12 Tips to Make Money in Real Estate

12 Tips to Make Money in Real Estate

When you invest in real estate, you invest in something tangible. You can look at it, feel it, drive by with your friends, point out the window, and say, “I own that”. For some people, that’s important psychologically.

Real estate investments have traditionally been a terrific inflation hedge to protect against a loss in purchasing power of the dollar.

When it comes to real estate investing there are multiple ways to earn a dollar. Here are

12 tips to make money in real estate.

1. Taking calculated risks by implementing the LOANs strategy
This is a real bonafide strategy. Using other’s money can help you get started. You can make a fortune in real estate by taking out loans. You might not even be able to get a credit card so you try to put deals together with no expenses other than a phone number.

If you are going to own real estate, on the other hand, then you need to be prepared to take out a lot of debt — or leverage — to finance your property with the least amount of down payment. This can be risky because there are laws stating the minimum that you must put down to buy property in different jurisdiction. Some articles recommend risking it all by taking out credit cards. This is fine if this fits your appetite for risk and using hard money. Just be respectful of the fact that you have to pay this money back. In most cases loans with higher interest rates are meant for short term uses. Some people buy their property free-and-clear.

Leveraging Other’s Assets Now Strategy

2. Care about your tenants by improving your property
What’s the point taking all of the risk if you don’t care about the property?

Many investors don’t care about the condition of the property. They care about getting paid. Some investors would rather offer discounts on rent than make an improvement to their property. This tells me that they are undercapitalized or just aren’t good business people. If you want to invest in property you should care about making improvements to it to optimize the property’s value.Plan for your property to be damaged, budget to repair your property, and take people to court to recover costs. Real estate is built around contracts. If you want to enforce your contracts you have to take them to court often to get liens, judgments, and help getting tenants out of properties. Make sure to talk to your lawyers.

3. Condos vs SFR (Single Family Residence), make for better rental properties
What property type should you choose? Your property type should depend on the real estate itself, however most real estate professionals prefer a specific real estate niche. If you are in real estate you have probably heard the industry adage, “Never fall in love with real estate…fall in love with the ROI.” So what real estate ventures can provide a return on investment (ROI) a real estate investor can love? It’s been said by sites and realtors that condos make for better investments than single family residences, however, it really is based on the numbers. Decide whether you are a cash flow investor or capital gains investor, analyze your deals and make your decisions. It seems that mobile homes and mobile home parks are popular right now.

4. Find partners that you can trust
At some point during business growth, it may make sense to take on a partner. Too much work, you’re stretched too thin, missed opportunities. A good business partner may be the solution – and you can take a day off once in a while.

Finding a business partner is a lot like finding a partner in life. A solid foundation is based on trust and respect for each other. Your business partner will be an integral part of your life.

Finding partners you can trust is a key element for all types of relationships in real estate. Like all relationships, business partnerships are built on trust and mutual value. The beginning phases of these relationships are critical to establishing that trust and value. You need to prove to a potential partner that working together is in both of your best interests, right from your initial conversations.

Eight Ways To Build Trust-Based Relationships With Potential Business Partners

5. Diversification is key
Diversification is important, as with any investment, so plan to buy lots of property, a big portfolio of real estate assets, or do deals. If you do deals by being the middle man, you only need a few good connections to strike it rich. Consider investing in assets outside of real estate to diversify as well.

6. Start local
Robert Kiyosaki mentioned in one of his real estate courses to focus on your local neighborhood and get to know the market well. Focusing locally is a great strategy because you are not far from your property and know what is going on. It can be more difficult doing out-of-state deals because you have to build trust with the people you are dealing with at a distance. It’s good to be able to fly to meet cash buyers and motivated sellers face-to-face. Once you connect with buyers and sellers, you can meet them face-to-face — it’s up to you! You have the potential to become an international expert when you start local.

7. Know Your Neighborhood
As we mentioned previously, starting local is a great strategy. Get connected with local experts who know about the specifics of each neighborhood before you invest. There are such drastic demographic changes between close neighborhoods in the U.S. that it’s good to know people in those locations who you trust, you can joint venture with or consult and to visit those locations yourself so you can see the difference in the areas which you are investing. Some of you invest in such big packages which make it prohibitive to visit every single neighborhood but it’s a good idea for smaller investors to visit where they are investing. Even some coaches visit where they invest.

