Real Estate Agent

Southern New Hampshire Garden Centers: Part 3

Charli Halfey — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:32:54 +0000

Spring is here time to spruce up the garden! The danger of frost is almost past in New Hampshire, so its time to break out the rototillers and mulches and to start weeding and feeding. A great-looking garden will not only bring you countless hours of pleasure, it will also heighten the curb appeal of your home.

Chakarian Farm Greenhouses has been operating in Derry for 20 years.

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Downtown Chicago luxury condos for sale down almost 20% in 1st quarter

Zoe Maclean — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:57:13 +0000

The number of listed downtown Chicago luxury condos for sale in the first quarter of 2012 was down 19.7% compared to first quarter 2011.^* There were 509 downtown Chicago condos for sale priced $1,000,000 or higher in the first quarter down from 620 a year ago.

As shown below, the quarterly inventory of downtown Chicago luxury condos for sale has been dropping during the past 3 years. In the first quarter of 2009 there were 835 such condos for sale.

View larger chart

The luxury price range that experienced the largest drop in the first quarter was the $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 price range.

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UMass to get $10M for emerging tech center

Zoe Maclean — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:13:36 +0000

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center said it has approved a $10 million capital grant to support construction of UMass Lowell’s Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC). The grant will fund research facilities at the new center, giving the university and companies access to cleanrooms that the school said are unparalleled in that region of the Commonwealth. The center also has a state-of-the-art lab focused on developing new medical applications and other capabilities tied to nanotech, bio-optics and other technologies. The 84,000-square-foot, $70 million center, scheduled to open this fall, adds to UMass Lowell’s expertise in plastics engineering, nanotechnology, bioprocessing, electro-optics and advanced manufacturing, according to a press release. The

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ANZ announces 5.25% one-year mortgage

Natasha Everingham — Sun, 06 May 2012 10:11:42 +0000

ANZ today announced a drop in its one-year fixed mortgage interest rate, taking it to its lowest point in 17 years.

ANZ Retail Managing Director Kerri Thompson said a one-year fixed home loan from ANZ and National Bank would from 10 May be 5.25% pa, a drop of 0.40% on the current rate.

“Domestic and international conditions mean wholesale interest rate markets have been volatile. There’s currently a window for cheaper longer term wholesale interest rates that ANZ is taking advantage of and we’re passing this on to customers,” Mrs Thompson said.

“We’re not sure how long this window will remain open.

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Claiming depreciation deductions on your own home

Charli Halfey — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:53:57 +0000

In difficult economic times, many property owners with spare rooms in their homes may be able to generate additional income by renting these unneeded rooms out to tenants (where appropriate), including family members and friends.

For those readers to whom this option might be of interest, I thought I would share the following piece provided by BMT Tax Depreciation. It is an excerpt of an article which appeared in the April 2012 issue of CENTURY 21’s Property Investor.

In the current economic climate, more and more home owners are renting out rooms within their properties to generate extra cash. This strategy can be quite lucrative, especially when considering the extra tax deductions that become available. Even when family members pay rent, by declaring the rental income in a tax return, a portion of the expenses and depreciation may be claimed as a deduction. BMT Tax Depreciation is dedicated to helping home owners maximise their property depreciation deductions and improving their cash return.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has a preferred method of calculating the proportion of expenses that can be claimed as a deduction under the Taxation Ruling Number IT 2167. This ruling sets out the ATO’s general approach of apportionment based upon floor areas. The ruling states that it is appropriate to add the floor area where the tenant has sole occupancy of up to 50 per cent to the general living area the tenant shares equally with the owner/occupier. It is necessary to only include general living areas the tenant has access to.

A portion of relevant property deductions can be claimed by the owner including property depreciation, which is a deduction available for the wear and tear on the fixtures, fittings and structure of a building. A portion of other expenses such as insurance, rates and the interest payments made on the mortgage of a property may also be claimed.

(Please visit the original article in Property Investor for an example of an owner-occupied house with two bedrooms generating income for the owner, showing the tax deductions available and the resulting improvements to the owner’s cash flow.)

When renting a room out in an owner-occupied property, it is important to obtain a property depreciation report from a specialist Quantity Surveyor such as BMT Tax Depreciation. This will ensure the tax deductions are maximised. It is also important to discuss the options available with an accountant. When a home is changed into a partial investment property, some Capital Gains Tax (CGT) may be triggered if the property is later sold. However, there are scenarios which may reduce or create a total CGT exemption depending on the property’s first use, how long the property was lived in, how long it is income producing and if the owner purchases another home.

For more information on BMT Tax Depreciation’s Australia-wide services, please contact 1300 728 726.

Housing consents down in February

Zoe Maclean — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:47:04 +0000

Housing consents fell 6.7% in February after an 8.1% rise the month before, but Statistics New Zealand said the overall consents trend remains upward.

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Merrimack Outlets Job Fair – Today (3/30)!

Charli Halfey — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:47:22 +0000

The Merrimack Outlets are coming to town, finally! Get your resumes freshly printed and ready for a great, rewarding full or part time job.

