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The Advantages of Renting an Apartment Vs. Owning a Home

March 11th, 2010 FlatsForRent-London No comments

You’ve probably heard this before: if you’re making a monthly rent payment, as opposed to a monthly mortgage payment, you’re essentially throwing your money away. Well, as common as the saying is, it’s not necessarily true – in many situations, it’s actually much more advantageous to rent an apartment rather than own a home. Here’s why:

It’s Easy

Compared to owning a home, living in an apartment rental is incredibly easy. Why do the work yourself when you can enjoy the following benefits:

·        Dedicated property and maintenance staff to call if anything goes wrong

·        No back-breaking snow shoveling, lawn maintenance or pool/sauna care

·        One single monthly rent cheque usually pays for everything (instead of several separate bills and fees when you own a house or a condo)

You Get More for Your Money

Believe it or not, you can usually rent an apartment or house for much less than the cost of buying it – especially if you live in a larger city. And if you want to be right downtown, renting is almost always more affordable than owning a condo (and you get a lot more living space, as well, as downtown apartments are usually much larger than downtown condos).

As well, apartment renters don’t have to come up with the thousands of dollars in down payments, closing costs and fees for things such as building inspections, legal counsel, land transfer taxes and insurance.

And this doesn’t even factor in the cost of borrowing – in the first five years of ownership, most mortgage payments are applied only to the interest, not the capital. This is money that you won’t get back when you sell your home (and you’ll still have all the hassles and extra costs of putting your house on the market).

That Tax Break is Not Guaranteed

Getting a big tax break is supposed to be one of the greatest advantages of owning a home – but you can’t always rely on getting this break. If your annual mortgage interest payment, plus any other deductions you are entitled to, isn’t greater than your standard tax deductions, you will not receive any tax benefit from owning a house.

If you rent an apartment, however, you’ll always receive some form of tax relief, as a large portion of your rent is tax deductible every year.

Maximum Flexibility

Renting provides an enormous amount of flexibility. You can pack up and leave immediately at the end of your lease (which can be monthly or yearly, whatever best suits your lifestyle) – there’s no waiting to sell and no agonizing about the housing market before you move. For many people, the freedom to live where you want and when you want is a huge benefit that simply cannot be overlooked.

Minimum Risk

For homeowners, the stakes are enormously high should their finances crumble. When they can’t pay the mortgage, the lender has great leverage – the house and all the equity invested in it could be in jeopardy. That’s not to say there aren’t consequences if a tenant can’t pay the rent – but the financial devastation that comes with losing your home is far greater than being evicted from your apartment.

In addition, there are several social service programs that are run by all levels of government to help people in need pay their rent so they won’t be evicted. Are the banks as lenient or supportive when it comes time to pay the mortgage?

Ultimately, making the decision to either rent an apartment or buy a home involves much more than simply comparing rental rates, mortgage payments, lease lengths and tax breaks. It’s a combination of all of the personal circumstances happening in your life – both now and several years down the road.

Credit Reporting Laws & Your Rent to Own Home… 4 Insider Credit Secrets For Tenants

March 10th, 2010 FlatsForRent-London No comments

In order to protect renters, prospective home-buyers and general consumers, the Federal Trade Commission enforces a few laws to make sure you are treated fairly in regards to your credit. * Fair Credit Reporting Act- This act enforces your right to review your credit report annually for free. If you happen to find any mistakes on your credit report, you have the right to dispute these errors and have them corrected. Only professional businesses may check your credit with your permission. Should you be denied credit by any of these institutions, you are encouraged to ask them why and which bureau’s report they were using when coming to this decision. You can then ask for a free report from that bureau within 30 days. * Equal Credit Opportunity Act- This law states that credit companies may not discriminate due to your race, sex, religion, marital status, national origin, age, or assisted income. They may only make their decision on your financial ability and intent on paying extended credit. Married couples may file jointly or separately according to their preference. If age becomes a factor, it can only be for legal purposes to make sure you are old enough to sign a contract. * Fair Credit Billing Act- This law enforces your consumer rights while they are disputing an open end bill. Creditors can not report the account delinquent until the dispute is settled. * Fair Debt Collection Practices Act- This law enforces the fair and respectable treatment of consumers from debt collecting agencies. These agencies are restricted from making threats or use obscene language to collect a debt. They may contact others by phone only for the purpose of locating the debtor. Debt collectors may not misrepresent themselves or the debt or consequences of the debt. They may not make the debt public or make harassing phone calls. Once the collector has reached you by phone, they must send you a written explanation of the bill, its original creditor, and that the debtor has 30 days to dispute the bill. I recommend you check your Free Credit Report regularly to protect your rights in general or for a rent to own home.And if you want to see a real Rent To Own Homes Credit Success Stories… and Nice Rent To Own Homes Check Out www.GoodTenant.com

