Heidelberg Castle, or Schloss, is a labyrinth of interesting rooms and fascinating legends. Reality and fable come together when you see the Tun – a mammoth wine barrel, and you learn about the dwarf – the barrel’s mythical protector.

Heidelberg Schloss rests on a mount above the city along the Necker River in Germany. Part of it lies in ruins, blown-up by the French in 1689 during the Nine Years War. Many legends arose from the ruins including ghosts and witches A favorite is about the Tun and Perkeo the Dwarf.

Within the castle is a gigantic wine barrel that holds 220,000 liters, or 58,100 gallons. It is referred to as the Heidelberg Tun. Germans call it the Großes Fass. Built in 1751, it consumed 130 oak trees.

The Tun is mentioned in literature by the following famous authors: 

• Jules Vernes, Five Weeks in A Balloon
• Mark Twain, A Tram Abroad
• Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
• Washington Irving, The Specter Bridegroom

As a monthly visitor to Heidelberg, I heard about the Tun, but like the Alps or the Grand Canyon, you must see it in person to appreciate the scale. Why did someone need a barrel of that size? Apparrently, the castle was sometimes under siege. The Tun provided enough wine for a long defense. Before the tramway was built, some casualties likely occurred when soldiers rolled individual barrels up the steep slope to the the castle.

As you admire the Tun, you will hear about Perkeo the Dwarf. Perkeo was the jester under the local ruler, Elector Karl Phillip. Among his duties was protecting the Tun. The dwarf was a hard drinker who guarded and sampled a limitless amount of wine. He never turned town a drink. Perkeo is Italian for’why not?‘ – the answer someone received when offering him a cup. Consuming only wine, the dwarf lived a long life. Poor Perkeo substituted wine with just one glass of water and died the next day.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Mark F Weber

If you’re looking for a great buyer’s agent, be prepared to do a lot of interviewing. Unless you’re lucky enough to have met someone with whom you ‚click‘ right off the bat, finding a good fit for your home search is going to take some deliberate evaluation.

You can find buyer’s agents everywhere – in the phone book, online, at open houses, at home shows and sometimes in hobbies that you share. Finding a buyer’s agent is easy. Finding an awesome buyer’s agent takes some time and effort.

This may well be the most expensive purchase you make in your life. You need to be comfortable with the agent you choose. This requires a face-to-face interview. You are interviewing the agent, but a good agent is also interviewing you. You need to come to a mutual decision to work together. It is not impossible that an agent will refer you to someone they feel has more expertise than they do, or that you decide that you are not comfortable with the agent’s attitude.

You want to know what experience the agent has in the local market. How many years have they been in the business? How many successful purchases have they assisted with in the past year? How about homes they’ve sold? Where in your community do they specialize?

Another issue is communication. A good agent will be clear about how and when they will contact you. You want to know how the agent prefers to communicate and when they will get back to you with answers to your questions. You should also inquire when the best time to contact the agent is; many agents have ‚working hours‘ when they are available for a phone call. 

Your agent should be interested in your unique housing needs. They should encourage you to discuss the ideal home you want and categorize your wants and needs. Ask what price range they normally sell in; a realtor dealing in $500,000 homes may not be as experienced with the needs of people who can only afford a $200,000 home. 

What does the buyer’s agent do for you? Will they find homes for you to look at or will you be doing your own search? Or both? Will they handle things like appraisals, inspections and insurance? Will they be there at the closing?

The best testimonials to a good buyer’s agent are satisfied previous buyers. Ask for three references and call them to talk about the agent. Listen carefully to what the references say and take notes to review at a later time.

Once you have all the information, it’s time to make a decision about what agent you’re going to choose. Confirm that the agent will work with you and start looking for your home. You might want to send a polite note to the other agents that you have gone with a different agent and thanking them for their time; if the agent you choose doesn’t work out, you might be giving one of them a call.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Carolyn Capalbo

Horses are like humans. They can easily catch a disease during the cold winter months if they are not properly protected. This is where the importance of effective horse barn plans takes in place. A carefully and smartly planned barn or stable can keep foals or horses comfortable, safe and warm come winter time.

A number of problems which foals and owners may encounter during winter include:

a) Lack of food

b) Drafts in walls and windows

c) Frozen water pipes

d) Frozen floors

e) Frozen shut doors

f) Rodent attack

Since snow can make everything difficult during winter, getting hay stock can be impossible as well. Plan ahead to ensure enough supply of hay, feeds and vitamins needed for the entire winter months. Many owners could be hoarding these supplies early on and so being a little earlier than them would be beneficial.

