Before I go through the pros and cons, I feel it is a good idea to explain how the commission process for real estate agents works. In this sense, real estate agents don’t always have your best interests at heart.

Real Estate Agent Commission Structures

You will employ an agent who works for a particular firm; that firm will have a set commission structure. As an example…

Here’s a few banking terms and definitions to get you started:

Lending Priority:

The priority relates to the right a mortgager has over what is retrieved through the sale of the property. To avoid hassle later, a lender will often set out a higher priority than they have lent in case the customer wants to borrow extra in the future.

Consent to Second Charge Mortgage versus Deed of Priority of Land

Consent…

As we can see, the three valuation techniques discussed in this series all use different methods to determine the value of a property, and all three have different situations and property types where their use may be more appropriate.

The market data approach determines the value of a property based on sales of similar properties in the area. This is the most commonly used method of residential valuation but has limitations in the fact that all property is heterogeneous and sometimes locating sales of a similar property may be difficult. The cost approach assesses the value of the land and then determines the depreciated cost to construct the building and improvements that exist on the land. This approach is suited to properties that may be difficult to value under the market approach. Properties that have one-off designs, unique construction or special purpose properties are all difficult to compare and so a cost approach may be…

The investment or income approach to property valuation looks at the income producing potential of a property and determines a value based on this. It is ideally suited to situations where the property in question is to be used as an income producing investment. By assessing the “present value of future benefits of future ownership” the income approach can determine the suitability of an investment. This method is not very common in application for residential investments due to the market approach being a more consistent and proven method. The income approach is used on a number of commercial property valuations but is often overlooked in residential. For this method to work, a suitable capitalisation or cap rate must be determined, which is then used to determine the total value of the property based on the proposed income stream. To determine the income stream, a fair rental amount must…

The cost approach takes a different look at the value of a property. Essentially the value of the property is derived by first establishing the value of the land or section (the market approach may be used for this) then adding to this is the current value of the structure (adjusted for depreciation) and other improvements to give an overall value for the property. This approach has some limitations in terms of residential valuations, the key one being able to accurately calculate the depreciated value amount of the building and improvements. One situation where it would be used in the residential market would be to calculate the value of a property that is yet to be constructed.

An ‘on completion’ valuation would take into account the land value and the construction costs to determine the final value of the finished product. This is a highly subjective technique and can vary from…

The market data approach to valuation looks at recent sales of comparable properties in order to ascertain a market value of the property. This approach relies on the marketplace dictating the acceptable price of property in an open market situation. One valuation principle that this approach relies on is the principle of substitution. The substitution principal dictates that a practical purchaser is believed to pay no more for a property or rental than it would cost to buy or rent an equally desirable alternative property that is on the market. Essentially what this is saying is that, people will not pay more for one particular property when there is an equally desirable property available for a lesser price.

Worldwide economic conditions have seen jobs lost and businesses close. With limited jobs available, the number of consumers who have defaulted on mortgage payments has increased. The flow on effect from this…

Property Investment Tips will look at the three most common methods of valuation and compare them as to how they relate to property valuation in 2010. There are three basic valuation approaches used to value property, with each using different means of finding the property’s place in the market. The methods include ‘the market date approach’, ‘the cost approach’ and ‘the income or investment approach’. The market data approach looks at the value of property sales in the area and finds how this…

Location is linked with oversupply. There needs to be an actual need for apartments in a given area. If a city is closely surrounded by suburbs and is easily accessible, then apartments are not really required. The success of your property investment therefore hinges on the novelty or glamour aspects attached to it, and not the practicality, which is not ideal.

In regards to quality, leaky building syndrome can be a particular problem. In New Zealand, if the building has it then the entire building (ie all the tenants) may be required to foot the bill as many of the building companies responsible have declared bankruptcy. The Government makes some contribution but ultimately the bill falls back on the owner.

Leaky building syndrome is caused by the use of inappropriate materials, installation or improper design,…

1) Take an investment approach:
Chances are, you won’t go out and buy the first property you see. As this purchase is for an investment purpose you can remove yourself from the emotional ties that usually go with buying a home for you to live in. You can look at from a purely investment point of view and decide what will be good and what won’t. Yes a nice big garden with lots of lawn would be great for you, but will tenants see it that way, or as…

John Donne once said “No man is an island”.
When talking about Property Investment, this expression could not be more fitting. Whilst it may be possible to build a property empire all on your own, it is a lot easier to build upon the knowledge and skills of others where possible. By employing the help of an expert, the amount of time that you can save as well as the amount of money you may save in the future should make the decision a “no-brainer”.

Who are these mystery experts that no Property Investor can do without? I’m talking about Solicitors, Accountants, Real Estate Agents and of course the support of Family and Friends. They can all be very valuable for Property Investment Tips and advice.

1) A Solicitor
Now a Solicitor may sound like a dirty word to some of you, but I guarantee that a good solicitor is worth his or…