Even more new content with a discussion of last nights House Hunter International covering a move from NYC to Singapore.
I found that the real estate was a side bar in the eposide. It covered to 2 brothers moving to Singapore to establish a new business. The older brother who was paying for everything was moving from NYC. While the younger brother was taking a year off from school in Australia to help out with the project.
So there where looking for a place that could both double as an office/workspace and a home to live in and needed to be downtown. The new business was an attempt to merge a Shopping and a Social Networking website together, which I ended up finding that I was more interested in learning more about than the actual real estate rentals these buyer where looking at.
Thursday, 22 December 2011
House Hunters - Tybee Island
House Hunters really kicked it up a notch when they went to Tybee Island in Georgia. The Island community looked like an amazing vacation area, the video of the area had an old style 1800's feel to me.
The home buyers in this show were an older couple looking to buy a vacation home for themselves and their family. Plus wanting the option to rent it out when they were not using it.
They had the standard 3 home options:
1. 549k for a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom, & 3000 foot home.
2. 515k for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, & 2400 foot home.
3. 525k for a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, & 1700 foot home.
The most interesting thing I saw was something called a ship ladder stair well in home number 3.
However at the end of the day the couple purchased home number 2 since it seemed the best combination of everything they were looking for.
The home buyers in this show were an older couple looking to buy a vacation home for themselves and their family. Plus wanting the option to rent it out when they were not using it.
They had the standard 3 home options:
1. 549k for a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom, & 3000 foot home.
2. 515k for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, & 2400 foot home.
3. 525k for a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, & 1700 foot home.
The most interesting thing I saw was something called a ship ladder stair well in home number 3.
However at the end of the day the couple purchased home number 2 since it seemed the best combination of everything they were looking for.
My First Place in Texas
In this edition of My First Place we follow as young girl who is moving from San Fran to Austin Texas for work.
It seems that for this home buyer the number 1 most important thing is that the house has a pool. However, strange as it sounds it seems that pools are not very common in Austin Texas.
Well after 3 homes she ends up buying a new home that she can put a pool in herself.
It seems that for this home buyer the number 1 most important thing is that the house has a pool. However, strange as it sounds it seems that pools are not very common in Austin Texas.
Well after 3 homes she ends up buying a new home that she can put a pool in herself.
My First Sale - Alexandra Virginia
Another eposide of My First Sale this one was in Alexandra Virginia. Of course everything I start watching this show now I'm expecting to share the pain of the home owner as they fail to sell there home.
In this case the home owner was selling an apartment condo with 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, plus it had an extra loft and 1 parking spot.
The home owner had purchased the condominium several years before for 220,000 and still owned 197,000 on it. In addition she had put about 12,000 in upgrades into the unite including some nice hardwood.
What made this sale interesting is that the home seller was looking to take the profits from there home sale and invest it in a new business with her sister. The spin on this was that the new business was in fact a non profit agency.
The home owner initially wanted to list her condo for $350,000 but her REALTOR® got the listing price down to $325,000 and even then that seemed too high for the market in my opinion.
Well after 60 days on the market and only 5 showing they had there first open house followed by a price reduction to $319,900 (The REALTOR® wanted a 10k reduction).
The price reduction seemed to get more buyers into the unit and an offer came in at $300,000 less 8,000 in closing costs. The counter was $319,000 and 5,000 in closing. The buyers countered back at 310,000 less 8k. Personally I think that this was a decent price to jump at. However the home seller declined this offer and decided to wait.
After all of this the wild card comes into play and as we learn that the new non profit business was able to obtain a large money grant from the government. Thus there was no longer any need to sell the condominium so it was pulled off the market!
In this case the home owner was selling an apartment condo with 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, plus it had an extra loft and 1 parking spot.
The home owner had purchased the condominium several years before for 220,000 and still owned 197,000 on it. In addition she had put about 12,000 in upgrades into the unite including some nice hardwood.
What made this sale interesting is that the home seller was looking to take the profits from there home sale and invest it in a new business with her sister. The spin on this was that the new business was in fact a non profit agency.
The home owner initially wanted to list her condo for $350,000 but her REALTOR® got the listing price down to $325,000 and even then that seemed too high for the market in my opinion.
Well after 60 days on the market and only 5 showing they had there first open house followed by a price reduction to $319,900 (The REALTOR® wanted a 10k reduction).
The price reduction seemed to get more buyers into the unit and an offer came in at $300,000 less 8,000 in closing costs. The counter was $319,000 and 5,000 in closing. The buyers countered back at 310,000 less 8k. Personally I think that this was a decent price to jump at. However the home seller declined this offer and decided to wait.
After all of this the wild card comes into play and as we learn that the new non profit business was able to obtain a large money grant from the government. Thus there was no longer any need to sell the condominium so it was pulled off the market!
Professional Grade - Master Bathroom
So the first show of Professional Grade I watch covered a reno in a master bathroom. I'm not certain what city this fix took place in but it doesn't seem to matter when the show isn't about buying or selling a home.
In any event the master bathroom reno involved getting a new vanity, toilet, floor ties, tub upgrade and of course some significant painting.
Well the contractors estimate on this job came in at $5,800 true cost was $4,100. The home owners win $1,700!
In any event the master bathroom reno involved getting a new vanity, toilet, floor ties, tub upgrade and of course some significant painting.
Well the contractors estimate on this job came in at $5,800 true cost was $4,100. The home owners win $1,700!
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Fear Factor is Back
I know it's not a real estate show and it's a little outside the scope of this blog. But Fear Factor is Back!
This was a great show back in it's day, I know it's been missed. Hopefully it will be successful in it's come back and last a long time.
This was a great show back in it's day, I know it's been missed. Hopefully it will be successful in it's come back and last a long time.
Professional Grade - New Show
I have discovered a new Real Estate show on HGTV called Professional Grade. If you have never seen the show before it's fairly interesting and is more of a renovation show then a moving show.
I suspect that due do the down turn in the real estate market home reno shows are probably going to be a lot more successful these days. Not to many homing flipping shows around now.
The idea behind Professional Grade is that each show home owners declare a home renovation project to the show's host and a local contractor. We then watch the home owners work on there project, sometimes getting in over their head and needing to hire out parts of the work.
At the end of the show the host and the contractor return and write up a quote of what they would have charged to do the job. The home owners then anounce what there trust cost of the reno was and they win the difference between their cost and the quote. Assuming that the quote was higher than the actual cost, which it always has been so far.
I suspect that due do the down turn in the real estate market home reno shows are probably going to be a lot more successful these days. Not to many homing flipping shows around now.
The idea behind Professional Grade is that each show home owners declare a home renovation project to the show's host and a local contractor. We then watch the home owners work on there project, sometimes getting in over their head and needing to hire out parts of the work.
At the end of the show the host and the contractor return and write up a quote of what they would have charged to do the job. The home owners then anounce what there trust cost of the reno was and they win the difference between their cost and the quote. Assuming that the quote was higher than the actual cost, which it always has been so far.
It's been awhile for Real Estate TV
Well it has been sometime since I last blogged about Real Estate TV Video. It's not that I have not thought about posting some new content in awhile it's more that my TV viewing habits changed a bit.
You see I started watching a lot of the Fall prime time season and between Dexter, The Amazing Race and a host of other hot new tv shows my time for watching real estate TV was used up.
However, most of those shows have ended in the last few weeks and I've started back to my old faithful real estate tv shows.
So the bottom line is that I'll have a lot of new content coming up soon!
You see I started watching a lot of the Fall prime time season and between Dexter, The Amazing Race and a host of other hot new tv shows my time for watching real estate TV was used up.
However, most of those shows have ended in the last few weeks and I've started back to my old faithful real estate tv shows.
So the bottom line is that I'll have a lot of new content coming up soon!
Monday, 31 October 2011
Sicily Real Estate Videos
The final Realty TV and Real Estate video I'm going to post in this series of blog posts is this one covering Sicily.
Once again this is another one to mix it up. It's another video designed to promote buying real estate in Sicily and not just a specific home!
Cleary the production values are up on this one and I'm tempted to take a trip and see what I can afford to purchase!
Once again this is another one to mix it up. It's another video designed to promote buying real estate in Sicily and not just a specific home!
Cleary the production values are up on this one and I'm tempted to take a trip and see what I can afford to purchase!
House for Sale in Colorado Video
Another Realty TV and a Current Home for Sale video I present Colorado:
Again this is a real estate video that I'm using to mix it up! However, it's a fresh new video just posted the other day. In this housing video we have a local Colorado REALTOR® discussing the housing market conditions in his area!
No houses to see in this video, just the real estate agent discussing what is going on. I think it would be of a lot more value for people who are looking to buy homes in that area over what was offered by reality TV.
Again this is a real estate video that I'm using to mix it up! However, it's a fresh new video just posted the other day. In this housing video we have a local Colorado REALTOR® discussing the housing market conditions in his area!
No houses to see in this video, just the real estate agent discussing what is going on. I think it would be of a lot more value for people who are looking to buy homes in that area over what was offered by reality TV.
Real Estate in DC Current Video
Another in my series of Real Estate Video based on Realty TV show I present a current DC video:
Now this one is a little different that others in the past as it's not promoting a current home for sale or a specific REALTOR. Rather I choose it because it was done to promote the lifestyle and value of living in the Dupont Circle area of DC.
The credits at the end of the video indicate that it had several sponsor that where involved in putting it together including the real estate brokerage Keller Williams. Which was suprising to me as I thought that this video needed a bit of audio editing done to it. Since the sound was missing for a wide part of this video and when it did randomly start it was just random background sounds!
Now this one is a little different that others in the past as it's not promoting a current home for sale or a specific REALTOR. Rather I choose it because it was done to promote the lifestyle and value of living in the Dupont Circle area of DC.
The credits at the end of the video indicate that it had several sponsor that where involved in putting it together including the real estate brokerage Keller Williams. Which was suprising to me as I thought that this video needed a bit of audio editing done to it. Since the sound was missing for a wide part of this video and when it did randomly start it was just random background sounds!
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
New Orleans Real Estate!
Another Real Estate video that I found, this one is from New Orleans which I covered in another blog poster awhile ago but have not profiled yet!
This house according the video is listed at only $59,900 so it looks like homes and real estate remain pretty cheap in New Orleans still. I wasn't a great fan of this video since it seemed a little too close in and I was never able to get a feel for the entire room! Or outside of the house for that matter.
However, in several of the close ups it looked like there were some stains from what could be water damage. Clearly this one is a big fixer upper. But hey at least this video had a bit of music for it!
This house according the video is listed at only $59,900 so it looks like homes and real estate remain pretty cheap in New Orleans still. I wasn't a great fan of this video since it seemed a little too close in and I was never able to get a feel for the entire room! Or outside of the house for that matter.
However, in several of the close ups it looked like there were some stains from what could be water damage. Clearly this one is a big fixer upper. But hey at least this video had a bit of music for it!
4 Mile Beach Real Estate
Another in my series of current real estate for sale video based upon some of the real estate tv shows I've profiled here is 4 Mile Beach down under in Australia!
Now this video is of an amazing looking home! However, I don't think that the video does it much justice lacking sound and that it is of a very limited number of pictures. In addition, I think that the REALTOR or who ever created it went a little crazy with the transition effects.
But it's the best I can do since dispite this video being older it's one of the newer ones available!
But it's the best I can do since dispite this video being older it's one of the newer ones available!
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
My First Sale - Moving to Colorado
Every time I see this show start I know that I'm going to be watching an American families pain and this show was no exception.
The show sets us up with a couple having 4 months to move to Colorado from DC for work and they need to sell their apartment condo. Now the apartment condo is 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and looks great and has a lot of upgrades. However, it's on the first floor facing a busy road, this setup worked great for the current owners due to their dog, but it's not going to work for a lot of buyers!
The other thing we learn is that the current owner purchased the home for $410,000 and surprisingly for an American only owes $299,000 on his mortgage.
Now the biggest problem for this seller is that he is starting off with competition in his building. One unit is $450,000 on the top floor and has 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. While the other is a 1 bedroom unit on the same floor and priced at $350,000 a rather large range.
This home seller goes to market at the $440,000 price point and the pain begins.
After having the house on the market for about 2 months the $450,000 condo drops to $425,000 forcing our home sellers to drop there price and then another similar unit comes on the market $25,000 below our new price!!!
