ABCs of Real Estate Investing - ABCs of Real Estate Investing Guide

It seems like almost everyone is learning how to cash in and make a buck from the current real estate craze. Home buying and selling is hot right now, and many are learning how to turn real estate investing into a gold mine. But unless you know the ABCs of real estate investing, you can?t even get started.

Many people share the dream of wanting to work for themselves alone, being their own boss, making money their own way. Real estate investing is a great way to make this dream a reality, but you have to know what you?re doing. You have to know the ABCs, and learn to play the game. Only then can you learn to enjoy the payoff. The more you learn about real estate investing, the bigger and better your payoffs should be. That?s what makes this type of investing so lucrative and exciting.

When you learn to read, you start with your ABCs. And when you want to start in real estate, you have to learn the ABCs of real estate investing. For starters, you want to learn about ?the market.? This refers to the real estate market, and it only means knowing the condition of properties in any particular area. For instance, in a single city or area inside a city, you?ll want to know how much properties are selling for, how many properties are available, which neighborhoods are popular. You should know as much about the area you?re working in as possible. Know where homes are selling and where they?re not selling, and know what sort of price those homes are getting. This is a great way to get a feel for ?the market? and learn what kind of money you can hope to bring in. Knowing your area is a very basic rule of real estate investing.

Once you know how the market looks in your area, you can get down to the nitty-gritty of real estate investing. The basic things you?ll need to know, the ABCs, are fairly simple. The trick to success at real estate is in learning what people want. What are home buyers looking for? What do you look for, when you buy a home? The kitchen and bathroom areas are very important, and many real estate professionals say that these areas are what sell homes. Keep costs down as much as possible, but if you?re going to splurge then put the money into these areas of the home. You?re likely to get the most money back from this investment. Learn more about more inexpensive materials, such as poured concrete instead of granite, and laminate flooring instead of hardwood, to learn how to make a home beautiful for less. This is one of the ABCs of real estate investing ? knowing how to walk the fine line between spending too much and too little.

It?s important to work out a budget, plan for disaster, and keep on track as much as possible. Have an idea of what you want to get out of each property before you sell, and don?t put more into any one property than you think you should. If you won?t get that investment back, don?t put it in. This is one of the ABCs of real estate investing ? staying on track with the budget. Remember, the less you make from the sale of the property, the less you make from your investment.

Visions of Success in Real Estate Investing

I was at the beach the one day this past summer, watching a group of kids playing a game of wiffle ball. One of the things I was struck by was how they saw themselves. The kids did not see themselves as Connor, Matthew, or James. Rather, they saw themselves as something greater, they saw themselves as their heroes: Albert (Pujols), Ryan (Howard), and David (Ortiz). While this is not at all uncommon among kids, it is something we lose as adults. Instead of acting with the boldness of our heroes, we become cynical. Sure, we disguise it with clever sounding phrases such as ‘growing up’ or ‘maturing’. However, in doing so, we lose the free-spirited idea that we can accomplish or become anything. Yet how much has this ‘maturing’ cost us? Personally I have missed opportunities to make several millions dollars because of it. I missed these opportunities because I believed that great wealth was not something I could achieve. It was not until I began to have a vision of success in real estate investing and could see myself achieving great wealth in my mind, did I actually begin to achieve it with money in my pocket. If you are having trouble achieving your goals, maybe it is time to examine how you view yourself. Do you ’see’ yourself doing great things, or are you trapped by a lack of vision? Our limits are always that of vision. To achieve greatness, you should not spend all your time looking at how you are now. Instead, focus on ’seeing’ what you want to become.

About the Author

David Schneeweis is the founder of Direct To Success, a personal coaching company. David has worked successfully with entrepreneurs, athletes, students, and others to help them improve their lives, achieve success, and reach their dreams. If you would like more information or to sign up for his free newsletter visit http://directtosuccess.com

Real Estate Investing - Avoiding The ‘Frequently Made Mistakes’

Real estate investing has been the American dream. However, it’s not for the faint-hearted, many have lost money because they made mistakes. It’s a risky business so you need to know the ‘how to’s or you could join the ones who lost money rather than made it.

You know what some real-estate gurus tell you - Real estate investing is easy! It’s as simple as finding a low-priced property, getting it painted, plant some greenery, and wait for buyers to fight for it - so they say. They entice you into real estate investing by telling you it’s possible without even putting in a dollar.

A common scenario is someone who invests over a couple of thousand dollars for one of these Real estate investing seminars with some hot-shot investing guru. Excited about the prospect of making enough money to retire on, they become convinced that real estate investing is their answer. Only a year or so later, and they’ve realized that investing isn’t a quick fix, and it takes more than a seminar to be successful.

