Real Estate Foreclosure Investing

Real Estate Foreclosure in the United States

Foreclosure is a process in which a piece of real estate becomes the property of a lending institution due to the legal owner’s inability to make scheduled payments on the mortgage or deed of trust.

Foreclosures are spreading all over the country, which means there are opportunities everywhere. Lenders are being overwhelmed with properties they inherit because of bad loans. It is safe to say that most lenders will accept a short sale, however, you may come across one or two who will not discount. If the numbers work out for the lender they will do it.

If you are an investor then you may want to check with some local realtors to see if they are willing to work with you to take advantage of the many foreclosures on the market today. Real-estate is not real good right now, but it is great for those who are willing to buy up the great deals and wait for a better market. That better market will come again to sell and profit.

No one wants to give up their home, but they may be forced to move fast if they lose a job and need to sell. You should be advertising in the paper on a regular basis for buying homes and see what the market brings in. You might be surprised at the great deals that come out if you wait for them to arrive.

The lender will usually request a hardship letter, a HUD-1, and a financial statement from the homeowner. A hardship letter is telling the lender why the homeowners are not making their mortgage payments. Sometimes they will request bank statements, pay stubs, income statements, and so on. Be prepared to send them everything they ask for because if you don’t, your short sale will not be accepted. Do not waste any time! Send everything the lender asks for back ASAP. It usually takes at least 4 weeks or more to get an answer back from the lender, so you can’t afford to wait. If the auction is approaching, you can ask to extend or postpone the auction which in most cases they will, if they know it is a legitimate offer.

Experienced foreclosure investors know that to find homeowners in trouble early, in pre-foreclosure before their competitors, will make them the largest profits. On the other hand, those same homeowners in default desperately seek help to avoid a horrible, unknown fate called foreclosure.

One of the top reasons for this is that banks’ and other lenders’ are chiefly motivated to get rid of these properties, and recover whatever amounts of money they can for them, as soon as possible. They don’t necessarily want, nor do they have the time or know-how, to extract the maximum sales price for a given property.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Real Estate Investing - Control Your Future by Controlling Expenses

I was speaking with a highly respected and successful fellow investor a few days ago and he said something which really grabbed my attention. He said, "The single most important reason for my success is my ability to rigidly control my expenses." I found that hard to believe, so I pressed him on it.

"John," I said, "You’ve done a lot of things right. How can you single out expense control as the most important contributor to your success?"

"Simple," he replied, "Controlling my expenses has allowed me to control my cash, and EVERYTHING else flows from cash."

Our conversation consisted of just a few sentences, but I’ve been thinking about them ever since. You would be very wise to think about them too. In fact, follow along with me while I dissect what John said.

Let’s begin with his summary, "Everything else flows from cash." Two questions arise- first, what exactly did he mean? Second, is it true?

Cash Is King

Here’s what I think he meant. When an investor has ready cash available, he is free to move when opportunity presents itself. He doesn’t need to pause and consider whether or not he is in a position to take a deal down- he already knows. Therefore, he can move lightning fast. Cash equals speed.

Also, when an investor doesn’t have to get all creative with financing techniques, he can concentrate on other, more crucial aspects of the deal. Cash equals focus.

Finally, when he is able to focus his energy and attention on the most crucial elements of the deal, AND he can move with lightning speed, his confidence soars. He KNOWS he can complete the deal, and he won’t let anything stand in his way. So, cash equals power.

If cash equals speed, focus, and power, why then do so many people talk about "no money down" deals? Because they can be done, that’s why, and for someone just starting out, with little or no cash, it’s important to know that. But just because something CAN be done doesn’t make it the best way to do things. No money down is definitely not the best way- not all the time.

What about the second question? Is it true? Does everything flow from cash? Does it really equal speed, focus, and power in real estate investing?

You bet it does! Every experienced investor I know would agree that having large amounts of ready cash makes his or her investing life much easier. It also opens many doors, allowing quicker growth and bigger profits.

