Chattanooga REIA Blog

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One of the most common questions I get asked is “how do you find master lease option deals?” In this article I will show you how I have found most of my master lease option (MLO) properties.

The short answer to this question is REALTORS!

I will acknowledge that in the single family investment market, most hot deals probably come from your own advertising or from wholesalers that find you the best deals. In the commercial world the game changes significantly. Most sellers of a commercial property, such as an apartment complex, are not going to go out to the road and put up a FSBO sign hoping a buyer rides by and sees the sign. Most of the best deals are not on Loopnet.com either. While advertising such as direct mail and other forms of marketing can work in the commercial world, I have found that the response rate is usually too low to be worth the effort. The response is significantly lower than when advertising for houses.  Read More >>

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Right now, in my office, I am receiving short sales from sellers who decided to do a loan modification which was only valid for 3-5 years.  In my opinion, this is the second wave of short sales that you will be coming across.  Many Investors stay away from short sales because they say it takes “too long” or they do not want to negotiate the short sale itself.  After speaking with them, I find out that they really don’t understand the short sale process.  So they miss out on BIG profits that are available by making offers on short sales that are listed and/or controlling the whole deal by finding the seller that needs to do a short sale, list it and have a title company process the short sale.  When you close and make your $thousands$, that would get you real excited about short sales!  The key to a successful short sale is making sure that the Short Sale Lender has the correct value on the property and this is where so many Investors and Realtors fail! 

Many title companies will agree to negotiate the short sale on the property for the cost of title work so all they need is the financial package from the Seller and a Purchase Agreement from YOU!  In fact, title companies are contacting the Seller directly, so you do not even have to obtain the information from the Seller when it is needed.  Why, then, are Investors not making offers???  I believe it is due to a lack of knowledge.  You have to know what to tell the title company’s negotiator to say to the short sale lender’s negotiator if you want to create a great discount.  My Home Study Course teaches you what to say and ask, in order to create your great discount.  Read More >>

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Using the people around you to locate motivated sellers for you is a great way to find even more deals absolutely free. Think about it, the more people you have locating deals for you, the more deals you are going to make. And personally, I always advocate “free” techniques for finding motivated sellers, especially those of you with a very limited budget for marketing.

So how are we going to find these people to find deals for us? Well first of all, look around you. Friends, relatives and co-workers are good sources of leads for you. They usually live, drive and work in different areas of town than you do and they come in contact with a lot of people that you simply won’t. So they are likely to bring you deals you would never know about otherwise.

You can also ask anyone who does deliveries to be a bird dog for you. For example, mail delivery, Fed-X or UPS delivery people are delivering packages all over your area and can tell you about vacant houses they may see. In fact, you could even give them some of your business cards to stick in the doors of vacant houses they find. Just have them write their first name on the back of the card so you can pay them if you get a deal from it. Read More >>

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In my early twenties, I’d decided that to be successful, I needed to buy a Mercedes Benz and a gold Rolex watch.  Dean Kates, who was my mentor back then, told me the following story to help me understand that greatness comes from within, not from what you own – that bling is pretty much meaningless!

After many years away, a world-famous violinist returned to his small hometown in Georgia.  He came to play a benefit concert to raise much-needed funds for his high school’s music program.  Because the violinist was one of the very best musicians in the world, the town spared no expense rolling out the red carpet for him.

At a reception held two hours before the concert, many of the performer’s high school chums showed up to pat him on the back and wish him well.  As a group, they asked to see his one-of-a-kind Stradivarius that had been built in the 17^th century.  It was said that the music that flowed from his Stradivarius was the sweetest, purest, most heart-touching melody the world has ever known. Read More >>

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Can any bank foreclose on your house? You would think the answer would be a resounding “no!” A reasonable person would assume that only the bank that lent you the money to buy your house or bought your loan through a legitimate sale would be able to foreclose on your home. Well, until a recent decision in the California Appellate Court, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

In a May ruling from the California Court of Appeal, it was finally and clearly declared that “only the person or institution entitled to payment may enforce the debt by foreclosing on the security.” That is to say that a bank must prove a clear chain of title on any loan on which it intends to foreclose. In this specific case, there was a void assignment of a Monica Sciarratta’s note to US Bank. US Bank then claimed the right to foreclose. Sciaratta then sued for wrongful foreclosure and won in this decisive ruling from the Court of Appeals.

