Distressed Properties Real Estate Investing - What You Should Know

March 11, 2010 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

When you’re looking to make a profit in real estate investing, you need to purchase properties for as low a price as you can then resell them at a higher price. This is exactly what you’re looking for when getting involved in distressed properties real estate investing. This is an extremely popular technique used by successful real estate investors around the world. Once you know what steps you need to take with distressed properties real estate investing you, yourself, can also employ this technique to make higher profits on your real estate ventures.

First and foremost, you need to locate distressed properties so that you can engage in distressed properties real estate investing. These are the properties that have depressed values because of their condition, appearance, or the owner’s financial situation. If any of these three elements are present, then this property is considered a distressed property.

When putting distressed properties real estate investing into practice, just any house that is in poor condition will not do. Why? Not all distressed properties are created equal, and there are some homes that can end up costing you more to fix than you will make in profit from selling them. Your best choice when considering distressed properties for real estate investing are those that can be repaired as inexpensively as possible. These properties just need holes in the wall fixed or a fresh coat of paint to increase the value of the home.

Keep in mind that not all distressed properties require repair. Remember that distressed properties can be qualified as such because of the owner’s financial situation. Divorce, death in the family, job loss, and job transfer are just a few of the causes that create distressed properties. These kinds of properties are the best kind of all to purchase because they can be purchased for a lower price and do not require any repair.

Distressed properties real estate investing requires some work on your part to find the ideal properties. In some cases, you may need to spend some time driving around the neighborhoods in which you’re looking to invest and look for properties that seem distressed. When you find these kinds of properties take note of the address, then use court records to find out who the property actually belongs to. If the home is not abandoned, you can knock on the door and ask the owner if it is for sale.

Also make sure to remember that when you’re engaging in distressed properties real estate investing you must act quickly. There may be other offers on the table. Even if there are currently no offers, you can expect for offers to begin coming; as chances are you aren’t the only investor interested in distressed properties real estate investing. Other investors are using the same techniques to locate distressed properties and may swoop in with better deals. Act as quickly as possible in distressed properties real estate investing to avoid losing deals.

In closing, one of the most lucrative kind of investing is distressed properties real estate investing. Most of the work in distressed properties real estate investing is associated with finding ideal properties. If you know that you will be looking for properties, it is a good practice to get pre-qualified for financing first. Since time is critical in distressed properties real estate investing, you need to save as much time in the process as possible to make sure that you don’t lose the deal to someone who already has financing.

About The Author:

Felix J. Torres is the founder/director of the educational Free Insurance Information Centers. Visit his sites now for additional information pertaining to car, home, and life insurance; and to learn how you could potentially save several hundred dollars on the policies of your choice:

www.Car-Insurance-Information.com,

www.Home-Owners-Insurance-Information.com, and

www.Life-Insurance-Quotes-Information.com

Permission is granted to reprint this article in your ezine or website as long as it is unchanged and the author resource box remains intact.

Distressed Properties Real Estate Investing - What You Should Know

July 2, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

When you’re looking to make a profit in real estate investing, you need to purchase properties for as low a price as you can then resell them at a higher price. This is exactly what you’re looking for when getting involved in distressed properties real estate investing. This is an extremely popular technique used by successful real estate investors around the world. Once you know what steps you need to take with distressed properties real estate investing you, yourself, can also employ this technique to make higher profits on your real estate ventures.

First and foremost, you need to locate distressed properties so that you can engage in distressed properties real estate investing. These are the properties that have depressed values because of their condition, appearance, or the owner’s financial situation. If any of these three elements are present, then this property is considered a distressed property.

When putting distressed properties real estate investing into practice, just any house that is in poor condition will not do. Why? Not all distressed properties are created equal, and there are some homes that can end up costing you more to fix than you will make in profit from selling them. Your best choice when considering distressed properties for real estate investing are those that can be repaired as inexpensively as possible. These properties just need holes in the wall fixed or a fresh coat of paint to increase the value of the home.

