Ryan Galiotto

Archive for the ‘Real Estate’ Category

St. Louis is now a busy, active metropolitan city with hundreds of thousands of residents and homes. However, it took a century for St. Louis to become the city that it is today. While the entire nation was booming in the 1920’s, St. Louis also experienced great growth and development.

The St. Louis boom began with the 1923 Bond Issue, which carried-out the Citys street patterns that were designed in 1917and the City Plan Commission. Streets such as the Market, Olive, Natural Bridge, and Gravois can thank the 1923 Bond Issue for the wide streets it has today. Once the Worlds Fair was over, St. Louis realized that it had some endeavors to take on. After observing the transformations occurring around the world, St. Louis recognized it as a sign for its own needed development.

It was following the Worlds Fair that St. Louis realized that it had some work to do. Seeing the innovations taking place around the world, St. Louis took it as a signal that it was time to do expansion itself, and thats when the 1923 Bond Issue was passed for a whopping $87,000,000; which at the time was a pretty amazing achievement. It was after this landmark that all kinds of civic buildings like hospitals, street lighting and Kiel Auditorium sprang to their glory. It was also during the 1920s that St. Louis experienced the transit revolution within its city. The transit revolution was obviously a very big deal and a great force of energy and economy for the whole city and everyone who lived there. Of course, the famous trolley car system was up and running in its heyday from 1910-1920, but the 1920s was the harbinger of more private automobiles and increased bus lines.

Another important part of the St. Louis roaring 1920’s history, is the transit revolution that occurred. It created a big rush of energy and economy for the whole city and all of its residents. Although the trolley car system was famous in its heyday from 1910-1920, the 1920s brought private automobiles and bus line expansion to the forefront for transportation.

Park improvements were another great step in the expansion and reinvention of St. Louis in the 1920s. Forest Park was completely realized after great restoration work following the worlds Fair. Until construction began on the Park, it was a wilderness land following the Worlds Fair, which left many people uneasy about the implications.

During the 1920’s boom of St. Louis came park improvements which were another wonderful step for its expansion and development. Forest Park came to fruition after a vast restoration project which followed the Worlds Fair. The Park had been a wilderness land before the prior to the restoration, which left many residents troubled about the consequences.

The St. Louis City ordinance mandated a park-like area which then triggered the Forest Park improvements. This is also when the following highlights were added to the park: the Zoo with its Worlds Fair bird cage, the Jefferson Memorial constructed on Fair funds, The Art Palace which was furnished to the city by the Exposition Company, and of course the Worlds Fair Pavilion.

There are Art Deco buildings that stimulate the imagination, and even old Spanish Mission Deco buildings like the one found in Grand Center, St. Louis, designed by Thomas P Barnett. With its rich Spanish style and unique feel, this building always turns heads.

MLS.ca is the multiple listing service where you will find most Toronto homes that are for sale, infact this is where you will find most of the homes for sale in Canada. Mls.ca recently moved to a new site location realtor.ca, with this move there was an increase in search options. There are now four different ways to search for properties on mls.ca, those include: mls number lookup, quick search, interactive map search, and advanced search. I would recommend the quick search option.

1. Enter the url mls.ca or realator.ca into your browser

2. On the main page of mls.ca select Residential Properties

3. Type in the street, neighbourhood, City or MLS Zone of where you want to search. Try to be as specific as possible. If you know which part of the city you want to live in type it in i.e. Rosedale. If you have no clue than keep it general i.e. Toronto

4. Fill in the other drop downs that are applicable for your particular property search. If you are looking for a broad range of matches leave as many fields as possible blank. If you wish to narrow it down type in specifics (price range, detached house, minimum number of bedrooms etc.). Keep in mind if you are too general and there are more than 500 results than the system will require that you narrow it down.

5. Once property matches are generated you can either navigated through the results on the map or click on each individual listing on the right hand side organized from lowest to highest priced properties. If you do not like the map you can also click gallery view or thumb nail view in the upper right hand column. This will change the view so that the map does not dominate the page.

A few tips that I like to use include: - Be sure to enter in a lowest price (this will eliminate getting matches on properties that are for lease etc..) - Zoom in/out on the MLS map on the area you are searching, this will help you get to know the location you are looking in. - If you find a property you like check out all the details (does it come with parking, what is the size of the lot etc - Contact your Toronto real estate agent with the mls number to get their opinion

One important note that I tell all of my clients is that the publicly available mls.ca is not necessarily up to date. Often Toronto real estate agents find that when they upload a new property it will take a couple of days for it to become available on the public mls.ca. It does however become immediately available on the mls.ca that is reserved for real estate agents.

