Free Real Estate Articles

You might have noticed lately that the television and the Internet are full of promotions that tell you that you can earn an income in real estate. You might be asking yourselves, what are the ways that I can make money in this business? Real estate investing is really not that far from any other forms of investment: you buy a property to sell and make profit.

Like the all familiar investment in stocks, real estate also entails buying a product, in this case a real estate property. You incur a cash outlay today to purchase a property whose value is going to increase and sell it later at a higher price.

The dynamics of real estate investing come into how you can buy for a low enough prices, or sell at a high enough prices to make a profit. Different investors have different strategies for doing this. When you read or see advertisements for making money in real estate, experienced investors are selling instructions on their specific strategy for real estate investment.

If you can manage to purchase a property well below its present value and sell it at a much higher price later, you’re sure to get your profit. But obtaining these kinds of property is pretty much a challenge in itself, and even if they are low-priced, they are still not a guarantee of earning a hefty profit. The fact remains that this is not a bad strategy to earn income, but if your goal is to amass wealth, you need other ways to bring more profit than just a couple of thousand dollars.

Joining auctions for foreclosed properties is another winning strategy to bring maximum profit in real estate investing. More often than not, these properties are sold at bargain price; this is particularly true in properties wherein the owners have paid enough equity to it. If you hit the jackpot, you can even get properties that require very minimal rehabilitation; giving you even more chance to earn huge income.

Investing in government issued tax lien certificates is another way to profit in real estate. The government will issue a tax lien certificate against a property if the owners didn’t pay for its property tax. There’s no losing party when it comes to this deal.

In a sense the government receives its property tax from the buyer of the certificate - the investor - but the property owner is still going to pay for his tax but he’s given an extended period to do so. While the investor on the other hand, is given two ways to gain from his investment.

The tax lien certificate gives the investor the right to earn a much higher interest rate compared to other investments; this interest rate is mandated by law. But the most exciting thing about it is that if the property tax will not be paid during the grace period given to the owner, the investor is given the chance to purchase the property at a bargain price.

Real estate investment is very close to other forms of investment also. It’s not difficult to learn real estate investment; if you know other forms of investment, then you could use that as a strong head-start. You can learn new techniques along the way that you can use to build your wealth by investing in real estate.

The Block: Try to choose a small block of flats. A five storey building accommodating a maximum of 10 to 15 units is ideal. Large blocks have problems primarily related to their management and lack of privacy. Bear in mind, however, that smaller blocks have a higher common service bill. Try to avoid the buying of flats on blocks with shops on their ground floor, since these are usually the cause of nuisance.

Permission to purchase a property must be obtained from the Council of Ministers by written application. This must be submitted by the non-Cypriot purchaser after the agreement has been signed. However, the permission is granted more or less as a matter of course to all bona fide buyers. In the meantime purchasers may take possession of their property without restriction.

Cyprus is registered on a land registry, similar to that on the United Kingdom. Therefore, the purchase process generally follows that of the United Kingdom but with differences. Use a Solicitor !!! It cannot be emphasised too strongly that anyone planning to buy land or property in Cyprus must take expert, independent legal advice.

If you are purchasing a property on a new development, it will have been set by the developers/management company. Regardless of agent’s commissions, you should still pay the same price whoever you purchase through whether you go direct or through a third party. Resale properties are handled much the same way as in the UK with a valuation taking place and the agent’s fees agreed before the property is marketed.

The next step is to appoint an architect to carry out the design. There is an abundance of well qualified architects on the island and many capable technicians as well. We suggest that you appoint an architect for the purpose (not an engineer or technician). Architect fees range from 4%-6% (on the building cost) but you can agree also on a fixed fee. The prevailing fees are 3.8% on the building cost for a complete set of architectural plans and 1.6% for supervision (including the issuing of certificates).

A survey on any resale property is strongly recommended, just as it would be in the UK or elsewhere. Our Cypriot team or your lawyer will be able to recommend a surveyor to you. He will inspect the property and prepare a report, eventually showing any defects, which would not be visible to everyone’s eyes. It will save you unpleasant surprises at a later stage, and depending on the type of defects stated (if any), you may get a reduction on the price or you maybe in a position to request the vendor to repair them, or insist additional guarantees be inserted in the contracts. One thing is for sure; you will know what you are buying. A surveyor will not allow his love for a property to cloud his judgement as you may have done.

Charges for utilities are payable to the respective authorities at regular intervals throughout the year. They are based strictly on the consumption of each unit. While the cost will vary, approximately CY180 per year can be considered a rough guide.

As an indication, one should have in mind that the average construction cost for a house is between C160 to C200 per square metre and the purchase cost of building sites offered for this purpose could range from C1 to C2 per square foot in resort areas, whereas in the towns this can reach C5 per sq. f t.Credit terms on villa/building site/land/cottage acquisitions are normally made and the generally acceptable payment terms are 50% on signing and the rest over a period of 1-2 years (at 9% interest on the reducing balance).

In addition a 1.5%-2% is payable for the structural design and 0.3% for structural

Location: In any particular area there are many blocks of flats under construction (this is less true for the Paphos residential areas). Try to shop around and choose a block in a good area. Of course what is a 11 good” area is relative and depends on various factors including personal judgement and taste. it is widely accepted, however, that a 11 good” area is one which is relatively central, not densely developed with flats, more of a residential area, relatively quiet (not on main roads) and which is close to schools and shops.

Accommodation: Avoid purchasing an one bedroom or studio type of accommodation (unless you are in a resort area) since you will have problems on resale. Prefer to get hired accommodation rather than think that you will sell your one bedroom unit and buy a larger one in the future.You may well find that selling the one bedroom flat is problematic. Flats most in demand are the three bedroom (around 120-130 sq.m.) and two bedroom (70-100 sq.m.) ones. This state of affairs is fluid however and changes from time to time and from location to location. In resort areas the most marketable accommodation are the compact one and two bedroom flats.

Property owners in Cyprus are advised to make a will in Cyprus to cover their Cypriot estate. A Cypriot will speed up the process of obtaining probate in Cyprus.Inheritance Tax is payable on a Cypriot estate and rates are on a sliding scale depending upon the value of the estate. Full professional advice should be obtained with regard to making a Cypriot Will and Inheritance Tax planning.

In addition a 1.5%-2% is payable for the structural design and 0.3% for structural supervision. If you are at a loss as to the choice of a suitable consultant, seek the advice of the Registrar of the Association of Architects & Engineers (all licenced architects must be registered). Please bear in mind that in case of large buildings you may be able to negotiate a lower fee (as also in the case of repetitive work).

Development of land into villas in estates is now very common in the Paphos area, mainly on the hills between Paphos and Polis. Projects are developed to take the form of villages with the individual villas designed in traditional architecture. There are, of course, cases where the purchaser may have a good say in the design of his villa. The same type of projects are now being carried out in Limassol and to a lesser extent in the Larnaca area.

As an indication, one should have in mind that the average construction cost for a house is between C160 to C200 per square metre and the purchase cost of building sites offered for this purpose could range from C1 to C2 per square foot in resort areas, whereas in the towns this can reach C5 per sq. f t.Credit terms on villa/building site/land/cottage acquisitions are normally made and the generally acceptable payment terms are 50% on signing and the rest over a period of 1-2 years (at 9% interest on the reducing balance).