“We’re in the business of solving problems for people, so we try and do what it takes to make that happen,” said Mr Otton in the podcast.

Rick Otton’s techniques can be quite a time saver and work effectively for long distance property transactions. Apart from technology which helps along, financial transactions are also quite easy to tackle, as the complexities of traditional bank mortgages do not apply. Instead, deposits are easily made and new buyers can move in a matter of days.

The podcast also includes a success story: Melbourne-based Sheree Becker has become a full time real estate entrepreneur after starting to employ Mr. Otton’s methods seven years ago.

According to Otton, the true beauty of his creative real estate strategies is the flexibility and versatility that property investors have in each situation.

“You just design ‘the piece of paper’ to fit all the different situations that come up,” Mr Otton said.

The free full podcast can he listened to on iTunes and it is available at CreativeRealEstate.com.au .

The newly launched open-ended fund will offer investors, particularly pension funds, an opportunity of investing in a broadly diversified portfolio of UK long lease assets put together by AXA Real Estate, the leading real estate portfolio and asset manager in Europe with over 43 billion euros of assets currently under management. Investors in the fund will also benefit from AXA Real Estate’s extensive expertise and exposure to a wider variety of sectors through their dedicated Alternatives and Hotels Business Lines.

The Long Lease Property Fund will target sectors varying from traditional markets for long lease assets such as supermarkets, distribution centers or offices, to more alternative assets in the healthcare, social housing, student accommodation, hotels, leisure automotive and ground leases sectors.

The fund aims to maintain an average lease term of 20 years or more, with lease agreements based on inflation indexation or fixed rental uplifts. Employing this strategy is expected to lead to long term and stable income streams often with inflation indexation for institutional investors interested in investments with liability matching attributes. These particular traits of the newly launched fund make it ideal for pension schemes.

AXA Real Estate has already raised 125 million British pounds and plans on growing the fund to reach 1 billion pounds over the next five years.

Cyrus Mistry (left), who took over for legendary businessman Ratan Tata, offered this with regard to the investment climate there in India:

“The recent emphasis on policy clarity and a renewed thrust to economic reforms by the Government of India is encouraging. With a sustained focus on policy stability and implementation, I believe that India would continue to be an attractive investment destination.”

ata Housing Development Company Limited

Tata Group owns some 100 plus companies worldwide already including legendary auto maker Jaguar, and
It seems safe to assume at least some of this new investment will be earmarked for real estate, given the group’s past interest in the sector. The conglomerate has Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited and Tata Housing Development Company Ltd., as well as several key investment arms in the real estate space.

Just last month Tata Housing announced the expansion of developments for affordable housing in India via “Smart Value Homes Limited forays into Bengaluru”, and high end real estate ventures have been in the news for Tata of late as well. On the demand side of the real estate equation in India, the New York Times reported last month on a coming construction boom fueled by the lack of appropriate real estate space for International brands like Walmart to expand into there. The point being, there is little quality commercial space in all India for stores to take up business in. New construction would seem a logical investment avenue for any conglomerate.

Tata has almost half a million employees worldwide, and one of the most valuable brands in the world. It remains to be seen what path the new CEO will blaze to extend the empire Ratan Tata created. Manufacturing to services and beyond, $8 billion almost seems like a puny sum when all Tata’s assets are weighed. Still, forward momentum is always positive news.

There are various kinds of investment options like the real estate investment, stock investment, forex investment, gold and silver investment and so on. You will have to decide on your forte and start with the investments. If you think that you are interested in real estate investments, you can start over with the same. However, in order to succeed you will have to be sure that you will be able to manage the mortgages and the properties. If you make any mistakes with regards to the mortgages, you can either opt for loan modification or do mortgage refinance.

Planning your real estate investment

In order to succeed with real estate investment, you will have to understand that you are actually into a kind of business. Thus, you will have to be aware of all the ins and outs of the real estate investment. So, it is important for you to chalk out a proper plan so that you can succeed with real estate investments.

