Real Estate Programs
Are you interested in learning more about the real estate market? If you are, you may want to think about taking a real estate program or class. Real estate programs are available in classroom-like settings, as well as online. What is nice about real estate programs is that they are designed for a wide variety of different individuals; individuals with different goals. A few of the most common real estate programs available are touched on below.
One of the most common types of program available are for those who are interested in becoming real estate agents. If you are looking for a career change, you may be interested in becoming a real estate agent. Real estate agents help homeowners sell their homes and they also help prospective home buyers find and buy the homes of their dreams. Most real estate programs, which have a focus on becoming a real estate agent, also test and certify their students. If you are looking to become a real estate agent, a real estate program, particularly one that has a focus on making a living as a real estate agent, may be perfect for you.
Another common type of real estate program available are those that are designed for home buyers. Buying a home can sometimes be a long, complicated, and frustrating task. Many first time home buyers are unsure as to what they should be looking for in a new home. If you are one of those individuals, you may want to think about taking a real estate program that aims to educate students on what to look for in a new home.
There are also real estate programs that are designed for those who are looking to sell their own homes. Many home sellers turn to real estate agents for assistance, but not all do. If you would like to sell your own home, that is fine, but you need to know what you are doing. A real estate program that aims to educate homeowners on how to sell their own homes often offer tips on marketing, as well as information on how to deal with prospective buyers.
Another type of real estate program available is for those who are interested in making a living a real estate investor. Real estate investors are those who buy real estate properties and then either rent them out or resell them to make a profit. Although real estate investing is a great way to make money, it can be a tricky business. That is why real estate programs, with a focus on real estate investing, have increased in popularity. Real estate programs, with a focus on investing, often teach students how to make money as real estate investors by outlining some techniques that work, as well as ones that don't work.
As outlined above, there are a number of different real estate programs that you can take; programs that can fit your needs. In short, whether you are looking for a real estate program that will teach you how to properly buy a home, properly sell a home, make a living as a real estate agent, or make a living as a real estate investor, there should be a real estate program out there that is perfect for you.
Real Estate Investment Advices, The Billings Montana Market
Most real estate investors start their career off my investing around where they live. This is why I do my real estate investing in Billings Montana. You can venture out when you have more experience. The reason behind this is because we feel more comfortable with the areas and know the areas better. It is also easier to get local real estate information that we need. Investing in your local market is also cheaper to start out, there is less travel costs, you can see what you are buying and it may give you a feeling a comfort.
First you have to decide which part of town is the best place to invest in. This can be determined by what kind of real estate investing you choose to do. I have not gone over the types of real estate investing but some include rehabbing (fixing up and selling), wholesaling (finding deals and selling them to other investors), buying to rent, and there are a few others. These are the real estate strategies that I use for the most part. When looking at the market you need to see where other investors are buying their houses. Most of the best deals will be found in low to middle class neighbors hoods. By low I don't mean drug infested war zones, what I mean is blue collar safe neighbor hoods that might have somewhat older houses and houses that are not on the higher end price side. Now you can find deals in the higher priced neighbor hoods but most will be in the low to middle income neighborhoods. When looking where others are buying ask local realtors, other investors or appraisers.
When talking with investors ask them several questions such as what neighborhoods they prefer, what type of houses they buy (3 bed 2 bath), and what they do (rehab, rent, wholesale). You should not look at other investors as competition but try and work with them.
There are different types of markets such as appreciating markets, flat markets, and deprecating markets. Appreciating markets are markets that there is no enough houses or a very high demand for houses which causes the price of houses to go up. The reason there is a high demand for housing can be because of job growth, a very appealing area, or several reason. Flat markets are markets that have no or very little growth. This means that there is not a lot of demand; buy just enough to fill every ones needs. Depreciating markets are where there is a lot more houses than people to fill those house. This causes house prices to start going down. This can be because of a large employer leaving the area, a natural disaster or just over building. There is an old saying buy in a bust and sell in a boom. In depreciating markets you can pick up several deals, while in appreciating the house prices are going to be much higher and harder to find great deals. The deal will still be out there you just have to know where to find them.
Learning your market is another key to becoming successful. Real estate Brokers and experts in your area can be the best source of information for you. Learn to use them to find out what kind of market you are in. If you are in Billings Montana we are in a pretty stable market. Billings Montana has not seen the ups and downs that other markets have experienced. I will have to say that I have been noticing a little bit of a downward trend but not much. Once the first time home buyer credit is over with we might see a little more decline. Every market can vary by neighborhood, so make sure you know you market well. I have seen the same houses just one mile apart selling for totally different prices.
