The Illusion Created by Real Estate Gurus
Wednesday, July 29
I received an email today that pushed me over the edge of my patience with real estate investor marketing in general. Over the years it seems to have grown easier and easier, until today. Now it’s as easy as it’s ever going to get. I know this for a fact because the email subject line read, “Real...
Unreal...China’s ghost cities?
Monday, July 27
Have you seen news stories or read articles about China’s ghost cities? I got sucked into reading about them this week, and actually couldn’t believe my eyes. As a real estate investor I have vacant properties from time to time. We all do. Vacancies are an integral part of the business, whet...
Thoughts on the SAFE Act, Dodd-Frank Act
Tuesday, October 18
I've been spending some time studying the consequences of recent federal and state legislation that directly affects real estate investors. I'm referring to the Act and the Dodd-Frank Act. This Federal legislation is currently in the process of being implemented by each individual state, bu...
Accountable for vacant homes
Monday, August 01
Do you believe this could be good for neighborhoods? This could be the norm in many cities: lenders without title are accountable for vacant homes and will be responsible for the upkeep. Chicago passed an ordinance on this matter.
What is loan to value ratio?
Wednesday, May 11
The way banks and mortgage lenders decide whether to make loans on certain houses with a certain value is not really a mysterious process, although you don't hear much from them while you're waiting for an appraisal and for a loan commitment. It can be a long, tiresome wait!Mortgage lenders use a...
Title Search... Necessary???
Tuesday, May 10
Every time I sell a home I have to remember to provide my buyer with a special form of guarantee that there are no liens or problems in its legal history. And despite the fact that these things aren't very interesting, they are actually very important to everybody involved in a sale of real ...