Renting Vs. Buying Real Estate In Columbus OH
Columbus has a fantastic selection of homes both for rental as well as sale. And with record low mortgage interest rates now available, it’s a excellent time to review your finances and cash flow to see if the hefty monthly rent check you’re currently sending your landlord might not be better spent building equity for your future.
Consider the follow points before making a call to engage the services of a Columbus real estate agent.
Taxes. Monthly mortgage payments always include a part for interest and principal on the loan. They also often include parts for taxes and insurance. Federal income tax guidelines allow homeowners to deduct all of your interest and tax payments. This provides significant tax advantages to you.
Most people simply take the standard deduction on their income tax return since it’s quicker to file that way. Taking advantage of the tax breaks that come with owning a home requires you to itemize your deductions instead. Ironically, itemizing your deductions usually saves you money, because you can also deduct many other expenses like donations, or medical and dental costs over 7.5% of your income.
Home ownership sometimes requires upfront costs, like a down payment, earnest money and closing costs. It also requires you to budget money for regular maintenance of the property, as well as the payment of property taxes and homeowner’s insurance. Still, your total monthly cost may be similar to what you’re already paying for rent.
If you are plotting to stay in one place for at least five years, then home ownership is often a better choice. Studies by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA, also known as Ginnie Mae) show that, because of tax advantages and inflation, home ownership usually becomes less expensive than renting starting in year three.
With home ownership, you steadily build equity in your property. This equity is an asset that can provide you later with financial security as well as the ability to borrow against it for things like home improvements, college tuition payments for your kids, or even for the down payment for your next home. Over time, as the interest part of your loan payments decrease, the principal part increases. Since the principal becomes your equity, this means that your asset grows more quickly over time.
Sometimes, if your lifestyle is in transition or you just do not have the time to maintain a property, renting is a better option for you. But, home ownership provides some intangible benefits that renting can’t. The ancient saying, “A man’s home is his castle” is only right if, like a King, he doesn’t have to question anyone for permission to make changes or improvements in the property. Home ownership provides a freedom of expression and feeling of security that isn’t possible through renting. You are in control of your living situation, not someone else like a landlord.
Finally, for many people home ownership provides a sense of security and stability. It taps in to the fantastic American Dream of having your own space to delight in and develop. It provides a sense of community and belonging to a neighborhood, because you are tangibly invested in it. Renting just can’t provide this.
About the author: Susanne Novak is a full time real estate agent specializing in helping home owners buy properties at discounted prices. Read her blog to find the best Columbus houses and how to buy Columbus OH Homes for Sale.
Invest in Real Estate Now Plenty of Houses for Sale
Real Estate is one business where you can own property for both personal use and as an investment as well. With the price of real estate lying low for some time now, this is the right time to invest in houses. By doing so you would end up having two advantages- one is the fact that you would have a house for yourself and the second one is the fact that you have made an investment and even if you choose to sell the property at a later time- you will have excellent returns to it. Real Estate is also an equal option to invest just like shares and the additional advantage is the fact that you don’t have a lot of risks when you invest in houses which is not the case in shares.
If you choose to buy the houses for sale, you need to keep in mind a few quick facts to ensure that you make the best deal out of it.
Choice of Locality- Always chose an area that is still coming up with residences- In this case you can strike a excellent deal on the houses for sale and also returns will be higher in future when it has become a complete residential area later on.
Home Loan options: Find out the best deals on home loans so that the entire amount does not slip out of your hand at once.
Choose the right house: Don’t accept any of the houses for sale. Carefully determine if it meets all your needs- so that it comes in handy in future even if you want to relocate to that house.
Maintenance and Furnishings: See if it is simple to maintain or if it has been maintained properly. Also look for furnishings that are present so that even if you choose to rent the place, consider the amount of investment you might have to make to make it suitable for rental purposes.
Choose the right agency: When you are looking at a lot of requirements like the above listed, it is not possible for you to do all of this by yourself. You could get the help of the representatives of such online companies. Your best deal on the houses on sale greatly depends upon them.
The above given points will help you choose and ensure that your investment is worth the price. Investing on houses for sale can also help you in the form of rent that it earns if this is your second house. If this is the first, then you can always save on the rent of your current house.There are many websites that provide you information on the best houses for sale and also help you in getting a excellent deal along with mortgage options.
All you have to do is just register with them online which is also free of cost and simple. This one time registration can help you in future for all your needs like buying another house, selling the current one or renting out the property
Click here for more information about houses for sale and housing related articles.
Selling On Ebay- Top 10 Steps To Ebay Seller Success
Here is my 10 step path to eBay selling success. Follow these 10 steps to be a eBay seller success tale.
Step 1: Identify your particular market. Take a while to sit and watch for what sells and what doesn’t out of the items you’re interested in selling. Any market research data you can collect will be very useful to you later on. You’ll probably see those one or two items that always seem to sell for a excellent price.
