Articles if Interest to Real Estate Investors

Below are THREE NEW "rehabbing for profit" videos that show three different types of rehab projects (full, partial and cosmetic) that I'm currently working on. The article below describes how to manage contractors effectively to maximize your profits. Enjoy!

Click Here For Rehab Video 1 <--- FULL REHAB PROJECT

Click Here For Rehab Video 2 <--- COSMETIC REHAB PROJECT

Click Here For Rehab Video 3 <--- PARTIAL REHAB PROJECT

Landlord

Summary: A reader asks if now is a good time to become a landlord. How can the potential landlord learn about the rental property market in his area? If you’re considering becoming a landlord you should educate yourself about foreclosures, local rental information and investment properties. If you become a landlord you will become a real estate investor.

Start by taking a look at all of the properties that are on the market now and that are competitive with the types of rental properties you already own. Visit the open houses, so you know what your competition for sale or rentals looks like. Find a great real estate agent who has been working in the area for a long enough time to have seen at least one other down market cycle, or someone new enough who is so starving for business that he or she will work harder than anyone else to get you the information you need to make a smart investment decision.

If the area is filled with foreclosures, then you'll need someone on your investment team to help you track how much these properties are selling for and how long the timetable for those foreclosure sales is taking.

Once you start to visit these properties, look at the sales data, and pull some rental information, you'll know whether these properties will meet your investment needs.

In general, I can tell you that if you don't mind being a landlord, and you have the cash and available credit to purchase properties, it's starting to be an excellent time to buy. There have been twice as many foreclosures this year as last, and if this pace continues, more than 1 million properties will fall into foreclosure in 2008.

Lenders have started to unload some of these properties at advantageous prices, which usually bodes well as a long-term hold. The big-time residential property investors I know are buying up good properties for good prices.

As far as renting out these properties goes, it's tough to command a high price at the moment. But if you can afford to carry them through the tough times, I think you'll enjoy long-term appreciation. Also, as fewer people can afford to buy, they'll look to rent, and landlords will once again prosper.

As a general rule, some real estate investments may be better than others. In some areas, you may be able to buy single family homes but may not find a market for buyers or renters. You need to gauge the market conditions to see whether people are interested in rentals in a particular area and what those conditions are. If you buy a single family home in an area with many foreclosures and vacancies and few rentals, you may not be able to rent the home even if you buy it at a low price.

I wouldn't plan on making a killing in the short run and please remember there are risks involved in investing in real estate. It's just about what you feel you can comfortably carry for the next few years.

Dos and don'ts of holding home's title in LLC

What investors with multiple homes need to know

DEAR BENNY: I own several single-family rental homes .In talking to advisors, one says I should put the houses into LLCs for liability protection. Another said, don't bother. If you get sued, your liability protection on your homeowners policy plus your umbrella policy will cover you. Obviously, the latter provides only attorney and possible judgment costs, but does the LLC really keep you from being sued, or protect you if you are sued, so that you would not need to use the umbrella policy? --Bruce

DEAR BRUCE. It is my understanding that an umbrella policy is not that costly, so I would recommend that you consider both options: Get the umbrella policy and put all of your rental properties in separate limited liability companies.

The concept of limited liability companies (LLC) is relatively new -- probably started in the 1980s. Its primary purpose is to insulate the property owner from personal liability should there be a court judgment against the property. For example, if a child was injured because of lead paint in the property and a judgment was entered against the LLC, if the proper procedures for maintaining a LLC were kept, it would be difficult -- if not impossible -- for that judgment to attach personally against the member (or members) of that LLC.

This column does not permit a lengthy explanation of what an LLC is and how it works. However, if you own several properties, each should be held in a separate LLC. Otherwise, a judgment against the LLC will impact on all of the properties that are held by that LLC.

Some basic rules to preserve the independence of an LLC: (1) Do not commingle your own funds with that of the LLC; (2) If you are the sole member of the LLC -- or its managing member -- make sure that whenever you sign any papers, you add the word "member" after your signature. You want to make sure that the world understands that you are not acting in your own capacity but only as the representative of the LLC.

It would even be helpful to have at least two members for the LLC. Clever attorneys may be able to "pierce the corporate veil" of a single-member LLC.

