Real Estate News

Vancouver Mortgage Broker Companies

In today’s world, so many businesses thrive on one funding system or the other. For some, it is their personal savings (life savings) being injected into a new business venture. Others use means such as credit cards, angel investors, loans, line of credit, factoring, purchase order funding, crowdfunding, SBA loans, microloans, and so on. You cannot rule out family and friends that can be of financial help one way or the other.

Finding capital for your business can be a very challenging mission. It requires determination and patience, or you may end up getting frustrated and giving up too soon. You need to learn about the various ways you can get funding for whatever purpose. Your research should lead you through a learning process about debt…

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Calling all Programmers

Since Casandra Properties was founded back in 1989 by mom, the Real Estate industry has undergone so many changes. We’ve talked about this quite a bit in some of our other posts and while it’s changed dramatically we believe that the most exciting times, and our ability to really use technology to drive sales, still lies ahead. 

When I started in the business we were over the moon excited about the dial up modem and the fact that we could once a day, get the hot sheets that provided new listings. However, this process was not a quick one. This required the patience to strap the phone into the device that communicated to the server and printed on our dot matrix a daily report!  As time marched on the innovations came fast and furious.  The…

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24 Wandel Ave

The Nixon McGowan Team of Casandra Properties is proud to announce their new listing located at 24 Wandel Avenue in Lower Grymes Hill, Staten Island.  

This new construction single family semi-attached home was built on a high hill which oversees breathtaking views and leaves homeowner with an enormous amount of privacy. Walk-in at grade level for a rec room, ¾ bath, plenty of closets and access to built in garage.  Main level features an open concept with kitchen, shared living/dining room, half bath and balcony in front. The upper level includes three bedrooms, shared full bath, washer/dryer and ample closet space.  

This convenient location is easily accessible to all buses and just a short drive to the Verrazano Bridge.

For more information…

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7 Key Factors to Consider When Deciding Where to Move

Moving away can feel scary and worrisome, but when life changes or financial opportunities happen, sometimes it's the only thing that makes sense. If you are thinking about pulling up stakes and moving yourself and your family, there are several considerations to think about before deciding where to move.

For more information that you should consider before deciding on a new area to call home, check out this simple guide!

1. Crime Statistics

While there will always be some crime in whatever area you move to, it is important to know how well the community is policed. Many states have area crime statistics readily available on the internet, along with figures on any neighborhood watch presence. Better to know beforehand than to be unpleasantly…

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So, You Want to Sell Your Inherited Property?: Here's What You Need to Know

Inheriting a property can often come at an emotional time. It may also add complications to your life that you could do without. These range from tax issues to simply having the everyday responsibilities which go with owning a property.

If the home you've inherited feels like a challenging inconvenience, then the sensible thing to do may be to sell it. Here's everything you need to know about selling inherited property.

The Probate Process

You will only be able to sell the property once the estate has gone through probate. Probate is a legal process in which the estate is settled according to the previous owner's will and testament. 

During the probate, it is the job of the executor to ensure all assets are maintained and safe. This would…

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Choosing A Chartered Surveyor In Oxford UK

If you've ever been involved in the process of buying a property, chances are you are well aware of the job description of a chartered surveyor. They are the folk that comes in to inspect your dream house before you finalize the process of making it your future home. A good surveyor possesses laser sight when it comes to defects, shortcomings and potential pitfalls that the ordinary eye is usually blind to. 

That said, let's look at some tips on how to spot a really good person or company in the survey business in Oxford and use their services in order to save huge money on bad real estate decisions.

Evaluate Your Individual Situation

Before you call somebody, analyze your individual case in order to decide on the type of survey…

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The Importance of Using Professional Photography in Real Estate

While it may not seem like a big deal, some people underestimate the power of using professional photography when listing a property. Below are just a few of the many benefits professional photography can offer.

1. Ability to stage photos

a)   A staged home makes the room look bigger and helps potential buyers envision what the home will look like with furniture. Without staging, pictures can be deceiving and not embellish what the space is capable of.

2. Houses with professional photos tend to sell faster
a)   As a broker, the faster you sell a property the happier your client will be, and they will be more inclined to recommend you to a friend and/or family member or use in the future!

3. Using professional photography can lead to selling a…

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How to Make Your House Look Nice: Top Updates to Make Before Selling

Selling a house can be challenging. And the even bigger challenge is to get the best price possible. The key is to make sure your home looks great when it's time to put it on the market.

Fortunately, you can learn how to make your house look nice. All it takes is a few helpful tips to point you in the right direction. After all, you'd be surprised how much difference small changes and improvements can make in getting buyers to pay more.

In this article, we take a look at a few of those small improvement that can increase the value of your home. Keep reading to learn how to take your home's appearance to the next level.

Get Rid of Clutter

First of all, it's time to get rid of anything you don't need or want. A cluttered house isn't…

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Real Estate Portfolio Optimization (RPO)

Back in 2005, long before most of the competition, we saw very stormy times ahead in the Real Estate and overall economies. In response to this, we developed a program that we called RPO, Real Estate Portfolio Optimization. 

The idea was as the market was shifting there would be a double hit for institutions and Not-for-Profit’s in particular. When you couple a slowing economy with overall budget cuts and the government’s tightening of the belt you end up with a cash crunch for these Not-for-Profit’s. The RPO program was designed to take a look at NFP’s real estate portfolio’s, which shockingly were viewed as liabilities, and convert them into positive cash flowing assets. The strategy was to identify, assess, optimize and where appropriate liquidate -…

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Opportunity Zones

Don’t let numbers fool you, there’s some real opportunities in those zones...

Historically sales numbers and pricing in the census tracts, now known as the opportunity zones, have been tough.  By tough I mean over the last 20 years or so, there has been zero growth.  In fact, there has been a steady decline in not only sales quantity but also pricing.   I was recently reading an article on the Reonomy site and saw the chart in the article. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words... so ouch...very ouch baby....

If that’s not bad enough, since the announcement of the Opportunity Zones being included into the tax laws...yep you guessed it the numbers are still declining!

So what does this mean in our little slice of heaven for Staten Island Real Estate…

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