Saturday, August 11, 2007

Investment in Dubai Real Estate Property Market

Far and above, the most ordinary type of property purchase that foreign nationals are making in Dubai involves Dubai real estate investment. In current years, the government of Dubai has made an intensive effort to attract more foreign investment into Dubai and UAE than at any other time in the history of city.

By way of example, a significant number of foreign nationals have invested in business and commercial property within Dubai. More often than not, a group of foreign investors tend to come together to invest in a particular commercial property in order to spread the risk a bit. Even though Dubai is one of the more stable countries within that particular region of the world, the Middle East remains something or a powder keg and the future stability of the region is always a concern.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Some Points That Will Help You in Retaining Good Tenants

By: Brendan O'Brien
Good tenants are easy to ignore – until they tell you they are moving out. Why are they leaving? Well, it might be because you ignored them. And when tenants plan to move, it’s very, very difficult to get them to change their minds.
The reason you may ignore good tenants is that you spend so much time working on your not-so-good ones; cajoling them to clean up their acts or planning to evict them. When you are always on the phone with Average or Bad tenants A, B, and C, you quickly start thinking of Good tenant D as simply a check that comes in the mail, on time every month, like clockwork. But your good tenants are much more than that. They are human beings who:
  • Understand that they are paying good money, and expect good service in return
  • Notice when their building seems to be going downhill
  • Recognize when they are being B.S.ed or treated disrespectfully or dismissively
On the other hand, YOU may not recognize these feelings in your good tenants, simply because they may be reluctant to share them. The complaints are more likely to come from your poorer tenants, and you may be more likely to dismiss them as a result. The good tenants are more likely to suffer in silence, before deciding to move on.
It’s vitally important that you retain your good tenants, not only because they make your land lording more pleasant, but because they are so hard to replace. Once that unit is vacant, you may not re-rent it for months, and you have no idea how the next tenant will turn out. He could be just bad enough to make your life really difficult, or so bad that he only lasts for a month or two before eviction. Since your good tenants are less likely to contact you, you have to stay in touch with them. Try to get a read on their feelings by calling or emailing at least once a month. Here’s a short checklist of questions:
  • Does anything need repairs in the unit?
  • Are you noticing any maintenance issues in common areas?
  • Do you have any suggestions for me?
  • How are your neighbors?
Not only have you learned how satisfied your good tenants feel, you’ve made them feel important and wanted. Now you need to follow up by addressing their concerns, if any, sincerely and quickly. Bear in mind as you do so that you can’t get into trouble for being nicer to your good tenants than your bad ones. If a good tenant’s got a maintenance issue, generally make it your first priority – the only more important issues will relate to safety or potential for very serious problems, such as fire or water damage hazards. If a good tenant’s got a beef with a neighbor, get all the facts and deal with it right away – making sure you get the neighbor’s side of the story before making a judgment. If a good and bad tenant are having a dispute, and neither is clearly in the right, it’s okay to side with the good tenant. While you’re at it, ask your good tenants if they’re thinking about moving. Yes, that’s shockingly blunt. But it’s the only way you’ll ever find out if a tenant is planning to move before he or she actually signs a lease for another unit. Once they sign that lease, they’re gone – and no amount of cajoling is going to get them back.
If a tenant IS planning to move, ask why and press (nicely!) until you get an answer. Hopefully their decision will be based on a problem you can fix. The unit feels kind of old and grimy? Offer to repaint it. It’s too hot in the summer? Get them an air conditioner. It’s too small? Maybe you have a larger unit vacant, even if it’s in another building – and you’ll help them move for free. Some of these fixes run into some serious money. You need to compare them to the cost of finding a new tenant. That is a certain amount of lost income, plus the cost of marketing the unit, plus any necessary renovations to make it re-rentable. If the unit needs paint anyway, then painting it to motivate a good tenant to stay is much better than painting to get a new tenant. If the money looks REALLY serious, ask them to sign a new lease. Point out that they would have to if they moved to a different building anyway.
You should also make sure your tenant recognizes the cost and aggravation of moving. They’ll have to rent a truck, buy or steal boxes, pack everything, arrange for new utilities, physically transport the stuff, and change addresses for all of their mail. Why should they do all that when you can offer them what they want with much less hassle?
On the other hand, they might be moving for reasons you can’t control, maybe because they’re getting married or taking a new job in a different city or buying a house. Thank the tenant for being a great tenant, and ask if they know anyone else who might be interested in renting the unit.
You have to be committed to keeping your good tenants happy. That doesn’t include letting them break rules or pay rent late. Instead, look for little things you can do to be helpful. For example, when tenants move out, they often leave behind one or two objects of some value; bookshelves, portable fans, and so on. I offer these to my remaining good tenants. I also send Christmas cards each year with a gift card to a local coffee shop in each. It’s definitely worth $5 to make a good tenant happy.While you’re at it, invest in a few emergency items you can have available for tenants if they need them. Get a couple of electric space heaters (for use if the heating system breaks) and big coolers (if there’s a power failure). Now if you get a call about a heating problem or power failure, you can offer some quick relief until the issue is resolved.
About the Author:
Brendan O’Brien is the founder and president of Property Master Web™ Software. He is a contributing writer to REIP The Rewards® Magazine and is an active landlord and real estate investor. O’Brien designed Property Master Web™ with a team of 26 real estate investors and professionals to create the most comprehensive property management software solution for everyone, from first time investors to multiple property mangers. In addition to software, the advisory board has written 162 Landlording Tips that are a great resource for any property manager. For more information about Property Master Web™ visit http://www.PCPropertyMaster.com

