Articles
Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.
Articles
Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.
Placing Tenants with “Thin” or No Credit
Most landlords consider working with tenants with less-than-perfect credit part of the job description, particularly when interest rates are low and a higher proportion of high-credit individuals are opting to buy. Tenants with less-than-stellar credit but a high motivation to pay rent on time and remain in place for the ...
Make the Most of Event Networking with These 7 Actions
One of the best ways to stay alert to emerging trends in real estate and in your specific sector is to attend relevant industry events. Just attending is not enough, however. Maximize every local group meeting, regional conference, and national expo by leveraging these tips to get the most from ...
The Think Realty Walkability Primer
Current data shows properties with higher walkability translate to: Higher home value Higher rent for residential and commercial real estate Increased value per-square-foot of up to $81.54 Clearly, real estate investors need to understand walkability, both in terms of what it means for individual investments and how it may affect ...
Billboards: A Highly Visible but Overlooked Real Estate Niche
Imagine being able to spot a piece of real estate that no one else realizes is full of potential, get a great deal on it, and then leverage it in a way that requires very little maintenance, upkeep, or management. It might sound like an impossibility, but you drive by ...
When JoAnna Anderson found out she was pregnant with her second daughter in 2005, she was a full-time biology teacher pursuing her passion for educating others. Like all mothers, she already knew the value of cherishing the time with her little one, but six months later, time took on an ...
The 5 Best College Towns for Real Estate Investors
Most investors think of college towns as good places for real estate investments because they tend to have relatively affordable housing, a steady stream of potential tenants and buyers, and are somewhat recession-resistant. However, as CNBC Money reporter Sarah Berger put it, “Some college towns make for much savvier investments ...
The Most Underwater and Equity Rich U.S. Housing Markets
More than 5.2 million (5,206,446) U.S. properties were seriously underwater (where the combined balance of loans secured by the property was at least 25 percent higher than the property’s estimated market value) at the end of Q1 2018, down by more than 291,000 properties from a year ago — the ...
Buyers Undeterred by Wildfires
Historically, the occurrence of wildfires has dampened home-value appreciation in the immediate area of the fire. This holds true even in neighborhoods with no evacuations or property damage. However, the 2018 wildfire season appears to be a different case entirely. According to a new study released by University of Las ...
Luxury Vinyl Tile Producers Push for Tariffs
Real estate investors like luxury vinyl tile (LVT) for many reasons, but affordability and durability top the list. But if two LVT manufacturers who recently testified in Washington, D.C. get their way, the affordability aspect may disappear. Even with a price increase, some experts believe the benefits may well outweigh ...
32,000 Smart Homes Susceptible to Hacking
According to reports from security and risk management data provider CSO, some 32,000 smart homes can be “easily hacked” by “cyberthugs [who] could gain complete access to a home.” Once inside, hackers can manipulate entertainment systems, voice assistants, household devices, and even physically open smart doors. Avast blogger and IT ...
Top Cities for Housing Market Stability
SmartAsset’s 2018 list of the top cities for growth and stability in housing was recently published. Typically when a housing market appreciates, often property owners start fearing the wors. They wonder when the correction will come. According to quarterly data from 1993 to 2017, certain cities were most likely to ...
Flood Risk Hurts Home Values in Multiple States
Living near the water has traditionally been a pleasant dream for home-buyers, but research from a nonprofit group evaluating the impact of rising sea levels indicates home values may be suffering as buyers start avoiding the water. First Street Foundation (FSF) is a group based around the cause of advocating for ...
Think Realty to educate, inspire real estate investors in Atlanta
Think Realty will hold a Conference and Expo, September 22 and 23, at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta. The event will focus on creating personal freedom and purpose through real estate investing. Ken and Anita Corsini, HGTV’s “Flip or Flop Atlanta” stars, are the Saturday morning keynote speakers. The day will ...
Economists Say New-Home Sales Hit 9-Month Low
When you see headlines about home-sales volumes hitting nine-month lows, read carefully. Likely, the article is referring to new-home sales, or the number of newly built, single-family homes. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales in this sector are at their lowest level since last October. Furthermore, existing-home ...
Most Millennials Could Not Qualify for a Mortgage
One third of millennials who do not have a mortgage could use their prime credit score and this could help them qualify for one. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Experian data, only about one in six millennials has a mortgage. Of the remaining 85% of the ...
Finding the Sweet Spot for Your Paid Search Campaign
If you’re going after the online market for your real estate investing business, paid search is going to be part of the conversation. Don’t waste your money by failing to put in a little bit of “grunt work” (it’s research, folks!) on the front end. Whether you are a real ...
3 Simple Stories About Effectively Negotiating with Buyers & Sellers
If you want to effectively communicate and negotiate with buyers and sellers in your real estate business, you have to ask yourself something harsh: “Who cares?” This is the first thing I say to myself whenever I am getting ready to speak to anyone in my real estate or public ...
Young Americans Push Homeownership Rates Up
U.S. homeownership added one-tenth of a percentage point during the second quarter of 2018, pushing the rate to 64.3% at the end of June 2018. Analysts credit young Americans—under 35 years old—for the slight bump in the homeownership rate. This is especially because this population’s ownership rate rose by 1.2% over ...
Latest Spec Houses Include Shark Ponds, Tequila Freezers
Real estate developers catering to the wealthiest buyers on the planet are taking their spec houses—custom homes with extravagant features commanding astronomical price tags—to new levels. In fact, one Los Angeles development company recently created a spec house with an open shark tank with stepping stones. The “shark house” is ...
Foreclosure Rates Rise in Nearly Half of Metro Areas
Nearly half of all metro areas tracked by ATTOM Data Solutions saw a rise in foreclosure starts this summer. 96 of the 219 (44%) metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) measured by the housing data giant posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity. Month-over-month, national foreclosure activity increased in July as well, with ...
Building the Best Real Estate Postcard Possible
Postcard marketing is one of the most tried-and-true Newsletter Sign Up Interstitial strategies in real estate. Even with today’s massive array of digital options, many investors opt to designate a significant amount of their business budget to hard-copy mailings. If you are going to print and mail postcards, however, you ...
HUD Accuses Facebook of Housing Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has accused Facebook of housing discrimination. HUD alleges “Facebook unlawfully discriminates by enabling advertisers to restrict which Facebook users receive housing-related ads based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability.” The complaint continues, alleging the social media ...
3 Countertop Options from the Field
Nearly all real estate professionals will tell you that the kitchen (followed by the master bedroom or suite) will make or break every sale you make – and a good number of rental agreements as well. However, they are less likely to agree on what the kitchen should look like, ...
Investing in mortgage notes has made many people very wealthy and created cash flows for them that come in every month. I think of notes as cash-flow machines that you build, plug in, and then they produce income for you for years. The best news? There is no limit to ...
U.S. Commerce Dept. Warns Housing Inventory Still Short
If the goal of homebuilding is to cool rising prices, the slight uptick in new home inventory this past July won't do the trick. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, total housing starts in single- and multi-family building rose nearly 1% in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.17 ...
