Are you in the market for your first new home? Do you want to buy a home, but are not sure if you have the finances to make it happen? If you answered yes to either one of these questions there is an easy solution to your problem; you can look into foreclosure homes in your area. There are a few good reasons that foreclosure homes are great for people that are looking for their first property.

The main reason that foreclosure homes make good first properties for people is that they offer a great price. You can save thousands of dollars by purchasing foreclosure homes instead of more traditional properties. There is a good chance that you will find more than one home in your area that is discounted up to half of the actual market value.

In addition to the great price that you can get up front on foreclosure homes, they are also great investment properties. If you buy a foreclosed home as your first property, and pay it off in 15 or 30 years, you will have made quite the profit. When you go to resell the house you will be able to sell it for thousands more than what you paid for it initially. And all you have to do to take advantage of this profit is simply live in your home, and make the payments.

Foreclosure homes are also good properties to look into because there is a large selection available all over the country. Regardless of where you live, you will never have any problem finding foreclosure homes in your area. This means that when you are picking out your first home that you will not be restricted in the least bit. All you have to do is locate the foreclosure homes in your area, and then go through all of them to decide which one best suits your needs.

A lot of people overlook foreclosure homes when they are searching for their first property.  You will be able to save thousands of dollars off of the market value price. Chances are that if you are buying your first home that you have other things to purchase as well. Why not free up some cash by purchasing foreclosure homes?

Are you still renting a home or apartment for yourself or your family?

If so, you’re losing money. Think about these three ways you lose money by renting:

1. You’re paying for someone else’s mortgage payment. You’re missing out on the appreciation that the property gives to the landlord. Appreciation is a term used in accounting relating to the increase in value of an asset, which means in real estate terms, added value to the property. Over the past five years, houses appreciated significantly, making many new real estate investor multimillionaires.

2. Renters don’t get to freeze their monthly housing expenses like home buyers can. Of course, many home buyers get mortgage payments with adjustable interest rates and their payments go up over time. However, these payments will not go up over the long term like rising rents. Just think about how much an apartment costs today compared to ten years ago. A two bedroom apartment in Lake Elsinore, California leases for $1,000 today. The exact same apartment rented for $325 in 1996, when it was brand new. Home buyers who had low monthly payments in 1996, who did not refinance their mortgage, enjoy low payments and don’t have to worry about rising rents.

3. Renters don’t benefit from tax advantages. Home owners get income tax deductions. Tax deductions for interest costs, for instance, save tax payers thousands of dollars.

Emotional Satisfaction of Home Ownership

Besides losing out on making money with real estate, renters don’t get the same satisfaction of home enjoyment that benefits home buyers. Many landlords won’t allow you to paint your walls in colors that you desire. Also, you won’t feel like fixing up the property with custom window coverings and you get little say in flooring materials. Because you can’t make your personal statement, you won’t feel like you’re HOME as much as home owners who feel emotionally connected to their property.

How to Buy Your First Home

The biggest barrier to home ownership is often accumulating funds for a down payment. People think they have to have thousands of dollars for a down payment. However, if you have good credit and a decent job, you can get a mortgage for a home with zero down. And you can finance some of your closing costs as well as ask the seller to help you pay a good portion of your purchase costs. With today’s mortgage finance plans, you may be surprised to find out how much of a home you can afford with payments similar to what you currently pay in rent.

You may have to go out of the major metropolitan areas to buy a home. That’s why so many people commute in Southern California. Affordable housing costs much less in outlying areas. But so do the rents. If you’re renting an apartment for $2,300 in Los Angeles, you could buy a $500,000 home in Wildomar. Our daughter just purchased a home in December 2005 and her mortgage payment, for a 3,000 square foot new home, costs less than $2,300. With her tax savings, she will pay even less than renting a small apartment closer to downtown L A.

If these amounts sound high to you, check your local area. Perhaps your monthly rent is only $1,000 and houses cost less than $200,000. Talk to a mortgage loan officer and see how much of a home you can afford.

If you’re renting, make one of your priorities to buy your own home.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

All you Should Know Before Buying Commercial Real Estate.

Buying or renting, such is the question many business people ask themselves around the 1st of the month, when comes the time to write their rent’s check.

With the interests rates being what they are and prices being affected by the commercial paper crisis, the answer might very well be yes if the right property becomes available and you can afford a relatively important cash down.

Owning commercial real estate does have it’s advantages.
Choices: as the owner, you can decide whether to select a building that matches your current needs, has enough room for future expansion or maybe is large enough for you to lease parts of it.

