Monday, January 22, 2007

Desert Hot Springs California Real Estate Offered With Zero Down Payment To Benefit Community

James Williams, a real estate investor, is offering a Desert Hot Springs California home for sale with zero down payment in an effort to give back to the community where he conducts business.

"We are looking to help a young family become Desert Hot Springs real estate owners by offering a home with zero down payment. If we help them it helps the overall community," states James Williams.

James Williams is a real estate investor and also President of Precision One Mortgage Corporation, a nationwide mortgage company based in Southern California.

"In many cases a down payment is the only obstacle that stands in the way of young family becoming home owners. They have the ability to make a monthly mortgage payment, but have never managed to save for the initial down payment. By offering this home with zero down payment w are removing that obstacle."

Williams acquired the Desert Hot Springs real estate in a run down condition, but it has been completely refurbished.

"The 1300 square foot home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with new wiring, plumbing, central air, dishwasher and stove. This is a great starter home."

"By offering this Desert Hot Springs real estate with a zero down payment, we accomplish two things. Firstly we help a young family become real estate home owners, and secondly we avoid any expenses that we may incur if the property is unoccupied for any length of time."

"We are always asked "what's the catch?" after being told that zero down payment is required. There isn't one! Our company philosophy it that by helping a young family we are giving back to their community."

"Unlike other real estate investors that want top dollar for their properties, we are more concerned with making less money and helping families with a zero down payment to become Desert Hot Springs real estate owners," concludes Williams..

About The Author: James Williams is a real estate investor and also President of Precision One Mortgage Corporation, a nationwide mortgage company based in Southern California. http://www.goldmedalmortgage.com/Desert_Hot_Springs_Real_Estate_No_Money_Down

Friday, January 19, 2007

Making Money In Real Estate Investing: How To Calculate Profit

There are many things that can affect your profit margin when investing in real estate. Being knowledgeable about all aspects of making money in real estate and learning to recognize all of the costs that you could incur with any given real estate investment will help you to choose good investment properties and avoid those that are more trouble than they are worth.

By now you probably already know how to calculate how much gross profit a property can potentially earn. To do this all you have to do is take the market value of the home and subtract your purchase price to see how much profit the property could potentially make you. But this is only a skeleton glimpse into the potential of the property, making money in real estate requires that you know every hidden cost, no matter how small, that could reduce your profit margin.

Some of the most obvious costs to flipping a property and making money in real estate include any repairs and remodeling that need done to the house before you can resell it. Make sure that you account for every repair. Get estimates and price supplies. Don't guess. Attention to detail will make it more likely that you will be to stay on budget during the construction phase of your project. Oh, and don't forget about building permit fees.

You will also need to account for any liens that you will inherit with the property. Liens can include arrearages in property taxes or any other bill that has been attached to the property for collection purposes. Being able to find these hidden costs is key to making money in real estate.

Carrying costs will also need to be subtracted from the gross profit potential of the investment. These include any taxes, loan payments, interest payments, and insurance costs that you will have to pay while you own the property. These costs will continue to mount as long as you hold the property. That is why it is very important to move a property quickly when making money in real estate.

You will also need to take into account inspection fees, brokerage commissions, legal fees, and advertising costs that you will have to cover when it comes time to sell the property. Include everything that you can think of. This will help you avoid any hidden costs and give you a clearer picture of what you stand to earn on each and every property investment that you make.

About The Author: Chris Thomas is a real estate investor and author of the best selling ebook "Dominate Preforeclosures," which teaches you how to acquire property in pre-foreclosure with a successful, proven way to approach homeowners and get the deal. Visit http://www.dominatepreforeclosures.com for more.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

5 Secrets To Finding The Best Realtor When Buying A Home

When buying a home here are 5 things you should do to get prepared, and find the best Realtor to help you find that dream home:

Decide on your needs
Write down a list of what your needs are for your next home search. Be sure to differentiate between your wants and needs. For example; Do you really need that 3 car garage, or is it just a want? It could mean the difference between finding 50 homes with a 2-car garage that meet your needs, and only 5 with a 3-car garage. (It may be different where you are, but in the Denver real estate market, you'll likely cut your options by 90% to 95% by requiring a 3 car garage vs. a 2-car garage unless your budget is over about $500,000.)