The court also included in the Sciarratta ruling a clear indictment of the attitude many judges take that says that a borrower who defaults deserves to have their home foreclosed upon, no matter who does the foreclosing. The Court stated that “The borrower owes money not to the world at large but to a particular person or institution” and that person or institution is the only one allowed to foreclose in the case of a default on that debt.  Read More >>

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Many people expect to learn how to invest in real estate from seminars, books, videos, etc. but until you actually pull the trigger and go all in you will not know how to invest in real estate. Yes, you will learn the procedure and steps involved but those usually do not go as planned either. As Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Well, real estate is no different.

I know you heard this a million times but if this was easy there would be more people doing it, successfully. The amount of people that attempt to invest in real estate has increased drastically in the last few years. Suddenly, overnight, everyone was able to “BUY HOUSES CASH.” It might be due to all the new television shows, new investment clubs, one year old gurus, a volatile stock market, etc. but whatever the reason more people are giving real estate investing a shot. The best thing you can do when investing in real estate is to pay attention to the details. This can be the difference between getting punched in the mouth and moving forward or giving up because it was too much.  Read More >>

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Here is a great tip for you to think about when rehabbing your houses. I have written about this subject before and I thought I would share some different ideas that will help you sell your houses faster and many times get a higher price than other houses in that same price range. 

So, What Is The Secret To Getting A Higher Price For Your Houses Than Your Competition Can Get For Their Houses?

The simple answer to this question is doing what other investors won’t do!  

Years ago I learned a simple but very powerful lesson that has since made a huge difference for me and those who have followed these suggestions.

Here is what I mean. When doing your rehabs always put things in your houses that would normally be found in houses located in a higher price range. It is a good idea to take some time and go to a few open house showings and take notes about what things these higher priced houses have that aren’t usually found in houses in the price range of the house you are about to rehab.  Read More >>

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Ok so you want to learn everything you can about a certain subject. Become an expert. It takes around 10,000 hours to become an expert. If you worked at it 40 hours per week you would get there in 5 years. If you do it part time, while you are working to put a few pennies together, then it will take 30 years. The choice is yours.

Becoming a realtor, mortgage broker, contractor, attorney, appraiser, and loan servicing company all require a learning curve. How long do you have before you are at a loss of income?  The person who goes to College postpones their earning power for a period of time.  They will command more money than a High School educated person. The interesting fact is the person who works straight out of High School will earn more gross money until the 20th year out of High School. After that the College educated person will earn 2 times more over their life time. One interesting idea to ponder is what do the people without the College education do with that money and if they invested it they would have more net worth at the age of 65 through compounding. Because the High school graduate only has life experience and does not think about investment, nor have the educational background on economics, they tend to fail financially. Understand that if that is you, then you are under more pressure to succeed than someone who went to College.  Read More >>

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Buyers… a wholesalers best friend.  A lifeline.  The reason why we make the money we do with a smile on our face.  However let's face it, many wholesalers are fantastic at shooting themselves in the foot in this area.  Even experienced wholesalers run into more challenging Buyers that while qualified to buy, are hesitant or even downright against buying from a wholesaler.  Or they are just so picky that the time spent quickly feels like it is not worth the effort.  These are not the easiest of hurdles to discuss.  And even if they are willing to buy, how do you structure things to ensure you actually can close and not end up on the short side of the stick?  (i.e. Buyer walks right before closing)

A few simple steps will make this hurdle much, much easier.  We’ll cover two this month:  Read More >>

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Assessing finance charges is a complicated process. But if you have a lot of late payments coming in, you may want to consider it. Be sure you know what your lease agreement says before you start this process.  If your lease agreement clearly states a flat fee per day, month or some other period then finance charges do not work for your situation.

There are many reasons why your tenants send in payments past their due dates. Maybe you sent an invoice for additional charges and they’re disputing the charges. They might not be very conscientious about bill-paying. Or they simply don’t have the money.

Sometimes they contact you about their oversight, but more often, you just see the overdue days pile up in your reports.

You could use stronger language in your customer messages. Send statements. Make phone calls if the delinquency goes on too long. Or you could start assessing finance charges to invoices that go unpaid past the due date. QuickBooks provides tools to accommodate this, but you’ll want to make absolutely sure you’re using them correctly – or you’ll risk angering tenants and creating problems with your accounts receivable.  Read More >>

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Introduction

As an agent with Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta for 15 years, I have watched our company grow from “Keller Who?” to Keller Williams Realty being the number one company in Georgia, and, our office being the number one office in the state of Georgia. Over this time period, the internet has become a dominate factor in communication with clients, and, between agents. Of recent, our office intranet (370 agents) and our company Facebook have become abuzz with agents requesting corporate rentals, also known as Short Term Furnished Property Rentals or Vacation Rentals in many tourist destinations and now many major cities.

