HousingInteractive

The Pros and Cons of Investing in UK Commercial Property

Guest Post by Abbas Hussain

Owning a commercial property in the United Kingdom can be a huge advantage, especially for entrepreneurs. The return of investment from this kind of property, as compared to its counterpart of residential property, is typically high that you, as an investor, can make a decent living on the returns alone. However, possessing commercial land is not for the faint hearted as the challenges that follow in maintaining the property are enormous and the process of investing in it needs great caution.

This article will sum up the pros and cons of investing in a commercial property. Continue reading “The Pros and Cons of Investing in UK Commercial Property” »

Is the Philippines Ready for its First Supertall Skyscraper?

I remember a noteworthy chapter of the Great Skyscraper Wars from when I was a kid. This was back in the late nineties when it was announced that Chicago’s Sears Tower – then the world’s tallest building for 24 years – was dethroned by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As the first country outside the US to contest the World’s Tallest Building title in a huge way, Malaysia marked the opening volley in an intense skyscraper arms race that would stretch from Asia all the way to the Middle East.

You’d think after that Biblical fiasco with the Tower of Babel, humanity would have toned down its hubris a tad. In the last century our engineering prowess has reached all-new heights (pun intended), and our obsession with carving out a niche on top of the world is as strong as ever. Continue reading “Is the Philippines Ready for its First Supertall Skyscraper?” »

Posted in Architecture, Real Estate News/Trends/Forecast | Leave a comment

Living in Saigon: Your Quick-Start Guide to the City

Travelling, living, and working abroad, especially to a place as dynamic and history-rich as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), more known as Saigon, Vietnam can be challenging as well as rewarding. The experience is sure to be priceless in both personal and professional terms. The downside is that if you go without some basic knowledge of the city, its culture and people, the pitfalls of being hassled, taken advantage, or culture-shock can happen. Here is a quick start guide to give you a heads up on living in Saigon. Continue reading “Living in Saigon: Your Quick-Start Guide to the City” »

Posted in Moving and Relocation, Renting/Leasing Tips and Guides, Travel and Tourism | Leave a comment

Top 11 Tips to Keep Tenants Happy

Guest Post by Josephine White

Living is expensive. Renting out your property, advertising it, and showcasing it for prospective tenants are the costliest, most time-consuming tasks involved in maintaining rental properties. Your business will benefit from the retention of ideal tenants, as soon as you have found them. Do that by taking into account the 11 tips detailed below:

#1 – Build a good, clear agreement relationship

Clear rental agreements are the only thing keeping a landlord/renter relationship in the no-trouble zone. Apart from the monthly utilities and rent, this agreement should point out the person responsible for dealing with repairs when needed. Clear up who will maintain the upkeep of the yard if your property has one.

#2 – Be professional

Both you and your tenant wish to manage things with a reliable, responsive and respectful person. Be flexible and friendly and your renters will most likely return the favor.

#3 – Pick up the phone

Tenants usually prefer to have contact with professional property administrators, knowing it is their job to quickly assist them in resolving any issues. No matter what your other responsibilities are, promptly taking or returning your renters’ phone calls within a maximum of 24 hours should be your main priority.

Continue reading “Top 11 Tips to Keep Tenants Happy” »

Posted in Renting/Leasing Tips and Guides | Comments Off

Hit List of the Month: HousingInteractive’s Featured Properties in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Comfortable, stylish, convenient – all of these translate to getting good value for one’s money. These are the qualities most urbanites have in mind when house-hunting in Ho Chi Minh City, more known as Saigon. It is a thriving metropolis with dynamic, urbanized districts and the city’s progressive development is further creating opportunities for expatriates and locals. As such, the need for quality housing is increasing.

Here are some “nhà cho thuê” (house for rent) you can choose from with rates ranging from budget deals to midrange to luxurious housing in town:

Ngoc Lan Apartment, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City

http://www.housinginteractive.com/R-10766
This modern condo unit is located in District 7, a well-planned district with high living standards. The complete amenities and facilities such as swimming pool, gym, park, tennis court, and restaurants make living here convenient and appealing. Continue reading “Hit List of the Month: HousingInteractive’s Featured Properties in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam” »

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7,107 Good Reasons to Retire in the Philippines

Yes! You read that right. There are not just 10 or 20 or even a 100 good reasons to retire in the Philippines. 7,107 good low-tide reasons sound much better than 2,000 – the number of actual habitable islands. But if you’ve already made up your mind to retire in the Philippines, come hell or high tide, then 7,107 becomes less of a conceit than a multitude of reasons – sensible or not – that makes you pick the Philippines as the place to retire and not the others. Let us then count the ways.

