A key point to remember when negotiating is realizing that estate agents need you a great deal more than you need them. You might actually be surprised how much money you can save on the estate agent fees if you try out some of the tips below.
Some Exceptions to Negotiating
Estate agency chains that are run corporately are more difficult to negotiate with than small agencies or estate agents who work independently. Corporately run, nation-wide agencies tend to enforce some strict policies surrounding commission levels and their employees have to adhere to these. These chains can get away with this rigidity because they know that there will always be buyers and sellers who will accept the terms of their contracts and the exorbitant charges without doing research into it.
This does not have to concern you, though. The small agencies and independent agents tend toward being of far higher quality, so it is advisable to use them whenever possible. There are a few things to remember when speaking with prospective estate agents when looking to sell your property.
What to Keep in Mind
Vermont businesses joining the VBEP go beyond compliance with existing environmental regulations, using resource conservation strategies and implementation of environmental best management practices. In addition to attracting customers seeking environmentally responsible businesses, program members can save thousands of dollars a year by reducing energy and water use as well as waste disposal costs. They benefit from the operational advice and knowledge of VBEP representatives during an on-site assessment.
The VBEP program that started in 1998 now has 109 Green Hotels, 12 Green Restaurants, 4 Clean Marinas, 3 Green Links golf Courses, 69 general sector business Environmental Partners, and 5 Environmental Leaders. All of these businesses have implemented a variety of environmental best management practices including: energy and water conservation measures; waste reduction and recycling; environmentally preferable or green purchasing; communication of their environmental improvements; and various other best management practices.
Participating businesses are listed on the VBEP web site and are encouraged to identify themselves as Vermont Business Environmental Partners with the program emblem at their businesses and on their websites. More information on the program can be found
This is because under the Income Tax Act, if you sell a house within three years of buying it, the tax benefits on the principal repayment and interest paid on the home loan are reversed. These are then included in your income when you file your tax return. Also, if a house is sold within five years of the end of the financial year in which it was purchased, all the deductions claimed under Section 80C with respect to the property are added to the taxable income in the year of sale.
Capital gain and indexation
Real estate is regarded as an asset, so the profit from its sale is assessed under the head ‘capital gains’. According to Manish Thakkar, director of Mumbai-based Thakkar Consultants, if a property is sold within three years of buying it, it is treated as a short-term capital gain. This is added to the total income and taxed according to the slab rate.
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In essence, we offer a seminal guide that spans the gamut of personal finance. Still, our work remains unfinished. For, even though the country’s fiscal fate appears to be altering, thanks to the proposed reforms, the world has not quite remedied its economic ills. And while regulatory activism spells hope for the small investor, the responsibility to secure your finances ultimately rests with you. So time shall continue to remain a pulsating presentiment and will not stop throwing challenges at you. But you shall not be alone; we at ET Wealth will guide you through all your financial travails. And together we shall learn to tame time, perhaps even befriend it.
