Monthly Archives: September 2010

Real Estate Lease Options

Lease options have been around for a very long time, but in today’s state of the economy they are regaining popularity, and investors are making money by using this creative and fast strategy.Since mortgages are very hard to obtain and the inventory is at an all time high, many sellers opt to offer “rent to own” or “owner finance” properties, in the hope of a stabilization of the market or to secure a buyer with borderline credit, who is in the process of cleaning up his/her credit or build an employment history.As an investor, who is looking to make some money fast and with limited risk, especially with very little to no cash available for investing, using the sandwich lease option strategy is a great way to make some money and at the same time establish relationships with other investors/buyers and lenders.The way it works is simple:
Locate some potential renters, especially want-to-be owner financing buyers. Just run an ad on Craigslist, local papers and look for “owner financing wanted” ads. Screen the potential renters for what type of house they are looking for, credit and employment situation (borderline prospects, who are looking to improve their current situation, are best.)
Look for properties that meet the criteria of the potential renters: these properties are located through advertising. Don’t overlook “For Rent” signs on single family homes – many of these owners are willing to owner finance these houses, even if they don’t advertise so.
Make an offer on the property and secure control of the paperwork. There should be a clause in the paperwork that authorizes the investor to sublease the property with owner approval, meaning that the owner might want to double check the credentials of the tenant occupying the property.
If the house price to you is $100,000 5 year lease, $1,000 per month, 20% toward downpayment, write the offer for the tenant as a 2 to 4 year lease option with 5% per year. This is where you make your money. In 2 years the property would sell for $110,250, and $121,550 in four years. Also make sure that the option money that the renter pays to you as at least $2,000 over what you have to pay to the owner, so you can make some money upfront.
One last tip: try to show the house to the prospective renters/buyers at the same time to create a sense of urgency. Competition will drive a faster offer and more option money.

Real Estate Development Marketing

When do you start?As soon as you open your ‘baby blue eyes’ every morning!”The Easy Part of Property Development is Spending Money” … “Marketing Is What Gets It Back + A Bit More For Profit.”Anyone can spend money. It takes a good manager to spend it at a predetermined rate in line with a planned ‘cash flow.’So this topic is very important. People think Development Marketing is all about putting an advert in the paper, designing a brochure and following up the agents … I don’t think so folks!!Marketing starts before you buy the land.The location of the land impacts on marketing. Is it a desirable address? Is it in a prestigue location? What market sector of the buying public are you aiming for? Does the site have local prominence? Does the land have quality houses around it?All of these questions impact on your marketing plan, the home designs you select, the costings and untimate sales prices.So if marketing starts with the land selection, it logically then goes on to thedesign stage. Assuming you don’t want to just copy something you’ve seen another developer has done, you need market knowledge.You need maket knowledge of the exact standard of product you are competing against in the market now. Remember you won’t be producing yours for another 12 months or so and you’ll want to improve on what is being produced today, so you have a market difference. An ‘Edge.’Marketing is no more than the presentation of your finished product to thebuying public in the most favourable light, highlighting all the benefitsyour home has over the competition.One kind of marketing style that is a failure as far as I am concerned is the one that is based on the “Numbers Comparison.” I am sure you’ve seen the on site project boards.Our house has 5 of these, and 6 of those … when that guy’s house onlyhas 4 of these and 3 of those.The potential buyer will eventually want to know these things, but “Right Now” they want to know “How They Feel” about living in the place, on your Road, in this neighborhood.Understand this: People SELL for Money … People BUY with Emotion.If they don’t feel good in your place, it does not matter if you give then 12 of these and 20 of those … OK?I have always DEVELOPED and MARKETED on the basis of appealing to the human senses of See – Feel – Touch – Smell & Sound.I transfer all those into my designs, because I am designing and building for’Humans Beings’ and human beings buy with emotions … and if I do my work well, I’ll make a profit.So as a buyer, if a house looks good when I drive up to inspect it, I am favouable disposed to buy before I open the garden gate.When my feet touch the pathway/ entrance foyer and see the lovely landscaping my desire to buy is enhanced.As I enter the house and feel the ambience of the house envelop me Irespond in a positive way to buy, if I feel emotionally comfortable in the space.When I smell all the new house smells, it translates into ‘fresh’ ‘clean’ ‘new’ and who doesn’t want to buy fresh new things.When I close the door of the house I enjoy hearing the sound of silence, which is conducive to rest and recuperation after a hard days work.Think about how you respond to each house you inspect as you go about gaining market knowledge. Do you see, it does not matter how many ‘bibs & bobs’ the place has … if they don’t feel emotionally comfortable in the place, they won’t BUY!Can you see why this is my number one topic?So naturally I write about it a great deal in Residential DevelopmemntMade Easy.So now you have some idea why marketing starts as soon as you open your ‘baby blue eyes’ every morning … marketing is a direct reflection of who you are and how you expresss yourself in creating beautiful livable space FOR HUMAN BEINGS.The ‘by-product’ happens to be ‘money.’ And if you do it very well,it happens to be ‘Lots of Money.