Before securing pieces of stable equipment for horses, check out the walls and windows for drafts. According to equine veterinarians, horses can keep themselves warm even though it is freezing outside. This is because their bodies can generate sufficient heat inside provided that there are no openings in the walls and windows. These openings may bring in winds which cause foals to be cold. Once they are cold, the heat generation happening inside them would be interrupted.

An insulation system is helpful in keeping water pipes from being clogged. Obviously, cold temperature makes water pipes frozen and unfit for use. Besides insulating them, have the habit of draining the pipes after each use. There are hydrants which can be installed for self-draining purposes or automatic shutting down of the valve below the frost line.

Effective horse barn plans are expected to address issue of cold or frozen floors. This can be done by adjusting the depth of the bedding stalls. Placing lots of hay also provides extra warmth on the floor. Additionally, provide warm blankets or sheets for the foals. These come in handy when the weather gets extremely cold.

When the doors are frozen shut, it would be very difficult to get in the stable. This can be prevented by keeping doorways dry and free of trash. Water by the door can easily freeze and cause unwanted shutting of the door. If possible, assign someone to keep the barn or stable clean on a daily basis to avoid such incident. It would be helpful to secure the eaves with troughs for easy opening.

Rodents can be seeking warmth inside the stables too during the winter months. Rodents will not only munch on the edible stuffs stored in the stable. They will also munch on other stuffs like electrical wirings, sheets and stable equipment. Follow effective horse barn plans with provision for being rodent-proof. This is because rodent attack in stables can endanger the health of the foals resting in them. Rodents carry in them diseases which may be passed on from one foal to another. Rodents may bite on them or sprinkle feces and urine on them.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Wade Lockstock

If you looking to purchase a product which is offered by different companies, how would you decide who to purchase it from? If you are like most of us, you would simply pick up your smartphone and read online reviews about each company and make your decision on those reviews. Well, the same goes for anybody who is possibly going to use your real estate services.

With the internet and technology making it easy and quick to access information about anybody, your potential clients will search for reviews on you. The reviews and testimonials they find online could be the difference between getting new clients, or losing them to someone else.

Get a Testimonial From Your Client After Every Closing

It is important that you obtain a testimonial after every closing if your clients are happy with your real estate services. Typically, the time of closing is a happy time for the client, and therefore, a perfect time to ask for a testimonial. It is always harder to obtain that testimonial at a later time down the road.

Tell your clients that it could be short and just be a few sentences. Many don’t like writing long reviews and may not give you one because of that. A short testimonial that’s to the point is just as effective.

Take a Picture With Your Client In Front of the Property

Along with asking for a testimonial at the time of closing, you should definitely take a picture with your clients. It is always preferred to take a picture at the property. An effective picture is to take a picture in front of the property while your clients hold the SOLD sign or the keys. The picture can be taken when you meet your client at the property to deliver the keys.

Displaying Your Testimonials on Your Real Estate Website

The most important place to display your reviews and testimonials is on your very own real estate agent website. Your real estate agent website is typically ranked higher in search engine results than your Facebook page and profile pages on Zillow, Trulia, realtor.com, and other large real estate marketplace websites. Therefore, you’ll definitely want to display your testimonials on your agent website.

You should have testimonials clearly visible on your homepage along with a separate page that displays all of your testimonials. Your real estate agent website platform should contain an interface that allows you to enter reviews and testimonials along with pictures of your clients.

Post to Facebook

If someone is looking online for reviews about you, they’ll most likely land on your Facebook page. Therefore, it is very important to create a „Just Sold“ post after every closing. The post should contain the testimonial by your client AND the picture you took with them in front of the property. Be consistent and do this for every time you close on a property.

Ask Clients to Submit a Review on Zillow, Trulia, and realtor.com

Anybody looking for online reviews about you will also most likely end up on Zillow, Trulia, and realtor.com. All of these sites accept reviews and it is important that you build up the number of reviews and your rating on these large marketplace real estate websites.

The review is submitted by your clients from your profile page on each of these sites. A client can submit a review by clicking on the „Submit Review“ button that appears on your profile page. To make it easier for your clients, send an email with links to your profile page for Zillow, Trulia, and realtor.com.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Michael Yee

The number of property owners selling their land independent of a realtor has seen a sharp decrease in recent years. In fact, it has dropped six percentage points over the last decade, according to the latest numbers from Chicago-based National Association of Realtors. As of the beginning of 2007, a mere 12 percent of all real estate transactions were for sale by owner, or FSBO.

