Adobe Construction – cheap and naturally energy efficient

Adobe – or earth construction as some may call it – is one of the oldest building methods in the world. Since ever, humankind has used earth in various forms to build their homes. It has a huge number of benefits most of us modern people forgot about.

I only came to love this type of construction when working on a renovation project of an old town house in Portugal. Until then, when thinking of an earth house I had a very different picture in mind. It was something like a simple hut in an African village.

Adobe walls are naturally energy efficient and can be load bearing. Often, they are very thick, forming a natural insulation from the environmental heat or cold. Earth-based products are naturally sustainable because you are building with the materials that surround you.

Interestingly, approximately 30% of the world population lives in homes made of earth materials. That’s no wonder if you think of the many financial and environmental benefits. That’s why people like me, once we know about it, just love it. It is not only a far cheaper construction method but also has many other advantages compared with modern materials.

The composition of the adobe—or some may call it the recipe—vary according to country and local customs. Usually most of it is made of earth and or clay. Besides that, it can contain other materials like straw, maybe even small amounts of lime. Once I even read about that it can include horse hair. Not sure if this is true though.

There is even a thing they call Superadobe. It is also made from earth and organic materials heartened with lime, compressed into bags which are stacked on top of each other, each layer of bags separated by barbed wire. This method is perfect for seismically active areas.

What is adobe construction

Buildings made of Adobe are very similar to a rammed earth house. The only difference is that the earth was rammed into some sort of brick shape before it was used for the construction. Like this it is very easy to build walls with earth.

Special treatment for adobe construction

Please note that the right plaster is essential to be completely waterproof. You don’t want your wall to crumble apart after a few years. They are several products on the market that are perfect for adobe construction. We can use it for the first plaster on a new wall as well as fixing cracks in an old one. It is very important that the plaster lets the wall still breath.

Also, there can be a problem with raising damp in those buildings if they have no horizontal barrier to stop it. I saw a layer of bitumen sheet or a special plastic be put before the first layer of adobe bricks. Therefore, it is good to keep that in mind before you start building your house.

One historic local custom in my area was that the builders would leave an air gap under the house to avoid any raising damp. With some houses being well beyond 100 years now and showing no sign of any raising damp we can say that it is a truly successful method.

If you live in an earthquake zone it is also advisable to apply a net within the construction to give it better structural properties.

Adobe construction surprises

Probably the biggest surprise was when I found out that adobe was even used for the first modern architecture in Portugal. This is something I would always associate with concrete and steel.

It seems there is no limit to what you can build with it starting with simple garden walls, garages, sheds, houses and even apartment blocks.

Conclusion

Adobe Construction is naturally energy efficient and sustainable because you are building with the materials that surround you. With the right know-how it can give the same or even better comfort than a modern building method.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay

How to Bring Architectural Masterpiece Designs to Your Facade with Few Expenses

If you need to redesign your house or have a property that desperately needs an update or upgrade the faces, then you’re on the right page. Too often, the upgrades that our property needs are beyond getting flowers for a new front lawn or just painting your way through. Thankfully, there are many options to choose from for what you can do to give your house the facelift that it needs. You can get materials of different colors across different parts of the house, from roof to windows, etc.

You would already know that giving your home exterior an improved look comes with its price. However, what you might not know is that you can do this with a very low budget and still get a magnificent result. You can do this to improve the look of your home, give it a better appeal, and increase the value. You need to execute this project cleverly and carefully.

By now, you’re wondering what you have to do and what your options are. In this article, we look at how to redesign your house with very few expenses.

Paint it

Although painting your exterior might not just be enough when talking about redesigning your property. However, it remains one of the easiest steps to take and one of the cheapest as well, so it’s worth mentioning too. While it can’t be the only step, it should be one of the first steps.

In painting your exterior, you can either go safe with the minimalist way or take the risk and go for a bold color. Experimenting with different colors may add more character to your building, and going for a white facade is more practical and classic. You can as well choose to combine the two concepts by using the bold colors as an accent while you have a dominant white facade.