DEAR BENNY: I have heard about something called CLUE that involves homeowners insurance, but never could find out about it. Can you help me out and direct me to where to look? It has something to do with how often or how many times your house has had claims against it. --Gail

DEAR GAIL: C.L.U.E. stands for "Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange." You can find more information on this Web site: www.choicetrust.com.

According to Choice Trust, the C.L.U.E. Personal Property report provides a five-year history of losses associated with an individual and his/her personal property. The following data will be identified for each loss: date of loss, loss type, and amount paid along with general information such as policy number, claim number and insurance company name.

It is similar to a credit reporting company, but reports solely on problems involving your home.

Several years ago, I had a client who purchased her house and obtained home insurance coverage. However, one week after she took title to the property, the insurance company cancelled the policy based on a CLUE report that showed a serious flaw in the house five years earlier. We resolved the issue, when we convinced the insurance carrier that this flaw had long been corrected.

My personal opinion: This is a complete invasion of a homeowner's privacy. I suggest that you also go to www.privacyrights.org where a lot more helpful information can be found.

Homeowners -- and potential home buyers -- are advised to get a report on the house before buying or selling. It can be obtained on the Choice Trust Web site.

The Forces Transforming Markets- Follow Link to CBRE Article detailing the following:

Numerous Real Estate Investing Articles

A popular tax-deferral trick for real-estate investors is facing scrutiny as key middlemen in the strategy run into financial trouble.

The problems are starting to leave investors with significant losses, and raising the possibility of increased oversight of a lightly regulated corner of the real-estate investment world. In at least one instance, a firm that helps investors defer taxes this way is facing allegations of fraud.

The strategy, known as a 1031 exchange, lets investors who sell investment properties defer capital-gains taxes if they invest the proceeds in "like kind" property within 180 days. To qualify for the benefit, the seller can't touch the money from the sale. Instead, the funds must go into an account until they are used for the purchase of a new property.

These exchanges have been around for nearly 90 years, but their popularity has increased in the past decade as the number of real-estate investors has exploded. A 2005 study by Deloitte Tax LLP found that 1031 exchange transactions in 2003 totaled about $200 billion in value, the most recent data available.

The accounts for 1031 exchanges are typically handled by a party called a "qualified intermediary," also called an accommodator or facilitator. While many so-called QIs are part of banks or title-insurance companies, the QI business is largely unregulated. There are hundreds of independent QI businesses across the country.

Furthermore, a QI can do virtually anything with the funds in its possession, subject to its agreement with the taxpayer. "There isn't any kind of prohibition in the tax code that says where those dollars can be placed," says John King, senior vice president at a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial Inc. in Jacksonville, Fla. that serves as a qualified intermediary.

The past several months have seen at least two big cases of independent QIs running into trouble. One case involves a businessman named Donald McGhan and his two qualified-intermediary companies, Southwest Exchange Inc., based in Henderson, Nev., and Qualified Exchange Services Inc., based in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Mr. McGhan and his companies allegedly misappropriated more than $95 million of customers' proceeds to fund other business and personal activities, according to a lawsuit brought earlier this year by several aggrieved investors and now in federal court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit alleges that Southwest was a Ponzi scheme in which Mr. McGhan allegedly took QI funds belonging to more than 130 clients, in part to finance investments in a company that manufactures silicone-breast implants.

Mark Dzarnoski, a lawyer at Gentile DePalma Ltd. in Las Vegas, who represents Mr. McGhan, says "the plaintiffs in these lawsuits have used inflammatory language referring to people as 'thieves' and alleging the stealing of money, but the real issue under the law is what qualified intermediaries are able to do with the money they receive from their customers."

Another case involves 1031 Tax Group LLC, which filed for bankruptcy protection in New York on May 14. More than 300 investors across the country are owed an estimated $151 million by 1031 Tax Group, according to court filings.

The company's owner, Edward Okun of Miami, borrowed money from 1031 Tax Group to fund real-estate investments made by Investment Properties of America, another company controlled by Mr. Okun, according to a sworn affidavit made by Jim Lukenda of Huron Consulting Group, which was recently brought in to help restructure the company. Mr. Okun has acquired six regional QIs over the past two years; all are affiliated with the 1031 Tax Group. Federal prosecutors in Richmond, Va., have begun a preliminary investigation into the case, court records say.