Tips on Handling Late Rent Payments

March 10th, 2010 FlatsForRent-London No comments

     If you own or manage a rental property and take care of collecting the rent, there will be occasions that you will have to deal a late rent payment. In this case, you should be consistent in your actions when you deal with the collection of the rent. Establish procedures and policies for rent collecting and put them in writing to give to your tenants.

     To avoid unnecessary stress and maintain a healthy relationship with your tenant, here are a few tips on how to handle late rent payments.

1. The first time a rent is paid late, you could set a precedent. You can make your tenant pay promptly by making a schedule of discounts for payments made on time and a corresponding late charge for late rents. In this way, your tenant will try to pay on time to avoid additional late fees charges.

2. All communications with your tenants should be in writing. This will help eliminate a miscommunication and is important if you end up in court with your tenant. You should be able to send a letter to the tenant the day after the rent is due.

3. Do not allow your tenants to make partial payments. If a tenant requests to pay a part of the rent, you could consider this, but make it clear that this is a one-time deal. Have him or her sign an agreement to pay the balance at a scheduled time or a legal rent demand notice.

4. Provide small incentives for rents paid on time. It may not be a good idea in a down economy, but this will be beneficial to your business. Rewarding your tenants by buying them pizza or a movie pass could encourage your tenants to pay the rent promptly.

5. Be reasonable in making late charges and charges on check returned.  Many states have strict limitations on how much a landlord may charge for late fees. Be aware of the local laws. Returned checks fees should be based on the charges that your bank makes. Keep in mind that if your tenant makes good on a bounced check after the grace period, they are also responsible for late fees.

6. Be aware of the state laws with the eviction process for non-payment of rent. Several states require you to send a “Notice to Quit” to your tenant before you appear in court. You may start your eviction proceedings as soon as the law permits. It is important that make your tenant be aware that you have every intention of following through on their failure to pay the rent. The court could order your tenant to pay the rent owed or else move out from the apartment.

7. If a tenant is a consistent late payer, you could try to keep him or her for reasons that if he is also paying the late charges along with the regular monthly rent, he is actually giving you a percentage in rent increase in exchange for a few days late. You also have to consider the consequences of keeping the apartment empty until you find a new tenant.  You could consider a tenant who informs you ahead that the rent will be paid late. He or she could be out of cash or short of cash, and if the lateness is not excessive, you should not make a big deal out of it.

How does a Rent-to-Own Work for You?

March 10th, 2010 FlatsForRent-London No comments

     What is a Rent-to-Own in real estate? This is typically known as Lease to buy, which means you will be renting or leasing a home for a specified duration with one addition—you can choose to buy it later on. Several investors and homeowners are starting to offer rent to purchase opportunities to prospective tenants and in the previous year, there has been a considerable increase in this kind of renting.

     As you see more signs in front of homes indicating that you could “rent to own” or “lease to buy”, you might be wondering if this offer will work out for your advantage.  

     Following are what you should know about a rent to own. It may have several structure options, but most contain these items:

1. This type of rental payment is just like any other kind of renting or leasing. All the main items are applicable, such as late fees, and failure to pay the rent could possibly lead to your eviction in the property.

2. There will be an option price, or the purchase price of the property.

3.  In a lease to buy, you will have a payment option or otherwise known as the down payment. This is a fee upfront to be given to the owner or the person in charged of the property. This payment will be credited to the purchase price and in most cases non-refundable in the event you do not exercise your option to purchase the property.

