of your properties and load them to YouTube. This type of marketing does not cost a single penny. Visitors to your website can then check out all your properties from the comfort of their homes. This will also save you from wasting time in showing multiple properties.

The use of simple flyers with property listings and general real estate information have been proven to be more effective than simple newspaper ads and text property listings. In fact, a Realtor is 56% more likely to make a sale from flyer circulation than from simple newspaper advertisements. However, many Realtors feel that they are “above” this type of marketing.

The more creative and interesting that you get with your marketing strategy, the more effective that your marketing strategy will be. If you go with the “same old same old” you will not produce the results that you desire. Instead, you will continue to gain the same old results that other real estate companies have accepted as the norm.

Technorati Tags: business, Internet, marketing, online marketing, Real Estate, real estate agent, real estate internet marketing, realtor, social media, web 2.0

Did you know that the Greek and Romans really founded the relaxation concept of bathroom designs with their “communal baths”? They enjoyed these community soaks incorporating mineral salts they believed to have healing properties.

Our bathroom designs today incorporate that same medicinal concept of healing. Gone are the communal baths and in are the private baths where the focus is you relaxing in a large tub filled with jets. The mineral salts are lavender that will soothe and comfort all of your tired, aching muscles.

The key elements of good bathroom design are peace and tranquility and no doubt introduce the “bathroom bliss” we all strive to achieve. This room is your private sanctuary to unwind and escape the cares of this world. It is the design theme you should start and finish with.

Of course the ultimate bathroom design will have fragrant candles burning, while the flames dance to soft music playing in the background. Doesn’t this sound wonderful, as you soak in hot, aromatic water mixed with lavender mineral salts?

This is the perfect blend and the secret to achieve the ultimate “bathroom bliss” design that calm and relax all your tensions away, as now commercial health spas know all too well. They’ve incorporated all these techniques for maximum benefits and we are all able to choose from many spas today.

But the same design concept can be easily achieved in our own bathroom designs no matter how large or small they may be.

You will need to start with a design theme that is calm and soothing like a Japanese or English garden. Choose from either cool colors like blues and greens or warm colors like reds, gold and orange.

Bathroom fixtures come in all sorts of colors, sizes and shapes so you’ll need some help from your store representative or Interior Designer to help you choose the right one. Consider selections for your tubs, sinks, faucets, flooring and lighting. Just remember to stick with your design theme.

Don’t forget your accents. Like plush towels resting on a towel warmer and plush carpeting or accent rugs you can sink your toes into after that unforgettable and relaxing soak. Just think, you can always escape into your “bathroom bliss” again tomorrow.

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Everyone has an idea of what their dream home would look like. Purchasing or a building a new home is an exciting time as well as an important life investment. When people search for their dream home, they are often too involved in finding the best home for them that they often forget about the location. A dream home is often associated with the dream location. If you are happy with the home, but unhappy with the location, you may discover that it is not the dream that you imagined.

When you are looking for a dream home, people will focus on important home features such as the home design, floor plans, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the size of the rooms and closets, and other special features such as lighting and wiring. All of these attributes are important to meet your specific tastes and requirements. However, the location attributes are an important consideration.

The following list outlines important considerations when choosing your dream location:

Property Needs: If you are building your dream home, you have to make sure you are set up for utilities and extras such as internet, sewer, water, and modern wiring. You also have to make sure the property is large enough for further additions such as sheds, garage, garden, pool, gazebo, etc. You want to make sure that the land meets your current and future needs. Taking your property needs into consideration will make it easier to find an ideal location.

Neighborhood: Just because you find a home that meets all your requirements, it does not mean the neighborhood is suitable for your needs. You need to research the location of schools, playgrounds, shopping centers, supermarkets, hospitals, community activity services such as gyms and fitness centers, and the distance to your workplace. If you are unable to travel long distances everyday, you may want a home close to all the amenities. If you find a home that has a neighborhood homeowners association, you should check their rules in case you are prohibited from doing something on your property. This could include banning fences, certain house colors, etc.

The View and Setting: Are you looking for either an urban setting with lots of traffic and people on the streets, an ocean front view, or a more rural location with lots of natural trees and lakes? Your home may be beautiful, but if you are not living in the environment you have been dreaming about, you may become unhappy with your home. Make sure you check the zoning laws for the area.

Accessibility: Are you looking for a private area that is far away from major highways, or an area that is handy to interstates and roads? Your daily drive is an important consideration.

Safety Considerations: It is important to find out if the area is at a high risk for such natural problems as floods hurricanes, tornadoes, and termite infestations. This may affect your insurance premiums. You should see what the crime rate is like as you may require special security equipment.

When searching for our dream home, we all have a picture in our minds of what it will look like. It is important to expand your considerations to include your dream location. Make sure the location is a place that you and your family will like. By considering both a dream home and dream location, you will definitely improve your chances of getting the home that meets all of your dreams.

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