Real Estate Investing in 2008 - Are You Crazy - Well Maybe Not!

The latest data from the real estate industry shows a marketplace in steady decline and no bottom in sight. Residential home sales are in free fall mode with an expected 25% decline in the total number of home sales in 2007 versus 2006. Additionally, homes sales are currently off by more than 35% from the record year of 2005 when over 7.0 million homes sold.

Industry analysts estimate that we're on track to sell only 5 million houses nationwide for the entire 2007 year, which is the slowest pace since 1999. Equally sobering is the fact that at any given time there are about 4.4 million unsold homes for sale. Based on the number of available houses, it would take about 10.5 months to sell all the houses on the market right now.

It's not just the number of homes sold that is falling; it's also the sales price. The median, or average, home sales price is expected to dip below $211,000 for the year, which represents the first time since records have been kept that the year-over-year price of a home fell.

While home sales are plummeting and sales prices are falling, the only thing that seems to be rising is the number of foreclosures. During the first ten months of 2007, the foreclosure rate nationally surged by about 94%, which puts about 573,000 homeowners at risk of losing their homes.

As bad as things are right now, we might just be at the tip of the iceberg, because more than 2.2 million home loans are going to reset in the next year and a half as introductory and teaser rates end. Homeowners are faced with payments that are considerably higher than they had banked on - or budgeted for. Bush's new homeowner bailout plan will save some, but will excluded most of the homes that are close or already in the foreclosure process.

Aright enough of the doom and gloom. With all financial bubbles there are many losers but a few big winners. Despite all of the above, now is the time to consider real estate investing. With prices down and motivated sellers everywhere real bargains are popping up and the long term returns on real estate should be outstanding in the coming years. Much of the risk has been taken out of real estate investing.

The housing market has undoubtedly changed, but I still think real estate is one of the best long-term investments you can make. I also think if you know what you're doing, there's a whole lot of money to be made right now by investing in real estate.

The key to this opportunity is the ability to raise cash or credit quickly to make low all cash offers. The ability to have a combination of cash, credit lines and access to private lending will allow you to make low and compelling offers. In many cases, buyer will forced to accept any reasonable offer.

If you do this, you'll discover that this is possibly one of the best times in more than a generation in which to make tens of thousands of dollars -- or more -- by playing your cards right and timing your real estate purchases in a way guaranteed to help you build a fat real estate portfolio.

Four Ways to Get Money From Your Real Estate Without Selling

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If you have an existing piece of income producing real estate that you bought within the last couple years, you most likely have a significant amount of equity in that property. Even if you put a traditional 80% mortgage on the property when you purchased you may now have anywhere from 20% to as much as 60% to 70% equity on the property. How do you get that money out and put it to use in a new investment or use it to pay bills without selling your property.

Well, here are my top 4 ways to put cash in your pocket without having to SELL your real estate...

Place a private second mortgage on your property - One of the best ways to get cash out of the property is by borrowing money from a private lender and giving them a second mortgage on the property as security. By way of an example, if you bought a property 5 years ago for $100,000 and put an $80,000 mortgage on the property at the time of purchase you had $20,000 equity. That property today may be worth $130,000 and mortgage paid down to $75,000 leaving you with $55,000 in equity. If you borrowed $30,000 from a private lender you now have $105,000 in total debt on the building. This leaves the debt-to-equity ratio at a very reasonable 81%. We do not recommend ever going above 90% debt-to-equity to allow some margin for future down turns. One of the primary ways we attract private lenders is through group luncheons and private meetings. We use the Private Lender Presentation Kit as our primary marketing tool to generate leads and convert individuals into our program.

Put a Rent-to-Own Tenant in the building - Under a rent-to-own program a renter with the desire to ultimately purchase is given 12 to 24 months to rent while fixing or improving their credit to the point where they can get a mortgage and cash you out. The great advantage of this method, and are many, is the tenant/buyer typically pays you 3% to 10% of the value of the property upfront in the form a non-refundable purchase deposit. This deposit can be anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 cash in your pocket. If the tenant/buyer does not cash out or decides to move out you can legal keep the deposit and do the whole thing over again. Another advantage is that a tenant/buyer feels much more compelled to pay rent on time to get the purchase price credit that is only given if the rent is paid on time.