4. A rent credit is usually applied to the purchase price if you exercise your option to buy the home. The Rent Credits are not considered as actual money sitting in a bank account, but this fund is necessary in lowering the purchase price of the home, or later on for the closing costs.

What benefits can a rent to own give you?

1. A rent to own home is much easier than other kinds of owner financing. Since a rent to own is easier to understand and structure, it tends to be more available nowadays. Rent to own terms is at least 12 to 24 months and some even as long as 48 months, giving you enough time to resolve whatever credit issues you may have.

2. You are not obligated to purchase the property, remember that this is an option offered by the homeowner to you. In most cases, this will benefit you. Instead of throwing rent out, it’s much better to consider getting rental credits and a locked in purchase price. Aside from ensuring that you and your family will have a home to call your own, this is also a wise investment, since acquiring a property is a very good real estate investment.

3. On average, the monthly payment and the down payment is lower compared to other types of owner financing. You do not quite shoulder the responsibilities of ownership until you bring your own financing.

     Rent-to-own has become very common in today’s real estate market. If you are in search of a new home, this deal could be beneficial for you. You might want to consider it this way; a rent to own surely works for you because as soon as you decide to buy the home, you need not spend more money on moving costs since you are already settled in comfortably.  Consider the money on rent as your monthly investment towards owning a home for you and your family.

Renting An Apartment In Dallas

When you start thinking about finding a new apartment in Dallas, it can be exciting and challenging at the same time. The prospect of having more space and making new friends is exciting; the challenge is how much time, effort and money it will take to make it happen.

If you have been apartment hunting for a while but you have not found a suitable apartment yet, it can be frustrating, especially if the problem is because of an insufficient income. The apartment markets in most of the major cities are upscale, even though most people do not have upscale salaries.

Take a proactive approach to the situation and be honest with yourself; first, you may want to live in a certain area, but if you cannot afford it, focus on the features instead of just the location.

Second, realize that most of the apartments that are easy to find will be the most expensive to rent. When you the amount you want to pay for an apartment rental is below the average market price, you have to allow yourself as much time as possible to find the apartments are that are within your budget.

Now that you have identified the features you want and the amount you want to pay for your new apartment, you can begin to focus your energy on where and how to find your ideal new home.

Distance to services, transportation and social activities are all factors in choosing a location for your new apartment home. Many times you will find apartments that have a low rental fee, but you have to budget more time to travel to work or for social activities. You have to decide what is more important to you; time or money.

You will find that it is easier to negotiate directly with a landlord than going to an apartment locator or real estate broker. A good rule of thumb to use when looking for an apartment in Dallas is the closer the range in area the better your chance of finding an apartment you can afford. For example, if you search for an apartment in a city newspaper, you will find many apartments that are listed by real estate agencies, while a neighborhood newspaper will have more advertisements for apartments for rent by the owner.

The apartment services on the Internet are a great way to get the important information you need to find your new apartment, such as neighborhood descriptions and community services, like transportation and bank location.

Play it smart and check the Dallas government site for any laws that apply to renting an apartment before you sign a lease.

Tips To Renting An Apartment In Dallas

When you start thinking about finding a new apartment in Dallas, it can be exciting and challenging at the same time. The prospect of having more space and making new friends is exciting; the challenge is how much time, effort and money it will take to make it happen.
If you have been apartment hunting for a while but you have not found a suitable apartment yet, it can be frustrating, especially if the problem is because of an insufficient income. The apartment markets in most of the major cities are upscale, even though most people do not have upscale salaries.
Take a proactive approach to the situation and be honest with yourself; first, you may want to live in a certain area, but if you cannot afford it, focus on the features instead of just the location. Second, realize that most of the apartments that are easy to find will be the most expensive to rent. When you the amount you want to pay for an apartment rental is below the average market price, you have to allow yourself as much time as possible to find the apartments are that are within your budget.
Now that you have identified the features you want and the amount you want to pay for your new Dallas apartment, you can begin to focus your energy on where and how to find your ideal new home. Begin by researching the features you want to see where they exist. For example, if you want your new apartment rental to be on a tree lined street, there will probably be many different locations that meet these criteria, once you find them, you can begin to select the ones that work best for you.
Distance to services, transportation and social activities are all factors in choosing a location for your new apartment home. Many times you will find apartments that have a low rental fee, but you have to budget more time to travel to work or for social activities. You have to decide what is more important to you; time or money.
You will find that it is easier to negotiate directly with a landlord than going to an apartment locator or real estate broker. A good rule of thumb to use when looking for an apartment in Dallas is the closer the range in area the better your chance of finding an apartment you can afford. For example, if you search for an apartment in a city newspaper, you will find many apartments that are listed by real estate agencies, while a neighborhood newspaper will have more advertisements for apartments for rent by the owner.
The apartment services on the Internet are a great way to get the important information you need to find your new apartment in Dallas, such as neighborhood descriptions and community services, like transportation and bank location. Play it smart and check the Dallas government site for any laws that apply to renting an apartment before you sign a lease.

