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What is Fee Simple Ownership in Real Estate?

Fee Simple Ownership in real estate is the most complete and comprehensive form of ownership that anyone can have on a real property. It is a type of freehold ownership practiced in many countries .Other than the four most basic powers of taxation, domain, police power and escheat. Nothing else can limit the privileges that the owner of a property under fee simple ownership is entitled to. Some municipal regulations in a certain area of jurisdiction are another exception that can limit the privileges of real estate the owner under the fee simple ownership. The property under this form of ownership does not revert to the government upon the expiry of certain duration of time. The owner and his or her heirs enjoy his estate absolutely without time limit given to his estate.

Other than passing the property to any person of his choice, the owner can mortgage sell or do anything with the property as long as he or she is alive. The owner has exclusive discretion to determine whoever to inherit the property upon his or her death.
When a transfer deed is being prepared in fee simple form of estate ownership, the presumption that the owner intents to pass the property in fee simple holds. Nothing else can alter this unless expressly stated in writing in the will of the intention of the original owner to alter it to other type of ownership which will revert back after the expiry of a certain period of time. For instance, the owner of a real estate can give his chosen heir lifetime rights and thereafter the rights reverts back to the grantor of the estate
Many types of Fee Simple Ownership in Real Estate exist. When the original grantor of a fee simple estate makes his will free of conditions, the heir will inherit the property in fee simple title. But when the bequeathed property has some conditions attached to it, it creates a fee simple determinable form of real estate ownership which is nullified upon the happening of a certain stated event.

Since in most cases no personal tax is applicable in fee simple ownership in real estate, the owners of properties that fall in this class enjoy such advantage.However,with some policy changes, the owner may be required to pay some certain prescribed amount which is usually fixed. Some countries now levy property tax and rent charge which makes fee simple owners pay some money on their property to the respective authorities such as governments and municipal councils. This money will be used to provide special social services such as sewerage lines, water and road network developments.

In summary: Fee simple ownership in real estate is the most comprehensive right conferred upon the owner of real estate property. The owner is free to sell; mortgage and can freely determine their heirs without any influence. They are entitled to determine whether or not the property inherited will revert back or not. Ownership can freely be transferred without limit to the inheritance of heirs. However, due to policy changes, the owners of property under this scheme are required to pay rent or property tax.

View expressed in this article are not those of the website owner.

 

What are Multi Family Properties?

Ottawa multi family properties are free standing buildings composed of  at least two living units with each unit having its own facilities such as kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Majority of multifamily houses are constructed with all of the units situated in one floor, which in most cases is the ground floor. However, some other houses may have multiple units on other floors. Many floor units constructed side by side are housed under the same roof

Ottawa multi family houses are mainly preferred by new entrants in the real estate market since it provides an easy way into real estate investment. The purchase cost is pocket friendly hence most new investors with reasonable amount of cash find it attractive to invest in. The availability of many loan programs has enabled many people acquire these types of houses. The benefit is enormous since you will be at a position to pay for your loan from the regular rental income you receive from the real estate investment. As the owner, you will bid your land lord good bye and start being a real estate owner.

With Ottawa multi family houses, you can build real estate wealth. The maintenance of these kinds of houses is not very demanding. If you are skilled, you can perform all the repairs and routine renovations by yourself hence saving on cost. This provides you with the opportunity to increase your equity value with direct labor. Since not all the rooms are vacant at the same time, the repairs can be done over a longer period of time hence an attractive investment in the long run. The cash inflow from other units can provide you with additional funds to invest somewhere else.

However much that the management of Ottawa multi family houses is labor intensive, this type of investment always provide a positive cashflows.If used well, it can be a great wealth building scheme. With low capital needs and high resale value, they can provide the best way of growing your money.

