83 Homes in 8 Months

"I Sold 83 Homes in 8 Months With $0 Marketing Expenses: Permission Marketing Made Simple" - Andrew Higgins

This is a 43 page ebook written by a guy who used search engine marketing (not SEO) to get a ton of leads for his real estate business, then sold the leads to not only cover the expenses, but make a profit. Of course, it's in addition to the money he made selling houses.

Get this book- contact dottye789@earthlink.net

If you are ready to move out of your apartment

If you are ready to move out of your apartment, there is no time better than now.  Beginning to search for your first home is an important step to having the ability to build better finances and to live in a place that is comfortable.  If you are considering a new home, there are specific things that you will want to know before jumping in with both feet.

 
Before you even begin to look at homes, make sure that you conduct your own investigation.  This will mean that you should find the going rates, how much other owners are paying every month, and what you can or can't afford.  You will also want to see what types of houses are going and what they are going for.  If you know the basics of what is available, it will be easier for you to get exactly what you want.  You should also consider things such as your credit rating and your pay check.  You don't want to walk into something that is over your head or start to look for something, only to find out that you won't be able to move in.

Need GREAT WEB HOSTING? GO HERE!

 

Flipping properties

If you want to maximize your profits off of a property, then the way to do it is to flip properties.  Flipping properties is a term that is commonly used in real estate.  It is where someone will walk into a property, put in some small changes, and resell the property for more profit.  If you want to invest little and make more, then this is a great way to get into the real estate business. 

 Usually, you will begin flipping a property by finding a home that is under priced for the current real estate market.  These are usually called 'fixer upper' homes and are available all the time on the market.  Any type of foreclosure, home at an auction, or home that has been neglected can be bought for a lower price.  Flipping properties will most likely be done by dealers or retailers, but it is possible for anyone to take part in the art of flipping properties.

Find out more at How to get rich in real estate

Waterfront Property

More and more people are looking for lake homes and waterfront property. Individuals recognize there are many benefits of living near a lake. Not only do lake homes provide privacy but they also provide access to the many conveniences a lake offers. A lake is the perfect location for those who enjoy outdoor activities and the beauty of nature.

Are you looking for lake homes? There are lake homes available all over North America. When looking for waterfront property, visit How to get rich in Real Estate to find the most popular areas.

New to Making Money with Real Estate

Thanks for the post about the new real estate website that you recommended.  I’m just starting to think about investing money into real estate, but really had no clue where to start.  It’s helpful to find free information, like the website you listed, where I can take my time doing research.

I especially liked this page, Getting Over the Fear of Money, and I can see from the menu on the left that there are many, many more pages of helpful information.

Great new Real Estate web site!

Whether you are buying a home for yourself, or are an investor, there is a great web site that you can't afford not to take a look at. It is packed with information about how to buy real estate, and it's FREE! Written by a Realtor, there are too many tips to be listed here on Financing, Choosing a Professional, Appraisal, Home Inspection, and more! Take a peek at  How to get rich in real estate

New real estate sites

I found two new sites on the web about Real Estate:

Successful Realtor 

and a growing site about how to invest in Real Estate to secure your retirement-How to get rich in real estate

Real Estate Investing tips

Real estate investing
5 tricks to make it big with real estate investing

Real estate investing is one of the most attractive ways of making good money (that is if you do it correct). Moreover, real estate investing is also a lot of fun. A lot of people practice real estate investing as their core profession and, in fact, make a lot of money that way.

