Tips to Make Buying a Holiday Home a Worthwhile Investment

EVERYONE wants to make the holiday feeling last as long as possible which makes buying a holiday home suddenly seem like a good idea.

And it can be - just follow the experts tips and buy with your head and not your heart according to Real Estate Buyers Agents Association president Jacque Parker.

Ms Parker warns would be holiday home owners not to fall for the "romance'' of a holiday home and use your head to make the best investment decision.

"People generally buy holiday homes with the intent on returning for regular holidays but should also consider the investment merits of such a purchase,'' she said.

It was important to investigate rental yields, the cost of maintenance and things such as management fees and cleaning not just how far it is to walk to the beach.

Here are her tips for buying a holiday home.

1. Never buy a holiday home at the peak of the market.

"When the property market is flat a quality property in a good location will always find a buyer,'' she said.

Ms Parker said a good question to ask yourself was: Would this property generate a lot of interest in a buyers' market?

"If the answer is no, be very careful what you pay for it.''

2. Have a buffer of funds to cover unforeseen expenses

Ms Parker said even partially leasing to other holiday-makers could incur unforeseen costs.

"Consider having an emergency buffer for common items that may break down more quickly or require replacement due to increased wear and tear.''

3. Consider ALL realistic costs

Ms Parker said many holiday home buyers forgot that a second home incurred a second lot of expenses: electricity, water and council rates, maintenance, cleaning, annual pest inspections, land tax and insurance.

4. Is it cheaper to holiday-lease yourself?

"Consider the long-term benefits of holidaying in the same place on a long- term basis. Is this really what you want? Financially, would you be better of holiday leasing rather than carrying the costs (and potential stress) of a holiday investment?''

The Cindy Shearin Group
Hvilken bedre beviser kan en kigge efter i en vellykket fast ejendomsselskab end de faktiske salg det har gjort? Høsten viser plantning. Og når resultaterne er konsekvent glade kunder, vi ved yderligere at sådanne resultater ikke er blot ulykker. I en reel følelse, som er den nederste linje for en virksomhed.

Cindy Shearin, både personen og selskabet synes det, er helt sikkert stolt af disse bedrifter. Viser nogle af deres seneste salg på sin hjemmeside er også både et bevis for dens succes som en ejendomsmæglers samt dens evne til at tiltrække sælgere og købere, der værdsætter den gruppe ekspertise i branchen. For at være en vinder, skal man arbejde med vindere.

Men her vises faktiske salgstal er ikke blot at lægge bånd på sin hat. Man skal lade de mennesker, der gav disse bånd til at tale og sige, hvorfor de gav dem i første omgang. Derfor, hjemmesiden lister ned nogle af vidnesbyrd fra købere og sælgere, der har udnyttet Cindys tjenester.


Her er et par eksempler:

* Vi virkelig kunne ikke have fundet en agent med mere integritet, intelligens, følsomhed, viden, engagement, effektivitet og professionalisme.

Fra den første dag var jeres ideer, retninger og vision lige på punkt fører op til den succesfulde salg af vores hjem... Sælger huset dine børn voksede op i er en følelsesmæssig oplevelse at sige mildt. Tid med gav dig den værdsættelse at du forstod det følelsesmæssige aspekt af at sælge vores hus og til det vil jeg altid være taknemmelig.

* Cindy Shearin er en mirakelmager.

Cindy er en omsorgsfuld og erfarne professionelle, der var tilgængelige 7 dage om ugen for at lukke et vanskeligt hus til at købe.

Vi føler mig meget heldig at have krydset med Cindy og vil anbefale hende til alle vi kender.

Virkelig, sælge vores hjem så nemt samtidig at hjem salg tog en betydelig nedadgående tænder, og giver os en fantastisk pris med flere tilbud er intet mindre end spektakulære og fantastiske!

Virkelig imponerende begejstring for en professionel arbejdstager. Og disse er fra rigtige mennesker med rigtige navne.

Dette er hvordan man kan sælge fast ejendom online; og Cindy Shearin gør det så godt.

Først, på din hjemmeside, du sætter op en varm velkomst (i afdæmpet men klart kapital titel bogstaver). Det vil helt sikkert gøre en besøgende føler, som han eller hun er der førte forsigtigt ind i et hjem og vist ikke netop ejendommen, men også personen, der opfylder dem ved hoveddøren.

Ja, der er Cindy smilende og charmerende ansigt (desværre du kan ikke zoome ind på det smukke ansigt; men at klikke på det vil tage dig til en anden side hvor du kan få at vide, Cindy Shearin) der ikke må hindre fra siden, men blot giver nok indtryk af, at hjemmesiden har en menneskelig føle og røre. Vi mødes og tale med en virkelig person. Titlen på selve hjemmesiden, Cindy Shearin og intet mere, gør det indlysende.

