Mortgage and Real Estate Blog

That is the question on a lot of people’s minds. Those who own a home want to see their equity return and some of them want to sell as soon as their home is worth at least as much as they paid for it.

Real estate professionals want it to bounce back so they can sell more houses. Real estate investors want real estate to bounce back so they can start buying and selling again.

Has everyone become too careful? If no one starts to speculate on real estate, then it will be difficult for it to make a comeback. Real estate will come back eventually. Those that are willing to speculate on property before it does will make the highest profits. And those who do that will also help real estate to make the comeback we all want to see.

Look at oil. Oil prices went extremely high just before the big crash of 09. And regardless about what you heard about how oil being scarce or other countries causing the prices to rise, it was the people that were speculating on oil futures that caused it. The more they bought oil futures, the higher the price of oil went.

It may take the same thing to give real estate a boost. If investors start buying real estate right now, then prices will start to rise. It works. So c’mon, what are you investors waiting for? If you wait for the prices to come up before you invest, then you’ll miss out on the bulk of the profits.

If you’re scared, you’ll make less money. It is the risk-takers who drive the market and who reap the most benefits.

Some people have them, some people don’t. Real estate formulas, that is. Steve Gillman is one person with a real estate formula and he’s not afraid to share it. Here is his article about real estate formulas. Hope you enjoy it.

It was a simple real estate formula. The ads ran in our small-town newspaper for years before I realized exactly what was going on. They were always the same: A house for sale with 5% down and payments of 1% of the purchase price. Maybe a three bedroom home for $90,000, for example, with $4,500 down and $900 per month payments.

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One of the things that you’re going to hear about real estate investing - and, specifically, about those investors who have been the most successful - is that real estate fortunes aren’t made when the economy is thriving. The more that you look into that adage, the more that you are going to see that the basic gist of the statement is that the most successful real estate investors got their starts when the market was slow - when the sellers were having trouble moving homes and buyers weren’t eager to make a purchase.

In other words, the more that you look into it, the more that you are going to find yourself in a position in which you see merit in getting involved in the real estate investment business. After all, if others have been able to increase their income through buying in a down market, that means that it’s possible for you too.

If you are wondering whether or not you should get involved in real estate investing, there are a few key questions that you need to ask yourself. You’re going to want to think about whether you are looking for money now or over time, whether you have the financial backing that you need to get started and whether or not it’s something you are willing to learn about. After all, real estate investing isn’t something to just dive into - it’s something that you will need to work on and develop skills with in order to reach the goals that you set for yourself.

Everyone has their own ideas about what they are going to be able to do to tough out an economy that just isn’t ideal, but when you throw in the idea of home prices dropping and deals in real estate that are just waiting to be found, the reality is that plenty of folks are going to start thinking about getting started in real estate investing.

For some people, real estate investing is a great idea - they know that they are in a spot where they can find financing (often without having to head out to the bank to seek a mortgage when, well, the mortgage industry isn’t doing that well either), they know the market in their area and they know that they’re focused on the long term. In other words, those who are most likely to succeed in real estate investing, especially in a tough economy, aren’t going to be those who want to buy a home today and turn around and sell it tomorrow.

Ultimately, if you can take a few steps back from the ideas you have about real estate investing - the ones inspired by Flip That House - then there’s a chance that you can succeed, provided you’re willing to focus on learning and growing as an investor. However, if you’re looking for a way to get rich overnight, well, today’s real estate investment market probably isn’t your best bet.

For many people, it has always seemed as though investing in real estate would be a great way to earn extra income and to have a more financially secure future. The challenge, of course, is that the more that people are looking at real estate news that’s coming out - and issues with the mortgage crisis that are now extending into the mortgages taken out by real estate investors - that indicates that overly inflated prices in some areas are beginning to crash and that, like many other mortgage holders, investors are about to take a hit and find themselves underwater.

When home buyers were losing their homes, there was a lot of talk about how times could be remarkably good for real estate investors. Now that even 60 Minutes is covering the likelihood of a secondary real estate market collapse, it seems as though there are more people who are going to think twice about getting involved - but, based on that same story, it looks as though a lot of real estate investors failed to do one thing when they started out: shop around for financing.