Establish a "top 10" list of your wants.
Be sure that number one on that list is what city (or cities) you need to live in. This will be paramount in how you go about finding the best Realtor to help you. If two of you are going to buy the home, each of you should write a "top 10" separately. After you're both done, compare notes, and agree that any criteria that match are "must-haves". Everything else can be negotiated. My wife and I did this two years before our last move, and it settled a lot of would-be arguments about what home was right for us. When we eventually found our dream-home, every single one of those criteria was met! Sit down right now, and write your list, and keep it for future reference.

Find a Realtor who will best serve you, and don't settle for anything less.
Start with how you find your Realtor. If you are "internet friendly", and do a lot via email and the web, the last place you should look for a Realtor is in the phone book, or classified ad section of the newspaper. The agents you will find there most likely center their business around the phone, and you'll find that many of them might not even check email except every few days. On the other hand, if you don't regularly check email, and aren't comfortable "surfing the web", you'll likely want to start your search in the phone book or newspaper. The last thing you need is to start working with a Realtor who is excellent at email correspondence, but slow to return phone calls. Either way, once you identify a few buyer-specialists that look like they might be able to help you, contact several of them (via your preferred method of contact), and ask them what homes they can send you that meet your specific needs. Give them a list of what you're looking for, and see what they can find for you.

At this stage, you should be contacting 3 to 5 Realtors. Contact less, and you might not have enough "candidates" to make an informed decision. Contact more, and you will get overloaded with agents constantly checking in with you in order to get your business. (This is the largest problem buyers have when calling a dozen or two listing agents (one at a time) to get details on homes that interest them.)

Narrow the list
Now that you've got 3 to 5 Realtors vying for your business, judge them based on their performance. If any of them tried to talk you into their own listings, or strayed from the list of needs and wants you gave them, drop them. They've already demonstrated that they aren't going to listen to your needs. How they get back to you is also important. If you are a "phone person" who only checks email every few days, why not deal with a Realtor who is willing to call you whenever they find a home that meets your needs. If you like to look on the web, make sure your Realtor is willing to email you every day (and make sure that they're ONLY emailing you properties that meet your specific needs.) This step usually narrows your list to one or two agents, and the choice will likely be an easy one after an initial meeting with them. Once you have met with them, have a discussion about "exclusive agency". When you have that discussion, be sure they have a "cancel anytime" policy. If they aren't 100% satisfied that you will be happy with their performance, why should you be?

If you're not moving for several months (or even a year), it's that much more important that you get in touch with 3 to 5 Buyer Agents. If they're not willing to invest their time in educating you on the market, they're not serious about their business. Odds are that if you start with half a dozen Realtors in January, only 1 or 2 will still be in touch come June or July. Those agents are the ones you want working on your side. The rest will simply weed themselves out for you.

Get out and start looking!
Once you've identified a handful of homes that interest you, contact the agent you've decided to work with and start looking! No amount of pictures and virtual tours can substitute for getting out with your agent and actually looking, touching, and feeling the homes you might one day be moving into. By giving your agent the assurance that you're ONLY working with them, they'll clear their calendar for you whenever you want to look at homes, and since you've got a "cancel anytime" agreement with your agent, you can get rid of them if it turns out they're not as great an agent as you initially thought they were.

About The Author: Joel McDonald is the owner of Benchmark Realty - a Boulder Colorado real estate company. To find out more about Benchmark Realty, visit http://www.BenchmarkRealtyLLC.com

Home Buying Preference Of Echo Boomers/Generation Y

Home buying preferences of large demographic groups have a lasting influence on the housing market. The impact of Generation Y or echo boomers - the people born in the United Stats between 1981 and 1999, on the housing market is undeniable. With the echo boomers now coming of age and buying homes, their home buying preferences have assumed greater importance. This article is a brief summary of the home buying preferences of people born between 1981 and 1999.

According to industry experts in the recently held Urban Land Institute (ULI) annual fall meeting in Denver, Gen-Y homebuyers do not prefer a home in the suburbs like their baby boomer parents did. Echo boomers do not want to limit themselves to major metros. Instead, Gen Y buyers are more likely to be drawn to urban infill locations. Moreover, Gen Y homebuyers want to live in culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

According to Gadi Kaufmann, Managing Director and CEO of Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a Maryland firm that focuses on real estate trends, echo boomers increasingly gravitate to more affordable second tier and third tier cities if they are well-provided with enough entertainment and recreational amenities.

