Cheap Flats In London

Apart from a real estate dealer who has to purchase and sell property every other day, the task of purchasing property is one big deal for any individual, as it is not a commercial transaction in which people indulge in on a regular basis. Purchasing property seems like one big hassle to most of the people as far as the legal and monetary transfers are concerned. India is one place which is experiencing a boom in the real estate sector with new, better and modern townships emerging every other day in almost every area of the country.

There are a large number of self-employed people who prefer to call themselves real estate agents and promise their clients to land up with the choicest of property options. However, it is better to take necessary precautions and not to trust any real estate agent blindly. After all, nobody likes the idea of being duped with their money which they probably had been saving all their lives in order to purchase their dream house.

There are also a large number of established developers and property agents who though, will charge a large amount in the form of premium. But these well-known property developers will spare an individual from the unnecessary hassle of constantly worrying about the deal being a fraudulent one. Dealing with an established real estate developer and agent can altogether eliminate the possibility of the deal being shady.

Hassle free property purchase is further promoted by shopping for property being made available online for the convenience of customers. People now have the option of going through the website of a real estate developer, view the property online, read reviews and other terms and conditions of the deal online and then, finalize the deal.

In order to eliminate any possibility of hassles, an individual should always get the property registered in their name with the concerned authority to ensure that the property is duly transferred to the name of the new owner, post the purchase. This change in registry records needs to be appropriately updated so that the transaction can be deemed as successful.

There are a number of real estate developers and big names in the field of property purchase which have even provided their clients with the facility of registering for their newly-acquired properties online, thus enabling e-governance. For further reference on hassle free property purchase and real estate investors, look for online real estate agents.

As the desire for real estate and property abroad grows, the Oceano Village project in the Caribbean is perfectly placed to offer the ideal solution for both property and vacation property investors. Offering four types of properties with their own unique sense of style and character, the Oceano Village real estate development can be found on the beautiful island of Roatan.

The Growth in Caribbean Property Investment

Perennially viewed as one of the most romantic vacation destinations in the world, the Caribbean is now establishing itself on the “most wanted” lists for property developers. The mix of beautiful beachfront living and being home to some of the premier diving spots in the world has seen the Caribbean continue to gain popularity with real estate property developers and exotic vacation homebuyers. The island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras, is a prime example of how this beautiful part of the world shows no sign of abating when it comes to investing in a new property.

Oceano Village on Roatan (http://www.oceanovillage.com) is perhaps one of the finest examples of Caribbean property investment. Built on a 41-hectare site, every single property is eco-friendly, whether it’s one of the property’s condos, villas, estates or beach homes. Luxurious design permeates through every property, with features such as semi-private plunge pools, curved white stucco walls, panoramic ocean views, and lushly landscaped private courtyards. This type of luxury is attracting discerning investors and buyers who appreciate the quiet island life and the warm hospitality of the locals, helping Oceano Village establish itself as a key part in the burgeoning Caribbean property development market.

Looking Beyond the Property

So why does the Caribbean, and the island of Roatan especially, continue to outstrip many of the more traditional real estate investment opportunities in other exotic locales? When you look behind the scenes of the property market there, perhaps it’s not difficult to understand why.

The immediate reason is the location of the Caribbean itself – far enough away from civilization to make you forget about the pressures of everyday life yet close enough to the major business and industrial cities of the US to stay involved in worldwide commercial affairs. Additionally, the Caribbean offers an extremely attractive proposal for those investors looking to buy a property as a retirement home. With excellent medical plans available for pensioners, including discounted medical and health care, the islands offer a persuasive mix for older investors – luxury, comfort and medical peace of mind.

More Than Just a Vacation Home

As property development and real estate ownership becomes more than just a pipe dream for many people, islands like Roatan and the development project that is Oceano Village offers more than just a vacation home for prospective buyers. Ideal for families, couples and retirement, the village is the perfect example why the Caribbean is the new property hotspot and proof that an ocean front beach condo or villa can be your new home.

Thailand’s recent tourism push is reaping dividends and it is on schedule for ten per cent annual growth in international visitors. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there were 13.82 million visitors in 2006; 14.8 million visited in 2007 and 15.5 million are targeted this year.

