Everything you want to know about franchising

High Frequency Marketing
PR & Media Relations in Spanish - Website positioning

GETTING RICH IN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

Investing in real estate for profit is one of the most popular ways of

generating additional income in the United States today.

It is not only a relatively safe way to make your money work for you, but

it also appeals to those people who favor a common sense approach to making

money, to wit: person buys land, person sells land, person makes profit.

Just about anybody can understand a formula like that, and often, the real

estate game is that easy.  If you have common sense and good instincts, you

can get rich fast in real estate.

There are several ways to make money investing in real estate, depending on

how much money you have to put on down payment, and how long you want your

money tied up in your investment.  (The average mortgage runs 20 to 30

years, but your money may not have to be sunk into the real estate for such

a long time).

An attractive thing about real estate is the great deal of flexability it

offers.  The amount of work you put into improving  property  -- or not

improving -- is up to you.  You can have a great deal of capital to invest

in your venture, or you may be able to squeak by with a few thousands of

dollar for down payments. You can see your real estate every day, or you

can hire someone to take care of it and never set foot on a piece of sod.

You have a lot of choices and options.

The 30-Day Wonder

One method of capitalizing on real estate might be called the 30-Day

Wonder. The way to make it work is to put a few thousand dollars down on

what a city considers abandoned property.  Often, you can find a property

that is not as bad as its appearnce shows.  Often, you can find a house or

storefront that just needs a fresh coat of paint, a few repairs,  and some

back taxes paid.

Your first step is to open charge accounts with area lumber yards and home

building centers.  This way you will be ready to get to work on your

property as soon as you get title to it.  Next, secure a loan from a bank

as close to the sale time of the property as possible.  The few thousand

dollars you invest covers down payment and paperwork charges.  It can also

pay for repair and material charges if you cannot get charge accounts at

home centers set up.

Once you have title and bank clearance, get to work on repairs, if any are

needed.   You have 30 days until your first payments to the bank and the

lumber yards come due. It is your job to make the house presentable and

find a buyer within those 30 days. If you succeed, you make enough to pay

off all debts incurred for the home and a generous profit for your

troubles. If you don't find a buyer within 30 days, you end up with

mortgage, homeowner's insurance, and charge account payments for at least

one month.

The risk is somewhat high, but the potential rewards are even higher. This

is the kind of investment that beneifts from invesment partners who can

share the burden of the payments and workload, as well as the profits.

Cleaning the inside and outside of a home can go a long way toward making a

house presentable. Painting inside and out can also greatly help the looks

of a home. If you have time, plant some trees or shrubbery for landscaping.

Real estate studies show that many potential home buyers aren't looking

for the fancy patio or swimming pool in the backyard.  Many are simply

looking for a decent, comfortable place to live.

With this in mind, you don't want to buy a home that is too run down for

your 30-Day Wonder home.  Find something which can be made presentable

within a reasonable amount of time. Educate yourself on what to look.

Also, look for interesting features in the house, such as a fireplace,

extra bathroom, or large kitchen with extra counter space. All of the above

are very much in demand in today's real estate market.

If you have the extra time and money to invest in a home for beyond, 30

days, you could fix a place up and make it a valuable rental property, or

perhaps sell it for a handsome profit.

What to Look Out For in Seized Property

Of course, buying real estate seized for back taxes or other reasons can

also have its disadvantages. When considering a piece of real estate, there

are some items you need to know about. They are:

* Location

Is the property you plan on buying located in a decent neighborhood? If it

is located in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, you may have an

impossible time finding an interested buyer.

Another facet of location that needs looking into is future building plans

around your property. If the city intends to annex and expand commercial

developments around your property in the near future, the value of your

targeted investment may increase four fold.

* Back taxes

Definitely check to see how much the back taxes or other liens add up to on

your targeted property. Sometimes, the taxes can add up to an amount

greater than you can initially handle. Sometimes, they are more than the

entire house is worth, even after remodeling.

* Zoning restrictions

Within a city, each neighborhood is zoned for a particular use. Some are

strictly residential, others are commercial only, and still others are a

combination of both.

Before you buy a piece of real estate, make sure it is located in a zone

which fits your future plans for the property. If the house you buy is to

remain a place for people to live, it will be fine within a residential

zone. However, if you plan to turn a house located in a residential zone

into a store, the city probably won't allow you to do that.

