Let’s face it; there are millions of new homeowners out there and in fact you may even be one of them yourself. There’s also a good chance that you’ve at some point thought about taking out a mortgage on your home but you’ve never done so simply because you don’t know how to go about it. Bear in mind however that while many companies are willing to do whatever they can in order to help you, others will simply try to take you for a ride. Of course, as you can imagine, home mortgages are a serious business and certainly not something you should take lightly. In that respect, you should only ever consider using a reputable company which is dedicated to helping people.

Dominion Lending Centres is just such a company, and since 2006 they have been helping Canadians all over the country. In fact, they’ve even been awarded the “Best Newcomer Mortgage Company” award in 2008.

Over and above home mortgages, Dominion Lending Centres also have a leasing division in order to deal with financing requirements for various commodities such as motor vehicles and computers. Of course, this is one thing which sets them apart from many of the other mortgage brokers out there in that the majority of brokers fail to offer such a service. Irrespective of what it is you require; there’s a strong possibility that Dominion Lending Centres can in fact offer you assistance.

Furthermore, the company also offers people refinancing and of course they are fully aware of the fact that your home is of utmost importance to you. This is essentially why they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; in order to be there for you should any issues arise with regards to your home mortgage. As many homeowners can attest to, this is one service which very few other companies offer and as such, it should be in itself a good indicator as to the company’s credibility.

Also, if you browse around on their website you will notice a few interesting things. For example, you’ll find a home mortgage calculator the and also a refinancing calculator, both of which are invaluable with regards to helping you calculate what your monthly payments will be.

Homeowners would be well advised to only use such calculators on dedicated mortgage websites, simply because if you choose to use one of these calculators on a random site, you could very well be playing right into the hands of a scammer. Alternatively, you could be playing into the hands of a mortgage company which provides undesirable rates on the calculator, and then offers better rates in order to lure people in. This is exactly why it is always better to become involved with a mortgage company such as Dominion Lending Centers which are capable of standing on their own two legs.

With all the refinancing companies that are out there it may be hard to pick out the one that has your best interests at heart. While we can’t convince you completely, we do suggest that you give Dominion Lending Centres a try or at least talk to them, because they do have your best interest at heart and they’ll be able to help you get the most out of your home mortgage.

Contrary to what you may have heard, getting a home mortgage need not be risky and confusing. This does however depend largely on whether or not you’re willing to accept professional advice. Above all, you need to rely on your better judgment and also on Dominion Lending Centres.

Technorati Tags: dominion lending, dominion lending centres, dominion lending centres edmonton, edmonton mortgage, edmonton mortgage broker, edmonton mortgage brokers, edmonton mortgage rates, edmonton mortgages, mortgage broker, mortgage broker edmonton, mortgages edmonton, Real Estate

Most real estate professionals wish to promote their business online with the blog of their website. If you are among them and want to direct more traffic to your blog, you can do so by using a trackback link. These links are not very regularly used with regard to blogs since using them is not that easy. Nevertheless, a trackback link can prove to be very beneficial to increase traffic to your blog and you can earn monetary profits from your home itself. As a realtor, you must utilize this relatively new method since not many people are aware of it and you can easily have an edge over your competitors.

A trackback link is one of its kinds. It is not like any other link but helps its user to send comments to some specific website from the user’s site when put to use. It can function in a dual way.

For instance, if any writer comments on any post on your blog and uses your personal trackback link, then you will instantly receive a notification in the area of comments where the text of the other writer’s post will be displayed. In this way you can be informed if someone else refers and recommends your post or article.

A trackback link is really useful in the sense that information is sent to the other person’s website if you make a blog post and are referring to that particular individual’s blog post. This is like including references within your own blog post to let your readers click on if they feel the need to obtain more information and insights on the identical subject by some other author.

Once you carry out this action, instantly a short blurb will appear from the post of your blog on the other person’s website. This will provide you with a link back and aid in the generation of more traffic to your website. You simply need to be sure that the other blogger possesses a trackback link. Usually, a majority of the blogs on WordPress have this particular feature. Most other Blogger blogs do not have it.

