Real estate industry is booming and with that the business of real estate attorneys seems to be booming too. Well it doesn’t so much affect the real estate attorneys whether the real estate industry is booming or not. Since shelter is one of the prime requirements of man, there would be property buyers and property sellers in any case at all times (and real estate attorneys would always be in demand). There are many different ways in which people utilize the services of real estate attorneys. Let’s have a look at what these different ways are:

1.    Property dispute: This is one scenario where real estate attorneys are obviously the most involved. Not only do they try to get these property disputes resolved (by litigation or otherwise) but also help to get rid of the property (in certain cases) by selling it off and using the amount received for settlement.
2.    Tenancy disputes: A real estate attorney also helps in resolving the disputes between tenants and landlords.
3.    Settlement of property on account of death: Sometimes real estate attorneys also handle the property of the deceased. Here they sell off the property for settling it among the heirs.
4.    Divorce settlements: Again real estate attorneys help in the settling of the jointly owned properties and the divorce settlement in general.
5.    Don’t want a broker: Some people are just not comfortable with hiring a broker to sell their property, and hence they entrust this with real estate attorneys (some real estate attorneys do take this up).
6.    As advisors/consultants: A lot of attorneys also work for real estate investors. In fact, hiring a real estate attorney is a very good option for a real estate investor. A real estate attorney can really make the transactions smooth for the investor. A real estate attorney will not only get it done correctly, but also quickly. And for a real estate investor time is very important since he can spend the time saved due to hiring a real estate attorney, into looking for really good deals.
7.    Information provider: Some real estate investors use real estate attorneys as a rich source of information especially for getting the information about the properties that are up on sale due to disputes or settlement procedures. Here the real estate investors try to gain advantage by getting the information earlier than others (and they do sometimes get very good deals in this way).

So whether the real estate business booms or not, real estate attorneys are always going to be in job (booming job).

Real estate investment can happen for various reasons. You could invest in real estate because you need a house for yourself (that house of your dreams that you so badly want). You could use real estate as a means for supplementing your income either by buying at a lower price and selling at a higher price or by letting it out.  Sometimes you might buy a property for the purpose of resale but might want to wait for a few years before you actually sell it. In such a case, again it would make sense to rent out the property and earn some money till you actually decide to sell it off.
Whatever the reason, letting out real estate demands real estate management and real estate management is not an easy job for everyone. In fact, a lot of people find it so much of a hassle that they prefer keeping their property vacant instead of letting it. Real estate management demands time, which you will rarely have. Real estate management is not just about finding tenants and collecting rent from them. Real estate management is also about ensuring that you do all the duties that a landlord/landlady is required to do. Real estate management is about verifying the credentials of the tenants before you actually let out your property to them. Real estate management is about ensuring that all the paper work is complete and correct i.e. the tenancy agreement etc are properly done. Real estate management also requires you to do repairs as and when required. Real estate management activities also include maintenance, painting, polishing etc of the house when the tenants move out and before the new tenants get in. So, really, real estate management is not that easy a job for someone who is in a full time job. However, there is a solution to this and that is hiring a real estate management firm to do all these activities on your behalf. Yes, this will mean that what you receive as an income by letting your property will be reduced (due to the commission/ fee charged by the real estate management firm). But that is just a small price for the convenience that a real estate management firm brings to you. However, it’s important that you choose the real estate management firm carefully. There are all kinds of real estate management firms out there (good and bad). You must check the references of the real estate management firm before you actually hire them for the job. A good real estate management firm will not only keep your property occupied at all times but will also ensure that you always receive the rent in time and without any hassle.

Real estate loan is what a lot of people use to buy their home. Real estate loans have been instrumental in bringing joy to people by making that unaffordable house affordable. Some real estate investors too make use of real estate loans for buying properties. However, real estate loan is not free money and anyone who buys real estate or plans to buy real estate using real estate loan must understand the concept of real estate loan very clearly.

Real estate loan (also known as mortgage) is the money that you borrow from someone (a financial institution i.e. a mortgage lender) for the purpose of buying a property. The real estate loan generally covers a part of your purchase price and the remaining portion has to be paid by you upfront i.e. as down payment. The amount (i.e. the percentage of total purchase price) that you have to pay as down payment is dependent on a number of factors and you can generally reduce it to even 5% by going for mortgage insurance. FHA and VA loans (i.e. mortgage insurances through FHA and VA) reduce the down payment requirement on real estate loan even further. Whatever you borrow from the mortgage lender as real estate loan needs to be paid back to the mortgage lender over a period of time (and, of course, you will also need to pay appropriate interest on that real estate loan). The tenure of your real estate loan and the prevailing market rate will determine the amount of interest you pay for your real estate loan. Generally, you are required to pay back the real estate loan in the form of monthly instalments which are composed of both interest and principal portions of your real estate loan. Also, there are various types of real estate loans e.g. fixed interest rate loans and adjustable interest rate loans. So depending on what type of real estate loan you have gone for, your monthly payments might either remain constant (fixed rate) for the full tenure of the loan or keep getting adjusted periodically (adjustable rate) on the basis of a financial index. Besides that, some other costs are also associated with real estate loans e.g. there are closing costs, inspection costs, attorney fee etc. Also, in case the property needs some repairs, there will be costs associated with that too. Again, there is stamp duty and other taxes that you need to pay. So, really, you need to understand the concept of real estate loans and the related costs clearly before you actually go for the real estate loan. And understanding these concepts is really not that tough.

