A cheap pool for your home

Summer means pool time. For many of us, a pool is the epitome of having a good time. Especially in summer holidays a pool is one of the things we don’t want to miss.

But if you usually visit a public pool or leisure centre, that might not be an option right now. On the other hand, building your own pool at your home is a big and expensive venture.

As we have around 39ºC (102ºF) right now, I happen to find myself desperately searching for a cheap pool solution. Little did I know I would find the hot trend of the summer.

What about a stock tank pool at your home?

What is it, you may ask. Well, it happens that these inexpensive farm items were originally designed to water livestock. Now, it seems people have discovered them for their own pleasure. They are appearing in gardens across the world.

It’s a great idea, inexpensive and has a certain charm to it. How can you get one?

Choose a “pool” size

First step would be to find your local farm item supplier and see what options are available. In most areas the biggest round troughs are the most popular. Naturally, they would offer the best swimming experience.

Pick the right spot

Next or at the same time you need to decide where to set it up. You will need a spot with a level foundation. This means it needs a solid, level base free of any rocks or sharp edges.

Add pumps and chlorine

Of course, you like to enjoy your pool for as long as possible. Therefore, you will need to add a few things to keep it clean and safe. I found a very detailed description on how to do it (it has very nice pictures of stock tank pools as well that might give you some ideas). Check it out at Hey Wanderer blog

If you rather buy a house with a pool, check out find cheap holiday homes.

You have a house for sale? List it with us for free.

How to Find Cheap Land for Sale in Texas

You are making a wise decision if you are planning to find cheap land for sale in Texas because buying a property in the other states can break the bank. If you see the estimated value of the combined areas in the United States, the total will be around 23 trillion dollars. 

If you will look for land in Texas, the average value per acre is only around 7,500 dollars. The agricultural property is one of the reasons for its reasonable price, which makes Texas one of the ideal places to look for cheap lands.

Why Buying Land in Texas Is More Practical

There are a few reasons why buying land in Texas is more practical. The most obvious is that most areas in Texas are agricultural. Moreover, here is why purchasing an estate in Texas is the right choice, especially if you will use it for agricultural purposes.

  • Local government is less strict on controlling the state’s real estate development.
  • Agricultural lands provide a massive amount of reduction in annual taxes.
  • Financing companies are willing to lend to farmers and landowners.
  • You can be eligible for the Federal income tax Schedule F.

As you can see, if you will use the land for farming, wildlife conservation, and timberland, you can save a great deal in Texas.

How to Find a Cheap Land

Now that you know that Texas offers a better deal than with any other estates, you can lower the price more if you know how to buy one at a lower price.

Aside from paying for the land, you also need to consider the other variables like tax receipts and land surveying. Most often, the new owner pays for tax receipts. You also need a service of a land surveyor to ensure that you are getting the exact land measurement for the price you paid.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

The common types of properties that are cheap are the property, foreclosed, and government-owned. The only con is that it is not easy to find these properties on your own. You need to contact a bank to ask for foreclosed properties or ask help from mediators like land brokers, auctions, and realtors.

Sometimes, you can find the best deal on e-commerce websites like e-Bay and Craigslist.

The best way to acquire the lowest price is to buy a land that is away from the city and establishments offering essential goods, such as grocery stores, schools, and gas stations. Next is to find the owner and haggle directly. If you are lucky, you can come across the owners who are willing to bargain for a low price to get rid of the property.

As you can see, it is not difficult to find cheap land for sale in Texas.

Author: Kelsey Mickens

How Covid-19 affects house prices

Experts are far from agreeing how Covid-19 affects house prices. Most pros advise investors to stay calm.

There is no clear answer to the question of how the prices for residential or commercial real estate will develop as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

House Prices Forecast

The forecasts range from price drops of up to 25 percent to stable prices and even further rising rents to further price increases.

We are currently in a situation that never happened before therefore it is very difficult to predict the outcome as we cannot compare it with any other time in history. There is one thing though experts agree on which can be summed up in the following quote

“There is only one thing certain and that is that nothing is certain.”

— Gilbert K. Chesterton

House prices forecasts are for this year or a maximum of twelve months. Afterwards, the experts seem to agree, the prices tend to go up rather than down. All on the premise that the recession will be overcome by 2021 at the latest. Nobody speaks of a price bubble that could burst.

Corona would at most lead to a cycle break, meaning a temporary interruption of the general upward trend.