The trackback link is like having comments enabled or disabled on your blog and moderating them for deciding if you really want to continue with them or simply remove them. This allows you to manage your blog in a very flexible way.

Having a trackback link and commenting on the blogs of others has a subtle difference. In the case of the former you get a greater amount of targeted links that point back to your website than via a comment exchange or regular link. Even the popular search engines prefer these links to other regular ones.

Therefore, with the help of the Trackback link you can easily refer or quote other blog posts. The Trackback link basically sends a notification from one server to another informing it that you have posted a recommendation to their post. The biggest benefit of such links is that a link to your real estate blog gets included on other’s site. You can utilize this method to establish and strengthen your real estate business online.

Technorati Tags: marketing for realtors, marketing realtor site web, Real Estate, real estate email marketing, real estate internet marketing, real estate marketing, realtor email marketing, realtor internet marketing, realtor marketing, realtor marketing products, realtors marketing

River Country Journal – Glen Oaks students greeted at Fall Orientation
Going to college and investing thousands of dollars into your education can also take some pointers, so Glen Oaks Community College offered the first of its Fall 2009 Orientation sessions Tuesday (August 18th) for new students. Students will find most of their … trails, Amish, maps & more! St. Joseph County Land Use Council – It is the mission of the Land Use Council to raise awareness of countywide land use values and vision through communication and education. …  read more…

wildsingapore news: Mangroves barriers reduce damage from …
They first planted the Kandelia mangrove trees that like to live on wet land and with its roots make the mud firmer. After one year they planted seedlings of another species of mangrove, the Sonneratia, which the villagers prepared in … CARE has also helped to build a fresh water canal that flushes the fields destroyed by salt water with water from the river based on the community approach. “Previously, at the village meeting only the leaders would meet and make the …  read more…

A Buyer's Guide to Texas Hunting Land | wishhunt.com
It’s also important to have a stream or small river running through the land. If waterfowl is your game, search for hunting land for sale with a standing water source, such as a pond or lake. Quail hunters will find the ideal location in the Texas … If the property is not equipped with a well, ask the seller and neighboring landowners if there is a community water supply. Texas Hunting Land for Sale — Access and Easements Know the details on access and easements to your …  read more…

From Google Blog Search

Moving to Tennessee
Welcome to Lexington Tennessee, county seat of Henderson County and located in the middle of West Tennessee midway between Nashville and Memphis, Chicago and New Orleans, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Both …  read more…

Hampton Roads -Tidewater Virginia
Hampton Roads refers to both a body of water and the region of land bordered by the Elizabeth and James Rivers, the Western edge of the Chesapeake Bay and the Waterfront of Virginia Beach. The name &#…  read more…

Amitabh Bachan – Prediction based on Name and Nakshatra
Shri Amitabh Bhachan was born in Allahabad on 11.10.1942 at 16:00:00 hrs.

Astrology is a complex science where we all know that Moon affects the tide of the oceans, the birds migrate during v…  read more…

From GoArticles.com

Camino Del Rio Belize – Property in the Caribbean

A real estate video tour featuring Camino Del Rio Belize – Gated Community Homes in Belize.

Camino Del Rio provides the perfect combination of modern luxury in the heart of adventure. When not inside your beautiful home, relax outside under your palapa amidst a lush tropical landscape in absolute peace and tranquility.

Visit our website at www.caminodelriobelize.com to learn more about our community and unique home designs… or just give us a call today.

This real estate video tour is presented by www.AgentCasts.com

Powered by Revver

The History of Eagle River (WJFW Rhinelander)
EAGLE RIVER – In our week long series, Eagle River Today, we take a look at the history of this community.  read more…

Grants to raise public awareness of the Lamprey River (Exeter News-Letter)
NEWMARKET — The Lamprey River Advisory Committee announces the recipients of four small grants aimed at increasing the public’s awareness and appreciation of the Lamprey River.  read more…

Tradition Senior Living to Develop Full-Service Retirement Community in Sugar Land, Texas (PRWeb)
Senior living facility completes Lake Pointe Town Center Master Plan (PRWeb Aug 20, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/tradition/senior_living/prweb2775294.htm  read more…