Use glass curtains

One exciting way to redesign your house is to add more glass surfaces to it. There are different types of glass surfaces that you can add to your home to replace some sections. This will give your house a better aesthetic and add the 21st-century touch to an old house. Apart from changing the look of your house and making it more beautiful and fancy, it also gives more room for natural light in the building, making your home more energy-efficient.

Replace your roof

You can easily upgrade your home’s exterior by putting away the old roof and replacing them with something better and more exciting. It doesn’t matter how good your house looks or how much renovation you do; if the roof isn’t attractive, it will stand out. If your roof isn’t ideal for your house settings, it’s a fact that it will stick out very easily.

When you renovate your roof as part of the plans to redesign your house, you need to be practical about the way you approach it. There are different options to choose from, both the cheap and expensive ones. You need to look at the options and go for the one that fits into your budget. The good thing is that you can get very beautiful and long-lasting roofing materials at very cheap costs. You must reach out to a contractor or designer to provide some help with this.

Add feature lighting

It’s effortless to add feature lighting to your house. They are perfect for illuminating and highlighting your frontage, and they are inexpensive as well. There are numerous examples that you can take inspiration from in mounting a feature light on your home wall or front fence.

These feature lightings are pretty simple, but they are capable of changing the character and outlook of your house. So, you should make a point of replacing the outdated fixtures in front of your home with stylish and new designs to give your house a very modern look. You could also take this a step further by adding more lighting. This will make your home even brighter at night.

One hack to improve the look of your feature lighting without changing it is to repaint the old fixtures in black. This will give it an updated feel and comes in handy for your redesign, even if you don’t have a budget for lighting.

Add a gate and build a fence

If you love your privacy and you see it as a priority, then you might want to consider building a fence around your house and install a gate as well. Apart from giving you the privacy you love, it adds more style to your house and gives it a massive upgrade on the exterior. You just have to make sure that the fence and gate go well with the main building’s design so that it doesn’t appear too tacky.

Even if you aren’t strong on privacy, adding a fence and gate to your house adds some more elegance and class to your property. It lets light in and also gives you more security.

Rework your garage and driveway

Many people tend to ignore their driveway when they redesign the house, but it often stands out in a bad way. You might not see how important it is when you do it; you only see it when you don’t. But you don’t have to find out by yourself. It wouldn’t take much for you to redesign your garage to fit your home’s style, which improves the appeal of your house. You can add materials such as stained concrete, bricks, etc., for the update. You can also do some work on the garage door to make it more personal.

Conclusion

If you are going to redesign your house, there are different areas that you need to work on. You must know what accessories to use and the style that best suits your building. While it may appear complicated at the start, you will enjoy the look of it, and you will be glad that you took the time to redesign your house.

Author Bio

Leon Collier
Leon Collier

Leon Collier is a blogger, online essay writer, and academic writer from the UK who has vast experience working with the best essay writing service. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and can deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.

Photo by Brian Babb on Unsplash

5 STEPS REMODELING A HOUSE FOR AN OPEN FLOOR PLAN

The open concept floor plan has been around for many years, since the 90s. To this day it remains popular a popular house improvement among many homeowners, thanks to its flexibility and aesthetic appeal. One of the things that draw people to the open floor plan is the fact that many people feel rather confined by hard divisions in houses. In this article, we will outline a few considerations to make if you want to remodel your house for an open floor plan.

What are the pros and cons of an open concept floor plan?

Despite their appeal, open concept floor plans represent a great departure from regular structured layouts. They aren’t for everyone. Before you commit to remodeling for this floor plan, consider weighing the pros against the cons.