According to Liam Bailey of David Stanley Redfern: “The Thai economy got off to a scintillating start in 2008, with first quarter growth up six per cent on the same period last year, and up 5.7% on the last quarter of 2007. After two years of political turmoil culminating in a coup last year, it seems the new government is finally settling in, and has made economic growth its top priority. The main thrust of its efforts is centred on generating internal and regional investment, with global investment currently slowing.”

This economic growth is reflected in the rude health of the property market. The stratospheric capital growth of the early years of this century – in the region of 25 per cent per year – is a thing of the past, but a regular five to ten per cent a year is expected for the next few years.

Much of the interest from overseas property buyers is centred on two distinct and very different areas: Chiang Mai in the north – the highlands – and the islands of the south, where buyer activity is at its highest in Phuket, followed by the emerging markets of Koh Chang and Koh Samui.

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city – in atmosphere and character it is very much the slower-paced, laid-back cousin to the frenetic capital Bangkok. But this is no sleepy backwater. Famous for its superb food, varied nightlife, temperate climate and incredible mountain scenery, Chiang Mai is a fascinating mix of history and modernity. It was founded in 1296 and is home to more than 300 temples, including some of the most beautiful in the Buddhist world. It has an excellent infrastructure, a spate of newly opened five-star hotels, golf clubs, international schools and investment from numerous multinational companies. Outside the city and into the countryside, visitors find themselves in a world of adventure, with jungle safaris, whitewater rafting, elephant rides and visits to hill tribes all on offer.

The property market in Chiang Mai offers similar variety, and, according to Todd Jones of Elephant Real Estate, it is currently a buyer’s market, with domestic market activity falling: “The local real estate market has experienced an overall slowdown in response to numerous political and economic pressures. The number of transactions registered at the Chiang Mai Land Office declined from 15,000 in 2005 to 10,000 in 2006 and 9,800 last year, but in the middle and upper tiers, where around 20 projects are under way, sales remained strong. Major developers are moving forward with numerous residential projects in and around Chiang Mai.”

Around 80 per cent of the region’s property sells for under £32,000, while overseas property buyers are most active in what Jones describes as the mid-tier market, with prices from £90,000 to £180,000. The market goes all the way up to custom homes on huge plots that can cost as much as £1 million.

A significant recent development is the provision of freehold residences attached to the region’s five-star hotels. Most of the top resorts offer this option, with the best known being those at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai which are strictly for those with very deep pockets.

A more typical property would be a newly built, three-bedroom, three-bathroom house with swimming pool, carport and guest apartment for around £130,000 or a two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment with an area of 110 square metres for £50,000.

Heading to the islands, you find yourself in a true tropical paradise. Phuket is one of Asia’s most popular beach destinations thanks to its combination of stunning beaches, great diving, high-octane nightlife and great food.

It is also increasingly popular with overseas property buyers. Agent CBRE estimates that there are now more than 2,000 foreign owners on the island: “Virtually all of these property buyers have seen their investment increase in value. Capital appreciation over the past four years has varied from 15 to 20 per cent per annum, although some properties have seen the value of their asset rise by as much as 50 or 100 per cent between the launch of a project and the transfer of title.”

As well as capital growth, Phuket is popular with property buyers looking for rental income. The island is a popular holiday destination and has its own international airport, which hosted more than eight million passengers in 2004 and 2005. CBRE says that a well-managed property should produce between six and 12 per cent gross returns annually based on 100 nights’ occupancy.

Development on the island is spreading fairly quickly. From the west coast, where the property boom started between Nai Thon and Kata Noi and where new plots are scarce or very expensive, developers have moved to the formerly overlooked south and east coasts. Inland properties overlooking golf courses are also becoming popular.

Prices on Phuket are among the highest in the country. As a rough guide, CBRE says you can expect to pay up to £240,000 for a ‘low-end’ villa and £160,000 for a ‘low-end apartment; up to £500,000 for a middle market villa and £300,000 for a middle market apartment; and if it’s the very top of the market you’re after, expect to pay upwards of £750,000 for a villa and £500,000 for a luxury apartment.