Equity: every month, your payments are applied to paying down your mortgage and building some equity which could be useful eventually to secure a loan for new equipment, to finance an acquisition or simply as an asset.

Appreciation: not withstanding any unforeseen occurrences, your building should appreciate with time. This appreciation could, just as the above mentioned equity, be used to get better financing conditions.

Power: as the landlord, you are the person in charge of deciding how to finance the building, picking the tenants, choosing the decorations, selecting entrepreneurs for the work to be done, improving the building. You even have control over your rent’s rate.

If it’s so great, why doesn’t everyone do it?

The main reason why not everyone owns the commercial space they’re using is that, in real life, thing don’t necessarily go exactly as in late night’s infomercials…

You can buy commercial real estate with no money down, especially if it’s because your money is bringing you more in another (safe) investment.

On the other hand, if it’s because your cash flow doesn’t allow you any flexibility and that you don’t have anything aside should things go a little unexpectedly, then you may want to seriously consider all the ramifications of the deal you are considering.

Your business’ cash flow’s growth stage.

Is your business bringing you comfortable and predictable income which you are looking to invest or would spending an important part of your income hinder any growth possibility for the near future ?

Will you be able to afford any substantial and sometimes unexpected expense should you have to do unexpected maintenance on your building?

Usually, a commercial property will require a 15 cash down which, in some cases, can end up being a lot of money.

Don’t forget you also have to factor in the price of insurances, taxes and legal fees. Due to the importance of the figures involved in most commercial real estate transactions, I recommend you surround yourself with adequate representation meaning: a real estate agent with experience and a positive track record as well as financial and legal advisers.

Examining the tax perspective.

Since I’m not a CPA and that all situations are unique, I strongly suggest you meet with a competent financial advisor who will help you evaluate your particular situation.

For now, keep in mind that in most situations, you will be able to use some of your expenses as depreciations to reduce your taxes or some of the rent as a personal income.

You make your money when you buy, not when you sell.

One last but extremely important factor to consider before making your decision is that you make your money when you buy but realize it when you sell.

Paying more than the fair market value, not taking into consideration your cash flow factors (mortgage, interest rates, insurance, taxes and repairs VS incoming rent, other income possibilities such as parking for example) or letting your feelings dictate a purchasing decision may negatively affect your exit strategy for year if you are not careful.

Though appreciation is quite probable, we suggest you don’t factor it in when crunching your numbers: if the deal is still a good deal without factoring in appreciation, you are likely to make a favorable ROI (return on investment) when you decide it’s time to go for your exit strategy.

If you absolutely need appreciation to justify your purchase, be extremely careful as no one really knows what will happen in the future and, in the present, you may be paying too much.

Discuss the situation with a real estate agent know for his or her integrity such as Anne-Marie Perno from www.Laurentides-St-Jerome-Tremblant-Immobilier.com

What you should remember.

So we looked briefly at the different aspects of buying a commercial property. Remember the advantages of being a landlord are:
? Choices
? Equity
? Appreciation
? Power

? Make sure you carefully evaluate your future cash flow.
? Purchasing the property won’t hinder your growth strategy.
? You can afford unexpected and sometimes quite expensive repairs should they be needed.
? You can afford the cash down.

? Get advice from a professional financial advisor about your tax situation.
? Get advice from a professional law adviser.
? Get advice from a professional real estate adviser.
? Avoid free advice as it often end up being the most expensive kind.

? Evaluate the building’s cash flow.
? Make sure the purchase makes sense even without appreciation.
? Find a reputable real estate specialist.

Why alternative housing? To save money, to travel, to live creatively – there are many reasons why people choose to live in tents, RVs, cabins, underground homes, rental rooms and anything else that’s less common than the houses, condos and apartments that most people call home. Below are some of these housing options, and their advantages.

Alternative Housing That Moves

Camping at a hot springs area, we sat around the campfire one night with several young men living in the desert in their old converted school bus. It cost them nothing to park it in the desert (on BLM land you have to move every two weeks, though), bathed for free in hot spring tubs that were as nice as those in nearby expensive resorts, and played guitar around the fire each night. Not such a bad life.

In Arizona there are whole communities that spring up each winter, full of people living in their RVs. Advantages of RV housing are obvious, and include moving with the seasons, trying out different places, and not paying property taxes. I’ve talked to people living in Rvs that cost $200,000 and ones that cost $600, so the selection of accommodations is varied, to say the least.

My wife and I lived for almost a month in our conversion van as we traveled from Arizona to Florida and then to Michigan. Advantages of a van include better mileage than an RV, and being inconspicuous. We found that could park and sleep almost anywhere.

