DEAN GRAZIOSI: DEAN GRAZIOSI REAL ESTATE – REAL ESTATE FEED BY DEAN GRAZIOSI

The current housing crisis in the United States is credited, to a large degree, with causing the crippled economy that has resulted in employment shortages and hard times across the nation throughout the last couple of years. In a nation that has historically had a fairly strong economy — with a few notable exceptions — many have wondered what is behind such a serious blow to the nation.

Several years ago the real estate market reached an all-time high in many areas of the country. Lenders and borrowers everywhere were taking advantage of low interest rates which offered prime conditions for new building. All classes of housing went up significantly in price and investors had a field day. However, though the price went way up on the average family home, the average family income stayed the same.

An overpowering desire for home ownership and the allure of extremely low interest rates compelled homebuyers to purchase homes anyway. After all, that starter home or “dream home” in their sites was only a little beyond their means. Unfortunately, many of those extremely low interest rates came in the form of variable-rate mortgages. People who had stretched themselves just a little thin with the house payments discovered that, with just a little adjustment of the interest rate, they could no longer afford their home.

As the economy headed into rough waters, people in nearly every career field began losing their jobs. Those who were barely making ends meet due to buying too much house for their means suddenly had no income at all. Banks became overburdened with foreclosures, prices on houses in many areas dropped, but fewer and fewer people are able to even consider purchasing a new home. An economy’s health relies on a robust trade, especially in big-ticket items such as real estate, so the housing crisis and poor economy have, in effect, perpetuated each other.

Numerous factors in today’s economy have added to the crisis until citizens and legislators can see no way out of the hole. While several legislative measures have been passed, many believe that it is either too little, too late or that such measures are quite misguided. However, despite the current challenges, the savvy investor can still find opportunities in most real estate markets with a bit of knowledge regarding what is required in each area.

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Starter homes are defined as relatively inexpensive residences, often fairly small, that are within reach of college graduates and young families. The idea behind a starter home is that the buyer will eventually upgrade, whether through remodeling or relocating, when they’ve launched their careers or had more time to put up savings. Opinions are divided on whether these are smart financial decisions, or whether people should simply hold off purchasing real estate until their means allow them to buy the place they intend to stay indefinitely.

What determines whether a starter home is a good idea for you? There are several factors to consider. Research the history of your area, paying special attention to how the value of real estate has changed over time. Has it appreciated, or depreciated? If the area has seen significant appreciation, what caused it? Many areas see a sharp incline in real estate prices because of changes in industry, tourism, etc. that may either plateau or, worse, go back on the decline. For homebuyers intending to purchase a home, live in it for several years, and then sell again it is important to try to gauge whether or not a profit can even be made for the effort.

How long do you intend to stay in the home? If you’ve just finished a degree, completed in-demand certification, or just started a job with high potential for advancement, you may want to think hard before buying a home as you may be ready to upgrade within only a couple of years. The last thing you want is to be ready to sell your starter home, only to find that you can not make enough money from the sale to cover your mortgage and other costs that went into acquiring this. As a safeguard, it’s a good idea to only get into mortgages you plan to pay on for several years.

Alternatively, if you don’t mind the hassle of being a landlord, keeping the starter home to rent out after you’ve moved on is always an option. The clincher, of course, is that this home represents a burden on your credit and you are limited as to what new house you can get because of the additional payment. Whenever you plan to rent out a house, you should always be sure you have enough money to pay for the rental and your new place of residence out of your pocket. Relying on renters to meet that house payment can cause a lot of grief in the long run because you can never depend on the house always being rented out or the occupants to always pay their rent on time.

