Tampa Real Estate: Investing in Property Foreclosure

When a person purchases a home, a loan must be taken on a regular basis. The lenders, which are banks in general, keep the title to the home as collateral. When the person is ineffectual in paying the dues in time, the ownership of the home is transferred to the lender. The transfer of ownership is what is called foreclosure.

Buying foreclosure has been compared to playing poker. Considering as an investment, it has its own risks. First the lenders will check out if there are any junior liens. When they find any pending loans, they pay off everything so that they themselves have clear title to the property. Once this is done, the lender adds up all costs to the loan amount to be recovered, and again resells the property so that they can convalesce the expenses together with the loan amount. This is an ideal time for investors to buy such property. Buying a Tampa real estate property that has been foreclosed already presents many gains.

The foremost and well-known benefit is the fact that all Tampa real estate properties bought from lenders will have clear titles as well as ownership rights, thereby saving one the hassles of undertaking any research. In addition, the foreclosure is not meant for profit booking. Hence, when the lenders sell foreclosed property they need their money back, so they are ready to sell the property cheaper than what it could have obtained in open market under normal conditions.

The first step of buying foreclosed Tampa real estate properties is to collect some relevant information. The best thing to do is to create a database that allows one to segregate data on all the properties and markets in clear sets. The next step is to directly get in touch with the owners of the foreclosed Tampa real estate property and start negotiating with them.

First-time buying foreclosed property on your own can be risky. Thus, one must seek the help from real estate agents. One of the risks involved in buying foreclosure, particularly at an auction, is it gives just a week to deposit all the cash. If one fails to do so, all of the money that has already been deposited might be lost at particular instances. However, as one keeps on making investments, valuable experience will be gained regarding bad construction, poor soils, problems with septic systems, and the like.

Background reading of crucial information is very important before one gets into foreclosure investing. Foreclosure laws in Florida, priority of liens, bidding at auctions, title insurance, and bankruptcy are some of the key areas that one should be familiar with. One will be able to make better and safer decisions if equipped with the right knowledge.

Property investment is not an easy game, and must be played only with caution and care. Little concerns for the person whose property is up for foreclosure are necessary for this process. But one can easily cut down the process of foreclosures into three primary stages. The first stage is pre-foreclosure, second stage is foreclosure auction and the third and final stage is bank owned foreclosures.

As the foreclosure process unfolds, the potential for profit will belittle, the later one gets the foreclosure property. For those who are ambitious enough to attempt the full- time task of foreclosure investment, one must learn to have to learn how to find pre-foreclosures since these normally offer the utmost leverage and profitability that is crucial to the most discounted properties that are available from bank-owned properties.

Real Estate Investing: Government Regulations

As real estate investment continues to dominate in the financial world, there are incidents of frauds in the market. With the growing number of real estate agencies, the Government has woken up to the need of laws to regulate the real estate transactions. All the states as well as the District of Columbia have enforced laws for licensing, regulating, and code of conduct for the real estate agents. The real estate industry has strongly supported real estate licensing law.

Objectives of the Laws:

Prevention of fraudulent practices is the major objective of the real estate laws. The real estate world is vulnerable to abuses. Hence, the court has made it mandatory for the real estate sellers to disclose all the essential information to the buyers for consumer protection. This document containing all the facts is called public report.

Codes of Law:

On August 4, 1943, a legislative power of the Department of Real Estate (DRE) was categorized as two Parts of the Division 4 catering to the Business and Professions Code. Part 1 is now known as Sections 10000 to 10580. It is titled, ?Licensing of Persons? and can be quoted as the Real Estate Law. Part 2 is called Sections 11000 to 11200. It is titled, ?Regulation of Transactions? and can be quoted as the Subdivided Lands Law.

The Requirement of A Real Estate License:

Under the Sections 10131, 10131.1, 10131.2, 10131.3, 10131.4, 10131.45, and 10131.6 of the Real Estate Law, the activities of the broker are defined. Under Sections 10131 (d) and 10240, et seq. of the Real Property Loan Law, the activities of the mortgage loan broker are defined. In the absence of a license, no compensation will be given to a person for carrying out any of the acts stated within the scope of a licensed broker. The law enforces penalties for an individual claiming to be a real estate broker without having a license. Any real estate broker who compensates a person without license for carrying out activities that call for a real estate license may be fined by the Commissioner. Further, a person who is found compensating an individual without license for services requiring a license shall be fined by the court and be found guilty of a crime under Sections 10138, 10139, 10139.5 of the Code.

Before going into a real estate transaction, it is better to get familiar with the rules and regulations pertaining to real estate. The buyer should know his or her rights to avoid sellers taking undue advantage. A well-informed buyer is able to get a fair deal from the real estate agents, and may even go to the court in case the agent strays from the law.