Commercial Real Estate
Real estate has always been known as the safest of investments.
In fact, real estate investment completed after proper research into and evaluation of the property (to determine actual and future value), can lead to tremendous profit.
This is one reason many people choose real estate investment as their full time job.
Discussions about real estate tend to focus on residential real estate; commercial real estate, except to seasoned investors, typically seems to take a back seat.
However, commercial real estate is also a great option for investing in real estate.
Commercial real estate includes a large variety of property types.
To a majority of people, commercial real estate is only office complexes or factories or industrial units.
However, that is not all of commercial real estate. There is far more to commercial real estate.
Strip malls, health care centers, retail units and warehouse are all good examples of commercial real estate as is vacant land.
Even residential properties like apartments (or any property that consists of more than four residential units) are considered commercial real estate. In fact, such commercial real estate is very much in demand.
So, is commercial real estate really profitable?
Absolutely, in fact if it were not profitable I would not be writing about commercial real estate at all!!
However, with commercial real estate recognizing the opportunity is a bit more difficult when compared to residential real estate.
But commercial real estate profits can be huge (in fact, much bigger than you might realize from a residential real estate transaction of the same size).
There are many reasons to delve into commercial real estate investment.
For example you might purchase to resell after a certain appreciation level has occurred or to generate a substantial income by leasing the property out to retailers or other business types or both.
In fact, commercial real estate development is treated as a preliminary
indicator of the impending growth of the residential real estate market.
Therefore, once you recognize the probability of significant commercial growth within a region (whatever the reason i.e. municipal tax concessions), you should begin to evaluate the potential for appreciation in commercial real estate prices and implement your investment strategy quickly.
Regarding commercial real estate investment strategies it is important that you identify and set investment goals (i.e. immediate income through rental vs later investment income through resale) and that you know what you can afford and how you will effect the purchase.
It would be wise to determine your goals then meet with your banker (or financier(s)) prior to viewing and selecting your commercial real estate.
Also remain open minded and understand that should the right (perfect)
opportunity present itself, your investment strategy might need to be revisited and altered, sometimes considerably.
For example: If you find that commercial real estate, (i.e. land) is available in big chunks which are too expensive for you to buy alone but represents tremendous opportunity, you could look at forming a small investor group (i.e. with friends or family) and buy it together (then split the profits later).
Or in another case (i.e. when a retail boom is expected in a region), though your commercial real estate investment strategy was devised around purchasing vacant land, you might find it more profitable to buy a property such as a strip mall or small plaza that you can lease to retailers or a property that you can convert into a warehouse for the purpose of renting to small businesses.
So in a nutshell, commercial real estate presents a veritable plethora of
investing opportunities, you just need to recognize them and go for it.
Real Estate Investment Advices, Attending a Real Estate Investing Seminar
Attending a Real Estate Investing Seminar can be one of the best places to learn about real estate investing from some very well known experts. There are several seminars going on all over the country every weekend. If you live in a big city it will be very easy to find one. If you live in a town like Billings Montana you might need to travel a little ways to find one. Now most of the best meeting cost money to attend them. Some range from five hundred dollars for three days and some can be up to $20,000. There are a few that I would recommend. Than Merrill is a great speaker to go hear. I have learned a ton from him. You can find his company online by Google searching him. Also rich dad poor dad has seminars all over the country. I attended one of their seminars in Billings Montana for only $500 dollars and learned a ton from it. There is also Preston Ely, Larry Goins, and hundreds of speakers out there. If you find a great book that you really enjoyed, then just simple search for that person online and see if they are speaking somewhere or offer a seminar close to you.
Another reason I recommend going to a seminar is because they get you pumped up and motivated. I have not yet found anything else that just gets you feeling like you can do anything. When you get back from one of these seminars you will have tons of energy and knowledge. Every time I get back from one all I want to do is going out and do a deal or ten.
These seminars will also provide you with several opportunities to purchase amazing real estate investing tools, software or learning material at a fraction of the cost. Believe me when I tell you all of the low priced seminars try to sell you something. But a lot of times what they are trying to sell is some really good stuff.
