Typical log home company advertisements in popular log home magazines talk about the “log home lifestyle” or “it’s not just a home, it’s a lifestyle.” What does this mean? What is “the” log home lifestyle?

It’s often difficult to discuss the particulars of log home living without also talking about where the log home is located. It all goes together. A house on the side of beautiful mountain certainly offers a different lifestyle than the same house in a city.

Therefore, the log home lifestyle is actually induced by the combination of the attributes of the house and its location. If the location is one of natural beauty and serenity that creates a feeling of closeness to nature and escape from the pressures of everyday life, the house should complement and enhance those feelings. Everything should fit together as part of the lifestyle “package.”

For many people, logs and stone represent a return to a simpler natural lifestyle. Log homes are often described as warm, cool, quiet, cozy, relaxing, enchanting, secure, or comfortable. Often, a pleasant childhood memory or experience in a vacation log cabin or log lodge helps build these kinds of feelings.

A log home’s features and furnishings also contribute to the lifestyle. A screened porch overlooking a babbling mountain stream, spacious ceilings with exposed timber beams, roaring fires in a natural-stone fireplace, a wall of large windows offering a view of the morning mist over the lake, comfortable “country” furniture that invites a long restful sit, a rustic staircase climbing to a cozy loft, large rocking chairs on the front porch from which to view the sunsets, and maybe a relaxing hot tub that, together with a glass of mountain wine, dissolves all the troubles of the day.

Many people start with a small weekend cabin and soon realize that they love the lifestyle so much that they want to live it permanentlya kind of “try-before-you-buy” approach.

Log homes can also be considered a form of connection with ancestors who may have lived in similar structures long ago – a way to turn back time and live a bit of the old lifestyle – with modern comforts and conveniences, of course.

Do well on your real estate exam without studying harder than your classmates. Get a study start on your classmates while they wait till the last week of the exam. Begin studying from day one so that you could spend your last week completely relaxed and confident when your classmates are stressed. Read on to learn more.

1. Start studying for the real estate exam as early as you can–before the course starts if possible. Schedule enough time to read up on real estate before the course starts. Use this time to work for a real estate agent. Start at the bottom, doing administrative tasks and working your way up. Obtain the books before the course and study the books from cover to cover.

2. Get proficient at taking shorthand notes. Take a shorthand course if you haven’t had exposure to such. When you start your real estate class, start taking notes as soon as the instructor starts covering the first chapter. Take notes every class you take for the remainder of that real estate class. Don’t just take notes, study them every night. Simply read from day one until the current day. Do this again each day until the night before you take the exam.

3. Do all real estate related homework, even if your instructor assigns you a fraction of the total exercises in the book. Some tests pull questions from the book not assigned as homework. Doing all the questions guarantees that you’ve gone through the motion of doing a “test” problem before it shows up on the exam.

4. Find some friends taking the same class and form a study group. Don’t use this as a substitute for self study. Use what you’ve picked up during your self study to help your friends. This is a good way to reinforce classroom material.

5. Complete any research or real estate related project at the beginning of the course. You want to dedicate the remainder of the course to reviewing your notes. Again, just read them once a day. Do this every day and you won’t need to memorize data. Get plenty of rest the night before the exam.

Maybe it has something to do with a childhood home we fondly remember. Many of us long for old homes built with solid construction, quality craftsmanship and beautiful details. We wax poetic and wistfully recall the hand carvings, plaster walls and eyebrow dormers of homes we’ve known. On the other hand, how do the old homes we admire compare with newly minted models-and what should we consider before deciding which to buy?

Location. Typically, old homes sit on generous plots of land in or near town. The neighborhoods are established and usually more central to schools and shopping. Mature trees and plantings provide shade and beautify the property and neighborhood streets. New homes are generally found in new developments outside of town and homeowners who buy into an early can expect to contend with dust and construction sights and sounds as the remaining phases are being built. Landscaping may be skimpy or nonexistent, but a buyer has the opportunity to design the dcor from scratch.

Layout. New homes tend to have a more spacious functional layout with higher ceilings, bigger windows, family kitchens, walk-in closets, and family rooms. Some even have media rooms and come pre-wired for cable and computers. On the other hand, older homes were designed for a more formal lifestyle, which is reflected in the formal dining and living areas and many cozy rooms, including small bedrooms, closets and bathrooms.

