Tips for home buyers: potential for natural disasters
The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) offers advice on how to keep the American dream of homeownership from becoming a nightmare.
Read more on The Photo News

If It Causes Stress, Is It Really a Vacation Home?
For many people, owning a vacation home is part of the American dream. But ask yourself some tough questions before you buy.
Read more on New York Times

Slower Sales After Home Buyer Tax Credit Ends
Sales for lower-priced homes in New Jersey have slowed after the expiration of the federal tax-credit program for buyers on April 30.
Read more on New York Times

Home buyer and seller opinions offered in survey
Many people dream of buying their first home or trading up to a new home that will better suit their changing needs.
Read more on The Township Journal

Valley Home Sales Increase in June
The federal home buyer tax credit helped boost June sales in the state. Buyers now have until October to complete the purchase. Many of those deals were finalized in June with sales up 14-percent. For the 9th straight month, the average price has gone up, now around 6,000.
Read more on WKBN 27 Youngstown

Valley Home Sales Increase in June
The federal home buyer tax credit helped boost June sales in the state. Buyers now have until October to complete the purchase. Many of those deals were finalized in June with sales up 14-percent. For the 9th straight month, the average price has gone up, now around 6,000. As good as the statewide numbers are, the figures are even higher in all categories for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana …
Read more on WYTV Youngstown

There are many ways in which a person can make a living when it comes to real estate investing some of them carry more risks than others. It goes without saying that those that carry the greatest risks are often the very real estate investment methods with the highest potential profit but slow and steady, in many cases, wins the race. Flipping houses is in the news a lot because so many fortunes have been made doing this-more than a few have been lost in this venture as well but those don’t make the news nearly as often.

Working with rental properties isn’t nearly as glamorous and doesn’t provide the almost instant profits that flipping houses might but it is also a great and very valid method of real estate investing that will build a steady profit over time if you plan properly. Rental properties are in demand now more than ever with so many people going into foreclosure and losing the homes they’ve worked hard to build for their families. For this reason rental properties are a good thing to own at the moment, especially those that are family homes.

There are many reasons that people rent and while there are some risks involved when renting properties, the risks are much lower than the risks involved in flipping or pre-construction investment endeavors. There are a few things you should consider when purchasing a property for the sake of renting however in order to make a wise and long lasting decision for your real estate investment.

First, only invest in rental properties in areas that people want to live in. It may be true that you can buy property cheap in a few very run down sections of town but it is doubtful that you will turn those properties into profitable rental units. It is best to pay a little more for a more attractive address for renters. You will find that your properties are inhabited more often, which will make you more money in the long run.

Second, pay attention to the types of people in the area and buy rentals accordingly. It is quite possible to turn large homes into multiple smaller apartment units (according to local zoning laws) that are ideal for college students. You do not want to do this however in an area that is geared towards family homes and won’t be friendly or tolerant of college students. Design the rentals according to the market you are attempting to attract.

Third, don’t be greedy. The goal of owning rental properties is of course, to make money. At the same time if your price your properties too high you will find that they sit empty more often than not. Every month that your property is empty is a month that you aren’t making money on that property at best and a month that you are losing money at worst.

Fourth, know the market. Study the local market for buying real estate and renting real estate. This will help with many things, not the least of which is determining whether or not any given property will make an attractive rental unit. Another thing it will help you determine is how much rent the units you are considering can bring in month after month.

Finally, when renting properties you need to keep your eye on the long-term goals rather than shortsighted goals. Property rental is a marathon rather than a sprint with the greatest profits coming at the end. You will want to pay as little interest on the property as possible and pay the property off as quickly as possible in order to realize the maximum profit potential and acquire new properties. The real money when renting properties as a real estate investment isn’t in renting out one or two units but twenty or thirty. The more rental properties you own the more money you stand to make from owning them.

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All new things can be a little frightening or intimidating at first glance. The same is definitely true when it comes to flipping houses. Many people feel several times during their first flip that they have gotten in over their heads. The truth is that it will take more than a few flips to feel comfortable with the process. Most people make very little, if any real profit on their first flip and write it off as a learning experience only to enter into the next flip with newly learned lessons and a positive attitude. Learning the ABCs of flipping houses is a great place to begin and can help you avoid costly mistakes made by many first time flippers.

