Disney's Real World: Perched above a faux storefront American...

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, February 7, 2012, by Sarah Firshein

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Turf Wars: Coit Tower, NIMBY Beacon to the World

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, February 7, 2012, by Philip Ferrato [Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill, via Google Maps]

The Protect Coit Tower Committee delivered more than 16,000 signatures this week, the first step towards a local ballot measure in 2012 to "preserve" Coit Tower. There's nothing quite like a carefully-written ballot measure, and theirs is vague enough to get behind. How can you not support the preservation of the Coit Tower murals? It's like loving puppies. Although most tourists go to up there for the view, the 1930s murals remain important examples of the Depression's iconic Social Realism style, and they've begun to deteriorate, primarily due to water damage, seepage and fog. So we have all the usual suspects- preservation, NIMBYs, and the perennial battle over parking and access.

An early Works Progress Administration project, most of the murals are frescos (painted directly on plaster) with a distinctly local, left-wing political attitude influenced by Mexican painter Diego Rivera, then a major art world celebrity. Rivera was in San Francisco in 1930-31 to work on two mural projects and knew a number of the artists involved in Coit Tower and would return a decade later to paint his vast Pan-American Unity fresco for City College. Sadly, the Protect Coit Tower Committee and its cousin, Telegraph Hill Neighbors are not interested in raising money to restore the murals They want funds to come from concession revenues, but their ballot measure looks more like a smokescreen to restrict access in the evenings and protect their parking.

Coit Tower is closed in the evenings, but the road up- an extension of Lombard Street- is not, and neighbors enjoy the parking lot there at night. Rec & Parks will soon be looking for a new concessionaire to take over, and a successful operator will want to use the tower and parking lot at night for private events- a room at the tower's top for small events, and there's plenty of room in front for a party tent. Food trucks, a more mobile solution, would make it even more popular with drivers. To be fair to residents, during the day (and not just on weekends) they've suffered the line of cars stretching down Lombard Street, full of tourists waiting patiently for a parking space to open in front of the tower, Justin Bieber playing at full blast, and making the #39 bus from Fisherman's Wharf perennially late- a situation that has existed for decades. And no, they probably don't want valet parking and a crowd of young new tech millionaires dancing the night away, either. It's as much about change as Rec & Parks' need to monetize some of their assets, plus the potential need to shut down Coit Tower for a few years while the murals are stabilized and restored. So far, no one seems to have brought up the subject of naming rights to raise revenue. Facebook Coit Tower?
· Neighbors Look Toward Ballot Measure to Protect Coit Tower [SF Examiner]
· Newly-Formed Neighborhood Group Wants to "Preserve and Protect" Coit Tower [Curbed SF]
· San Francisco's Famed Coit Tower Murals in Peril Due to Fog, Neglect [PBS News Hour]
· CCSF: Diego Rivera's Mural May Not Languish in Semi-Obscurity Much Longer [Curbed SF]

For more images, check out photographer Donald Kenney's outstanding collection of details of the Coit Tower murals.

1 Telegraph Hill Boulevard, San Francisco, CA

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Living In A Dream World

The Desert Sun reports from California. “California’s middle class has been pinched harder by the Great Recession than workers in the rest of the country. By last year, less than half of families in the state, 47.9 percent, were earning middle-class incomes, between $44,000 and $155,000 annually. In 1980, nearly two-thirds of California families, 60 percent, were firmly middle-class. Palm Springs resident Shelly Saunders’ is one middle-class worker who fell from one bracket to another. Pre-bust, she and her husband owned a construction business, feeding the nearly insatiable demand for new houses.”

“They were earning $20,000 a month, living in their dream home, about to send two kids to college. When the housing bubble burst, they lost the business, the house and their marriage. ‘We were living in a dream world,’ said 55-year-old Saunders.”

“Once considering retirement at age 50, she’s working at Palm Desert Door and Hardware, making $45,000 a year, renting a two-bedroom condo. The kids are close to graduation after putting themselves through school with part-time jobs and student loans. Saunders says the fall from upper middle class to lower middle class has shaken her and her similarly situated friends.”

“‘When we went out to dinner before, it was nothing for someone to pick up the tab,’ Saunders said. ‘Nobody’s picking up the tabs anymore. We’re all scared. Our golden years are gone, baby.’”