Dette er en unik om risikable tilgang til enhver real estate professional - ved hjælp af blot et navn og ikke fremhæve linjen af virksomheden eller den pågældende sektor. Hvis du vil tilføje et andet spændende aspekt af hjemmesiden, overveje på motto under titlen: oplevet. Dedikeret. Lidenskabelig. Kreative. Grundig. Alle disse ord synes at helt undvige ejendomsbranchen. Det kunne lige så godt henvise til en kunstner blog. Eller endda en skomager eller en privatdetektiv! Kun når du gennemse yderligere eller Rul ned indser du du har at gøre med ejendomsmæglere. Dejlig måde at bryde isen og varm det op for folk at svømme i.

Hvorfor Cindy har valgt denne vej af indirection er virkelig fantastisk. De fleste mennesker, der reklamerer som regel gå lige ind i kampen og ramme jorden kører. Men her er en person, der har modet til at være tro mod sig selv og andre ved at fokusere på de menneskelige værdier, som gør vores verden værd at leve. Real estate sker bare for at være stedet eller det miljø, hvor vi udfører alle de vigtige og essentielle funktioner i livet, såsom interagere, deling, skabe, arbejder og oplever-- og leve livet den måde, vi bør. Og Cindy har fået det på målet med én stor koncept for en fast ejendom hjemmeside. Hun vil have os til at leve og nyde ting, ikke bare erhverve eller besidde dem.

At holde med sin gæstfrie karakter, præsenterer Cindy sin personlige og professionelle info og kvalifikationer på et fornavn grundlag. Det er ikke underligt så at hun har været vurderet blandt top 1% Ejendomsselskabet i USA. Tal! De lyver ikke.

Enhancing a house to add value to it is one way of leveraging one's property, especially in our present volatile economic conditions. One is not only able to get a higher value from selling it but also getting a bigger loan out of it for business purposes or for other expenses. One great bonus, of course, is having the satisfaction and joy of living in a better or even luxuriously renovated home.

Cindy Shearin shares her remodelling projects on her blog through video presentations of the before-ongoing-after kind. And it works just as well or even more than any home-viewing visit to an actual home can.

Using high-definition videography and effective time-lapse photography, Cindy takes us through time as her group goes through remodelling projects of prime properties in South Bay, Los Angeles, CA.  It is clear to anyone viewing these videos that with enough investment, a rundown house can be turned around to become an appealing new property worth selling or living in again.

Here is a mini-reality show worth watching and appreciating by homeowners. One's property can be a source of cash if one is brave enough to consider remodelling. Taking out a loan to do a remodelling project can be made a less daunting task with the help of real estate experts such as Cindy Shearin. And the good thing about it is that even while the process is still ongoing, they might even put your property in their listings as a project-in-the-making.

Anyone planning to pursue a remodelling project will need the help of designers and engineers who will provide ideas for any particular property while considering the optimal cost for the project. Owners who will reuse the property will, of course, suggest their own ideas as to how they want the remodelling will be done. The primary thing to consider is that the property will not be earning back the money put into the process. Hence, one must observe financial discipline and personal restraint.

Remodelling is not a simple choice to make. It is a serious business decision.

It is rare to find real estate brokers who take time to write; but here is Cindy Shearin doing it and providing a wonderful service to people in need of ideas and help in making property choices and decisions.

Consider her article on the benefits of living in an HOA community. She is spot on when she points out that "homeowners essentially pay the HOA to take care of many things that ordinary homeowners have to fix themselves". This shared responsibility on common areas and facilities is one of the greatest things in subdivision or condominium living. Your small (sometimes it can be big though) contribution to the Home Owners Association is pooled with those of others to make a common fund for the upkeep of such things as parks, sidewalks, gyms and others.

The sense of an enhanced community  is the best advantage of being part of this scheme. It not only provides social cohesion, it also helps in times of emergencies or disasters when people are easily called upon to organize a rescue or relief undertaking for the community or for others affected.

Having a home and a family that lives in it is important; but that home and family has to be part of a bigger community that has the purpose of providing security as well as a venue for establishing a larger family of people who share the same ideas and objectives in a particular locality.

Cindy's article opens up opportunities for people, particularly the young, to see real estate transaction as not merely a business-as-usual matter but a multi-level cultural, social and economic process that spans more than one generation. We must admit that the type of buildings we have today may not last as long as the gigantic temples or pyramids the ancients built in the past. But the ideals and values we establish today in our lives will provide future generations a foundation for maintaining a long-lasting society that will uphold those same ideals and values. Buildings will rot and cities may even disappear; but human values and relationships will outlive all our physical properties. Ultimately, our "real estate" is our very precious lives.

What better proofs can one look for in a successful real estate company than the actual sales it has done? The harvest shows the planting. And when the results are consistently happy clients, we know further that such results are not mere accidents. In a real sense, that is the bottom line for a company.

