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Article Index Finance Q&A Tools Index Site Map Recent articles by Liz Pulliam Weston: • Streamline your finances in 8 steps , 1/12/2003 • Ditch all fees for online banking services , 1/12/2003 • In clash of debit-card titans, consumers lose , 1/12/2003 More... Related Sites American Association of Small Property Owners Rental Property Reporter National Real Estate Investors Association The Basics How to find good investment property advertisement If you're cut out for it, life as a landlord can be quite profitable. But success isn't assured. Here's what you need to know before diving in. By Liz Pulliam Weston The idea of owning rental real estate seems to be gaining popularity as investors tire of the swoops and swoons of the stock market. As I pointed out in a separate column , not everyone has what it takes to be a landlord. But those who do may find rentals to be a good way to build wealth. Once youve made the decision to buy rental property, your real work begins. Finding a profitable rental property usually takes time, connections and plenty of research. Heres what you need to know to get started: Start investing with $100. Explore our new ETF center. Know your time horizon As with any other investment, you should have a good idea how long you plan to own a rental property before you buy it, says Robert Cain, publisher of the Rental Property Reporter newsletter. The longer you plan to own the property, the more youll probably need to invest in maintenance, repairs and improvements, Cain said. If youre keeping it for 20 years, at some point youre going to be putting a new roof on that property. Youre going to be putting in new appliances and doing some major repairs, Cain said. If youre only planning to own a property for five years, by contrast, youll probably want to avoid making any major improvements unless youre sure you can recoup the cost with a higher sale price. You also may face more investment risk with a shorter time horizon. Although your rental will almost certainly appreciate over 20 years, it could easily lose value in the next five, particularly if youre buying in an overheated market. Youll need a bigger potential annual return to make up for that risk. For many small investors, long-term ownership makes the most sense, said Pat Callahan, an attorney, landlord and founder of the American Association of Small Property Owners. Youll have plenty of time to ride out any swings in the market, and rental income can make a nice supplement to your day job. Find enough rental properties, and being a landlord may become your day job. Develop a network Experienced landlords find their properties in a variety of ways. Some hunt for foreclosures, making friends with city hall clerks or bank employees who know which properties are about to be sold. Some run ads in local newspapers. Others work with real estate agents who keep their eyes peeled for possible buys. Several landlords recommended joining a local landlord or property owner's association to make contacts. Callahans Web site offers links to local groups, as does the National Real Estate Investors Association. (See the links at left under "Related Sites.") When you begin to own rentals, all the other investors start coming out of the woodwork, said Sean Hoppe, a landlord in Pottsville, Pa., who owns 11 properties. Through investor meetings, networking, etc., I can find out what is for sale. (Hoppe, by the way, is 25 and hopes to retire from his job as a computer consultant in three years.) You also can try approaching landlords directly to see if theyre willing to sell, by calling the numbers listed on rental ads in the classifieds, by cruising neighborhoods looking for for rent signs or by talking to any landlords you know personally. Thats how Bob, who asked that his last name not be used, bought his rental property near Albany, N.Y. The landlord of the three-unit building where Bob had rented for 15 years was tired of the hassles and ready to sell. We love (the area) and jumped at the chance to buy it, Bob said. So far, Bob and his wife have been pleased with their purchase. They raised rents and required security deposits, which caused the propertys less desirable tenants to leave. He also has a backup plan for the building in case he starts to feel like the prior owner. If being a landlord got to be too big a hassle, Bob said, we would just get rid of the tenants and make it our own place. Get your finances in shape The better your credit, and the less credit card and other consumer debt you have, the better your prospects for getting a decent loan, Callahan said. Lenders usually require bigger down payments, higher interest rates and generally stronger finances when youre buying rental property. Thats because they know people are more likely to default on investment property than they are on their own homes. Landlords say it also pays to have a substantial cash reserve left over after buying a property. This can help pay for unexpected repairs and vacancies. Although there are few rules of thumb, setting aside at least one months rent for each unit is a good start. CPA Paul Berning suggests having a line of credit, secured either by the property or your own home, to cover larger costs. You also should make sure you can save enough for retirement and other goals before investing in rental real estate. While rental income can supplement your retirement kitty, most people shouldnt count on it to replace other investments or allow themselves to be entirely exposed to the whims of the local