When you sell your property, you can have all the profit moved into another investment of the same type. As an owner occupant, you can take advantage of the existing tax regime and receive the portion equivalent to your living portion at no tax payable and half of the entire profit as tax exempt. However, if you decide not to sell while still an occupant, you can refinance the Ottawa multi family homes at good interest rate and use the loan obtained to refinance your new investments. But when you use appreciation values to refinance your multifamily homes, you may not avoid paying higher mortgages.

In Summary: Ottawa multi family properties provide the best investment channel for beginners.  While at it, your potential to grow your investments will be limited to your imaginations. The income is great. You can use your personal labor to do major repairs hence reducing spending by a bigger margin. This real estate property can enable you obtain financing for other investments. If need be, you can elect to sell and buy a new and bigger family unit.

The views expressed in this article are not those of the website owner.

 

Riparian Rights to Water Bounding Property

Riparian rights are specific rights that a property owner has to the use or restriction on those who use water bordering his asset. These rights are usually set by state law conferring rights, privileges and obligations to the use of the water by other people. The principles of the riparian rights carry the necessity of property ownership bordering on water. The ownership of land that touches a water body creates some natural rights with water bodies which can be still or flowing.

The nature and extend of riparian rights is dependent on whether the water is navigable or not. The state policy as to the ownership of water resources and the subsequent right to it has influenced the use or restriction for use of certain water resources. The riparian owners of water resources have a right to reasonably use the water resources to produce food through irrigation, water their stock and other related ordinary activities.

When the water is navigable, the riparian property owner may practice damming, diverting, and consuming the water. Such people have the rights to fish and collect minerals from the water body. The riparian right is bounded or traversed by a natural stream or body of water. When part of riparian asset is cut off, and the partitioned section is not traversed by a stream which is natural in nature, such cannot be classified to be governed by riparian rights. If repartition is done and the section which had lost the rights gets back the given features, the riparian rights cannot revert back to the original grantor.

Another requirement for riparian property is that it should be located within the reach of the watershed of the respective riparian waters. The part of the property that’s very close to the riparian water qualifies as a riparian assets and not the portion that is further away. The middle part of the property may qualify depending on the distance from the water.

Furthermore, water placed in artificial streams or waterways is not subject to riparian rights. Also, the waters of an artificially build dam are not subject to riparian ownership. If a dam unlawfully blocks water onto another person’s land that owner may act as a riparian owner and has all rights to divert and use the water that comes onto his land.

In summary: Riparian rights confer riparian property owners some certain rights to control or restrict the use of water resources bordering his land. These laws are mainly formulated by the respective governments. When determining whether an asset qualifies to be riparian asset, many aspects are looked at. The distance between the water body and the property owned by that particular land owner is put into consideration. Further, the fact that the water body is manmade or natural also plays a bigger part in determination. Riparian rights are real rights which are considered natural property by the laws of many countries. The water touching a personal land is considered to offer the owner of the land the riparian rights.

The views expressed in this article are not those of the website owner.

   

Net Operating Income

Real estate net operating income is basically the difference between total income received from rental income after the deduction of all operating expenditure which may include insurance fees, management expenses and maintenance costs among others. All incomes are taken into considerations and all expenses deducted.

The real estate net operating income is mainly used in calculating two very important real estate ratios. It is a very essential figure when calculating the capitalization rate which in essence is used to find out the sale value of a property. The value of income generating real estate properties is calculated by dividing the net operating income by the capitalisation rate.

The importance of real estate net operating income cannot be underestimated since it forms the basis of calculating the debt coverage ratio which is an objective measure of the ability of an asset to pay its mortgage and operating expenses when required. The ratio of 1 indicates breakeven while a higher ratio is more acceptable. For instance, you need to have a minimum of 1.1 if you are applying for a commercial loan. Real estate analysts use net operating income to determine the level of profitability in real estate investment.

When given two cases where the first one is that the investor pays all cash for the property. Hence no debt is incurred. When there is no loan repayment, the annual cash inflow is regarded as the net operating income. The second case is where a financier provides the funds or purchasing the property. Given the circumstance, the real estate operating income is the amount of the money available to service the debt and then the cash flow only after the applicable loans.