Powered by Yahoo! News

Open Question: i want to study aquatics?
Im almost 20, and I am only going to a community college, geting ready to transfer. I need help in picking a major. You see, my hobby is aquariums and takeing care of fish and growing plants. I try to mimic theire habitats. i want to go in to a carere that will involv me in doing the following, but i dont know if one exsist or what its called…

study fish and plants in theire natural habitats
understand all the biological influences on the ecosystems
learn about the aqatic eco-systems…in areas such as the Amazon River or lakes where tropical fish live

understand about the living organisms in the ocean, fish, mamels, algea, corals, micro organisms..etc

learn about all differnt species of fish native to in-land lakes
learn about each species of aquatic plants and there affect on the enviorment
learn about all aspects of plant biology
learn everything abnout corals and saltwater systms
learn about freshwater systems.

thats basicly what i want do. but i dont know what kind of careeres are out there. thanks for your help.

  read more…

Resolved Question: Advice and Help about Our Camping Site/Fort?
Okay so me and my significant other went eploring in the woods the other day and we found a nice little spot right next to a small, calm river.(On the other side of the river is a small ‘island’ type of land) We want to ‘personalize it’ (in a way that wont harm the enviornment). I’m making a small wood sign and were carving our names into an older tree. Were also making a small firepit. Any suggestions or ideas? Were planning on camping there pretty soon and calling it our ‘park’. The land is owned by the community that we reside in and its an area no one is bound to go in since you have to wade through a bit of water.

Thank you in advance!

  read more…

Resolved Question: A land legal question:?
Someone nearby has closed off an area with a gate that is an easement for access to a river. The individual says that all the neighbors nearby has agreed to the action, and now this person has laid claim to the easement. I didn’t know this was lawful. Or, is it? Where do I find the legalities on this issue? Our community needs access to that river, and we are being blocked.

  read more…

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

 Events Calendar, Aug. 23, 2009 | Toledo Newspaper
Posted by eventline via Event Management Baltimore – Google Blog Search  

 CIA report: Israel will fall in 20 years
Posted by seanmcbride via FriendFeed  

 Okay, I have to ask this now… People from the West: What mental image do you have of India?
Posted by parthawasthi via FriendFeed  

 Fwd: What The Arabs Are Saying About Israel – Hudson New York – http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/08/what-the-arabs-are-saying-about-israel.php (via http://ff.im/6Bg2H)
Posted by noahdavidsimon via FriendFeed  

 Welcome to the 13 Thames Party- for people who never grew up after 13 years old ; [I'm not working for the Ford Foundation ; ] http://ff.im/62Ecy
Posted by ewing2001 via Twitter  

 Urban Farms Take Root
Posted by nedhamson via Google Reader  

 Lot in Winding River Plantation, a golf and water access community: 613 Riverwood Dr SE, Bolivia, NC
Posted by beachsales via Beach Sales Real Estate – Beach Property  

 ’Chief’ of Homeless Tent City Romanticized by NY Times Is a Convicted Sex Offender
Posted by theblackbook via “Conservative Politics” via NoahDavidSimon in Google Reader  

Recently Being Discussed on FriendFeed

Technorati Tags: river land community

Picture yourself that you are on a Christmas holiday in Europe and staying at this fantastic ski resort at the foothills of the Alps. While there with your buddies you think it would be excellent to pool your money and each go on buying a vacation property for the whole gang. Then, each of you will be able to use it a certain time of the year. In this scenario, the ownership of the property is shared and the percentage you paid is the percentage of ownership you will have.

A timeshare has a similar concept, but with key differences. The main difference is, you are not going in on the purchase with people you know. To facilitate all the deals there is a management company that takes care of the entire deal and finds all the interested buyers of the property.

Additionally, you just pay for a percentage of the entire value of the property. There are also maintenance fees that you have to pay to the people who oversee the property. The downside of timeshare is that the prices are extremely inflated and selling timeshares is not a good way to make a profit.

There are other kinds of timeshares. There are those where you are not actually buying ownership of a property but are just paying for a right to use it. This is no different than renting a condo for a week, except you pre-pay for many years. The benefit of this is you can sometimes sell your time to someone else if you are not able to go on vacation that year.

