Atlanta Home Builders - Like the idea of living in the state of southern hospitality? Take a look at the Atlanta home builder communities to see if you can find something for you and your family. Available below are some links to notable home builders in the Atlanta area.

McConnel Homes - Have your own idea of a home? Have yours custom built with McConnel Homes. This home builder is respected in the Atlanta community and offers energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes.

Beazer Home Builder - Beazer Homes is an Atlanta home builder that offers townhomes and single-family homes between $100,000 and $600,000. Take a look at the floor plans to see if any of the designs catch your eye.

John Wieland Homes - Move to you new Atlanta home in one of John Wieland's communities. There are 37 communities in the Atlanta area, so finding something that fits your taste should be no problem. Take a look at the different locations and price ranges to see which you like.

Eco Custom Homes - Just as its name hints, Eco Custom Homes is a builder that offers eco friendly solutions to new and already existing homes. You can buy one of their semi-custom homes, which are older homes that were remodeled with eco-friendly features. There are also some current or recently completed projects you can look into, so make sure to take a peek.

Dr Horton America's Builder - This is a national home builder that creates over 41,000 houses annually. You can find some of their various homes in the Atlanta area. There are 36 communities available with various price ranges and designs.

Looking for your new home from an Atlanta home builder? Browse through the available links to see what you can find for your family. There are all types of home sizes to fit families of all sizes, so you are bound to find something.

Paul is a principal of NewHomesSection.com. Search home builders and Atlanta home builders today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Escobedo

Building a house nowadays, is a decision which entails heavy costs, problems relating to finance and construction, delays in delivery and quality problems, titles, delays on building permits etc. Building a house is an investment decision, which should be studied carefully, as most families built a house once in their lifetime and the final decision in most cases can be irreversible. Below are some general guidelines, which could help the owner to assess the cost of building a house, since small items, which could build up the cost of the house, are usually ignored.

Cost of building plot

Prior to the commencement of construction of your own home, at least the plot should be, or nearly be paid. This will certainly give you an advantage with the financing of the building cost for the house and it is a prerequisite for all financiers. For the transfer of ownership of the plot a Governmental transfer fee of 7%-8% (on average) is required on the market value (not necessarily what you paid for) of the plot.

Cost of the Mortgage & Finance

To register a mortgage, a fee will be paid to the Land Registry Office of about 1% on the Mortgage amount. Normally the mortgage amount is the actual loan %2B 20% on top. You will have to pay the stamp duties and other Bank expenses, which could take the form of once and for all Bank charge (say, on average CYP1000). If you borrow from a bank there is an additional charge of approximately 1.5%-2.0% p.a. on top of the legal base rate of 4.5%. There are now many alternative housing schemes including Life Insurance finance, Co-Op financing etc which extend for 25-40 years and own contribution approximately 20% (usually through term life insurance).

Cost of Architectural Drawings

It is imperative to use a qualified Architectural Office which will have the responsibility for the work done. You should not compromise on this, since the Architect is the most important person in the whole process of building your house. Yes, go to different offices and do discuss fee levels and then make your decision, but always use a qualified architect. Rates are normally around 5% on the total cost of the building and includes the design and supervision. Some architects go up to around 6%-8%.

You will also need to employ a Civil Engineer to carry out the structural design. This cost, with supervision is approximately 1% on the cost of the building.

The cost of the building referred to, includes all items, but not the fees paid to the Authorities and decorative items. So please clear the matter with the Architect, Engineer, etc., what is included is the total building cost.

Cost of Building Licence

The Town Planning Department charges for the issue of the licence will cost you around £300 and for the building licence an added amount of £150-£200.

Cost of the Quantity Surveyor & M/E Engineer

If you wish to engage a Quantity Surveyor for the building, a fee of 1% of the total building cost is required. The cost for a mechanical engineer (for large buildings) is approximately 3%-5% on the cost of the Electrical and Mechanical Budget. Although the use of the above is optional, it is recommended for large and complicated buildings.

Cost of the building

Below you will find a guide of the building costs:

Normal quality house

* CYP500 per sq. meter for the covered area
* CYP150 per sq. meter for the uncovered veranda
* CYP250 per sq. meter for the basement

Good quality house

* CYP550-CYP650 per sq. meter for covered area (depending on quality/facilities)
* CYP180 per sq. meter for uncovered area

Plus the cost of a garage (£3000), water borehole (£1500), fencing and garden (£3500-£4500) for normal plots sizes.

Costs to other Authorities

Extra costs have to be paid for connection to the Water Board, Electricity, Telephone and Land registry Office (demarcation, issue of title etc) estimated at about £1000 in total.

