Topics Archives

Underwater properties have hit a plateau of 13 percent as home price appreciation has slowed says Daren Blomquist of RealtyTrac.com

Underwater homes have hit a plateau of 13 percent as home price appreciation slows

30 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

There were 7,443,580 U.S. residential properties that were seriously underwater — where the combined loan amount secured by the property is at least 25 percent higher than the property’s estimated market value — at the end of the second quarter 2015, according to a new report from RealtyTrac.com. This represents ...

A 5-step strategy to sell a real estate investment portfolio

29 Jul 2015 | Dear Monty | Article | Topics

Reader Question: My dear wife and I embarked on our real estate investing career in 2009 in Central Maine, and over the course of three years amassed 13 buildings totaling 51 units. We turned a slew of low-quality, run-down buildings into desirable blue- and white-collar communities. Now our properties have ...

Real Estate Question of the Week - how much hassle is owning rental property?

How much “hassle” is it owning rental property?

27 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Topics

Real estate investing question of the week: How much “hassle” is it owning rental property? Answer by Kenneth LaVoie: This is a little more than needed to answer your question. It is basically my story, and what I'd do differently. To answer your question simply, "The amount of hassle is ...

It's not all flip-flops and T-shirts - 4 keys and characteristics of successful real estate investors blog by Kevin Guz

It’s not all flip-flops and T-shirts – at least, not at first – 4 keys to success for investors

24 Jul 2015 | Kevin Guz | Article, Topics

As a former part-time and now a full-time investor, I have seen investors come and go. They have been friends, acquaintances and business partners. I have seen some succeed and some fail, some prosper while others struggle. And I have learned from all of them. 4 keys and characteristics to ...

Dear Fed: Do you really want to tighten rates while others are lowering theirs?

Dear Fed: Do you really want to tighten rates here while others are cutting theirs?

24 Jul 2015 | Danny Johnson | Article, Topics

We have a large and widening divide between U.S. economic data and the rest of the world, and to spice things up we have no experience with a situation like this -- “we” being the Fed, other central banks, all governments, and certainly analysts. Experienced or not, markets are moving, ...

7 signs you may be dealing with a real estate guru

7 signs you may be dealing with real estate gurus

23 Jul 2015 | Teresa Bitler | Article | Topics

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 ...

institutional investor-driven and all cash sales decline as traditional buyers return to the market

Investor-driven sales continue decline as traditional buyers join the market

23 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

Distressed sales, cash sales and institutional investor sales in June were all down from a year ago to multi-year lows even as sales to first-time homebuyers and other buyers using FHA loans increased compared to a year ago in June and reached a two-year high in the second quarter, according ...

5 things I would tell my younger self about real estate investing

20 Jul 2015 | Larry Arth | Article, Topics

Driving down the road yesterday, I was heavy in thought about the investment properties I had just been looking at when the song, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” by Cher, came on the radio. While the song is more about relationships, the title and lyrics “If I Could Turn ...

A Realtor asks how to get started as a real estate investor blog by Richard 'Monty' Montgomery for the real estate question of the week.

How can a Realtor get started as a real estate investor?

20 Jul 2015 | Dear Monty | Article, Topics

Reader Question: I'm a Realtor, and I'm interested in becoming an investor in the next two years. How can I find and work with trustworthy investors to help find distressed properties to purchase, fix up and resell? Thanks! — Xavier Monty's Answer: Hello, Xavier, and thank you for your question ...

The Fed is going to pull the trigger on the .25% but it is already priced in long-term interest rates

The Fed is going to pull the pin on the quarter point rate increase

17 Jul 2015 | Danny Johnson | Article, Topics

Chair Yellen gave her semi-annual monetary testimony to Congress twice, to the House and Senate separately, and continued her chant: “If the economy performs as we expect, then we will begin to normalize policy in 2015.” Threats and threats... and interest rates fell. The disconnect between the bond market, Fedspeak, ...

Foreclosures fall to 10-year low, but some markets still slow to work through the system

16 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

Foreclosures continued to fall in the first half of 2015, dropping to a 10-year low across the U.S. and further tightening available housing inventory, according to a new study from RealtyTrac.com. While foreclosures are now in some cases below pre-housing-crisis levels, some specific markets still have a higher than normal ...

3 options for buying this house - which one would you choose? blog by RJ Palano

3 options for this deal – what would you do?

15 Jul 2015 | R J Palano | Article, Topics

Occasionally in a deal we acquire a property through our lead generation system that fits every exit model we practice for houses. In review, we acquire houses and exit or hold as follows: 1. Buy and hold. 2. Flip “as is” to an investor. 3. Rehab and sell to investor ...

