May 23, 2012

Three Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Invest in Real Estate

Judson Voss asked:




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1. The “F” Word.

Foreclosures are at an all time high. Just about every one of us can think of a family member or friend in foreclosure, or at least a neighbor. While this is a sad result of the mortgage meltdown and the current job market there are still silver linings to every cloud. Banks are more willing to offer deals on REO (Real Estate Owned) properties that they are holding in their over inflated non-performing asset portfolio. They need to move these properties to stay properly capitalized and your chances of getting a good deal are getting better and better every day.

If you have not started to track foreclosures in your market you need to begin today. Keep an eye on homes that go into foreclosure. Then you can identify the homes with the most potential of being a good deal. If the home goes all the way through the foreclosure process make sure you follow up with the bank before the home makes it on to the open MLS market. This will help you develop relationships with the banks and find some real nuggets along the way.

2. The “I” Word.

OK so maybe it isn’t as easy to get a mortgage as it was a couple of years ago. We all know the market has tightened up. The fact is there are still a lot of people with jobs and good credit that can get a mortgage. Fannie Mae recently loosened their rules on the number of homes investors can finance from 4 up to 10. 10 homes is quite a few if you are just starting out.

Even more exciting is that interest rates are at an all time low. If you can get a good deal on a home in foreclosure and secure a 5.5% interest rate then it becomes extremely easy to cash flow on a rental property. Many experienced investors have been making it work for years at 10% interest rates. We should all be able to hit a home run at nearly half of that! Check your credit and find a good investor friendly mortgage broker and find out what you qualify for today.

3. The “T” Word.

Back to the number one reason to invest today, foreclosures. So many people are in foreclosure or have recent job losses it is making it extremely difficult to become or continue to be homeowners. While this may not be a permanent situation it does make the rental market one of the best we have seen in years. I have many clients who are prospering in the rental market. Even better are those tenants that would like to be homeowners today, were yesterday and will be tomorrow. These tenants have the potential to lease a home right now with the opportunity to buy it once their situation has improved and the mortgage market has opened up again. This is the wholly grail for real estate investors as we can cover cash flow today with the big pay off in the future when we sell the home.

I am not saying that it is easy to invest in real estate today nor do I think this is the kind of market where you are going to flip three houses a month and become a millionaire in six months. For those with vision and with the proper training you could be setting yourself and your family up for amazing wealth over time. So many people have kicked themselves for not getting into the market fifteen years ago. Don’t be that person fifteen years from now.

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Great Reasons to Invest In Preforeclosures

Kris Koonar asked:




Now is the perfect time to invest in preforeclosures. With the sub prime crisis raging on, there are a lot of properties coming into the market, where the owner was unable to make his mortgage payments on time. Banks then auction these types of properties. Preforeclosure is when you can purchase a property before it reaches the auction block.

During this preforeclosure period, you just might be able to get a good bargain, and you could then either sell it at a higher price or could rent it out thereby creating a fixed source of income. You can search for these properties by either selecting notices, which are printed by banks in newspapers or you could contact the local government office or courts from where these notices are issued. Banks and other financial institutions normally want to avoid getting saddled with properties and hence are happy if somebody else starts paying off the stuck mortgage.

So, it does not matter to them if you are paying off that loan as long as you are consistent in your payments. The owner of the property is also stuck and so, he too would be happy to transfer the property to you and ease himself out of the financial mess in which he is stuck. On an average, you should be able to make around 20% to 30% profit out of the deal. However, competition has increased now, and you might have to compromise on that figure sometimes to get a deal. Also, find out if there is any other lien attached to that property because, they too will have to be involved in the deal.

You could also take the help of a real estate broker who is experienced in such matters. He would have the knowledge of the current market rates of that neighborhood and could guide you on how much less to offer to the owner of the property. His contacts could also help you in looking at a wide range of properties in the preforeclosure market. One more advantage, which you will have, is that you will not have to run around to arrange for a loan on that property. You will just have to take over the existing loan and continue paying the installments from where the previous owner left off. You will still remain eligible for all tax benefits and depreciation on that property.

Once you get enough experience in purchasing preclosure properties, you can then start searching and negotiating on your own. Slowly, you will be able to increase your profit margin on every deal you make. Buying during the foreclosure period is better because once that property is on the auction block, then it is very difficult to make fast decisions during the actual auction regarding the price to be offered.

So, do not feel guilty of stepping in to buy a property from someone who is hard on luck, but rather think of it as stepping in to help out someone who needs help. Making a profit out of that move is the icing on the preforeclosure cake.



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