Commercial Real Estate Investment Articles

I made $53,849 on one house in July 2005 for 3 hours of my time. It’s a real estate investment property that I found through an advertisement, then called the seller, signed the contract, and sold within 20 minutes of taking possession. I did absolutely nothing to this home and only visited it twice (when I bought it and when I sold it).

I have heard many people say that generating leads for creative real estate investing is a numbers game. That may be very true, but there are definitely things that you can do to make those numbers work in your favor and greatly improve your odds with less money spent in the process.

Congress is most discriminating. For example, if two investors purchased adjacent and identical properties for exactly the same price, spent exactly the same on improvements, and sold them for the same price to the same buyer, one investor might pay double the taxes of the other–and the difference would be even larger when measured in terms of when paid.

The top three items that get small-to-medium scale real estate investors in hot water are: Contract Disputes Negligence Deceptive & Unfair Business Practices

If you market your services to people in foreclosure–or to any targeted list as I have described in a previous article, you are going to get leads. Please remember: Leads are not deals…yet.

Several months ago, I asked a question on the Commercial Real Estate Forum here at CRE Online for article suggestions–topics that readers would find most valuable.

The last two years in commercial real estate have been challenging to say the least. A year ago, I was skulking around our office whining and moaning about the phone not ringing. Nothing was moving. Sellers were stuck in a 2007-era valuation time-machine; tenants alternately begged and demanded rent concessions; and banks were treating real estate investors like red-headed stepchildren (my apologies to freckle-friendly families everywhere).

This is a story about never knowing where you can find your buyer or seller. About nine months ago, I was eating at a Chili’s restaurant and preparing for a wholesaling class I teach for our Real Estate Association in Orlando. A man started talking to me after he saw my ibuyhomes.com shirt. He said he was a Realtor, and we exchanged cards.

My name is Rommel, and I’m from WI. Here is my success story: Six minutes at a real estate investor’s meeting leads to my first deal…Back in 2003, I read a book recommended by my brother called Rich Dad, Poor Dad. From that point forward, I knew that real estate was going to be my ticket to wealth. Over the next 12-18 months, I read tons of books, attended plenty of conventions, listened to real estate radio shows on the Internet, and attended local real estate investor’s meetings.

When I first started in the business I was taught that one way to find good deals was to call sellers who had ads in the “Real Estate for Sale” section of the Classified Ads. So, I tried it and soon discovered that approximately 90% of the sellers I reached were simply not motivated. In fact, some were downright offensive and nasty.

By now I am sure you’ve heard that it is legal, permissible, and profitable to invest in real estate using your self-directed IRA, SEP, or Roth IRA. If you’ve been using this technique, you know the drawbacks: delays in funding, fees from your custodian, potential lawsuits against your IRA.

I’ve wanted to own income property for quite some time. My career background includes banking, investment advising, and now financial planning/business consulting. For almost two years now, I have had my own consulting firm.

I am a full-time real estate investor and owner of Always Open Storage, LLC. A year ago I was fairly oblivious to how the self storage industry worked, as I had spent my previous years in residential real estate.

In this down economy, many people with traditionally “secure” jobs are looking for greater financial security due to the number of job losses over the past year. The concept of “job security” is no longer what it once was.

I know a fireman who once told me that it’s not safe to enter a burning building without first knowing where all the exits are. It seems like common sense to me. Does it to you?

So, you just got that great bank-owned property under contract and now you need a loan to buy, fix, and flip. You went to three hard money lenders, and they turned you down. Why? Because you STINK at selling your deal.

I’m seriously ticked off. Here’s why:I had a conversation yesterday with a fellow named Anthony. He explained to me how he really wanted to get into the real estate business now because the opportunity is so ripe. In particular he wants to get into foreclosures. Who wouldn’t?

17 Essential Tips for New Landlords

Short sales, foreclosures, distressed notes, liquidation auctions, bankruptcy sales…ahhh, so many deals, so little time. Real estate is on SALE!

I started my business by using banks, savings, credit cards, lines of credit, creative techniques with sellers (like land contracts or lease options), and partners. But, once I was self-employed, I was concerned that it was going to be harder to get loans to purchase properties.

They’re often called recession-proof: steady investments that are inexpensive and easy to maintain with consistent profit margins. Not to mention, they’re an area of real estate that seems largely unaffected–if not helped–by current rough market conditions.

When you start out wholesaling houses, one of the first things you want to do is build a list of potential buyers. Don’t make the mistake many beginners make by waiting until you have a house under contract. If you do, you put yourself under pressure. Scrambling to find a buyer could put your other profitable activities on hold.

For the past two years economic stories resound with metaphors more often heard in weather reports than the financial press.

The #1 question my students are asked by distressed homeowners is: How does a short sale affect my credit score? Let’s define what a credit score is first before we embark on how a short sale affects your score.

Getting lenders to say “Yes!” to your short sales require that you know how a lender approves a short sale offer.