"Mr. Okun has done absolutely nothing wrong," said Michael J. Rosen, a lawyer in Miami representing him. "And by voluntarily placing the company into bankruptcy he took the appropriate steps to protect his customers, though I understand their being upset."

Candace Graham, a real-estate investor from Portola Valley, Calif., is owed roughly $3.3 million by 1031 Tax Group, according to a bankruptcy court filing. In February, Ms. Graham, 58 years old, sold an office building and, to defer taxes, placed the proceeds with a subsidiary of the 1031 Tax Group but hasn't been able to gain access to the funds to buy another property.

Because her deferral strategy fell apart, she faces the prospect of a capital-gains bill. "I have no idea how I will pay the government now," said Ms. Graham.

Clarissa Potter, deputy chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, says the agency is following the trouble. "We know taxpayers may face disruptions when an intermediary cannot meet its obligations," she says.

People involved in the market note that it is large and diverse. The actions "of a few persons should not taint either the broad 1031 market, which allows taxpayers to save significant taxes legally, or the honest QIs who provide a useful service at low cost," says Richard Lipton, a tax lawyer at Baker & McKenzie in Chicago.

Michael Halloran, chief executive officer of Nationwide Exchange Services, an independent qualified intermediary with about $10 billion in exchange activity in 2006, says, "You have an industry that is growing up and changing, and something has to be the catalyst for that change."

QI businesses make money in several ways. Most charge transaction fees, while others also earn the spread between interest they gain on 1031 investors' sale proceeds and the interest paid out to the investors.

Many large financial institutions have QI services business. J.P. Morgan Property Exchange Inc. is a unit of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Wachovia Exchange Services is a unit of Wachovia Corp. Mr. Lipton of Baker & McKenzie says that because of the lack of regulation, he refers clients to QIs that are affiliated with regulated entities.

An intermediary doesn't need a license. Nevada does have some regulation, and in light of the current problems, the state is looking to beef up its oversight. Other states are making inquiries into how to pursue regulations.

The Federation of Exchange Accommodators, the qualified intermediaries' industry-trade group, has about 331 member companies and requires background checks of all members except those that are subsidiaries of publicly traded parent corporations. The group says it has been trying to work with states and may reach out to federal regulators about enhancing oversight of the business.

"We want them to come up with ways of accomplishing the protection without unduly inhibiting the exchange business," says Hugh Pollard, the trade group's president.

Office Condos: An overview of what they are and how they might work for you.

From InmanWiki

The condominium concept emerged in the 1970s as a unique alternative to traditional apartment leasing and single family home ownership. At first the idea – which involves partial ownership in a larger collective or association of similar properties – gained traction in vacation destinations. Instead of forking over excessive amounts of money to buy pricey beach property, for example, a buyer could buy one slice of a larger pie at a more affordable price. And as an alternative to perpetual rental – which offers no tax benefits or equity accumulation – owners could purchase their apartments or holiday retreats, without having to buy an entire apartment building.

Now the same idea is spreading within the market for traditional office space, where a condo office is defined as an office building with two or more individually owned units. The rest of the property – for example the parking lot, landscape and lobby – is owned in common and equally shared by all of the condo owners. In other words, condo ownership of an office works the same way it works in a residential condominium setting, and the terms of ownership are outlined in office condo association by-laws.

During the 1990s developers in many cities around the country overbuilt office space to keep pace with the exploding high-tech industry. But then the industry shrank as many of the start-up “dot-com” companies that the offices were meant to house went out of business. Many of those costly projects were hard to sell, because the need for huge office property evaporated, leaving developers saddled with inventory and financial liability. They offered to sell off offices piecemeal, rather than waiting to lure well-heeled buyers who could afford the whole building.

Suddenly the condo office frontier was discovered, as innovative commercial brokers began to divide up skyscrapers and sell single office units or floors of office space, rather than trying to market the whole enchilada. The concept caught on, and continues to be a popular and less investment-intensive alternative for those businesses or professionals who would like to own their own office but don’t want to build or purchase an entire building in order to do so.

