How to Buy Your First Investment Property

In this video Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad Poor Dad gives advice on investing in your first property

How To Go From ZERO to £Multi-Million Property Empire

Learn how Progressive Property went from dining room to a £Multi-Million business through unplanned, organic JV's and none of Rob Moore's money.

Rob Moore | Build your confidence as a property investor

Rob Moore from Progressive Property sharing his insight and knowledge on building confidence, so you can become and achieve the goals and ambitions you set for your life and business.

Making Serious Money From Your Rental Properties

As a landlord, you are probably already aware of many of the ways in which you can expect to increase your profit from your properties. However, you might not have considered everything you could do on this front, and it is a good idea to take a look at some examples of the kinds of things you can do if you want your portfolio to bring you as much wealth as you like. The truth is that there are no ends to the things you can do to improve the financial strength of your rental properties. In this article, we are going to look at just a few of the best examples.

Increase Tenant Interest

It should go without saying that you need to be able to draw enough attention in order to boost your yield. You need to get interests from many tenants so that you can be perfectly positioned to increase the rent as much as possible. There are many ways to actually go about increasing the tenant interest in your local area. One is to use a letting service who already have a good backlog of interested and respectable tenants. Click here for rental properties which might be able to make use of that kind of service. You can also consider drafting up a perfect ‘target tenant’ – in other words, the ideal candidate for your home. That alone can ensure that you are doing everything in your power to increase the interest you receive from tenants, and so give yourself the ability to keep rents high.

Decrease Vacancy

For any landlord, the worst nightmare situation is when you have a number of subsequent tenants, rather than one who is keen to be there long-term. Increasing the tenant interest will help, as we have discussed above, but it is also a good idea to do what you can to try and find those who are happy to stay for along time. Having this decreased vacancy is one of the simplest and yet most powerful ways of ensuring that you earn as much as possible from your rental properties. It also means that administrative costs are lowered, making it possible to lower the costs for the tenant – and thereby making your property even more desirable in the marketplace. It all helps.

Interest & Fees

Most tenancy contracts will have written unto them that if rent is late there will be interest added, with the possibility of late fees too. You should have these written into your contract – but not just as a deterrent. You should also make sure that you do actually follow through with this, and that you don’t allow your tenants to not pay rent on time. This will help in the long run, as you might be surprised how often your tenants will pay rent late – and in the end these fees and interest will make a huge difference to your final income. It’s worth following through whenever there is this possibility, as it will help you to make serious money.

Source: https://blog.themoneyshed.co.uk/making-serious-money-rental-properties/

Collaborative Post 

Is Property The Right Investment For You?

Most people tend to assume that, out of all of the investment options out there, the best for those who are just starting out is property. One of the main reasons for this is that it’s one of the most risk-averse investment methods out there due to the fact that, while it can change quite a lot over time, the property market isn’t prone to the same kind of manic fluctuations that you see in other forms of investment. However, it’s a mistake to assume that property investing is somehow easy, because that’s simply not the case. However, just because there are challenges involved, that doesn’t mean that it’s somehow impossible for a beginner investor. With that in mind, here are some things to consider when deciding if property is the right investment for you.

Get the right guidance

When it comes to investing in property, the biggest mistake you can make is to assume that it’s going to be a simple process. The truth is that property investment, like any other investment, is far more complicated than a lot of people expect. If you want to succeed in the world of property investment, the first thing you need is the right guidance. Luckily, there are plenty of people online who can help you with that. People like Paul Ainsworth Lord are online offering investment advice for those who need it. Make sure that you do as much research as possible before you decide to jump into the world of property investment.

Decide what you want to do with the property

Of course, investing in property can actually take a lot of different forms, and it’s a good idea to decide which is right for you. One the one hand you can flip properties. This simply means that you purchase them, raise their value through improvements, and then sell them on at an increased value in order to earn a profit. The other option is to let the property out to tenants. Neither of these is right or wrong; they’re simply different investment methods and which you choose will depend on a whole host of factors including how much time you’re able to dedicate to maintaining the property.

