27.2% Rise For Foreign Spanish Property Sales

Sales of Spanish property to foreign buyers has surged 27.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, according to recently released figures. Newly increasing demand from buyers from China and the Far East helped to drive up international sales to 20 per cent of all transactions, as the figures suggest the struggling housing market may finally have bottomed out.

According to the Spanish Council of General Notaries, foreign buyers constituted over one fifth of of Spanish property sales for the first quarter of 2014. International transaction soared 27.3 per cent year-on-year, fuelled by the rise of coastal and big city markets, such as the Costa del Sol and Madrid.

UK Dominance

UK buyers continue to account for the biggest share of activity, making up 13.8 per cent of all foreign purchases, ahead of the french and Russians with 10.5 and 8.4 per cent of the foreign buyers market respectively. Interest from non-EU buyers is also rising however, bolstered by the country’s newly introduced ‘Golden Visa’ scheme, Chinese sales have soared over 80 per cent year-on-year, a positive sign that the appeal of the country’s real estate market is beginning to spread.

Prices are continuing to fall, which is helping to attract British investors, but there are positive signs that the market is beginning to bottom out. According to the latest figures from Tinsa, the valuations firm, Spanish property values dropped 4 per cent in May, year-on-year, a significant improvement from the 10.4 per cent annual drop in May of last year. In fact, it is the lowest year-on-year drop since May 2008.
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Mediterranean Declines

The biggest declines have been recorded on the Mediterranean coast, with prices plunging 7.9 per cent year-on-year. Even here though, this is the slowest fall that has been witnessed in over 4 years. Interestingly, all of the Spanish house price indices are showing a similar trend, whilst some figures have been distorted over the past year due to the Spanish government’s short term tax discounts, which have seen transactions soar up towards the end of 2012 and slow down again in 2013 to meet the window, price data from Notaries, Tinsa and the National Institute of Statistics (INE) are, as experts from Spanish Property Insight report, “remarkably consistent.”

Opinions are certainly positive around the country, with sales in the Valencia region totalling 11,659 in the first quarter of 2014, a 31 percent year-on-year rise, according to the latest statistics published by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The Alicante area in particular has shown strong recovery from troubled economic times over the first 3 months of the year. Home sales in the province have jumped 24.3 per cent, whilst for the first time in a number of years, domestic demand has also begun to gather pace, with an increase of 23.7 per cent.
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Experts Opinion

Ron Wilkinson, property expert at Spanish real estate firm Alta Vista Property, has said that he expects to see the trend continue and thinks the market will bottom out some time this year.

“We are beginning to see small rises in house prices in certain areas, and in the areas where we are still witnessing declines, they are the smallest for several years. If things continue at the current rate, we should be seeing a nationwide rise in house price sometime in the next six months,” he explained.

“People in Spain are becoming increasingly optimistic regarding the real estate sector and we are beginning to see a lot more interest and enquiries from domestic buyers. This points to the beginnings of a nationwide recovery and we are hoping that the positive signs continue.”

Bradley Shore is an experienced blogger who focuses on real estate and property investment. He likes to impart knowledge upon his readership and enjoys heaqring feedback relating to his articles.

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Three Main Construction Site Dangers

Safety is number one concern for most of us and with good reason. Even though it's pointless to worry about them, there's a large number of dangers in our everyday lives which can be harmful to our well being. One place in particular where a lot of dangers exist are construction sites. For this reason today we're gonna be talking about top 3 danger hotspots on construction sites which are sometimes overlooked. By doing that you put both yourself and your workers in a position where you can be seriously harmed and bad things can happen to you.

Danger number 1: workers themselves

It goes without saying, but we're gonna say it anyway, the greatest threat on construction sites is ignorance. Even if you setup the safest possible environment for your workers to work in, if they aren't instructed about proper ways how to operate machinery and tools, well then all the efforts spent in securing the construction site would have been in vain.

Make sure that every one of your workers knows about the dangers associated with the use of all the tools and machines on the construction site, or even when just being around them.

Every time that you hire a new worker, make sure that they are familiar with all the do's and don'ts of working on a construction site. Even if they say that they are properly instructed, don't take their word for it, because they might be trying to sugarcoat their resume to get hired. Keep an eye on new employees for the first few days or even weeks of hiring them to see how they've fitted in, and more importantly, to see if they know their way around the construction site.