My First Sale is like watching a train wreck in slow motion!
The show sets us up with a couple having 4 months to move to Colorado from DC for work and they need to sell their apartment condo. Now the apartment condo is 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and looks great and has a lot of upgrades. However, it's on the first floor facing a busy road, this setup worked great for the current owners due to their dog, but it's not going to work for a lot of buyers!
The other thing we learn is that the current owner purchased the home for $410,000 and surprisingly for an American only owes $299,000 on his mortgage.
Now the biggest problem for this seller is that he is starting off with competition in his building. One unit is $450,000 on the top floor and has 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. While the other is a 1 bedroom unit on the same floor and priced at $350,000 a rather large range.
This home seller goes to market at the $440,000 price point and the pain begins.
After having the house on the market for about 2 months the $450,000 condo drops to $425,000 forcing our home sellers to drop there price and then another similar unit comes on the market $25,000 below our new price!!!
My First Sale is like watching a train wreck in slow motion!
House Hunters in Sicily
Another House Hunters International on HGTV last night and this one took place in Sicily.
This show was the standard setup with a family of 5 (2 parents plus 3 kids) moved to the Sicily area of Italy from England. The family had a budget of approximately $500,000.
Well one of the homes was a half built home that was pitched as a great investment. And once you saw it you knew that this was the home that they would be purchasing given that is what happened that last few times we saw an unfinished home on House Hunters.
And in this case that is what they did, but unlike similar purchases there was no follow up 3 months later showing the home still in an unliveable condition.
However the best line of the night was from the daughter after being introduced to the construction site that her parents had just purchased: "I though you said you bought a house!"
This show was the standard setup with a family of 5 (2 parents plus 3 kids) moved to the Sicily area of Italy from England. The family had a budget of approximately $500,000.
Well one of the homes was a half built home that was pitched as a great investment. And once you saw it you knew that this was the home that they would be purchasing given that is what happened that last few times we saw an unfinished home on House Hunters.
And in this case that is what they did, but unlike similar purchases there was no follow up 3 months later showing the home still in an unliveable condition.
However the best line of the night was from the daughter after being introduced to the construction site that her parents had just purchased: "I though you said you bought a house!"
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Power Out - Lost the Best Real Estate TV
Well we had a power outage last night in my area, it ended up lasting for about 3 hours! So as a result I lost a night of some of the best Real Estate TV shows on HGTV last night. Which is too bad for this blog.
The good news was that it was kind of fun sitting in the candle light with nothing to watch so we where forced to talk and Tweet of course.
The good news was that it was kind of fun sitting in the candle light with nothing to watch so we where forced to talk and Tweet of course.
Friday, 14 October 2011
House Hunters Mississipi to Dubai
Another interesting show on HGTV of House Hunters International.
In this one we follow a newly wed couple where the husband has been transfered from Mississipi to Dubai in the UAE for his consulting jobs. The twist is that the wife is a nurse and also needs to find a job in Dubai.
As often in these foreign exotic locations, the house hunters are not legally allowed to buy property in Dubai so we follow them as they try to find something to rent. The requirements for this home search seems that it's required to be water front near a marina.
The first apartment we find is in a hi-res building 2 bedrooms and 1300 feet, the only problem is that it's too high up for when the grooms family comes to visit. The next property is a nice villa which is way to far out of town and the 3rd property is a similar apartment to the first one except that it's lower to the ground but as a result there is far to much street noise!
Can you guess which one these home buyers picked?
In this one we follow a newly wed couple where the husband has been transfered from Mississipi to Dubai in the UAE for his consulting jobs. The twist is that the wife is a nurse and also needs to find a job in Dubai.
As often in these foreign exotic locations, the house hunters are not legally allowed to buy property in Dubai so we follow them as they try to find something to rent. The requirements for this home search seems that it's required to be water front near a marina.
The first apartment we find is in a hi-res building 2 bedrooms and 1300 feet, the only problem is that it's too high up for when the grooms family comes to visit. The next property is a nice villa which is way to far out of town and the 3rd property is a similar apartment to the first one except that it's lower to the ground but as a result there is far to much street noise!
Can you guess which one these home buyers picked?
Thursday, 13 October 2011
House Hunters International - 4 mile beach
In the latest show of House Hunters Internation I watched it was about a Kiwi moving to 4 mile beach in Australia. For those of you that do not know a Kiwi is a person from New Zealand so this wasn't a really big move, probably similiar to a Canadian moving to the US.
In any event the home buyer was a single guy who had being living at home to save up enough money for his move and now could afford a $400,000 budget.
In the end he purchased a very nice beach house which was slightly out of town for the full asking price of $380,000. The place looked very nice at the beach with it's own swimming pool!
In any event the home buyer was a single guy who had being living at home to save up enough money for his move and now could afford a $400,000 budget.
In the end he purchased a very nice beach house which was slightly out of town for the full asking price of $380,000. The place looked very nice at the beach with it's own swimming pool!
House Hunters in Tampa Bay
In this House Hunters show we find a family looking for a home in Tampa Bay with a 500k budget.
Now $500k is a pretty good buget in my mind for buying a home, however we have seen it doesn't go to far in other parts to the world. Happily this Tampa Bay Florida which has depressed housing prices. As a result we were able to see several homes with multiple bedrooms that worked for this family.
In the end however, these home buyers purchased a 5 bedroom home with an amazing backyard pool. The house however had a major draw back in that it was a big time fixer upper. However their REALTOR seemed to come through when making the deal as they were able to get the house which was listed for $499,000 down to $435,000 so they could afford the repair costs!
Now $500k is a pretty good buget in my mind for buying a home, however we have seen it doesn't go to far in other parts to the world. Happily this Tampa Bay Florida which has depressed housing prices. As a result we were able to see several homes with multiple bedrooms that worked for this family.
In the end however, these home buyers purchased a 5 bedroom home with an amazing backyard pool. The house however had a major draw back in that it was a big time fixer upper. However their REALTOR seemed to come through when making the deal as they were able to get the house which was listed for $499,000 down to $435,000 so they could afford the repair costs!
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
My First Home Sale near Washington
Every time I watch My First Home Sale I end up feeling really sorry for the home owners and the state of the US economy. In this eposide we follow a mom and her son trying to sell their home so they can move a lot closer to the new high school she has enrolled her son in so he has a better chance at being successful as a football player.
Now she is selling a townhouse just outside of Washington DC so you wouldn't think that the local economy would be all that bad, but it seems the housing market certainly is. When we pick up the story the home owner has her condo listed at $250,000 on the MLS system and has rejected an offer $233,000 as far too low.
Well over the course of the show the $233,000 offer ends up being a pretty good one since we watch the home owner lower there price several times chasing the real estate market lower and lower over several months.
Overall very sad.
However the real estate tip to remember is that your first offer is usually your best offer and to not chase a falling market. In a falling real estate market you just need to accept that the prices are dropping and get out in front of it and move on.
Now she is selling a townhouse just outside of Washington DC so you wouldn't think that the local economy would be all that bad, but it seems the housing market certainly is. When we pick up the story the home owner has her condo listed at $250,000 on the MLS system and has rejected an offer $233,000 as far too low.
Well over the course of the show the $233,000 offer ends up being a pretty good one since we watch the home owner lower there price several times chasing the real estate market lower and lower over several months.
Overall very sad.
However the real estate tip to remember is that your first offer is usually your best offer and to not chase a falling market. In a falling real estate market you just need to accept that the prices are dropping and get out in front of it and move on.
My First Home in Texas
I watched this eposide of My First Home on the weekend and it was about a young couple with a $270,000 budget looking to buy their first home in Texas.
It seems that they had been looking for a home for a while but the wife was working out of town so it was a slow process for them. However, I want to say that the wife came off as spoiled (was she an only child?). She had to have the best of everything in her first home, the counter tops must be granite and the floor must be hard wood since tiles were so gross. I kind of felt sorry for her husband since all he wanted in a new home was a nice backyard.
In the end she did get what she wanted when they were lucky enough to find a home that had everything they were looking for that had just reduced it's price to the $270,000 range. Lucky for them, I think they would have been looking for a house for a long time other wise.
It seems that they had been looking for a home for a while but the wife was working out of town so it was a slow process for them. However, I want to say that the wife came off as spoiled (was she an only child?). She had to have the best of everything in her first home, the counter tops must be granite and the floor must be hard wood since tiles were so gross. I kind of felt sorry for her husband since all he wanted in a new home was a nice backyard.
In the end she did get what she wanted when they were lucky enough to find a home that had everything they were looking for that had just reduced it's price to the $270,000 range. Lucky for them, I think they would have been looking for a house for a long time other wise.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Holmes Inspection - Leaky House
I caught an eposide of Holmes Inspection late last night on HGTV it is always an amazing show to watch since it shows how poorly made some homes are.
In this show Mike was dealing with a 7 year old home that leaked. The problem was that the home owners had one heck of a time finding the source of the leaks since it wasn't coming in from the roof. Now the home owners had insurance and the insurance company was willing to pay to replace all the damage that occured from the water but it seems it wasn't there responsibility to get the original problem fixed and that is where Mike Holmes came in.
Mike quickly determined that that the bricks where not properly set and the flashing and sealing around the window sills was not properly sealed. So as a result water was getting into the bricks, freezing since the home was located in Toronto Canada and further damaging the bricks to allow more water into the house.
Of course this was just the first problem Mike found, other were improperly support stairs and not enough insulation to other improper seals that allows fumes from the garage to get into the house.
It was big dollars to fix theses problems thankfully for the home owners Holmes Inspection was on the job so the TV show would have picked up a lot of these costs.
In this show Mike was dealing with a 7 year old home that leaked. The problem was that the home owners had one heck of a time finding the source of the leaks since it wasn't coming in from the roof. Now the home owners had insurance and the insurance company was willing to pay to replace all the damage that occured from the water but it seems it wasn't there responsibility to get the original problem fixed and that is where Mike Holmes came in.
Mike quickly determined that that the bricks where not properly set and the flashing and sealing around the window sills was not properly sealed. So as a result water was getting into the bricks, freezing since the home was located in Toronto Canada and further damaging the bricks to allow more water into the house.
Of course this was just the first problem Mike found, other were improperly support stairs and not enough insulation to other improper seals that allows fumes from the garage to get into the house.
It was big dollars to fix theses problems thankfully for the home owners Holmes Inspection was on the job so the TV show would have picked up a lot of these costs.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Real Estate Investment Video
I'm going to post something that is related but a little different than my past real estate video posts. I'm now posting up a real estate investment video based upon my recent Income Property blog. However instead of it being related to a specific city it's the top YouTube Search results I found on the term "real estate investment for sale".
The result is significantly different than a search under "real estate investment" where the videos are all pitching the latest real estate investment program.
The result is significantly different than a search under "real estate investment" where the videos are all pitching the latest real estate investment program.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Real Hong Kong Real Estate
Another installment in my on going blogging about current real estate in cities that have been profiles in real estate reality TV. Here is Hong Kong real estate for Sale!
This one is actually discussing the enter asian and Hong Kong real estate market. Rather interesting. Especially since may of the homes are similar to those we would find here in North America, not what I expect when I think of buying a home or condo in the far east!
Income Property
Income Property is always an interesting show to watch. Since it's about normal people who wanted to become real estate investors but got in way over there head since they are not able to get there rental units done.
In this show we meet a couple that have purchased a triplex for $450,000 that haven't been able to rent out any of the units yet since they are all in poor condition. Thankfully for them "Income Property" shows up and bails them out a bit.
The show only reinnovates 1 unit for them, which ends up being the top floor penthouse since it's the one that will earn the most money. The real estate investors are smart enough to pick the most expensive reno that will bring them the most money at $17,500 with a projected rent of $1,200 / month.
After that the show becomes a standard reno show.
In this show we meet a couple that have purchased a triplex for $450,000 that haven't been able to rent out any of the units yet since they are all in poor condition. Thankfully for them "Income Property" shows up and bails them out a bit.
The show only reinnovates 1 unit for them, which ends up being the top floor penthouse since it's the one that will earn the most money. The real estate investors are smart enough to pick the most expensive reno that will bring them the most money at $17,500 with a projected rent of $1,200 / month.
After that the show becomes a standard reno show.
Country Living From New Orleans
Another House Hunters last night.
