** BANK OWNED ** 3/2/2 Lakefront SFH in Winston Trails – Golf …
BANK OWNED ** 3/2/2 Lakefront SFH in Winston Trails – Golf, Tennis, (Lake Worth) $198900 3bd. August 11, 2009 (1 hour ago) Filed under Real Estate. Todd Kevitch | BPO REALTY LLC | 561-731-3545 … LAKE FRONT LOT …  read more…

Lake Geneva Real Estate Blog » Lake Geneva Lake Access Update
I’m David Curry, I sell real estate for Geneva Lakefront Realty in Williams Bay. I write this blog to help educate and entertain the Lake Geneva home buyer and seller. I write because I enjoy it, and contrary to what you may think, …  read more…

Dining on Old Hickory Lake Hendersonville, TN | Lakefront …
Dining on the lake in hendersonville tn. Summer is here and now is the time to experience lakefront dining on Old Hickory Lake. … Quick Search. Select category, Uncategorized, Decorating, Summer, Restaurants, Accolades, Statistics, Rants, Lakefront Homes, Buying Tips, Lakefront Maintenance, Lakefront Realtor …  read more…

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Who is Paul Moore?
Paul Moore is an experienced Realtor in the Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia. Paul, a Detroit native, paid a visit to the area and loved it so much that he moved to the Smith Mountain Lake area an…  read more…

Staging The Outside Of A Lake House To Sell
If you are thinking about putting your lakefront house on the market, you may be looking for ways to help your lake house sell faster and for more money. Staging your house is the act of setting your …  read more…

American Idol’s Matt Giraud: Stayin’ Alive or Home to Kalamazoo?
Last night on American Idol, top seven performer Matt Giraud did his best to impr…  read more…

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Resolved Question: Who to offer Northern Michigan lakefront house to?
We are selling our house on Pearl Lake, which is between Traverse City and Empire, Michigan. It is a beautiful wilderness lake that is popular with kayakers and birders. Our house was built in 2002 and includes a wonderful artist studio and large workshop. It is listed with a realtor, but we have our own website to show it: http://www.northmichlakehouse.com. We’ve emailed paddling groups and birding groups and artist groups in the area. Any suggestions on other groups or organizations to contact? We’ve already tried Craigslist extensively…lots and lots of hits but no action.

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Resolved Question: Who wants to buy our Northern Michigan cottage?
We are trying to sell the lakefront cottage we built in 2002. We were going to retire there, and designed it with a nice studio for my wife and a large workshop for myself. Our realtors haven’t found many prospects. We’ve advertised on Craig’s List, including to out-of-state areas as a vacation home. We’ve even developed a supporting website: http://mustsellourcottage.com/ It is a screaming deal, but we are having a terrible time finding the right buyer. Suggestions on who we should target, or how we should promote it?

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Resolved Question: Suggestions on how I can sell my second home, which is a newer lakefront cottage in Northern Michigan?
We really must sell our cottage. We’ve had it on the market for 3 years with various realtors, and have reduced the price again and again. Part of the problem is that we expected to retire there and customized it with a huge watercolorist studio for my wife, and a huge workshop for me. We’ve done Craigslist. Our realtors have tried print and internet ads without success. We recently developed our own site, http://www.mustsellourcottage.com. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you.

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So you decided to get into real estate investing. Good for you! While at first, real estate investing can seem a bit overwhelming, if you pay attention, you will be paid in rewards and dividends for years.

Where to start? Well lets look at a few basic tactics for a new investor.

Everywhere you turn these days someone is a member of a Real Estate group. Find where they meet and be willing to ask the most basic of questions.

People gathered together with like minds create a social atmosphere that motivates new investors to take action. Club members share ideas with other members, discussing what works and what does not work in real estate investing.

Before actually buying any investment properties, beginning real estate investors should begin to put their organizations together by outlining a specific business plan. The plan should go over every step in the purchase of a property, from the marketing strategies on through the sale or leasing of a property.

At first you need to decide on what type of property to start with. If your goal is to find distressed houses then focus on those. If you want to deal with the condo market…then thats where you look. Keep in mind when you focus on one area you will become more understanding of what those types of property can be sold for, not to mention how much it cost to get them sale ready.

