An Insight Into Property Development

Property development, also known as real estate development, is a multifaceted business process, encompassing activities that range from the acquisition of land and the renovation of buildings to the sale of developed land or lots to others. It’s a process that has been in existence since humans started claiming parts of the earth as their own.

The property development industry is a vital part of the economy, responsible for the creation of new buildings, homes, and commercial spaces, all of which add to the nation’s wealth and employment rates. It forms a crucial aspect of the construction industry, which contributes significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country.

Property developers are the visionaries behind the buildings that shape our cities and towns. They work with architects, builders, and local authorities to plan and execute large-scale projects, transforming ideas on paper into real properties that people can live in, work in, and enjoy.

The Nexus Between Property Development and Real Estate Investing

Now, an important facet of property development is real estate investing. Investing in real estate is an action undertaken by an individual investor or investment group to purchase property (real estate) with the intention to earn a return on the investment. This return can either come from rental income, the future resale of the property, or both.

Real estate investing can refer to a wide variety of investment styles. Some invest in commercial properties like shopping centers or office buildings. Others may focus on residential properties, buying up homes, and apartments to rent out or sell for profit. Yet another segment of real estate investing involves purchasing land with plans to develop it.

From the perspective of a property developer, real estate investing is vital as it provides the necessary capital for their projects. Without investment, most property development projects wouldn’t be able to commence. Investors, too, value property developers because they are able to increase the value of a piece of property far beyond the original purchase price, creating a profitable opportunity.

Significance of Property Development and Real Estate Investing

The dynamic relationship between property development and real estate investing plays an essential role in shaping our urban environments, creating spaces where we live and work. They contribute to the expansion of cities, the availability of new homes, and the revitalization of underdeveloped areas.

Moreover, property development and real estate investing provide substantial employment opportunities and contribute directly to the economic vitality of a region. They stimulate local economies through construction, sales, and often indirect job creation in the surrounding area.

In conclusion, property development and real estate investing are intertwined arenas. Both are dependent on each other and vital for urban growth and development. Together, they shape our cities and impact our everyday lives far more than we might think.

By Real Estate Advisor

A $135 million home tops the list of the most expensive homes for sale in America. Forbes.com compiled a list of the world’s most valuable homes on the market for the year 2007. The following are the top ten of America’s priciest mansions pulled out from the Forbes list. Interestingly six of the top ten of the world’s most expensive homes in 2007 are American.

The top 10 most expensive homes for sale in the United States in 2007 are:

1. Hala Ranch – Aspen, Colorado, $135 million: This 95-acre ranch estate consists of an expansive 56,000-square-foot mansion, with 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. America’s priciest mansion, owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, also boasts several smaller buildings, stables, a tennis court, an indoor pool, a steam room, an exercise room, cross-country ski trails and a fishing pond.

2. Fleur de Lys – Beverly Hills, California, $125 million: Modeled after the palace of Louis XIV at Versailles, this 45,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion is priced at $125 million making it the second most expensive home in the U.S. It had taken five years to complete this palatial home.

3. Maison de L’Amitie – Palm Beach, Florida, $125 million: Previously owned by former health care magnet Abe Gosman, the home was purchased by New York billionaire Donald Trump in 2004 at a bankruptcy auction for $41.25 million. Now refurbished, the mansion, featuring a ballroom, conservatory, a 100-foot swimming pool and 475 feet of ocean-front, is on the market for sale for $125 million.

4. Tranquility – Lake Tahoe, Nevada, $100 million: This expensive mansion sitting on a sprawling 210 acres is located on the tax-free Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. The property is owned by Joel Horowitz, the co-founder of Tommy Hilfiger. The 20,000-square-foot main house is modeled after a northern European mountain home. The Lake Tahoe house boasts of several luxuries such as a 3,500-bottle wine cellar, a giant indoor swimming pool and atrium, and a 19-seat movie theater.

5. Three Ponds – Bridgehampton, New York, $75 million: This home, designed by architect Allan Greenberg, is located amidst three lakes on 60 acres of Hamptons farmland. It features its own USGA-rated Rees Jones golf course, 14 gardens, a 75-foot-long swimming pool, golf pro shop, grass tennis court, and a guest house. The main house has a great room with a domed ceiling, 28 foot high.

6. The Portabello Estate – Corona del Mar, California, $75 million: This modern estate home built in 2002 is located on a triple oceanfront lot along the Pacific Ocean. The 30,000-square-foot home features eight bedrooms and 10 full baths.

7. Malibu, California, $75 million: This is a beach home with a difference. Located on a flat seven-acre lot the beach house is surrounded by picturesque ocean views. It features seven bedrooms, two riding stables, a riding ring, swimming pool, tennis court, and private access to the beach.

8. The Pierre Penthouse – New York City, $70 million: The eight most expensive home in the U.S. is a penthouse with balconies and windows that offer 360-degree views of Manhattan, Central Park, the East River, and the Hudson River. Consisting of the top three floors of one of the grandest hotels in New York, the Pierre is located overlooking Central Park. The penthouse features a grand salon that has a 23-foot high ceiling.

9. Belvedere, California, $65 million: This 10,000-square-foot home California home features six-bedrooms, herringbone floors, marble baths and front gates designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan. The home offers the combined beauty of the scenic San Francisco Bay, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge.

10. San Francisco, $65 million: This limestone palace is on the market for $65 million. It was sold for $32 million two years ago. It is significant that the limestone that the Gold Coast palace is clad in comes from a single quarry in France. Among the elite billionaires’ row neighbors are the Getty family. The mansion features European windows and the guest house has a 19th-century Italian tile roof.