Another reason to attend a seminar is to network with other investors and build relationships with them. You can meet other investors who you can partner with on a deal, sell a deal too, people who will provide you with deals and so on. You should have hundreds of business cards made up and try to give them all out. You never know how much one business card you hand out can make you.
How to Buy and Sell Real Estate Today, Finding And Valuing Real Estate for Sale
Finding Real Estate for Sale
Despite the widely available access to real estate listings, many believe that MLS databases continue to offer the most complete and accurate source of real estate information. Most MLSs now distribute content to other Web sites (primarily operated by real estate agents). An excellent starting point for MLS originated content is the national NAR Web site, realtor.com, which is also the most popular web site for searching real estate listings. Virtually all local and regional MLSs have an agreement with realtor.com to display much of their active listing inventory.
Some local and regional MLS systems also have a publicly accessible Web site. However, to get complete information you will most likely still need to find a qualified local REALTOR. Many local real estate agents will also provide their customers (via email) new listings that are input into the MLS that match their predefined criteria. This can be very helpful to a busy buyer.
There are also many Web sites that display both real estate agent listed and for-sale-by-owner properties. Some of the more popular Web sites include zillow.com and trulia.com. These sites offer other services too. For example, zillow.com is best known for its instantaneous property valuation function and trulia.com for providing historical information. Another source of properties for sale is the state, regional, and local Web sites associated with brokerage companies; for example, remax.com or prudential.com. Search engines like yahoo.com and classified advertising sites like craigslist.com also have a large number of active real estate listings.
One key difference between these sites is how much information you can access anonymously. For example, at trulia.com you can shop anonymously up to a point but then you will need to click through to the agent's Web site for more information. Many new real estate search engines allow you to sift through listings without having to fill out a form. The best strategy is to browse a few of the sites listed above to find geographic areas or price ranges that are interesting. Once you get serious about a property, then that is the time to find a qualified REALTOR of your choice to conduct a complete search in the local MLS.
It also never hurts to search the old-fashioned way by driving through the neighborhoods that interest you. There is no substitute for physically, not virtually, walking the block when you are making a serious investment decision. In this sense, real estate is still a very local business and standing in front of the property can lead to a much different decision than viewing a Web page printout.
Valuing Real Estate
As we mentioned, one of the most popular real estate tools is zillow.com's instant property valuation. Just type in an address and in and you get a property value. It even charts the price ups and downs, and shows the last date sold (including price) and the property taxes. There are other sites that provide similar tools such as housevalues.com and homegain.com. Unfortunately, many people use these estimated values alone to justify sales prices, offers and counteroffers. However, these are only rough estimates based on a formula that incorporates the local county sales information. These estimates can swing wildly over a short period of time and do not appear to always track actual market changes, which are normally more gradual. In addition, these estimates do not automatically take into account property remodels or renovations or other property specific or local changes. This is not to say these sites are not useful. In fact, they are great starting points and can provide a good ball-park value in many cases.
When it comes to getting a more accurate value for a particular property, there are other strategies that are more trustworthy. One is to go directly to your county's Web site. More often than not the county assessor's area of the Web site provides sales and tax information for all properties in the county. If you want to research a particular property or compare sales prices of comparable properties, the local assessor's sites are really helpful. When you visit a county's Web site you are getting information straight from the source. Most counties today publish property information on their Web sites. Many times you cannot only see the price a previous owner paid, but the assessed value, property taxes, and maps. Some county assessors are now adding a market and property valuation tools too.
Given the importance of valuation to investing, we are also going to remind you of the two most important (non-Internet) valuation methods: real estate agents and appraisers. Working with a local REALTOR is an accurate and efficient way to get value information for a property. While one of the primary purposes of the MLS is to market the active property listings of its members, the system also collects sales information for those listings. REALTOR members can pull this sales information and produce comparable market analyses (sometimes called CMAs) that provide an excellent snapshot of a particular property's value for the market in a particular area.
Finally, the most accurate way to value a property is by having a certified appraiser produce an appraisal. An appraiser will typically review both the sold information in the MLS system as well as county information and then analyze the information to produce a valuation for the property based on one or more approved methods of valuation. These methods of valuation can include a comparison of similar properties adjusted for differences between the properties, determine the cost to replace the property, or, with an income producing property, determine a value based on the income generated from the property.