Other Alternative Housing

In most areas where rents are high, renting rooms has become common. This makes sense for single people. Just pay a set amount each month or week, and (if it includes utilities) you have a predictable and lower cost of living. I rented out rooms in my own home for years, and even put carpet and lighting in a shed so I could get $50 per week for it in summer.

A friend of mine lived in a shack he built for $3,000 on a small piece of land he bought for $7,000. Eventually he ran into problems with the county because he had no occupancy permit. Apparently you can’t live on your own land in the woods if your home is too small. However, you can camp on it, so a $2,000 used RV parked on your land makes for a cheap and legal housing alternative.

Some people live on houseboats and avoid paying property taxes. Some live in the jungle near the beaches in Hawaii, so they can afford to be in paradise. I know people who lived in a basement while slowly building the house above for cash. People live in cabins built in the national forest wilderness, moving every few years as they are discovered. Truly, your imagination is the only limit to your alternative housing options.

The 10 most livable and most affordable real estate metro areas in the United States have a number of other favorable characteristics in common, according to a new HouseHunt “Current Real Estate Market Conditions” survey conducted by HouseHunt, Inc., a consumer-oriented Internet firm that provides free information to thousands of homeowners, home buyers and home sellers across the nation. The survey shows median home prices range from $130,100 to $194,400 for existing homes for sale and also found:
• The majority of the 10 metro areas report balanced, good-to-active housing markets with sellers usually getting 95% or more of their asking prices. Inventories of unsold homes are mostly limited.

• The majority of the 10 metro areas are experiencing strong job and population growth and good economic news. They offer quality lifestyles, good schools and solid family recreation along with other amenities. Sales data shows that many recent home buyers are relocating from other, often more costly areas.

• All 10 metro markets are attracting both first-time and move-up buyers because of affordable prices, low mortgage interest rates and multiple financing options.

• Median real estate prices for existing single-family homes in the 10 metro areas range between $130,100 and $194,400, compared to the national median real estate price of $188,800. Four of the 10 areas reported double-digit price appreciation in the past 12 months.

• All 10 metro areas have major universities located there.

• Five of the 10 metro areas are popular tourism destinations. Nine of the 10 metro areas are located in warm to moderate climates.

The 10 most livable and most affordable metro areas as determined by criteria developed by “Places Rated Almanac” (David Savageau) and the latest quarterly median sales prices compiled by the National Association of Realtors are:

1. Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT $157,000

2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $172,800

3. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $175,600

4. Houston, TX $138,100

5. Phoenix, AZ $193,800

6. Cincinnati OH, $139,600

7. Louisville, KY $130,100

8. Austin-San Marcos, TX $154,100

9. Orlando, FL $194,400

10.Nashville,TN $152,100.

Four of the 10 metro areas – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Nashville and Austin-San Marcos – are also listed in the latest edition of Lee and Saralee Rosenberg’s “50 Fabulous Places To Raise Your Family” (Melissa Giovagnoli). Like Savageau, the authors give high marks for schools, jobs and business opportunities, family fun, housing affordability, living costs, climate, health care, transportation and quality of life.

“With all the negative news about spiking home prices and the widening affordability gap, it’s refreshing to find highly desirable metro areas where most buyers can find affordable homes,” said Michael Bearden, president and CEO of HouseHunt, Inc. “Our quarterly ‘Current Market Conditions’ reports are accessible on many of our HouseHunt.com agent websites across the country. For recent home sales in their neighborhoods, homeowners and home sellers can also find this information easily and immediately on HouseHunt’s new moveUp.com website.”

Mark Jenkins of Realty Executives, exclusive HouseHunt member agent for Salt Lake City, described housing activity in his metro area as “improving” from a depressed buyers market.” He said many buyers are relocating from out-of-state to take advantage of the lifestyle and lower home prices. A median price of $157,000 would probably buy a 2,000 square foot home with three bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage on a one-third or one-four acre lot in a good location. Highest home price appreciation is occurring near the University of Utah. Another hot spot is Park City, a popular ski resort in the nearby mountains where Lee Merryweather of World Class Realty is the exclusive HouseHunt member agent.