Everyone seems to be after real estate investments as that is regarded as one of the safest high return investments. There are various schools of thought on real estate investments. Let’s explore two of the most common real estate schools of thought.

One real estate school of thought talks about doing a lot of analysis. This real estate school of thought advocates studying a lot of factors which are generally linked to economic indicators. This real estate school of thought evaluates the economic indicators in many different ways. It takes its cues from a number of financial indices and how they are expected to perform in the near future. This real estate school of thought evaluates various socio-economic indicators at all levels – Global, national and local. This real estate school of thought evaluates inflation and things like value of money today and value of money next year etc. It uses all these evaluations in order to come up with predictions on how real estate industry is expected to fare in the next few years. So, this real estate school of thought tries to determine the buying power of people in order to determine the course of real estate prices. When it comes to evaluating the real estate trend with regards to a particular place (i.e. locally), this real estate school of thought takes into account various local factors like the unemployment rate, the industrial development in the region, the change in tax policies and any events that might affect the real estate prices in the area. It also takes into consideration the surrounding areas and the real estate trend in those areas. So, this real estate school of thought is really followed by arch real estate consultants/investors who know a lot about finance and put all that knowledge to use in determining the trends for real estate industry. However, that is just one real estate school of thought.

The other real estate school of thought doesn’t consider those factors at all. According to this real estate school of thought, real estate is always lucrative at all times and at all places. This real estate school of thought advocates looking for great deals. It’s this real estate school of thought that asks you to go to public auctions, look for distress sales and foreclosures, find motivated seller, rehab and sell, etc. So, this real estate school of thought focuses on getting the information about the best deals in town and taking advantage of them to make good profits.

So, those are the two real estate schools of thought and following either or both calls for time and effort (if you are to make any profits out of real estate investments).

A real estate appraisal or property valuation is the process of determining the value of the property on the basis of the highest and the best use of real property (which basically translates into determining the fair market value of the property). The person who performs this real estate appraisal exercise is called the real estate appraiser or property valuation surveyor. The value as determined by the real estate appraisal is the fair market value. The real estate appraisal is done using various methods and the real estate appraisal values the property as different for difference purposes e.g. the real estate appraisal might assign 2 different values to the same property (Improved value and vacant value) and again the same/similar property might be assigned different values in a residential zone and a commercial zone. However, the value assigned as a result of real estate appraisal might not be the value that a real estate investor would consider when evaluating the property for investment. In fact, a real estate investor might completely ignore the value that comes out of real estate appraisal process.
A good real estate investor would evaluate the property on the basis of the developments going on in the region. So real estate appraisal as done by a real estate investor would come up with the value that the real estate investor can get out of the property by buying it at a low price and selling it at a much higher price (as in the present). Similarly, real estate investor could do his own real estate appraisal for the expected value of the property in, say 2 years time or in 5 years time. Again, a real estate investor might conduct his real estate appraisal based on what value he/she can create by investing some amount of money in the property i.e. a real estate investor might decide on buying a dirty/scary kind of property (which no one likes) and get some minor repairs, painting etc done in order to increase the value of the property (the value that the real estate investor would get by selling it in the market). So, here the meaning of real estate appraisal changes completely (and can be very different from the value that real estate appraiser would come out with if the real estate appraiser conducted a real estate appraisal exercise on the property).

Real estate agents are professionals who help in connecting the buyer to the seller. A lot of real estate agents also do rentals wherein they connect tenants to landlords and even maintain the property on the behalf of the landlords. The real estate agents work by linking together the two interested parties and charging a commission for their services. For sales, they charge commissions only to the seller but for rentals (i.e. agent managed rentals) the commission is charged to both parties involved in the transaction. Real estate agents generally calculate their fee as a percentage of the selling price (in case of sales) and as part of the rent (for rentals). People who want to sell/let their property leave the details of their property with the real estate agent (and in fact, even leave the keys of the house so that the real estate agent can arrange for viewings without them getting into any hassle). The other interested party (i.e. the buyer/tenant), gets access to this information by contacting the real estate agent. That’s how the real estate agents become a hub of information.