One factor influencing the statistics may be owner frustrations with a fluctuating housing market. Owners have other things working against them, too. They cannot register property in the MLS listings, one of the most popular search tools for property shoppers. It takes a real estate agent to get property included on that list. Realtors may also have more connections and more techniques, experience and training that could net higher offers.

Property owners, on the other hand, will know more about factors like the home’s specific strengths and weaknesses, the neighbors and the schools. They may, however, shy away from pricing their house high and may agree to come down too quickly. From mid-2005 to mid-2006, five percent of real estate transactions were closed by realtors who took over a FSBO that fizzled. Only one percent of transactions within the same time frame were sellers who started with realtor representation and later switched to FSBO, according to the NAR.

FSBO transactions – particularly when handled by first-time sellers – have been said to sit longer, sell for less, cause more headaches and increase confusion. So why would sellers even want to try? The average real estate commission is about six percent and many property owners see FSBOs as a way to pocket more cash. In reality, however, NAR statistics show that homes generally go an average of about 16 percent higher when sold by realtors.

For sellers absolutely determined to go it alone, there are a few key points to remember. There are some Internet web sites available now that are very professional in appearance and offer FSBOs an alternative to the elusive MLS listings. Plenty of high-quality photos are crucial with any marketing, and Internet marketing is undoubtedly one of the most effective methods. Many of these FSBO listing web sites will now offer extra perks, like yard sign rental and print advertising.

It is important to be patient, price your home fairly but also allow a little wiggle room for the inevitable price haggling and be extra cautious to avoid unqualified buyers. This can help prevent deals from falling through. To get a deal in the first place, however, sellers must market their property and don’t shy away from offering incentives like a decorating allowance or paying the fees of the buyer’s agent. Among the buying community, FSBOs are notoriously associated with great deals. Make sure you arm yourself with the tools to avoid becoming a casualty of that mindset.

FSBOs also have a reputation for misleading buyers on such things as the true condition of the house or the severity of the house’s problems. This is not always intentional. Many homeowners really don’t know the extent of the damage and do not intend to mislead. This is where a crackerjack home inspector can come in handy. Not only can a home inspection help justify the home’s price, but it can also set the buyer’s mind at ease and perhaps help close the deal faster.

Another good reference tool is a local competitive market analysis. This can help ensure that a FSBO is selling for what it is truly worth. The lender’s desk is the worst possible place to find out that a seller overcharged for a home, but it happens all too often.

Realtors are immensely more experienced and knowledgeable in all things real estate – from selling techniques to legal matters. However, at the very least, a seller would be wise to bring in a real estate lawyer to ensure the legality of the transaction. It is also a good idea to involve a bank, as opposed to the seller alone, in the process of handling escrow funds.

FSBO transactions can be smooth if the seller has related experience. FSBOs can save money if the seller avoids backing down on price too much. If, however, the seller finds themselves stalling with no end in sight, it is best to turn to a realtor as soon as possible. The longer a house sits unsold on the market, the worse position the seller will be in. It looks bad to potential buyers and they will wonder why the home hasn’t sold. In reality, it may simply be a matter of ineffective marketing on the seller’s part. Time is money, and a house sold on commission is better than a house not sold at all.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Kinan I Beck

May 27, 2010 Down Payment Assistance Programs (DPA’s) for First Time Home Buyers By: Michael A. Foote, CMB

There is money available for first time homebuyers today. In a much needed addition to financing products available today, down payment assistance programs are available once again. Down Payment Assistance Programs are generally a local, state or federal grant or bond program designed to assist certain persons with certain income levels in certain areas, with money that can be used for down payment and closing costs on many purchase loans.

These tax free grants or loans are generally forgivable provided the buyer stays in the home for a designated amount of time. And these dollars can dramatically change the amount of money required for closing when these first time homebuyers buy a home. For example, a typically FHA borrower may have to come up with over 4-7% total of the sales price whereas a borrower with a WISH down payment assistance program may only need to bring in 2-3% total. That’s a huge amount of money on a several hundred thousand dollar transaction. If you amortize out that difference the savings are literally tens of thousands of dollars since most closing costs are financed in the new mortgage.

