Category: Real Estate

Technology Pioneer

by JustinInternet / Real EstateLeave a Comment on Technology Pioneer

Prior to the rise of the internet, apartment hunting was dominated by print. Potential residents armed themselves with classified ads from newspapers, fliers found on bulletin boards, and, in larger communities, with apartment magazines filled with listings from residential buildings in their city. It was then a matter of footwork. Visiting all the listings that looked promising only to discover that the neighborhood wasn’t right or the property was in disrepair, etc. Apartment hunters of the past could spend weeks trying to pinpoint the perfect residence.

Today, all they need is a computer or smart phone with a solid internet connection and the weeks of research and time spent trekking from property to property can be accomplished in a few hours. This is thanks to leading real estate visionaries like Daniel Drimmer who evolved a number of technologies that make finding and renting an apartment a whole lot easier.

One of the most obvious advances of the real estate industry online was the birth of the virtual tour. The first examples of this tool appeared in the form of still photos that provided a 360 degree view of a given room or apartment complex. Once streaming video became an option, Drimmer and other leaders began creating true video tours of properties and specific units. This meant that instead of having to drive to every potential apartment, searchers could quickly watch short video clips and eliminate those that weren’t worth the time, or gas mileage, to visit. Thanks to Drimmer, today’s residential rental companies post their virtual tours on video sharing sites as well as their company Starlight Investments websites in order to give potential residents all the information they need.

Another important tool that was pioneered by Drimmer is the interactive map. Renters can search for available units by geography. The best maps allow for filtering by specific features and amenities. Since location is the most important aspect of any real estate transaction, it only makes sense that being able to see properties on a map would be a key part of the apartment hunting process.

In addition to these two features, more and more apartment sites have started offering the online lease application. Prospective residents can easily complete the application from home, work, or, using a smart phone or other handheld device, from anywhere they like. Efficient companies will be able to offer quicker decisions, since all the information is provided digitally, rather than having to be gleaned from a paper application. The overall savings in time and energy is invaluable.

Tools like these are what set apart companies like Drimmer’s Starlight Investments from rental companies that rely on the now old-fashioned process of printed listings and time-consuming site visits.

Image courtesy Joelk75 via Flickr. Creative Commons License.

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Buying Real Estate in 2012 – What You Should Know

by JustinReal EstateLeave a Comment on Buying Real Estate in 2012 – What You Should Know

“It’s never been a better time to buy a home.” Potential home buyers have heard this before but in this current market, the saying is actually true. Several factors have come together to truly make today’s market a buyer’s market. Real estate classes can clue home buyers in to the many advantages of purchasing a home in 2011 including:

  • Record low interest rates;
  • Dropping home prices;
  • And an increased selection of homes.

Low Rates
In response to the sluggish economy, the Federal Reserve Board has kept interest rates at record lows to encourage borrowing to stimulate the marketplace. The feds have signaled their intent to keep these rates low into the year 2013. Right now, first time home buyers with good credit getting into a 30-year fixed mortgage can expect interest rates between 4 and 4.5 percent — historic lows for the housing market. Lower interest rates mean lower payments and less interest expense over the life of the loan.

To get the best interest rates, real estate classes advise making sure home buyers stay on top of their credit report, checking all three reports regularly for fraud and mistakes. Home buyers should also take steps to ensure their credit remains good while they look for a home. The better the credit score, the better the interest rate.

Price Drop
The drop in home values is not such great news for current home owners, but it is great news for potential home buyers. The falling home prices means buyers can get more house for their money. Real estate classes suggest looking at three factors to know if a home is a great deal.

  1. Check the comparable sales data for other homes in the area. A Realtor can help a home buyer do this or most major real estate websites.
  2. Determine how much buyers were able to negotiate off the list price to get to the final sale price. Again, a Realtor can assist with this.
  3. Buyers must make sure the house is affordable and fits into their budget. If they buy too much house and then struggle to make payments, they haven’t received a good deal.

Choose Your Home
Another half glass empty, half glass full statistic is the amount of homes on the market right now. For home buyers, the amount of homes on the market right now translates to more choice because more people want to sell their homes than there are buyers. Buyers can shop around for the home that best suits their needs both for now and in the future. Gone are the days of having to compete with hordes of buyers for the same house.

Home buyers will find a lot to cheer about the 2011 housing market. Homes are plentiful, prices are low and interest rates can only get lower. For buyers who may have waited to buy a home, now is the time to jump into the market.

 

Moving from the Virtual to the Physical

by JustinReal EstateLeave a Comment on Moving from the Virtual to the Physical

The shift in the nature of thought itself has been one that’s still so very new that it’s impossible to make predictions, or even make any judgments. There are wide ramifications to the last 15 years, when the internet became part of the way the world works. It’s become such a big part, in fact, that the idea of a world without it makes many people very anxious.

Contemporary culture now has access to information and realities that the previous generation could only guess at. Today, with organizations like transglobe property management , one can even facilitate a physical move through its representation in the virtual realms. This is an enormous shift, where one of the most elemental changes in a life can be orchestrated through a laptop computer.

There are still the same decisions and thought-processes that take place, where one will need to go through listings, and choose the right place in the right neighborhood. Instead of having to travel large distances in order to see the physical space, however, online resources like transglobe property management offer photos and video, so it’s much easier to visualize the new space ahead of time, and make more informed decisions. It begins in a virtual realm, to be sure, and then happens in the physical world, and the transition can be rather seamless.

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Rent From a Person Or a Larger Property Management Service

by JustinBusiness / Real EstateLeave a Comment on Rent From a Person Or a Larger Property Management Service

With more people having to move back to renting, and it being a buyers market, people are choosing who they want to rent from. For the most part it is of course the best property management companies who are winning in this situation. While any individual who owns an apartment complex could potentially make a lot of money if they have the right reputation, it is instead companies like Transglobe Property Management that let others own the buildings and they just take care of them that are really hitting it big.

There is a good reason for this. Good property management companies have put a lot of work and energy into being the best company that they can for their clients, both the landlords and the tenants. They provide extra amenities for students who are looking for a place to live near their school as well as well as other tools on their websites. While people who already own property would like to think that the trend to shy away from large companies would extend to this as well, it is simply a fact that sometimes larger companies can take care of people better than a person or small group can. It can be understandable, because money can draw in more money and having more resources can draw in tenants. This makes companies like this often more suitable for keeping a property profitable.

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