Real Estate Guides

Posted on Tuesday, 10th January 2012 by Blake James

Two recent deals for properties in distress along the New River are expected to help renew a key stretch of downtown Fort Lauderdale, although the developers face challenges, an expert says.

In the last week of December, Miami-based Cymbal Development paid $11.5 million for nearly 6 acres on the south side of the river, a site that once housed the Shirttail Charlie’s waterfront restaurant. Cymbal is planning a $135 millioan project that will include retail and residential.

Across the river, an investment group spent $16.7 million last summer on Las Olas Riverfront, the once-thriving entertainment landmark that has struggled during the past several years.

Cymbal bought its property from Cabi New River, which filed for bankruptcy last year.

Full story…

Tags: Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale, New River
Comments (0)

Posted on Saturday, 7th January 2012 by Charles Melvin

A string of successful auction results in recent months have paved the way for the Ray White Surfers Paradise Group’s (RWSP) annual two day property showcase ‘The Event’.
The Event 2012 Video

Having sold more than $11 million in property at a recent auction, real estate industry leader Andrew Bell said set the auction extravaganza to be held on the weekend of January 28-29, 2012 will serve as a gauge for the market in the year ahead.

Now in its 19th consecutive year, The Event remains Australia’s largest real estate auction with residential, prestige, commercial and industrial properties along with development sites and marine vessels all on offer.
What happened last year? Video h

Full story…

Tags: Auction, Auction Approaching
Comments (0)

Posted on Thursday, 5th January 2012 by Stella Ransom

We love our pets. In some households they’re our “children.” In others they are dear members of the family. How can you make the stressful time of moving an easy transition for your furry friends?

Pets are routined creatures, not unlike their human counterparts. Unlike our independent selves, however, pets look to us to provide them with safety, affection, and nourishment. This means it is our responsibility to plan ahead so that moving time is low stress for our pets.

First, plan ahead for the days when you are loading moving vans and house doors are likely to be open. This is not the time to be chasing Fido down the street or to lose a kitty with no time to spare.

Full story…

Tags: Moving, Moving Fido
Comments (0)

Posted on Saturday, 31st December 2011 by Blake James

After reading this, be sure to check out Winnipeg Home Finder  Print This Post

A common question among prospective home buyers is when is the best time to buy a house?  Keeping in mind our HOT Winnipeg real estate market, my (tongue-in-cheek) reply is 4 years ago.  But since we dont have a time-machine, and are forced to deal with the current reality, lets look at some realistic answers:

While there are usually a flood of listings in the spring, this is also the most popular time for buyers.  After a long winter, home buyers come out to buy a home for early summer possession.  This means that there is usually a competition for the available homes.

This used to be a case.  Most buyers take a break from home-shopping in the middle of summer, instead heading on vacation, the lake etc etc.  I have found there are 2 types of home-buyers:  Those who want a home, and those who really really want a home.  While in the spring time, both groups come out to look and shop, the second ground (the one who really really wants or needs a home) comes out all year long.  So where a home might receive 10 offers in May, it may only receive 3 in July, but those 3 are the really serious buyers.

Add to this the fact that there are generally fewer listings to choose from, and the end result is pretty much the same.

In the fall-time we usually see an increase in activity once again, as buyers want to get a home before christmas.  I see the fall market as a smaller version of the spring market:  more listings, but also more buyers.

So what then is the answer to the question:  I have found that perseverance pay off.  Dont give up, just because you lost 2 or 3 offers.  Many times I have had a buyer say This is my last attempt .and then get the house they wanted.

You may also be rewarded by occasional blips in the market:  perhaps a listing has been just slightly overpriced, or a poor-weather weekend has kept other buyers away from the showings.  Any number of things can happen, but if you dont try, you wont succeed.

Perhaps the worst advice has been to wait until the market cools down:  Ive known buyers who gave up their search for a home a couple of years ago.  The homes which sold for $180,000 at that time are now commanding $250,000 plus

I hope you enjoy reading my blog. Go here to get a l Full story…

Tags: Best Time, House
Comments (0)

Posted on Thursday, 15th December 2011 by Stella Ransom

Two projects slated for the State Highway 130 corridor in Austin have received about $40 million in municipal bond financing for infrastructure.

The financing allows the mixed-use projects, Whisper Valley and Indian Hills to move forward immediately, according to Douglas Gilliland, managing partner for project developer Taurus of Texas Holdings LP.

The capacity of the two projects is at least 3.75 million square feet of commercial space and 8,600 housing units. Infrastructure construction will start early next year and take two years to complete. Taurus of Texas will begin selecting home builders and commercial developers for the project. Full story…

Tags: Bond Financing, Projects
Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 14th December 2011 by Charles Melvin

The ideal floor would be hard like stone but resilient like wood, as impervious as stainless steel but with warm hues, grain variation and a glowing patina. It’s not here yet. But there are two ways to get the next best thing with hard woods and hard finishes.

Hard woods

You don’t see it listed at the lumberyard, but wood species used for flooring are rated for hardness according to the Janka hardness scale. As a practical matter around the house, hardness means resistance to denting, abrasion and general wear. To measure it, a small steel ball is forced into many samples of the wood species. The Janka scale measures how much force is needed in pounds per square inch to embed the ball to half its diameter.

Full story…

Tags: Floor
Comments (0)