Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Art Deco

Miami Beach is much more than a tropical paradise and a popular tourist destination, it is rich with history, culture, and some of the most amazing and unique architecture in the world. Art Deco is the most prevalent and recognizable style of architecture in Miami Beach. Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The Miami Beach Art Deco District contains the largest concentration of Deco resort architecture in the world, with some thirty blocks of vibrantly colored hotels and apartment houses dating from the 1920s to the 1940s. These buildings represent an era when Miami was heavily promoted and developed as a "tropical playground."

Art Deco is considered one of the first twentieth century architectural styles in America to break with traditional revival forms to embrace influences from many different styles including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism and Futurism. Building forms in the style were typically angular and clean, with stepped back facades, symmetrical or asymmetrical massing and strong vertical accenting. The preferred decorative language included geometric patterns, abstracted natural forms, modern industrial symbols and ancient cultural motifs employing Mayan, Egyptian and Indigenous American themes.

In Ocean Beach (now known as South Beach) architects used a unique form of local imagery to create what we now call "Tropical Deco". The style employed nautical themes as well as tropical floral and fauna motifs. Ocean liners, palm trees, and flamingos graced the exteriors and interiors of the new local architecture. The favored materials for executing this distinctive "art" decor included bas-relief stucco, keystone, etched glass, a variety of metals, cast concrete, patterned terrazzo, and others.

Much of the Art Deco designs can be attributed to architect Morris Lapidus. His first large commission was the Miami Beach Sans Souci Hotel, followed closely by the Nautilus, the Di Lido, the Biltmore Terrace, and the Algiers, all along Collins Avenue, and amounting to the single-handed redesign of an entire district. The hotels were an immediate popular success. Then in 1952 he landed the job of the largest luxury hotel in Miami Beach, the Fontainebleau Hotel, one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels on Miami Beach and thought to be the most significant building of Lapidus's career. Before the Fontainebleau's 27 colors of paint had dried, Lapidus had his second big commission, the Eden Rock, a luxury hotel to be located right next door. Around 1960, Lapidus was commissioned to redesign Lincoln Road. Lapidus's design for Lincoln Road, complete with gardens, fountains, shelters and an amphitheater, reflected the Miami Modern Architecture, or "MiMo", style that Lapidus pioneered in the 1950s. The Road was closed to traffic and became one of the nation's first pedestrian malls.

Art Deco continues to be a popular style among buyers coming to the South Beach market. I have sold more art deco properties than I can count and I enjoy discovering the unique attributes to each Art Deco property...no two being the same. I recently closed a sale at Harriet Court on 1508 Pennsylvania Avenue for $385,000. Harriet Court, like many Art Deco properties, has been completely renovated and elegantly blends the past with the present, encompassing all of today's modern design features and amenities.

Why Estate Agents Have Bad Reputations

As professions go, being an estate agent is considered by many - the majority, in fact - to be one of the lowest, right down there alongside bankers. Years of bad service and unscrupulous, underhand practices have helped form this opinion of estate agents in the minds of the UK public.

In some, probably too many, cases the reputation is deserved. The tactics employed by some agents to simply make as much money as possible to the detriment of their clients, the house sellers and buyers, are deplorable. It is unfortunate that the actions of an admittedly significant minority of agents have tarnished the reputation of those estate agents that provide excellent service and always act in the best interests of their clients.

So what actions, exactly, have led to the low reputation of estate agents?

The most obvious and highly publicised is gazumping. This is when an agent continues to show potential buyers around a property even after the seller has accepted an offer. They do this in the hope they will receive a higher offer. If this happens the first buyer with an accepted offer is told another one has come in and they are no longer going to be buying the property, leaving them in a difficult situation, especially if they have sold their own property in expectation of completing the purchase.

Some agents also value homes at far lower than they should be - and then go on to sell them to friends or colleagues at that lower price!

Using scare tactics to force sellers into accepting a lower price than they wanted is another common practice. This can include 'inventing' a series of lower offers, tricking the seller into believing they'll never get the asking price they wanted.

The opposite to this is never passing on offers to the seller that the agent thinks are too low in the hope of achieving a higher one in the future and thus getting a larger fee. The seller is completely unaware of these offers and is therefore not in a position to decide whether they want to accept it or not.

If the agent advises reducing the price - and therefore fails in their obligation to achieve the original asking price - it is reasonable to expect them to reduce their fee at the same time. Many agents refuse to do this, costing the seller more money once the house has sold.

A really common practice is for estate agents to value houses higher than they should be in an attempt to attract sellers. Believing their house to be worth more than they thought, the seller is easily tempted to sign with such an agent.

These COULD be described as underhand but not particularly 'evil'. These next three examples, however, could be considered outright fraud.

Some agents have been known to give buyers fake documents in order to help them secure mortgages. They have also been known to provide completely fake evidence that properties in the same area have sold for more than they actually have. And lastly, some agents have even gone so far as to erect for sale / sold signs outside properties that they had absolutely nothing to do with.