Real Estate Investing - Ten Myths

Is real estate investing only for the wealthy? Can you buy with no money down? Do you have to know the “right” people? Let’s answer by looking at some of the myths of real estate.

1. Real estate investing is for the wealthy. Money helps, but my first real estate investment was a $3,500 lot - which I sold for a profit two weeks after I bought it. Small deals, partners, low-down deals, or just putting aside $7 per day for a couple years until you have enough money for a downpayment - these are some of the ways to start with a little and invest in real estate.

2. “0 down” isn’t possible. I sold a rental property for $1,000 down because I trusted the buyer to make the payments, and I wanted the 9% interest and higher price. He could have gotten a cash-advance on a credit card for another $30 per month and made it a “0-down” deal. “No money down” means none of YOUR money down, and yes, it happens.

3. “0 down” is the best way. If you don’t invest some of your own money, you’ll have higher payments. You’ll also spend more time finding suitable properties, and pay more for them (generally cooperative sellers want more for their cooperation - I do). There are 0-down deals out there - they just aren’t always worth doing.

3. You need experience. Experience helps, but you get it by investing. Start with common sense, ask how you can lose money, be willing to learn the numbers, and you can start where you are.

4. Some investors have a “knack” for making money. Sort of. More accurately, some just took the time and risk to learn the market and continue their education.

5. You need to know the “right” people. It helps, so start the process. Talk to investors, real estate agents, landlords, etc.

6. You have to be great negotiator. If you learn to run the numbers and make the offers based on them, you can be the worst negotiator and still do okay.

8. You need insider knowledge. Understand one deal, and you are on your way. Read and read more, but the best “insider” knowledge comes from experience.

9. Fixer-uppers are safe. People have the idea that doing the work themselves is the safest way to assure a profit. Not true. Mis-planned “fix and flips” have bankrupted even experienced investors. Most poorly purchased rental properties will only eat a little money every month.

10. The key is lowball offers. The numbers have to work, and you need a plan. You can offer MORE than the market price and make money investing in real estate, if you understand creative financing - and how to do the math.

About the author:

Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Tampa Real Estate: Investing in Property Foreclosure

When a person purchases a home, a loan must be taken on a regular basis. The lenders, which are banks in general, keep the title to the home as collateral. When the person is ineffectual in paying the dues in time, the ownership of the home is transferred to the lender. The transfer of ownership is what is called foreclosure.

Buying foreclosure has been compared to playing poker. Considering as an investment, it has its own risks. First the lenders will check out if there are any junior liens. When they find any pending loans, they pay off everything so that they themselves have clear title to the property. Once this is done, the lender adds up all costs to the loan amount to be recovered, and again resells the property so that they can convalesce the expenses together with the loan amount. This is an ideal time for investors to buy such property. Buying a Tampa real estate property that has been foreclosed already presents many gains.

The foremost and well-known benefit is the fact that all Tampa real estate properties bought from lenders will have clear titles as well as ownership rights, thereby saving one the hassles of undertaking any research. In addition, the foreclosure is not meant for profit booking. Hence, when the lenders sell foreclosed property they need their money back, so they are ready to sell the property cheaper than what it could have obtained in open market under normal conditions.

The first step of buying foreclosed Tampa real estate properties is to collect some relevant information. The best thing to do is to create a database that allows one to segregate data on all the properties and markets in clear sets. The next step is to directly get in touch with the owners of the foreclosed Tampa real estate property and start negotiating with them.

First-time buying foreclosed property on your own can be risky. Thus, one must seek the help from real estate agents. One of the risks involved in buying foreclosure, particularly at an auction, is it gives just a week to deposit all the cash. If one fails to do so, all of the money that has already been deposited might be lost at particular instances. However, as one keeps on making investments, valuable experience will be gained regarding bad construction, poor soils, problems with septic systems, and the like.

Background reading of crucial information is very important before one gets into foreclosure investing. Foreclosure laws in Florida, priority of liens, bidding at auctions, title insurance, and bankruptcy are some of the key areas that one should be familiar with. One will be able to make better and safer decisions if equipped with the right knowledge.

Property investment is not an easy game, and must be played only with caution and care. Little concerns for the person whose property is up for foreclosure are necessary for this process. But one can easily cut down the process of foreclosures into three primary stages. The first stage is pre-foreclosure, second stage is foreclosure auction and the third and final stage is bank owned foreclosures.

As the foreclosure process unfolds, the potential for profit will belittle, the later one gets the foreclosure property. For those who are ambitious enough to attempt the full- time task of foreclosure investment, one must learn to have to learn how to find pre-foreclosures since these normally offer the utmost leverage and profitability that is crucial to the most discounted properties that are available from bank-owned properties.