I didn’t realize how important cash was until I had some. I remember the feeling I had when my Realtor called me out of the blue one day and said, "Tom, a deal just fell through on a fantastic foreclosure property. The bank wants another buyer by the end of today. How fast can you move?"

I had already looked at this particular property and I recognized a great deal when I saw one. More important, I had enough cash in my account to take the deal down, and I could prove it to the bank. I told my Realtor, "Buy it."

My ability to move lightning fast, and with complete confidence, ultimately put another $28,000 in my pocket!

No cash, no deal. Remember, cash equals speed, focus, and power. Or, put another way, CASH IS KING!

It’s Your Money- Keep It!

We’ve established that everything flows from cash, so John’s summary statement is true. But what about his premise, "Controlling expenses allows us to control cash?" Is that true as well?

This is more difficult to pin down, but let me just share a little of my own experience with you. When I was a beginning investor I had little or no cash, so I did a couple of "no money down" deals and built up a small reserve. Unfortunately, spending discipline has never been my strong suit, so a lot of that cash went right out again. Every expense was justifiable, at least in my own mind. After all, I was building a business wasn’t I? The things I was buying were certainly necessary, weren’t they?

In hindsight, most of them were not. I now realize that if I had eliminated or reduced most of the expenses I thought were essential, my cash reserves, and therefore my portfolio, would have grown much faster. That’s what John learned early on, and what I have finally learned as well.

If you learn it now you will thank yourself a thousand times down the road. Be ruthless when spending your hard won profits. Keep excellent records, and verify each and every expense. Check all of your bills and receipts. Most important, sleep on every decision to spend money, or talk to a trusted adviser . Any technique that slows you down just enough to THINK IT THROUGH will pay you back over and over. The one exception is when you need to move fast on a property, and you have already done your due diligence, or can do it after the offer is accepted.

Most investors put a great amount of effort into finding deals and getting to the closing table. Unfortunately, most don’t put the same effort into safeguarding the profits they take out of those deals. They allow bad spending and expense habits to cripple their growth. This includes overpaying contractors and other service providers, buying unnecessary supplies and equipment, and not carefully checking receipts and invoices. Defeating these bad habits now is like putting money in your investing account. After all, it’s your money- KEEP IT!

So John was right. Controlling expenses allows an investor to control cash, and everything else flows from cash. It looks like it really was the number one reason for his success. Will it be yours?

Now, go make more offers!

Is Real Estate Investing Really One of the Best Income Opportunities

Investing in real estate can be one of the very best income opportunities, but it depends on your personality. I don’t believe everyone is suited for real estate investing, any more than I believe that everyone is suited to be a professional golfer, opera singer, or CPA.

In order for real estate investing to be the best income opportunity for YOU, first make sure you’re the type of person who can succeed as an investor. Fortunately, there are almost as many ways to invest in real estate as there are personality types, so the chances are excellent you will find one you can succeed at.

By answering a few simple questions, I can help you narrow your focus and decide what kind of investing you’re likely to do well with. Be honest with yourself, and answer each question with a simple yes or no. Ready? Let’s get started.

1. Do you consider yourself a highly detailed and organized person?

2. Do you find it difficult or uncomfortable meeting new people and starting conversations with them?

3. Do you enjoy managing large projects and orchestrating the efforts of a group of people?

If you answered yes to the three questions above, your skills make you well suited to rehabbing properties. You may not succeed as a negotiator, so finding and flipping properties is something you probably should avoid, but if you can partner with a skilled deal-finder, handling the rehab projects is something you most likely would enjoy and be good at.

Here’s another set of questions.

1. Do you find it easy to get to know new people and start conversations with them?
2. Do people tend to trust you easily?
3. Do you like how it feels when you negotiate a great deal?
4. Do you dislike detailed work, or are you slightly disorganized?
5. Are you tenacious and persistent?