It is no wonder that the reputation of estate agents is what it is when these sorts of practices are going on - and are still going on, even now. Finding an agent you can trust is not easy, though there are many out there. Talk to friends and relatives about agents they have used and the service they received. Ask the estate agents probing questions and don't be fobbed off by their answers. Seek assurances about the way they will go about selling your house (or finding you one to buy) and, if possible, get those assurances in writing.

Looking to Double Your Real Estate Income? Top Agents Work Smarter Not Harder!

Real Estate sales is very much a people business. Top producing agents are very good at communicating with their clients and prospects, and are constantly looking for ways to deepen their relationships and book of business. Lets face it, as agents we work very hard to market for new clients, convince them to work with us, spend countless hours finding the perfect home for them, or endlessly marketing their home for sale. In the end of the day, real estate is a people business. The top agents succeed as they have learned how to build long lasting relationships with their clients. Top producing agents are true pro's at the relationship aspect of the business, their product is simply homes, condos and investment properties.

Sure you like most agents are good at building report and relationships with folks that are looking to buy or sell in your area. What do you do now when you have a client or you are you hear of someone that is looking to buy a property outside of your immediate market area? Do you have an action plan in place on how to capture this business, and capitalize on the referral opportunity? Do you have an established referral network in place?

Most top real estate agents have learned how to use leverage, and real estate referral networks as a great way to deepen relationships with their clients.

There are two ways agents can refer clients to other agents. When you have a referral, you can research other agents online, contact them directly, see if they are interested in the referral, negotiate referral rates, and hope then hope they will take care of your client and actually pay you when the transaction closes.

What most top producing agents choose to do is to join a real estate referral network. most top referral networks are FREE, the offer many benefits of both being able to register to send and receive referrals, they have pre-negotiated referral rates, and have some level of protection built in place to guarantee you will get paid at closing.

Real Estate referral networks are available for all experienced agents. As an industry professional, you should consider joining a referral network. Look for a network that is free to join and use. The top networks do not charge any membership fees, and allow you to connect with top agents in all brokerage companies across the country.

Referral networks allow agents to work smarter not harder in their daily practice. What a great way to network with other agents, build relationships with other industry professionals, and earn big real estate commissions from client looking to buy in your area.

My Thoughts on Creating Successful Business in Real Estate

I have put together this post as a basic run through for creating a business plan and a growth plan for a real estate business. I got the ideas for this by talking to some of the smartest people I know in and out of real estate from huge computer companies, college president, software developer, to commercial property owner and more. In business the basic rules and steps apply and being a real estate agent or broker needs to be run the same way in order to be successful and save a lot of headache and wasted time.

First step whether you are new or a real estate veteran looking to build a better business creating a timeline is mandatory. Create a goal and make it lofty to build a model with a larger capacity. With that goal make a timeline to reach it. Example, I want to close X volume with Y input of new leads and clients weekly by Z date. A lot of agency focus on closed deals, real estate being about the only industry teaching this when the focus should be incoming pipeline load because it focuses on the future of the business and forces you to create dependable lead generation techniques that will keep you in business.

The second step is to create what I will call an open source model. One that is easy to install additional sources of income and build on. In real estate this would be buyers' agents for example. You have a pipe of leads, you are getting big and you obviously don't want to put 500 miles on the car everyday while working 20 hours a day. Have agents do this for you and pay you for it. You have to create personal brand that is likable and attractive to get good agents on board though. Good sources, education, leads and guidance. Intel builds a chip you can put in almost any computer and people still demand to have it, so computer manufacturers use it. It's about building an attractive versatile platform. Donald trump puts his name on everything. Same way agents will know being part of your brand will make them successful also.

Part three is something you will always need in business, which is a business partner, a mentor, or any group of people smarter than you to bounce ideas off of. This will give you a new perspective and allow people to challenge your way of thinking while pushing you to always be better. You should always feel like you didn't know something 6 months ago because you are constantly evolving and learning, pushing yourself to perform at a top level. Having a partner also lets you maybe take a few days off now and then so you don't get burnt out.

Part four is to create your systems and infrastructure for handling your business with steps for handling a new lead and who does it, to clearing the file at close and storing it for the legally required time. Systems are important because it increases efficiency and cuts down on human error. Imagine if Amazon, the military, or a doctor had no protocol or systems. You would probably never get your antique looking picture frame, Normandy would have been a disaster, and you may walk out the hospital missing a spleen after going in for a broken arm. I think real estate business should handle this aspect with a lot of care when dealing with other people's money and sensitive information. Make sure these systems are easily scalable and can be easily outsourced to avoid growing pains. The last thing you want is to stop growth due to yourself. Anyone use Friendster?