Real estate investing is really an art and, like any art, it takes time to master the art of real estate investing. The key, of course, is to buy at a lower price and sell at higher price and make a profit even after paying all the costs involved in the two (buy/sell) transactions. Generally, people are of the opinion that real estate investing makes sense only when the rates are on the rise. However, real estate investing for profits is possible just about any time (and as I just said, real estate investing is an art). Here is a list of tricks that can make real estate investing profitable for you:

1) Look for public auctions, divorce settlements and foreclosures (bank/FHA/VA): Since quick settlement is the preference here (and not price), you might get a property at a price that is much lower than the prevailing market rate. You can then make arrangements to sell it at the market rate over a short period of time. However, make sure that the property is worth the price you are paying.
2) Looking for old listings: The old listings that are still unsold may provide you with good real estate investing opportunities. Just get hold of an old newspaper and call up the sellers. They might have given up hope of selling that property at all and with a bit of negotiation you can get the property for a real low price.
3) The hidden treasure: A really old (and dirty) looking house may scare off buyers. But this might be your chance for real estate investing that can yield good profits. So, explore such properties and check if spending a bit on them can make them shine. You can get these at very low prices and make a big profit in a short time.
4) Team up with attorneys: There are a number of attorneys who handle property sales on behalf of sellers or in special circumstances (like the death of the property owner). They might sometimes be looking to dispose off the property rather quickly and hence at a low price. Be the first one to grab such real estate investing opportunities and enjoy the profits.
5) Keep tab on the newspaper announcements: Pro

Real Estate Journal Realtors Predict Price Drop, Lower Forecasts for Sales

Realtors Predict Price Drop,
Lower Forecasts for Sales

By James R. Hagerty

The National Association of Realtors, which has long proclaimed that U.S. home prices haven't declined on a nationwide basis since the Great Depression, now says they are likely to do just that this year.

Lower Expectations

• Realtors expect the first nationwide drop in home prices this year since the Great Depression.

• Lenders' tighter credit in the wake of the subprime-mortgage rout is making it harder for some people to buy homes.

• Rising foreclosures will add to supply in some glutted markets.

• Realtors are seeking more- lenient terms for borrowers to qualify for Federal Housing Administration-backed loans.

The Realtors, which had been projecting as recently as February a 1.9% increase in the median home price this year, now say prices for previously occupied homes will slip 0.7% this year from the 2006 level.

The trade group's revised outlook, which puts it in line with a growing consensus that home prices will fall at least modestly this year, underlines how quickly expectations about the market have changed in light of a recent tightening of credit by mortgage lenders. Before the subprime mortgage problems blew up recently, said Lawrence Yun, an economist for the Realtors, the group expected the housing market to begin recovering by the middle of this year. Now, he says, recovery is unlikely before late this year.

In 2006, the median price rose 1.1% from a year earlier to $222,000, even though the monthly median prices reported in the second half of 2006 were down modestly from year-earlier months.

David Lereah, the Realtors' chief economist, says he revised downward the 2007 forecast because of tighter lending standards that have taken effect over the past few months in the wake a steep rise in defaults on subprime-mortgage loans, which are loans made to people with weak credit records or high debt in relation to income. The more cautious stance of lenders will mean some people who want to buy homes will find it impossible to get loans on reasonable terms. At the same time, a rise in foreclosures will add supply to housing markets that are already glutted in much of the country.

Thomas Lawler, a housing economist in Vienna, Va., expects an even steeper fall, of 4.3%, in the median price of houses this year.

Prices won't fall throughout the country, of course. Home prices generally have been falling in parts of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, the Rust Belt states and Massachusetts. But they have continued to rise in some cities, including Houston, Portland, Seattle and New York, where job growth has been relatively strong and supplies of unsold homes generally lean.

Falling prices make it tricky for buyers and sellers, accustomed to adding a few percentage points to last year's levels, to figure out how much a home should fetch now. Christopher J. Olsen, a financial planner in Lodi, Calif., has been renting for the past couple of years in anticipation of lower prices. But he now yearns to get his family into their own home, even though prices could fall further. Mr. Olsen says he has agreed to pay $505,000 for a four-bedroom home that he thinks might have sold for $700,000 two years ago.

The Realtors also cut their forecast of sales of previously occupied homes in 2007 to 6.34 million from the 6.42 million projected a month earlier and 6.44 million two months before. In 2006, home sales totaled 6.48 million.

Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association suggested that the media's intense focus on the housing crunch, and shoot-from-the-hip responses from legislators and regulators, threatened to make the situation worse. In an email Tuesday, the association told its members that it has allocated an extra $5 million to combat "a torrent of unfair press and counterproductive policy responses" sparked by the turmoil in the subprime market, where dozens of lenders have been forced to close down or seek bankruptcy protection.

