Author: blogger
While its true that the Canadian housing market didnt crash like the market did below the border, markets across the nation have not been completely unscathed over the last year either. The real estate prices in Calgary in 2010 were the lowest this area has seen in a decade but it appears that the market will see a significant rebound this year, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
The Calgary market was certainly quite affected in 2010 with fewer homes of all kinds being sold overall and home prices sitting at less than stellar levels. So far this year, the market seems to be on an upward trend and will continue that way, according to the experts.
There are many factors that will surely have an effect on real estate in the Calgary area this year including: the strong Canadian dollar in comparison to the US dollar, the new rules that will soon be in place regarding Canadian mortgages, and the strong price of crude oil.
While a strong Canadian dollar always seems like a good thing, the reality is that when our dollar is strong compared to the US dollar, there are fewer Americans investing in Canadian goods. A more even ratio of value between the USD and CAD could suppress real estate sales preventing us from further economic recovery.
The new Canadian mortgage rules arent anticipated to help or hinder growth in the long run, but it reasonable to assume that some home owners will push to buy homes before the changes go into effect.
The price of crude oil has the potential to be an influential factor in how the Alberta housing market performs this year as the higher price tends to result in increased production in the oil sands. Higher production results in more jobs and more money in the province for real estate purchases. The addition of unrest around the Suez Canal this quarter, adding uncertainty to shipping through the area, may also help increase the attractiveness of Alberta oil sand crude.
The current affordability and low interest rates will help to boost housing sales and eventually support higher prices as the demand grows. It is anticipated that home sales will increase by almost 20% in 2011, with prices of Calgary homes for sale increasing by about 4% for single family dwellings. In comparison, the number of condo sales are expected to rise by over 15% with a price increase of around 2%.
There are a number of ways to prospect in commercial real estate. One of the more effective ways to do that is to send prospecting letters to key people and targets in your area. If this is something that is attractive to you in prospecting, then you will need to understand the letter system and implement it correctly.
The secret behind the success of the letter process is to make them relevant to the marketplace, and provide valuable insights to market conditions and trends. Over time, and through sending plenty of letters in a 90 day contact cycle, you are perceived as a market leader that should be considered when it comes to any new listing in the local area. That is when you will get a good share of invitations to present and pitch on listings.
Most clients and prospects want to use the best agent with the ‘runs on the board’. Prospecting letters set up that image and branding. Some agents believe that this is the only way to prospect. They would be wrong, particularly because this process takes many months if not years of consistent action to get the results coming back to you. Over a period of 12 months you should be sending 4 letters in a staged process. Every letter will have a new story or message to tell.
This letter based prospecting system is in addition to your cold calling, door knocking, and referral business. So you will have the other things to activate and run in parallel to your letter system.
Here are some rules to help you set up this valuable networking and prospecting process:
Letters should be sent to the right people by type and location. In this way you can judge the feedback and inbound enquires. Create letters for Sales, Leasing, and Property Management. That then helps you with relevance in each letter sent.
Follow up your letters wherever possible. Use the letters as triggers to make calls. They turn a ‘cold call’ into a ‘warm call’.
Letter frequency will always be important. At a minimum your letters should be going to the same people every 90 days. You can shorten that cycle to 60 days if you wish.
Track the conversations and enquiries that you get back from the campaigns. That will help you understand what works and how you can improve on that.
Meaningful messages should be created for each letter. Understand the ‘pain factors’ in the market today that apply to sales, leasing, and property management. Write the letters to the challenges that property owners and occupiers are suffering. Offer solutions.
Success letters should be sent to all businesses and property owners around each completed listing.
Marketing letters should be sent around all quality listings.
Five Key Factors that Impact Risk, Value and Income
What is a real estate mortgage note?
Legally speaking, a mortgage note is two legal documents: 1) A promissory note, and 2) An encumbrance or lien recorded against real estate. But, based on every day conversational usage, most people, lawyers excepted, think of it a one document. To be technically correct in this discussion we will deal with the two separate documents-the promissory note and the mortgage or deed of trust.
To determine the best way to structure a real estate mortgage note we must first consider our goal or our purpose. Remember, we are discussing a “financial instrument” an “investment instrument”. The function of a financial investment is to generate income/cash-flow at the highest rate possible rate commensurate with the risks involved. We will assume the investing goal provides at least a market rate of income, recognizing the risks involved.