Energy efficiency. Those eight-over-eight single pane wood windows add character to an old home, but even with storm windows, they’re not nearly as energy efficient as modern dual-glazed or thermal windows. While most old homes lacked insulation in outside walls and attics, homes built today insulate against high heating and cooling costs. Although the bigger windows, higher ceilings and larger rooms, common in new homes, can also cause high utility bills.

Maintenance. With older homes, upkeep could be more expensive because of older appliances, plumbing and electrical systems-not to mention the roof-may need to be replaced. A turn of the century home may have outdated knob-and-tube wiring, and even a recently built home may have an inadequate fuse box-style panel that falls short of the energy demands of 21st century families. But new homes generally come with warranties that will cover the cost for most major problems.

Price. Older homes are usually less expensive per square foot. In addition the tax structure is more predictable because the neighborhood is already established with amenities that newer neighborhoods are still in the process of gaining, such as schools, police and fire services, and infrastructures (roads, sidewalks, etc.). However, with restoration costs a possibility for older homes, your dollars may very well be spent on the back-end rather than upfront.

If the charm and beauty of an old home wins your heart, hire an inspector to evaluate the home for lead paint, insect and water damage, lead and/or galvanized pipes, outdated wiring, foundation problems and energy efficiency, including windows as well as heating/cooling systems and insulation. After you get the all-clear, you have one last consideration: Does the home fit your lifestyle or would the conveniences of a newer model suit you better? Only you and your family have the answer.

Many homes remain unsold for a long time because they’re over-priced. Pricing your home right is essential if you want to sell your home in quick time. Expecting more for your home than the rates that prevail in the market will only delay the sale of your home, unless your home has something more to offer than other homes. When it comes to pricing your home for sale, you need to consider that your home is going to be competing with other similarly priced homes in your area and unless there’s a short supply of homes for sale, you’re going to have to set a competitive price.

All that said, some homes do sell for more as do some homes for less. It all comes down to how you set your asking price, how you go about negotiating and what are your costs involved in the selling process. Here, we’ll discuss how you can determine a fair asking price for your home in prevailing market conditions.

Real estate agents – Whether you intend on using the services of an agent to sell your home or not, they will call you to offer their services so you may as well get them to provide you with some information. Agents will usually offer to give you a free “Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)” of homes recently sold and presently on sale in your neighborhood. This data should be useful in helping you set a reasonable asking price, keeping the features of your home in mind and how it compares with the others.

Internet Listings – Browsing internet home listings will give you a fair idea of how much homes are priced in your neighborhood and how much you can sell it for. There are plenty of ‘by owner’ sites with many internet listings and there is also realtor.com which offers MLS listings.

Driving by the neighborhood – Surveying the area yourself and visiting homes presently on sale will give you a good idea of how much you can quote for your home.

Home Appraisal – Getting a real estate appraiser to put a value on your home, based on its condition and recent home sales in your neighborhood, should give you a fair price range in which you can sell your home. The appraisal can also be used to help justify your price when negotiating with buyers. (Get a free home appraisal done here.)

So set your price after investigating two or more sources, so that you can justify for the price you set. Your home will sell fast as long as there’s a reasonable amount of demand for homes in your neighborhood and you don’t overprice your home when compared to other homes in your area.

If you have an interest in real estate investing, one of the first things that you are going to need is real estate investing information

There are plenty of ways to find this

All it takes is a little research on your part and you can find out all the information you need to be successful in real estate investing.

One of the best and easiest ways to get real estate investing information is through other people who have experience in real estate investing. Naturally, your next question should be “Where do I find these people?”

It’s a very good question. The answer is “A real estate investing club”. By being a member of a real estate investing club, you have access to every member of their club along with their knowledge and experience in real estate. There is a wealth of real estate investing information available through a real estate investing club.

Books on the subject are also good sources of real estate investing information. You can take a trip to the local bookstore and browse through the business section for books pertaining to real estate investing information. There are several books on the market that have been written by some of the most successful people in real estate investing.

Through these books you can find out most of the basic real estate investing information as well as some tips and tricks for being successful. It is often a good practice to read a real estate book prior to talking with an experienced investor. This way you won’t waste the investor’s time by asking basic questions that could be found anywhere.

Believe it or not the internet is full of real estate investing information. Just as there have been books published on the subject of real estate investing, there are also websites filled with information. You can easily find these websites by using a search engine.