Part five is your target market and what solution you will provide to get going. This could be buyers, sellers, investors, or a geographical location, but the smaller your focus the more success you are likely to have as you will be more specialized and be known for something but make sure it is a large need and solve a real problem. Don't pick one lake front area, but all lakefront communities in your area so you have a real market to focus on. Once you have this, you can decide what kind of market saturation you need. How many units are bought and sold each month? How many units are available? What's your demand? Decide what percentage of that market you will need to reach your goals. If you need 100 percent to make it your market is too small. Can you succeed with 10%? Then you have a market and you will succeed. You will then know exactly how much you need to market and as you begin to get returns you will be able to gauge how many angles are needed to reach your 10%, and it will be sustainable.

Part five is to keep adding. What you will have is version 1.00 of "you real estate" platform. Make some upgrades, add some referral partners, or great new marketing angle and you have version 1.01. Add some buyer agents that bring some respective returns in your market you have version 1.1. Add an entire second market with staff to support you will be in version 2.0. You may have noticed these on software updates you install as the programs are upgraded and made better. This is a useful tracking system to see your progress and decide what business version you want to be at. It will also show what you need to get there. When you see a hole that is holding you back, or an opportunity to grow, it's time to upgrade.

That's it! It works for businesses all over the world and made the people I spoke with very successful. I believe these same systems transfer into real estate because it needs to be treated like a business not some fly by night operation because that's how you end up just another face in a sea of agents running around.

Work Smarter, Not Harder in Real Estate

n this market we are in there is a necessity to work faster, run leaner, and get more bang for our buck to stay profitable all while trying to have somewhat of a life besides real estate. Efficiency is something I am always trying to improve because sometimes you hit a ceiling in real estate at that point will require you to find ways of working leaner in order to boost your profit margins. This has happened to me in the past and I would have been fine being happy with a certain income number but with my compulsive personality the only thing I wanted was more torrential business and income growth. But the only way to achieve that was by increasing my capabilities and being able to magnify myself to handle a much larger work load.

The obvious answer to this problem is technology. I notice a lot of agents are a little reluctant to adopt new technologies and would rather outsource to more humans and do business the same way it's been done for the last 15 years. I have always liked technology in business, maybe because I started when I was 20 years old 4 years ago so I'm kind of in the tech generation. What I want to get across is the power of using technology to automate your real estate business for leads and for increasing productivity which will magnify a user's capability to be everywhere at once.

I created the system I used and refined over the last few years which allowed my partner and I to close around 100 deals annually and generate around a half million in revenue annually with an extremely low overhead without any assistants. At the same time giving us all the free time we needed to do whatever we wanted. The key points required to effectively implement tech into your business (to be like EVERY other successful industry in the world). Certain points need to be addressed:

1. Accessibility: By being accessible and being able to easily and quickly access your business from anywhere at any time it will make you much faster while giving you the ability to do everything from anywhere. By putting a system in place that will help manage the daily operations and schedule of your clients the active aspect of your business will become more passive. The activities will become automatic and you can streamline your business so every transaction will run smoothly.

2. Transparency: By being able to provide transparency to clients and being able to keep customers in the loop does a huge thing for building trust. Being able to do this automatically is even better and clients appreciate being able to know what's going on when they have a question without playing phone tag with you and you having to call back once your able to look through the file and find the answer.

3. Compliance: Like every business real estate has certain procedures, rules and required documents to complete a transaction. This is by far the biggest pain in any agent's butt when you have checks at the front desk but it won't be released because you missing a paper. It's a waste of time and nothing makes me angrier then having to wait for my paycheck. Being able to automate and accurately clear files quickly and easily is crucial to burn through transactions quickly without any snags and move on to the next one.

That's about it. With the above items taken care of you will drastically improve your business and be THE Amazon.com real estate sales. It took me four years to perfect the systems, but now work has never been easier. Below is the link to my system sign up and let me know what you think.

Why Buyers and Tenants Should Use a Buyer or Tenant Representative

Exactly why would somebody want to have a Tenant Representative involved in the process of buying or leasing commercial property? Quite simply, because your tenant representative has a fiduciary duty to look out for your best interest before that of any other party in the transaction. The Landlord's representative has this same relationship with their client, meaning that anything you tell them that helps them negotiate better terms, they are obligated to tell the Landlord. You wouldn't just "trust" the other parties lawyer in reviewing legal documents, would you? The Landlord's representative has to look out for the Landlord because it is their duty to them legally.

Secondly, having a trusted real estate advisor on your team will save you countless hours of searching. With access to the latest technology, knowledge of the local market and many times having seen the buildings you are considering, your representative can often times find many more properties that will fit your needs than you will ever be able to on your own as well as provide insight into possible pitfalls of a location that you may have otherwise not considered.

Since a tenant representative has no affiliation to a particular seller or Landlord, you may find that you are presented with many more options from many more sellers in the area than if you deal with a property owner, or his Agent, directly. A Tenant Representative is looking to find you the best space at the best price, regardless of who the seller is.

