http://www.financealley.com en-us editorial@financealley.com Financial Modeling is essential for making decisions to acquire, keep or sell investment real estate. The central aim is to provide a framework evaluating options and risks. Financial modeling is also utilized for decisions regarding material capital expe... http://www.financealley.com/article_745251_33.html 09th January 2009 By understanding business tax deductions, business owners may enjoy personal benefits from business expenditures - a nice car to drive, a combination business trip/vacation, retirement savings plan - if they follow the myriad tax rules. The tax code a... http://www.financealley.com/article_738355_75.html 06th January 2009 Highest and best use analysis can assist an owner in maximizing return. Highest and best use analysis can be performed for acreage, site development, and for improved properties. Research and planning can substantially increase investment returns. If i... http://www.financealley.com/article_729752_33.html 29th December 2008 Most people see new home construction in their neighborhood as a good thing. New homes typically help increase the market value of properties, so when someone in an older home goes to sell, they often can ask a higher price than areas without new construc... http://www.financealley.com/article_719724_75.html 15th December 2008 For many homeowners, the property tax appeal process can seem too difficult and therefore only about 8% appeal even though 70% of those who do appeal are successful. Most homeowners also do not realize that their appeal can be resolved at the informal hea... http://www.financealley.com/article_711036_75.html 03rd December 2008 Time spent protesting your property taxes can be very profitable to you. In fact, the average property tax savings for homeowners is $450. However, the uncertainty of how the process works and what results are achievable intimidates many into not attempti... http://www.financealley.com/article_702672_19.html 01st December 2008 Tax Rule No.1: Don’t cheat the IRS. But that doesn’t mean you should cheat yourself. Take every legal tax deduction you can. In addition to the numerous tax deductions the Internal Revenue Service allows, research indicates that most U.S. taxpayer... http://www.financealley.com/article_694026_19.html 26th November 2008 Lease abstraction is an essential component of due diligence for a multi-tenant commercial property. Lease terms often vary from tenant to tenant. Lease terms and options impact both the quantity and quality of rental income. Lease terms affect the quanti... http://www.financealley.com/article_689765_33.html 18th November 2008 An abandonment study can legitimately generate a windfall of depreciation for the owner of investment or owner-occupied real estate. By increasing depreciation, substantial tax reduction can be effected. An abandonment study is appropriate when it is nece... http://www.financealley.com/article_680729_75.html 03rd November 2008 Commercial comparable sales data is essential for making well-reasoned decisions regarding buying, selling, financing or appraising commercial real estate. Oconnorcomps.com offers San Antonio real estate professionals the timely and accurate commercial co... http://www.financealley.com/article_678965_33.html 30th October 2008 Many restaurant owners have been shocked to learn that they are unable to sell or lease their restaurant property for an amount equal to its tax assessment value. The market value of a recently built restaurant is usually less than its construction cost. ... http://www.financealley.com/article_678255_33.html 30th October 2008 Meet Tenant Rep Brokers Set up meetings with two or three of the tenant rep brokers if you have not chosen one after the first round of phone calls. The objective is to visit more regarding their office assignments, obtain their thoughts on locating app... http://www.financealley.com/article_678233_33.html 30th October 2008 The income approach is often given primary emphasis when appraising a commercial real estate used to generate income. Estimates of value via the income approach are highly sensitive to changes in revenue, expense and capitalization rates. Correctly pe... http://www.financealley.com/article_678201_33.html 30th October 2008 Apartment shopping in Houston is easy when you organize the process. This article will help you find a great Houston apartment at a great price. It will also make the Houston apartment shopping experience less stressful. Day One Houston apartment sh... http://www.financealley.com/article_672200_33.html 21st October 2008 In Texas a disabled veteran's tax exemption is not the same as a disabled person's tax exemption. To receive a disabled veteran tax exemption, you must be either a veteran who was disabled while serving with the U.S. armed forces or the surviving spou... http://www.financealley.com/article_670951_19.html 21st October 2008 Taxes are your enemy, but tax deductions are your friends. Taxes are the great bane of most businesses. Alas, business deductions act as a salve to cool the burning and itching of your bank account. Business taxes can be summarized simply as calculati... http://www.financealley.com/article_670891_75.html 21st October 2008 Tax reductions and tax deductions are a