Bulgaria is a truly magnificent country, located in Eastern Europe with an amazing coastline that stretches over 340km along the Black Sea, with a backdrop of one of the world’s most magnificent mountain ranges and the beautiful and historic capital city of Sofia.

Today Bulgaria not only offers one of Europe’s most attractive and unspoilt holiday destinations it is also host to what will be one of the most dynamic and as of yet relatively untapped property and real estate markets.

The measure approved last week by the US House of Representatives that would eliminate the estate tax for all but the wealthiest families faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

The Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 was drafted by Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Bill Thomas (R- Calif). It was passed through the house by a bipartisan vote of 269-156 on Thursday of last week.

Thomas says that the bill would give Americans “permanency and certainty for their estate tax planning.” However, he admitted that the Senate vote may be tough.

As the seller of a property that you have purchased, or even refinanced in the last few years, you may not have very much equity in the house. Many investors will not want to even look at your house let alone make an offer because if there isn’t enough equity for them to make a marginal profit then it just won’t work for them.

Well no need to throw in the red flag because there are many investors out there who specialize in doing short sales.

From a historical perspective, investing in real estate is almost as old as the construction of property itself. Indeed many business owners who created their wealth through companies then went on to diversify into real estate investments. In fact, over the years real estate investments have produced similar returns to those found in the stock market. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons:

First of all, and most obviously, the supply of building land around the world is limited, even when taking into account landfill opportunities. Since the world’s population is growing and the demand for housing ever increasing, then there would seem to be a never-ending and increasing requirement for real estate of all types.

First, right off the bat, off let’s tackle the “Is flipping houses illegal?” question. Flipping homes or flipping anything for that matter, real estate or otherwise, is perfectly legal. The term has recently been used in the mainstream media to describe what is essentially mortgage fraud. In a mortgage fraud scheme multiple people collude to inflate and falsify appraisals, doctor and falsify loan applications, invent fake people etc. That is definitely illegal and can get you serious jail time. But here’s the thing I could never understand… you can only do that once or twice and then, even if you get away with it up front, you are a fugitive for the rest of your life! Is one big check worth that?

A Single’s Game of Real Estate
(Getting started in your twenties)

Due to the fact that most of us grow up in either a rented apartment or our parent’s single family home, it stands to reason that most people, when beginning to ask themselves the question of purchasing their own dwelling, will come to the conclusion that a condo or small house is probably the way to go. That’s a result of conditioning and it’s a hard mindset to break! After taking the time to talk to or personally guide a respectable number of people in their twenties, I have come to find that firm, direct and accurate information can really adjust the reality of how real estate can be acquired and used to their best advantage starting with property that sets the tone for a much more profitable and rewarding future.