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.
Why did I shift from Minnesota real estate investing to Florida investing?
Like most real estate investors, I started investing in my own backyard. I started in an era when late night infomercials were dictating investment strategies. Years ago that is what all the gurus suggested. To be able to sell their information to a broad audience, they drove the point home ...
How agents can help clients buy investment property
If you’re a real estate agent with an established real estate practice, chances are you have or will have a client who wants to buy an investment property. Helping these clients identify the right investment property is now in your hands. You don’t want to mess it up. What are ...
Mel Watt is focused on helping the mortgage credit situation
Big changes this week, surprising and confusing -- mostly good news here, trouble overseas, and an astounding political turn for the better for mortgage credit. On Wednesday the 10-year T-note broke out the bottom of a well-defined four-month trading range 2.60%-2.80% to 2.50%. That's the lowest since last November, and ...
Build to rent lesson No. 1 – Know your builder
The idea of build to rent hit me back in 2012 as Equity Funds like Blackstone rushed into Atlanta and other cities, and embarked on a campaign to buy thousands of houses for residential rentals. Unless you were at the mortgage foreclosure auctions yourself like I was, you would never ...
Interest rates could come down if the economy does not accelerate
Bond and mortgage yields have frozen. The 10-year Treasury note in the last three months traded in a slushy harbor 2.60%-2.80%, but you could skate on this week's 2.58%-2.63%. When a glacier like this breaks up, expect the shattering onset of true up-down volatility and change in trend. No, I ...
Mortgage rates drop for second week in a row
The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 4.37 percent in Bankrate's weekly national survey, the company said in a release. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.30 discount and origination points. SURVEY RESULTS 30-year fixed: 4.37% -- down from 4.44% last week (avg. points: 0.30) 15-year ...
Who should you draft for your real estate investing team?
Question: Monty, I am saving and looking to buy my first rental this year. What kind of infrastructure do I need to have in place to support this kind of business? Thanks, Rob P. Monty’s Answer: Hello Rob, and thanks for your question. Owning investment real estate can be a ...
How long did your last tenant stay?
We asked the tenant “length of stay” question in multiple ways to ensure we received accurate data for our annual survey of corporate housing by owners. To better understand the length of stay trends, we asked: “How long did your last tenant stay?” and “On average, how long do your ...
Lou Barnes weekly financial review for investors: jobs up, yields down and more
A bizarre sequence of events and data has taken bond and mortgage yields to their lows of the year, the 10-year T-note 2.58% and mortgages near 4.50%. Ukraine is the largest immediate force pushing down on rates, but we'll review that after trying to make sense of the most contradictory ...
Do you know the 5 keys to success in real estate investing?
When I invest I like to capture all five of the key wealth building principles. It is why I invest in real estate. Are you capturing all 5 keys? Real estate is a trendy investment today. Prices are low, interest rates are low and opportunity is everywhere. But why is ...
Do you know the one secret asset to successful negotiation?
When I am negotiating deals, there is one secret asset I use above all others. Information. As I tell my colleagues, information is our greatest asset. When you have extremely detailed background about a potential investment, you can negotiate with confidence and strength. Get the neighborhood-by-neighborhood, street-by-street pricing history of ...
Here is the real story: Can we have an economic recovery without housing?
New data has pushed housing to the forefront of the recovery discussion. Can the economy recover without housing? What has gone wrong with it? If housing is de-emphasized as never since the Depression, what does it mean for inequality, the new darling of the Left, and the free-market pleasure of ...
American Homes 4 Rent announces another public offering
American Homes 4 Rent, the second largest owner of single-family rental homes in the country, announced another public offering of its series C preferred shares that will be made available as the company continues to buy single family rental homes across the country. The company announced in a release "investors ...
Walk softly and use your credit and background checks wisely
This is an interesting topic as more people have bad credit because they’ve gone through bankruptcy or foreclosure on a previous property. In today’s environment, credit reports must be used to see the bigger picture about a prospective tenant. In looking at a renter who has poor credit, you need ...
5 things to consider to sell your investment for top dollar
For the buy and hold strategy, I believe most real estate investors have the goal of eventually selling the property for top dollar. In order to accomplish this you must buy a property that can be sold to an end user who will pay retail pricing. This means as an ...
Poll says Americans believe real estate is the best long-term investment
Housing prices are improving in many parts of the country and a new Gallup Poll says Americans now say real estate is the best long-term investment ranking ahead of stocks and gold. The economy and personal finances poll in early April asked Americans to choose the best option for long-term ...
Mortgage rates continue to drop
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 4.43 this week, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.33 discount and origination points. To see mortgage rates in your area, go to http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/mortgages/. The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 3.48 percent, while ...
Lowest total in two years, but 9 million residential properties are still underwater
RealtyTrac reports that 17 percent of U.S. residential properties with a mortgage are still seriously "underwater" meaning the combined loan amount on the property is 25 percent or more above the current market value on nine million homes. “U.S. homeowners are continuing to recover equity lost during the Great Recession, ...
Should you consider not having a security deposit?
We have found that offering Accidental Rental Damage Insurance (ARDI) is one of the newest trends in the “by owner” community, and could be something many landlords should consider instead of the traditional security deposit. See our chart below on whether landlords charge a security deposit or not. We started ...
What is the No. 1 wealth-building principle of a real estate investment?
I always love the equity growth of the investment. In my view point I believe equity to be the number one wealth-building principle of an investment. Cash flow is paramount and indeed much needed but a great equity play can provide for greater wealth than any cash flow itself. Of ...
The secret to finding investment property with great cash flow?
Here is how the typical investor works: you search online or at investment clubs and find a property that you can buy for a decent price, which after expenses will give you a good cash flow. Often you will find two, three or maybe even four of these properties and ...
Lou Barnes weekly: Housing is close to stalling and the setup is for higher interest rates
Events this week could be mistaken for a cartoon if not so serious. And the cartoonish aspect magnified by clowns squirting lapel flowers in your eye every time something starts to make sense. The setup this week was for higher interest rates. This was an "auction week" for the Treasury, ...
Should you rent to a tenant who uses legal marijuana?
We landlords have a new headache. Legal marijuana. For those of us who lease properties in states like California, Colorado, Washington, Michigan and a growing number of others states, we now have to consider the issue that some form of medical marijuana or recreational marijuana is now legal. On top ...
Shadow housing inventory continues down hitting lowest level in three years
The number of distressed residential housing properties continues down as the value of the shadow inventory has dropped $70 billion in the past year reflecting the progress states are making on the foreclosure front, according to a new report from CoreLogic. Foreclosures are down 35% year over year. Shadow inventory ...
How to avoid the real estate “gurus”
I have a colleague, an independent investor (which I was, too, prior to becoming a HomeVestors-Dallas franchisee), and he has strong opinions about real estate investor "gurus." As do I, particularly with regard to the intense advertising these individuals run on social media, radio and TV spots, and even billboards ...
