It was a simple real estate formula. The ads ran in our small-town newspaper for years before I realized exactly what was going on. They were always the same: A house for sale with 5% down and payments of 1% of the purchase price. Maybe a three bedroom home for $90,000, for example, with $4,500 down and $900 per month payments. When a friend started doing the same thing he explained the process to me. It was a way to get a great return on...more
Nothing down? Exactly why would a seller want to walk away from closing with nothing? The truth is, they normally wouldn't, and that brings up the most important point about real estate investing with no downpayment: A seller almost always needs cash at closing, but it doesn't have to be YOUR cash. Nothing Down - A Few WaysSometimes sellers are able to offer terms and a low or no down payment, but often you have to find a way to get at least 70%...more
There is nothing worse than putting house up for sale and watching it sit on the market. Here are a few tips to sell your house fast. Sell Your House FastThe following tips will help you sell your house fast, but we need to cover something first. If you have some type of defect with your house, it is going to have to be repaired. There is a difference between making small mistakes that prevent a sale versus having a major problem like a sliding foundation. These tips will only help if your home is in reasonably good shape when compared to those houses selling in your neighborhood. The number one thing involved in selling your house fast is the price. The price of your home should not be what you personally think it is worth. Buyers simply don't care about such things. To sell your house fast, you have to find a price that is attractive to buyers. The best way to do this is to look for comparable houses in your neighborhood that sold fast. Find out how much they sold for and compare your price to the prices the other houses went for. If you are above those prices, you need to take a deep breath and lower your price. When it comes to pricing your house for a fast sale, do not try to...more
Hiring a property management company is a great idea if you have even a small apartment building. Having someone taking care of all the small details of a rental property means you'll have more time to find the next good investment. Also, trying to do it all yourself is the surest way to make your real estate investment experience a bitter one. To...more
So many people think that by getting into the franchise business, they are setting themselves up for an easy way to make money, with a safety net under them the whole time. The only real advantage is that you are buying into a business model that works with the help of a company's marketing and sales abilities. But just as with starting a company...more
Buying FSBO real estate, or houses for sale by owner, has its own particular problems and opportunities. Dealing with an uninformed seller who thought he knew enough to handle everything by himself can be frustrating, but it can also be very profitable if you are prepared. First you need to understand the FSBO seller.People try to sell a house on their own for one primary reason: To save the sales commission. Unfortunately for them, they usually underestimate the cost and complexity of going it alone. They'll often get frustrated and tired of the process, and be ready to drop the price and be done with it. If you help them solve their problems, your reward can be a good price on a good investment. Just keep the following in mind:1. A seller isn't an agent. You have to be more careful in what you say and ask. Avoid negative comments about the house. Like it or not, the truth is that it's difficult to get a good deal if the seller doesn't like you.2. Sellers think they're being smart. If you encourage that belief, they'll be more open to your offer. If they have a good idea, tell them so. It's not unethical to make people feel good about themselves when negotiating.3. FSBO real...more
For months, Joe Cline (not his real name) kept his frustration over longhours, cramped quarters and rushed deadlines at an Internet company underwraps. But last month, when his boss needled him one time too many, heerupted, lashing out with an...more
Mike M. was a senior manager for one of my large corporate clients, butyou wouldn't know he was on the fast track if you looked at his office. Heworked long hours, felt pressured, and was always playing catch up. Mike wasunresponsive to requests and...more
Where are the best investment real estate locations? If you have enough experience investing in real estate, you can make money almost anywhere, but there are always places that are better or worse for real estate investments. For maximum profits,...more
Forex trading is nothing more than direct access trading of different types of foreign currencies. In the past, foreign exchange trading was mostly limited to large banks and institutional traders. However recent technological advancements have made...more
Credit cards are a huge industry. Everybody who can get one or two or 10, uses them because they are a great convenience. But there are so many credit cards being offered to students these days that it might seem nearly impossible to choose the right...more
So how WAS your first quarter of 2006? Wait - it's still the middle of 4th quarter; what am I talking about? One of the things that salespeople and sales managers tend to lose sight of is the factor that time plays in the sales cycle. We think if we...more