Real Estate Agents – Foreclosure & Short Sale Experts

If you’re in the market for Miami Beach or Sunny Isles real estate, there are many options to help you find the best deals on some of the hottest properties. As the economy continues to struggle, many people are faced with foreclosure or short sale of their homes. This can be a difficult and embarrassing time for any family. It’s important to find real estate agents that can help guide you through this process to help protect your interests. Whether you’re the seller or buyer in these situations, the experts at Sunny Isles can help you enjoy a smooth transition in these more difficult transactions.There’s no doubt that foreclosures and short sales aren’t ideal for anyone. In the case of foreclosure, the homeowner faces financial disaster and the lender will lose substantial money in the process; when it comes to a short sale, the homeowner will be better able to protect their financial situation and the lender will still face losing money. The opportunity to make some of the money back on these transactions comes from a future buyer of these properties. For anyone in the market for property, it’s a good idea to consider purchasing a foreclosed property to get a better deal.Foreclosures can be difficult to deal with for newcomers to the market. Finding an expert agent like the ones at Sunny Isles will help protect your interests and ensure you find a good property at a great deal. It can be confusing to deal with these unusual scenarios, but with it becoming more common in today’s economy, more agents are able to become more knowledgeable about the intricacies of the market. If you want to get into the market in the Miami area, foreclosures can be a great way to find a property that would normally be out of your budget at a price you can afford.Short sales and foreclosures have become more common in today’s unstable economy. It’s no wonder that so many buyers have decided to get into the market with a discounted property that was foreclosed upon. With such a confusing market, it’s a good idea to turn to an expert at Sunny Isles to help guide you through the process of buying a property in this highly desirable area. It’s never been so easy to get a great property at substantial savings thanks to the opportunities of foreclosure and short sale.

Owning Playa Del Carmen Real Estate – Mexico’s Cleanest City

Owning Playa Del Carmen Real Estate – Mexico’s Cleanest City

When choosing to live in another country, Americans and Canadians will usually place very high importance on two factors; cleanliness and safety. For this reason, more and more North Americans continue to buy Playa del Carmen real estate, and live in the city which has been named Mexico’s cleanest!While many Americans and Canadians tend to buy in gated complexes that are very nicely kept up by the maintenance staff, it is also nice to live in a place where you can walk around and enjoy a city that is tidy and visually appealing.Playa del Carmen has implemented several programs to keep the city both tidy and visually appealing. Daily garbage collection ensures that public garbage cans don’t overfill and personal garbage isn’t left out on the street. Community programs focus on cleaning up beach accesses, parks and other public areas. Street sweepers are out on a daily basis ensuring that even debris from trees is cleaned up.This all combines with a very picturesque, provincial small town atmosphere to make living in this town very visually appealing as well. A large number of Italian expats has contributed to a somewhat European flavor.There is also a specific clean beach program. There are frequent disposal bins on the beach to make it easy to keep the beaches litter free. There is ongoing cleaning work, with workers cleaning both litter and sea-weed from the beach so residents and tourists can make the most of these very wide and soft beaches. The water is constantly monitored, and special efforts are made to prevent any contamination of the sea, keeping it safe for swimming, snorkeling and diving.Playa del Carmen has also won top awards for having the cleanest beaches.The combination of these facts mean that you as an American or Canadian can enjoy this city fully while living here. It also means that you have a greater variety of Playa del Carmen real estateto choose from; while there are plenty of excellent gated communities, with beautiful tree-lined streets and nice little parks, you can also choose from a number of downtown neighborhoods which are pleasant and clean.In addition to being clean, Playa del Carmen is a very safe city – not only is it one of Mexico’s safest, but many residents will feel even safer here than in their home cities back in the U.S.

