Have you ever thought of finding a place when you have all your worries with you?  Significance and pictures of clear blue skies and beautiful tropical blue waters bring a different kind of feeling that is calming to the nerves.  Moreover, water collides with things that can soar beyond a man’s imagination and the feeling of smelling the breeze can help you smoothen your nerve.

So you may be at times wanted to buy a house  by the sea and be away from the busy streets and stressful life in the city.  Or just you love the beach and often dreamed about having your own piece of property where you can relax and enjoy the wonders of the sea any moment that you wanted.

Beachfront properties are considered as the main attraction of real estate investment.  They are always high in price but the quality is also equal or more depends on how you manage your  own property and it’s because investing on this kind of property  is  a great asset .

It is the easiest type of property to market with a highly great income. You will always have a potential prospect  if you have plans to sell it.  Beachfront property is one of the most effective investment that  a lot wants to have  but  owned by few..
Should you think that this is your huge financial decision, you would surely be interested to have the knowledge that may help you to decide on   how to find beachfront property that you can consider as a target for highly potential investors.

• Make sure   that you have the view you paid for. – Check   which parts of the house you can nourish  the view from.  If you can only enjoy the view on a limited space or area   and if you will use another space for that, you have to think about the future use of that space. You should also consider the structural restrictions and provisions.

• Owning and maintaining a beachfront property takes a lot of physical determination plus intellectual challenges and financially stressful at times.  Your prospective real estate may be seen within resort communities and it could be more high in maintenance for location’s attractiveness and orderliness.  Are you ready to include this on your financial plan?

• Make sure that the property you bought isn’t too close to the beach. – Shorelines are unpredictable and always make it a point to check this from time to time.  A real estate that is too close to the beach is too close to the hazardous things that may result to lost of property To have the precaution, you may likely consider of   choosing a property located about two or three blocks away from the water.

• Make it a point to see any leakage or damage cause by water. – Being close to the sea, beach houses are very near to some types of circumstance, so you should not forget to include this on your safety measures. Always consider that your real estate is not the reason for your financial bankruptcy.

• It is not common to own a property near the sea for this is like a gem, at times it’s hard to find. There are a lot of health gains that you can acquire of living near the sea. there is a 100% assurance that  you will have a harmonious and healthy life.  The above enumerated tips will be keys to find a beach property that is worth investing your money for.

If your financial hardship has left you in a position whereby you are not able to pay your mortgage payment, whatever the reason may be, then you cannot afford to live in your home. Foreclosures are growing dilemma for many homeowners in the country today; foreclosures are at an all time high.

Some lenders out there have not been playing fair, and some even to the point of unethical practices. These unethical practices are a primary reason that foreclosures are at an all time high and not expected to slow down, from what most experts have said.

On the bright side of things, you may have an option that may allow you to keep your home, even if the foreclosure process is already under way. Something that has been around for many years, and you may possibly utilize to save your home and equity. You may need to wait a year or two in order to cash out the equity on the property, but it is better then the alternative.

This option is referred to as a Lease Purchase Agreement, find a tenant to lease your home from you, with an option to purchase the home at the end to the agreed period or time; usually 12 to 24 months. You set a price for them to buy the house when the agreement is signed; this will allow you to set the price so you can save the equity and by some time to recover. With a tenant that has the option to buy your home you may be able to:

1) First and foremost is the avoidance of a foreclosure

2) Since renters are paying less today due to the high foreclosure rates, this may be a way to increase the monthly rent, due in light of the purchase agreement

3) A one-time payment, up-front as a non-refundable deposit, this is usually 2 months and 1 month advance. The best part of this is that even if they decide not to buy your home, you still keep the money

4) Quickly locate a buyer for your property, most times faster then trying to sell you home in the traditional manner

5) Someone else will be paying the mortgage payment, and potentially a few thousand pesos a month more

Lease Purchase Agreements usually work well in any real estate market; these agreements referred to as a “lease option” as well. This is a very valuable strategy to keep in mind, especially during market that in a distress.

While there may be many other reasons to take advantage of a lease option, they are defiantly an excellent way to avoid foreclosure, and salvage your home from the bank. In a foreclosure, your credit will be destroyed for years to come, and the additional financial repercussions can take a tool on your personal life.

For some, moving to retire in another country is an option which has been successful in the past with Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Puerto Rico being among some of the more popular destinations. But why not consider retiring in the Philippines?

