Home  |  Linknet Pages

Real Estate News | USA Real Estate | Canada Real Estate | Real Estate Articles
Personal Finance  |  Loans  |  Mortgages  |  Finance News

powered by FreeFind

Get Real Estate Leads
Lead Producer Websites | Guaranteed to get leads |
Affiliates

Condo-Hotels - A New Second-Home Alternative to Time Shares


Condo-hotels have evolved as a better, more reliable second home alternative to time-shares. They are usually attractive, high-rise hotels on the ocean or in other prime locations, and range in price from the mid $200,000s to over 1 million, depending on the size, location, and amenities.

Many of the biggest names in the hotel industry have condo-hotel buildings, including Hilton, Four Seasons, Clarion, and Ritz-Carlton. Donald Trump has numerous condo- hotel facilities across the country, including a building in Fort Lauderdale and another in Sunny Isles, Florida.

In general, condo-hotel properties have been highly successful with all or nearly all units selling out within months of the first offering. For example, the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne is a beachfront property with 188 condo-hotel units, all of which sold out a year before the building was even finished. Needless to say, the values of the condo-hotels in this building have gone up significantly.

There are several reasons for the popularity of condo-hotels. When you purchase a property, you purchase a condo unit in the hotel. Unlike a time share, you have access to the property whenever you want, and it is put into a rental pool when you are not in residence. Although developers can't guarantee the properties will rent, management by a well-known hospitality group will typically result in several weeks of rental income. This is one of the biggest appeals of condo-hotels because the rental income can offset some of the costs of owning a vacation property.

In addition, the management company takes care of renting the unit, using their connections and expertise. You don't have to worry about any of these details. Most rental agreements split the income 50/50 between the management company and the owner. However, some properties offer more favorable arrangements, and this is another aspect to consider when deciding which property to purchase.

Despite the fact that the property is in a hotel setting, a condo-hotel is considered a private residence, and owners are eligible for mortgage interest deductions and all the other tax advantages that come from owning a second home. However, most condo-hotels do not allow you to live in the unit year round. This is because the management company wants to rent out the unit when you are not there, so both you and they can profit from that rental income.

Each condo-hotel property has its own residence restrictions that indicate the maximum amount of time you can live in the property. This is an important piece of information to consider before purchasing a condo-hotel unit. Most owners do not intend to live in their condo year round, so this is not a concern in typical circumstances.

Why not just rent a hotel room? In addition to the investment aspect, condo-hotels usually offer more room than a standard hotel room. Most suites are one or two bedrooms, and larger units are available. Condo-hotels typically have cooking facilities and other homey features that hotel rooms do not. This makes it ideal to have family stay with you when they come to visit.

With the advantages they offer over time shares, it's easy to see why so many people looking for a vacation property investment they can also enjoy when they want are now looking at condo-hotels.

For more on finding and buying the right condo-hotel, check out Make Your Next Home a Resort, the 2005 Guide to Condo-Hotels, Fractional Shares and Resort Residences. You can download the Guide as a pdf file at http://www.InvestingIN.com/realestate/resorts/resort4u.htm

Leon Altman is the founder of the InvestingIN Real Estate Letter - http://www.InvestingIN.com/realestate/LtrSignup3.htm - and its parent website, http://www.InvestingIN.com - a website that provides articles and newsletters about opportunities in different areas.


MORE RESOURCES:

New York Real Estate Institute Offers the Real Estate Salesperson ...
MarketWatch - 20 hours ago
NEW YORK, Dec 04, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- New York Real Estate Institute, the region's number one learning institution for licensed real estate ...
CashFlowDepot.com Announces Online Training For Real Estate Investors PR Web (press release)
New York Real Estate Institute Offers the Real Estate Salesperson ... International Business Times
all 10 news articles


Housing crunch pushes real estate offices to close
Bizjournals.com, NC - 46 minutes ago
One of Greater Nashville’s largest residential real estate firms — ERA Pacesetter Partners — is closing up shop. It’s only the latest casualty of tough ...
Bankers deep in commercial loans Bizjournals.com
all 4 news articles


Cousins Properties to Present at the 12th Annual Wachovia Global ...
MarketWatch - 22 hours ago
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008, Cousins Properties Incorporated is a leading diversified real estate company with extensive experience in ...


Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. Announces Results of 2008 Annual ...
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
BEIJING, Dec 05, 2008 /PRNewswire-Asia via COMTEX/ -- Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. ("Xinyuan" or "the Company")(NYSE: XIN), a fast-growing residential real ...


Clarke proposes real-estate incentives
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - 7 hours ago
By Jeff Shields City Councilman Darrell L. Clarke wants to stimulate the city real estate market by offering tax breaks for homebuyers and incentives for ...
Clarke urges cutback in tax-abatement program Philadelphia Daily News
all 3 news articles


German Stocks Drop; Hypo Real Estate, Continental, E.ON Fall
Bloomberg - 22 hours ago
Hypo Real Estate Holding AG and Continental AG dropped at least 2 percent after Deutsche Boerse AG said the companies’ shares will be removed from the ...
Salzgitter, Beiersdorf to join German DAX-30 Index The Associated Press
Salzgitter, Beiersdorf to join Germany's DAX index Forbes
German Stocks Erase Gains; Hypo Real Estate, Continental Drop Bloomberg
Bloomberg - Bloomberg
all 92 news articles


Boston Globe

China's CIC appoints real estate fund head -sources
Reuters - Dec 3, 2008
Besides real estate funds, Zhou's team is also responsible for CIC's direct investments and non-real estate private equity funds. ...
Israel stocks fall; Israel Corp., Discount in focus MarketWatch
UPDATE 1-Immofinanz buys time with 130 mln euros disposal Reuters
Developer Africa Israel posts steep loss in Q3 Reuters
Reuters - Reuters
all 2,006 news articles


Inwood: Hunting real estate deals at the tip of Manhattan
Newsday, NY - 30 minutes ago
Prices have risen in recent years, but the overall pain in the housing market has made a dent, according to Lisa Snyder, a real estate agent for Halstead ...


NorthStar Realty Finance to Present at the Wachovia Securities ...
SYS-CON Media, NJ - 2 hours ago
NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. is an internally managed REIT that primarily originates and invests in commercial real estate debt, real estate securities ...


Real estate agents report 54 home sales in November
Longview Daily News, WA - 6 hours ago
Real estate agents sold 54 homes in Cowlitz County in November, down from the 82 sold the previous year according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, ...
Prices Continue to Dip for Kitsap Real Estate Kitsap Sun
Drop in condo sales leads to slow November for Whatcom County real ... Bellingham Herald
King County home prices fall 9.2% in November Seattle Times
all 9 news articles

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map
© 2006