Peruse through the websites to start building a knowledge base of real estate investing information. While you are reading the websites, you might find a piece of information that leads you to search on a related subject. By doing this, you are able to capture a great deal of real estate investing information.

It’s not at all difficult to find real estate investing information. Most of the resources are available right at your fingertips. All you have to do is make use of what’s been provided to you already, then use this information to gather more.

Real estate is often known as the safest investment available. Because,real estate investing
executed with correct evaluation of the property (and its true value), can result in good earnings. This is one reason how come a few people engage in real estate investing as their regular job. The dialogue of real property are broadly centered toward residential real estate; commercial real estate seems to be not as popular. All the same, commercial real estate also is a good alternative for investing in property.

Commercial real estate includes many various forms of properties. Most folks associate commercial realty with only office buildings, parks or manufacturers/ industrialized units. Even so, that’s not entirely all of commercial real estate. There’s more to commercial real estate. Health care centers, retail structures and storage warehouse are all good examples of commercial real estate. Even residential properties like apartments (or any property that comprises of more than 4 residential dwelling units) are considered commercial real estate. As a matter of fact, such commercial real estate is much sought after.

So, is commercial real estate really profitable? Well, if it were not Lucrative I wouldn’t of have been writing about commercial real estate at all. So, commercial real estate is productive for sure. The only matter with commercial real property is that acknowledging the opportunity is a little difficult as equated to residential real estate. But commercial real property profits can be real huge (in fact, much bigger than you would anticipate by residential real estate of the same proportion). You could take up commercial real estate for either reselling after appreciation or for letting out to, say retailers.

The commercial real estate development is as a matter of fact handled as the 1st sign for emergence of residential real estate. Once you acknowledge of the possibility of significant commercial growth in the area (either due to tax breaks or whatever), you had better begin assessing the potential for appreciation in the prices of commercial real estate and then go for it promptly (equally soon as you find a good deal). And you must really work towards getting a good deal.

If you find that commercial real estate, e.g. land, is available in large chunks which are too costly for you to purchase, you could look at forming a small investor group (with your friends) and purchase it collectively (and split the profits later). In some cases e.g. when a retail boom is expected in a region, you may determine it profitable to purchase a property that you can change into a warehouse for the intent of renting to small businesses.

So commercial real estate exhibits a whole plethora of investing chances, you just need to seize it.

Green homes are eco-friendly homes that are energy efficient and use ecological design and sustainable resources. There has been a tremendous increase in awareness of the benefits of green building in America among builders
and home owners alike. With home builders finding it easier to construct green homes, the number of green homes constructed throughout the country has gone up remarkably.

Ecological concerns and the increasing awareness of the advantages of green homes have led to an upsurge in green homes in the country. Concerns about the impact their homes have on the environment have prompted some homebuyers to opt for green homes.

Building green homes is no longer a remote concept these days. Over disturbing facts about global warming and indoor air pollution, today, the top priority of the National Home Builders Association and the American Institute of Architects is constructing green buildings.

There is sufficient data around that indicate that the building of green homes is on the rise. According to the figures provided by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (who developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system), the number of buildings with LEED status in America has increased from 38 in 2002 to 669 now. Green buildings are progressively entering the mainstream with more and more buildings getting LEED certification.

Given that green buildings do not cost very much more than traditional buildings, and that they actually reduce energy bills, the building of green homes is on the rise. A green building is not only less expensive to live in but also spikes in value by 7.5 percent on average and improves return on investment by 6.6 percent on average.

Green building concepts begin to rise everywhere as the number of individuals who want to remodel, build or buy green homes are rapidly increasing. Architects and developers are responding to satisfy this growing demand. Green buildings have been found to appreciate faster than traditional buildings.

What was once a patchwork of green buildings in several cities has now increased to encompass whole communities and neighborhoods. According to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey in 2006, about two-thirds of builders would be building green homes in America this year. Green buildings are firmly mainstream now with federal government and 15 states requiring new public buildings to meet the LEED standards. In fact, four U.S. states and 17 cities offer incentives for private buildings built to LEED standards.

With rising government initiatives, consumer interest and the number of green developers and builders, the green building revolution is all set to go to a new level.

When you start the process of buying a home or any type of real estate, you’ll no doubt hear the term “earnest money deposit” (EMD). So what exactly is an EMD?

An EMD becomes relevant when you are ready to make an offer on a property. In most states, your Real Estate Agent prepares the offer on your behalf. The offer usually takes the form of a written contract that is submitted to the seller by way of their agent.