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When you wake up in the morning, are you thrilled about going to work?  If not, don’t worry, you’re not alone.  However, you don’t have to feel like that.  Successful people know that the quickest way to a productive, happy life is to do what you love—unfortunately, the majority of people are not sure what that is.
One thing most people do know is they’d love doing something that allows them to make money for themselves, and even eventually allows them freedom to enjoy life while they do it. High on the list is the chance of being able to sit back and let a business work for you rather than having you work for it.
If that sounds like the type of plan you would envision in a career, then real estate investing is a path you should investigate.  Why real estate?  Because now more than ever it is possible to learn the fundamentals that have always worked - and still work today - and get started for far less cost than ever before.
You’ve heard about them—just about everybody has—those real estate moguls who buy and sell properties and pocket huge sums of cash every month.  People like Dean Graziosi, who became real estate millionaires.  If you’re like most people, you wonder how they did it and assume that it’s one of those things that happen to a lucky few - but not to you.
The truth is luck has little to do with it.  Does it take hard work?  Of course, and it takes some desire to learn—that’s all it takes, however.  There really is a magic ticket and it isn’t a game of chance to win it either.  You just have to know where to find it.  Well—that’s not quite true.  You have to know where to find it AND you have to have the courage to grab on and take advantage of it.

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If you have dreamed of getting involved in the real estate market, making your money work for you—but you have one problem, you have no money - don’t despair.  You can even get started in a profitable real estate career with bad credit.  That’s right, you’re not dreaming, you read right—you can learn how to make money in real estate even if you have no money, bad credit, and—wait for it—no assets!
All you need to begin is a willing attitude and a little knowledge.  Learn from the experts like Dean Graziosi, who can show you how to begin gathering successful sales just by calling up investors and setting up ‘finder’s deals.’  By starting out doing this you can build up your portfolio of successful sales and even make thousands of dollars in a single deal.  You simply find out what investors are looking for and then learn how to find those types of properties at reduced rates.  There are plenty of investors happy to have others do the legwork for them and to pay those others for it.
Once you find the property, you approach the property owner to arrange a sale and then assign the property to the original investor.  There are legalities to learn and specifics that professional investors like Dean Graziosi can show you, which will make these deals work smoothly and build up your cash flow to the point you can ditch the finder’s fees and go for the gold of investing in your own properties.
Finding properties for investors is just one of the ways that Dean Graziosi can show you how to do to get involved in real estate, even if you have no cash and no credit.  Before you know it, you will be on your way to a financially satisfying career that will not only solve your credit and cash problems, but also give you the satisfaction of knowing you did it on your own.

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If you thought you weren’t going to hear the term ‘flip’ in relation to a real estate deal anymore—you thought wrong.  Flipping is still not only a viable real estate investment deal it is stronger than ever.  Why?  Available properties at a reduced price are even more common now than ever before.  What does make flipping different now than it was in decades past is the need for making wise choices in properties.
There has always been a delicate balance between a property that needs some construction and redecorating and one that needs a complete overhaul.  Certainly one of the riskier parts of flipping is finding a property that looks like an orange but is really a lemon—hidden problems have always been the bane of the house flipper.  Now, more than ever, nasty surprises can truly ruin a deal.  Those will always be the risks of flipping; successful flippers realize that, account for it, and move on.
Successful flippers know, though, that the true key to success, even when those lemons appear, is having purchased the property at such a great price that even lemons can make lemonade.  The strategies that wealthy investors such as Dean Graziosi have developed on how to buy houses in foreclosure, develop a short sale, spot pre-foreclosures and distressed homes makes real estate flipping possible and profitable no matter what the economic market is doing at the time.
Understanding successful marketing strategies and how to buy houses that sell are important points to learn.  Finding out how others do it is a good step forward and good investors are never shy about asking questions.  Use the real estate investment forums on Dean Graziosi’s website to gain valuable insight on how others are doing what you want to do.  Read all you can on how to present your properties to their best advantage and evaluate each piece of property’s resale value.  There aren’t any ’secrets’ to successful real estate flipping that investors can’t learn if they take the time to learn from the masters.

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The variable-rate mortgage became very popular during the 1990s and remains the most popular mortgage choice today. Variable-rate mortgages are also the most misunderstood.  Variable-rate home loans have an interest rate that fluctuates depending on the current state of the market.  These loans are also known as adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) and floating-rate mortgages.

