Any time you embark on a home improvement project, you should think about property value. Truthfully, some renovations are heavily influenced by trends while others can actually increase the resale value in the long term. What makes the difference? How do you know which upgrades are worth implementing and which aren’t? Here are a few tips to keep in mind. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Property
Added Value: How a House Renovation Can Significantly Raise the Value of Your Property
The road to selling your home can take some time, especially if you have a lot of work to do. Home renovations, such as painting, remodeling, landscaping, and adding new fixtures, can increase property value in no time. However, when you are looking to do renovations to sell a home, you do not want to spend too much money or time to get it done. Knowing where to start is the hardest hurdle to jump at this time. Continue reading
Renting or buying properties in Malta? What is your greatest investment option?
The Maltese island has grown over the past decade – bringing opportunities, businesses and foreigners from all over the world. Due to this growth, the development of new buildings has risen in order to keep up with the demand of large influx of people.
This article with discuss the development in Malta, the pros and cons of buying a property as well as the pros and cons of renting a property on the island. Continue reading
Home buying: how to sharpen your negotiation skills and save money
Are your negotiation skills really as good as you think they are?
So, while you may think you’ve got the skills to negotiate the best deal when buying a new home, you don’t want to leave it to chance. After all, this is no small ticket item; you’re going to be negotiating a deal on a property worth a few hundred thousand dollars or more.
According to a recent survey, Continue reading
Buying/Renovating Old and Listed Buildings
A step-by-step guide to help you buy or renovate old listed buildings.
Living in an old abode is a dream come true for some. After all, nothing beats the feeling of being a part of something that is historic. These buildings are the nation’s pride — something that needs to be treasured and protected and here’s where the definition of old and listed buildings comes in. Continue reading
Do really renting property is burning money?
When it comes to property occupancy there are only two options; renting and buying. Renting entails paying a pre-determined premium to the owner of the house on a regular basis. Buying property, on the other hand, involves paying for the property and acquiring full ownership of the property in question. There are two ways to go about this. If you are rich,then you can pay for the property in a one off payment. The other option would be to take a loan to buy the property and pay the loan in installments. When these two options of occupancy are compared from a financial point of view, buying property is better than renting. Let’s now take a look at why that is the case. Continue reading
How to Save Time and Money Dealing with Landlord Disputes
Today, one of the biggest drains on our monthly paycheques is that of rent. Putting a roof over our heads is of vital importance and this is reflected in the money we spend on it. However, additional costs as a result of a bad landlord or loss of money altogether on top of rent can be a big blow to money saving efforts.
Can adding “green” to your infrastructure increase your property’s value?
When you invest in real estate, you are sure that your property will always be appreciating in value. When you make a house in the piece of land, you are sure that when you plan to sell the place, the price will be welcoming due to the development you have set in place. However, there are things that you can in the form of renovation and value to your property while there are things that will go unnoticed. Here are some greens that will add value to your property. Continue reading
Tips to Increase Your Property Value by Building House Extensions
It’s a dream of every property investor to see an increase in the value of his or her property. Ideally, land rates rise with time and for your property to increase its value it may take several years taking other factors into consideration. In addition to adding space to your home, house extension is one of the ideal methods of increasing the value of your home for future sale. In fact, according to Guardian, house extension can add up to 20% the total value of your property. If you are planning to extend your house, here are 5 suggestions:
1. Conservatory
Having a conservatory in your home could be one of the ways to improve lighting and add more sunshine to your home. With a conservatory, you will be able to experience what is happening outside in the comfort of your home.
One advantage of adding a conservatory in your home is its exemption from development approval. Hence, you need less paperwork and money to fully add a conservatory in your home. It is therefore affordable to most homeowners.
2. Loft conversion
You can also be able to convert your loft to get extra space in case you need an extra bedroom, a second living room or even a games room. In a loft, you will use less money and labor because all you need to do is internal conversion.
Additionally, you won’t need any development approval from relevant authorities making the whole loft conversion process faster. Since the conversion process can be somehow complicated, you can hire a reputable professional company to do the work.
3. Granny Flat
As a home owner, you can add a granny flat to have an extra source of income. To make this extension a success, you need to have a large area of land adjacent to your house enough for the granny flat, materials necessary and labor. If you won’t do it yourself, you will have to hire a professional and hence you should allocate the project a budget.
Prior to starting the project, you should inquire from a professional or a friend who has done the extension about the materials needed, total area needed and maybe approximate labor costs. This information will help you draft an approximate budget that will help you determine whether you can go ahead. After completion, the granny flat can be rented out weekly, monthly or yearly basis and hence it’s a source of income.
4. Add the second floor
Although this house extension could be costly, it could be one of the ways to add value to your house. With a second floor, you will be having more space and if it’s excess you can easily rent some rooms to get income.
However, if you are to add a second floor, you need to have a planner, have a budget and inquire permission from relevant authorities in your area because the soil in your area may not permit storied buildings. Also, you will have to cope with other inconveniences such as lack of a roof for a period of time.
5. Extend outwards
If you are planning to add an extra space in your home, you can extend outwards rather than upwards because it’s cheaper. Ideally, if you extend outwards, you can add a room or several while still utilizing the land space available maximally.
However, if you intend to extend outwards, you need to consider the topography of your land because it could be a determining factor. To have a stable and secure building, a flat piece of land is preferred to evenly support the added weight.
House extensions are a great way to add value to your home and sell your home fast but you should take your time before you embark on any project. The total cost of an extension may vary depending with your location, the type of materials you use, the company you hire to do your extension, the type of extension you are planning to do etc. Therefore, you should not haste to start a house extension project without carefully doing your homework.
Depreciation Basics Every Property Investor Should Keep In Mind
The concept of depreciation is simple: You bought a huge sofa for your home business. The minute you sit on it, the piece of furniture loses some of its worth. The passage of time causes the sofa to wear and tear, and each year that you own and use it, it costs less that it actually was. Measuring the reduction in worth of an asset is known as depreciation.
Depreciation is an accounting method of spreading the recorded cost of a physical or tangible asset over its useful life. It is something you use to write down the value of long-term assets that you acquire for business or investment purposes.
Why is it important to you as a property investor? Depreciation is one way of obtaining tax benefits. By depreciating assets, you can generate tax deductions and put off tax payments to a later time.