Pros of open floor plans

  • It’s flexible – With an open floor plan, there are no limits to how you can arrange your home. With some creativity and planning, you can have a great setup that allows you to cook, watch TV, and supervise the kids at the same time. You can also switch up the layout as often as you like when you feel bored with the current layout.
  • It offers value – The value of your home, both perceived and actual, will go up when you switch to an open floor plan. Homes with such layouts tend to attract more interested buyers than others. In some areas, they even often sell for more than the asking price.
  • It allows for the smooth flow of traffic – An open floor plan optimizes circulation throughout your house. This optimization will then improve workflow in areas where lots of people gather and work, like the kitchen and living room.
  • It optimizes for natural light – Walls can steal a lot of natural light from the house. When you take them down, the natural light flows between different rooms more easily and the atmosphere greatly improves.
  • Family bonds better – When you take down the physical ones, the metaphorical borders between family members fall with them. Open floor plans encourage household members to be closer to and spend time with each other, which improves their bonds.

Cons

  • It costs a lot – Converting a home to an open concept floor plan costs a lot of money, thanks to the taking down of walls and all the necessary structural adjustments. You will most likely have to work with engineers and architects besides a contractor.
  • Energy costs will go up – Big open spaces can easily rack up HVAC costs since they cost more to cool and heat. These costs will be felt most strongly during extreme seasons, like summer and winter. If you’re going to commit to an open floor plan, expect to pay more in utilities.
  • The atmosphere gets busier – When you take the walls down, you make it easier for people to engage in more activities in the space. When these activities overlap the atmosphere can feel busy and the house can easily get disorganized, even cluttered. For household members that like their private space, this can be a problem.
  • The house gets noisier – This ties in to a busy atmosphere. With more activity noise levels will rise, which can be intolerable.
  • It’s harder to demarcate sections – While the whole point of an open floor plan is to do away with hard divisions, you might still want clearly identifiable sections in your house. It’s harder to do that with an open floor plan, especially if your space is large. It’s also harder to designate storage space.

Is an open floor plan right for your house?

Despite their allure, open floor plans are not for every home. Many may need steel beams installed to strengthen their structure so that removing the walls doesn’t damage their integrity. To determine if an open floor plan is suitable for your house, you will need to work with a skilled and experienced structural engineer. They will assess your home’s structure to determine if your desired layout is possible. If it isn’t, a talented engineer should be able to help you figure out a way around the issue. You may expand corridors or even extend the home and have the desired layout in the extension.

5 step to converting to an open floor plan

Once you are clear about your desired floor plan, you can start working on the project. Such renovations need you to work with a team of general contractors, architects, and structural engineers. Below are the steps to take:

1. Create layouts and have your home assessed

You first need to get a structural engineer to check out your home and assess the existing structure and layout. They will then use their assessment to create the right kind of building plan for your vision. Once that is done, get a designer or architect to help with the creation of plans and layouts. They will supplement the engineer’s work by adding the latest design trends to your home.

2. Find a general contractor and get building plans

With your plans ready, seek out a skilled and experienced general contractor to do the actual work on your project. The contractor will also help you with getting building permits for the renovations, especially the ones for making structural changes to the house. They will also help with inspections to ensure all works comply with building codes.

3. The demolition phase

Once you have all the permits, the demolition phase comes next. The general contractor should take care of this, ensuring load-bearing walls were taken down and structural beams put up to maintain your home’s structural integrity.

4. The renovation phase

Once the structural reinforcement has been carried out, the renovation can now happen. This is where flooring, drywall, paint, cabinets, and other elements are installed.

5. Finishing touches

When the hard work has been done, you can select finishings like doorknobs, fixtures, and other little details to make your vision a reality.

Conclusion

Renovating to an open floor plan can feel daunting, and will certainly take work, but it isn’t impossible. With the right contractor and a razor-sharp vision, it should be possible to make it work.

Author Bio

Leon Collier

Leon Collier is a blogger and academic writer from the UK who has vast experience working with SuperiorPapers, an admission essay writing service. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and has the ability to deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.

Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash

Finding apartment blocks for sale

So, you’re in the market for a whole apartment block? That’s exciting news. Finding apartment blocks for sale is just one click away. If you’re serious about buying some apartment units here is a good place to start to get a first idea of what your money can buy.