real estate market. Rents and property values can fall as well as rise, and those who are adequately diversified with investments in stocks, bonds and cash will be better able to endure the bad times as well as the good. Avoid overpaying As one experienced landlord put it: You make your profit when you buy a property, not when you sell it. Pay too much, and youll never recoup as much as you could have had you driven a better bargain. The rental real estate market is generally tougher on investors who overpay than on homeowners who do the same thing, several landlords said. While a home is often an emotional purchase, which can lead to I must have it! offers and bidding wars, most landlords look strictly at the numbers to see if their investments will pay off. If you pay too much for a rental, you cant count on a greater fool coming along later to bail you out. Not overpaying can be tough in a hot market, however. Apartments in New York, for example, currently sell at a 60% premium over their inherent value. In other words, theyre selling for much more than the income streams the apartments generate, according to Reis, a national real estate research firm. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, the premium is 10%. Some landlords use formulas, such as not paying more than six to eight times the rents they expect to make the first year. Others try to estimate what the property could be worth after needed repairs and upgrades are made, and they dont pay more than 70% of that price, less the cost of those repairs, CPA Berning said. Every real estate market is different, however, and these formulas may not work in your area. Whats key is to make sure your rental income will cover your out-of-pocket costs, Berning said. That includes the mortgage payment on the property, as well as taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs and a vacancy rate of around 5%. (If you have five units, for example, you should expect at least one unit to be empty three months each year. Heres the math: 5 units times 12 months equals 60; 60 times .05 is 3.) If you can at least break even, youll be able to profit from any price appreciation as well as from tax breaks available to rental property. Cains Web site sells $55 software to help you make these calculations (see link at left). When crunching the numbers, you should know that theres a big difference in how repairs and improvements are treated for tax purposes. You can typically deduct the cost of a repair, such as patching a roof or fixing a leaking pipe, on your tax return for the year in which the repair is made, Berning said. Replace that roof or those pipes, however, and its typically considered an improvement, which means the cost cant be deducted. Instead, its added to the amount you paid for the property to determine your tax basis when you sell. The higher the basis, the lower your taxable profit. But if you have to wait 20 years after making a major improvement to recoup any of the cost for tax purposes, you may think twice about buying a property that needs a lot of upfront work, Berning said. To better estimate your costs, get a thorough inspection before you buy a property. Some landlords have favorite electricians, plumbers and contractors that they send to any prospective property, promising them that they can do any repair work they find. Others use professional inspectors they trust. Longtime landlords say all this work pays off in profitable properties that build their net worth while providing a steady income stream. Callahan, whose family started investing in rental real estate in the 1940s, says its a way of life she recommends. It doesnt matter if youre a professional or a laborer, Callahan said. Its the equal-opportunity wealth builder. Editors' choice Don't get scammed by your mover Safeguard your Social Security number 5 ways to tap into the onshore drilling boom Your checkbook just became obsolete Turn $1 a day into $67,815 Readers' choice Ratings Top 5 Articles 9.29 Zombie debt collectors dig up your old mistakes 9.24 Keep thieves out of your bank account 9.22 Credit reports now free for entire U.S. 9.20 10 ways to avoid outrageous hospital overcharges 9.17 The tricks and traps of debt consolidation View all top rated articles More Resources · E-mail us your comments on this article · Post on the Your Money message board · Get a daily dose of market news S earch MSN Money tips advertisement Sponsored Links Fund data provided by Morningstar, Inc. © 2005. All rights reserved. Quotes supplied by ComStock , an Interactive Data company. MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. An investor's best course of action must be based on individual circumstances. © 2005 Microsoft MSN Privacy Legal Advertise Feedback Help

FLORIDA REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