Keep in mind that not all distressed properties require repair. Remember that distressed properties can be qualified as such because of the owner’s financial situation. Divorce, death in the family, job loss, and job transfer are just a few of the causes that create distressed properties. These kinds of properties are the best kind of all to purchase because they can be purchased for a lower price and do not require any repair.

Distressed properties real estate investing requires some work on your part to find the ideal properties. In some cases, you may need to spend some time driving around the neighborhoods in which you’re looking to invest and look for properties that seem distressed. When you find these kinds of properties take note of the address, then use court records to find out who the property actually belongs to. If the home is not abandoned, you can knock on the door and ask the owner if it is for sale.

Also make sure to remember that when you’re engaging in distressed properties real estate investing you must act quickly. There may be other offers on the table. Even if there are currently no offers, you can expect for offers to begin coming; as chances are you aren’t the only investor interested in distressed properties real estate investing. Other investors are using the same techniques to locate distressed properties and may swoop in with better deals. Act as quickly as possible in distressed properties real estate investing to avoid losing deals.

In closing, one of the most lucrative kind of investing is distressed properties real estate investing. Most of the work in distressed properties real estate investing is associated with finding ideal properties. If you know that you will be looking for properties, it is a good practice to get pre-qualified for financing first. Since time is critical in distressed properties real estate investing, you need to save as much time in the process as possible to make sure that you don’t lose the deal to someone who already has financing.

About The Author:

Felix J. Torres is the founder/director of the educational Free Insurance Information Centers. Visit his sites now for additional information pertaining to car, home, and life insurance; and to learn how you could potentially save several hundred dollars on the policies of your choice:

www.Car-Insurance-Information.com,

www.Home-Owners-Insurance-Information.com, and

www.Life-Insurance-Quotes-Information.com

Permission is granted to reprint this article in your ezine or website as long as it is unchanged and the author resource box remains intact.

Real Estate Investing: How To Buy Distressed Real Estate During Pre-Foreclosure

April 14, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

When folks find out that I buy houses from distressed
homeowners during the preforeclosure stage, they always ask
the same question: “How do you find them?”

My simplest answer is: “At the courthouse.”

Distressed properties are always easiest to find when a
mortgage lender begins the foreclosure process. (The process
is triggered when the borrower fails to make a mortgage
payment.) Technically speaking this is the “preforeclosure”
stage. The borrower/homeowner has missed one or more
payments, the sheriff’s sale or public auction is looming on
the horizon, and the homeowner realizes he may soon lose his
home.

Depending on which state you live in, the lender either
records a Notice of Default (NOD) or files a judicial
foreclosure lawsuit against the borrower. As soon as the
foreclosure is public information, it’s relatively easy to
find.

So, depending on which property I’m interested in, I either
do a search at the county courthouse or I get the
information from a legal newspaper that has done the
searching for me.

The hardest part is finding a property that has any equity
in it. What I’m looking for is a Loan To Value (LTV) of 80%
or less. For example, if a property has a market value of
$100,000, the homeowner can’t owe more than $75,000 -$80,000
on the property.

Why? Because I can’t spend more than $75,000 - $80,000 for
the property and still make a decent profit.
That includes what I pay for the property
(principle, interest, taxes, and insurance), my repair
costs, and my holding costs. I have been known to pass on a
great deal, simply because it was November and I wasn’t
convinced that the property would sell before summer.
I always factor in having to pay the holding costs
on a property for at least six months while I remodel or
market the house. If the numbers don’t work, I walk away.

Sometimes it takes quite a bit of research to find a
property that I can make a profit on, but the rewards are
worth it.

Now, before you call me a mercenary just because I look for
distressed properties to profit on, let me say this:
Somebody profits from every foreclosure - and it might as
well be you or me.