An active housing market is reported in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area by Linda Ippolito of Keller Williams Realty, exclusive HouseHunt member agent for Bayshore, Westshore-South Tampa, and Davis Island-South Tampa. She said the whole area is exploding with growth and new industries. Available housing is in limited supply. Although the median price home is $172,800 for the entire metro area, median home prices are closer to $400,000 in South Tampa. Waterfront properties are also priced higher. Average price appreciation is 15.7% in the past year. A slower-paced but high quality lifestyle is reported in the Raleigh – Durham – Chapel Hill metro area by Ray Lenahan of Robert Gray Realtors, exclusive HouseHunt member agent with Robert Gray for Wake Forest, Rolesville and Youngsville.

“The big attraction is our Research Triangle, three major universities, excellent quality of life, and moderate weather,” Lenahan said – He said the median home price of $175,600 in the metro area is probably closer to $190,000 in his market area. “That will buy a new home with 2,000 square feet with three bedrooms, two baths on a half-acre lot. Either that, or, it would buy an older home in a more established neighborhood,” he added.

Houston, with its “can do” entrepreneurial spirit and liberal-to-zero zoning restrictions, is attracting people from both the East and West Coasts to relocate and to invest in rental properties, according to Kathi Frank of RE/MAX The Woodlands, exclusive HouseHunt member agent for The Woodlands and Woodland Springs. The Woodlands is a 27,000-acre planned community located 27 miles north of downtown Houston. “Median price home for the entire metro area is $138,100,” she said. “That will buy a new, 1,400 square foot home from a production builder in North Houston or Woodland Springs.” She added: “Estate properties are priced from the low $200,000s to more than $3 million.”

Reva Schafer of West USA Realty, exclusive HouseHunt member agent for Scottsdale and Northeast Phoenix, reported a limited inventory and a very active seller’s market, with sellers usually getting 100% or more of their asking prices. The median price for the metro area is $193,800 “but hard to find anything under $300,000 in my area,” Schafer said. “It’s more like $350,000 to $400,000 as a median price in Scottsdale.. Lots are jumping in price. So are houses.” Year-to-year appreciation is 24.4%! She cited tremendous growth in the suburbs of Peoria and Chandler. “A year ago, investors were buying from builders and flipping (re-selling) the properties. No more. Now, a buyer must live in the property for at least one year to qualify.”

Good job growth, corporate relocations and an improving local economy is fueling the housing market in the Cincinnati metro market, according to Saralou Durham of RE/MAX Preferred Group and exclusive HouseHunt member agent for suburban Montgomery and Hyde Park in Hamilton County, OH. “We have fabulous cultural and recreational facilities and a good quality lifestyle,” she said..”A median home price of $139,600 seems a bit low, depending on the area. That amount of money will probably buy a small two bedroom, one bath home needing some repair or remodeling in one of our small suburban communities.”

In Louisville, Charlotte Wright and Michael McConnell of Evergreen Realty are exclusive HouseHunt member agents for suburban Jeffersontown. “Louisville is now the 16th largest metro area in the nation,” Wright said. “We’re a hub for UPS and have two Ford plants located here. Military personnel stationed as nearby Ft. Knox and their families are also relocating here, she said. “The median price of $130,100 is probably low – $150,000 would be more accurate. The latter will buy a three bedroom, two bath 1,200 square foot house with a garage in a good area.”

Ann Parr of RE/MAX Austin Advantage and exclusive HouseHunt member agent for Westlake & Lake Travis said well-priced listings are attracting multiple, full-price offers in a very active seller’s market. Average time on the market is 60-90 days. “We have younger professionals who want to live close to downtown but the primary place to live is by the lakes,” she said. Prices range from $150,000 to $6 million. “Nice homes can be purchased for $250,000 to $350,000. The median price home is $154,100 in Austin. That would probably buy a starter home in the Round Rock area or a home needing remodeling in Central Austin. Patio homes for retired people near Lake Austin sell for $200,000.”

One of the hottest of the 10 metro markets on the list is Orlando, according to Steve Farah of the Royal Realty Group. Farah is exclusive HouseHunt member agent for Alafaya & Waterford Lakes and Kissimmee: “We’re experiencing unbelievable growth and home appreciation,” he said. “Our seller’s market is so active that listings sometimes last only hours, not days. Buyers frequently must act immediately or the property will be gone!” He feels that the median price of $194,400 is probably low because of high demand and the low inventory. “A median price of $250,000 would be more realistic and would buy a three –bedroom, two bath home with 1,700 to 2,000 square feet.” Since the first quarter of 2004, the median price home has appreciated 28.7%.