Started watching it late and I was unable to figure out where they were looking to buy a home. But the home buyers had a massive budget of $100,000 and appeared to have been moving away from New Orleans since he was a trumpeter and was playing some New Orleans Jazz!
Anyways the purchase a half built country home for $55,000 as the husband figured he could learn to build and complete the home himself. Well they went back to visit and the home wasn't as far along as they expected and they were still living in the Trailer!
The couple did seem happy with there purchase it just maybe awhile before they are able to move in. Reminded me of another show of House Hunters International last year when another family ended up in the same situation!
Started watching it late and I was unable to figure out where they were looking to buy a home. But the home buyers had a massive budget of $100,000 and appeared to have been moving away from New Orleans since he was a trumpeter and was playing some New Orleans Jazz!
Anyways the purchase a half built country home for $55,000 as the husband figured he could learn to build and complete the home himself. Well they went back to visit and the home wasn't as far along as they expected and they were still living in the Trailer!
The couple did seem happy with there purchase it just maybe awhile before they are able to move in. Reminded me of another show of House Hunters International last year when another family ended up in the same situation!
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Texas Real Estate for Sale
Keeping up with profiling some current real estate for sale in a town which has been covered on real estate tv. I present this Youtube real estate video:
No price listed on this property. The home looks empty from the main floor since there doesn't seem to be any funiture or blinds. Yet some of the bedrooms still have beds and looked lived in. I wonder if this video was created from pictures taken while the home was in the process of getting staged downstairs. Or the owner was yet to move out of the back yard.
In addition, I love how this one water front, yet the water front appears to be a man made drainage lake. But I guess that is how they do it in Texas real estate.
No price listed on this property. The home looks empty from the main floor since there doesn't seem to be any funiture or blinds. Yet some of the bedrooms still have beds and looked lived in. I wonder if this video was created from pictures taken while the home was in the process of getting staged downstairs. Or the owner was yet to move out of the back yard.
In addition, I love how this one water front, yet the water front appears to be a man made drainage lake. But I guess that is how they do it in Texas real estate.
House Hunters in Paradise
Another great House Hunters show on HGTV last night. I forget the name of the island but it sure looked a lot like paradise.
The couple was looking to spend $750,000 and for that they were getting some nice beach front property, but not a mansion by any means. If they wanted a mansion they would have needed to buy the 3rd option which was an inland mountain estate.
In any event the island looked amazing! Not certain what they are planning to do on the island since the couple seem very young and at the end of the show they were debating what the should read that day!
The couple was looking to spend $750,000 and for that they were getting some nice beach front property, but not a mansion by any means. If they wanted a mansion they would have needed to buy the 3rd option which was an inland mountain estate.
In any event the island looked amazing! Not certain what they are planning to do on the island since the couple seem very young and at the end of the show they were debating what the should read that day!
More House Hunters in Hong Kong
Well I watched another new show of House Hunters International and once again it was in Hong Kong. I assume that they sent a crew over and filmed several different house hunts at the same time. As I said in one of my earlier posts this could be due to the still terrible housing market in the US.
In this show the house hunters were also renters due to Hong Kong property ownership laws. This show was about a couple being transferred from Austrilia to Hong Kong and seemed to have a lower budget than the prior show only $30,000 a year in rent!
Once again it was a mix of apartment units being looked at until they found the right one.
In this show the house hunters were also renters due to Hong Kong property ownership laws. This show was about a couple being transferred from Austrilia to Hong Kong and seemed to have a lower budget than the prior show only $30,000 a year in rent!
Once again it was a mix of apartment units being looked at until they found the right one.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Housing Hunting in Hong Kong
Another new House Hunters interantion was on HGTV last night. This one had a family moving from Cleveland Ohio to Hong Kong.
Clearly a significant culture shock for the family who were selling what appeared to be a 5 bedroom family home with lots of land and ended up moving to an apartment unit where some of the kids needed to share a room!
Still no signs of the US based House Hunters.
Clearly a significant culture shock for the family who were selling what appeared to be a 5 bedroom family home with lots of land and ended up moving to an apartment unit where some of the kids needed to share a room!
Still no signs of the US based House Hunters.
Property Virgins - A 4th Home in Mississauga
Interest twist in this show of Property Virgins. As normal we saw a couple looking to buy a home in the Mississauga area of Toronto and they saw 3 homes in the $350,000 price range.
As expected they placed an offer on a nice house in a condomium complex at close to market value but it was significantly less than the asking price. Well the home owners countered at "their best price" and that is when the twist happened.
The REALTOR informed that home buyers that an even better home had come up for sale in the same condominium development for not much more than one this house they were offering on was asking. Well, then immediately went over and toured the 4th home and that was the one they purchased!
As expected they placed an offer on a nice house in a condomium complex at close to market value but it was significantly less than the asking price. Well the home owners countered at "their best price" and that is when the twist happened.
The REALTOR informed that home buyers that an even better home had come up for sale in the same condominium development for not much more than one this house they were offering on was asking. Well, then immediately went over and toured the 4th home and that was the one they purchased!
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Vacation Home in Costa Rica Youtube Video
Here is another real estate video on some current real estate being sold in Costa Rica.
This is a nice short 2 minute video on a cool place in Costa Rica. Looks like a place I would enjoy a nice vacation at. What I love about this video is that the REALTOR lists one of the features of the home as having: 2 wheel drive access. Not really a feature around here, but It's certainly something to consider when you go looking for vacation real estate in other parts of the world.
My First Sale in Texas
As I said in my prior post I watched My First Sale last night and I enjoyed watching this first show of the new season on HGTV.
In this eposide we had a man who had gone through a divorce trying to sell his home. It seems that it had purchased it for $205,000 some years ago and currently owed $200,000 on the mortgage. He certainly wasn't paying down the mortgage very aggressively was he.
In any event after about 60 days on the market it was able to sell the house for $215,000 but in the mean time the back told him that he now owed $209,000 on the house. So after factoring in all of his moving costs he was going to need to come up with $9,000 to sell his home.
Well the REALTOR in order to make this deal happen and because she felt really bad for her client told him that she was waving her fee and got the buyers agent to reduce the amount that they would be paid as well. This meant that he only needed to bring $1,000 to the closing.
So Good news for him.
Unfortantely, the deal fell apart on home inspection, from what we saw on the show it was a bunch of minor items that any home would have but the buyer decided to walk away.
At the end of the show we have the home owner moving out because the bank foreclosed!
In this eposide we had a man who had gone through a divorce trying to sell his home. It seems that it had purchased it for $205,000 some years ago and currently owed $200,000 on the mortgage. He certainly wasn't paying down the mortgage very aggressively was he.
In any event after about 60 days on the market it was able to sell the house for $215,000 but in the mean time the back told him that he now owed $209,000 on the house. So after factoring in all of his moving costs he was going to need to come up with $9,000 to sell his home.
Well the REALTOR in order to make this deal happen and because she felt really bad for her client told him that she was waving her fee and got the buyers agent to reduce the amount that they would be paid as well. This meant that he only needed to bring $1,000 to the closing.
So Good news for him.
Unfortantely, the deal fell apart on home inspection, from what we saw on the show it was a bunch of minor items that any home would have but the buyer decided to walk away.
At the end of the show we have the home owner moving out because the bank foreclosed!
My First Sale Back on HGTV
My First Sale is back on HGTV. Or if it's been on, it's the first time I've seen it on HGTV in sometime. I caught two shows last night with home owners trying to sell there home.
This show although is seems to be the reverse of a normal home buying show is in fact probably significantly more difficult to produce, since unlike looking at 3 homes and buying 1 in a weekend, My First Sale shows must take months to actually film. Especially in the slow US economy.
This show although is seems to be the reverse of a normal home buying show is in fact probably significantly more difficult to produce, since unlike looking at 3 homes and buying 1 in a weekend, My First Sale shows must take months to actually film. Especially in the slow US economy.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
House Hunters - Washington to China
House Hunters International on HGTV last night and it looked to be a show from the new season. In this show we had a family moving from Washington DC to China.
I don't remember which city in China that they where moving to other than to remember it wasn't one that I would normally be able to name.
In any event the choice of homes was really interesting in that we had 2 apartment Hi-Rise homes and 1 detached home. All were very new and very modern looking. Not something that I associate with China and real estate.
Anyways hopefully the rest of this season is as good as this show was.
http://freerealestateadvice.com/articles/blogging/30930-london-ontario-expert-kathy-mendham-meathrel-s-guide-to-buying-a-home-in-london-ontario-for-the-first-time-buyer.html
I don't remember which city in China that they where moving to other than to remember it wasn't one that I would normally be able to name.
In any event the choice of homes was really interesting in that we had 2 apartment Hi-Rise homes and 1 detached home. All were very new and very modern looking. Not something that I associate with China and real estate.
Anyways hopefully the rest of this season is as good as this show was.
http://freerealestateadvice.com/articles/blogging/30930-london-ontario-expert-kathy-mendham-meathrel-s-guide-to-buying-a-home-in-london-ontario-for-the-first-time-buyer.html
Still Bad US real estate market?
I've been watching a lot of new eposides of House Hunters International lately but there don't seem to be that many related to House Hunters itself lately. Then it hit me is this related to the US economy and bad real estate market?
I mean is the show having a hard time getting interesting home buying shows made in the US due to the real estate market hence needing to get their show content in the rest of the world?
http://freerealestateadvice.com/articles/home-buying-process/31221-tips-for-investing-in-rental-properties-in-the-london-ontario-area-by-investing-expert-kathy-mendham-meathrel.html
I mean is the show having a hard time getting interesting home buying shows made in the US due to the real estate market hence needing to get their show content in the rest of the world?
http://freerealestateadvice.com/articles/home-buying-process/31221-tips-for-investing-in-rental-properties-in-the-london-ontario-area-by-investing-expert-kathy-mendham-meathrel.html
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Vacation Home in Costa Rica
I think that I'm enjoying these shows about buying vacation homes in some sunny exotic country. The last show I watched was house hunters in Costa Rica.
The show was the same format as normal with 3 buying options. I would have been happy with any of the 3.
I think it's time for a vacation for me!
The show was the same format as normal with 3 buying options. I would have been happy with any of the 3.
I think it's time for a vacation for me!
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Buying A House Boat in Amsterdam
And now for something completely different. It was an eposide of house hunter but instead of having home buyers looking at 3 different homes we had a couple looking to buy a house boat in the canals of Amsterdam.
Buying a house boat seems to be one of few twists house hunters is working on this season, as I'm also aware that they are doing a show on RV buying.
In any event this show had a couple looking to buy a boat that was docked in the canals of Amsterdam for $750,000 or so. That price seem pretty damn expensive to me for a boat since I imagine that you could get a condo for a better price and not need to deal with the cold that would be part of living on a boat in the winter.
Anyways the boats all seemed to come with a specific docking location which added a lot to their value as well.So even with boats, real estate is all about location, location, location.
3 boats later the couple purchased the smallest and cheapest of the 3 boats as their home.
Buying a house boat seems to be one of few twists house hunters is working on this season, as I'm also aware that they are doing a show on RV buying.
In any event this show had a couple looking to buy a boat that was docked in the canals of Amsterdam for $750,000 or so. That price seem pretty damn expensive to me for a boat since I imagine that you could get a condo for a better price and not need to deal with the cold that would be part of living on a boat in the winter.
Anyways the boats all seemed to come with a specific docking location which added a lot to their value as well.So even with boats, real estate is all about location, location, location.
3 boats later the couple purchased the smallest and cheapest of the 3 boats as their home.
Holmes Inspection - New Season
I saw an commercial this week on HGTV for Holmes Inspection. It seems that a new season is starting shortly and it's going to be opening with a 2 part Holmes Inspection special.
The commercial made it look like this home seem extra bad will pulling open walls to show an infestation of insects hidden behind a wall.
This show is looking good. I can hardly wait for it to start.
The commercial made it look like this home seem extra bad will pulling open walls to show an infestation of insects hidden behind a wall.
This show is looking good. I can hardly wait for it to start.
A Million Dollars in Saint John
A show of House Hunters International followed a couple looking to spend 1 million dollars that they had saved up to buy a vacation home in Saint John.
Now if your like myself you've probably never heard of Saint John before but it's an island in the US Virgin Island chain very close to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, both of which are near Puerto Rico.
