Advancing technology is bringing with it new medical innovations. We are certainly benefiting from these innovations, as in the case of new scanning equipment. This equipment is at the forefront of research and is very costly. To keep up with the technology, hospitals have to update their expensive equipments regularly; otherwise, they cannot offer the best health care to their patients. Every time a medical establishment upgrades the equipment, it has to sell off the old equipment.

Advantages of leasing medical equipment

Doctors starting a new practice might have modest capital and therefore not be able to afford to buy the best, new equipment. This will certainly hamper their business prospectus. Who will go to a new doctor with obsolete equipment? By leasing, the doctors can get the latest equipment and can use their cash to run the practice efficiently.

Large hospitals might have the capital required to buy the latest equipment, but they are in danger of getting burdened by the obsolete, costly equipment in near future. By leasing, the risk of ending up with an obsolete machine is minimized, as you can build, upgrade, or add-on to the lease. In the process, hospitals also save lot of cash, as there is hardly any upfront amount required for leasing the medical equipment. As a result, the hospitals can expand their business with the saved money.

Medical equipments available on lease

According to a study, the medical industry in the United States leased approximately $ 3 billion worth of equipment in the last year. Examples of the equipment that can be leased are blood analyzers, CT scanners, heart monitors, and X-ray machines.

In the medical industry, businesses need to stay equipped with the latest machines. Therefore, in such a technologically driven business, leasing medical equipment is a more profitable choice than purchasing it.

Trying to find a house for rent can be very frustrating, to say the least. Most people complain that there just is not enough houses for rent to choose from. You might find the perfect house for rent, but it is not in the right area. Conversely, you may find houses for rent in areas, other than in your desired neighborhood.

As a means to finding more houses for rent, you might want to consider a rent-to-own program. Generally there are more houses available for rent-to-own, then there are only for rent. No need to worry that you have now committed yourself to buying the house. Signing a rent-to-own contract simply means that if you want to buy the house at a later date, you have that option.

But what if your credit is bad, or you have no credit? For most investors bad credit is not a big concern. Typically, they work with a loan officer who will help you repair your credit, often in 6 months or less.
The great thing about rent to own houses is that typically, you get a rent credit, which can be applied to the purchase price of the house. Often, as much as 20% per month for all on-time payments!

Look at the following example:
You find a house for rent, on a rent-to-own program. The option to purchase price is 200,000. After 24 months this rent to own house appreciates in value by the industry average of 4% per year, making it worth 216,320. Now, let's say your rent payment is $1,500 per month. At the end of two years you will have paid $36,000 in rent. But wait! You have a 20% rent credit of $7,200!

IF you choose to exercise your Option to Purchase, you can buy this $216K house for $192,800! The best part is, there will be NO REALTOR FEES! What bank would say no to a loan like that?

Buying a car can be rather complicated, as the whole process tends to be somewhat mysterious. It’s often hard to know if you’re getting a good deal or not, even as the salesman claims that he’s selling you the car “at invoice.” Leasing a car is much the same way, except that the terminology is different and you don’t get to keep the car. You’re still going to spend a lot of money, though, so it makes sense to be as well informed about leasing as possible.

For most consumers, leasing makes less sense than buying. When you buy, you have a tangible product that you can resell later or trade in for a new one. With a lease, the only thing you are buying is the right to use the vehicle for a while. If you don’t drive a lot or if you just like having a new vehicle every couple of years, leasing may be a good choice for you. Before you get involved, here are some things you may wish to consider:

# The money factor – This is the equivalent of an interest rate on a car sale. The money factor, in order to remain mysterious, will be presented as an odd number with a lot of decimal places. To convert it to an approximate interest rate, multiply it by 24. The money factor, like just about everything else in a lease, should be negotiable.

# The amount due at signing – The size of the check that you have to submit when you sign the lease can be sizable. You’ll hear a lot about low payments in the commercials, but little (except in the fine print) about the amount you have to pay upfront. That will include title fees, license fees, deposits and a reduction in the capital cost that will reduce the size of your monthly payments. Ask about this ahead of time; you don’t want “sticker shock” when you see the total.