So what does the process with „DPA“ look like when compared to the regular loan process. Quite frankly, it’s seem less to the user insofar that the lender will generally have to deal with the additional hoops during the process. For the borrower/buyer they probably wouldn’t know the difference. The only real difference is a potential for a slightly longer loan processing time. So is DPA a good idea? Well, lately it has been a challenge for Realtors to get clients using FHA let alone FHA WITH Down Payment Assistance so an argument could be made that using DPA on an Offer to Purchase could be a determining factor for the seller’s side when these choose the offer to open escrow with. The only cure for this pitfall will need to be more product on the market for properties up to the $400,000 range as DPA generally have no purpose and no qualifying borrowers as the sales price rises and/or in areas of high per capita income. Undoubtedly, DPA has a place in today’s financing landscape and those of in the industry are happy to have it, it is one more additional tool to increase homeownership for low to mid income families. And this product will help sell the forecasted shadow inventory rumored to be lurking around the corner.

Only time will tell if that come to fruition or not. These programs are not free from abuse, there have been in the past scams related to DPA and officials, lenders, and large institutions have really scaled back what is allowable as DPA. Also economics play into the availability of these from all the time. There are many DPA’s completely drained of funds.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Michael Foote

A survey by Harvard Business School found 78% of baby boomers and millennials want to buy a home. The catch? Most ‚think‘ they can’t afford one.

In many cases, this may be true. But the research also discovered many can. It found many had an income, credit rating, and time on the job good enough to qualify for the many first time home buyer programs and grants I’ll mention in this article.

Note: For more details, Google all phrases in bold.

1. Federal Housing Administration Loan (F.H.A).

If you have a credit score of at least 580 you could qualify for a mortgage for as low as 3.5 percent of the price of the home.

F.H.A loans have helped more first time homeowners than any other type of loan.

2. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D).

H.U.D offers many first time owner grants and low interest loans, depending on the state, city or area you live in.

Note: For those who now live in public or government housing you may qualify to purchase the home, condo or apartment you now live in through the HUD Public Housing Homeownership Program

3. V. A (Veterans Administration) Loans.

If you’re an active duty service person or veteran you may quality for a no down payment low interest rate loan. The VA loan is the lowest cost mortgage on the market because you’re not required to pay for mortgage insurance.

4. The Good Neighbor Next Door Program.

This program for first time home buyers offers home for up to 50% off the retail price. To qualify you must be a teacher, police officer, fire fighter, or EMT. A $100 down payment is all that’s required.

You must commit to live in the home for at least 36 months.

5. Energy Efficient (or Green) Mortgage.

The energy efficient mortgage was created to help first time homeowners add energy efficient improvements to their home. These loans are insured through VA and FHA programs.

This mortgage let you build an energy efficient home without requiring you to make a larger down payment.

6. HomeReady HomePath Mortgage.

1. Another popular program for first time home buyers. To quality you must take a short buyer education course. After you complete the course you’ll receive 3% toward closing cost for a mortgage loan. The down payment, 3%, is lower than the lowest FHA loan.

7. HUD Dollar Home Program.

After 180 days on the market, certain unsold HUD Properties are offered exclusively to local governmental entities for $1 for 10 Days. Local city of counties then offer these properties to residents to revitalize communities or neighborhoods.

8. USDA Home Loan Program.

This program focuses on homes in mostly rural areas, if you like or can tolerate country living this loan may be for you. This program guarantees 90% of the loan, which means there may be no down payment required and the loan is fixed. Sweet!

These are the top 7 programs available for first time home buyers. As always, like ocean waves government programs come and go. But as of this writing these programs is helping thousands of first time home buyers who thought they couldn’t afford a home realize their dream. Check them out… you could be next!

First Time Home Buyer Love and Other Freebies

1. No Penalties.

A first-time homebuyer can take out up to $10,000 in contributions from the Roth IRA to pay for the home without penalties. Check with your tax advisor for the latest rules.

2. Real Estate agent. This person can be your greatest fountain of information when looking for your first home. They know your local housing market, the advantages and disadvantages of specific homes. They can help you pick the right home to fit your personal and financial needs and much more. The best part? They’re free if you’re a buyer.

3. Pre-Approvals. Another amazing freebie is pre-approvals. They help save you time and energy. How? They let you know what price range you can afford, helping you and your agent know which houses you should be looking at.

4. First-time Home Buyers‘ Tax Credit (HBTC): The HBTC is a non-refundable tax credit for first-time home buyers and is worth $750. The first-time home buyers‘ tax credit must be claimed on an income tax form no later than one year after the home is purchased.

5. The RRSP Home Buyers‘ Plan (HBP)

This program was designed to let you withdraw funds from your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) before retirement for the purpose of a first home purchase. The advantage of the HBP is that the withdrawal is completely TAX FREE.

