House Help

What You Need To Know Before Investing In New Orleans Real Estate
There are many common questions that home buyers want to know about New Orleans and the various housing markets Here are several bits of information that can help you find the right real estate in New Orleans

Mortgage Loan Modification Is it For You
Are you considering a mortgage loan modification? Find out how a mortgage loan modification can help you avoid foreclosure and keep you in your home

Commercial Real Estate Purchasing Requires Considering Many Factors
No matter what kind of space you are looking for your business, trained and helpful real estate agents will be able to help you in your search for a new commercial real estate property

What Can a Loan Modification Agreement Do For You
Can a loan modification agreement keep your home out of foreclosure? The answer is yes A loan modification happens when a lender agrees to change the terms of you current loan making the payments affordable

How to Profit from Foreclosures
The Real Estate industry is a long term career for investors It is a serious work and stable income for the individual who seeks longevity It is a career of a lifetime that guarantees profits

Giving Eviction Notice and a Typical Eviction
Eviction laws can be extremely confusing, especially as each state has their own set of rules Here\’s an example of a typical eviction process, and some resources for state-specific eviction forms

Business Personal Property Valuation
Business personal property (BPP) can be challenging to value because of the limited quantity of data available and primary reliance upon the sales comparison approach. Relatively speaking, a voluminous quantity of data is available when valuing real estate as opposed to valuing business personal property. Many real estate appraisals consider three approaches to value: cost approach, sales comparison approach and the income approach. By contrast, most business personal property appraisals depend primarily upon the sales comparison approach. While it is possible to develop a reasonable estimate of the market value for business personal property, the values tend to be more subjective than the value of real estate. The sales comparison approach depends upon principles of substitution and supply and demand. Purchasers of business personal property will seek alternatives and choose the alternative most beneficial for them considering cost, quantity and quality. For real estate, comparable sales data is available with in-depth descriptions of the real estate, including quantity and quality. For business personal property, is more difficult to obtain accurate information regarding the quantity and quality of property involved in a sale. For example, assume the XYZ Company recently closed its Chicago operation and sold the furniture, phone system, network servers, personal computers and related items for an office with 30,000 square feet of space and 120 employees. The sales data includes the quantity of desks, chairs, file cabinets, personal computers, network computers, etc. However, it does not contain precise information regarding the condition and age of each of these items. Real estate is more homogeneous and easier to describe versus the sale of a quantity of business personal property. Real estate appraisers often gain insight from preparing each of the three approaches to value for real estate assignments. However, personal property appraisers typically focused primarily upon the sales comparison approach. They do not have the benefit of contrasting the value conclusion via the sales comparison approach with values via the cost approach and income approach. It is important to define the asset being valued. Referring back to our example of the XYZ Company which closed its office, is the assignment to ascribe a value to each item as though it is going to be sold individually or is it to assign a value to the aggregate collection of furniture, computers and equipment? An alternate approach would be to define a value based upon selling subsets of the whole. For example, the furniture to one purchaser and the computers and phone system to a second purchaser. The definition of value also substantially affects the value conclusion. Market value would typically be defined as the value assuming both the buyer and seller are knowledgeable regarding the property, neither the buyer nor seller is under distress to buy or sell and an adequate amount of time is allowed to market the property. A liquidation value would also assume that both buyer and seller are knowledgeable regarding the assets. However, it would assume a very brief period of time to sell the property. Value in use describes the value of the assets to the current owner. It is not indicative of what a third party would likely pay to purchase the assets. In addition to performing an appraisal to estimate the market value of business personal property, other techniques sometimes considered for valuing business personal property are IRS depreciation schedules and appraisal district depreciation schedules. These may or may not result in a value conclusion that is similar to market value. However, it is the writer’s experience that they typically produce a value in excess of true market value. To obtain a quote or further information for a business personal property valuation, contact us at 713-686-9955 The appraisal division of O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of commercial property real estate appraisal services including cost segregation studies, highest and best use analysis, due diligence, gift tax valuation, commercial real estate appraisal, lease abstraction, insurance valuations, business personal property valuations, business purchase price allocations, single-family litigation support and business valuations.

Patrick C. O'Connor has been president of O'Connor & Associates since 1983 and is a recipient of the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He is also a registered senior property tax consultant in the state of Texas and has written numerous articles in state and national publications on reducing property taxes. He continues to set the standard in direction and quality of our appraisal products, adding services ranging from business valuations and business appraisals to cost segregation analysis for income tax reduction. Patrick C. O'Connor <a href = "http://www.poconnor.com">www.poconnor.com</a>

The Appropriate Discount Rate for Residential Real Estate Analysis
The investment value of a property can only be measured against other investment opportunities available to an investor If investors can earn 4 5% by investing in government treasuries, they will demand a higher return to invest in an asset as volatile and as illiquid as residential real estate The rate of return an investor demands is called a \”discount rate \”

How To Find The Best Real Estate When Relocating To Louisiana
If you are relocating to Louisiana, you are moving to a state rich in culture, tradition, and history But you still may have many questions about where to find the best real estate Here is some information to help you in your search

BMV Property Investments in a Falling Market
If done right, BMV property investments represent one of the strategies that can generate double-digit returns Opportunities for BMV property investments exist in both rising and falling markets, less in the former and more in the latter BMV property investments in a falling market are considerably riskier The risk of such investments can be reduced in four ways