First Steps In Real Estate Investing

December 8, 2011 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

With so many people making tremendous amounts of money in property or real estate it’s no wonder so many are looking at real estate as an investment. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’.

One challenge many are faced with is the money to acquire a piece of property. You’ve heard, “I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” Hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in.

Owning your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. This step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. People rent because in their mind, “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent,you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. If you own your own home, you would be paying your mortgage. The basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. Interest can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone and you will never hear from them again. The part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and it makes more sense financially. There are opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. The money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. People that pay rent… Their net worth does nothing. Their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… keep renting. To build your own capital … Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for years. Before you go out and buy the first property you see, don’t forget some security measures are in order. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up. This can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage. Make sure to keep some slack. Overall, real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author: With many years in the industry of property or real estate, host, Sintilia Miecevole’s site http://www.miraproperty.com will help you with searches from taxes, listings including residential, commercial and land to unclaimed property, vacation, waterfront and much more. Be sure to visit http://www.miraproperty.com for further information.

First Steps In Real Estate Investing

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

With so many people making tremendous amounts of money in property or real estate it’s no wonder so many are looking at real estate as an investment. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’.

One challenge many are faced with is the money to acquire a piece of property. You’ve heard, “I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” Hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in.

Owning your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. This step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. People rent because in their mind, “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent,you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. If you own your own home, you would be paying your mortgage. The basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. Interest can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone and you will never hear from them again. The part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and it makes more sense financially. There are opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. The money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. People that pay rent… Their net worth does nothing. Their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… keep renting. To build your own capital … Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for years. Before you go out and buy the first property you see, don’t forget some security measures are in order. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up. This can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage. Make sure to keep some slack. Overall, real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author: With many years in the industry of property or real estate, host, Sintilia Miecevole’s site http://www.miraproperty.com will help you with searches from taxes, listings including residential, commercial and land to unclaimed property, vacation, waterfront and much more. Be sure to visit http://www.miraproperty.com for further information.

First Steps In Real Estate Investing

July 28, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

With so many people making tremendous amounts of money in property or real estate it’s no wonder so many are looking at real estate as an investment. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’.

One challenge many are faced with is the money to acquire a piece of property. You’ve heard, “I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” Hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in.

Owning your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. This step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. People rent because in their mind, “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent,you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. If you own your own home, you would be paying your mortgage. The basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. Interest can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone and you will never hear from them again. The part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and it makes more sense financially. There are opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. The money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. People that pay rent… Their net worth does nothing. Their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… keep renting. To build your own capital … Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for years. Before you go out and buy the first property you see, don’t forget some security measures are in order. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up. This can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage. Make sure to keep some slack. Overall, real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author: With many years in the industry of property or real estate, host, Sintilia Miecevole’s site http://www.miraproperty.com will help you with searches from taxes, listings including residential, commercial and land to unclaimed property, vacation, waterfront and much more. Be sure to visit http://www.miraproperty.com for further information.

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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.

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