Real estate transactions can often be very complicated. Having the proper representation during this process will not only make the process easier, but will save you time as well as possible trouble down the road. Your tenant representative will make sure that you know exactly what you're agreeing to when it comes time to sign a lease or purchase agreement.

But what about the cost you ask? That's a great question. While ultimately it is up to you and your Tenant Representative to negotiate the terms of your contract, most often your representative is paid by the seller at closing or lease signing. This means in many cases you can enjoy a premium service without spending anything more than you would have otherwise. When you factor in the possible savings that your representative could negotiate on your behalf, you actually could save money while making the process easier and saving you time.

Some Key Prospecting Targets for Real Estate Agents

Prospecting for new business is part of the process when it comes to commercial real estate. Failure to prospect means lower levels of business and eventually high levels of stress.

The best people in the commercial real estate industry constantly prospect regardless of any economic circumstances or marketplace. Given this fact, it pays to have some rules regards the prospecting process. In this way you will make it more successful and consistent for yourself.

Here are some rules and targets for prospecting for new business:

1. Always have a selection of business cards on you for handing to other people. The best salespeople use a simple business card frequently in most of the contacts that they make. Ensure that your business card has contact information on one side, and a summary of your services on the other side.
2. Set aside 2 hours a day for prospecting with new people and contacts in your area. When you prospect for this period of time each day during the working week, you will win more business and market share over a period of time. Consistency is the key.
3. When you talk to people, initially ask for help and a direction to speak to the right person. You never really know when you are speaking to the correct person. Decision makers sometimes hide behind two or three layers of personnel.
4. Adopt the mindset of being a sponge for new information. Anybody who has an involvement with property should get into your database in one form or another. Your database complexity and versatility should support the capture of property types, property needs, location, rental, prices, contact details, and timing.
5. When you make a connection with the right person, ask direct questions, give information about yourself, and create a conversation. Given the business nature of the industry, the sleazy nature of traditional old fashioned sales pitches and pressured closes do not work. It is better to work from a base of need, information, and conversation. Be yourself at all times, just make yourself better at it.
6. Keep on top of the local property market activity. New listings, prices, and rentals will always be of interest to business owners and property investors. Further to that, monitor the activity of comparable properties in the same precinct. Time on market will be a variable factor impacting any future listing opportunity

The Best Time To Buy Palm Springs California Real Estate

The Palm Springs Desert Resorts area in Southern California is one of the most beautiful and renowned resort areas in the world. As a result, this small but thriving area boasts a very active and dynamic real estate market. The Palm Springs Desert Resorts area consists of seven contiguous cities beginning with Palm Springs on the west end of the valley stretching to Indio on the eastern end about 35 miles away. Other resort cities include La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City.

Like many resort and sunbelt areas in the United States, the local real estate market has gone through some challenging times over the past few years. However, right now may be the best time to buy real estate in the greater Palm Springs, California area.

Why is now such a great time to invest in Palm Springs area real estate? It's because property values have corrected as much as 60 percent off of the market boom highs of 2004 through 2006 - with many residential areas having regressed all the way back to early 2000s price levels. There are some truly incredible buying opportunities throughout the Palm Springs Desert Resorts area.

The table was set several years ago for the present-day buying opportunities. Here's what happened. From 2002 to 2005, similar to the real estate markets of neighboring Las Vegas and Phoenix, local real estate sales increased by double digits annually, as did appreciation. During this overheated market, there was too much flipping going on. Consumers were buying homes as short-term investments, so demand became far in excess of supply. As a consequence, developers ramped-up the activity way beyond their normal levels to meet the incredible demand. New homes, golf course condos and resale properties alike were bought and sold nearly everywhere you looked in order to meet an artificial demand. Property inventory levels were very low. Lottery sales at new home developments were not uncommon. This high level of sales activity was common not only in Palm Springs, but throughout the seven cities comprising the Desert Resorts area. The L market, in particular, was an extremely sought after and high demand market.

Then, in 2006 the market started to falter and homes in the greater Palm Springs area weren't selling like they were just a few months earlier. Shortly thereafter, financial markets began to constrict, the sub prime debacle took place, ARM's began to reset, the stock market crashed, the unemployment rate rose rapidly, and the overall U.S. economy eventually went into one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression of the 1930s. During this time, the property appreciation rate we thought would never end - halted altogether. Supply began to far outpace demand and real estate values began to spiral downward. The rest is history.

The good news is - now may be the best time in years to get back into the market and buy a home in the Palm Springs area. Many current buyers that have recently jumped from the sidelines feel that even if we were to have another slight value correction, the regression back to early 2000s sale prices warrants getting back in the real estate market - right now.

On top of the current incredibly attractive property prices, two other major favorable factors are in place, a large supply of property inventory - and historically low financing rates.