Minneapolis, Minnesota Real Estate Market Profile 2011

Across the country most real estate markets are struggling and the Minneapolis, Minnesota real estate market is no different. As the economy continues to falter, unemployment levels remain high and markets are plagued by above average foreclosure rates real estate markets have struggled to adapt. Minneapolis, MN has been impacted as much as any other region by the prevailing market conditions and 2011 will show some sign of a stabilizing market however consistent growth is not expected until sometime during 2012.

The optimism of Minneapolis homebuyers outweighs that of home sellers. The week of January 24th, 2011 marks the third consecutive week of year-over-year decline in seller activity. Sellers realize that they are not going to make any money on the sale of their homes and are trying to hold on longer. Those that have listed their houses for sale are waiting longer for offers and are faced with pressure to reduce the price in order to compete with the influx of houses already on the market.

There were 1,286 new properties listed on the Twin Cities residential real estate market, as of January 24, 2011, this is down 22.9 % compared to the same period last year. In total there are 21,744 houses currently listed for sale on the Minneapolis Area Real Estate Board. This is a modest increase of only 6.3% over the same period last year.

As home sellers react to the market condition in Minneapolis buyers have access to fewer homes. This could result in moderate increases in home value later this year. This improvement should not be confused with a real estate market rebound but rather a reaction of buyers to a decreased regional housing inventory. Above average foreclosure rates may counteract the impact of sellers waiting for signs of improving market conditions and keep home prices depressed for the foreseeable future. Trends in foreclosure rates and seller reaction to market conditions should result in modest improvement in the real estate values.

The houses that are listed for sale are taking longer to sell. The average market time is 139 days. This is partially due to the rate of price reductions that are required in order to sell the house within the average market time. The year-end figures provided by the Minneapolis Real Estate Board show that sellers are only receiving 89% of their original asking price. Compare this to the year-end figures for 2009, when sellers were getting nearly 94% of their asking price in a shorter time frame, and you can see why sellers are reluctant.

Minneapolis is still in the midst of a strong buyers market. A large housing inventory combined with high foreclosure levels has allowed buyers to educate themselves about real estate markets and the sale prices. Savvy homebuyers are willing to aggressively negotiate incentives and lower prices in this type of real estate market.

With the reluctant sellers and the eager buyers the supply and demand ratio is projected to increase by nearly 17% for 2011. There is an influx of houses on the market and reluctant sellers don’t want to lose money by adding their house to the pile. According to the Minneapolis Real Estate Board, almost half of the houses on the market right now are foreclosures.

Buyer activity on the other hand only fell 2.3%. According to a report generated by the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors for the week of January 24th, 2011 there were 558 pending sales and that is said to be the smallest decline in purchase demand in six weeks.

Buyers are taking advantage of the aforementioned price reductions as not only does this make housing more affordable but the scales for supply and demand are also tipped in the favour of the buyer as well. The average price for a re-sale house in the area is $155,000 (down by nearly 14%). Similarly, the average price for a foreclosed house is also in the $150,000 range. Buyers can pretty much take their pick of the 21, 744 houses currently on the local market.

Nationally prices are projected by many experts to stabilize in 2011. There is a strong possibility that market conditions in Minneapolis will result in dropping home values throughout 2011 before pricing finally begins to stabilize late this year or in 2012. Home sellers will likely find little solace in the real estate market recovery as they struggle to cope with present conditions.

High unemployment rates continue to plague the nation and Minneapolis is struggling in this area as well. Investors are trying to insulate themselves against potential losses by reducing work forces and streamlining their operations. This has depressed the employment prospects in Minneapolis. Businesses will look to grow in the future as the economy struggles to get back on track in the next few years. In the meantime though this will keep the number of active homebuyers low in comparison to the number of homes available for sale.

