If there has ever been a good case to see a “domino effect” happening, it’s been on the Mexican Caribbean. Starting just over 40 years ago with the creation of Cancun as Mexico’s first planned resort community, tourism eventually grew into a real estate boom for expats looking for a dream home on the beach. During the 80s and 90s The tourism “dominos” followed closely by real estate booms headed south to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen, which is currently thriving in its growing tourism and real estate. All eyes are now looking to the next town in line, which is Tulum, and the signs are already beginning.

Tulum Offers Something Unique

Within this context, it is important that each area offers a unique atmosphere and style; Tulum’s offer for vacationers on the Caribbean and North American expats is a focus on nature and sustainability. This direction was established early on through Tulum’s eco-hotel strip, and is now shaping the blossoming real estate market. Buyers can choose anything from off-the-grid lots in developments that use all natural and local materials for infrastructure to modern, luxury complexes that use sustainable concepts in such a way that they have no effect on day to day life.

A New International Airport is in the Plans

While the area is currently very well served by the Cancun International Airport, a very well-connected airport which is about 1.5 hours away from Tulum, there are also plans for a new international airport in Tulum itself that will serve the southern part of the Mexican Caribbean, which is expected to follow Tulum in the above-mentioned domino effect in the near future. When this airport materializes, many experts expect everything will take off; higher tourism, more growth, higher demand for real estate, and, of course, significant rises in land values.

More Services are Beginning to Appear

As mentioned, signs of the boom are already taking shape. While the option is out there, there is no need for land buyers to invest in a lot 10 miles into the jungle; excellent lots are available on well-planned road networks with urban infrastructure and utilities. Services like Walmart and similar large stores are also on the way. The basics for a comfortable lifestyle are already in place, which is important security for land investors. It can only be expected that more will appear.

Playa del Carmen and Cancun are Just Down the Road

Investors who buy now are banking somewhat on more appearing – more services, more demand, more development, etc. Yet, what makes a land investment in Tulum a secure choice is that it is within very close proximity to a full range of established, modern services. Playa del Carmen is about 1 hour away, and the city of Cancun is about 1 hour 45 minutes. Here, residents can already find state-of-the-art hospitals, a variety of modern stores, shopping malls, movie theaters, golf courses, etc. This protects the value of real estate in Tulum since it already holds appeal.

Prices are Still Low

Of course, it’s important that prices are still low and very accessible.

Considering the last two points, it’s very attractive to buy in Tulum now before the boom fully gets underway, whether for personal enjoyment or for investment purposes.

Take for example the story of a man in Maryland who had a huge estate and very little family to leave it to. When he became seriously ill in 1999 he began to think about the area surrounding his property and what a lovely area it was to live in. Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the whole of the United States and with thousands of shoreline to explore and some of the finest seafood in the country to experience, the man began to wonder whether his home would be best put up as land for sale with a view to building vacation rental homes on it in the near future. He had benefited from the clean, fresh air all his life so why not give something back.

His land was in prime position to be used as a perfect base to explore this whole area, and specific instructions were left in his last will and testament that should his son not wish to live at the current property he should look to sell the land for the purposes of vacation rental homes. This would provide his family with a bulk of money to put to good use for their own future but without the daily hassle of managing a vacation home should they keep the land under their own ownership and lease out the property for those looking to travel to the area.

In the end vacation rental homes was the choice made by the son of the deceased as it gives his young family a nest egg on which to grow for the future. This can be a great choice for those people who find themselves in a position where they have been left property or land and do not want the stresses of either living there or managing a rental system. Middle men and agency fees can also be an unattractive proposition leaving a sale of land as the best choice at times.

When it comes to massive investment, Toronto is on the top charts. Regardless of the global economic crisis, Toronto has always been immune towards various disasters that have occurred in the real estate market. The global economic crisis crushed the markets across but not the Canadian market.

Because of the influx of the foreign investments Toronto has moved to next level as far as the real estate in Toronto is concerned. Today it is considered one of the most valuable markets of the world. Majority of the foreign investors have laid their foundations in this city. Today Toronto is condo capital of North America.

The real estate boom in Toronto is due to the foreign investors who saw potential in this place. A mix cultural population is observed as the buyers in the real estate market of Toronto. All across the worlds wants to have apiece if this place. The places leading to this real estate booms are houses in Markham, houses in Ajax, houses in Richmond, houses in Scarborough and houses in Vaughan. All this places have beautiful houses desired by many of the buyers. All the foreign buyers rent their houses to the people living in Canada.

A high level of social tolerance is observed in the Canadian market. It is one of those few countries which have a low level of racial discriminations and other religious tiffs. Most of the foreigners find th9is place as vital option for business opportunities. This place welcomes one and all. Canadian does not see any race or caste or creed. This real estate industry is by far the best in the world.

Toronto is a city which had maximum number of tourists per year. This is beneficial for the real estate market here. Even the authorities here encourage such investments. The day is not far when Toronto would be a global leader in the real estate race.

Furthermore, in many instances, you aren’t afforded the same consumer protections on a commercial real estate deal that may be available when you purchase a residence. In some states, for example, residential homebuyers are given greater protections against abusive lending practices than are business owners. Likewise, there are mandatory disclosures required in residential real estate matters that may or may not be required in a commercial transaction.

Are we finally starting to see some movement in the US office market? If my anecdotal evidence above is correct we may finally be witnessing a slight bit of forward momentum. That would be a welcome relief in an asset class that has been crushed by the recession, except of course for medical office buildings, which have held up very well.