There are many pitfalls that new investors can make which we can only cover a few of - but at least it’s a start. Here are three of the main ones.

If you go into real estate investing emotionally, and not as a business venture, you’ll definitely lose out. What does this mean? Well, say you find a property that you immediately fall in love with. It’s so cute, it’s got a pretty garden, it’s got character etc. You will be making an emotional buy and not an objective one that should be considering the suitability of price, for tenants, and even resell prospects.

The less knowledge you have about real estate investment, the more risk you’ll be taking. Investing blind means buying real estate as if your eyes are shut - such as blinding believing all you’re told at real estate seminars or agents. You must do your research; read and read and then read some more on the subject; ask others who have been successful and learn from them. Just a little lack of knowledge could mean that you end up with a bad buy.

Many real estate investors have fallen due to lack of cash flow. This is the key phase for survival in the investing business. Not having cash reserves makes your position very risky and shaky. Sure you can use your credit but credit needs repayment. And that investment property will have hidden costs. The more pressure you’re under the easier it is to make silly mistakes. Make sure you allow for sufficient cash flow.

Research is only as good as knowing what to look for. An example; say you were investing using the ‘fix and flip’ technique which means re-selling quickly for a profit.

Say you buy a property that looks like it fits all the requirements. You spend a little bit of time researching and checking zoning requirements. All seems good and you spend money and time doing it up. Only to find out that you hadn’t checked requirements carefully enough and you’ve created an apartment block with too many apartments for the zoning area. Guess who’s going to be out of money? Do your reading for knowledge and your research for reducing risk.

So, you’re ready for your property to be tenanted. Don’t rush in and accept the first people who apply. It’s very gratifying to know that someone wants to live in your newly acquired property, and the cash would definitely come in handy with bank bills to pay. But it is well known by long-term real estate investors that bad tenants cost a lot more than a couple of weeks waiting for the right ones to come along. Screen your tenants - choose carefully. Getting references is a good start.

Summary:

To succeed in real estate investing you need to read for knowledge and research to reduce risk. Then you won’t get sucked-in by real estate investment gurus offering you the world for nothing.

About the Author

Brooke Hayles
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Real Estate Investing: Always Have a Back-up

Over the last two weeks, events have unfolded that have reminded me of an important truism in real estate investing.

“Always have a back-up!”

This was played out in dramatic form with a deal I’m closing tomorrow. A wholesaler friend of mine brought me this great little three bedroom one bath home tucked away on a dead end street where pride in ownership is alive and well. The electric and plumbing is already upgraded and this rehab is cosmetic with the exception of adding a bath.

I’m buying it for $52,500 and the as-repaired appraisal came in at $86,000. Not a bad spread. This is the kind of deal I like!

When I called my hard money broker, she was delighted and we moved quickly toward closing. I was only waiting on the closing time…

That’s when the wheels fell off.

It seems my broker’s money source decided he was only going to invest in property valued at $250,000 or more. Yikes!

So, I went to back-up hard money broker number 1.

The broker took his time…about 5 days…to finally tell me that he only wanted to loan about 60% of the as-repair value. No way. Not when I can do better (70%) with back-up hard money broker number 2.

Back-up broker number 2 is probably who I should have went with in the first place. I’ve borrowed from this source before. It took one phone call, and the money is there and I close in a couple of days. Wham-bam, the deal is arranged.

It looks like it’s time to shift around the players in my core team a bit. Back-up number 2 is now my starter. Back-up number 1 (foot-dragger, doesn’t-loan-the-70%-he-said-he-would) is benched.

I tell this story to illustrate that it’s absolutely CENTRAL to your business to have back-up plans in all aspects of the business.

I strongly recommend having two or three:

- Hard money brokers - Appraisers for quick value assessments - Rehab crew leaders - Plumbers - Electricians - Roofers - HVAC techs - Realtors

In fact, have two or three of any trade or profession lined up, ready to spring into action as a moment’s notice. Sure, I have my favorites in each of these areas, but I am striving to have 3-deep hot back-ups in each. Thing happen. Life happens! Be prepared for it.

Don’t stop there. Have back-ups when you rent or sell a property. A property isn’t rented until the rent and deposit (or lease/option fee) is paid and the keys are in the hands of the new tenant. So, encourage back-ups until the money is in your hands (in cash).

I’ve had appointments set up to sign leases, and the potential tenants never show up, no call, and they quit answering their phone. This is despite being hot for the house an hour earlier! If you are in this business long, you will learn that people will disappoint you and they will fool you. So, establish policies and make one of them “it ain’t rented until it’s paid for!”

