Selling Zillow to Candidates

I spend most of my time at Zillow recruiting and retaining great people. I feel strongly that this is the best use of my time because we will be very successful if I can just recruit extraordinary people, help set their strategic direction, and then stay out their way. I do several “sell calls” each week and even more in-person sell calls. I am typically involved in every “sell” for a software developer regardless of the office where the candidate is being recruited, and I also sell every senior hire (Directors and VPs). What do I tell them to try to convince them to join Zillow?

• Zillow is in high-growth mode. Growth is fun. When you're growing, people are optimistic, and there is ample opportunity for career growth. Great people achieve great things and have extraordinary careers when they join companies in hyper-growth mode. It’s much harder to carve out an interesting and successful career – regardless of your personal attributes – if your company is in slow-growth mode or worse still, if it is shrinking.

• We are just getting started. The mobile explosion has been a phenomenal catalyst for our business and is driving huge usage and market share gains for Zillow. And although our revenue is growing quickly, we are still in the very early stages of capturing our “fair share” of ad budgets in our four marketplaces (real estate, mortgages, rentals and home improvement). Advertisers follow audience. We have the audience, and advertisers are flocking.

• Don’t be a cog in the wheel! Zillow is still small enough where an individual can make a significant difference. This is a particularly effective line of reasoning for software developers choosing between Zillow and Amazon/Microsoft (with whom we often compete for developers in Seattle). Zillow is the right balance: We're big enough that you A) don’t have to worry about job security (as compared to a smaller startup), B) can have a big impact because we run very lean product development teams, and C) can have your software enjoyed by tens of millions of people because of our huge audience.

• Zillow is winning. Winning is fun.

There are lots of other great reasons to work at Zillow – competitive pay, good benefits, extraordinary colleagues and much more. My success rate on these “sells” is very high. And it’s not because I’m a particularly persuasive salesperson. It’s because Zillow is really a great place to work.

Jacksonville looks at allowing short-term vacation rentals

JACKSONVILLE — Provisions to allow short-term vacation rentals will be considered for inclusion in planning-code revisions that will be unveiled next month in a town that some say lacks accommodations.

"A lot of people may want to have vacation rentals. We'll address that in the revised code," said city Planning Director Amy Stevenson.

Ashland's City Council is wrestling with how to handle such rentals as various factions weigh in on the debate. Those rentals, often found on the Internet, may not be approved or pay lodging tax.

"It's not a hot issue here," said Stevenson. "We have had some residents express a desire to do that."

An initial hearing on the proposed revisions, which will look at all aspects of planning including regulations in the historic district, tentatively will be held in late August.

The revisions will be subject to public review and consideration by the Historic and Architectural Review Commission and the Planning Commission. The City Council would need to approve any changes.

Legally approved accommodations collect and pay a lodging tax. Stevenson said city officials strive for equity, something that's missing with nonapproved units that are not subject to paying the lodging tax when they are rented.

"We are aware that it is happening," said Stevenson. "We survey Craigslist and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) every once in a while. If we see someone and they don't have approval they usually hear from us. Usually they have to shut down because they can't comply."

Home owners and others can rent rooms and accessory dwellings for a minimum of 30 days. Bed and breakfast lodgings must be located within the town's historic district and be owner-occupied. Commercial lodging can operate in approved zones.

Jacksonville collects lodging taxes on 80 approved units, said city Treasurer Stacey McNichols. Of those, the Wine County Inn with 32-rooms adjacent to 5th Street entering town is the largest.

A review of three websites Wednesday showed about 20 listings, some being duplicates.

AirBnB had eight listings; three for approved in-town historic cottage rentals, four listed as near town and one on a 90-acre ranch. VRBO had nine listings with some of those approved. The status of the rest could not be determined. Craigslist showed eight short-term rentals.

Opinions varied on the need for more accommodations.

"I think it's a great idea," said Arlis Duncan, chamber of commerce president. "We don't have enough lodging in town. We can't have a conference here with 200 people in town. We'd like to have people come and visit."

Duncan rents out her approved vacation cottage, which she said is occupied most of the year.

"Most of the people that I personally know (renting accommodations) and those coming through the chamber are doing it on the legal basis," said Duncan.

Graham Farran of Expert Properties Inc. manages more than 20 furnished accommodations that he rents for a month or longer. He says he gets a lot of calls for shorter term stays that he cannot fulfill. But he's concerned about allowing such rentals in single family residential areas.

"I don't want to live next to a vacation rental," said Farran. "I don't think that would ever pass in Jacksonville."

During Britt Music Festival events, the city could use more accommodations, but at other times additional rooms might lack customers, said Farran.