5 Key Factors Impacting the Fair Market Value of a Real Estate Mortgage Note
1. Borrower/Debtor
2. Interest Rate
3. Payments & Terms
4. Collateral Security
5. Document Language
Borrower/Debtor
Always deal with a borrower that has good credit. A person’s FICO (credit score) shows how reliable they are in paying off debts-keeping their promises. Avoid buyers who object to having their credit history pulled; there is a reason they want it kept confidential. Don’t take their word for their past paying history, do a credit check.
Interest Rate
The interest rate should be reasonable and fair to both parties; it should reflect the market rate for the mortgage loan with an appropriate adjustment for risk factors. Over charging can lead to hard feelings, inability to make the payments and possibly violating the usury laws of the state. Undercharging devalues the loan and renders it a poor investment.
Payments & Term
The periodic payment should be within the budget of the borrower; the payments should be monthly; the term of the loan should be less than five years, three years is better; avoid making long-term loans. A note with a 3-year term is more valuable than one with a 15-year term. The longer-term notes are discounted much more to account for the longer waiting period.
Collateral Security
Obtain a substantial down payment; keep the loan balance at or below 75% of the value of the collateral real estate. The down payment amount reflects on a borrower’s financial stability. The higher the loan-to-value (LTV), the more risk there is to the investor. Use real estate as the collateral security backing-up the bower’s promise to repay. Be certain to evaluate the condition and location of the property used as security. The mortgage or deed of trust documents collateralizing the promissory note should be recorded in first position; it should be a first position mortgage loan.
If you are structuring a business promissory note, its value will be much greater and it will have less risk if the real estate of the business is part of the note’s collateral security. This means that companies that lease property face bigger financing discounts, unless other real estate is used as security.
Documents and Language
Preparing the mortgage loan documents yourself is high risk folly; it may seem simple and easy to do, but it is not either if it is done correctly; you may save some money on the front end, but you will give the savings back plus way more on the back end. On the internet you will find hundreds of ads and offers proclaiming “free promissory note forms”, “free tips”, and the answers to legal questions “free”. Don’t take the bait! Only an experienced promissory note specialist who really understands the legal and practical meaning of the terms and conditions can keep you safe; each state has different laws and customs. There are state laws and federal laws to be considered.
Flipping houses usually refers to buying and selling houses. It really means wholesaling houses even though most people take it to mean buying, fixing and selling houses. Wholesaling houses involves buying houses below market value, rehabbing them if they need repairs, then selling them for a profit.
This is the definition we will stick to in this article.
Wholesaling houses is the quickest method to create cash in real estate investing. It also needs the least amount of cash invested in the deal. Occasionally you can wholesale houses without using your own cash.
So how do you do it?
1)Identify cheap houses
The best source of cheap houses is motivated sellers. People with legal issues and who own houses form the best source of cheap houses. These are people with inherited property, bad tenants, liens on their properties, divorcing and so on.
The easiest way is to send them letters or post cards. In my business, they get 2 mail pieces a month apart. Each letter or post card prominently displays my website URL as the main call to action. My phone number is less obvious. This way, I drive them to my real estate investor website which pre-sells for me.
Chances are the transactions I get are fully pre-screened and pre-negotiated so I need just a few minutes to tell whether it is a deal or not – then make an offer or move on.
Some people wholesale properties that have been foreclosed, but this is not the subject of this article.
2)Sign a contract to buy
As soon as you have identified a good deal whose figures look desirable, you must put it into contract. In each state, there are contracts regularly used by real estate agents, or you can get contracts that can be used countrywide. I prefer to use contracts mandated by our state real estate commission because they are more popular and most people, including title companies and sellers are more comfortable with them.
3)Begin title work.
The first thing I do is fax my contracts to my title company for title work to begin. You must ensure you buy and sell the house free of any liens. This is the job of the title company. As an investor, you do not need to get too concerned about the technicalities involved. I prefer to let professionals do their work.
4)Identify buyer with cash
Buyers with real cash in the bank are preferable. With cash transactions, you have few limitations in the transaction. Most real estate investors buying houses may have sold a house or have a line of credit for cash purchases.
Alternatively they have private money investors or get cash from hard money lenders.
Avoid buyers looking for traditional financing. Most loan companies will not lend on houses that need restoration and you could have seasoning issues, meaning you must hold the property for 6 months to 1 year before you can sell it.
5)Sign a contract to sell
The type of contract you sign depends on the amount of money in the deal. First, you must leave enough money in the deal for the real estate investor buyer. After all they will do rehab work.
I prefer to do a contract assignment if my potential profit is less than $10,000.
