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The condominium market has ido rising steadily in recent years. According to the National Association of REALTORS (R), condominium values increased by more than 27 percent between 2000 and 2002, and the median value of condos ($ 163500) sat just below that of single-family homes ($ 168400) in mid – 2003. While this trend is not guaranteed to continue, the condominium market has regained momentum and the importance it had in the initial boom of condominiums the 1980′s.

Condo buyers are divided into three main groups: for the first time buyers to quit rent; people looking to buy a second home that will use part-time and retirees who are trading in high-end housing for low-maintenance a lifestyle offers condominiums.

A condominium can be a great purchase under the right set of circumstances, but some people still dismiss as glorified apartments. If you do not feel comfortable living in condominium rules and restrictions, and in close proximity to others, then a condominium is probably not the place for you. Before buying a condominium, be sure to understand exactly what is involved in condominium living.

What exactly is a condominium?

A condominium development can take the form of style apartment complexes, townhouses or become multi-family dwellings. What distinguishes it from other multi-tenant buildings is that the developer has legally declared that a condominium, and individuals can purchase units in the building or complex. In most states, this means that development is specially designated under the laws and regulations applied to condominiums.

When buying a condominium, the owner acquires title to his unit, until the walls, but not between them. A description of a condominium is a “box in the air.”

The common areas of development, such as stairways, dividing and exterior walls, gyms and rooftop gardens, are shared ownership. Each unit owner has any interest in these spaces. In order to manage the maintenance and repair of common areas shared, each condominium development has a condominium association, also known as a unit owners association. The association is elected by the owners of condominiums and makes decisions in the communal interest of the community.

Condo costs include:

* Arras, mortgage and property tax
* Condo fees, also known as maintenance fees. Condo fees are paid by all residents to help with building maintenance, salaries of groundskeepers, janitors or tasks, and provide facilities such as luxury swimming pool, gym or rooftop garden. Condo fees are paid monthly and are subject to change
* Special assessment rates. These rates can be requested when an unexpected repair or planned modification exceeds the cost of fees collected condominium

Rules to live by

Condominiums are governed by a set of rules called covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC & Rs). The rules vary from one to another condominium development. They can impose restrictions on ownership of pets, noise levels, remodeling projects, and rent. The CC & R are implemented by the condominium association. It’s a good idea to read the CC & R to make sure you’re comfortable with them before buying a condominium.

Condo associations and fees

The condominium association budgets and determines the fees for all condominium units. Condo fees are often determined by the size of your drive, how many units are currently occupied, and projected costs for building maintenance and repair.

Condo associations vary in their organization and experience. Some questions you may want to see are as follows:

* Whether the association to maintain a reserve fund to pay for the unexpected and potentially costly repairs? This will help determine whether it is likely to beat with a special assessment rates.
* Has the association maintains the building in good condition? Can Handle repairs and maintenance before they become major problems? Before you buy, is a good idea to get an inspection in the unit you fancy, as well as the entire structure in order to identify potential problems.
* Whether the association intends to add facilities, such as a swimming pool or gym, in the near future? This could cause a sudden increase in their fees. Ask to see the minutes of recent meetings of condominium associations, which should disclose any such plans.
* The development is pending lawsuits? Are there any conflicts between landowners, developers or the association you should know about?
* What is the reputation of the association in the building? Talk to other owners for comments or complaints about the activities of the association.

A word about developers

The developers do not usually maintain a long-term interest in a building, but the work they put into it is important. A home inspection can turn up major structural faults in the building, but not based on this alone. You should investigate the developer’s history, and find out if there had been any problem with its evolution. Also find out if the developer is still in business and whether it is financially stable. If the developer is no longer in business, its condominium association may have little or no legal recourse in the event of serious flaws are discovered on the property.

This article describes 12 recurring problems with commercial real estate loans that commercial borrowers and their advisors need to anticipate before it is too late. The following problems are common in traditional bank commercial real estate loans and should be avoided if feasible (special circumstances will periodically make some of these terms unavoidable).

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 1: Tax Returns versus Stated Income

Most traditional banks will require several years of tax returns in order to qualify for a commercial real estate loan. The alternative is to use a Stated Income lender that does not verify personal income or assets. Many borrowers will simply not qualify for a commercial mortgage loan if tax returns are used due to high business expenses (and low net income). Many lenders using tax returns will also continue to verify income after the loan closes. Stated Income lenders will not engage in this practice.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 2: Special Purpose Properties

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get commercial loans for special purpose properties. Properties that do not fall in the categories of apartments or retail/office buildings are often placed in this special purpose classification. This means that business acquisition loans for commercial properties such as restaurants/bars and auto service businesses are frequently hard to find. Commercial financing will be even more difficult to locate for such specialized properties as churches, funeral homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 3: Recall/balloon features

