Real Estate Articles & News
Why Are Mortgage Notes Discounted Anyway?
When real estate note brokers purchase partially paid notes, they pay the note holder a discounted price after factoring in the time value of money, the payer history, and property condition.
Negative Gearing – It's Not to Your Benefit!
The concept of negative gearing has been originally developed to encourage real estate investment in Australia by allowing any income losses from property investment to be deductible from other income as a tax benefit. This means that the taxable income of the owner will be reduced after the deduction and therefore the total tax payable is also reduced.
Realtors Self Promote Your Way To Success
Okay, so we all can agree - listings are the lifeblood of the real estate industry. And if the keys to selling them are location, location and location, then the challenge in getting them is self-promotion.
The Real Estate Market In Spain: Making Profits Out Of Sand
The Real estate market in Spain keeps gaining momentum and is of a vital interest among overseas investors. Property prices in the country continue growing at rapid pace due to a sustainable development in many areas of the mainland and the islands.
How To Get Top Dollar For Your Home — Fast
1. Time is money when selling your home After you've made the decision to sell your home, the longer it remains unsold on the market, the more it costs you. Many home sellers feel it's very important to receive close to their full asking price. But they overlook the additional months of carrying costs, such as mortgage interest, property taxes and maintenance. I've seen homes remain unsold on the market for years! Obviously, those home sellers are not highly motivated ...
Should Sellers Order a Pre sale Home Inspection?
One of the main reasons home sale transactions fall apart is inspections. This happens when something unanticipated is discovered during the buyers' inspections of the property, and the buyers and sellers can't agree on a remedy.
Real Estate Investments
Real estate investments come through a variety of different options. However, whether it is a vacation property, a first home, an early retirement house, or a rental property that you find appealing, real estate investments are all the rage, and are quickly becoming one of the safest investments available, especially in our less-than-perfect economy.
Real Estate Wealth Protection Through Short Sales
Is a sharp correction in store for the real estate market? Fannie Mae, the largest buyer of mortgages in the US, is worried. They recently warned that the probability of a housing bust has risen sharply in certain parts of the country. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financed about 43% of new home mortgages last year. That's down from 53% the year before. Fannie and Freddie only buy "conforming loans" In these days of easy money and competition for borrowers... ...
Real Estate Investment Requires A Team
I had a hard time at first with real estate investment. One of the reasons was that I tended to be a "lone wolf," trying to do too much myself. I've since learned that to really do well investing in real estate, you need to have a team of people you can trust and rely on. Here are some possible team members, and what they need to be on the team.
How To Start Investing For Financial Independence, Part 2
Last week, we started a multi-part series about how to go from being a beginning investor to being “financially independent” in a steady and predictable way. Many, many people want to overly complicate this process so let's briefly, let's recap that discussion.
Ten Myths Of Real Estate Investing
Is real estate investing only for the wealthy? Can you buy with no money down? Do you have to know the "right" people? Let's answer by looking at some of the myths of real estate.
How Do I Fix Up a Home to Sell?
The first thing you need to do is stop thinking of your home as "home" and start thinking about it as a commodity that you want to sell. To be a successful seller you must detach yourself emotionally from your home and be brutally honest about how it should look in order to sell.
Is 100% Annual Return On Investments Possible With Low Risk Land Investments?
In last week’s article, we discussed how substantial profits could be made by investing where baby boomers may want to relocate or buy a second home. This seemed to confuse readers since they were thinking that our web site is about preconstruction and preconstruction to them means buying condos…… In this article, I hope to broaden your horizons considerably.
Eleven Questions to Ask in an Agent Interview
Questions Sellers Should Ask in Agent Interviews: 1. Is your license in good standing? You can check an agent's certification yourself with your state's department of real estate. Avoid working with an agent whose license is not in good standing. 2. How many years of education and experience do you have? Experience and continuing education typically make for better agents. 3. 3. How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood? An agent who ...
Pricing Your Property
A house properly priced is half sold. But there are plenty of ways to price it improperly. You can't go by what you paid for the place. Perhaps you bought two years ago when local prices were skyrocketing, and things have cooled off since. Perhaps houses like yours can now be bought for less, and if you hold out for what you paid, you'll just waste your time. On the other hand, perhaps prices in your area have taken off, and you'd short-change yourself if you just ...