4 Popular Real Estate Investing Marketing Tips That Will Help You Make More Real Estate Sales

Real estate investing can be a very lucrative career, as well as been highly enjoyable. One of the main skills you need to master is marketing, and part of that is to understand the various types of marketing strategies that are available and the benefits of each one. It’s good to realize right from the start that there’s no magic key to real estate investing, no one foolproof system that will always work when you’re selling a property. So becoming skilled at a number of different methods means you can select the one that seems most appropriate, switch strategies if one isn’t working, or even apply more than one strategy to a property.

Here are some of the more popular marketing strategies for real estate investors, and if you use them properly they can save you a lot of money, and make you heaps more.

Flyers

Lots of local grocery stores and laundromats now have bulletin boards, and you?d be surprised how many people read the information that’s placed there. You can post a flyer with your name and number, so that people can contact you later. You can also fax your flyer to local mortgage brokers, real estate agents and financial institutions, so that they all know you’re keen to invest in real estate. The good thing about flyers is that your costs are minimal.

Convenience Items

You’ve probably been to a local business, picked up a pen to write something, and seen the business name on the side of the pen. The reason you see these sorts of printed convenience items everywhere is because they’re very effective. Hand out notepads, pens, key chains etc, and every time the recipient pulls it out to use it, there’s your name. It certainly helps keep your name in front of potential customers.

Signs

When you’ve stopped at a high traffic intersection, you’ve probably noticed lots of annoying little signs posted around the traffic lights. Even if you don’t really read them, it’s amazing how often the phone number you see comes back to you an hour later when you’re trying to remember someone else’s phone number. Plenty of people use their driving time to think about problems they’re experiencing, so imagine if your sign could put up right in front of them while they’re deep in thought at the traffic lights.

Classified Ads

This can be a great place to get your name in front of Mr. Joe Average, because plenty of people look at classifieds on a regular basis. People like classifieds because they figure there are no businesses there trying to sell them something. All you need to do is mention that you buy houses, leave a phone number, and the number of calls you receive might just surprise you. Classifieds can be very powerful if you tap into an interested marketplace.

Tampa Real Estate: Investing in Property Foreclosure

When a person purchases a home, a loan must be taken on a regular basis. The lenders, which are banks in general, keep the title to the home as collateral. When the person is ineffectual in paying the dues in time, the ownership of the home is transferred to the lender. The transfer of ownership is what is called foreclosure.

Buying foreclosure has been compared to playing poker. Considering as an investment, it has its own risks. First the lenders will check out if there are any junior liens. When they find any pending loans, they pay off everything so that they themselves have clear title to the property. Once this is done, the lender adds up all costs to the loan amount to be recovered, and again resells the property so that they can convalesce the expenses together with the loan amount. This is an ideal time for investors to buy such property. Buying a Tampa real estate property that has been foreclosed already presents many gains.

The foremost and well-known benefit is the fact that all Tampa real estate properties bought from lenders will have clear titles as well as ownership rights, thereby saving one the hassles of undertaking any research. In addition, the foreclosure is not meant for profit booking. Hence, when the lenders sell foreclosed property they need their money back, so they are ready to sell the property cheaper than what it could have obtained in open market under normal conditions.

The first step of buying foreclosed Tampa real estate properties is to collect some relevant information. The best thing to do is to create a database that allows one to segregate data on all the properties and markets in clear sets. The next step is to directly get in touch with the owners of the foreclosed Tampa real estate property and start negotiating with them.

First-time buying foreclosed property on your own can be risky. Thus, one must seek the help from real estate agents. One of the risks involved in buying foreclosure, particularly at an auction, is it gives just a week to deposit all the cash. If one fails to do so, all of the money that has already been deposited might be lost at particular instances. However, as one keeps on making investments, valuable experience will be gained regarding bad construction, poor soils, problems with septic systems, and the like.

Background reading of crucial information is very important before one gets into foreclosure investing. Foreclosure laws in Florida, priority of liens, bidding at auctions, title insurance, and bankruptcy are some of the key areas that one should be familiar with. One will be able to make better and safer decisions if equipped with the right knowledge.

Property investment is not an easy game, and must be played only with caution and care. Little concerns for the person whose property is up for foreclosure are necessary for this process. But one can easily cut down the process of foreclosures into three primary stages. The first stage is pre-foreclosure, second stage is foreclosure auction and the third and final stage is bank owned foreclosures.

As the foreclosure process unfolds, the potential for profit will belittle, the later one gets the foreclosure property. For those who are ambitious enough to attempt the full- time task of foreclosure investment, one must learn to have to learn how to find pre-foreclosures since these normally offer the utmost leverage and profitability that is crucial to the most discounted properties that are available from bank-owned properties.