• Clear details of real estate market – In order to invest in the real estate market, it is important for you to clear all of the details and doubts that you have reading the real estate market. If you would like to profit from this market, it will have to be in a good condition. Based on the details you will have to start investing in the same.
• Decide on the type of investment – There are various option with regards to real estate investments. So, you will have to decide which type of real estate investment will be good for you. The different options are investing through REIT or Real Estate Investment Trust, buying properties through real estate investment groups, renting properties and so on.
• Check with your credit score – In order to buy properties, you will be required to finance them. This will mean that you will be required to take out mortgages. But, in order to take out a mortgage, you need to have a good credit score. So, before planning to invest in real estate, check your credit score.
• Clean up the credit reports – You should be able to clean up the credit reports so that your credit score improves. This is going to help you with your real estate investments. You may easily be able to obtain mortgages and thus buy properties.
• Get details of tax consequences – Before investing in the real estate, it is important for you to know about the tax consequences of the investments. As you are going to invest, your income is supposed to increase and if it happens, it is obvious that you will have to pay taxes on the same. It is better to get the details and avoid complications.
• Use the mortgage calculators – Before taking out mortgages, it is important for you to be aware of your affordability and the cost of the mortgage you are going to obtain for the investment purposes. Thus, it is important for you to use mortgage calculators. There are various kinds of mortgage calculators that help you get details of cost of home buying on an average, the interest payments, the date within which you will be able to pay off the mortgage and so on.

So, here are the things that you can do in order to succeed with you real estate investments. Other than the above, you should also be able to set a goal at least for a year so that you can achieve that goal and set a new and higher one next year. In addition, try to be realistic while setting the goal. This can help you attain it with ease.

Author Bio: Chris loves to write financial articles and she is a contributory writer associated with many financial communities and has written several articles on debt consolidation, debt settlement, refinance tips, loan, mortgage, home mortgage calculator for various financial websites. She holds her expertise in the Debt industry and has made significant contribution through her various articles

Image credit – Feature image courtesy © carmine luino – Fotolia.com

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There are many self-help tools and seminars that teach people to purchase foreclosed properties, but most still find it to be a formidable task when faced with having to find the properties, repair them to working condition, and then resell or rent out their investments.  Property23 founder Sean Whalen saw the need to provide an easier path for potential home buyers in this section of the market and came up with a plan to buy properties in bulk for their customers.

“While we were evaluating investment opportunities, we also found a ‘sweet spot’ where there is a higher return on investment, using the property as a cash flowing rental property,” said Whalen. “The average price for a fully refurbished home from Property23 is about $42,000, and typically rents for $550-$650 per month. This makes an attractive investment for a first-time investor, or even someone with a high net worth.”

The investments have been well worth it, and Property23 is now approaching  its 4,000th investment property in only three years of operation.

The Property23 Logo

Proptery23 is an investment firm that purchases and sells affordable foreclosure properties.  With recent economic trends forcing millions into foreclosure, the reselling of abandoned and seized properties has become a lucrative business.  Whalen is just one of many who have managed to create cash flow for his company and home buyers looking for low-cost deals.

As a whole, Canadian commercial Real Estate transaction volumes in 2010 increased from $12.7 billion in 2009, to $18.9 billion in 2010. This is anything but if not an indicator that Real Estate is trending upward, approaching the pre-recession 2005 levels when the commercial transaction volume traded in Canada peaked at $19.8 billion. Further proof, by year-end, the number of commercial transactions reached 4,589, compared to 3,872 completed in 2009.

Canada's commercial investment market thriving

Looking deeper into the commercial Real Estate numbers in Canada, we see that in Calgary during 2010, 332 Real Estate transactions took place, totaling approximately $1.6 billion in transaction volume. About a $200 million increase from 2009. Edmonton’s commercial Real Estate market recorded 339 transactions for the calendar year 2009, totaling $2 billion.

“We were all amazed at the rapid return to optimism in 2010,” said Greg Kwong, Executive vice-president and regional managing director for Alberta for CBRE, in Calgary. “That optimism showed itself in renewed investor confidence, the higher amount of capital put into play, and rising prices. We are not back to the lofty heights of 2007, but it is encouraging to see liquidity return to the market. We expect 2011 will maintain the momentum that we saw in 2010.”

The Canadian commercial Real Estate market has already shown in the start of 2011 that its primed to continue trending upward. A general trend is emerging that companies and investors notice there is good inventory on the market, along with low interest rates, and they are locking in long-term deals that some analyst predict could be extremely fruitful.

Hudson Bay Center