The Mercury News. “Gayla Newsome was never part of the elite ‘1 percent,’ but she thought she was doing pretty well for herself, with a good job as the executive director of a nonprofit organization and a home in West Oakland she bought 15 years ago. But in July, she lost that Adeline Street property and for the past several months has been trying to reclaim it. ‘I’m a resident who has decided I’m not going to take this anymore,’ said Newsome, who said she fell behind on a secondary mortgage after she lost her job, sent her two oldest daughters to college and was without work from 2007 to 2009.”

“Newsome joined dozens of others in Oakland on Tuesday for rallies and marches as part of ‘Occupy Our Homes’ day. Similar actions were held in Oakley and other cities throughout the nation as the Occupy movement turned its attention to the foreclosure crisis.”

“Linda Loston said she and her husband, Jerome, sold their home in Hercules and put down a $250,000 payment on a retirement property in Alamo. It took a month before the Lostons realized the bank loan was not what they thought. Their interest rate and principle immediately began to increase instead of decreasing with their payment. Their bank broker told them to ‘ride it out,’ Jerome Loston said. ‘Our story is just one of many,’ he said.”

The San Gabriel Valley News. “Dennis F. Paulaha, who holds a Ph.D in economics from the University of Washington in Seattle, has a plan. It’s a sweeping strategy he says will put more Americans in homes, create more jobs and eliminate the federal debt. The core of Paulaha’s ‘trickle up’ plan would allow the government to offer every U.S. citizen a 30-year mortgage at a 1 percent fixed rate of interest, with interest-only payments for the first two years. That would allow every financially qualified person - not just those in immediate danger of default - to finance a new or existing home, with a $500,000 lifetime limit.”

“‘Instead of a bailout for the banks, this would be a bailout for mortgage holders,’ he said. ‘I haven’t been able to get very far with anyone in Washington. I’ve sent out emails and faxes … and gotten nothing. We’re living in a time when I’m not sure anyone is looking for ideas.’”

“James Joseph, owner of Century 21 Ambassador and Coldwell Banker Ambassador in Whittier, is firmly behind Paulaha’s plan. ‘America has a long history of using the tax code and the American system to help people get in and stay in their homes,’ he said. ‘This is an idea that’s as old as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ This would be good for the country and good for the economy. This is the best idea I’ve heard.’”

“Marty Rodriguez, one of the nation’s top Realtors for Century 21, had a polar opposite view. ‘I think it’s ludicrous,’ said Rodriguez, who owns her own real estate agency in Glendora. ‘We’ve already got people in homes that haven’t made payments in two or three years. So let’s give them more money at 1 percent interest … I’m sorry but I’m just not buying into this. This isn’t what America is made of.’”

“Rodriguez said banks already handed out stated-income loans to people who could ill afford the homes they signed on to buy. ‘We’ve already done this once and you saw what happened,’ she said. ‘People who bought these homes thought they wouldn’t have to go to work and would get everything for free.’”

“When work began on the Grove Station development in eastern downtown in 2007, city leaders envisioned a mini-community where young families, entrepreneurs and retirees could live and work. But hopes were nearly dashed when the housing bubble burst and the project fell into bankruptcy. Later, it was discovered that the sewer system had not been properly installed, causing further delays.”

“Now, more than four years after the project’s groundbreaking, a significantly smaller Grove Station is nearly finished. Most of the residential units will be sold at market rate, but the city’s redevelopment agency has purchased four of them for use as affordable housing. The affordable units, which are being offered for $243,000, have two bedrooms, a den, two bathrooms and an attached two-car garage.”

“Despite these requirements and several others that can be found in the application packet, Mayor Curt Morris said ‘a huge number of people’ have added their names to interest lists. But many of those people signed up for the homes nearly a year ago, so the city is once again advertising the homes and reaching out to those who have previously expressed interest. ‘The recession really hit a lot of people,’ said Diana Kasuyama, housing programs manager for San Dimas. ‘Some of those people who were on the list have changed their plans.’”

