6 Rules to Boost Your Negotiating Skills

This is an article from our own REALTOR(R) Magazine by Rich Levin, January 2010.  We hope this is helpful.

http://www.realtor.org/rmosales_and_marketing/salescoach/columns/1001_salescoach_negotiationrules

Global Real Estate: Ready for a Rebound?

This article is a summary from a forum hosted by Knowledge@Wharton at the New York Stock Exchange in December 2009 called “The Road to Recovery: Investing in the Global Real Estate Rebound.” Let us know what you think about the economists’ presentations.

http://bit.ly/4EGnM4

Published: January 20, 2010 in Knowledge@Wharton

Second Homes at a Fraction of the Cost

The Magazine Ideal Living  published an interesting article on Fractional Ownership.  Enjoy!

http://www.ideal-living.com/?p=802

Foreign Investments and Local Economies

Here’s a great take on how international companies are investing in the US and the effects from PRI. What’s happening in your community?

While foreign investments have created jobs in Mississippi, some feel the state’s pro-business stance could backfire.

More Americans are looking for work today than at anytime in the past 26 years. The dollar keeps getting weaker. Times are tough for many Americans. But for foreign companies looking to invest in the United States, America looks pretty attractive. Roughly five-and-a-half million Americans work for foreign companies operating in the U.S. States across the country are vigorously competing for their business. But there are pros and cons to foreign investment. What does a state get out of the bargain?
Read more

Green Acres Is the Place to Be

This interesting article from Gwendolyn Bounds of the Wal Street Journal is a wonderful example of how some are changing reevaluating their life choices and lifestyles.  What do you think?

The Recession Is Inspiring More Young Families and Singles to Head Back to the Country

In June, 40-year-old Shane Dawley and his 36-year-old wife, Rhonda, uprooted themselves and their four boys from their suburban Atlanta rental home and bought an old five-acre farm in Ogdensburg, Wisc. Their goal: Flee the rat race and adopt a more self-reliant lifestyle amid the troubled economy.

While Mr. Dawley, who had worked at a parking garage, hasn’t found a full-time job yet, he’s been working on nearby farms learning new skills (one person paid him with an old John Deere tractor), and his family is raising chickens while learning to garden and hunt.

“Our generation has never seen anything like this,” says Mr. Dawley of the economic downturn. “Fear sometimes is a good thing and will push you to do things you ordinarily wouldn’t.” Read more

Vail Real Estate Suffers; Creativity is a Must for Sellers

All regions of the country have a different take on how the economy is effecting the real estate business.  What’s happening in your area?  Below is an article about the Vail market.  Tell us about your experience.

Is This the Right Time to Buy?

Dennis Hanlon, RSPS of Park City, Utah, shared this entry on the RSPS members-only site and we thought it was timely to share with all. Enjoy the article below. 

Tell us what’s happening in your markets. (resort@realtors.org)

Happy Thanksgiving to all from the NAR Resort and Second-Home Section!

If you have been following this blog for the past few months you have most likely noticed a reoccurring theme that I feel that this is the time to buy resort real estate. As I have been showing buyers property over the last few weeks and talking to other buyers on the phone, they are asking me why I feel this is the time to buy. Another great question that somebody asked is, what do I tell people who purchased at the height of the market two or three years ago? These are both excellent questions and I would like to address them in this blog. First, what do I say to people that purchased during the height of the market and have seen their property values decline over the past 2 years?

As would be expected, I have several clients in this situation and I have talked with them at length about this. The first response is that while yes the property value has declined, they have had a wonderful vacation home to enjoy with their family and friends. It is impossible to put a value on the quality time that a family is able to spend together. Time spent reconnecting with children and a grandchild who may have scattered around the country is priceless. Second, I frequently hear my clients say that had they not purchased their vacation home and instead invested that money in the stock market they would have lost more money than the value of their real estate has declined. While not overly pleased that the values have declined, everyone understands that it is a function of the global economy and are comfortable with their decision to have purchased. As long as the intent of the purchase was to actually use the property and not just flip it for a quick profit, my buyers are generally pleased with their decision.

So, why do I think now is the time to buy? After watching real estate values decline over the last 18 months I am beginning to see some sign of stabilization. However to best answer this question I need to ask two questions, first, “do you think real estate prices in a resort such as park city will increase in the next 3 to 5 years?” Second, “do you believe that interest rates, which are at historic lows, are going to go up in the near future?” If you answer yes to both of these questions, as I do, then combined with low real estate prices, strong inventory, and sellers willing to negotiate you can see why I feel that this is the right time to purchase.

It fascinates me to observe that in a “buyers market” as we are currently experiencing, buyers are reluctant to buy. However when the market is hot, as we saw in 2006, everyone wants to jump in and purchase property, even though the sellers have the advantage.

Read more

Philippine Real Estate Investment and Retirement

The Philippines offers affordable real estate investments and retirement opportunities in a tropical climate

2009-11-02 14:34:19

For many British, Australians and Americans, retirement time is just around the corner. At home, with low interest rates and high cost of living, the prospect of trying to live on a pension, in old age, is a daunting one unless you are prepared to substantially downscale your lifestyle. For some, moving to retire in another country is an option which has been successful in the past with Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Puerto Rico being among some of the more popular destinations. But why not consider retiring in the Philippines?

Over the past decade, the Philippines has become a retirement haven for thousands of foreigners, particularly the Japanese, Korean, and Northern Europeans. Along with Thailand and Malaysia, the Philippines developed communications, infrastructure, and service delivery systems specifically geared to meet the needs of foreign retirees. Better yet, unlike most European Countries and South America, nearly everyone speaks English in the Philippines.

Read more

Tamarack homeowners fear Idaho resort’s closing

On Monday, 4th District Court Judge Patrick Owen heard competing salvos from lawyers for homeowners and a lender group led by Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group.

Mexico-based Inmobiliaria Las Fuentes, S.A. de C.V. has offered the loan to reopen the ski resort and to protect unfinished buildings over the next 11 months, but made a deal contingent on being repaid before existing creditors, something Credit Suisse and others are fighting. Tamarack creditors are already owed upward of $300 million.

Read more

The Next Middle Class

In this article, published in NAR’s quarterly magazine, Global Perspectives in Real Estate, Economist Lawrence Yun explains how the rise of international trade leads home purchases inside and outside the United States. Enjoy. . .

http://www.realtor.org/IntUpdt.nsf/Pages/TheNextMiddleClass

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