Recent research from Knight Frank reveals an average price per square metre on Phuket of £1,800, while prices went up 11 per cent in 2007. Rental properties achieved an average return of 6.8 per cent.

As prices of property for sale in Phuket continue to rise, property buyers are looking to other, less developed islands, where they can get more for their money.

David Stanley Redfern (DSR) describes Koh Samui as a semi-mature market. The island has more five- and six-star resorts than any other in the world, according to the company and prices of property for sale in Koh Samui went up by as much as 50 per cent during in 2006 and 2007. DSR is selling two-bedroom villas for £100,000 in the island’s Maenam Hills area. Other islands that are attracting attention include Koh Chang – the second largest Thai island after Phuket – and Koh Phangan.

London is the real estate hot spot for high net worth individuals today even though it is the world’s most expensive place to buy property for residential purpose. Price of properties is as high as over two thousand pounds or over four thousand dollars a square foot! The hike in prices can be attributed to the purchasing capacity of high net worth individuals as clearly indicated by the steep rise in central London properties. Property industry is flourishing, with landmark buildings being sold at premium rates. One such building is the HSBC head office at Canary Wharf which fetched the highest ever price in Britain.
London being the global financial capital, the demand for office spaces is on the rise and attracting buyers from all over the world. Such properties have been fetching high returns for their commercial worth. The rental yields of such property are extremely high. With commercial property prices escalating, residential prices too are on the rise, making the luxury property prices go through the roof. Flats in London cost as high as over four thousand pounds per square foot. The really high prices of luxury apartments in Knightsbridge have turned London’s penthouses into the most expensive residential properties. Another prize address is the Hyde Park area where costs of smart homes have shot up by about fifty percent.
Some of the prize residential places would be featuring bullet proof windows, purified air and even “panic rooms” to take care of security. A squash court and spa would be added attractions in the much luxurious and prestige residences now being made available in central London. The London hot spot real estates for high net worth individuals are a class of their own.
Clients are making a grab for these very prestigious places in the heart of London city, without even viewing the showcased property. Such places are being identified by Russian oligarchs and Arab princes and the prices are booming. The rise in interest rates along with the rise in prices have not deterred the high net worth individuals who seem even more determined to buy such prize property knowing its value in tomorrow’s world.
Considering the rise in prices, it is predicted that home prices in the capital will escalate still further as the demand is outstripping the supply. The only thing about this excessively high range of prices is cordoning off areas as being areas of the ‘rich’ and the high net worth individuals and the other more affordable houses as the ‘poor’. People love the mix of the affordable and the very rich lifestyle.
All said and done, London has become the most prized and expensive place in the world to buy luxury property at the new price record of four thousand pounds a square foot. It is attracting buyers from Russia, India and Asia because of the attractive tax structure which enables them to reside in another country without paying taxes on the money kept there. Bonuses earned by those working in the financial service industry are ploughed in to buy larger and more luxurious homes.