How to Buy and Sell Real Estate Today, Real Estate Agents
Real Estate Agents
Despite the flood of real estate information on the Internet, most properties are still sold directly through real estate agents listing properties in the local MLS or CIE. However, those property listings do not stay local anymore. By its nature, the Internet is a global marketplace and local MLS and CIE listings are normally disseminated for display on many different Web sites. For example, many go to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Web site, and to the local real estate agent's Web site. In addition, the listing may be displayed on the Web site of a local newspaper. In essence, the Internet is just another form of marketing offered by today's real estate agent, but it has a much broader reach than the old print advertising.
In addition to Internet marketing, listing agents may also help the seller establish a price, hold open houses, keep the seller informed of interested buyers and offers, negotiate the contract and help with closing. When an agent provides all of these services it is referred to as being a full service listing arrangement. While full service listing arrangements are the most common type of listing arrangement, they are not the only option anymore.
Changes in the technology behind the real estate business have caused many agents to change the way they do business. In large part, this is due to the instant access most consumers now have to property listings and other real estate information. In addition, the Internet and other technologies have automated much of the marketing and initial searching process for real estate. For example, consumers can view properties online and make inquires via email. Brokers can use automated programs to send listings to consumers that match their property criteria. So, some agents now limit the services they offer and change their fees accordingly. An agent may offer to advertise the property in the MLS but only provide limited additional services. In the future, some real estate agents may offer services in more of an ala carte fashion.
Because of the volume of real estate information on the Internet, when people hire a real estate agent today they should look at the particular services offered by the agent and the depth of their experience and knowledge in the relevant property sector. It is no longer just about access to property listing information. Buyers and sellers historically found agents by referrals from friends and family. The Internet now provides ways to directly find qualified agents or to research the biography of an agent referred to you offline. One such site, AgentWorld.com, is quickly becoming the LinkedIn or Facebook for real estate agents. On this site an agent can personalize their profile, start a blog, post photos and videos and even create a link to their web site for free. Once unique content is added to their profile page the search engines notice!
Some have argued that the Internet makes REALTORS and the MLS less relevant. We believe this will be false in the long run. It may change the role of the agent but will make knowledgeable, qualified, and professional REALTORS more relevant than ever. In fact, the number of real estate agents has risen significantly in recent years. No wonder, the Internet has made local real estate a global business. Besides, Internet or not, the simple fact remains that the purchase of real property is the largest single purchase most people make in their life (or, for many investors, the largest multiple purchases over a lifetime) and they want expert help. As for the MLS, it remains the most reliable source of real estate listing and sold information available and continues to enable efficient marketing of properties. So, what is the function of all the online real estate information?
Online real estate information is a great research tool for buyers and sellers and a marketing tool for sellers. When used properly, buyers can save time by quickly researching properties and, ultimately, make better investment decisions. Sellers can efficiently research the market and make informed decisions about hiring an agent and marketing their properties online. The next step is to know where to look online for some of the best resources.
Internet Strategies
In the sections that follow, we provide strategies and tips on how to use the Internet to locate properties for sale and research information relevant to your decision to purchase the property. There are many real estate Web sites from which to choose and although we do not mean to endorse any particular Web site, we have found the ones listed here to be good resources in most cases or to be so popular that they need mention. One way to test a Web site's accuracy is to search for information about a property you already own.
Real Estate Investment Advices, Learning What To Do
Knowledge builds confidence and destroys fear. If you are starting any kind of business you need to learn the ins and outs of that business. The best way I have found to learn about real estate investing is to read all about it. But once you know it you have to apply what you have learned. Learning and reading is just one step to take. There are thousands of books on the market about real estate investing and everyone has something you can learn from. You don't just want to read real estate investing books though. You also want to fill yourself with motivational and leadership books. Every successful person that I know if a reader and they all spend at least thirty minutes a day reading something that will teach them about improving their business or helping themselves to become a better person. Some of the best books that I would recommend reading are listed below.
1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (read this first and also ready everything in the rick dad poor dad series, great books to start with and will expand you mind)
2. Be a Real Estate Millionaire by Dean Graziosi
3. Flip your way to financial freedom by Preston Ely (this is an E-Book)
4. Four hour work week by Timothy Ferriss
5. The Attractor Factor
6. Short Sale Pre-foreclosure Investing by Dwan Bent-twyford and Sharon Sestrepo
7. Keys to success, by Napoleon Hill
8. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
9. How to win friends and influence people
10. Any Book by John C. Maxwell (he has tons of amazing leadership books)
11. Getting Started in Real Estate Day Trading by Larry Goins
12. The E Myth by Michael Gerber
13. How to be a quick turn real estate millionaire by Ron Legrand
14. The Power of Full Engagement
15. The It Factor
16. Anything by Anthony Robins
There are tons more you can read but these will give you a great start. You should also read books on negotiating, sales, motivation, and biographies on American business people.