Some people think it is unethical to benefit from another
person’s misfortune of losing their home or investment
property by buying it from them in the preforeclosure
stage. But I disagree. I look at buying preforeclosures as
opportunities to help the distressed owners save their
credit. When I buy their property, their debt is paid off
and they are free to move on with their lives.

Foreclosures and other property distress are caused by
divorce, unemployment, death, medical emergency, economic
downturn, and any number of personal problems.

Recently, many homeowners bought expensive homes or
refinanced to take equity out of their homes when the
interest rates dropped. Those that later lost their jobs or
had a medical emergency suddenly lost their ability to make
mortgage payments. Many of those houses are now coming on
the market as foreclosures because their owners haven’t been
able to sell them.They think of me as their guardian angel
when I am able to buy their property prior to the sheriff’s
sale, save their credit, and pay off their debt.

For the most part, homeowners understand I need to make a
profit to stay in business. If they are “upside down” in
their house (meaning, they owe more than the property is
worth), and there is no equity in the property, then it is
very unlikely that they will be able to sell quickly — to
me or anyone else — and get out from under their debt.

Distressed Properties Real Estate Investing - What You Should Know

April 12, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

When you’re looking to make a profit in real estate investing, you need to purchase properties for as low a price as you can then resell them at a higher price. This is exactly what you’re looking for when getting involved in distressed properties real estate investing. This is an extremely popular technique used by successful real estate investors around the world. Once you know what steps you need to take with distressed properties real estate investing you, yourself, can also employ this technique to make higher profits on your real estate ventures.

First and foremost, you need to locate distressed properties so that you can engage in distressed properties real estate investing. These are the properties that have depressed values because of their condition, appearance, or the owner’s financial situation. If any of these three elements are present, then this property is considered a distressed property.

When putting distressed properties real estate investing into practice, just any house that is in poor condition will not do. Why? Not all distressed properties are created equal, and there are some homes that can end up costing you more to fix than you will make in profit from selling them. Your best choice when considering distressed properties for real estate investing are those that can be repaired as inexpensively as possible. These properties just need holes in the wall fixed or a fresh coat of paint to increase the value of the home.

Keep in mind that not all distressed properties require repair. Remember that distressed properties can be qualified as such because of the owner’s financial situation. Divorce, death in the family, job loss, and job transfer are just a few of the causes that create distressed properties. These kinds of properties are the best kind of all to purchase because they can be purchased for a lower price and do not require any repair.

Distressed properties real estate investing requires some work on your part to find the ideal properties. In some cases, you may need to spend some time driving around the neighborhoods in which you’re looking to invest and look for properties that seem distressed. When you find these kinds of properties take note of the address, then use court records to find out who the property actually belongs to. If the home is not abandoned, you can knock on the door and ask the owner if it is for sale.

Also make sure to remember that when you’re engaging in distressed properties real estate investing you must act quickly. There may be other offers on the table. Even if there are currently no offers, you can expect for offers to begin coming; as chances are you aren’t the only investor interested in distressed properties real estate investing. Other investors are using the same techniques to locate distressed properties and may swoop in with better deals. Act as quickly as possible in distressed properties real estate investing to avoid losing deals.

In closing, one of the most lucrative kind of investing is distressed properties real estate investing. Most of the work in distressed properties real estate investing is associated with finding ideal properties. If you know that you will be looking for properties, it is a good practice to get pre-qualified for financing first. Since time is critical in distressed properties real estate investing, you need to save as much time in the process as possible to make sure that you don’t lose the deal to someone who already has financing.

About The Author:

Felix J. Torres is the founder/director of the educational Free Insurance Information Centers. Visit his sites now for additional information pertaining to car, home, and life insurance; and to learn how you could potentially save several hundred dollars on the policies of your choice:

www.Car-Insurance-Information.com,

www.Home-Owners-Insurance-Information.com, and

www.Life-Insurance-Quotes-Information.com

Permission is granted to reprint this article in your ezine or website as long as it is unchanged and the author resource box remains intact.