Bobby Burch
Death, taxes, and stress. A triad seemingly inevitable for any American taxpayer. Roughly 52 percent of American adults report that they find the process of filing taxes to be a stress-inducing mess, according to a survey by TaxSlayer. The Internal Revenue Service now has more than 800 unique filing forms ...
When you’ve helped thousands of clients prepare successful tax strategies, you’re likely to have a trove of insight to share. Such is the case for Clint Coons, a founding partner at Anderson Business Advisors. As Tax Day looms, Think Realty caught up with Coons to learn some of his broader ...
Clint Coons Clears Up Investment Misconceptions
Through nearly 30 years of business, Clint Coons has seen real estate investors employ a variety of strategies based on fallacies, misinterpretations, and just plain bad advice. Here are three such misconceptions that Coons most frequently sees in his work: Your insurance will protect you from lawsuits While you should ...
In their nearly two decades of working with one another, CrestCore Realty co-founders Dan Butler and Douglas Skipworth have run halfway around the world together — literally. A year after they became neighbors in 2003, Butler and Skipworth embarked upon a morning running routine that has honed not only the ...
Beth O’Brien’s Favorite Tech Tools
With clients and offices around the United States, CoreVest CEO Beth O’Brien’s work and communication is often executed amid travel. That’s why the executive relies on powerful yet flexible technology to help her perform at her best. Here are a few of O’Brien’s favorite tools. The iPad As the leader ...
3 Leadership Lessons from CoreVest CEO Beth O’Brien
Through her decades of executive experience, CoreVest CEO Beth O’Brien has cultivated a deep understanding of what’s important in leadership. Now as the honcho of more than 100 employees, O’Brien has been intentional in stepping back to evaluate what aspects of her own leadership should remain consistent and what should ...
When Tamara Day first set eyes on a drab, 1950s ranch in Leawood, Kansas, her design eye immediately kicked into high gear. While she loved the location and the U-shaped backyard, the home was clearly a blemish to the neighborhood, said Day, a Kansas City resident and the host of ...
CoreVest CEO Beth O’Brien maintains a belief that likely isn’t popular among other chief executives. “You actually want to encourage dissent,” she said. “You don't want to encourage people to not do something if they're supposed to do it. But you certainly want to empower people to challenge you.” Such ...
The Top 10 Fix-and-Flip Markets for Investors Seeking Big Returns
While fix-and-flip investment returns are in decline nationally, there are still many cities where investors can enjoy significant dividends. In general fix-and-flip returns are being diminished by high prices, a shortage of affordable older homes as well as stiff competition from buyers and other investors. But for shrewd investors looking ...
Stretch Your Dollar: Best (and Worst) Renovation Projects to Add Value
Investors that are hoping to efficiently add value to their properties have a plethora of remodeling possibilities — and a seemingly equal number of pitfall projects — from which to choose. From new siding and a big backyard deck to a kitchen overhaul and master bathroom redesign, investors may be surprised ...
Report: Buyers Really Want Big Backyards
Prospective home buyers highly value large backyards and outdoor family time, according to a broad survey of homeowners’ preferences. Nearly 70 percent of homebuyers want a large backyard for outside time and family activities, according to a survey of 987 homeowners from Porch, a platform that connects homeowners with local ...
Continuing Decline, Flipping Profits Hit Seven-Year Low
As autumn settles in around the United States, fix-and-flip investors are hoping to bounce back from a rough summer, according to a report from real estate analytics firm ATTOM Data Solutions. In the second quarter of 2019, investors flipped about 59,900 U.S. single-family homes and condos, up 12.4 percent from ...
Existing Home Sales Pick Up as Annual Value Growth Slows
While the annual pace of U.S. home value growth dipped in August, existing home sales experienced solid growth, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. Existing home sales in July increased 1.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.49 million in August — which is its ...
Photos by Rob Kavaler | Though his roots might be far from residential and commercial financing, RCN Capital CEO Jeffrey Tesch’s first foray into real estate investing opened his eyes to a world of opportunity. In the 1990s, while Tesch operated several Subway restaurant franchises, he sought hard-money lenders to ...
Photos by Beth Caldwell. When Chrissa Pagitsas first took on her executive leadership role at Fannie Mae in 2010, there was no existing road map to show how she should deliver on her mission: positive environmental and social outcomes through mortgage finance. “When I came on board there wasn’t the ...
Tamara Day’s Strategic Renovation Advice
Photo courtesy of DIY Network As seasoned investors well know, each renovation presents new challenges that, if miscalculated, can bust budgets and tank an opportunity. With more than 30 home rehabs under her belt, Bargain Mansions host Tamara Day has plenty of tools to keep a project on track and under ...
When you see “Bargain Mansions” host Tamara Day on television swinging sledgehammers, grinding metal, and installing sheetrock, it’s not just her construction and design skills on display. It’s also a reflection of a do-it-yourself mindset that was instilled in Day as a child growing up on a small town family ...
Continuing a Trend, Annual Foreclosures Rates Drop in Every State Except One
For 11 consecutive months, the annual rate of foreclosures has dropped, according to a recent report from ATTOM Data Solutions. In May 2019, the real estate analytics provider found that foreclosure filings were reported on a total of 56,152 U.S. properties, which is a 1 percent increase from April, but ...
Tamara Day’s Top Weekend DIY Projects to Boost Home Value
After more than a decade of rehabbing houses, revamping interiors and building custom furniture, “Bargain Mansions” host Tamara Day has curated a vast catalog of do-it-yourself projects that increase home values. And as more real estate investors look to quickly boost returns, more sellers are turning to old-fashioned elbow grease ...
Origins of the trademarked term ‘Rent Estate’®
If you ever interact with Renters Warehouse, a curious term is likely to stand out. The phrase “Rent Estate” is strategically used throughout Renters Warehouse’s website, blog articles, and social media, beckoning visitors to learn about its mission to revolutionize the single-family rental industry. The term, which was trademarked by ...
Zillow: Monthly Home Values Drop for First Time in Seven Years
All good things must come to an end, and that includes nearly a decade of growth for home values. Month-over-month home values have increased steadily since 2012, according to Zillow. But in April, however, the median home value fell 0.1 percent from March, which is the first time the market ...
Four Tips to Maintain Sanity Amid Real Estate Madness
Regardless of your career or depth of experience in real estate, everyone can at some point face the perilous position of burnout, exhaustion, and anxiety. Take it from two men who have been in real estate for more than 30 years combined, balancing your strategy with a long-term view will ...
Real Estate Advice Kevin Ortner Wishes He Had Received
We’ve all made mistakes. Learning from them is what propels us to higher levels. Even though he’s the top executive of a rapidly growing firm, Renters Warehouse CEO Kevin Ortner has made plenty of missteps in his real estate career. Here are few pieces of advice that Ortner wishes he ...
For entrepreneurs like Kevin Ortner and Greg Rand, problems equal opportunity. And as far as problems go, you can’t get much bigger than the Great Recession in the late 2000s and early 2010s. When the $8 trillion housing bubble burst in 2008, it spurred the loss of 8.4 million U.S ...
Report: Springtime Homebuyers Face Far Less Competition
Prospective homebuyers are enjoying more than just warmer weather this Spring. Home shoppers are also facing less competition, as only 15 percent of offers faced competition in April, according to a recent report by real estate brokerage Redfin. The rate is a whopping 60 percent drop when compared to April ...
