Owners

No doubt many (if not most) of you have seen the ads on TV or radio offered by any number of real estate gurus.  They are advertising vast riches and wealth if you only buy their courses and get into real estate investing. A big part of that pitch is that real estate investing is something you can do in your spare time and that it is passive investing for the most part. The first part of the preceding sentence bears a lot of truth but the second part does not. The reason it gets thrown around so much is because it makes the pitch sound that much better, and thus easier to sell. Before we go much further it bears exploring what passive investing actually is. From Merriem-Webster's online [...]

Many real estate investors have a particular niche. Investing in single family homes is no different. There are different niches within even that space. While homes range in prices across all spectrums, we'll focus on investment properties that typically sell in the $20,000-$30,000 range vs those that sell for right around $100,000.(As a caveat, these numbers will obviously vary widely depending on the market). As a new investor, there is definitely an attraction to the paper returns offered by the lower priced house. The cost of entry is much lower obviously, and the ROI's often pencil out to +20% (which for an all cash investment is very enticing.) Generally speaking, however, there is usually a good reason why the property was so cheap in the first place. Homes that sell in that [...]

There are more and more reports and studies about the rising amount of home foreclosures for sale. These appeal to both investors and individuals who are looking for more houses that they can afford. After the collapse of the housing market, the resulting decline in prices of all homes, foreclosed or not, has made the market even more appealing for buyers, experienced and novice alike. Experienced investors are very busy right now and trying to gobble up as much of the best deals on these properties that they can. It's not at all unheard of to buy one of these properties at 50% below market value and then do the repairs necessary to resell it just a few months later for the actual market value. But in order to make [...]

There are many questions that should be asked before embarking upon a career of real estate investment. The first and foremost question however should be whether or not you are truly committed to making real estate work for you. This is not a business for the faint of heart. In order to truly turn a profit you must be at times ruthless when dealing with buyers and sellers but ethical to a fault when it comes to the work that must often be done in order to get a property in sellable condition. The reason a serious commitment is needed in order to make real estate work for you is simple. There will be ups and downs along the way. The stock market experiences rises and falls on a regular [...]

The idea of investing *locally* sounds great, right?  The term "local" really helps narrows your focus and allows you become a targeted investor.  Well, theoretically, that's how it should work.  However, the local real estate market must still be analyzed for solid investment opportunities. So, where should you start?  What core criteria can you use to help evaluate the local market? First and foremost: Jobs.  Job growth drives real estate appreciation and rent growth through increased demand. Ideally, you want to identify markets that are adding manufacturing jobs as those types of jobs have a multiplier effect that acts as a magnet for more job growth. This multiplier effect has been cited in numerous studies. For example, Chattanooga, TN is where Volkswagen manufactures cars sold in the US market. The plant presently [...]