Building Your Real Estate Investing Power Team

Our company buys houses across the United States and we are constantly asked, “How do you do this successfully and live so far away from the properties you buy? How are you handling the rehab living so far away?” and “How are you so successful at this and not even living in the same states you’re investing in?” Here is my answer: I have an awesome power team of people that I trust in each and every market we go into. This team includes lenders, contractors, handymen, property managers, appraisers, attorneys, real estate agents and brokers, sign companies, insurance agents, tenants and buyers! It can sometime take a while to put this team together and yes you are probably going to go through a few not so great ones to get to the ones you like, know and trust. As your portfolio begins to grow, you will need more people on “your team”. The very BEST place to find these people is by a referral. That referral can come from another investor, a local real estate investment group member, a member of a local landlord association, a realtor, a friend or anyone else that you trust. Just be sure that they are “In the Business” and understand what it is that we do as investors. Always remember, the due diligence end of things is always your responsibility. Just because an investor recommends you use a certain agent, appraiser, lender or contractor does not mean they are the best person for the job. You should always get references from anyone you are even thinking of using.

Property Managers - Like your real estate agent and attorney, you need to find someone you can get along with. Interview them, as if you were going to rent a property to them. You want to make sure your property managers will handle your house like a landlord not a slumlord.

Insurance Agents- Shop Around to find an agent who can do non owner occupied (NOO) properties and give you a fair rate! I always look for a broker who can give me a competitive rate and is fair and most importantly, honest. I like to find insurance agents through referrals-that usually seems to be the best!

Lenders - This can be a tedious process. However, once you find just a couple of lenders in a specific area and they understand Investment property and NOO (Non-owner occupied) loans, you’re set! First and foremost, you will need to find someone that can loan in the area you are looking at investing in. There are private money and hard money lenders that are available in every state there is and sometimes using private money or hard money loans can be the easiest way to buy and rehab a house without using your own cash, especially if you don’t have good credit or much cash to put into the deal. Most private and hard money lenders charge anywhere from 4-8 points to originate the loan and 10-18% interest. This is not cheap, but it’s not really a horrible price to pay for the convenience of having money in 1-2 days. Sometimes, its not the cost of the money but the availability of the money that is most important. As long ad the yield is higher than the cost….that’s all that matters. In other words, if you are going to make more than what you spent to get into the deal, it should be a no-brainer! Here is the difference between lenders: Private and Hard Money Lenders are quick and can provide you with the cash you need quickly, but you are going to pay more. They provide a service that mortgage lenders and banks cannot typically do. They give you the money to purchase the house as well as provide the money to complete the rehab on the house. However, you must remember that you can’t keep a hard money loan on your property for any long period of time and expect to make any money-the money is expensive and will eat up your profits quickly. When taking out a private or hard money loan, you should not plan on keeping it more than 90-120 days at the most. If the project cannot be completed in that timeframe, don’t use hard money! To get a copy of our Hard Money Lender Rolodex, go to reitrainingcenter.com or reiconferences.com and enter your name and email on the popup that comes up.

Conventional Lenders are much less expensive but usually require better credit-at least decent credit. There is definitely more documentation and it takes a lot longer to complete a deal-typically 30-45 days to close. It’s nice to find a funding source that can provide both; however that’s usually not your typical scenario.

Whatever type of lender you decide to use, be sure to always line them up before you go searching for properties. It’s always best to have the money in place BEFORE you need it. Then, when you go to make offers, there I no delay. The last thing you want to do is get a property under contract only to find out you can’t get the money to purchase it. The investment market is a very small one and you definitely don’t want to develop a reputation for not being able to close deals!

Sign Companies - You can pick any sign company out of a phone book or wherever. I have previously used sign companies to put out and pick up signs in addition to showing my vacant properties to prospective tenants.

If you are going to manage your own properties, while living in another state, you will need a person to show the property to potential tenants. Realtors, Handymen and sometimes even appraisers can be great people to use for this, but sign companies are going to put out your signs in front of the house anyway. For a nominal fee, they may be willing to let someone in and show them the property. Don’t try to use a large national company for this. Call a local one-man type of shop. You can sometimes find them through referrals from other real estate investors or realtors.

Real Estate Agents & Brokers - This is not the easiest person to recruit for your team! You should never put all your eggs in one basket (ie…one realtor) However, you definitely want to develop strong relationships where agents know you, know you are a serious investor and that you are serious about purchasing multiple deals in one given area. You need to be on a mission to find a buyers agent who is willing to put in some legwork and then be compensated accordingly. If the agent knows you are looking to buy properties in this same area over and over again, they will almost always do whatever they can to accommodate you (take picture, email you comps in a timely fashion, for research, run the financials, etc) There are a lot of gents out there doing the real estate thing part time-those are not the ones you want. You also want to din agents whoa re investors themselves or who work with investors frequently and understand how to “play the game.”

