Two Legs of the Table in Place…
Wednesday, May 20
Falling prices and rising rents in some areas mean good news for real estate investors ready to buy property. This also means short-term resale prospects are brightening, especially if the purchase price is low enough. But investment capital is still scarce. Unless you’re Warren Buffet, there...
What Does it Say When the Good Ones Go Bad?
Thursday, May 14
Before the crash, I sold a house FSBO on owner financing to a wonderful couple who always paid their mortgage on time. Never missed a payment or were even late. Then one day in October of last year, I got an e-mail asking, “What would happen if we gave you the house back?” In response, I couns...
True Stories of Real Estate Investing - the Case of the Drunken Foreclosure
Thursday, May 14
There is no substitute for real life stories when it comes to avoiding the curve balls you encounter as a real estate investor. This story is one of those that taught me a lesson, and I figure others could maybe learn from it too.It's about a deal I did with my accountant of many years that went...
Hungry Contractors Don't Always Mean Low Prices
Friday, May 08
I have been getting higher prices from my regular contractors lately. You would think that with fewer jobs available, they would charge even less to keep my business. That's not the way it always works.In fact, I have found that contractors feeling financial pressure may actually charge more. ...
What About Short-Term Resale – Part II
Tuesday, May 05
To recap, if you get hold of a bargain, that’s half the battle. Short-term resale is the other half.The way to handle it is the way it’s always been done - buy it right to begin with. The perfect deal would be a long DOM FSBO in a good neighborhood, negotiated for owner financing with minimal f...
Late Rent? Try Tenant "Rehab"
Monday, May 04
When your tenant becomes behind on the rent, you enter his world of financial dysfunction. I’m not talking about the transient sector of the tenant population - the folks who are just passing through (students, relocating business people, young couples getting their first apartment together, etc...