Calculating Net Operating Income

Net operating income plus operating expenses equals to net operating income.

For example, let's assume you are analyzing an apartment building that produces a gross operating income of $200,000 and operating expenses of $52,000. What is the Net operating income?

This should be: $200,000 less $52,000 equals $58,000.

Capitalization rate, for instance, is calculated by dividing NOI by sale price, and property value is calculated by dividing NOI by capitalization rate.

Net operating income also plays a large role with lenders. Debt coverage ratio (or DCR), for instance, is calculated by dividing the net operating income by annual loan payment.

How credible is real estate net operating income? The figures used together with the corresponding accuracy of the person doing the analysis can affect the results by a great extend. With care and the necessary skill, correct figures can be obtained hence adding value to decision making process.

Generally, real estate net operating income is used as an aid to decision making. The property sellers, buyers, financiers and other related parties use it when evaluating the existing option in the real estate business. Given the great importance, it is imperative that the correct figures are used to avoid misleading since costly decisions will be made based on the results obtained.

The views expressed in this article are not those of the website owner.

 

Ottawa Multiple Listing Service

Multiple Listing Service is powerful software used by real estate brokers to facilitate massive sharing of information with other brokers who may be representing several interested parties whose desire is to find properties to buy. The broker who has entered into contract with the seller of the property provides all the information to be listed.

Ottawa Multiple Listing Service enables real estate brokers in the city of Ottawa  to come up with contractual offers of compensation among themselves, cooperate with other brokers in the real estate sector and disseminate information for better decision making by the buyers, sellers and the general public.

The Ottawa Multiple Listing Service is exclusively available for use by such real estate agents who are fully subscribed members. This excludes the participation of those agents who are not listed as members of the multi listing system. This has helped bring sanity in the real estate sector. The information published is comprehensive and should conform to certain format.

Ottawa Multiple Listing Service provides a comprehensive method of publishing a compensation offer by one broker to other brokers who participate in the listing. The rate of commission provided by the listing broker is listed hence if any broker assists the listing broker sell the property, there will be no dispute as to the percentage of commission payable. Any rate or percentage of commission published in the Ottawa Multiple Listing Service is regarded as a unilateral contract which can be negotiated between the selling broker and the buyer’s broker.

The additional benefit of the Ottawa Multiple Listing Service is that any broker who subscribes may go through the multi listing system and search all homes being put for sale by all participating brokers. The software will require a lot of detailed input and the output is great too. Many details of the property on sale are published than it would have been if published in other ordinary websites.

However, Ottawa Multiple Listing Service limit the access to its members only. However,the public can view the property listed in the Multiple Listing Service but do not have the right to input or alter information. Property owners who would like to sell their properties alone without using the registered brokers cannot list the property unless they join the association. But by paying a flat fee, a property seller can list his property in the Ottawa Multiple Listing Service.

In summary: The Ottawa Multiple Listing Service provides a powerful platform for sharing information between the sellers, buyer and brokers of real estate property. The mere fact that the information provided is standardized enables it provide quality output which is more useful when making decisions by the concerned parties. The listing system has also provided a good way of making contracts between real estate agents hence reducing the chances of misunderstanding. Since it can upload high quality photos of the properties, it can act as a one stop shop for real estate properties. Since it’s open to its members only, the Ottawa Multiple Listing Service has managed to reduce the system misuse.

The views expressed in this article are not those of the website owner.

   

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Roch St-Georges - Sales Representative and REALTOR® - Ottawa Real Estate Agents - Ottawa Real Estate Services - Ottawa Real Estate Listings
Home Life Capital Realty Inc., Brokerage - 2559 Innes Rd - Unit 9, Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 3K1.
Direct: 613.889.7732 Office: 613.627.4141
REALTOR® and MLS® Trademarks owned or controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association. Used under licence.