To get the best of both worlds I register my clients to receive automated emails from the agent only mls.ca. This allows them to receive by email all of the properties that matches their search criteria as soon as they are loaded into the system. This is also something that I gladly provide any prospective clients regardless of whether they hire me or not. Please contact me to start to receive these automated emails.

Oregon has unlimited options for a vacation site so picking one should be easy. You can go to Sunriver, Bend, Portland or the beach just to name a few. The hardest part about picking a destination is deciding how long you want to be there and where you want to stay. Spending time with your loved ones should be exciting and full of happy memories. You should not have anxiety and frustration in them what so ever. So pick your destination and time carefully but most of all pick a good place to sleep!

The logical place to stay is in a hotel. Why not, they are usually easy to find, centrally located and almost always have vacancy. For instance, staying at Lincoln City, a popular vacation site at the Oregon Beach, there are many hotels to choose from. Some offer ocean views, beach access or breakfasts. But as a smart consumer you should consider what you are getting for your hard earned money.

On reason people go to the beach is so they can look at the beach. So one thing that draws people to a specific hotel are the ocean views or beach access. After researching hotel prices in Lincoln City, a popular beach destination, I found that a hotel with a beach from or ocean view can run anywhere from $80.00 a night up to $200.00 a night. Even if you decide you do not need a beach front or ocean view room, hotels can still range from $50.00 to $100.00 a night. Everyone has different criteria, but I think we can all agree that a hotel needs to be within your selected price range and have some of your wants such as a beach view.

Let’s look at what we get for the price. Most hotels try to lure you by offering continental breakfast. Some people think they will save money by having a continental breakfast, unfortunately this is not always the case. Typically a continental breakfast offers donuts, pastries, coffee or juice. Now I don’t know about you but this is not enough breakfast for me. When I am on vacation I want pancakes, waffles, bagels and many options for drinks. If you eat the continental breakfast most likely you will be hungry quickly and you will need to buy more food.

Other hotels offer clean quite rooms. If you have ever stayed in a hotel, you know that house keeping usually comes around nine in the morning. When I am on vacation I want to sleep in a little and relax. Sure my room might be clean but I have to get up early and rush out before they come. Not to mention the check out time is usually eleven in the morning which means I need to be up no later than eight if I want to not be woken up by house keeping and check out on time. This is not relaxing to me. Quiet rooms, now when ever I stay in a hotel, there are always people running around the halls at all hours of the day and night, slamming doors, yelling and usually I can hear the TV from the room next door.

So where can you and your family stay, this is the great mystery. I have your answer, vacation rental homes. At Lincoln City there many vacation homes for all budgets. Typically they range from $100.00 to $250.00 a night depending on what your wants and needs are. Most people want to know the benefits of staying in a vacation home and here you have it! In a vacation home you can bring your own food and cook therefore saving you money clear across the board by not eating out for every meal. House keeping comes when it is convenient for you. All you need to do is put the key back in the lock box when you head out and then house keeping will come. A vacation home offers you more private, candid time with your family, and the best part, it is quiet!

A vacation home might cost you a few extra bucks but in the long run it is worth every penny. You don’t have to worry about so many things that, spending the extra money just makes sense. You need to decide what is most important to you, is it saving a few extra dollars or is it spending a peaceful, relaxing vacation with your family, the choice is yours but hurry your sanctuary awaits.

Hardwood floors are one of the most attractive and longest lasting choices you can make. However, there’s a lot to choose from.

The first step in picking out your hardwood floor is deciding whether you want unfinished wood or pre-finished flooring.

In the past, unfinished wood was preferred, since this made it a lot easier to select a wood type and install it. It could be stained and finished with your preferred lacquer or coating, which made your floor look its best and wear well.

It was also generally less expensive to get unfinished hardwood flooring, even adding in the cost of staining or lacquering. The price difference was so great that getting unfinished hardwood, then exerting a little effort was a bargain on balance. No more. Unfinished is still often less expensive, but the difference is smaller than in the past.

There are also a lot of advantages to getting pre-finished hardwood. When you re-floor an existing space or an addition, you don’t have to deal with the mess or smell of finishing Just add the hardwood, and skip sanding, staining, and coating your floor. You won’t need a respirator or have to worry about eye and lung safety.

Which to choose comes down to weighing costs against budget, and the amount of free time and skill or desire you have for this type of project.