These terms are used by many banks to effectively shorten most commercial real estate loans to 3-7 years.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 4: Short-term loans (less than fifteen years)

15-40 year commercial property loans without recall/balloon features are available.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 5: Up-front Commitment fees

Under most circumstances, commercial borrowers should not pay such a fee. Please note that processing/retainer fees are not included in this discussion of commitment fees. Processing/retainer fees should be viewed as an acceptable and standard business practice when dealing with commercial real estate loans. Read more…

If you are thinking of shipping your car you have likely been looking at a number of auto shipping companies to find the best one.  After all your car is precious and you want to ensure that it arrives at its destination in one piece.  One of the leaders in the American auto shipping industry is a firm called American Auto Transport.  They have been in the industry for over 15 years so you can rest assured if you choose to ship your auto with them.

American Auto Transport are able to offer both closed and open shipping containers and will operate according to your preference.  They strive to ensure that your vehicle is shipped to its location in a safe manner and at a time that suits you best.  Their previous clients have included individuals located all over the States, private companies, dealerships and even military personnel.

American Auto Transport have a website where they list their services.  They can be contacted via phone or email and are happy to provide every prospective customer with a free quote.  If you want to ship your car with the care and safety it deserves, what better company to choose than the leading auto shipping company in the States?

Apartments. Usually somebody’s first home after getting married. Can’t really say they’re relatively cheap anymore. Depending on where you live, apartments can run you anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars a month.

So what does one do when looking for an apartment? Believe it or not, there are many different types, styles, and pay plans involved. We’ll try to cover the basic types in this article and what you can expect to find with each.

Starting off small there is your basic studio apartment. A studio apartment is usually 1 room with a kitchen and bath. Let’s first off define what a room is when getting an apartment. A room is any room other than your kitchen and bath. Bathrooms do not count as rooms at all because they are required by law. Kitchens are a little different. Most walk in kitchens are considered a half a room. If the kitchen is simply an area in the apartment that is not cut off from the other rooms then it is not counted as a room. So a studio 1 room would have a kitchen area that’s part of the 1 room, meaning it probably comes with just a refrigerator and a stove and sink. A studio 1 1/2 room would have a kitchen that is actually separated from the rest of the apartment by a wall and has a doorway. Most studio apartments are 1 room.

Studio apartments, contrary to what most people think, are not cheap. A studio in New York City can cost you $1000 a month. In some areas you can get a studio for about $500.

Then there are your basic apartments that are normally 3 or 4 rooms.

A three room apartment has a living room, dining area and 1 bedroom. Again, the difference between a 3 and a 3 1/2 room is the kitchen being either part of one of the rooms or cut off.

A four room apartment usually has a living room, dining area and 2 bedrooms. If a family needs a third bedroom the dining area is usually converted. The problem with dining areas is that they don’t normally have doors to separate them from the other rooms. So to ensure privacy some kind of sliding door is usually installed. Actually most 4 room apartments, because of the extra room are really 4 1/2 rooms because in almost all cases the kitchen is cut off from the other rooms.

In apartments there is seldom a basement. Most apartments are assigned a basement area in a main basement used for the entire complex. In some cases each apartment section or group of apartments has a basement nearby.

Aside from the number of rooms there is also the issue of layout. Most apartments are single level, meaning all the rooms are on one floor. But in some cases there are apartment complexes that are what they call duplexes. These are two apartments side by side in each complex and each apartment is two floors as opposed to the 4 apartment complexes where each apartment is on a single level. In two level apartments the living room and dining area are usually downstairs with the bedrooms upstairs. Most two level apartments are 4 1/2 rooms.

Then there is the issue of what services come with the apartment and what services have to be paid for separately.

In some apartments your gas and electricity and water utilities are included in the cost of the rent. In other apartments only the water is paid for and your gas and electric are paid to your local public service company. Some apartments don’t cover any of your costs. So when you get an apartment make sure you find out just what your rent covers. The reason for this is that an apartment for $900 a month with all utilities paid may actually be a better deal than an apartment for $750 a month if the latter apartment doesn’t include any utilities at all.

Finally, in securing an apartment many require a security deposit equal to the rent of the apartment. Some require one month security and some require two months. This is paid back to you when your lease expires if you decide to leave. Breaking a lease will usually mean forfeiture of your deposit.

Which brings us to apartment rules. This is why there is nothing like owning your own home. Most apartments allow no pets. Playing music after a certain hour will bring complaints from your neighbors. The list goes on and on but I’m sure you get the point. Your freedom to do what you want in an apartment is limited.

Some people love the idea of not having to worry about repairs, as the super usually takes care of that, and live in apartments their whole life. Others can’t wait until they can get into their own home. That’s the wonderful thing about this world. One man’s dream is another man’s nightmare.