One Mans’ Castle Is Another Mans’ Dream

I love dreaming big.  Every time the lottery gets huge, I dig in my ashtray and scrounge up a dollar to buy a ticket.  One in a trillion chance.  (Soooo, you’re saying there’s a chance!)  I lie in bed and dream of fast cars and beautiful mansions.  There is a cap to my imaginary bank account.  For example, I would never spend $20K on a watch, or $5K on a dog leash.  And I most definitely would not spend $138 Million on a house.  Someone sure will though, you better believe it.  That brings me to the Forbes annual list of the worlds priciest homes for sale.  (I just typed that with the worst Robin Leach accent ever!)  103 rooms, 22 bathrooms, and 50,000 square feet of “living” space.  Heh!  Living space.  So take a gander, and read the story here, taken from USA Today.

Why Ask a Realtor For Help?

I see alot of “Help you Sell”  signs, and “For Sale By Owner” ,  so it makes you wonder, why have a licensed Realtor help you out?  For one, it alleviates the headache involved.  Just think, you are putting your most expensive possession in jeopardy.  If you need a root canal, you aren’t going to grab the pliers!  So why work with a Realtor?  Northern Virginia Association of Realtors gives you 11 good reasons.

Some of the services a REALTOR® can provide include:

• Helping you determine your buying power.
• Assisting you in your home search.
• Providing objective information about each property.
• Negotiating price, financing, terms, date of possession, and more.
• Providing due diligence during the evaluation of the property.
• Helping you understand different financing options and identifying qualified lenders.
• Guiding you through the closing process.
• Providing up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace.
• Marketing your property to other real estate agents and the public.
• Recommending repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the saleability of your property.
• Helping you objectively evaluate every buyer’s proposal without compromising your marketing position.

Realty Around The World

Last year I had the opportunity to stay in Dubai, United Arab Emirates(U.A.E.) for almost a week.  I chuckle now because of the complaints with the traffic in our area, and the never ending construction. Dubai is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and it is evident the moment you step off the plane. I was there as a government contractor, so we traveled in large groups. As our entourage cleared the airport property, the skyline was shown to us as a moving, mechanical thing. 

15% to 25% of the 125,000 construction cranes currently operating in the world today are located in Dubai.

 Nothing but skyscrapers littered the sky, and perched on top were huge cranes.  Every roof top had one, and no doubt every available crane in the region was here. According to construction trade sources, 15% to 25% of the 125,000 construction cranes currently operating in the world today are located in Dubai. Yes you read that right, the world! Developers are flocking to because it boasts some of the world’s most liberal tax, investment, and residency laws.  A  Google search on “Dubai real estate” yields over 2 million hits.  So you think our area is booming?  Take a look at the pictures I snapped. I am very excited to visit Dubai in the future. A guy on the airplane explained to me that Dubai will be a mix of Paris, New York, Miami, and Las Vegas. Right now it only makes Linton Hall Road look like the Autobahn!