weshop's Blog
Category Real Estate
Finding an Alternate Home in Panama by Roberto BellWith increasing disposable income, it is not uncommon for people desiring to have an alternate home outside of their own country. It is especially true among wealthy Americans and some Europeans and Panama offers a good destination for them. It has salubrious climate and a hilly terrain that provides breathtaking views of the sea and the beaches. The cost of living in Panama is relatively low compared to U.S. and Europe and Panama has a history of low inflation. The real estate prices are affordable. One can buy a 2500 sq m house in the city of Boquete in a good location for just $50,000. The land prices vary from $8 to $20 per sq m depending on location. Panama City is slightly more expensive, where a 3 bedroom apartment may cost $90,000. Agricultural land near Panama City costs $500 to $900 per acre. Panama has a low tax rate regime and a business friendly government. Foreign earned income, capital gains, and interest income are all tax free. It is an ideal destination for retirees. English language is widely spoken and understood which makes it easy for U.S. visitors to settle down. Panama has a stable democratic government. Property owners from abroad have the same rights as Panamanians. Panama has been voted as the best place to live outside of U.S. by 'International Living' magazine. Boquete town in Panama has been ranked 4th by American Association of Retired Persons among 15 best cities in the world for retired persons. Some of the reasons for moving to Panama are listed below. * Relocation to a safe and economical democratic country * Panama is tax friendly with no capital gains tax, tax free interest income and no tax on income earned abroad. * It is easy to start a business in Panama as there are no complex rules and formalities to be completed * Real estate prices are reasonable compared to that in U.S. or Europe * It has a good legal system in place with courts that will not entertain frivolous law suits and protect foreigners' assets. Type of Visas Retiree and Investors visas are 2 common ways of migrating to Panama. Retiree visas are issued to persons receiving at least $500 pension per month or $600 for couples. The visa can be extended indefinitely but it does not grant Panamanian citizenship. Some of the benefits granted to holders of retiree visas include one time tax exempt import of up to $10,000 worth of personal effects and import of automobile once in 2 years with no duties. Investor visas are issued to persons who can invest at least $100,000 in Panama and employ 3 locals. It is initially issued temporarily for one year and permanently after renewal. Panamanian citizenship is granted to persons holding permanent visa for 5 years. Other than the above there are also small business visas, persons of means visa, agricultural investor visa, private income retiree visa etc. Smythe Bradley is an expat living in The Republic of Panama. He has published many articles on offshore asset protection in panama, panama visas and residency, as well as many other expat issues. Article Source: Finding an Alternate Home in Panama
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Easy Steps to buying a French Property at a discount by Site EditorThe first months of 2008 have been very slow for French property sales. Immobilier (French real estate agents) have reported low enquiry rates and few viewings. However, since Easter the French Property Market has shown some positive signs with more enquiries and viewings. A major obstacle has been the strength of the Euro - effectively making French homes more expensive for currencies outside of the euro zone. However, a growing number of potential buyers in the French Property market, have accepted the new rate. cDo NOT expect it to recover to the old rate this year - subject to problem in the Euro Zone! Last year the market rose about 4 but re-sales of houses have dropped. The result is seeing properties in France being marketed at more realistic prices. French Property Market 2008 - the future Commentators are confident that the French Property market will hold up better than the UK market. Why? The interest rates in France are lower, the French economy is less exposed to the “credit crunch”, and President Sarkozy via his tax changes is aiming to promote home ownership. Hopefully house prices in France will not fall more than 5%. Easy Steps If you are cash buyer, then negotiate on price! You are in a strong position and with fewer buyers around with cash, then vendors will accept lower offers as they do not have to worry about the lack of mortgages. Typically house purchases take about 3 months to complete - forward buy your Euros so you do not have to worry about the increasing value of the euro. Choose a currency exchange company, they will offer better exchange rates than the high street banks. There are many buyers already reducing prices - do not be afraid to negotiate hard as they are already signalling that they want to sell right now! They are motivated sellers. Howard Farmer 1st for French Property - #1 for homes in France Over 450 French properties at reduced prices today. More tips, advice articles and FrenchProperty News6000 homes in France for sale Article Source: Easy Steps to buying a French Property at a discount