In a recently concluded survey by the International Living publication, the country shared the 15th spot with Ireland and France in the World’s Top Retirement Havens in 2013. Emphasis was made on the cost of living, ease of integration, medical facilities and retirement infrastructure as the primary advantages why the Philippines can offer retirees high-quality life at a reasonable cost.

Retirees have a variety of choices available to them. Listed below are some of the places deemed to be the best location for retirement as well as areas which have a great potential to become the next ideal retirement haven for expats and locals alike. Continue reading “7,107 Good Reasons to Retire in the Philippines” »

Posted in Real Estate Investment | Comments Off

Let 2013′s Wildest and Wackiest Movie Homes Inspire You

Guest Post by Lyle Young

Even fictional people need to live somewhere, and creating interesting characters often requires artists to design equally interesting dwellings. If recent films are any indication, modern filmmakers have taken this principle to heart. Here are 10 of the best movie homes of 2013:

1. The Fortress of Solitude

Image courtesy of iverged.com.

No Superman movie would be complete without the hero’s frozen Fortress of Solitude. Warner Bros.’ upcoming reboot Man of Steel has redesigned the fortress as a spacecraft sent by Superman’s father to inform him of his Kryptonian origins. Continue reading “Let 2013′s Wildest and Wackiest Movie Homes Inspire You” »

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How PAGCOR Entertainment City is Shaking Things Up

Every country has its national landmarks and signature tourist draws: the USA has the Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty, France has the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, Australia has the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House, and China has the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

As far as the Philippines’ iconic tourist destinations go, usual suspects would include Palawan’s numerous underground caves and diving sites, Bicol’s Mayon Volcano, Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, and, last but not least, Manila Bay. Indeed, Roxas Boulevard’s real estate appeal draws mainly from its claim to fame as Ground Zero for the ever-popular Manila Bay sunset.

Now, the state-funded Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) plans to breathe new life into the area with its most ambitious project to date, Entertainment City. Covering eight kilometers of reclaimed land stretching across the cities of Manila, Pasay and Parañaque, the 100-hectare complex is one of the biggest ongoing developments to sprout in Manila Bay since the construction of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in the seventies and the Mall Of Asia Complex in the mid-2000s. Continue reading “How PAGCOR Entertainment City is Shaking Things Up” »

Posted in Leisure Real Estate, Real Estate News/Trends/Forecast | Comments Off

7 Tips for Choosing the Right Colors for Your Kitchen or Bathroom

Guest Post by Nathalie Sanderson

Choosing the right colors for your kitchen or bathroom remodel can be a daunting task if you’re not artistically inclined. The high cost of tiles, countertops, cabinets and other design elements – can put a lot of pressure on you to make the right decision or face living with a color you’ll hate for the next 5-10 years. Sure, you can always turn to an interior designer or your contractor for help (and you definitely should), but at the end of the day, you still need to choose a color scheme that you’ll be happy living with.

As daunting as the task may seem, picking the right colors for your remodeling project doesn’t have to be a scary thing – once you understand some of the basic rules. Here are 7 key tips to follow when choosing colors for your remodeling project: Continue reading “7 Tips for Choosing the Right Colors for Your Kitchen or Bathroom” »

Posted in Interior Design | 3 Comments

Benefits of Selling Your Property Online

Selling your property might seem difficult but with the available web technology nowadays, it can be fairly easy. While most property owners still prefer to hire a real estate agent, many of them are now turning to web 2.0 like real estate web portals, social networking sites, online classified ads, blogs, video sharing sites like YouTube and other web applications that are designed for property selling and buying solutions. You can also take advantage of real estate companies like Trulia and Zillow that have mobile apps to help you in everything you need to buy and sell a property: Trulia Real Estate Apps and Zillow Mobile Apps.

The world of house hunters has become rapidly digital. Property users are now searching for properties online by finding specific brands on search engines while some people are spending their time in finding reviews or ratings of the property they are looking for as well as talking to people from different real estate communities through social media sites. They also watch YouTube videos for online viewing or property tour and some techie or über-geeky people who use smartphones and tablets on the go to search for their dream house. So if you’re a property owner who wants to sell your home or if you are a real estate agent, broker, owner of a brokerage firm, you should start selling your property online now, as in NOW. Continue reading “Benefits of Selling Your Property Online” »

Posted in Selling Tips and Guides | Comments Off

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