Refinance the existing mortgage with a new private lender mortgage - If you have an existing first mortgage on a property you can refinance the whole amount for new higher first mortgage using a private lender as your lender. Using the above example, if you have property worth $130,000 with a $75,000 first mortgage, you could refinance the first mortgage with a private lender for $105,000 and cash out $30,000 for yourself. The advantage of this method is that the cost of first mortgage alone will be lower than a first and second combination as describe above. You also avoid having the loan show up on your credit report and this usually improves your credit score.

Use your property to secure a line of credit - If you have one or more properties with a significant amount of equity you can use that equity to get a line of credit from a bank or local saving and loan. Again using the above example of property with $55,000 in equity you may be able to get as much as a $30,000 line of credit. We have found that banks will never go above 80% debt-to-equity with these types of lines. This type of financing has several advantages including no interest cost until you actual use the money and generally the interest rates are very competitive in the prime plus 3% to 6% range.

In Conclusion, I have outlined four ways to generate cash from your real estate with out having to sell your property. This has tremendous advantages in allowing you access to cash to do new projects or pay operating expenses.

Learn the New Investing Secrets in the Post-Bubble Real Estate Era

You would have to be living in a cave or tucked away on a deserted island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean not to know that the American real estate market has effectively fallen apart. Real estate investing techniques and strategies that have worked so well and for so long are no longer effective. If you want to continue making money in real estate today, you'll have to adjust your strategies accordingly, or risk being left behind in today's post-bubble market.

One such strategy is the short sale.

A short sale is nothing more than convincing the lender to accept an amount less than the current loan payoff amount as full payment for a property. Because real estate as we know it has changed so dramatically so quickly, banks are more motivated than ever to quickly unload these properties and get them off their books as soon as possible. The reason for this is really quite simple: Most banks are required to maintain cash reserves of up to six times the retail value of each real estate owned ("REO") on hand. Because an REO is actually a liability and not an asset - and there are so many of them - you have an unprecedented opportunity to simultaneously help a friendly banker as well as yourself.

Here's how it works.

Once you've located a distressed property owner and have convinced them that letting you solve their real estate problem is in their best interest, you'll need to prepare a real estate sales contract (signed by you and the homeowner) reflecting the amount you wish to offer the bank.

In addition, you'll also need some additional documentation for the bank's Loss Mitigation Department: A cover letter that fully explains your offer and the reasons why you simply can't offer full price for the property. If you've properly done your homework, the accompanying documents will help build your case. I'm talking here about area comp sheets, photos of the property that highlight the negative aspects of the property, a hardship letter from the property owner explaining the severity of their current financial situation, as well as a HUD-1 net sheet showing the lender exactly how much money they'll be left with after all expenses - closing costs, taxes, etc. - have been paid.

One last item you'll fax to the lender is critical to your offer. You need to send them a list detailing all needed repairs - and the associated costs - to help your offer seem even more practical. You don't have to tell the lender that the property is falling down. The estimate will do that for you.

Keep in mind: the lender doesn't want property back. You're doing them a favor by taking it off their hands. Because they're in business to make money from interest and not owning real estate, they're not going to try to get as much money as they possibly can from the property. Banks are far more interested in getting REO's off their books and freeing up the cash reserves requirement.

While the bank could conceivably finance the property for you, don't count on it. So be prepared to provide your own financing source either through your own bank or an alternative lending source that you've already lined up.

The new reality in real estate is that there is plenty of money to be made by investors who are prepared to seize the opportunity. Short sales are a great way to do this. As long as the foreclosure rate is rising faster than gas prices, you stand to have an almost unlimited profit potential. You can capitalize on these opportunities when they present themselves by lining up a ready supply of private lenders that are able to provide the cash you need at a moment's notice. Then you can truly build your American Dream.

Questions to Ask Potential Real Estate Agents

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If you're buying a house, chances are you'll be employing the aid of a real estate agent to guide you through the process. The important thing to remember is that you are technically their boss. They should be working for you, whether you're buying or selling a home. That's why it's so necessary to interview several real estate agents before settling on one. Here are some helpful questions to narrow down the candidate field.