Selling timeshares can be very difficult. So you should buy a timeshare with the intent of using it and not making a profit out of it. Nonetheless many people still opt for timeshares for it saves them on hotel bills and the hassle of booking for an excellent accommodation.

Technorati Tags: Accommodation, Lodging, Real Estate, Recreation, Timeshare, Timeshares, travel, Travel and Tourism

Forex demo account is the ideal place to learn forex trading. You should understand from the get go that any action you take on a trading platform is basically your responsibility. You may have meant to click Sell but instead you clicked Buy. No one knows for sure except you.

If you dont want to blow your account repeatedly, double your demo accounts three times in a row only then trade live. First practice on your demo account instead of jumping into live trading!

When the prices are adjusting quickly like after a data release or break of a key technical level or price point, attempts to trade at the market can sometimes fail in very fast moving markets. You must know that part of this stems from the latency effect on the internet.

You can experience these time lags so that you dont learn them during real trading by first practicing on your demo account. The time lag between the platform reaching your computer and your trade request reaching the platform server can cause your trade to fail in fast moving markets.

By pulling the trigger, you opened your position and now you are in the market. Dont think that you have pulled the trigger and now its time to sit back and let the market do its thing. The forex market isnt a roulette wheel where you place your bets, watch the wheel spin and simply take the result.

Forex market is a dynamic and fluid environment where new information and price developments create new opportunities and change previous expectations. Always trade with a plan!

You should know in advance where to enter and where to exit every trade. You can improve your chances of trading success by thoroughly planning each trade before getting caught up in the emotions and noise of the market.

It depends on your trading style and the overall market conditions, how much managing your open position need. If you are following a medium to long term trading strategy based on swing trading the currency markets, you will generally set wider stop loss and take profit targets and adopt the policy of set and forget.

Staying on top of the market is still a good idea even for a longer term trade. A lot can happen between you open a position and the price action hitting your target level. It pays to keep up with the market news and price developments while trade is active, no matter what your trading style. So you may require making changes to your trading plan. Unexpected news may suddenly impact your position.

When we talk of making changes to the trading plan, we are referring only to reducing the overall risk of trading by moving the take profit or stop loss order. Your account will be blown up in a matter of hours or days if you dont know these things. You need to learn and experience these things on your demo account first. Dont try to learn them on your real account.

Technorati Tags: betting, Business, credit, debt, finance, forex, gambling, investing, mutual funds, poker, Real Estate, retirement, stocks, trading, wealth building

For borrowers with a bad credit history, ‘no credit check loans’ may be the only realistic loan option available when looking to borrow money, as they are relatively easy to have approved. Having bad credit does not does not hamper successfully obtaining this type as loan as it would other types or borrowing. Also it does further damage the borrower’s credit rating as the credit agencies are not always made aware of this type of borrowing. This form of unsecured loan can help rebuild the borrower’s credit by making sure they make their payments without fail.

This type of borrowing is frequently referred to as ‘Easy Loans’ due to the fact that as long as you can provide the required documentation then the loan will be approved. As is standard procedure with most form of borrowing, certain requirements will be requirement will have to be met in order to successfully apply for this type of loan. Firstly the lender will require proof of the applicant’s personal details including name and proof of residency and a checking account. Proof of employment, earnings and possibly duration of employment will be required also.

Cash to payday loans are a form of no credit check loans that are a short term solution to an immediate monetary requirement. An example period of this type of lending would be for 7-14 days credit. The payday loan company will require that you have a current checking account from which the loan repayments can be paid when required as per the details of the loan agreement, these will be agreed at the time of taking out the payday loan along with the rates of interest applicable to the loan amount.

Sourcing the most suitable type of no credit check loan is a relatively simple process, by assessing your current financial requirements and affordable repayment, a suitable lender and method of borrowing can be sought. People with a bad credit history make this method of lending a suitable option.