Are Sell And Rent Back Schemes A Rip Off?

There is no doubt that banks and other lenders are making it more difficult to borrow money to finance a mortgage. Thousands of consumers across the country are starting to realise that loan companies, banks, credit card companies and mortgage lenders are slowly choking the supply of available cash.
First-time buyers are finding it more difficult to save a reasonable sized deposit, and even when they do it can sometimes be a strain to get a reasonable mortgage offer. In addition, many first-time buyers, who took out their mortgage two or three years ago, find it difficult to place a remortgage.
This all this began, last year over in America, with the so-called sub-prime mortgage crisis. This crisis rippled around the world, as many of the companies who were putting money into this risky market, were based all on other continents including Europe and the UK.
Because so many mortgage lenders lost so much money in the crisis they either don’t have the money to lend or are nervous about current lending conditions. All is not lost there are still lenders out there who can assist with mortgages and remortgages it is often just a matter of finding a competent broker.
One aspect of this crisis is that many people are turning to different measures, including the much talked about sell-and-buy-or-rent-back deals. Research has shown that where there is an affordability gap these types of deals that particularly popular, especially with younger mortgage holders.
This is a relatively new idea; even a few years ago no one sold their home, to a company then rented it back. These days its a huge business with a sizeable share of the mortgage finance market.
These schemes can be a good solution for many people having problems but the sell and rent back system but there is no doubt that this controversial way of holding on to your home is not for everybody.
There are many reasons why people turn to this system, usually when they are in a large amount of debt. They may take this option, rather than being repossessed or perhaps they’re getting divorced, and can not afford the mortgage on their own.
If done through a reputable company the schemes can prove useful, although there are some less savoury operators in this market.
Last month, the dramatic change of heart by lenders, who pulled back from the under 125% mortgage market. Many companies that this within the space of just a few days with implication that they’ll feel that this is now a difficult market.
This way of holding on to your house may be of benefit to many people. What is essential to find a respected company to deal with this extremely important transaction.
It should also be pointed out that there are other options such as debt consolidation mortgages and general second mortgages that can be of great assistance to many people who are having difficulties.
Sell and rent back should possibly not be the first choice for most people. Having payment difficulties or debt problems, a second mortgage may be slightly difficult to obtain, but they are available from reputable brokers.

Rent Prom Dresses

Finallyâ??Rent Prom Dresses at Closet Elite !!

It is truly astonishing that no business has snatched up this idea before. For decades now, girls have been spending hundreds of dollars on a dress they know theyâ??ll only wear once. Prom is one of those once-in-a-lifetime memories where every girl deserves to dress like a princess and look her best, but is stuck with the dilemma of how much she should spend on a dress she knows she wonâ??t wear again. The solution for their dates has been easyâ??they rent a tux, return it, and barely dent their wallets. But for girls, prom has always been a big financial burden.

Now a company called Closet Elite (www.closetelite.com) rents prom dresses for around $50â??even less than the rental price of a lot of tuxes. The entire store is onlineâ??like Netflix for dresses! Choose a dress, get is shipped to your door, and ship it back. They carry brand names, the latest styles, and a great variety. They even have insurance policies on the dresses so that you donâ??t have to be petrified of ruining your dress all night!