Encourage back-up offers to purchase. Deals fall through all the time! Take as many back-up offers as you can.

Having back-ups is a mental frame of mind that fits within being a big-picture thinker portion of the Mind of the Real Estate Investor. In addition, rearranging your core team is thinking big and long term. It’s a constant process of improvement and adjustment. This approach is crucial to your business! Apply this principle and profit!

About the Author

———- Bruce W. Ford publishes the “Nothing Held Back” newsletter, a free service of Rehab Real Estate Central (http://www.Rehab-Real-Estate.com). Get a free copy of his mini-course entitled “The Mind of the Real Estate Investor by clicking here!.”

Real Estate Investing: Buy To Rent, No Money Down

The market for rental houses is as strong as the demand for new homes. Why not have your cake and eat it too through buying to rent!
With home sales at a record high, it might surprise you to know there is an equally strong market for rental properties. A constantly moving population of business professionals and financial over extension in the 1990s are the primary reasons why an ever-increasing number of people will be renting suitable properties instead of buying a home this year. This is great news for real estate investors!

The robust house rental market is allowing smart investors to have their cake and eat it too. Instead of buying a home, fixing it up and trying to flip it for a profit, real estate investors can turn the home into a rental which provides a positive monthly cash flow. And the home is always there to be sold if the need arises.

It varies by region and the typical age of houses in a particular area, but the general rule for purchasing a property thats optimum for becoming a rental is a house less the fifteen years old with easy access to major highways and shopping areas. Homes should never be out in the middle of nowhere and always less then a forty-five minute drive to major business areas. Three bedroom houses that have central air conditioning and come with all major appliances (including a washer and dryer) are likely to fetch a higher monthly rent.

Many investors shy away from rentals because theyve heard the horror stories told by landlords who chose the wrong tenants. But that has become the exception to the rule. Most people who need to rent a home have good credit, a solid record of on time rent payment and solid employment. Some are professionals whose job requires frequent relocation. Others have purchased a new home and are waiting for it to be built. In places like Phoenix where I live, a population boom has extended the waiting time to move into a new home.

Finding qualified tenants has become easier with inexpensive credit and background checks. Anyone that wants to rent a house knows a credit and background check is all but mandatory. You can avoid tenant nightmares by refusing to rent to anyone with evictions, bankruptcies or judgments against them. Ironically, people with all those things on their credit report can actually purchase a home to live in or rent out with no money down.

There are a number of ways for anyone to purchase homes, apartment buildings or other properties regardless of credit or employment history. All it takes is the right information and persistence. The lazy need not apply, but the rewards are substantial for those who try.

more at http://billknell.tripod.com/buy/money.html

About the Author

A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He’s written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of subjects. A popular Speaker, Bill Knell presents seminars on a number of topics that entertain, train and teach. A popular radio and television show Guest, you’ve heard Bill on thousands of top-rated shows in all formats and seen him on local, national and international television programs.

Real Estate Investing - How To Get Started

If you are new to the world of Real Estate Investing, don’t feel bad. Maybe you have yet to do your first deal. We have all been there. I’ve met a lot of experienced investors, and not one of them came out of the womb with any deals under their belts- even though some of them would like you to believe they did!

We all have to start somewhere. Everybody has to do their first deal- their icebreaker. There are only two kinds of investors- those who have, and those who haven’t- done a deal that is. If you’re one of those who haven’t, this article is for you. I’m going to answer your most burning question- “How do I get started?”

How do I know this is your most burning question? Because not too long ago it was mine. I remember looking at investors who had only done one or two deals and thinking, “Those people are good! How’d they do that?” Now I know, and after reading this article, so will you.

There really are only five simple steps to getting started.

The Five Steps

Step One- Relax.

Step Two- Build your knowledge base.

Step Three- Open your eyes.

Step Four- Make offers.

Step five- Finish what you start.

The end.

Just kidding. I know all I’ve done is excite your curiosity, and if I leave you now you’ll hunt me down and kill me- I wouldn’t blame you. So I’ll explain the five steps.

Step One- Relax. Believe it or not, for me this was the most important step. Most people working toward their first deal are way too intense. I was. For weeks and months it was all I could think about, morning, noon, and night. I was tense and irritable. My family suffered. I suffered. My job suffered. And still no deal.

So, I consciously decided to relax. I didn’t stop working toward my goal, I just stopped obsessing and worrying about it all the time. I watched the things I was telling myself (my self-talk). I reminded myself that, since I was doing all the right things consistently, my first deal was right around the corner. I told myself the truth- “It’s only a matter of time!” I forced myself to relax, so I could focus on the really important things- my faith, my family, and my fitness (body, mind, spirit).

