Global Real Estate Transparency and Knowledge

Change happens fast and it's getting faster. The real estate industry boundaries are starting to give way to the advancements in technology and transparency into the Basic Steps Of A Real Estate Transaction. This openness is creating momentum towards a larger and more dynamic international market for the Internet homebuyers and global investors of residential and commercial real estate.

More info on Real Estate Transparency: (Global Transparency Index 2006).

The reasons for rapid improvement: Higher securitization levels, higher cross-border flows, and the introduction of more indices of listed (public) and unlisted (private) real estate performance.

If your looking to become more knowledgeable in the international real estate field check out the The Little Book of Real Estate Definitions authored by Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).

Another reference tool can be found from The Global Real Estate Project for international real estate research. The information contained in these profiles has been compiled by the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver.

Also take note of www.joneslanglasalle-dictionary.com it covers all aspects of the real estate terms discussed in the "Little Book of Real Estate Definitions" for FREE (Tools Listed Below). How very thoughtful of JLL, considering they had revenue of approximately $1.4 billion in 2005.

• Country Terms: Don't understand SEPP in Australia or first-tier city in China? Learn what real estate terms are unique to each Asia Pacific country.
• Market Practices: Find all the specific market information: lease terms, rental payments, charges, property taxes and lease disposal.
• Metric Conversion Tools: Here is your instant calculator. Just enter the value you want to convert, and select the measure you want to convert.
• Office Building Grades: This section will provide you a glimpse of the real estate scenario in each country.
• Definitions Glossary: Find out about unique real estate terms used in different countries.

Real Estate Auction MashUp

2RealEstateAuctions.com is a Google Map mashup built with eBay's API. It displays live eBay listings from Real Estate Auctions. One great feature is that the site allows users to view the listings next to the highest bid count - alerting the internet homebuyer of a strong demand and possible bargin. Also, U.S. Census data for housing & occupancy near the home is available.


If your wanting to view more auction inventory take a look at Realty Bid it is not a mashup filter of eBay Real Estate Listings. It is an auction site that works with real estate agents, corporations and banks to accelerate the sale of real estate. The site is for "motivated sellers, but not necessarily desperate sellers. All properties offered on RealtyBid.com are required to have discounted minimum reserve prices as compared to the list price." Note: RealtyBid.com is designed to be a tool for real estate agents only. The site is a Non-For-Sale-By-Owner (NFSBO) site.

In October, RealtyBid.coms monthly inventory of properties up for auction nationwide topped more than 1,000 for the second time in four months. Octobers inventory of 1,038 properties was an increase of 427 percent over October 2005. Source: Denver Post

Free 30-day trial of Property Center

Attention real estate investors and.or property managers check out a new online tool to stream-line your properties workflow and management tasks in your portfolio. Property Center is offering a Free 30-day trial" of its property management web application. Property Center was designed by landlords for landlords and their employees. It allows its users to keep track an unlimited number of leases with lease history. Also, legal forms specific to your state - such as rental applications, tenant inspection/acceptance forms, rental agreements - can be set-up to automatically populate the required information.

>To learn more about Property Center's application take a tour of the applications features.

Update: Also check out http://www.iiproperty.com/ an incredibly easy to use service for people who self-manage their properties.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

investinreits.com! This site has been designed to provide visitors with all the tools to learn about real estate investment trusts (REITs) and publicly traded real estate companies. The website is by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).

NAREIT is the trade association for REITs and publicly traded real estate companies.

Own Multiple Properties - No Problem

Take a look at this idea. HomeFree is a site that has products availble to Realtors, Investors, Home Owners. "Homefree is the personalized online toolbox that helps you make smart home maintenance decisions in just minutes a month. It helps you stay on top of your home's needs—keeping things under control before they break."

The About Us section of the website has a brief story of how the founders came up with the idea. "As a multiple property owner, (we) could relate. "Larry and I started talking about these homes we had that we just couldn’t keep up with," he explains. "That’s when it hit us that there were no great products available that could help with maintaining your home." Looking at their own lives and their in-the-trenches experiences as homeowners, they struck upon the concept of Homefree."

Check out the Demo~!

Retirement Planning within your IRA

There is a small IRS provision that lets you extend your real estate purchasing with tax-deferred dollars. One of the requirements is that the real estate is not being used for your own personal use, such as a vacation home or an office for your business. To learn more than I can explain ask a financial advisor who specializes in IRA's or your real estate professional.

UPDATE: Realtor Magizine Article