Real Estate
Property or Paper?
Appraisals and inspections, marketing, renters, rehabs... it can all add up to a huge headache. But real estate investing is still exciting and lucrative. What to do? Consider investing in real estate-based financial instruments instead.
Rental Property: Great Investment or Nightmare?
No one profits from their own ignorance. Thinking ahead is your best guarantee when considering whether to rent a property into the future or to sell for a fixed profit today....Rural vs Urban Investing
As population shifts occur throughout the world many are finding it possible and desirable to move from urban areas to rural, mountain, and even island locales. In that fact lies a new opportunity for investment....When It Doesn't Sell Fast Enough
In a market that has seen double-digit price increases for two years or more, selling a home was easy. Offer the property for sale at or slightly above market value and watch the bids roll in — sometimes within days....Investing and Your Portfolio
Since the exponential expansion of products in the 1980s, investments now come in a bewildering variety. Sorting through the technical details and balancing the risks against potential gain of any given mix is a job for professionals. But short of gaining an advanced degree, the educated investor can still improve the odds by following some simple guidelines....Managing Risk
In the world of property investment, there are various points along the 'just looking' to 'ready to sell' spectrum. Protecting your investment takes on different hues at different points....Insurance and Risk Management
First, some statistics. In the summer of 2005, the median price of a home rose nearly 15 percent from the year earlier, in some markets, much more. Lenders lowered required credits scores (FICOs), waived some documentation requirements, and raised the debt allowance to 45 percent of income. Some reports estimate that interest-only loans now make up 30 percent of all new mortgages. Nearly 35 percent of mortgages are now ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages). Since June 2004, the U.S. Federal reserve has raised rates 11 times....Creative Financing For Investors
For decades the way to finance a property purchase was 80-20, 20 percent down, 80 percent on loan. Certainly, there have been many who put more down, but 20 percent was considered the bare minimum. Happily, things have changed....Inspections Save You Money
Property, like any other good for sale, comes in all conditions. But the average home or real property costs 8-10 times or more the amount of other high ticket items. That's what makes it an investment rather than merely a purchase. Essential to ensuring it's a sound one is getting a thorough inspection. Write right into the deal that any offer is contingent on a satisfactory inspection. And what constitutes 'satisfactory'...?...Flipping: Not Gymnastics, But Lots of Exercise
'Flipping', in real estate investing lingo, is nothing more than buying a property and selling it again quickly, hopefully for a healthy profit. It's not illegal, it isn't even unethical — it's just business, and that can be done either way....