In contract assignment, you simply assign your contract to your real estate investor buyer. You assign the contract; you do not sell or assign the house. This is perfectly legal all over the country and you do not need a license for it. This contract is usually as little as 2 to 3 paragraphs.
In this case, the real estate investor buyer you wholesale the deal to closes the transaction, not you. You collect an assignment fee once the deal is closed.
If I am making more than $10,00 or my profits are near or the same as the real estate investor I sell to, then I prefer to do a simultaneous closing, also called double closing. This involves buying the house from my motivated seller, then selling it to my real estate investor buyer.
In a double closing, you buy and sell on the same table, so it involves 2 transactions. In this case, you own the property for a few minutes before you sell it. Of course, you have to incur closing costs that you do not incur in contract assignment.
He contract for simultaneous closing id just like the one to buy with a higher selling price and more favorable terms for you.
Whichever contract you sign, make sure to collect earnest money. I always make sure the earnest money is non-refundable if they do not buy the house. You must make sure the contract expires before your contract to buy and the property reverts back to you.
6)Collect your cash
You must make ensure follow the transaction process until the deal is closed. You collect your check from the title company when the transaction is completed. It is therefore in your best interest to make sure you close any loose ends and make sure the deal does not fall between your fingers.
How must cash must you have to flip houses?
When you sign your contract with the buyer, you may have to put up earnest money, usually between $100 to $500. There is no contract without earnest money. When I sign the contract to sell, I collect an earnest money check which is deposited with the title company.
In simultaneous closing, you can use the cash from your investor buyer to close the first transaction so you may not need to use your own money. If your buyer source of funds does not allow you to use his money to close the first transaction, then you might need to get transactional funding to a few points to close the first transaction before you can sell.
When all is said and done, the checks you collect from flipping houses will be easy and fast. You can buy and sell a few houses a month.
Investment in real estate can be very profitable. The real estate sector is expanding every day and reaching new heights. Investments in real estate can fetch you huge profit says Harry Coker.
The state of Georgia boasts of a highly developed textile industry, aircraft, groceries and chemical industries says Harry Coker. Coal is found in abundance in the state of Georgia which has boosted power generation resulting in more than adequate supply of electricity in state. These factors has triggered the demand for houses and mortgage in the cities. A surge in the economy and availability of well paid jobs has pushed up the per capita incomes and affordability of the services of mortgage. In the last three years there has been a 10% increase in the GDP of the state of Georgia. This explains the growing interest of the investors and business firms in the mortgage sector.
The Georgia real estate provides you with smart investment options. The affordable solutions provided by the real estate market of Georgia enables potential buyers to enter and exit the market with great ease. Are you planning for a long vacation? Georgia perhaps is the ideal place you are looking for. The exotic locales of Georgia make it one among the five best places all over the world says Harry Coker. The booming real estate industry of Georgia promises you high returns on your investments.
Experts believe that this trend is to continue for many years to come. The reason for this says Harry Coker is the rapid industrialization of the state followed by an exodus of people into the state seeking lucrative employment opportunities available. This has resulted in a massive demand for residential and commercial properties here. The economy of the state of Georgia is growing at an accelerated pace giving boost to the real estate industry which is now growing in leaps and bounds says Harry Coker.
You can buy a beautiful home amidst beautiful forested mountains or on the beach front. You can have a relaxing holiday here away from the rush and congestion of the bustling city life. Harry Coker says that you can choose a fully furnished house depending on your budget. The serenity of the Blue Ridge Mountains and sylvan surroundings provide the required ambience and state of mind to relax and enjoy a stress free living. The real estates can be of log make, made out of massive logs having big porches.
You can choose from a wide range of properties and fixtures and in due course get the advantage of high returns on investment. If you prefer beach front, savannah is probably the best place for living a serene, peaceful and comfortable life says Harry Coker. Lake Chatuge is another beautiful place where you can get creek and river front, homes and stud farms.
According to Harry Coker, with a favourable real estate investment climate and the economy of the state gathering momentum after the lull Georgia is beckoning prospective investors to get rich quick through the multiple avenues open for investment in the real estate market.
The flourishing industry of Georgia attracts people from different corners of the world to be in the city to make their living. This has lead to a mushrooming of tall apartment buildings and individual bungalows says Harry Coker. The dwellings are built near the industries to avoid long commuting by the workers. Well developed transport and communication infrastructure, development of schools, universities and other educational institutions and a booming tourism industry makes Georgia one of the most sought after states in the United States for real estate investment.