If you answered yes to at least 4 of the above questions, bird-dogging, wholesaling, and flipping may be right for you. Talking to sellers will be one of your strong suits, once you learn how. Building a list of buyers will probably come easier for you than it might for someone else. However, you should avoid taking on rehabs, or becoming a landlord. Those require more detail and organization than you possess.

Here’s the final group of questions.

1. Are you patient and not easily frustrated?
2. Can you be firm and direct when necessary?
3. Are you consistent and organized in you own personal finances and recordkeeping?

If these answers were yes, perhaps landlording and holding properties for rental would be a good fit for you. In fact, these traits are found in almost all successful, long-term landlords. On the other hand, not possessing these qualities is most likely why so many landlords get fed up with their tenants and wind up selling their properties at a big loss.

There is much more we could say on this topic, but by now you’re getting the idea. It’s vitally important to take a look at yourself truthfully. Ask yourself some hard questions, and use the answers to help determine if real estate investing will be one of the very best income opportunities for you, and which type of investing you are best prepared to excel at.

Now, go make more offers!

10 Mistakes That Keep You From Getting RICH In Real Estate Investing

10 Things That Are Keeping You From Getting Rich in Real Estate will help you see things as they really are, not as they ?appear? to be to the untrained eye. Once you learn to see things from a successful investor?s point of view, you can erase the feelings of risk and the lack of confidence that hold you back. These principles put you in the confident frame of find of the educated and experienced professional.

What scares most people as they consider real estate investing as a moneymaking opportunity is that it seems so mysterious, and besides, the stakes seem so high. We?re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars here.

Of course, just as the dawn helped us allay our childhood fears of monsters in the closet, the light of day?good, relevant and accurate information, helps us overcome those feelings that keep us from taking action with real estate investing. The following information does just that. We will look at things that you might perceive as problems, show you how many other people in the past have dealt with that and overcome it. We work from this viewpoint:

* It?s good to learn from your own mistakes.
* It?s better to learn from the mistakes of others (it?s less painful).
* It?s best to learn from the success of others.

What follows is information that focuses on the success of the most successful real estate investors. No one person knows everything, so we have gathered good information from a variety of sources and present here as a whole ? a whole lot of good stuff that will get you off to a good start and help you avoid the mistakes that cost you money. Remember this, you lose money if you invest foolishly, but you also lose money (that would rightfully be yours) if you fail to act upon opportunity.

We want to look at mistakes you might make and fears you might experience, then consider the right way to do it. Most often our fears are based on misinformation, so here we will look at the myths that some people believe. These myths are based on untruths, but they can paralyze you to inaction if you believe them. Fear of making mistakes is one of the most dangerous of fears, but knowing how to do it right means you not only avoid the mistakes but the fears, as well.

You see, every successful Investor has learned to overcome these 10 things ? every successful investor has to identify and avoid these 10 ?perceived? roadblocks. Finally, you can have the RIGHT roadmap to success. It?s here, in one package, for you.

We?ll tell you the TRUTH about real estate investing, and you will learn the TRUTH about becoming wealthy in real estate.

Learn what the REAL RISKS are! You?ll know you?re doing it right when:

* You know what to do
* You know what not to fear
* You know what to avoid
* You know what to ignore

1. Trying to do it all by yourself
2. Going after the wrong properties
3. How to make an offer.
4. Not making enough of the right kind of offers.
5. Stretching yourself too thin until you are cash poor.
6. Using to much of your own money.
7. Trying to be a plastic surgeon instead of a beautician.
8. Not getting started.
9. Spending too much in marketing what you sell.
10. Not maintaining the momentum (Long-Term Strategies Planning for success with goals)

http://flippersonline.biz

Real Estate Investing: Tax Certificates

Investors have used tax certificates to make money for a long time now as investing in tax certificates is a secure investment as the investors have the right to foreclose on the property if the home owner is delinquent in repaying the lien or the deed. It is a common practice for almost all the states to hold tax sales as a way of collecting the arrears in payment from delinquent homeowners. The homeowner is given sufficient warning (for about a year and half) and if they still do not pay the arrears, the tax authority will inform the homeowner and list the property in their tax sale list as well as publish it in a newspaper a few weeks before the sale.