After, you have a property in mind and you are calling an agent for the first time, you need to know a couple of things about the property. What work does the property need? What will it be worth once the work is done-that is the ARV (After repaired value)? What will this property rent for-what are rents in the area for properties similar to this one (Have them send you a rental analysis or something on paper-don’t just take their word. Alternatively, you can look in a local newspaper for the area and calla few local property management companies to verify local rents) What is the average time on the market if I were to resell the property? What do the ? mile and ? mile comps look like? If the agent can’t give you this information on a property , they are not the right agent. Also, you will want to make sure you find an agent who will go to the properties you are looking at buying and take several digital pictures and send them along to you. If they are not willing, find another agent! These agents need to understand that the chances are that you are going to buy this property without seeing it. They are acting as your eyes and ears on this purchase and its important that they look at this as if they were going to buy the property themselves and pay close attention to detail. After you purchase a home or two from one agent, they are going to be more willing to work with you and do what you need them to do. They want to see that you are serious and then they will usually perk up, pay attention and do whatever it is that you need them to do. This is the type of relationship you are seeking.

Attorneys - You need to employ the services of any attorney when wholesaling houses to other investors. We won’t get into the legalities and tax issues of “double closings”. This is where you use your buyer’s funds to pay the seller. You don’t spend any money out of your pocket. Your buyer writes a check to the attorney, the attorney pays the seller and writes you a check for the difference. Some attorneys will do this, some will not. If you don’t have the cash to fund the purchase, it’s nice to identify an attorney who will allow this. It can be as simple as asking. “Will they do a double close? And can you use buyers funds for your deal?” I recommend the honest approach, tell the attorney what it is that you want to accomplish and if he can make it work, great!

Before you decide who you are going to use, speak with a few different attorneys via telephone. Make sure are clear about your investment goals and what you are trying to achieve. Also make sure they are experienced attorneys who are used to working with investors because if the attorney understands you as an investor and what you are trying to accomplish, he or she can better protect you in the long run!

Tenants - If you are planning to buy, fix and rent out your properties, then you need to have tenants for your properties. Two great places to look if you want to rent your properties out through Section 8 is www.socialserve.com and www.gosection8.com. They will allow you to list your property in their databases for free and then those properties are marketed to tenants with section 8 vouchers who are looking for housing. This program is great and has saved me thousands of dollars in advertising costs to get tenants! If you decide not to rent your properties through section 8, you can run ads in the local newspaper. Also, be sure and put a sign in the yard letting everyone who drives or walks by the property that it is for rent. You will be surprised how quickly the word will travel!

Buyers - If you are going to wholesale a house here and there to another investor, you need to have a list of people that you can sell to and who buy houses wholesale to rehab and rent or sell. Its best to develop this list of people BEFORE you go out and put properties under contract.

As a company,, we have thousand of people on out list that say that they “Buy Properties.” However, our core list of really serious buyers who have lines of credit lined up and can pay cash for a property on a days notice is less than 100 people long. In your area, you need to know who that core group. You can always find buyers at your local landlord association or investment group meetings. You can also find buyers via referral through other investors or even agents. WE find a lot of our buyers online in local news and chat groups like yahoo as well. Ask local appraisers and title companies who the “Serious Investors” in the area are. They are usually more than willing to share this information with you. As you develop a reputation in a given market, the buyers will come to you for the deals. This is the best case scenario!

Appraisers, Handymen and Contractors - With these contacts, you not only need to find professionals that you trust and can work with. But you also you need someone that is preferably an investor themselves but if not, understands investment property and the end financial result you are seeking. A $45,000 home in a lower income neighborhood would be rehabbed differently than a $450,000 house in an expensive neighborhood and your appraiser and rehab crew need to understand those differences. Also your appraiser must understand the need to go through the house and give you an after repair value (ARV)as if any needed repairs were complete. In other words, he need to give you an AS-IS appraisal and at the same time a solid professional guesstimate of what the ARV will be when the property has been rehabbed completely.

You may need to go through a few appraisers to find a good one who is honest. You can usually call your bank or lender you are planning on using. This is sometimes best as they have specific lists of people they will and will not work with.

Take the same approach with your handymen and contractors. Tell them you need the job done for $4000, when you know it will cost $8,000. Make sure they are not cutting costs when they give you a bid, just to get the job. Some trimming is fine, but cutting the price in half, just to get the job, will almost always end up in a poor quality job as far as workmanship is concerned.

When identifying a new contractor, be tough. Ask for the moon and stars. Tell them that you want a rehab quote with pictures and estimates broken down by labor and materials as well as room by room. If they offer to give you this, then you have someone who is flexible and is willing to work with you.

Since time is the biggest factor when rehabbing a house, make sure your contractor gives you a firm date that the job will be completed. Also, when getting bids,make sure you get them back from the contractor in a timely manner. If you have a 7 day inspection clause in your purchase contract, tell your contractor “We are rushed and need thi back within 48 hours. Can you get this done for us right away and fax the bid to me within 48 hours?” You want to make sure they follow through on what they promise.