Step 2: Watch your competition. Before you invest any money, see what the other sellers in your category are up to, and what their eBay marketing strategies are. Pay special attention to any flaws their auctions might have, because this is where you can go in and beat them at their own selling game.
Step 3: Find a product to sell: Get hold of a supplier for whatever it is you want to sell, and see what the best rates you can get are. Don’t be worried to ring round quite a few to get the best deal. If the eBay prices you’ve seen are higher than the supplier’s, then you’re set.
Step 4: Start small: Don’t spend lots of money on your eBay business straight away. Start slowly, see what works and what doesn’t, and learn as you go along. Remember that it’s very cheap to try out even the wildest thoughts on eBay, and who knows, they might just work out after all.
Step 5: Test and repeat. Keep trying different eBay marketing strategies until you find something that works well, and then don’t be ashamed to keep doing it, again and again. The chances are that you’ve just found a excellent niche product.
Step 6: Make a eBay business plot: A eBay business plot doesn’t need to be anything formal, just a few pages that outline the market opportunity you’ve spotted, your strategy, strengths and weaknesses of the plot and a brief budget. This is more for you than it is for anyone else.
Step 7: Invest and expand the plot: This is the time to start spending more money. Buy product inventory, and start spending more time on your eBay business. Set a goal number of sales each week, increasing it each time.
Step 8: Make you’re eBay business official: Once you’ve made a few thousand dollars worth of sales, you should register yourself as a business. Don’t worry, it’s not too expensive or hard to do. A lawyer is the best person to help you through this process.
Step 9: Automate the eBay selling process: You’ll probably find that you’re writing the same things again and again in emails or item descriptions. This is the time to give up on the manual method and turn to automated software that can make listings for you, and respond to completed auctions and payments with whatever message you provide.
Step 10: Don’t give up: Even when it looks like it’s all going incorrect, don’t stop trying to sell on ebay until you succeed. If you keep working at it then you’ll nearly always find that you make a real breakthrough just when things are starting to look desperate.
Once you get into the swing of things, you might start thinking that you should quit your job and take up eBay selling full time. There are all sorts of factors that you need to consider. I recommend selling on eBay part time. It is a fantastic way to make extra money. If your eBay business grows to the level that want to go full time. That would be fantastic. It is possible and many people are living the eBay dream working at home.
Are you at a loss for wholesale products to sell on eBay? Do you want to find reputable wholesale distributors? SaleHoo is the best place to find legitimate, pre-screened wholesalers, dropshippers, liquidators and manufacturers for every type of product imaginable.
Want to find out more about Selling on eBay, then visit Todd Schuyler’s site on how to choose the best eBay Marketing Strategies and Wholesale Products for your needs.
eBay Sellers: Use Photo Sharing Sites For Pictures
There are a many eBay buyers who will not buy an item on eBay if they haven’t seen a picture. In fact, many eBay buyers like to see more than one picture. The only problem with this is that posting a number of pictures on eBay can get expensive, especially overtime. But, there is a way that you can give your potential customers what they want, more pictures, without having to go broke while doing so. For more eBay selling advice go to this Ebay Selling Tips Website.
If you are looking for a way to have multiple pictures appear in your eBay auction listings, but you are urged to examine websites that are known as photo sharing sites, if you haven’t already done so. Photo sharing websites are sites that allow you to post digital photographs online and sometimes even videos. There are a large number of internet users who use photo sharing sites to upload and share pictures with friends and family members over the internet, but many internet users are also starting to use photo sharing websites to help combat their eBay seller fees, particularly the fees associated with having multiple pictures in an eBay auction.
If you are interested in giving photo sharing websites a try, to help you save money when selling on eBay, you will need to find a photo sharing website to use. To find a number of photo sharing websites, you may want to perform a standard internet search. Your standard internet search results will likely include PhotoBucket, which is a free, well-known photo sharing website. Of course, you can use just about any photo sharing website you want, but you are advised to look into PhotoBucket, as it is free and simple to use.
Speaking of using PhotoBucket and many other online photo sharing websites, you will need to make an account. You should be required to fill out a small form, which may request a small bit of information about yourself, like your full name or your email address. You will also need to make login information for yourself, including a screen name and a safe password. Once you have that finished, you should be able to use the photo sharing website in question, whether it be PhotoBucket or not, to help you start saving money.
When using a photo sharing site, you will see that different sites have different instructions that need to be followed, but the first step will be taking pictures of your eBay items. Then you will need to upload them to your computer and then follow the photo sharing website’s instructions on how to upload your photos to their site.
Once your pictures have been uploaded, you should see thumbnails or smaller versions of them. With PhotoBucket there are small boxes underneath each thumbnail that can be used to select the picture or pictures of you choice. You will want to select all of the pictures that you want listed in a particular eBay listing. Then, you should be able to find a link that allows you to generate an HTML code. This will lead you to another page with a lot of information on it, particularly HTML links. Many photo sharing websites outright tell you which HTML code links you should use for eBay. Copy the code and paste it in the description of your eBay auction listings and you are excellent to go; your pictures should appear.
