The Choice: Making Money Wholesaling vs Getting Your Real Estate LicenseThe conversation can get quite “lively” when you put Realtors in a room with a group of real estate investors, especially if those Realtors aren’t investors themselves. And, this is just exactly what happened to me on the 4th of July. Inevitably we end up discussing folks that get their real estate license and the “other group of people” that work in the business as real estate investors.I went to a celebration on … [Read more...]
The Choice: Making Money Wholesaling vs Getting Your Real Estate License
July 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Real Estate in Japan – Cashflow, Honesty & Honor
June 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Real Estate in Japan – Cashflow, Honesty & HonorI’ve been intimately involved with Japan, its business environment, culture and etiquette for the past decade or so. I’ve lived there, on and off, for up to a year at a time. I speak the language partially (just a bit, to be honest, and a highly “domesticated” bit at that), and have, in recent years, even had some limited success at reading and writing it (I learn alongside my 3 year old son – he’s doing far better).I work for a … [Read more...]
Why Realtors Don’t Like Real Estate Investors
June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Why Realtors Don’t Like Real Estate InvestorsThe meeting took place at a popular local burger hangout near the campus of Arizona State University. Fresh out of a foreclosure boot camp I took in Denver the month before, I scheduled an appointment with a highly motivated Realtor looking for new business.After the typical pleasantries were exchanged I cut right to the chase. I told this agent I needed someone that could help me find great deals on the multiple listing service. Furthermore, I … [Read more...]
Top Turnaround Towns: Tomorrow’s Hot Real Estate Markets
May 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Top Turnaround Towns: Tomorrow’s Hot Real Estate MarketsWant to know where home prices will be rising in the coming months? No longer do you need to toss darts at a dart board or guess. Someone has actually created an index using the very, very freshest listing data combined with economic metrics to scientifically select tomorrow’s hot markets.Every quarter Move, Inc. operator of Realtor.com, publishes the Top Turnaround Towns (There used to be ten’ we just expanded to 25). As a member of … [Read more...]
Real Estate News by the Numbers: Weekending April 20
April 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Real Estate News by the Numbers: Weekending April 20A quick rundown of the important real estate news from the week of April 14 – April 20, by the numbers:33% – Increase in January, year-over-year, in short sales in the U.S. In total, 32 states saw an increase in short sales.6.9% – Increase in mortgage applications, on a seasonally adjusted basis, from the week before. The Refinance Index was up 13.5%, whereas the Purchase Index was down 11.2%2.6% – Decrease in existing homes sales in … [Read more...]
Marketshare Decline With Foreclosures And Short Sales
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Marketshare Decline With Foreclosures And Short SalesAccording to latest Realtor Confidence Index survey by the National Association of Realtors, a sign that lenders have not yet released large volumes of backlogged foreclosure inventory by the end of March, when the survey was conducted. Fewer numbers of foreclosures and short sales also accounted for a decline in the distressed sale market share in March. March foreclosures fell to 18 percent from 20 percent of all sales in January and … [Read more...]
Places You Should Check Regularly for Real Estate Market Analysis
March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Places You Should Check Regularly for Real Estate Market AnalysisThis month, we’ll bring you tips, tricks and ideas for finding the real value drivers in your target markets, realtor tips for analysis and sources to perform analysis.Let’s start with a review of some places to check in with regularly.Housing Wire – This site is all about real estate news. It’s a news wire, after all. The good thing about this site is that they give you information as it happens and provide analysis of … [Read more...]
MLS for Real Estate Investors
March 3, 2012 By 2 Comments
Looking for the MLS for real estate investors?The Multiple Listing Service, known by the acronym MLS, is a database controlled and owned by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Technically, only licensed real estate agents who are also active Realtor members have access to the MLS. For several reasons, the NAR does not want to allow non-Realtors to get complete access.So how does a real estate investor like you get access if you are not a Realtor? Here are 5 ways: Redfin.com - … [Read more...]