The Sacramento Bee. “With sales of new homes near historic lows, Sacramento builders remain in survival mode, but a few say they expect to see demand slowly pick up next year. Sacramento’s five-year housing bust has toppled some of the biggest names in the industry – firms that were once a backbone of the region’s economy. According to DataQuick, builders in the Sacramento area sold just 2,363 new homes in 2010, an 85 percent decline from the 16,000 homes a year the industry produced during the 2004-2006 boom years.”

“Sacramento’s 2010 new-home sales figures are probably the lowest for the region since the early 1950s, said Greg Paquin, a Folsom-based housing industry consultant. ‘I don’t think things will get worse than last year,’ he said.”

The Victorville Daily Press. “Although the San Bernardino County population is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the state, local growth remains much more subdued than before the recession. However, the growth comes primarily from a natural increase — a higher number of births than deaths — rather than people moving to the state. ‘Traditionally, a good portion of California’s growth had been coming from immigration,’ Chief Economist John Husing of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership said. ‘What happened was the recession. People are pretty much staying wherever they are.’”

“San Bernardino and Riverside counties are seeing about one-tenth of the growth the Inland Empire saw during the boom years of the last decade, according to Husing. He said the Inland Empire had previously prospered because of the rapid population growth that brought in more income and consumers.”

“‘What has stopped is exactly that,’ Husing said, adding that it’s partly a result of the housing market collapse. ‘A lot of people can afford to buy a house, but they don’t because they are simply afraid to move. … Essentially, we are in a period of pause.’”

“But Husing remains positive, though he said the growth won’t happen anytime soon. ‘Once the housing crisis is over and fear has been removed from the marketplace, we will see people moving to places like the High Desert,’ he said. ‘They’ll come back because of the affordable housing.’”

The Santa Maria Times. “There used to be a saying in certain regions of the state, and it went something like this: Welcome to California. Now, go home. The phrase was so popular, someone put it on a bumper sticker. Rather unfriendly, but somehow amusing.”

“Not so much anymore. California is in the midst of redefining itself, based on changing demographics. The 2010 census revealed that the previous decade was the first 10-year period in more than a century during which the majority of Californians were actually born here.”

“We still have that climate, and the beaches, and the mountains. What’s becoming increasingly scarce are good jobs and affordable housing — a reality not lost on tens of thousands of Californians who have flown the coop in the past decade. Since 2005, more residents have left California than arrived here from other states.”

From CBS News. “As a freelance photographer Duane Conder knows his way around a camera. That’s come in handy now that he’s selling a lot of what he owns on eBay. He’s getting ready to move. Duane and his family have lived in their home near San Diego for 11 years. ‘It was like someone turned off a spigot. Where did the work go? It was like literally you woke up one day - and there was no work,’ Duane said.”

“The dot-com boom drew them from Texas to California, and now the prolonged job bust is forcing them out. California’s unemployment rate is 11.7 percent. Duane can’t find work and last week the bank foreclosed on his family’s home. ‘I feel like it’s the land we need to get out of very fast,’ Duane said of California.”

“The Conders are moving back to Texas where unemployment is lower, at 8.4 percent. In 2010, Texas gained nearly 75,000 new residents, while California lost nearly 130,000. The biggest state to state shift in the country was people leaving the Golden State and heading to the Lone Star state. Jobs are just one reason for the migration. Housing is another. A somewhat typical 3-bedroom home in Los Angeles just sold for more than $1 million, yet in a suburb of Austin, Texas, a somewhat typical 4-bedroom home sold for $380,000. The people who bought it moved from California.”

“Bill Gaiennie moved his family and his computer consulting business from California to Austin. They traded in a 1-bedroom apartment for their 4-bedroom home. ‘If we would have stayed in California, in order for us to make it in an area where we would want to live, we would need to be a two income family,’ Bill said. With the lower cost of living and no personal income tax in Texas, Bill’s wife Jessica now stays home with their daughter. ‘We go to gym we go to swimming lessons we do it all and if we lived in California we couldn’t do that,’ Jessica said.”