Danger number 2: construction site

Once that you're certain that workers won't be a problem, you can start working on securing the construction site. Things that are frequently overlooked on the construction site are as follows:

Improperly positioned machinery on the site

Nothing can bring down both your construction site safety and efficiency like having machinery and tools that're scrambled all over the construction site. Make sure that you properly plan equipment layout on the site for each phase of the construction work. You workers won't have to risk going from one place to another and that way bring down risk of injury.

Unnecessarily long work area distances

This point is very similar to the previous one that we made but it's so important that it bears repeating. Make sure that your entire construction site is setup in such a way that your workers don't have to walk long distances. That way you don't expose them to having to go up and down the latter to fetch tools, for example.

Forcing to much strain on the equipment

We've all seen that situation when either too much load is put on equipment or when a tool is being stressed too much to the point of it breaking down. Don't do that to your equipment because in case that something does fail, and pieces of equipment start flying around, lives of your workers might be at risk.

There are of course a lot of other things that have to be taken into account. Keep thinking along this line of small, trivial, but in the grand scheme of things very important safety tips for constructions, like the long work area distances, and you'll bound to think of some other way how your construction site can be optimized and made more secure.

Danger number 3: You

With "you" we're here referring to you in the role of a boss. We've covered the construction site and workers up until now, so it's only fair that we go over danger hotspots of you as a boss.

First and foremost, don't force your workers to do double shifts, extreme overtime, etc. They're gonna get tired, and tired people make mistakes which might end up being life threatening. Secondly, it's your job as a boss that points number 1 and 2 from the list above are taken care of. Don't get too relaxed thinking that everything is gonna be OK on it's own. Be involved with what's going on on the construction site and take proper steps to protect your workers. That way not only that you prevent them from being harmed, but you also prevent possible lawsuits and fines from the authorities for doing shoddy work in securing your construction site.

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Is Virginia The State Everyone Is Going To Be Writing About?

The great thing about America is that it's a country of choices. If you find you don't like how your state does things or you're concerned about its economy, you have forty-nine other choices at your disposal.  There are many things that may inspire you to move. Perhaps taxes are too high. Maybe the employment situation isn't so great. Or maybe it just costs too much to buy the things you need to have a comfortable life. If any of these concerns sound familiar, then Virginia might be the place you'll want to start calling home.

Cities in southern Virginia, like Roanoke, offer the best standard of living because you get all the positives of Virginia. You have to remember that when you're considering cost of living in a state like Virginia, you need to keep certain factors in mind when looking at the data you find. The most important thing to recognize is that a city like Roanoke will cost significantly less to live in and around than, say, Arlington. Much of northern Virginia is based around Washington D.C. and prices change accordingly. While you'll find more opportunities there, you'll also be paying more to live which, depending on your disposition, seems like a fair trade off.

But for everyone who doesn't plan on working for the federal government or associated contractors, southern Virginia provides the best bang for your buck. And we're not just talking cost of living (rents, goods, etc.).  What you may not know is that Virginia is one of the best states to buy a car in. You may get such a good deal, you'll want to travel to Virginia specifically to pick up a new car. If you've been holding out on going green with your driving habits, you could pick up a vehicle like the Leaf for a considerably lower price. A Nissan dealer in Roanoke, VA would be a better place to buy a Leaf from than, say, one in New York.

So, now that you know your transportation will be cheaper, how about the business climate. Well if you're a business owner, you're in luck. The corporate tax rate has been steady at a low 6% for decades. There are also plenty of tax credits available for job creation and for providing economic activity in certain regions of the state that are in dire need of it.

If you don't own a business, there's still plenty to like about the state. It has a relatively low unemployment rate at 5.3%. That's 2 full points lower than the national average rate. Most economists also consider 4-5% unemployment about as close to "full employment" as a state can get. The median salary is around $42,000, which puts Virginia in the upper echelons of income by state.

If you want affordable living, beautiful surroundings, and great opportunities, southern Virginia is a great option. Remember, the whole state doesn't revolve around D.C. Getting away from the congestion is pretty easy and the business friendly policies make the state a great destination for a company looking to move as well.

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Terry McLoughlin is a writer who spends some of his free time blogging about economics. When he's not doing that, he enjoys hikes and finding new restaurants.

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How South Carolina Has Made A Big Comeback

South Carolina, like so many other states that are as old as it is, has a long and storied history full of ups and downs. It's gone from an economic powerhouse, to a state struggling through economic difficulties, and back again multiple times. South Carolina has changed along with the American economy on the whole, really. When America was a major provider of agricultural-related goods, South Carolina was a leading source of that growth. But as businesses moved north and manufacturing and finance became the dominant drivers of the American economy in the early 1900s and mid to late 1900s respectively.