In addition to the offer document, sellers typically expect an EMD. An EMD is a monetary deposit submitted via check to demonstrate to the seller that you are a serious buyer. In some regions of the country, only a photocopy of the check is submitted with the offer, and the original check is delivered to the appropriate entity if the offer is accepted. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify how deposits are handled in your region of the country.

The check is usually made out to an independent third- party such as a Title Company, Escrow Company, Real Estate Attorney or your Real Estate Broker. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify who will hold the EMD.

The amount of the EMD sellers expect varies by region. The EMD amount is based on the customs and practices for a region, but is generally from 1% to 2% of the purchase price. In a competitive market place where demand exceeds the supply of homes, some buyers may offer a higher EMD than expected to impress the seller of their intent. In determining the amount of your EMD, consult your Real Estate Agent and balance the need to demonstrate your serious intent, against the good business practice of minimizing the deposit amount.

The amount of the EMD is usually applied to reduce the purchase price of the property or to cover closing costs, as you dictate. For example, if you are purchasing a $300,000 property and you give an EMD of $3000, then the remaining balance owned at closing is $297,000 (plus closing costs). Alternatively, you may direct that the EMD be applied toward the closing costs.

Once a valid contract for purchase is created, an independent third-party usually holds the EMD until the purchase is either completed or cancelled. At this point, the money belongs jointly to both the seller and the buyer.

In cases where you make an offer that is accepted but later decide to cancel the offer, the terms specified in the contract (or state law) will dictate if, and under what circumstances, the EMD is returned to you. Be aware that you could loose your deposit if you do not not comply with the terms of your contract. Your Real Estate Agent can provide you information about how EMDs are dealt with if a contract is cancelled.

Since state law varies by region and practices can differ even within the same state, be sure to consult your Real Estate agent about the rules that apply to EMDs in your region of the country. You should also be aware that the EMD is not related to any down payment that you make toward your home loan.

If you are writing your own real estate copy, you want to include all aspects of your home that will attract buyers. You will want to paint an accurate picture of the house along with highlighting its best features. You can do this by using the right terminology and making the most out of your real estate descriptions. Read on to learn how to create a real estate listing.

1. Include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Make sure that the rooms you are counting as bedrooms actually can be considered bedrooms. If it is a storage space that can be renovated into a bedroom, state that instead.

2. Give the location, but do not be too specific. You will want potential buyers to check out the home and decide for themselves if they like the area. Avoid putting things about the location like “close to shops” or “quiet street.” These types of descriptions may not appeal to everyone.

3. Use descriptive words. This especially applies to the construction within the home. For example, instead of putting “new flooring,” you can put in the listing “new marble tile flooring.”

4. Practice caution when using real estate euphemisms. In real estate, a “fixer-upper” typically translates to a trashed-out property. Instead, point out the home’s good qualities and let interested buyers decide for themselves.

5. Pitch a lifestyle for high-end homes. For larger properties, it is usually better to point out the amenities that will be available to the buyer. Instead of stating that recreation is available, provide details such as “palatial 25-acre property located on lake view golf course.

There is an increasing trend in South Africa that is seeing youths entering property market at a much earlier age. These youths are mostly first-time home buyers, applying for their first home loan, who have been renting for a short while and feel the need to invest in a property of their own.

It is partly due to this increasing trend in South Africa’s property market that is also causing a higher percentage of 100% home loan applications. These prospective home owners often earns salaries large enough to qualify for home loans but they don’t seem to be able to save enough of that salary to put down any type of deposit.

And understandably banks are becoming more and more reluctant to issue these 100% home loans. Foreclosures have cost banks millions of rands and it is not a surprise that some economists are calling to the maximum Loan-to-value ratio to be dropped to 80% instead.

This should see a rapid decrease in foreclosures which most often occur from 100% home loans.

Before deciding to buy it is advisable to try and save up a small deposit, between R10 000 and R20 000. Displaying the ability to save up a small deposit at least should add weight to your home loan application.

This will also reduce the size of your SA home loan. Remember the hard work and discipline you demonstrate by saving a deposit will assist you when you’re paying off your home loan.

To save money on your SA Home Loan repayments, you should pay at least an extra R100 every month and try to pay it before the due date. This dramatically cuts down the interest you’ll pay on your home loan in turn saving your lots of cash!