Maryl Cipperly at the Chamber of Commerce's Visitors Center expressed similar concerns.

"We've got some great accommodations but they fill up so fast, especially when it's a Britt week," said Cipperly. "Last week I don't think you could buy a room here. In the winter, things slow down,"

'Accidental landlords' face sizeable tax bill for rental income

Many of the 'accidental landlords' thrown up by the economic squeeze have no idea of the financial minefield that comes with renting out their home.

One of the biggest financial headaches is the tax bill, which could easily run into several thousand euro a year. Some landlords are already running into difficulties paying these tax bills.
Accidental landlords include those who rent out their homes because they can no longer afford their mortgage repayments. It also includes those in negative equity who have moved house – yet put off selling their home until prices pick up enough to ensure a house sale pays off their mortgage.
The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) last week reported a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking legal advice on landlord and tenant issues – a phenomenon it attributed to the rise in the number of accidental landlords.
Financial problems have forced many people to rent out their homes in a hurry – and this is one of the reasons that accidental landlords often don't understand their rights and responsibilities, according to FLAC, which offers free legal advice on debt and other issues.
The financial headaches that accidental landlords seek to escape by renting our their home are often quickly replaced by others.

TAX ON RENT

Many of the people who rent out their home to cover their mortgage repayments are not aware that they have to pay tax on a good chunk of the rent they receive, according to Margaret McCormick, information officer with the Irish Property Owners' Association, which represents landlords.
You could have to pay tax equivalent to almost half of the rental income received in a year – even if all of that rent is being used to repay a mortgage.
You can write certain expenses off your rental income tax bill – but you cannot write off the full cost of your mortgage repayments. Only three-quarters of the mortgage interest you pay a year can be written off against the tax bill that arises from renting out a residential property.
The tax bill you face from renting out your home could run into a few thousand euro a year, depending on the amount of rent you earn. You pay tax at your higher rate of income tax and you must also pay the universal service charge on your rental income.
So, if you're a higher rate taxpayer and a PAYE worker, you could pay 48 per cent tax on rental income. If you're self-employed, you also have to pay 4 per cent PRSI which brings up the amount of tax paid to 52 per cent – or 55 per cent if you're earning more than €100,000.

From next year, everyone must pay PRSI on rental income so all landlords on the higher rate of income tax will pay at least 52 per cent tax.

A hefty tax rate like that eats into your pocket. If you're receiving rent of €1,200 a month, and you have to pay 52 per cent tax on that rental income, your tax bill would add up to about €7,500 – before any expenses are written off.

If the interest on your mortgage is not that high, and your expenses from renting out the property are about €1,000 a year, your tax bill after expenses might only be reduced to about €5,000.

Some of the rental expenses you can write off against tax include the cost of repairs to the rented property, any fees paid to a letting agent and the cost of home insurance. You can also write off the cost of any furniture or electrical appliances you bought to kit out the property over eight years (at a rate of 12.5 per cent a year).

PROPERTY TAXES

Unless you own a property that is worth more than €1m, you will pay between €90 and €1,755 in local property tax next year – depending on the value of your property. This property tax must usually be paid on any residential properties you own.

You must also pay the annual €200 Non Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge. The NPPR will be abolished next year, but if you haven't paid it since it kicked in in 2009 you face hefty penalties. If, for example, you have never paid the NPPR, by the end of this month the late payment fees for one property will have clocked up to €3,420.

You cannot write off the cost of the local property tax or the NPPR charge against your rental income tax bill.

TAX REBATE BILL

When renting out your home, you are no longer entitled to any mortgage interest relief you received on your mortgage when that property was your home – and you will have to pay this back to Revenue if you continue to claim it.

"People forget to get on to the Revenue to cancel their mortgage interest relief when they rent out their home," said Cathal Maxwell, founder and managing director of the tax saving website paylesstax.ie. "Once you let out your home, cancel your mortgage interest relief. Otherwise, you could easily owe Revenue a few grand after a couple of years."

GETTING OFF THE HOOK FOR TAX BILLS

If you have run into problems with debt and are signing up to one of the new personal insolvency deals as a result, Revenue may write off your tax bill.

"Tax liabilities in certain circumstances may be written off under the new personal insolvency legislation," said a spokeswoman for the Revenue Commissioners. "The landlord will have to satisfy a number of conditions – they must be insolvent and 75 per cent or more of the landlord's debts must be greater than six months old."

Even if you're not seriously in debt, if you're running into difficulties paying the tax bill on a rented property, get in touch with the Revenue Commissioners as you may be able to come to an alternative arrangement to repay your tax.

