Real Estate Links Some of the Best, Some of the Worst

Posted by arieardian Rabu, 19 Desember 2012 0 komentar

While Fix and Flip hold the position of some of the most impressive, cutting edge and prestigious websites online, they can also hold the reputation for the ugliest and least intuitive sites as well.
Zillow is a great example of a new media giant. What started out as a highly secretive startup by the ex CEO of Expedia turned into one of the most talked about sites of the year. It has already been branded by the public the "EBay of real estate sites". Their site technology has resulted in many industry innovations and in fact is changing the real estate industry as we know it.
Redfin and Trulia are another two up and comers in the real estate technology arena. Redfin has already dominated a 60 minutes show recently and Trulia has just received another 10 million in financing. In fact in January 2007, all three of these companies were listed in Swanepoel TRENDS Report as part of the "Top 10 Trendsetters" online.
Academics report that with over 100+ million websites online, approximately 6% of commercial websites are real estate related. The problem is that a vast majority of these sites are nowhere near the caliber of Zillow.com. Most are mere duplicates of poor real estate website design.
I'm sure you can picture them now, a headshot picture in the upper left hand corner, a pixilated, poorly designed logo, possibly an unnecessary, time consuming flash presentation at the beginning, content which doesn't stand out, poor information architecture, and countless links at the bottom of their homepage sending their site visitors to sites such as bulgariancardealers.com or real-estate-secrets-for-people-with-bad-credt.com.
At paperclipcms.com we only focus on real estate websites. We see countless real estate websites each day. We spend our days researching, analyzing, promoting, and designing real estate websites. Yet, we never get desensitized to the utterly horrible design and functionality of the majority of real estate websites out there today. It's sometimes shocking, sometimes tragic and often comical how poorly designed most real estate websites are.
The subject of real estate website design would not fit within the framework of this blog post, however we will point out some major "musts" for real estate websites.
1. Organize your outbound links and keep links to 3rd party sites to a minimum on your main page. If you have a real estate link exchange or resource page, make sure you have organized your links into categories and only included relevant links. A link from a coffee retailer will do more harm than good for your search engine ranking and your public image.
2. Organize your internal information architecture in such a way that is intuitive and minimal. Look at your metrics monitoring program to find out what your most popular pages are. While most real estate webmasters place a disproportionate amount of attention on their "about us" page, we have found these pages are frequented by less than 2% of website visitors. Our testing has shown the most popular pages on real estate websites have been property listing pages, property index pages, maps, blogs and of course the sites main page. People want properties and regional information before they want to know about what your education background is. Make sure you present your website information in an order that correlates to your website visitor preferences.
3. Ensure there is design continuity throughout your site. You should have one title font, size and color, one subtitle font, size and color and the body text should also be the same site wide. Similarly, ensure there is harmony between the colors on your site. There should be great thought put into the color combinations and the interaction between graphical elements and text elements. For example, if your banner has predominantly cool, blues and purples, then bring that into consideration whey dealing with your sites typography choices, such as page titles or subheadings.
4. Upload as many properties as you possibly can. All of our research has concluded the same findings. People visit real estate websites to search for properties. They want pictures, virtual tours, directions, descriptions and contact information. Too many real estate websites keep up a few outdated listings hoping their site visitors will call asking to see a particular place, to which there response will be "I'm sorry, that property is no longer available but maybe you should come by the office and I can show you a list of other properties that are available". This is such an ineffective way to harness the power of the internet.
The more properties you have on your site, the longer people will stay on your website and look around. The more properties you have on your site, the more education your site visitors will have regarding your property offerings and the less work you will need to do in the future informing your clients of property choices. The web saves both you and your clients a lot of time. You save time because you now have clients coming to you with printouts of the properties they want to see and you spend less time educating your clients. It's a win win situation, but it requires that you keep your website up to date and populated with many properties.
Again, you don't have to be the next Zillow.com, and you don't need to do an IPO to raise money to ensure you site gets the attention it deserves. While building a quality real estate website takes time, it's not something that out of reach to the average real estate professional. It just takes some pre-planning and a basic understanding of design and technology.