The Benefits of New Home Construction

There is much to think about when buying a home. The options seem to be endless, whether its a condo, apartment, new home, older home... the list goes on. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to each. When looking at homes, the advantages of buying new construction appear to have greater benefit.

Below are a few reasons to go with new construction:

# 5 - No bad "Karma"

Moving into a new construction home avoids the uncomfortable feeling many homeowners get when moving into a foreclosed home. Also, when a person has passed away in a home, many people don't think it will bother them, then, after moving in, they discover it really does bother them. With a new construction home, both these psychological stressors are eliminated.

# 4 - Boosting the Economy

Purchasing a new construction home provides many people with jobs-electricians, contractors, carpenters, and plumbers. This is not just for those who are unemployed-the purchase of materials also boosts the textile industry, and has a "web effect" by increasing both sales and labor.

# 3 - Simple Cleaning

Older homes can have trouble with hidden dirt and black mold. Sometimes the floors have smells that either cost hundreds of dollars to eliminate, or cannot be eliminated without putting in new boards. New construction avoids this pitfall entirely.

# 2 - Energy Efficiency

There are several ways to make a home energy efficient, such as adding geothermal heat pumps to the new construction, improved insulation, low-voltage lighting, and triple-paned windows. With quality construction and tight-fitting windows, new custom-built homes are earth friendlier and energy efficient (more so than older homes). Many home builders, large and small, are making their efficiency products standard in new construction homes. Their products of choice bear the US Department of Energy's Energy Star Label with efficiency score.

# 1 - Cost-Savings

When choosing a home in Idaho, having a new construction home can save money in many ways. Naturally, there is the cost-savings already outlined above with an energy-efficient home. Many of these new construction homes have 2-10 year structural and/or mechanical warranties, meaning that the cost of repairs due to a structural or mechanical failure could be waived. That isn't available on older, pre-built homes. The standards for building homes have increased a great deal in just the past 5 years, meaning that there are typically fewer repairs that need to be done in a new construction home. Because of the rising standards, there are certainly lower energy bills (heating and cooling the home can add up quickly).

Buying a House in La Jolla, California

Buying a house in this California resort community is one of the best few things you can reward yourself. Situated in facing the Pacific coastline, this southern California resort community boasts of breathtaking coastline along with its share of communities and attractions that can boost up the value of your purchase, either for investment or business.

Incorporated with San Diego in 1850, La Jolla consists of active neighborhoods such as Bird Rock, Windansea Beach, Village of La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Mount Soledad and Muirlands. The community is so vast that the US Postal Service defined that La Jolla should have its own ZIP code - in fact, it is the only community in the San Diego area to have one. La Jolla is also home to the University of California - San Diego which houses the world renowned Scripps Institution of Oceangraphy and the San Diego Super Computer Center.

Having a piece of this real estate reaps many relaxing rewards - albeit having a boosting and energetic exercise in the morning or enjoying those breathtaking sunsets after a well deserved hard day's work, the community has these to offer and a lot more - activities that can encourage a healthy lifestyle amidst the fast paced environment of the state along with its mild and soothing climate.

The community also has a very vast and rich culture. La Jolla was home to notable public figures in the fields of Bio Technology. Finance and Banking, artists, writers, actors and actresses and stage performers. Landmarks also include the prestigious Grande Colonial Hotel, San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Arts, Mt. Soledad Memorial, The Bishop's School and the Cabrillio Hotel - just to name a few examples of the rich and colorful historical background of the Community.

The La Jolla real estate business proves that it is one of the most sought after properties in the United States because of its high returns - in fact, it is also considered as one of the most high profile properties in the country. One can never go wrong in investing in a La Jolla property. Albeit for business or getting a piece of "Eden", a property in this community insures fast gains and fast rewards.

Another best thing to point out about the community is that they have maintained standards that define the community as itself. The Community Planning Association insures that these "standards" are met. The institution acts as advisers to San Diego's City Council, Planning Commission, City Planning Department as well as other concerned Government agency in terms of adaptability, amendments, General Community planning and implementations that may affect the community in its program developments as well as to review several development proposals - ensuring that the "La Jolla" standards are kept and well maintained.

A La Jolla real estate gives you a bang for your buck - every home in the community ensures that money is well spent. Property values faster than almost any communities in the United States - making it one of the most fast moving investments in the country today.

Should All Warehouses Have Composite Lightweight Roofs?

Well, the building materials of the future will be much different than they are today. Chances are we won't have to cut down as many trees for lumber, or make foundations with cement and rebar so thick. Our glass windows will not be made out of glass, but they will be even more transparent, lighter weight, and much safer in case of high winds, or earthquakes, even bullet proof too. In the future everything will change, not only for the single-family dwellings we live in, but also for large-scale apartment complexes, towers, and skyscrapers.

