3 Missteps That Can Derail Your Real Estate Investing With the unprecedented drop in real estate values over the last few years, more and more people are trying their hand at real estate investing. With the wealth of available knowledge related to real estate investing, it is not difficult to research the possible investment strategies and locations in which to invest.Not surprisingly, investors in this market cycle seem to be more cautious about their investing … especially when compared … [Read more...]
Real Estate Investors: What If Property Values Don’t Increase?
August 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Real Estate Investors: What If Property Values Don’t Increase? Property values always go up.Or at least that’s what people believed.For years, values have consistently climbed higher and higher at an average rate of around 5% per year. Real estate investors rely heavily on price appreciation to maximize their investment for the future. I know that I personally hope my properties will continue to climb in value for many years and I’ll be able to retire before I hit thirty-five.But what … [Read more...]
Are Real Estate Investor Clubs Helpful?
August 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
Are real estate investor clubs a productive use of your time to attend? I get this question a lot. Real estate investment clubs have been around for decades and most are non-profit associations whose members gather together monthly to share ideas and network. The larger the city, the larger the group, and in some cities, there are more than one in the same city. On the surface, real estate investor clubs seem like ideal meetings for local investors to attend. However, there are some things to … [Read more...]
Global Cash Flow – Real Estate Financing’s Newest Buzz Words
August 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Global Cash Flow – Real Estate Financing’s Newest Buzz Words There is nothing worse than finding just the right investment property that you know will make you great income, only to have the opportunity fall through because you got turned down for financing. It’s even worse when you see someone else pick up the property and make a fortune. It’s a devastating feeling, but one that real estate investors face every day with all of the changing lending guidelines.You located the … [Read more...]
Successful Women Real Estate Investors: 3 on 3 Interview Series
July 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Successful Women Real Estate Investors: 3 on 3 Interview SeriesIn the previous two installments of the three on three interview series the focus was on a specific investment strategy or type of business (spec-building & flipping & rehabbing distressed property), but this one will focus on a group of people, successful women in real estate. Real estate investing is often regarded as a male dominated business, but more and more often women are making it to the top of their respective … [Read more...]
Financial Planning & Real Estate Investing: What is your Number?
June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Financial Planning & Real Estate Investing: What is your Number?Have you seen the commercials (below) where individuals are walking around town with “Their Number” (tucked under their arm)? The numbers are intended to be financial security and ranged from $1.0M – $2.0M. The basic meaning of the commercial is once you achieve “Your Number” you are good to go because you are financially secure.I think this commercial is extremely effective at getting individuals to think about … [Read more...]
Three Budget Items Not to Forget Regarding Your Property Analysis
June 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Three Budget Items Not to Forget Regarding Your Property Analysis.Almost everybody has a different formula when it comes to rates of return and cash flow analysis. While it is imperative that investors have a good way to analyze investment properties, there is no right or wrong answer to this equation. I believe it boils down to experience, location, and personal preference when deciding what line items and assumptions to use when creating your deal analysis.Most models include the staple … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Invest in a Self-Directed IRA in Real Estate
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
3 Ways to Invest in a Self-Directed IRA in Real EstateWith the continued volatility surrounding the stock market, more and more investors are converting their retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs. We speak to investors almost every day who want to invest in real estate in some form or fashion and want to use retirement funds (that probably aren’t earning enough to keep up with inflation) to do this. Most investors intuitively know that the opportunities to invest in real estate right … [Read more...]
Using High Interest Private Financing is Still Better Than Cash
May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Using High Interest Private Financing is Still Better Than CashWith investors battling a tight credit market, the opportunity to obtain financing for investment properties can often times prove more difficult than expected for some investors. Five years ago many of these same investors had no problem walking into their local lender’s office and getting approved for a loan. Nowadays, it seems like underwriters need a blood sample to approve a loan for an investor (even when that investor could … [Read more...]
Long Term Investing And Financing
March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Long Term Investing And FinancingMany of the real estate investors I talk to these days are buying for the long term hold. In fact, most don’t have a set time-frame in mind, they just know they want to hold properties as long term investments. But “a long term investment” for one investor might be very different than for another. I think many investors these days consider anything over 7 years as a long term hold (especially when you compare this to the type of appreciation and … [Read more...]
Pros and Cons of Working with A Turn-Key Company
February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Pros and Cons of Working with A Turn-Key CompanyWith such a diverse collection of real estate markets around the country, investors have many choices when it comes to where to invest in real estate. Some investors look for areas that were hit hard by the real estate crash in hopes of acquiring property that will experience a recovery in values over the next several years (ex. Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando). Other investors look for markets with very inexpensive properties that cash flow well, but … [Read more...]
Five Characteristics Of Successful Real Estate Investors
February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Five Characteristics Of Successful Real Estate InvestorsOne of the greatest joys for me is to watch others succeed as real estate investors. I am always amazed how some investors jump in and can create profits from almost any deal, while others seem to struggle with each step they take. Over the course of my investing career I have tried hard to identify those characteristics which I believe exemplify successful real estate investors… before they even get started. And, while this have … [Read more...]
The Use of Private Money
December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The use of private money is nothing new. Many investors have used it in the past and have called it very different things. Hard Money, Private Loans, Family Loans, Partner Money, Investor Pools, Money Partners, Private Equity, heck even Loan Sharks (jokingly)- are all names and sources of private money that can be used for [...]Private Money – Use It To Fund Deals is a post from: Real Estate Investing Blog For Real Estate Investors.Read the full post here... … [Read more...]
The Short Sale Game
December 7, 2011 By 1 Comment
Thinking about the opportunities and marketing efforts associated with the short sale game, I picture the typical family who has fallen victim to this recession. Perhaps it’s a husband whose job has been eliminated, resulting in the inability to pay the mortgage. Or, maybe it’s a family whose mortgage has adjusted, the payment has become unreasonable, and they are upside down on their mortgage as a result of plummeting real estate values. Welcome to the short sale game! For most … [Read more...]
Real Estate Investors Pay More for Investments
November 30, 2011 By 1 Comment
Real Estate Investors Pay More for InvestmentsReal estate investors often chase the highest initial returns possible in an investment property, only looking at the financial statements for their underwriting and financial projections. These investors often fail to account for the many additional factors that should be considered when purchasing an investment property. Failing to consider these critical aspects will affect the expected returns over the life of the investment both in the short … [Read more...]
Who Should and Should Not Buy Turn-Key Properties
November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Who Should and Should Not Buy Turn-Key PropertiesTurn-Key real estate investing seems to have exploded in popularity for do it your self real estate investors, over the last few years. With new websites and marketing ads announcing new companies on a weekly basis, turn-key companies seem to be sprouting up in every city and offering services in every corner of the country. In a recent international real estate publication, over half of the ads were touting turn-key real estate companies … [Read more...]
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Why I Have to Use Property Managers
Why I Have to Use Property Managers If you work full-time like I do and you chose to be an active real estate investor, you will likely face tough decisions every week. One area in which I see new investors struggle, and where experienced investors have strong opinions is the use of property management.As one of the experienced investors, I know for sure that if I managed my properties myself I could do a better job, save some money, collect more rent, and produce a better return on my … [Read more...]