8. Find a niche
Finding a niche is really important. You do not need to be expert in everything. You need to be exceptional at a few things and customers will buy, tenants will rent, cash buyers will invest. You can try to be an expert in many phases of real estate, or you can specialize in a niche market and become the authority in that market. There are many highly successful real estate agents and brokers that have narrowed their real estate marketing niche focus to a specific geographical area, a type of property or a category of consumer. Recognizing the opportunities that are out there and selecting a niche that appeals to you can be a lucrative strategy. Here are just a few niches to get you started…

• For Sale By Owner Properties (FSBO's)
• Resort and Vacation Homes
• Hispanics are a growing home-buying group.
• More and more Singles are buying homes every year.
• Baby boomers, or Seniors are a huge market influence.
• Luxury Homes - A market requiring specialized skills and money.
• Condominium buyers and sellers offer a great niche opportunity.

9. Pick Trending Markets
In tip 6 remember Robert Kiyosaki mentioned to focus on your local neighborhood? Contrary to starting local, Forbes recommends going where the money is. In this article, David Lichtenstein recommends following hot industries in order to know where prices will go up. He believes that trend spotting is very important to accumulating wealth in real estate quickly. Getting a jump on the upcoming trends can have a positive financial impact on your real estate business. Here are Housing Market Predications for 2019.

10. Have good tax accounting
Claim capital expenses on your taxes to defer paying taxes. Rollover your properties to new investment properties so you don’t have to pay taxes on the sale of one property when upgrading to a bigger one with more doors which cash flows better. Learn the different tax laws in each market so that you don’t miss out on investing in all of the hot markets with the biggest price appreciation. Consult your tax professional.

11. Get control of as many properties as you can while mortgage rates are at historical lows
Debt is still debt. You have to be careful of taking on too much debt because interest rates can rise and you can be over leveraged, unable to refinance, and go bankrupt. With so many countries going into negative interest rates, who knows where interest rates will go. With low interest rates it is more affordable to own property.

Good Debt - There's no better example of the old adage "it takes money to make money" than good debt. Good debt helps you generate income and increases you net worth.

Bad Debt - While even "good debt" can have a downside, certain debts are downright bad. Items that fit into this category include all debts incurred to purchase depreciating assets. In other words, "if it won't go up in value or generate income, you shouldn't go into debt to buy it."

12. Build a lead generation system
“Systems and technology have leveled the playing field.” - Josh Altman, the star of the hit TV show Million Dollar Listing. Some real estate investors have their own IDX integrated sites with lists of 80,000 cash buyers, which really help them, get deals done in their local market when a distressed seller calls them. However, you need to have your own lead generation system to make this happen. Placester provides tools that will help you increase your sales however, look to pay an annual fee of $1,200 to $3,000 if you need an entire IDX integrated site and email marketing. Your real estate leads are your bread and butter. However, you don’t have to start from scratch and you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to get started. This is why RECBL provides verified real estate cash buyers for agents, brokers, wholesalers and investors to help real estate professionals with real estate ventures. RECBL provides real estate cash buyer packages starting at only $10. Also, with each package, we make sure you are able to access the free real estate property software and free real estate email marketing software.

Here is an article on the marketing trends to pay attention to in 2019.

How much are you going to make in real estate in the next ten years?

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Real Estate Industry and the New Normal

Real Estate Industry and the "New Normal"

This month’s National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Power Broker Roundtable discusses the evolution of the industry’s “new normal.”

 MODERATOR: ​​​Christina Pappas, District Sales Manager, The Keyes Company, Miami, Fla.; Liaison for Large Firms & Industry Relations, NAR

 PANELIST: Sherry Chris, CEO, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Madison, N.J.

 PANELIST: Joan Docktor, President, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, Devon, Pa.