When considering using a variable-rate mortgage, check for caps — or limits — to how much the rate may increase. There are certain benefits to using ARM loans. Benefits include extremely low initial interest rates, sometimes as low as two or three percent! This is an ideal loan for someone who needs financing for a short period of time, before the heavy interest rates kick in. Sometimes these rates remain fixed for initial periods of one, three, five, or seven years.

These loans are ideal for people who are going to sell their home before the initial fixed rate increase, or will be refinancing into a fixed-rate mortgage before the rate increase. However, after the initial period of very low interest rates there is often a large rate increase. Many homeowners facing foreclosure ran into problems when the interest rate went up on their fixed-rate loans.

ARM loans are not designed to be a long-term financing option. If you are considering using an ARM loan, there are several questions you must ask yourself first. Are you financially stable enough to be able to afford a large, sudden payment increase? Is the housing market strong enough to allow you to sell before your rate adjusts? Is your credit good enough that you would be able to refinance into an affordable fixed rate loan once the rate on your  ARM loan begins to vary? Would you be able to afford a sizable down payment?

Variable-rate mortgages were designed for a specific purpose and, if used the way they were designed to be used, are very effective and profitable. Caution should be exercised whenever considering an ARM loan – know what you’re getting into and make sure your situation makes it feasible to use an adjustable-rate loan.

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Shopping for an Ideal Location

When looking for a new home, it’s essential to decide on certain priorities for the new house. These priorities do not only include the house itself, but also the neighborhood, the community, various nearby amenities, schools and shopping locations in the area. In addition, you’ll want to bear in mind any other features that can make you love or hate the home you purchase.

One way to positively narrow down your search is only looking at homes in the kind of good neighborhood where you would want to live.  Although a home can be remodeled to your liking, the neighborhood around you can’t be so easily transformed. When looking at purchasing a particular home, keep the surrounding areas in mind.

What is the crime rate in the area? What are the schools like and how do they rank on a state or national level? Is there a grocery store, mall, gym facilities or any other business you’d like located nearby? How close is the house from your job or other places you frequent? It is located on a busy street? Consider whether you’d mind being caught in traffic as soon as you get out of your driveway or would prefer a quieter area. It’s a good idea to find a neighborhood that meets your criteria before you invest your time and interest in an inconveniently located home.

Once you’ve found a home in a safe, convenient and peaceful area, it’s wise to decide on your priorities for the house itself. Would you prefer an older home, or would you like to buy a new house? Keep in mind, older homes may be majestic and less expensive to purchase, but may cost more to heat, repair and maintain. A new home may initially cost more, but you should be able to save in the winter with well-insulated walls and windows that don’t let in cold air.

If your family is growing, try to find a home large enough for your eventual needs. Are your kids growing up and leaving for college or a career? While a five-bedroom would be perfect for a family of six, empty nesters may feel the need to downsize from a large home. How much space does the new home allow? Do you require a lot of storage? How important is parking, noise level and privacy to you? These are all important factors when deciding on priorities in a new home.

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That may seem to be an understatement but in today’s economic hard times, and until the economy gets back on track, it has never been truer. It is a buyer’s market like no other ever before, but it is still possible to sell a home.

Know Your Market

In the past, you may have been able to accurately gauge your home’s value as it increased or decreased.  However, today’s real estate industry has shown a marked decline that makes it very difficult to have a firm grip of a home’s value, based on preconceived earlier notions.

Not All Locations Are Equal

Location, location, location has always been the real estate chant and it is still true. Even more so, it is now true in the respect that declines in real estate value are not equal. In fact, what once was prized property for one reason is now in faster decline for the same reasons—rural areas that were once the getaway from the rat race and prized in the past are now in sharper decline than more urban plots because of the gas guzzling commutes as well as inconvenience to stores.

Not All Doom and Gloom

Even though it is true that real estate is a suffering market and some areas are especially difficult selling areas, there is a ray of light. If you owe less than what the current value of your home is in its ‘depressed’ state, selling is much easier because you can afford to accept less for a sales price than if you were maxed or upside down in your mortgage. As in the past, real estate is still one of the most valuable possessions for one simple reason—everybody needs someplace to live. The American dream is still alive as well, and people still yearn for their own home.