More REOs on the Way With Increased Real Estate Inventory
February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
More REOs on the Way With Increased Real Estate InventoryExpectations are that real estate sellers are busy staging and buffing , with an eye towards listing their homes just as the first robin sings. But there’s nothing normal about the latest inventory readings across the nation. We’re seeing decade-low lows, not just year-long lows and there’s no hint of an uptick. Here’s the freshest data.The Department of Numbers reports that through February 20, the inventory of homes for … [Read more...]
Being a Real Estate Entrepreneur And The Pitfalls Along The Way
February 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Being a Real Estate Entrepreneur And The Pitfalls Along The Way In today’s real estate environment, where there is clearly a trail of destruction from poor lending practices to poor borrowing practices to out-right fraud, there are also the seeds for new growth and new opportunity for those that are willing to tackle the obstacles that come from such a challenging landscape. Now is a great time to lie out a few pitfalls and potholes that can slow your progress as a real estate … [Read more...]
How to Value: Residential vs Commercial
February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
How to Value: Residential vs CommercialA man and his realtor walk down the street and the man says “Realtor, I want to buy that house,” pointing to a beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bath home, “What should I offer?” The realtor responds, “Well, I’ve looked at the comparable sales in the neighborhood and it looks like another 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home sold for $100,000 just last month. I would offer them $100,000.” The man agrees and buys the home.The next week, the same man comes back up … [Read more...]
Being A Realtor and Investor
December 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I attended a Real Estate Seminar and asked the Speaker what he thought about me becoming a Realtor. He advised against it. At the time, I was buying homes in foreclosure directly from distressed sellers. There weren’t a lot of short sales being done from 2001-2006. No, the sellers I was buying from had equity in their homes. You remember what equity is right?William Kozub threw the word “fiduciary responsibility” at me. Boy, attorneys sure do love big words. He explained that … [Read more...]
Realtors Are a Great Source
December 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Realtors have been a great source for finding deals, and over the past few years, the one I have used the most. They provide a valuable service for you as a real estate investor, and if you become someone they can trust and profit by, they will do much of the work of finding good [...] Read the full post here... … [Read more...]
Finding Cash Real Estate Buyers To Succeed in Wholesaling
December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Finding Cash Real Estate Buyers To Succeed in WholesalingCalling all real estate wholesalers and flippers! Building a responsive Real Estate buyers list is hands down the best way to succeed in wholesaling. When those buyers have cash – whoa Nellie!Here’s a simple 5-step method guaranteed to build you a FREE list of cash buyers:1. Search the MLS (you or someone that has access such as a Realtor, appraiser or friend) for properties that have the words “Cash Only”, “Cash Offer” or … [Read more...]
What It’s Like to be a Realtor
December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
What It’s Like to be a RealtorI got a kick out of watching this video recently. It’s a nice little spoof on what every real estate agent at one time or another has probably felt. Yet, I think there is something in this that can speak to everyone, whether you are an investor, broker, mortgage professional, or attorney. I’ve said it before and will say it again. One of the biggest things that I witness most real estate professionals struggle with every single day is focus. In fact, as a … [Read more...]
Are You Wasting Your Time
October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Are You Wasting Your TimeAre You a Real Estate Investor – or Something Else?A lot of Realtors will tell you they don’t work with investors. Want to know why?Chances are it’s because they’ve been burned by so-called investors in the past.Ask any Realtor and they’ll tell you: “investors” can be a serious time-suck. They’ll ask a Realtor to spend hours. Don’t Waste Your Time is a post from: Real Estate Investing Blog For Real Estate Investors.Read the full post here... … [Read more...]
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Realtor Ads as a Gauge of Your Local Real Estate Market
Realtor Ads as a Gauge of Your Local Real Estate Market Investors are constantly bombarded with statistics. Housing starts are up in the United States, housing starts are down in a particular city. Resale inventory is high, retail inventory is low, short-sales are up, short-sales are down. Don’t get me started on the “shadow inventory” that’s been poised to flood the market for years now. It’s very easy to get caught up in all these statistics. Unfortunately the numbers can be … [Read more...]