There are obviously many banks that offer loans and various cash advance and payday loan companies to choose from. It should be remembered that banks may charge a high interest rate and that will be indebt to this financial institution until the credit terms have been met and the loan is repaid. If these financial obligations are not met than the bank could take action against you and deduct the outstanding amounts from your pay check.

Another variation of this type of lending is the ‘no credit check student loans’. For students looking to fund themselves through college financial demands and circumstances may require that a student consider this type of borrowing. No credit check student loans are ideal when other financial grants are not available or do not cover a particular borrowing need. A cosigner may be required by the lender to potentially cover any payments should he student get in trouble meeting payments. Students should be aware that this type of borrowing comes with a higher interest rate but for students with no credit at all this can be the only option available to them.

Tenants who are having difficulties meeting their rent payments have another form of no credit check loans available to them, these are commonly referred to as ‘loans for tenants’. They are just another form of short term borrowing that can repaid to the lender over the short term (just like payday loans) and they can be used by the borrower to meet their tenant payments.

As should be common practice when considering any type of borrowing, careful research and appreciation of all the options available should be made. The lender should be aware of their financial obligations in advance in order that they ensure they meet them once the no credit check loan is in effect. Be sure that the choice of lender and loan is correct before signing because the wrong choice can make the individual’s financial situation worse.

Technorati Tags: bad credit repair, banking, debt consolidation, education, financial advice, home, money, mortgage, no credit check loans, payday loans, Real Estate, refinance, student loans, tenant loans, unsecured loan

Podcasting as a medium of communication has emanated from blogging. Very often podders are considered as bloggers who simply include podcasts in their own blogs. Podcasting entails the delivery of online audio content via webfeed. It is similar to radio in demand but gives you many more options with regard to the program style and content as compared to the radio. As a real estate professional, you can use this medium to enhance your online social marketing. There are three main ways in which you can use the medium of podcasting with your blog to get your message across to your target audience.

Audio Touring is the first technique by which you can get reach out clearly to the audience using podcasting. These audio tours can be an effective method for your business when as an agent of real estate you are looking online for potential buyers and clients. A description in details of properties that you wish to advertise and promote can be podcasted. Audio touring is a type of virtual touring. Listeners will get a clear and concrete picture in their minds, will get a fair idea about these properties, and decide if they are interested.

To Further build up your online real estate social marketing you can combine the method of Audio Tours with Audio Seminars for podcasting. The blog can be produced in an audio-electronic form.

By offering your customers numerous ways to access interesting material with the help of podacsting will not only increase your income but also reflect that you are updated technologically and are professional at the same time. This will make a positive impression on your clients and customers.

While podcasting your real estate blog, you can consider applying a second method by giving some exclusive advice to your listeners periodically. You can name it as Tip of the Day or something similar. In this way, your listeners will look forward to receive something new and useful every time.

You can execute a third and useful way of creating a radio show for your listeners using podcasting. You can maintain contact with your customers very discreetly which is the biggest advantage of such shows. This radio show can be a forum of question and answer discussions with clients. You can talk about your real estate business, update the listeners with the latest activities and discuss rates and offers. In accordance to the social marketing requirements the format of the show can be chosen.

You can express yourself in a manner that is personal in nature by creating a radio show for podcasting your blog. This repeatedly builds a bond between you and your consumers. Consumers prefer to do business with those whom they know, trust and understand. A radio show can be the best mode that can create and reinforce all these sentiments in the minds of your consumers.

Thus to conclude we can say, the most essential aspect of podcasting, if compared to any other means of advertising, is it allows you to send your message across to your target audience successfully. But do remember that your main objective should always be to keep your product or service the centre point of the discussion. Using Podcasting to publicize and promote your product will not make you rich instantly. But it will surely help you spread your message far and wide, attract the attention of more customers and thus strengthen your ground of social marketing over the net.

Technorati Tags: authority blogging, blog pinging, ping list, plugin, podcasting, Real Estate, real estate social marketing, real estate web 2.0, social marketing, Technorati tags, trackback link, Video Marketing, web 2.0, wordpress blog

Arizona short sales are here to stay, at least for a while. We’ve done everything possible to try and avoid short sales. Buyers would have very few homes to preview if we eliminated the “short sale” homes for sale.