1) Appraise. You need to have a proper appraisal performed on the house you intend to flip and compare it to other houses in better condition and of similar size and style within the neighborhood. You do not want to buy the best house in the neighborhood, in fact it is best if you can find the neighborhood eyesore and turn it into a competitive house for the neighborhood in order to get the most for your money. More importantly you want the appraisal to reveal the actual value of the home now as compared to the price you are paying and talk to the appraiser about what the home would be worth the with improvements you are planning to make.
2) Bold Moves. Sometimes it takes bold moves to make the impression you want to make. The decision to flip houses is a bold move in and of itself and while you do not want to necessarily enter into risky waters you do not want to play it too safe either. Be cautious with your financing and guard your expenses and your budget well but make the changes that will catch the eye of the next owner for the property.
3) Can do Attitude. You absolutely must believe you can do this in order to get it done. A house flip is not an undertaking for the timid or those that lack self-confidences. You will need to stand up to your contractors, inspectors, and even some vendors in order to get the best price and the most bang for your buck. In other words you need to believe in yourself and what you are doing in order to get it done. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to the advice of those with more experience and expertise, especially when it comes to structural issues within the home and bringing the property to code but you also need to stand up for yourself to insure that you aren’t paying for things you aren’t getting.
4) Determination. You must also be determined to see your project through to completion. It takes a certain sort of pigheadedness to get through the first few flips. It should be stated here that flipping houses is certainly not an easy way to make a living. It does have the potential however, to be a highly profitable way to make a living and that is what most potential flippers are looking for. If you want those profits you are going to need to push yourself out of bed even on those mornings when you feel as though looking at the property in question is going to make you wail and moan and pull out your hair.
5) Excitement. This may be the most necessary of all ingredients. You will find that excitement is in short supply many days but it if you can recapture that initial excitement over your decision to flip houses then it will sustain you on those days when the plumber brings bad news or you just learned that a solid weak of rain is forecasted for the weak the roof was to go on.

This is a small start on the ABCs of house flipping and real estate investing but I think you get the picture. Good luck!

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While many people have very specific dreams of enjoying the bountiful profits that can be made from flipping houses very few people put too terribly much thought into the process or any formulas that might be pertinent to success when it comes to flipping houses as a real estate investment venture or for the sake of building a nice comfortable lifestyle or retirement. You will hear a lot about the things not to do when it comes to flipping houses but very few people take the time to mention the things you absolutely must do in order to successfully flip a house and thus begin your ride on the road to real estate investment riches.

1) Do put everything to pen and paper and plan it out carefully before you begin. If you are going to enter into this to make money you need to treat it like a business. This means you need to have a plan of action and make every effort to work towards carrying out that plan.
2) Do establish a budget for the entire project. You need to have a plan for how much money you are willing to invest in the property itself, how much for renovations, and how much money you need to make in order to be a worthy investment for your time and labor. A house flip is a lot of work in order to pull it off successfully. You want to have a good idea of how much homes in the neighborhood are worth, the value of your property as is and the estimated value of the property once improvements are made. In addition you should also have a pretty firm grasp of the costs involved in making the repairs in order to create a realistic budget for the entire project.
3) Do have an inspection. This is the single most important detail that can save you a great deal of time, money, and heartache when everything is said and done. Be prepared to walk away if the inspection determines that there is more work needing to be done than simple cosmetic repairs. You want to make changes that people can see because those are generally the changes that drive up the cost of the house. You want to avoid needing to make changes and improvements that aren’t visible but are very necessary. If you need to invest a lot of money and labor into the house you need to seriously consider the realistic profit potential the property offers. If it isn’t significant then you need to walk away before the property becomes a real estate investment money pit.
4) Do know the neighborhood and plan your flip according to the needs of the area rather than your personal tastes and needs in a home. This is another thing that many first time flippers forget. This is not a personal project it is a business project and you need to treat it as such. Keep costs down and feelings out.
5) Do remember that you are in the market to make money not waste money when it comes to establishing an asking price for the property. You’ve poured blood, sweat, and probably more than a few tears into your flip but you cannot set the value of the property by the effort you’ve placed into it. Have realistic expectations of how much you stand to earn from your efforts and how much you are willing to go down on the price in order to walk away with some profit in your pocket.

You should also take a moment to reflect upon the fact that many first time flippers actually lose money on their first flip. If you turn a profit at all, even a small profit you have learned many valuable lessons that you can carry with you into future flips and make more money. More importantly the lessons you learn from your first flip are lessons that money really cannot buy so it is worth a lower profit or even taking a slight hit if your experience makes you even more money in the future as you continue along your real estate investment path.

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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 basis. Just as you cannot dump all of your stock over one bad day the same holds true even more so in the realm of real estate investing. Property values in general rise gradually over time. This means that even if the values in a community falter chances are that they will eventually recover.