Commercial investment in Minneapolis will continue to lag as well as investors look to minimize their exposure to volatile markets. Impacts on vacancy rates due to the trend for renters and homeowners to double up in order to save money will continue to be felt throughout 2011. Doubling up is a trend that has people taking on roommates, children choosing to live with their parents longer or taking in lodgers to offset expenses. This trend has led to higher than expected vacancy rates in this real estate market. Initially it was expected that vacancy rates would drop as foreclosure rates rose but with tighter finances and unstable markets renters and homeowners alike are attempting to stretch their finances as far as possible.

Minneapolis real estate will continue to be a buyers market throughout 2011 and likely well into 2012. Unemployment levels will continue to impact buyer activity and high foreclosure rates will keep property values depressed for the foreseeable future. Moderate price increases may be seen later this year however it is more likely that home values will continue to drop or remain flat as we move into the future. Homebuyers looking to get into the real estate market will continue to benefit from below average home values and high foreclosure rates as we move through the year. You can know more at http://agentsranking.com

Works Cited
Minneapolis Association of Realtors, Inc. (2011). The Skinny: Weekly Market Activity Report: Week of January 24, 2011. Minneapolis: Royal Credit Union.
Walsh, K. (2011). Minnealopis – St. Paul Real Estate Market Update: January 3, 2011. Menneapolis: Kate Walsh.
Yahoo! Real Estate. (2011, January). Minneapolis, MN Real Estate. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from Yahoo! Real Estate.

Investing In Real Estate Within The Uk

This main area worth investing in the real estate sector within the particular United Kingdom is usually London for its obvious capabilities. Housing values inside London usually are expressing the further up trends and rose by- 0.1%. London additionally has got a good deal in store in terms regarding buy-to-let house. London scores above the entire United Kingdom obtained together into attention. Presently there has also recently been a great demand for housing properties inside London. Away from London, there are also tremendous prospects really worth investing in an all over the area of London. Far east London have come to be the center for investors. The massive amounts expended for their facilities and also for home construction projects have created East London a hotspot.

Areas including Castle as well as Elephant, due to improving transport links, are usually also becoming well-known and are generally the begining of a spike in prices. Areas certain as Crystal Palace, West Croydon, and Dalston Junction are also going to benefit largely from the subway line expansion. Durham, due to its massive student populace, is actually also turning out to be one of the guaranteeing places for buy-to-let properties. Improved locations like as Chelsea and also Kensington are currently targeting overseas buyers.

The some other main location well worth investing in real estate in United Kingdom is the Northeast region, where residence selling prices are reaching record height. Right now there had been as substantially as 3.1% surge in the property or home rates in the Northeast region. Lively cities and a great coastline help make the area attractive to together property owners as effectively as investors. The Thames Gateway Project provides brought Woolwich in the limelight while the Town of London and the Canary Wharf places of London are developing more and more value due to the upcoming Docklands Light Railway expansion.

With so very much uncertainty within the housing industry throughout the world, some of the locations within the United Kingdom have shown a lot of strength as well as have come about as the favorite destinations for investors eager to invest within the real estate market. The United Kingdom stays one of the the majority of attractive areas for real estate industry, much more so than any some other area of the globe.

How To Create Real Estate Seo Strategy

The internet is the perfect venue for those looking to sell real estate. Of course, this infers that proper real estate search engine optimization work will need to be utilized as well. Doing so will definitely help promote an online real estate venture. Before you hire real estate seo company, you need to ask yourself some questions and define your markets and target clients.

Creating real estate search engine strategy is similar to creating business strategy. There are major steps, which helps to narrow down to right regions, clients and real estate. After defining your target groups, you should perform real estate keyword research and find right keywords with little competition to get quick search engine rankings. Main idea of creating good real estate search engine strategy is to focus on most profitable market niches and regions and to get as possible ROI on your marketing investment.