I hope this list gives you the knowledge it has given me. If you learn and apply what you have learned from these books there is no reason that you should not become very successful.
Real Estate Property Values
Rob Norquist, a real estate agent admits that Newport Beach is as active as it used to be, with some good record sales. He also agrees with the fact that a property, should never be considered deprecated, and as a seller, you should never give up and use the low end price. It is true that, during a certain period of time, depending on the real estate market, client's desire, real estate auctions, there may be moments when a property's price drops, but not forever.
Other cities such as, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine or Mission Viejo - are considered among other 25 cities as being the ones with the best real estate property values, with average values of $680,000 and more. The national average value in 2007 was $194,300.
However, some property values are based on subjective answers from residents living in a certain home, so the given numbers , and real estate evaluation may be hanging on a wishful thinking instead of a real appreciation . This is where real estate auctions come in picture, to inform potential clients about the property, and the investment possibilities, giving them a clear image of the real estate's worth.
Even though some buildings such as Orange County properties , dropped their values in 2007, but they recovered extremely well after. So this is another reason why as a seller, you should never fear if you observe a temporally value drop, because it is normal from time to time.
For instance, about 81% owners, sellers, agents, trusted in 2007 that their estate property values were over $1 million, against 75% in 2006. So things are for the best and it would appear that most of estate agents have finally understood what this business is really about. It takes a lot of patience and ability to maintain your property's value among top ones on real estate market.
But Norquist, trusts that many Newport Beach arguments are near the mark, sustaining that this city has survived the "housing slump" better than other locations. However, the unexpected surprise attacked more on sales, which he admits that they are on a falling edge right now, but there is still hope for better times.
Newport Beach is very well known for its highest-valued real estate properties in the U.S., being a perfect place for real estate business . It's location and proximity to the water, and the beach front view increase it's real estate value considerably. Auctions in this area are very interesting and those who are interested in real estate business domain should never miss them. You can learn a lot on such events.
Experienced real estate agents or even friends will surely advise you that as a buyer you are very likely to come across many real estate properties in foreclosure having perhaps no equity,being over priced . In such moments, lenders sometimes choose to accept a smaller amount than the initial.So you get in the negotiations process. As a hint, when you realize the over pricing phenomenon, you have to understand that this happens when the real estate agent , or seller is aware of the real estate property's value, and he tries his luck in a raising price. So watch out! The negotiation can become a difficult process especially when reasonable terms are not agreed by both sides: owner and buyer. Negotiations can occur privately or in public, where real estate auctions come in the picture. Of course, a real estate auction is safer and more trustful than a private one. Private negotiations occur especially when the agent is a close friend or relative to buyer's, and because of the friendly environment some details regarding even the real estate transaction may be skipped. So in situations like this be careful.
Even as a friend, for a real estate agent , money comes first, and friendship after. Of course, during such a negotiation, there can be all sort of problems, such as mortgage value, real estate market, all sort of official formalities, conflict of interests in a particular area etc. Moreover, time a very important issue when real estate auctions are involved. As a general rule, and as an advise for a potential buyer, negotiation process should not be extended on a long period of time, because, as I said before, in time, real estate properties drop their values, and the client's interest together with it. In this case, not only does the buyer loose, but the real estate agency as well. Why?Because if a property's value drops, the price must drop as well, if you ever want to sell it again. In this case the under priced phenomenon appears. This is why short sales are preferred. Many Realtors, and clients started using this strategy, because they faced the problem regarding their property's value.So they decided the selling process should not take too long.
Another important issue refers to the well known "acceleration clause" , which is an official word met in any mortgage document, meaning that the lender, after the real estate property is sold, can demand the payment of the remaining balance for the loan. Realtors can provide more information about this contractual right. If this clause is good or bad for a real estate transaction, it is hard to say, because it has its advantages and disadvantages. Buying a real estate property which has already a mortgage loan represents a pretty raised risk. Why? Because first of all, if the mortgage loan was contracted for many years, depending on the interest's rate, and marketplace evolution, you may come to pay the house's price 3 times more. However, if you have experience in monitoring the market place, and find a right moment when every interest's value drops, you could go for it. It's kind of a gambling in this business, and Realtors, or individual real estate agents know it best.
