How To Get Started Investing In Real Estate

November 27, 2007 on 9:01 pm | In Real Estate | No Comments

If you want to make money investing in real estate, you have to begin with a plan. Here are some ways to get started investing in real estate. Choose a plan that works for you.

If you don’t currently own your own home, that’s the best place to start. Many people never buy a home because they think they have to have perfect credit or a lot of money down. Talk to a mortgage loan officer. You may be surprised that you can buy a home with little money down.

Homeowners Are Real Estate Investors

Any home owner in reality becomes a real estate investor. Whether home owners want to stay in their home for life or just a few years, their home should make them money. Many families only own one home at a time, but they keep moving up. Some of these families have made money from their homes by taking out the equity to pay bills. Other families bought more expensive homes, which went up in value more than the first home. For instance, a family bought a home for $105,000, sold the home for $230,000 and then bought a home for $300,000. The more expensive home went up in value the next year more than the first home. You can build your real estate wealth just by owning one home.

However, if you split your mortgage payments with other people, you don’t have to pay for all this equity on your own. Your tenants will help you make the payments and over time can actually buy the property for you!

How to Begin Real Estate Investing

Many investors start with a home to live in and then save money for a down payment for their first investment property. Here are some ways to skip the savings years, which most people never accomplish:

1. Refinance. If your home has gone up in value, refinance your home and use the equity for a down payment on an investment house. You must have sufficient monthly income to pay any negative between the rental income and the new mortgage payment. Some home owners have been able to purchase more than one investment house from one refinance transaction.

2. Move. Another way beginning real estate investors get their first investment is to buy a new home and rent out their first home. If you have great credit, you don’t need to put a down payment into a new home to live in.

3. Sell and Move. You can sell your home and buy two houses. Use your equity to put more down on the investment house than your personal home.

4. Buy a vacation or second home. Our cabin tripled in value in three years. We refinanced the cabin to buy more houses and also kept funds to pay for the mortgage, twice. The cabin pays us to enjoy it!

You can make money investing in real estate. Make a plan of action and get started real estate investing.

About the Author: Jeanette Fisher teaches how to find, finance, fix and sell. Free ebooks “Credit Tips” http://worryfreecredit.com “Flipping Houses” at http://doghousetodollhousefordollars.com

Budapest: the New Prague for Real Estate Investors

November 27, 2007 on 9:00 pm | In Real Estate | No Comments

When Hungary and the Czech Republic joined the European Union back in 2004 they set the standards for economic achievement that the rest of the new entrants could only dream of achieving.

Both Hungary and the Czech Republic not only embraced their new membership status, they went out of their way to create an environment so conducive for inward investment that both countries are now thriving.

As has been well documented, the stunning Czech Republic city of Prague became of such intense interest to international real estate investors even before the Republic joined the EU because it boasts almost inimitable charm, attraction and opportunity. I say ‘almost’ inimitable because Hungary’s capital city of Budapest is equally well endowed with stunning ancient architecture, cultural attraction and a unique and timeless appeal.

As a direct result Budapest is suddenly becoming one of the hottest European cities for tourism and the business environment is so buoyant right now that the numbers of expatriates heading to the city for work is at an all time high. These factors mean that the demand for real estate to rent is outstripping the current supply of well located and appointed property and prices in Budapest are starting to soar.

Where once Prague was the European capital city attracting the most overseas real estate investor interest, Budapest is now surpassing the investor levels Prague has enjoyed. And one of the real reasons for this is the fact that property prices in Budapest are up to 25% less than those in Prague, and the past couple of years have seen price gains in the most desirable districts of Budapest reach 15% annually.

The opportunity to profit to the max is huge currently, but at the same time the window of opportunity is likely to be narrow for those wishing to buy into the projected period of rapid growth. Those real estate investors who are buying right now have the strongest chance of realizing the greatest gains. Over the medium term the demand for property in Budapest will not slacken but the property price margin increases will slow down as prices reach parity with the Czech Republic.

After this period of time it is likely that prices will continue to rise in line with local affordability and that potential rental income will still be impressive. This will continue to bring investors to the market place which means an investor can purchase in Budapest with confidence that he will be able to resell his real estate assets when the time is right for him to release the gains he has accrued.

If you compare the potential fortunes of Budapest with Prague you will see just how much room there is in the market for growth and return, and how far demand can actually go for property for sale and rent in this stunningly beautiful Hungarian city.

About the Author

Rhiannon Williamson writes about real estate investment in emerging markets worldwide. To read more about property investment in Hungary click here.

Commercial Defeasance Structures $28 Million Transaction for Concert

November 27, 2007 on 11:00 am | In Real Estate | No Comments

Commercial Defeasance Structures $28 Million Transaction for Concert
Forbes – VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Commercial Defeasance, LLC recently facilitated a $28,400,000 multi-property Canadian defeasance transaction for Concert Real Estate Corporation, a real estate development and ownership company

Astor’s son indicted in case over estate
Seattle Times – denied it, but in 2006 he agreed to step aside as his mother’s guardian. She died in August at age 105. Astor was the widow of Vincent Astor, a great-great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, who made a fortune in fur trading and New York real estate.

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