Real Estate

Building Assessment Basics

RenovateDSM — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:12:36 -0700

Within the confines of this brief summary, it is impossible to tackle all the issues you should examine in a potential property. Make sure that you have trustworthy and knowledgeable people available to give you advice before buying a house. While this is always important, it is particularly crucial with a renovation – you and your lender are taking a greater risk buying a property “as-is” and sellers are less willing to include correcting problems as part of the price negotiation. Some people you may want to have examine a house before you put in an offer include:

Finding the Right Building

RenovateDSM — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:42:38 -0700

Sources of Property

The primary sources for property acquisition are: private individuals, private corporations, city government, and the federal government. Private property is sometimes listed for sale through a licensed Realtor® and available for purchase by the general public. Many of these buildings, while requiring either renovation or updating, have been recently occupied and are in reasonably good physical condition. When purchasing a private individual residence, make sure that your purchase price accurately accounts for the money you will be investing in its renovation. Your bank will help ensure you don’t dump more money in than the house will be worth, but remember that they are also interested in selling you a loan. Don't be afraid to reject a building if the "numbers" don't work for you.

Overview of Planning and Zoning Theory

RenovateDSM — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:54:33 -0700

People have been “planning” for millennia, but urban planning as a profession has existed for just a few centuries. Planning is based on the idea that spatial location and characteristics can influence social norms and support the public good. Zoning ordinances and comprehensive plans are a contemporary examples of planning, but at its most basic level, planning is simply a way of attempting to exert some control over the collective through rational decision making.