Occupancy costs combined with the loss of potential financial incentives usually weigh heavily into the choices of those who opt for the office condo alternative. Most office condo owners cite control of their property as the most compelling reason for the purchase, and they list tax perks and financial advantages as other contributing influences affecting their decision. If you rent or lease, your ability to redesign and remodel may be limited by the flexibility of the landlord. And if you decide to move, you may have to forfeit penalties for short-circuiting your lease. Even if you time the relocation to coincide with the expiration of your contract, you never get to enjoy equity appreciation like you do with owned property.

Availability is another powerful issue, because someone needing a relatively small can find office condos in a variety of sizes and configurations, even in the most popular parts of town. Office condos are especially popular with those who want to establish themselves in a specific location where buying a building or constructing their own is not practical. Small professional firms can buy condos that range from 1,200 to 50,000 square feet, inside large buildings in competitive markets like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Washington, DC. Office condo development is also becoming more common in mixed-use properties where office and retail condos are designed into the first floor of a residential condo project. You can buy your home upstairs, open your wine bar downstairs, and visit your corporate accountant or attorney in their office condo next door.

As condo owners outgrow their original offices, they often acquire another condo in the same building or purchase strategically located satellite office condos. Thanks to the potential to profit from market appreciation, many office condo owners finance their expansion and relocation through sales of existing sites, just as first-time homeowners trade up to larger homes.

Right now the market for office condos is relatively new and somewhat untested. But as companies increasingly shift to a virtual online presence versus a brick and mortar headquarters, the demands for gigantic offices may fade, in favor of agile and adaptable office condos.

Flipping office condos may become the next bull market opportunity, and those who already own them may be well positioned for the future. Residential condos were considered an inferior investment vehicle when compared to single family homes, until about a decade ago. But then they caught up with and surpassed traditional homes in popularity and investment performance.

Regardless of what investment yields they offer, office condos are already convenient and economical, and those are the most important reasons why many experts believe they are the way of the future.

To inquire about office condo properties from a broker committed to serving the GLBT community, visit www.GayRealEstate.com. To help finance a commercial or residential real estate purchase, visit www.GayMortgageLoans.com. Or just call toll free 1-888-420-MOVE (6683).

Boomers Discover Powerful Way to Leverage Their Self-Directed IRAs -- Borrow and Buy Real Estate
Thursday January 11, 2:51 pm ET

Navigating the Web to Find Reliable Housing-Market Data
May 11, 2006

Question: Why is it so hard to get good data on housing-market prices, especially in major metro areas like Washington, D.C.? Are there no reliable indexes? I disagree that Realtors will help much -- even for information on price cuts in your target neighborhood. Most Realtors just want to sell houses, and "now" is always the best time to buy; data would just "confuse" us.

Dick: Wouldn't it be great if you could get all of the information you need to buy and sell your home on one free Web site?

Don't get me wrong -- there's a lot more useful real-estate-listing information floating around in cyberspace than there was even two years ago. But much of it is controlled by Realtors, who, as you have pointed out, seemingly don't want anything but "happy news" getting out -- and don't really want consumers to be empowered.

At first glance, it looks like there are dozens of multiple-listing services advertising on the Web. But most of these sites are thinly disguised referral tools for real-estate agents. For instance, go to MLS.com and click on your state, and you'll be transferred to HomeGain.com; try Multiplelisting.com and you'll be sent to HomeRoute.com. Both of these sites won't give you the information you seek outright without sending you to a real-estate agent. Same with other Web sites that purport to give home-price indexes or valuations, including TheHomeValueCenter.com, PriceAHomeOnline, and HomeInsight.com.

Getting an agent's name can be helpful if you want information like inventory levels and the number of days homes are on the market, and the comparative market analysis these sites advertise. You need direct access to a multiple-listing service to know these statistics, and until this information becomes public (and hell starts offering ice-skating lessons), or your local newspaper happens to include it in a business story, that's about the only way most people can get it.