Not only is Closet Elite the first company to do prom dress rentals, but they actually rent cocktail and holiday dresses too. Basically any time you have a wedding, special event, or even a hot date, you can rent a designer dress. They carry latest-season dresses from designers like Versace, Betsey Johnson, Dolce and Gabbana, Chloe, Bebe and more. And at seriously affordable prices! You canâ??t afford not to check this outâ?¦.Carrie Bradshaw would have a heart attack if she knew about this!

www.closetelite.com

Should you Buy or Rent your Home?

Everyone wants to own their own home. Although it is a big expense, we focus on the fact that when the mortgage is finally paid off we will be the proud owners of a property that will hopefully be worth far more than what we bought it for many years previously.

But is buying your home really all it’s cracked up to be? Many people think that renting a property is a waste of money, because you aren’t investing in ownership of the property itself, but there are advantages of renting which should be considered before you make the decision to buy.

Renting can be a good option if you plan to travel in the near future. Many young people rent a flat because it gives them the freedom to be able to move easily at short notice. If you own a house and you go travelling, you have to decide how you will continue to pay the mortgage while you are gone. The best option is to rent it out to someone else, but there is always the risk that the person you choose won’t have the same respect for your property as you do.

The question of affordability also needs to be considered. Mortgages vary widely in what they will cost you each month, and depending on the area you are looking at, your needs and your income, you will need to compare your estimated monthly payments for both a mortgage and the rental of a property, to see which option is the most affordable for you at present.

Some people simply like the flexibility that renting offers. Their work may take them to many different places for weeks at a time, in which case being able to move from place to place makes them feel more at home than staying in hotels would. If their work is freelance in nature and they work from home, renting gives them the chance to move to a completely new area to see what it’s like, before making the bigger decision to buy a home there.

If you are considering whether buying or renting is the better choice for you, think about your current circumstances and whether or not they are likely to change in the near future. Are you at a stage in your life where you want to settle down and have a home where you can do whatever you want?

In short, there are many factors which could affect your decision. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make, so it’s advisable to spend some time thinking about what you want before you make the leap.

Finding the Ideal US Office Space For Rent

Office space rental is about good decision making and balancing. Obviously you want office space that many people visit or go by on a daily basis, but there are downturns to that as well. With a commercial property that is used as space to rent quite often the building itself may not be in peak condition. So when looking at commercial property for lease you have to look at how busy a street is and how much commerce you get next to how dependable the building is. You certainly don’t want to end up spending a majority of your capital and profits on office repair.
Office space should be roomy. If you have to move in a copier, scanner and larger printer for example to do your work you may not have enough room depending upon how many other people you are working with. If you are a person that has trouble working in tight quarters make sure the office space you are being leased has plenty of room to move and walk around in.
Ball State University ranked the state of Missouri as the best state to own a commercial property in. This is due to the fact that the property tax rate in Missouri is comparatively low in the Show Me State. Missouri does level quite a luxury tax on the items that would be sold out of your office space for rent, but the buildings having caring owners. The owners care about their commercial properties in Missouri because the low tax rate reassures them that their investment very well could be successful. The city of St. Louis where you have passionate Cardinals baseball fans looking for things to do and companies like Scottrade who deal with a lot of wealthy investors would be an ideal place for a commercial property for rent given all that commerce.
It really does depend upon where your commercial property for lease is located and what the purpose of the office space for rent is as to whether it will be a successful venture or not. You’ve got a lot of building being rented out for office space during the political campaign season. The state of Minnesota has always had a high voter turnaround and a devout population of political junkies in the larger portions of the state in particular. So if you were to launch a statewide political campaign in Minnesota I would purpose finding several commercial properties for rent in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul for example.
If you are looking to involved in government and want to set up a lobbying for example, finding office space to rent in Washington D.C. is fairly easy for this purpose. Office space to rent in the District of Columbia is very expensive, but if you have enough clients to lobby for, you will welcome such an idea. Using your commercial property for office space purposes to a charity or other non-profit organization brings a lot of goodwill to whatever your cause is. Such moves would help with networking in large cities like Washington D.C. Also just because you are using your office space rental for a brief time now to set up a lobbying firm for example doesn’t mean the business won’t become more lucrative later and you might be able to buy the commercial property yourself.