Teresa Bitler
7 Ways to Retain Your Existing Tenants
When your tenants move out, it can cost thousands of dollars in lost revenue, repairs, renovations, and marketing to get your property re-rented. A hallmark 1987 study by Walker Research identified the cost of finding a new customer versus keeping an existing customer was five times the effort and cost ...
Remove Odors From Your Investment Properties
From pet urine or mold in a newly acquired property to that smell you can’t quite put your finger on after a tenant moves out, odor is an issue all investors tackle at one point, and unfortunately, there’s a lot at stake. Odors often mean more days on the market ...
Often the difference between a successful real estate investor and a not-so-successful one is how they treat their investments. A successful investor sees investing as a business while a not-so-successful one thinks he’s being business-like but actually has more of a hobby mentality. Here are seven ways successful investors treat ...
Getting a loan doesn’t have to be a difficult process, according to Ron Blum, founder of Atlas Capital and Asset Management. In fact, building a portfolio doesn’t have to be complicated, either. Atlas offers quality properties in blue-collar neighborhoods; internal underwriting of fixed-rate, 30-year loans; and property management service—all under ...
Investing in real estate can change your life. Just ask Kathy Fettke, who started by renting out rooms in her own home when her husband, Rich Fettke, was diagnosed with cancer. She now has a diversified portfolio of single-family homes and commercial real estate throughout the country. Most people would ...
Scott Carson, founder of We Close Notes, never intended to invest in nonperforming notes despite previously working as a mortgage broker and a financial adviser. Like so many others investing in real estate, he started purchasing properties and transitioned into short sales. But a phone call to a bank to ...
You don't have to add another property to your portfolio to increase your monthly net. Here are seven ways to make your current properties more profitable. 1. Minimize vacancies Vacancy is the “biggest profit-killer for rental properties,” according to Brian Davis, co-founder of Spark Rental, an online educational resource and rental ...
7 Creative Ways To Market Your Property
In a sea of MLS listings, creative marketing can help your property stand out. While these seven strategies may not be for everyone or for every property, under the right circumstances, one of them may help you get a competitive edge. 1. Throw a Party Open houses attract buyers on ...
There’s a natural tendency for investors to think more like home appraisers than home inspectors when evaluating a property, and it makes sense—you need to know how much you can expect to sell for when the time comes. But you can miss issues that affect your bottom line when you ...
Mixed-use developments are communities within the community, a mix of residential units over retail, including restaurants, convenience stores and medical offices. Residents can socialize and sometimes work in the building as well as live there, and if they need to venture to other parts of the city, nearby public transportation ...
Senior Housing as an Emerging Asset
The senior population in the United States is skyrocketing. By 2030, one in five Americans will be age 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, up from one in seven today. As the general population ages, housing needs will also shift. People in their 60s, 70s and beyond ...
Carefully Consider Your Situation Before Rushing into a Sale of Your Investment Property You’ve held a property for years, and now, for one reason or another, you’re thinking it might be time to sell. Rushing into a sale, though, can be a costly mistake. Before you stick a “For Sale” ...
7 Documents Every Landlord Should Have on File
If you haven’t given much thought to the documents you keep—and those you discard—you risk being unable to defend your position in a dispute or pursue the tenant to collect damages in the event that becomes necessary. Although the documents can vary depending on the property type, jurisdiction and other ...
7 reasons now is a great time to be a landlord
It's cheaper to own a home than to rent one, and that's good news for investors and landlords. Here's why: We’ve been telling you for a while that it’s a good time to be a landlord and buy and hold real estate—property values have nowhere to go but up. But ...
The 7 Best Renovations for Rental Properties
Here are a number of renovation suggestions designed to help ensure that a prospective tenant will choose your rental. When dealing with rental-property ownership, two of the biggest variables are dealing with vacancies and the length of time it takes you or your property manager to re-rent the property. Marketing ...
7 things to do when walking through your rental property with a tenant
Do you want your rental property in better shape after your tenant moves out? Landlords who conduct a good initial walkthrough of their rental property with a new tenant will experience less damage and receive the property back in better shape than those who rush through or skip the walkthrough ...
7 signs you may be dealing with real estate gurus
No money down! Make your fortune in real estate! Start living your dreams today! We’ve all heard the sales pitches from gurus for worthless real estate investing programs and scams. Sometimes, it’s easy to identify the crooks and con artists; other times, not so much. How can you separate those ...
Are you using a self-directed IRA to help your real estate investing?
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.” This magazine celebrates real estate investment as an asset class that embodies appreciation or compounding value as a property that is almost ...
10 ways a professional property manager can save you money
Landlording — if you choose to do it yourself — is a lot like Donald Rumsfeld’s definition of war: What you do not know can hurt, or even kill your investment plans. New landlords often try to maximize their profits by managing their own properties, but the do-it-yourself approach can ...