The RRSP Home Buyers‘ Plan allows you to withdraw up to a maximum of $25,000. Be sure to consult your tax consultant for more details.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Roy Primm

A duplex home is a beautiful asset. Many people dream of having a duplex home but only a lucky few get the chance to actually have it. Those who are looking to build a home for the first time can consider a duplex house. But since they are new in home builder hunting, they have a high chance of coming across professionals who are not really scrupulous. Such professionals look for the opportunity to work with a first-time homeowner because first-time homeowners usually don’t have clear ideas about what it really takes to build a good duplex house.

If you are planning to own such a house, do not plan big at the beginning. Keep in mind that there will be problems in the masonry, plumbing or wiring. No matter how well-built the house is, there will be these problems. So, aim for a small duplex property.

However, if you compare the pros and cons of a duplex house, the pros will outweigh the cons. The good things about duplex houses are more in number than the bad things about them. But you need the right builders to reap the benefit of all the good things. Many reputable builders are there who specialize in duplex buildings. They usually erect duplex buildings in upscale areas of the town. You can hire them to build your duplex home, regardless of the place. If you can build a rapport with the builders, you can avail their services at reduced rates.

Before hiring the builder, you should do some research on their earlier works. Check their credentials and licenses. Make sure that they are who they say are. Bear in mind that efficient and reliable duplex house builders are not really easy to find.

Good planning is very important for a good duplex home. The architect has to chalk out a thorough plan that would suit your interest as well as get all the necessary permits from your local councils. Australia is a place where people are always on the lookout for a good duplex house. You need to find an efficient planner who can draw a fine floor plan for you. A skilled architect can maximize space in your home’s floor plan. They can make best use of the land and even leave room for landscaping, gardening or a patio.

As you may know, several structural limits are there that you have to abide by. For instance, you have to build your home in such a way that makes good use of space and does not encroach on your neighbors‘ properties. The planning should not have any negative impact on the environment. Therefore, it is just as important to find an experienced architect as it is to find a reputable duplex home builder. Many people are building duplex homes today to enjoy two different homes on one block of land. The biggest benefit of this is that you can sell one of the homes and live in the other. That’s a remarkable monetary benefit. Not only does it cover your construction costs and brings in more money than what you had invested, it also lets you live on the land that you own. But to impress today’s home buyers, you need more than just quality home joinery services.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Avishek Bhattacharjee

MLS searches (or Multiple Listings Service) are based off the principle; „Help me sell my inventory and I’ll help you sell yours.“ It is a unique concept, though one not many other industries use. Real estate brokers acknowledge the advancements in technology once MLS searches became popular, and are willing to present the advantages and disadvantages of MLS queries to interested parties. The decision of utilizing this service is ultimately up to the potential buyer.

No For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Options

One of the big disadvantages to MLS searches is they do not include homes sold by the owner, unless the seller has negotiated a certain percentage of the commission to the realtors. If interested in FSBO’s, the buyer must search potential neighborhoods for FSBO signs and negotiate a price within their range. If the buyer does not know much about negotiating prices, or how much homes are worth, MLS queries still provide some contribution for comparison purposes. If excessive research is undesirable to the buyer, then MLS queries provide another benefit.

Less Research for the Buyer

Buying a home might already be considered a stressful process for some. MLS searches can cut down on some of that stress because it reduces the research the buyer must conduct. There are already so many other aspects a buyer must remember to look into, including the community, crime rate, demographics, school districts, job outlooks, among others. MLS queries place hundreds of homes from the participating brokers into one database, with hundreds of fields with which to search the properties. Knowledgeable brokers with years of experience determine these popular search fields; whereas if the buyer conducts the research by himself or herself, he or she may question whether the information they find is accurate.

The Internet Outdates MLS Queries

The younger generation might claim the Internet is called the „Information Highway“ for a reason. While it is true certain states have their MLS queries readily available on the Internet, not all states have this accessibility. It is also important to consider that information researched on one’s own time might not be as accurate as the MLS searches provided by real estate brokers.

A Trusting Community

As mentioned earlier, all MLS queries are based off the „You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours“ premise. In other words, there are no hidden agendas. All brokers participating in MLS queries are trying to provide the buyer with the greatest number of options. They keep the buyer’s requirements in mind and try to create satisfactory customers.

Ultimately, the decision to use MLS searches or to conduct the research on one’s own is up to the potential buyer.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Keith Andrews

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Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Vinod Vama