Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Jill Urban of the NY1

While many believe that the real estate market slows down for the holiday season, Jacky Teplitzky of Prudential Douglas Elliman looks at it as a time of opportunity.

“It is a misconception to assume it’s a bad time to buy real estate,” Teplitzky says. “Now you can take advantage of fact that everyone else thinks it’s a bad time.”

She says now many sellers take their homes off the market, or wait until after the first of the year to put it on. But she says putting your home on the market now may give you the advantage because there’s less competition.

“It’s the same thing with the summer. During summer, people say they will wait until after Labor Day. My answer is everyone else will put their apartments on the market after Labor Day, so you are competing against more people,” she says. “When you compete against fewer people, you maximize your selling price.”

And, usually more serious buyers are the ones looking during the holidays.

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She adds that part of the reason many brokers convince sellers to pull out during the holidays is simply because they want some time off.

“Align interest of sellers and brokers. If a broker doesn’t have assistant or a team, they may want to wait because they want to take time off, not because there are no buyers,” says Teplitzky. “So ask your broker if they will be around before you sign.”

One major advantage to having your home on the market at this time of year is that people are off from work, and may have more time to view places. And, if there’s more than one person buying, it might be easier to coordinate schedules.

Also, many people decorate or do an extra cleaning around holiday time in anticipation of guests, so the home may show better now.

As a buyer, you may not see as much inventory, but you might find that sellers who are in the holiday spirit, and may be willing to negotiate in better faith. Or, if their home has been on the market a while, the may want to get the deal signed by the end of the year and may drop the price to get it done.

So even though it’s time for the holidays, some say ‘tis the season to sell.

Other than vacations, summer is the time of the year most popular for home improvement. The long days and warm, sunny weather make a great time to work on repairs and renovations without much of the hassles and delays that rain and other elements bring.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I, along with my team, have years of experience and understand how taking on a remodeling project is beneficial to you, both now and then later down the road should you choose to sell.For these reasons and more, a good number of homeowners undertake home improvement projects, especially during the summer.

Following are tips and projects—both large and small—for homeowners looking to spruce their homes up this summer. Patios and Decks What better way to enjoy the warm days than by creating an outdoor living space for the family to enjoy.

Decks and patios are among the most popular summer remodeling ideas. There are various factors to take into consideration when deciding on whether a patio or deck is the most appropriate project to undertake. Such factors include soil condition and consistency, site terrain, use, capacity and privacy, as well as the cost and maintenance you are willing to put up with.

Home Maintenance Throughout the seasons, your home has taken good care of you and your family and now is the best time to give back.

Go through your property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance/repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include:

• Waterproofing the basement
• Re-caulking and replacing weather-striping
• Cleaning and sealing wooden decks
• Trimming bushes and trees
• Realigning downspouts and gutters
• Repairing the roof
• Cleaning the pool
• Mending the fence
• Sealing cracks along driveways, foundation, walkways, etc.
• Maintenance of HVAC systems

Energy-Efficient Renovation When it comes to summer remodeling, there's no better way to invest your hard-earned dollars than by making your home energy efficient. An energy-efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your energy bills. Some of the common items you can buy and integrate into your energy-efficient renovation include:

• Insulation systems and materials
• Roofs that resist heat gain
• Biomass-burning stoves
• Energy-efficient windows
• HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tier
• Solar panels
• Fuel cells
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Wind energy systems

Taking on one (or more!) of these projects is a great way to give back to your home this summer…and, in some cases, save you a bit of money, too. For more information on home renovation projects, please e-mail our team - and please feel free to forward these tips to any family and friends you think might benefit from them as well.

By Simon Turner of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes

Not so long ago, every second television show seemed to be about renovating run-down homes. With the current real estate market being less enticing, these shows seem to have dropped off.

The irony is, of course, that now is the time that you’re more likely to find a bargain.

If indeed there are more and more buyer’s markets throughout the world, then for those with finances available, there’s never a better time to get a good deal.