Cindy Shearin, both the person and the company it seems, is certainly proud of those accomplishments. Showing some of their latest sales on its website is also both a proof of its success as a real estate broker as well as its ability to attract sellers and buyers who value the group's expertise in the industry. To be a winner, one must work with winners.

But showing actual sales is not merely putting ribbons on one's hat. One must allow the people who gave those ribbons to speak out and say why they gave them in the first place. Hence, the website lists down some of the testimonies of buyers and sellers who have utilized Cindy's services.

Here are a few samples:

- We truly could not have found an agent with more integrity, intelligence, sensitivity, knowledge, dedication, efficiency and professionalism.

- From the first day your ideas, directions and vision were right on point leading up to the successful sale of our home.... Selling the house your kids grew up in is an emotional experience to say the least. The time spent with you gave the appreciation that you understood the emotional aspect of selling our house and for that I will always be grateful.

- Cindy Shearin is a miracle worker.

- Cindy is a caring and experienced professional who was available 7 days a week to help close a difficult house to buy.

- We feel extremely fortunate to have crossed paths with Cindy and will recommend her to everyone we know.

- Truly, selling our home so easily at a time that home sales took a significant downward turn, and yielding us a great price with multiple offers is nothing short of spectacular and amazing!

Really impressive testimonials for a professional worker. And these are from real people with real names.

Every day, people ask me if I have any available listings in the Manhattan Village gated community. It's such a popular location because of the safety, the incredible parkettes and sidewalks, and the gated surroundings. Of course, there are Homeowners Association fees when you live in a place like Manhattan Village, to cover the community areas, drives, paths, flowers, and roads. Many townhouse or condo buildings also have HOA fees, as do many ordinary neighborhoods in Redondo Beach that have parks and parkettes that are enjoyed by the locals.

HOA fees might not make sense to someone who has not lived with them before, but I'd like to tell you the main benefits of living in an HOA community.

All maintenance is shared. Your homeowner's association fees are pooled so that when a road, a gate, a park or a common area tree needs to be fixed, it gets fixed from that money. This means that lawn care, playgrounds, gate and fence repair, etc. are all taken care of by someone else. The homeowners essentially pay the HOA to take care of many things that ordinary homeowners have to fix themselves.

Those parks and trails and playgrounds I mentioned before? Those are available to everyone in the community, for free. Pools, pathways, basketball courts, or any amenity paid for by the homeowners' association fees is free for anyone living in the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods even have gyms, basketball courts, or more elaborate shared amenities.

Disputes between your neighbors don't have to result in a civil lawsuit when there is an HOA. Any disagreements between residents are and led by the community itself, making complaints and arguments much easier to deal with and much more efficient.

Last, you will get to see your neighbors more and gain a better sense of community. Because your HOA gives you a stake and a voting voice in what happens in your neighborhood, you are more likely to reach out to your neighbors, find out what they think, and discuss ways to make the neighborhood better. You'll make friends and will create great community events, fundraisers, or make better decisions as a group about any major changes or development.

The residents of Manhattan Village all enjoy these benefits because of their gated, HOA community lifestyle. As a group, they pool their resources and make better decisions about the future of their neighborhood.

This is how to sell real estate online; and Cindy Shearin does it so well..

First, on your homepage, you put up a warm welcome (in subdued but clear capital title letters). It will surely make a visitor feel like he or she is being led gently into a home and shown not just the property but also the person meeting them at the front door.

Yes, there is Cindy's smiling and charming face (unfortunately you cannot zoom into that beautiful face; but clicking on it will take you to another page where you can get to know Cindy Shearin) that does not obstruct from the page but merely gives enough impression that the website has a human feel and touch. We are meeting and talking to a real person. The title of the website itself, Cindy Shearin and nothing more, makes that obvious.

This is one unique though risky approach for any real estate professional - using just a name and not highlighting the line of business or the industry sector concerned. To add another intriguing aspect of the website, consider at the motto underneath the title: Experienced. Dedicated, Passionate, Creative, Thorough. All these words seem to totally sidestep the real estate industry. It could just as well refer to an artist's blog. Or even that of a shoemaker or a private investigator! Only when you browse further or scroll down do you realize you are dealing with real estate brokers. Nice way to break the ice and warm it up for people to swim in.

Why Cindy has chosen this path of indirection is truly amazing. Most people who advertise usually go right into the fray and hit the ground running. But here is someone who has the courage to be true to her and to others by focusing on the human values that make our world worth living in. Real estate just happens to be the venue or the environment where we carry out all the important and essential functions of life, such as interacting, sharing, creating, working and experiencing -- and living life the way we should. And Cindy has got it on target with one great concept for a real estate website. She wants us to live and enjoy things, not just acquire or possess them.

Keeping up with her hospitable character, Cindy presents her personal and professional info and qualifications on a first-name basis. It is no wonder then that she has been rated among the top 1% realtors in the US. Figures! They do not lie.