When those things are in alignment, success can occur naturally and easily- almost without effort. Try it yourself- for the next three days consciously relax and let go of the tension you feel about getting that first deal!

Step Two- Build Your Knowledge Base. Many people get this one out of order. They try to cram all sorts of knowledge into their head before they are relaxed enough to absorb it. Your brain doesn’t work like a machine. Try to stuff it full when you are tense and feeling pressured to ‘get a deal’, and you will recall next to nothing. Relax first, and your brain will work the way God designed it to- smoothly and efficiently. You’ll be amazed at what you will learn, and how fast you’ll learn it!

Read anything and everything. Buy books and courses, listen to tapes, attend conferences and seminars. Visit all the investing websites and bookmark the ones you like. Read the forum posts, the free articles, and the success stories. Especially DealFiles!

Don’t limit yourself to learning just one kind of investing. If you classify yourself as merely a ‘flipper’ or ‘rehabber’ you may miss out on a tremendous opportunity because you’re not looking for it. Visit my Resource Page for advice on the best educational materials out there.

Before I flipped my first house, I read books and courses on foreclosures, subject-to, lease options, and a hundred other investing strategies. Because I taught myself to relax, I never felt overwhelmed with too much material. When the time came for my first deal, I used techniques from many different sources. I didn’t have to think too much about it- the information was there, waiting for me to access it.

A word of caution- stay relaxed! Don’t treat this like a job. You should be enjoying this. If not, you may want to rethink why you’re doing it in the first place.

Step Three- Open your eyes. After you have consciously relaxed, and while you are building your knowledge base, start to look around you. You are looking for opportunity, and you will be amazed at where and when you see it. Opportunity can take several unexpected forms, and show up when you aren’t looking for it. In fact, that’s usually the way opportunity presents itself. People you meet, things that happen around you, any of a hundred things that occur as you move through your days.

For instance, a conversation you overhear may present an opportunity you would never know about otherwise. Context is crucial. Now that you are relaxed and learning, you are free to interpret things you see and hear in a fresh way. You start looking at people, places, and events through the eyes of a Real Estate Investor, because that’s the way you are training your mind to think. This is very good.

It’s also called ’serendipity’, a fifty-cent word meaning “the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”

I found my best resource- my Realtor- this way. He was introduced to me by a friend. I said, “You’re a Realtor? Do you handle any foreclosures?”

He said, “I work for the largest foreclosure broker in the area.”

“Oh, really?!” My eyes were open.

Finally, don’t expect miracles in a day, a week, a month.

Watch. Listen. Think. Keep your eyes open.

One day soon, the deal will be there.

Step Four- Make offers. I’m not kidding here. Some people expect to get their first deal without ever making any offers. Usually, their fear is holding them back. Click this link to read my article on Four Ways To Eliminate Fear. Making no offers leaves you with nothing but wishing and hoping, bad overall strategies for success in anything.

Follow the three steps above and you WILL make offers. There’s a neat dynamic at work here. Follow the logic. You relax. You gain knowledge. Knowledge builds confidence. You open your eyes. You see an opportunity. You make an offer. Making the offer builds more confidence. You make more offers. One is accepted. You get scared. You go get more knowledge. You gain more confidence. You close your first deal. Confidence soars. Get the picture?

No offers - no deals. Simple, huh? Don’t get caught up in trying to know everything before you make an offer. You never will. Put in the time and effort. Learn well. Make offers. Enough said.

Step Five- Finish what you start. This one is easy for some of us, hard for others. If you are one of those people who get cold feet, prepare for it in advance. Decide ahead of time you will finish what you start and close on every deal you make an offer on. There are a lot of roadblocks in Real Estate Investing, any one of which could bring your deal to a screeching halt if you let it. In many cases, you are the only one who has what it takes to bring your deal to the closing table.

Determine ahead of time that, no matter what, the deal will close. Often it feels like you must put forth superhuman effort. Not true- merely human effort will work. Your human effort. You may not know it yet, but you have what it takes. Push through to the end and finish what you start.

That’s it then. Five simple, little steps that anyone can take. The only difference this time is, you are the one taking them. So much the better. After all- it’s your turn, isn’t it?

Now, go make more offers!

Definition of Security: Small Business Ownership

What your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!
Yes, that IS security when nobody can downsize you because you OWN that small business of yours! But preserving that special advantage is a never-ending job. In fact, do you know what needs to be preserved more than anything else?

Well, since they hold the future of your business in their hands, I believe that an outside group of people whose behaviors can effect your business survival more than any other, deserves your rapt attention.

What Id like you to conclude from that is, what your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!

