Make a List

This might seem obvious to those of you who are super organized, but lots of people try to get everything done off pure memory. If you don’t make a list of things you need to do, you’re bound to forget something. Write a master list of every task that needs to get accomplished, and separate the list into things that need to be done as soon as possible, immediately before move-in day, immediately after move-in day, and eventually. Checking things off as they’re done feels great, too.

Pack Gradually and Discerningly

Packing always takes longer than you think it will, so start as soon as you can. There are always things you want to bring with you but don’t use on a daily basis. Make it a point to pack a couple boxes per night of those types of things, such as Christmas decorations or clothes you only wear on extra special occasions. As you’re packing, do not pack anything that you don’t need or want. Now is the best time to pare down your items and get rid of things, not when you’re unpacking.

Pay for Help

Moving can be expensive, so you might consider cutting costs by doing the heavy lifting yourself. Don’t go to all the trouble. You already have enough things to worry about, so hire professional movers who will be able to get your move done quickly and efficiently. This will be pain-free for you, and you can focus more on organizing and other tasks that only you can do.

Separate What’s Most Important

Put the things you’ll need the most right away, like your toothbrush, in separate boxes. Don’t try to remember where your necessities are if they’re spread out because you’ll inevitably forget. You don’t want to waste any time tearing open every box looking for your coffee maker in the morning. Also, separate your valuables and important papers. And as much as you need hired movers for most things, consider transporting those on your own to be safe.

Forget the Decorating

Decorating your house can be very fun, and it’s how you make your house a home. However, it’s not essential to worry about in the beginning. Try not to spend too much time thinking about what you’ll hang on the walls. Decide on your furniture layout, but worry about all other decorating dead last. After everything’s unpacked and the important things are taken care of, then you can relax and choose your accents at your leisure.

Alexandra Kelly is a devoted mother and school teacher with a passion for writing. She is also passionate about proper grammar and often encourages her students and children to proof their work with a grammar checker. She is currently grading an enormous stack of Hamlet essays while downing a glass of red wine.

At the same time by looking around the maximum number of properties you can, you will also be able to quite simply avoid missing anything that might have proven to be just the property for you – if you only look at three then the fourth one that you didn’t look at might well have been the ideal home for you and the best bargain of them all.

However it’s not just important to get a high quantity of home viewings, but also a good quality – and it’s crucial to be as thorough as possible when you look at real estate to ensure you avoid missing anything important and to ensure that the property is in good condition and represents a good investment. Here are some tips to help you when you inspect the various properties.

Research Prior to Going

Prior to looking around the property it doesn’t hurt to do some research. To do this, have a look at the listing online or in the real estate agents, and take a note of any details such as post code, price etc. Then when you get back home, it also doesn’t hurt to have a look at the property on Google Maps. This way you can look at the neighborhood and see what the area looks like. Finally do some research on the area and the particular road by looking on Google and seeing what people have to say about it. The more informed you are, the more you will be able to discuss the property with the owners.

Write Down Your Questions

First of all it is a good idea to write down some questions to ask both the realtor and the property owners. It is always a good idea to ask as many questions as possible when you visit a property as this way you will be able to learn about the property and uncover any potential pitfalls. Questions to ask might be practical such as ‘how much of this furniture is going to stay?’ and ‘how old is the building?’ to more subjective and detailed such as ‘why did you decide to move?’ or ‘what is the neighborhood like?’. The problem is that often when we visit properties we tend to get caught up in the fluster of looking around and being shown everything, and this can cause us to forget what our questions are – or that we had any in the first place. Writing them down can help you to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Snoop

It’s also very important to make sure that you look around each property thoroughly and that you inspect it as a forensic detective might inspect a crime scene. You are looking for any signs of structural stress, for mold and damp, for leaks or for trouble in the area. The problem that many people have when looking around is that they want to be quick and that they’re worried about being rude. In the long run though this is a huge expense and something you will have to live with every day for the foreseeable future. In other words you’ll be forgiven for being somewhat rude if it means you get a property that isn’t damaged or falling apart. You can use the same method as above and when you look around try using a checklist of things to look for.

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While the best circumstance is to know the handyman and have a business relationship with him, this guide would like to point out that the Long Island contractors listed in the Yellow Pages are quite a fair option. In the eventuality when you want to learn more about a certain contractor you can easily Google search his name on the internet and read customers’ reviews. The biggest plus of getting in touch with a contractor you find in the Yellow Pages is that you have a minimum guarantee that he has an active practice license in Long Island and the surrounding areas.