The coming decades are likely to witness more high-rise housing in an increasing number of small cities to accommodate the housing needs of the echo boomers. People born between 1981 and 1999 are more likely to be attracted toward home designs that emphasize bright, open spaces, with plenty of windows and those that offer flexible use of rooms and spaces.

Wireless Internet access is indispensable for this "most connected generation". Since the echo boomers are an environmentally conscious lot, this generation prefers homes that have incorporated green building features. This could have a positive influence on the green home market and is indicative of future trends that have considerable growth potential for green housing.

Unlike baby boomers who were home owners at a much earlier age, home ownership could be possibly delayed among people born between 1981 and 1999, just as they are putting off until a later age other commitments such as marriage and childbirth.

About The Author: http://www.sandiegocondos.name http://www.scrippsranchrealestate.info http://www.tierrasantahome.com

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Buying Your First Home: The Time Is Right

If you are currently renting but considering shopping around for your first home, the time is right. The past year in real estate has led to many homes lingering on the market and a stabilization of home prices. To top it all off, interest rates on mortgages are still at all time lows. With this wonderful selection of more affordable homes to choose from, it's not only a buyer's market, but a first time homebuyer's dream market too.

When thinking of purchasing a first home, there are many things to take into consideration. To keep your costs down, you may consider looking at fixer-uppers. Are you reasonably handy? Can you make some attractive but low cost improvements on a home that needs a little work? Maybe it's as simple as patching a few walls, and some fresh paint and carpet. Maybe it's a new countertop to spruce up that tired looking kitchen. Kitchen improvements don't have to cost thousands, so much can be done on a shoestring. There are some great low cost Formica countertops at the home centers that will give your kitchen a whole new look on a small budget. And, old cabinets can come to life with a fresh coat of white paint.

Another option for first time homebuyers to consider is looking at condos and townhomes. This is an excellent way to enter the market. For about the same cost as doling out rent each month, you will have pride of ownership and tax benefits, while building equity at the same time. After a year or two, you may feel you need more space or another bedroom for baby. By this time, your condo or townhouse will most likely have appreciated in cost, making it easy to trade up to a larger home. This is a smart transition and a way to step up slowly.

The market this past year has certainly provided lots of inventory. This means lots of great homes to choose from. With interest rates still so low, the time to consider buying is now. These conditions may not last much longer and we may not see this kind of market again for a long time. Today, first time buyers are looking at some excellent and exciting opportunities in the real estate market.

About The Author: Bob Lipply and his team of full time, full service Tampa Bay Realtors, work hard to find the perfect Trinity Florida home for their customers. View available properties at http://www.trinity-florida-real-estate.com

Selling Ranch Real Estate

Do you have a piece of ranch real estate that you are interested in selling? If so, you are in luck. Over the past few years this industry has really began to take off. This means that you should not have any problems finding a buyer for your property if you take your time. Just remember that selling your ranch real estate property is not always a quick process. You should get the money that you deserve, or you should not sell at all. With ranch properties being so popular there is a good chance that you can make a pretty penny from your piece of real estate.

The first step to selling your ranch real estate is to get a good idea as to what it is worth. One of the best ways that you can do this is by hiring a real estate agent to work on your behalf. Not only will they be able to asses your property and tell you how much to sell it for, but they can also handle every other detail as well. They will do their best to find a seller, and have many connections in the industry that can help you to get a good selling price. The only thing that you should remember about hiring a real estate agent is that they are going to take a chunk of your money after the sale; this is known as their commission.

Your other option is to sell your ranch real estate on your own. Many ranch owners opt to sell by owner so that they can maintain complete control. When you sell your ranch by owner you will be responsible for setting the sale price as well as showing the property. You will pretty much run the entire show until you find a buyer that suits your needs. The reason that a lot of people do this when it comes to ranch real estate is because there are not a lot of agents in the area. After all, ranches tend to be a bit out of reach, in areas that agents usually do not work. Of course this is not always the case, but many times it holds true.

Selling ranch real estate is just like selling any home. You need to set a firm selling price, and then make sure that you get as much money as you can. If you are not in a hurry to sell your property you should most definitely hold out for the best price possible. In an industry that is becoming more popular you should be able to get close to your asking price.

Selling ranch real estate is not as hard as you may think. There are thousands of potential buyers out there; all you need to do is make them aware of what you have to offer. From there you should not have any problems making a sale.

About The Author: Robert Flournoy writes about ranch real estate properties for http://www.ranch-estates.com/ . For more information on ranch properties visit http://www.ranch-estates.com/ .