Meanwhile, the best Web site available to get pricing information is Zilllow.com. Using public records, the site shows you recorded nearby sales superimposed on aerial or street maps, so you can see just how far away the homes are from the one you want to buy or sell. The problem with Zillow, however, is that public records are often wrong -- my house was shown to have two and a half baths, for instance, when it actually has three and a half. You can correct such information for the house you want to buy or sell using a "refine this estimate" tool, but you really can't be sure if the data on comparable properties is correct or not, too. (On the other hand, unless real-estate agents are very familiar with the homes they've included in their comparative market analysis, they'll probably have the same errors in their reports, too.)

So what to do? My suggestion is to use Internet Web sites like Realtor.com, Owners.com and ForSaleByOwner.com to find houses you'd like to buy. Take the virtual tours to see which ones really turn you on. Interview real-estate agents, and select one as your buyer's agent if you're not comfortable going it alone. Once you have narrowed your choices to three or four professionals, get the agents' comparable market analyses, read the local newspapers, and check area master plans and zoning.

And then go to the neighborhood and walk around, preferably right around the time school is let out for the day. Talk with the neighbors standing on the corners waiting for their kids. Tell them you're thinking about buying in the neighborhood, and ask them about any recent home sales. Were the homes fixed up? Did the properties have any recent additions or improvements? Did the sales price seem reasonable or wacky? What are the good and bad aspects of living in the community? Do any of the neighbors act as if they belong on "Desperate Housewives?"

No statistic, no Web site and no Realtor can compare with your personal sleuthing, because there are so many intangibles that don't show up in the data. And ultimately, only one buyer and one seller can determine what any house is worth.

Lease Options vs. Subject To by Wendy Patton - Follow Link

IRA provides nontraditional way to invest in real estate

Many investors have become disappointed by the uncertainty of the stock market. These days, they'd prefer to have greater choice in where they invest, beyond stocks and bonds.

A growing number of investors are learning they can invest in real estate and other nontraditional assets using their IRAs. This option is ideal for individuals who do not have cash on hand to invest or who simply want to diversify their portfolios.

Purchasing investment real estate with an IRA provides individuals with a number of favorable tax benefits from the appreciation and cash flow of the property.

With a Roth IRA, the investor never has a concern about taxation because the Roth is tax-deferred while growing and tax-free upon distribution (unlike a traditional IRA, which is taxed at the time of distribution).

In addition, a Roth IRA has no minimum distribution. It's up to the investor when and how much is taken as a distribution. Unlike 1031 exchanges, specific investment timelines or requirements to purchase "like kind" investments when buying real estate with an IRA do not exist.

When the property is sold, the IRA prevents capital-gain exposure, because taxation of an IRA does not occur until distribution.

Investors should not undertake investing in real estate with a Roth IRA or other type of IRA alone, due to strict rules the IRS sets forth. Instead, they should enlist the help of an adviser to guide them through the process.

When choosing the right self-directed IRA adviser, investors should work with an experienced professional.

Nontraditional IRA investments offer many advantages: greater control over investment options, tax-favorable income and the potential to count on higher returns with less risk.

Investors can put an adviser's expertise to work by intelligently looking to real estate as an alternative investment for retirement.

Daniel Cordoba, certified estate adviser, is a principal at Austin-based Asset Exchange Strategies LLC (www.myrealestateira.com).

Eight Steps To Setting Up A Real Estate Investment Business

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Find a run down home, maybe a foreclosure; go through it repairing and painting walls, replace flooring, install new appliances; put it on the market and make $50,000 each time. Yeah, right.

Before you launch into the real estate investment world, first consider how the transaction went with your primary residence. The agent probably took care of many of the minute details, such as lining up contractors for inspection items, helping you with financing and insurance, and even getting the inspector. If you're going to start investing on a regular basis, then you'll want to develop relationships with these professionals yourself and follow these steps to begin your real estate business:

As you can see, this is another job when you're considering the refurbishing of property and selling. I haven't even gotten into the tax ramifications of short-term investing (you will more than likely owe capital gains taxes of 5-15 percent on all of your profit).

You CAN make a lot of money, and you're going to work hard to do it. The good part about it is that the returns are usually higher than what you'll find in any other business.

Before you get started, write down your financial goals together with your partner -- usually your spouse. Find a real estate agent who can walk you through real estate investing as it pertains to your area and then talk with your accountant about tax liabilities and benefits -- then, make your decision.