Over the past decade, the Philippines has become a retirement haven for thousands of foreigners, particularly the Japanese, Korean, and Northern Europeans. Along with Thailand and Malaysia, the Philippines developed communications, infrastructure, and service delivery systems specifically geared to meet the needs of foreign retirees. Better yet, unlike most European Countries and South America, nearly everyone speaks ENGLISH in the Philippines.

The Philippines offers a significantly lower cost of living. The Philippine Peso (PhP) exchange rate is approximately PhP 48 to $ 1.00 or PhP 96 to 1 Pound [Sterling (GBP)].

Housing, food, and labor costs are quite reasonable. A One bedroom condominium can be purchased for around $ 60,000 or GBP 32,500 or a Studio for only $ 34,000 or GBP 18,000 and one can dine out on average at a three star restaurant for less than PhP 500. If you hire domestic help, a private driver’s salary is approximately PhP 10,000/month, while trained housekeepers earn approximately -PhP 5,000/month. These salaries are lower if you live in the provinces.

Cable Television, Hi-Speed Internet and Satellite Communications are cheap. One can hire an air-conditioned taxicab for eight hours for less than $25.00. In a country where a provincial Governor’s salary is only PhP 28,000 per month and a Presidential Cabinet Under-Secretary earns PhP 35,000, your pension can go a long way. So, if you have a retirement income of approximately $1,500 to $2,000 per month (PhP 80,000 to 100,000) you can live quite well in the Philippines.

As for health care, most U.S. Health Management Organizations pay for medical expenses incurred in the Philippines. Check with your HMO. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs presently has a task force headed by former Secretary Roberto Romulo working to have the U.S. government accredit a number of first class Philippine hospitals for Medicare reimbursement. The Makati Medical Center, one of the nation’s best already has such accreditation. Unbeknown to many is that for years, citizens of nearby countries such as Thailand, Nauru, Tonga, Indonesia, and Malaysia have flocked to the Philippines for medical care, particularly sensitive surgical procedures. The quality of medical care at the better Manila hospitals such as the Asian, St. Luke’s, Medical city, Cardinal Santos, Philippine Heart Center for Asia, National Kidney Institute, and Makati Medical Center meets international standards.

A Japanese company is building a medical facility in Tagaytay city exclusively for Japanese nationals within the year. There are now close to 10,000 Japanese retirees in the country, and the number is growing annually.

The British government recently acquired a large tract of land in Fort Bonifacio to build a new Embassy. The British ambassador explained the larger facility is meant to help serve the growing number of British nationals retiring there as well. Japanese and Korean investment groups are buying homes and condominiums in Manila, and tracts of provincial land for retirees. This has caused a mini- Real Estate boom in the country. A retirement village exclusively for Japanese nationals already exists in Tagaytay, and more are planned. These are strong indicators of what is on the horizon

English is the Philippines’ official business language. Most of the people you will meet, from hotel workers, taxi drivers, sales or service people, government employees all speak English, or have a working understanding of it. The middle class speak English, without exception. All major newspapers and major broadcast companies use English. An English speaking visitor will never get lost in the Philippines. It is the universal use of that language that has been a strong incentive to foreigners. As well, communications links within the country and to other countries via the various commercial gateways is up to international standards. For example, the use of cell phones and text messaging is so common that housemaids, street vendors and food hawkers can be seen using their cell phones incessantly.

One will never want for adventure and sights to experience in the Philippines. There is always a colorful Fiesta, pageants, street festivals, and open public events going on. Lush with bountiful natural resources, one can enjoy the numerous beaches, resorts, golf courses, and play just about any sport, except skiing. There is an ice skating rink in Manila, though. Scuba diving and fishing are among the sports which draw the most number of foreigners to the rich aquatic offerings.

Shopping is the Filipinos’ second most popular activity, the first is eating. Manila is Asia’s undiscovered shopping Mecca. You will love the golden purple sunsets, the fragrance of the flowers at dusk, and the wonderful array of fruit and food. I used to enjoy watching the Sun set from the bar at the Philippine Cultural Center. There, you can listen to the Symphony, check out a play, or enjoy Grand Opera. There is just so much to explore and discover, especially in terms of nature, culture, and history. If you’re a betting man, there’s horse racing, the Jai Alai, numerous first class casinos, and of course, cock-fighting. Manila is well known for its exciting night life.

MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippine real estate market starts to perk up after the global slump, property buyers and investors are urged to take precautions against being misled or duped into investing in land parcels which may not even exist.

