Aug
05
Commercial Real Estate Definitions – From O to Z
Posted By: Ramon Rivas on August 5, 2010 at 8:34 pmCommercial real estate is distinctly different from residential real estate. The terminology is very different and here is a list of new terms from O to Z.
Commercial Terms
Partition Wall: A wall built in the internal area of a suite to divide the general space. For instance, offices built during a tenant improvement project with have partition walls separating them.
Punch List: A punch list runs part and parcel with a walk through of completed construction work. The construction company and client will walk through the area and complete a punch list of items that need to be fixed or modified. .
Shell Space: The interior of a commercial building that has been completed, but does not yet have any tenant build outs. The shell space generally refers to this gross square footage regardless of whether tenant improvements have occurred or not.
Substantial Completion: Notice given by a contractor to the client indicating the property has been completed to the point where a walk through and punch list review are appropriate.
Unlike residential real estate, commercial real estate is primarily considered a business transaction. Learn the terms and you’re well on your way to moving smoothly through the process.
Aug
05Commercial Real Estate Definitions – From A to N
Posted By: Ramon Rivas on August 5, 2010 at 8:27 amCommercial real estate is distinctly different from residential real estate. The terminology is very different and here is a list of new terms from A to M.
Commercial Terms
Build to Suit: A customized design and build approach for a single tenant space usually resulting in a single occupant building which is then leased or sold to the tenant.
Certificate of Occupancy: Issued by a city building department and is a necessary requirement prior to moving into the space.
Common Area Maintenance: Typically an annual charge assessed to tenants based on their percentage of occupancy to pay for maintenance of parking lots, bathrooms and open areas.
Demising Wall: A wall between two separate suites in a building with multiple tenants. In many states, the demising wall must meet specific fire safety standards.
Flex Space: A building providing mixed-use space such as an area combining an office and warehouse.
Gross Square Feet: Usually refers to gross footage of a building. GSF is typically arrived at by calculating the footage from the outside of exterior walls multiplied by the vertical footage.
HVAC: Refers to the climate control systems for a building including heating and air conditioning.
Mechanic’s Lien: A legal claim typically filed by a subcontractor to obtain payment for services rendered. The claim arises under state law and is dependent on each states particular law.
Unlike residential real estate, commercial real estate is primarily considered a business transaction. Learn the terms and you’re well on your way to moving smoothly through the process.
Due to the upcoming expansion of the state of Oklahoma, neighborhoods around the city of Tulsa had forecast the rise of their homes’ value.
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, houses are expected to rise in value due to the efforts of the mayor to improve its neighborhoods and convert vacant homes into much more saleable empty lots.
The exterior of the house also affects its asking price. In Alabama, where people take pride in their southern heritage, lawns are kept well-manicured and the houses are well-maintained. Prices are expected to steadily grow.
In Texas, builders still show their confidence in the market through the steady inventory of new homes, especially in Edinburg where land is quite inexpensive. However, prices are expected to be more or less the same due to the prevalence of low-paying jobs in the area.
Real estate agents in Florida are expressing confidence over the strength of the local economy and are expecting market stability as result of low interest rates.
In Nevada, however, prices are expected to drop due to rising inventory, with exception of houses near amenities like golf and spa.
California real estate is expected to maintain its tight inventory as population continues to grow.
The recent slump in house prices, however, have affected several states in the country. Due to several layoffs especially in the manufacturing industry, houses in the Midwest area are lowered in value and homes with price tags of more than a million may be discounted just to get it off the market.
If you are looking for value in your real estate investment, it might pay to determine first which localities are considered most ideal. According to a survey done by CNN, the town of Fort Collins in Colorado is chosen as the best town to live in, followed by Naperville, Illinois and Sugar Land, Texas where diverse communities abound. http://www.States-RealEstate.com provides essential resources for buyers, sellers, home owners, real estate professionals, real estate investors, or any one seeking to connect with the world of real estate.
July 23rd, 2010
Hello and Welcome to Xima’s Webinar Training Archive for July 23rd 2010. Here are some of the questions our subscribers asked in today’s training. Please watch the video to see the answer to all these questions and more:
- Q: Can I search for a specific type of commercial property such as Hotels?