Nashville, the 10th ranked metro area on the list, offers a relaxed, friendly lifestyle and affordable home prices to newcomers, according to Mary Barbee of Coldwell Banker Andrews and Associates. Plus, there is no state income tax. Barbee is the exclusive HouseHunt member agent for South East Nashville. “The median price of $152,100 seems low – it’s more like $170,000, depending on location. That amount of money would probably buy a three-bedroom, two-bath new home with 1,200-1,500 square feet in the suburban communities of Madison and Smyrna,” she said. The median home price is up 11.3% in the past year in the Nashville metro area.

The real estate market is one of the most complex markets in the entire world due to the fact that it is in a continuous change, thus making it a very dynamic market. The internet has a lot to offer consumers regarding real estate and as a result it is a great place to start shopping. Some of these advantages are:

- It is inexpensive, if not free to list your home in an online property listing service.

- It is a quick and easy method to advertise your property that is for sale/lease or if you would like to buy a property.

- The buyer and seller have direct access to information about the property in question. This makes other forms of communication between the buyer and the seller obsolete. The internet is easy in comparison to the old-fashioned method of answering dozens phones calls or setting up numerous meetings.

- Many websites that deal with real estate allow you to include up to 5 photos of your property. This is a lot more in comparison to a regular newspaper and you have complete control over the photos’ quality. In addition you can highlight specific features about your property with the potential buyers. This can be very helpful if you are working to attract buyers from outside your local geographic area whom potentially need more explanation of certain elements.

- Once listed, your home is available until you will sell the property. This is a big advantage if you consider that for a newspaper ad you will systematically have to pay a fee week after week.

- These online real estate listing services have a nation-wide audience which will make your ad visible to the entire country;

- Searching for the right house is very easy as these websites have filters which will allow you to only see the houses that meet your specific requirements. Therefore you can spend time looking only out houses that meet your needs without having to waste time looking at houses you aren’t interested in.

Using the Internet for real estate will make you your own real estate agent without having to pay a great sum of money to an agent and also you will have full-control of the entire activity. Whether you are a home buyer or seller, it is very easy to search for the perfect house as the online offers are endless. Or, if you would like to sell a piece of real estate, there is no safer and quicker way to do it.

Online real estate has become popular and is consuming are looking to the internet more each day as an easy place to get good information. As a matter of fact, more than 5 million people use the internet for real estate issues every month. With numbers like this it is easy to see how the internet can improve your chances for selling or buying a home.

Another major advantage of real estate moving to the internet is that you won’t need a real estate agent to start your search. This is very important because we all know that real estate agents are of value but sometimes you just want to look.

All in all, there is no better, safer and easier way to search for a home or to sell one than online as the internet has a lot to offer in the real estate market and it is rapidly developing, gaining more and more consumers everyday and thus improving your chances for a profitable buy/sell.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Looking for acreage and a large home? Then you just might want to call Foxbrook home. Located on the outskirts of Parrish Florida is Foxbrook.

Huge executive homes on lots from 1 to 5 acres. Most homes have their own pools and a couple of them have their own tennis courts.

Foxbrook in Parrish Florida is horse friendly, making this the perfect place if you are a horse lover.

Foxbrook is a very quiet community so if you are looking to escape the city and come to the country but have the luxuries of the city, then you need to check out Foxbrook in Parrish Florida.

This is by far my favorite community, River’s Reach in Parrish Florida. Peaceful, serene, tranquil are the words that come to mind while visiting this premier community in Parrish. Located on the Manatee River in Parrish Florida resides one of the most beautiful communities to be added to Parrish Real Estate.

Why you ask, does this one stand out above all the rest. The rolling hills, mature trees left standing majestically throughout the development, large lots giving everyone plenty of space between the homes, nature trails, picnic areas, gazebos and a canoe & kayak livery and of course the beautiful award winning homes. Neal communities goes above and beyond when it comes to landscaping the community as well as the homes they build. They are leaving 58% of this community natural, no other builder goes so far to make sure the beautiful oak trees stay in tact. Everything is top of the line from the landscaping at the front entrance down to the last detail of planting landscaping around the utility boxes and the construction trailer so they are hidden.

I was impressed by the quality of building as well. 42″ high upper cabinets, Volume ceilings, classic moldings, six panel interior doors, Corian window sills, huge walk in closets, R-30 ceiling insulation, High efficiency 13 seer air conditioning system, double pane glass windows, and much more.

Home sizes range from 2,128 – 3,923 sq ft and each home has 2 elevations to choose from. This community definitely adds quality to the Parrish Real Estate market and Luxury Homes in Parrish. If you would like further information about River’s Reach or Parrish Real Estate CLICK HERE and we will be happy to assist.

Location: Go to the end of Golf Course Rd and turn right, River’s Reach on the right.