Sarasota Florida real estate golf & waterfront homes - Rich Stover Sarasota Florida real estate. Search here for Sarasota FL real estate on a golf course or the waterfront. SARASOTA FLORIDA REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL REALTOR® 2000 Webber Street, Sarasota, Florida 34239 Office: Home Ofc: Toll-Free: (941) 954-5454 (941) 951-6784 (800) 966-2334 Send Me An E-Mail Find your perfect Sarasota Florida real estate golf course or waterfront property in our paradise of warm water and top-rated golf courses. Whether you are a first time buyer or an experienced investor, you will find useful Sarasota real estate information on choosing the "right" property, making an offer, negotiating, financing and everything involved in making an informed Sarasota real estate decision. I list and sell properties in all price ranges in the Sarasota FL real estate market including Siesta Key, Longboat Key, and Bradenton. Every client, from the first-time buyer to the million dollar investor deserves respect and a dedicated professional. I'll go "that extra mile" to help you find the Sarasota Florida real estate property you will love. To search for Sarasota FL real estate properties on the waterfront or a golf course, you've come to the best Sarasota Florida real estate website. Search for Homes Visitors Guide to Sarasota Sarasota Golf Courses Meet Rich Stover Home Buyer and Seller Tips Real Estate Articles Consumer Info Rqst Free Info Home Page Site Map The Sarasota real estate information provided here is considered accurate and timely but not warranted. © 2001-2005 This website visited times since July, 2001 This website provides info on Sarasota Florida golf course and waterfront real estate properties, access to the Sarasota MLS database for Sarasota County, and extensive local information. Selecting a Sarasota Realtor® is an important decision. As a top RE/MAX Realtor®, Rich Stover is your best source of Sarasota Siesta Key and Bradenton real estate info. For all your Sarasota Florida real estate needs, call on and count on Rich Stover. Other Real Estate Resources Real Estate Resource Directory Real Estate Resources AL - AR Real Estate Resources - CA Real Estate Resources CO - DE Real Estate Resources FL - GA Real Estate Resources HI - MO Real Estate Resources MN - SC Real Estate Resources SD - WY Mortgage & International Real Estate Other Real Estate Resources REALS.COM Florida Real Estate Link Partners.com Real-Estate-Agents.com National Realtor® Directory Real Estate Link World AgentPreview - Real Estate Agents and Realtors InternetRealtyNetwork.com Epowered Professionals Real Estate Agents Directory Realtors® Indexed by State Designed by BerStan Web Creations

Property Search

Real estate listings and homes for sale - RELO National Home Search Real estate listings and homes for sale - RELO National Home Search Search 2 million mls listings from The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World U.S. State Search U.S. Map --- Quick Search -- select state -- Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Selecting a Community Real estate agents play an important role in helping you find the right community. Whether relocating your family across the United States or buying a new home a mile from your current home or apartment, purchasing a home in the “right” community depends ... >> Click to continue Zip Code Home Search: County Search: Jump to State: Alabama Alaska Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut D.C. Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Search by Metro Area: New York Chicago San Francisco Los Angeles Washington DC Boston Save 15% on your FICO credit score. Enter promo code "RELO" to redeem your discount. RELO National Home Search helps consumers find real estate listings, homes for sale or real estate agents. The tool enables consumers to search 2 million local real estate listings and homes for sale. Before buying a home, search mls listings and homes for sale to find a real estate agent through RELO National Home Search. According to the National Association of Realtors, 72 percent of consumers look for a residential property online. RELO National Home Search provides moving assistance to relocating consumers and second-home buyers. RELO Home Search links over 600 RELO members' websites together, the majority offer local mls listings in their area. Further, RELO provides relocation assistance services and international relocation through the RELO network. Whether you are buying a home, considering moving to a new city, considering a second home or selling a home, use RELO National Home Search to tap into the country's largest network of leading independent residential real estate firms across the nation and around the world. All RELO real estate companies focus on relocation and home buying help. © 2002 – 2003 RELO ® All Rights Reserved. | Terms and Conditions | Bookmark Page | Read Real Estate Articles

Real Estate Loan

Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges By Steven V. Melnik E-mail Story Print Story With interest rates at all-time lows, many Americans are refinancing home loans. Because refinancing transactions usually cost thousands of dollars, it is important to know when refinancing expenditures are deductible. Loans Secured by a Principal Residence The IRC defines a principal residence as where the taxpayer spends the most time during any given taxable year. Consequently, principal residence status can change from year to year. As a general rule, taxpayers can deduct points paid for refinancing principal residence loans. IRC section 461(g) defines many fees as points, but only qualifying points are allowed as a deduction. Qualifying points are usually fees paid to the lender for a loan (see the Sidebar for a list of requirements). Loan application, processing, underwriting, and other fees are not deductible. Revenue Procedure 94-27 allows itemized deductions for qualifying points resulting from the purchase of a principal residence. Points paid for refinancing an existing mortgage, however, cannot be immediately deducted. According to IRC section 461(g), those points are deducted over the life of the new loan. To calculate the portion of those points deductible in any particular year, determine the deductible points for each loan payment and multiply by the number