First thing you need to define is your real estate market where do you want to operate. If you represent a national real estate company with many branches in major towns, when you should create real estate seo strategy for all these cities. If you operate in one city, you should think about sub regions would you like to focus to build up your real estate business.
Next important thing is to define on what type of property you would like to focus. Some real estate types are more profitable and faster selling than other. Are you dealing with commercial real estate tenants or selling condos with amazing views? Concentrate what type of deals brings more money in.

Finally what language do you customers speak? If you are dealing with real estate in Monaco, you would like to optimize your real estate website also in Russian language, because Russians are buying real estate there.

After defining target groups, regions, and type of real estate you deal, it is time to perform real estate keyword research in order to understand how much real estate is searched and how big is competition. Lets say you are a real estate broker in New York, who deals only with rental apartments in Brooklyn area. For keyword research you can use Google keyword suggestions tool or Wordtracker.com. You can find easily how many people are searching Brooklyn rental apartments or apartments for rent in Brooklyn etc.

Next step is to pick up so called buyers keywords, these are keywords which would bring highest conversions. Try to avoid such keyword combinations like cheap, directly from owner, because these persons will not be ready to pay your brokerage commission. After picking keywords to optimize, perform your website onpage optimization and then start getting backlinks in order to higher search engine rankings.

Adopting SEO strategies for online marketing enables you and the business to benefit from one of the most cost effective sales tactics. With the right real estate search engine optimization strategies you can increase your company growth.

How Is the Phoenix Real Estate Market Performing

As most people know the housing market in Phoenix, AZ has been hurt exceptionally hard in the last several years. Is there any near term sparkle of hope for this market? In my opinion I sense 2011 will likely be a year of further stabilization for Phoenix and by ’12 we will essentially begin to realize a measured progression of prices going back up.Certain areas of the Phoenix real estate market have been damaged worse than others. The hardest affected regional communities have been Maricopa, Avondale and Goodyear just to name a few. Several HOA’s located in the Florence area have even gone thru bankruptcy, not an advantageous place to have a house! Gilbert, Peoria and Scottsdale are a few communities that appear to be stabilizing fairly well.The Phoenix area looks to be headed for a double dip. Following the 2007 crash the housing market to some extent stabilized after which it started creeping back up in 2010. Interest rates, government assisted home buying programs and the return of investors where the key components in prices inching back up. However in the most recent couple of months home prices appear to be taking a new down swing. Investors are becoming slightly more careful plus the government subsidies to first time home owners are no longer obtainable.As with any market collapse the bounce back is not going to go directly up. There is unquestionably going to be a number of bumps along the way and this is just one of them. Residential housing markets normally slow down in the winter anyhow is one cause. Median home prices for the Phoenix vicinity are currently around $120,000 and are forecast to hit $110,000 by late winter before they start gradually moving back up. Nearly all local economists and real estate professionals located in this area agree, like I acknowledged above, that we will observe further stabilization in ’11 plus a little rebound beginning in 2012.Does this suggest foreclosures are going away…absolutely not. The moratorium that some banks have recently instituted could make some difference in future foreclosures though. It seems as though the larger banks are starting to cooperate more with loan modification. However we will still see a sizeable number of foreclosures in the next couple years. We need to witness new employment recuperation, which by the way we are starting to get glimmers of this within Phoenix, plus there are still thousands of foreclosures that plainly said will still shift into the foreclosure pool of bank owned homes for sale.There are varying opinions from the experts on just how are market will pull through but one thing everyone is sure of is the Phoenix real estate market WILL, in due course time recuperate.

Forget About The Highest Ira Cd Rates! Look To The

Forget About The Highest Ira Cd Rates! Look To The Hidden Real Estate Market For Retirement Income

The Highest Rates

Today, the highest IRA CD rates are offered by MetLife in Bridgewater, NJ. They are currently offering 4.5%. Of course, they might not be offering it tomorrow. So, by the time you read this, you might have to take 3%.

Just last week, some banks were offering a higher return. I saw it go up to nearly 5% in some areas of the country. Historically, the average rate is around 3%, so when you see it jump, jump on it.

What kind of dollar earnings can you get with the highest IRA CD rates?