Dr. Jaime Cura, chief executive officer of CREBA Land Services & Title Warranty Corp. (CREBALAND), said that many land titles proliferating in the market are infested with material technical flaws which usually cannot be detected by those without technical savvy.

These flaws, Cura said, would not only adversely affect the value of the property, but may also pose serious implications as far as ownership is concerned.

In several cases that CREBALAND has examined, Cura said, these technical flaws turned out to be indications of title fraud or fakery.

One serious flaw is that the titled parcel, when accurately mapped, turns out to be located in an inalienable zone. Cura said that the Supreme Court has invariably ruled such titles to be void ab initio.

Some titled parcels happen to be situated in ravines or floating at sea, contrary to representations of the seller or mortgagor; while some parcels could not even be mapped or located, Cura said.

Still other parcels, which are supposed to be bounded by highways and thus would have higher market values, turn out to be situated far from the road networks; while other titles supposed to be covering large tracts of raw land turn out to be straddling fully developed subdivisions already covered by another title, Cura added.

Precisely to help protect unwary buyers and investors, CREBALAND has recently deployed in the internet the country’s first, fully-automated GIS parcellary mapping service, at www.mapsys.ph.

MapSys will be officially launched during the membership meeting of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations (CREBA) on 28 January 2010, 12:00 noon at the Bahia Ballroom of the Hotel Intercontinental, Makati.

As an alternative to the ordinary lot plan and vicinity map used in land transactions, Mapsys.Ph provides accurate parcel maps aesthetically laid-out and packed with multi-layers of spatial information, including a report on the technical accuracy of the parcel.

Thus, with just this single document, a potential buyer or investor
could already make a well-informed initial assessment of the offered property.

A multi-million peso investment by the leaders of the Philippine real estate industry, MapSys.Ph not only resolves the most common problem of banks, appraisers, brokers, potential buyers and investors in locating a property offered for sale or as collateral, but also accurately detects technical errors in titles or survey plans.

“The stability of economic enterprises hinges on the integrity of land transactions that fuel the engine of economic development and growth. MapSys.Ph is one of the ways by which we help ensure that integrity,” Cura said.

MANILA, Philippines – In the wake of the recent land fiasco in Cebu, the Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP) warned land buyers and investors to protect themselves against flawed titles by at least verifying the location of the titled land being sold.

The Cebu provincial government was recently reported as having bought a 25-hectare property in Naga, Cebu, some 20 hectares of which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) found to be timberlands partly submerged at sea, and for which reversion and title cancellation proceedings are reportedly being pursued.

Cebu government authorities were reported as saying that no survey was made because they relied on the Torrens system of land registration where the certificate of title serves as proof of ownership.

In a statement, CUP chairman Ambassador Raul Goco, former Solicitor-General, said: “We hope this serves as yet another lesson to the land buying public that beyond mere reliance on a certificate of title, a much higher degree of prudence is required, in the light of countless questionable titles that have been circulating in the market for decades.”

“Under the established rules and doctrines that underpin the Torrens system, two things must concur: first, proof of ownership; and second, proof of identity of the land.”

“We strongly urge the land buying public to pay closer attention to the technical descriptions that every certificate of title is required to contain, for this is the means by which one could ascertain the titled land’s identity – meaning its exact location, configuration, size and metes and bounds.”

“In many instances, land buyers hardly pay any attention to these technical descriptions, and thus are duped into buying worthless land found at the bottom of ravines, or overlapping other properties, or as in the Cebu incident, timberlands that cannot be subject of private ownership in the first place unless released as alienable by the DENR.”

“Others rely merely on vicinity sketches which can be dangerously misleading, as these may not really show the accurate geographic position of the land or the technical defects of the title”.

Goco said that the Cebu fiasco may have been avoided if, prior to buying, the authorities simply plotted and mapped the land based on the title’s technical descriptions, which could have been undertaken in just a few minutes at negligible cost.

“Reliable computerized mapping services to accurately locate and evaluate a titled property anywhere in the country already exist, foremost of which is the pioneering GIS parcellary mapping service of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations (CREBA) at www.mapsys.ph”, Goco said.

Goco said that with such services already available to anyone anywhere, there should no longer be any excuse to still fall into the sad predicament in which the Cebu authorities, and even seasoned land dealers before them, had found themselves.

“There is much that Government must do to protect public interest; but the individual must contribute his share by complying with the requirements of due diligence”, Goco added.

FOR FILIPINOS, REGARDLESS OF their station in life, land represents security or peace of mind.

Our farmers are prepared to kill, and be killed, to protect the land they till or on which they depend for their livelihood.