1. How many years have you been working in real estate?

Although some agents may be newly licensed, they may have been working on other areas of real estate that will be helpful to you. Any previous experience working with home buying and selling will make an agent a valuable asset. Many times realty is a second or third career. If your realtor was a mortgage lender before switching to the housing world, they might be even more helpful than someone who has been in the business since the word go.

2. How many homes do you sell yearly?

Numbers count, but be aware that small numbers aren't always bad. An agent may only sell a handful of properties each year, but if they're worth millions, that's all they needed to. That's why it's important to ask not only how many they sell, but the price range that the homes fall into. If you're buying a house, this will help you gauge which houses the agent has access to and is more experienced with selling. If you want to sell your home, this will be a good indicator of whether or not the realtor is going to successfully market your property.

3. What is your area of expertise?

If you want to buy a condo, don't hire a realtor who sells mansions. If you want to buy a family home, don't hire anyone who specializes in two-person town houses. Finding niche agents will open more doors during your house hunt or sale. Buyers will be shown more properties matching their requirements, while seller's homes have a better chance of being marketed more effectively.

4. How many other clients are you currently working with?

Translation: How much time can you devote to my needs? Some realtors won't turn down a client, even if their plate is already overflowing. Ask for the numbers. If the phone is ringing off the hook during your meeting and papers are flying, you may want to look elsewhere for an agent who can devote a good chunk of time to you. Explain to them your typical schedule and what times you'd you would be available to view houses or have meetings. If they can't be flexible, move on.

5. Do you have a list or client references?

Nothing says more about the professionalism and worth work ethic of a realtor than their ability to provide you with a list of client references. Just producing a list on the spot is a good sign that the agent is prepared and wants your business. If there is none available immediately, or the agent sputters out some excuses, take it as a sign to head elsewhere.

Real Estate Trends Report 2008

A cold chill has blown on the real estate market and sales are down across the country. When the market was hot, every Tom, Dick and Harry wanted to be in the kitchen and sell real estate. Why? Because it did not take any skill or premier quality customer service. Now that the housing market has been on a steady decline for just over two years we have an opportunity to separate the good from the bad and the ugly.

There are actually agents that expanded their market share, added more clients to their portfolio or received higher customer service acknowledgment during the last year. Those are the agents that understand that in a down market true real estate professionals actually can do better.

According to the Swanepoel Trends Report, published by RealSure, there are five strategies that will not only keep the real estate agents afloat until the next upswing but could actually place them in a better position for rapid growth when the market turns. In summary they are:

1. Maximizing Technology and the Internet

Google should be a part of every real estate professionals online lead strategy as placing high on organic search results has become very important to any serious agent. At the same time integrating your key activities such as marketing, MLS, customer management, etc. need to be integrated into one easily accessible web-based system. Agents should use this year to make sure that when the next boom arrives they will be able to process the entire home buying and selling transaction digitally.

The Report discusses dozens of new innovative Web 2.0 initiatives, encouraging agents to explore these services and see which may be added to strengthen their online portfolio.

2. Building Teams Correctly

The creation of smaller more effective business units or teams within larger companies has been around for awhile, but during the last decade the concept has gained momentum. RE/MAX now estimates that 27% of their affiliates are working on a team. According to the Report there are basically two different kinds of teams. The first is where two or more producing agents combine their practices under one banner to provide greater coverage for themselves and their clients and the second where a lead agent starts building a business inside the brokerage operation. The lead agent then hires administrative staff to increase his or her time in more productive and income generating sales activities.

No matter what the size or how a team is structured, the key to building a successful team requires following the correct steps, getting the right chemistry between all team members and executing on a deliberate business plan.

3. Solidifying Your Business Plan

In todays competitive and complex marketplace, an entrepreneurs success is far from guaranteed. Moving into 2008 or 2009 without a well thought out and implemented business plan is a disaster waiting to happen. Yet so many agents fly by the seat of their pants.