Tax sale auctions are held annually or semi- annually, quarterly or monthly and the tax authority makes up a certificate lien or deed, as applicable in that state for amount in arrears and sells it. The investor who bought the tax certificate must be repaid within a certain period called the redemption period, which may depend on the state. Should the homeowner fail to repay the investor, no matter what the value of the tax certificate the deeded rights to the property is handed over to the investor. Should the homeowner redeem the tax arrear, the investor is again assured of a high interest ranging from 16% to 25%, which is a high return on the money invested.

Types Of Tax Certificates: Tax Lien Certificates; This system is practiced in about 18 states. The county governments sell only their right to the tax lien or their tax claim on the property. This lien is a high priority lien, so the property can be assumed clear and free from any other claims. It does not provide full ownership like a tax deed certificate does, but is considered a low-risk investment with high yields, as the certificate is secured by the title deeds to the property. The county takes care of the redemption or foreclosure hence is hassle free. The lien does not subject the investor to landowner liability. The lien is made up of the tax arrears, penalties, assessment and other charges.

Tax Deed Certificates; This system is followed in 17 states where the full ownership and possession right is sold to the investor. The investor has to pay a fraction of the market value of the property to get possession. He has the rights of the landlord and can move into the property, possess or occupy it.

Investors have gained a fortune by just investing modest amounts in these tax certificates. Some people may invest as little as $8,000 and own a property worth $150,000! Therefore, real estate investing in tax certificates is a win-win situation, if carefully monitored. There are online firms that offer services and products to help you in real estate investing through tax certificates.

Removing The Guesswork From Real Estate Investing

Investing in real estate can be a hard investment to break into properly without a fair amount of research into the market itself. That being said, the time spend educating yourself on the current and past trends in real estate will surely be time well spent. Real estate has consistently shown itself to be one of the most stable and profitable of ventures available to the average investor. Initially there is a lot of guesswork involved with the process of investing in real estate. These include such things as where to invest, should you flip or be a landlord, and how to go about the financing that will undoubtedly ensue?

The best way to pursue this endeavor is to systematically remove the guesswork and replace it with solid facts and informed decisions. The first question is where should you invest? In real estate there is little that is more important than location. If you are thinking about a long term investment then you will want to carefully consider the location of the property before buying. Make sure that your property is within close proximity of schools, shopping, business and any other necessary amenities. Also make sure that any planned changes to these things is taken into account. Make sure that your investment is located in a secure and growing area so that it will be a profitable investment for years to come.

Now comes one of of the big questions. Will you flip the property or do you have what it takes to be a landlord? This decision will factor largely into the the kind of property you choose. Flipping real estate can bring in a nice profit quickly if you are willing to spend some money on renovations or upgrades. On the other hand, being a landlord can bring in a secure monthly income and add to your equity. The choice is yours.

With your financing, just make sure that you deal with a financial professional that specializes in the world of investments. This is crucial as there are many different considerations when investing as opposed to buying for your own residential purposes.

Is Birdogging Really Real Estate Investing?

I?ve been asked the question by beginning real estate investors, ?If I only birddog, am I really investing in real estate?? Good question.

My answer is, ?Are you making money, are you learning, and are you moving forward toward your goals?? If you can answer yes to those questions, then the right answer to ?Is birdogging really real estate investing?? is ?Who cares??

First, a primer on birdogging. It?s nothing more or less complicated than finding deals for other investors. As a birddog, you will do the legwork required to hunt down property that is in distress. That means it?s either vacant or in need of repairs, or the owner is experiencing some life situation that causes him to need to sell.

When you find a likely property, you will get another investor involved, and when they purchase the property you will receive a birddog fee. This usually amounts to between $500 and $5,000 depending on how much the property sells for and how much legwork you did to bring the deal to the buyer.