Informal settlers will resist with all their might, even put their lives on the line, the demolition of shanties they call home.

According to statistics, some 39 million Filipinos live on land they do not own or, if they have the right to build on it, do not have the documents to prove that entitlement.

The problem is not confined to Metro Manila. The provinces that have become hubs of trade and commerce in their regions are going through the same experience.

Although occupants of government-owned properties have priority in owning the land they occupy, the titling process—which is judicial in nature—is long winded and, since it requires the services of lawyers, costly.

Application

With the signing into law on March 9 of Republic Act No. 10023, relief is in sight for low-income Filipino families who do not want to be “squatters” in their own country.

Authored by Sen. Richard Gordon, the law allows Filipinos who actually occupy public residential lots to apply for a free patent title over those parcels of land.

In a free patent, title over the property is given by the government to the occupant without any monetary payment.

It is similar to homestead titles over disposable public agricultural lands that the government gave to landless farmers during the 1950s to cool the heat of the then Hukbalahap insurgency.

To qualify for the free patent, the applicant should have, by himself or through his predecessor-in-interest, actually resided on and continuously occupied the subject lot under a bona fide claim of ownership for at least 10 years.

The 10-year requirement represents a 20-year reduction of the occupancy period required under existing laws.

The occupancy can be proven through the sworn statements of two disinterested persons residing in the barangay of the city or municipality where the land is located.

The application should also be supported by a technical description of the lot, and a map based on an actual survey conducted by a licensed geodetic engineer and approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Restrictions

The law applies to all lands classified or zoned as residential areas, including town sites as defined under the Public Land Act.

Also covered are “residential areas located inside a delisted military reservation or abandoned military camp, and those of local government units” that are not otherwise considered protected areas.

With the greater public interest in mind, however, the law excludes lands needed for public service or public use, forest lands classified as such by the Forest Reform Code, and nature reserves and other protected areas covered by the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992.

There is a limit though on the size of the land that can be applied for by qualified applicants. In highly urbanized cities, it should not be more than 200 square meters; in other cities, it should not exceed 500 square meters. For first class and second class municipalities, 750 square meters is the maximum; for the rest of the municipalities, the ceiling is 1,000 square meters.

The free patent application should be filed with the DENR and, for good measure, the law fixes the period within which it should be acted upon.

Benefits

Properly implemented, the law can unlock the value of otherwise stagnant real property.

Depending on the holding period the DENR may require in the implementing regulations, the lot owners can use their property as security for loans that can provide them with capital for small-scale entrepreneurial activities.

Credit institutions are more comfortable lending money to people who have property that can be levied upon in case they renege on their payment obligations.

With their home lots at stake, the debtors become more careful about the use of the money they borrowed to fund their business
. Messing up the business or diverting the money from its intended objective could throw their families, literally, to the dog house.

But the most significant effect of giving free patent titles to deserving families is the self-confidence or pride it will create.

The Gawad Kalinga housing projects best illustrate this development. The communities where the informal settlers were resettled and given their own houses and lots are today models of cleanliness and orderly living.

Suffused with pride over their new found status as property owners, the residents, individually and collectively, properly maintain their homes and surroundings.

The high morale translates to a community spirit that encourages the homeowners to discard the dog-eat-dog mentality that once ruled their lives and instead be law abiding and respectful of each other’s rights.

Hopefully, the informal settlers who are entitled to the benefits of the law will use them properly and not allow themselves be used by unscrupulous parties.

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You can make also list of positive and negative things about your old home or solicit ideas from your friends  to arrive at a wholesome and attractive home plan. Consider to add something different that has never been made into your home plan such as an energy-saving design.

The location and size of your house

You also consider the measurement of the house, be it a single or two storey house, the no. of rooms, how many bathrooms and other details. After that, you will start to make how much will it cost price to build your home; although this can be done later.

Location! Location is the very first and important thing to consider when building  your home. Create a home that “fits in” with its surroundings.  Never make a home plan is not suitable to the surrounding environment. The home buyers will likely refuse to buy such a home plan.

Nowadays, a home plan is easier and convenient to make since there are lots of tools and designs to choose from. You also find on the internet plenty of interesting home plans and you can get some ideas there of what kind of house most people are  planning to build. This is the easiest and the fastest option to sell your home plan.

Since people are investing their hard-earned money for their future homes, it is wise to get the right home plan that satisfy their desires. Now it is your time to be a home planner and make the ideal purchase from the best home plan available.