Commentary

Commentary

Time to Let Underwater Homeowners Drown

by Marty Boardman | January 20, 2012

The house on Carla Vista Drive had never been remodeled.  Nor did the original owner elect to pay for any upgrades when the home was first purchased.  Built in 1992, it had no appeal to a retail buyer.  From the peach-colored mini aluminum blinds, to the blue countertops, to the white-washed kitchen cabinets, this house [...]

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Commentary

Sacrifice – Key to Successful Investing while Holding a Full-Time Job

by Michael Zuber | January 9, 2012

As an investor who holds a full-time job, I feel compelled to share the reason I have been successful over the last 10 years. It all boils down to one word: “Sacrifice.” I believe that one word holds the key to success for investors who work full-time and chose to be active real estate investors. [...]

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Commentary

Real Estate Investors: Who Moved Your Cheese?

by Peter Giardini | January 6, 2012

First and foremost… Happy New Year!  I hope that 2012 will be one of great prosperity for you and your family. As we get started in the brand new year, there are very few things that we can count on.  Of those things, the most prominent is that we will continue to see changes in [...]

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Commentary

Don’t Compromise Your Real Estate Strategy for the Sake of Buying

by Ken Corsini | January 4, 2012
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Many investors in recent months have noticed a decline in REO and HUD inventory in their markets. While some may speculate that we are finally working through the majority of the foreclosure casualties from the real estate crash, many analysts believe the lack of foreclosures on the market has more to do with government intervention. [...]

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Commentary

What You Hopefully Opened on Christmas

by Jason Hanson | December 25, 2011
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Merry Christmas. By the time you’re reading this you may have already opened your presents. Hopefully, in addition to all of the stuff you don’t need (like iPods and TV’s) you got some Christmas presents that can increase your income in 2012. I sure did. I got several books and a marketing course which I [...]

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Commentary

The Real Estate Investor Retirement Recovery Window – Two Years Old

by Jeff Brown | December 14, 2011

I coined that incredibly original phrase about this time last year in a post on my own site. The post duly noted that the convergence of three factors, crucial to long term real estate investing. Interest rates at historically low levels, price/rent ratios mimicking 1958 textbooks, and blue ribbon locations sporting smallish newly built income [...]

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Commentary

What to Get Your Tenants for the Holidays

by Jason Hanson | December 11, 2011
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Going shopping for Christmas presents is one of my least favorite activities. It’s right up there with going to the dentist and going to the DMV. That’s why I try and do as little of it as possible and that’s why I have a virtual assistant to do these types of tasks which I can’t [...]

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Commentary

‘Customer Service’ is Essential for Real Estate Success

by Chris Clothier | December 7, 2011
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Real Estate Professionals are in the Business of Serving – Not Selling If you are in the real estate business, even as an investor, take a moment to consider what you really do.  Many come to the conclusion that they are selling real estate or real estate services such as providing property for tenants.  Many [...]

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Commentary

Still Believe Your 401k Is a Main Cog In Your Retirement Income Plan? Think Again

by Jeff Brown | December 6, 2011

Let’s just get down to brass tacks. Your 401K/IRA is virtually guaranteed to let you down when it comes to the income on which you’re relying for retirement. You’ve been lead down the garden path. Ironically, these so-called ‘qualified plans’ are in reality very well designed future streams of income — for the Treasury Department [...]

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Commentary

Three Warren Buffett Quotes that I follow in my Real Estate Business

by Michael Zuber | December 5, 2011
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No one can argue the fact that Warren Buffett is a great investor.  His track record over multiple decades is just too good to be ignored.  As you know, he prefers to purchase companies or stock in companies.  Nonetheless I look to leverage greatness any where I can in my business. I found the following [...]

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Commentary

Mortgage Notes – Dealing with other loans

by Alan Noblitt | December 2, 2011

If you still owe money on a property and want to sell it using owner financing (creating a mortgage note), would you later be able to sell that note?  The short answer is – yes, usually. Let’s say that you own a house worth $100,000 that you’re currently renting out, and you owe $40,000 to [...]

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Commentary

Everyone can WIN with Self-Directed IRA Investing

by Michael Zuber | November 21, 2011

As I have shared in my previous articles, our investing model is based on recycling our investment capital over multiple deals.  In short we buy a distressed asset with cash, repair the property and then after finding a renter we secure a passive investor to replenish our capital.  Our goal is to recycle at least [...]

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Commentary

Are You A Real Estate Rehab Investor With Too Much Cash?

by Peter Giardini | November 19, 2011
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As a real estate investor you know that you can never have too much cash. What if I could present an argument to the contrary.  An argument that demonstrates that real estate investors, especially new investors who have ready access to cash, almost always earn fewer profits then an investor who is not so cash rich. [...]

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Commentary

Forget Real Estate Appreciation, Just Call it Recovery

by Ken Corsini | November 9, 2011
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Interestingly, you don’t hear the term “appreciation rate” much anymore.  I was conducting a seminar this weekend and somebody in the group asked what our annual appreciation rate was. I was taken aback because the notion that real estate values are increasing or may be on the rise in the near future almost seems taboo. [...]

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Commentary

Will Equity Investors Save the Economy?

by Melissa Zavala | November 8, 2011
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On September 7, Kerry Curry wrote an interesting article on Housing Wire entitled “New Normal Means a Lot More Pain to Come.” I read the article, which addresses our existing housing market. In it, an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis discusses how our “new normal” in housing is marked by 2% [...]

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