A lot of home seekers (including real estate investors) use the services of real estate agents not just for getting good deals but also getting them quick. Since real estate agents are probably most familiar with the market situation in their region of operation, it makes sense to approach them to get an idea of the going rate for properties in that region. Real estate agents would generally know the prices of various properties of different types and at various locations in the region.

A property seller can possibly get a few thousands more for his/her property by using the advice received from a good real estate agent. A good real estate agent will also analyze the needs of a home buyer/tenant and provide suggestions on what kind of home could be available to them within their budget. So a good real estate agent will not just throw a list of available properties to the buyer/ tenant but will actually discuss their needs and make a suggestion. This, in fact, works in the favor of real estate agent in two ways. Firstly, if the real estate agent is able to sell the house they get their commission and secondly, if they make the buyer happy too they earn a good reputation (and hence more business).

However, it is worth noting that real estate agents work on seller’s behalf. So, beware if they are trying too hard to sell a property.

Real estate brokering is known as a very lucrative business and a lot of people are working as real estate agents throughout the nation. Not only are they making good money, they are also contributing to the society in a way i.e. by helping the sellers in selling their property and at the same time helping the buyers in buying a property. So, can anyone start real estate brokering? Well, not really.

A real estate license is a pre-requisite for becoming a real estate agent. However, obtaining a real estate license is not difficult. In most states, the qualifications for getting a real estate license are very minimal. So you should first check the eligibility criteria for obtaining a real estate license (rather pre-license) in your state. The real estate license eligibility criterion includes things like the minimum age limit (which is generally around 18-21 years of age) and educational qualifications (which is mostly high school or a bachelors degree).

Once you know that you satisfy those real estate license (pre-license) eligibility criteria, you can go ahead and enrol for a pre-license training. There a number of real estate schools that offer real estate license training. Some real estate schools offer online training for real estate license. Choose a course that is spread over a sufficient duration of time e.g. 1 year so that you are able to grasp the concepts properly (after all you want to become a successful real estate agent and not just another real estate agent). You will be taught a number of topics as part of your real estate license training. All this will help you develop a basic understanding of real estate and various aspects related to real estate (e.g. real estate law, deeds, contracts, ownership transfer, etc) Once you have undergone this real estate license training, you will be required to undergo a state exam. After you pass this exam, you will generally need to undergo another training on state approved courses. And that’s it, you can now get a real estate license which is worth that effort (as you will find in a couple of years of starting real state brokering). Most states also require you to go for continuous education after you have received your real estate license. However, this is a just a few hours every few years.

A real estate license is what you need to start your career as real estate agent. But your success after that will be dependent on how seriously, ethically and smartly you carry out your job.

If you’re thinking about selling or renting your property on your own to help save on some of the fees associated with a real estate agent, stop and consider this:

Your profession is something other than real estate. Maybe you’re a mechanic, a businessman, a singer, a teacher or a repairman. Regardless of your profession, chances are high that you’re not an expert in the field of real estate. So why wouldn’t you pay a fee to someone who is?

People come to you for some type of service and pay you a fee for your expertise because you know more about a particular subject than they do. While you might think that real estate is different, there are many aspects you may not have considered.

Do you know the market well enough to price the property at a high enough value? Do you have connections that can help you reach buyers outside of your local sphere? How about the legal aspects; are you sure you know enough to cover yourself and your property legally in case something falls through?

While there are some advantages to selling or renting yourself (which we’ll cover in a later post), there are many times when it’s better to pony up the fee and let a qualified real estate agent help you out.

At WallOasis.com, we’re always eager to help new clients list and find the perfect properties. Our customized user interface makes it simple for you to upload photos and insert details about your property to the site so that users can quickly find it and figure out how to contact you.

When you sign up with the site to list properties for sale or for rent in Virginia or any other state, be sure to add in your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn details. We’ve made this very easy to do, and it gives users more ways to contact you and find out about what you’re selling or renting.

Don’t forget to upload lots of photos, too! If possible, take and upload more than two or three, so you don’t get inundated with requests for photos from people interested in your listing.

Finally, if you have any issues with or questions about the site, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re eager to help connect motivated buyers and sellers across the globe!

WallOasis is constantly working to be more user-friendly and keep up with what our customers and users want. One of the recent changes we’ve made is to revamp the user interface of the site to make it easier to navigate and easier to list properties.

In celebration of the new look and direction, we’re now offering 3 free $25 Amazon gift certificates for anyone who registers on the site and posts at least 3 listings. This will run through the end of the year, and we’ll randomly select people from each new batch of users who sign up!