Real Estate Investment Survey
A wave of capital continues to flow into commercial real estate as investors remain cautious about other investment vehicles in a tepid economic recovery. The total value of assets in real estate investment trust (REIT) mutual funds increased by more than $5.5 billion through the first half of 2003, with the flow of new funds accounting for more than one-third of the gain, according to Lend Lease Real Estate Investments. Increasingly, both institutional and private equity investors perceive commercial real estate as a safe haven. Lend Lease estimates that annualized returns for real estate over the next four to six years will be in the 7% to 8% range. While that may not sound spectacular by historical standards in real estate, battle-weary investors who have been burned in the stock market have come to value stability...

Should You Allow Buyer To Rent During Closing?
It's not uncommon for an investor to sell a house and have the buyer request the right to rent and occupy the property while the closing is being completed. You're a bad guy if you refuse and often in hot water of you agree. Here are the potential problems with renting before closing: 1. Buyer is in the home for two months and then the potential lender decides the buyer can't qualify for the mortgage loan. Now that's bad news! 2. Buyer is in the home for two months... gets a bad case of buyer's remorse and wants out of the deal. Now that's bad news! 3. Buyer is in the home for two months and comes to the closing table with a long list of needed repairs he has discovered during residency. Now that's...

Real Estate Disputes And Partition
What if two people pooled their resources and began investing in real estate. Like many partnerships things progress smoothly for a while and then a dispute arises. Now they seldom can stand to talk to one another and then only through clenched teeth. A sad story, but one that is not uncommon. What if they have an undivided interest in a fourplex. They want to end their investing enterprise, but they can't agree on the disposition of the property? An action for partition may be the only solution. That means one of the investors turns to the court to decided how and when the interest in the property will be divided. In a partition action the owner or claimant of real property or any interest in the property may compel a partition (division) of the property between him and other owners. It may vary from state to state, but in Arizona the partition complaint is filed in the superior court of the county in which the property is situated. The court will hold a hearing to "determine the share of interest in the property sought to be divided of each of the owners or claimants, and all questions affecting the title..." In other words... when those who have an undivided interest in a property can't agree on disposal the court can do it for them. Here's another example of partition...

Real Estate Investing-Real estate acquisitions
Real estate investing professionals look for all possible tax deductions because of the generous profits derived from real estate investing. For example, real estate investors are concerned whether the sale of their real estate is subject to capital gains taxation or qualifies as ordinary income. Determining this status in the sale of real estate investments affects net profit. In addition to this consideration, tax deductions are allowed for expenses incurred in the normal operation of any real estate investing transaction. These deductible expenses include the costs of office supplies, professional fees, property repairs, and depreciation. This article is not a legal or accounting commentary on IRS Code regulations, so you should ask your personal professionals about your qualifications for any specific deductions regarding real estate investing. Consult with your accountant to determine if the search for new real estate acquisitions away from home would allow you tax deductions for travel, meals, and lodging. If so, why not combine a vacation...

Property Tax Grievances-Should You File for a Reduction?
In the 9 years that I grieved taxes professionally, I was asked many of the same questions over and over again. I would like to take a few minutes to go over some of this information in order to dispel some myths about lowering property taxes. The most common questions were as follows: Does filing a property tax grievance invite a higher assessment from the assessor? What are my chances of winning? Do I need a lawyer to file for me? Is it expensive? These questions keep many homeowners with legitimate cases from ever filing. The answer to the first question is that the law and many court cases support the right of a homeowner to challenge his property taxes. Actually, when you file a case, you are not grieving the taxes, but rather the assessed valuation that the tax assessor has assigned to your property. The assessor cannot raise your assessment to "teach you a lesson". It is your legal right to pay only your fair share of taxes. The law provides this method for homeowner...

Residential real estate market
Today’s residential real estate market for investors has become very competitive in most major markets. The vast majority of real estate investing seminars and clubs are encouraging you to search out desperate home owners or distressed properties to be rehabbed. Not to mention the fact that today’s disillusioned stock investors have now realized that residential real estate investing offers better returns, with less capital risks. As you seek to identify your lucrative real estate opportunities, have you noticed that the good deals are getting harder to find? I am not here to discourage you from investing in real estate, but would like to share real estate investment opportunities and information with you…..opportunities that only a few people are aware of and regularly participate in. That’s right; I am referring to a niche investment market that has VERY LITTLE competition. This unique information is currently setting new trends within the commercial real estate investment community! I know you are ready for me to tell you...

