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Real Estate Copycat Warning: Follow the Real Experts
My 36 years of experience in buying seller-financed notes has taught me the importance of understanding the difference between following a real, proven recipe versus just copying the recipe of someone who may not have known that much about the topic. Way back in the 1990s, I designed a seller-financed ...
7 Millennial Statistics Every REI Should Know
Millennial consumers (generally speaking, those born during the years 1982-2000) are currently in vogue, and they are here to stay. This age group is expected to have the biggest spending power of any generation by 2018. And many of them are now of age with regard to purchasing a home ...
Moving Your REI Business To A New Market
Have we lost our minds? We were asking ourselves this question for the first few weeks after we moved our business to new – and unfamiliar – territory. After living in one city for all of John’s life, we picked up our HomeVestors of America franchise not long ago and ...
The Cornerstone of Investor Success? Meticulous Due Diligence
The due diligence process is critically important in any commercial real estate transaction. Although developing a meticulous process is consistent with the best practices in the industry, it is surprising how many companies are less than thorough. Experienced investors in commercial property leave no stone unturned in order to limit ...
Turning Your Rental Into Your Primary Residence
Sometimes moving into your rental makes sense. A move could reduce your monthly mortgage payment, give you the time to finalize long-term plans or minimize your capital gains as you begin to think about selling the property. It could also allow you to downsize or provide you more space for ...
Nine numbers to help determine a profitable rental
What constitutes a good, profitable rental property? There’s no one, single answer to that question. No matter how many people you ask or how many calculations you run, you’re probably going to get that many different answers. I remember when I was starting out as a weekend or part-time investor, ...
Millennials, your late 20s and early 30s are a key time to get your financial plans in order. Thanks to compound interest, the sooner you pay off student loans or other debts and start investing, the more likely you are to meet your goals. These tips cover the most important ...
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 ...
Veterans Help Returning Recruits Succeed in Real Estate
Transitioning back into civilian life after military service comes with many challenges for veterans – the most practical one being how they’ll earn a living. The real estate industry is helping in many ways, from both organized and grassroots efforts. It’s an industry that has some natural similarities to being ...
Marathon Runners Similar to REIs
This past week my daughter completed her third marathon. Not a big accomplishment to most runners but her third marathon was the Boston Marathon. A runner you ask? No, I’d say a fairly new interest to her considering her first marathon was December of 2015. She did complete the Chicago ...
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 ...
Baby Boomers Enjoy a Boost in Home Equity
Retiring Baby Boomers are enjoying a big boost in home equity that could help pay for their retirement. But a new survey shows there’s a surprising lack of understanding about home equity products, like reverse mortgages, among both seniors and their financial advisers. According to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders ...
Master Investor: John Larson of American Real Estate Investments
Sometimes a successful real estate investor stretches himself too thin by trying to be involved in too many types of investments. This “jack of all trades, master of none” approach may work for some investors, but it can also bring stress and poor returns. Other investors stick to one asset ...
IRS Gets Its Wings Clipped on Roth IRAs and “Substance” Doctrine
Taxpayers recently got some good news via the 6th Circuit Court, and most have no idea. The court recently ruled in favor of a Roth IRA owner who “fed” his account with about $5 million in business directed the account’s way by the owner. This means that account owner will ...
SGF Contracting Services Joins the Affinity Enterprise Team
This week, Think Realty’s parent company acquired an asset that has the potential to provide lasting benefit to every Think Realty member and associate. Affinity Enterprise Group (AEG) acquired SGF Contracting Services, a provider of rehab and renovation services for real estate investors, asset managers, and landlords. The SGF team ...
As a real estate investor, I would venture to say that many people who aspire to be real estate investors are very likely aspiring for freedom. The freedom they hear about, learn about and read about, which results from owning your own business - specifically, owning your own real estate ...
I Have to Pay for That? Mandatory Residential Inspections
Different municipalities have different rules for code compliance. Some areas generally require inspections for properties occupied by tenants using rent-subsidy vouchers. Other areas generally require inspections if a code violation is reported or suspected. Other areas practice systematic inspections of all multiple-unit residential housing. These new municipality inspections can pose ...
Real Estate Investing with No Money is Possible
Have you ever heard the adage, “To make money, you have to have money?” Although in many areas this is true, when it comes to real estate investing, there are legitimate ways to invest without having any money down. Just make sure you are prepared before you begin leveraging these ...
Renters are Feeling Rich in This Market
Renters are feeling good about their finances, but they are not necessarily feeling like they would like to become homeowners. According to a new consumer study released this month by Freddie Mac, renters are increasingly likely to feel confident about their finances and their current living situation these days. In ...
Immigration: The Key to Housing Sustainability
According to the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the housing industry could suffer on a nationwide level if current rates of immigration into the United States are “not sustained.” ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing recently released a new report, “Home in America: Immigrants and Housing Demand,” addressing the topic. Stockton Williams, ...
Tax Tips for the Sharing Economy
The new "sharing economy" may create some tax confusion this year. People who are new to the world of Airbnb, Uber, WeWork and other web-based data-driven payment portals may find taxes have suddenly grown quite complicated. The IRS launched its new Sharing Economy Tax Center last August but it's probably ...
Aim for Fairness, Not Kindness with Tenants
Your tenant calls to inform you that they were fired from their job. They promise they are looking for work, and as soon as they get a new job they will make up payments on their past due rent. That seems reasonable, right? Everyone has set backs and you understand ...
Landlords: Social Media is on Your Side
Advertising vacant units or paying a leasing agent to assist you has increasingly become more expensive. Many landlords have been able to save money by utilizing social media to advertise their vacant spaces. Some social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, can serve as a great resource for ...
Over time, we are taught and trained in school, at work, or at home, that we need to eliminate distractions so we can focus. That this is the only way we can stay on course and true to our objectives. But when you are a real estate investor, disruptions are ...
