December 2010
Real Estate by Melissa Zavala | December 14, 2010 
Almost every morning when I access my email, inevitably there is a message from some real estate agent somewhere in the United States who has some sort of short sale drama. The drama usually has to do with a communication breakdown of some sort. You know the kind… it’s generally the kind you read about [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Interviews by Ronald Sklar | December 13, 2010 
Waitress and straight-D student Barbara Corcoran started her real-estate company, The Corcoran Group, with a friendly loan for a thousand dollars. In 2001, she sold it for $70 million. The $5 billion company is still in operation today, and one of the biggest power players in New York real estate. Since then, Barbara has found [...]
Read the full article → Housing by Ryan Hinricher | December 13, 2010 
Is the housing market turning a corner? Indicators show that not even the spiking interest rates are slowing the recovery. Also the government is considering programs geared towards assisting investors, and one bank is resuming 16,000 foreclosures. Government to Consider Helping Investors Real Estate Reporter for CNBC, Diana Olick discussed this week the potential for [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate by John Fedro | December 13, 2010As the baby-boomer generation begins to retire, the need for affordable senior housing may be on the rise. This coming potential wave of senior housing demand can translate into a fortune for anyone ready to see ahead of the coming market. Chance favors the prepared mind. How might you benefit? Now is the time to [...]
Commentary by Douglas Lazovick | December 12, 2010U.S. home values have dropped $9 Trillion since the housing market’s peak in 2006. That’s a pretty big number. That’s a 9 followed by twelve zeros. To put that figure in perspective, here are a few things that add up to less than $9 trillion: The combined Gross Domestic Products (GDP) for China and Germany [...]
Real Estate by Bill & Jackie Patterson | December 12, 2010Over the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing the steps involved in submitting a short sale package to the lender and managing the flow of information that is necessary throughout the process leading up to an approval letter. Jackie: After you’ve done your homework, and have determined that a potential short sale meets your investment [...]
Real Estate by Jim Simcoe | December 11, 2010 
It’s the holidays so here’s a guide to some free money on your next real estate investment project. First, two recommendations to take full advantage of this guide: 1. Have someone else do the majority of the work/research. Hiring a college intern is usually the most effective and cheapest method to get this accomplished. Better [...]
Read the full article → Housing by Mark Saunders | December 10, 2010 
So what do you get when you receive free land? That’s what I was asking myself when the radio and a handful of writers picked up the story this week. First off, the concept of municipalities giving away land isn’t new. Basically more and more towns are offering free lots if you build a house [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Law by Clint Coons | December 10, 2010 
The purpose of this post is to provide investors with some guidance in creating their LLCs. So far, I have covered three of six points that in my experience have created the most problems for LLC owners. These six in and of themselves are not an exhaustive list, but a good start toward creating an [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Investing by Peter Giardini | December 9, 2010When was your last payday? You know… a renovation draw, rent check (especially from a newly placed tenant), or perhaps from a sale. And how hard did you have to work to make it happen? And if you cut through all of the effort you expended and focused on just those processes that would have resulted [...]
Commentary by Steve Dexter | December 9, 2010 
If you have a foreclosure or bankruptcy because you screwed up, do not despair. If you bought at the wrong time, took on too much debt and fear you will never be able to buy another piece of real estate, don’t worry so much. Last time around, lenders forgave past transgressions. As it is now, [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Investing by Marty Boardman | December 8, 2010 
When I opened the drive report and saw the photo I couldn’t believe my eyes. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. He sat there comfortably in a canvas chair talking on his cell phone. The guy was holding a sign that read I GUTTED HOME – CEMENT IN TOILET – AKA TRASHED. It [...]
Read the full article → Foreclosures by Melissa Zavala | December 8, 2010 
Throughout my stint in the short sale world, I have been known to report trends, as I seem them. Usually, a few weeks after I report a trend in the pre-foreclosure or foreclosure arena, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal or on dsnews about the very same trend, corroborating what I have [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Interviews by Ronald Sklar | December 7, 2010 
“Three years ago in Phoenix, you could have put a For Sale sign in front of a cardboard box and you could have sold it,” says real estate broker Jay Thompson of Thompson’s Realty in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, of course, things are a just a wee bit different, both in Phoenix and the rest of [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Investing by Jeff Brown | December 7, 2010It’s the end of another year, one most would agree could be legitimately included in what the Chinese (so it’s believed) have called ‘interesting times’. It’s something they wish those they may not be particularly fond of, as in — “May you live in interesting times”. This has often been referred to as a curse, [...]
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Joshua Dorkin
The $9 Trillion Housing Hole
by Douglas Lazovick | December 12, 2010U.S. home values have dropped $9 Trillion since the housing market’s peak in 2006. That’s a pretty big number. That’s a 9 followed by twelve zeros. To put that figure in perspective, here are a few things that add up to less than $9 trillion: The combined Gross Domestic Products (GDP) for China and Germany [...]