Well it seems this couple had been saving their money for a very long time and had come down for only 1 weekend to buy their dream vacation home. But as we found out when watching the show a million dollars does not go very far in Saint Johns.
The first house they saw was only a 2 bedroom home and the next 2 houses where 3 bedrooms! Now the homes were not that small, had a nice lot, 2 of the 3 had a pool and an excellent view of the ocean. But for 1 million I'd be expecting more.
In the end the couple purchased the 2 bedroom home with plans to renovate for a 3rd bedroom. Personally I'd take my million and see what it could buy me on another island.
http://www.londonhomesandrealestateforsale.com/
Now if your like myself you've probably never heard of Saint John before but it's an island in the US Virgin Island chain very close to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, both of which are near Puerto Rico.
Well it seems this couple had been saving their money for a very long time and had come down for only 1 weekend to buy their dream vacation home. But as we found out when watching the show a million dollars does not go very far in Saint Johns.
The first house they saw was only a 2 bedroom home and the next 2 houses where 3 bedrooms! Now the homes were not that small, had a nice lot, 2 of the 3 had a pool and an excellent view of the ocean. But for 1 million I'd be expecting more.
In the end the couple purchased the 2 bedroom home with plans to renovate for a 3rd bedroom. Personally I'd take my million and see what it could buy me on another island.
http://www.londonhomesandrealestateforsale.com/
Friday, 26 August 2011
Holmes Inspection - What More Can I Say?
I was watching another show fo Holmes Inspection on HGTV this morning. It was another really interesting show with Mike finding a lot of things wrong with a home as he rips it apart.
Now of course what my problem is, is that I really have nothing new to blog about this show about. I've really enjoyed it, but the format is the same and nothing really stood out to me with this house.
If you haven't watched Holmes Inspection well you should but I'm really running out of blog topics for it.
Now of course what my problem is, is that I really have nothing new to blog about this show about. I've really enjoyed it, but the format is the same and nothing really stood out to me with this house.
If you haven't watched Holmes Inspection well you should but I'm really running out of blog topics for it.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Rental Income A Video
Next in our theme of following up a review of real estate tv with a current real estate video is this rental income video that I found on Youtube.
In this one a Vancouver mortgage broker is discussing the income property and how to do it correctly to take advantage of a lot of government and bank programs out there. The important thing that she highlights is that you need to stop collecting rent in cash!
Income Property - Owning a house at zero cost.
A good show of Income Property was on this past week. A couple had a nice town house split into 2 sections which they were renting out furnished for short term rentals (seemed to be 4 to 6 month periods) for about $3,000 a month. What made this amazing was that there mortgage payment was only $2,100 a month. So they were living in a house for nothing an making $900 a month.
Now the reason they were on the show is that they were renting out the good part of there home and living in the rental area that needed a lot of work done. However, they were unable to complete a lot of the tasks so they show came in and fixed it up so that the could move back into the nice area of the house and rent out the new area for a nice profit again!
Now the reason they were on the show is that they were renting out the good part of there home and living in the rental area that needed a lot of work done. However, they were unable to complete a lot of the tasks so they show came in and fixed it up so that the could move back into the nice area of the house and rent out the new area for a nice profit again!
Friday, 12 August 2011
Holmes Inspection - Outside Brick
I found a Holmes Inspection on HGTV last night. It's the first time I've seen Mike Holmes on TV in awhile.
In any event this show followed the normal format. With home buyers being concerned about their home shortly after buying it and Mike rushing in to fix up the real estate in very short order.
What impressed me most about the show is that Mike shows up and without going inside this 5 year old 2 storey home he gets the home owners to come outside the house and shows them how they have all this sloppy brick work.
Now I'm impressed with this, poor brick work on the outside of a house is not something that I world normally be able to pick out. And if people had been able to pick this out then I doubt this house would have ever been able to be sold by the builder!
In any event this show followed the normal format. With home buyers being concerned about their home shortly after buying it and Mike rushing in to fix up the real estate in very short order.
What impressed me most about the show is that Mike shows up and without going inside this 5 year old 2 storey home he gets the home owners to come outside the house and shows them how they have all this sloppy brick work.
Now I'm impressed with this, poor brick work on the outside of a house is not something that I world normally be able to pick out. And if people had been able to pick this out then I doubt this house would have ever been able to be sold by the builder!
House Hunters NYC to Rome
I really enjoyed this one. It had a single woman moving from NYC to Rome.
The home buyer was in fact a renter for this show since the price of real estate in Rome seems to be super expensive. It seems her employer was kicking in $4,500 / month to cover the rent so it seems she was certainly looking to pay a real estate mortgage in other parts of the world.
However it seems that the home renter wanted to live in downtown Rome in the center of the action, which is something that I would probably do as well if it was me. So she was willing to kick in an extra $1,000 / month herself or a total of $5,500 a month in rent!
The problem ... the 3 places she was looking at where $6,500 or $7,500 / month!!!
In the end however she got a great place and was able to negiotate the rent down to $5,500 / month.
The home buyer was in fact a renter for this show since the price of real estate in Rome seems to be super expensive. It seems her employer was kicking in $4,500 / month to cover the rent so it seems she was certainly looking to pay a real estate mortgage in other parts of the world.
However it seems that the home renter wanted to live in downtown Rome in the center of the action, which is something that I would probably do as well if it was me. So she was willing to kick in an extra $1,000 / month herself or a total of $5,500 a month in rent!
The problem ... the 3 places she was looking at where $6,500 or $7,500 / month!!!
In the end however she got a great place and was able to negiotate the rent down to $5,500 / month.
House Hunters - Australia to India
Another House Hunters International this week and watched a couple moving from Australia to India. Standard format for the show with them looking at 3 apartments.
My thoughts on this show was I am glad "it's not me making the move". I didn't like the idea of living in any of the homes that the show profiled.
I'd be moving back to Australia if it was me.
My thoughts on this show was I am glad "it's not me making the move". I didn't like the idea of living in any of the homes that the show profiled.
I'd be moving back to Australia if it was me.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
House Hunters International in Croatia
Another interesting show of House Hunters International was on last week. It was about a couple that was looking to buy a vacation home in the seaside town of Dubrovnik. What made this interesting is that the home buyers lived in a 2 bedroom condo in Britain and ran a vacation rental business for Croatia.
The home buying couple seemed to be very experienced in finding high end vacation rental homes, however buying a vacation home in a more reasonable price range seemed to be a bit out of their experience range. You could tell this as they seem really disappointed with the homes that they were able to afford.
However like most real estate it ended up that this couple compromised and was able to find a modern updated home that they liked but it was in the country and not sea side.
All in all and interesting show and it makes me add Croatia to my list of places that I would like to visit.
http://realtyexecutives.com/agent/youpage.php?a=02743_018_01_00039&s=F
The home buying couple seemed to be very experienced in finding high end vacation rental homes, however buying a vacation home in a more reasonable price range seemed to be a bit out of their experience range. You could tell this as they seem really disappointed with the homes that they were able to afford.
However like most real estate it ended up that this couple compromised and was able to find a modern updated home that they liked but it was in the country and not sea side.
All in all and interesting show and it makes me add Croatia to my list of places that I would like to visit.
http://realtyexecutives.com/agent/youpage.php?a=02743_018_01_00039&s=F
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Brampton Real Estate Video
Continuing along my theme of profiling a current real estate video from a town that has been profiled in a real estate show I've blogged about. Here is one from Brampton Canada.
Real Estate videos for Brampton Canada ended up being a lot harder to find a good one since there did not seem to be that may that are current at all. I ended up with this one since it's only a month old and the production quality seemed pretty good and I though the home looked top notch. Not sure if it's still available I expect that it would have sold.
http://www.realtyexecutiveselite.ca/agent.cfm?agent=72663
Real Estate videos for Brampton Canada ended up being a lot harder to find a good one since there did not seem to be that may that are current at all. I ended up with this one since it's only a month old and the production quality seemed pretty good and I though the home looked top notch. Not sure if it's still available I expect that it would have sold.
http://www.realtyexecutiveselite.ca/agent.cfm?agent=72663
Thursday, 4 August 2011
House Hunters in California & Australia
House Hunters was on last night both the regular and international version. In the International version the home buyers where moving from Canada to Australia and there $400,000 budget wasn't getting them the home the size that they wanted. However, I missed the end of it so I didn't see which one they ended up with.
The other show was a about a couple buying a home in Northern California and had a budget around $450,000. They saw 2 homes worth around $480,000 after renovation that had around 1500 feet and 3 bedroom and then the moved to another area and found a house worth $430,000 with 4 bedrooms and 2100 feet.
No brainer which one they picked. Clearly some areas of the US are coming back with a home price.
http://www.realtyexecutiveselite.ca/agent.cfm?agent=72663
The other show was a about a couple buying a home in Northern California and had a budget around $450,000. They saw 2 homes worth around $480,000 after renovation that had around 1500 feet and 3 bedroom and then the moved to another area and found a house worth $430,000 with 4 bedrooms and 2100 feet.
No brainer which one they picked. Clearly some areas of the US are coming back with a home price.
http://www.realtyexecutiveselite.ca/agent.cfm?agent=72663
Alaska Real Estate Video
Since it has been so hot out lately I've decided that my next installment of a real estate video to be from Alaska. Hopefully the cold thoughts of Alaska will cool you down and not make you realize just how hot it is outside.
Check out this Alaska home without any snow. It's listed at $1.4 million and should keep you nice and warm in the winter. I really like how the REALTOR includes a QR code at the end of the video, I wasn't able to get it to work with my smart phone, let me know if you are able to!
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Property Virgins - In Brampton
Watched an eposide of Property Virgins last night which took place in Brampton which is one of the small city's that are around Toronto Canada.
In this show we had a Mom looking to buy a small home for her & her young daughter. The home buyer looked at a townhouse which she ruled out right away as too cramped then looked at a semi-detached home and a fully detached home which was about $80,000 more than the semi.
In the end she picked the semi-detached which she got for around $270,000 it had 3 bedrooms but only 1 bathroom. I think that she will be wishing she had a 2nd bathroom in that home before long!
In this show we had a Mom looking to buy a small home for her & her young daughter. The home buyer looked at a townhouse which she ruled out right away as too cramped then looked at a semi-detached home and a fully detached home which was about $80,000 more than the semi.
In the end she picked the semi-detached which she got for around $270,000 it had 3 bedrooms but only 1 bathroom. I think that she will be wishing she had a 2nd bathroom in that home before long!
Monday, 25 July 2011
House Hunters from Alaska to Hawaii
A good house hunters was on yesterday. It had a family looking to buy a vacation home in Hawaii moving from the other not continental US state of Alaska. What I learned in this one is that real estate and homes in Hawaii are expensive!
The first home they looked at was $400,000 and this was for a 2 bedroom condo with $800 / month condo fees! Anyways the family needed to double up their budget to $850,000 to look at the next home which they really seemed to love. Wow Hawaii, I think is a great place to visit but not one that I'm going be be buying any real estate in anytime soon.
The first home they looked at was $400,000 and this was for a 2 bedroom condo with $800 / month condo fees! Anyways the family needed to double up their budget to $850,000 to look at the next home which they really seemed to love. Wow Hawaii, I think is a great place to visit but not one that I'm going be be buying any real estate in anytime soon.
Deck Wars - Really?
So I watched a show of Deck Wars earlier this week and was not that impressed, but I wanted to give myself some time to think about it before I blogged. But here I am several days later and my impression really hasn't change it is still "Really what's the point?".
I wasn't impressed with this show at all. It's is a spin off of "Decked Out" which is a show I liked by this one just felt to bland. I can see how "Deck Wars" is trying to become a "Cake Off" like show in relation to Cake Boss but this one just felt pointless.
Maybe somebody else can enlighten me.
I wasn't impressed with this show at all. It's is a spin off of "Decked Out" which is a show I liked by this one just felt to bland. I can see how "Deck Wars" is trying to become a "Cake Off" like show in relation to Cake Boss but this one just felt pointless.
Maybe somebody else can enlighten me.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Selling New York - Back Again
It's been a few weeks since I watched or blogged about Selling New York and I must say that I found this show a lot more interesting. It may be that my expectations have been lowered or that the show is growing on me. In either case I enjoyed last nights show.