Later it might be a good idea to get a qualified real estate agent who knows the local real estate market and can guide you through the buying process.

They can advise you on the real estate market in your area and financing if needed. That can help you immensely to make your dream of becoming a landlord a reality. With a real professional by your side finding a suitable building will be piece of cake.
Did you know that a typical real estate sale involves more than 20 steps after the initial contract is accepted? Real estate agents walk you through each step to move toward a quick-and-easy close. Together, you’ll create a marketing plan, set the right price and get your new real estate business in no time.

Make your homework

Of course, it is always good to do some research yourself. For example, it can be interesting to look at some property records before buying as well as rental prices. Like that it will be easy for you to find out what yield you can expect from your investment.

If you want to have the least work possible with your asset it would be wise to consider hiring a management company who will deal with the tenants on your behalf.

Newly built apartment blocks for a secure future

Nobody can resist the charm of a new build home.

The plaster does not crumble from the walls, power lines and pipes do not need renovation and the architectural style usually has a trendy and modern design. State-of-the-art materials and the latest standard characterize such a new building.

Yes, buying a brand-new home can be very appealing especially if you are planning to rent it out. You will easily find tenants and beside the usual maintenance jobs there will not be much repairs to do.

A new home has advantages in many ways

A new phase of life begins with a new house and many people fulfil a lifelong dream. The likelihood of taking a risk with such a newly built house is almost zero. Freshly build houses have the great advantages:

  • New buildings often consist of high-quality materials.
  • New build houses mostly have the latest house technology integrated.
  • They are characterized by a low energy requirement.
  • A modern architectural style is characteristic of newly built houses.

The construction quality has improved immensely in recent years, so that today there are hardly any nasty surprises waiting for the owner after years of occupancy. Therefore, after buying new apartment blocks, you can sit back and relax.

The old charm apartment block

If you lost your heart to one of those old charm apartment blocks you are not alone. Although due to age and new energy efficiency laws they usually need some works before they can be properly rented but it is totally worth it. In the end you will have something truly special and unique.

Apartment blocks for sale

You are looking for apartment blocks for sale? Have a look at

Blocks of Apartments for Sale & Rent in Africa

Blocks of Apartments for Sale & Rent in Asia

Blocks of Apartments for Sale & Rent in Europe

Blocks of Apartments for Sale & Rent in North America

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

How to sell commercial real estate

Whether you are a broker or a property owner, to sell commercial real estate is not what it used to be as there can be many surprises. Investors view the commercial property as an investment machine aimed to generate income. If the numbers add up, there is a possibility for a bidding war. And if not, the sale may not be that easy.

Getting yourself prepared can make a great difference between being stuck or creating a favourable property sale.  However, the best way to get started is to make the property as pleasantly engaging as possible to give prospects a great first impression. An abandoned commercial property for sale can discourage buyers, thereby affecting the sale price.

How do you want to sell commercial property?

Sell commercial real estate without a broker

While it is unusual for owners to sell commercial real estate by themselves, we cannot rule out the fact that it is possible. Some may have rich experience in commercial properties and are sure to complete the deal without an agent. Others may simply want to maximize their proceeds by circumventing the broker commission.

Whichever way, note that a lot is at stake with commercial real estate sales. Also, the process is complex to finalize. If you have decided to sell by yourself, you will be the one in charge of the entire transaction process, from listing your property to finding potential buyers, communicating with them, finalizing the paper works, inspection, hiring a lawyer etc.

Commercial property for sale using a broker

The activities involved in selling your commercial property by yourself can be hectic and time-consuming. Thus, finding a reliable commercial real estate company who has your best interest at heart can save you a lot of hassle.

They will take over all the processes and help you sell your commercial property quicker. Beyond these, they will help to determine the proper worth of your property for the current market conditions. This is saving you tons of research time.

Rather than relying only on the conventional marketing approaches, professional brokers have an established network of investors and brokers who may be interested in buying your property. They will present your property directly to these prospects, which significantly increase your chances of getting a competent buyer promptly.