Make Money As A Slumlord
Be a slumlord? Okay, I got your attention, now the truth. I really don't recommend that anyone endanger their renters with unsafe housing. Much of what people call slumlording though, is simply providing reasonable housing for those with low incomes. It is of benefit to the renter AND the landlord.
A Crash Course On The Payout Options Available To You When Selling A Mortgage Note
Okay, let's take a look at the typical payout options: Full Purchase - The investor buys the entire note. This alleviates the seller of the responsibility to collect payments in the future. Straight Partial - The investor purchases a predetermined number of payments in order to meet the seller's cash requirements. After the last payment of that predetermined term ends, the balance on the note reverts back to the seller. Reverse Partial - The seller receives a ...
Should You Accept A Full Purchase Offer For Your Note or Not?
You could be facing a dilemma when considering payout options on selling your mortgage note! To accept a full purchase offer or a partial purchase offer is not always an easy decision. Sure, to take the full purchase option is an easy decision to make if you're holding a second position note on a property that doesn't have any equity after you add the first and second mortgages, but what if that's not your situation? Full purchase payouts can be good if ...
Understanding the Escrow (Closing) Process
1. What is an escrow? Escrow is defined as a process where parties deposit instructions and funds with a "disinterested" third party until conditions of the instructions are met. This applies whether the purchase is real estate or an expensive Ebay item. In a real estate escrow, a title insurance company, escrow company or attorney will traditionally serve as the third party. They will oversee completion of the instructions (or purchase contract), ensure funds are paid to ...
Yes But, How Do I Evaluate Buying Undeveloped Land And Get Into The Business?
These real questions are answered by US Master Builders and myself after receiving them from readers of my e-book, "Residential Development Made Easy."
Ten Ways Of Financing Real Estate
Do you remember when real estate financing meant you saved up enough to put 20% down on a house, and then you got a mortgage loan for the other 80%? Well, you can still do that, but there are many more options now. Here are ten of them.
10 Ways To Find Investment Properties
If you really want the best deals in investment properties, you have to increase your odds by finding more deals. Who is more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses ten resources? Here are the ten:
Realtors Brainstorm For Business
Even though rates are down opening up the market for even the otherwise unqualified buyers, realtors are desperately brainstorming to keep their professional status above in the real estate field.
How To Sell Your Home FSBO
You decide to sell your home and believe you can handle the selling process. Good for You! Of course you’re a little nervous and that’s normal. You might stay awake at night wondering how long it is going to take to actually sell this home. "Can I get my asking price?" You wonder. Yes it is possible to sell for sale by owner and yes you can get your asking price. If you followed the guidelines outlined in our Do It Yourself FSBO Tips for sellers you will have your ...
Do I Have To Buy Real Estate Through An Agent?
Sometimes when we are very busy professionals and very rich it might be convenient to let an agent do the groundwork for us. Letting them make appointments, drive to the property, roam through house after house sizing them up until they find a few great homes that might be just perfect for us.
Four Reasons To Offer Seller Financing
An example of seller financing: Years ago I bought a rental property, and nine months later sold it for 15% more, without fixing or improving a thing. The easy terms are what sold it. I took $1000 down, and I still get a payment every month, with 9% interest.
Home Inspections or Home Warranty?
Homebuyers are a curious lot. They routinely ask thought-provoking questions. A common question is, "If I get a home inspection, should I still get a home warranty?" Then there's always this question, "If I get a home warranty, do I still need a home inspection?"
Real Estate Feasibility Study (Cost Side) $1.2 Billion Developer Tells You How To Do One
There are two sides to real estate development feasibility study: The Cost Side & The Income Side.
Real Estate Development Feasibility Study (Income) $1.2 Billion Developer Tells You How To Do One
There are two sides to a feasibility study and in an earlier article I discussed the cost side of the format and:
Oh No! Something has Happened in Florida
The Florida housing market has attracted many foreigners to invest their hard earned money in the sunshine state. The British have for a long time favoured Florida for buying a second home. Many use their Florida home as a holiday home for friends and family. Some may rent it out on a casual business basis, renting out their Florida home from adverts they have put up at work or in the local shops. Most British buyers dream of owning the home outright and eventually using the house for their ...