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Renters Week 2011: No More White Boxes! Unique Rentals from Around the World

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, November 11, 2011, by Rob Bear

Most people make their housing choices based on practical concerns—expense, schools, and the like—so on vacation it might be nice to go with something a little off-the-wall to break from the norm. Agree? Well do we have some delightfully oddball rentals for you, starting with this treehouse nestled in the olive groves of Arlena Di Castro, Italy. Trading in the traditional rope ladder for a gracefully-curved stairway, this treehouse delivers its childish fantasy with a dose of grown-up luxury. There's space on the balcony to take breakfast, full electricity, and a cozy double bedroom for $458 per night.

? For landlubbers, this houseboat, the M.S. Luctor, in Amsterdam offers the feel of a seafaring adventure but without the seasickness. Moored to the cobblestone streets of the Dutch capital, this barge has compact rooms that rent for a little less than $200 per night, but according to a couple of recent visitor from Germany you'll get a lot for that sum. They wrote, "Heaven, your name is Luctor." Gotta love the hyperbole.

? Back in the States, this concrete structure in Vermont is one of the oddest rentals on the market. Designed by architect and sculptor David Sellers, this award-winning, bunker-like building has a disjointed floor plan but one super cool feature that's worth the $500 nightly rate alone: a heated swimming pool just one misstep from the living room. Oh and we have no explanation for the posed model shots from the rental listing.

? We already visited Greenland this week for its sheer remoteness, but this time we're returning for something just downright weird. Adjacent to a hotel in Ilulissat, this cluster of aluminum yurt-like structures is set to accept the most adventurous of tourists. As if going to Greenland wasn't enough! A night in one of these metal igloos will run $337, but they're only available from May to October.

? So we said no more white boxes, but we said nothing about white hemispheres. In Chile, one of these domed tents rents for a reasonable $130 per night, and for those prices the services sound awesome. According to the listing, "services are focused on sky wealth," whatever that is, and include "specialized astronomic tours and nighttime horse rides." Count us in!

· The Suite on the Oak [Airbnb]
· Houseboat in Canal District [Airbnb]
· Architect designed "Archie Bunker" [Airbnb]
· Here, Now, Some Far Flung Rentals for the Adventurous [Curbed National]
· Igloo [Airbnb]
· ElquiDomos Astronomic hotel [Airbnb]
· All Renters Week 2011 posts [Curbed National]

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Ten Years of WTC Designs: The World Trade Center redevelopment archive...

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Wednesday, September 7, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

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? Previous: Classic Cliff May California Ranch Offers a Relic From the '30s

? Next: "Mean Tools For Happy Cooking!"

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The Dizzying Expensive World of 1stdibs: The Home & Garden section in...

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, September 8, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

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? Previous: Inside the Pharmaceutical Headquarters That Mirror Versailles

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Globe Trotting: Rent This Villa at the End of a Peninsula at the End of the World

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Wednesday, September 7, 2011, by Rob Bear

Located hundreds of miles east of Madagascar, the tropical island of Mauritius is one of the most remote vacation destinations for American travelers. Renting this stylish villa should make the grueling travel tolerable though. Posted on an island, connected to the mainland by a narrow stone causeway, L'Ilot is a four-bedroom hideaway that enjoys 360° views of the lagoon and a contemporary style that's rare in the tropics. The villa rents for $1400 per night in high season, which includes daily maid service, prepared breakfast, and, for better or worse, high-speed internet.
· L'Ilot - villa in Mauritius [official site via The Travel Files]

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What's Cool About an $18M Penthouse?: In the world of high-priced real...

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, August 25, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

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? Previous: Flat in NYC's Carlyle Hotel Costs $38K Per Month Just to Maintain

? Next: Cubicles the "Single Worst Evil in the World", Archi-Critics Say

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Globe Trotting: The (New) Tallest Building in the World: All the Must-Know Stats

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, August 2, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

Click to expand!

The clever cats over at Gizmodo have broken out their trusty TI-82s and simplified, for the masses, how to best comprehend the astounding stats of the tallest buildings in the world. (Infographics: we like them!) If that skinny one on the far left doesn't look familiar, it's because it hasn't actually been built yet; the Kingdom Tower, soon to rise in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be the tallest building in the world once complete, beating out Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Earlier reports estimated its height as one mile, but the official word is 3,280 feet, or one kilometer. That's more than 560 feet taller than the Burj.