There are ways to help ease the pain and frustration for your buyers when a short sale is involved. Before writing an offer on a short sale home, it is critical for the Buyer’s agent to ask the listing agent direct and specific questions. These questions will save the agent and buyer a tremendous amount of time and disappointment as well as keeping the buyer, YOUR BUYER.

Our clients rely on our expertise, knowledge and experience. The process of purchasing a short sale is much more involved than a normal transaction. It is imperative that we educate our buyers as to this process and have the knowledge to make this a smooth transaction.

Below are 5 simple but powerful questions for the Buyer’s agent to ask the listing agent prior to writing an offer: These questions will save everyone time and energy.

What lender(s) carry the mortgage? Knowing which banks hold the notes is important. Some banks are responding to offers in as little as a week while others are taking several weeks or months.

Does only one bank hold the note? A short sale usually means there is not enough money to pay off the first mortgage. If there is a 2nd lien holder there is no money to pay them either, however they have to approve the short sale as does the first lien holder.

Have you received any other offers? The MLS Rules and Regulations have set rules to follow that address multiple offers. Be sure you and the listing agent are well versed with the rules.

Have you worked with this bank previously? This will give the Buyer’s agent an idea of the experience of the listing agent. To understand the process involved by banks is crucial.

Are you knowledgeable of how the lender processes offers? Experience is the key to the agents involved in the transaction and all parties to the transaction. This question will really help pinpoint the time frame when submitting an offer. Gain the knowledge you need for short sales and distressed properties and you will be successful. At the same time your buyer’s will be impressed with your expertise and you’ll have a client for life.

Technorati Tags: blog, finance, foreclosure, homes, leasing, loans, mortgage, Real Estate

To qualify for the $1600 Government insulation rebate is easy. 1. Be the homeowner 2. Be 18 years + 3. Be Australian Citizen or Resident 4. Have no insulation or less than R value 0.5

If you meet this criteria your eligible for $1600 Free Insulation at not Cost to You.

The insulation rebate forms part of a $4 billion economic stimulus plan. The insulation rebate is available from 1st July 2009 until December 2011. For homeowners, the insulation rebate is up to $1600 worth of ceiling insulation and $1000 for tenants and landlords. The insulation rebate is expected to cover up to 2.9 million Australian Homes.

Why have they introduced this?

Simple, it is designed to stimulate the economy by creating jobs, as well as protecting the Environment. Homes that aren’t insulated lose between 30-40% of all its energy through the ceiling so by installing the insulation you are cutting down on your homes energy consumption. Which in turn will reduce the amount of Greenhouse Gases.

So are you doing your bit for the Environment? Remember this is FREE. Not outlay and NO COST TO YOU.

Insulation Rebate For Homes use only qualified and registered insulation installers so that the work is of the highest quality and there is no cost to you the homeowner.

Our insulation installers are professional and experienced in installing insulation in homes around Australia and are Government approved to receive the insulation rebate.

Contact us for more information on insulation installers in your area. Our insulation installers use high quality glasswool batts that are non-combustible, non-irritating to allergy sufferers, and have bonded fibres to stop movement in the ceiling space.

Insulation installers must be registered with the Federal Government for any work to be eligible for the insulation rebate. The Insulation Installer Register is designed to protect you by ensuring that only qualified insulation installers carry out work on your home. To arrange for your Free Insulation contact us today

Insulation Rebate For Homes use only qualified and registered insulation installers so that the work is of the highest quality and there is no cost to you.

Our insulation installers are professional and experienced in installing insulation in homes around Australia and are Government approved to receive the insulation rebate. Contact us for more information on insulation installers in your area.

Our insulation installers use high quality glasswool batts that are non-combustible, non-irritating to allergy sufferers, and have bonded fibres to stop movement in the ceiling space.

Our insulation installers use R3.5 batts which will reduce noise transference as well as heat flow. This will make your home cooler in summer, warmer in winter and will help save you hundreds of dollars each year in energy bills. The best part is our insulation installers do all of this at NO COST to you.

Our insulation installers will come and assess your home and provide you with a quote for ceiling insulation.