Well, $10,000 is the minimum investment for the high rate offered by MetLife. Its called a 5 year-jumbo. So, in five years, your $10,000 would have become $12,523. But, when you figure in the rate of inflation, you have a different picture to look at.

Inflation Is Up

Inflation has been very high lately. It went up to nearly 6% in July 2008. Historically, the average is 3%, interestingly, thats the average rate of return on a CD. So, if the rate of return and the inflation rate are equal, then $10,000 and $12,523 have the same buying power, over time.

So, What Can You Do?

Well, you cant do anything about inflation, but you can stop looking for the highest IRA CD rates and start looking for other options. Most of us would like to retire wealthy. But, today, people are just happy to be able to retire at all. Thats how poorly their investments are paying off.

The Best Choice The Hidden Real Estate Market

The picture is bleak in the stock market right now. Normally, I suggest diversification, but I cant do that today. I actually believe that the best choice is to invest in one area of the housing market and re-invest over and over again throughout the year.

You might argue that the housing market is down or investments are too risky. There is a little known or as I call it the hidden real estate market that is underserved and mostly overlooked. There are management teams that can take the risk out of the equation.

Lets say that you have $100,000 and you get the highest IRA CD rates. After five years, you would have $125,230 and change. If you bought a house with that money and resold it for a modest $10,000 profit, you would have a 10% return on your investment. Already, thats more than double the rate of return.

But, if you did the same thing three times in a year, you would have a 30% rate of return. If you also re-invested your profits, you would end up with a 33% rate of return. The more deals done in a year, the higher your rate of returns and the faster your account will grow.

How to Get Started

You need a self-directed account. Numerous companies offer them. And, if youve never invested in the real estate market, you need some help. But, you can do this. Others like you have given up on the highest IRA CD rates and with unique investment options, they have retired in style.

How To Profit From The Hidden Real Estate Market

Dunedin Real Estate – Suburbs Of Variation

Dunedin is the second most southern city in the world with a central focus on education and innovation. A strong history in educating the nations young, especially in the areas of medicine and healthcare, has earned Dunedin the reputation of being a vibrant location to live. Dunedin real estate is extremely varied, with a wide range of suburbs which offer various characteristics and environmental settings, from vibrant inner city locations to relaxed coastal environments. The central city is dominated by the octagon, which is an eight sided mall area. Being surrounded by trendy cafes and bars, along with leading retail outlets, this is a popular and thriving central area. The main retail area is rapidly expanding due to the success of local business, rising property values and the increasing wealth and prosperity being experienced by the general population. The city is also characterised by historical buildings that resemble cities in Scotland, while large public parks provide a great location for family outings.

Termed the inner suburbs, these are the regions which are located within the circle of hills that surround the centre of Dunedin. The hills give way on the east coast to Otago Harbour and the beaches of St Clair and St Kilda. Mount Cargill, a volcanic outcrop, stands 660 metres high and dominates the northern skyline. Pine Hill, which is the suburb that sits proudly on top of the volcanic range, is characterised with sublime views and character houses which have been refurbished to their previous glory. The northern part of the city centre comprises much of the university buildings and other tertiary institutions. The North East Valley is a residential suburb nestled in between Pine and Signal Hills, where the worlds steepest street can be found. Towards the southern end of the suburb and valley are the Botanical Gardens.

Where the urban environment gives way to the rural environment is Normanby. This suburb is renowned for its wooded recreational areas, reserves and walking tracks. Ravensbourne is one of Dunedins oldest suburbs with a unique character and identity, bordering the harbours edge. The beach areas of St Kilda and St Clair and some of more popular suburbs where the coastal region stretches the length of Dunedin. St Kilda is an affordable residential neighbourhood whereas St Clair is one of the wealthiest suburbs with the ruins of Cargill Castle and St Clair Golf Club populates the summit.

With a diverse range of suburbs, types of properties and varying prices, Dunedin real estate offers the potential buyer a plethora of options from the modest of houses in idyllic streets to small mansions overlooking the sandy beaches of St Kilda. No matter what your preference is, get in contact with a local Dunedin real estate agency who understands the market and the variation of real estate available in Dunedin.