Real estate broker

A real estate broker is a term in the United States and Canada that describes a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate (or real property as it is known elsewhere) and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy. In the United States, the relationship was originally established by reference to the English common law of agency with the broker having a fiduciary relationship with his clients. Estate agent is the term used in the United Kingdom to describe a person or organization whose business is to market real estate on behalf of clients, but there are significant differences between the actions and liabilities of brokers and estate agents in each country. Beyond the US, other countries take markedly different approaches to the marketing and selling of real property. In the US, real estate brokers and their salespersons (commonly called "real estate agents" or, in some states, "brokers")[1] assist sellers in marketing their property and selling it for the highest possible price under the best terms. When acting as a Buyer's agent with a signed agreement (or, in many cases, verbal agreement, although a broker may not be legally entitled to his commission unless the agreement is in writing), they assist buyers by helping them purchase property for the lowest possible price under the best terms. Without a signed agreement, brokers may assist buyers in the acquisition of property but still represent the seller and the seller's interests.

     Real estate economics is the application of economic techniques to real estate markets. It tries to describe, explain, and predict patterns of prices, supply, and demand. The closely related fields of housing economics is narrower in scope, concentrating on residential real estate markets as does the research of real estate trends focus on the business and structural changes impacting the industry. Both draw on partial equilibrium analysis (supply and demand), urban economics, spatial economics, extensive research, surveys and finance.

Buyer brokerage

    A buyer brokerage or buyer agency is the practice of real estate brokers and their agents representing a buyer in a real estate transaction rather than, by default, representing the seller either directly or as a sub-agent. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the most common term is buying agent.In most U.S. states and Canadian provinces, until the 1990s, buyers who worked with an agent of a real estate broker in finding a house were customers of the brokerage, since, by most common law of most states at the time, the broker represented only sellers. It is only since the early 1990s that states passed statute law to create buyers' agency.Buyer agency can exist exclusively (where a brokerage firm chooses to only represent buyers and never sellers, as an exclusive buyer agent) or, in a full service company, by offering buyer agency to buyers who become clients. Buyers would have to agree to some form of dual agency in the event that they wished to buy a home which that company has listed for sale and for which it represents the seller.Today, if the buyer is working with a broker other than the brokerage listing the property, he or she may choose to enter into a buyer-brokerage agreement to be represented. (In some cases where dual agencyis permitted by law, even the listing broker may represent the buyer). If the buyer does not enter into this agreement, he/she remains a customer of the broker who is then the sub-agent of seller's broker.Contents [hide]1 Buyers as clients2 Buyer agency agreements3 See also4 Notes5 External links[edit]Buyers as clientsWith the increase in the practice of buyer agency in North America, especially since the late 1990s in most areas, agents (acting under their brokers) have been able to represent buyers in the transaction with a written "buyer agency agreement" not unlike the "listing agreement" between brokers and sellers (often referred to as a sellers agency). The real estate licensee, upon entering into a written agreement with a buyer, agrees to work solely for the buyer and in return, the buyer agrees to exclusive representation.
At this point, a real estate brokerage owes the buyer the duties of:Loyalty to the buyer by acting in the buyer's best interest.Confidentiality by not disclosing facts that could influence the buyers ability to negotiate the best terms.Disclosure to other parties in the transaction that the licensee has been engaged as a buyer's agent.The broker negotiates price and terms on behalf of the buyers and prepares standard real estate purchase contract by filling in the blanks in the contract form. The buyer's agent acts as a fiduciary for the buyer[edit]Buyer agency agreementsLike the listing agreement with sellers, the agreements with buyers must have a starting and ending date as well as specifying how the buyer's broker is to be paid (by the seller or by the buyer himself). In addition, it should spell out the duties and obligations of all parties.The agreement should also specify how a conflict of interest will be handled. A conflict of interest can occur when a buyer represented by a conventional firm becomes interested by a seller who is also represented by that firm.Another potential conflict of interest can occur when the same firm finds itself representing two buyers who are competing for the same property.A real estate agency should have a written, objective policy for how it will handle conflicts of interest and this policy should be disclosed to any potential client in advance.

Real estate development

    Real estate development is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from therenovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved parcels to others. Developers are the coordinators of the activities, converting ideas on paper into real property. They create, imagine, fund, control and orchestrate the process of development from the beginning to end. Developers usually take the greatest risk in the creation or renovation of real estate—and receive the greatest rewards. Typically, developers purchase a tract of land, determine the marketing of the property, develop the building program and design, obtain the necessary public approval and financing, build the structure, and lease, manage, and ultimately sell it. Developers work with many different counterparts along each step of this process, including architects, city planners, engineers, surveyors, inspectors, contractors, leasing agents and more. In the Town and Country Planning context of the UK, 'development' is defined in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 s55.

Mortgages in real estate

   in recent years, many economists have recognized that the lack of effective real estate laws can be a significant barrier to investment in many developing countries. In most societies, rich and poor, a significant fraction of the total wealth is in the form of land and buildings.In most advanced economies, the main source of capital used by individuals and small companies to purchase and improve land and buildings is mortgage loans (or other instruments). These are loans for which the real property itself constitutes collateral. Banks are willing to make such loans at favorable rates in large part because, if the borrower does not make payments, the lender canforeclose by filing a court action which allows them to take back the property and sell it to get their money back. For investors, profitability can be enhanced by using an off plan or pre-construction strategy to purchase at a lower price which is often the case in the pre-construction phase of development.[citation needed]But in many developing countries there is no effective means by which a lender could foreclose, so the mortgage loan industry, as such, either does not exist at all or is only available to members of privileged social classes.