Realtors and real estate agents are here on the real estate market, to help clients understand how they can value their houses, what should they look for when trying to sell or buy a house, how to negotiate, and how to win a real estate transaction. Some may say that buying or selling a real estate property is easy, but the fact is that pricing a house is a very difficult process. Many real estate agents, brokers, have suffered many defeats before their first good business, so do not expect their job to be an easy one.
Unfortunately, a concerning price and sales gains of these past years have determined in many cases quitting the real estate business. Many real estate agents who have seen the future preferred to do something else than real estate business. The credit market is also in a critical position, as many Realtors have observed. Mortgage values are also a result of real estate market position right now. Real estate investors have diminished their participation number to real estate auctions, as a sign they have seen it too.
Real Estate Rebate
The Beginning Of The Real Estate Rebate: Society as a whole has been significantly impacted by the emergence of the Internet. It has made the world a smaller place and has intern changed the way we communicate and conduct business. It has helped companies target their clients through avenues such as Google & Yahoo, and has subsequently put the products and information that consumers looking for, at their finger tips. Social Networks such as Myspace and Facebook have made it possible to stay in contact with friends and family around the world via the Internet. As time passes these changes and effects will become more wide spread and alarmingly self evident. One such industry that stands to be dramatically affected is Real Estate.
For decades, the real estate industry has been defined by traditional representation in which an agent charges the seller a commission to market and sell their home or represents buyers through the entire home buying process. In the past, the traditional model was the staple of the real estate profession and it faced little to no opposition. This has begun to change. With the dependency that society and has developed on Internet, creative minds have begun to develop new models that cater to every type of consumer. As a result, consumers no longer have to settle for the "One Size Fits All" traditional model, but have a choice in choosing the type of service that fits their real estate needs.
New Models: Consumers may now choose between a variety of real estate products and services. These services are characterized by enabling buyers or sellers to seek specific real estate assistance as opposed to the whole package. In the case of sellers, real estate agents will charge a fee only for the services they provide. For example, a seller may only want to list their home on MLS (Multiple Listing Service Used By Real Estate Professionals around the Country) for the added exposure, and require some assistance drafting a purchase and sale agreement. Listing a home and receiving assistance with a P&S will cost you hundreds of dollars as opposed to paying a 5%-6% commission that would cost thousands of dollars. Buyers who are interested in finding a home on their own or willing to participate in the initial house hunting work, can receive a rebate at closing. This model gives buyers the professional assistance of a realtor and rewards them for their efforts with a portion of the commission at closing. One company that gives buyers a rebate is SharpBuyers. They are a national real estate rebate company based out of Boston Massachusetts. They have agents all throughout the country that will help buyers find a home and give them a rebate at closing. Another emerging model is real estate consultants. These are licensed real estate professionals that exclusively charge flat fee's for specific services.
The brokerages that offer these innovative real estate services are referred to as Discount Brokers, Rebate Agents, and Real Estate Consultants. It can clearly be seen, that all of these new models engage the buyers and sellers in the home buying or selling process. Subsequently, these models are ideal for the home buyers of tomorrow, generation X and Y. These are tech-savvy home buyers and they are not afraid to delve into the process if it means they will save thousands of dollars. Ten years from now, generation X will collectively be in their early and mid 30's. Many will use the traditional method to buy their first home, while others will seek out innovative brokers. How will the market share shake out in 2017? Only time will tell. It is anticipated that many traditional brokerages will be forced to adapt to a mixed service model, meaning they will offer both traditional and discount services to buyers, rather than one or the other. This may prove to be a necessary strategy if traditional brokerages would like to remain competitive after 2020. The new real estate business models enable consumers to have the best of both worlds, professional assistance and more money in their pockets.