Birdogging is a great way to learn the ins and outs of real estate investing. You learn not only how to find distressed property, but also how to value real estate, how to use creative financing techniques, how to talk to sellers, and much more. In short, birdogging is a great way to get an education in real estate investing and earn a good living at the same time.

So, is birdogging really real estate investing? Not technically. It?s actually closer to being a real estate merchandiser. That is, you?re really in the business of locating property, or generating leads for other investors. Based on the amount of money you can earn, the education you?ll receive, and the low risk involved, that?s not really a bad thing.

Speaking of risk, that?s one of the chief advantages of birdogging. After all, since you?re not using any of your own money, there?s nothing to lose except your time. In addition, you really don?t need any cash or credit to get started in real estate investing? a perfect solution for people who are lacking one or the other, or both.

Now that you have a grasp of what birdogging is all about, why not make it a goal to birddog a few deals this month? You?ll have a blast, learn a ton, and make some money. What could be bad about that?

For more on beginning real estate investing visit http://www.dealfiles.com/beginninginvesting.html

3 Tips For Successful Real Estate Investing

If you have an interest in real estate investing, one of the first things that you are going to need is real estate investing information.

There are plenty of ways to find this:

All it takes is a little research on your part and you can find out all the information you need to be successful in real estate investing.

One of the best and easiest ways to get real estate investing information is through other people who have experience in real estate investing. Naturally, your next question should be ?Where do I find these people??

It?s a very good question. The answer is ?A real estate investing club?. By being a member of a real estate investing club, you have access to every member of their club along with their knowledge and experience in real estate. There is a wealth of real estate investing information available through a real estate investing club.

If you do not know of a real estate investing club in your area, you can use the National Real Estate Investing Association, NREIA, to find one. Their website, http://www.nationalreia.com, has listings for real estate clubs and associations in each of the states.

Books on the subject are also good sources of real estate investing information. You can take a trip to the local bookstore and browse through the business section for books pertaining to real estate investing information. There are several books on the market that have been written by some of the most successful people in real estate investing.

Through these books you can find out most of the basic real estate investing information as well as some tips and tricks for being successful. It is often a good practice to read a real estate book prior to talking with an experienced investor. This way you won?t waste the investor?s time by asking basic questions that could be found anywhere.

Believe it or not the internet is full of real estate investing information. Just as there have been books published on the subject of real estate investing, there are also websites filled with information. You can easily find these websites by using a search engine.

Peruse through the websites to start building a knowledge base of real estate investing information. While you are reading the websites, you might find a piece of information that leads you to search on a related subject. By doing this, you are able to capture a great deal of real estate investing information.

It?s not at all difficult to find real estate investing information. Most of the resources are available right at your fingertips. All you have to do is make use of what?s been provided to you already, then use this information to gather more.

You can download your own free real estate investing ebook by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

About the Author:

Claim a free e-book that will show you a system used to control $4.1million worth of real estate for just $22 - and you can follow this system to do the same. Comes with resale rights from: Free Real Estate Fortunes Ebook

Real Estate Investing For Your Future

Everyone wants to be rich, right? Well, actually, everyone says they want to be rich. But few people want to actually take responsibility for taking control of their future. And that’s what you have to do in order to get rich: Take control.

Easier said than done, right? Not really. There is so much literature on the bookshelves about how to do it, anyone can learn how. And that is the key. You have to learn. You have to educate yourself. If you think that there is simply too much material out there and you wouldn’t know where to start, then you can stop worrying, because you’re already making yourself financially smarter. Simply by visiting this site and reading these articles, you are giving yourself an important education that will give you the tools to take control of your financial future. You are one step closer to being rich.

Not only are you one step closer to being rich, but I am going to tell you what you would learn if you were to read every single book in the financial section of the book store. It’s not about complex accounting principles or Wall Street magic. You can hire professionals to take care of those kinds of details for you. What you will gain from truly learning how to get rich is this: You have to change your thinking habits.