"Abandoned Properties" - One of The Best Kept Money Making Secrets An article by Reggie Brooks

When I began my career as a real estate investor in 1985, I stumbled across a little known area of real estate that had the potential to make us a ton of money. This was an area of the market that went unnoticed by most people. This was the area of abandoned properties.

How To Profit From Abandoned Properties You might pass these properties on a daily basis, but just never paid much attention to them. You could be passing up hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits! These are properties that the owner has walked away from for whatever reason. It could be a divorce situation, an illness, a death in the family, a job relocation, or any number of other reasons. Do we care why? Absolutely not! Don't waste your energy trying to figure out why sellers do what sellers do.

A $58,000 Profit Right Across The Street I remember a young lady in one of my 2 day classes. In the first day of class, we taught a whole day of unconventional ways to find profitable deals. One of those methods was how to find and profit from abandoned properties. The next day, the young lady came to class and told us an interesting story about an abandoned house right across the street from her house. She said that when she got home from the first day of class, she put her key in her front door to go inside. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she stopped and immediately turned around. Across the street was an abandoned house. She had unconsciously seen the abandoned house every time she walked out of her front door, but until now she just never paid any attention to it. The windows were broken out, the grass was high, there was trash in the yard, and on and on.

After the class was over, the young lady stayed in touch with me. I had asked her to keep me informed as to the progress of her deal. It took her around three months, but in those 3 months she successfully purchased the property, fixed up the property, marketed the property, and made a profit of $58,000! By the way, she had no money, no credit, and no job, but she was still able to make this kind of profit.

Why Abandoned Properties? When you work with abandons, you have an excellent opportunity to use the best financing in the world is seller financing. There are several reasons why we prefer seller financing over conventional financing. Rarely will a seller ask to see your credit report. If you have credit problems, it usually will not become an issue. Many times the seller is completely open to many creative strategies that will help to eliminate their abandoned property problem. After all, what does the seller have to loose? His abandoned property is just sitting there not making any money.

The seller may have a mortgage to pay on it every month, because he wants to keep his credit clean. More than likely, he'd like to rent it or sell it but he feels that he'd have to spend a lot of money to fix the property up before he could market the property. In the meantime, another month goes by and another mortgage has to be paid. The taxes and insurance will also have to be paid. Money will still have to be spent on maintenance and upkeep. The repairs might become extensive, since the property is vacant and subject to vandalism. The neighbors are probably complaining about the eye sore. The Department of Building and Safety might have become involved. This can all add up to the seller having to spend a sizable chunk of cash every month, which can also represent a sizable headache for the seller. You guessed it. The seller is probably very motivated!

How Do We Find Abandoned Properties? Here's one of the easiest ways to find abandoned properties. The first thing to understand is that the more affluent the area is, the fewer the abandons you'll find. The less affluent the area, usually the more abandons you'll find. I encourage you to find an area somewhere in between the two extremes. If you keep your eyes open, you'll find properties that might have the windows broken out, they might be boarded up, you might see the grass and shrubs overgrown, you might see trash, handbills, newspapers and other signs that this property might be a good candidate for a profitable abandoned property.

Keep a pen and a pad of paper with you at all times. I teach my students to take different routes to and from their normal destinations and write down the addresses of any properties that might be abandon property prospects. This might require that you leave home a little earlier than usual, but it is certainly worth it if it brings you just one abandoned property deal.

Using A Little Known Government Program With An Abandoned Property Several years ago, I was taking my aunt to an appointment with a dialysis center when I came across an abandoned four unit building. This property showed all the classic signs of abandonment: boarded up windows, tall grass, trash, etc. I wrote the address down and called my title company as soon as I got a chance. I gave them the address, and they gave me the owner of the property and the mailing address. I wrote an offer and bought the property for $82,000. We fixed the property up using a little known government program called the Rental Rehab Program to maximize our profits. This program provided a 3 to 5% loan when the prevailing interest rates were 12% The program also allowed any qualifying tenants to drastically reduce the amount of their out of pocket monthly rent by going on the Section 8 Government Subsidy Program after the rehab was complete. The average wait for the Section 8 Program at the time was 6 to 8 years. This was truly a win-win deal for everyone involved. We kept the property for a number of years, putting a positive cash flow in our pockets every month. We eventually sold the property and made a lot of money.