Ok now comes the fun part. You need to find the people that offer the skills you need to accomplish your plan. Contractors, handy men, sub-contractors etc. Finding the right people to make your team is the hardest part of this game. (I use the same people for the same job on EVERY property I buy)

If you will be working with “fixer-upper” houses, line up a plumber and an electrician, as well as heating and air-conditioning experts. Better yet, find a reliable “handyman” who is capable of doing many of the jobs needed in fixing up houses.

Working with an investors real estate agent in a dream….but they are a nightmare to find. Interview your agent. Tell them exactly what you want to do. Tell them…I want to invest in real estate…I want to buy x amount of properties a year”. This means you need to have an agent thats willing to do far more for you then just show you a house or two. A good agent will write offers…LOTS of offers, and show you the selling history for a given area.

Have an exit tactic in mind. This is a critical element of investing in real estate. How are you planning on selling this house once it is fixed and ready for market? How much room do you have on price so you sell it and still make a profit?

Every beginning real estate investor will make mistakes that cut into potential profits. It is imperative to recognize these mistakes and correct them before they can cripple the business.

Be efficient, and resourceful. Keep your eye on your bottom line and you will grow a nice little investment business.

Technorati Tags: finance, home, home finance, home improvments, Investing, investment, investor, personal wealth, Real Estate, real estate club, real estate finance, Real Estate investing, real estate investor, real estate news, real;estate, wealth building

The best way to make profit is to buy a property today and sell it tomorrow. The property rates are taking a cut at present which means that you can buy a house at a low rate today as the market s going through a bad face.

What more will you ask for if you get Foreclosure homes for sale which will come to you for a discount over and above the market price. This means that if a property was worth $100,000 two years back and due to the market situation is for $80,000 today, if it gets listed under the Foreclosure homes for sale it will come too you for approximately $50,000.

Now nothing stays for long and so will be the property market, so once things get to normal you can sell the property for the same $100,000 which means double the price.

Foreclosure homes for sale can help you build your equity if you are planning to buy the property for self. As you are paying less money for a huge house, your equity share would defiantly increase along with it. You are defiantly paying less than what you are getting.

It’s like paying for seven whiskey shots and getting ten. If you are have some extra money on you and don’t know what to do with t, you can invest the money in the Foreclosure homes for sale as a one time payment and take a loan for the remaining, you can put the property on rent, the monthly rent would help you take care of the monthly mortgage payment.

This way you would be making equity for yourself by making down payment and the monthly installments would be paid by someone else for you. The third thing that you could do is to renovate the property and put it in the market for sale. This would also help you save a lot of money, it will call for some extra efforts from your end but the exercise would be worth the return. You would not be doing anything wrong in the process; s t would be like taking semi finished goods and turning into finished goods to be sold in the open market.

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Buying a home is a long-term investment. You’ll probably live in a home for some time so you have to make sure that you really want the home you will purchase. It is best to be clear about what you want in a home before you start your search. While most real estate agents can guide you in your search, the decision to purchase a home, and its implications, wholly rest unto you.

Many first time home buyers feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the homebuying process simply because there are too many decisions to make. How do you decide on the best location? What if the home isn’t in the best move-in condition? Can you afford to be so far away from work? Making sure you’ve asked yourself the right questions and creating a ‘wishlist’ for your ideal home will make the home buying process much easier, and also help you get over many of the challenges involved in finding that perfect home. Start creating your wishlist with the following essential questions and considerations in mind:

1. What amenities do you want your home to have? Do you want to have a swimming pool, a garden, or a fireplace? Be clear with what you want so you can skip houses that don’t meet your criteria.

2. Specify where you want to be located. The home’s location is one of the most significant factors when considering different homes, according to author Ilyce Glink of ‘100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask’. Your location will determine how far you’ll live in relation to family and friends, your kid’s school, your work, and shopping areas. Location also determines the time you’ll spend traveling each day. Ask yourself if your home and location justify your travel time each day.

3. The size of your home. Specify how much space your family needs and if you are expecting any additions to your family in the near future. Your needs will determine the size of the home that you will purchase. If your family is growing, you might want to purchase a bigger home to accommodate your family three to five years in the future.

4. Are you willing to spend on home renovations? Some homes might have the perfect size and the perfect location but are not in any condition to house your family. How much are you willing to spend in renovating the home? Being specific about this area will help you save time as you exclude some houses from your search.

5. Do you value safety and security? This is an important issue for families with small children and individuals living alone. What are the things you will need in order to feel secure in a home and neighborhood? Eliminate homes that do not pass your safety and security guidelines.