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Mortgage Rates Lower Overall This Week, But Higher Today

Natasha Everingham — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:20:17 +0000

After improving yesterday, moved higher today, falling roughly in line with mid-week offerings depending on the lender. The weakness was abrupt, arriving late in the day, but was not scarcely enough to affect the current Best-Execution 30yr Fixed Conventional Rate of 4.0%. That means the weakness was seen in the form of slightly higher closing costs. Buydowns to 3.875% remain too steep to make sense for most borrowers, and would need to get closer to the buydown that currently exists from 4.125% to 4.0% in order to vie for the Best-Execution title. That said, some lenders would be able to structure scenarios lower than 4.0%.

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San Diego Movers and Articles about Them

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:09:20 +0000

The swift San Diego transporters have been famous for the ingenuity and professional way of dealing with the things. Life always changes its ways with us and we are sometime forced to move and, at other times, we move for our progress in life. Life is full of prospects for the people who have the will power to explore those prospects. You simply have to make it certain that every thing goes in the best possible way and no harm occurs to you in any way.

San Diego movers are the professionals who have been doing their jobs for a number of years and if we talk about exactness they are working for the previous 15 years and they have a base of satisfied customers everywhere; in San Diego, California and many other cities of the country. Get full post…

Renovating for profit – tips from Chris Gray

Charli Halfey — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:45:47 +0000

It’s the Holy Grail for many property investors – buying a property, renovating it, and then selling it for a profit. But while it sounds relatively simple, there are many investors who have had misfortune when pursuing this strategy, due to budgets and timeframes blowing out, arguments erupting and the like.

Chris Gray, host of Sky News Business’ ‘Your Property Empire’ and Financial Judge on Network Ten’s ‘The Renovators’ has had nearly 20 years of experience in the residential property industry, particularly in his role as CEO of Empire – which searches, negotiates and renovates properties on behalf of time-poor professionals. He recently shared with CENTURY 21 his thoughts on what property investors need to know in order to complete a successful renovation on time and on budget.

1. Choose properties that need mainly cosmetic work

Chris advises that investors avoid properties with structural damage, as this is often when expensive problems occur. According to Chris, if you already own the property you definitely need to leave that part to the experts.

2. Find a valuer

Chris notes that one of the biggest misconceptions investors have is that the more they spend renovating a property, the more profit they will make. This isn’t always the case and investors need to be careful of undercapitalising as well as overcapitalising. A valuer can tell you if your $30,000 kitchen renovation will actually add $30,000 to your home’s value.

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399 W Fullerton Parkway co-op apartments for sale

Zoe Maclean — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:33:47 +0000

A few vintage co-op apartments are for sale at 399 W Fullerton Parkway, a Chicago landmark located in Lincoln Park. Here’s a review of the building and the co-op apartments for sale (none are my listings) along with photos.

399 W Fullerton Parkway is located at N Lakeview Ave and 3 blocks west of the Fullerton Lake Shore Drive exit. The building is situated across the street from the North Pond Nature Santuary and around the corner from Lincoln Parks Conservatory. T

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Commercial Leases and Sales: Nino’s, Super 8, Agave Grill

Charli Halfey — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:27:14 +0000

GSL309, LLC purchased 309-311 Pane Road, Newington a 15,000-square-foot office and manufacturing building from JSJ Co. Inc. for $700,000. Bernard Mussman Associates was the sole broker. Anthony D’Elia, Michael Capobianco and JCA Hospitality Inc. bought a 5-acre parcel at 91 Scott Road, Waterbury from Louis Lestorti for $1.8 million. The property contains Nino’s Trattoria Restaurant and a Super 8 hotel. D’Elia and Capobianco are co-owners of the restaurant. JCA Hospitality plans to convert the hotel to a Quality Inn this summer. The R. Calabrese Agency, LLC was the sole broker. Get full post…

Pfizer to put Alewife site up for sale

Zoe Maclean — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:51:57 +0000

Pfizer Inc. plans to put its location at 200 Cambridgepark Dr., in the Alewife section of Cambridge, on the market next week with hopes of eventually relocating everyone who works there to the Kendall Square area, according to a spokesperson. Steve Danehy, media relations representative for the New York City-based pharmaceutical giant, said today that the move will only happen if the company finds a buyer for the Cambridgepark site, which used to be the headquarters for New Jersey-based Wyeth until Pfizer bought that company in 2009 for $68 billion. Danehy also said that the company is committed to staying in Cambridge, with the goal of centralizing the company’s sites in the area, he said.

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HSBC drops one-year rate to 5.29%

Natasha Everingham — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:10:37 +0000

HSBC Premier has announced it is dropping its one year fixed interest rate by 36 basis points to 5.29% per annum, the lowest rate offered by a New Zealand bank in at least a decade*.

It is not only the one year rate which is market leading, the new two and three year rates are the lowest of the major banks** at 5.77% p.a. fixed for two years, a reduction of 10 basis points and 6.07% p.a fixed for three years, a reduction of 33 basis points. The four year rate has dropped by 30 basis points to 6.50% p.a.

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Tips on Finding Great Movers in Miami

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:51:34 +0000

There is no doubt that the moving services available on the market today are very beneficial; you can sit back and relax while a team of professional movers handle the A to Z of moving to a new property in Miami for you. Before you decide to hire a moving company, however, there are a few important tips you need to know first.

When searching for professional movers to hire, focus on finding local movers in Miami, especially those based near you. Working with a local team of professional movers means you can benefit from their knowledge and local resources as well; planning a smooth moving day is so much easier to do with the extra information you can acquire from the professional movers.

Hire the best moving company that offers valuable services. Get full post…