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.

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.

What is Preconstruction Real Estate Investing?

Investing in pre-construction real estate is one of the most profitable investing opportunities available in the market today. Even though it’s a fairly old strategy, very few investors have a good understanding of it. Preconstruction real estate investing can be best explained with an example:

A developer is planning to build a 100 unit condominium development in a very popular location. The developer has already worked out the numbers and thinks that the project will make a handsome profit. Since he doesn’t have the required amount of capital to complete a project of such magnitude, he approaches banks to request financing.

But before banks lend out millions of dollars to the developer, they want to know that the project has the potential to sell after completion. Since there is no way to know the future and banks like to reduce risk as much as possible, they require the developer to pre-sell a certain number of the units (usually 25%-50%) before they will lend money. In this example a bank agrees to finance the developer if 40% of the units are sold before construction begins.

There are very few home buyers who are going to commit to buying something without actually seeing it with their naked eyes. So the developer has no choice but to approach real estate investors who understand the risk and reward of such ventures. In order to reward these investors for their risk, the developer gives them a 10% discount off the appraised value (after construction value) of the condos if they sign a purchase agreement (contract).

This creates a win-win situation where the developer is able to secure financing and the investors are able to get built-in equity by getting the property below appraised value. The investors who buy these condos before the construction is completed are called pre-construction investors, and this investment strategy is called preconstruction investing.

In this example it was a development from the ground up, but the term “pre-construction investing” can be used for any purchase made before the actual completion of a real estate development. The development may be from ground up or just a renovation project i.e. A condo conversion project where preconstruction investors buy before the renovation is complete is also an example of pre construction investing.

In general, pre construction pricing is 5% - 15% lower than the market value of the finished property. Sometimes the developer may offer other financial incentives instead of a price discount. Some examples include cash back after closing, closing cost credit, free upgrades, rental guarantee or lease back, paid property taxes, waive assessments waived, management fees waived, etc. However, in most cases the developer will offer a combination of a price discount and other financial incentives in order make the deal sweeter for preconstruction investors.

After the construction or renovation is complete, pre construction investors’ have two options to exit. Either they sell their property and make a quick profit, or they can hold the property as a long term investment and build equity. Sometimes investors can also profit by assigning the contract to a fellow investor for a small profit even before assuming title to the property.

Below is summary of the process of preconstruction investing:

The pre construction investor buys a house, condo or townhouse from a reputed developer in the preconstruction phase at a price discount and/or other financial incentives. The pre-construction investor waits for the construction or renovations to be completed. After completion of the construction or renovation, the preconstruction investor sells the property immediately for a profit. Or the pre construction investor holds the property to build additional equity due to appreciation and by paying off principal using the rental income. In some cases, exit by assignments is also possible.

For a current list of preconstruction opportunities Please visit http://www.PreConstructionFind.com.

About the Author

Working as freelance content writer.

Real Estate Investing - Matching Buyers with Properties

One of the things you have to consider as a real estate investor is matching buyers with properties that you acquire. When you develop a buyers list for your properties, whether you?re trying to wholesale or rehab, you will find that the simple saying, ?Different strokes for different folks,? applies. Some of the different ?strokes? might be low-end rentals, high-end rentals, multiple unit rentals, and rehabilitation projects.

The different ?folks? will often match these properties. For every investor, there is a niche they specialize in. If you want to wholesale properties, it?s up to you to offer the greatest spread of properties to fellow investors. Also, you must take into account, your regular home buyers (owner-occupants).

Part of any building block of a business is to identify the target market. For instance, with this site, we identified the people who would be visiting it most likely. We tailor the articles with content that is basic in order to meet the ?customer? needs. We don?t overload the articles with complexities, but we do offer the basic 1-2-3 steps for beginning a real estate investment business or a business in general. Part of this required developing a ?character? for our visitors. In doing this, we are constantly developing new avenues of interest that we think our visitors will benefit from, including hard money financing (coming soon).

So, for matching buyers with properties is to simply define what each potential buyer prefers. When you decide to advertise for buyers, you might put out ads like this:

Deep Discounts-Properties need Rehab, Priced to Sell, Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

or

Excellent Cash Flow Rentals offered at Discounted Prices, Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

This may attract buyers who are looking for rehab projects. Thus, you?ll be matching rehabbers/contractors with properties in need of rehab. However, when the phone starts ringing, you?ll need to distinguish the type of homes each potential buyer wants. For instance, some might want 4 bedroom, 2 Bath, high-end rehabs, while others will want your basic ?bread and butter? home, 3 beds and 1 bath. Also for the second advertisement, you?re looking for landlords. Additionally, you?ll need to identify the different areas each buyer will consider.

You may also run an ad like this:

Stop Renting-Starter Homes Available-Mint-Discounted Prices Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

These buyers might be your owner-occupants that are currently renting that you?ll add to your buyers list. Part of your strategy here might be buying, rehabbing and selling them yourself.