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About Granite

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   When creating a kitchen set, there is one very important element is the top of the countertop or kitchen table where we slice the vegetables and preparing food. The material used is a material that has a wide range of granite stone motif, on this occasion I review about various kinds of granite for kitchen table and other tables. As in the photo above, is one of the granite used for the table and the other, a type of white granite with black spots motif. granite santa rosa is also commonly used for various purposes such as walls, floors, and so on.

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Tips On Buying Lake Front Property

Posted by arieardian Selasa, 18 Desember 2012 0 komentar

The NH Lakes Region has attracted people from all over the world for decades. The charm of historic NH, coupled with the beauty of the waters within, is a union that cannot simply be done justice by words alone. Many people decide to buy NH lakefront homes, whether it be their primary home or a second home to enjoy from spring through mid-fall. The decision to make the NH Lakes Region one's vacation home destination, comes usually after experiencing the area first-hand. While contemplating purchasing a home in the NH Lakes Region, it is important to consider a few things. Here are 7 items to consider during the decision making process:
#1 Flood/Hurricane Insurance
The NH Lakes Region is comprised of a number of desirable lakes and ponds. While out there beginning your search, make sure you find out whether or not the property(s) you are interested in are in a flood zone. Flood insurance and hurricane insurance should be considered. For more information on both, the best contact is going to be your insurance representative.
#2 Local Rental Market
There are so many recreational activities in the NH Lakes Region... not just in the spring/summer/fall months, but in the winter months as well. If you are planning to purchase an Colorado Springs distressed properties to vacation in during the summer season, and rent out during the winter, you will want to have a strong understanding of the rental market in the area you are considering. Talk to your Buyer Agent to find out what homes are renting for on that particular body of water, and find out if there is a local property management company that can assist you while you are away.
#3 Restrictive Covenants
Every lake and/or pond has their own restrictions when it comes to what types of activities are allowed. This may vary even depending on what part of the body of water you are on. First, deciding what activities are important to you and/or your family is key. Do you plan to use a motor boat, kayak/canoe, fish, swim, etc? Identify what is important to you, and then work with your Buyer Agent to narrow down which bodies of water will allow you to do the things you want to do. There may also be restrictions as far as what you can do on your property, depending on local building codes and/or association regulations (if the home is part of an association). If there are specific items you would like to plan for, make sure the property you are considering will allow any/all of them.
#4 Road Maintenance
Another thing to consider, if the road is a private road, how is it maintained? This is especially important during the winter months. If you are going to be renting the home in the winter, who will take care of that expense? Assuming you plan a trip or two up to the area to view some of the homes, block off a day to simply drive around some of the neighborhoods you are considering. Understanding the convenience of the location is just as important as the property itself.
#5 Access to Electrical/Septic
One of the things to take into account, is whether or not there is a septic system already in place on the property you are considering. Again, depending on location, there may be just a holding tank. To upgrade to a septic system, you will need town approval. You will also need to ensure you have access to your septic system, in the event you need to repair/replace/upgrade in the future. The same goes for other utilities such as your electrical. Understand the town requirements, and the design/functionality of what is currently in place. You may want to consult with an engineer, and/or septic designer to gain a comprehensive hold on the property in its current condition.
#6 Neighborhood
The best way to gather a perspective on a certain neighborhood and/or location on the water... is to talk to the people that know it best... your potential neighbors. Have lunch at the waterfront bar... scout out the marinas... ask questions as much as you can. It is an exciting time in one's life to make this purchase, and share in that excitement with the locals. You will be surprised at how much you will learn by even one 10 minute conversation with the local landscaper.
#7 NH Shoreline Protection Act
The last, but definitely not least, item to consider... is the NH Shoreline Protection Act. Visit the NH Department of Environmental Services for full details on this Act. Make sure you are aware of the requirements for the NH shoreline. These range from the number of trees that you must keep on your property, to the proper fertilizers to use on your lawn, to the proper drainage in your down-spouts. Take some time to understand the purpose of the Act, and for additional questions, contact a local landscape architect.

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Twitter Got Fresh Instagram Rp 5 trillion

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Before diborong Facebook for $ 1 billion dollars or about Rp 9.5 trillion, Instagram last March apparently never received an offer of purchase from Twitter. Only, worth just half of Facebook offer, ie 525 million U.S. dollars, or around Rp 5 trillion.

 This was revealed by Nick Bilton of the New York Times, quoted by Business Insider. According to Bilton, Twitter offers this could be a problem for Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom.