Investments in Raw Land and Subdivision Lots

Some of the more fascinating -- and potentially dangerous -- real estate

investments involve raw land and subdivision lots. Each has its potential

for profit, but each also has pitfalls which can quickly sink any chance

for a return on your money.

* Raw Land

Raw land is land which has not been developed in any way. It has huge

potential for profit if it is located directly in the path of city

expansion, or has a gorgeous view someone would sell his soul to own, but

as a piece of property unto itself, it may not have great monetary returns.

Part of the problem with raw land is that it doesn't even make a good tax

deduction, because you cannot depreciate raw land. On the other hand, if

you are looking for something in need of little or no upkeep, you might

enjoy owning a piece of raw land.

* Subdivision Lots

Subdivision lots can be potentially rotten investments because of all of

the hidden costs. Before you buy anything, find out who pays for

development of the land, including the installation of electricity, water,

sewage, roads, drainage systems and garbage collection.

Inspect the property yourself. Make sure it isn't located in a low spot

prone to flooding, or on the side of a mountain prone to landslides. Check

state wetlands laws and make sure the property can even be developed at

all.

Some of the items to look for in the contract are hidden costs, clear title

to the land, and a statement which gives you the right to start building on

the land before it is paid for. Then make it your responsibility to record

the contract in your name at the county clerk's office.

Using a Real Estate Broker to Negotiate Deals

More often than not, you will find yourself making an investment purchase

through a real estate seller or broker. As with any investment deal you may

make, both sides want to come out ahead monetarily. For real estate

investments, it pays to learn some of the common practices sellers

occasionally use to come out ahead in the deal. They are:

* Low Operating Expenses

Sellers commonly make this statement to lure you into thinking it won't

cost you much to run the property. Before you agree to anything, find out

if the seller has been operating the building himself to cut on operation

costs. If so, are you capable of running the building yourself? You may

find that operating costs will have to increase as you hire an employee to

operate the building.

* Reasonable Property Tax

Reasonable property tax may be another way of saying the building has not

been assessed for years. Obtain a tax card or listing sheet from the local

tax assessment office and check when the last time was the building was

assessed. If more than two years ago, the building might have back taxes

stacked up against it.

Another bad tax trap: make sure the amount of square footage listed in the

seller's agreement matches the footage listed at the assessor's office. If

the seller's footage is more than the assessor's, you may end up owing lots

of taxes on a building addition which was never previously assessed.

* Energy Efficient

If the structure in question is an old building, the chances are pretty

good its energy efficiency isn't as great as the seller claims. An easy way

to check for energy efficiency is to go to the local electric company and

find out what electricity actually did cost. The same holds true for

whatever energy source is used for heating.

Make Money Through Discounted Mortgages

One effective way to avoid common real estate headaches while making as

much as 30 percent return on your money is to invest in discounted, or

second mortgages.

The reason this is such a great opportunity for investment is that many

mortgage holders do not like having their money tied up for 20 to 30 years.

Most people like the idea of having ready cash on hand, instead of

receiving monthly payments for what seems like forever.

Your job is to offer the mortgage holder a price which is below the face

value of the mortgage. Usually, you should begin negotiations at 60 percent

of the face value. You can then work up to 75 percent and still make a 25

percent profit on your investment. Sometimes, when the holder of the

mortgage needs cash fast, you can obtain the mortgage for as little as 35

to 40 percent of the face value.

Here's an advantage:  Often, the real estate for which you have the second

mortgage, is sold after 10 or 15 years because the owners died, divorced,

or just could no longer make the payments. While the first mortgage holder

is guaranteed payment for his investment before you are, most of the time

the property is sold for a high enough price to pay everyone off.

Before actually getting involved with a second mortgage, check the credit

history of the person who will be paying the bills. If the person has a

good track record of paying all bills completely and on time, chances are

they will be a good risk.

Being a discounted mortgage buyer is especially good for investors who have

some capital-at least $15,000-to play with. You can find second mortgages

available for as little as $2,000 or as high as $50,000, and the returns

can be significant.

As with any major investment, being successful at buying real estate for

profit hinges as much on knowing the market as it does on luck. Understand

what you want in an investment, and know what the market will bear, and you

can end up with a lucrative, long-term investment in real estate.

 

Tips, Tricks, and Tools for Promoting Your Business Online
Learn How To Skyrocket Your Sales by 837%