Of course, running one ad might be most economical:

Deep Discounted Properties for Sale, Home Buyers, Investors Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

Now, how do you determine what each investor/buyer wants? You may ask the following questions:

What type of property are you looking for?
Specifics? (# of bedrooms, baths, rooms)
What locations are you primarily interested in?
Have you closed on properties in these areas before?
What are your overall objectives for properties you buy?
What is the ideal return on investment you?re looking for?
What type of rentals do you prefer?
How do you continue to grow your customer base (the amount of people you can sell a property to)?

Well since money is always the bottom line and not all buyers have cash to buy (and you should never expect or rely on that solely), expanding the pool of investors and buyers you can sell to comes down to having contacts. If your buyers don?t have the contacts or the cash, you will need them. So four simple things you should do are:

Make contacts with good mortgage brokers and use them to qualify buyers
Make contacts with good hard money lenders to qualify investors (noobs)
Make sure these brokers and lenders can close deals quickly
Make sure you know the process inside and out so you can expedite the process
Lastly, you may look for ads that offer rehabbed homes for sale. For example, if you see a for sale ad that says, ??renovated? or some variation, call that number and begin the process of adding that individual to your buyers list. Visit the property to get a completely true feel for what they look for. This can be a very effective way of getting investors who are actually involved in performing on a contract because they already have demonstrated the ability to do so!

Always remember that you?re running a business. Every successful business has a well-defined strategy for marketing, sales and growth. Real estate investing is no exception!

?2006 noobdogs.com

Real Estate Investing - Matching Buyers with Properties

One of the things you have to consider as a real estate investor is matching buyers with properties that you acquire. When you develop a buyers list for your properties, whether you?re trying to wholesale or rehab, you will find that the simple saying, ?Different strokes for different folks,? applies. Some of the different ?strokes? might be low-end rentals, high-end rentals, multiple unit rentals, and rehabilitation projects.

The different ?folks? will often match these properties. For every investor, there is a niche they specialize in. If you want to wholesale properties, it?s up to you to offer the greatest spread of properties to fellow investors. Also, you must take into account, your regular home buyers (owner-occupants).

Part of any building block of a business is to identify the target market. For instance, with this site, we identified the people who would be visiting it most likely. We tailor the articles with content that is basic in order to meet the ?customer? needs. We don?t overload the articles with complexities, but we do offer the basic 1-2-3 steps for beginning a real estate investment business or a business in general. Part of this required developing a ?character? for our visitors. In doing this, we are constantly developing new avenues of interest that we think our visitors will benefit from, including hard money financing (coming soon).

So, for matching buyers with properties is to simply define what each potential buyer prefers. When you decide to advertise for buyers, you might put out ads like this:

Deep Discounts-Properties need Rehab, Priced to Sell, Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

or

Excellent Cash Flow Rentals offered at Discounted Prices, Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

This may attract buyers who are looking for rehab projects. Thus, you?ll be matching rehabbers/contractors with properties in need of rehab. However, when the phone starts ringing, you?ll need to distinguish the type of homes each potential buyer wants. For instance, some might want 4 bedroom, 2 Bath, high-end rehabs, while others will want your basic ?bread and butter? home, 3 beds and 1 bath. Also for the second advertisement, you?re looking for landlords. Additionally, you?ll need to identify the different areas each buyer will consider.

You may also run an ad like this:

Stop Renting-Starter Homes Available-Mint-Discounted Prices Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

These buyers might be your owner-occupants that are currently renting that you?ll add to your buyers list. Part of your strategy here might be buying, rehabbing and selling them yourself.

Of course, running one ad might be most economical:

Deep Discounted Properties for Sale, Home Buyers, Investors Call XXX-XXX-XXXX

Now, how do you determine what each investor/buyer wants? You may ask the following questions:

What type of property are you looking for?
Specifics? (# of bedrooms, baths, rooms)
What locations are you primarily interested in?
Have you closed on properties in these areas before?
What are your overall objectives for properties you buy?
What is the ideal return on investment you?re looking for?
What type of rentals do you prefer?
How do you continue to grow your customer base (the amount of people you can sell a property to)?

Well since money is always the bottom line and not all buyers have cash to buy (and you should never expect or rely on that solely), expanding the pool of investors and buyers you can sell to comes down to having contacts. If your buyers don?t have the contacts or the cash, you will need them. So four simple things you should do are:

Make contacts with good mortgage brokers and use them to qualify buyers
Make contacts with good hard money lenders to qualify investors (noobs)
Make sure these brokers and lenders can close deals quickly
Make sure you know the process inside and out so you can expedite the process
Lastly, you may look for ads that offer rehabbed homes for sale. For example, if you see a for sale ad that says, ??renovated? or some variation, call that number and begin the process of adding that individual to your buyers list. Visit the property to get a completely true feel for what they look for. This can be a very effective way of getting investors who are actually involved in performing on a contract because they already have demonstrated the ability to do so!