Over my sacred Sunday morning coffee I discovered the latest CoStar report detailing that my observations are indeed true. The report reveals that in the last two quarters in a row the US office market has posted positive net absorption of 5 million and 7 million sq ft respectively. Leasing activity has started to show significant activity and experienced the best quarter since the collapse.

The report went on to note that new office deliveries are at an all time low and that coupled with positive net absorption vacancy rates will begin to move lower. General US office vacancy decreased slightly down to 13.62%.

As the old adage states, ” One swallow does not a summer make”, however the CoStar report is welcome news and bodes well for eventual recovery of the US office market. That’s good because I was getting tired of looking at that empty parking lot.

Obviously, things can go wrong with group investing on real estate. I am not saying they can’t. But, with a group your risk is mitigated, you have people you can turn to when there is a problem and you can as a group buy a piece of real estate of substantial quality and value that you could never accomplish alone. Remember, one of the icons of American real estate The Empire State Building was built by a group of investors, not one man who refused to ask for directions when lost. That is real genius.

Some investors decided to refinance their $10 million commercial property for $8 million and get $1.5 million out tax-free! What seemed like a great deal at the time has come back to ruin the typical commercial property investment. The problem was that these loans needed to be refinanced after five years. Owners who pulled money out of their investments like this began down a path that has led to the troubles we are seeing now.

Fast forward from then to now and you’ll see that the entire economic climate has changed. Most sources of financing for commercial real estate have dried up. Owners with a property that needs to be refinanced are finding that unless the LTV ratio is 65% or less and the property is performing perfectly, it’s almost impossible to get refinancing for their commercial property investment.

You can’t tap into those hedge funds and private equity firms because many of them have gone out of business. So you are left with two options:

1) Create a workout with the existing lender where they refrain from foreclosing against your property in exchange for a slight increase in the interest rate, or other benefit that you can give the lender. In some cases the benefit to the lender is that they don’t need to take your property back. The truth is that the lender really doesn’t want to take back your property if they can avoid it.

2) Bring other investors into your deal by offering them a decent rate of return on their investment along with giving them a chunk of your equity. Make sure to contact a commercial property investment attorney who can help make sure that you meet all of the SEC guidelines if this is the path that you choose to go down.

What Makes a Safe Commercial Property Investment

The problem with many owners of commercial properties today is that they got into a deal with a bigger loan than they should have. Now, these commercial property owners can’t ride out the recession because the loans are coming due and they’re short, or worse, upside-down.

Investment rule #1

-Leave the equity in your property.

· Successful property owners don’t pull out their equity at the top of an up cycle; they leave the equity in their commercial property investment so they can ride out the downturns. The “commercial meltdown” doesn’t apply to property owners who left their equity untouched. While it’s true that the commercial property values have come down from a high peak. The typical commercial real estate investment is far more valuable today than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

Investment rule #2

-Stick with conventional lenders.

· By taking a short term hard money loan commercial owners placed themselves at the mercy of the fickle market. A conventional lender would not have financed more than 65 percent of the property value, allowing the owner with a cushion against fluctuating property values.

When structured correctly, your real estate investment may not provide you with an overabundance of excitement, but during times like these, a stable, performing real estate investment is just fine.

Appeals usually attach a time limit; so make certain you prepare your appeal in a timely fashion. In these tough economic times, you might find yourself waiting in line for a hearing to appeal commercial property taxes.

The typical appeal is a document asking you to quantify and qualify why you feel that your commercial property taxes are too high. You will probably be granted an opportunity for a hearing, at which time you must be prepared to back up your claims with solid documentation. Local governments are not likely to reduce property taxes unless you can make a very persuasive argument for them doing so.

There are a growing number of tax experts specializing in commercial property taxes. You might want to consider hiring such an expert to represent your appeal. They have experience in dealing with your local tax authority and should know exactly who to contact and how to proceed. When you consider hiring such an expert, ask for references so you can speak with other commercial property owners and find out how successful the expert was in helping them.

Be sure to talk to more than just one tax consultant before you decide whom to hire. Consider your judgment based upon cost, experience, and results. As with anything in life, cheapest is not always best. Try to find someone from your local community or, at the very least, someone whose office is within the county where your commercial property is located. Such an individual should have a good working knowledge of that local government and be able to use their contacts and experience to best represent your interests in the jurisdiction.

Foreclosure listings are a good option for lots of reasons, the most important being the selection. Solid listings services provide you with homes both in your area and in other areas, so that you can branch out a little bit if that’s what you’re looking for. Additionally, there will be foreclosed homes that are big, small, nice, and somewhat barren. This allows you to look for what suits your needs at the time. Some people might want a town home, while other people would be happier in a large family home. Some folks might like government foreclosed homes, while others see good deals with bank foreclosures. Regardless of where your tastes lie, you’ll be better off when you have many options.

In addition to providing you with options, you will benefit from the timing. The foreclosed home world is one where many people are trying to make a dollar in this day and age. They see a chance to really exploit good deals, so you will not be alone when trying to make your home choice. This means that getting the information quickly can be a huge help. You can benefit from a lower price and you can make a choice on a home before your competitors ever have a chance to check it out. When you add to that the fact that foreclosure listings include things like pictures and full descriptions, you can see where they might come in handy.

Don’t limit yourself, because you don’t have to do that in today’s real estate world. You can get listings for free for a week period, and after that it is quite cheap to keep getting them. This will save you thousands of bucks in all likelihood.