Today, however I would like to discuss something totally different. I would like to talk about a certain new type of building material which I see coming onto the scene not so far off in the future. You see, right now we are making airplanes at of carbon composites, and we are learning how to manufacture with carbon nanotubes and other incredibly strong materials which will weigh next to nothing. As humans figure out how to manufacture large sheets of carbon nanotubes, and sandwich them together with other lightweight composites it will change everything.

Consider if you will a warehouse building. Many of these are made out of steel, or using a concrete tilt-up strategy, where the sides are made out of concrete. If we can use lightweight carbon composite roofing materials, and giant sheets, those buildings don't have to be as strong, nor do the foundations, pillars, or sides have to be made at of such robust materials. Not only will they be safer, they will also be stronger, and they can be made translucent during the daytime simply by adding energy to the carbon nanotube sheets, which will allow the sunlight to come in, saving electricity in lighting.

Right now, there are many roofing materials made out of carbon composites, and the price is somewhat competitive. There are shingles and squares which are used as roofing materials, but they have to be laid upon a structure. In the future very large sheets of carbon composite materials will be able to hold up large amounts of snow, or even used as flooring for a second level. This is perfect for warehouses. It won't be long now until we have these high-tech building materials, within the next 5 to 10 years everything will change and it will change for the better.

Imagine carbon composite roofing which also can be coated with very thin spray on solar panels. It will be amazing what we can do in the future, and that future is rapidly advancing thanks to the DOE investment in new space-age materials. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on.

Getting What You Pay for When Hiring a Church Builder

Inspections and Billing Review

One of the many services provided by architects on church construction projects are site inspections and review of contractor billings. This is an optional service that may be of benefit to churches. The architect becomes a representative of the church during the construction process and attempts to insure that the church is not paying for work that has not been satisfactorily performed in accordance with the plans and specifications.

Most builders bill the church monthly for work completed during the previous 30 days. The architect reviews the billing from the builder and based upon his site inspection determines if the builder has, in fact, performed the work for which he is billing. The architect will either approve or modify the billing. If the billing is approved by the architect, the church pays the builder. The builder, in turn, pays the subcontractors and suppliers and receives receipts for the payments. If the billing is modified, then the church, the architect, and the builder must negotiate an agreeable payment for that month.

The architect is not in control of the construction of the project and therefore cannot be held liable for the failure of the builder to build the project with the proper materials and methods. Since the architect cannot be on the project at all times, he cannot be sure that the builder has complied with the plans and building codes. He also cannot be sure that all subcontractors and suppliers have to be paid by the builder.

While the inspection and billing review services of the architect are not without their limitations, they may offer an additional level of security to the church during construction.

Getting What You Pay For

In addition to inspections and billing reviews, there are several other things that a church can do to ensure that it gets what it is paying for during the construction process.

The church should try to pay at the end of each month only for labor that is completed and materials that are on the jobsite. If the church is working with a General Contractor (GC), the church would want an independent party, such as the architect, to approve monthly payments to the builder. If the church is working with a Construction Manager (CM), he will establish the amount to be paid to subcontractors and the church will pay all subs and suppliers directly. Especially on a GC job, the church needs a way to verify that those providing labor and materials are actually getting paid. The builder should return a signed receipt and waiver of lien to the church from each subcontractor receiving money each month.

When working with a GC, any changes on the project should be agreed to in writing. Since a fixed project cost is not established on a CM job, it is important that the church have an itemized project budget. The CM can offer the church a monthly comparison of the budget versus the actual costs.

Additionally, some states allow building contracts to include a provision that no liens can be filed against the owner by anyone supplying labor or materials on the project. You should consult with an attorney familiar with your local lien laws. The church can also withhold retainage from subcontractor payments until assured of proper performance.

Benefits of Historic Tax Credits

In March of last year, Rutgers University released a first-of-its-kind report about the economic impact of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits (HTC). The report assessed HTC impact on job creation, economic growth, and generated taxes. Rutgers recently updated the report to include Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 and re-released the results.

Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits were first made available in 1976. The program is administered through the National Park Service, in partnership with State Historic Preservation Offices and the Internal Revenue Service. Under the program, a 20 percent tax credit can be used to help fund the restoration of any building deemed "historic." This includes houses, schools, churches, hotels, offices, and retail structures. Though the program is not managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD officials encourage developers to use the tax credit as a means of funding affordable housing projects.

In order to qualify for a historic tax credit, a portion of the project must include at least one building that is part of a federally recognized historic district or is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Exceptions are sometimes made for structures deemed "historic" by local preservation societies. In addition, rehabilitation plans must preserve the "historic character" of the building. The Secretary of the Interior has developed ten "Standards for Rehabilitation", all of which must be met in order for the 20 percent tax credit to be received.

