Barrie, ON

Buying or Selling Homes, Safe Social Networking for Realtors 11 Tips For Social Networking Safety.

As the popularity of these social sites grows, so do the risks of using them. Hackers, spammers virus writers, indentity thieves and other criminals follow the traffic.

Read these tips to help protect yourself when you use social networks.

Social networking websites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter an Windows Live Spaces are services people can use to connect with others to share information like photos, videos and personal messages, or when searching for Homes for Sale in Barrie Ontario.

1. Use caution when you click links that you receive in messages from your friends on your social website. Treat links in messages on these sites as you would links in email messages (For more information, see Approach links in email with caution and Click Fraud: Cybercriminals want you to "like" it.)

2. Know what you've posted about yourself. A common way that hackers break into financial or other accounts is by clicking the "Forgot your password?" link on the account login page. To break into your account, they search for the answers to your security questions, such as your birthday, home town, high school class, or mother's middle name. If the site allows, make up your own password questions and don't draw them from material anyone could find with a quick search. For more information, see: What was the name of your first pet? What is screen scraping? Take charge of your online reputation.

3. Don't trust that a message is really from who it says it's from. Hackers can break into accounts and send messages that look like they are from your friends, but aren't. If you suspect that a message is fraudulent, use an alternate method to contact your friend to find out. This includes invitations to join new social networks. For more informaiton, see Scammers exploit Facebook friendships. Be careful when Buying or Selling Homes in Barrie Ontario.

4. To avoid giving away email addresses of your friends, do not allow social networking services to scan your email address book. When you join a new social network, you might receive an offer to enter your email address and password to find out if your contacts are on the network. The site might use this information to send email messages to everyone in your contact list or even everyone you've ever sent an email message to with that email address. Social networking sites should explain that they're going to do this, but some do not.

5. Type the address of your social networking site directly into your browser or use your personal bookmarks. If you click a link to your site through email or another website, you might be entering your account name and password into a fake site where your personal information could be stolen. For more tips about how to avoid phishing scams, see How to reduce the risk of online fraud.

6. Be selective about who you accept as a friend on a social network. Identity thieves might create fake profiles in order to get information from you. Even on home sites that want info when Buying or Selling Homes.

7. Choose your social network carefully. Evaluate the site that you plan to use and make sure you understand the privacy policy. Find out if the site monitors content that people post. You will be providing information to this website, so use the same criteria that you would to select a site where you enter your credit card.

8. Assume that everything you put on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you can delete your account, anyone on the Internet can easily print photos or text or save images and videos to a computer.

9. Be careful about installing extras on your site. Many social networking sites allow you to download third-party applications that let you do more with your personal page. Criminals sometimes use these applications to steal your personal information. To download and use third-party applications safely, take the same safety precautions that you take with any other program or file you download from the web. For more information, see Before you download files, help protect your computer.

10. Think twice before you use social networking sites at work. For more information, see Be careful with social networking sites at work, or when Buying or Selling Homes.

11. Talk to your kids about social networking. If you're a parent of children who use social networking sites, see How to help your kids use social websites more safely.

Free online safety brochures: These downloadable brochures tell you how to help prevent and correct privacy and online safety issues related to social networking.

Check out a video we made from a little while back. Can you spot your home?

Advice for Real Estate Investors

Is managing an apartment right for you?

With more Americans renting, the investment property market is booming, and with good reason. There’s money to be made in many types of investments, and a self-sustaining property that pays its own mortgage, builds equity while you sleep, and maybe sends a little profit your way sounds too good to pass up.

Whether you’re looking at multi-unit dwellings, long-term home rentals, new construction, or improving and reselling, there’s a big potential upside, and timing has never been better. But here are a few cautions to keep in mind as you embark upon your journey.

1. Know Your Strengths.

Are you a do-it-yourselfer with experience fixing and maintaining homes? Do you live near the investment property you’re looking to buy? Do you mind phone calls in the middle of the night? Be honest about your motivations and capabilities. If you’re new to the game, fixing and flipping foreclosures may not be right for you. If you travel a lot, or just don’t want to be bothered, using a management company may be well worth the money, and then some. If you find yourself with era time and money down the line, you can always purchase a second property.

2. Don’t Over-leverage.

Real estate is a fairly safe long-term investment, but short-term fluctuations can hurt. You don’t want to be forced to pull money from a property at the wrong time, so only invest what you can afford to leave in play for several years, and don’t skimp on the down payment. Investment properties don’t qualify for mortgage insurance, so you’ll need to put down at least 20 percent. That’s a good thing. Buying within your means will reduce your monthly costs, and put less of a stress on your budget when the unexpected pops up (see below).

3. Never Expect 100 Percent.

A 10-unit complex at $1000 per unit can generate up to $1.2 million per year, but even in this market, you’ll be lucky to see 80% of that. Month-to-month leases and evictions produce uncertain cash flows, rental incentives can shave a month or two off your income, and transitions mean down-times for repairs and cleaning between tenants. Expect less than you think you’ll make and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

4. Ask for Help.

You’re not in this alone. There are thousands of people just like you, and ll you have to do is reach out. There are plenty of real estate investor groups online, and you should join them, but you should start your search locally. The neighborhood hardware store is a good place to start. Ask around for contractors and handymen. You’ll need them later, and they can point you toward other investors in your area with whom you can swap information, and maybe partner on a deal some day.

Six Tips Before Selling a Home

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Realty Executives

Think twice before starting major improvements.

Selling your home can be a long, grueling process in even the best market. To help you squeeze as much money as possible out of the sale with the smallest amount of hassle, we’ve listed 6 tips that will help smooth the ride.

1. Choose the right REALTOR©

Having the right partner can make all the difference. You’ll be making a lot of very important decisions during the planning and listing phases–more important, in many ways, than your decisions during the offer phase. Find a REALTOR© with whom you make a connection–someone who understands your reasons for selling, your minimum requirements, and all the nice-to-haves. You’ll also be leaning heavily on your REALTOR© for information on market-related issues such as home pricing, so choose someone with an intimate knowledge of your area and situation.

Choose a realtor with experience

2. Make a plan

Now that you have a partner, lean on that relationship to put together a realistic plan for pricing, selling, and moving from your home. A plan will outline in very specific terms what you expect, so you and your REALTOR© will have a firm idea of what’s expected. It will also help keep you from getting caught up in emotion during repricing, the offer process, or other charged moments.

3. Clean and declutter

Tidying your home is absolutely the best value for your dollar, and it helps potential buyers fill the space with their dreams instead of your life. Clean everything you can and put as much clutter as possible into storage. Make arrangements for pets to be elsewhere during open houses.

4. Improve wisely

Don’t add any home improvements the future owners might just want to remove. Get quotes for any potential improvements and discuss the pay-off with your REALTOR©. And don’t overlook seasonal bargains. Installing central air conditioning or solar panels in the winter, for example, can save you a great deal.

5. Get the bad news

It’s always better to be prepared. Research crime rates, sex offender databases, poor-performing schools, and other negative information the buyer might discover, and formulate a plan to address it beforehand.

6. Look–but don’t buy

You should absolutely begin the search for your new home before you sell your current home, but don’t go overboard and commit before you have money in hand. Leveraging yourself too early in the selling process can force you to accept weaker offers than necessary, and might make you lose both homes.