Lending And Loans For Small Apartments

There is the old question that comes up every now and then, –
Should I buy that studio apartment?

They are usually marketed with a very attractive rental return however thats sometimes where the good news ends.

Here is some of the noise that surrounds them-: They wont lend against small inner-city studio apartments, You wont get approval if the floor size is less than 50 sqm, Student apartments are not an option, Some lenders wont lend for apartments in large complexes, Hotel or motel conversions are no good, The location of the unit within the complex is important

While being just noise some of these points are somewhat valid.

The recent credit crisis has put the brakes on a lot of lending overall and small apartments have not been shielded from this

The biggest hurdle is usually lenders mortgage insurance (LMI).

They are the ones imposing all the restrictions that are passed onto the bank.
If you require LMI this is where the hard work starts

Hurdles:

Title. Strata/stratum title is normally acceptable, as are group titles. Mortgage insurers arent usually afraid of company title and will lend, though they may lower their LVR.

Size: While this might not be important to the lender, you can expect the mortgage insurer to have minimum limits on the floor space. Always aim to avoid any apartments with a floor space of less than 50 sqm. It must be 50 sqm of actual living area (not balconies and car space etc). In special cases this may be stretched down to 40 sqm but the property would have to be in a blue-chip capital city area. The Bank may not impose a floor-space limit but notes that LMI might fail the application for that very reason.

Location in the development/complex. One important factor may be whether its in a good location in the development or if its at the dark shaded noisy rear corner of the complex.

Changing from commercial or industrial to residential. Hotel conversions, holiday lettings and serviced apartments (commercial) lettings rather than residential units fall under completely different lending requirements (possibly commercial). So if they are being converted you may not get finance until the conversion is complete providing it meets all councils ordinances and general lenders requirements, most lenders will proceed but there may be a reduced LVR or restrictions on LMI. The biggest reason is youre reliant upon the performance of the management company looking after the apartments.

Number of apartments in a development: There might be a limit on the number of apartments within the one development that you can put up for mortgage insurance.

The bank may limit lending on six apartments in any one development or limit lending for no more than 25 per cent of a development

Do you want an investment apartment loan? Contact Us Here and let us help you out.

More Hoops?? You Are Kidding
Here are some extras hoops you may have to jump through for finance:

-More thorough valuation inspections and reports.

-A lower LVR (70 to 80 per cent max, though some, usually non-bank lenders, only go to 60 per cent) a higher deposit required.

-Reduced maximum mortgage amount.

-More expensive LMI if even available.

-Reduced consideration of the rental income to allow for longer vacancies.

-A call for additional or cross-collateral security(see earlier post here).

-Downright refusal of application at worst!

The fundamentals of real estate remain important, not necessarily the fact that theres a studio apartment. There are plenty of studio apartments that have doubled their value over 10 years. The unit my have great rental returns low vacancy and be located very well so a bit of hard work and research at the start may pay off long term!

So Where Now->

Will your apartment qualify for finance?

How To File For A Tax Extension In Five Simple Steps

April 15 is the official deadline to file tax returns and pay taxes in the US every year; and though aware of this deadline, many people fail to do so. While some people put off the filing work for no reason, few others dont find the time to gather all their tax documents. No matter what the reason, failing to file the tax return forms within April 15 results in hefty penalties, which keep on accumulating one above the other until the dues are paid off; unless a provision for tax extension is filed. For the benefit of taxpayers of US, the IRS allows a provision for extending the deadline to file tax returns up to 6 months, called IRS tax extension and all it takes is filing the tax extension form 4868 within April 15 and getting it approved. Not only it extends the deadline to file a tax return, but also avoids all sorts of penalties associated with late filing. So without further ado, lets discuss the simple, five step methodology to understand how to file for a tax extension.

1. Understanding Tax Extension

The first and foremost thing to do before knowing how to file for a tax extension is to understand what are its features. An extension essentially extends the time to file a tax return but doesnt extend the deadline for paying your taxes. April 15 shall remain to be the last date to pay all your tax dues and more importantly, April 15 is also the last date to file for a tax extension.

2. Reviewing the Need for Extension

Most people make the unnecessary move of learning how to file for a tax extension without even reviewing the need for an extension in their case. If you have all the documents ready, your accountant available at your service and no financial complications to pay the taxes, there is absolutely no need to buy extra time. It just becomes an excuse to procrastinate and delay filing further and further.

3. Form 4868 and 7004

In order to file for an extension, you need to fill the form 4868 for individual purpose and form 7004 for business. These forms are available both in paper form and online, the latter being the most preferred one. You can download and print the form for free from the IRS website or even take the help of an e-file provider website who also offer an online tax calculator.