When determining whether a project qualifies for HTC, the structural integrity of the building(s) in question must be carefully considered. It's not enough for a building to be designated "historic" or be located in a historic district. It won't qualify for the HTC program if its foundation and internal structure are too dilapidated to support rehabilitation. A project that calls for the demolition and re-creation of a historic building is not eligible for the program.

During Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 a total of $8.8 billion was allocated for Historic Tax Credit-related expenditures. That investment resulted in the creation of over 145,000 jobs. In addition, HTC investments generated $6.2 billion in income and an $8.4 billion bump in the nation's GDP. It also generated billions of dollars in tax revenue.

Over the course of the HTC program, it has generated over 2 million jobs and generated over $76 billion in income for various business sectors including construction, retail trade, and manufacturing.

The Rutgers study provides important statistics that developers and affordable housing advocates can use to show the benefits of using Historic Tax Credits for low-income housing projects. The information is especially helpful in economic climates like the one we're currently in, when government officials are regularly looking for job-creating programs.

Building Capacity With Technical Assistance Grants

Over the years and decades, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created numerous programs aimed at increasing affordable housing stock, improving residential and mixed-used neighborhoods, and encouraging commercial development. Funding for new homes, improved infrastructure and additional retail space is good and necessary, but if a local government or non-profit organization isn't able to handle the influx of money and related activity, the other programs are of little use. With that in mind, HUD created its Technical Assistance grants.

Technical Assistance grants are awarded to non-profit organizations that work within at least one of five development programs: HOME; HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS); Homeless; CHDO (Community Housing Development Organizations); and CDBG (Community Development Block Grants). Any organization that receives funding through at least one of these programs is eligible for a technical assistance grant as well. The goal of the program is to increase the capacity and efficiency of organizations that receive HUD funding. Training and technical expertise are provided by industry experts vetted by HUD specifically for this program.

In its ongoing effort to stimulate and support community and affordable housing development, HUD recently awarded millions of dollars in technical assistance grants. The grants benefit over a dozen communities, and take HUD's capacity building efforts to a new level of effectiveness and efficiency.

Over $23 million was awarded to various companies and organizations through HUD's new OneCPD (Community Planning and Development) Integrated Practitioner Assistance System, which was created via HUD's 2010 Appropriations Act. Under the new system, Technical Assistance grants for several of HUD's development programs are funded simultaneously, making the grants area-specific rather than program-specific. HUD's intent is to offer a more comprehensive approach to affordable housing and community development.

In addition, organizations that work in the same geographic area can file a joint application, further streamlining the funding process and encouraging collaboration. In other words, if one non-profit has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and another has received HUD funding through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, those two organizations can file jointly for a technical assistance grant. They agree to share any funding awarded, and work together to increase their capacity to effectively administer HUD grant money.

The structure of the joint application encourages collaboration by awarding points for having experience with certain HUD programs. When scoring the applications, HUD awards a certain number of points based on program experience and knowledge. If just one of the organizations has experience with, for example, the HOPWA program, up to 10 points can be awarded to the entire application - which benefits all of the organizations, not just the one with the expertise. The same is true for organizations that have experience with the HOME program. This scoring system allows organizations with less experience to partner with, and benefit from, more experienced organizations without becoming a hindrance or liability.

Adding Convenience Feature to the Buildings With Access Audit

Diversity of the work place has become the edge in the competitive era. And diversity can be along the lines of ethnicity, race, religion, language, age, gender, sexual orientation and disability. With no one's emotions to hurt, people with certain disability often get overlooked. This is a fact. The employers may often consider the person with disability non capable. This is not just out of discrimination but often the employers assume that the person may not be able to cope with the existing staff in the office, he may not be able to match the pace with other employees or the office may not be able to provide the specialized facility that might be a necessity for the individual. And there is another fact in that. Under this discriminating attitude many times the skilled and competent workers are missed. But there is need to change this mindset and with little alternation made in the structure and some facilities offered to the individuals with specific needs, the whole thing can get to the right tunes.

And when it comes to the infrastructure of the building the design and the construction is to comply with the DDA standards. Here the disability consultant can be of great help to you. These are the professionals who can guide with the construction and infrastructural alteration that make it more convenient for the disabled to access. Basically the DDA act is a written document that just gives the appraisal of certain regulations and implications if followed can make the entire place really accessible to the disabled. The audit evaluation will begin from the Car Parking and then lead to Entrances, Reception, Corridors, Vertical Circulation, Toilets and Meeting Rooms etc.

The audit consultant identifies the barriers and instructs the users in removing them. The access statement is not just about the wheel chairs but I considers some wider perspectives as well like height of a toilet seat, gradient of a ramp, width of a door, color of a handrail etc. Since in the parliamentary DDA law nothing is mentioned to the core specification and due to this very reasons several associates have emerged offering the DDA certification. But when are really considering making the place convenient for the disabled, a reputed disability consultant would be required for assistance. The audit statement is prepared evaluating each and every aspect of the building design.