What was most interesting about it was the the REALTOR when home shopping for a client that was moving to NY from Los Angeles. The real estate agent found the perfect home for the buyers to rent ... good sized with a nice back yard .... so the client told the realtor to get it for them ... sight unseen ... now that is a lot of trust.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
What was most interesting about it was the the REALTOR when home shopping for a client that was moving to NY from Los Angeles. The real estate agent found the perfect home for the buyers to rent ... good sized with a nice back yard .... so the client told the realtor to get it for them ... sight unseen ... now that is a lot of trust.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Foreclosed Arizona Real Estate For Cheap!
I watched a real estate show this past weekend in Arizona which I haven't blogged about because it's all become a big blur at this point. However, I wanted to profile this video of a foreclosed home in Arizona, which is one of the hardest hit real estate markets. The home below is listed for only $65,000! Which would be an amazing deal around here.
Check out what you can buy for cheap in Arizona real estate:
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Check out what you can buy for cheap in Arizona real estate:
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Current Florida Real Estate Video
Since the last House Hunters what in Florida, I figured I'd profile a nice piece of Florida real estate video with this next one.
I hope you enjoy this one!
I hope you enjoy this one!
New Real Estate Video for Eastside Ave Nashville TN
My 2nd installment of profiling some new videos and current real estate for sale based upon some of the real estate tv shows we discussed I'm profiling this video from Nashville TN.
As you can see from this video the homes are not what was seen in the show, but I think this video gives a more realistic view of current homes for sale in the Nashville area. This home looks well maintained and well price. It probably will not last that long.
In addition, the production value of this real estate video is pretty innovative and draws you into it. The time of the video is pretty good too.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Property Virgins - Buying A Short Sale in Florida
I watched a very disheartening eposide of Property Virgins last night. The show took place in Florida with a young couple trying to by a condo. When they where shopping for a new home they found that all of the condos in their price range where short sales.
However, they probably isn't full accurate I would imagine that most homes for sale in Florida are short sales these days. In any event of the 3 homes they looked at they found one that they loved at the top end of their budget and made an offer on it.
The current condo owner accepted their offer and that is when the wheels of progress ground to a halt as now the paper work went to the bank for it's final approval. Well the show fast forwards 4 months to 5 days before the condo is set to close and we find out that the property virgins didn't get the home. It seems that at the last minute the bank decided it wasn't going to accept the deal and offer to change the loan conditions of the current owner!
There is something seriously wrong with this situation. You should have a firm deal withina week of an offer so people don't get strung along like this.
However, they probably isn't full accurate I would imagine that most homes for sale in Florida are short sales these days. In any event of the 3 homes they looked at they found one that they loved at the top end of their budget and made an offer on it.
The current condo owner accepted their offer and that is when the wheels of progress ground to a halt as now the paper work went to the bank for it's final approval. Well the show fast forwards 4 months to 5 days before the condo is set to close and we find out that the property virgins didn't get the home. It seems that at the last minute the bank decided it wasn't going to accept the deal and offer to change the loan conditions of the current owner!
There is something seriously wrong with this situation. You should have a firm deal withina week of an offer so people don't get strung along like this.
Monday, 11 July 2011
House Hunters Trilogy in Nashville
I saw an eposide of House Hunters this weekend which was set in Nashville and it ended up being the final chapter of a trilogy. Trilogy in house hunter? Yep, I was confused as well, it turns out that this was this home buyers 3 time on the show!
It seems that this home buyer was on prior with her first house hunt, buying a home after getting a divorce and now she had got married again and was looking for a new family home in Nashville.
Of the homes they looked at where 2 standard large family homes and a 3rd house that was waterfront but required a lot of work. Well the choice was pretty clear what they where going to pick it was the lake front home.
This home was a great size, had a wonderful view and lots of sunlight. The only problem in my mind was the steep slope it was on that lead down to the water and the large number of stairs that would need to be maintained.
The final section of the show had them checking in with the home buyers 4 months later and it seems that they had not actually moved in yet. They were still involved in doing a lot of painting and reno's. However the house did look great so I doubt that they'll be back for a fourth show.
It seems that this home buyer was on prior with her first house hunt, buying a home after getting a divorce and now she had got married again and was looking for a new family home in Nashville.
Of the homes they looked at where 2 standard large family homes and a 3rd house that was waterfront but required a lot of work. Well the choice was pretty clear what they where going to pick it was the lake front home.
This home was a great size, had a wonderful view and lots of sunlight. The only problem in my mind was the steep slope it was on that lead down to the water and the large number of stairs that would need to be maintained.
The final section of the show had them checking in with the home buyers 4 months later and it seems that they had not actually moved in yet. They were still involved in doing a lot of painting and reno's. However the house did look great so I doubt that they'll be back for a fourth show.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Auto Insurance firms
Just wanted to follow up on my earlier post about auto insurance and the problems of not have it. We've seen the impacts of not having proper house insurance and the impossible replacement costs of fixing your home. Well I think that not having proper auto insurance will also be very bad on your financial health as well.
I've done some internet surfing and found the following link that may be of value:
http://www.carinsurancerates.com/car-insurance-companies.html
The text on this site reads about Home insurance instant gratification, courtesy of Car Insurance Rates. I hope that it is of value.
I've done some internet surfing and found the following link that may be of value:
http://www.carinsurancerates.com/car-insurance-companies.html
The text on this site reads about Home insurance instant gratification, courtesy of Car Insurance Rates. I hope that it is of value.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Current Real Estate For Sale Video in Chicago
I am starting a new type of blog posts where I'm going to try to combine TV real estate with real video real estate and homes for sale. What I am going to do is highlight some current real estate videos based upon some of the cities we have seen in House Hunter, Property Virgins, My First Sale and other HGTV TV shows.
So the first feature video is from Chicago, check out this 4 bedroom home for sale in the west suburbs of Chicago I think that the home owners from the show may have had a better buy with this one.
So the first feature video is from Chicago, check out this 4 bedroom home for sale in the west suburbs of Chicago I think that the home owners from the show may have had a better buy with this one.
I hope you enjoyed this video, let me know what you think of it. And please remember to
take advantage of the social media icons below if you enjoyed this one.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Yard Crashers - Backyard Pool in 2 days
I wanted to mention a new TV show on HGTV that I saw this week called "diy Yard Crashers". I had never seen it before but it seems to be a spin off of the show "Home Crashers".
In this show they seem to pick a home owner at random and make major upgrades to the backyard in a 48 hour period, with the home owner helping out a bit.
I was most impressed with what the show did to this house. The backyard was a medium sized backyard that wasn't maintained at all. It had no gardens and no grass, it was just an over grown mess of weeds with a concrete slab as a patio.
What they ended up doing to this place is putting in a pool in 48hrs, something that I find very impressive since you normally need at least 24hrs for the concrete to dry. But I guess they work overnight using torches to help the cement. The pool ended up being tiled with a small waterfall feature.
But the backyard improvements didn't end there. They created a huge bench table as a center piece, improved the patio with a shade and added a fire feature. Overall a very impressive upgrade. If yard crashers wants to visit my home I'll welcome them into my backyard.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com
In this show they seem to pick a home owner at random and make major upgrades to the backyard in a 48 hour period, with the home owner helping out a bit.
I was most impressed with what the show did to this house. The backyard was a medium sized backyard that wasn't maintained at all. It had no gardens and no grass, it was just an over grown mess of weeds with a concrete slab as a patio.
What they ended up doing to this place is putting in a pool in 48hrs, something that I find very impressive since you normally need at least 24hrs for the concrete to dry. But I guess they work overnight using torches to help the cement. The pool ended up being tiled with a small waterfall feature.
But the backyard improvements didn't end there. They created a huge bench table as a center piece, improved the patio with a shade and added a fire feature. Overall a very impressive upgrade. If yard crashers wants to visit my home I'll welcome them into my backyard.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
House Hunters in Chicago
Interesting show of House Hunters on HGTV last night this one was in Chicago, which is actually a city which I visited once many many years ago.
In this show the home buyer where looking to spend in the $500,000 to $600,000 range and where looking at condominium townhouses. Now for the that sort of money I would hope to get something more than a townhouse but given a lot of real estate prices we've seen lately I'm find that it's not very cheap (ie Florida) nor very over priced like New York or some of the international cities.
In any event for that sort of money the home buyers were looking at 3 bedroom towns homes with the final town home being slightly larger with 4 bedrooms. Personally all of the buildings looked very similar to me, 3 storey buildings.
In the end the Chicago home buyer purchase the 4 bedroom home which gave them additional options.
In this show the home buyer where looking to spend in the $500,000 to $600,000 range and where looking at condominium townhouses. Now for the that sort of money I would hope to get something more than a townhouse but given a lot of real estate prices we've seen lately I'm find that it's not very cheap (ie Florida) nor very over priced like New York or some of the international cities.
In any event for that sort of money the home buyers were looking at 3 bedroom towns homes with the final town home being slightly larger with 4 bedrooms. Personally all of the buildings looked very similar to me, 3 storey buildings.
In the end the Chicago home buyer purchase the 4 bedroom home which gave them additional options.
Monday, 4 July 2011
House Hunters in LA (Santa Monica / Brentwood)
As a big contrast to the 2 shows of House Hunters international I watched House Hunters in LA this weekend as well. In this show a couple had $500,000 to spend on a condo in the Santa Monica beach area of Los Angeles. It seems that their money doesn't go as far in this area of the US as it does in other area.
$500k for a condo 11 blocks from the Santa Monica beach got you a small condo with a view of the alley. The home buyer actually said that this unit gave them a dorm room feel. Ya I'm thinking that they are going to be passing on that one.
As a result they moved farther from the beach to the Brentwood area and saw 2 homes. One was a townhouse style and the other was an apartment condo. I was thinking that they would take the townhouse but I was surprised when the picked the aparment condo. I guess that the roof top swimming pool is what did it for them.
$500k for a condo 11 blocks from the Santa Monica beach got you a small condo with a view of the alley. The home buyer actually said that this unit gave them a dorm room feel. Ya I'm thinking that they are going to be passing on that one.
As a result they moved farther from the beach to the Brentwood area and saw 2 homes. One was a townhouse style and the other was an apartment condo. I was thinking that they would take the townhouse but I was surprised when the picked the aparment condo. I guess that the roof top swimming pool is what did it for them.
House Hunters International in Greece
I watched another show of House Hunters international this past weekend this one was set in Greece. The home buyers where locals who lived in a small apartment in Athens but wanted to purchase a beach vacation home.
The price point for this purchase was $350,000 so it was a reasonable amount of money to look for a vacation home in my opinion, plus they where looking in a beach area 4 hours from Athens. Athens I was surprised to learn is where half the population of Greece actually lives. So I would expect prices to be very reasonable else where in Greece.
I don't recall the name of the beach town the home buyers where looking in with their REALTOR but what I do remember is that background noise of all of the bugs. They commented on the noise in the show but the back ground sound on the TV was enough to drive me crazy! I would hate to actually have to go there or need to buying real estate in the area.
The price point for this purchase was $350,000 so it was a reasonable amount of money to look for a vacation home in my opinion, plus they where looking in a beach area 4 hours from Athens. Athens I was surprised to learn is where half the population of Greece actually lives. So I would expect prices to be very reasonable else where in Greece.
I don't recall the name of the beach town the home buyers where looking in with their REALTOR but what I do remember is that background noise of all of the bugs. They commented on the noise in the show but the back ground sound on the TV was enough to drive me crazy! I would hate to actually have to go there or need to buying real estate in the area.
House Hunters International in Jerusalem
I watched the show of House Hunters in Jerusalem with a lot of interest. Not so much from the house hunting point of view but rather from just seeing the city. When I think of Jerusalem the images of a war zone come to mind. I expected to see barbed wire, sandbags, fox holes and soldiers everywhere!
But this was not the case, it looked like a clean, modern city in a warm climate a place I might actually be interested in visiting now.
As to the house hunter the buyer was working with a REALTOR® looking for a home in the area of the city called the German Colony, which I imagine would have been established by German settlers at one point. The homes had a european feel, being made from stone, rather large and have some nice garden surrounding them. Of course the price point was between $2 & $3 million dollars so I would hope the home buyer would be able to get something large for that amount of money. However we have been surprised before with just how expensive things can be in some international cities.
But this was not the case, it looked like a clean, modern city in a warm climate a place I might actually be interested in visiting now.