My dearest friend of 20 years, Renata Circeo Louden, whom I have sold at least a dozen Atlanta properties to or for, and, who was the only rent and hold investor in Gary Keller’s Millionaire Real Estate Investor (page 364-I nominated her for the book), has had a successful vacation and corporate rental property management company in Atlanta and Destin, Florida for over 15 years managing over 100 properties. As she owns 20 properties in Atlanta and the Destin Area herself, she jokes that “I bought myself a job.” However, she manages to net her clients more money per year with less hassle, which is the reason of her tremendous growth.  Read More >>

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 You’re going to learn something very useful by reading this article.

This “something” is so valuable that you might want to use it for the rest of your life.

But before you learn what it is, let me start by saying...

The older I get, the more I realize things.

While that statement/observation could apply to just about anything...or anybody, I’d like to use this article to point out how it relates to people’s everyday communication skills.

We live in an age of instant information...yet people these days don’t seem to have any patience to communicate properly. We abbreviate stuff, like lol, brb, and wtf.

We text. We Tweet. We post. We share, and we like. What’s up with all the cat videos?

With so much information all around us, bombarding our everyday lives, it’s easy to understand why we need to curtail our communication. We just don’t seem to have the time to talk with most people the way we used to.  Read More >>

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"Plans are nothing; Planning is everything." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Only by finishing things is the way to learn. Despite this fact of life, I do find myself a bit overwhelmed at times with the various projects I’m planning at any given time. Making two or three phone calls to get a quote about one single project isn’t too much work. When you have three properties that need at least two large or small scale projects to be addressed that consumes at least two days of shopping around, getting in contact with the local businesses.

Homewyse is a site that was pretty much made for a person like me, but anyone who wants a jumping off point to get ballpark figures on home repairs will find this very useful. You don’t have to give up any personal information like a credit card to gain access to quotes in your area, or a property outside of your primary residence. Unlike Angie’s List, you don’t have to become a member to browse. Homewyse is an immediate source where you can get an idea of what things will cost. You don’t have to be specific about your project, I do find it great to look at comparable costs and then call or email local tradespeople to get a better picture.  Read More >>

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You’re an investor who’s focused on the long-term: your ability to retire with a nest egg. You want to build over the long-term, and you know that there are many different vehicles for doing just that, including employer-based 401(k) plans and more. But what many investors overlook is the possibility of using a Real Estate IRA in their retirement portfolio.

Why do they overlook it? For one, the option is rarely presented to them. Many people don’t even know that you can invest in real estate with an IRA. Another reason: many people believe that investing in real estate is a “rich man’s” game. But investing in real estate is available to anyone with the drive and interest to make it happen. Let’s take a look at what every retirement investor needs to know about the Real Estate IRA in order to make it part of their portfolio.  Read More >>

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With a degree in finance and over 15 years of experience investing in real estate, I thought I knew how to structure my cash flowing investment deals correctly, but I didn’t, and chances are, neither do you.

Most investors know how to calculate returns, but very few understand how to quantify and minimize the risk in their deals, which can (and usually does) destroy their chances of creating long term success.

I was one of the many investors (99% in fact) who thought I knew how to structure my deals correctly when I actually did not. Then I discovered The Wealthy Code and it changed everything for me, just like it has for hundreds of other investors all over the country.

So what makes The Wealthy Code Workshop different from any other training out there? Well, A LOT! Here are just some of the things you’ll learn (AND PRACTICE) when you attend this training: Read More >>

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Leads, leads and more leads. No matter if you plan to wholesale, fix and flip, fix and rent, subject-to, owner finance or anything else involving real estate you must have leads. Some may agree with this statement and some may disagree but any time I needed anything in real estate, it was resolved by simply finding a great lead/deal.

I have heard investors and newbies alike say that they need to find financing or private money before finding a deal. While financing is important it cannot be put to work without a deal. I would argue that it is easier to find financing than it is to find a great deal. In fact, if you think you have a real deal and can't find financing you may not have a good enough deal. Or it is possible you may not have the experience some lenders require. If this is the case and you really do have a deal there are investors out there that will partner with you. If it is your first investment it may be wise to partner with someone. Partnering with a veteran real estate investor can be invaluable. You will be making him/her money so they will be more willing to answer the hundreds of question you have been wanting to ask. Another way to tell if you have a great deal is if investors are requesting to take the deal off your hands. Sometimes when I'm approached to partner or lend on a deal, and it is a no-brainer of a deal, I ask if they would be willing to wholesale. I've always said, "You don't ask, you don't get." It is always worth asking. Read More >>

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If you want to get the most out of your retirement, we have three words for you: knowledge is power. No, we’re not talking about any sort of “inside” knowledge when it comes to investing, or any sort of illegal tips and tricks. We’re talking about real investing knowledge: knowledge about the different types of accounts and investments you have available to you, and how to use those accounts and investments to the best of your ability. And one of the most important things for people to learn is how to use their Real Estate IRA in the best way possible.