A good business plan should include:

• An assessment of your current situation.
• A definition of your business focus and strategic intent.
• A clear vision of what results you want to achieve by objectives.
• A list of action steps that you will utilize to achieve your goals.
• An understanding of why you need regular analysis and occasional revisions of your game plan.

4. Using Virtual Assistants

The ways in which Virtual Assistants (VAs) can help real estate agents become more productive are limited only by ones imagination. And there are few, if any, support functions that cannot be handled by a VA - including functions such as:

• Transaction Coordination
• Listing Marketing Coordination
• Staying in Touch
• Online Lead Management
• Operational Management
• Screen Email and Phone Messages
• Ad Writing
• Website Maintenance

5. Diversifying Your Business

Diversification is the order of the day. For our industry there are two types of diversification - geographic and product or service. In these slow times it may be wise to view the needs of your customer base to see if there are other profitable products that may be a good fit to offer past clients. It is also a perfect time for agents to expand their skills and knowledge by getting educated on other transactional aspects such as mortgage, escrow, home owners insurance, home warranty, remodeling, repairing, painting, landscaping, etc. The advantage of bringing some of these services in-house is the ability to eliminate the expense of redundant overhead and to derive additional income from the same client.

The Real Estate Agent Income Crisis - There is a Way Out

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Many real estate agents are suffering financially. Possibly this is you. It is unfortunate but houses are selling much below their value and are staying on the market for months. There are more sellers than buyers and there is no relief to be seen in the very near future.

People are struggling; struggling to pay bills to pay debts. The real estate industry is a tough market to be in right now. Possibly you have been wanting to find a way to get you through.

One of the best solutions is to start a home business. There are many tax advantages and you have the benefit of writing off many of your household expenses at tax time. It is also flexible. Something you can do while still being a real estate agent. Maybe something to tide you over until the economic situation improves or maybe something that permanently creates an income for you. The key is to find the right business. One that is recession proof.

We have chosen to build a recession proof business and are helping others to do the same. When searching for any home business there are some critical evaluating tools you need.
Want to Work from Home? Have you considered These Crucial Evaluating Tools?

So you have decided that you would like to work from home. Maybe you want to stay home with your children, maybe you want money for that extra special something or maybe you want to create financial freedom. Maybe you just need to pay your bills and pay off debt. So you know your reasons why. This is a great start but now what?

It is easy to want to jump into the first thing that comes along. Something may sound good on the surface, so you should jump right in, right? Wrong.

There are several key factors that anyone and everyone should consider when deciding on what business would be right for them. Ensuring you have thoroughly researched the opportunity can save you a lot of money, a lot of time, and more importantly, a lot of heartache. I have heard too many stories of people going broke trying to find the right one. I even know someone who has tried 23 opportunities before finding the right one. Can you imagine?

The first key in researching a business is knowing what features you should be looking for in a company. You will definitely need to know the following:

- Is there an established track record?

You want the company to be at least seven years old - successful home-based business companies experience a surge of growth in their first 3-5 years, but most cannot support the increased capital and organizational needs this growth demands to continue their success. Be wary the person who says "this is a ground floor opportunity" or you need to "catch the wave".

- Is the company financially sound?

You should be able to get access to this information. Another great way to know if a company is legit, is trustworthy and has integrity is if they will let you see their previous years' income statistics. If they're not willing to share what their business people make, do you really think they're doing that well. And I don't just mean the top earners, find out what the "little guy" is making.

- Do they have a strong management team and company credentials?

Beware! There are some companies out there who are "touting" scientists behind their products that have received their degree by mail order over the internet. Do your research! What is the history of the management? What awards have they received? What does the Better Business Bureau have to say about them?

- Does this company have unique, consumable products that are guaranteed?

There are companies that have only one product. How many of that one product do you think you have to sell to make any money? If this is a luxury item, you most likely won't get repeat sales from the same person which creates much more work for you. If it's a hobby, you are looking at the same thing. The product should be something that a person goes through and needs again fairly soon, preferably monthly. These products should also have a 100% guarantee.

- Does this company require that you keep inventory or 'front end load'?