Other Kingdom Tower vitals:
· Builder: Kingdom Holding, the Saudi firm owned by billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed
· A total cost of $1.2B to build
· A Four Seasons Hotel, Four Seasons residences, office space, condos, etc.
· 59 elevators (traveling 22.3 miles an hour up to the observation deck)
· 12 escalators
· A 98-foot-diameter penthouse at floor 157
· Total space: 500,000 square meters (about 5.7M square feet)

· Prince Alwaleed signs deal to build world’s tallest tower [Arabian Business via Gawker]
· Mile-High Tower Twice the Height of Burj Khalifa to be Built [Curbed National]
· The First Image of the World's New Tallest Building [Gizmodo]

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Office Spaces: Inside the Tripped-Out World of AOL's New Palo Alto Digs

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Wednesday, June 8, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

Photo by Jasper Sanidad (courtesy of Studio O+A) via Co.Design

Today Co.Design publishes a terrific piece on the newly revamped Palo Alto, Calif., offices of AOL. Yes, this would be the very same AOL that just unveiled its bonkers "Rainbow City" art installation-type balloon-world thing-y on the High Line in NYC—so no surprises that its professional environment would be equally unconventional. It's an open-floorplan space, but milking employees' need for privacy, design firm Studio O + A created—what else?!—a bunch of fiberglass pods. There's also a "Town Hall" that's “part kitchen, part play space, part kick-back area... [and] all-hands common area,” as well as (of course) a game room. (We actually think it's against Silicon Valley building codes for all Web companies to not have a game room.) Click over for all the photos.

· At Least AOL's New Offices in Palo Alto Aren't a Disaster [Co.Design]
· Here Now, an Impressionistic Stroll Up Phase 2 of the High Line [Curbed NY]
· Studio O + A [official site]

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Moonlighting: Dreamboat Brad Pitt Shows the World How to Wear a Hard Hat

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, February 10, 2011, by Curbed Staff

Welcome to Moonlighting, a new Curbed column in which the talented Raina Cox of If the Lamp Shade Fits takes a look at design players whose first job may not have been design. Some triumph, some flop, and some should never, ever give up their day job.

For Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt, role playing the mythical warrior Achilles or a pugilistic figment of Ed Norton's imagination pale in comparison to his dream job, that of an architect. The actor believes dreaming up buildings taps into primal childhood instincts, once saying, "Architecture is like play to me. As a boy, you play with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Legos, and you get interested in how things are made, like cars and drills and all that. Years later you come back around to what interested you as a boy. Now if I have something that I'm dealing with that's causing me a lot of stress, my mind goes to architecture. I walk around the yard and start thinking about what I need to do to the house structurally. It's similar to puzzles in that way, like a crossword puzzle or anything else I can put my mind into. It's a relief for me."

In 1994, Pitt scooped up a small estate in the Los Feliz area of L.A. with a Craftsman-style main house and two outbuildings. Tackling the smaller structures first, the actor was bitten by the architecture bug. His initial fascination with Mission-style building evolved over several years into a love affair with contemporary design, and he gave up collecting Tiffany lamps and concentrated on carving six-ton bathtubs out of travertine boulders. He imported tons of the stone from a quarry near Rome sheathing walls, laying floors, carving counters, and creating enormous water features.

Describing his design journey with the property, the actor waxed poetic. "As I work my way through it, I have become a lover of all architecture," he said. "I am fascinated and obsessed with where it's going. Like art and music, architecture reflects society and where society is heading." Pitt cited Tadao Ando, Rem Koolhaas, and Frank Gehry as his favorite architects.

In 2001, Pitt and his blushing bride-at-the-time Jennifer Aniston bought a $14M Normandy-style mansion in Beverly Hills. Proving that yes, celebs are just like us, new husband Pitt's decorating aspirations were relegated to the basement. He hired Gehry to design a wine cellar to house the couple's $5M collection of rare vintages, later describing their initial meeting as "just about as much fun as I've ever had." The two forged a friendship, and Gehry included Pitt on the design team of a controversial seafront redevelopment in Hove, England. The actor's involvement was announced in 2005 to spur new interest in the project, which had stalled out after two years. Pitt was assigned the task of designing a restaurant and a penthouse for a luxury high-rise building. The project was scrapped in 2009 when the credit crunch forced the developer to pull out.