of payments made during that year (per payment amortization). For example, consider an individual who paid $1,800 refinancing qualifying points on a principal residence for a 30-year loan requiring 12 payments per year (a total of 360 payments). The $5 allowable deduction for every loan payment is calculated by dividing $1,800 by 360. Six loan payments during the year would result in a $30 itemized deduction, with unamortized points amounting to $1,770. Multiple Refinancing Activities Remaining refinancing points are generally deductible in the year when a second refinancing occurs with a different lender. In the example above, the remaining $1,770 first-loan points would be deductible that year. If the second refinancing is with the same lender, however, the remaining points and any new qualifying points paid would be deductible over the life of the new loan. Points paid during a refinancing transaction are immediately deductible to the extent the new loan is used to substantially improve a principal residence, assuming the requirements listed in the Sidebar are met. Substantial improvements, such as building an addition to a house, qualify. For example, a $60,000 loan from bank B to refinance bank A’s $40,000 loan and a $20,000 house addition would result in one-third of the newly paid qualifying points being deducted that year. Refinancing of Second or Vacation Homes Some Americans are investing in real estate as an alternative to stocks and bonds. Tax rules applicable to vacation and second homes differ from those for primary residences. Points paid for a purchase, substantial improvement, or refinancing of second and vacation homes are generally deductible over the life of the loan. The per-payment amortization method is applicable. Other refinancing-related expenditures increase the tax basis of the home. Rental Properties and Properties Used in a Trade or Business. When refinancing rental properties and properties used in a trade or business, all ordinary and necessary refinancing expenditures are deductible over the life of the loan. Refinance-related expenditures for rental properties are deductible on line 18, Form 1040, Schedule E; for properties used in a trade or business, expenditures are deducted on Form 1040, Schedule C. Other Deductibility Issues When sellers of real estate pay for points on the buyer’s behalf, they are not allowed to deduct those points, but can reduce sales proceeds. Buyers can deduct those points if the property basis is reduced by the same amount. All other refinancing-related expenditures, such as attorney, appraisal, bank, title, and other fees, are not deductible. They do, however, increase the tax basis of the home to the extent they are not deductible. Points are deductible when a cash-basis taxpayer itemizes deductions. Deductibility can be affected, however, when a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income reaches a certain threshold. (The 2003 threshold is $69,750 for married filing separately returns and $139,500 for all others.) The deductibility of refinancing-related expenditures depends upon the type of property securing the refinanced loan, as well as how the loan proceeds are used. The use of the property must be understood, because properties can be used for more than one tax purpose in any given year. It is important to be familiar with the tax consequences of refinancing transactions in order to derive the maximum benefit. Steven V. Melnik, LLM, JD, CPA , is Professor of Tax Law and Director of Graduate Tax Programs at Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. May 2004 Issue Enlarge Cover Features Regulation of Professions by Interstate Compact 20 Questions onTrust, Medicaid, Insurance, and Asset Transfers Accounting for Stock Option Government Procurement Basics More This Issue | Past Issues Home | Contact | Subscribe | Advertise | Archives | NYSSCPA The CPA Journal is broadly recognized as an outstanding, technical-refereed publication aimed at public practitioners, management, educators, and other accounting professionals. It is edited by CPAs for CPAs. Our goal is to provide CPAs and other accounting professionals with the information and news to enable them to be successful accountants, managers, and executives in today's practice environments. ©2005 The CPA Journal. Legal Notices

Las Vegas Real Estate

Tiny Vegas home sits at center of housing craze - Real Estate - MSNBC.com Skip navigation Business Stocks & Economy Personal Finance Real Estate U.S. Business Intl Business Oil & Energy Automotive Aviation Food Inc. CNBC TV Forbes.com BusinessWeek Financial Times Motley Fool Small Business Local Business U.S. News World News Business Sports Entertainment Tech / Science Weather Health Travel Blogs Etc. Local News Newsweek Multimedia News Video Most Popular NBC NEWS MSNBC TV Today Show Nightly News Meet the Press Dateline NBC MSNBC Home Business Real Estate Tiny Vegas home sits at center of housing craze His property in demand, former waiter raises asking price to $1.2 million Jae C. Hong / AP Manuel Corchuelo's 700-square-foot housein the Las Vegas neighborhood ofNaked City,purchased for $30,000 in 1978,is currently on the market for $1.2 million. The tract home is rapidly being surrounded by high-rise condominium projects. LAS VEGAS - Its front windows wish you "Feliz Navidad" in paint that won't wash off. The landscaping consists of four shriveling cacti and a patio piled with empty cat food boxes. Inside, it's 700 square feet of confirmed bachelor's clutter. And it can all be yours for $1.2 million - cash. There's perhaps