About the Author: San Diego CondosSan Diego Homes For SaleCarmel Valley Real Estate

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By Michelle Simmons

As of today, there are thousands of Americans living in Europe. The majority of them are there for job purposes, and one of the main jobs they hold is teaching English. Teaching English in Europe will always be a source of employment for those wishing to live abroad, since the value placed on native-speaking teachers in Europe is extremely high.

The information below is designed to help you start thinking along the lines of becoming an English teacher in Europe. Consider these facts before you begin your job search, and the process should go much more smoothly for you.

Choosing a country

Your first step after deciding to teach English in Europe should be to decide what country you’d like to teach in. This is a difficult decision and should involve a great deal of research on your part.

The fact is, every country in Europe has different requirements for their teachers, and it’s much easier to find a job in some countries than it is in others. For example:

Germany is in great need of native English teachers, and getting a residency permit for teaching English in Germany is a fairly simple process. You do need TEFL certification and a secured job before you can receive a permit.

France is very popular among TEFL graduates, and job competition is fairly tough. Surprisingly, knowledge of business will get you further in your job search in France than will a solid knowledge of teaching. The French tend to hire English teachers at a business or corporate level, and the more you know about international communication the easier it will be to find a job.

Greece is rather difficult to break into, because visa requirements and red tape can be somewhat complicated. You won’t find many TEFL teachers in Greece because the permits to work are so hard to obtain.

Italy is even harder to break into than Greece, unless you are an EU citizen. Americans are usually not hired for English teaching jobs in Italy, and if they are it must be proven that they can bring something to the job nobody else can. Few companies and schools are willing to hire Americans because the process can be costly and time consuming.

As you can see, the country where you choose to teach should be chosen carefully. Although ideally you should pick a country you love and wish to spend time in, your primary deciding factor should be whether or not you can obtain a job. Unless you have a job lead already, you should be prepared to do hours of research before settling on a course of action.

General Tips

Before you begin the process of finding a job teaching English in Europe, we highly recommend that you graduate from college and get TEFL certification. While these things are not considered requirements in every European country, the majority of countries count them as great advantages, and you’ll have a much easier time getting hired.

Your course of study doesn’t particularly matter; you simply must have graduated from a four-year college with a degree in some subject. As for TEFL certification, it can be earned in a number of ways. Most colleges and community schools offer TEFL programs. You may even be able to become certified through a mail-in schooling program or over the Internet. TEFL certification gives you the skills you will need to cope with teaching English to non-native speakers in a classroom setting. Whether or not it helps you land a job, the information you learn during TEFL certification will be invaluable in your classroom experience.

Our best advice for those wishing to teach English in Europe? Do your homework. Be prepared to analyze and compare various countries before making a decision. Once you’ve chosen a destination, you should have a working knowledge of the native language and a good idea of what life in that country will be like. After all, it will be your home for at least the next year.

Teaching English in Europe is a truly amazing experience, and one that every adventurous person should have. The trick to success is to be as prepared as you can… and then get ready to expect the unexpected.

About the Author: Michelle Simmons is a contributing editor for ESLemployment, the leading job and resource site for the English Teaching Industry. Interested in receiving hundreds of English Teaching jobs listings weekly for free? To learn more visit

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By Alan Sharpe

One of the shortcomings of direct mail fundraising is that donors are usually thought of as numbers and not as people. Each donor or member in the database has a unique donor number that identifies that individual. You and I are tempted to examine each donors giving history in terms of frequency, recency and monetary value, all measured with numbers (years, months and money).

We then lump donors in categories and give them impersonal labelssuspect, prospect, major donor, lapsed donor, lybunt (a donor who gave last year but unfortunately not this year).

So the temptation when raising funds with appeal letters is to think of donors in terms of what they can do for the organization monetarily. To think of them as numbers. And yet donors who feel treated this way will not remain your donors for long. Todays donors give to charitable organizations for specific reasons, not simply because they have money to give.

The secret to building long-term, profitable, mutually beneficial relationships with donors is to think the way donors think.

Donors give for dozens of reasons. Some of them rational. Some of them irrational. But behind most decisions to support a worthy cause with a financial gift is a classic motivator. Once you understand what motivates donors to give, you are in a better position to ask them in the right way for the right amount at the right time for the right cause.

Here are three of the main reasons that donors respond to direct mail appeals:

You thanked the donor for the last gift

There are two times to thank donors. One is immediately after you receive their gift. You thank them by mailing a gift acknowledgement letter, note or card. (Or you phone them, which is even better.) The second time is in the next appeal letter that you mail. Somewhere in that letter, preferably somewhere in the first few paragraphs, thank your donor for the last gift you received from them. Like you, donors who feel appreciated are more likely to give again.

You asked them for a gift

This sounds like a self-evident fact, but its one of the basic tenets of fundraisingpeople give because they are asked. Which means people dont usually give unless they are asked, and until they are asked. Many development officers can tell stories of major donors they have approached who, when asked for the first time for a large donation, gave immediately. They would have given sooner. But they were not asked sooner. Your donors expect you to ask for a donation. If you do not ask them for a donation, they assume that you do not need their donation. And if you dont ask, be sure that someone else will.

You showed the donor a way to make a difference

You dont get prospects to come over to your side by explaining the many reasons you deserve support. You get prospects to join you by offering them an exciting, interesting problem to solve, says Conrad Squires in his book Teach Yourself to Write Irresistible Fund-raising Letters. Amen.

2006 Sharpe Copy Inc.

About the Author: Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor, coach, author and newsletter publisher who helps non-profit organizations to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at

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