That’s it. The fact of the matter is, you only have to get out of the habit of thinking like an employee and start thinking like an investor.

I’ll give you a moment to digest that one. It’s such a simple concept, it can take you by surprise. But it’s true. Just think about the kinds of conversations you and your fellow employees tend to have when you’re talking about your jobs: ?If only the boss would let me do this.? Or how about, ?I can’t do that?I’d lose my 401K!? The employee mindset is a fearful one, dependent on the system to take care of them. Oh sure, they put in the hours so they can have a roof over their head. And that’s exactly what they get?a roof over their head. Maybe a two-week vacation once a year if they’re lucky.

If you want more than that?to be rich, for example?you have to start thinking like the people who control the money. Think like the people who work smart, not hard. With a little thought, you can figure out how to make your money work for you.

Now, who are the people who work like that, who actually control the flow of money in our economy? You might be tempted to say ?corporations,? and you would be right to an extent. But corporations are not people: They are financial entities. Think about the people behind the entities and you are on the right track.

That’s right?the businesspeople. But they are only near the top of the food chain. If you go to the very top, what you find is…investors.

Investors are at the top of the food chain because they know how to make their money work for them, instead of slaving for their money. And they are laughing all the way to the bank because they know what a simple concept it is. They know that anyone could do it. And they know that most people won’t because they are stuck thinking like employees. The sad thing for most people is that they will never break that habit. You don’t have to be one of them.

All you have to do to become one of the big fish is invest. It’s that simple. Investing in real estate is a good bet because it’s a stable investment. It’s so stable, in fact, that the bank will actually lend you money to purchase it. No kidding.

That’s the long and short of what you will learn if you read every book available to you on how to start thinking rich and stop thinking secure. They will tell you how easy it is. They will tell you to change your thinking. And they will tell you to let the experts deal with the details.

About the Author:

Alex Anderson Connects Investors With Florida Investment Properties and Minnesota Real Estate Investment Property in Appreciating Markets.

Private Money for Real Estate Investing - Step One

If you want to create a pathway to an unlimited supply of private money for real estate investing, you need to build a foundation of trust with your prospective lenders. One of the very best ways to impress them, and show them you know where you?re going, is if you really DO know where you?re going.

As a lender, before I loan one penny of my hard earned private money for real estate investing, I ask to see one very important document? the investor’s business plan. If they have one, that?s a good sign; if I can read it, that?s a better sign; and if it clearly shows they know where they?re going, well? that?s a great sign.

What am I looking for? Well I?m NOT looking for flash or glitz. In fact, a business plan doesn?t need to be fancy, or even long for that matter. It does have to be clear, concise and simple enough for an eighth grader to read. Yes, I read at a higher level than an eighth grader, but some people looking to loan private money for real estate investing may not, so keep it simple.

How should you write your business plan? First, think about the kind of investing you have already been successful with. Ask yourself how you achieved the success, and what steps you took that are repeatable. List the steps, and create an outline. Do that and you have the perfect outline for your private money for real estate investing business plan.

There?s lots of material on the internet for creating winning business plans. I don?t need to repeat that here. The purpose of this article is to get you thinking about how you can and should create a business plan that appeals to potential lenders of private money for real estate investing.

That kind of business plan reveals in plain, simple language how you propose to make money with your investing, the kinds and sizes of the loans you will need, and most especially, how the LENDER will benefit? in other words, how much will they make, how will it be repaid, and how will their investment be secured?

That?s the kind of business plan that will appeal to those who might lend you private money for real estate investing. When you write that kind of business plan, it shows you have thought it through, and you know where you?re going and how to get there. It also show you know how to take your lender along for the ride.

That?s what a potential lender will be asking themselves as they read through your plan? ?What?s in it for me?? Remember that as you write, and write with them in mind, stressing benefits, benefits, benefits. Create a feeling of confidence in your prospective lenders as they read, so they feel confident loaning you private money for real estate investing.

Step one in your quest for private money for real estate investing? Develop a business plan.

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