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.
American Association of Private Lenders Ethics Committee Positions
The American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL) is pleased to announce the addition of Bobby Montagne Jr. of Walnut Street Finance and Walnut Street Investment Fund to its Ethics Advisory Committee, and the addition of Melissa Martorella of Geraci Law Firm in a new ex officio Ethics Advisory Committee position ...
8 Reasons to Invest in Commercial Real Estate in 2017
We are well into 2017, but some people are still on the fence about investing in real estate. They don't know what the new administration is doing with rule and regulations. They aren't sure how the economy is going to react. They are still scared from many years of bad ...
With more and more websites showing available properties for sale, are we looking at the death of the MLS? One article on the topic actually featured a picture of a mushroom cloud. If the days of MLS really over, how would that affect the real estate industry? In the past, ...
Which is Best: SEP IRA or Solo 401(k)?
This is a transcript of a previously-aired segment of “Self-Directed Investor Talk,” a radio show dealing with self-directed IRA strategy hosted by Bryan Ellis. Listen up, you self-employed people. If you’ve ever wondered: What’s right for me: A SEP IRA or a Solo 401(k)… I’ve got the crystal-clear answer for ...
Remember: “It’s Only a Zestimate!”
Real estate investors have always had a love-hate relationship with Zillow, which has firmly ensconced itself as a force in the housing data industry thanks to millions of listings with hundreds of details about each property in the system. In what is perhaps its greatest strength, Zillow excels at posting ...
U.S. Home Price Index Overview Report Through March 2017
CoreLogic’s Home Price Index National Overview (HPI) shows a gain of 1.6 percent prior to the previous month of February 2017, in the single-family tier to include distressed home sales. The HPI indicates 7.1 percent year-over-year gain in the single-family category to include distressed home sales. Forecasted for April 2017 ...
Free Lawyers for Tenants Facing Eviction
Local legislation affects real estate investors on a national scale over time. Be prepared to navigate – and shape – the legal landscape by attending Think Realty’s National Conference & Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 24, 2017. Reserve your spot in the audience for the legislative panel and in ...
In an exciting “meeting of the minds” for real estate investors and private lenders, the American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL) has announced that it will join forces with Think Realty at Think Realty’s National Conference & Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 24, 2017 at the Baltimore Convention Center ...
Hack Simultaneously Transforms Investors to Homeowners and Landlords
National statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate home ownership rates at 63.7 percent as of April 2017 and rental vacancy rates at seven percent for the same time period. National trends indicate rentals will remain a strong market for the next 10 years. Whether you’re a millennial who has ...
As the millennials generation continues to find traditional homeownership less attractive than previous generations, they are embracing a new home craze that appeals to all ages of homeowner: tiny homes. There are many reasons to consider creating tiny home developments for your own use or even just building them for ...
We are wrapping up the first quarter of 2017, and I continue to prepare for the remainder of the year here in Dallas, Texas. Yet after talking to other real estate investors, in various markets, I have recognized a unique theme: the residential real estate environment, right now, is an ...
Actor Johnny Depp usually makes headlines for blockbuster pirate movies or, occasionally, domestic strife, but lately he’s been in the news for some “extreme” real estate purchases. According to public record, the star recently filed a $25-million lawsuit in which he accused his former business managers of unsavory conduct, including ...
Landlord Mistakes Attract Vandals to Properties
Real estate investors and landlords trying to lease vacant properties may be making a few mistakes that could turn those properties into magnets for vandals. According to a report from SnapLandlord.com, investors who are not planning for long-term vacancies can quickly fall victim to vandalism because their properties are not ...
Warning: Your Appraiser is About to Let You Down
If you are about to have an investment property appraised, be prepared to feel a little let down. According to the National Quicken Loans Home Price Perception Index, homeowners and appraisers are in discord over their home values for the fifth month in a row, and the gap is only ...
U.S. Foreclosure Activity for April 2017 Hits Lowest Level Since November 2005
ATTOM Data Solutions, on May 12, 2017, released its April 2017 U.S. Foreclosure Market data, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 77,049 U.S. properties in April, down 7 percent from the previous month and down 23 percent from a year ...
Homeownership Spikes as Compared to Rentership
It’s something we haven’t seen in 11 years. The latest report from the Census Bureau shows that homeownership rose faster than renter households during the first quarter of this year. Should real estate rental investors be worried? The Census Bureau’s Homeownership and Vacancy Survey shows a homeownership rate of 63.6 percent during ...
How Have Falling Police Arrests Affected CA Home Values?
What if you couldn’t trust the local crime report anymore? What if police officers in your area opted to turn a blind eye either as an unofficial department policy or as an unstated cultural shift? It would be really scary. You might move! Well, in the case of at least ...
Cross-Border Property Transactions Exceed $426 Billion in 2016
Real estate investing is definitely a global pastime. According to analysts from overseas real estate broker Tranio, $426.8 billion crossed international borders in the form of real-estate investments and related transactions. Of that staggering sum, $188.4 billion went into the commercial sector and the remaining $238.4 went into the residential ...
Real estate investment marketplace Sharestates is hoping to expand its reach into more geographical regions by way of strategic partnerships with private lenders. To facilitate these interactions, the lending platform, which offers rigorously-vetted debt offerings to individual and institutional investors, recently debuted a new financing capability they have titled the ...
Real estate investors will soon be able to reap the benefits of a strategic partnership between two real-estate data powerhouses. Available on nearly 120 million U.S. properties, Home Disclosure Reports provide information in more than 42 categories, including neighborhood, school, crime and environmental data. Additionally, Home Disclosure Reports are able ...
Gentrification’s Role in the Affordable Housing Solution
In today’s society, “gentrification” is not what it used to be. Our culture is more equipped with information and resources than any previous. As a result, creating awareness of the issue is the first step in carving out “affordable” living options in today’s urban environment. The problem plaguing “urban” communities ...
Tips for Investing in Distressed Assets
On the outside, distressed assets can seem like an investor’s dream. These properties are priced at less than market value and appear to be a real bargain. But many investors purchase a distressed property and have no idea how to turn it into a profitable investment. How do you determine ...
When You Cut Corners Are You Really Saving Money?
A mentor used to say to me, “Don’t jump over hundreds to pick up dimes.” In other words, don’t try to save a few dimes if it will cost you big bucks in the end. Unfortunately, I see many real estate investors doing just this. Yes, it is important to ...
Q&A with Zillow’s Chief Economist, Svenja Gudell
Svenja Gudell, chief economist at Zillow, leads a team of economists, data scientists and analysts dedicated to producing real estate research for consumers, academics, policymakers and industry-wide decision-makers. “My team focuses on research spanning affordability, mortgages, negative equity, generational issues and policy issues,” she told Think Realty in a recent ...
Updates From The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Home is where the heart is, but how far would you go to keep your heart in residence at its current location? More than half of all Americans in a MacArthur Foundation study said they would give up healthcare, rack up credit-card debt and forego saving for retirement in order ...
