How An Agent Can Help With The Real Estate Investing Process

September 26, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

Property investments are often risky. They involve a great deal of detailing, and possibly a solid level of knowledge. A real estate professional will often bring a great deal of insight to the table. He is the individual who can help the investor pick out a good option. Regardless of whether someone is purchasing property for the first time, or is a seasoned investor, an agent always provides a particular level of expertise in estimating the value of the particular property. He is the individual who plays a vital part in generating profits. The following are a number of reasons why agents perform a significant role in finalizing property deals.

Even in highly developed markets, the real estate investing process is still fairly complicated. In certain countries, it’s not at all organized. One of the key reasons why real estate investments are thought to be rewarding is the fact that individual properties do not have a set formula to assign a value. Real estate investors commonly find assessing properties a really challenging process.

There are numerous complex details that come into consideration. A property investor will often go through confusion when attempting to arrive at a value for a particular property, and for that reason, a skilled agent who knows the market place will be of great assistance. He can assist a person to assign a reasonable value to a property, or to pitch for the best price when buying a property. Also, competition between investors is usually substantial. An effective broker also can guide a property buyer to beat the competition and emerge on top.

One of the essential components in the real estate investing process is selecting a location. A realtor who understands the market will be of great assistance in choosing a very good location for investing in a property. Not all locations will deliver great profits. A real estate agent has the requisite expertise to help the investor in choosing wisely.

In the world of real estate investing, the faster a response to the seller, the greater the chances of becoming successful. A novice, for instance, may not have the ability to devote much of his time in property issues. A broker is going to be of immense assistance, because he can take a message and respond to inquiries significantly faster.

An agent works with many individuals throughout the network, and for that reason, he has a lot of leads and a lot of new contacts in his network. He is also much more seasoned and has the essential expertise to close deals in favor of investors. As a result, he needs to always be on your team, to ensure that the investor might gain from the agent’s experiences. He is additionally likely to make a profit when he continues to be associated with an effective agent.

Are you in the market for Delaware real estate? Be sure to visit my site for the latest Port Penn real estate and Rockland real estate listings.

Who Is To Blame For The Crisis

August 26, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Real Estate 

I hope you’re having a fun-filled and relaxing summer.

Have you, like me, been taking time to chill on the beach with your dog named Skipper and read exciting non-fiction books about the U.S. fiat money system and failed economic policies?  I knew it!

I hadn’t planned on blogging until summer was over, but when I read an interesting research study, I sent ol’ Skip out to fetch a stick and started writing.

The Pew Research Center, which analyses Census Bureau data, has reported that as of 2009, white households held a median wealth of $113,149, roughly 20 times that of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics.  Pew also reported that from 2005 to 2009, median wealth dropped 66% among Hispanics and 53% among blacks, compared to only 16% for whites.

 

Citing plummeting house values as the principal cause of the decrease in household wealth, Pew comments that this is the largest wealth gap between minorities and whites since the government began tracking the data more than 25 years ago.

Below is a link to the study:

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2069/housing-bubble-subprime-mortgages-hispanics-blacks-household-wealth-disparity

I found myself baffled by this report.  It made me question how this was even possible.  How could the gap be so unequal in this Country?

It’s easy to claim racism.  And, yes, nobody can deny that disparity still exists due to long-standing prejudice and racism toward minorities, as well as a lack of equal opportunity.  But, if we dig deeper, we can reveal another disturbing truth behind these numbers:

In order to promote home ownership among lower-income America, a “perfect union” was formed in the 1990′s between certain government officials (such as Barney Frank and Chris Dodd), James Johnson & Franklin Raines (the then CEO’s of Fannie Mae), and Wall Street executives.

By the late 90′s, the “Barney Frank group” had turned Fannie Mae into a private piggy bank.  Through political pressure, favoritism, and thumb screws, Fannie and Freddie were forced to implement sloppy lending standards to meet some whacked-out vision that each American “deserves” to own a home, regardless of that person’s credit worthiness.This allowed anyone with a large down payment to get a large mortgage.

Meanwhile, on the Fannie front, James Johnson amassed a personal fortune estimated at $100 million during his nine years as CEO of Fannie Mae, and both he and Raines encouraged loose lending practices to grow this toxic GSE (Fake Definition:  Government-Sponsored-Enterprise. Real Definition: taxpayers are on the hook for its shitty lending practices).

