Alexandra here... your reporter at large, covering great customer service or the lack thereof. There is definitely an important lesson in this for your luxury real estate marketing practice.
Richard Lehman, noted investment advisor, puts it this way: "Think about it, what better way to bail out debtors and clear out an excess housing inventory than through inflating the value of hard assets and at the same time diminishing the value of debt claims?" And all the government entitlement programs are keyed to the rate of inflation, so the politicians look like heroes.
Many times a seller will select a broker based upon a referral. That is fine as long as that broker is experienced in your market and is not the husband or wife of friends who just entered the real estate in Marbella. estate profession. Stay away from that! As much as you would like to help friends out, why would you screw around with your major investment in the hands of an amateur?
What are we going to do with the Russians my dear friends? As this country becomes more stable and as oil prices move upwards so the middle/upper middle income Russian real estate development. people will become more and more financially able and to turn their attention to the holiday home destinations. The average sale prices per sq.mt. for this type of property that the Europeans usually buy is in the region of CP1.500 - CP2.500 [max.] per sq.mts., the Russian market with a particular interest for Limassol, has even shown prices of CP4.000 - CP6.000/sq.mt. for beach units.
Only in the last couple of years has the government started to collect property taxes. Basicly it depends upon the value of the property you purchase. If you purchase a residential property and it is worth RD$5 Million Pesos or less (about US$150,000) then you pay 0 (zero) annual property taxes. If the home is worth more than that amount, you pay 1% of the value over and above RD$5 Million Pesos (or US$150,000). If you purchase raw land or undeveloped land, then in that case there is an annual property tax calculation regardless of the value. In our real estate listings you will find a large number of middle class home or luxury apartment for less than 5 Million Pesos, so you will not have any annual tax payments on your Dominican real estate company or service. Estate.
To albatros nueva andalucia better clarify this, I can influence an appraiser to appraise a $200,000 property for as much as $225,000 or as little as $175,000. That's a pretty big swing. And in a tight deal that can cut into your profit margin substantially. I tell my appraisers not to give me any fluff, or what they think is happening in the market place. As Sergeant Joe Friday from the show "Dragnet" always said, "Just the facts ma'am." So if the seller or savvy wholesaler gives you the appraisal, just keep in mind it could also be just another marketing brochure to sell the deal.
I think Henry hated the business more than I. Keeping the money in mind, I could at least make myself get on that phone and start calling hundreds of people who didn't want to hear from me, just to find the one or two that did want to. I got listings this way while Henry sat there waiting for the phone to ring. But I found it harder and harder to do.
When trying to decide what to build on your land, be sure to look at the surrounding neighborhoods to see how your project will fit in. The value of the land is directly related to the income that it produces.