"Revenue is aware that in the current economic situation, some businesses and taxpayers, including landlords, are experiencing difficulties meeting their tax payment obligations," said the Revenue spokeswoman. "It is best to approach us directly as soon as problems arise rather than later when the problems have become more serious.

"Nothwithstanding the prevailing difficult economic and financial environment, Revenue expects businesses and individuals to maintain and organise their financial affairs in such a fashion as to ensure their tax debts are paid as they fall due."

REGISTRATION FEE

When you rent out a residential property, you must register the tenancy with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). It costs €90 to register a tenancy – or €180 if you don't register the tenancy within a month of renting out your home.

If you don't register your tenancy with the PRTB, you won't be able to write off three-quarters of your mortgage interest against the tax bill on your rental property. You can write off your PRTB registration fee against tax.

OTHER COSTS

It will usually be easier to rent out your property if it is furnished – however, you could spend a few grand kitting out a property.

The bill could be higher if renting out a bedsit. Under new regulations which kicked in earlier this year, each flat, apartment or house must have its own toilet, bath or shower.

"In some cases the bedsit might be too small for this, the landlord may not be able to get planning permission to put in a self-contained toilet, or the cost of doing so would simply be prohibitive," said McCormick.

You can also expect to see your home insurance bills soar when renting out your home. Insurers take the view that tenants won't care for a property as well as an owner would – and they will charge landlords more as a result.

If you decide on hiring a letting agent, you could end up paying them between 10 and 15 per cent of the rent to find a tenant for your home and then manage the tenancy for you. Some of the smaller letting agents charge €1,000 a year to find and manage tenants – so shop around.

If you run into problems with your tenants, you could end up in serious financial difficulty – particularly if you are relying on the rent to cover your mortgage repayments.

"If someone doesn't pay the rent, it could take you a-year-and-a-half to get them out of the property," said McCormick. "Even at the end of that time, there's no guarantee you will get back any of the rent owed at all."

 

Russell Brand hunts for rented house by Zee News

London: British comedian Russell Brand is looking for a rented house here and enquired about it on the microblogging site Twitter.

He is on a break from his Messiah Complex world tour and is looking for a temporary place to stay, reports thesun.co.uk.

He posted a message on Twitter, requesting his fans to inform him if someone is willing to rent a house.

“Seriously. Does anyone have a flat in east London to rent between July 30 and August 14? For me? Send links/pics/kinky advantages," Brand posted.

Brand received a huge response full of naughty messages.

Renting Vacation Spots from Craigslist

This summer you might be thinking to spend your time on a spot that is so filled with fresh air and the beauty of nature. This happens when you are living a hectic city life from day to day which is so dull and crazy. So when you get your vacations time you want to leave this hectic world and seek refuge in nature. This is normal for human beings to get back to nature. No matter how much advanced and technological we become we would always want to seek refuge in nature at the end of the day because that is where we come from and we are bound to get back to our root and our origin.

The places and spots that offer natural beauty and the best weather at this summer time become the attractions for us because we know we will have a good time over there. That is the reason that we decide to pack our bags and look for the places to live on the Craigslist so to find some place on rent where we can live for the entire time that we have to spend on that vacation spot.

When you decide that you have to do this then you think about opening and checking up the list to look for the rental property and get it on rent instantly. This is where you go wrong at times. Sometimes it happens that you find a good place on the Craigslist and you get it for rent only by a phone call and go with it very easily. When you reach your vacation point you get the place and you become happy-go-lucky sort of a person but this is not necessary to happen all the time.

There are times when things go wrong. Man has been sent to earth to choose between good and bad hence making his own destiny. It is now in man’s own hands that whether he chooses wisely or he acts like fools and gets himself into troubles. There are people who are the living and walking shadows of devils. These people like to trap the other people using many different ways in order to make money by using the wrong sources. This is what is happening on the world of internet as well. Craigslist can be a very good partner when it comes to renting places but you can never be sure that the place you are being offered is genuine and has no scam involved in it. If you get to face such a scam then there are chances that you can get your money snatched out of your hands and you end up destroying your’s and your family’s vacations right on that instant.

Now your question might be;

What is this?

And;

How can we save ourselves from this scam?

To answer these questions I would rather say that is very common of a thing on internet. On the internet the business dealing are done through messaging and there is no face to face contact of the owner and the customer. That is why people tend to open fake advertisements and promotions so that you can fall for their trap. Get their displayed property on rent and then send them the money. When you do all this and you reach your spot on the final day, you get to know that there was no such place as the one you bought on rent from someone on that particular location or else someone else is already living in that place because it was their property and did not belong to the one who rented it to you.

What to Do?