By asking yourself specific questions about your preferences, goals and dreams, you’ll be able to narrow down the vast field of choices and find the home that truly meets your needs.

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There are a lot of people today who insist that you can’t really save any money when there’s a recession going on, but that’s simply not the case. It can be done, but it’s certainly true that it can be more difficult when times are harder. Being creative with your saving during financially tight times also means that you have to be creative with your spending, and that’s something that you can do with a few good ideas. One thing you shouldn’t do is buy into all of the hype going around that says you can’t save any money in a recession and that you’ll go broke because you won’t even be able to make as much as you’re spending.

If you’ve always been a saver and not a spender you’ll probably have some money put back, and if you do that’s a great thing because the recession will be a little bit easier on you overall. When you have some money in the bank you’re generally not as worried about the recession unless it goes on for a very long time, because you know that you can just lower your spending a little bit and live within your means without much of a problem occurring from that. If, though, you’ve always been a spender and not a saver, you probably won’t have very much put back and you won’t be very likely to try to save much during the recession.

No matter whether you’ve been a saver or a spender in the past, though, you can learn how to hang on to your money even when there’s a recession and there’s not as much money available to you. In fact, that’s one of the best times to start saving because you might need that money at a later date, depending on how long the recession continues. If you can learn to save during a recession and live below your means, you’ll be much more able to continue saving once the recession has ended and there is a lot more money out there for you to acquire and hang onto.

The basic formula for saving during a recession (or any other time that you want to put some money back) is that you have to spend less than you make. Take, for example, people who buy their lunch out every day and stop on the way to work to get a morning coffee. These people are spending a whole lot of money and they probably don’t even realize how much it’s costing them, but they could save a great deal of money – sometimes hundreds of dollars each month – if they would simply make their coffee at home and pack a lunch to take to work with them instead of spending money out all of the time.

The food that you buy and cook at home for dinners and breakfasts can be an area where serious savings can occur, too, since most families eat pretty heavily today and they often buy whatever looks good instead of paying attention to any of the sales that the grocery stores are offering. When you look for sales you can often buy something and get another one for free, save several dollars each on certain items, and use coupons to get more savings – but be careful of coupons because the store brand is often cheaper than the name brand, even if you use a coupon. At first glance it could seem as though you’re giving up a lot, but you can turn it into something more fun by trying to see who among your family and friends can find the best deal and comparing your shopping with other people who are playing the same ‘game’ of saving money.

Don’t buy things that you don’t need just because they’re good deals, either, because it’s not a good deal if you don’t need it, no matter how inexpensive it is. You’ll end up spending money that you really could have (and should have) been saving, and you’ll regret it later on. Make sure to read the sale fliers carefully and make a list of what you’ll need, then go to the store with that list and don’t buy anything extra – you’ll save a lot of money this way because you’ll be paying attention to where your money is actually going when you spend it, making you less likely to spend it frivolously.

Having a budget or keeping a ‘money journal’ is also a good idea because you’ll be able to see exactly how much you’re spending. For a budget, write down absolutely every penny that you spend so you’ll be able to see where all of that money is going. It will help you see areas where you could save even more money without having any big problems, and that will help you to hang on to more of your money, even during a recession.

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Many people with the inability to meet their monthly mortgage obligations consider the sell and rent back strategy. More so used in England than in the US, this strategy may be the solution to avoiding a repossession of your house and may help out homeowners with liquidity, giving them an instant boost as far as their cash flow is concerned.

Below, we’ll list the pros and cons of a strategy like this.

The big advantage of a sell and rent back is that, given a willing buyer, you will not have to move – at least in the short term. As part of the sale agreement, the buyer gives you not only money, but also a rental agreement. This sell and rent transaction is actually two transactions rolled into one.

Another advantage is the fact that all past due monies owed to your bank will immediately become the responsibility of the buyer. If you’re four months behind on your mortgage, you’ll no longer owe that money to the bank, even after the sale of your home. The buyer and the bank will be responsible for working out a plan that satisfies these unmet obligations.

There are a few disadvantages to a sell and rent back strategy, but these generally pale in comparison to the benefits of one. First of all, you’ll now be responsible for paying your monthly rent to the new owner of your home.

You’re also likely to get something far less than you’d normally get for a sale price, as your desperation to sell your home quickly will force you to accept a lower price.