Pitt's and Gehry's design-based bromance must have taken a sour turn during the Hove collaboration. In December 2005, when asked about their friendship, Gehry responded that he had only met Pitt twice—once in his office for two minutes and again at a dinner. Burn! They later made up and Gehry's firm submitted one of 13 "green" designs Pitt commissioned in 2007 as part of his "Make It Right" project in New Orleans. The actor personally committed $5M to help rebuild the Hurricane Katrina-devastated Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood. Though the initial goal was to build 150 houses in the project's first two years, less than 35 homes have been built to date and homeowners have been less than pleased with the results.

Yet Pitt remains devoted to the cause of eco-conscious building practices. In 2008, he teamed with L.A.-based architecture firm Graft to announce the construction of "an 800-room luxury hotel and adjoining leisure complex" in Dubai. The yet unbuilt five-star property aims for LEED Gold certification. Pitt also narrated e² design, a PBS documentary about sustainable design around the world. The series, which ran three seasons, focused on innovations in the fields of green living, architecture, and transportation.

· Brad Pitt Extras: Life with Angelina, His Spirituality and More [Parade]
· House of Brad [W]
· From Troy to Hove - Brad Pitt's New Career [The Guardian]
· Brad Pitt Blows Off His Hero [Gawker]
· Brad Pitt Commissions Designs for New Orleans [NYT]
· Make It Right [official site]
· Point/Counterpoint: New Orleans on Brad Pitt's Make It Right [Curbed LA]
· Brad Pitt Turns Architect and Designs Dubai Hotel [The Telegraph]
· e² design [official site]
· Brad Pitt Moves on...To Transportation [Curbed LA]
· If The Lamp Shade Fits [official site]

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The Role Of <b>Real Estate</b> Attorneys - - World <b>Real Estate</b> site <b>...</b>

Real estate industry is booming and with that the business of real estate attorneys seems to be booming too. Well it doesn’t so much affect the real estate attorneys whether the real estate industry is booming or not. Since shelter is one of the prime requirements of man, there would be property buyers and property sellers in any case at all times (and real estate attorneys would always be in demand). There are many different ways in which people utilize the services of real estate attorneys. Let’s have a look at what these different ways are:
1.    Property dispute: This is one scenario where real estate attorneys are obviously the most involved. Not only do they try to get these property disputes resolved (by litigation or otherwise) but also help to get rid of the property (in certain cases) by selling it off and using the amount received for settlement.
2.    Tenancy disputes: A real estate attorney also helps in resolving the disputes between tenants and landlords.
3.    Settlement of property on account of death: Sometimes real estate attorneys also handle the property of the deceased. Here they sell off the property for settling it among the heirs.
4.    Divorce settlements: Again real estate attorneys help in the settling of the jointly owned properties and the divorce settlement in general.
5.    Don’t want a broker: Some people are just not comfortable with hiring a broker to sell their property, and hence they entrust this with real estate attorneys (some real estate attorneys do take this up).
6.    As advisors/consultants: A lot of attorneys also work for real estate investors. In fact, hiring a real estate attorney is a very good option for a real estate investor. A real estate attorney can really make the transactions smooth for the investor. A real estate attorney will not only get it done correctly, but also quickly. And for a real estate investor time is very important since he can spend the time saved due to hiring a real estate attorney, into looking for really good deals.
7.    Information provider: Some real estate investors use real estate attorneys as a rich source of information especially for getting the information about the properties that are up on sale due to disputes or settlement procedures. Here the real estate investors try to gain advantage by getting the information earlier than others (and they do sometimes get very good deals in this way).
So whether the real estate business booms or not, real estate attorneys are always going to be in job (booming job).

About the Author:

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<b>Real Estate</b> Education The Main Information - - World <b>Real Estate</b> <b>...</b>

Real estate has always been one of the most dynamic industries in the world. Many of the wealthiest people in the world have gained their wealth through the use of real estate investing. Despite what you hear in the news, it is still a good time to get involved with real estate. The common phrase that “there isn\’t any land being made” still holds true today. Part of the industry\’s process is to go through cycles and a down cycle. After that, the industry will definitely rebound. Therefore, if you\’ve been thinking of getting into the industry, now is still a good time. Receiving an exceptional real estate education is the critical part of the process. You can work in whatever capacity you choose once you\’ve done that.

