SMR Holdings Pvt Ltd is a good real estate developer firm in Hyderabad and Bangalore. They have many completed and upcoming projects with quality construction. SMR Holdings is a very successful group in South India for commercial and residential development.

In the US it’s called MLS, anyone know what it’s called in Australia?

If you want direct access you would need to have a valid real estate sales license. You can not directly access the information and you can not enter properties without the license.

REIT’s trade on the major exchanges, just like stocks. REIT’s make their money from the rental income, profits from the sale of the property and other services provided to the tenants. REIT’s also receive special tax considerations; they do not pay taxes as long as they pay out at least 90% of their net income to investors. Thus, successful REIT’s can offer investors high yields, current income, and moderate growth. But, while these tax considerations benefit the REIT, the investor still has to pay tax on the growth just like a share of stock.

There are several types of REIT’s:

There is a equity REIT. It’s main objective is buying, renovating, managing, maintaining, and selling real estate. This is the most common type.
There is the mortgage REIT. It makes loans or invests in existing mortgages.
Hybrid REIT’s do a combination of both.
Then there are UPREIT’s and DownREIT. These were developed in the early 90’s to provide tax benefits to their shareholders.

Advantages:

All REIT’s are governed by strict regulation. REIT shares are more liquid than investing directly in Real Estate. The REIT’s are professionally managed. Open up investment opportunities that may not be available to the average investor. Provide annual income. Disadvantages:
Supply and demand imbalance. Booms and busts can impact office space activity. Rising interest rates. This increases borrowing costs and impact bottom line. This could also slow down rentals and purchases if interest rates increase. Subject to risks associated with the general real estate market including possible declines in the value of real estate, decline in economic conditions, and possible lack of availability of mortgage funds. Use as a tax shelter is limited. REIT’s are not allowed to pass losses through to their investors. So, if the REIT loses money, you won’t be able to use the loss to offset other investment gains. Dividends paid from a REIT are taxable as income. A portion of a REIT dividend may be taxed an a lower capital gain rate. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2003 and before January 1, 2011, qualifying dividends paid to individual shareholders from domestic corporations (and qualified foreign corporations) are taxed at long-term capital gains tax rates. For tax years prior to January 1, 2003, however, stock dividends were taxed at ordinary income tax rates, generally resulting in significantly more tax due. Absent further legislative action, stock dividends will again be taxed as ordinary income beginning in 2011.
Capital gain tax liability may occur when you sell your shares. If you sell the share for more than you bought it for. Just like stock.
When looking to invest in a REIT, you can do the same research as you would have done in researching a share of stock. Because they are publicly traded companies you can look at their earnings, both past performance and potential for future growth, dividend yield, payout ratio, and price-earnings ratio. By keeping an eye on the real estate market you may be able to detect certain shifts in the market, overbuilding, current buildings where office space is sitting empty, or where certain types of business are closing because of economic situations. This way you can more to another type of REIT that may work better in a certain kind of market.

You can go the Forbes magazine REIT gold list to see different REIT companies, what they are invested in, and what the performance is. http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/20/reit-perfomance-grades-biz-cx_dp_0220reit_table.html

the answer is yes agents can get a reference from your old agent to see if you paid your rent on time, if you were behind ect.

hope this is what you were looking for

Any advice you can give is appreciated! Thanks!

Oh and I’ll be getting my license in Tenessee.

I am a real estate agent in Australia with my own independent office.

I am not sure what courses are like through franchises, however, here, the courses with regular Real Estate schools are very good.

When you are looking to find an agency to work for, consider the following:

- do they regularly pay for training for their employees? what kind of training and how frequently?
- does management get regular training and upgrade their knowledge on changes in legislation etc (here we have special annual education to attend to stay in the know)
- what internal systems and procedures do they have that will assist people who are just starting out? for example, a good computer software and training resources in the office for when you get stuck on something.
- is there someone more experienced in the office that can mentor you?

I believe that a franchise is not necessarily the best, often all the training that they attend is in house, and they are not open to external training providers (which can be very beneficial).

You need to look at the individual operator of the office to decide if it will be a good environment to start your career or not.

Good Luck

Sheldon Moylan of Dominion Lending Centres

Real estate prices have sky rocketed in recent years all over the country, and in most states the average home price is higher than the median income in some areas. Every buyer wants to find affordable real estate, whether it is a new or used home, a foreclosed property, or an estate being sold through probate. No one wants to be house poor, which is why now more than ever, there is a great demand for properties that won’t break the bank for the buyers. Interest rates are higher now than last summer for instance, which is also a contributing factor facing sellers and buyers alike.

Higher interest rates raise the total amount of the loan, and variable rate mortgages can be risky for some consumers. It is always beneficial to consult the professionals at lending institutions, as well as real estate agents, for information regarding loan types, qualifications, interest rates, special buyer incentives, etc. The more buyers and sellers educate themselves about the market, the more comfortable they well be in their final decision.