In general, all guides on selecting the best contractor on the market indicate that a long experience in the field is a fundamental criterion. However, this does not automatically imply new contractor services that have less than one year experience should be ignored. Since they are struggling to get on the market and have made sure their name is included among the Yellow Pages Long Island contractors listing, that can translate into great offers and discounts due to their efforts of attracting customers. Nevertheless, when working a contractor with limited experience in the field, it is important to get informed about his insurance policy and the means through which he can be contacted.

One of the things that you will not typically find in the Long Island Yellow Pages about the contractors listed there is their references. However, this information can be found via accessing the website link located under the name, phone number and address. Given the fact that you need to know how this professional dealt with his past projects, it is best to stay clear of contractors who are unable to offer any references. As a side note, for new contractors you can take even one positive and verifiable reference for granted.

If all of the aforementioned aspects are fair or satisfactory, then it is time to give the contractor a call and ask him a few questions before making your final decision. The purpose of the short interview with the contractor is to learn if he is confident in making the repairs and his view on the consequences that will be applied if he is unable to finish your project on time. If the answers are positive, then it does not hurt to give him a shot, despite the limited experience of the company and rather small number of previous customers.

John Mitty is one of the many Long Island Real Estate Agents available in and around the region. Through his blog he would like to share some tips on how to find genuine Long Island Contractors.

Choosing To Rent Out Rather Than Flip A Property

Most people have heard about flipping properties because it has grown in popularity recently. In reality, flipping houses is something that a lot of people fail miserably at regularly. This is a great way to earn a profit on a short-term basis, but the risk for failure is too high in most cases. Only a truly experienced and skilled individual should ever choose flipping over renting out a home. After paying off a mortgage through monthly rent charges and some other funds, a person can then claim all the rent for their own needs each month.

Resisting The Urge to Hire The Professionals for Every Little Task

A person who is new to real estate investing and turning a profit with these properties will often rely upon professional assistance. Of course, that could mean hiring a landscaper to improve the yards or having a real estate agent deal with the sale of a home (or rental of a property). Without a doubt, the costs can really add up when hiring all of these entities. There is no reason a person cannot do quite a bit of work on their own for far less money. However, an individual should only perform the tasks they can handle without professional help.

Treat Real Estate Investing Like A Business

Obviously, investing in properties is fairly similar to operating an actual business. This holds true whether a person is renting out or flipping real estate. An investor needs to be on top of their operating costs and monthly income in order to succeed. The last thing anyone wants is to be in the red as far as income is concerned. In most cases, a person is not investing in real estate to lose money. Unfortunately, exactly that can and does happen to people who do not care for their investments like a businessman or businesswoman.

In the end, finding success in real estate investments is not the easiest endeavor. The process tends to get easier and the results better as a person gains more experience. Losses are always a potential outcome for any given property though. Each investor needs to realize that fact and then do what they can to help guarantee profits from all these investments. Luckily, it is more than possible to earn a hefty income each month and year when investing in properties. Reaching that point requires a lot of hard work and careful maneuvering though.

Depending on how you approach real estate investing, cash flow will be an issue. Use a quick cash loan to get through those slow month.

Initiating your claim. You must file your claim with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). You may do this either online, via the HUD website: www.hud.gov, or via telephone: 1-800-669-9777. Once you file your complaint, a HUD representative will contact you to conduct an intake interview and collect any evidence you might have to support your case. If HUD finds that you have a legitimate case, it will begin an investigation.

Filing the complaint. If HUD decides to investigate your claim, the agency will create an official claim on the appropriate HUD forms and submit them to you to be signed. The signed claim will then be delivered to the respondent (landlord or apartment manager) as notice that a claim has been filed. The respondent then has ten days to respond to the complaint.

The investigation. As part of the investigation process, HUD will interview you, the respondent, and any applicable witnesses. HUD may even take depositions and subpoena people in attempts to get the most complete and accurate depiction of your claim. Your case will be filled out according to what HUD finds during the investigation.

Conciliation or no cause. If HUD finds that the landlord is at fault, then the agency will bring together both parties in attempts to mediate a conciliation agreement. Once an agreement is reached, your case will be closed. If, however, HUD finds that your claim is unsubstantiated, it will enter a no cause determination and close your case.

In case of default. If you and your landlord enter into a conciliation agreement, then you are both bound by its terms. If either of you fail to meet those terms, then your case may be reopened and further action may be taken.

As you can see, filing a fair housing claim is not a complicated endeavor. However, it is a process that must be followed every step along the way if you want to achieve the best results possible. Follow these guidelines to file a fair housing claim, and don’t forget that you are responsible for proving your case and providing HUD with reasonable backup.

About the Author: Loralee Lawin is a housing specialist who recommends everyone know their rights as a renter before signing a lease. She enjoys helping corporate employees find short term housing and recommends furnishedapartments.org to anyone who needs to move frequently.

With demand for rental properties at an all time high, the cost of renting has risen by around nine per cent in the last three years.