Real Estate is “concrete gold” – a rather safe investment

Although the price boom we saw before covid-19 would be a thing of the past, real estate seems to stay a rather safe investment compared with other ventures.

Researchers cite five factors for their forecast of short-term price declines: rising interest rates, less influx into booming cities, emergency sales due to less liquidity, for example among freelancers, fewer new buildings and less demand from investors.

The good news for home owners is that we currently have no indications of falling house prices.


Capital investors who were interested in buying an apartment before the epidemic are advised to simply pursue their plans. Residential properties still offer relatively good returns.

Conclusion

People need to live somewhere. Even if some who were planning to buy a house can’t do it anymore due to financial difficulties, they still need a place – meaning they rent a place, which in return is good for the owner as he receives the rent.

Surely, we always like to get a good bargain that’s why some buyers are hoping that the current situation will make houses more affordable.

11 years ago, we set on a quest to find the cheapest houses in the world and are surprised with what we found. So much so, that we created a website for cheap real estate. Check it out at https://www.propertyunder20k.com/

Real Estate for Preppers

I just stumbled upon a few websites for preppers when I looked up how to make my own yeast (there was none left in the shop). That’s when I discovered that there is a whole trend out there, it looks like everybody wants to become a prepper these days. There are also a few real estate websites offering properties for preppers.

What are preppers and what is real estate for need?

Preppers or survivalists are people who prepare for emergencies, including probable disturbances in social or political order, as well as preparations for personal emergencies, such as job loss.

The main focus is on self-reliance, stockpiling supplies, and gaining survival knowledge and skills. Among other things preppers often stockpile food and water, prepare to become self-sufficient, if possible, off-grid living, and build structures such as underground shelters that may help them survive a disaster.

Why do so many look for real estate for preppers now

The covid-19 pandemic has caused many people to re-examine their way of life. It created a wave of interest in rural living and particularly in prepper properties. Relocation to rural areas where one can be self-sufficient to some degree is an increasingly attractive possibility.

A lot of workers have been sent to work from home, and discovered, they actually love it. They are seeing its many advantages. With internet available in even isolated locations, the feasibility of working from home has gone up radically.

It can be immensely satisfying to grow your own food.

Less populated areas = easier social distancing

People in city areas are feeling restricted to their homes or apartments. In such densely populated places, social distancing can only be accomplished by staying at home. In less populated areas, or maybe suburbs where a house comes with its own big garden there is plenty of opportunities for outdoor activity, while easily maintaining a proper distance to others.

If you are planning to become a prepper, survivalist or maybe you are just seeking some more space outdoors by moving to the countryside, have a look at our real estate listings.

Time of opportunity for a real estate investor?

The covid-19 outbreak has affected every industry. As new unemployment numbers come out it leaves people speechless. There is no guide book for times like these. Some real estate investor may see a opportunity to hunt for real estate offers.

Many home owners didn’t have the money to pay their mortgage this month. Also, many tenants could not pay their rent as a result many landlords are in trouble to make their mortgage payments. Looking at the current mess on the real estate market many see this as an opportunity for property investors. Some already speak of a real estate recession.

But not so fast

Of course, we can already start thinking about possible consequences for the real estate market. Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that we don’t know yet what exactly we will have to face as this covid-19 pandemic continues.

A possible scenario

One scenario would be a compressed but normal recession and it would probably look a lot like the 2008 recession, but quicker and deeper. Of course, it is not difficult to imagine other set-ups where a larger disaster awaits.

There is not much else you can do than to…

Stay positive

We should not forget that the real estate market moves very slowly, and the covid-19 pandemic is still young.

It is very unlikely that all of a sudden people will sell their homes for next to nothing. Even if home owners get under pressure because they can’t pay their mortgage anymore, we need to keep in mind that this will happen to thousands of people – most probable they will receive some sort of help to prevent them from losing their home.

Time of opportunities

No doubt, there are and there will be more opportunities for a real estate investor. This is a good time to go hunting for real estate bargains.

Real Estate Investor to the rescue

At the same time, nobody feels good about taking advantage of disaster. Therefore, it has to be noticed that many will be happy to find buyers quickly even if it means to sell for less. A real estate investor may be able to give exactly that help that the home seller needs at this time.

Find great real estate offers on www.propertyunder100k.com

Less new home listings

Spring is naturally a time when sellers put new home listings for sale as more people are looking for a house to buy. Home sellers hoping to take advantage of the buyers new born enthusiasm after the winter period. But this year, new listings dropped significantly in March and early April as the Covid-19 outbreak embraced the globe. 