 PANELIST: Long Doan, CEO, Co-Founder, Realty Group MN, Coon Rapids, Minn.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Christina Pappas: Everything old is new again. The saying comes from the lyrics of a Peter Allen song originated nearly 40 years ago, but the words were never truer than they are today, especially in the real estate industry, which has changed and reinvented itself over and over since the term “REALTOR®” was first coined way back in 1916.

So what exactly is traditional real estate? Is it relevant in today’s world? What do we mean by “the new normal”—and where is the industry heading? For answers—and some very well-informed interpretations—we’ll be speaking with three industry leaders who are positioned on the forefront of change. Sherry, you’ve been a real estate innovator through several cycles of change. What do you see as today’s new normal?

Sherry Chris: Well, I can’t go back to 1916, but I have been around long enough to see how the industry has turned upside down with the advent of modern technology. In the early days of technology application, consumers would search our websites on their own and perhaps eventually call an agent. Today, we can give our agents the edge through the use of predictive modeling. We can use Smart Bots. We can match up artificial intelligence (AI) with a treasure trove of deep, rich data to determine the habits and patterns of potential buyers and sellers, so that the agent can be the first to reach out with exactly what that consumer is looking for. That’s the direction we are taking, and we’re investing heavily in the effort. But to speak to your “everything old is new again” reference, Christina, the truth is that regardless of the impact technology is making, the agent was, is, and should be the trusted advisor at the center of every transaction.

Joan Docktor: I agree. Today’s new normal combines the best of traditional real estate—that is, building relationships and giving every consumer the best possible buying or selling experience—with everything that technology can offer to accommodate and advance those goals. We are using AI to make our agent CRMs smarter—to give our agents more and better information and to keep them front and center with consumers. We’re also in the process of developing Chat Bots, or Smart Bots, to reside online and answer consumer questions 24/7—and, more important, to connect online searchers with knowledgeable, live agents.

Long Doan: Of course, technology has dramatically changed the way real estate is practiced today, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. In my new normal, keeping the agent front and center means more than providing tools; it means creating an environment where the broker works for the agent, and not the other way around. Our goal is to provide a business platform that includes technology, as well as marketing support and coaching, to help every agent become the CEO of his or her own business—and we are turning the traditional commission structure on its ear with a 100 percent commission and a flat fee. In my view, that’s the way to produce dedicated and competitive agents who perform at peak levels.

CP: There’s another way the industry is changing, and it has to do with physical footprint, both in terms of space and layout. Shrinking office space was a natural byproduct of the last industry slowdown, but what may have begun as an economic need is giving us a new-normal benefit. In our offices, for example, cubicles are becoming a thing of the past in favor of open spaces—almost like a Starbucks atmosphere—that are flexible and that definitely create a more congenial business setting.

LD: I think that back when cell phones went viral, and everybody became mobile, many agents seemed to want to skip the office in favor of working from home. But now, agents are coming back because they miss that interaction. Part of my approach is making the office environment so valuable, so compelling in terms of support, sharing and mentoring, that agents want to be there whenever they’re not out selling real estate.

JD: That’s a good thing, because real estate is first and foremost a people business, both in terms of office culture and in building client relationships. But as more business is transacted online, the new normal also means we need to be more focused than ever on security. Hackers become more wily every day, and many consumers don’t realize just how vulnerable they are. As brokers, we need to have two-step email authentications and other online security measures in place to help keep consumer information and all our data as safe and secure as possible.

SC: And yet all of that is in the background, as far as consumers are concerned—security, data-mining, even Smart Bots. All most consumers want to know—even millennials, who are the most tech-savvy and who make up the largest segment of homebuyers today—when the rubber meets the road is that their agent is there for them, face-to-face, throughout every phase of their transaction. In that way, traditional real estate hasn’t changed…and I doubt that it ever will.



For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.





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White-Boxing: Stripping luxury homes

White-Boxing: Stripping luxury homes

RECBL - Real Estate News

Thirty-two stories above West Hollywood, California, there is a big, empty space. A sweeping, 7,000-square-foot penthouse in the storied, iconic Sierra Towers that has been stripped down to the bare concrete bones. Listed at $58 million, with sweeping 360-degree terrace views of Los Angeles, the fact that it is empty apparently makes it more valuable.

