Knowledgebase

All of Think Realty's extensive content archive is at your fingertips. Filter by media type and keyword to hone in on exactly what you need.

Knowledgebase

All of Think Realty's extensive content archive is at your fingertips. Filter by media type and keyword to hone in on exactly what you need.

Arrows painted on asphalt. Young man standing hesitating to make a decision.

3 Characteristics That Define the ‘Active’ Investor

When talking about real estate investors, we generally put them into one of two categories: active investors or passive investors. In this post, we’re going to focus on the active, but first, let’s briefly touch on what is meant by “passive.” This could be a HomeVestors franchisee (as I am, ...
Soccer player kick the ball at the penalty

Believe in Success—And it Will Come

This blog post is a little more philosophical than usual, but I really believe in this as a key to reaching success—whether that’s in your real estate investing, or in life in general. What I’m talking about is the “law of attraction,” which is, quite simply: what you think, you ...
Client signing a real estate contract in real estate agency

6 Ways to Grow Your Rental Business Without Breaking the Bank

| Dennis Spivey | Article | Operations
As the U.S. real estate market continues to recover from the financial crisis of the mid 2000s, there has been a noticeable flow of capital moving back into residential investment opportunities. From the fix-and-flip model to the long-term rental/hold strategy, we’ve seen a steady return to real estate as a ...
Piggy bank standing at front door with house interior in the background. Pig is pink in foreground and house is modern style.

Are Housing Prices Slowing?

Property is, in many areas, considered to now be about fully valued; interest rates can seemingly only go up; and the current low rates have been low for so long now that some observers fear a market top. Why are other observers less concerned? Low Interest Rates Fuel Exuberance Abroad ...
Holding house keys on house shaped keychain in front of a new home

Median Home Price Hits All-Time High

Single-family homes and condos sold for a median price of $231,000 in June 2016, up 6 percent from the previous month and up 9 percent from a year ago to a new all-time high — 1 percent above the previous peak of $228,000 in July 2005, according to ATTOM Data ...
House Keys

If This is So Easy, Why Doesn’t Everyone Do It?

“If real estate investing is so great, why doesn’t everyone do it?” is a question that many wannabe or future investors ask themselves. I certainly did. Whether you’re already a full-time investor, a part-time investor or someone just considering whether to become one, it’s a question that you’ll have as ...
35 Best ‘Bad’ Neighborhoods to Buy a Home

35 Best ‘Bad’ Neighborhoods to Buy a Home

Many down-and-out neighborhood housing markets across the country are on the rebound, thanks to a confluence of market forces working in their favor. Tight inventory of homes for sale, combined with a dearth of new homebuilding, is convincing buyers and investors to reconsider buying in what they once might have ...
Labor Force Ahead Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Labor Force Ahead Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

A surge in retirees (people turning 65) will slow the growth of workers in the United States. In 2000, 2 million people turned 65; 3.5 million did in 2016; and 4.0 million will in 2021. Even with a higher than usual rate of retiree-aged people working, U.S. economic growth will almost certainly remain ...
Not Getting Enough Out of Your Appointments? You May Not Be Putting Enough In

Not Getting Enough Out of Your Appointments? You May Not Be Putting Enough In

I sometimes hear investors fretting that they’re not getting enough out of their investment efforts. Well, perhaps they’re not putting enough in. What I’m specifically talking about is the “buy” appointment, which is where I see many investors getting frustrated the quickest. And that’s unfortunate, because that is the most ...
New Multi-Sourced National Property Data Warehouse Unveiled

New Multi-Sourced National Property Data Warehouse Unveiled

RealtyTrac, the nation’s leading source for comprehensive property data, has just unveiled the ATTOM Data Warehouse, a new multi-sourced national property database. It will be curated by ATTOM Data Solutions, a newly created parent company operating a rapidly expanding property data licensing business along with existing consumer websites RealtyTrac.com, Homefacts.com ...
Looking to Accelerate Your Wealth in Real Estate Investing? Try a ‘Flip-and-Hold’

Looking to Accelerate Your Wealth in Real Estate Investing? Try a ‘Flip-and-Hold’

If you are already in the real estate business, then by now you have encountered the basic issues that first-time investors come across when starting out. You went through sourcing and acquiring the financing you needed to begin your initial investment, found the property or properties that you were interested ...
Business people shaking hands

Real Estate Investment Wholesaling 101: What’s it all about?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately asking about wholesaling, such as: Why should I wholesale? Is wholesaling real estate worth it? Can I make money in it? Do I have to invest capital? What does it even mean to be a wholesaler? Is it the same as being ...
set of american dollar bills as background