- Q: When will you start charging for Commercial aspect of Xima? How much more is Xima Commercial?
- Q: Need help creating template in your Commercial of Pre-Foreclosure, non-listed persons first lis lendens.
- Q: Can we just input a City in Commercial search and get all commercial pre-foreclosure?
- Q: Should I look in Mortgages for Pre-Foreclosure Commercial Properties? Please go over how to use the area paragon identification tabs. I need to segregate an area for commercial and work that area for pre-foreclosure commercial properties. I will need to create a template that shows name, address of owner of those commercial properties
- Q: Is there a way to search a property’s prior mls listing (going back a year or two) in instances where the property is not currently active, and so does not show up in the listing’s search?
- Q: What is the difference between doing a search in the Foreclosure section with the filter “for sale” activated, versus performing the same search in the Listings section?
- Q: Is there a way to search on houses with code violations or other key deficiencies?
- Q: Can you just do a few general examples of residential real estate searches, for example, REOs in a specific map area and then the rented comps in the same area. And just to confirm, Xima can’t tell if the property is already listed by a Realtor, right?
- Q: Please explain how to export results data to an excel spreadsheet.
- Q: how do I download the searched results in the commercial area?
- Q: You may have answered this already but why do properties only come up under certain sections/tabs and not throughout?
- Q: Does Xima compute sales from out the MLS, such as Owner to buyer transactions that do not sell thru the MLS?
Apr
29Mortgage Advice for Residential Real Estate
Posted By: Ramon Rivas on April 29, 2010 at 1:30 amWhen it comes to owning property many people around the world will tell you that this is a lifelong dream. While once an opportunity that seemed to be reserved for either the wealthiest or the most miserly among the general population home ownership is now something that is accessible to a larger segment of the population than ever before.
This is good news for many but for some can lead to confusing encounters with mortgage brokers and serious sharks along the way. The best advice that anyone can give someone attempting to embrace the dream of real estate ownership is to deal with a reputable company when it comes to obtaining a mortgage. Even when dealing with reputable lending companies you must watch out for those who do not have your best interest at heart.
If you would like some very practical advice when it comes to getting a mortgage, then you are at the right place. First of all, avoid lenders that are encouraging you to take a loan for more money than you are comfortable repaying. Foreclosures are at a record high when it comes to the mortgage industry at the moment because of predatory lending practice on behalf of some mortgage brokers. These practices include convincing people to borrow more money than they could realistically hope to pay over time and have any quality of life as well as convincing homebuyers to take out adjustable rate mortgages in the beginning in order to procure lower rates.
Shop around before you decide to buy when it comes to mortgages. This doesn’t mean to actually apply for mortgages all over town but do the research and compare rates before applying with any one company. Talk to several different brokers and find out what they have to offer you that the other company down the road cannot or will not offer. Keep in mind that mortgage companies will offer everything under the sun from free toasters to free vacations in order to get you to go with their company. The proof is in the terms however. It is simply not worth that free toaster if you are going to end up paying a 6.9% interest rate instead of a 5.9% rate. You will have paid for that toaster many times over in the process of paying the mortgage.
Even after you’ve applied for a mortgage, if the deal seems to be going south check out your other options. There are all kinds of problems that crop up along the way. You are not marrying the mortgage broker. Nine times out of ten you aren’t even making any sort of commitment at all to your mortgage broker. You will however be living in the house you select. If there is a problem with the mortgage company for the specific home you want do not hesitate to change in order to get the home you desire for your family rather than allowing the mortgage company to dictate what kind of home you can buy.
I mention this because we had a very similar problem when we purchased our turn of the century home. The mortgage company didn’t think the home was worth the risk because of its age. We saw the beauty and the potential in our home that is coming along quite nicely and managed to be approved and financed in short order with another mortgage company. If this was the case in our situation, chances are that it will work for others as well.
In all honesty, it is nearly impossible to buy a home in this day and age without taking out a mortgage. It is best however if you see the process as a learning experience rather than an abject lesson in intimidation. This is your home and your money that will be spent in order to purchase the home. You are asking them for a loan but quite frankly, they need your business. Do not hesitate to shop around for the best deal with a mortgage just as you did when finding your home.