Therefore, we’ve put together four essential factors that you must consider to ensure that you complete the project with as much financial reward as possible.

CONSIDER THESE

1. Purchase Price — The lower price you pay, the more potential there is for profit it at the end. Remember, you generally make the money when you buy, not when you sell!

2. Renovation Expenses – Be as exact (and honest with yourself)as you can for each room that you are renovating, and include some “room-to-move should you be faced with the inevitable surprises (such as dampness, termite problems, legals).

3. Holdings Costs — The longer you own the home, the higher your costs for mortgage, taxes, and insurances will be.

4. Anticipated Sale Price — Be honest with yourself and compare your property like-for-like with others that have SOLD (not that have just been on the market for an eternity).

When undertaking a renovation, take into account how long it will take to complete. From “go to woe”, the market conditions could have changed immensely (for good or for bad) so try and take into account each scenario and what your subsequent actions will be (eg. if the market is worse, what would you do?)

Simply by doing your homework you’ll ensure you reduce the number of surprises.

Good luck!

By Todd Cutter of 2Costa Rica Real Estate

Shop Macro to Micro

We recommend that potential buyers start with the big picture and first focus on educating themselves on Costa Rica, and the investment environment and general lifestyle first. Costa Rica is an amazing destination with tremendous diversity both in its natural surroundings and its social settings in terms of infrastructure, lifestyle, amenities, etc. Deciding first that Costa Rica is a destination you desire and then examining the pros and cons of the varying areas of Costa Rica is an important step. You might find the perfect property at the perfect price, but if you are not in an area which suits your vision, investment goals and personal preference you will have nothing more than a perfect property in an area you don’t enjoy. A professional realtor here should be able to provide you with honest, unbiased analysis of the different areas which Costa Rica offers for investment and should also be inquisitive about your personal goals for the investment.

The relationship between realtor and client should be one of a mutual information exchange so that the potentially BUYER can educate the realtor about their personal preferences, investment goals and vision and the realtor can help educate and GUIDE their clients towards deciding on Costa Rica, then on a region or area, and finally on the property or properties that suit their goals. Though more labor intensive, respecting this process enables for clients who are happy both short and long term with their investments and ongoing positive relationships with the realtors who are you guides to investment.

Buy with Your Goals in Mind

When searching for real estate, set parameters and palpable goals for your search. The cheapest property is not always the best investment and the most expensive properties are not always the most luxurious. Buyers in Costa Rica have a range of goals as dynamic and varied as the topography and people of this amazing nation. Though a friend or acquaintance might have made the investment of a lifetime in the hills of San Jose, if you goals are for coastal vacation use, family trips, etc. their experience and insight might prove useless. Knowing the purpose of your investment and analyzing if the region and specific property you are looking at suites YOUR PERSONAL goals is paramount to success. Buyers who take the time to define their goals, seek honest and a broad range of information to confirm that the properties that they seek meet those goals, and stay true to their vision are the ones who find the most success here.

Head in the clouds… feet on the ground

This is a phrase we like to use with our clients shopping for properties in Costa Rica. This is a dreamlike destination and to make the right investment requires you to follow your heart and dreams, without losing touch with reality and vice versa. Clients who are constantly looking for properties which only make sense from an economic standpoint with no real affinity for a location or the country as a whole, tend to find less satisfaction in their investments. There are, of course, some incredibly lucrative investment opportunities here in Costa Rica, but numbers can and always do change, and have a tangible sense and belief in the potential of your acquisition is paramount for investors as it helps lend validity to the numbers and potential appreciation which some professionals toss out as matter of fact statistics. If you are promised returns that seem to good to be true, ground yourself and set real expectations for worst case scenarios. The same is true for clients who fall in love with Costa Rica and expect to find everything they dream for in a property at unrealistic prices. This is paradise and remains an amazing place for personal and investment use, but set realistic goals for value and returns.