Of course, you’ll still have to decide what wood you prefer. There’s a lot available, in terms of species and different countries of origin. You could pick hardwood from around the world for your floor.

Bamboo is one of the more interesting options. Not technically a wood, it’s still woody and very hard, when correctly processed. It has a delicate yellow-brown color that is perfect for certain decorating schemes. It’s also on the lower end of per square foot hardwood flooring prices - typically around $5 per sq ft.

Much more expensive is the luxurious Brazilian walnut. This wood can cost as much as thirteen dollars per square foot and comes in a wide range of colors. It can be a light brown, looking a lot like the nut most of us are familiar with, or significantly darker. This costly wood is very hard. That means it wears well, but can be hard to install.

In the middle of the cost scale is mahogany, which offers a rich, beautiful look. It’s reddish brown with a dark, luxurious looking grain, and is strong enough to last for decades. This is a rain forest wood, and has the associated environmental and woodworking challenges.

Red Oak is a favorite with many do-it-yourselfers. It comes in a variety of widths and is available at the lower end of the price scale. Yet it yields an extremely strong and durable surface. Finished properly, it will create a floor that is as beautiful as any.

Ash is a good choice if you prefer a lighter color and a less costly wood. Starting around three dollars a square foot, this wood is knotty and attractive. However, it’s softer than other woods. Rustic ash is a particularly good choice for a more natural look.

In addition to new flooring, you can also buy many hardwood types in salvaged and pre-distressed types. That allows you to add yet another dimension of appearance to your flooring, giving you a lived in look but allowing you to maintain a durable floor.

Many people make the assumption that since they have less than perfect credit, they are barred form owning their own home. They are under the impression that no one will trust them with a mortgage; while this may have once been the case, the rules have loosened up somewhat in the last several years. Rather than eschewing providing mortgages to people with a poor credit rating as they were traditionally prone to doing, banks and other mortgage providers have instead come up with mortgage products which are great for people with bad credit. These bad credit mortgage loans can help families who otherwise would be unable to buy a home.

There are many reasons why you might have bad credit. For instance, you may have made a mistake and overspent with a credit card. Or maybe you had sudden and expensive health bills that you’ve had a hard time paying off. Whatever your reasons are, you can still get bad credit mortgage loans. There are some differences between them and regular mortgage loans, though.

Most noticeable is the difference in interest rate between a traditional mortgage loan and bad credit mortgage loans. While persons who have a good credit history can get loans with an interest rate ranging between 5-7%, your interest rate will be significantly higher if your credit history is a poor one. The bank does this as a way of protecting themselves from the risk of default. You should shop around to find the lowest possible interest rate. This can take a while, but will pay for itself in the savings you will see.

You should be mindful of the down payment percentage when shopping around for bad credit mortgage loans. This is a small percentage of the total payment, usually around 5% - this may be higher with some bad credit mortgage loans however - this is something else to keep in mind as you look around.

The monthly mortgage payments can be rather high with these loans. You can reduce this by choosing a 30 year mortgage rather than a15 year one. For example, if you buy a home which costs $150,000, you will pay about $800 per month on a 15 year mortgage, as opposed to a little over $400 on a 30 year mortgage. This amount, it should be noted, does not include interest.

When searching for a Miami reverse mortgage, you want to discover how they function. In addition, you need to become conscious of the conditions that make this city and this market cycle challenging for senior citizens asking for any kind of home loan. When you do the research, you can learn about the strengths and reduce the disadvantages related with this kind of home loan.

For instance, this kind of loan is coming to be very popular with seniors because it lets them to live in their houses by using the accumulated equity and without needing to make any recurring payments.

In addition, it’s very easy to get a reverse home mortgage. These are the basic conditions:

- Both people in the title must be 62 years of age or older

- You must have a good amount of equity in your house

- You must live in your home

As you can see, earnings and credit history are not conditions. This is so because you do not need to make any payments back to the mortgage lender. However, because of this, the equity in your house is decreased as you get this money.

Nevertheless, prior to selecting to get a reverse mortgage in Miami, you should realize the consequences of doing so; Specially, in this point in time when there are declining house prices and mortgage lenders are releasing these type of programs.

Because of the decreasing house prices, you might not be able to get as much money as you considered at first. This is so because mortgage lenders take this into consideration prior on deciding on the amount of money to give you.

Also, because of the hard economic period, there are some banks that are not doing this kind of mortgage any longer. Even though once you get the loan, it’s backed by the Federal Government, it’s a great point to obtain it by doing it through a large and stable lender.