Lifestyle real estate investing can include vacation homes

3 tips for successful lifestyle real estate investing

15 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

By The Zillow Team There are three main categories of buying homes as a real estate investment: Cash flow investing — for people whose primary goal is rental income. Equity growth investing — for people whose primary goal is property appreciation. Lifestyle investing — for people whose goals include cash ...

3 ways to identify a good real estate investment deal

13 Jul 2015 | Larry Arth | Article, Topics

Investing in real estate has become a very popular investment vehicle over the past five decades – and especially over the past five years, as the markets have rebounded. I write a number of blog posts about investing. I attend a lot of real estate forums and events. I find ...

What kind of real estate investor do you want to be?

10 Jul 2015 | Kevin Guz | Article, Topics

The good news about investing in residential real estate is you’ve got some options. You can tailor your approach to what appeals to you and what works for you and what fits for you. You can look at three areas. First, look at your personal interests. What do you enjoy ...

The Fed will probably raise rates this year

The Fed chair says interest rates probably – not definitely – will increase this year

10 Jul 2015 | Danny Johnson | Article, Topics

What a week. “Silly Season” is August, when nothing happens and headlines say “Man Bites Dog.” It’s come early this year. Here in Boulder a road-rage incident this week concluded with one participant throwing a pecan pie at the other’s car. Markets have been upset by China’s stock crash and ...

will rising rental rates by landlords cause renters to move and buy homes

Are rising rental rates by landlords encouraging renters to move?

10 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

By John Burns Rents in the highest-quality apartments rose 4.4% last year, including an 8.0% jump in one West Coast portfolio. With a very high occupancy level (95.8%) and job growth exceeding construction levels in almost every major market in the country, landlords will continue to raise rents throughout the ...

Buy-to-rent still offers many opportunities for real estate investors in many markets a new analysis from RealtyTrac.com shows

New buy-to-rent analysis shows there are still good rental deals for real estate investors in many markets

9 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

A new buy-to-rent study from RealtyTrac.com shows the average potential annual gross rental yield still is holding strong, and only down slightly from a year ago. “In most areas of the country it is still a great time to buy residential property as rentals, given the continuing slide in homeownership ...

7 costly mistakes of new real estate investors blog by Richard 'Monty' Montgomery

7 costly mistakes of new real estate investors: the real estate question of the week

8 Jul 2015 | Dear Monty | Article, Topics

Reader Question: We just backed out of our first real estate investment deal. We took some bad advice, but luckily, we discovered an undisclosed issue through a whistleblower. It made us ask ourselves, what else could we have missed? What are the biggest mistakes of new investors? — Justin and ...

3 reasons to quit your day job and invest in real estate

6 Jul 2015 | Engelo Rumora | Article | Investment Strategy, Operations

Many people seek real estate investing for various reasons. Here are the three major reasons that I’ve come to find why most people quit (or decide to replace) their day jobs with real estate investing: Reason No 1: Because working for someone else... STINKS “If you don’t build your dream, ...

3 things seasoned real estate investors do to win

6 Jul 2015 | Larry Arth | Article | Topics

Working as I do with both seasoned and new real estate investors, I often am reminded of my younger self and how my mindset differed from that of someone who had “been around the block” before. As a “newbie,” I always loved learning new things and seeing the opportunities that ...

3 reasons people quit their day jobs and invest in real estate

3 reasons to quit your day job and invest in real estate

6 Jul 2015 | Engelo Rumora | Article, Topics

3 market trends for 2015 for the residential real estate investor: a mid-year analysis blog by Kevin Guz

Real estate investing trends so far in 2015 and what is ahead for the rest of the year

6 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

Our veteran real estate investors and bloggers have some opinions on the trends that have been happening so far in 2015 for real estate investors. Here they review those trends and then give some thoughts on what they see for the rest of 2015. 3 market trends in 2015 for the ...

Groundhog day – jobs up, incomes not and the Fed: Lou Barnes’ analysis

2 Jul 2015 | Danny Johnson | Article, Topics

Thursday felt like a remake of Groundhog Day, Bill Murray trapped as a commentator on CNBC over and over for the monthly release of the same employment stats. But there is more in last week’s news than meets the woodchuck’s eye. Jobs up (223,000). Incomes not (hourly wages flat in ...

all cash share of U.S. home sales and purchases drops to lowest level since November 2009 and institutional investor purchases at 15-year low

Housing sales moving from investor-driven “cash is king” to more traditional buyers, new report says

2 Jul 2015 | Editorial Staff | Article, Market & Trends

The all-cash share of U.S. home purchases in May dropped to the lowest level since November 2009, with institutional investor purchases dropping to a 15-year low, a new report from RealtyTrac.com shows. The cash sales share in May was close to its long-term average going back to January 2000 of ...

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