common benefit of cost segregation. When real estate investors and tax practitioners learn about the income tax deductions and tax reductions resulting from cost segregation they are sometimes skeptical; they are co... http://www.financealley.com/article_670858_75.html 21st October 2008 Alternative Minimum Tax consequences are not a result of cost segregation. Nor is cost segregation accelerated depreciation. Decisions regarding cost segregation and accelerated depreciation are independent by the four options as illustrated in the follow... http://www.financealley.com/article_668749_19.html 17th October 2008 Homeowners are amazed to learn they can obtain a copy of the appraisal district's evidence at a nominal cost. This is referred to as a House Bill 201 package, and is the only information many homeowners use to successfully reduce their property taxes. ... http://www.financealley.com/article_666842_15.html 15th October 2008 The 2007 Review Following a solid three quarter start to 2007 highlighted by a spectacular second quarter, San Antonio’s fourth quarter 2007 apartment market demand came back to earth, as -629 units were absorbed over the quarter. This absorption hicc... http://www.financealley.com/article_666139_33.html 15th October 2008 Expert witness testimony is a subset of litigation support services. The expert witness’ primary responsibility is to develop and support a credible opinion of value. The standard of care for expert witness assignments is written to appropriate standard... http://www.financealley.com/article_666121_33.html 15th October 2008 Business purchase price allocation is necessary following the purchase or sale of a business. The purchaser needs to allocate the total purchase price to establish their books for the purpose of calculating amortization and depreciation. The seller needs ... http://www.financealley.com/article_666104_33.html 15th October 2008 Feasibility studies are a combination of a market study and financial analysis used to determine if it is financially feasible to develop a proposed property. They are also performed to evaluate the feasibility of renovating or upgrading an existing prope... http://www.financealley.com/article_663631_33.html 13th October 2008 Tax Rule No.1: Don’t cheat the IRS. But that doesn’t mean you should cheat yourself. Take every legal tax deduction you can. In addition to the numerous tax deductions the Internal Revenue Service allows, research indicates that most U.S. taxpayer... http://www.financealley.com/article_661094_33.html 10th October 2008 In most cases, you will not need to obtain a copy of your credit report prior to looking for an apartment. However, you should consider obtaining a copy of your credit report if you're concerned there might be problems. Issues which would concern apartmen... http://www.financealley.com/article_658566_33.html 07th October 2008 As you call the properties, it is likely you will eliminate some of the properties. Factors which cause you to eliminate properties will be price, application fee, deposit, first month's rent, unit availability and the attitude and courtesy of the leasing... http://www.financealley.com/article_658511_33.html 07th October 2008 Houston apartments are expensive. But getting a great deal can make your Houston apartment less expensive. This article provides tips on getting the best deal possible when leasing a Houston apartment. What Do You Want A great deal for a Houston apar... http://www.financealley.com/article_655700_33.html 06th October 2008 The first step to annually appealing your property taxes is to send a written notice to the appraisal review board (ARB) for the county in which your home is located. Even if you have not received a notice of assessed value from the appraisal district, fi... http://www.financealley.com/article_653142_33.html 30th September 2008 "Few of us ever test our powers of deduction, except when filling out an income tax form” - Laurence J. Peter, U.S. Educator By understanding business tax deductions, business owners may enjoy personal benefits from business expenditures – enterta... http://www.financealley.com/article_650145_15.html 26th September 2008 For many homeowners, the property tax appeal process can seem too difficult and therefore only about 8% appeal even though 70% of those who do appeal are successful. Most homeowners also do not realize that their appeal can be resolved at the informal hea... http://www.financealley.com/article_649960_19.html 26th September 2008 Houston apartment search tips -- getting the best deal Houston apartments are expensive. But getting a great deal can make your Houston apartment less expensive. This article provides tips on getting the best deal possible when leasing a ... http://www.financealley.com/article_645355_33.html 23rd September 2008 Due Diligence Due diligence is an essential step in real estate investment. After selecting the property type and geographic location, the investor needs to ascertain he has accurate information regarding the physical asset, fina... http://www.financealley.com/article_641688_33.html 18th September 2008 Market Rent Analysis Market rent analyses evaluate the subject property, competing properties, and market conditions to document an equitable level of rent in an arm’s length