Real Estate and The Internet Today: In today's world, the effect that the Internet has had on the real estate profession is extremely apparent. As the popularity of the Internet initially grew, many agents were concerned that consumers would cut them right out of the deal. To date, this has not been the case. The real estate industry has come to embrace the Internet and all of the great marketing tools that it has given birth to. It has also helped real estate professionals have better access to listing information, recent sales history and various statistical data reports. Leonard Nomura of Bentley Real Estate Group says he could not imagine life as a broker without the Internet. The numbers are astounding. According to the National Association of Realtors, 77% of home buyers used the Internet to find their homes in 2005. This has steadily grown from 2% of buyers using the Internet to find their homes in 1995 and is speculated to be over 85% today. According to clickz.com, 50% of all consumers who surf the web, do so with the intent to purchase consumer goods and services. This includes Real Estate, automobiles, clothing, music and anything else imaginable.
As a result of the emerging mixed service models, consumers can now choose from a range of real estate services that did not previously exist. It is believed that many real estate professionals see these new models as a threat because of their ability to significantly impact the traditional real estate brokerage's market share. According to Real Trends an industry newsletter, alternative Real Estate Models currently make up 2% of the market, but could grow to 12% by 2010. The transformation of the real estate industry has only just begun. Time will tell the true story of how the market will shake out, but the bottom line is this; alternative real estate models are putting money back into consumer's pockets and you will always put a smile on someone's face when you show them how to save thousands of dollars.
A Guide to Investing in Real Estate
Investing in real estate that has been foreclosed on involves a certain amount of risk especially when you consider the current market conditions and trends. If the real estate market exhibits characteristics that favor the seller, then it is a sellers market, if the real state trends like increased inventory due to foreclosures it is a buyers market.
The laws of supply and demand collide with economic conditions like unemployment and inflation to create a reduction in sales, reduced real estate value and foreclosed real estate. When real estate inventory exceeds the demand from qualified or credit worthy buyers real estate values drop. When economic conditions produce unemployment and underemployment, the real estate foreclosure rate goes up.
Rapid escalations in mortgage interest rates can and will also contribute to the number of real estate foreclosures. As homeowners mortgage payments are increased due to an adjustable rate mortgage the foreclosure rate goes up, real estate property values go down. Homeowners find themselves in the unenviable position of owing more on real estate than it's current value.
When the real estate foreclosure rate goes up and the prices of the real estate goes down, real estate investors have an opportunity to buy low and wait to sell at a profit. Foreclosed real estate is properties that whose ownership has reverted back to the lender or mortgage holder due to failure to pay the mortgage payment.
Notice of default is the first step in the foreclosure process after the property owner has not paid two or more mortgage payments. The foreclosed real estate is then offered for sale at auction to the highest bidder. Not every property that falls into foreclosure is presented for public sale due to property owners having an opportunity to make up the back mortgage payments and regain ownership. The time in which a homeowner has to make up late payments is different in every state.
Investing in foreclosed real estate is especially appealing to investors because they can see a profit by purchasing the property for the amount owned on the property not what the property is worth. The homeowner equity is gratis or free.
Short Sales - Short sales happen when property owners are in foreclosure but before the real estate has gone to public auction. With a short sale the mortgage lender has to agree to receive less that the money owed on the real estate.
Dissimilar to foreclosures, real estate investors generally purchase the property for much less due to the buyer not having to pay off the existing mortgage or without making up any delinquent back payments. Real estate investors seeking to profit from foreclosures are closing deals with existing mortgage lenders to sell the real estate for less than the amount owed in order to avoid foreclosure procedures.
Mortgage lenders do not usually close real estate transactions with investors unless the property owner or seller has become delinquent in the mortgage payments. Investing and participating in a short sale before the property becomes available in a public sale saves the mortgage lender and the delinquent property owner from foreclosure procedures. The buyer or the real estate investor buy the property for much less in a short sale than they may in a public sale.
Real Estate Owned By The Lender (REO) - Real Estate Owned:
o Purchasing property that is REO is like purchasing real estate in a short sale but the real estate is already owned by the mortgage
lender
o Real estate that has been acquired by the mortgage lender through the foreclosure procedure.
o Mortgage lenders sometimes frequently sell real estate for less than is owed
o When a bank owns real estate the properties are called REO's which means that the real estate is owned by the mortgage lender
The banks or mortgage lenders often end up owning real estate when there are not enough bids at public auction to satisfy the amount owned against the real estate. REO real estate homes are frequently considered one of the most profitable ways to purchase distressed property because the seller is no longer in the picture. REO sales often involve just the real estate investor, the real estate investor's agent, the mortgage lender and their agent who close the transaction.