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Dealing with the seller: Is it your choice? by Bryan BensonIt’s the same old story. I have heard this story dozens and dozens of times. You have found the perfect house, located on a perfect piece of property in the perfect area. One problem…you have not found the perfect seller. In fact, you cannot even find the owner or seller. Having a hard time locating your seller? Say you know the house you want to purchase is vacant. You know for a fact it is empty. And you also know that the owner is vacant from life as well. You cannot find the owner, and you are unable to get any forwarding information. Most of you would prefer to contact the bank directly and not have to work thru the seller. Of course you would-we all would! It’s easier, and let’s face it-you remove the seller and you remove the hassles! Wrong? Completely wrong. All wrong. As much as you would like it to be true it just isn’t. The bank cannot sell you the house. Let’s face it-it really won’t do you a bit of good to contact the bank. Now if you are having a hard time locating the owner, there are a few things you can do to help with the situation. The first thing you can do is physically track down the owner. That’s right-find a local skip-tracer to actually track down the owner for you. Now keep in mind, it may cost you a few bucks, but if you have a great deal that looks as if it will pan out….in other words…if you smell a deal, isn’t a few extra bucks worth it? Now I’m not suggesting you do this with every deal. In fact-you can’t do this with every deal-it wouldn’t be economical. The second thing you need to remember is that the owner may not have skipped town (regardless of what is owed on the home). He or she may just have moved. It could be that simple. Realize that information you received is based on what someone reports. Anyone ever been between houses? I sure have. A personal location or residence can be up in the air for months, so it may work out the best to hire someone to help locate the owner. Either way -you have to find that seller! When it comes to real estate investing, I highly recommend information from Ron LeGrand . For valuable information regarding investing in homes visit RonLeGrand.com. You can also find useful investor resources in the free newsletter at MillionaireMakerNewsletter.comArticle Source: Dealing with the seller: Is it your choice?
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How to design a great bathroom by seoprofessionalYour bathroom is one of the most important and most used rooms in your home. It has to be functional for everyone in the house, or you will have chaos. You must keep everyone’s needs in mind when it comes to designing your bathroom. This goes for the small child who is not yet potty trained, to the adult who wants to spend some time in the tub soaking and for the fast paced teen on the go, needing a shower fast and without interrupting anyone else. Appraiser ForumAlong with keeping it organized and ready for whoever is intended, you should also think about the style that you want to use. What types of styles do you have to choose from? Functional is one style, simple, not cluttered areas is what a functional bathroom is. A pampering bathroom is all about the adult, male or female. This is for those who want to be able to leave make up or shaving kits where you want them to be. Perhaps there is a radio, a place to set your coffee when you are dressing in the morning and even a hot rod, where you can place your towel to get warm for extra comfort when getting out of the shower. Yet, another type of bathroom will be based on the needs of one who comes home very dirty and grimy after a long hard day at play or at work. In this bathroom, you will find a special rack for dark towels that won’t get stained, another rack for towels for after the shower if you would like. In this type of bathroom, you will find a hamper for the grimy clothes and one for the clothes you don’t want the grime piled up on top of. This is still a functioning bathroom, but one that fill a special need of the users. If you are starting everything from scratch, then you need to think about where you are going to put the shower or tub, toilet and sink. You should map out the room first before you start. Having your floor plan ready before you start purchasing these important items, you will have a better idea of what you need and how much space you will have to work with. Think about the amount of space that you have available and what will be the best way to use it. This layout will also include planning for your plumbing. Next, you should think about what colors you want to use and if you want a theme to be incorporated in your bathroom. Decide on themes that best suit the style the bathroom is going to be most occupied by. This is the fun part and one of the hardest. Making sure that all the items and accessories in the bathroom match can be a difficult task if you do not stick to your theme or color pattern. When deciding what types of products to use in your bathroom, think about what your preferences are and what materials you like best. You should make sure that the tile and countertops that you choose are able to stand up to your daily abuse. Think about the type of flooring that you want and consider the fact that some materials such as shiny materials may not be slip resistant when wet. You may also want to consider what is going to be easier to clean and what is more practical for you and your family. Choosing the right light fixtures for your bathroom may be a challenge also. Consider what kind of lighting you want to use in your bathroom and where you are going to need it. Keep in mind where your outlets are and where you will need the most light for your everyday needs. The last step in designing the perfect bathroom for you is to add a few of your personal touches. Hang some pictures or place some fresh flowers or plants in the bathroom to add a warm and cozy feeling. This will make your bathroom complete and give it the final touches that it needs. Visit the Appraisers Forum Today http://www.Appraisersworld.com to find more information! Article Source: How to design a great bathroom