Ensure that you can afford it

One of the things that get in the way of property investment for a lot of people are the upfront costs. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean your ability to apply for a mortgage, although that’s certainly a factor. What it does mean is that you need to think about all of the other costs involved in both buying and selling properties which include everything from legal fees to the cost of decorating and deep cleaning the property.

The most important thing to remember is that, while it is certainly one of the least risky investment options out there, that by no means makes it risk-free. The reality is that there are no risk-free investments and if someone tells you that they have found one, they are either deeply misinformed, or they are lying to you for their own profit.

Source: https://blog.themoneyshed.co.uk/property-right-investment/

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Beginners' guide to mortgages - MoneyWeek investment tutorials

Isn't it funny that getting a mortgage is something we're all likely to need to do at some point in our lives (often several times over) but we're not taught anything about how in school!

Check out this great beginners guide to mortgages so you can start to fill that knowledge gap!

How to Invest Using Other People’s Money

Written by Kim Kiyosaki | Thursday, November 16, 2017

Read time: 3 min

Learn my not-so-secret four-step plan for raising capital

One of my absolute favorite business strategies is using other people’s money (OPM) for my investments. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s one of the cornerstones of the Rich Dad philosophy—looking beyond the limits of your own resources and finding sources of money elsewhere.

Sadly, many people only look to their own wallets and bank accounts to fund their businesses and investments. I now know that that’s pure laziness. Don’t worry, I, too, once was lazy. So it can be cured! But how?

My Initial OPM Lesson

First, let me share the story of how I came to learn about using other people’s moneyto leverage my way to financial freedom. It was a dear friend and mentor of mine who told me that only lazy people use their own money. I explained to him that I worked really hard to make my money, and then invested it—how could that be lazy? He responded, “Wouldn’t it take more thinking and more creativity to use someone else’s money instead of your own?” Hmmm, at first that sounded completely unrealistic. But the more I wrestled with the concept in my head, the more I realized he was absolutely right.

You see, it was easy to use my own money to buy whatever asset I had my eye on, but I’d have to learn new skills and strategies to persuade someone else to part with their hard-earned money to put into my investment. Since I’ve never been afraid of hard work and learning, I decided to roll up my sleeves and figure out how to do it.

What I learned (through trial and error) was that raising capital isn’t really the mystery many make it out to be. Lenders and investors (such as banks, private organizations or individuals) simply want to know that they are going to get a healthy return on their investment. So, the key to raising money comes down to four fairly simple factors that will help demonstrate the ROI they are seeking. I’m going to help you cut right to the chase with my efficient formula:

1. Project: What is the project the lender is providing you capital for? What makes this opportunity unique and attractive? Don’t just share the positives—also explain the negatives and how you plan to overcome them.

2. Partners: Who are the key players in the project? In other words, who’s putting the deal together and what is their track record? The experience each partner brings to the table, and thus their expertise, is a big part of the equation.

3. Financing: Show the investor, as accurately as you can, how the project (either a business or investment) will make money. Be realistic and don’t avoid discussing the roadblocks ahead—every business and investment project has problems, so pretending yours won’t makes you look like an amateur. You’ll want to show how much money you’re raising in total, where the money is coming from (private parties, traditional lenders, etc.), the terms of the money being borrowed and how the money will be allocated. Hint: If you even suggest that any of the money raised will be used to pay your salary, doors will close. If you want a paycheck, then go get a job. Potential investors want to know how soon they will get their initial investment back and what their return will be, so they will use all these numbers to determine if your financing structure and terms are attractive.

4. Management: Investors want to know who’s running the day-to-day operations, because this is crucial to the ongoing success of any venture. Explain who they are, their background, how they react under pressure, etc.

I know it can seem intimidating at first, but raising capital does not have to be a long, drawn-out affair. Your pitch to investors should be short and concise. If you can clearly and confidently address each of the four aforementioned issues when looking to raise capital, then the odds of securing the financing you seek are in your favor. Now, the only thing left for you to do is deliver!