It is now reported that Fannie Mae, among other things, lied about profits, intimidated its adversaries, bought off Congressmen, stacked congressional hearings with friendly bankers and activists, and even hired friends of key members of Congress (including Barney Frank’s partner).

And any time rational observers objected to these increasingly dangerous lending standards, Frank and the rest of the cabal would silence their alarms by accusing them of opposing housing for the poor.

But certainly the brilliant minds on Wall Street would step in to bring sound business judgment to this nonsense and stop it, yes?  — NO!

Instead, Wall Street became a willing participant.  It’s rich, white executives acted as drug peddlers for reckless mortgages.  They created complex computer models which “concluded” that housing prices would never go down, engineered exotic mortgage-backed security products that not even the smartest people could fully comprehend, and entered the black box world of credit default swaps to the tune of trillions of dollars.  All in a concerted effort to dump toxic mortgage garbage on unsuspecting investors when they knew default was inevitable.

We all know the end result.  Home ownership rose to an all-time high of 69.2% in 2004 but, when the inevitable crash came, $1 trillion in loans became $1 trillion in bad debt.  And, as we can see from the Pew Report, minorities were hit the hardest.  The people Frank and the rest of the cabal intended (or pretended?) to help are now losing their homes, their credit ratings, their life savings, and the American dream.

Homeowners aren’t the only ones being affected by these practices, real estate investors are also having a tough time.

If you’d like to spend this summer learning how Frank, Fannie, or Whitey (your choice) destroyed the U.S. economy and helped create the largest wealth gap in modern times, I would suggest reading “Reckless Endangerment,” a new book by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. Gretchen Morgenson is a business reporter and columnist at The New York Times.  She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2002.  Joshua Rosner was among the first analysts to identify accounting problems at the GSE’s and to warn of the coming credit crisis.  These authors have taken a detailed and fascinating look at how greed and government distortion of markets led to the housing meltdown.

Read a WSJ review here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576361531730887312.html

If you want to buy it, you can order it here:

Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon

Click here if you need a hard money loan.

Shadow Inventory And Real Estate Investing

August 17, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

If you conduct a search for real estate news you’re more than likely to find a number of articles referring to shadow inventory.  Many of these articles have titles such as, “Shadow Inventory Causing Delay in Recovery” and “Shadow Inventory Hints that Real Estate Bottom is Near”.

Many of my readers have been asking me about shadow inventory, what it means for real estate investors, and how it’s affecting the recovery.  As hard money lenders who primarily lend to real estate investors we have been watching this situation closely.

What exactly is shadow inventory?

 

Shadow inventory in real estate refers to properties that are in default, foreclosed on, or already bank owned.  Basically, any property that is or was distressed that will be on the market in the future, but not yet, is shadow inventory.   The reason it’s called shadow inventory is because the properties lurk in the darkness of banks’ balance sheets waiting to be put on the market and sold.  Banks either can’t or don’t want to sell them yet (I’ll explain why below).

Who is looking to buy the shadow inventory?

Once the banks do decide to sell the properties, they are most likely going to sell for just below market value and they will most likely need repair or rehab. (Many properties have been vacant for months or years.)  Real estate investors have been chomping at the bit, waiting for banks to begin releasing the properties so they can get their hands on some and turn a profit.  Once the banks are ready to begin letting them go in large scale, there should be an influx of properties on the market ready for investors to make them livable again.

Homeowners too would like to get their hands on cheap properties but financing and other restrictions exist that prevent many from buying directly from banks.

But real estate investors aren’t the only ones watching the shadow inventory closely.  Economists are also keeping an eye of shadow inventory for a few reasons.  They know that when the banks begin to release the properties in large numbers, the banks are signaling their prediction that the housing market has already hit the bottom and is on its way up.  Also, because housing is such an important factor of the economy as a whole, shrinking shadow inventory means an expanding economy.

How can shadow inventory help recovery?

While it’s no secret that a growing housing market plays a huge role in the economy, the converse is also true; stagnant housing causes high unemployment and slow expansion of GDP.  Each property sold can add tens of thousands of dollars to the economy just in the form of furniture, fixtures and labor.Loans also help the economy.  It’s called fractional-reserve banking.  (This is not a Macroeconomics course so I won’t bore you with the details but feel free to do some research on your own.)