You get many benefits when you employ a broker to help with your property sale. But just like with other industry, it is important you do research before deciding on a brokerage agency. Like this you get the best deal for your property.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

Home Staging Like a Pro to Attract Millennial Buyers

According to Realtor.com’s 2020 Housing Market Predictions, millennials or those born between 1981 and 1996 are going to buy the most houses during the year 2020. So, it’s a good idea to target your listings to millennial homebuyers. However, you may not be able to sell homes to millennials with the same old staging ideas. You need to understand what they expect from their future homes and stage your properties accordingly.

To make it easier, I am sharing some home staging ideas as per the millennial home buying trends that will help you stage the perfect home for your potential millennial homebuyers.

A Practical Home Office

Millennials usually prefer self-employment. And, more often than not, they like a small, secluded office in their homes. Moreover, remote working is trending. So, even if you’re listing a compact home, try and incorporate a subtle office design when staging the property. Add a desk, a few books, some stationery items, an LED table lamp, a comfy chair, a rug, a plant, and top it off with some wall artwork. Minimal and attractive décor like this will highly attract millennial homebuyers.

Furnishing that Wows Millennials

Millennials prefer a tasteful mix of traditional and modern when it comes to furniture. They like furniture that makes a statement without being over the top. So, go for minimal, contemporary furniture pieces. Add a pop of color with throw cushions and curtains. You must steer clear of wall-to-wall rugs. Natural wooden flooring will accentuate the simplicity of the space and also make it look more spacious.

Also, any buyer would be more interested in the selling point of your listing. So, make sure the fireplace, moldings, kitchen storage, etc. are attractive.

Relaxing Outdoor Spaces

In a survey by Better Homes and Gardens, 77% of millennials who participated said that they want their outdoor space to feel like a retreat where they can relax. So, it’s a good idea to give the patio, porch, and balcony spaces equal attention as you would give to the interiors. You can add wicker chairs with some throw rugs and cushions or go for rocking chairs to give the space a proper outdoorsy flair. Don’t leave out the greens; the greener, the better. To complete the décor, add a coffee table and place a couple of magazines.

Smart Home

Millennials are used to getting anything with a tap on their phone. Imagine offering them a home that understands their habits. They would love a home with modern capabilities, such as voice assistant, keyless entry system, convenient USB outlets, IoT-operated appliances, etc. You can always add these costs to the pricing.

Game Room/Gathering Space

Every millennial buyer would love either a game room or a lively living space. You can get creative and mix these two together to show the potential of the home to adapt to the whims and fancies of the buyer.

One most important trend that you need to look out for, if you’re trying to sell homes to millennials, is the use of technology in real estate. Virtual home staging or 3D home design has gained massive popularity because of its advantages over traditional staging. But before we go into that, here’s a small definition of virtual staging to brief you:

Virtual staging can be referred to as online interior design, in which your property is staged virtually in pictures without the staging furniture. Most buyers, especially millennials, prefer viewing the property online so that they can shortlist without going to showings unnecessarily. This makes virtual staging a practical solution. Moreover, it has some added benefits:

  • Virtual home staging costs way less than traditional staging. You do not need to buy or rent furniture, which will tremendously save costs.
  • You will save on the cost of manpower for furniture installation and the cost of photoshoots.
  • Cost of minor fixes in photographs such as fixing broken doorknobs, window glasses, flaky paint, etc. will be covered.
  • With online interior design, you can customize home staging as per different listings and people.
  • Vacant staged homes are the hotspots for burglars. With virtual staging, you will eliminate this risk.

If you’re looking for the best in class virtual staging services, Styldod is your ultimate destination. Get in touch with us to find out how you can leverage our solutions and sell your property quicker with great return on investment.