Source: http://www.richdad.com/Resources/Rich-Dad-Financial-Education-Blog/November-2017/How-to-Invest-Using-Other-Peoples-Money.aspx

Buying a House Vs Investing in Apartments - Real Estate Investing Made S...

Should you buy your private residence or rent?

Should you invest your money in houses or apartments?

Grant Cardone has a different opinion to most!

The Crypto Craze Continues

Cryptocurrencies are becoming a popular way to pay for high-end real estate

If you turn on the news, troll the Internet or stand around the water cooler, you’re likely inundated with talk of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin and other virtual currencies are so exciting because they are relatively new and highly volatile.

Some analysts are predicting that digital currency is the future of the world’s financial system, while others believe it’s merely a trend that will disappear. Only time will tell, of course, but its extreme fluctuations make for some very dynamic investments.

At the time of this writing, one Bitcoin is worth $10,854.42 U.S. dollars. As such, many people are buying fractions of Bitcoins—investing $50 or $100 to get their hands on a piece of this pie.

Using Bitcoin in Real Estate

Now, you might be wondering how to pay for things using cryptocurrencies—you can’t exactly use it to pay for a manicure or your skinny latte (yet). But you can use it to buy household products on Overstock.com or a hotel room on Expedia.com. In fact, there are a slew of places jumping on this bandwagon, and you can check out all the participating companies here.

But one of the ways in which Bitcoin is being used that truly fascinates me is in—you guessed it—real estate. I recently read a news story about the owner of a $45 million mansion who is willing to accept Bitcoin as partial payment for his 9,000-square-foot home. He believes that purchasing brick-and-mortar real estate might remove some of the volatility when it comes to investing in cryptocurrencies.

Part of his logic? “According to current situation, if you buy the property with cryptocurrency, it’s difficult to identify the cost of the real estate because it fluctuates so much,” he said. “The government will have a hard time to tax or put a property value on the house you are going to sell.”

That’s an interesting way of looking at things—the value of the Bitcoins he receives for the sale of his home could increase or decrease almost immediately, essentially putting him in a position where he’s getting more or less for his home than he realized.

Now, there probably aren’t a lot of potential buyers in the market for a home with this price tag, but there are more millionaires as of late thanks to cryptocurrency gains. And these new millionaires (and some are even billionaires) are no doubt looking for ways to reinvest their gains—and old-fashioned real estate may be the ideal route to go.

A Whole New Playing Field

Clearly, converting large chunks of cryptocurrency into a less-volatile asset—like real estate—is a logical choice. And it’s happening more often than you think.

Luxury real estate agent Tony Giordano says he’s fielding more and more requests to use cryptocurrency to buy and sell property—and now asks his high-end clients if they would be willing to accept digital currency. Why? More options equals more buyers. This is especially true in the luxury market, where buyers like to maintain a low profile and avoid tax issues. Remember, cryptocurrencies are still largely unregulated.

As such, it’s also important to note that finding an escrow service that handles crypto sales (vs. traditional cash) is not easy because technology is, unsurprisingly, moving faster than government regulation. So you’ll likely have to convert Bitcoin into cash in order to buy a property.

Now might be a good time to dabble with cryptocurrencies to get a feel for the market. There’s a lot to learn about digital currencies (including that Bitcoin isn’t the only game in town), so do your research and start your journey with a small investment—$20 is enough to get your feet wet.

While you may not be in the market for high-end real estate (yet), if you play your cards right, you could easily join the ranks of the new crypto millionaires popping up all around the world. And if not, you’ll get some experience buying and selling, monitoring your investments and having fun daydreaming about achieving your financial dreams.

Source: http://www.richdad.com/Resources/Rich-Dad-Financial-Education-Blog/February-2018/The-Crypto-Craze-Continues.aspx

Should I Consider Renting to Section 8 Tenants?

I am often asked about Section 8 and whether a landlord should consider renting to someone with a Section 8 certificate. They want to know if they should accept these tenants, what kind of rent they might get, and what are some of the pros and cons of this program. Quite often they initially start out with a negative view of Section 8, so I thought I would give some pros and cons and allow you to make better decision about this program.