They will then install your ceiling insulation, complete the paperwork and apply for the rebate payment once the job has been completed. Our insulation installers handle every aspect of the process so that you don’t have to.

So don’t miss out on this incredible offer from the Federal Government, and don’t forget you are also helping the environment.

Applying for your FREE insulation is Easy, Contact Us and we take our of all the work

Technorati Tags: government ceiling rebate, government stimulus package, insulation rebate, insulation rebate for homes, insulation rebates, Real Estate

If you are tired of self-managing your property and have decided to hire the services of a professional property management company then you need to be careful and take your time finding a good company to hire.

The right property management company will make your rental home a profitable experience. The wrong property management company could cost you thousands of dollars a year in rental income and repairs from a bad tenant.

The biggest goof owners make is that they don’t do enough research on a property management company. With a little research, you can avoid hiring a bad management company.

Don’t hire one of those big nationwide corporations that sell property. They do property management because they want to be the first company you think of when you want to sell your property. They lose money on property management, but make money when you are ready to sell your home. It’s never a good idea to go with a property management company that is trying to get you to sell your home because that’s where they make the big money. You want a company that specializes only in property management and nothing else. You don’t want a big corporation either. You want a small, local expert that has lived in your city for at least 20 years. You want a property management company that specializes in your local market only.

Get multiple bids and check references. You want to talk with other owners who are satisfied with the property management company. You should not sign an agreement with the company until you know they are good at marketing, renting, and taking care of the renter in your home. With that said, you need to realize that a good property management company will only charge about $100 or less a month on your home. So don’t go in blasting away. If you give off the impression that you are going to be a problem owner, they are more than ready to simply turn your business a way. After all, your business only means about $100 a month for them. Try and get two or three references that you can call. Call the references and ask if they work for the property management company or know someone who does. Ask the references how long they have been with this property management company and what they like and dislike about them.

Get on the web and do a check on the property management company to make sure they have all the legal licenses to do business in your area. Most states mandate that a company have a business license, a real estate license, and a property manager’s license. A good example is in California where property managers are required to have a real estate license.

Ask about the company’s insurance. They need to be insured. The firm should have professional liability insurance and general liability insurance on its employees. Also, the firm should have a bond on the employee in case of employee theft, after all, you have a right to know this because it is the employees who will be handling your deposit and monthly rent money and if they commit fraud, you want full reimbursement.

Another big mistake owners make is that they do not ask the right questions when hiring a property management company.

Consider asking the following questions:

1 – Can you provide a list of exactly what management services are provided?

2 – Do you have a home sales division?

3 – Can you tell me exactly what the monthly operating reports you send me will contain and when I will receive a monthly income check?

4 – How will you market my property?

5 – How do you handle maintenance requests from tenants?

6 – Who will actually manage my property? What are her qualifications? Is she licensed? How many properties does she currently manage?

7 – Can I have three references? Specifically, can I have the contact information for three clients of yours with rental properties that are managed by the same person who will be managing my property and that is similar in type, size, and location to mine?

8 – If you have your own in-house maintenance division, do you only charge the cost of labor and materials or do you markup the labor or have other surcharges?

9 – Do you get volume discounts with your vendors and do you pass on that savings to clients without any markups?

10 – Who gets the late charges? If you keep all the late charges, will you come down on my monthly management fee? If I get to keep the late charges, are you charging me a higher monthly management fee on my property?

11 – Do you carry Errors and Omissions coverage of at least $500,000, plus general liability coverage of at least $2,000,000?

12 – Do you have a $500,000 Fidelity bond and a Forgery and Alterations policy of at least $25,000 for all employees?

13 – Do you meet all DRE standards for what is considered acceptable and not acceptable regarding the co-mingling of owners’ funds? How do you keep my rental income separate from John Doe’s rental income? If money is not in my account to pay for a repair, do you contact me and ask that I send you the money or is the money taken from another owner to pay for my repairs until I can pay you. (The answer you want to hear is that the repair is not made until the money is in your account to pay for the repair).

Technorati Tags: Business, business and finance, education, home, investments, property management, Real Estate, rentals