Now, of course, that’s not to say that you’re golden and that there won’t be any issues if you did your homework; however, hopefully when you got started in real estate investing, you were able to focus on evaluating deals and making the right choices.

There are going to be those times when you hear all about what a fantastic opportunity investing in real estate is going to be. Then there are going to be those times when you hear all about how stressed out real estate investors are. There have been articles - especially lately - about the fact that there are some real estate investors who are struggling (like many homeowners) with the opportunity to make mortgage payments.

Because of this, there are plenty of would be real estate investors out there who are looking for some sort of answer; they are looking for some sort of clear suggestion about whether or not investing in real estate is something that’s a good idea or if it is something that they should be running from the very idea of.

So where does that leave you?

Real estate investing - in some markets, at least - can be a great opportunity. Whether you’re thinking about landlording, investing in commercial real estate or you’re looking for those opportunities that will help you to turn a profit over time, the most important thing to think about before investing in real estate is this: is it the right idea for you, in your situation, right now.

Watch a late night infomercial about generating wealth and one of the first things that you’re going to discover is that the fastest way to great abs is. . . Wait, wrong story; the thing that you are going to discover is that there are a lot of folks out there who tell you the best way to create real wealth is through real estate investing.

It is possible to create wealth with real estate investing - provided you do it the right way. Rather than staying up late and scratching your head trying to figure out how you got suckered in by an infomercial, you can learn what you need to know about real estate investing from those who are in the field and who have already found success; it’s possible to learn with a mentor rather than a collection of DVDs that are designed to show you how to do it yourself without support when you’ve got questions that need answers.

What do you think would be more successful: watching a made for DVD movie or working one on one with a mentor who can show you where to get the money to make great deals, how to find motivated sellers and to evaluate the profit potential of each deal?

If you’ve been thinking about getting a start as a real estate investor, one of the important things that you’re going to want to consider are the options available when you’re looking for property. There are going to be trends. You’re going to consider the trends - those pointers and tidbits that you can pick up by watching Flip that House, the advice of Trump (who some may argue is only offering Trump University to make even more money) and other real estate investors, and the things that you can read about in the money or real estate sections in your local newspaper.

A lot of these trends right now seem to be saying that foreclosures is the way to go, but is that really the case? Even if the “experts” are telling you that foreclosures are a great way to make money as a real estate investor, is it what they themselves are doing?

If you’re really looking for good real estate investing advice, one of the best things that you can do is to find yourself a great real estate investment mentor - someone who won’t just tell you what to do but who will show you how to do what works.

When money gets tight and gas and food prices are steadily climbing, you’re going to find yourself thinking about your finances; plenty of people are going to make the choice to look at their options. One of those options is going to be getting involved in real estate investing.

The challenge of real estate investing in a buyers market is that it’s not going to be quite as easy to turn a profit; you won’t be able to buy a property one day and immediately turn it around and make a few thousand dollars. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to reach your financial goals with real estate investing - it is, provided you are getting the advice that you need about finding financing, where to look for motivated sellers, to finding tenants and everything else that’s involved in getting started with real estate investing as a business.

With access to the right information and the ability to learn more about getting started and finding a mentor who can help you to get started and help you evaluate deals before you make them, you’ll find that it’s a lot easier to learn the ins and outs of investing in real estate. You’ll also find that you are on your way to reaching your goals.

Here are a hand full of real estate and mortgage websites we recommend:

Real Estate

Assistant For Real Estate - A virtual assistant for real estate agents and brokers. Save yourself some time, money, and headache.

Virtual U. - A blog that instructs virtual assistants on how to improve their services.

Seaside Views - Looking for coastal real estate in Florida? Start here.

Homes For Sale - This real estate broker in New Jersey deals exclusively with high end luxury homes.

Park City Journal - More than a real estate blog, this is a community blog. And it covers Park City, Utah very well.

Investor Wealth - A great blog for real estate investing.

Building Systems Network - A blog focused on ecological home construction, green building, and modular homes.

GW Kime & Associates - Real estate agents serving Michigan, primarily the Ann Arbor area.

Mortgage

Michigan Mortgage - Looking for a mortgage company in Michigan? Try this one.

Mortgage Tracker - When you want the latest, and the best, information on anything related to mortgages, this is the place to check first.

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