However, those looking for property investment have had an unexpected boost as the financial crisis in Europe has forced interest rates down and house prices are remaining static.

Good News for Buyers

More good news for potential buyers is the return of low deposit mortgages. With many lenders reducing deposits to encourage buyers into real estate investment the outlook is getting better. There has also been an increase in lenders offering home loans requiring a deposit of just five per cent.

With the increasing availability of low deposit mortgages and low interest rates, many people are now seeing investing in properties as the more affordable choice, as the cost of renting continues to rise due to high demand.

The research suggests that those investing in properties instead of renting could save themselves around one hundred pounds each month, based on the cost of an average three bed property. This means a sixteen per cent difference in cost between buying and renting. This is in stark contrast to three years ago when renting was around thirty per cent cheaper than the monthly cost of paying off a mortgage.

The current recession and financial insecurity means that buyers are still being cautious, although some areas have had an increase in mortgage applications the threat of another recession still puts many buyers off. This means that those who can afford to invest in properties will face less competition from other buyers, prices are likely to remain static and low mortgage interest rates make buying more affordable.

Those deciding to change to real estate investment after having rented a property will find there may be significant savings to be made. In addition to the monthly savings gained, due to the current low property prices, your property investment is likely to see financial gain as property prices recover.

Al is a guest writer for IpinGlobal.com

Low down mortgage loans. It is possible for you to obtain a mortgage with as little as a three percent deposit. How? Apply for an FHA loan. FHA loans are insured by the government (see below), and they therefore take a little more qualifying, but if you can qualify for an FHA loan, you will benefit not only from a low down payment requirement, but also from a relatively low interest rate.

Mortgage insurance. Low down payment loans are a higher risk than their twenty percent down payment counterparts. Therefore, lenders need to balance that risk in some way, and they generally do that by requiring that you partake in a mortgage insurance program. Mortgage insurance is provided by the government, and is a standard constituent of FHA loans. You pay a monthly premium until your mortgage is paid down to an acceptable amount – generally seventy-eight percent of the home’s value.

Down payment assistance programs. There are additional ways to skimp on your deposit, if you are resourceful. Look into your local government’s down payment assistance programs. These usually come in the form of a grant (money you never have to pay back), or a zero or low interest loan. Different programs have different qualification guidelines, so it is in your best interest to work with either a real estate professional or a mortgage broker (or both) to identify your options and get through the application process.

Don’t let a huge deposit stop you from pursuing your dream of home ownership. Instead, do your research and be resourceful. There are ways to avoid the twenty percent down payment requirement, if you know what to look for.

About the Author: Holly Zinner is a real estate specialist who enjoys helping first time home buyers. She also works to help businesses find office space to rent as well as phone and PBX services to keep things running smoothly.

What are closing costs? There are three different types of costs associated with the purchase of real property (besides the cost of the property, itself): earnest money, down payment, and closing costs. Down payment is what you must come up with out of pocket toward the cost of your home. Earnest money is the deposit you must give the real estate agent in order to take the property off the market. Closing costs are any cost outside of down payment and earnest deposit, and they include things like mortgage origination fees, lender fees, loan discount points, and the title company’s fees.

How much should closing costs be? Generally speaking, your closing costs should equal about four to six percent of the selling price of your home. If they are much more than that, then it is possible there is a mistake and you need to figure out why.

The Good Faith Estimate (GFE). Long before you go to closing (actually, when you first receive a mortgage loan quote), your lender representative will give you a Good Faith Estimate. The GFE is a form on which all of the costs associated with purchasing your property are itemized in detail. Go over your GFE with a fine-tooth comb and ask questions about any fees you don’t understand, or that look inaccurate.

Closing costs are negotiable. For the most part, you can negotiate your closing costs. This is especially true when it comes to mortgage origination fees and loan discount points. If you’re not sure, ask. It never hurts to try, when it comes to saving money.

At the closing. When you sit down at the closing table, your final closing costs should match those on your Good Faith Estimate. Therefore, you should know exactly what to expect. If there are any surprises, then you need to take it up with your lender representative and/or closing agent before you sign anything.

As a first time homebuyer, you are bound to be a little stressed during the purchase process. Ease at least some of your tensions by studying up on these facts about closing costs.

About the Author: Brandon Reauish works in real estate and specializes in helping first time home buyers. When he isn’t working he can be found reading his favorite books while sipping the oolong tea he loves from http://www.goldenmoontea.com.