Those who bank on the slow and steady growth in the value are referred to as buy and hold investors. These investors are truly committed to their investment. Some of them elect to hold the property as a vacation property while others opt to earn an income on the property by renting it out to other families or vacationers, whatever their choice may be.

This is a great way for many people to enjoy the luxury of a vacation property without absorbing all of the expenses involved in owning a vacation property as the rentals will help compensate some of the costs when the owners (investors) are not in residence. This is a fairly common practice in high demand tourist areas in which people often enjoy vacationing. These types of investors are what some people refer to as serious real estate investors though all real estate investors need to take their purchases seriously.

Those who own rental properties must also be committed to making their investments work for them. Rental properties are not a ‘hands off’ type of investment, as they will need to be maintained in order to remain in demand by tenants. You must also make constant efforts to keep these properties managed and filled along with remaining certain that you are collecting your rent each month and that the properties aren’t falling into a state of disrepair or abuse by tenants.

Many investors retain the services of property management agencies in order to handle the minutia of month-to-month details and collections. This is a great idea whether you have one lone rental property or a vast portfolio of rental properties. Even better however, is the fact that if you keep your rental properties in reasonable repair throughout the years they can become liquid assets in time. In other words, they may actually pay for themselves a few times over if you invest for the long-term rather than focusing on the moment.

No matter what type of real estate investment you intend to have it is important that you are prepared to make the commitment to profit or profitability that is necessary in order for your venture to be deemed a success.

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So, you are planning to buy your perfect house or
commercial property but don?t know what your options are in
the mortgage department.

Well, there are tons to choose from and they are all
tailored to your specific needs. If you have a great job
and money isn?t an issue, you can make higher payments and
possibly pay off your loan in as little as 10 to 15 years.

For many people though, they don?t have great jobs and need
to best plan for their budget.

Most mortgages differ in just a few ways. They may require
balloon payments up front or toward the end of the loan
period or they might be influenced monthly by ever changing
interest rates.

Fixed rate loans are very popular because you are
guaranteed to have the same bill every month regardless of
interest rates. If you are on a budget, this is a great
option.

Adjustable rate loans differ from fixed rate as they
fluctuate with current interest rates. Don?t worry though,
they usually have a cap so you won?t be paying twice as
much as the month before. The cap is usually just a couple
percent.

These are just a couple of popular types of home loans. If
you plan on getting a commercial loan, you will have many
more mortgage types available.

Some of these have very low payments for the first year
until your business is established and they they increase
so you can pay them off quickly.

The best bet is to research the different types of loan you
are interested in and discuss them with your broker.

You’ve stacked up bills and late payments for months, unable to pay anything. You’re facing the repossession of your home. You’re so worried about where money will come from that you have trouble sleeping. Pretty soon you won’t even have a house to call your own. What can you do to escape this financial nightmare?

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, you are not alone. The current housing crisis in the UK has many people facing this same dilemma. Where can they turn? The traditional option of a long, expensive wait while an estate agent sells your home won’t work for you. Fortunately, there is a better option.

A home buyer service can help people out of this mess and give them cash for their home within a week. They specialize in rescuing people from repossession and other financial messes. From Belfast to Colchester, a home buyer is ready and willing to take your burden away and give you a fresh start.

With a simple phone call, you can set up an appointment with a house buyer. They will get basic information from you and send their agent to your home. Usually within a day the agent will arrive to examine the home and valuate it.

After a thorough analysis, they will send you their estimate. You can take some time to decide if you want to accept the offer or reject it. By accepting their offer, you can have the money in your bank account by the week’s end.

If you choose to decline the offer, there are always other home buyers willing to send their appraisal agent to make another offer. Make sure that you are satisfied with the price, even though you’re going for a quick sale.

Most home buyers will give you the option to rent from them once you sell your home. You’ll need some time to find a permanent place to stay, and home buyer services understand this. You’ll save cash with a lower rental payment and be able to put some away at the same time.

The advantages of using a home buyer service are numerous. Homes can sit on the market for months on end, losing value in the process. With a house buyer, you’ll have a guaranteed sale before you cash your next paycheck.

Home buyers also let you avoid hidden fees. The costs of estate agents are rising, and you’ll want to avoid dealing with them. Home buyers provide free services from appraisal agents to make selling property easier. Home buyer services are simple, quick, and effective at selling your home.

You may not even be in financial trouble, but you still need to sell your house. Maybe you have a few properties and you need to get one of them of your hands? UK home buyers will prove that their services are superior to those of estate agents. They guarantee to get that sale in front of you and cash in your bank in seven days.