The new strategy, which is becoming increasingly popular in luxury real estate markets like New York and Los Angeles, is called "white-boxing." Strip out all the finishings, all the amenities, even the highest of the high-end kitchens and baths, and then you can charge more for the space.

"A lot of times people will buy something, totally done, beautiful and they'll still rip everything out and start over, so this trend is more, buy it, do whatever you want to do and you don't have to pay to rip out someone else's design," said Jade Mills, with Coldwell Banker of Beverly Hills. "This is much more valuable than buying something and having to rip everything out."

Not only does it save the buyer time and money, but Mills says it actually makes buyers feel better about the tear out, which they all know is not exactly environmentally sound. They may know they're wasting what was already there, but it's already been done, so they don't have to see that. It's tabula rasa real estate at its finest.

"White-boxing is really just having a blank canvas. So you can walk in, you just see the walls, you see the interior space, but you can do whatever you want to that space" said Mills.

​It can make an older property seem new. And regardless of how iconic the building – Sierra Towers has had residents from Cher to Elton John — high-end buyers want to put their own stamp on whatever they buy.

"There is no appetite for 'off-the-rack' with this demographic; it's all about uber-customization," added Josh Greer of Hilton & Hyland, who just began marketing the full-floor penthouse with Mills. "As recently as a few years ago, it would be relatively rare for a seller to go to market with unfinished luxury space, but now there's increasing recognition that 'designer-ready' is exceedingly more attractive than 'move-in ready' to the ultra-wealthy."

And more attractive to the architects and designers who will be working on the projects.

​​"For us to take a white box and design like this, it's much easier because you get to bring the client here and really breathe the space," said Los Angeles architect Gavin Brodin. "A property is definitely more valuable stripped out."

Brodin said it is also easier to create computer-generated images, virtual renderings of potential designs, when the space is empty. He came up with some potential designs for the Sierra penthouse, so the seller can offer buyers ideas — something to look at beyond the view. He says no matter how high-end the home, most clients will rip out everything inside.

"That happens to us on nine out of 10 projects," Brodin said.

Because when you're paying $58 million or more for your new home, it's not perfect until it's personal.





Jason Grace is AZ Social Realty's content editor. Email him your real estate news ideas at jason@cashbuyerslists.com.

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Is History Repeating Itself? Is a Bubble Next?

Is History Repeating Itself? Is a Bubble Next?

RECBL - Real Estate News

Demand is forcing home prices in the West to keep ticking up, even though the home-buying and -selling season is winding down, according to the September Zillow(R) Real Estate Market Report. Appreciation is highest in the San Jose, Calif., and Seattle, Wash., metropolitan areas, where prices have rocketed (in order) 10.3 percent, to a median $455,800, and 12.4 percent, to a median $1,052,500, year-over-year. Appreciation nationally is 6.9 percent, to a median $202,700.

Rents out West are also on a swift upswing. Rents in Riverside, Calif. have climbed 6.0 percent year-over-year-the most of the metro areas in the report-to a median $1,833.

Rents in Seattle have gone up 5.5 percent to a median $2,189; rents in Portland, Ore., have increased 4.7 percent to a median $1,863; and rents in Los Angeles, Calif., have risen 4.5 percent to $2,714. Appreciation nationally is 2 percent, to a median $1,430.

"In these West Coast markets, heightened demand is being met with limited supply of homes for sale, which naturally causes prices to rise," says Dr. Svenja Gudell, chief economist at Zillow. "That limited supply and high demand dynamic is a widespread phenomenon impacting high-growth metros like Seattle, as well as slower-moving markets, like Indianapolis.

"It might be easy to assume another bubble is emerging, with home values growing 10 or 12 percent per year, but don’t worry-the market is reacting to basic economic laws, and is behaving exactly the way we would expect it to given good overall growth, limited supply of homes for sale and decent housing affordability thanks to low mortgage interest rates," Gudell says.

Nationally, there are now 12 percent fewer homes for sale compared to one year ago, the report shows.

The current growth in home prices is echoing the lead-up to the recession. Is history repeating itself?

