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.
6 dangers of the pro forma report for real estate investors
I was having an interesting conversation yesterday with an investor client who was trying to evaluate some properties. She was confused at seeing properties and how they can be so similar yet have such incredibly different returns on investments (ROI). Instantly suspecting the reason for variances, I began to ask ...
Don’t let fear of finding tenants stop you from real estate investing
When I look back at my first rental property purchase more than 10 years ago, I am amazed at my good fortune. Because there were plenty of times, as a part-time real estate investor with a full-time career outside of real estate, I tried to talk myself out of that ...
Hint: The next interest rate move will be down says Lou Barnes
Another week of quiet waiting for big data end of this week (not tekkies spying, just the monthly jobs report). I am not a betting man, but I do occasionally guess: there are hints that the next interest rate move will be down. First, head-shaking news of humanity. While working ...
Home buyers still purchasing below market value in 60 percent of markets, new study says
Home buyers in about 60 percent of the markets surveyed in a new report by RealtyTrac.com are buying at below market value, while sellers are getting above-market prices in about 27 percent of the markets, the report shows. “Nationwide in April single family homes and condos sold for almost exactly ...
How real estate crowdfunding works for apartments and commercial properties
I’ve written before about the basics of peer-to-peer—also called crowdfunding—real estate marketplaces. When it comes to debt investments, many of the first few companies in this space focused on lending to active “flippers” who were renovating single-family homes. This is still a great business, and there are lots of reasons ...
What’s really wrong with housing? Mortgage credit, years of a weak job market and slow wage growth
Another week last week of anxious pencil-tapping in quiet markets, and one more holiday-short week ahead this week before events will conspire to move the herd. Long quiet, big move. A “data-dependent” Fed means more than ordinary waiting for data. If the Fed is waiting, too, then we’re really waiting ...
Real estate investing: Where it’s hot and where it’s not
I often am asked where real estate investing is hot (or not), and I love this question. The answer, however, is a moving target. Macro and micro fundamentals are always changing. This is why it is so often said that real estate is local in nature. A hot market for ...
Bank repossessions (REOs) and foreclosure filings were reported on 125,875 properties in April, up 9 percent from a year ago representing an 18-month high, according to a new report from RealtyTrac. The U.S. foreclosure rate in April was one in every 1,049 housing units with a foreclosure filing. “The REO ...
When to hold and when to fold: The art of the (wholesale) deal
Last week we put a house under contract in Dacula, Georgia, at 2433 Robin Ridge Road. I knew prior to meeting with the owner that this house was going to be a wholesale real estate deal opportunity. I did not like the floorplan that much and I could change it ...
3 secrets to turn nothing into something in real estate investing
One of the most important statements I have ever heard involves taking action—specifically, getting your name and your investing goals in front of as many people as possible. That statement is this: “Your success in real estate investing is directly proportional to the number of people who, when thinking of ...
How I bought my first investment property on my lunch hour
For many part-time investors or investors embarking on that first property purchase, the easiest excuse is, “I don’t have time.” But if you really have the desire and passion to purchase investment real estate—even if you are already involved in a full-time career or pursuit—that should not hold you back ...
We appear to be drifting into economic disinflation, Lou Barnes writes this week
After three weeks of startling (and painful) movement, financial markets have staggered to a standstill. The question before the house: Did the market-lurching signify changes in economic trend, or correction of prior events? Stick with correction. Here is the reconstruction: Way back, 18 months ago, U.S. long-term rates were rising ...
Mortgage loans originated on single-family homes up 17 percent year over year, new study says
Mortgage loans originated on single-family homes and condos were up 17 percent year over year according to a new report from RealtyTrac.com, led by California, Florida and Massachusetts. The majority of the loans were for refinancing and new mortgages for purchases were up only about 1 percent during the same year ...
How will deflation impact owners of mobile home parks and low-end apartments?
Reader Question: How will deflation impact owners of mobile home parks and low-end apartments? Prices are VERY high for MHPs right now. Buyers are jacking up rents, while tenants can't get full-time jobs. Tons of 1031 Exchange money chasing too few deals, too. Seems like a good time to SELL ...
3 lessons that turned me into a great property manager
My first rental property was a duplex in which I lived. I occupied the lower unit and rented the upper unit. It was a great experience and one I will never forget. I was 18 years old at the time in 1980 and thought, “Wow, how cool is this! I ...
Strong returns for homes flipped in the first quarter yield average gross profit of $72,000
A new report shows that 17,309 single family homes were flipped — sold as part of an arms-length sale for the second time within a 12-month period — in the first quarter of this year, 4.0 percent of all single family home sales during the quarter, according to RealtyTrac. And, more ...
Be very careful floating a mortgage rate right now, says Lou Barnes
Interpretations of this week’s events are all over the lot, so before adding to the confusion, a few bare facts with opinion sandwiched between. The U.S. 10-year T-note began 2015 at 2.23% and promptly dropped to 1.65% in February; by mid-March back to 2.23%, then stable near 1.90% for six ...
How to locate an investment property: Real estate question of the week
Reader Question of the Week: What is the best source of locating real estate investment residences in Phoenix, Arizona? Tried HomePath, much competition and the profit margin way too low. Searching MLS has not produced anything also. -Michelle Monty's Answer: Hello Michelle and thanks for your question. The bloom is ...
3 ways to build your real estate investing portfolio
What excites me is watching new investors build up ta real estate investing portfolio—the self-discovery, if you will—that comes with them finally taking that first big step into buying their initial investment property. With such fast changes in the real estate industry it is easy to get confused as to ...
4 Ways to Start Small as a Real Estate Investor
I speak from experience when I say that taking that first step is one of the most significant and common obstacles for a new or part-time investor who is looking to get started. Most people struggle to take that first step. I’ll admit it is the most difficult step and ...
4 ways to start small as a real estate investor
I speak from experience when I say that taking that first step is one of the most significant and common obstacles for a new or part-time investor who is looking to get started. Most people struggle to take that first step. I’ll admit it is the most difficult step and ...
3 ways to build your real estate investing portfolio
What excites me is watching new investors embrace the confidence—the self-discovery, if you will—that comes with finally taking that first big step into buying their initial investment property. With such fast changes in the real estate industry it is easy to get confused as to what steps you should and ...
2 ways to do a fast flip: The art of the real estate deal
The real estate business avails itself of many opportunities with different types of properties located throughout the world. Like any business, you must have goals and a business model. In our model, we focus on single-family houses as they are easy to understand and the most liquid of all real ...
2 ways to do a fast flip: The art of the real estate deal
The real estate business avails itself of many opportunities with different types of properties located throughout the world. Like any business, you must have goals and a business model. In our model, we focus on single-family houses as they are easy to understand and the most liquid of all real ...
The Straight Story on Investing in Tax Liens
Charles Sells is the Voice of Experience By Susan Thomas Springer Ever since he was a teenager, Charles Sells knew he wanted to be in real estate. So he didn't mind starting at the bottom for a real estate company in Atlanta by stuffing envelopes for the firm’s direct mail ...