This is a very fast way to the poor house. I know lots of folks who have garages full of products. You may think it will be easy to 'unload' it but it's not. Make sure the company does not require you to have stock or inventory.

- Is there a low personal production requirement?

Essentially, this means how much of their product do you need to order to stay in business? If they are asking you to order more than you would use, then you guessed it? Straight to the poor house for you.

- Is there a high customer re-order rate?

Some companies have a re-order rate of only 5%. Does this tell you how hard you will have to work to win customers and keep them? Again, if the company won't give you this information then they have something to hide!

- Is there low initial investment?

You should be able to get started in any business for $500 or less. In addition, any investment should be guaranteed. Any more than that and the risk sky rockets.

- Is there low attrition?

If more than 10% of the people are leaving every month, what does that tell you?

- Is there breakaways?

No breakaways!!! What that means is that you work really hard and then when you reach a desired level, they have the rest of your team "break away" from you and you start all over. Does that sound like what you are looking for? Know the compensation plan. You should be able to earn an income from each person you offer your product or service to. No breakaways, no balancing sides.

- Does the company have any risk?

Risk is a 4 letter word. It has its place but not in your business. This is your life. There should be no risk. You should only be using products you would use anyway, and there should be a full guarantee on everything. If this is the case, there is no risk!

Alright, so now that you know what is important to look for in the company, what product concept makes the most sense, you ask?

REPEAT Consumables (necessity items) and I can't stress this enough. This is a 200 billion dollar industry. People must already want or need to buy the products. It is much easier to interest people in something that is better or less expensive than their current brand than it is to get them to buy something new that they hadn't considered before. The concept of "switching stores" works best because people spend "no new money", they just switch brands. Durable goods won't generate residual income because people won't buy each month.

The products should always be competitively priced (have a low cost per use). No matter how well people like something, they won't stay customers forever if the product costs more than the store bought equivalent. Since commissions depend on customer purchases, the longer they stay, the more RELIABLE your income. The products must also be unique and exclusive to the company. It is of benefit if there are patented products that have been scientifically developed. The re-order rate should be above 90% and it has to make sense to just be a customer, continuing to buy the products without being a business builder.

Lastly there are a few more things that you may want to consider. Does the company manufacture its own products? Does the business offer a system that you can duplicate for success? Does the organization provide you with free training and support? Do you have to leave your home to build the business? Do you need experience in sales or business to be successful? Can you make enough to replace your income? What are the tax advantages to owning a home-based business?

I know this seems like a lot of work, but the end result will make for a happier, wealthier you. Good luck in your search!

Obtaining a Real Estate License

Making a career change can be scary as well as exciting. When I found out I could attend real estate school online to help me go for a Kentucky real estate license I decided to go for it. The best way to make a career change is when you already have a job. Being able to work toward a real estate license from home in my spare hours meant I could keep my day job until I passed the state exam and found a job.

While doing some research about obtaining a license I found out that the state requires a background check. To be honest I never realized that before but I was glad to see it. It makes sense that anyone who has the ability to write contract should have to have a background check. I felt that getting my Kentucky real estate license meat that I was starting a very important career. Being able to take the class from home just made it all the more attractive and doable.

The Kentucky real estate commission has a website that provides all of the necessary information regarding getting a license and maintaining a real estate license. The site even gives information regarding people who have a license from another state and want to obtain a license. Usually there is a short test involved and also proof needs to be provided of the license from the other state. It is good to know that many states do offer the option of applying for a reciprocal license, especially if I move someday.

Going for a Kentucky real estate license seems to make sense for me. I am a very good people person and I have been very successful in sales. the real estate market is doing better then a lot of other areas of the country and it has huge growth potential. Getting my license will enable me to make a new career for myself in a field that is interesting and exciting. I want to be excited about going to work in the morning and I think that real estate is a very exciting career choice.

Going to school online will mean that I have to focus and pay attention. Not being in a classroom setting can be a negative if you do not have the ability to focus. I will however save gas and time by taking the class online. Before I know it I will be well on my way to obtaining a Kentucky real estate license. The online program I chose is offered by a very reputable real estate school in the state. I am ready to get started on my new career.