Also, send more than one handyman or contractor to a job, unless you’ve worked with them before. If you are working with someone new, make sure they are not the only quote you get. They may be too high or may do poor work and you will have no idea-even if they have been referred. If you get three or four bids for that same house, you will have a really solid idea of the scope of work and an accurate price of what it’s going to cost you to rehab that property.

About the Author

Please feel free to check Charrissa Cawley’s websites at REI Conferences or REI Training Center for other great Real Estate Investing Resources, tips and trends! Type in your name and email address and then click on Free Resources. You will find a tremendous amount of FREE and useful information! Feel free to give us a call at 1-888-2500-6616.

Building Your Real Estate Investing Power Team

Our company buys houses across the United States and we are constantly asked, “How do you do this successfully and live so far away from the properties you buy? How are you handling the rehab living so far away?” and “How are you so successful at this and not even living in the same states you’re investing in?” Here is my answer: I have an awesome power team of people that I trust in each and every market we go into. This team includes lenders, contractors, handymen, property managers, appraisers, attorneys, real estate agents and brokers, sign companies, insurance agents, tenants and buyers! It can sometime take a while to put this team together and yes you are probably going to go through a few not so great ones to get to the ones you like, know and trust. As your portfolio begins to grow, you will need more people on “your team”. The very BEST place to find these people is by a referral. That referral can come from another investor, a local real estate investment group member, a member of a local landlord association, a realtor, a friend or anyone else that you trust. Just be sure that they are “In the Business” and understand what it is that we do as investors. Always remember, the due diligence end of things is always your responsibility. Just because an investor recommends you use a certain agent, appraiser, lender or contractor does not mean they are the best person for the job. You should always get references from anyone you are even thinking of using.

Property Managers - Like your real estate agent and attorney, you need to find someone you can get along with. Interview them, as if you were going to rent a property to them. You want to make sure your property managers will handle your house like a landlord not a slumlord.

Insurance Agents- Shop Around to find an agent who can do non owner occupied (NOO) properties and give you a fair rate! I always look for a broker who can give me a competitive rate and is fair and most importantly, honest. I like to find insurance agents through referrals-that usually seems to be the best!

Lenders - This can be a tedious process. However, once you find just a couple of lenders in a specific area and they understand Investment property and NOO (Non-owner occupied) loans, you’re set! First and foremost, you will need to find someone that can loan in the area you are looking at investing in. There are private money and hard money lenders that are available in every state there is and sometimes using private money or hard money loans can be the easiest way to buy and rehab a house without using your own cash, especially if you don’t have good credit or much cash to put into the deal. Most private and hard money lenders charge anywhere from 4-8 points to originate the loan and 10-18% interest. This is not cheap, but it’s not really a horrible price to pay for the convenience of having money in 1-2 days. Sometimes, its not the cost of the money but the availability of the money that is most important. As long ad the yield is higher than the cost….that’s all that matters. In other words, if you are going to make more than what you spent to get into the deal, it should be a no-brainer! Here is the difference between lenders: Private and Hard Money Lenders are quick and can provide you with the cash you need quickly, but you are going to pay more. They provide a service that mortgage lenders and banks cannot typically do. They give you the money to purchase the house as well as provide the money to complete the rehab on the house. However, you must remember that you can’t keep a hard money loan on your property for any long period of time and expect to make any money-the money is expensive and will eat up your profits quickly. When taking out a private or hard money loan, you should not plan on keeping it more than 90-120 days at the most. If the project cannot be completed in that timeframe, don’t use hard money! To get a copy of our Hard Money Lender Rolodex, go to reitrainingcenter.com or reiconferences.com and enter your name and email on the popup that comes up.

Conventional Lenders are much less expensive but usually require better credit-at least decent credit. There is definitely more documentation and it takes a lot longer to complete a deal-typically 30-45 days to close. It’s nice to find a funding source that can provide both; however that’s usually not your typical scenario.

Whatever type of lender you decide to use, be sure to always line them up before you go searching for properties. It’s always best to have the money in place BEFORE you need it. Then, when you go to make offers, there I no delay. The last thing you want to do is get a property under contract only to find out you can’t get the money to purchase it. The investment market is a very small one and you definitely don’t want to develop a reputation for not being able to close deals!

Sign Companies - You can pick any sign company out of a phone book or wherever. I have previously used sign companies to put out and pick up signs in addition to showing my vacant properties to prospective tenants.

If you are going to manage your own properties, while living in another state, you will need a person to show the property to potential tenants. Realtors, Handymen and sometimes even appraisers can be great people to use for this, but sign companies are going to put out your signs in front of the house anyway. For a nominal fee, they may be willing to let someone in and show them the property. Don’t try to use a large national company for this. Call a local one-man type of shop. You can sometimes find them through referrals from other real estate investors or realtors.