Author Bio:

Rahul Agarwal is the Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Styldod, where he has taught a computer to do interior design! Styldod provides the most hassle-free & inexpensive virtual staging solutions for real estate agents so they can sell their listings faster, and for higher prices. Rahul was also a co-founder of Mebelkart (which is acquired by Ask Me). He’s your everyday IIT Kanpur nerd who pushes the boundaries with his innovative entrepreneurial stints and is also a sound startup investor & advisor. Rahul attributes his success as a professional to the discipline he has learned from his district hockey days, being a swimmer and a gym enthusiast.

Real Estate Scams – When you get a call about your Real Estate Tax

You may be shocked at first but of course more than eager to pay your duties. But please don’t! This is one of the newer real estate scams that are starting to circulate.

The call about your real estate tax

This is a nasty trick where someone calls potential victims to tell them of an additional real estate tax or some other kind of fee that they need to pay. This person will tell them to pay in cash to someone who will collect the money at their home.

Please note, the tax office would never work in this way. It will never request money without an official statement, and under no circumstances will they go to a person’s house to collect money.

Residents are advised to be alert because it was reported that some individuals are posing as representatives of the tax office with the intent to scam taxpayers. 

It is sad that even in the middle of a pandemic we have to remain vigilant to don’t fall into the trap of one of the real estate scams. The best defence is awareness. So, it is good that you informed yourself – that’s the first step to don’t be scammed.

Don’t hesitate to report real estate scams

If this has already happened to you or you are suspicious about something similar please call your local police department. Don’t hesitate to do so, as this will help others to be alert as well.

Of course, you can also call your local tax office if you like to confirm your real estate tax. 

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Buying vs Renting – should you buy a house?

Buying or to renting a place to call home is one of the questions on many people’s minds at a certain point in life. If you are settled in a place with a good job and can foresee yourself staying there in the nearest future, would it be more advantageous to continue to rent or take out a mortgage?

The answer generally depends on individual’s choice, as you may have different values to the usually home buying route. Of course, there are benefits to renting a house, but the advantages of buying supersede that of renting. It gives you a sense of security and satisfaction in having a place to call your own – permanently. With that said, outlined below are a few key benefits you enjoy when you buy your own home as against renting.

1 – Equity building

One major benefit of buying a home is in building equity. As you make your mortgage payments, the amount of money you owe on a home reduces. And the more your home value increases, the more money you save. You can even consider mortgage as a forced savings plan. When you pay rent, you are technically making someone better off by paying their mortgage and building up their equity. Of course, renting can initially be cheaper than buying a home, but many see it as throwing money down the drain. If I may ask, why do you want to be building savings for someone else when you can contribute towards your own investment?

2 – Modify to taste

It is always fun to create a living style that is all your own. As a homeowner, you can always make changes to your home to suit your taste and preference. You can renovate, customize, and paint the walls any color you wish etc. In fact, there won’t be anyone to tell you what you can and cannot do. But if you rent a house, you are always at the mercy of whatever the homeowner will allow you to do.

3 – Unparalleled stability

The stability you experience when you have your own home is unparalleled. You understand that if you lock in an interest rate your payments remain constant. If you rent, you have no control over the increments in rental payments. The property owner may evict you or even sell the home from under you at will.

Final thought about buying vs renting

Renting a home can be a great place to start. But when you buy your own home you have a sense of permanence, and it also contributes positively to your financial future as you are constantly building equity. Additionally, buying a home provides security for your family knowing that they have a place to call their own.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

5 tips – selling overseas real estate on an international market

Selling overseas real estate to an international pool of clients is a completely different game all together. You know better than anyone that this means to get your property in front of your ideal client in their home country.

Selling overseas real estate – How can you possibly do that?

It can be a mine-field when trying to create an effective strategy when you are marketing your property online. What website will the possible buyer look at? Is there a website where you can offer your real estate to the whole world? Of course, almost every website can be visited from all over the world but would it be popular enough in the country of your ideal client?

1 Get the right real estate portal that is specialized to promote to international clients

In fact, the services of many huge website portals only available to the country they are located in. Realtors with international listings usually are not allowed to list them. Even if one allows it, their focus is not on helping real estate agents to promote to an international audience.