Real estate investment software is one of the best tools real estate investors and professionals have at their disposal to analyze and evaluate rental property. Hands down.
Good real estate investment software provides user-friendly forms, makes every computation, and generates professional-style reports. With a good real estate software solution any user (novice or advanced) can create professional-quality rental income property reports for personal decision-making or as presentations to buyers, sellers, colleagues, partners, or to lenders within minutes.
Moreover, real estate investing is all about the numbers. Hence, successful real estate investors concentrate on (nay, make the investment decision based upon) the bottom line when considering real estate investment opportunities. Real estate investment software therefore becomes an essential tool for people who seriously work with investment real estate because it provides quick and concise cash flow and rate of return numbers.
There are, of course, options other than investing in third-party real estate investment software. You can, for instance, simply scratch out the numbers with a pad and pencil, perhaps make a hasty rule-of-thumb calculation off the top of your head, or maybe listen to someone’s advice. But it should be obvious that these approaches, although useful in limited cases, are fraught with weaknesses. They clearly do not provide a deep enough property analysis required for such an important investment decision, nor do they represent the data adequately enough to sway the opinion of any other person, entity, or institution.
Of course, you can develop your own real estate investment software solution on a spreadsheet program like Excel. The problem here is time. It takes loads and loads of time to embed the computations properly and to format the forms and reports. Given the affordability of some software solutions, successful real estate professionals do not waste time or effort reinventing the wheel and rely on real estate software, preferring rather to spend their time generating moneymaking deals.
But I digress. So let’s get back on topic and consider 10 things you should expect to find in good real estate investment software.
1. Easy to learn and use – You want simply to enter the values and have the software do the rest. You never want to look and wonder, “What do I do next?”
2. Unlimited units – You want the ability to analyze one unit or a thousand units, or even more units if necessary.
3. Loan amortization – You want lots of control over the financing assumptions for the property. Therefore you want the ability to enter multiple loans (e.g., a first, second, and third loan), the flexibility to enter the loan either as a loan assumption or as a new loan, and either at a fixed-rate or interest-only rate.
4. Crucial rates of return – You want the real estate investment software to calculate returns for cash flow such as cap rate, gross rent multiplier, cash on cash, operating expense ratio; and loan analysis ratios like debt coverage, loan-to-value, break-even, profitability index.
5. Concise, top-quality reports – You want a wide-range of printable reports to include comprehensive data with eye-catching appeal. Remember, you might be trying to influence the opinion of a buyer, seller, colleague, or lender regarding this property. At the very least, you would expect superior software to create an APOD, proforma income statement, rent roll, acquisition report, and sales proceeds report. If you’re pragmatic, you can also find software with sensitivity and scenario reports, a comparable sales report, a marketing package (executive summary), amortization tables, and charts.
6. Upgradeable versions – In the event that you purchase their less-than-platinum-grade-version without “time value of money” and “tax shelter” consideration, you want the ability to upgrade to it later if you choose. This is crucial. For you will discover over time that time value of money and taxes are extremely important to real estate investors and you will want the software to compute them.
7. Technical support – You want to have easy access to tech support in the event of a problem, e.g., your computer crashes and you need to re-download the real estate investment software. Email and telephone support (preferably with the developer) is recommended. Exercise caution if the company or developer appears overly allusive or lacking in experience.
8. Affordability – The good news is that there is very good real estate investment software available on the web for under $300. Be sure to examine the website carefully, however. Remember, the same software company that’s wanting you to purchase their software publishes the website. Unless it’s well organized and informative, or if its lack-luster and confusing, the software might not be worth the price regardless how affordable.
9. Customer satisfaction – Customers freely willing to write and submit a testimonial about the software should not be taken for granted or lightly regarded. Look for names, professions, and titles. If you can relate, then you’re on the right track.
10. Lots of special features – You should expect good real estate investment software to provide at least these benefits: Seamless printing, picture function, branding and name-rider integration, email capability, help file, and Vista compatibility. In some cases, there could be even more features that are special, so spend time on each website looking around to be sure you don’t miss something.

If you are looking for a quick way to make some cash, then you might want to look into real estate and making some real estate cash. Because of the way the market it is at the moment, there is a real large possibility that you, like others, can make a lot of real estate cash!
For those of you who watch the news, or read the newspaper, you probably are aware of the fact that many people are losing their homes to the bank. This can be a very good thing for people who need to make some money and are turning to real estate! Foreclosures these days can be bought for such a low price and you can turn them around for a large profit and make some serious real estate cash!
The main thing that you need to keep in mind when it comes to real estate and making money is you need to make sure that you have enough in your budget to cover repairs as well as taxes. In order to sell the house and turn it around for real estate cash, you need have the house in tiptop condition!
Once you get started making real estate cash, you can keep on building and buying more and selling more and you can really start to turn this into some sort of small business and use the real estate cash that you make as your actual income. This way you could turn into your own boss, and make the money that you want to make!
If you seriously want to look into making real estate cash and turning old foreclosed homes into some profit then you are going to need as much information as you can get! The more information that you have the better off you are going to be and the more real estate cash you are essentially going to make. After you get all of your information you might want to start building a rock solid plan so that you have an idea of what direction you want to go in. Remember you have control of how much real estate cash that you want to make, so the smarter that you are at it, the better off you are going to be.
So, you have the basics that you need in order to make some real estate cash. You need to have a lot of information and you need to have some sort of plan to get you off of your feet. From there, you are just going to need some funding and then you can begin investing and you can begin to make some real estate cash. It may sound like a hard thing to get into, but the fact of the matter here is, people are losing homes and some people are buying homes. So turn that foreclosed home into a real estate cash cow, and start looking at homes that can make you money!

