property You're about to take the plunge and buy your first investment property. Should you buy something that you can live in, something you can develop and sell on, or should you buy a designated rental property? If you are going to choose the last option then you need to do your homework first. There are different types of tenancies and every one of them should be handled differently. Thinking of buying a property in the UAE? Then you need to read our useful guide to buying a property in Dubai. Complete with useful country information and links to estate agents website and an insight in to the buying process of acquiring a property in the United Arab Emirates or UA as its commonly known.

Your rental property is a big investment and having the right management services can make a lot of difference in your annual rate of return and the long term value that you derive from the property. Here are some thoughts to ponder when deciding whether to stay with your existing property management company or make a move to a better, more professional organization.

Ask anyone who understands market cycles when to develop property and they will probably tell you to purchase development sites in a time of recession or trough and to sell the developed property in a time of growth or when the cycle is at its peak. Whilst at an intuitive level this may sound appealing, there are a number of problems with its implementation in reality.

Protecting assets by Joint Tenancy, Tenants in Common, Tenancy in Entirety or Community Property have many disadvantages. Loss of step-up in basis upon the death of the first Tenant; loss of estate tax protection; possible exposure of the assets; Joint Tenancy disinherits all other heirs; possibility of a gift tax consequence; Joint Tenancy supersedes any trust with the loss of all trust benefits.

It can be a difficult task to obtain the insurance coverage that you require for an vacant property that you currently have in your possession. This is due to the fact that insurance providers have the opinion that there is a greater risk to be taken when insuring an vacant property and that these properties have a greater need from insurers than the typical occupied property.

One of the big dilemmas property investors face is deciding which properties to invest in and trying to find bargain property deals. With so much competition out there this is not an easy task and many investors choose to invest in off-plan property investments because of the promises of good discounts and guaranteed rental income schemes. However, I believe this strategy is often flawed and I'll explain why.

You've heard the estate agents mantra 'location, location, location', but how true is it when it comes to making money from property? If you are buying yourself a home to live in for the next few years, then location can be very important, but if you are planning on buying a renovation project, doing it up, selling it on and pocketing a profit, then location can be a secondary consideration.

When preparing to enter the real estate niche of buying and selling foreclosure properties, it is important to have a foundational understanding of how the values and worth of foreclosure properties are determined. It all comes down to equity. A good working definition of equity is the difference between the current market value of the property and the amount that is still owed on it.