Check out one of our property portals that not only performs extremely well but also will put your ad on a world map, making it easy for international buyers to find it.

Register with them and benefit from a range of services that will help you buy, find, sell or rent international real estate.

If you are looking for overseas property yourself but you are on a limited budget, check out this website https://www.propertyunder100k.com/ and find lots of bargains below 100k.

2 Use a sales platform that is internationally known

There exist platforms that facilitates the sale of real estate between third-party buyers and sellers. This is a very good way to get good leads. One example would be eBay. Maybe it is not available in your country or the real estate section is restricted but once you have an account in eBay you easily can use it on eBay sites of other countries.

Another good website were you can list your property is https://www.listproperty4free.com/

3 Use Social Media to promote your overseas real estate

Probably you heard this many times – no matter what you want to promote – use social media. Used in the right way you are no beating in the air but actually getting some real results. Actually, it might be even easier to find the right audience for your property. In Facebook for example, you can enter your real estate in the market place and promote it in related groups. And the best of all, it’s all free. Just takes a bit of your time.

4 Make the best impression

I can’t stress this enough. When selling overseas real estate, the first impression – which will probably be when someone looks at your ad – is the most important. By this someone might decide to make contact and come for a viewing. How can you do this?

Present your property in the best light, tidy up, declutter do what it takes to give a great feel to the place and very important – do professional photos.

That’s making a good impression from a visual point of view.  Also, put some work in an appealing text to describe your real estate. Mention the best features of it and it’s potential. Especially in an overseas real estate it makes sense to tell a bit about the lifestyle too.

5 Be flexible with payments if you can

Sometimes it is already hard enough to get a mortgage for a first home. If you like to get something abroad it gets even more difficult. Therefore, you will have more possible buyers if you can be flexible with your terms of payment.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Home Improvements You’ll Never Regret

When it comes to home improvements, there are some that surely will last a lifetime.

Home Improvements

Sitting in an apartment that was built when I was born, I wish the builders already had thought about some extras instead of going for the minimum standard.  But on the other hand, I probably would not appreciate some changes as much. Although it’s impossible to predict the future there are a few enhancements that surely will give more comfort, sustainability and even increase the value of your home. So, no matter if you’re ‘dwelling or selling’, here are some areas that are a safe bet.

Windows

By replacing old windows with high-quality double-glazing windows, you are adding energy efficiency along with security to your home. Needless to say, it makes your house so much more comfortable, they look good and sometimes they are also easier to clean – depending on how your old windows looked like. This is definitely something you will love.

Heating

Did you know that upgrading a home’s boiler and heating system has the highest return of investment when it comes to increasing a property’s value? At the same time, it is even more cost-effective than other renovations and refurbishments.

Best is to combine the fitting of new heating equipment with other improvements, such as replacing old windows, sealing the entrance door and insulating the roof. In doing this, you can see your energy savings begin to show.

Electrical

Extreme temperatures can put an extra burden on your home’s electrical system. If yours is already older it would probably be a good idea to have it inspected and at the same time the electrician can advise you on electrical improvements you can do.

Getting the right lighting in your real estate is not only saving electricity but it also puts your home in the right light. With the right light fixtures you can cater for the right mood and set an ambience everybody loves.

No-Cost Home Energy Upgrades

Some countries help homeowners to make energy saving upgrades. Whether you rent or own, you could be eligible to receive free energy-efficient home improvements or get some financial help. It surely is worth to look this up in your country before you start your home improvements as this can really make a big difference in your budget.

Are you still looking for your own DIY project? Have a look at homes for sale that need renovations on https://www.all-real-estate.com/derelict-properties-for-sale

Or you just finished your home improvemets? Let us know how did it go in the coment below. If you are thinking to sell it, you can list it with us for free.

If your home improvemets are very extensive you might wonder where you can stay in the meantime. I know some who put a mobile home in the backyard allowing them to live hassle free until works were finished. In that case you might like to look up some mobile homes for sale.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries.  We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image: Image by Pexels from Pixabay