Real Estate blog

Archive for the ‘Home Buying Information’ Category

Real estate investors looking for a realtor in Houston should check out Eurika Coleman, a real estate professional that I’ve been working with for the past few years.

Ok, so I’m in the middle of a 1031 tax deferred exchange, the result of a New Years resolution to cash out of a high-end townhouse that had generated some equity and reinvest into a property(ies) that generates better income.

Real estate books are a mixed batch. There are those that I recommend, such as Eldred and McLean’s excellent Investing in Real Estate, now in it’s fifth edition. On the other end of the spectrum is Robert Kiyosaki’s bestselling fable Rich Dad Poor Dad, a dangerous and misleading book if ever there was one.

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It’s hard to argue with the success that Robert T. Kiyoski has had with his Rich Dad series. Head over to Amazon.com and you’ll see almost fifty items on offer; Rich Dad in English, Rich Dad in Spanish, Rich Dad for women and kids. Even Rich Dad in Chinese. My personal favorite is the DVD Rich Dad’s 60 Minutes to Getting Rich. Ok, it’s a bit pricy at $79.99…but that’s a small price to pay for a DVD that will make you rich in 60 minutes, right?

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I’ve often mentioned that real estate investing is all about people. Here are three ways in which this general principle manifests itself.

Information wants to be free: Real estate investing certainly has an element of secrecy, as does any business endeavor that involves negotiations. For example, when you’re on the buy leg of a 1031 exchange you don’t want the seller and you’re running short on time you don’t want the seller to know that you’re under pressure to make a deal work. And when you’re selling a property that you just bought FSBO you don’t want the buyer to know that you purchased it for a song.

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Lots of ink has been spilled on how our jittery market is impacting homeowners. But it’s hard to find anyone writing on the question that looms largest in the minds of most investors: what do I do now?

There, of course, is no single right answer to this questions – it will depend you’re your risk appetite, your local market, your time horizon, and your view of what the market is going to do next. But from where I sit I see five basic paths forward for investors in 2008:

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The real estate industry slowly but surely continues it’s march towards a new, yet-to-be-defined future state – driven by technology, new players, new business models, and ever changing customer expectations.

The media scares me. We all rely on journalists to make a big world small and help us digest current events, but whenever I see an article on something that is within my area of expertise – like energy policy or real estate – I’m often appalled at how badly some publications mangle the facts and principles in order to spin an entertaining story.

The worst offender among the popular press, hands down, is USA Today.

Bulding a real estate team is recommended by many successful real estate investors. Having a trustworthy team of professionals alleviates professional real estate investors with an important asset - time. Some real estate investors try to do everything themselves, creating a shortage of their time to chase after the next great deal. Thriving real estate investors build a team they can rely on and trust. The following are some team members to consider when deciding to grow your business and building your real estate team.

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photo courtesy of Seaworld Orlando photo courtest of Flickr

News that the US giant Busch are set to open an array of theme parks in Dubai╤В╨Р╨йs ╤В╨Р╨мPalm Jebel Ali╤В╨Р╨н development was well received by the stock market with shares being marked higher on hopes that this would be a valuable future income stream for the group. Globalisation is increasingly playing a key role in the transference between countries pursuing similar business models and provides for greater brand extension.
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