Image Source: movingmage.com

After the deal is signed, sealed and delivered, that dream house (or apartment) is yours ! So, what’s next? Packing up all of your worldly goods, transferring them and then setting up everything again to another house could be an overwhelming job - and quite possibly, not your idea of a rollicking time. However, before beginning the arduous task of packing your earthly possessions, there are a few things you need to do first. Tell your family and friends you are transferring (in the hope that they are going to help with the move). Then call your credit card companies and inform them too so they can change your mailing address.

The concept of property , real estate, flats and apartments mean so much more than just zeroing in on a dwelling place for you. Investment in real estate are of two kinds; commercial and residential. They have different guidelines and purposes. Knowing them will help you decide what type of investment you want to make. In residential properties, there are two types according to the size of the house: single family homes or multi-family homes. In multi- family home units, sharing the same wall with a neighbor is normal just like in townhomes or condominiums. A single family home unit is a stand alone unit and will be built differently neighbors cannot just drop in on you. Commercial real estate also has a number of kinds and will range from high rise office buildings to shopping complexes to factories.
Each of these is managed differently and have distinct zoning rules, divisions of taxes and insurance.
Some areas offer both a residential and commercial area in one. This is perfect for those who want to put up a home based business or those who have business expansion in mind.This type of property is more than a home to you. It is something that will give you a return on your investment.

According to the site, the Cabrio In Folding Bed is a home office desk, integrated storage and bed in one. The unit transfors from a desk into a bed without having to remove any objects from the desk.

Homemade Style
When the homeowner couldn’t find the perfect coffee table, he designed this one, which has a plywood top set on a steel truss with casters.

Makeshift Side Table
A pair of wrought-iron end tables, set side by side, makes a spacious end table next to the love seat in the living room. The grouping of vases and pots, which William collected over a number of years, are united by their pleasing range of neutral tones.

Computer Concealed
The home office includes two computer stations that can be concealed behind the doors. A tinted green panel slides to reveal the work station and hide the bedroom. A series of storage spaces, cabinets, and movable doors allow the office disappear after hours.

Staggered Solution
Staggered filing cabinets are a great solution for an angled window.

Dallas, a great place to move to:
The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area (known as the Metroplex, which is short for the far less flashy-sounding Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area) is a vibrant region of Texas that is truly on the move. The population is just over 5 million today, and it’s projected to grow to more than 6 million by 2010 (and nearly 10 million by 2030!). All that growth means that there is a wealth of opportunities available, from jobs to entertainment to apartments for rent.

Quality of Life
Residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth area enjoy a moderate climate with hot summers and not-too-cold winters. Average summer temperatures are in the 80s, while winters average 45 degrees. The city of Dallas is the second largest in Texas with about 1.2 million residents. Dallas prides itself as being a cultural and educational center of both Texas and the United States. Institutions of higher learning include Southern Methodist University, Paul Quinn College, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas Christian College, Dallas Theological Seminary and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Also of special note are the architecture of the downtown area and the West End Historic District, a collection of 19th-century warehouses converted into eclectic shops and restaurants. Dallas is famous for its pro sports teams, including the Dallas Cowboys pro football team, the Mavericks pro basketball team, Stars pro hockey team and Rangers baseball team. Fort Worth, known as the city “Where the West Begins,” has half a million residents and consistently ranks high on lists of the best places in the United States to live.

Where the Jobs Are
In recent decades, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has become a leader in high-tech industries, earning the nickname “Silicon Prairie” thanks to its preponderance of computer and related technology industries. Other major employers include the finance, insurance, publishing and tourism industries. The Dallas-Fort Worth airport, one of the busiest in the nation, is another major employer for the region.

Cost of Living & Apartment Prices
If you can find a good job in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you’ll have more money to spend than you would in many other major cities in the country; the overall cost of living is a very comfortable 17% below the national average. The median price for apartments for rent is $650 in Dallas and $600 in Fort Worth. In the Metroplex as a whole, you can expect to pay an overall average of $750 for apartment rentals and about $100 for monthly utilities. Prices break down to an average of $450 per month for studio apartments, $625 for one-bedroom apartments, $775 for split-level loft apartments, $900 for two-bedroom apartments and up to $2,500 for luxury apartment rentals.

Neighborhoods to Explore
The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has a large variety of areas to explore when looking for apartments for rent. Counties in the area to explore are Collin County, Dallas County, Denton County, Ellis County, Johnson County, Kaufman County, Parker County, Rockwall County, Tarrant County, and Wise County. Major cities in the region include Arlington, Irving, Lewisville and Plano.

Source: rent.com

Sales in September were down 23 percent from a year earlier. Realtors pointed to tighter lending guidelines and sagging consumer confidence.

Despite near-record-low mortgage rates, home sales in the Twin Cities metro area so far this year have been among the slowest in more than a decade, according to data from the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors.

September’s 3,116 closed sales were down 23 percent from the same period last year, while sales from January through September in the 13-county metro area dropped 15.8 percent, the association said in its monthly report.

There is a silver lining: Protracted market times and bargain-hunting buyers are causing prospective sellers to pause. During September, the number of new listings was down nearly 10 percent compared with September 2006. That has some agents hoping that high inventory levels will finally retreat and that the market has hit bottom.

The situation is similar across the country, judging from another report released Wednesday.

The National Association of Realtors said U.S. home sales during 2007 are expected to be 10.8 percent lower than last year.

That was the eighth time the Realtors association revised its annual forecast downward this year. If the revision is accurate, home sales nationwide will be at the lowest level since 2002.

The association was more optimistic about prices. It said the median price this year would drop 1.3 percent compared with last year, a revision from an earlier forecast that the median would fall 1.7 percent.

In the Twin Cities, officials at both the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors and the St. Paul association attributed the decline in sales to tighter lending guidelines and to sagging consumer confidence driven by negative news reports about the market.

“We see motivated buyers and sellers in our market,” said Deb Greene, president of the Minneapolis association. “But at the same time, we’re now experiencing a return to more traditional, stricter lending practices that were in effect before the boom.”

Greene also blamed slower sales on greater scrutiny of appraisals, income and employment history.

Source: startribune.com

Did you know that there are flats existing in the market that are built after a voting has been officially closed and at least more than half of it are already filled out by the public? These flats are called BTO or Built to Oder flats. The construction of the flats will start within the go-signal and it will usually take 3 to 5 years for it to can be occupied.

Majority of the people choosing this option are those who are planning to get married later on. The picking of future tenants usually attend a balloting session and the successful applicants will be notified.