Mortgage

A mortgage is the transfer of an interest in property (or the equivalent in law - a charge) to a lender as a security for a debt - usually a loan of money. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt. It is a transfer of an interest in land (or the equivalent) from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower.
This comes from the Old French "dead pledge," apparently meaning that the pledge ends (dies) either when the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure.[1]
In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans secured on real estate rather than on other property (such as ships) and in some jurisdictions only land may be mortgaged. A mortgage is the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately from their own resources. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property.

Real estate development

Real estate development is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved parcels to others. Developers are the coordinators of the activities, converting ideas on paper into real property. They create, imagine, fund, control and orchestrate the process of development from the beginning to end. Developers usually take the greatest risk in the creation or renovation of real estate—and receive the greatest rewards. Typically, developers purchase a tract of land, determine the marketing of the property, develop the building program and design, obtain the necessary public approval and financing, build the structure, and lease, manage, and ultimately sell it. Developers work with many different counterparts along each step of this process, including architects, city planners, engineers, surveyors, inspectors, contractors, leasing agents and more. In the Town and Country Planning context of the UK, 'development' is defined in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 s55.
Contents[hide]
1 Statutory definition of development in the United Kingdom
2 Paths for entering the development field
3 Organizing for development
4 Land development
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Statutory definition of development in the United Kingdom
'Development' is defined by statute in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 s55(1), as 'the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any material change in the use of any buildings or other land'. This definition is clarified by the remainder of s55 and the inclusion of the Generally Permitted Development Order 1995 and the Use Classes Order 1987.

Paths for entering the development field
Main article: Real estate development education
No single path leads automatically to success in real estate development. Developers come from a variety of disciplines—real estate brokerage, mortgage banking, consulting, construction, lending, architecture, legal services, among others. Recent specialized programs that award a Master of Real Estate Development degree are also available. The graduate programs in real estate development are the most comprehensive education in the industry. Other formal education includes a Master of Science in Real Estate, or an MBA.

Organizing for development
No matter how talented an individual, development is a team effort. A development team can be put together in one of several ways. At one extreme, a large company might include many services, from architecture to engineering. At the other end of the spectrum, a development company might consist of one principal and a few staff who hire or contract with other companies and professionals for each service as needed.
Assembling a team of professionals to address the environmental, economic, physical and political issues inherent in a complex development project is critical. A developer's success depends on the ability to coordinate the completion of a series of interrelated activities efficiently and at the appropriate time.
The development process requires skills of many professionals: architects, landscape architects, and site planners to address project design; market consultants to determine demand and a project's economics; attorneys to handle agreements and government approvals; environmental consultants and soils engineers to analyze a site's physical limitations and environmental impacts; surveyors and title companies to provide legal descriptions of a property; and lenders to provide financing.

Land development
Purchasing unused land for a potential development is sometimes called speculative development.
Subdivision of land is the principal mechanism by which communities are developed. Technically, subdivision describes the legal and physical steps a developer must take to convert raw land into developed land. Subdivision is a vital part of a community's growth, determining its appearance, the mix of its land uses, and its infrastructure, including roads, drainage systems, water, sewerage, and public utilities.
In general, land development is the riskiest but most profitable technique as it is so dependent on the public sector for approvals and infrastructure and because it involves a long investment period with no positive cash flow.
After subdivision is complete, the developer usually markets the land to a home builder or other end user, for such uses as a warehouse or shopping center. In any case, use of spatial intelligence tools mitigate the risk of these developers by modeling the population trends and demographic make-up of sort of customers a home builder or retailer would like to have surrounding their new locations.

Montecito Apartments

Montecito Apartments is a large apartment building in Hollywood, California, USA. It was built in 1935 in the zig-zag Art Deco style and was the home for many Hollywood celebrities, including James Cagney, Mickey Rooney and Montgomery Clift. It was also Ronald Reagan’s first home when he moved to Hollywood in 1937. In 1985, the building was converted to a low-income housing project for senior citizens. Contents [hide] 1 Early years2 Home for Ronald Reagan and other actors3 Renovation and conversion to senior housing4 Historic designation5 See also6 References // [edit] Early years The building was built in 1935 with 95 units at a cost of $1 million.[2] Set on a hill overlooking the city, the Montecito is the highest building in Hollywood.[3] It has a private swimming pool, two subterranean garages and a parking lot.[3] The building is a classic Art Deco design with Mayan influences and windows arranged in vertical blinds.[4] In 1946, it was sold for $600,000.[5] In 1954, it was sold again, this time by Isadore and Libby Teacher to Howard Fox and Harry Wyatt.[2] [edit] Home for Ronald Reagan and other actors The Montecito was once frequented by movie stars, especially New York based actors while working in Hollywood. The Montecito was Ronald Reagan’s first residence when he moved to Hollywood; Reagan lived at the Montecito from June 1937 to late 1938.[6] Reagan was said to have been roommates at the Montecito with Mickey Rooney.[7] Other celebrities who have lived at the Montecito include James Cagney,[8] George C. Scott,[9] Montgomery Clift,[4] Geraldine Page,[8] Don Johnson and Ben Vereen.[10] [edit] Renovation and conversion to senior housing Front view of Montecito Apts. In 1970, rents ranged from $180 to $400 for furnished apartments.[3] In 1984, the owners obtained grants and loans from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (“CRA”) and HUD to rehabilitate the building and convert it into 180 apartments for low income senior citizens.[11][12] In 1988, the Los Angeles Conservancy presented an award to the Montecito for the redevelopment project.[13] In 1995, the owners defaulted on loans, and Bank of America foreclosed on the building.[14] The foreclosure triggered CRA losses that amount to $8.2 million.[15] [edit] Historic designation In 1985, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Montecito has been described as “one of the finest examples of the Art Deco style, with Mayan influence detailing.”[12] It is also significant for its architectural quality and integrity and as the finest extant work of architect Marcus P. Miller.[12]