no better evidence of the condo fever raging through Las Vegas' real estate market than the asking price on Manuel Corchuelo's home. Once considered deadlocked in the wasteland where the Las Vegas Strip fizzled into a decaying downtown, the World War II-era home is now happily nestled in the shadows of billions of dollars of new and proposed high-rise condominium projects. Corchuelo is sitting on much-coveted land. From his front lawn, Corchuelo likes to smile up at the cranes and listen to the clang of construction. "It's a good sound," he said. The former catering waiter and Colombian immigrant bought the home in 1978 for $30,000. He worked more than 20 years serving high rollers and conventioneers. He never married, saved some money and lost $15,000 of it on the stock market. Ten years ago, he started reading about investors' plans to build condominiums outside his door. He cut the clipping from the newspaper and put it in a three-ring binder. A few years later, he put his house on the market. He is still holding out for an acceptable offer. At last count, there were 93 luxury condominium projects, totaling 175 towers, proposed, planned or under construction in the Las Vegas valley in the second quarter of this year, according to a report released in September by Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based consulting firm. Though Brian Gordon, an analyst for the group, estimates that little more than one in three of the 93 will ever open its doors, 15 projects representing 10,000 units are expected to be completed by the end of next year. Developers tout the boom as the Manhattanization of Las Vegas, the move to "verticality" instead of sprawl. They promise an urban lifestyle, skyline views and celebrity neighbors. They court the young, rich and out of town. About 85 percent of condo buyers are non-Nevada residents or investors, Gordon said. Most of the projects are huddled on or around the Strip. "It's sort of like beach-front property. They're not making any more of it. Everybody that's within a stone's throw thinks their property is worth $20 million an acre," he said. The hype is fueling increases throughout the city. The cost of a vacant acre in the Las Vegas area has hit $601,600 - an 88 percent increase over last year. Corchuelo's home is one block off Las Vegas Boulevard and across the street from the future home of the Allure, a 41-story luxury complex under construction. Five years ago, his initial asking price of $350,000 attracted few offers. His agent dropped the listing. Corchuelo continued to collect articles about the market, filling three binders full of stories and notes handwritten in Spanish. He studied the moves of the city's real estate tycoons. "Even Trump makes mistakes," he said, citing a sale he says cost real estate mogul Donald Trump millions. "You have to know the area. Steve Wynn, he knew what he was doing. He had experience - 20 years building hotels. He knows everything moves in cycles." Corchuelo found an agent who, like him, is convinced they're riding an upturn that hasn't peaked. The pair has upped the asking price several times and are looking for a buyer who doesn't need financing. CONTINUED: Why they call it Naked City 1 | 2 | Next > Print this Email this MORE FROM REAL ESTATE Real Estate Section Front . Sales of previously owned homes fall . Mortgage rates continue December descent . U.S. mortgage applications fell last week . New-home sales tumble in November . Q3 mortgage delinquencies jump . Report: Millions face critical housing needs . Bubble, bubble -- then trouble . Calif. home affordability near record low . Slowdown could claim 800,000 jobs . ARCHIVE: More on real estate . Real Estate Section Front 'Nasty fires' feared in Texas, Okla. Rains raise flood fears in California NBC: 'Weighty' Mideast challenges Man turned in by sons gets 40 years Grieving Dungy rejoins Colts MSNBC-TV Question of the Day Man ending 1,000-bar journey NOPD Chief addresses shooting Scarborough vlog: Advice for Dems Red flags within Red Cross? SPECIAL REPORT Related coverage Hot or not? Affordability index Mortgage calculator Full coverage City-by-city data Midwest Northeast South West Related Stories | What's this? Turnberry keeps rolling in Las Vegas Was that Elvis? Las Vegas Marathon set to roll Californians gamble on career in real estate Las Vegas buries a slice of history to end centennial events Station plans another neighborhood casino in North Las Vegas Most Popular Most Viewed Call it the year of lame excuses Insurgents slay 11 Shiite family members in Iraq Man turned in by sons gets 40 years in prison Body of missing N.J. police officer recovered Top 10 films of 2005 Most viewed on MSNBC.com Top Rated Dungy rejoins Colts, expected to coach Sunday Abramoff probe spells trouble for Congress Mother of 5 locked in battle with music industry The lowest scam Study: Vitamin D lowers risk of major cancers Most viewed on MSNBC.com Most E-mailed Call it the year of lame excuses 2-year-old gets drunk; baby-sitter charged Abramoff probe spells trouble for Congress FSU star linebacker accused of sexual assault Survey: One in 10 teens face major depression Most viewed on MSNBC.com Cover | U.S. News | World News | Business | Sports | Tech/Science | Entertainment | Travel | Health | Blogs Etc. | Weather | Local News Newsweek | Today Show | Nightly News | Dateline NBC | Meet the Press | MSNBC TV About MSNBC.com | Newsletters | RSS | Podcasts | Help | News Tools | Jobs at MSNBC.com | Contact Us | Terms & Conditions | Privacy © 2005 MSNBC.com MSN Privacy | Legal Feedback | Help