 Because, in order to accelerate the process of acquisition by Facebook, August, Systrom testified before the Department of Corporations California that Instagram had never received offers from parties other than Facebook.

 When asked about the purchase offer from another party, Systrom said, "We never received a formal offer or written."

 Bilton Sources said that the fact the opposite happened. Systrom had verbally agreed to an offer from Twitter before eventually reversed its decision on the grounds that it wanted to keep the company independent. He was also briefly shown sheet requirements (term sheet), which is the framework of a formal agreement Twitter.

 Furthermore, Bilton also said Systrom had never met in the office Twitter or Instagram to discuss the acquisition bid. He always chose a neutral meeting place like a restaurant. When given a term sheet, Bilton just read and memorize it, then return it to the Twitter page.

 Not yet clear whether Systrom would really get in trouble due to this. It all depends on the Department of Corporations California which has so far only said that "We have not received any complaints or protests related to the acquisition of hearing about Facebook / Instagram."


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Real Estate Investment Principles

Posted by arieardian Jumat, 14 Desember 2012 0 komentar

  Before actually setting out to find your first investment property it would be a good idea to set a target profit margin. In other words, decide how much money you would like to make on the project. By doing this you narrow down your property searches to those that are likely to result in an acceptable profit margin to you. Your acceptable profit margin will depend on your location, cost of rehabilitation, your own personal needs and expectations, and the market for your rehabilitated property. Never buy a property that won't result in a profit that equals your target amount.

Set Cost Limits

Set a maximum amount of money that you will spend to purchase and fix up a property. Never buy a property with fix up costs that will exceed your rehab cost limits. This also allows you to narrow your choices of property to buy and to avoid buying undesirable properties.

Establish a Market Area

You must now familiarize yourself with an area in which to buy property. Your target area should be within a five-mile radius of your home. Eighty percent of all properties you purchase should be within a five miles of your home. You can expand this radius if you live in rural areas.

There are a number of good reasons to buy in your area:

You are familiar and comfortable when close to home
Your network of construction crews and handymen are usually within that radius
You can manage your properties better if they are in your neighborhood. A weekly drive-by can save you thousands of dollars and years of headaches.
Buy Real Estate Right So It Will Cash Flow

Many people believe if they can buy a property for $15,000 to $20,000 below market value they will automatically have a good deal, but they are missing one key elements of investing. What they don't understand is that if they have to foot the bill for a $200 to $300 negative cash flow each month, their profit will be whittled away in a short period of time. This is especially true in times of slow real estate markets when properties do not sell quickly. The potential profit is worthless until the property is sold. Meanwhile, the owner is stuck with a negative cash flow each month.

So what do you look for in a good rental property? Two things: First, it must be able to attract good tenants, and second, it must be able to produce a positive cash flow within three months of purchase. To get good tenants, you must buy property in areas where there are schools, transportation, jobs, shopping, and churches. Tenants rent neighborhoods, not houses. The only way to be assured that your property will remain rented is to buy in the right areas of town.

Look at properties that you are considering buying through the eyes of a renter. If it appears that the property will not be attractive to tenants, don't buy it unless you can resell it for a very quick profit. This way you avoid buying properties that will be burdensome.

Your goal is to learn everything you can about your market area. Whenever you have the chance, take a drive and explore new neighborhoods. While doing so you may also come across some good bargains

Denver rental properties provides a tremendous opportunity for the savvy investor. Obtain the much needed knowledge required to be successful. Better information means bigger profits.


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Finally Google Maps Comes on iPhone

Posted by arieardian Kamis, 13 Desember 2012 0 komentar

   After "dumped" several months, finally re-present Google Maps-based devices (Apple's) iOS 6.

 Google's digital maps is now available and can be downloaded on the App Store starting today, Thursday (13/12/2012). However, currently only available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to follow soon.

 Google has a direct link to download this app. But from observation KompasTekno, when this story was written, Google Maps for iOS6 is not yet available in the App Store Indonesia.

 Google Maps application that is designed specifically for iOS 6 features the same features found in Android. Features such as voice navigation guide, local transport information, Street View and Google Earth 3D view to be included in this free app.

