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Featured Real Estate Articles

Choosing The Right International Real Estate Investment
In this article I am addressing real estate and investments internationally. There are a multitude of opportunities in the real estate market in the world, ranging form great deals on retirement homes to investments for appreciation, project developments, ...

Real Estate - So, You Wanna Buy Pre-Foreclosures?
So you wanna buy pre-foreclosures? or at the courthouse steps? So many people ask us about this. Here's our '30 second seminar' on it. If you're going to buy PRE-foreclosures--after the seller is behind on her payments, but before the lender's auction ...

Understanding Agency Relationships Between Real Estate Clients and Customers
You'd probably wonder what agency relationships might have to do with you, regarding buying or selling real estate. Most people are unaware of the importance of these types of relationships, unless they do a lot of buying and selling of real estate ...




12 Tips for Buying Waterfront Real Estate
 
You probably already know this, but buying any land can be a significant decision. But what you may not know is that there are a few twists that come with purchasing a waterfront lot that make it very different from buying a lot in any old subdivision. I've put together a few tips that you should keep in mind when you're looking for the perfect waterfront property.
Don't buy land without setting foot on it first. You should take the time to look it over closely and inspect it yourself. Locate a copy of the site plan so you can determine exactly where the property lines are.
Study the history of the land development for the area. Was the development a friendly undertaking or was there a lot of controversy from the community? What was on this land before?
Talk to the neighbors. Ask them what they think of the developer and the area. Are they happy with how their house was built? Were the amenities completed by the developer as promised? If they love living there, they'll tell you - if they hate it, they'll tell you that too.
If you're looking at lakefront property, you need to determine if the lake is constant level or not. If it's not a constant level lake, then the water levels could change drastically.
Check to see if there are any flood plain restrictions. If you build or buy in a flood zone you may have a tough time getting insurance.
Make sure the lot you're looking at will support a house of the size you want.
Don't limit your search to a single waterfront development - no matter how "in love" you are with it. If you're not familiar with other developments, ask a local realtor for help.
Find our how the property will change in the different seasons or when the weather conditions change. When was the last drought and what happened to the water levels then?
If you're interested in building a boat house, make sure that there aren't Restrictive Covenants preventing you from doing so. Many lake areas limit the building of new boat houses and docks.
If you're planning on building, make sure that you will have access to electricity, water, sewage and other utilities. Never assume that you can just "hook up".
If the property is remote, make sure you know who is responsible for maintaining the road. Many banks require a Road Maintenance Agreement before they will lend on remote property.
Lastly, before you make the purchase offer, consider making it conditional on an inspection of the land or on another specific item. For example, if you don't have access to sewage lines, make the offer conditional on your ability to obtain permits for a septic system. Plus, you should always make your offer contingent on your ability to obtain financing.
OK, armed with these tips, you should be ready to start your search for the perfect waterfront lot. Remember, investing in waterfront real estate requires common sense and due diligence, just like any other investment. Go put these tips to work for you!
About the Author
Peni Gardner is a waterfront property expert and realtor that specializes in working with out of town buyers looking for Real Estate in Granbury, TX.



Real Estate News


REAL ESTATE: Refinancing program expands for Fannie/Freddie borrowers
Press-Enterprise
With the changes that are expected to make the program much more effective, the program is being called HARP II by those in the real estate and mortgage industries. Probably the most significant improvement is that it lifts the ceilings on the amount ...

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South Bay commercial real estate market heats up
San Jose Mercury News
By George Avalos Silicon Valley developers are racing to erect office and R&D buildings to meet a fresh surge of expansions by tech companies that's turning the region into a commercial real estate boomtown. Last year, the South Bay added about 26000 ...

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Local real-estate developer shares his love of Mardi Gras
Houma Courier
Local real-estate developer SP LaRussa walks through the Krewe of Hercules' den making sure that the krewe is ready to roll Friday night. By Eric Heisig Local business owner SP LaRussa, 70, is known to many as “Mr. Mardi Gras” around this time of year.

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Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation Reports 1st Quarter Financial Results
MarketWatch (press release)
8, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (the Company) /quotes/zigman/234464/quotes/nls/mnr MNR -0.21% reported funds from operations (FFO) of $7450000 or $0.20 per share for the three months ended December 31, ...

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Houston-Based Real Estate Developer Closes More Than $75 Million in Healthcare ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Medistar Corporation is a full-service real estate development company that specializes in the design, development, financing and construction of healthcare real estate. The company focuses on medical office buildings, integrated medical plazas and ...

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