In order to buy and sell Real Estate most states require that an applicant take a minimum number of classes before taking the state licensing exam. Real estate brokers and their agents typically do not provide title service such as title search or title insurance and do not conduct surveys or formal appraisals of the property such as those required by lenders. Further, they do not act as lawyers for the parties, although they may “coordinate” these activities with the appropriate specialists.The good news is that there is a way for you to buy and sell Real Estate without becoming a licensed real estate agent or Broker. This would include but would not be limited to Real Estate Foreclosures.Real Estate Foreclosures is one of the HOTTEST INCOME producing streams of all time using LITTLE or NO MONEY of your own. One market in particular is tax sales. Real Estate agents won’t tell you about tax sales because they earn no commissions on these properties. Real Estate Tax Sales are a little known but potentially lucrative way to expand your portfolio.John Beck’s proven Amazing Profits tax deed and tax lien education teaches people how to buy properties for just pennies on the dollar. The Free and Clear Program Course is a must have for anyone looking to get ahead in real estate investing. John Beck is a guaranteed name for real estate business consultancy.His program is primarily advertised via infomercials and primarily runs on late night and cable channels in the United States and Canada. You have no doubt seen his late night infomercials!On his infomercials he repeatedly holds up color photos of houses and states the price at which they sold via delinquent-property-tax procedures. He is well known for his expertise in the real estate business. He has also been a real estate broker, syndicator and real estate consultant who has been listed in Who’s Who in Creative Real Estate. He is a much sought after speaker who regularly conducts real estate investment seminars in both Northern and Southern California and who has spoken extensively throughout the United States and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows as a guest expert on foreclosures.John Beck is constantly sifting through the tax lien and foreclosure information on the Internet to find the most valuable and profitable research available which he puts on his site as a benefit to his students. John Beck’s unique system of researching tax lien and tax foreclosure properties and his long history of studying the foreclosure market gives him insights into properties that others simply do not have and cannot provide. His proven tax lien and tax deed system teaches you exactly how to get your share of the profits this section of the real estate market represents and again, you don’t even need to get a real estate license. The course has a lot to offer to those who come with the pure intentions of growing their business community. John Beck’s, Buy Real Estate Free and Clear for Pennies on the Dollar is a popular website and TV campaign that basically advocates purchasing taxed out properties. He shows you how real estate investors can profit from his free and clear real estate system. John Beck has personally attended thousands of tax auctions around the country and has personally invested in nearly every state. His current experience and his vast knowledge of the tax foreclosure and tax lien market has been developed into an easy-to-read format to make it easy for you to learn John Beck’s incredible method of finding, buying and profiting from tax auctioned properties you buy for just pennies on the dollar. He has been working with real estate for over 20 years and has helped many people just like you accumulate wealth through real estate investment. John Beck’s Property Vault tool has been designed to make finding deals like this easy because you can download the information in Excel format making it a snap to screen for the best deals matching your investment criteria. John Beck’s Amazing Profits Tax Deed and Tax Lien Real Estate Investment System has been created to make it easy to understand what to do in real estate to make big money now. He continues to make unbelievable tools available to his students that makes it even easier to find profits in your investing today.

The countdown from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a magical time of year, but it’s also a warning to real estate investors that December 31 – the end of the tax year – is almost upon us. If you haven’t yet gotten your financial house in order you’re running out of time to gather your records and do some last-minute planning to minimize your tax burden. The good news is, if you start now, you still have time to save yourself some money on the tax bill you’re going to have to pay in April. Here are 10 great money-saving tax tips that will put a warm smile on your face regardless of the temperature outside.

1. Home Office Deduction – If you’re new to real estate investing, you may not be aware of this timeless treasure that the IRS makes available to you. By setting up a dedicated workspace in your home, you can deduct much of the costs of doing business if you work out of your home. In addition, you can proportionally write off some of your living expenses, such as mortgage interest, utilities, and telephone expenses.