Real Estate Agents & Brokers - This is not the easiest person to recruit for your team! You should never put all your eggs in one basket (ie…one realtor) However, you definitely want to develop strong relationships where agents know you, know you are a serious investor and that you are serious about purchasing multiple deals in one given area. You need to be on a mission to find a buyers agent who is willing to put in some legwork and then be compensated accordingly. If the agent knows you are looking to buy properties in this same area over and over again, they will almost always do whatever they can to accommodate you (take picture, email you comps in a timely fashion, for research, run the financials, etc) There are a lot of gents out there doing the real estate thing part time-those are not the ones you want. You also want to din agents whoa re investors themselves or who work with investors frequently and understand how to “play the game.”

After, you have a property in mind and you are calling an agent for the first time, you need to know a couple of things about the property. What work does the property need? What will it be worth once the work is done-that is the ARV (After repaired value)? What will this property rent for-what are rents in the area for properties similar to this one (Have them send you a rental analysis or something on paper-don’t just take their word. Alternatively, you can look in a local newspaper for the area and calla few local property management companies to verify local rents) What is the average time on the market if I were to resell the property? What do the ? mile and ? mile comps look like? If the agent can’t give you this information on a property , they are not the right agent. Also, you will want to make sure you find an agent who will go to the properties you are looking at buying and take several digital pictures and send them along to you. If they are not willing, find another agent! These agents need to understand that the chances are that you are going to buy this property without seeing it. They are acting as your eyes and ears on this purchase and its important that they look at this as if they were going to buy the property themselves and pay close attention to detail. After you purchase a home or two from one agent, they are going to be more willing to work with you and do what you need them to do. They want to see that you are serious and then they will usually perk up, pay attention and do whatever it is that you need them to do. This is the type of relationship you are seeking.

Attorneys - You need to employ the services of any attorney when wholesaling houses to other investors. We won’t get into the legalities and tax issues of “double closings”. This is where you use your buyer’s funds to pay the seller. You don’t spend any money out of your pocket. Your buyer writes a check to the attorney, the attorney pays the seller and writes you a check for the difference. Some attorneys will do this, some will not. If you don’t have the cash to fund the purchase, it’s nice to identify an attorney who will allow this. It can be as simple as asking. “Will they do a double close? And can you use buyers funds for your deal?” I recommend the honest approach, tell the attorney what it is that you want to accomplish and if he can make it work, great!

Before you decide who you are going to use, speak with a few different attorneys via telephone. Make sure are clear about your investment goals and what you are trying to achieve. Also make sure they are experienced attorneys who are used to working with investors because if the attorney understands you as an investor and what you are trying to accomplish, he or she can better protect you in the long run!

Tenants - If you are planning to buy, fix and rent out your properties, then you need to have tenants for your properties. Two great places to look if you want to rent your properties out through Section 8 is www.socialserve.com and www.gosection8.com. They will allow you to list your property in their databases for free and then those properties are marketed to tenants with section 8 vouchers who are looking for housing. This program is great and has saved me thousands of dollars in advertising costs to get tenants! If you decide not to rent your properties through section 8, you can run ads in the local newspaper. Also, be sure and put a sign in the yard letting everyone who drives or walks by the property that it is for rent. You will be surprised how quickly the word will travel!

Buyers - If you are going to wholesale a house here and there to another investor, you need to have a list of people that you can sell to and who buy houses wholesale to rehab and rent or sell. Its best to develop this list of people BEFORE you go out and put properties under contract.

As a company,, we have thousand of people on out list that say that they “Buy Properties.” However, our core list of really serious buyers who have lines of credit lined up and can pay cash for a property on a days notice is less than 100 people long. In your area, you need to know who that core group. You can always find buyers at your local landlord association or investment group meetings. You can also find buyers via referral through other investors or even agents. WE find a lot of our buyers online in local news and chat groups like yahoo as well. Ask local appraisers and title companies who the “Serious Investors” in the area are. They are usually more than willing to share this information with you. As you develop a reputation in a given market, the buyers will come to you for the deals. This is the best case scenario!

Appraisers, Handymen and Contractors - With these contacts, you not only need to find professionals that you trust and can work with. But you also you need someone that is preferably an investor themselves but if not, understands investment property and the end financial result you are seeking. A $45,000 home in a lower income neighborhood would be rehabbed differently than a $450,000 house in an expensive neighborhood and your appraiser and rehab crew need to understand those differences. Also your appraiser must understand the need to go through the house and give you an after repair value (ARV)as if any needed repairs were complete. In other words, he need to give you an AS-IS appraisal and at the same time a solid professional guesstimate of what the ARV will be when the property has been rehabbed completely.

You may need to go through a few appraisers to find a good one who is honest. You can usually call your bank or lender you are planning on using. This is sometimes best as they have specific lists of people they will and will not work with.