Seven tips to get the most out of your real estate education can be looked now:

* The real estate investment education should be invested by you. Make the effort to find out what you need to know about getting this type of education. Visit the leading blogs in the field and make comments. Go to real estate forums and chat with other experienced investors.

* Make sure you become an expert in an area. Knowing an overview of the real estate market is not nearly as marketable as knowing tons of information about a certain division of real estate. Big companies like specialists to hire.

* Be part of a real estate club. Joining a real estate club means that you can get both extra pointers as well as connections to help you in the industry. If you don\’t have time to go to a physical real estate club, a virtual real estate club can be joined by you online.

* Go above and beyond the call of duty. You may also research some reading material on Amazon.com in order to continue learning about real estate. There are a lot of great resources that can be used by you to improve your education. Take the initiative to find information that\’s top quality.

* An internship can be taken. Being an intern with a real estate company that has a solid reputation will definitely work to your advantage when you look for that future job. You will gain practical knowledge that one cannot be taught in a school. It is also a good way to gain more contacts in the real estate industry.

* A huge quantity of work can be anticipated. To get a decent working knowledge of real estate will involve learning many different subjects. Finance, business, management, contract law, and negotiation skills will all be learnt by you along the way.

* Find pleasure in the journey. You might find your self enjoying your real estate education more than you\’ve ever enjoyed anything else.

Learning something that you love to do is one of the best things you\’ll ever do. If selling homes is what you like to do, then this will be the easiest job in your life.
About the Author: Discover little known secrets about Real Estate Education and see how it will change your business life forever by going to: www.BestVirtualRealEstateClub.com

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Property Taxes Affect <b>Real Estate</b> Value - - World <b>Real Estate</b> site <b>...</b>

If you are venturing into the real estate market, you need to be able to accurately determine the value of real estate.  Many things can affect the value of real estate, and one of those things is property tax.

Evaluating the value of any property you want to sell is important because this determination will help you to decide if it is going to be profitable to sell your real estate interests at the present time.  Some people think you can get an accurate idea of a property’s worth by doing comparables.  Comparables are properties similar to yours within the same basic location.  You can check county records and see what these homes have sold for recently, and gain an idea of what yours may be worth.  Comparables, however, are tricky.  They are an educated speculation, but they are a speculation.

Two properties, with relatively similar attributes can have widely varying values depending on many factors.  One property might be located in what is considered a good neighborhood, while the other might be in a bad neighborhood, even though they are within mere blocks of one another.  One of the properties might have a new heating system, while the other’s is old and outdated.  One might have a one-car garage, while the other has a two-car garage with an apartment above it.  The property taxes on these houses might also vary widely.

A change in the property tax will result in a change in the property value.  The basic way to affect change in your property tax is to do improvements to your real estate property.  Some people hold off on these improvements for fear of a property tax increase.  The increase usually doesn’t come until a number of years after the improvements.  So, if you are going to sell a real estate property, you could greatly increase the value of your home through certain improvements without raising the property tax.

Improving things in a residential property like the kitchen, the bathroom, and installing insulated, maintenance-free replacement widows can increase a real estate property value dramatically.  Even if such improvements were to increase the property taxes on this real estate, you may have raised the property value enough to make the tax increase inconsequential.

So, while property taxes are a consideration in determining the value of your real estate property, you do not want fear of property taxes to inhibit you from substantially increasing the market value of your real estate property.

When you make improvements in your property, you have the fear that it will lead to an immediate increase in property taxes. However, this is not true.  What is the relation between property improvement and property taxes? Chintamani Abhyankar provides useful advice.

About the Author: Chintamani Abhyankar, is a well known expert in the field of finance and taxation for last 25 years. He has written many books explaining inside secrets of the magic world of personal finance. His famous eBook Stop donating your money to IRS which is now running in its second edition, provides intricate knowledge and valuable tips on personal finance and income tax.

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× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, January 7, 2011, by Sarah

Just because it's Friday afternoon, and because one of the marvels of Southwest decor above landed in our Inbox this morning. Do have a look.

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