When you do that, you make sure that they will be there with you on the long term , and that you are obtaining a good deal. Big banks generally make money by charging small profits in many home loans.

Finally, make sure you apply for a FHA reverse mortgage. This type of reverse home mortgage offers the most beneficial terms and it’s backed by the HUD. If you apply for a private home mortgage, you might be billed expensive costs since they are not as regulated.

Obviously, because getting a mortgage is an considerable decision, you want to understand as much as you can about how a Miami reverse mortgage functions prior to selecting one. By doing so, you can learn whether it’s the best kind of home loan for you. Also, it might be helpful to you get the adequate kind of local mortgage broker who might assist you throughout the entire process.

Preparation is the key to success in many fields. The same goes for selling your home. It is a rough market out there and we all know it. Taking the extra steps to get your home positioned correctly can make the difference between selling it or not.

There are as many tips on how to prepare your home for listing as there are stars in the sky. Okay, maybe not that many, but you get the idea. Given this assault of information, it can be hard to know what to do. Here is a list of fundamental steps.

The first step you have to take is to make an emotional adjustment. Most people view their home as a part of their life. Memories have happened here and such. When you make the decision to sell, this view has to change if you really want to succeed.

Making this adjustment can be very difficult. You must get over it. Your home is now just another real estate property. Your attitude should be to make improvements and such that will be desired by the biggest group of buyers possible.

Along this line of thought, it is time to convert the home to a product. Pack up most of your personalized items. Kids stuff on the refrigerator should go in the moving boxes. Photos on wall and such should as well. Turn it into a product, not your family home.

The next step is to cast a critical eye towards clutter in the house. If you objectively do not use something, get rid of it. Most rooms have way too much junk in them, so really do a critical walk through. Space sells. Junk does not.

As you walk the house, also evaluate furniture and the like for the comfort classification. Every home has a comfortable couch or piece of furniture that is very comfortable, but not in great shape. Locate yours and get it out of the house.

Importantly, you need to understand that the entire home is going to be looked at by buyers. Closets will be opened, basements will be walked, attics will be snooped in and garages will be strolled. You should not expect any privacy, so remove anything private.

Finally, look for any obvious problems and fix them. A cheap upgrade you can make is to repaint any areas of trim. This includes around windows, doors and any other area that is framed. A little paint can really go a long way.

Can you sell a home these days? Of course. Yes, the market is slow, but homes are selling. The key is to make your property standout compared to others. Apply these tips and you will be well on your way.

In certain years a blanket assessment is enacted resulting in a re-assessment of property taxes. Often inaccurate “quick” values are concocted. Many times adjustment is enacted using a multiplier factor to adjust these values. Little time is allocated to this rendering of property value.

Municipalities reappraise the homes within their borders by hiring blanket appraisal companies. This is done in a bidding process and the low bid wins. If the bid allocation was only $38 per home and the blanket appraiser needed to make a profit, how much time can actually be spent per home? The people the appraiser hires are time-pressed to make their observations.

Property tax assessments derived from blanket assessment abound with errors. These estimations of value are even derived by multipliers of the previous year?s assessment. If the original assessment was wrong, multiplying that assessment adds nothing to clarify the value.

An inexpensive fix for the town could come about if building inspectors and the tax department communicated closely by working together. If the building inspector passed on information to the assessor, there would be no need for blanket re-assessments. New homes sold need only be equalized with the previous blanket assessment. If an addition or home improvement took place, the added value could be passed on to the tax assessor. If the building department and tax department worked efficiently, there would be no need for blanket reassessments.

A tax assessor has little time to appraise a home and usually do not engage in that activity. Tax assessors are often politically appointed and are not trained and experienced real estate appraisers. Their usual method of deriving value is based on a cost basis instead of a market value approach. The market value approach is based on what an informed buyer would pay for the home, not what it cost to build it.

In a property tax appeal, only the market appraisal counts. That means that your home stacks up to the current selling price of your comparable homes and that becomes the only solid evidence of value.

Blanket reassessments of homes are very expensive for a town; the cost is directly passed directly to the budget causing extra tax rate increases. Timely blanket reassessments are a rip off to the taxpayer and a waste of valuable time for all involved.

Blanket reassessments are opportunities for appeal because of the high error rate. Homeowners need to do a simple analysis to determine if their home’s market value is in line with the assessed value assigned to their home.

One of the best ways to get started with building your own personal wealth-building system is by investing in real estate. Becoming a real estate investor is a daunting task, but one that will, if operated efficiently, pay dividends forever.