But all that has been changing over the past fifteen years or so. People are moving south in larger and larger droves. The financial press is dubbing this phenomenon "The New South" due to the influx of non-native southerners to the region and the new businesses springing up, breathing new life into states like South Carolina. So, what does South Carolina's comeback look like and how did it happen? Here are a few of the big reasons.

Return of manufacturing

The biggest reason that South Carolina has seen a renaissance is the return of manufacturing to America, specifically in the south. Many executives of some of the largest companies in the world have decided the time is right to start producing at least some of their products in America again thanks to more competitive labor costs, consumer demand, and a reduction in transportation costs. A good portion of these jobs have reappeared in South Carolina.

Lower taxes

South Carolina is generally a low tax state overall.  Its sales tax puts it around the middle of the pack. Property taxes are relatively low in comparison to the national average, and income taxes are about average. Real estate in South Carolina costs less, on average, in comparison to some of its neighbors (and certainly in comparison to the northeast) thanks to lower taxation and lower cost of living. All told, South Carolina ranks about 37 out of 50 states when it comes to tax burden. This is certainly ideal for retirees looking to make their money last.

Better weather

Let's be honest; the south has better weather than the northeast. Both retirees and people looking for work certainly prefer more months of heat to months of frigid cold and feet of snow.  That's why people in all demographics prefer to call states like South Carolina and Florida home. Something as simple as the weather is certainly a contributing factor to people wanting to call a new state home.

All of these reasons and more are why so many people are deciding that going south of the Mason-Dixon is the move for them. Whether it's for job opportunities or a more comfortable retirement, states like South Carolina are reaping the benefits as more northeastern residents find that things have become too expensive. Real estate prices have so far stayed relatively low. They're certainly lower in South Carolina than in states like New Jersey. Whether that lasts much longer remains to be seen. After all, simple supply and demand tells us that as more people decide that moving south is a good idea, the less property there will be for sale and prices will go up.

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•  Photo provided by: smartphotostock.com

Terry McLoughlin is a former teacher who know blogs about economics in a way anyone could understand. You can often find him with his nose in a book.

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HOW TO BECOME A LICENSED MORTGAGE BROKER IN ONTARIO, CANADA

The work of a mortgage broker is to help a home buyer find banks, private lenders, trust companies, credit unions and represent him/her in search of the best available mortgage rates. However, mortgage brokers don’t work for financial institutions. They work for clients who seek to buy homes, and help them find the best deals on the market and prepare proposals for potential lenders to secure the desired mortgage. It’s a good career choice for those who like helping others and are interested in the dealings in real estate industry. To be a licensed mortgage broker in Ontario, one needs specific work experience and education.
Here’s what you need to get an Ontario mortgage license:

 Basic requirement
One must be an adult resident of Canada. You must be above 18 years of age and either a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, this is a mandatory requirement. On top of that you need to have a mailing address in Ontario that can receive registered mail and it should not be a post office box, this is important as it will facilitate communication between you and the licensing body-Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO).

 Complete the mortgage broker education program
Before being hired by a firm as a mortgage broker, one must complete the mortgage broker education program. This program is provided by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP), which was selected as the provider for the program for the next four years by FSCO in fall 2012 and the course is offered in English and French. The English course is offered by Seneca while the French one is provided by La Cite collegiale. One must successfully complete the mortgage broker education program approved by the superintendent, FSCO before being issued with a mortgage broker license. You are however allowed to complete the program while working as a mortgage agent.

Apply for work as a mortgage agent
Mortgage brokers in Ontario are professionals who must be licensed and work under the supervision of certified mortgage brokers. You need to be working for a brokerage firm before being licensed; it is this firm that will apply to FSCO for your license. After your firm applies for a license for you, you can then proceed with processing client mortgage financing while under broker supervision. You need at least 24 months of work experience before you can apply for a broker license, this is irrespective of whether you have completed your broker certification course or not.

Complete and submit a mortgage broker application form
You then need to submit a completed mortgage broker application form to FSCO. After reviewing your application, FSCO will decide whether to issue you with a license or not depending on whether you’ve met all the requisite qualifications and requirements. If you are licensed, your name will appear on the official FSCO website certifying you as a licensed mortgage broker. This will offer a way of confirming your status as a certified and licensed mortgage broker to prospective clients.

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