Using a photo sharing site is optional, but it is certainly something to look into. As an eBay seller, you want to profit as much as you can and this also involves eliminating unnecessary expenses. Ebay Selling Tips Site is another fantastic eBay selling tips resource.
Want to find out more about selling on eBay, then visit Todd Manter’s site on how to choose the best eBay selling tips program for your needs.
Living In | Civic Center: The Verdict: Change and Chinese Food
Civic Center has an antique feel, Chinese restaurants and all the post-9/11 security that comes with the federal courts.
CurbedWire: Beams on Wilshire, Free Wine at Habitat 15, Silver Lake Foot Sign Spins Again
MID-WILSHIRE: Remember the complaints about those two bald construction spots on Wilshire Blvd? Both Bob’s Huge Boy and Ehlers Cadillac were ruined to build a BMW dealership service center and showroom, respectively, but the two sites have sat empty, with small or no construction. There’s progress to report. The former Huge Bob’s spot is now sporting beams. And as of last weekend, huge puddles. [Curbed Staff]
LOS ANGELES: Habitat 15, Predock Frane Architects’ new project at 1322 Detroit just saw a price reduction, and now they’re all ready to party. There’s a food and cocktail reception from 4pm-7pm this Saturday, and we’re told all are welcome. [Curbed InBox]
SILVER LAKE: When you tuck the kids into bed tonight, you can tell them the excellent news: The foot sign is spinning once again. Eastsider LA has the video evidence. The well-known Sunset Boulevard sign broke down a few weeks ago. [Eastsider LA]
Curbed Outside: More From the W Hollywood: All About the Metro Station
The W Hollywood Hotel & Residences (which opened today in case you’re just catching up) was built as part of Metro’s Joint Development Program, which promotes transit-oriented development. Part of the project included a re-designed Hollywood Boulevard entrance to the Hollywood/Vine Metro station. The entrance sits directly in front of the W’s ground-floor patio lounge, which is called Station, but a metal gate prevents unfettered access from the street to the patio (you can see the gate on the right side in of the photos). This morning, there was a security post on the other side. This is still LA, so around the corner there’s a motorcourt off Argyle. Meanwhile, the Source weighs in on the redesign of the Metro stop: “The previous design, which paid homage to ancient Hollywood, has been replaced with a much more modern, and in my opinion, sexier design. Particularly striking is the new portal canopy which features yellow glass tiles of varying translucency that really makes a cool modern vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the redesign is functional, effectively making a fantastic public space with ample seating and plenty of access to transit information.”
· W Hollywood Tour, Part II: Checking Out the Hotel Rooms [Curbed LA]
Orange Line Extension: Orange Line Extension Saved by Measure R
Our broke-ass state has pulled $14.7 million in Proposition 1B bond funds set aside for the Orange Line busway extension from Warner Center to Chatsworth, reports The Daily News. The excellent news is that Metro unanimously voted yesterday to use Measure R money to continue construction of the project (a parking lot was the only thing built before funding was yanked) with the hope that the state will eventually pay the transit agency back. Now, construction can start in March and wrap by 2012—aside from connecting the Orange Line with an Amtrak and Metrolink station, the extension “will include four station stops at Sherman Way, Roscoe Boulevard, Nordhoff Street and Chatsworth, a new 207-space park-and-ride facility at the Sherman Way Station, landscaping and parallel bicycle and pedestrian paths.”
· Busway Extension Gets Boost from MTA [Daily News]
Office Space: Third Street Corner May Get This New Office Building
The crowds at Wednesday night’s Mid City West Neighborhood Council subcommittee meeting may have booed Casden’s Ross project, but a new three-tale commercial building for 8055 Third Street (seen above) got a better reception. Designed by the ubiquitous Santa Monica architecture firm Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, the building, which would have a subterranean parking garage, would go up on the northwest corner of West 3rd Street and Laurel Avenue, site of Baskin-Robbins and Lancer Automotive (both of which would be demo’ed), according to Blackburn + Sweetzer, which also has been following the project. Meanwhile, after the presentation, one young man questioned the committee if there was any kind of architectural review board for the neighborhood council. He was told “no,” but was strongly encouraged by the committee to form such a group (even if it was just him).
· Real Estates—Proposed Three-Tale Commercial Project at 8055 West 3rd Street [B and S]
California Getting Really Good at Preservation: The State Historical Resources Commission will…
The State Historical Resources Commission will choose today if California can register the items left on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts as State Historical Resources. Via the Age: “To compensate for the weight of moon rocks and soil samples, the astronauts gave the heave-ho to more than 100 items, making a veritable garage sale of high technology and low debris: space boots and portable life support systems; the arm rests from their cockpit seats; a hammer, scoops, cameras and containers; tethers and antennas; empty food bags and bags filled with human waste. Low-impact campers they were not.” [The Age]