Global Realty Portal

In any real estate negotiation, buyers ask and sellers push back -- because if you're the buyer and you don’t ask, you don’t get. While sellers want the highest price and buyers want the best deal, the two have to meet somewhere in the middle for the deal to close. Negotiating for a home is important since this is the largest asset most people own and there’s potentially a lot of cash at stake. “The premise or foundation for negotiation is looking at the data and the black and white of it all; then it becomes this dance of personalities -- the two agents and the parties of buyers and sellers,” observes Allison Turk, realtor associate at EWM, based in Miami Beach. “At the end of the day, everybody has a goal to close a transaction," Turk says. "Sellers want to sell, and buyers want to buy, but sometimes, it gets a little muddy in between.” One party always has the upper hand, however. In a buyer’s market, those looking for a property can walk aw...

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about real estate investment, it’s time to jump into the game. And, once you do, your first hill to climb will involve getting your facts straight. Here are the top nine myths I see spouted almost daily: 1. Investing in real estate is too risky. 2. You need a higher education to succeed as an investor. 3. You have to be rich to invest in real estate. 4. Investing takes too much time. 5. That late-night TV infomercial real-estate stuff is your only option. 6. You need outstanding credit to invest. 7. You can do just fine investing in the stock market. 8. Only institutions and full-time pros make it in real estate. 9. There is too much competition to be successful. Investing in anything can be risky. However, in real estate you have a tangible, hard asset to fall back on, unlike what occurs with the stock market. With the right skills and even just an average housing market, you can do well. But diminishing risk sta...

The NYSC mandatory one month entrepreneurship and vocational training will commence this year with the passage of the 2016 Appropriation Bill, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has said. The Director-General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Masari, told Newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday that the agency would also seek for additional funding. According to him, this will be done in collaboration with the NYSC and other relevant stakeholders such as Banks and GSM companies. Regarding the funding of the NYSC mandatory one month entrepreneurship and vocational training, SMEDAN has explored variety of funding windows and resolved to fund the programme through statutory budgetary allocation. Hopefully, the funding of the programme will commence this year with the passage of the 2016 Appropriation Bill. In addition, the agency has sought for additional funding through collaboration with the NYSC and other relevant stakeholders such as Banks, GSM comp...

THE Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma has justified the construction of the second Abuja Airport runway, which he said was necessary in order to cater for increase in passenger and airline movement at the airport. Mr Dunoma noted that the construction of a second runway would further prevent the deterioration of the existing runway. He envisioned that with the present rate of growth in the industry, the existing runway may not be able to effectively sustain the traffic. He said in furtherance of the determination to ensure that the facility is put in place, a committee had been set up made up of official of the FAAN and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to determine what the runway would look like in terms of structure. According to him “a second runway is very important because it is key to our operations.” He also said a survey to determine the location of the second runway at the airport had been carr...

THE hike in electricity tariff against widespread opposition of Nigerians smacks of gross insensitivity on the part of the authorities to the high level of poverty and suffering of Nigerians. An albatross on Nigeria from which there seems to be no escape for the people would seem to have been made heavier on their necks. Coming barely a year after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced a sharp increase in electricity tariff, the latest hike, even when there is yet no appreciable improvement in power supply, is a slap in the face of Nigerians who have been made victims of oppressive electricity merchants. The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had, about a month ago, disclosed that electricity tariffs would be increased, evidently, against the backdrop of low power output. The House of Representatives, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), among others, kicked against the move and asked g...

IF on-going demolition and enforcement of environmental regulations in parts of the state are indications of efforts to renew it, the governor deserves to be supported rather than crucified. It must be noted that urban renewal is a sine qua non for any serious government of a hustling and bustling community as Lagos, which is one of the most populous states, and easily the state with the highest population density in the country. Besides, the gains recorded by the preceding administration of Babatunde Raji Fashola can only be of benefit to the people of the state if they are consolidated by the succeeding administration. Failure to so consolidate will sooner than later spell chaos for the state. Before now, the new administration has been harshly criticised over the worsening traffic gridlock, and the seeming irresolvable lawlessness of motorists in Lagos. While these problems are not new, some people, particularly commercial drivers, seem to derive pleasure in taking advantage...

The unveiling of the 2017 Lincoln Continental Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show completes the four-year rollout of new models that brand president Kumar Galhotra hopes will expand the Ford division’s share of the profitable luxury market. The Continental, which goes on sale this fall, will be Lincoln’s flagship. It carries a storied name from the marque, but that’s where the resemblance ends. There’s nothing old and fusty about this car. The retro grille of recent models is gone, replaced by a nose that might put some in mind of Jaguar’s XF sedan. Purely coincidence, Galhotra said. It’s an original design. “It’s now going to be the new signature grille for the [Lincoln] portfolio,” he said, noting the look debuted with the redesigned MKZ. But the Jaguar comparison may not be out of line. The car’s features hint at Jag’s original philosophy of grace, space and pace. Galhotra’s presentation emphasized the complex array of electronic features designed to warmly welc...