transaction. Estimates of market rent are develop... http://www.financealley.com/article_641022_33.html 17th September 2008 Comparable sales of improved properties can be utilized to estimate the market value of land in fully built-up areas. For example, consider an area near downtown Boston which has been fully developed for over 200 years. It may be virtually impossible to l... http://www.financealley.com/article_638847_33.html 15th September 2008 Texas Property Tax Appeals Steps to Protesting and Reducing Your Property Value Annually Step 1. File a Protest Texas property tax appeals can be filed using the form provided by the appraisal district, or the form available on poconnor.com in the pr... http://www.financealley.com/article_631022_33.html 09th September 2008 Tax Deductions (Tips for Individual Real Estate Investors) Tax deductions are not the top priority for most individual real estate investors. They often work out of their home with no employees, other than those on-site at the property. Challenges (as... http://www.financealley.com/article_629094_33.html 08th September 2008 Houston Apartment Search Tips - Finding a Low Total-Move-in-Cost Houston Apartment Houston apartments come in many shapes and sizes. You can usually find a Houston apartment with a very low total move-in cost. Total move-in cost includes the application... http://www.financealley.com/article_628848_33.html 08th September 2008 Tax reduction and tax deferral are both generated by cost segregation. However, this tool is not well understood by most real estate investors and by many tax preparers. The root cause of limited understanding regarding cost segregation and how it provi... http://www.financealley.com/article_628551_33.html 08th September 2008 Tax deductions are not the top priority for most individual real estate investors. They often work out of their home with no employees, other than those on-site at the property. Challenges (aside from tax deductions) include selecting what property to pur... http://www.financealley.com/article_628526_33.html 08th September 2008 Market Rent Analysis Market rent analyses evaluate the subject property, competing properties, and market conditions to document an equitable level of rent in an arm’s length transaction. Estimates of market rent are developed regularly for market st... http://www.financealley.com/article_628389_33.html 08th September 2008 Market Rent Analysis Market rent analyses evaluate the subject property, competing properties, and market conditions to document an equitable level of rent in an arm’s length transaction. Estimates of market rent are developed regularly for market st... http://www.financealley.com/article_628377_33.html 08th September 2008 Apartment shopping in Houston is easy when you organize the process. This article will help you find a great Houston apartment at a great price. It will also make the Houston apartment shopping experience less stressful. Day One Houston apartment sh... http://www.financealley.com/article_628346_33.html 08th September 2008 Market Study Fundamentals Market studies are performed to evaluate real estate market conditions with regard to an existing or proposed property. The focus of a market study details competition within the submarket, the strength or weakness of the subm... http://www.financealley.com/article_628342_33.html 08th September 2008 Tax deferral through 1031 exchanges, or tax-free exchanges of real estate, have become a popular method of tax deferral of capital gains taxes. Almost by definition, individuals who utilize the 1031 exchange option are reluctant to pay taxes that can lega... http://www.financealley.com/article_628337_33.html 08th September 2008 Tax deferral through 1031 exchanges, or tax-free exchanges of real estate, have become a popular method of tax deferral of capital gains taxes. Almost by definition, individuals who utilize the 1031 exchange option are reluctant to pay taxes that can le... http://www.financealley.com/article_628328_33.html 08th September 2008 Tax reduction and tax deferral are the primary benefits of obtaining a cost segregation study. Income taxes are a substantial burden for most real estate investors. Tax deductions help with this burden. While some level of taxation is necessary, it is b... http://www.financealley.com/article_627838_33.html 08th September 2008 Gift Tax Valuations Gift tax valuations are prepared for many reasons. Gift tax includes market value of gifts to charity, market value of conservation easements and gifts in excess of annual limit. Well-reasoned planning of gifts can minimize gift tax... http://www.financealley.com/article_627719_75.html 08th September 2008 Harris County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic step... http://www.financealley.com/article_627625_33.html 08th September 2008 Harris County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic step... http://www.financealley.com/article_627618_33.html 08th September 2008 Estate Taxes Estate txes are often referred to as the death tax. Few Americans are subject tp estate tas due to the exclusion on the first$2,000,000 of an estate (2006,2007, and 2008). Taxpayers with estates substantially in excess of this amount shoul... http://www.financealley.com/article_627616_33.html 08th September 2008