So why don’t the banks sell the properties now?

The shadow inventory is so large now for 2 main reasons.  One reason is out of the banks’ control and the other is a business decision made by the banks.Many states have laws that slow foreclosures.  Mediation and modification attempts are required before the bank or loan servicer can reclaim the property.  In many areas this can take a year or more.  In addition to local regulations, the banks know that holding the properties will allow home prices to rise and therefore they can get a higher return when they do sell.  Most people understand the principle that banks are not in the business of holding properties for any longer than they have to.  Common logic would say that selling the properties and getting them off the books would benefit the banks.  For the most part, this is correct.  What needs to be compared is the price of a house if it sold today versus the price it will sell for in the future minus carrying costs.  I haven’t independently verified the figures but if the banks are intentionally holding properties, the expected future price (minus carrying costs) must be higher than today’s price.

If and when the banks decide to begin releasing the shadow inventory in large scale is anyone’s guess but once they begin to hit the market, expect to a positive swing in the economy.

Read more about this subject at http://www.HardMoneyBankers.com/real-estate

I’m a a Real Estate Investor

August 16, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

Of all of the jobs I’ve tried, analyzed, contemplated, and read about over the years, there is none which compares to mine. My work is great fun. I’m taking ugly houses and make them beautiful.

I help people out of difficult situations.

I am a Real Estate Investor.

I am my personal boss. I frequently work in my pajamas from the comfort of my home. I don’t have any workers to baby sit, no perishable inventory to move, no franchise fees to pay, and no store to maintain. Still, I’m in the top 5% of all income earners.

I am a Real Estate Investor.

I now enjoy liberties I’ve never had before. I’m the master of my day. I select who to work with. I select my hours,
and I decide if I’ll work 20 hours or 40 hours this week. I can also opt to take the day off, without getting anyones authorization. I am able to take a month-long vacation. I am able to sleep in, or take a power nap after lunch if I want.

I can review my notes and return my calls while lounging in my jacuzzi. I do not have to commute during rush hour.
I have the freedom to spend plenty of time with my wife and kids. I do not have the strain and pressure of needing to close my next deal by the end of the week, by the end of this month, or maybe by the end of the current year. I live in one of the nicest neighborhoods, in one of the loveliest states, in the best country which has ever existed on this Earth.

I am a Real Estate Investor.

There are plenty who want to be like me; many who are studying to be like me; and many more who would be like me, but
are just waiting for this opportunity to appear or that circumstance to change At the end of the day, few actually are like me.
I’ve been very lucky and blessed. I’m ultimately living my dream. I love doing what I do and I wouldn’t trade places with any person, nor trade my life experiences for any person elses. I’m driven by the belief that life is short, and we want to make a contribution in the short time that we re here, because after all is said and done, it s
actually not about us.

I am a Real Estate Investor.

Michael Mazzella, a nationally known Real Estate Investor has been successfully and actively flipping houses in the Hawaii Housing Market since 1993. He’s been coaching students to do the same through his coaching company, Honolulu Mentor since 2006.

Is It Advantageous To Invest In Real Estate?

August 5, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

Now that we are in the digital age, almost all individuals are in search for some ways on how they can earn extra money. Real estate properties are good options for investment if you have enough funds for purchasing and their maintenance. Real estate is truly a great place for investment since you can still be able to maintain it even while you are doing something else or you are with your current profession. This may require some of your time and effort if you really want to make a good profit.

Before you made the investment, it is important that you scrutinize the Condos in Highlands Ranch Colorado first before purchasing. You can hire a professional inspector who will check the area where you plan to buy the property as well as the nearby localities so you will know whether the property you are buying is reasonable or not.

To have a better understanding of the value of the Homes for Sale in Clinton you are going to purchase, you can do some market research. Through this you can decide on what to do with the property you have bought whether it would be better to rent it out to tenants or to sell it.

In real estate investing, you should find a method that best works for you and stick to it. It is always an advantage before you start your investment to learn things first so you will have a better understanding of the ins and outs of real estate investing. Since not all properties can be considered as good buys, remember that some of them may not be able to give you good profits. When you know how to find the right properties to invest your money to, it would be easy for you to look for something that will give you more profits.

Clearfield Utah Real Estate investing isn’t that hard after all. If bigger profits are what you aim for, then you should make bigger investments as well.

