From the monthly archives:

May 2009

Commentary

Bailout Economy Has Roots In Obscure Law

by Rob K. Blake | May 31, 2009

Many believe the mortgage and housing crisis which triggered an impending financial system meltdown according to the former Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, would need a Congressional “blank check” to avert disaster. At least, that is what Ben Bernanke and Mr. Paulson told Congress who then gave them the “bailout bill” including the $750 Billion asked [...]

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Real Estate

Here Comes the $8,000 New Home

by Brendan O'Brien | May 30, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Remember the company that created the $2,000 new car?  Tata Group of India has unveiled its newest brilliant innovation – the $8,000 new home.
The bad news is, Tata won’t be bringing its $8,000 homes to the United States any time soon.  Shubh Griha, the company’s new housing development, is located in Boisar, about [...]

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Real Estate

Some Old Maxims In Today’s New Real Estate World

by Tom Koziol | May 29, 2009

Image by respres via Flickr

What with all the hubbub going on about REO’s, foreclosures, short sales and new, bigger and better gurus popping out of the woodwork telling us they have the secret to “get rich” in today’s market, it is very easy to put some of real estate’s oldest maxims in our back pocket. [...]

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Real Estate

The United States of Empty Houses: More On Sale As More Foreclosures Expected

by Charles Feldman | May 28, 2009

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

In some parts of the country, you can practically trip over all of the vacant houses up for sale.
By one estimate (the National Association of Realtors)–there are nearly 4 million homes (defined as everything from a townhouse to a condo to anything pretty much you can live in, except your [...]

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Real Estate

How to Avoid an Eviction

by Jason Hanson | May 27, 2009

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Have you ever had to evict a tenant? Well, I’m going to show you how to hopefully avoid ever having to evict someone (I’ve never done an eviction in my life).
Of course, the first thing you do is screen the crap out of your tenants to make sure a deadbeat [...]

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Real Estate Websites

Are you committing this mistake on your real estate website? Part 2 of 2

by Peter Kolat | May 26, 2009

Last week, I wrote the first part of the two part series called Are you committing this mistake on your real estate website? Part 1 of 2.  If you haven’t seen the first post, I suggest you head over there after you finish reading this one.  Today I am going reveal the second mistake I [...]

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Blogs

Pity The Retail Seller

by Richard Warren | May 25, 2009

Home sales in many markets are dominated by bank REOs, or Real Estate Owned as foreclosures are called after they have gone back to the bank. Generally these REOs will sell below market and can be a great deal for the buyer. However in areas that have an overabundance of REOs they do not sell [...]

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Real Estate

Subscribe to the BiggerPockets Blog, The Real Estate Dispatch on the Amazon Kindle

by Joshua Dorkin | May 24, 2009

The BiggerPockets Blog, aka The Real Estate Dispatch is now available on the Kindle. Our readers asked us to submit the blog for inclusion in Amazon’s portable reader; since we were recently added to the library of available blogs, I thought we’d let everyone know about it.
If you’re interested in subscribing (updates are [...]

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Commentary

Banking Lobby Wants Congress To Kill Off Their Competition

by Rob K. Blake | May 24, 2009

I came across another bill that demonizes mortgage brokers in it’s intent so much it is paramount to killing off the entire mortgage broker side of the industry. It’s called the ‘Transparency for Homeowners Act of 2009’ and is the latest attempt by bank lobbying to steal the mortgage market all for themselves not by [...]

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BiggerPockets News

New BiggerPockets Milestones: 150,000 Forum Posts, 34,000 Members

by Joshua Dorkin | May 23, 2009

This has been a week of milestones here at BiggerPockets.com! In the last few days, we crossed the 150,000 forum post and 34,000 member milestones.
I just wanted to thank everyone who has been a part of our success!
In addition to the tens of thousands of members, millions of visitors have come to [...]

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Commentary

On The Road To Recovery – Not…

by Joshua Dorkin | May 23, 2009

If you are like me you have heard any number of pundits – TV talking heads, guru columnists, radio talk show hosts – give any number of dates – like next spring, 3rd Q 2010 – spewing as to when the “recovery” will begin. The actual date when the economy will begin to recover, according [...]

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Real Estate

Managing the Tenant Screening Process

by Brendan O'Brien | May 22, 2009

Image by joeltelling via Flickr

Occasionally, I hear from landlords who have absolutely no problem marketing their rental units.  They put a sign out front, get a couple of calls and rent to the first likely prospect.  Then the tenant stays for three or four years before the next perfect tenant comes along.  What is the [...]

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Real Estate

The Top 35 Real Estate Blogs Revisited almost 3 Years Later

by Joshua Dorkin | May 20, 2009

Back on August 25, 2006 we put together a hugely popular list of The Top 35 Real Estate Blogs, which continues to drive great traffic to those on it today.
What is astounding is how quickly sites are falling off the list!
Since its initial publication, the list has been trimmed down to twenty (20) blogs. [...]

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Real Estate

This Metal Object Could Make You Rich

by Jason Hanson | May 20, 2009

Have you ever seen the movie Wedding Crashers?
This week I’m on vacation in St. Michael’s, Maryland. It’s on the Chesapeake Bay, and I’m at the resort where they filmed the wedding reception scene for the movie Wedding Crashers. It’s a beautiful place with too much money. Ya know, instead of sitting around trying to make [...]

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Commercial Real Estate

Apartment Building Foreclosures Create a Buyers Market for Apartment Buildings

by Ted Karsch | May 19, 2009

Many apartment buildings are now facing foreclosure because of falling prices, stricter underwriting guidelines and 5 year mortgages becoming due. For the astute buyer of apartment buildings these apartment building foreclosures could represent an investment windfall.

Image via Wikipedia

As a glaring symbol of the burst bubble in national residential real estate prices, the National Association of [...]

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