0 customers displeased with your product or service dont come back 0 prospects who dont know about you dont buy 0 employees who believe you dont care about them lean on their oars 0 when minority folks believe you discrimminate, you have new problems 0 and if community residents believe your business is a lousy place to work, you have hiring and retention problems.

Even though help is on the way, you cant work on everything at once, so prioritize those key audiences. That is, which external audience is of immediate concern?

The good news is that problems like those above just dont happen when you closely and regularly monitor what those key publics think about you. First, you find ways to interact with them.

Then probe what they think about you and the business. In what behaviors are they engaging? What about misunderstandings? Do you see any problems brewing?

When you take the trouble to stay in touch with those folks whose behaviors affect your business the most, youve taken an important first step towards preserving your business.

Theres a real sequence here. Once you gather those facts from monitoring your key, target audience, it becomes obvious what your problem is and, thus, the public relations goal. For example, correct that misconception about your product; or reinforce a budding perception that you deliver superior service; or correct a suspicion that you dont put women in positions of responsibility.

With your goal in-hand, how are you going to achieve it? You need a strategy which, in public relations, only comes in three flavors: create opinion (perception) where none may exist; change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

So, youve set your public relations goal AND a very doable strategy. Now, what must your message have to say to implement that strategy? It must address the fix you decided upon when you set the goal. It must be clear, specific, persuasive and, above all, believable. As you write it, remain sensitive to what you are trying to do: change somebodys perception which almost always leads to the change in behavior you really want. Does your message meet this challenge?

Many would now find themselves with a great goal, a super strategy and a first class message, and nowhere to go.

But not you. Here, you select the beasts of burden you need to carry that message to the eyes and ears of those members of your key, target audience whom you need to reach and move to action.

And that means communications tactics. There are more available to you than we have time or space to list. Among them: community briefings, seminars, special events, news releases, speeches, brochures and personal contacts.

Is your work completed? Nope, because how will you track your progress? The answer is, Round 2 of the monitoring job. Interact with members of your prime outside audience all over again, carefully evaluating what you hear. If the goal was correct a misconception, are you beginning to notice signs of that correction? Do those you talk to show, however little, a better understanding of the facts of the matter as represented in your message?

Whats the bottom line? Behaviors, of course.

When your messages and communications tactics combine to alter a questionable perception held by members of your key, target audience, certain behaviors will soon follow. Among them, favorable mentions in the media and in individual speeches and lectures; increased patronage for your business; corrected perceptions by influential members of that important group of people, and many other similar signs that your message and your communications tactics have, indeed, drawn blood.

Happily, what that adds up to is a successful public relations effort.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

About the Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

A Beginner’s Guide To Real Estate Investing Strategies

If you’re thinking about investing in real estate to make money, you need to first determine your financial goals. Do you need to make money quickly, invest for your children’s college fund, or build wealth for your retirement? Once you determine your financial goals, you need to decide which type of investing strategy works for you.

Make Money in Real Estate - Fast Cash Strategy

If you’re low on cash, get started by finding a bargain house and selling the contract to another real estate investor. Join a real estate investing club to find investors willing to pay you for finding good deals.

Make Money in Real Estate - Income Property Strategy

If you want to increase your monthly income, look for income property that returns a positive net income from month to month. Start with single family house. Look for a bargain below market value. Fix up the house to generate top rental income. Find houses that will rent for more than your mortgage payment. You may need to go out from your home area to a location that supports this type of return on your money. You can’t pay $300,000 for a home with a mortgage of $1,500 that only rents for $1,000. You might start with a home for around $300,000 that rents for $1,750. You will need good credit to get a loan with good interest rates. In a few years, your rental income should go up. Many real estate investors enjoy thousands of dollars each month generated by income property.

However, some investors don’t like dealing with tenants and prefer to make money in other real estate ventures.

Make Money in Real Estate - Investment Property Strategy

If you want to make money focusing on profits, investment property offers a different strategy. Instead of worrying about rental income, look for property that you can transform and sell or property that will appreciate significantly over time. Besides fixing a house up, you can transform a property by changing it. For instance, some investors buy apartment buildings and turn them into condominiums. Many investors speculate in land and make money by holding the land until new development in the area increases the value.

Examine your financial situation along with your long term goals. You can get started by flipping properties, move onto income properties, and then make larger profits with investment properties. You might end up using a combination of all three strategies to make money investing in real estate.

Copyright ? Jeanette J. Fisher

About the Author: Jeanette Fisher teaches how to find, finance, fix and sell. Free ebooks “Credit Tips” http://worryfreecredit.com “Flipping Houses” at http://doghousetodollhousefordollars.com