For many people wanting to be homeowners, finding affordable real estate can be difficult based on their level of income. Many new and used home prices have risen dramatically in the past few years, while incomes have not proportionately. According to ringsurf.com, the most affordable Real Estate market is in smaller towns such as Lima, Ohio, whereas the least affordable markets, not surprisingly, are in the state of California, where average home prices far exceed the median income. In many areas lower priced listings are snatched up quickly. There are real estate brokers that can help make home ownership a reality by specializing in discounted properties, such as buyprobateproperty.com. On another site featuring affordable real estate, perspective buyers have the opportunity to bid on properties from the comfort of their homes at landauction.com.

To view affordable real estate nationwide using the Multiple Listing Service or MLS, go to homelistings-USA.com or real-estate.com, which features new and used homes, land listing, foreclosures, and real estate agents in all fifty states. Many firms also offer relocation assistance and lots of information on local amenities, academic institutions, restaurants, leisure activities, and most anything else one would want to know about any given area. Living overseas is also an option if looking for affordable real estate outside the country. Escape your present life; plan your retirement, whatever you like. Don’t necessarily limit yourself to living in the United States. There are many job opportunities available to people who want to live outside of the country, and affordable real estate makes this very attractive.

John Wellington
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/seeking-those-affordable-real-estate-91405.html

Homeowners’ insurance is a must for any owner of residential real estate. It has been around for many years, coming to the rescue of many real estate homeowners. Leaky pipes and their subsequent damage have been causing homeowners grief for an even longer time. Homeowners’ insurance has alleviated such problems by underwriting the cost for repairs.

I remember as a child my father making repairs with money from our homeowner’s insurance policy. He told me that there was never a claim too small, unless it was within the deductible range.

While my father’s information was correct for the times, the rules for small claims on residential real estate have changed. Submitting a small claim today, especially for water damage, could cost you multitudes more in the future.

A California Insurance Department study showed that 25 percent of insurance companies refused to renew policies for residential real estate owners, who made one or two non-water damage claims within the past three years. The figure rose to 32 percent, when the claims were water damage-related. This means the insurers are paying the legitimate claims but are apt to drop those Real Estate customers at policy renewal time.

Additionally, all insurers share claims information through the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) database. Not only are you apt to be dropped by your current residential real estate insurer, but others may not approve you. The study also showed that 62 percent of the top 13 insurers in the state of California refused applicants with only one-to-two claims in the past three years.

If another insurer does approve you, it will most definitely be at a much higher premium rate that will add up over the years to a much larger amount than the small water damage claim you made.

So, what has changed?

Toxic Mold

Litigators have jumped on the toxic mold lawsuit bandwagon. Toxic mold comes from water damage repairs that were incorrectly made or only partially cleaned up. It can literally make the real estate residents very ill. Some toxic mold is created by homes that were not quality built and allowed water to seep in between the outer and inside walls. There have been a few multimillion-dollar homes in California that had to be totally leveled due to toxic mold.

Insurance companies generally are expected to pick up the tab and then sue the repair contractor or original builder for reimbursement. This attitude has caused a lot of litigation – between insurers and residential real estate owners, as well as between insurers and parties assumed to be responsible for the toxic mold. They often lose court cases for reimbursement, as well as incurring attorney fees and court costs. Is it any wonder insurance companies have become gun-shy of small water damage claims that could lead to costly repairs and litigation later.

Administrative Costs

Another reason for the change in attitude toward water damage claims is the change in real estate insurers’ business practices. Since the early 90s, real estate insurers have looked for more practical ways to increase profits. Through studies, they found that small claims created the same large administrative costs as the larger claims, even though the payouts were small. They now weed out residential real estate customers who make small claims.

Alternative Game Plan for Real Estate Homeowners

Today, it is better not to make small damage claims of any type. Real estate homeowners should increase their deductibles to $1,000 or $2,500. This reduces their premium costs by as much as 30 percent. They are covered for large damages but not paying for services (small claims) that they are not receiving.

With the larger deductible, the premium savings can be placed into a savings account to pay for small claims that would earlier have been submitted to the insurer. Whenever used, the money should be replaced as soon as possible.

After seven-to-ten years of submitting no claims, most real estate insurers will qualify you for a claims-free discount, saving you even more money.

Is It Worth It?

In deciding if you should submit a claim (even a larger one), first determine if it is worth the possibility of losing your policy and/or paying higher rates. Add up all the repair costs. Determine how much the real estate insurer will pay, based on your policy. Subtract your deductible. Is the remainder only a couple hundred dollars or substantially more? Now, determine if it is worth it. Remember, even moving to another state will not escape the CLUE database.

J Harris
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/residential-real-estate-and-water-damage-claims-what-you-should-know-130280.html