Finding Creative Solutions to Redevelopment Challenges

Earlier this year, New York State established a brownfield redevelopment plan. The goal of the plan was to encourage the creation of affordable housing. Developers and others were offered grants, tax incentives and other forms of financial assistance for the clean up, clearing and construction of brownfield property. Shortly thereafter, the Iowa State Senate passed a similar bill establishing a redevelopment tax program for brownfield and greyfield sites in that state.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a brownfield site as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." A brownfield site is typically the former location of a chemical plant or production facility that made or used potentially toxic substances like industrial cleaning products or fertilizer. Though a facility may have been abandoned for years, harmful chemicals may still be present in the facility itself and the ground on which it sits. The cost of cleaning brownfield sites can be so high as to prevent them from being developed at all. As a result, the harmful contaminants remain in the environment, posing health risks while the abandoned property simultaneously hinders the neighborhood's economic development.

In contrast, a "greyfield" site rarely poses any environmental or health risks. It is a term that was coined in the early 2000s to describe empty and abandoned commercial and retail property. (The word "greyfield" refers to the often-expansive parking lots that surround the structures.) The redevelopment of greyfields generally costs less because there are no dangerous contaminants to dispose of. In addition, the existing infrastructure (including plumbing and electrical wiring) can actually reduce the cost of development.

A revitalization plan released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2005 suggested greyfields as viable development opportunities because of their often-close proximity to main traffic arteries and public gathering places like sports complexes.

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which allocated more funding for the clean-up and development of brownfield sites. Unfortunately, because greyfields pose no real environmental or health threats, there is little federal funding allocated specifically for their development.

However, Iowa's recently passed legislation enables the state's Department of Economic Development to apply up to $5 million of its allocated redevelopment tax credits for both brownfield and greyfield sites. The existing redevelopment provision allows for a maximum thirty percent credit, based on the total qualifying investment costs. At minimum, a twelve percent credit is granted for qualifying investment in a greyfield site. If the project also meets the requirements for "green developments," that credit is bumped up to 15 percent. A minimum 24 percent credit is available for brownfield sites, and is increased to 30 percent for green developments. With this new law in place, more money is now available for builders and investors willing to explore development possibilities on property deemed brownfield or greyfield.

A Six-Step Checklist for Establishing a Group Investment Partnership

Follow this 6-step process to set-up your group investment partnership. This process covers critical functions a sponsor needs to complete to be successful.

1. Prepare the Private Placement Memorandum (PPM): In preparing this extensive document, the sponsor should engage the assistance of qualified legal counsel to make sure the document is properly put together. If you are syndicating your first group investment, then I highly recommend you obtain the guidance from local legal counsel.

2. Prepare the Offering Circular: To help expedite the marketing program, the sponsor should prepare a simple, one to four page brochure that includes the facts on the proposed offering.

3. Obtain Securities Clearance: Federal and state law clearance or registration must be complete before offering securities to investors. Each of the fifty states has different rules and regulation governing the sale of real estate securities.

"Fortunately, many types of securities and many transactions in securities, are exempt from state securities registration requirements. For example, many states provide for transactional exemptions for Regulation D private offerings, provided there is full compliance with SEC Rules 501-503. However, though certain types of offerings or transactions may not require registration, many states require filings or place additional conditions on exemptions available for many different offerings for which exemptions are available. The best advice, then, is before offering any security for sale in any state, experienced counsel should be retained to review the applicable state laws and take any action necessary to permit the offering to be made in the particular state."*

4. Market the Offering to Potential Investors: Now that your PPM is complete and is in compliance with state and federal security law regulations, you can market your investment opportunity to potential investors. Take the list of potential investors you have created and send your PPM to them. Since the PPM is confidential, make sure only the intended potential investor reads the contents. Finally, make a detailed record of all the potential investors that have received your PPM.

5. Review the Investor Subscription Package: As the LLC member interests are sold, each investor should send the copy of the subscription booklet and a check for the member interest purchased. The sponsor should carefully review the subscription booklet to make sure that all the requested information is completed and that the investor meets the suitability requirements of the transaction.

If any of the information is not correct, the sponsor should notify the investor to correct the information or notify the investor that they do not meet the suitability requirements. After careful review of this package, the sponsor should sign off on the various documents in this package.

6. Set up an Escrow Account for the Initial Contributions: Prior to any investor contributions being collected, the sponsor should set up an escrow account with a local bank. The bank should have a set of the instructions as to how and when to break escrow and to distribute these collected funds.

Another way to handle step 6 is to have each investor send money directly to the real estate escrow account. All of money from investors will be in the escrow account for closing of the investment property. Normally, from all the money sent to escrow from the investors, there will always be excess funds after closing. The escrow or title company will send the new buyer (investment group LLC) the balance of the funds. Take this check and deposit it into the new LLC partnership account. This partnership account will be used to operate the partnership until the property is eventually sold.