8 Canada Realestate Directory

Purchase real estate, make improvements to it and then sell for a tidy profit. That is how we are all told we can make a bundle in real estate, but it can lead to problems.

Avoiding the Over Improved Home

There are two basic rules in real estate. The first is you should buy in the right location. The second is do not buy the best house on the block. Instead, you should be a home that needs some work. If you then do the work, you will reap the benefits through increased equity when you sell the home. This is all true, but there is one caveat to the home improvement strategy. People often improve their home so much, they price themselves out of their market.

Assume you buy a property in a neighborhood where comparable homes sell for $350,000. You buy a beater home for $300,000. The goal in buying is to fix it up and gain the $50,000 when you ultimately sell it. This is a smart theory and sound financial strategy when you buy the home.

Let’s assume you live in the home for six years. Immediately after buying, you improve those horrible bathrooms at a cost of $15,000. A year down the line, you simply have to have a bigger, better kitchen and spend $20,000 redoing it. In the fourth year, you find out you are going to have an addition to the family and spend another $20,000 adding a room to the home and upgrading facilities. In year five, your salary goes up and you decide marble flooring would look good in the entrance at the cost of another $15,000. You have now spent $70,000 on improvements for a market that will only support $50,000 in improvements. How are you going to get the money back when you sell?

When buying a fixer upper, it is important to put a plan together and stick to it. More importantly, it is vital that you create a budget and stick to it. This may all sound obvious, but this scenario plays out over and over in the residential real estate market.

Raynor James is with the site - FSBO America - find home property values.

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Having been in both the insurance business before websites existed, and then later ~ in the real estate business ~ when websites became the rage, I foresaw years ago how very effective the Internet would become for agents and businesses.

Although I didn’t comprehend how very significant websites would become, I bought my first website domain, a dot com. That was what everybody back then said that I wanted a .com (Commercial). I was soon getting real estate customers from both my own website and the big name real estate corporation’s site provided for agents.

“RELOS,” or real estate relocation clients as they are called, are easy sales. For the ones I received via the corporation’s website, I had to pay a 20% referral fee. The clients generated by my own website cost me nothing. Soon, I had earned enough money and had the expertise to start my own real estate company. Of course, I bought a new dot com website domain and improved my new site.

My real estate business grew and prospered. I had over a dozen experienced real estate professionals working for me. Many had formerly owned their own brokerages and found working from my brokerage better for them. I did not want to hire new agents because they took too much time to train and only 5% even survive in the brutal industry beyond the second full year.

Then I got “Blindsided,” hit with a dread disease that I did not anticipate - MS (Multiple Sclerosis). I was knocked out of the real estate business by progressive disabilities. I had to give up my profession, wholesale my brokerage, vend my house, and accept life as a permanently disabled victim. I left my website domain with the brokerage.

Yet I never lost hope. Nor did I ever give up my faith in “The Almighty” - that my health and good fortune would be restored. Well, last month, I was miraculously cured of “Incurable” MS. Now, in June of 2006, Mr. Wealth is returning and bringing with him many of his friends - thanks to selling website domain “properties” ~ and buying over 80 “Name” domain properties.

The first reason that I sell domain properties is that my Lord has told me too. He said to buy a couple of dot WS (Web Site) over 10 months ago. Now, He has instructed me to buy and sell .WS websites and to teach others how to prosper also.

The second reason that I sell GDI (Global Domains International) properties is to gain wealth. More wealth than I had ever imagined myself having, an “Income For Life!”

When I became a Realtor, I was eager to earn my fortune selling land-based properties, houses, land, and businesses. I was told then by a successful, respected real estate associate, Bill Norton, a truth I was not ready to accept.

“You’ll never become rich selling properties. You become rich by buying properties - and selling them,” my real estate buddy said. And so - Bill did!

“Truth” is “Truth” - wherever it applies. It applies in selling cyber-based properties too, website domain properties.

The third reason that I sell website domain properties is that I can provide a service by protecting some “Good Names.” I believe the scripture (CEV) Proverbs 22:1: “A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold.”

For example, can you imagine typing Jerry Falwell’s name into your browser and be whisked away to “A pro-homosexual video Porn-site?” I seriously doubt if the founder of “The Moral Majority” would appreciate that very real possibility. Andy Rooney, Art Bell, or Zachariah Stitchen would not likely appreciate their good names being used as a devil’s vehicle by a pornographer either. Nor would Barbara Walters. They will not be. I own their names on the dot Web Site extension.

