Trecia Cooke

Master-planned communities in Central America come in all shapes and sizes - from small condo buildings to developments covering thousands of acres offering resort style amenities. Many offer pre-construction sales where you buy before you see the finished product. Great gains can be made as properties are offered at a discount. But you have to be confident that the developer will deliver. The starting point is getting answers to these 10 questions below, before you sign the contract.

1. Find out what kind of title the developer has to the land and ask to see the master title insurance policy. Ensure the legal due diligence on these documents is carried out by a good quality attorney. The developer may recommend their own attorney, but it is always safer to conduct an independent review of the documents before signing.
2. Ask whether the development masterplan has been approved by all relevant authorities. In particular, check to see if environmental impact statements have been submitted, and approved. Authorities across Central America are getting increasingly stringent in their environmental regulation.
3. Investigate whether the developer has the capital to move the real estate development forward or if they are relying on sales revenues. Remember that limited financial flexibility or low project sales can adversely impact the timely completion of a project.
4. Do some research into the past experience of the developer and and ask to be put in touch with previous buyers. Try and get background information or bios on the entire developer team including builders, architect, marketers, operators and master-planners.
5. The builder being used is a critical component of the development team. If the developer is using a well respected local firm that has a track record in the type of construction required by the master plan, this is a good sign. If possible try and see examples of buildings that have been completed by the builder so that you can get a real sense of the quality of their work.
6. Find out how much time of the year the developer spends in-country. If the developer is foreign, but lives full-time in the country where the real estate project is located, this is a positive indicator for their long term commitment to the project and country.
7. Find out about the water source and whether the developer has ensured that there will be enough supply even when the development is fully built-out. Ask how sewage is being handled and does the process comply with local regulations. Check to see if power lines will be underground or overground.
8. Read the Codes Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs) carefully. CC&Rs in some international real estate developments can be highly restrictive, down to what you can or can't grow in your garden, what pets you can have, the architectural style that is allowed, or the color of your roofing tiles. Make sure you know what you're getting into. In most cases the CC&Rs will be enforced by a Home Owners Association (HOA) - a legal entity which allows the developer to transfer ownership and management of the community to the homeowners after it has sold a predetermined number of units or lots. Ask to see a copy of the Association bylaws and budget.
9. Don't forget to find out about after sales service such as property management, rental management and marketing support for re-sales. Make sure you are comfortable with the level of service that the developer intents to provide after the sale.
10. Find out if the developer is addressing the social and environmental impacts of the development and whether there are any programs in place to support the local community. Efforts to protect the environment, treat employees and suppliers fairly and ensure that the local community is benefiting are all good signs of a ‘responsible' approach to development over the long term.
    

Article Provided by: Revel Real Estate

The New Credit-Card Rules: What to Expect

by Aleksandra Todorova
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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Unexpected rate hikes. Over-limit fees. Double-cycle billing. Those are just a few of the credit-card practices that have trapped millions of consumers into a life of constant worry over mounting debt. In less than a week, these practices will be history.

On Feb. 22, 2010, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act) takes effect. It puts forth new rules for credit-card issuers that are arguably the most consumer-protective in the history of credit cards.

If you're the type of person who reads every piece of mail sent by your credit-card companies, then chances are you already have a fair idea of the changes coming. (Credit issuers have been mailing out change-of-terms notifications that explain the details in recent weeks.)

Then again, credit-card rules are hardly ever simple -- and the CARD Act is no exception. Below are the key changes that the new law puts forth, along with some notable exceptions that could still allow consumers to get in trouble with their credit cards.

Finance Charges, Interest-Rate Hikes and Notifications

· No rate increases for the first 12 months after opening an account.

· Rate increases can only be applied to new charges.

· Annual and application fees cannot exceed 25% of your initial credit line.

· No more double-cycle billing.

· A six-month minimum promotional-rate period.

· No more over-limit fees, unless the card holder opts in.

· No fees to make credit-card payments online or over the phone, unless you make a payment on your due date.

· Must give 45-day notice of pending rate or fee hikes or any other significant changes to credit-card terms.

Exceptions, Caveats, Loopholes:

· Rate hikes are allowed if you're more than 60 days late with a payment.

· Some banks have already found a way around the rate-hike issue, by increasing card users' regular interest rates to as high as 29.9% and then refunding a part of that rate for each month that the customer pays on time.

· Double-cycle billing, although prohibited, can technically still exist for credit cards that don't have grace periods.

· Issuers have been calling consumers asking them to opt in for over-limit fees in exchange for lowering that fee, says Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, a consumer advocacy group. What they're not saying is that if people don't opt in, the transaction will be denied and they will not be charged over-limit fees in the first place, Wu says.

Billing Statements, Payments and Disclosures

· Billing statements must be sent 21 days before the due date.

· Your due date should be the same date each month.

· Payments are considered on time when received by 5 p.m. on the due date or the next business day after a holiday or weekend.

· Payments above the minimum must be applied to the highest-rate balance first.

· Each monthly statement must include information on how long it would take you to pay off your balance if you make minimum payments only and the total you'll pay, including interest and principal; and how much you need to pay each month in order to pay off your balance in 36 months and the total you'll pay, including interest and principal.

· Statements must also include a warning that by making only minimum payments you will pay more interest and it will take you longer to pay off your debt, as well as a toll-free number to call if you want to be referred to a credit-counseling service.

Exceptions, caveats, loopholes:

If you make a purchase under a "deferred-interest" plan (such as "No interest for six months," for example), the company may let you choose to apply extra amounts to the deferred-interest balance. Otherwise, for two billing cycles before the end of the promotional period, your entire payment must be applied to that balance. Carrying a "deferred-interest" balance is a risky proposition altogether, says Wu: Unless the balance is paid in full over the specified period, the company will charge all interest retroactively once the promotional rate expires. "We think deferred-interest plans should have been banned," Wu says.

College Students and Young Adults

· No credit cards for college students unless co-signed by a parent or they can demonstrate "ability to pay."

· No credit-limit increases if you are under 21 and have a co-signer without that co-signer's permission.

· No credit-card marketing and freebies on college campuses.

Exceptions, Caveats, Loopholes:

· Issuers will likely start appealing to parents to co-sign their children's credit cards. And the Federal Reserve has specified that issuers have the option of keeping the parent on the hook even after the young person turns 21, Wu says. "If that younger person keeps the credit card for 20 years, the co-signer is liable that whole time."

· Issuers are not allowed to give out freebies for signing up for a credit card on or near a campus -- which still allows them to set up shop near popular off-campus venues and offer freebies to everyone, whether or not they apply.

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