Where to start? Well lets look at a few basic tatics for a new investor.

Plug into your local real estate investors association. Most medium to large communities have a real estate club where other real estate investors attend regular meetings. These are other investors with the same goals and dreams as you.

RE investors, are for the most part, a great group of people, from all walks of life. the one thing we all share is our passion for what we do. We discuss tatics and ideas about what to invest in as well as where. We share tips on things that have worked ..and warnings about things that dont.

Before you spend a dime. Make sure you map out what you want to invest in and what your going to do with it. BE SPECIFIC. What type of property. are you going to hold it for apprecation or are you going to turn it over?

So know you need to decide on the type of investment property you want to invest in. do you like the idea of duplexes? Single family homes? Small apartments? Remember this, if you start out with one type and become familliar with it, then you will learn exactly what you need to do to make the profit from it. Being a specialist in this manner can lead to faster profits.

Begin to get together a group of contractors and sub-contractors who you can trust to work within your new system and according to your business plans and your budget.

Lets say you choose a “fixer” for your first project. Be ready to put on your team a contractor, a electrician, heating and AC guy..and of course a plumber. Now a word to the wise. IF you can find one…a GREAT handyman will be able to do all the above metioned and normally at a far cheaper cost.

Find a real estate agent that understands property investors and their needs and is willing to work with you on a continuing basis. An agent gives you access to property information, including the Multiple Listing Service. An agent who understands real estate investing can also find you good deals within your specific market.

Time is always a key factor in real estate investing, so always look to ways to “turn” a property in the least amount of time. A property that remains unsold or not rented is eating up profits every day it in your possession. Learn to cut the losses on properties that fail to meet their profit potential.

Every beginning real estate investor will make mistakes that cut into potential profits. It is imperative to recognize these mistakes and correct them before they can cripple the business.

In the end, the investor who runs their business in the most efficient ways will profit, succeed, and grow in real estate investing.

J.B. (New York) asks: “Kay, there don’t seem to be any pet rules for condominiums. Dogs live in both of my neighbors units. The messes they are constantly making on my front lawn are disgusting. And guess who cleans them up!”

Dear J.B.: Frequently the list of problems in condominiums has pets at the top. Even though they can be lovely companions, sometimes they are not welcome in the confines of a condominium property. Even when the residents read the condo’s Declaration and Rules, they may disregard them.

How can the condominium’s governing documents help?

Check the Condominium’s Declaration—Usually there is a section on animals. It should tell you which ones are permitted and which are not. It may also state weight restrictions and how many are permitted in each condo unit.

The Condominium’s Amendments—The Declaration restrictions can be changed by Amendment. A Pet Amendment may nullify or change some portion of the original Declaration.

Check the Condominium’s Rules—Rules add details to the restrictions in the condominium’s Declaration and Amendments. For example, the Declaration may not address the issue of pet soiling at all, but the Rules may state that owners must immediately clean up after them. Other examples could be the requirements for walking pets, the repair of their damage, and pet housing.

Pet soiling may be included in these condominium documents, but you may discover that the board of directors is not enforcing them.

When buying a condominium unit, it is a must that you read these documents very carefully. The seller might not have a pet and may say they’re allowed, without really knowing for sure!

Your call to action!

The date, time, which resident’s pet did the problem, and the nature of the problem are vital information you should keep in a log. Most importantly, if you don’t include the address of the unit in which the dog lives, the board and/or management company will have no idea who is committing the violation.

Your condo’s board of directors or management company needs to be made aware of each occurrence. Include a copy of your log with your report.

There may be an ordinance about animals in the local codes of your community. Maybe your problem can be solved without involving the condominium’s managing agent or the board.

Ask the condo’s board of directors to create a rule about pet soiling, if one doesn’t exist.

If a rule does exist, ask the board to consistently enforce it.

The condominium board of directors can take action!

The authority to approve or disapprove pets may belong to your board.

The rules in the condominium’s Declaration may state that certain types of pets are not permitted.

Based on the written complaints of residents, the board may send letters to or institute fines against the violating unit owners.

An Amendment to the Declaration that would ban pets or a specific type of pet can be initiated by the condominium’s board of directors. Approval by the owners may be required to pass the proposed Amendment. It would also need filed at the appropriate government records office.

Permanent removal of a pet from the condominium property is usually permitted by most Declarations when it is determined that the pet is dangerous or the pet’s owner continues to disobey the pet restrictions and rules.