 

 

 

Why It’s Worth Investing In Homes

July 16, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

The financial issues facing each individual and the desire to own a home can be overwhelming and daunting.  But despite the number of foreclosures in the market, there are still first-rate areas for buying a property like in Richmond VA homes.  If you are planning to buy one in such a great area for a real estate investment, you just made a superb choice.  The great urban experience offers countless opportunities.

Investing in Stafford VA homes for sale is a great choice.  If it’s foreclosure that you are looking for, this area presents a lot of benefits.  You might consider areas where home prices have considerably dropped because this means that the housing market on the area has properties that are reasonably affordable.  Even if you are looking for affordable residential properties, condos, multifamily homes, duplexes, or fourplexes.

In your home buying, hire skilled and trusted real estate agent or a Realtor to help you all through out the rel estate transaction.  Surely Realtors or real estate agents will tell you that home buying is easier said than done.  In this case, listen attentively to your Realtor for some really effective home buying tips.

Buying your first home is already the first step to having your lifetime investment.  It’s truly a rewarding experience, but of course the anxiety and risks are always there.  In this case, the help of a real estate agent or a Realtor is indispensable and very important for a successful home buying and investing.

Excited in buying your first or second house from homes for sale in Parker CO?  You are not alone.  First time and even second home buyers had the same experience and feeling when buying a home.  But no worries.  Ask your Realtor or real estate agent now.

Great Deals In Your Area

July 6, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

Inman News just released its list of the best markets for real estate investors.  The nationwide search included such factors as unemployment rate, steady population growth, ratio of foreclosures, and of course price.

The best part is that 2 of the 10 markets are in the outskirts of Hard Money Bankers home lending area, meaning we consider lending on deals in those areas.  Those markets are Hagerstown, MD and Winchester, VA.  If you haven’t thought about those areas yet, make sure you take a look, it sounds like there are some great deals to be found.Contact us for your next project..

Click here to fill out an application.

The complete list of the best markets is: Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.; Winchester, Va.-W.Va.; Gainesville, Fla.; Tucson, Ariz.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Md.-W.Va.; Salt Lake City; Richmond, Va.; Gainesville, Ga.; and Winston-Salem, N.C.

Visit http://www.inman.com/reports/10-markets-invest/index.html to read the full story.

 

Please enjoy  what we hope will be an entertaining, informative and unfiltered look at the ups and downs of living the real estate investor lifestyle.  We’re going to show you how investors are making (and sometimes losing) money in real estate.  We’re also going to give you the tools you need to make money and stay on the winning side of your deals.  Remember to check back often, as we will continue to post valuable new content.

 

The real estate and finance professionals at Hard Money Bankers and HMB Cribs are dedicated to not only providing insight into the current industry climate and opportunities, but also to educating our readers on important real estate investing techniques, and strategies.  We recently conducted a survey in which we collected information (and gave away an iPad 2) on how our readers use their IRAs to invest.  Specifically we were interested in information about self directed IRAs and real estate.  Based on the responses we received, it became clear to us that many of our readers are unclear to exactly what self directed IRAs are, how they differ from “regular” IRAs, and how they can be used to dramatically boost IRA earnings.

Aspiring Real Estate Investors Must-Haves

July 6, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

Real estate investing can be too overwhelming for a regular homeowner or home buyer.  Investing in something lucrative like the homes for sale in Redlands CA, take note, involves risk.  But since a lot of people has recognized  the benefits of investing in properties, and perhaps you might be also one of those who want to start doing some business in the area of real estate, here are some things that you have to have as a real estate investor.

1. Website - A real estate website is your key to real estate investing.  With a website, you can reach as far as the other side of the world.  It gives you an advantage over other real estate investors in your area knowing that people are more likely to search online for homes in Dallas Texas and real estate information, as well as advice and tips.

2.Blog - Blogs allow you to write about your experiences as a real estate investor.  By letting visitors know that you are knowledgeable in real estate, you can increase the number of potential clients to whom you can create network with.  With your real estate articles, you can maintain a strong online presence and you will be recognized as knowledgeable in the real estate niche, as well as market yourself to potential clients.

3. Join Forums - This allows you to connect with people who are interested in your niche.  Although some think that joining forums is a waste of time, you can still find active property investors reading forums checking what has been happening in the real estate world.  You can obtain new investors to be added on your list as well as get leads from the other forum users.

