The purpose of ERP systems is to combine internal and external management data that reach throughout an entire business or corporation by using unique and sophisticated software applications specifically designed for realtors. Facilitating such information keeps all business roles organized and information readily available to everyone within the company from Senior Administrators all the way up to the acting President.

One of today’s industry leaders in Enterprise Resource Planning systems and business systems software is Syntax. Since 1972, Syntax has partnered with world-renowned technology leaders to offer refined operating software that encompasses cloud computing, ERP, and JD Edwards managed services. Since 1997, the primary focus of Syntax, as well as the partner company Oracle, has been on developing EnterpriseOne Real Estate Management.

This integrated application suite is a comprehensive resource planning software package that is designed to integrate every piece of information about your properties while documenting the financial details of each specific real estate transaction. Through EnterpriseOne Real Estate Management, real estate office managers and property owners will be able to make better decisions regarding property investments, share and organize all of the documents relating to a real estate transaction, and access information about various customers, vendors, landlords, and company employees all in one place.

JD Edwards managed services, specifically EnterpriseOne, presents clients with more database, operating systems, and hardware alternatives than the competition, which allows your company to fully meet your business goals and demands. In addition, EnterpriseOne is the very first EPR solution to be compatible on your Apple iPad. So whether it’s financial management, project management, order management, mobile solutions, manufacturing management, or something as simple as reporting on business trends, let Syntax, Oracle, and JD Edwards managed services operate your business through customized, state-of-the-art software that will surely take your company to the next level.

© sellingpix – Fotolia.com

Still, the trend doesn’t keep sellers and property owners from wishfully believing that they’ve regained some form of control as if the balance has shifted back toward their favor.

Unfortunately for them, the main reason for price increases has nothing to do with buyers eagerly purchasing new properties; rather, it hinges upon a more balanced proportion of supply and demand as fewer houses were built this year. Although predictions for 2013 include an increase in overall supply, the amount of new houses estimated for the upcoming year will still be way under the 2.5 million output of 2005.

This slow growth is good for the market’s recovery long-term, though. As more Americans secure employment – and those who are employed see increases in income – the time will soon be rife for increased home buying. Until then, those potential buyers are doing exactly what they should: establishing a firm financial foundation that will facilitate a home purchase. And that’s exactly what the market needs: serious buyers who have the financial means to avoid upside down mortgages.

Is real estate back in the hands of sellers? Absolutely not, but markets will see trends that seem to reflect otherwise. As vacancies fall for commercial properties into 2013, owners look to pad their profits by increasing rents. As such potential occupants should protect their bottom lines now by locking in lower rates with long-term occupancy plans. Private property owners and landlords, too, may try to capitalize off of increased property values, so renters beware.

Increasing monthly rent payments might just be enough to turn some renters into buyers as they look to invest in their own property. “There comes a point when you have to evaluate how much you’re wasting on rent and how much you could be putting into equity,” says Erika Snider, credit consultant for rent to own website, HomeStarSearch.com. He suggests that low interest rates, an abundance of available properties, and a wealth of leasing options make for a real estate atmosphere that is still largely in favor of consumers.

Take, for example, California, which is experiencing a gain in sales as homebuyers jump on historically low interest rates and reasonable prices. This is good for new homeowners, but for how long? Statistics show that 30% of current California homeowners are underwater on their mortgages and will affect the market as they decide whether to stick it out or to list their properties. And California is but a portion of the national picture; Zillow reports that 31.4% of U.S. homeowners are currently upside-down on their mortgages as the fed frantically scrambles for a way to help them out and boost the economy.

So while increasing home prices seems, on the surface, like a positive step, the real estate market is far from a full recovery. The upcoming year will see more increases in property values and low interest rates, but it will be far from a housing boom. It will be interesting to see if government-backed refinancing options – which aim to free up income for underwater mortgage holders – are the cure for a sluggish economy. Will homeowners take their excess funds straight into the marketplace or will they stash it away for the next financial doomsday? Stay tuned…

Jared Diamond is a real estate credit consultant with Amerifi Home Loans in Los Angeles CA. Outside his profession, Jared writes on a variety of personal-finance and real estate topics. Jared holds a B.A. in Economics from Ohio State University.

