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Buy a House for Retirement

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Both homes and condos have their advantages and disadvantages for those getting ready to retire. There are some basic steps you can take to help decide whether you should buy a house, or if a condo would better fit your lifestyle. The right answer depends on more than just the financial pros and cons, as you also need to consider the kind of lifestyle you desire in your retirement years.

Keep in mind that condos are not exactly the same as a regular home. There are similarities, but owning a condo is a vastly different experience. Many condos mimic apartments and have some of the same features. Monthly fees and maintenance costs may also be quite different between condos and houses. For some people, the idea of living in an apartment where you share a common wall with neighbors is unappealing, while for others it may give them a sense of added security, especially for those who are single. Other seniors feel that condo ownership and rules are too restrictive.

Buy a Home in the US

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Resort areas like south Florida which were hard hit by the housing market crash are being helped by foreigners who want to buy a home in the US. Over the last year, more than 30%of the new home sales in Florida were made to foreign buyers.

That is a substantial increase from the rate of 10% before the housing market crash in 2007. Foreign buyers have showed an interest in Arizona properties as well. The cheap US home prices combined with a weak dollar are making properties in the US appear to be a good value. For example, Canadians have seen their currency rise 18% against the dollar since 2006, while the euro has gained even more at 22%. While the total number of US houses sold to foreigners has fallen from a year ago, some popular cities like Miami are still seeing an increase.

Buy & Lease Your Land for Oil Drilling

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You may run a business that buys, sells and leases land for a profit. There are various types of land, and their value will range depending on their location, surrounding amenities and potential for return on investment.

One type of land that has a large prosepects for returns is land that is suitable for oil drilling. Oil is a scarce commodity today, and it is becoming increasingly limited and expensive. As formerly developing nations such as China and India become industrialized and demand more oil, the current oil supply levels have remained stagnant, thereby increasing the price of oil and petrol.

Therefore, if you happen to own a property that can be drilled for oil, then you may have a source for black gold that will make you very wealthy. One of the strategies of some oil exploration and development companies is to drill in areas that were deemed unfit or not commercially profitable by previous drillers. This is the case for the Sentry Energy Production LLC, whose Energy Development is headed by Addison Antoinette Rand. Rand is in charge of identifying lower risk, less expensive development wells that already had a history of proven production. She's very approachable in her business, and is known to be involved in outside activities such as equestrian events and organizations like the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders' & Horsemen's Association. Since companies like Sentry Energy have a clear objective to target areas with a track record of oil production, it would be wise for land investors to buy properties that were once oil drilling areas or nearby these operations.

Oil exploration companies often work with land owners in order to drill the property. Some oil companies may purchase the land from the owner outright. While others may want to lease the land instead during the oil drilling operation. In any case, the land owner can reap large profits from working with the oil company.

As the property owner and land investor, it's very important to determine whether you have the sufficient rights to sell or lease the land for oil dirlling. In most cases, you will need both the rights to the mineral estate and the surface estate. In most mineral-rich areas, the rights to these estates is separate, so you should not assume that you automatically have both. For the purpose of oil drilling, it is the mineral rights which is most important as these rights guarantee access over the surface for oil drilling.