"Misleading information, often reinforced by vivid and frightening anecdotes, is raising the very real possibility of overzealous regulatory and legislative responses," the association wrote.

The $5 million budget for extra advertising, research and lobbying is equivalent to about 10% of the trade group's annual budget. The association said it is trying "to shift the media focus away from the 'foreclosure crisis' to the potential for a 'credit crunch' that could result from over-legislation and over-regulation."

Howard Glaser, a Washington-based industry consultant and former lobbyist for the MBA, says the association's planned campaign suggests that "they're not in touch with the reality of what's happening in the marketplace." Mr. Glaser, who last year helped to set up an association for midsize mortgage banks, the National Alliance of Independent Mortgage Bankers, says the MBA should talk about solutions rather than attacking critics. "Blaming the press for the troubles in the mortgage industry is a nonstarter," he says.

Doug Duncan, the MBA's chief economist, says the group isn't blaming the media.

Money101 Lesson 8: Buying a Home

Top things to know

1. Don't buy if you can't stay put.

If you can't commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner.

2. Start by shoring up your credit.

Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover.

3. Aim for a home you can really afford.

The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But you'll do better to use one of many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford.

4. Don't worry if you can't put down the usual 20 percent.

There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, offer low-interest mortgages that require a down payment as small as 3 percent of the purchase price.

5. Buy in a district with good schools.

In most areas, this advice applies even if you don't have school-age children. Reason: When it comes time to sell, you'll learn that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers, thus helping to boost property values.

6. Get professional help.

Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Look for an exclusive buyer agent, if possible, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.

7. Choose carefully between points and rate.

When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points -- a portion of the interest that you pay at closing -- in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you stay in the house for a long time -- say five to seven years or more -- it's usually a better deal to take the points. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run.

8. Before house hunting, get pre-approved.

Getting pre-approved will you save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can't afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history.

9. Do your homework before bidding.

Your opening bid should be based on the sales trend of similar homes in the neighborhood. So before making it, consider sales of similar homes in the last three months. If homes have recently sold at 5 percent less than the asking price, you should make a bid that's about eight to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking.

10. Hire a home inspector.

Sure, your lender will require a home appraisal anyway. But that's just the bank's way of determining whether the house is worth the price you've agreed to pay. Separately, you should hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. His or her job will be to point out potential problems that could require costly repairs down the road.

Mortgage rates move higher - Apr. 12, 2007

Mortgage rates move on up

Longer-term rates see biggest increase, helped by stronger-than-expected employment reading.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Mortgage rates climbed across the board in the latest week, with longer-term loans seeing the biggest increases, Freddie Mac said Thursday, citing last week's report of unexpected strength in the labor market.

The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate loans climbed to 6.22 percent for the week ending April 12, from 6.17 percent the previous week, the mortgage finance firm said. Last year at this time, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.49 percent.

Homes from the richest zip codes

Current Mortgage Rates

Type	Overall avgs

30 yr fixed mtg	5.80%
15 yr fixed mtg	5.55%
30 yr fixed jumbo mtg	6.12%
5/1 ARM	5.55%
5/1 jumbo ARM	5.76%

"Interest rates in general ticked up following the release of the March employment data, which showed stronger job growth than what the market expected," Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, said in a statement. "This brought interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages back up this week to match the first-quarter average.

Nothaft also noted that mortgage refinancing still remains strong as the 30-year rate has held below 6.5 percent since last August.

The rate on 15-year loans rose to an average 5.90 percent from 5.87 percent the previous week, Freddie Mac said. A year ago, the 15-year rate averaged 6.14 percent.

Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages climbed to 5.93 percent from 5.92 percent the prior week. The five-year ARM averaged 6.11 percent a year ago.

The average one-year adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 5.47 percent, up from 5.44 percent the previous week. At this time last year, the loan averaged 5.61 percent.