The Best Financing In The World With the property needing as much work as it did, it would have been almost impossible to get a conventional bank loan to finance it and, at the time I was in no position to pay all cash. So, what is the solution? As I mentioned before, seller financing is the best financing in the world. The seller of the property financed the entire deal for us.

Here's the point: Abandoned properties are one of the best kept money-making secrets in our industry. They are very good candidates for many of the government loans and grants that can super charge your profits. Tap into this area of real estate and watch your profits soar.

Who Is Reggie Brooks? Reggie Brooks has achieved what many people consider to be impossible. He went from making $36,000 per year at the local telephone company, to making over $40,000 per month in his real estate business. Starting out with very little money, Reggie began his investment career in 1986. After taking a few real estate investment courses, he began investing in rental properties in Los Angeles. He quickly replaced his telephone company income of $3,000 per month with over $4,200 per month from a few well placed investments, becoming financially independent within his first year of investing.

Reggie is an international speaker/lecturer, an author, and an active investor specializing in a unique and very profitable niche in the marketplace called "ABANDONED PROPERTIES". Reggie teaches unconventional ways of finding distressed properties, strategically repairing those properties, and systematically selling them higher than the prevailing market. "It's very simple when you take the time to learn how." Over the years, Reggie has developed his Success Systems that consistently turn marginal $15,000 to $20,000 deals into $50,000 to $75,000 deals. Reggie teaches his Success Systems all over America. His students say that the combination of his insightful knowledge with a sheer joy for teaching makes the learning process pleasurable.

Reggie Brooks' Success Systems will teach you: How The Big Boys Are Finding Deals Right Now In This Market! How To Make Big Profits From Properties That Most Investors Consider Worthless! How To Stop Chasing Deals And Get Them Chasing You! The Right Way To Use The Internet - Find Deals From The Comfort Of Your Home! Hidden Cash Producing Secrets That Even So-Called Smart Investors Don't Know! How To Make Thousands Of Dollars In Just Weeks - No Kidding! And Much, Much More!

Reggie lives with his wife Ersoleen in Los Angeles, California and has earned the respect of the real estate investment community because of his many investment accomplishments. Of his many successful students Reggie is most proud of his two kids, Keith and Arlett. Through his mentoring they have both become successful, full time real estate investors.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO REAL ESTATE INVESTORS

Click here to get a free sample lease

Writing Your Rental Ad
Eliminating Prospects
Tenant Screening Checklist

Follow Link for 1031 Exchange Tips

If you think you are having a rough day with your real estate investments, check out this video of a guy with no limbs living his daily life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxlJWJ_WfA

Before Investing in a Tenants-in-Common (TIC) deal read this WSJ Article.

Leverage Your Money When Paying Contractors By: Kenny Rushing

Landlord

Dos and don'ts of holding home's title in LLC

What investors with multiple homes need to know

The Forces Transforming Markets- Follow Link to CBRE Article detailing the following:

Numerous Real Estate Investing Articles

Don't buy home without inspection contingency

Six hidden property flaws to look for

By Ilyce R. Glink

Tax Strategy for Real Estate Hits Some Rocky Turf

Office Condos: An overview of what they are and how they might work for you.

From InmanWiki

Most Resilient U.S. Real Estate Markets

June 11, 2007

When it comes to real estate, the questions on everyone's lips are: How low is low, and when's the perfect time to buy back in?

That moment has passed in Seattle and Charlotte--both metros hit bottom in the first quarter of 2006 and have since posted price gains of 12.3% and 6.3%, respectively, according to National Association of Realtors (NAR) data.

Ripe for investment? Philadelphia and New Orleans. Based on housing inventory and local economic conditions, both should hit price troughs by year's end and bounce back with moderate gains around 4% in 2008.

So which other metro area markets stand the best chance of recovery, and when will that upturn occur?

Behind The Numbers

The differences between a V-shaped market and a U-shaped one has to do with barriers to growth. High vacancy rates and high investor share can hurt a market, but if the local economy remains strong and housing stock affordable it's only a matter of how long it takes to absorb the excess inventory.