As to the house hunter the buyer was working with a REALTOR® looking for a home in the area of the city called the German Colony, which I imagine would have been established by German settlers at one point. The homes had a european feel, being made from stone, rather large and have some nice garden surrounding them. Of course the price point was between $2 & $3 million dollars so I would hope the home buyer would be able to get something large for that amount of money. However we have been surprised before with just how expensive things can be in some international cities.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Auto Insurance
Just to change topics for a post. I was watching another realty show on TV last night and it was discussing the impact on drivers of not have enough insurance on their auto and the tragic impact on their lives after a serious accident.
If your in a similar situation, I'd suggest you try to correct it. You can find help at the following link: http://www.updownauto.com/
If your in a similar situation, I'd suggest you try to correct it. You can find help at the following link: http://www.updownauto.com/
Thursday, 30 June 2011
More Youtube Real Estate Video
I had a lot of fun yesterday with my prior post on Youtube real estate video, so decided to do it again. I spent some more time searching Youtube videos and found this one I thought that I would share. This video showed up at the top of my search results for "real estate for sale" so a very impressive search result for this home.
Take a look:
As you can see the production value of this video isn't professional but it seems to get the job done for this REALTOR. I think that the music level was too loud for my liking. The biggest hold back of this video is that some of the underlying photographic images are poorly done and probably at a lower resolution than required in my opinion. However, it does seem to get the job done and probably would provide a lot of valuable information to home buyers in that area.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Top Real Estate Video On The Net
I just did a search on Youtube for the term real estate and the following real estate video showed up. It is clearly produced by a big brokerage. I'm not certain is they use real REALTORS® in the video or if they have hired some professional hosts.
What is interested to see is that the video covering the housing market for June 2011 so it is fairly recent but was able to rank up to the number 1 position. Of course if a number of real estate agents in the brokerage firm all post or link to it, it probably helps this video alot.
What is interested to see is that the video covering the housing market for June 2011 so it is fairly recent but was able to rank up to the number 1 position. Of course if a number of real estate agents in the brokerage firm all post or link to it, it probably helps this video alot.
Tips I learned from the real estate video included the common repairs that people do prior to selling their home. They include: The Roof, Plumbing, Electrical upgrads and heating & cooling issues.
Hope you enjoy the video.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Lots of HGTV real estate this past weekend!
We are getting some nice weather around here now, but that didn't stop me from watching a lot of HGTV real estate shows this past weekend.
The problem is they've all started to blur together in my mind and I cannot give a good update on any of these home buying or home selling shows.
My general impression however is that real estate in the US is really really cheap now days. While homes in the rest of the world seem to start at $350,000 to begin to get anything nice.
The problem is they've all started to blur together in my mind and I cannot give a good update on any of these home buying or home selling shows.
My general impression however is that real estate in the US is really really cheap now days. While homes in the rest of the world seem to start at $350,000 to begin to get anything nice.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Half Built House in Poland
In a new eposide of House Hunters International I saw some Canadians move to Poland to teach at an international private school. The school was giving them an apartment onsite to live in while they found a house to move to.
Well after looking at 3 homes on the show they decided to buy a house partially built and still under construction. Construction work that they would be responsible to complete and it seemed neither of them where handymen.
Well 6 months later the show comes back to them and we find them still living in the apartment and no construction had start on the home. Seems that they where having trouble getting the financing to get the job done.
Very funny!
Well after looking at 3 homes on the show they decided to buy a house partially built and still under construction. Construction work that they would be responsible to complete and it seemed neither of them where handymen.
Well 6 months later the show comes back to them and we find them still living in the apartment and no construction had start on the home. Seems that they where having trouble getting the financing to get the job done.
Very funny!
Selling New York - Better This Week
I couldn't help myself and ended up watching Selling New York again this week. For some reason I found it to be a lot better. It maybe because I'm learning some of the REALTOR characters now or perhaps it is because they didn't focus so much on the individual condos or co-ops for sale.
Interesting things that happened in this weeks shows were:
1. A couple looking to buy a home near the WTC site had concerns about all of the construction in the area. They ended up getting a tour of development via construction models, video and the viewing deck of a building. I don't think that would have happened for them if the REALTOR didn't have the tv cameras going.
2. Big drama as they had to find a building that would allow a turtle pet.
3. A REALTOR was working with her daughters boyfriend to buy a 3 million dollar home when he decided that he was going to rent, so a $200,000 commission cheque turned into a $7,500 cheque which she declined.
Interesting things that happened in this weeks shows were:
1. A couple looking to buy a home near the WTC site had concerns about all of the construction in the area. They ended up getting a tour of development via construction models, video and the viewing deck of a building. I don't think that would have happened for them if the REALTOR didn't have the tv cameras going.
2. Big drama as they had to find a building that would allow a turtle pet.
3. A REALTOR was working with her daughters boyfriend to buy a 3 million dollar home when he decided that he was going to rent, so a $200,000 commission cheque turned into a $7,500 cheque which she declined.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Homes Inspection - Asebestos Over Reaction
I watched this weeks Holmes Inspection on HGTV and was disappointed in the show. Honestly I think we saw Mike overacting to the situation of some Asebestos being found in a home.
Now don't get me wrong, I know that Asebestos is dangerous and kills people. It is certainly a product that we should stop using and stop selling to people. However, that being said once it's been installed and if you don't touch it, it is not suppost to be able to harm you.
So that brings us to the Holmes Inspection show being discussed. In this case the home owner found (and Mike confirmed) a pipe in an other home wrapped in Asebestos. Now this pipe was in the basement, the basement was finished but the pipe was hidden behind drywall, with the slight exception of an unfinished furnace area which had the Asebestor removed. To me and probably a lot of other viewers the Asebestos pipe seemed hidden and had little risk of being moved and causing a problem.
In this case, if there wasn't a TV show picking up the bill, I doubt that the homeowner would have addressed the issue. Since Asebestos is very common in homes of a certain age, it is one of the things you expect when you look to buy an older home with character.
In any event it was interesting to see everything they needed to do to remove the Asebestos.
Now don't get me wrong, I know that Asebestos is dangerous and kills people. It is certainly a product that we should stop using and stop selling to people. However, that being said once it's been installed and if you don't touch it, it is not suppost to be able to harm you.
So that brings us to the Holmes Inspection show being discussed. In this case the home owner found (and Mike confirmed) a pipe in an other home wrapped in Asebestos. Now this pipe was in the basement, the basement was finished but the pipe was hidden behind drywall, with the slight exception of an unfinished furnace area which had the Asebestor removed. To me and probably a lot of other viewers the Asebestos pipe seemed hidden and had little risk of being moved and causing a problem.
In this case, if there wasn't a TV show picking up the bill, I doubt that the homeowner would have addressed the issue. Since Asebestos is very common in homes of a certain age, it is one of the things you expect when you look to buy an older home with character.
In any event it was interesting to see everything they needed to do to remove the Asebestos.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Location Location Location and International Real Estate
Ok so I was bored today and did some Youtube surfing for some good real estate video and came across the following:
Anyways I watchted this real estate video and I had to wonder about the name of the brokerage including "international". I mean real estate is always about "Location, Location, Location" and my location we mean local. Real estate is a local business so I really find it strange that you would be including the name international in your local real estate brokerage.
Thoughts or Comments anybody?
Selling New York - Same Show
Well this Wednesday came and went and I confirmed my worst fears that Selling New York has replaced Million Dollar Listings in HGTV time slot. Hopefully Selling New York will improve but I'm just not feeling it.
I watched both 30 minute shows tonight and it felt a lot like the shows I saw from last week. Yes some of the NY real estate was amazing, some of these condos (or co-ops) looked like the could be local townhouses inside of buildings. But something is just not there for me with this show.
The most interesting point of this week was the a couple selling their home wasn't going to follow their realtors advice to lower there price. In the end they made a slight price reduction and to the amazement of everybody it was enough to trigger an offer to buy there home.
It just goes to show you that sometimes you will just run into the right buyer at the right time.
I watched both 30 minute shows tonight and it felt a lot like the shows I saw from last week. Yes some of the NY real estate was amazing, some of these condos (or co-ops) looked like the could be local townhouses inside of buildings. But something is just not there for me with this show.
The most interesting point of this week was the a couple selling their home wasn't going to follow their realtors advice to lower there price. In the end they made a slight price reduction and to the amazement of everybody it was enough to trigger an offer to buy there home.
It just goes to show you that sometimes you will just run into the right buyer at the right time.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Property Virgins in South Beach Florida
Interesting show of property virgins on HGTV last night, this eposide was in South Beach Florida. It profiled a guy who wanted to move to the South Beach Florida area. The problem was that he had million dollars tastes but only a $140,000 budget.
Now the show and the REALTORS did a great job finding him units that he could afford, since it apears $140,000 does not buy you much of a condo in that ara. So he was going to need to put up with a poor view of a parking garage, among some other minor issues.
His buddy was excited to buy some of the places he was being shown but the condo buyer was a bit "Meh" on them and decided not to buy anything.
Come back in a few year when you have a lot more money.
Now the show and the REALTORS did a great job finding him units that he could afford, since it apears $140,000 does not buy you much of a condo in that ara. So he was going to need to put up with a poor view of a parking garage, among some other minor issues.
His buddy was excited to buy some of the places he was being shown but the condo buyer was a bit "Meh" on them and decided not to buy anything.
Come back in a few year when you have a lot more money.
Selling New York - First 2 Shows
After giving a general over view of Selling New York I figured that I had best comment on the two 30 minutes shows that I watched.
In the first show we had 2 agents and their clients profiled. One with 2 days to rent singers wife an apartment. Now what was amazing about this was the rental rates of $10,000 to $14,000 a month that the apartment owners where asking.
Wow that is some impressive rent. The units where a nice size but that is a lot of coin for that location.
The other REALTOR was working with some clients who where looking to sell there $3 million dollar home (another apartment) to "free up some cash". They explain the "free up some cash" idea is needing it to send the kids to camp for $8,000 / week but I just didn't buy it. It felt like else was going on but the show didn't feel like it could tell us the truth.
In any event they looked at a few homes they could buy for a cheaper price or rent for less than there currently monthly costs. But in the end they didn't buy or rent either and we didn't get to see the sale of there home. It was kind of a let down.
The second show I watched was a bit more interesting in that we got to see some NY real estate actually being sold. Both of these home where impressive but in both cases the REALTOR defaulted to the same idea to sell these houses, which was to host a party for REALTORS, real estate brokers, agents and their current buying clients to see the home.
Good technic but I didn't need to see it twice in the same show.
In the first show we had 2 agents and their clients profiled. One with 2 days to rent singers wife an apartment. Now what was amazing about this was the rental rates of $10,000 to $14,000 a month that the apartment owners where asking.
Wow that is some impressive rent. The units where a nice size but that is a lot of coin for that location.
The other REALTOR was working with some clients who where looking to sell there $3 million dollar home (another apartment) to "free up some cash". They explain the "free up some cash" idea is needing it to send the kids to camp for $8,000 / week but I just didn't buy it. It felt like else was going on but the show didn't feel like it could tell us the truth.
In any event they looked at a few homes they could buy for a cheaper price or rent for less than there currently monthly costs. But in the end they didn't buy or rent either and we didn't get to see the sale of there home. It was kind of a let down.
The second show I watched was a bit more interesting in that we got to see some NY real estate actually being sold. Both of these home where impressive but in both cases the REALTOR defaulted to the same idea to sell these houses, which was to host a party for REALTORS, real estate brokers, agents and their current buying clients to see the home.
Good technic but I didn't need to see it twice in the same show.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Selling New York - New Real Estate Show
So I caught a New real estate show this week on HGTV called Selling New York. It is a half hour show and seem similiar to Million Dollar Listings in the same way that The City was similiar to The Hills. But like The City something seemed to be missing in Selling New York. However it is early yet so as we learn some of the REALTORS it has the possibility to improve.
However, I think that Selling New York may be a tough sell, since one of the things about Million Dollar Listing was the size and impressiveness of the homes in LA. In New York however, there is only so much you can do with apartments and I think that 1 view of NY City is going to start looking like any other very soon.
What are your thoughts?
However, I think that Selling New York may be a tough sell, since one of the things about Million Dollar Listing was the size and impressiveness of the homes in LA. In New York however, there is only so much you can do with apartments and I think that 1 view of NY City is going to start looking like any other very soon.
What are your thoughts?
