Real Estate Quotes

"Decor" light switches have top and bottom pressure plates. Simply press the top to turn on the lights, the bottom to turn them off. There are even dimmers that operate on touch--just press and hold the surface and the light will dim or brighten. Tap the surface to make the light go off and on. Decor switches are widely available in white, almond, ivory, and sometimes brown. You can buy the new decor switches for around four dollars each or less (Dimmer switches are far more expensive, costing around $25 apiece). You should also investigate to see if your local building department requires a permit. [2003] - Robert Irwin

Unless your home is almost brand new, or you're just recently had it painted, you should seriously consider repainting the entire interior before putting it up for sale. The typical home needs to be repainted every four to seven years. You can probably get your entire house painted for around $2,000. Use light colors. White used to be the most popular interior color. Today, many new homes feature a kind of light yellow or mustard color. Many upscale home use a variety of harmonious colors including yellows, grays, browns, blues, and many other deep colors. [2003] - Robert Irwin

My recommendation in bathrooms is that you use a high luster paint that contains an antifungal agent. However, the best antifungal paint is typically oil-based, which means it smells bad and is tough to clean up. For kitchens, a high gloss paint is usually recommended because it can be cleaned. Again, an oil-based paint (as opposed to latex) usually works best here. [2003] - Robert Irwin

If there's one area of the house that the experts agree about when it comes to improving the value of your home, it is the kitchen. If your home is more than seven years old, chances are that your kitchen is at least partially obsolete. Take a look at the likely sales price of your home and try to spend no more than 10 percent on a kitchen makeover. The two areas of the kitchen that receive the most attention are the floor and the countertops (The sink and stove are also important.) Many new models for upscale homes will include traditional tile countertops around the periphery of the kitchen with a granite island in the center. Today, most people prefer the offset sink with a small higher side for the garbage disposer and a deep, wide side for soaking. [2003] - Robert Irwin

Most experts agree that second to a kitchen, a bathroom is where you can dramatically improve the value of your home. The amount you spend on the bathroom should not be more than 5 percent of the home's value. Replace the countertop and flooring with inexpensive tile. [2003] - Robert Irwin

Most designers suggest that you use at least one fluorescent fixture in the bathroom. Use a fluorescent overhead. Then use make-up or similar lighting near the main mirror. My suggestion for the kitchen is recessed lighting. [2003] - Robert Irwin

Paint your closets white. White makes anything seem larger. Be sure the closet smells fresh. Use products such as Febreze to absorb odors and give the closet a fresh smell. [2003] - Robert Irwin

You can often replace your interior doors for as little as $100 apiece. Installation can run as high as $100 a door. [2003] - Robert Irwin

We had looked at over 600 properties just to find five small houses that made investment sense. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

I do not openly endorse buying no-money-down real estate. I recommend having some experience buying, selling, and especially managing real estate before going after highly leveraged deals. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

We had millions of dollars in real estate, mainly in unit sizes of thirty to fifty apartments. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

Real estate is great for the creative investor who is a good negotiator. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

Most rich people either made their money in real estate, or they held much of their wealth in real estate, after they had made it. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

The 100:10:3:1 Rule: If you look at 100 properties, put offers in on 10, and try to arrange financing for 3, you may end up buying 1.If you found that all your offers were being accepted, you were offering way too much. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

It is possible to find a bargain property, or even many of them in a row. It is possible to buy properties using mostly or entirely other people's money. It is possible to buy properties where the return are 20 or 30 or 50 or 100 percent or more per annum. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

If you had bought a property wisely, then the rent would more than cover your expenses. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

The most common reason why properties are sold at way below their true value is, unfortunately, divorce. Not getting an appraisal is also a surprisingly frequent reason why properties are sold at way below the market value. Sometimes the owners are simply too stingy to engage the services of a appraiser. Very commonly a property may be sold by people who have no vested interest in getting the true market value for it. This is often the case with foreclosure situations, where the bank is mainly interested in getting its mortgage back, but also occurs when people are asked to look after someone else's affairs. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

Invest in those regions that for years have exceeded the national average. People are perversely obsessed with investing in their own town or city or area, when sometimes it would make much more sense to invest elsewhere. The population growth in Auckland is twice the national average. In Australia, there is a lot of internal migration to the sunshine state of Queensland. In the United States, the population of California is predicted to double in the next thirty years. San Francisco and Marin Country have regularly had growth rates in capital values higher than the rest of the state.Similarly, in Queensland, the southeastern corner encompassing the Gold Coast, Brisbane, and the Sunshine Coast has regularly outperformed the rest of the state by a factor of two. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

In the coming years the value of seaside real estate is going to rise much faster than the comparable value of inland real estate. [2001] - Dolf de Roos

If you have identified a property as being particularly well suited to your needs (meaning the needs of a potential or prospective tenant), then there is no law against you asking the current owner if he would consider selling. [2001] - Dolf de Roos