It’s the Learnings that are Key to Your Earnings as a Real Estate Investor

In my 10+ years as a real estate investor—first as a part-time investor and now full-time as a HomeVestors franchisee in Dallas—I have accumulated plenty of earnings in the deals that have been successful for me. But equally as important have been the deals that didn’t go according to plan, ...
5 Things You Need to Know about Investing in Land

5 Things You Need to Know about Investing in Land

Successful land investing, like any type of investing, requires a lot of due diligence. Investing in land often requires travel, since are several things a buyer cannot know about a piece of land before seeing it in person. Google Maps is a great resource, but it is not a substitute ...
Vanilla Ice and Kevin O’Leary Headlining Think Realty Global Conference in San Francisco

Vanilla Ice and Kevin O’Leary Headlining Think Realty Global Conference in San Francisco

July 14, 2016 - Kansas City, MO | San Francisco, CA –Think Realty, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is presenting their global conference for real estate investors and industry professionals August 11-13 at the Parc 55 Hilton in San Francisco, CA. Featured keynote speakers include rapper, producer, and DIY Network ...
Notice of Foreclosure

Foreclosure Filings in First Six Months of 2016 Drop 11 Percent from a Year Ago

RealtyTrac’s Midyear 2016 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report shows a total of 533,813 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions—in the first six months of 2016, down 20 percent from the previous six months and down 11 percent from the first six months of 2015. The report, ...
Our Industry Needs Real Thought Leaders, Not More Gurus

Our Industry Needs Real Thought Leaders, Not More Gurus

| Eddie Wilson | Article | Operations
A quote that applies to our industry "You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." —John Bunyan I have always been of the opinion that if you help others get where they want to go, you will ultimately arrive at your ...
How to Deal with a Mold Problem in Your Rental Property

How to Deal with a Mold Problem in Your Rental Property

| Mike Nelson | Article | Operations
Mold spores are all around us. That’s a fact of life. A small portion of the human population is allergic to some mold spore varieties. Unfortunately, those with mold allergies are typically allergic to the type of mold you might find growing in your rental property. While only a small portion of the ...
That Bargain-Priced Mobile Home Just Could Be Your Big-Time Investment

That Bargain-Priced Mobile Home Just Could Be Your Big-Time Investment

Don’t you love getting a good deal? When shopping for real estate, nobody wants to pay full price. As buyers looking for a bargain, we start with distressed properties, hoping to flip the property for a good profit spread. Seeing a substantial profit made over the original cost of the ...
Local Governments Dictate Housing Growth

Local Governments Dictate Housing Growth

New home construction has been growing slowly and unevenly across the country, partially due to increasing difficulty getting projects approved and financially viable. CNBC just did a 3-minute feature on what I consider to be the poster child for difficult approvals: Sea Summit in San Clemente, California. We have worked ...
Investing

Want to Buy More Houses? Then Sell More Solutions

Successful real estate investors—whether part-time, full-time or transitioning into full-time—know that while they are in the business to buy houses, their success is really dependent on their ability to sell. And what a successful real estate investor is selling is a solution to the fear that so many sellers have ...
Existing-home sales

Where You Buy Is More Important Than What You Buy

| R J Palano | Article | Operations
Folks, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: “You’re not a tree; you can move.”  These are the words of one of my greatest mentors, Jimmy Napier from Chipley, Florida. In the 1980s I attended several of Jimmy’s seminars, often combined with appearances by John Schwaub, Pete Fortunato ...
CA-outlook

Fun in the Sun PLUS Potential Investment Profits—the Best Bargain Beach Towns for Summer ’16

Beach towns have their obvious attraction for those seeking relaxation or fun in the sun, but they also can offer some great investment opportunities. With that in mind, leading national housing date provider RealtyTrac has just released a special report ranking the best bargain beach towns for summer 2016 based ...
Landlords

HomeUnion Report Show NYC, San Francisco Top Most Expensive Places for Renters-By-Choice

Not a surprise to regular observers of the market, New York City and San Francisco top the list of most expensive locations for renters-by-choice, as ranked in a new report by the online real estate investment management firm HomeUnion. For its list of the most expensive places for renters-by-choice, the ...
Investing

Why the ‘Fast Nickel’ is Better than the ‘Slow Dime’

Volume vs. velocity is a metaphor that I’ll admit I didn’t know, understand or appreciate when I started out as part-time real estate investor over 10 years ago. But as I’ve continued to expand and grow my investing business to the full-time endeavor it is now as a HomeVestors franchise ...