If you want to avoid all of these scams then you should be very careful and follow some tips that can save you from these scams.

-          Always meet the people who are renting you the place.

-          Better option is to hire a property agent who can find you a better place.

-          Complete the paper work carefully.

-          Check that the property is legally and legally belong to the owner who is lending you the property.

If you take care of these things then you will not face troubles regarding renting.

Real Estate Law

Real Estate Law:

When you have to get a property on rent or you have to lend it to someone you should follow the real estate law. Real estate law is very important and holds greater measure for promoting the real estate property on rent. This is not the only benefit that you get from the real estate law services. It also gives you the right guideline to follow and protects you from getting into the scams and other problems related to the property issues.

If you are getting a property on rent or giving a property on rent then the guidelines that the Real estate Law provides you hold the given points that you should follow.

Work on Time:

Times change for everything gradually and off and on to make the best use of everything. For everything there is a season.  If you follow the right time to do the right job then you are bound to face prosperity and if you do not do your job on the right time then troubles are bound to knock at your door and you will have to face them. Same is the case with the business of real estate. There are times when the business of real estate is going down and there are times when it is on peak. In the areas which are tourism focused areas, the time when the tourists come is the peak time for the people who do their business in renting properties to the tourists. That is why, if you follow the real estate laws and the schemes then you can also make the idea that what ids the exact time in which you would get the maximum benefits from a property by giving it to someone. On the other hand, for those who are to face the matter of renting a property to live, they should follow the schemes of the time and area. They should look at the range they want to get the property in and according to that they should choose the location and the time of their property renting to save their money. Tricks are available on both sides all you have to be is efficient enough to trace them.

Get a Property Agent:

A property agent is the one who guides you for the right way related to your property. They are the ones who know in detail about all the property laws and can help you with ease. There are qualities in the real estate agent that no other person possesses. You cannot handle the property renting matters always on your own. This becomes the important reason for you to get a property agent. There are the specifics that must be there in the property agent who is good at his job and can help you with efficiency.

-          The property agent must be very well connected to the neighborhood.

-          He should know all about the area you have to get your property in.

-          He should have the knowledge of those who want to rent a property if you are the one who want to end your property to others.

-          The agent should know the rates.

-          He should know how he has to deal with the parties.

-          He should know what is in and what is going to be out from the market.

-          He should have the knowledge of the property to a greater extent.

If the property agent that you have hired has all these mentioned qualities in him then you can be sure that you will make a fine deal. This makes sure that you will not end up in any trouble.
 

Auction:

There is the chance for you to get the people who are to take your property on different rates of rent. Even if you have to sell the property then also you will not be able to make sure that about the maximum rate that you could get on your property so that you can enjoy the benefits of it. If you put your property on auction then you will easily be able to get the best of rates on your property without making any much effort.

The Phenomena of Renting

The system of renting is very popular these days. If the people cannot the place of their own then they get places on rent. There are many other reasons for why people take and give their property on rent.

You must have seen people around you who do the business for renting a property as the tenant’s ad people who take the property on rent. You must have seen many get into troubles because of giving their property on rent or otherwise taking the property on rent. The basic question behind all the renting that arises is that why do people give their property on rent and why does the other take it on rent?

The answers to both these questions can be sought by discussing the points separately. That is how only we can sort out the factors that are important in case of becoming the reasons for people who lend and who take the property on rent and for what purposes the property is actually taken on rent.

Why do People give their Property on Rent?

People in the entire world give their property for rent to others because of many different reasons.

Vacant Property:

The property that does not come in use of the people because they have extra constructed property of their own tend to give their property on the rent so that they do not have to keep their place vacated and make no use of them. They can get a source to keep them used and working. The building stays alive for as long as it is being used by the living things i.e. people, a deserted place starts to decay on its own.

As a Business:

People in the places where it is sure that people will come  to visit the place, which makes up all the vacation spots in the world, it is the natives business to make places for the people  to live or else give the  shopkeepers and business men to open their shops and offices. This is practices as a business over in those places.

Money Making:

Those who are needy and they have some property in their hands, they give their place on rent to earn some money and make a living for them.

-          Why People Take Property on Rent and for What Purpose?

People who take the property on rent have their own reasons, some of them are:

Job and Education:

People who find it unavoidable to move and shift places in order to look for a better education opportunity or in the case that they get a job outside hometown,they cannot afford to get their own personal place and so they look for places for rent.

Business:

Those who have to start their business in some place they get the stores and offices on rent to make the living approachable and affordable until they can get the place of their own.

Shelter:

The families which are poor enough in the third world countries that cannot afford their own place as a shelter for their kids get the places on rent.