Most of my website domains are for sale or trade. No law requires me to sell to a buyer that I do not choose to do business with. While it may take me some time, I intend to place contact links to the persons who the web surfers were attempting to reach when he or she typed in their “Good” names. I trust that the owners of those good names understand that no intention to exploit or otherwise defame their “Good” names, business names, and/or trademarks was ever intended.

Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO.
A “Seasoned Real Estate NAR

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Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with much pomp and gaiety all over India and more so in Maharashtra since the time Lokmanya Tilak brought this festival to the general public at a time when it was confined to the homes of people and the palaces of the Peshwas and Maharajas. Giving it a Sarvajanik flavor to bring forth the unity of the people was one of the reasons that this festival was given the 10-day solemnity it bears.

In Pune, the Ganesh Festival is much looked forward to at the end of the monsoons. The birth of Lord Ganesha falls on the 4th day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Bhadrapad which usually comes around August or September. Ganesh idols are brought home or to the places of common worship and worshipped daily. This festival is observed for a period of 10 days; from the Chaturthi to the Anant Chaturdhashi which culminates in the immersion of the Ganesh idol in the rivers and lakes of the city.

A colorful and joyful festiveness marks the entire 10 days in Pune where Ganesh Mandals compete with each other in terms of decoration, lighting and even the shape and size of the Ganesh idol.

The Ganesh Festival in Pune is so famous, that some people make it a point to visit Pune during this time to be a part of the celebration. The Pune Festival also coincides with the Ganesh Festival at times and is a bonus for the visiting tourist.

The immersion procession begins with the five Manache Ganpati (or the first in honour) namely the Kasba Peth Ganpati, the Tambadi Jogeshwari Ganpati, the Guruji Talim Ganpati, the Tulshibaug Ganpati and the Kesari Wada Ganpati in that order. Besides these, the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati is famous for its idol decked with gold ornaments and the Natubaug Ganpati that is famous for its decoration using lighting. The Mahatma Phule Market or the Mandai Ganpati as it is known is also quite popular.

All one needs to do is go to the Deccan area and then start walking towards the main city areas. You can also assemble at particular points near the different Chowk areas and watch the colorful processions go by. Many spectators have been found to be unable to resist the temptation of joining the crowd dancing to the tunes of popular songs or the beats of the ‘dhol’ and ‘lezim’.

The Pune Festival also takes place at this time. This is a cultural festival and dancers from all over the country participate in the events. This is a major tourist attraction and tourists get to see various cultural art forms from one stage. The Pune Festival has been around since 1989 and is a premier event on the culutural calendar of Maharashtra. The Pune Festival is jointly organized by the people of Pune, Pune Festival Committee, Department of Tourism (Government of India) & Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC)

The itinerary of the Pune festival that is spread over two weeks covers national and internationally renowned artists Vocal Recitals, Instrumental Concerts, Dance, Lokatal Lavani Mahotsav, Urdu Mushaira, Marathi & Hindi Hasya Kavi Samelan., Lokanatya, Recipe Competition, Flower Decoration, Mime & Mimicry, Magic Show, Decoration Competitions by various Ganapati mandals depicting various Mythological facts, Clean-Slum Competition, Single Act plays, Maharashtrian Women plays, Mahila Mahotsav, Marathi-Gujarathi-Hindi-English-Sindhi Drama festivals, Marathi Orchestra’s, Gujarathi Dairo, Kerala Mahotsav, Maharashtra Lokhadhara, Ganapathy painting exhibition, Vintage car rally, Water Sports, Motocross, Body Building, Ashtavinayak Rally, Skating Competition, Bicycle Competition, Golf Competition, Trekking, Malla Kambh, Yoga, Doi Sezim Spardha, Bullock Cart race, Village Fair’s, Seminar on tourism Promotion in India & Maharashtra and various other cultural items.

Pune Festival is one of it’s kind and the longest running organized festival in India. All programs & participation’s are completely free of charge.

David Thomoson, an associated editor to pune360.com , is a contributing author to the http://www.pune360.com for distinct article sites/journals. Please feel free to visit http://www.pune360.com for more information on Real Estate, property and classified issues Or write to him AT pune360@hotmail.com. Any comments and /or suggestions will be highly appreciated.

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