The answer is likely not, according to a recently released realtor.com(R) report. Building is lacking in many markets-one hallmark 10 years ago was over-construction-and credit standards are more stringent, says Danielle Hale, chief economist of realtor.com.

"As we compare today’s market dynamics to those of a decade ago, it’s important to remember rising prices didn’t cause the housing crash," Hale says. "It was rising prices stoked by subprime and low documentation mortgages, as well as people looking for short-term gains-versus today’s truer market vitality-that created the environment for the crash."

In 2016, home prices (the national median home sales price) were 2 percent higher than they were in 2006, the report reveals. Pre-recession prices have returned in 31 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas.

In contrast with 2006, however, are today’s credit conditions. Currently, the median FICO score for a mortgage is 734; the median in 2006 was 700.

Builds and flips are also different from 2006-starkly. The credit environment, among other factors, is keeping a lid on unfettered flipping and over-construction. In 2006, one household formation generally equaled 1.4 single-family housing starts; in 2016, that number shrank to 0.7 single-family starts. Flips accounted for 5 percent of sales in 2016; in 2006, they comprised 8.6 percent.

"Lending standards are critical to the health of the market," says Hale. "Unlike today, the booms under-regulated lending environment allowed borrowing beyond repayable amounts and atypical mortgage products, which pushed up home prices without the backing of income and equity."

Additionally, economic indicators point elsewhere. Employment was healthy then and is now, but inventory is limited more today-at a 20-year low. Presently, the average month’s supply is 4.2; in 2007, the average month’s supply was 6.4.

"The healthy economy is creating more jobs and households, but not giving these people enough places to live," Hale says. "Rapid price increases will not last forever. We expect a gradual tapering as buyers are priced out of the market-not a market correction, but an easing of demand and price growth as renting or adding roommates becomes a more affordable alternative."



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Don’t put your money in a house, says a new report

               

(CNBC) - Rising home prices and potentially increasing mortgage rates could hamper investments.

Renting may be a better option than buying, according to the report.

If you're planning on house hunting this weekend, you might want to do a little math first.

Owning a home used to be a great way to build wealth, but that equation is turning. It may, in fact, be more lucrative to invest your money elsewhere.

As home prices rise quickly and mortgage rates threaten to increase, the rent versus buy equation is tipping toward rent, according to an index from Florida Atlantic University. It factors in home prices, rents, mortgage rates and alternative investments that create wealth. 

Essentially, it calculates the wealth accumulated when owning a home compared with the wealth accumulated when renting the same property and investing the down payment somewhere else.

"The major drivers for this quarter's scores appear to be slowing rents relative to the costs of ownership and climbing mortgage rates," said Ken Johnson, a real estate economist and one of the index's creators at FAU's College of Business.

"Thus, on the margin, more potential owners should favor renting and reinvesting in a portfolio of stocks and bonds as opposed to ownership. This shift should slightly lower the demand for ownership and contribute to the slowdown in housing prices around the country."

Of the 23 cities the index measures, 11, including New York City and Boston, are still in 'buy' territory — some very definitively, like Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Nine, including Minneapolis, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, hover right around zero, meaning it is a toss-up between buy and rent. Three cities, Dallas, Denver and Houston, are in historically high territory for renting being the better option for building wealth.

Despite different levels currently, all of the cities are steadily moving toward rent in the FAU index, because home prices have risen so steeply in the past few years and continue to gain. Mortgage rates bumped higher after the presidential election in November, and although they have fallen since, they are expected to rise through the end of 2017.

This may be why another index, measuring homebuyer sentiment, is dropping. The monthly Fannie Mae survey found those who said now is a good time to buy a home fell to its lowest level ever. In addition, fewer respondents said they were confident about holding on to their jobs.

"High home prices have led many consumers to give us the first clear indication we've seen in the National Housing Survey's seven-year history that they think it's now a seller's market," said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae.

"However, we continue to see a lack of housing supply as many potential sellers are unwilling or unable to put their homes on the market, perhaps due in part to concerns over finding an affordable replacement home. Prospective homebuyers are likely to face continued home price increases as long as housing supply remains tight."

Clearly affordability is weighing on the housing market, especially as more and more younger buyers enter it for the first time.

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