"As investors exit, the market revives," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at West Chester, Pa.-based research firm Moody's Economy.com, as fewer speculative buyers results in a more stable market. "Tampa's a pretty affordable market and first-time buyers can come in once prices fall."

These projections take into account housing affordability, vacancy rates, the strength of the local economy and job market, investor share in 2005 and the share of subprime mortgages. Data comes from Moody's, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve's Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.

Predicting the bottom of any asset market, especially real estate, is a difficult thing. While these projections are based on sound data and advanced modeling by Moody's, no one can predict futures markets with absolute certainty.

Other Bounce Backs

"These markets are going to experience more substantial declines in the coming year," says Zandi. "Gauging the bottom is a very intrepid affair and the job market is very important to recovery."

Boomers Discover Powerful Way to Leverage Their Self-Directed IRAs -- Borrow and Buy Real Estate
Thursday January 11, 2:51 pm ET

Navigating the Web to Find Reliable Housing-Market Data
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IRA provides nontraditional way to invest in real estate

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INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO REAL ESTATE INVESTORS

Click here to get a free sample lease

Writing Your Rental Ad Eliminating Prospects Tenant Screening Checklist

Follow Link for 1031 Exchange Tips

If you think you are having a rough day with your real estate investments, check out this video of a guy with no limbs living his daily life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxlJWJ_WfA

Before Investing in a Tenants-in-Common (TIC) deal read this WSJ Article.

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Landlord

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The Forces Transforming Markets- Follow Link to CBRE Article detailing the following:

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From InmanWiki

Most Resilient U.S. Real Estate Markets

June 11, 2007

When it comes to real estate, the questions on everyone's lips are: How low is low, and when's the perfect time to buy back in?

That moment has passed in Seattle and Charlotte--both metros hit bottom in the first quarter of 2006 and have since posted price gains of 12.3% and 6.3%, respectively, according to National Association of Realtors (NAR) data.

Ripe for investment? Philadelphia and New Orleans. Based on housing inventory and local economic conditions, both should hit price troughs by year's end and bounce back with moderate gains around 4% in 2008.

So which other metro area markets stand the best chance of recovery, and when will that upturn occur?

Behind The Numbers

The differences between a V-shaped market and a U-shaped one has to do with barriers to growth. High vacancy rates and high investor share can hurt a market, but if the local economy remains strong and housing stock affordable it's only a matter of how long it takes to absorb the excess inventory.

"As investors exit, the market revives," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at West Chester, Pa.-based research firm Moody's Economy.com, as fewer speculative buyers results in a more stable market. "Tampa's a pretty affordable market and first-time buyers can come in once prices fall."

These projections take into account housing affordability, vacancy rates, the strength of the local economy and job market, investor share in 2005 and the share of subprime mortgages. Data comes from Moody's, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve's Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.

Predicting the bottom of any asset market, especially real estate, is a difficult thing. While these projections are based on sound data and advanced modeling by Moody's, no one can predict futures markets with absolute certainty.

Other Bounce Backs

"These markets are going to experience more substantial declines in the coming year," says Zandi. "Gauging the bottom is a very intrepid affair and the job market is very important to recovery."

Boomers Discover Powerful Way to Leverage Their Self-Directed IRAs -- Borrow and Buy Real Estate Thursday January 11, 2:51 pm ET

Navigating the Web to Find Reliable Housing-Market Data May 11, 2006

Lease Options vs. Subject To by Wendy Patton - Follow Link

IRA provides nontraditional way to invest in real estate

Eight Steps To Setting Up A Real Estate Investment Business

"Abandoned Properties" - One of The Best Kept Money Making Secrets An article by Reggie Brooks

Writing Your Rental Ad
Eliminating Prospects
Tenant Screening Checklist

Six hidden property flaws to look for

By Ilyce R. Glink

Boomers Discover Powerful Way to Leverage Their Self-Directed IRAs -- Borrow and Buy Real Estate
Thursday January 11, 2:51 pm ET

Navigating the Web to Find Reliable Housing-Market Data
May 11, 2006