End of Million Dollar Listings Season?
This past Wednesday I turned on the TV to watch Million dollar listings only to find a new show called Selling New York on in it time slot. Did I miss most of this season? I had though the season was just starting but thinking back now the end of last weeks show could have been a season ending cliff hanger.
I hope not but I guess that I'll find out next week.
I hope not but I guess that I'll find out next week.
Holmes Inspection - Part 2
Part 2 of last weeks Holmes Inspection was on Thursday evening. Clearly it was one way of helping to pay for that housing disaster with all of it's structual problems was to turn it into a 2 part show. I had forgot that it was going to be part 2 this week and was a few minutes late turning on this show. I did not instantly recognize the home from last week, I think that this was because they where doing a lot of foundation work on the front porch.
If you recall from last week this was an old home that with various renovations and expansions over the year had a lot of structural supports removed and it was amazing that it was still standing. In this weeks show they dealt with the area that had initially been the front porch of the home but had later been encorportated into the main house without improving the foundation structure below it.
If you recall from last week this was an old home that with various renovations and expansions over the year had a lot of structural supports removed and it was amazing that it was still standing. In this weeks show they dealt with the area that had initially been the front porch of the home but had later been encorportated into the main house without improving the foundation structure below it.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Cheap Real Estate in Florida
It should be no surprise to anybody that real estate and homes are very cheap in Florida right now. I watched Property Virgins the other day and saw a couple looking to spend just under 300,000 on a new home in Florida.
Well the REALTOR was showing them some McMansions, the largest home I saw was 4000 square feet with 5 bedrooms all for an MLS asking price of $285,000! I had to laugh at these prices. What an amazing deal when you compare it to some of the House Hunter International shows I've seen where couple have been buying small apartment condos for between $400,000 to $500,000!
As they say Real Estate is all about location, location, location!
Well the REALTOR was showing them some McMansions, the largest home I saw was 4000 square feet with 5 bedrooms all for an MLS asking price of $285,000! I had to laugh at these prices. What an amazing deal when you compare it to some of the House Hunter International shows I've seen where couple have been buying small apartment condos for between $400,000 to $500,000!
As they say Real Estate is all about location, location, location!
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Holmes on Homes - Bad Kitchen Reno
I saw an eposide of Holmes on Homes yesterday that I had never seen before. In this show the home owner had saved up to get a quality, kitchen reno done, asked for the entire kitchen to be gutted down to the studs, got multiple quote on the project and did not go with the least expensive quote but rather picked the big name company that was doing a lot of advertising in his area.
Well it seems that 80 to 90% of the way into the job the home owner realized that this firm was not doing the job that they had been asked to so he kicked them out but of course they had 30,000 of his money at this point.
So since this is a Mike Holmes show you know that it was the correct choice to kick these contractors out Mike ends up doing a review of the house pointing out all of the area of poor construction then proceeds to rip out the original work and gut the kitchen the way it should have been done in first place.
Once again, it was amazing to see what was uncovered, lots of live wires and issues buried behind the nice outside.
Well it seems that 80 to 90% of the way into the job the home owner realized that this firm was not doing the job that they had been asked to so he kicked them out but of course they had 30,000 of his money at this point.
So since this is a Mike Holmes show you know that it was the correct choice to kick these contractors out Mike ends up doing a review of the house pointing out all of the area of poor construction then proceeds to rip out the original work and gut the kitchen the way it should have been done in first place.
Once again, it was amazing to see what was uncovered, lots of live wires and issues buried behind the nice outside.
Decked Out - A Different Episode Finally
I attempted to watched Decked Out 4 more times this weekend, the first 3 attempts resulted in finding the same episode beening shown (Massive deck around a new pool) so I just changed the channel. But finally on the 4th try a different episode!
The show was different than the prior, the house the builders where working with appeared to be either a semi-datched home or the last unit of a townhouse complex. It had a decent sized backyard that extended off to one side of the house (right side from the rear).
What the builders did was take advantage of the backyard extension to the right and ran the deck out that way instead of straight back flush with the home. It ended up looking amazing! It had an upper level for a BBQ area, a lower sitting area that made great use of the space plus a nice water feature.
I am looking forward to seeing some more episodes to see what other designs these builders can come up.
The show was different than the prior, the house the builders where working with appeared to be either a semi-datched home or the last unit of a townhouse complex. It had a decent sized backyard that extended off to one side of the house (right side from the rear).
What the builders did was take advantage of the backyard extension to the right and ran the deck out that way instead of straight back flush with the home. It ended up looking amazing! It had an upper level for a BBQ area, a lower sitting area that made great use of the space plus a nice water feature.
I am looking forward to seeing some more episodes to see what other designs these builders can come up.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Holmes Inspection with Mike Holmes!
Mike Holmes must the be Oprah of real estate tv. As a person in the construction trades getting him to use your company on one of his tv shows must be worth a lot of new business to you!
Homes inspection is Mike's new show. I'm not certain what happened to Homes on Homes but Mike is still on TV so all is good in the world.
In last nights show Mike inspects a house in TO that has an open concept main floor. Well right away as a view you know that this is going to be trouble if Mike Holmes is their somebody has probably pulled out a structural wall.
Which is exactly what happened. The 2nd floor was sagging, loss of structural walls in the basement and the structures that did exist where not properly grounded in the basement. I am surprised that the house did not collopse.
Anyways with a quote of $300,000 to fix the house work got under way only to keep uncovering more problems.
Homes inspection is Mike's new show. I'm not certain what happened to Homes on Homes but Mike is still on TV so all is good in the world.
In last nights show Mike inspects a house in TO that has an open concept main floor. Well right away as a view you know that this is going to be trouble if Mike Holmes is their somebody has probably pulled out a structural wall.
Which is exactly what happened. The 2nd floor was sagging, loss of structural walls in the basement and the structures that did exist where not properly grounded in the basement. I am surprised that the house did not collopse.
Anyways with a quote of $300,000 to fix the house work got under way only to keep uncovering more problems.
Poor Wednesday Night This Week
Wednesday seems to be a great night for real estate tv. Locally HGTV seems to carry a lot of great shows on that day but this week it was pretty much a bust for me.
Million dollar listing - I only caught the end of this show, so I missed out on most of the action. However, I was glad to see that the one REALTORS (at Caldwell Banker) buyers agent was only leaving on vacation and not changing jobs as the previews had indicated.
Decked Out - I have only seen 1 show and this was a repeat of that. But isn't that always the way there seem to be some shows that you never watch but when you do have a chance to it always ends up being the same eposide!
House Hunters International - Same show as last week - Buying a home in Amsterdam.
Property Virgins - Ok this one was worth watching. I cannot remember where this house hunt was happening but it may have been in Toronto. What I liked about this one is that the buyer new that it was the right home for her and was just so excited that she immedially offered full price to make sure she got the home!
Million dollar listing - I only caught the end of this show, so I missed out on most of the action. However, I was glad to see that the one REALTORS (at Caldwell Banker) buyers agent was only leaving on vacation and not changing jobs as the previews had indicated.
Decked Out - I have only seen 1 show and this was a repeat of that. But isn't that always the way there seem to be some shows that you never watch but when you do have a chance to it always ends up being the same eposide!
House Hunters International - Same show as last week - Buying a home in Amsterdam.
Property Virgins - Ok this one was worth watching. I cannot remember where this house hunt was happening but it may have been in Toronto. What I liked about this one is that the buyer new that it was the right home for her and was just so excited that she immedially offered full price to make sure she got the home!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Thoughts On the First Month of this Blog
It's June 1st so the first month of this blogs young live if officially over. Now I know that I did not start blogging on May 1st. But when blogger archieves all of my blogs so far they are going to end up in the May 2011 folder and nothing else ever will. So a mile stone has been past.
In any event I wanted to share that so far I have been enjoying blogging. It has enhanced my enjoyment of watching real estate and home for sale tv as I am not watching out for some of the finer points. In addition I am hoping that it has enhanced my spelling and grammer, which is something that I had never mastered back when I was in school.
The other thing of course to note is that I'm certain as I continue to blog my style will develop and I'll become a better blogger, I'll look back at this earlier points and think, how poor quality, look how bad I was blogging back then.
But that is for the future, right now I'm hoping to get some readering and I'm really looking forward to my first comments and getting a conversation going with some readers.
Hint: Comments are very welcome.
Until next time!
In any event I wanted to share that so far I have been enjoying blogging. It has enhanced my enjoyment of watching real estate and home for sale tv as I am not watching out for some of the finer points. In addition I am hoping that it has enhanced my spelling and grammer, which is something that I had never mastered back when I was in school.
The other thing of course to note is that I'm certain as I continue to blog my style will develop and I'll become a better blogger, I'll look back at this earlier points and think, how poor quality, look how bad I was blogging back then.
But that is for the future, right now I'm hoping to get some readering and I'm really looking forward to my first comments and getting a conversation going with some readers.
Hint: Comments are very welcome.
Until next time!
Monday, 30 May 2011
House Hunters in Amsterdam - Condos under construction.
I only caught one show of interested on the weekend it was house hunter international and this show they were in Amsterdam.
First off I was very surprised by the housing prices in Amsterdam this couple was looking to spend around $400,000 in USD and what they were getting where small apartment condos that were actually in the middle of renovations. And when I say small I mean very small I could not imagine living in those small homes.
Now mind you they were looking to buy right down town in the most expensive area so perhaps the house hunt was a bit mislead. But I was not wanting to live in any one of these homes which in unusual for me.
In any event as normal their REALTOR showed them 3 homes and they picked the one that required the most construction. When the show visited them 4 months later the apartment condo did look ok, but still not a place for me.
First off I was very surprised by the housing prices in Amsterdam this couple was looking to spend around $400,000 in USD and what they were getting where small apartment condos that were actually in the middle of renovations. And when I say small I mean very small I could not imagine living in those small homes.
Now mind you they were looking to buy right down town in the most expensive area so perhaps the house hunt was a bit mislead. But I was not wanting to live in any one of these homes which in unusual for me.
In any event as normal their REALTOR showed them 3 homes and they picked the one that required the most construction. When the show visited them 4 months later the apartment condo did look ok, but still not a place for me.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Property Virgins - An Early Show
I saw an episode of Property Virgins earlier this week. It musth have been one of the first one that they did. The format was pretty much the same, but the production values did not have the polish of the current show. Plus this one was clearly filmed in Toronto Ontario which is where most of the early ones are from.
Of course that brings up an interesting question the host cannot have a real estate license in all of the areas that they film the show. I guess that they must work with a local REALTOR who is "the team" they mention in the latter shows.
Not so much note worthy in this show the buyer ended up with the choice between over paying for a unit that was fully upgraded or buying a condo for a lot less that she could upgrade herself and spend less over all. It seems that the point of the show was that the buyer couldn't see past the existing state of the lower cost unit and choose to spend big!
Of course that brings up an interesting question the host cannot have a real estate license in all of the areas that they film the show. I guess that they must work with a local REALTOR who is "the team" they mention in the latter shows.
Not so much note worthy in this show the buyer ended up with the choice between over paying for a unit that was fully upgraded or buying a condo for a lot less that she could upgrade herself and spend less over all. It seems that the point of the show was that the buyer couldn't see past the existing state of the lower cost unit and choose to spend big!
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Million Dollar Listing - 4.5 million for a construction site
I think that Million Dollars Listing is quickly becoming my new favour real estate show. I think that it done in more of a realty show style flair, similiar to The Hills or The City. The real estate agents are the main characters in the show and the MLS homes they are selling are more of a supporting cast.
Anyways in this weeks show we have one REALTOR taking a listing of a home that was under construction which has now stopped leaving this home a construction site. I was amazed to learn that it would require another 8 months to complete but once you see the size of the property you can see why. In any event the difference between spending another million to complete the work or sell it now would double the value of the home from $4.5 million to $9.0 million.
If that was me I would want the $9.0 million but didn't seem to be the issue to the current home owners so it went on the market for $4.5 million.
The other interesting property was an amazing beach front home for $13,995,000. What was interesting here is that the seller wanted to use two REALTORs and did not tell either of them before they both arrived at the same appointment. It was fun to watch!
Anyways in this weeks show we have one REALTOR taking a listing of a home that was under construction which has now stopped leaving this home a construction site. I was amazed to learn that it would require another 8 months to complete but once you see the size of the property you can see why. In any event the difference between spending another million to complete the work or sell it now would double the value of the home from $4.5 million to $9.0 million.