Take the same approach with your handymen and contractors. Tell them you need the job done for $4000, when you know it will cost $8,000. Make sure they are not cutting costs when they give you a bid, just to get the job. Some trimming is fine, but cutting the price in half, just to get the job, will almost always end up in a poor quality job as far as workmanship is concerned.

When identifying a new contractor, be tough. Ask for the moon and stars. Tell them that you want a rehab quote with pictures and estimates broken down by labor and materials as well as room by room. If they offer to give you this, then you have someone who is flexible and is willing to work with you.

Since time is the biggest factor when rehabbing a house, make sure your contractor gives you a firm date that the job will be completed. Also, when getting bids,make sure you get them back from the contractor in a timely manner. If you have a 7 day inspection clause in your purchase contract, tell your contractor “We are rushed and need thi back within 48 hours. Can you get this done for us right away and fax the bid to me within 48 hours?” You want to make sure they follow through on what they promise.

Also, send more than one handyman or contractor to a job, unless you’ve worked with them before. If you are working with someone new, make sure they are not the only quote you get. They may be too high or may do poor work and you will have no idea-even if they have been referred. If you get three or four bids for that same house, you will have a really solid idea of the scope of work and an accurate price of what it’s going to cost you to rehab that property.

About the Author

Please feel free to check Charrissa Cawley’s websites at REI Conferences or REI Training Center for other great Real Estate Investing Resources, tips and trends! Type in your name and email address and then click on Free Resources. You will find a tremendous amount of FREE and useful information! Feel free to give us a call at 1-888-2500-6616.

Realtors Can Help You With Your Real Estate Investing

You can’t build a successful, long term real estate investing business without the help of realtors (real estate agents).

The challenge is that many realtors have little real estate investing knowledge. What’s worse, even though every real estate agent will work for your money, few are willing go that extra mile to really help you grow your real estate investing business. But there are three simple secrets to getting a great real estate agent really working for you:

1) Use a top ?Sales? agent with a proven track record to sell your investment property. Don’t take on a “listing” agent.
A real estate agent can help you with real estate investing by advertising, marketing, finding buyers for your real estate, and doing virtually all of the paperwork. To make this process work for you, be upfront with your realtor about your real estate investing goals. And only use a proven realtor with real estate investing experience.

2) Position a Realtor as a Buyer?s Representative
Have another real estate agent act as your ?Buyer’s Agent? to find property on your behalf. Be sure you outline the sorts of properties you are looking for, then your real estate agent will contact you when they find this type of property. This saves you time and allows you to focus on the business of real estate investing rather than on property-hunting.

3) ?Pocket? Listings.
A real estate agent can explode your real estate investing business profits by turning you onto investment opportunities before they go public. Before properties are listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), your realtor can alert you a juicy real estate deal from a motivated seller when it becomes available! This is perhaps the most profitable reason why you should build great relationship with real estate agents. All the best!

Yours for Massive Profits & a Rewarding Life!

Cheers,
Mary Wozny http://www.millionaireriches.com
“Helping 100,000 Women & Families Achieve Financial Freedom!”
To order ?How To Build Your Family?s Million Dollar Real Estate Empire??, and add $40,000 to your bank account or become a millionaire this year, click here now.

Chicago Real Estate Investing

Donald Trump and countless other moguls built their empires on real estate, and, lately, a lot of people have realized the wisdom behind real estate investments. Chicago real estate investing is a formidable, yet very feasible, business. Chicago is a booming city that is economically sound with prime real estate everywhere. Owning a piece of land at the right location is like owning a gold mine: In just a few years, its value may jump to double the amount you started with in the first place.

But as with any business venture, jumping on the real estate investing bandwagon should be more than just a split-second decision. You must be well prepared before you commit to this daunting task.

First, you have to study Chicago real estate investing. Ask significant questions:

Where is the ideal location?

How is the market doing?

How much start-up capital should I have?

What are the different aspects of real estate investing should I be familiar with?

What type of property do I want to deal in?

When you have the answers to all these questions, then you can start thinking of Chicago real estate investment as a possibility.

When you start your business make sure you cover the important facets of promoting your Chicago real estate investment. Know the importance of advertising and how beneficial it can be for your business. You need to constantly let people know what is out there by advertising your property. There’s no such thing as too much advertising-it’s the lack of it that can hurt you.

You must also have reliable real estate agents handling your Chicago real estate investing business. If you surround yourself with hardworking and smart people, chances are you’ll be in it for the long haul.

Sitting at the negotiation table can be intimidating, but you must realize that you’re in this to win. Start your bargains at the lowest possible price: not too low, as this could be insulting for the seller, but low enough so that you’ll have a lot of room for haggling.

Be pro-active. Be on the watch for the smallest movements in the market and make sure you are ready to pounce when prime real estate is suddenly brought to the market.

Chicago real estate investing can be a lot of hard work but it can also be very rewarding in the end.

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