Thursday, May 31, 2007

How To Qualify As A Real Estate Dubai Agent?

To be a Dubai real estate agent more than anything else, it requires a license issued after a test has been qualified by the person. A candidate must be an adult as per the law, i.e. he should be at least 18 years of age. He must also be a graduate as per the administration laws governing real estate Dubai, and must have undertaken a written test and should have qualified in the same. The written test comprises of diverse questions based on property & real estate transactions and the various laws implicated in transactions of real estate across Dubai. It also verifies the knowledge of a person regarding the various laws on the sale and purchase of property. A real estate agent and a real estate broker both work at different levels and hence their serviceable areas are dissimilar from each other.
A real estate broker being more experienced and having shouldered more responsibilities has to pass through a different examination which is of higher level as compared to the test cleared by a real estate agent. To achieve a license of a real estate agent, one has to attend classes varying from 30-90 hours in order to get himself trained as a real estate agent while to clear an exam for real estate broker, 60-90 classes need to be attended with an additional experience ranging from one to three years as a real estate agent. The transaction process is not as simple as it was in earlier times hence calling in more talent and skills for the job. Firms now are hunting for people trained in real estate dealings, finance, business administration, economics, statistics, and law or alike.
There are various courses that offer training in such programs. This not only aids the firm by providing proficient real estate agents but also fosters better prospects for the people attending this training program. Apart from the conventional training the attributes of the candidate and his personality also matters, while choosing this option, he must make sure that his personality gels with the kind of work he would be undertaking in future. A real estate agent must be a well organized person who holds a pleasant personality and can interact with people easily. A real estate agent must be convincing and influential while talking. He must project a trustworthy character devoid of any false appearance. A Dubai real estate agent should also have an enthusiasm to work along with effervescence for details and particulars. He should also be good at remembering names and recalling faces. In most cities, the license has to be renewed after every 1-2 years although there is no intransigent need for reappearing in the qualifying examination. Education needs to be continued in some of the cities to renew their license.
Deepak Rodey works with Property Advice Dubai
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deepak_Rodey

Monday, April 23, 2007

Invest in Dubai Property

At the same time as the cost of property in Dubai has been mounting, it is to be noted that compared to worldwide standards the costs are still comparatively low. This means that any investment in Dubai property is an opportunity to swiftly increase capital appreciation by a big margin. Considering the upbeat state of the real estate market, any investment in Dubai property over the next few months or years will capitulate exceptional results.
The reason for this is very simple. As the growth and positive reception of investment in real estate in Dubai keeps mounting it will inevitably result in the US and UK sourced money that will reach via expatriates from those countries thinking about an investment in Dubai property. When that happens the value of real estate Dubai will most likely reach global standards and all investors will stand to make huge profits.