Carole VanSickle Ellis
Reading Between the Lines: Streetcars and Property Values
Real estate investors know that the key to actually living that old adage, “buy low and sell high,” is being able to read between the lines when it comes to spotting potential in local housing markets. One of the most popular “insider secrets” for this type of market forecasting lies, ...
3 Think Realty Resident Experts Attending Baltimore Conference
Three of Think Realty’s Resident Experts will attend the Think Realty National Conference & Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 24, 2017. Sonia Booker (“The Wealth Builder”), Abhi Golhar (“The Connector”), and Eddie Wilson (“The Deal Maker” and president of Think Realty parent company, Affinity Worldwide) will be in attendance ...
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor: A Market Closeup
Baltimore, Maryland’s “Inner Harbor” is far more than just a body of water. The name is used to describe the seaport that has existed since the 18th century and the land surrounding it, which includes a number of historic attractions, cultural and entertainment venues, and a number of development projects ...
Investor Spotlight: Keith and Shannon French
When things get tough in Baltimore real estate, Keith and Shannon French, co-founders and -owners of BuyBaltimoreProperties.com, don’t even slow down. The Frenches, who have been in operation in the Baltimore area since 2005, offer sellers in any temperature market the opportunity to sell their homes at and sometimes above ...
3 Tips for Successful Speed Networking
If the mere thought of “speed dating” gives you the creepy-crawlies, then you’ve probably never considered “speed networking.” While the former might land you in front of two dozen potential (or not-so-potential) mates, however, the latter has much higher rates of success. Tammy Phelps, founder of Capital City REIA and ...
One-on-One with Craig Fuhr, Flip Club Founder and Real Estate Fix-and-Flip Machine
Craig Fuhr is a Maryland real estate investor with a lot of power and passion for fix-and-flips. In fact, as his website states, he’s not just a “real estate rehab machine” but also an “all around good guy.” This good guy has been working in real estate since 2007, when ...
One-on-One: Tammy Phelps (Capital City REIA) – “A Real Estate Miracle”
Why did Tammy Phelps, founder of Capital City REIA, leave her fulfilling, “dream” career as a highly-sought-after master hair colorist (one of only three in the country at the time) for full-time real estate investing? Here’s a hint: it wasn’t the money or the lifestyle; it was all about faith ...
The Real Estate Mistake 99 Percent of Married Real Estate Investors Make
A certain “convention” that most married couples follow shortly after tying the knot could be a huge real estate mistake if either of those individuals happens to be a real estate investor or aspire to be such. Think Realty sat down with Sherman Ragland, the award-winning founder of DC-REIA and ...
3 Ways the Dodd-Frank Repeal Could Affect You
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to roll back a number of banking rules enacted in 2010 under the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, known simply as “Dodd-Frank” for short, was passed in response to the housing crash and subsequent financial meltdown ...
Blackstone’s Logicor Sale – Sign of Things to Come?
The government-backed firm China Investment Corp. (CIC) made a groundbreaking purchase last week: Blackstone’s logistics company and warehouse firm, Logicor for the equivalent of nearly $14 billion. Logicor owns and operates nearly 150 million square feet of warehouse space in 17 countries, which makes it an extremely valuable acquisition thanks ...
Panelists Offer “Sneak Peek” Secrets on Baltimore Real Estate
When the “conventional wisdom” no longer holds in a real estate market, most real estate investors turn and run the other way. That exodus leads to something Think Realty members know is a prime target for their investing strategies: opportunity. Perhaps one of the ripest markets in the country for ...
The Truth About the 3 Best Cities for Out-of-Town Buyers
U.S. home buyers are on the move, and about one in every five of them are not thinking local when they are looking for new places to live, either. According to a recent Redfin analysis of about 1 million Redfin users looking for new homes in 75 major metro areas, ...
5 Actionable Tips for Buying in a Tough Market
Real estate investing isn’t always a bed of roses, especially in a tough market. However, given that the vast majority of real estate investors say that at the end of the day, they prefer to invest in their “own backyard,” it is vitally important for every investor to understand how ...
Top Cities for Out-of-Town Buyers
According to a new report on the top cities for out-of-town-buyers, U.S. home-buyers are on the move and about one in every five of them are not thinking local when they are looking for new places to live. According to a recent Redfin analysis of about 1 million Redfin users looking ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
How Tech & Real Estate Are Helping Economies At Risk
The economy, according to U.S. economists and labor analysts, the country could be heading toward “the biggest jobs-related crisis since the Great Depression.” This time around, however, simple and massive job creation might not be a viable solution. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nearly half (47%) ...
In 2016, Oklahoma City’s real estate market started things off with a bang. The Sooner State’s capital and largest city benefited from the wider area’s sunny predictions, getting a great deal of press out of Oklahoma’s “9.2 out of 10” rating on the health of its real estate market (from ...
Light Pollution, Stargazing, and Your Retirement Portfolio
This is a transcript of a previously-aired segment of “Self-Directed Investor Talk” co-hosted by Carole Ellis, managing editor of Think Realty Magazine Do you struggle with stargazing? If so, you are part of the 99 percent of the population who does according to a recently-published study by the journal Science ...
Nearly Half of All Homes are Selling in Less Than a Month
Last month, nearly half of all homes that sold did so in less than one month, according to data from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Although the nationwide average time on market was just over a month at 34 days, that time span is significantly shorter than the time ...
