Commercial Real Estate Investment Articles

As a real estate agent and broker for 20 years, I’ve found my knowledge and use of notes to be my most valuable tool. I did the tenants and toilets game for what seems like 100 years. I sort of backed my way into paper investment. I learned to use real estate notes in my investing, and mortgage buyers became a valuable resource.

Are you a newbie attending a real estate investing club? Learn the rules before you attend.

It amazes me how many people start investing in real estate, only to fail when the going gets tough. As soon as people discover they can’t get rich in a week or two, they are on to the next “guru” secret. It’s the same as weight loss–everyone talks about it, many try it, but few succeed.

After searching the market for the perfect piece of real estate, you have found property that will satisfy your needs and give you future opportunities. It is now time to be concerned about protecting yourself from the risks involved in property ownership.

In a previous article, I shared the first five of the techniques I teach Realtors to help them see the potential when it comes to seller financing. Real Estate Paper: Your Most Valuable Tool.

As I travel around the country giving seminars and training classes on Rehab 101, I often am asked if I have a favorite home repair technique. The first thing that comes to mind is Bondo. Yes, the same Bondo body filler that mechanics use to repair dents on wrecked cars.

By definition, a real estate investor puts up some money and “invests” it into deals. As a real estate “entrepreneur,” I prefer to avoid tying up any of my cash in my real estate investments. In fact, I prefer to collect some of my profits on the same day I buy a house.

After searching the market for the perfect piece of real estate, you have found property that will satisfy your needs and give you future opportunities. It is now time to be concerned about protecting yourself from the risks involved in property ownership.

[Editor’s note: The real estate short sale can be a useful and very powerful technique for turning “no equity” deals into big profits. In a short sale, you negotiate with the bank holding the mortgage and get it to accept *less* than what the seller owes.]

Having run a real estate club since 1994 with 650 members Colorado Association of Real Estate Investors] and having spoken at more than 50 clubs around the country, I have a few observations and insights. If you want to get the most out of a real estate investment club, follow these five rules…

It amazes me how many people start investing in real estate, only to fail when the going gets tough. As soon as people discover they can’t get rich in a week or two, they are on to the next “guru” secret. It’s the same as weight loss–everyone talks about it, many try it, but few succeed.

In order for you to succeed at finding and marketing great real estate deals, you have to be accountable for your efforts. Since you may not have a partner to keep you on track, we have designed a log to help you.

As a real estate agent and broker for 20 years, I’ve found my knowledge and use of notes to be my most valuable tool. I did the tenants and toilets game for what seems like 100 years. I sort of backed my way into paper investment. I learned to use real estate notes in my investing, and mortgage buyers became a valuable resource.

[In IRS Definitions for “Real Estate Investors” (Part One), Diane defined real estate dealer status and real estate professional status and the related tax planning. In Part Two, she’ll discuss real estate developer status and related tax issues.]

As a general contractor turned investor, it has been my goal to teach people as many ways as possible to get the highest quality work and results for the lowest possible price. Bringing up the value of an investment property and creating equity are two major factors in building wealth

Unfortunately, real estate investors are not all created equal in the eyes of the IRS. If you’re an investor, there are four different types of real estate investor definitions that you will want to watch out for:

You can make a profit from the deals you find, even when the deals aren’t a fit for your real estate business. Here are five tips to make sure you get paid for your time.

In a previous article, I shared the first five of the techniques I teach Realtors to help them see the potential when it comes to seller financing

The “due on sale” clause is probably the most talked about, most feared, and most misunderstood topic in real estate investing.

It is virtually impossible to complete a successful short sale without dealing with the loss mitigation department at the bank. So, how do you deal with loss mitigation successfully? We can shed some light on that.

[This article is Step One in the series “10 Steps to Subject to: Get Paid to Buy Pretty Houses in Nice Subdivisions.”]

If you had the chance to start over again, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently the second time around? This question cuts to the core of the essential lessons of a lifetime of real estate investing. Here is my six-part answer to this question.

When you are buying a house on a lease option, you must protect yourself from paying your rent payment to the seller, but him not paying the lender.

Each of us resides in at least one of the four Quadrants of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. Where we are is determined by where our main source of income comes from. Many of us rely on paychecks and are therefore employees, while others are self-employed.

I was speaking on financial intelligence a while back to a group of university professors in Singapore. At the end of the talk, one of the professors asked me:“Where did you learn about business and why do some people make more money than others?”