-Total cost/sq.m. for a (250 sq.m.) house
-House 250 sq.m. @ £550/sq.m. £138.500
-Fees and Licences £9.000
-Interest on Loan (say) £6.000
-Other Authorities £1.500
-Garden etc. £3.000
-Sundry other expenses £4.000
-Total cost £162.000 or (£745/sq.m.)
-on top add 15% V.A.T.

The purchase of equipment and installation cost of central heating is an addition and costs approximately £20/sq.m. and for the airconditioning system, an additional amount of approximately £40/sq.m.

A large number of people act as their own contractors for the building and subcontract all the various jobs and supplies of the work. Where the owner is able and with sufficient knowledge and has the time to carry out the supply and coordinating function, there could be a possible saving of 8-10% on total cost. Going further, if "weekend housing" is put into effect (whereby all the family and friends offer themselves as labourers, skilled and unskilled) then the cost can be reduced by 12%-15%. Obviously, in both cases there is the strong danger that the quality will suffer and the time of completion extended.

In recent years, with the introduction of VAT and the increase in labour costs, we have experienced an increase of 7-10% per year, in building cost, a level which is higher than inflation. This has made the building of a house that much more difficult. A house can take approximately 18 months to be completed.

A last item that can cost between 5%-8% in addition, is the right of the Contractor to ask for increase in labour costs and materials prices during the period of construction. Therefore a certain amount for unforeseen costs should be included in the final costing.

Unfortunately in Cyprus we have not reached any stage of prefabrication, whereby sections of the house, windows, doors, kitchens, etc., are prefabricated so that there is a reduction in costs. Also the shortage of skilled labour has created a certain indifference to the quality produced and should always be watched.

The problems related to the building of a house and the related delays have caused the market to direct its interest towards ready houses (a circumstance which did not exist 7-9 years ago). We expect this trend to continue with a positive effect on the value of ready homes.

http://www.aloizou.com.cy

nicosia@aloizou.com.cy

Mr Antonis Loizou FRICS, is the Managing Partner of Antonis Loizou & Associates, a professional service provider based in Cyprus.

Mr Loizou has practiced in the UK and Cyprus for over 30 years, has a long track record of providing advice on complex real estate projects, writes regularly in the financial press, and is involved in the highest levels of the Cyprus government influencing policy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Antonis_Loizou

In this modern era of convenience shopping, buying a house is probably the most longwinded purchase you'll ever make. One of the major time eaters of the whole house buying procedure is the conveyancing process, which is the transfer of ownership of real estate from one person to another. It may sound like a very simple process but it can easily take two or even three months to complete.

As it a legal process, a large majority of people employ the use of a solicitor or licensed conveyor to carry out all the legal work. The conveyancing process begins in earnest once an offer has been made and accepted on a property and both parties have exchanged details of their solicitors. However, even once you have accepted the offer, you must remember that it has been made subject to contract and survey. Your solicitor then liaises with the other solicitor at what appears to be a snails pace to complete the legal documentation that is required in transferring ownership. As the process can be very slow it can become very costly, so many people are now making the decision to do their own conveyancing. However conveyance is one of the areas of the property transaction that is the riskiest, most labour intensive, and filled with a vast amount of legalese (legal jargon). But you will find that doing it yourself will save you hundreds of pounds, as there will be no fees to pay, no mark ups or VAT on any disbursements that you may have to pay to a legal professional..

If you do some research before hand it can be beneficial because it can help you have better knowledge of the whole process of conveyance. The main benefit of doing your own conveyance is that you maybe able to do it much quicker if you devote the sole of your time to it.

However not everyone should rush out and do their own coveyancing, this is because it is very complicated and you need to be confident in your ability of not to make a mess of it, as you could face severe penalties for any mistakes. Also make sure that you do not miss any thing from the list of activities that a solicitor would normally do. If you do everything in a sequence and in plenty of time it should be fine.

The main problem that you are likely to face would be the lease and the contract. This is because it is the part where the solicitor would draw on their expertise on the process. So you need to careful and attentive and thorough in all your dealings with these documents. Also make sure you understand all the terms and conditions and the implications of all the clauses. Keep checking everything you have done and make sure everything is spelled correctly.

Even when you are sure you have done everything, it may still be worth getting a solicitor to give your work the once over and to ensure you haven't missed anything important or made a huge blazing error. You should be able to find a solicitor who will do this for you for around £100. Hopefully after getting every checked over by a professional it should bring you peace of mind.

The process of doing the conveyance may seem to be long a labour intensive, but if you are dedicated enough and organised enough to do as much research as you can, any thing is possible. But it is important to remember to keep checking what you have done.

Fazila is the author of several conveyancing related articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fazila_Mir