# Duration of the lease – Make sure you understand how long the lease will last. If you want a car for three years, make sure the lease isn’t for 24 months.

# What happens at lease end? You may have to pay, or you may get to walk away, or you may have the opportunity to buy the vehicle. The end of lease situation is spelled out in the document; make sure you understand it before you sign.

# Total mileage allowance – The lease will stipulate how many miles you may drive over the course of the lease; you will have to pay a per mile charge if you exceed that. The per mile fee can be excessive, so make sure that the number of miles that you are given matches your driving expectations. Keep in mind that the mileage amount and the per mile fee is negotiable.

Each of these things can be an expensive nightmare if you aren’t prepared for them. Leasing a car is different from buying one and you need to understand that long before you sign your name on the contract. Otherwise, you could be in for an expensive ride.

Rent rises accelerated for the second consecutive quarter driven by a combination of economic and demographic factors says RICS, in its recent quarterly lettings survey for February-April. RICS say that 20 percent more chartered surveyors report a rise in rental levels, with rents climbing at their fastest pace since July 2001. Economic growth, rising employment and inward migration from the EU has increased upward pressure on rents. Surveyors are also confident the upward trend will be sustained into the next quarter of 2006.

The survey shows that instructions to let property continued to grow at a steady pace but have been outstripped by tenant demand for the eighth consecutive quarter. Tenant demand in London accelerated to twice the long run average with rising rents pushed by increases in migrant labour amongst other factors.

Investors are holding on tight to their existing properties. The proportion of those selling property where tenancies have expired dropped to 3.8% in the quarter to April, the lowest outcome in two and a half years. RICS spokesperson Jeremy Lead commented "Investors are holding fast to property as healthy house prices and strong tenant demand hearten expectations of capital growth. The news is not so good for first time buyers with house prices continuing to rise and the alternative of renting steadily becoming more expensive. Economic prosperity and population migration have increased rental demand making conditions better for property investors. The recent choppy ride for equities means interest rates are less likely to rise which is good news for investment."

RICS say that the average rent in the country was £778 per calendar month in January 2006. Rent for a one bedroom flat in Britain was £589 pcm, a two bedroom flat £727 pcm, a three bedroom semi detached house £925 pcm and for a four bedroom detached house £1245. Excluding London, the average rent was £564 pcm. The highest rents are paid in London and the south east (£1763 and £779 respectively). The next highest are eastern and south west, both at £586. Wales and Scotland have the lowest rents at £394 and £420. In England the lowest rents are in the east midlands at £448.

"The most important contribution of the equipment leasing industry lies in providing access to capital," said Michael Fleming, the leader of the Equipment Leasing Association for the last 25 years. This summarizes the work done by equipment leasing companies in enabling the growth of other industries.

Role of an equipment leasing company

A company wishing to lease equipment goes to an equipment leasing company. An equipment leasing company buys equipment from the manufacturer or other sources and leases it to the customer for use, charging a fixed monthly fee for the duration of the lease. The customer does not have to pay huge down payment that would be required to finance the purchase of that equipment.

How to choose a leasing company?

There are so many equipment leasing companies that it is very difficult to find the right one for the desired equipment. Of course, the company offering the lowest fixed monthly rate is the best. But the requirements for the disclosure of business transaction in leasing are less than in the consumer market, so finding the best lease can be difficult.

First, contact the manufacturer of the equipment you wish to lease. Usually, manufacturers of the equipment will refer to a leasing company with which it does business. Get the quote from the leasing company and check it with the manufacturer. The manufacturer wishes to sell the equipment to you so he will check that you are not getting a raw deal. It is a good idea to get a quote from more than one leasing company. Then choose the one giving the overall best deal.

An equipment leasing company may be different in the sense that it might specialize in transportation equipment or medical equipment and even add free insurance coverage for the equipment. Also some companies might offer special packages for a new start-up, etc.