If that was me I would want the $9.0 million but didn't seem to be the issue to the current home owners so it went on the market for $4.5 million.
The other interesting property was an amazing beach front home for $13,995,000. What was interesting here is that the seller wanted to use two REALTORs and did not tell either of them before they both arrived at the same appointment. It was fun to watch!
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
House Hunters - California & Rome
So I caught two shows last night the normal house hunters and house hunters international.
In house hunters the buyer was looking to spend around $400,000 on an apartment condo in California. I do not remember the city but all of the condominiums seemed very nice. However they clearly got smaller (with less building perks) the closer you got to the city centre. In the end the buyer picked the condo that was the mid point balance between location and size. Which I think was a good trade off.
On the other hand in House Hunters International we had a buyer looking to spend $500,000 in Rome. And I must say $500,000 does not go very far in Rome. I would have taken any one of those in California over the Rome condos.
Of course if you look at my past post $200,000 in Virginia is an amazing deal!
In house hunters the buyer was looking to spend around $400,000 on an apartment condo in California. I do not remember the city but all of the condominiums seemed very nice. However they clearly got smaller (with less building perks) the closer you got to the city centre. In the end the buyer picked the condo that was the mid point balance between location and size. Which I think was a good trade off.
On the other hand in House Hunters International we had a buyer looking to spend $500,000 in Rome. And I must say $500,000 does not go very far in Rome. I would have taken any one of those in California over the Rome condos.
Of course if you look at my past post $200,000 in Virginia is an amazing deal!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
My First Sale - Some Ugly Purple Carpet
My First Sale was on as well last night. This show was about selling a very nice home some in the Philidephia area.
In my opinion they did everything correct, the REALTOR gave them a lot of tips to get the house ready for sale, they priced the home mid range to other properties selling in the area and they seemed very flexible around showing times.
It seems that they ended up with a decent numbers of home buyering looking at this house. However, after 9 months on the market the home did not sell. This is the second time I've seen this show and both times the house has sat on the market not selling. You almost need to feel bad for the producers of My First Sale since they have clearly started to make this show at the wrong time it's probably taking far longer to create each eposide than they expected!
If I was going to critical of anything it would be the ugly purple carpet covering up the great hard wood floor. At the start of the show the real estate agent told the home owner to remove the purple carpet and show off the hard wood underneath. Well the home owner removed some of it from an upstairs bedroom and it looked great. However, it was decided that it was just too much work to remove it all from the stairs and main floor. That was a big mistake in my opinion, the real estate agent should have been on them to show the main floor hard wood. I think it would have helped a lot!
Until next time!
In my opinion they did everything correct, the REALTOR gave them a lot of tips to get the house ready for sale, they priced the home mid range to other properties selling in the area and they seemed very flexible around showing times.
It seems that they ended up with a decent numbers of home buyering looking at this house. However, after 9 months on the market the home did not sell. This is the second time I've seen this show and both times the house has sat on the market not selling. You almost need to feel bad for the producers of My First Sale since they have clearly started to make this show at the wrong time it's probably taking far longer to create each eposide than they expected!
If I was going to critical of anything it would be the ugly purple carpet covering up the great hard wood floor. At the start of the show the real estate agent told the home owner to remove the purple carpet and show off the hard wood underneath. Well the home owner removed some of it from an upstairs bedroom and it looked great. However, it was decided that it was just too much work to remove it all from the stairs and main floor. That was a big mistake in my opinion, the real estate agent should have been on them to show the main floor hard wood. I think it would have helped a lot!
Until next time!
Monday, 23 May 2011
Property Virgins in Richmond Virginia
I watched an episode of Property Virgins tonight, this one was in Richmond Virginia. I did not realize it at the time of watching the show but now that I have blogged it down, I'm thinking that I should comment on the word play of Property Virgins in Virginia. Ok now that I've made my clear reference back to real estate tv blogging.
This shows couple was wanting to buy a home in the the country with a lot of privacy. So the first home that they see happens to be in the country with 2 acres of land around and an ok sized homes. Well it turns out that despite this house being what they asked for it happens to be just a little too far from the city.
Well the next two homes are a lots closer to the city and have good lots, but one of the homes happened to back on to a highway and there was lots of noise. So it did not end up being much of a surprise as to what home this couple purchased.
I also started to watch a show called "My First Place" but it seemed a little too much like Property Virgins but it was missing something to me. I did not get past the first TV break. May be I'll try it again another time.
This shows couple was wanting to buy a home in the the country with a lot of privacy. So the first home that they see happens to be in the country with 2 acres of land around and an ok sized homes. Well it turns out that despite this house being what they asked for it happens to be just a little too far from the city.
Well the next two homes are a lots closer to the city and have good lots, but one of the homes happened to back on to a highway and there was lots of noise. So it did not end up being much of a surprise as to what home this couple purchased.
I also started to watch a show called "My First Place" but it seemed a little too much like Property Virgins but it was missing something to me. I did not get past the first TV break. May be I'll try it again another time.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
New TV Show - Decked Out
Well I'm not 100% on if it is actually a new show, but it was new to me last night, the ads on HGTV while it was playing lead me to think it was in it's secound season.
If you have not season this show before it's about a team of builders creating some very amazing back yard decks. The show I saw had them install a pool behind a massive home and then build a deck around it with not 1 but several cabana's.
I was most impressed with the size of the deck, it appeared that they had about 8 people working on it and it took them close to a month to complete .... I would estimate the value of this deck at around $150k by the time to factor in the labour plus materials. Not to mention knowing how much the quotes on my little backyard deck have been.
Until next time.
If you have not season this show before it's about a team of builders creating some very amazing back yard decks. The show I saw had them install a pool behind a massive home and then build a deck around it with not 1 but several cabana's.
I was most impressed with the size of the deck, it appeared that they had about 8 people working on it and it took them close to a month to complete .... I would estimate the value of this deck at around $150k by the time to factor in the labour plus materials. Not to mention knowing how much the quotes on my little backyard deck have been.
Until next time.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Selling Your Home with Real Estate Video
This one should probably have been one of my first blog posts but I'm finally getting around to it tody. If you have not seen this Real Estate marketing video yet you should since if real estate videos had a top 10 billboard chart it would have been a #1 with a bullet hit.
The production value of this video is top notch and I cannot imagine the cost of it however it is very innovative. With a SWAT team being sent to rescue a girl at the home that is being sold. Over the course of this marketing effort you get a great description of the home and of course you get to view it as well.
Bottom line of course is that it is a very good home selling marketing effort. However since it's on the other side of the world I'm not certain if I'm the target market they are trying to sell to.
The production value of this video is top notch and I cannot imagine the cost of it however it is very innovative. With a SWAT team being sent to rescue a girl at the home that is being sold. Over the course of this marketing effort you get a great description of the home and of course you get to view it as well.
Bottom line of course is that it is a very good home selling marketing effort. However since it's on the other side of the world I'm not certain if I'm the target market they are trying to sell to.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Expensive Homes and Tossing Millions Around
New season of Million Dollar Listings seems to be on now and last night I watched a show. What amazes me most about this show is that some time they are tossing millions of dollars around as if they are nothing to buy some of these expensive homes.
I saw a home deal for what must have been an apartment condo start at a listing price of near $20 million dollars with an opening offer of $15 million. These real estate agents negotiated down to $18 million, $17 million and up from $15 to $15.8 to finally end up at $16.5 million. Watching them it was as if these millions of dollars where mere single dollars.
It would be nice to have that type of money and invest in real estate wouldn't it.
I saw a home deal for what must have been an apartment condo start at a listing price of near $20 million dollars with an opening offer of $15 million. These real estate agents negotiated down to $18 million, $17 million and up from $15 to $15.8 to finally end up at $16.5 million. Watching them it was as if these millions of dollars where mere single dollars.
It would be nice to have that type of money and invest in real estate wouldn't it.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Buying a New Home - Do you want Lava or Tsunami Issues?
I was watching another eposide of House Hunters last night. This one was located in Hawaii and the views are amazing and it looks like it would be a wonderful place to visit some day.
However, I had to laugh at the options the REALTOR presented to home buyers. The first home was in a lava spillway, the 2nd home would require Tsunami insurance and the 3rd one looked like it was on the moon.
With options like that I do not think that I'll be buying real estate in Hawaii but I do plan to visit it one day.
However, I had to laugh at the options the REALTOR presented to home buyers. The first home was in a lava spillway, the 2nd home would require Tsunami insurance and the 3rd one looked like it was on the moon.
With options like that I do not think that I'll be buying real estate in Hawaii but I do plan to visit it one day.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
House Hunters International in Turkey
I watched another show last night call House Hunters International and this show was located in Turkey. I had seen the domestic version before but never this international one. Watching it made me want to retire to a sunny exotic area .... not likely to happen any time soon.
In any event this show had a couple looking to buy a place in a beach town in Turkey. In the end they picked a large place far from the beach but personally I would have gone with the smaller condo near the beach.
In any event this show had a couple looking to buy a place in a beach town in Turkey. In the end they picked a large place far from the beach but personally I would have gone with the smaller condo near the beach.
Monday, 16 May 2011
My First Sale - Selling the Priciest House on the Block
I just finished watching an episode of My First Sale called Selling the Priciest House on the Block it was on HGTV. I found this show interesting since at one point the homer owners recruited a psychic to help these sell their home.
Personally I wasn't impressed with their agent to start with as they priced their home $10,000 over the compariable homes based on their agents suggestion. I didn't see any pressure from them to over price their home but that could have been editing of course.
In any event over the course of the show we watch the home owners slowly reduce their price until they are priced correct and then start to receive low ball offer. I am happy for them that they didn't have to sell, I could imagine the desperation of somebody needing to sell there home at any price.
In any event not a bad show to watch.
Personally I wasn't impressed with their agent to start with as they priced their home $10,000 over the compariable homes based on their agents suggestion. I didn't see any pressure from them to over price their home but that could have been editing of course.
In any event over the course of the show we watch the home owners slowly reduce their price until they are priced correct and then start to receive low ball offer. I am happy for them that they didn't have to sell, I could imagine the desperation of somebody needing to sell there home at any price.
In any event not a bad show to watch.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Million Dollar Agents - Old School
I was surfing some real estate video and came across this old Million Dollar agent show. It must have been one of the first ones from back in 2005. The production value seems a little low today but it was probably fine at the time.
It is interesting to see this new real estate agent who gets lucky enough to be profiled on a new TV show. Not certain why she would start off going after the really big fish to sell their home first. I think you need to learn to walk before you run, but heck this reminded me of Bud Fox from the original Wall Street Movie.
It is interesting to see this new real estate agent who gets lucky enough to be profiled on a new TV show. Not certain why she would start off going after the really big fish to sell their home first. I think you need to learn to walk before you run, but heck this reminded me of Bud Fox from the original Wall Street Movie.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Property Virgins
Well I wanted to start off with a big shout out to one of my favourite real estate TV shows which is Property Virgins. Initially I did not think that they would be able to get away with the title of the show, but lately they are starting to play it up a bit of sex innuendo. You can check this out in their latest TV spot, which I have attached below.
Personally I really enjoy the show I am amazed at how little new home buyers know about the process they are starting on. Of course I often wonder if they are playing this up a bit too.
Personally I really enjoy the show I am amazed at how little new home buyers know about the process they are starting on. Of course I often wonder if they are playing this up a bit too.
New Blog to discuss Real Estate TV & Videos
Welcome to my new blog!
After thinking about starting a blog for awhile now I have finally got of my couch and started it. I have decided to start off focusing this blog on one thing that I am passionate about which is Real Estate TV shows.
I really enjoy watching HGTV, home flipping shows, first time buyer shows and the Million dollar agents. Thus I think I have a lot of content to talk about but since I'm not going to limit myself to just being a TV reviewer I have also included video since I can always find good video content.
After thinking about starting a blog for awhile now I have finally got of my couch and started it. I have decided to start off focusing this blog on one thing that I am passionate about which is Real Estate TV shows.
I really enjoy watching HGTV, home flipping shows, first time buyer shows and the Million dollar agents. Thus I think I have a lot of content to talk about but since I'm not going to limit myself to just being a TV reviewer I have also included video since I can always find good video content.
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