Condo Trends

When it comes to condos, staying on the cutting edge of style and decor is key. The general perception of what’s hot and what’s not can change daily, so choosing trendy yet timeless decorating styles and furniture pieces is the true challenge for the condo dweller. Always keep resale value in mind when you paint or make upgrades. Chances are, you won’t live in this condo forever and when you do sell, you want the place to be attractive to a wide demographic–rather than simply to those who share the same tastes you do.
What’s Hot:
Clutter-Free Living

The choice to live in a condo generally means one must commit to living clutter-free. Although most condos have a storage locker and at least one closet, the space for storage is quite limited compared to that of other types of homes. That’s why it’s so important to adopt a Zen-like approach to clutter and possessions. If you don’t need it, sell it, give it to charity or throw it out. If you don’t know where you’ll put it, don’t buy it. Life is much easier without too much stuff, and condos are much more attractive when they aren’t packed with useless possessions.
Flowing Decor
When decorating a condo, choose a theme and stick with it. Condos and condo townhouses are generally open-concept and fairly small, and introducing too many colour schemes will overpower the space. When painting, choose a colour that you can repeat–for example, paint your bedroom the same colour as your washroom to give the impression of an ensuite and then chose a lighter or darker version of the shade for the living area and kitchen.
Dramatic Wood Finishes
It’s tempting to go with deep, dark paint colours when seeking to add drama to your condo decor, but particularly in a small space, this is not a great idea. Instead, stain the floors a dark oak or cherrywood finish. Cupboards can be outfitted with dramatic finish as well and furniture in rich distressed black stain is another attractive way to add depth to your decorating.
Streamlined Storage
Maximize closet space by building shelves and installing closet organizers. Make every square foot count–even under the bed! Buy thin plastic storage boxes which slide easily into small spaces and use them to store seasonal clothing, wrapping paper, gift bags and more. Invest in drawer organizers and cupboard shelves, too.
What’s Not:
Garish Paint Colours
Lime green may be your favourite colour–and very in to boot–but that doesn’t mean lime is a wise paint colour choice. If you love it, don’t shy away completely, but don’t make it the main focus of your space, either, as rich colours tend to dominate. Instead, choose boldly-coloured accessories such as blankets, throws, candles and vases. If you simply must paint in a dramatic shade, choose a single wall to adorn with shocking colour.
Fading Floors
Even if you didn’t upgrade your floors, it’s important to keep them in great condition. Laminate floors should not be washed with water, because it can leak through cracks and cause bubbling. Instead, sweep well and spot clean with a damp cloth. If you have hardwood, keep it in mint condition by cleaning and waxing regularly. If you plan to sell, a floor sand and refinish may be a good investment.
Too Much Bulk
You may not plan to live in a condo forever, and thus would rather invest in furniture that will make the transition from condo to house with ease – but big, bulky, house-size furniture just doesn’t compute in a small condo. Choose your stuff wisely, and don’t break the bank on condo furniture. There are bargains to be had, especially on small, streamlined stuff.

Jerry Seinfeld's Home for sale.

  Amazing Mountain Retreat .




While he's best known as the star of a show about nothing, actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld's Telluride home is really something. Listed for a hefty $18.25 million, the 14,200-square-foot estate is offered fully furnished and comes with 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a four-car garage and a 5,500-square-foot deck with stunning views of the San Juan Mountains. The home was originally built in 1991 but has been extensively updated in recent years, according to The Wall Street Journal. A manicured trail system and a tranquil creek wind through towering aspen and spruce trees on the 26-acre property.

Rihanna's Estate For Sale At a Bargain Price.

 Barbadian music sensation Rihanna has put her Los Angeles, California mansion up for sale. The Grammy Award-winning recording artist paid $6.9 million for the property back in 2009 and has since invested more than $7 million in the home. However, due to extensive water damage, the pop princess has listed the 8,520-square-foot property at the discounted price of $4.5 million. Nestled directly west of the Franklin Canyon Park, the 8 bedroom, 10 bathroom gated estate offers sprawling views of the canyon below and surrounding Hollywood hills. The three-story contemporary mansion is accentuated by two-story high windowed rooms that, along with a pool, spa and extended deck area, face out towards the canyon. Inside, the home itself includes three fireplaces, hardwood floors, a spacious kitchen, media room and master suite.

 

New Golf Community Concept

Turkey has always been known to be diverse in climate, lifestyle, culture and history. The Meditterranean coast, particularly a region that is plentiful in this array of diversity.
However no other region along the Mediterranean coast offers as much diversity in real estate. Many other regions are restricted to architectural design and concept.
In these areas you have the hilltops overlooking the sea with the similar style of architecture in all residential builds. This is not so in this particular region. There's something to suit everyone's taste as well as budget. From magnificent sea and mountain views to lush green pine forest views to snow covered hilltops; from small private bays to the massive Gulf ; from the Greek Islands to Marina views; and from large city skylines to small village views.