4. Filling the Form

Though you know how to file for a tax extension, your form could get rejected by simple entry errors or incorrect information. So fill out the form carefully by providing valid information; and your name, contact information and social security number are the only documents you would need to fill out the form. Once done, you can track the status of your submitted form and get an email confirmation from the IRS on its reception.

5. Filing Tax Returns

Getting an extension of 6 months shouldnt be an excuse to delay filing tax returns. Once you get an approval, gather all the documents you would need, consult your accountant if there is one and ensure you take every aspect into consideration such as tax deposits, tax refunds, due amount etc. to file a tax return that helps your financial interests.

These 5 points are explained in brief and give an outline the process of filing. To know more about how to file for a tax extension, do your research or take the help of an e-file provider website which will not only help you file the extension form but also offers features like online tax calculators and advisory services.

Berger Paints Jamaica Limited (BRG) – Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review

Berger Paints Jamaica Limited (Berger Jamaica) is a paint company, based in Jamaica. Berger Jamaica is a subsidiary of Berger Paints. It operates through the manufacture and distribution sectors of industrial and decorative paints, and paint-related processed materials in Jamaica. The company’s key products include protective coatings, architectural and wood finishes, and marine paints. It operates with its subsidiaries in Amaica, Bahrain, Singapore, China, Caribbean, and the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South Pacific region and across oceans. It has 22 paint manufacturing facilities worldwide which provide services to customers in over 50 countries. Berger Jamaica is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica.

This comprehensive SWOT profile of Berger Paints Jamaica Limited provides you an in-depth strategic analysis of the company’s businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by GlobalData to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company’s key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.

This company report forms part of GlobalData’s -Profile on Demand’ service, covering over 50,000 of the world’s leading companies. Once purchased, GlobalData’s highly qualified team of company analysts will comprehensively research and author a full financial and strategic analysis of Berger Paints Jamaica Limited including a detailed SWOT analysis, and deliver this direct to you in pdf format within two business days. (excluding weekends).

The profile contains critical company information including*,

– Business description – A detailed description of the company’s operations and business divisions. – Corporate strategy – Analyst’s summarization of the company’s business strategy. – SWOT Analysis – A detailed analysis of the company’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. – Company history – Progression of key events associated with the company. – Major products and services – A list of major products, services and brands of the company. – Key competitors – A list of key competitors to the company. – Key employees – A list of the key executives of the company. – Executive biographies – A brief summary of the executives’ employment history. – Key operational heads – A list of personnel heading key departments/functions. – Important locations and subsidiaries – A list and contact details of key locations and subsidiaries of the company. – Detailed financial ratios for the past five years – The latest financial ratios derived from the annual financial statements published by the company with 5 years history. – Interim ratios for the last five interim periods – The latest financial ratios derived from the quarterly/semi-annual financial statements published by the company for 5 interims history.

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Financial Plan is Important So Why Many of us Don’t Have One

We all love to dream about the future we want, but many of us do not like the idea of organizing our finances and preparing a financial plan. It seems that our dream of our future is the fun part, but planning sounds like tedious and boring work. This is evident by the fact that 65% of individuals do not have a financial plan.

A study found that the benefit of having a financial plan is very significant. On average, individuals who had a plan for retirement had two and half times more assets in their retirement than those who did not have a plan. Having a plan is only part of the success equation because working with an advisor and having a financial plan shows that there is a nine to ten times increase in assets than with those who do not work with an advisor and have a financial plan.

This may explain why one third of individuals consider winning the lottery as one of their financial strategies to achieving their financial goals. So why do most of us not have a plan? It cant be because of a lack of awareness since there are many financial institutions that are advertising the importance of planning. There is also a lot of information and material on the subject with millions of results on Google. So when it comes to Financial Planning why is it that we are not prepared? Well here is a list of the three myths that I have experienced people saying.

Myth of Time: In todays fast paced life we are all starved for time. We are so busy in our everyday activities that we feel that taking time for planning is not available. When it comes to planning there is an upfront commitment of time in identifying your life goals and putting together an action to achieve them, but once you complete these steps then it is just a matter of monitoring your progress as time goes on. The time commitment is minimal compared to the return you get by working with an advisor and having a plan done as noted above.

Myth of Knowledge: The financial world, especially today, may seem too complicated with all the information out there. We are exposed to a lot of information and financial lingo. If you start by telling yourself that it is not too complicated and too hard, then you have no excuse not to do it. You may consider participating in a seminar or a workshop. You can start reading books that talk about financial matters. Soon you will learn that the financial world is not complicated once you learn some of the basics.