4. Facebook and Twitter Accounts - Facebook and Twitter has literally billions of users from all over the world so start signing up now if you don’t have an account.  These two social networking sites are like a free advertising billboard all over the world where you could reach thousands or even millions of people to promote your properties, as well as connect with users within your niche or industry.

But of course, a real estate investor needs other things.  These are just some of the things every investor must have before starting your homes for sale in Odessa TX investment.  The most important thing is for you to have a set of goals which works like a marketing plan.  This allows you to put everything together so you can get productive results..

Being Informed About Real Estate Investing

July 3, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: Investing 

There are all sorts of investments in this time. One of the most frequently offered for making millionaires round the world however is property investing. Even in the sphere of property there are many different investment styles. Each style involves varying degrees of risk on behalf of the investor. If extensive thought is taken there’s a kind of property investment that is the best for the general public though there are a few that property will never be a profitable investment for.

Those who are simply not cut out for real estate investing are people who like to watch the ticker roll across the PC monitor or TV screen indicating the worth of their portfolios on a day-to-day basis. People who need to see in print the knowledge of their investment practices instead of people who are content to sit on their investments as they take shape or those who are ready to actively work so as to make their investments pay off.

Buy and hold real estate involved purchasing property and holding on to it for a very long time while the value of the property appreciates in value. This requires someone that is very savvy when making purchases or extremely lucky for the most part. As significantly but it involves somebody who’s got the patience and determination to cling to their investments for a long period. These investments can provide a nice retirement for the right investor as well as funds at the proper time for the weddings of children or to pay for college.

Rental properties are another excellent way to make money for those who are willing to deal with a long-term property investment. In this type of investment money is made each month to either pay or contribute to the mortgage and funds can be made once the property is paid for and sold later in life in order to receive a more complete and total profit from the endeavor. There’s some amount of cost on the way that’s involved in keeping properties current and in demand however the advantages of this kind of investment are just about certain for the right investor.

Flipping is another sort of real estate investment that’s getting an enormous quantity of press nowadays. This process involves purchasing a property below its value, investing in repairing or rehabbing the property, and then reselling the property for a substantial profit. This is among the few short term kinds of investment that are widely lucrative when it comes to real-estate investing. There are others but those carry even larger hazards than flipping.

Of course there are high-risk property ventures for the ones that need a hint of excitement in their lives. One of the more common high-risk investments would be pre-construction property investing. With this form of investment the investor is actually ‘betting’ that the future property will sell for a higher price than the investor paid once the building is complete.

Whether your investment needs are low-risk, high-risk, or somewhere in between there is quite likely a style of real estate investment that will be appropriate for your specific investment needs. If you don’t find a real estate investment plan that is correct for you then don’t despair there’s no style of investing that is best for everybody.

About Finding And Selling Homes For Sale Online

June 29, 2011 by Owen · Comments Off
Filed under: RE Marketing 

Investing in Davie Florida homes is easy especially if you know where to find and how to start.  Understanding the real estate trends, the housing market condition, the real estate agent situation, and even the buying and selling properties can be all to overwhelming, and stressful to a new investor.  Good thing the Internet exists because the seller, buyer, Realtor, and real estate agent can save time going back and forth just to finish the transaction.

And for some individuals who are looking for homes for sale, finding one doesn’t need driving anymore.  Everything you need is displayed on the website. Detailed information about the property and the real estate company are also given on the site.

With the help of the Internet, finding or selling homes for sale in Blacksburg as well as finding a Realtor or agent has never been this easy. Internet has helped millions of people to find, sell, or but the homes they need.  So if you are looking for a home in a specific state, all you have to do is to search the Internet for the type of home that you are particularly looking for.

Here are the facts you need to know about finding and selling homes online:

Fact #1 - 90% of home buyers shop online

Fact #2 -  77 percent of home buyers visit a property they like which they have seen online

Fact #3 -  36% of buyers first found their home on the Internet

Fact #4 -  25 percent of FSBOs market their properties online

The Internet has all the homes and properties that you are looking for whether they are located in such and such state.  The Internet has remained as the driving force in real estate marketing, it continues to be a vital component in real estate professional marketing strategy.  Thus, real estate agents must harness the Internet’s features to meet the needs of all buyers and sellers because consumers want easy and accurate property information for homes for sale in Yuma AZ.

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