However, let's also not forget a long line of seaside First Class Championship Golf course views. In recent times, an interest in the game has proven well with a 17 per cent increase in rounds played in 2009, according to a survey by business consultancy KPMG.
Compared to that of other popular European golfing areas such as Spain, Turkey provides low-cost golf package holidays and fees, thereby drawing the interest of golf enthusiasts from around the globe. Accordign to an article from the Financial Times, this is already a busy golfing destination; there are  almost a dozen and a half courses on a 15km strip of coastal land making it the densest golf course cluster in the Mediterranean.
Having seen this potential in golf real estate, are two major golf investment projects within this region in the works. The up and coming Golf Club; as well as the other complex; which is still in the planning stages, but expected to surface by the end of the year. Both projects have one major feature in common that no other Golf project has provided until now.
Investors will be able to purchase real estate on a golf course. Where will these two projects be located? The Golf Club will be developed in an emerging part of Turkey.

Real Estate vs Stock Market

The question of whether people should invest in real estate or stocks is a rather complex topic of market dynamics and volatility. The decision should be based on future predictions determined by the fundamentals rather than past performance and short term media 'insight'. With this in mind, it is most likely best to be diversified and include both real estate and stocks in your portfolio. So now the real question is, what percentage should you allocate to real estate?
We must understand the basics of how the economy affects real estate and the stock market. Although they are linked through an intricacy of financial stocks and REITs, they are ultimately independent and have their own unique characteristics.

Taking Advantages of the Cycles

You must base your decision of how much capital you should allocate on real estate depending on your age and the current stage of the real estate business cycle. If you are young and looking for risky investments, there is probably an opportunity for you during any business cycle. However, if you are near retirement and are looking for a stable investment, you should probably stick to investing in real estate after a market adjustment for recession. Considering real estate is generally much more stable than the stock market, it is probably wise to allocate more money to real estate as you get closer to retirement or are currently in retirement. Real estate is often seen as a capital preservation vehicle.
You can determine the current business cycle by watching economic reports and the analysis of real estate performance. You should be looking to invest during a business cycle on the tail end of a recession or the beginning of an expansion.
Please do not confuse the cycle of stocks with the cycle of real estate. Although somewhat connected, they are not the same.

Interest Rates

In regards to commercial real estate, low interest rates make it easier for companies to expand by building more office and factories through borrowed funds from mortgage lenders. This in return, makes investing in real estate more profitable. High interest rates in contrast spark a lower amount of borrowing and real estate recession. This makes investing in real estate less favorable.
Although interest rates should not be the only factor in your decision, it should have some influence on it. Even if you are investing in commercial REIT's, where you are not directly affected by the interest rates, you will have a nice boost in performance with dropping interest rates.
Although these principles are not solid through all markets, they are good general rules.

Conclusion

In conclusion, investing in real estate should be an on-going pursuit, but the amount of capital you allocate to real estate should be determined by your age, risk tolerance, and the current business cycle.

Real estate is an excellent investment for people with a low tolerance for risk, nearing retirement, during a period of real estate business expansion.

Toronto - Highrise Capital of North America

High rises are sprouting up across Toronto, faster than you can count to 132. That's the number of current projects on the go. Compare this to the number two spot in North America, Mexico city at 88 and New York City at 86. The Greater Toronto population is going to explode by another 1.5 million people by 2020. Most of this population growth will be vertical, rather than the suburbs.

The heights of towers are ever increasingly pushing the boundaries, up, up and away. This is has incredible power to identify places in the World, and if you subtract them, you lose identity globally. So, go on T.O., push the envelope, don't be shy, we expect it!

US Homeownership rate, now's the time to buy!

The U.S. homeownership rate rose a notch in the third quarter, with 66.1 percent of households owning a home – up from 66.0 percent in the prior quarter. However, the trend has clearly been downward since the bubble situation of several years ago. Just maybe, however, we’re starting to venture into sustainable homeownership, since the current ownership rate matches up with 1998 levels. Back in 1998, there was no mention of a housing bubble or unsustainability in the media or in the academic literature, so the current homeownership figures may indeed indicate the right stabilizing level for the country. Other housing data have also pointed to stabilization (though not a genuine recovery) in recent months – such as home prices, home sales, and housing starts.

If the homeownership rate stabilizes at the current 66 percent or so level then the natural increases in population (3 million a year) and households (about 1.1 million a year during normal times) in the U.S. will bring about 700,000 additional homeowners each year. Total home sales and business opportunities for REALTORS® would arise from these new set of homeowners. Not to mention the added turnover rate among the existing 75 million home owning families, which was exceptionally low in recent years, due in part both to the weak economy and to the many underwater homeowners who have been unable to move without a short-sale approval from the banks.