2. Mileage Deduction – Sky-high gas prices will really save you money at tax time. You’ll be able to get some of these expenses back, but the standard rate will vary, depending upon when you were driving for business. For the half of the year ending June 30, the deduction is 50.5 cents per mile. Starting July 1 and going to the end of the year, that rate increased to 58.5 cents per mile.

3. Educational Expenses – Did you decide you just had to pick up that investing course, book, or CD set that claimed it would put you on Easy Street in no time? Good news. It’s deductible as long as your purchase was designed to expand your business opportunities.

4. 401K Conversion – Did you finally decide it was time to fly solo? If you quit your job this year, you can convert that 401K plan that’s getting beat up by Wall Street into a self-directed IRA. Not only will it save you money, it will also free up valuable dollars you can use to invest in even more real estate – all with Uncle Sam’s blessing.

5. Self-employed Health Insurance – One of the biggest challenges faced by self-employed real estate investors is how to pay for health insurance once you leave the relatively safe ranks of the employed. This deduction can save you a bundle because insurance premiums are very high.

6. Charitable Contributions – Do you love that warm, fuzzy feeling you get inside when you spread around some of your hard earned cash – and it’s not being caught by a Washington politician? If that’s the case, give to your heart’s content, while enjoying a sizable IRS tax deduction.

7. 1031 Exchange – This money-saving tip can save you tens of thousands of tax dollars over the course of your real estate investing career. When you sell a property for a profit you would normally get hit with a substantial capital gains tax. This technique allows you to defer your tax penalty indefinitely – until death if you like. Use the 1031 exchange to defer taxes you’d otherwise have to pay. While it’s true that “you can’t take it with you”, why should you take the taxes with you?

8. Charrissa’s Mortgage Secret – This technique seems devious, but it’s an entirely legal way to reduce your tax liability. Your mortgage payments are probably due on the 1st of the month. By paying them a day early, not only can you save a day’s interest, but you gain the benefit of being able to deduct an extra month of mortgage interest. How much can you save with this technique? How many properties do you have?

9. Charrissa’s Stalling Technique – If you’re planning on selling a property in December you can save your capital gains liability by delaying the closing until the new year. While not as beneficial as the 1031 Exchange, it still allows you to delay paying the tax for a full year.

10. Early Payment Discount – Will you owe state and local taxes this year? You have two choices: Pay them in January and wait a full year to take your deduction – or pay them in December and deduct them next April.

You may be wondering what to do with some of your tax savings. That’s really your call. You can use it for investing in another red-hot property or you might put it to good use as an extra nice Christmas gift for that special someone in your life, or you might even opt to perform a random act of kindness for someone less fortunate than you. If you play your cards right, you might be able to do all three.

Whatever you decide, enjoy doing it. Smile knowing that the money you’re spreading around is being spread by you – and not being squandered by your Uncle Sam.