Why a Real Estate IRA? Because self-directing this type of IRA allows you to utilize some amazing things that you simply can’t get when you invest in other types of accounts and asset classes. With real estate, you’ll be able to tap into your experience with this asset class…and possibly even get a lot of value out of it if this is your first foray into the world of real estate. How is that possible? Well, knowledge is power. Here are some tips and strategies for getting the most out of your Real Estate IRA. Read More >>

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BIG Reminder:  Follow up, follow up, follow up is crucial for capturing real estate deals!  What makes any deal is a Motivated Seller.  There are 13 main Seller motivators such as a vacant home, in pre-foreclosure, loss of job, job relocation, etc.  But how do we know when the “price” of the pain of home ownership becomes more than the price they want for the house?  How do we know when they’ve reached that tipping point, therefore agreeing to take a discount to allow an Investor to purchase the property and make a profit?  You guessed it….we follow up. 

Over 1 year ago, I was tracking a pre-foreclosure vacant home and I went to the next door neighbor to find out if they knew where the sellers moved.  During my conversation, I was informed that they hadn’t seen the neighbor in years and really didn’t even know them.  The couple I was talking to was an elderly couple who owned their home free and clear.  I asked them if they were interested in selling their house and John told me that he and his wife just might sell it at the right price; however, he and his wife were going to the doctor’s and he would call me to talk about the home and set an appointment to see inside.  I also got his telephone number so I could follow up in case he didn’t call me.  My first thought was whenever I hear the Seller say “at the right price,” that they always want more than what the house is worth and/or retail value.  I did ask John what the “right price” was and he replied again that he will call me back.  Read More >>

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“The building art is man's spatial dialogue with his environment and demonstrates how he asserts himself therein and how he masters it.” ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Many apps I use are in lieu of something else, whether that be a tape measure or an architect’s blueprints. The RoomScan Pro seems to have replaced a lot of the physical tools needed to plan furniture placement, estimate how many gallons of paint or just to showcase a very simple to follow floor plan. It’s been helpful for prospective buyers to look at before they arrive at the open house. The app has its uses. For my own purposes, it saves me a lot of time trying to locate the original floor plan or determine whether a piece of furniture I want to use in the staging will fit in the room.

RoomScan Pro uses the iPhone’s accelerometer and additional sensors to map out the room. The app also has an option to create a whole floor plan. For me, in general, mapping out a single room works best. It charts the distance between walls in the room and then the end result is a clean illustration of what the app thinks the room dimensions are.

To get the best use out of the app you’ll need to buy the premium version. There is a free version but it is limited. I have my location settings activated so there’s no need for me to enter my location when I come to a new property. Tap on a named location like the street address and it will send you to the next step to create a “new room” with the app. You can name the room. If you’re doing the whole floor plan you don’t want to leave this blank. You can also name the floor you are on as well. By the end you will have a well-labeled illustration at the end, and it’s easier to navigate too. Read More >>

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In the last 15 months, thousands of TILA rescissions have been filed across the country. As a result we are finally seeing the patterns in how the banks are responding to rescissions. In case after case, the banks are obfuscating. They try to intimidate homeowners and confuse the courts into ignoring the clear letter of the law; that rescission is effective upon mailing as a matter of law. While they keep up this charade in the courts, they refuse to admit to federal regulators the risks posed by these wrongful foreclosures and the mortgage backed securities swindle as a whole.

First let’s clarify a few things about rescission. Whether disputed or not, a rescission is effective at the time it is mailed as a matter of law. It doesn't matter what a judge WOULD rule if a challenge is filed by a party with legal standing. The rescission is valid until a party with legal standing can prove through a lawsuit in federal court that it should be vacated within the 20 day window.

Servicers will rarely try to dispute that the rescission happened, but will argue that it is not effective. First they usually send a letter to the homeowner stating that the rescission is invalid and they will not honor it. If the homeowner (correctly) challenges this, the bank will try to get a judge to ignore the law through motions that allow the bank to avoid having to prove actual facts in a lawsuit to vacate the rescission. The bank is trying to get the court to agree to the premise that the disclosures made at the time the loan was made were adequate and that the loan was consummated on the date they allege. All of these are questions of fact for a jury to decide the merits of, not a judge. Read More >>

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