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

At the International Commercial Property Exposition in Munich Germany, some pretty surprising and very disappointing numbers were released.  Foreign investment in U.S. real estate fell a whopping 77% in year-over-year comparisons.  The $14 billion outside investment in U.S. real estate fell behind the $15 billion invested in Japan and ahead of the $11 billion invested in the United Kingdom.

Perhaps the most startling transaction was the sale of the Worldwide Plaza at 825 Eight Avenue in Manhattan.  When the building was fully occupied in 2007, investor Harry Macklowe purchased the property for $1.7 billion.  After Macklowe defaulted on $7 billion in debt, Deutsche Bank took over the Plaza and eventually sold it to a joint venture spearheaded by George Comfort & Sons.  The selling price was $605 million.

The building is only 60% occupied with an initial net yield of about 6.3%.  If the new owners improve the building’s occupancy rate, the net yields should increase to 12%.

Also in New York, SL Green has agreed in principle to sell 49.5% of its interest in 485 Lexington Avenue to a joint venture between Gilmore USA and Optibase Ltd., an Israeli-based technology company.  The joint venture is paying $21 million and assuming the $450 million of existing debt.  Once the property is closed, the joint venture expects to acquire another 49.4% interest from SL Green.

While the downturn in the first half of they year was dramatic, July and August have seen investment from Germany and Asia begin to come back to the market.  New York and San Francisco have become popular targets for on and closed-end German and Asian funds. 

In Washington D.C., the largest transaction of the year has taken place.  Public REIT Vornado sold 1999 K Street to German investor Deka, an open-end fund.  The sale price was $208 million or $830 per square foot.  At the same time, Credit Suisse purchased 1099 New York Avenue from Tishman Speyer for $90.5 million.  Big investor’s are wheeling and dealing in big markets and betting on their ability to fill unoccupied space.

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The investor who takes a long view of real estate investing is a professional investor.  There is no substitute for buying low and selling high but real estate investors know the quick turnover is difficult to accomplish and that every real estate transaction has built-in expenses that cut into that quick profit.  Like all forms of investment, your real estate plan will include a description of your risk tolerance and appetite.  Making money in real estate involves hard work and discipline.  There is no way around those components.

To help analyze each transaction and assure conformity to your overall investment plan, real estate investors build a reliable team of professionals.  Your real estate consulting team should include:

·    An agent
·    An appraiser
·    A home inspector
·    A closing attorney
·    A lender for purchases
·    A lender for sales
·    A maintenance expert
·    A general contractor

The general contractor should have a general knowledge in plumbing, electrical, heating and air-conditioning, roofing, painting and flooring systems.  The maintenance expert should be familiar with cleaning costs, lawn services and windows cleaning services.

This team of experts can help in many ways.  However, their biggest contributions will help protect the real estate investor from the greatest sin, which is overpaying for real estate.

The reason to build a team of professionals is to heed their advice.  Investors must understand the numbers behind the numbers, but they must also respect the input of their chosen professionals.  When the numbers do not add up, it is time to move on to the next opportunity.

The evaluation of these numbers is the moment of truth in every real estate transaction.  When the transaction does not fit, the professional investor walks away.  Follow your plan and the profits will be there.

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It is easy to assume you will make money on an investment property such as an apartment complex, store/mall building, or business complex and in most cases you will. What makes the difference between making a few dollars and making maximum profits is to know what the costs are going in. Your first step is to learn how to understand a cash flow statement.
A complete cash flow statement will include, not only the upfront costs of operating an investment property i.e.: cost vs. rental unit’s value but also underlying expenses such as utilities, taxes, insurance.
You should also find out the turnover in your proposed rental. If your renters are already in place, if there are vacant spaces, typical lengths of stay are all a part of knowing how reliable your investment will be. These figures are less solid than the above expenses and you should always take into account that the possibility you will have less income than the building is capable of but your fixed expenses will remain constant and save accordingly for times when rentals are under-performing.
Once you have taken all of these figures into consideration and feel a property is a good investment you are still not ready to take the plunge. Figures look good on paper but the property itself needs to look good in person. Make sure everything is in operating order unless you know ahead of time you are going to be putting money into repairs. If you are open to fixing up a property the price should definitely reflect the costs you will be putting into a building before it is up to your standards.
Now you are ready to make that jump into the rental world. When you close on your property and hold the keys, you are a landlord in an exciting new world of real estate investments knowing you’ve made all the right moves to insure security and profit.

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Thanks to the Internet everything has become more sedentary—and easy. Perhaps the value of a sedentary lifestyle is an argument for the National Obesity Society to argue (if there is such an organization), but what it means for real estate investors is your job couldn’t be easier thanks to modern technology.
What used to require legwork now can be completed from the comfort of your couch, home office work station, or bedroom. Your commute is only as far away as your keyboard. Thanks to listing sites online, foreclosure sites online and even county records often accessible online you don’t have to leave home to find out any of the information you used to have to chase after in the past. In fact, some investments can be handled more than 90% from your home. If you are interested in operating a finder’s service for other investors you may never have to leave your home at all except to sign the final deal.
Surely, many real estate projects will require some legwork (even if your legwork involves 4 wheels and an engine, you still have to go outside) but even then unless you are doing the construction work on a flip yourself much of the contracting can be done from your workstation at home. Most real estate projects can be handled from beginning to end with a telephone, a computer, and very minimal outside work.
The biggest part of most real estate transactions involves research and that is where the Internet comes in. Everything is online making finding information easy. The next most important real estate investor necessity is networking, connections, market and strategy information and all of that is so much more accessible now than it was in the past. Prior to the Internet and its vast connections new investors often felt alone in a sea of confusion. Thanks to the connecting abilities of the Internet it’s easy to find others who are working toward the same end, have experience to learn from and are eager to share it.

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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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