All About Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents are professionals who help in connecting the buyer to the seller. A lot of real estate agents also do rentals wherein they connect tenants to landlords and even maintain the property on the behalf of the landlords. The real estate agents work by linking together the two interested parties and charging a commission for their services. For sales, they charge commission only to the seller but for rentals (i.e. agent managed rentals) the commission is charged to both parties involved in the transaction. Real estate agents generally calculate their fee as a percentage of the selling price (in case of sales) and as part of the rent (for rentals). People, who want to sell/let their property, leave the details of their property with the real estate agent (and in fact, even leave the keys of the house so that the real estate agent can arrange for viewings without them getting into any hassle). The other interested party (i.e. the buyer/tenant), gets access to this information by contacting the real estate agent. That’s how the real estate agents become a hub of information.
A lot of home seekers (including real estate investors) use the services of real estate agents not just for getting good deals but also getting them quick. Since real estate agents are probably most familiar with the market situation in their region of operation, it makes sense to approach them to get an idea of the going rate for properties in that region. Real estate agents would generally know the prices of various properties of different types and at various locations in the region.
A property seller can possibly get a few thousands more for his/her property by using the advice received from a good real estate agent. A good real estate agent will also analyse the needs of a home buyer/tenant and provide suggestions on what kind of home could be available to them within their budget. So a good real estate agent will not just throw a list of available properties to the buyer/ tenant but will actually discuss their needs and make a suggestion. This, in fact, works in the favour of real estate agent in two ways. Firstly, if the real estate agent is able to sell the house they get their commission and secondly, if they make the buyer happy too they earn a good reputation (and hence more business).
However, it is worth noting that real estate agents work on seller’s behalf. So, beware if they are trying too hard to sell a property.

Real Estate Appraisal--Is That The Real Value?

Real estate appraisal or property valuation is the process of determining the value of the property on the basis of the highest and the best use of real property (which basically translates into determining the fair market value of the property). The person who performs this real estate appraisal exercise is called the real estate appraiser or property valuation surveyor. The value as determined by real estate appraisal is the fair market value. The real estate appraisal is done using various methods and the real estate appraisal values the property as different for difference purposes e.g. the real estate appraisal might assign 2 different values to the same property (Improved value and vacant value) and again the same/similar property might be assigned different values in a residential zone and a commercial zone. However, the value assigned as a result of real estate appraisal might not be the value that a real estate investor would consider when evaluating the property for investment. In fact, a real estate investor might completely ignore the value that comes out of real estate appraisal process. A good real estate investor would evaluate the property on the basis of the developments going on in the region. So real estate appraisal as done by a real estate investor would come up with the value that the real estate investor can get out of the property by buying it at a low price and selling it at a much higher price (as in the present). Similarly, real estate investor could do his own real estate appraisal for the expected value of the property in, say 2 years time or in 5 years time. Again, a real estate investor might conduct his real estate appraisal based on what value he/she can create by investing some amount of money in the property i.e. a real estate investor might decide on buying a dirty/scary kind of property (which no one likes) and get some minor repairs, painting etc done in order to increase the value of the property (the value that the real estate investor would get by selling it in the market). So, here the meaning of real estate appraisal changes completely (and can be very different from the value that real estate appraiser would come out with if the real estate appraiser conducted a real estate appraisal exercise on the property).A real estate investor will generally base his investment decision on this real estate appraisal that he does by himself (or gets done through someone). So, can we then term real estate appraisal as a really real ‘real estate appraisal’?

The Land Of Disney--Orlando Florida Real Estate

Yes, getting a piece of Orlando real estate is indeed a very attractive proposition. For a lot of people, buying Orlando real estate is like becoming a part of Disney or Universal Studios or just any theme park. Some others are attracted to Orlando real estate due to the moderate climatic conditions. So owning Orlando real estate speaks both of comfort and fun. Some treat Orlando real estate as an investment for their retirement. In fact a lot of people buy Orlando real estate just so that they can settle in Orlando later in their lives. When it comes to investing in Orlando real estate, vacation homes also seem a popular thing. A number of people go for properties that are in Disney’s proximity. Renting out vacation homes is a popular thing and some people invest in Orlando real estate so that they can earn rental income till the time there decide to actually live in that property. With some tour operators offering rental guarantee, the vacation homes are gaining a lot of popularity in Orlando. Sometimes people are even able to pay their monthly mortgage payments using the monthly rental income from the vacation homes. However, if you go looking for Orlando real estate (for getting rental income), you must make sure that you buy it as close to the theme parks as possible. That is where you will get the most in terms of rental income from your Orlando real estate investment. So, even though you might have to pay a bit more for that piece of Orlando real estate, you should also consider the fact that the rental income will also increase in the same proportion. Moreover, going for a vacation home that is cheaper but much farther from Disney and other attractions, might not get rented out at all. So that cheaper piece of Orlando real estate might actually turn out more expensive for you. However, if you are looking to live in by yourself, then the proximity to theme parks might not be your priority. Instead you should be looking for convenience, in terms of comfort and in terms of availability of necessary amenities (and if you have kids then you would also be looking for schools etc). Of course, other/general criteria for selection of real estate would be applicable to Orlando real estate too. So, Orlando real estate investment does seem to make a lot of sense. The only important thing is to evaluate the reason for going for Orlando real estate and then make a good decision.