Homeowner associations like Inlet House are quick to initiate foreclosure if residents slip up. Image courtesy of Media Cleveland

Unfortunately times have changed, and the complex is falling into a state of disrepair. Condos which were previously worth $79,000 are now selling for as little as $3,000, and now the community association has levied $6,000 assessments  on everyone living there, and has foreclosed on those who couldn’t afford the association bill, even if they don’t owe the bank any money.

Some tenants have stopped paying their association dues in protest over the enforced assessments, as they feel the board is trying to force people out of their homes. He thinks the situation could have been dealt with better.

In the past those who kept to the rules got safe and well maintained communities, but many hadn’t read the small print which gave the association the right to foreclose, even if just a few hundred dollars were outstanding. It is surprisingly easy for the association to start foreclosure proceedings, as all they have to do is get an attorney to place a lien on the property, and the homeowner doesn`t even have the right to appeal.

Homeonwer associations love their rules and regs. Image courtesy of Crossland Team

A lot of property owners are struggling to pay their bills, and often owe the associations more than the value of their home. The association’s frequent response is to cut utilities and cable TV, and to restrict use of facilities such as the pool. If this fails to bring homeowners into line, they will start  foreclosure procedures.

A lot of associations are well known for imposing draconian regulations on property owners, such  dictating the correct weight of your dog, banning lemonade stands, and ordering owners with brown lawns to dye their grass green. One in five US homeowners are subject to the rules and regulations of community homeowner associations.

Prop 13 Arizona aims to get property taxes back to their 2003 levels. Courtesy of PrimeImageMedia.com

This was before speculators helped drive prices up, which in turn forced up assessments for the rest of the neighborhoods. Under the initiative anyone buying property now would be assessed on the current purchase price, and any future increases would be limited to less no more than 2% per year.

Local governments would also be prevented from increasing the tax rate to try to make up the difference, as this is the figure that, when multiplied by the assessed value, gives the actual rate of taxes. Residential taxes would be limited at no more than 0.5% of the property’s value. Tax on commercial, agricultural and industrial property would be limited to 1% of their 2003 values.

The campaign is being chaired by Lynne Weaver, and it’s her third attempt to put this issue on the ballot. Previous attempts failed due to a lack of signatures. She calls the current levy “The meanest and cruellest tax.”

According to her, this attempt will be different as she will have the necessary funds available up front to get the 259,213 signatures she needs by 5th July 2012. In order to complete this task she is forming a tax exempt organization to collect donations to finance the campaign. These donations will not have to be publically disclosed, and she feels this will enable far more people to make donations who might previously have been afraid of retaliations.

Lynne Weaver doesn’t intend to begin collecting signatures until she has all the necessary funds in the bank. She has also added a new proviso that would allow home owners whose home values have dropped below the price they paid for them to petition to have its taxable value reduced to the lower value.

Real estate scam alert. Courtesy of Raid Aide

Particularly if you own a whole bunch of properties, it would be worthwhile scouting them out every now and then just to make sure nothing fishy is going on. Otherwise, you might one day swing by your home only to come across a happy, well looked after home with smiling new owners, especially if your property happens to be in Harris County in Texas.

What’s worse is that this scam isn’t even a new phenomenon. For more than six years now, con artists and fraudsters have been operating an ingenious scam – forging property deeds for vacant properties in the county, and then taking the deeds to various local courthouses, before seizing the properties and listing them on the market.

Real estate property fraudsters on the rise. Courtesy of John Gesa

Over the last six years, more than 70 houses – and these are just the ones we know about – have been affected by the real estate fraud.

The scam is a huge problem for authorities in the area right now, with dozens of victims on both sides of the fence.

Many property owners have been unable to recover ownership of their properties.

Authorities in Texas have labeled the outlandish real estate fraud as “Harris County’s largest ever deed scam”, and so far, only one person has been convicted in connection with the crimes, despite more than three years of investigations  by the Texas attorney general, and over $6 million in penalties being doled out.

Property owners need to be vigilant of the scam, say industry experts. Courtesy Residential Settlements

“The majority of the homes remain in legal limbo,” states attorney Nick Abaza, who is acting for several of the scam’s victims.

“The problem is compounded by the fact that many of the properties were bought in cash, which means owners are highly unlikely to be able to recover what they have lost.”