The Myth of Wealth: I dont have enough savings to worry about a financial plan. If you have savings then you have enough. Having a plan will help you decide not only where you should put your money, it will also help to define the why. I have learned that the why is more important than the how and where. When it comes to planning you need to start somewhere. Dont think that just because you think you dont have enough you should not have a plan. A Financial Plan will help you define the goals and dreams you want to accomplish.

Tithing Under The New Covenant – Part 2

Tithing is mentioned only 4 times in the New Testament, three times in the gospels and once in the letter to the Hebrews. In the gospels, Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees were very careful about tithing (Matt.23:23; Lk.11:42; 18:12) to the point of over-emphasizing it. They were so focused on tithing that they lost sight of the great goal of the Law, i.e. love and justice to our fellow-man. Also, they trusted in their tithing to give them merit before God.

Now remember that the Pharisees were under the Law, and by law had to tithe. All people in Israel were under the Law. When Jesus was crucified He ushered in the New Covenant, and the Old was finished. Tithing was established under the Law and has no place in the Church. It is no light thing to choose to adhere to the Law, even with a seemingly small issue as tithing. Every person who chooses to keep any part of the Law of Moses is obligated to keep the whole Law and is therefore exposed to its curse.

This point is made in the solitary reference to tithing in the New Testament epistles, i.e. in Hebrews 7. Heb.7:5 reads “And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren [Israel]. Note three things from this verse: 1) There was a commandment concerning tithes in the Old Testament; 2) They were to be given to OT priests (not the Church); 3) They were required by the Jews, not Christians.

Hebrews 7:12 notes that when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. In other words, that commandment that did exist under the Old Covenant has been changed, because the priesthood to which it related has now also been changed under the New Covenant.

Hebrews 7:18 says that this commandment has now been abolished. That priesthood, because of its inability to bring perfection, is now annulled. The Old Covenant is obsolete, and the laws which required tithes to be given to the Levites are obsolete. These Hebrews, i.e. Jewish converts, were mixing the law with grace, and were told in chapter 7 to stop tithing! The Gentiles had no need of this message. The Gentile church was never under the law.

Is God in our debt, or are we in His favour?

In Rom.4:4 and 11:35 Paul makes it clear that if our doing any works, including tithing, meant that God was obligated to us in any way then we would not be in His favour but He would actually be indebted to us. Whenever you hear that you must do something for God in order for Him to bless you, be careful! If you believe this, you will be taken out of Gods grace and brought back into the realm of Law. And the Law will actually become a curse to you, because even if you keep it all in one area, say tithing, but not in another, then you will experience its curse.

If we do not tithe, how will Gods work get done and how will the pastors needs be supplied?

First, let me say that there is a hermeneutical principle that has always been helpful when interpreting the Bible and it is this – Major on majors. Jesus told 38 parables, 16 concern how we should handle money. He spoke more about money than He did about heaven and hell combined. One out of 10 verses in the gospels deal with possessions or money. In the Bible there are approximately 2500 references to money and possessions and only 500 references to prayer and faith. It is a major issue in the Bible. Many of these verses teach us that the way we handle finances reveals much about where we are at spiritually. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

The gospels contain more warning on the misuse of money, than any other subject. The first recorded sin amongst Gods people related to giving. Ananias & Sapphira dropped dead giving. So the way we handle our finances is an important issue in the New Testament.

Moses (the Law) said Tithe, but Jesus says, Give. The New Testament teaching was on giving, never on tithing. Giving is a result of the energy of Gods grace in our lives. Giving expresses a quality of living that reflects the nature of God. God so loved that He gave The Father loved to give all things to the Son. Jesus gave His life for the world. In doing so has gained an everlasting kingdom. But He will, one day, give it back to the Father. God desires to have a family that reflects His nature. It is the way of the Cross. It is more blessed to give than to receive. The Cross opens the heart, expands it, causing it to reach out to others.

When we are under law we have to be told to tithe. We reveal our immaturity under legalism by asking childish questions, such as, Should I tithe on my gross income, or my net income? Grace treats us as mature sons by not legislating. Grace takes us into the purposes of Gods heart, family and kingdom and allows us to be involved with Him. But our involvement is not solicited by fear-manipulation or guilt-manipulation, but as a result of the operation of the energy of grace in our hearts. So that which we give we do so freely. God loves a cheerful giver.

It is clear from passages such as 1 Cor.9:7-14 that we have responsibilities to ensure that Gods servants who preach the Word are free to do so unencumbered by secular work. But still there is no legislating this. We approach this matter as responsible sons, not as intimidated servants.