Tips to effective outsourcing

Not all business functions can be outsourced. In order to outsource effectively, business owners must be aware of which functions they can outsource and hence save money. Here are some ideas to help you in this regard:

• If your business requires a certain task to be carried out occasionally but you do not have the required infrastructure, it may be much cheaper to outsource those tasks. Setting up the infrastructure would have made more financial sense if the tasks were regular and had to be performed on a daily basis. But creating expensive infrastructure for occasional jobs does call for outsourcing. So, if you were looking for a one off site redesign or a bit of help with a boost in your search engine rankings then outsourcing the job might be worth doing.
• If a certain business task requires the expertise of a specialist, you should look into outsourcing rather than spending a great deal of money on hiring such a specialist permanently. As mentioned above, if you are creating a website and need it to be designed, it would be much cheaper to outsource the designing work rather than get a website designer on your payroll.
• Big businesses that have large business processing offices can save huge amounts of money by outsourcing these jobs. While there is a lot of debate going on about overseas outsourcing, there is no denying the fact that it does help to cut down business costs significantly.
• If your business requires you to set up branch offices in multiple locations for certain tasks rather than administrative work, you could save money by outsourcing these jobs in the specified areas instead of incurring huge capital expenditure.

Once you have identified the business tasks that can be outsourced effectively so as to save money without compromising on the quality of the work, you then need to keep the following general principles in mind:

• Make sure you outsource to a specialist and not to the person who is offering you the cheapest quotes. Outsourcing is about saving money, but never at the cost of quality. When you look online for contractors, be wary of cheap bids that promise the world for very little money. If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.
• Ensure that you have a clear outsourcing contract that lists deadline dates, terms of payment, nature of job, as well as any guarantees in case the work is not completed on time. There are online contracting sites that will handle all this for you, such as Odesk or Elance.
• Research multiple vendors so as to find the best one for your needs.
• Always pay for your outsourced tasks as promptly as you can, especially if you have found a reliable vendor who is doing a great job for you. If they are particularly good, keep their details for the next time you want similar work done.

By following these tips and suggestions, business owners can indeed save money through outsourcing.

Esther is a business blogger and journalist from Illinois. She regularly blogs about all sorts of business and legal issues, covering everything from business brands to mortgages and from umbrella companies to finance. She also writes for an Illinois premises liability law firm.

Real estate investing can be a very lucrative way to get rich. I happen to know because I’ve been very successful at it, and I’ve been involved in it for less than a decade. I mean, how many other careers let you set your own schedule and pay you while you’re not even working? That’s why so many millionaires (approximately 90% of the world’s millionaires) happen to also put money into real estate.

In order to start out in the real estate investing business, I suggest getting a mentor to teach you the ins and outs and to help you answer questions that might come up along the way. To start out, consider if real estate investing is a career match for you by asking yourself the following questions:

Upfront costs

• Am I prepared to commit to my real estate investment for the next 3 to 5 years (minimum)?
• Do I have the equity to qualify for mortgages?
• Do I have the money to make a down payment?
• Do I plan to purchase and renovate properties?

Property purchasing costs

• Do have I the capital to cover such as lawyer’s fees, taxes, and adjustment costs?
• If not, can I find a joint partner (a financial partner) to help me with my financing?

Property management costs

• Do I plan to manage my properties myself, or will I hire a property manager?
• Am I qualified and knowledgeable to do renovations and home maintenance myself, or will I hire a contractor?

What do you want in an investment property?

Property investments can range from family homes to condos—and from duplexes to multilevel apartment buildings. If you’re just starting out, start out small with the purchase of a condo, town home, duplex, or a single family residence in a desirable area of town. You can estimate the amount you’ll expect to bring in by researching costs of living and current rental rates for similar properties in the area. I did this by monitoring property rental sites like Craigslist and Angie’s List over a six month time frame—both prior to and after purchasing my property and putting it on the market for rent. For a more precise calculation of property income:

• Research what the current rental prices are for similar types of property in the immediate area (e.g., is it located downtown, near a university, on a transit route, etc.)
• Calculate the yearly rent for the whole property (i.e., for instance if you rent per room)
• Divide this total by the purchase price of the house + the monthly expenses (i.e., mortgage payment, insurance fees, property taxes, utilities if included in the rental price, etc.)
• If the result if higher than 8%, the percentage left is the expected income you will make from the property rental

On top of the regular monthly expenses you should also leave some wiggle room for:

• Home repairs or upkeep—approximately 5% of the monthly rent should be put aside
• Property management fees—will differ per hire

If your total is still showing a profit, then go ahead and purchase the property! Property investment is an excellent way to make a monthly income without doing a lot of work. Think of it as a way to save for your nest egg. In a sense your tenant’s are paying your bills—or your mortgage—every month they pay rent. In addition, the interest on any investment property is tax deductible, and you can further deduct any money you put into the house (i.e., repairs or renovations) from your income. Plus, your chances of getting a loan after purchasing investment property is greater as well—so you’ll be on your way to building your empire.