Real Estate Investing Skill Acquisition
Real estate investing is not in any list of high school electives. You can’t get an accredited degree in real estate investing. You won’t find a high school or college guidance counselor who recommends a career in real estate investing (if the guidance counselor understood real estate investing, he or she probably wouldn’t be a guidance counselor!) The public school system and educational curriculum in the U.S. is only a feeble attempt to prepare students to just “get a job.” Unfortunately there is no class in “Making Money 101.” You don’t have the opportunity to take a class in “How to Become Financially Independent.” No teacher ever taught a class in “How to Succeed When Everyone Else is Failing.” I never learned anything about succeeding as an entrepreneur or becoming wealthy during my 10 years in the university classroom. I only became a multi-millionaire when I learned the skills of real estate investing, and I paid the price out-of-pocket and out-of-the-classroom for that education. I learned these skills in the ole University of Hard Knocks through trial-and-error. Never disparage the cost of education. There ain't no free lunch. You’ve gotta get this know-how outside of a classroom, and learning how to make money is gonna cost you. But if you think the cost of education is expensive...

Real Estate Investor Tips
Are you ready for the lesson that will put you ahead of 99% of all real estate investors? Here it is in a nutshell … USE AS LITTLE CASH AS POSSIBLE! The days of mortgage burning parties are long over. But you will still meet people who believe that it is good idea to pay off the mortgage on a property so that they can have big cash flow. Why do people want to own real estate free and clear? Because they believe it's the way to make more money. But let's do a little number crunching: THE OLD WAY Use $40,000 of your personal savings to buy a house with 20% down and get a loan for the rest. You may cash flow $400 per month. And on this one house you will also be getting … A. Equity build up like a personal saving account. B. Good appreciation as the house goes up in value. C. Great tax deductions that will lower your tax bill. THE NEW, SMARTER WAY Use an $80,000 new business line of credit instead of your own CASH and buy 2 houses. You may cash flow $200 per house per month for a total cash flow of $400 a month. And you are making money on TWO pieces of investment real estate...

Fsbo Real estate - Agent listings
Many would-be real estate investing professionals face discouragement because of the assumption that acquisitions require deep-pockets. Some even believe the myth that nothing-down purchases are impossible. The early 1980s era in real estate investing known as the Zero Down Real Estate Movement was initiated by Robert Allen with his best-seller, "Nothing Down." After observing how commercial properties were acquired with no money down, Allen applied 50 techniques from the commercial real estate industry to the residential property marketplace. He was reportedly paid $1 million advance royalties for his publication, and began holding real estate investing conventions across the country. The Nothing Down era was a startling eye-opener to the public. Very few were aware of Allen's predecessors, like Nick Nickerson, Al Lowry and Mark Haroldsen who wrote books on real estate investing requiring no money. Allen popularized the notion, and it was a strong public draw for his real estate investing seminars. However, some of Allen's convention speakers were ultimately revealed as "con men," and some bellied up. Robert Allen himself went bankrupt in 1996. The public generally concluded that Allen was probably a fraud, and that real estate investing...

Buy properties abroad - Buy a home abroad
Are you seeking your little corner of sun drenched heaven on earth? If you are you’re certainly not alone! Many Northern Europeans, Americans and Canadians are looking overseas for investment real estate or for a holiday bolt hole and if you’re considering buying a second home in the sun, a home from home abroad or an investment property overseas and you’re in a hurry to get started, these top 10 home purchase abroad tips for success should set you off in the right direction. 1) Legal Advice Legal systems differ from country to country so never assume that you understand how exactly the entire house purchase process is going to work, and never expect things to necessarily go exactly your way! To be assured of the fact that your personal interests are being looked after and that you, your money and your property are 100% secure, legal and legitimate it’s essential to seek independent legal representation in the country you’re considering buying property in. This is especially true if you’re buying property in a country where you do not speak the language. You will be putting your name, signature and bond to contracts and legally binding documents…and however pleasant...

Real Estate Leverage
At this moment, you have access to some amount of money, from the extremes of only pocket change to the reserves of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. Suppose you want to invest your funds into some vehicle that will multiply the return. You look around for the Return on Investment of various investment instruments. For every investment tool, varying deposit amounts of your funds are required. You must either put up your cash or guarantee payment from specified resources. Real estate investing offers the maximum leverage potential possible for your funds. I found a large house for sale 25 years ago. It was listed for $150,000, but had been on the market for an extended period of time because of its large size with an awkward layout. But when I walked through the house for the first time, I immediately envisioned how the layout was conducive to three living units instead of the single family home as it was constructed. I offered $10,000 down payment for the house for a reduced sales price of $100,000, and my offer was accepted. The upscale house is now worth $500,000 and has been refinanced numerous...