Vancouver, BC has been named several times over as the “Best City in the Americas” by Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The city also ranked #1 on The Economist’s survey of the “World’s Most Livable Cities” for six years running, and in 2008 was voted one of the best places to live by Mercer Consulting in their “Quality of Living Survey 2008.”Clearly, Vancouver is a very special city. It offers residents breathtaking views of the mountains, inviting beaches, and ample green space. Vancouver has become a premier destination for real estate buyers from around the world. For both personal home buyers and real estate investors, an area’s economy plays a critical role in the decision to buy. They’re looking for an area that can provide a solid base for many years to come. Vancouver has a strong and varied economy that has proven to be resilient in tough times, leaving residents feeling secure today, and hopeful for the future. From major Hollywood film productions to international trade, Vancouver offers its residents employment prospects in every sector.Port Metro Vancouver is the nation’s largest port, and trades more than $75 billion in goods with international partners each year. Such a vibrant trade operation has led to thousands of jobs being created (the number of port-related jobs that have been created across Canada is estimated to be nearly 130,000). In addition, the port also welcomes more than half a million visitors each year who are embarking on cruises to Alaska. These visitors spend their dollars at local shops and eateries, and pour a great deal of money into Vancouver’s economy.Cruise ships are just one way that visitors come to the Greater Vancouver area. With the distinguished Vancouver International Airport located about an hour’s drive from Downtown, tourists from every part of the globe find it easy to get to and from the city. There’s also highway access to/from other parts of the province, as well as border crossings to the United States. With so many visitors travelling to Vancouver, the tourism and hospitality industry continues to be one of the area’s largest employment sectors.Vancouver has also become a well-known destination for Hollywood film and television productions. The city is lauded for its chameleon-like ability to resemble other locales. “Hollywood North” as the city is known, is right behind Los Angeles and New York in terms of film production, which makes this a great place to live if you’re employed in the creative arts.High tech firms love Vancouver because of the availability of highly skilled graduates and the city’s overall livability. Construction also continues to employ a large number of people, thanks to the steady demand for commercial and residential space in the metro area, and also due to the upcoming Olympics.In addition to the city’s excellent economic health, Vancouver is also known for its profusion of educational opportunities. Vancouver is home to two of the country’s top universities, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. A number of colleges are also located in the area, as well as the Vancouver Film School and the Emily Carr University of Art + Design.For younger students, there are 18 secondary schools, more than 70 elementary schools, and several private schools in the region.In terms of housing, the Vancouver real estate market continues to be strong despite a slump in many other markets around North America.Vancouver is home to some of the most expensive housing in Canada, though prices have been dropping in recent months. While the struggling international economy does play a role in the slowing down of Vancouver’s housing market, property values are dropping more as a result of an inevitable price correction. Housing prices had been increasing at an incredible pace for several years, making real estate in Vancouver inaccessible to a large number of people. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the price of detached homes increased by almost 70% between 2003 and 2008, while condo prices increased by approximately 82%. Over the past several months, real estate prices have decreased by about 12%. Properties are still holding onto much of their value, which is good news for sellers, yet the market is becoming more affordable, which is great news for buyers.To learn about the unique lifestyle that Vancouver can provide, check out the continuation of this article: “Relocating to Vancouver: Fresh Urban Living.”

Land is a tangible investment – you can see what you are getting – but in addition you have the chance to enjoy it for its own sake, with the potential for considerable returns. Land as real estate investment property has risen in value by nearly 30% in the last 12 months and is up by 130% since the early 1990s.Land compares favourably as an investment when compared with high risk stock market picks, making it an excellent real estate investment property opportunity.Land which can be bought affordably can be turned into a real money-spinner if you get the right permissions subsequently. As an example, a plot of land in the South East, bought for £15,000, could gain planning permission for a four bedroom detached house. A builder could buy this land for £200,000 to sell a £600,000 house. This represents an excellent real estate investment property investment.Land has some great advantages:1. There is a finite amount of land2. Land can increase in value in two ways * By increasing property values, as demand outstrips supply * By gaining planning permissions3. There are strong possibilities of exceptional short to medium term returns4. Any nationality can buy UK landRecent government activity with regard to housing has made this a good time to own land. The government wants more green belt land to be built upon to increase the house-building programme over the next ten years. As other investment markets are feeling the squeeze, it is inevitable that land prices will continue to rise in the coming years. Real estate investment property such as land will shoot up in value.The price of land has gone up by a multiple of eight in the last 20 years, with the most expensive land to be found in London and the South East. Prices here have been forced up by a shortage of residential land and an increased need for more housing.In the medium to long term land can be a good investment, but you can make really big money if you buy land without planning permission and subsequently get permissions for that land.So far, since it came to power, this Labour Government has approved 162 different schemes of development of green belt land. Still the shortage of housing continues to increase, with the shortfall predicted to be one million homes by 2022, unless there is a dramatic pick up in development. There is also a shortage of land suitable for development. A recent report said that an additional 70,000 to 120,000 houses per year would have to be built to keep pace with demands.  These facts make land an attractive investment, and prices for land are expected to keep rising as demand for new housing continues to increase.The largest gains can be made when buying land without planning permission, as the land can be purchased at relatively low cost and if the land is later granted planning permission large profits can be made.There are obviously some things to look out for when buying land and such things as access rights, road infrastructure and many other things need to be checked out.Land as real estate investment property has the potential to make big money if you do you homework, and it is also recommended that you use a solicitor when investing in land, to ensure that everything is in order.

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