 As reported earlier, Apple has withdrawn its decision to "throw" Google Maps from iOS6. Apple Maps are staying digadang could replace those made ​​by Google maps was not as expected. Information presented Apple Maps apparently much less accurate and many users complained.

 On this issue, Apple CEO Tim Cook even apologized to users of iOS-based devices 6. In addition, the Cupertino-based company stated that the user is using another map app for a while.

 On this issue, the user was asked to bring back Google made ​​their digital map application on iPhone and iPad. This request was apparently heard Apple.

 With the present return of Google Maps on Apple mobile devices, the likely problem signpost on the iPhone and iPad will soon be over.


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Denver Real Estate Investment

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    Commercial Denver Real Estate Investment involves buying commercial properties that are bigger than a 4 unit apartment building. It is that real estate investment in which an estate is rented out or sold to make profit through rental income, interests, dividends, royalties, etc. but not for primary residence. It is better for the investors who are beginners in the field to avoid commercial real estate investment strategy. On the other hand, experience investor can go for for this kind of investment as the competition is much less. It is also the best choice asset class for building wealth, you may ask why? This is because there is a limited supply of land; no more land is being created! If you select a real estate with a land component in an area of increasing population and demand, the laws of supply and demand will work in your favour to increase the value of your investment. It provides better leverage than any other asset investment, with the ability to typically borrow at least 80% of the purchase price on house and land packages. 100% lends are possible in some circumstances. It physically exists and everybody needs a roof over their head. Wherever there are people, there will be demand for real estate. Given a healthy national economy, no deflation, an increasing population, or at least increasing demand for property in your chosen investment area, then your investment is liable to increase in value over time. You may have no control over the state of the economy, but I tell you, you can stack the chips in your favour by selecting the right type of property in the right area. Commercial deals take longer than other investments. They take longer to purchase, renovate, and get sold. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but something to keep in mind so that you don't get impatient or rush into a bad decision.

 Tips to help you succeed in commercial real estate investment

 This investment is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes time as I said earlier to buy, renovate and sell, so you need to be patient. Think big and embark on big investment, buy properties at least 10units, remember that the more the unit you buy the cheaper they are per unit. Be prepared to spend a lot of money at first, fight the temptation to be discouraged by this, always have in mind that you can overcome this by borrowing from real estate investment trust or other source as I mentioned in one of my articles. Predictability is required in this investment because it follows a cycle which can be predicted, with predictability you can grow. It also requires consistent and persistent. Learn to analyse properties, know the worth before buying. Before now you suppose to know that commercial real estate is the business of marketing and finance, so you have to be master of finance, learn about mortgages and interest rate, loan programs that are out there. Also you need to be a skilled problem solver for anything going on in the business field in other to excel in this investment. Finally, remember that this business is not static, it changes in strategy and other aspects, so you have to be updated in the latest information, to do this you have to continue with your education/training on this.

 Thing to look for when buying commercial real estate investment property

 1. Solid Land Component; Aim for an investment where at least 30% of the purchase price is comprises of the land component. House and land, villa units, townhouses, and low apartment buildings can all fit in the bill. Land is the only limited resource, and that means value for you. If you purchase a unit in a high rise, not only will the value of the building depreciate over time, but what is to stop developers erecting more high-rises and diluting the supply in your market?

 2. Stable or Increasing Population; Invest in an area with an increasing, or at least stable, population base. Avoid towns which are dependent on a single industry for the bulk of their employment. If the industry folds, so will the tenants.

 3. Transport, Shops and Public Amenities; Invest in an area close to schools, shops, public transport and good public amenities such as a post office, library and park lands. These are the basic factors that make an area desirable to live in and will help to ensure continued demand for property in that area over the long time.

 4. Affordable for an Average Worker; Select a median property in a median area, one which is affordable for the average workers. High end real estate is prone to vacancy and busts in recessionary times. Low end real estate is less desirable, can attract a lower quality of tenant, and cost you more in maintenance. Aim for a property that will rent for no more than 40% of the average household income for that area, preferably 30% of the household income.

 5. Affordability for you, the investor; Try to invest in property that at least pays for itself, that is to say that the rental income will at least cover your mortgage repayments, insurance, maintenance, management fees, local rates and taxes. If this is not possible in your area, consider alternative areas. Otherwise you can still build wealth with negative geared property.


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