foreclosure

How the Robo-signing Settlement will Affect You

by Steve Cook | February 8, 2012

As the result of a massive settlement negotiated between states and lenders that is almost complete, major changes are in the offing that will significantly change the way lenders, especially the largest banks, service defaults and foreclosures. For investors, especially those who invest in major foreclosure markets in states in participating, the settlement will have [...]

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Real Estate Investing

How to Buy Real Estate after a Strategic Default

by Marty Boardman | January 28, 2012

A patent attorney. A certified public accountant. A physical therapist. A Realtor. A retired utility company worker. A mechanical engineer. A doctor. A nurse practitioner. An elementary school psychologist. These are just a handful of people I know that have strategically defaulted on an underwater mortgage. While their backgrounds and occupations are diverse, all are [...]

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Economy

The Difference Investors Make

by Steve Cook | January 4, 2012

A nation’s homes shape the quality of its citizens’ lives. Homes are where the workaday world ends and family life begins. Life’s passages take place in our homes; they are where children grow up and memories are made. Homes form the building blocks of every community. Not since the Depression has a man-made disaster so [...]

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Real Estate Investing

The Case for Being a Realtor and Investor

by Marty Boardman | December 29, 2011

As he took his place at the front of the packed auditorium the instructor began by telling a story. “I was once a real estate broker” he announced. “Years later, I became a real estate attorney.” He said “I did this so I could kill my own deals.” The speaker’s name was William Kozub and [...]

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Foreclosures

Look Both Ways Before You Walk

by Richard Warren | December 5, 2011

So many people have walked away from homes that are hopelessly underwater. With little prospect of recouping their losses, or faced with a difficult personal financial situation, they have made a decision to let the bank foreclose. Prior to 2007 this would have resulted in an income tax liability on the amount of any forgiven [...]

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Real Estate Investing

What is your Real Estate Acquisition Strategy?

by Marty Boardman | November 3, 2011

I wouldn’t be comfortable with someone referring to me as an expert – unless it had do with cereal or cheap red wine. Oh, and acquiring stuff. I’m really good at that too. Let’s just say I’m a sucker for the latest tech/music/audio gadget on the market. My most recent non-real estate related acquisition was [...]

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Commentary

Massive Denial Blocks Real Estate Recovery

by Marty Boardman | October 27, 2011

Kevin is not giving up without a fight. I know this because those words are written on a piece of paper taped to his front door. NOT GIVING UP WITHOUT A FIGHT! His house is scheduled to go to a foreclosure auction today. Kevin bought his home on July 8th, 2003 for $270,800. The real [...]

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Short Sales

Short Sales and Strategic Default

by Melissa Zavala | September 20, 2011

I received a telephone call a few days back from a homeowner who was a little foggy about what to do and wanted to brainstorm some pre-foreclosure options. This individual has a strong income, yet has some unique challenges with respect to his mortgage. The interest rate is continuously changing (as is the amount of [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Turning a Non-Performing Note into a Rental Property and a Good Deed

by Kevin Kaczmarek | August 24, 2011

The mortgage meltdown has put many hard-working good people in tough situations where foreclosure is their only option. Even though this market has created the best buying opportunities in decades, there are more people just like a homeowner I recently ran into. I thought this case study might inspire you as you purchase mortgage notes. [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Are You Getting Ready to Get Ready to Invest in Real Estate?

by Marty Boardman | August 12, 2011

He was hungry. Not literally, of course. Although tall and lean, I doubt he’d missed many meals. No, Eric Sage was hungry in the “I’m miserable at my job and will do anything to change my financial situation” sort of way. At the time Eric had very little time, education, or money. But that didn’t [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Exit Strategies For Notes That Work: Without Foreclosure

by Kevin Kaczmarek | June 22, 2011

There is an old saying in the note investing world, “You make money when they pay, you make more money when they don’t.” That phrase is often followed by advice that includes the judicial process that leads to foreclosure or land contract forfeiture. While these strategies are truly the most common in this current market, [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Real Estate Day Trading at the Courthouse Steps

by Marty Boardman | June 9, 2011

His face was wrinkled. Not from old age, but from the sun. I was certain his raspy voice came from years of cigarette smoking. The man standing at the front of the room was a real estate instructor. The class he was about to teach was called Foreclosures and Short Sales 101. There were about [...]

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Real Estate Investing

The Call Every Real Estate Investor Will Eventually Get

by Marty Boardman | May 12, 2011

I could hear the desperation in her voice. Diane was nearly hysterical. She had just found out that she lost her home of 18 years to foreclosure. An investment group bought her property at the courthouse steps for $70,000. Then, they promptly posted a notice on her door that read WRITTEN DEMAND AND SURRENDER OF [...]

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Real Estate Investing

Another Day at the Auction – 3 Houses, 3 Tales – The Rest of the Story

by Marty Boardman | April 21, 2011

The popular NBC docudrama Unsolved Mysteries ran from 1988 to 1997. It was narrated by a man named Robert Stack, who I will always remember as airline captain Rex Kramer in the comedy film Airplane. Robert Stack was cool. His voice was monotone but dramatic – sort of like that guy with the slicked back [...]

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Commentary

If Purchasing Park Place Was Really That Easy….

by Melissa Zavala | April 19, 2011

On Spring Break with the extended family, I had the opportunity to participate in a rousing game of Monopoly—modern-day Monopoly being that we played on an iPad instead of pulling out the old board game with the metal pieces. One of the kids that participated will obviously be the next real estate tycoon because he [...]

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