Get Accurate Appraisals

Don’t guess at the value of your home. It isn’t reasonable to go only by the selling price of homes in your area if they were sold more than six months prior to yours either. Seek reliable advice from an experienced home appraiser to know what the true value of your home is now and price it accordingly.

A well priced home will still sell. It may take a few months longer than it would have in any past era of history, but if the price is right, the buyers will come.

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First-time homebuyers have a severe disadvantage in the loan market. With the recent credit crisis and the resultant problems it has caused with financial institutions, even more potential borrowers have been denied loans. Lenders have developed more stringent lending policies in an effort to decrease their potential risk. However, limited credit and small down payments don’t have to prevent you from purchasing a home.

A first homeowner’s loan is one that specifically targets people who have never owned homes before. Namely, someone who has not just sold a home will likely not have the 20% down payment required for many loans. First-time homeowner’s loans often require little or no down payment, though many require that the property not be used for investment purposes. They may also require that the buyer pay into an Escrow account to cover insurance and other expenses. Additionally, institutions that offer these loans often also offer grant-finding services that will further ease the financial burden of purchasing a house. These grants are used to help pay for closing costs, down payments and improvements that the lender may require.

Loans intended for first-time homeowners take into account that the people applying for loans may have little or no established credit. Young buyers who have not had credit cards and may or may not have had vehicle loans run into many borrowing difficulties related to the lack of credit. First-time homebuyers should look for a good, fixed-rate mortgage if possible; variable-rate mortgages can cause severe financial difficulties in the long-term as interest rates fluctuate.

The dream of owning a home is not reserved for upper-class individuals who can afford all of the related expenses out-of-pocket, and first-time homeowner’s loans are an excellent route if you have limited available finances. Many states have government programs for “community development” that specialize in finding loans for higher-risk borrowers.

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In today’s real estate market, there are good deals around every corner.  However, there is a very fine line between a good deal and a bad one.  You can avoid the pitfalls of a poor real estate deal by doing your homework ahead of time.  You should always be proactive, and by knowing what to look for when you are scouting potential properties, you put yourself in a position to make much smarter decisions. 

There are four key areas of all homes that you should pay particular attention to when shopping for real estate.  Neglecting to get the true condition of any of these areas could cost you a fortune, literally.  Real estate professionals such as Dean Graziosi understand the importance of sound investments, and they no when to say no.  Just because a property is cheap, doesn’t mean you should buy it, especially if you have not gotten a thorough inspection. 

The Foundation

A home with a poor foundation is usually a bad deal.  While some foundations can be fixed easier than others if the problem is caught early enough, the associated costs are usually substantial.  Some signs that point to a poor foundation include trees in close proximity to the home (there should never be plants or trees within 12 inches of the home), large cracks in the walls and problems with doors and windows.  Keep in mind that it is common to see cracks in the walls of older homes and it does not necessarily mean there is a foundation problem.  In any case, it is best to get it inspected if you are truly interested in the property. 

Plumbing

Plumbing is often an overlooked area because the problems tend to be well hidden.  If you are seriously considering purchasing a property, make certain that sinks, dishwashers, toilets and all other plumbing fixtures are properly inspected.  Minor cracks can lead to big problems under sinks and toilets.  Concealed mold can cause serious health problems to occupants of the home as well. 

Electrical

When you are browsing a home, what may not be apparent are electrical problems.  Electrical problems are common in older homes, but have even been spotted in newly built homes so don’t assume you are safe because you are purchasing a two or three year old home.  Some signs that the electrical system may be outdated or in need of repair include an old fuse panel and lack of electrical outlets. 

Attic Space

If the home you are considering purchasing has an attic, make certain you pay close attention to it.  The attic can tell a lot about a home, and both its past and present condition.  Rotting wood is a sign that there is a leak somewhere in the roof.  Likewise, if you see new insulation in a very old home, find out why it was replaced.

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