Real Estate Portals report less new home listings

Zillow, inc. reported yesterday that newly listed homes in the U.S. were down 27.1% from a year ago in the first week of April. They reported that the number of newly listed properties usually increases in late March and early April as home buying season starts. This year it’s been quite the contrary as many states have suggested or instructed people to stay at home. New listings in the U.S. have fallen 19% from the beginning of March.

No surprise

We can see the same trend happening on our website with international real estate listings. The number of new listings dropped slightly as well as the number of people who made enquiries about real estate offers.

It is totally understandable that people had other things on their mind than getting a new home. Nevertheless, after the first weeks past we can now see that the number of enquiries is slowly coming back to normal.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Social distancing cooled the real estate market

While the covid-19 outbreak and the resulting social distancing have cooled the real estate market considerably, it isn’t completely motionless. Buyers, sellers and real estate agents have started to change their activities as they adapt to public health requirements. They make 3D Home tours available or make home viewings via video conference.

Therefore, it seems like a good time now for all home sellers that are in a wait-and-see-mood to get their home for sale out there.

Need for new homes is still there

Although there is a particularly strong wait-and-see pattern similar to what happened during past pandemics we can see that customers still interested or actually needing to buy a new home even if they are not going to walk-throughs or able to close on transactions in person. Especially smaller and cheaper properties are in high demand.

List your home for sale

If some predictions turn out to be true and house prices will fall dramatically due to the covid-19 outbreak wouldn’t it be better to sell your house today rather tomorrow?

Don’t wait any longer, list your home for sale today.

Real Estate After Quarantine

This temporary quarantine made many people think about their values and goals in life as well as their work situation and their homes.

Although, this isolation is only temporary, life itself has always and will continue to change.

Our social interactions will be different for months, if not years to come. Our economies will eventually grow again, but the way we do business will have progressed. This is true for real estate as well.

Next time I like to quarantine on a tropical island…

One thing is certain, everybody needs a place to live, therefore real estate will always be needed. As much as everybody would like to improve their homes to be able to quarantine in style in case this happens again, it has to be considered that the financial situation of most people changed. Therefore, the housing market needs to adapt. Cheap real estate will be needed more than ever before. “Cheaper” meaning more cost effective.

This of course can mean that people have to downsize or reconsider what they really need in their home – simply back to the basic needs.

“Cheaper” doesn’t mean uglier

It’s true that many houses for sale that are on the lower end of the price range don’t look too good. But to be honest most of them only need a little bit of TLC and they can be a cosy home.

If you need to downsize, why not sleep on a sofa bed in the living room?

How can real estate agents adapt to this new situation?

You as a realtor can continue to do what you are really good at – be there for your clients and understand what they need in their circumstances. This is a new situation for all of us and for some it may be hard to adapt. Maybe some can’t picture themselves in a smaller, simpler home.

Whatever step someone needs to take, you can be there to help and make this a good experience.

What exactly does this mean?

You have to think outside the box, but yourselves in the buyer’s shoes. It maybe time to rethink how real estate deals where done in the past and see new ways that can make the whole process simpler, more time effective and more cost effective.


Will you go with the flow, let the waves take you wherever they go, or will you build a ship and go your own way?

Pick your boat and get on your way.

What is your idea of real estate after quarantine? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

Does your house stinks?

There are certain smells that sometimes are unavoidable in an empty old house but some are so bad that they can ruin your real estate business altogether. If your house stinks it can be a big problem.

Have you ever been at a house viewing and the first thing you noticed when entering was a musty mouldy smell?

Well, it’s not very pleasant to say the least. It immediately gives a bad impression. Nobody wants to live like that. But if you see it from a business point of view it might be a different story. If a house stinks, you might be able to see what the problem is and be confident in how to remove it.

It happened to me when viewing a house in Germany.  I was visiting an old house together with my family and when that musty smell hit us at the time of entering our immediate reaction was “no way!”. After a couple of months though we had to admit, there was no other house available anywhere near our budget.

That’s why we came back to it and actually looked at the problem. It turned out that the problem was some humidity in the basement. The basement was all panelled up with wood which also didn’t help much. After a long family meeting we decided, we go for it.

It definitely paid off.

We removed the mouldy wood and did some treatment to the basement walls. The smell was gone and never came back. And best of all, we were able to get our family home within our budget.