Failure to do so will have the same ramifications on your credit that missing a mortgage payment did. You’ll also be signing a rental lease that eventually winds down, meaning that your time spent in your existing home may be limited.

As you can see, the sell and rent back strategy is one where the homeowner attempts to make the most of a situation gone bad. It’s certainly worth attempting to pull off if it can be done, as the relief is definitely greater than the damage.

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Of all the things homeowners fear, foreclosure is the biggest one. The past few year have seen large numbers of people being foreclosed upon. Unfortunately for these people, the pressures of making their monthly house payments simply became to great. Due to this, the bank that loaned the money was forced to take back the home so as to get back the money it owned.

If you are a homeowner that is in financial trouble or even if you haven’t made that hoe purchase yet, there are several steps you can take in order to prevent foreclosure from happening to you. Utilizing sound budgeting skills is the key to avoid foreclosure.

Determine How Much Money is Coming In

Finding out how much money you have coming in on a regular basis is the initial step you need to take when planning a budget. This part will be easy if you work a routine number of hours for a set amount of pay. This step can be a bit more difficult if you are a contractor, work in sales, or simply cannot be certain how many hours you will work each week. If you fall into one of the above categories, you will need to estimate how much you will have coming in each month. If you have been in this line of work for more than a year, you should refer to the previous year in order to resolve whether or not you tend to earn more money during certain times of the year.

Decide How Much You Can Spend

Now that you have assessed how much money you have coming in, it is time to start creating a budget for your expenditures. First, determine how much you need to pay for your routine bills. These bills may include:

Electric bill Gas bill Telephone bill Car payments Sanitation bills Water bills Car insurance

Asking the previous homeowners for information regarding their utility bills will help if you have not already purchased a home and are trying to develop a budget beforehand. Find out how much the previous owners had to pay for electric and gas to determine how much you too might have to pay once you move in.

It is best to pass on the hoe and wait until you are in a better financial position to make a home purchase, if you find that the bills will stretch your finances too thin. You should not forget that apart from the regular bills that have been listed, you will also need to pay for house insurance and property taxes. Apart from this, there are day to day expenses such as entertainment, food, and clothing that need to be worked into your budget as well.

Work With Your Collectors

It is essential that you work together with your bill collectors if you are already a homeowner who is experiencing some financial problems. Though it may seem easy to just avoid the letters and the phone calls, you can often get bill collectors to work out a payment plan with you. Take a look at your budget before you work with your bill collectors. That way, you will be clear on how much you can afford to pay and you will be better prepared to work your way toward getting back on track.

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How come anytime you walk in to a book store and find your way to the business or financial books all the views that are expressed in the titles are very similar??? In one way or another they all call out for a monetary version of bloodshed. I mean think about the titles: “How you can crush the other guy”or “it’s not personal its business”, “How to come out on top” etc etc. When I got into the real estate investment game I spent hours trying to find the one book that would teach me how to become that REAL ESTATE INVESTING GOD I knew I could become. After reading most of the popular books at the time I actually would feel beat up over the content. I mean did I have to be a “take no prisoners” type of investor? Did I have to prey on some one else’s misfortune?? The answer was no. So I set out to build a list of my own investment rules. I think we each should have our own set of investment rules. Doc’s Rules for investing:

1) Set up personal guidelines: Define and follow your personal guidelines. This is the most important rule I have. My guidelines define the investments I will go after as well as the amount of investment I’m willing to part with to get it. It outlines my investment strategy as well as how I want to conduct my investment business. Things to include, but not limit you to, are: Top dollar amount and lowest dollar amount. Type of investment you want to deal with. Period of term for investment.. Etc etc. (Between you and me I even have a guideline about the amount of time I will work per-day)

2) Remember a family is behind the deal you’re working on. Simply put,whoever you are dealing with has mouths to feed. Just because you can get a great deal on a house because the current owner is in a facing some sort of adversity that is causing them to sell below market value, DOES NOT give you license to kick them when they are down. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. If the price they are offering still falls within the personal investing guidelines you have set for yourself ,don’t use your position to abuse the seller. If you?re getting the house for .40 cents on the dollar,don’t be a jerk and push for .20 cents. Always remember…it could be you in the sellers postion. (This rule DOES NOT come in to play when dealing with a bank owned property)