Always remember that you?re running a business. Every successful business has a well-defined strategy for marketing, sales and growth. Real estate investing is no exception!

?2006 noobdogs.com

What is Preconstruction Real Estate Investing?

Investing in pre-construction real estate is one of the most profitable investing opportunities available in the market today. Even though it’s a fairly old strategy, very few investors have a good understanding of it. Preconstruction real estate investing can be best explained with an example:

A developer is planning to build a 100 unit condominium development in a very popular location. The developer has already worked out the numbers and thinks that the project will make a handsome profit. Since he doesn’t have the required amount of capital to complete a project of such magnitude, he approaches banks to request financing.

But before banks lend out millions of dollars to the developer, they want to know that the project has the potential to sell after completion. Since there is no way to know the future and banks like to reduce risk as much as possible, they require the developer to pre-sell a certain number of the units (usually 25%-50%) before they will lend money. In this example a bank agrees to finance the developer if 40% of the units are sold before construction begins.

There are very few home buyers who are going to commit to buying something without actually seeing it with their naked eyes. So the developer has no choice but to approach real estate investors who understand the risk and reward of such ventures. In order to reward these investors for their risk, the developer gives them a 10% discount off the appraised value (after construction value) of the condos if they sign a purchase agreement (contract).

This creates a win-win situation where the developer is able to secure financing and the investors are able to get built-in equity by getting the property below appraised value. The investors who buy these condos before the construction is completed are called pre-construction investors, and this investment strategy is called preconstruction investing.

In this example it was a development from the ground up, but the term “pre-construction investing” can be used for any purchase made before the actual completion of a real estate development. The development may be from ground up or just a renovation project i.e. A condo conversion project where preconstruction investors buy before the renovation is complete is also an example of pre construction investing.

In general, pre construction pricing is 5% - 15% lower than the market value of the finished property. Sometimes the developer may offer other financial incentives instead of a price discount. Some examples include cash back after closing, closing cost credit, free upgrades, rental guarantee or lease back, paid property taxes, waive assessments waived, management fees waived, etc. However, in most cases the developer will offer a combination of a price discount and other financial incentives in order make the deal sweeter for preconstruction investors.

After the construction or renovation is complete, pre construction investors’ have two options to exit. Either they sell their property and make a quick profit, or they can hold the property as a long term investment and build equity. Sometimes investors can also profit by assigning the contract to a fellow investor for a small profit even before assuming title to the property.

Below is summary of the process of preconstruction investing:

The pre construction investor buys a house, condo or townhouse from a reputed developer in the preconstruction phase at a price discount and/or other financial incentives. The pre-construction investor waits for the construction or renovations to be completed. After completion of the construction or renovation, the preconstruction investor sells the property immediately for a profit. Or the pre construction investor holds the property to build additional equity due to appreciation and by paying off principal using the rental income. In some cases, exit by assignments is also possible.

For a current list of preconstruction opportunities Please visit http://www.PreConstructionFind.com.

About the Author

Working as freelance content writer.

Knowing the Market is Key to Real Estate Investing

Real Estate Investing

A current hot topic on television, real estate investing is seen by many as a way to “Get Rich Quick”. What they don’t explain on shows like “Flip This House” is that the investors are professionals with years of experience. People that are not experienced or committed to learning the ropes are in for a hard lesson if, and when, they bite off more than they can chew. One of the best things a real estate investor can do is learn the local market conditions.

Know Your Market

Understanding you environment and market conditions will definitely give you a chance to make your investment a success. For instance, buying low and selling high is probably not going to happen in buyer’s market conditions. Of course there are exceptions to every scenario. When in doubt, do your research. Check out the newspaper. Watch the homes for sale in your own neighborhood. See how long they have been on the market. If you are planning on having a professional real estate agent market your home, talk to them. Get the information about market conditions prior to making the initial investment.

Where to Look

1. Look in the newspaper: Read the local real estate section in the newspaper.

2. Pick up the free magazines listing homes for sale at the grocery store.

3. Visit the neighborhoods in which you would like to invest and watch how long homes are sitting on the market before selling.

4. Check the internet. Find a local real estate website with information regarding local real estate market conditions. For example, a real estate agent in Birmingham, Alabama offers information on the Birmingham Alabama real estate market conditions and advice for home buyers and sellers.

Once you have familiarized yourself with your local real estate market, you will have a better idea of what to expect from your investment. Remember, there is one consistent fact to the real estate market, it changes. So staying current on the market should be a priority with any real estate investor. Once you have become educated on your real estate market, you will be able to look for homes that have good investment potential and be able to discern whether or not a positive return on investment will occur within your time frame. Which in turn will make your investment scheme a success.