That’s the advantage when buying, you are able to get a house with a bad smell cheaper. Of course, you have to be confident that you are able to remove the problem causing this smell.

When selling, it would be wise to spend some money in solving the problem before. Or, maybe there isn’t even a severe problem. Sometimes it just needs a bit of care, like opening the windows regularly in an empty house. Especially before a viewing.

Bad smell that is really harmful

There are certain smells though that are really harmful for your business. It’s those that can’t be solved on a low budget or maybe they can’t be solved at all. Therefore, it is advised to make some counts before jumping into a “smelly” business. One example of a smell problem that can’t be solved would be a nearby pig farm.

Bad smell that can ruin your real estate business

I recently came across a neighbourhood in Portugal located near a paper factory. On photographs all the houses look lovely and it seems to be a really nice place to live. Unfortunately, visiting and smelling the place ruled out any real estate business in this area. Unless you have clients that lost their sense of smell. ?

It’s free real estate – properties for 1 Euro

The ‘it’s free real estate!’ meme, a line from a Tim & Eric Awesome Show, definitely comes to mind when looking at the latest property ads on the cheap real estate market. I could not believe it myself and was actually contacting the advertiser and told them to change the price to the actual value.

To my surprise all three properties the real estate agent offered for 1 Euro each turned out to really be for only one Euro. Of course, the one Euro is just a symbolic price.

But where is it and Why?

The location is beautiful Sicily. Apparently, that’s where several towns are testing the 1-euro scheme.

With this initiative, small towns with shrinking populations aim to repopulate the old town and recover abandoned real estate.

Those who purchase a building are free to use it as a home, hotel, B&B, restaurant, or shop — although tax incentives may be given to those who decide to stay and live there.

It perhaps sounds too good to be true, and there is, of course, always a catch. In reality, if a home for €1 sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. €1 won’t get you a house that’s ready to move into. You have to be aware that you are buying a fixer-upper that comes with a few conditions.

The small town of Bivona is the latest destination for real estate tourists hoping to get one of the cheap houses. Make no mistake, Bivona is no ghost town. It is located at the foot of Monti Sicani, an area full of history and beauty. You can see more information about the project here: https://1eurohouses.com/case-a-1-euro-a-bivona/

If you are interested to get on with the sale right away, you will be happy to know that “My House” is the agency which has been appointed by the Town Hall of Bivona to handle the sale of these 1 euro properties. You can find their website on www.propertiesinsicily.com.

Did we made you curious to see some real offers of cheap real estate in Sicily, then visit our website https://www.propertyunder50k.com/

When will you get your free real estate?

The cheapest real estate in the world


How to find the best real estate deals that are out there

A house that costs less than a used car, is it possible? Yes, it is. There are great real estate deals available if you are flexible regarding the location or condition.

The best place to start would be to have a look at www.propertyunder20k.com an established website that list only real estate that costs less than 20,000 EUR. You get an overview very quickly when you look at the world map on their homepage. You can see straight away where are the best deals available. Or maybe you like to look at the cheapest house near you – simply zoom into your location.

Granted, for that price it is very likely that you will need to invest a bit more money to make the property a comfortable home for you. The price usually reflects its condition. Or if it is in good condition it might be very small or be in a location where real estate in general is cheaper.

But no worries, you can work your way up.

You don’t necessarily need to go for the absolute cheapest house that is out there. Go for one that you can afford including the renovation costs – otherwise you might be stuck with a problem. Make your homework before. See if you like the location, the neighbourhood and if you can handle the renovation. This means, you might need to climb up the price ladder a little bit until you find the best real estate deal for you.

This website was designed especially for that – to show the cheapest real estate in the world. Over the years we have seen many who took the plunge and bought a house abroad as they just couldn’t resist to let a great bargain go to someone else. Some deals seem to good to be true. But make no mistake. Sit down first and write down the pros and cons before making a hasty decision. Especially when buying a house abroad it can be difficult to look after it or find someone to manage it for you.

How to find real estate deals that suit you?

Get a good overview first of what is out there. Maybe you could afford more than 20,000 EUR. There are websites with higher price ranges such as www.propertyunder50k.com. You can use the advanced search to narrow down the real estate listings until you find exactly what you are looking for.

Conclusion

There are thousands of great real estate deals out there. Usually they don’t come problem free but if you feel able to deal with them it is the best way to get one of the cheapest real estate in the world.