3) Always ask for what you want. Where does it say you can’t ask for something in an investment deal you like? I.E. if you’re looking at a piece of real estate, ask the seller if they would be willing to throw in new carpet to the sale. I knew a investor who was looking at a house that had been on the market for more than 6 months, when he went to talk to the seller he happen to see a 1954 Merc Coupe in the garage,so he asked if it was included in the deal. The deal eventually closed for the house AND the car. 4) Offer everyone the chance to make money as a bird dog for you. I always give several of my business cards to anyone I do business with and offer them a portion of any profit I make from any investments they help me locate. You would be amazed at how many people are willing to help you make money when they get a small part of it for doing very little work. (And if you follow rule #2 you will be amazed at how many of those bird dogs will sing your praises from the highest mountains)

Just some ideas of things to keep in mind when you’re working on your investment mindset. I have used these rules over the years,and in many cases they, have gotten me more return and repeat networking opportunities then I can count.

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As a good common rule, houses appreciate about four or 5 pct a year. Some years will be more, some less like the trend we are presently in. The figure will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and region to region.

Five pct may not seem like that much at first. Stocks (at times) can appreciate much more, and you could easily earn over the same return with a very safe investment in treasury bills or bonds. But take a second peek

Presumably, if you bought a $200,000 home, you did not pay cash for the home. You got a mortgage, too. Suppose you put as much as 20 pct down ” that would be an upfront investment of 40k.

At an appreciation rate of 5 percent per annum, a 200k home would step-up in value 10k during the 1st year. That implies you earned 10k with an investment of 40k. Your annual “return on investment” would be a whopping twenty-five percent.

Of course, you are making mortgage payments and paying property taxes, along with a few of other costs. However, since the interest on your mortgage and your property taxes are both tax deductible, the government is essentially subsidizing your house purchase.

Your rate of return when purchasing a house is better than most any other investment you can make in the long haul.

For example, assume your initial loan balance is 150k with an interest rate of eight pct. During the first year you would pay $9969.27 in interest. If your 1st payment is January first, your taxable income would be almost 10k less ” due to the IRS interest value tax write-off.

Property taxes are deductible, also. Whatever property taxes you pay in a passed year may also be subtracted from your complete income, depressing your tax responsibility.

When you rent a place to live, you can sure enough expect your rent to step-up every year ” or even more frequently. If you get a fixed rate mortgage when you buy a house, you have the same annual payment amount for thirty years. Even if you get an flexible rate mortgage, your payment will stay within a particular range for the whole lifespan of the mortgage ” and interest rates arent as fluid now as they were in the late 70 and early 1980s.

Some people are just lousy at saving money, and a home is an mechanical nest egg account. You accumulate savings in two ways. Every month, a part of your payment goes toward the principal. Admittedly, in the earlier years of the mortgage, this is not much. Over time, however, it quickens.

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Lots of people have heard that by purchasing foreclosed homes they can earn a good sum of money. But how exactly does one purchase a foreclosed home and turn the home around and then use it to make money? Before you get started in the business of making money from foreclosed homes, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Learn About Foreclosure Laws

Learning about foreclosure laws is the initial step you need to take. In reality, there are various stages of foreclosure and there are merits and demerits associated with making a purchase during each of these stages. In order to have the capability of selecting the right time to purchase the home so you can get the best deal possible, you need to know more about these stages. Apart from this, the better you know the laws, the better you will understand your rights and responsibilities as an investor.

Network with Other Investors

Networking is the main component to being successful in any business. When you network with other investors, you can learn more about the business by listening closely to their experiences. Gain experience from their mistakes so you don’t commit them too. In addition, you might be able to find some great leads by getting to know other real estate investors. There are both online and offline real estate clubs and you should join such clubs and get to know as many other investors as you can.

Determine Your Area of Specialty

When you decide to become a real estate investor, you will need to decide the type of property you wish to invest in. You also need to decide what you will do with the property. In these ways, you can determine your area of specialty.

Some real estate investors prefer to purchase homes that are in poor shape but that can be easily fixed up and resold. Foreclosure homes are not always in bad shape and it is important that you know this. In fact, there are many foreclosed houses that are in great shape, but the owner of the same just could not make his or her payments as agreed upon. Therefore, you might prefer to buy these homes because they do not require putting a great deal of work into them in order to resell them. You need not resell the homes at all. You might as well purchase the homes for a low price so you can rent them out and make money from the properties in that way instead.

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