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Bangkok Residential Leasing - Second Quarter 2007 by Ngamjai JearrajaratThe total supply of apartments in the downtown area was 10,182 units in the 2nd quarter of 2007, which was an increase of 2.6% year-on-year but a slight fall of 0.6% quarter-on-quarter. The slight drop on a quarterly basis was because five apartments were removed from our stock as they were no longer used as apartments. Two new grade A apartment projects were completed in this quarter, both adding 90 units in Sukhumvit area. This area remains the most popular area, where about 7,194 units or 70% of the downtown apartment supply is located. The Riverside/Rama III area had the lowest supply, with about 5% or 508 units. The number of expatriates in Bangkok was 70,757 in the 2nd quarter of 2007, an increase 0.7% from the previous quarter. The Japanese still made up the largest share, with about 21.6% of the total number of expatriates in Bangkok. This was followed by Indian, Chinese, British and American expatriates, with 11%, 9%, 8% and 7%, respectively. The average occupancy rate for the apartment market increased from 87% in the previous quarter to 89.2% in this quarter, an increase of 2.3% quarter-on-quarter. Occupancy rates improved, due to supply increasing only slightly while take-up continued to increased at a faster rate in the 2nd quarter of 2007. The average occupancy rate of grade A apartments was 95.7%, an increase of 2.5% year-on-year, while that of grade B apartments decreased by about 1.4% year-on-year, this indicates that grade A apartments are still in demand. Asking rents and achieved rents for both grade A and B apartment in all areas increased on a quarterly basis except grade A apartments in the Sukhumvit area. The achieved rents per square meter for grade A apartments in Silom/Sathorn, Central Lumpini, Sukhumvit and Riverside/Rama III were THB 388, 414 and 386 and 337, respectively. Newly opened grade A apartments will continue to enjoy high occupancy rates and rents could also increase for these new units. Supply There were two newly completed apartments in this quarter: G. M. Height on Sukhumvit 22, comprising 56 units ranging from 3 to 4 bedroom units and Bangkok View Tower on Sukhumvit 31, comprising 34 units ranging from 3+1 bedroom units to penthouse units. 13 new apartments with at least 1,108 units will be added to the market within the next two years. Of these, 662 units or 65% of the future supply are planned to be completed this year. In the condominium sector, 2 projects with 362 units were completed in this quarter. However, these will not compete in the rental market until the 3rd quarter of 2007 or later. The competition in the rental market is anticipated to intensify, due to the continued growth in the number of condominium units that will soon finish being decorated. Demand The occupancy rate increased from 86.9% in the 1st quarter of 2007 to 89.2% in the 2nd quarter of 2007. There were 9,086 occupied units from the total of 10,182 units, an increase of 1.8% year-on-year and 2.1% quarter-on-quarter. Occupancy rates improved, due to supply increasing only slightly while take-up continued to increase at a faster rate in this quarter. The average occupancy of grade A apartment was 95.7% in the 2nd quarter of 2007, indicating an increase of 2.5% year-on-year, while that of grade B apartments was at 88%, a fall 1.4% year-on-year. The Sukhumvit area achieved the highest rate, with about 96.4%. There is demand for brand new units that meet expatriate requirements, in both the apartment and condominium sector. Sukhumvit is still the most popular area due to its convenience and range of facilities. Overall, condominium units being let out by individual landlords are able to achieve higher rates per square meter as they are relatively small compared to apartment units. The achieved rent for grade A condominium units remained stable, in the range of THB 500-600 per square meter. Prospects Although the total supply will increase significantly this year, the expatriate apartment market is expected to be healthy especially if the economy improves and foreign investment increases. Some 662 new apartment units are expected to be added in the downtown area within this year, raising the total supply to 10,844 units. There will also be competition from new condominiums which will gain some share in the expatriate residential market. In the next two years 19,600 condominium units will be completed and up to 50% of these new condominiums will be available for rent. CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) - http://www.cbre.co.th - established an office in Bangkok in 1988 and in Phuket in 2004. The firm has grown to be a leading real estate services provider, offering a full range of services including sales and leasing for all types of property, property and facilities management, valuation and advisory, and research and consulting. Article Source: Bangkok Residential Leasing - Second Quarter 2007
 real, estate, Thailand, Phuket, Pattaya, condo, condominium, Bangkok, property, villa, management, office, CBRE' |
