Archive for November, 2009

Zipping through the Green

Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Hanakapiai Beach, Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii
Image by Jeff Kubina via Flickr

Ecotourism has become one of the largest economic drivers in the state of Hawaii, let alone the island of Kauai.  A wonderful way to investigate some of the Kauai Hawaii real estate that has been untouched for years is by taking part in a zipline adventure that runs through the lush green forests of Kauai and takes participants on an exhilarating adventure through some of Kauai’s most pristine places.  Ziplining is quite simple due to the lack of physical involvement.  Although it takes some effort to climb the initial platform, the entire ride is downhill and zipliners can concentrate entirely on the beautiful terrain they pass over.

A number of reputable companies on Kauai offer the heart-pounding rush of ziplining. Princeville Ranch’s Zip n Dip features the island’s longest zipline and allows people to soar like birds over awe-inspiring valleys, streams, and canyons.  The treetop adventure consists of nine zipline crossings, a suspension bridge, and even a lunch break and swim at a picturesque waterfall.  Kauai Backcountry Zipline offers a similar experience over seven distinct ziplines.  Part of the excursion is the six-wheeled jungle vehicle that takes riders from the base camp to the top of the mountain where the zipline tour starts.

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Anchorage real estate

Friday, November 27th, 2009
Fairbanks, Alaska
Image via Wikipedia

According to RealtyTrac in the Portland Business Journal’s October 28, 2009, report, Anchorage real estate is fairing quite well compared to many of its northwestern region counterparts.  Judging by the numbers, “Anchorage ranked 126th with one foreclosure for every 258 homes,” while the “Seattle metro ranked 95th with one foreclosure for every 217 homes” and “Boise, Idaho, ranked 19th with one foreclosure for every 57 homes.”  Alaska as a whole, however, did not do as well as its state capital in Anchorage.  The DailyFinance.com news source quoted writer Lita Epstein on November 12, 2009 as saying “Other states that posted a major monthly jump in filings included Alaska (up 35.11% on a monthly basis and 17.83% year-over-year).”

Anchorage homes for sale have been helped along by “President Barack Obama who signed off on a bill this week to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit,” reported Leyla Santiago of KTUU News Alaska.  Accordingly, “the tax credit is expected to affect two-thirds of buyers and sellers. For Anchorage builders, the decision buys more time to make deals.”  With construction at a stand-still and current homeowners watching their properties dwindle in value, it is quite easy to see why so many people are becoming so demoralized.  “Hold on,” claim experts who foresee the recession bottoming out next year.  Analysts believe that people who can survive through the bottom of the recession will only benefit in the long-run.

Over the last year, real estate in Anchorage on average has gained about $11,000 in market value between November 2008 and November 2009.  While the median home for sale price remained steady at $270,000 and 0 percent change from October, Yahoo! Real Estate reported that foreclosed homes actually dropped 1.1 percent to $211,285.  Interestingly, the difference in price between foreclosures and other homes for sale is relatively small.

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How to locate a good real estate investment

Friday, November 27th, 2009
Panama Property = Money
Image by thinkpanama via Flickr

With a softened real estate market and decrease in real estate investments around the world thanks to the global economic crisis and its severe implications, now is the time for prospective property buyers to locate a good piece of real estate to invest in.  While spending thousands and perhaps even a million dollars isn’t an everyday affair, there are certainly simple principles that people can follow to make such an adventure easier, less risky, and simple.  One tip is patience.  In order to find value in a real estate investment, it is important to find a property that fits the buyer’s needs, is within a set price range, and fits a vision for the new owner.  People in search of a fixer-upper property can find a run-down house while those ready to immediately move in have to find a much better maintained property.

Another tip is to get advise.  Some of the market’s most experienced professionals can easily be called upon to help negotiate deals, evaluate real values, and ensure buyers get their money’s worth.  While such professionals do charge a hefty amount, their wage can easily be overcome in residual savings.  Yet another tip is to stay in command.  Too often sellers will be pushy with potential buyers in terms of selling terms and negotiated price.  However, the real estate market is a buyer market where the buyer is in control!

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Tucson Real Estate update 2009

Friday, November 27th, 2009
City of Tucson
Image via Wikipedia

Despite the expectation for Tucson to have one of the top 10 home appreciation rates in the nation, most real estate experts believe that still won’t be enough to prove a successful recovery of the Tucson real estate market, given the high foreclosure rates that continue to plague Tucson, Arizona.  Although the extension of the federal government’s home buyer’s tax credit helped to encourage some prospective home buyers to invest in real estate in Tucson, the number is still insignificant and won’t be enough to reduce the large and still increasing inventory of foreclosed homes.  Furthermore, experts say that despite consumer’s enthusiasm in the Tucson real estate, people still aren’t willing to pay big bucks for a new house, making it difficult for median home prices to increase to previous years’ levels.

According to AzBiz.com, real estate experts worry that the continuing increase in high foreclosure rates and recent declines in home permits suggests that the Tucson real estate market will not be showing any signs of consistent or significant recovery in the near future.  Some experts project that given the current struggles the market is experiencing, the real estate in Tucson could take about three more years to fully recover.  In October of 2009, Tucson posted that 30.6 of all house and condo sales as of the beginning of this year were sales made on previously foreclosed homes.  Tucson real estate sources also reported that about 40 percent of home buyer’s stated that the new home buyer’s federal tax credit enticed them to make a home purchase, but experts are quick to admit that those numbers still aren’t enough to help the real estate make a rebound.  The average sales price in Tucson is $188,670.

However, the Phoenix Business Journal reported a slightly more optimistic view of the real estate in Tucson, stating that real estate experts throughout the nation predict Tucson to have one of the top ten markets for home appreciation during the next 12 months.  Nevertheless, Tucson real estate experts still say that the Tucson real estate market will most likely not see any full recovery until 2011 or even 2012.

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