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A Surprising New Trend in New Construction
Apparently, no one is calling them “ranch homes” anymore, but that’s what they are. Furthermore, one-level homes are gaining popularity in the homebuying market once again, and developers are taking note. According to Builder Magazine, one-level, ranch-style houses are once again in demand after decades of buyers requiring multiple levels ...
The New York Real Estate Market Already in a Correction
In a city renowned for skyscraper-high real estate prices, property values in many of those skyscrapers are falling. According to a report from Stribling & Associates, median sales price for a New York, New York, apartment has fallen more than eight percent since the first quarter of 2017. Average sales ...
3 Value Plays To Create Community
The following article was written by contributor Tammy Phelps-Keglovich and was featured in April 2018 Think Realty Magazine. I’ve spent more than 20 years as a real estate investor, and here is a very important lesson I’ve learned: ere’s what they tell you, and then there is the real investing world ...
Stock Market Volatility Could Stall Loan Demand
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), total mortgage application volumes are falling. Those applications, which include applications for home purchases and refinancing, fell 3.3 percent last week compared to the week previous even though interest rates remained relatively low. Mike Fratantoni, chief economist for the MBA, blamed stock market ...
Consumer Buying Patterns Continue to Hurt Traditional Shopping Malls
Vacancy rates in large U.S. shopping malls are rising, prompting some analysts to speculate that a shift in shopping mall space usage is coming. As an increasing number of “anchor stores,” such as J.C. Penney and Sears, close their doors across the country, large malls are finding new uses for ...
Renovation Rockstars: Fire Recovery Rehab
When Vernon Vaughan of FairAndFastHomebuyers.com first spotted the promising address on Hubzu.com, he believed he was investigating the purchase of a vacant lot. “I swung by the property on the way to the movies with my twin boys and was very surprised to find a house!” he recalled. “I made ...
3 Money-Saving Strategies Hands-On Investors Miss
When you think about all the in’s and out’s of managing a fix-and-flip project or other renovation, you probably immediately leap to the processes of keeping the timeline on track, managing the inevitable budget adjustments as new issues come to light during the process, and building enough “cushion” into the ...
5 Markets Where the Middle Class Can Still Afford a Home
If your real estate strategy relies on middle-class buyers being able to afford your properties, then you might want to take a closer look at these metro areas. As the housing affordability crisis looms as the next big issue for our national housing market, an increasing number of would-be homebuyers ...
Appraiser’s Board to Ease Certification Requirements
Property appraisers no longer need a college degree in order to receive their certification, and they do not have to put in nearly as many hours as they used to in order to obtain and maintain that certification, either. According to a recent announcement from the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraiser Qualifications ...
3 Code-Cracking Tips for a Fast Sale
This article was originally published in March 2018 Think Realty Magazine. As a full-time realtor and full-time investor, I see things from a different perspective from a lot of investors and many agents and brokers. I know that sometimes a small change costing pennies on the dollar for an investor ...
Affordability Still Out of Reach for Median Wage Earners
ATTOM Data Solutions, released its Q1 2018 U.S. Home Affordability Report, which shows that median home prices in Q1 2018 were not affordable for average wage earners in 304 of 446 U.S. counties analyzed in the report (68 percent). The report determined affordability for average wage earners by calculating the ...
3 Lessons Learned During a Chicago Cold Snap
Most areas of the United States have dealt with some pretty severe cold weather in the past couple of months. Depending on where you live, you may have heard the polar chill referred to as the Polar Vortex, the Bomb Cyclone, or “Snowpocalypse 2018.” In Chicago, we refer to our ...
Investing in real estate is one thing. Building wealth by investing in real estate is another. The first scenario is often a short term, one-off plan; the second represents a plan that has been well constructed and committed to paper, which constitutes a goal. Set A Goal for Your Real ...
Blueprint: Achieving Multifamily Design
Everyone approaches a blueprint differently, so it’s no surprise that creating a working blueprint for a multifamily property can be difficult for many investors. After all, even if every unit is the same, everyone working on the unit may see the interior in a slightly different light. “The way we ...
The Accidental Landlord: Land Contract Gone Awry
When MD’s (name changed) father passed two and a half years ago, she and her brother were left the family home in Wisconsin. The two continued to honor a land contract agreement between MD’s family friend, Alice (name changed), and MD’s father that had been enacted seven years prior to ...
How to Effectively Communicate with Tenants
Our world today is a 24/7, instant-access world. We bank online, depositing checks using digital pictures. We reach out to family and friends, communicating instantaneously via email, social media, and text without regard to time of day or geographic location. This high-speed world includes everyone, including the residents of your ...
Social Media Tips to Gain and Engage Your Digital Network
One of the biggest compliments I get from racing peers and competitors is on my use of social media to gather large numbers of passionate fans who love our team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (JJCR). Our Facebook and Twitter followings number a combined 150,000 and we are steadily growing on ...
Business Systems: Letting Go Without Losing Control
If you were to step away from your business completely, what would happen? If that question just gave you the chills, then I have a few more for you: Do you feel your business owns you instead of you owning the business? Do you see poor communication between your departments? ...
America’s Changing Paint Perspective
Conventional wisdom states that real estate investors should stick with neutral paint colors when rehabbing properties to rent out or sell at retail, but it may be time to revisit that time-honored axiom. According to a study released by Think Realty benefit provider Sherwin-Williams, a little more vibrancy in your ...
Investors Benefit from Home Equity Increases
According to CoreLogic’s recently published Home Equity Report, borrowing money to buy a home is paying off for homeowners these days. In 2017, homeowners with mortgages gained more than $15,000 in home equity, the highest growth in home equity in four years. That equates to a cumulative equity in mortgaged real ...
Buying at Auction, Behind the Scenes
Buying property at auction can be exciting and profitable, but it’s important to understand how the process works. Whether you are bidding online or in person, understanding how to research and prepare for auction and how to bid effectively during an auction will enable you to achieve your real estate ...
4 Smart Home Tech Options to Drive Rentals & ROI
As technology grows at exponential speeds and now that all of us carry a computer in the palm of our hands more powerful than the first computer used to power a rocket, it is vital to keep up to date on what buyers and renters are looking for in smart ...
Top Ten Markets for Long-Term Investing
Changes in home prices give us the best idea of what's going on in a local real estate market. But you can’t just take price increases at face value and think that bigger is better. Home prices can be increasing at a good clip for three main reasons, two of ...
Is Your Seller Violating Privacy Laws?
According to reports from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), an increasing number of home sellers are using their home surveillance systems to monitor showings while they are out. While the desire to see how a showing went firsthand is natural, it could be hurting their chances at selling for ...
Why Texas is Best State for Tax Investors
Dallas, Texas – “Texas is a redeemable tax deed state, and that is the best structure of any state. I’m not just saying that because I’m here in Texas!” began Arnie Abramson, founder of Texas Tax Sales Resource Group in his educational session on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at the ...