What is Section 8

The PA Section 8 program, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, provides rental assistance to low income families in the private rental sector. Funded by HUD (The United State Department of Housing and Urban Development) the Section 8 housing goals are to provide improved conditions for families while assisting them in obtaining low income housing, maintaining rental payments, and promoting a greater freedom of choice in housing conditions. This Federal program provides incentives to the owners of apartment complexes and private homes to ensure the continued availability of government subsidized homes. Locally, the Pennsylvania public housing authority (PHA) is responsible for qualifying applicants and disbursing the vouchers to eligible families.

Low income house rentals are listed by the PHA in each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, though each complex and home is privately managed. So, each county, Montgomery County, Chester County, even Philadelphia County manage their own Section 8 programs. Even within some counties there are individual towns that have Section 8 offices. For example, Chester, PA has its own Section 8 office.

Philadelphia County is a busy office and very difficult to work with. To be frank it is a struggle for Del Val and others to work with them. They are trying to improve their systems but are very bureaucratic. It is very difficult to reach them on the phone to get simple questions answered. The counties outside of Philadelphia are much easier to communicate with.

But it is a partnership between three people: the owner/landlord, the tenant and the Section 8 office. Traditionally there is a lease between a tenant and an owner/landlord. That is the contract that lays out how the lease is going to work. But with a Section 8 tenant there is a second contract, which is a payment contract that describes the payment amounts and when they will be made. That contract is signed by the Section 8 office, by the tenant and by the owner/landlord. So, this is an additional contract and in an exchange for them offering to pay the rent, the owner/landlord must agree to comply with their rules and regulations. One of those rules is that the owner/landlord will maintain the house in good shape and Section 8 inspections will occur on a regular basis to make sure that you're doing just that.

What are some of the Pros of Section 8

One of the pros obviously is its federally funded guaranteed rent from HUD, so there is no credit risk involved. Traditionally, Section 8 will pay probably 90-100% of the rent. The tenant may pay a small portion from time to time but 90-100% of the rent typically is going to get paid by the Section 8 office. You will get a one year contract, sometimes a two year contract. The county of Philadelphia offers a two year contract. So obviously once you put that tenant in there for the next two years you know your property will be rented and you'll be getting your rent.

Now, the question comes up about rent; Is my rent going to be higher or lower than it would be otherwise? In some cases, it's going to be a little bit higher but I typically tell owners that it will be within 10% + or - than other rents. Again, it depends on the county, it depends on the city and the area so everything's a little bit different in each case. Typically, five to 10 years ago the Section 8 rent would be probably 15% below a non-Section 8 person. But I think that gap has come down recently to no more than 10% that you will receive. In some cases, you might actually get more for Section 8 than you would get for a non-Section 8.

What are some of the Cons of Section 8

One of the negatives is they will perform regular inspections. So initially before the tenant moves in they do an inspection and you must comply with what they're asking you to do. They're not going to ask for you to do anything out of the ordinary. So you're going to have to make sure that your outlets work, your smoke detectors work, you have fire extinguishers, stairwell banisters are tight and secure and outside that your walkways and things are all safe and secure with no tripping hazards.

Another of the cons is the fact that the tenant may call Section 8 from time to time and say something's not working. And if Section 8 comes out and determines that is correct, it's not working, then they could stop paying your rent for a period of time. That is called an "abatement of the rent", meaning for that period you won't get any rent.

Why should you consider Section 8 tenants?

In some areas, Section 8 may be your only choice. There are certain areas where Section 8 is very prevalent and because of that there's not a lot of options and you may have to go with Section 8. There are certain areas of Philadelphia, Norristown, Pottstown, and Reading that have high concentrations of Section 8. So, it may be your only option in those areas.

Tenants tend to stay longer. If a tenant has a Section 8 certificate and they like your house, you're keeping it up and repairs are being made, for the most part they're not going to want to leave. For one reason, because there's not a lot of other Section 8 housing out there. Also, it is very difficult to move and there's a lot of paperwork involved and a lot of risk on their part. If they notify you they're going to move out and they can't find another house within a 60 or 90-day period, they are potentially going to lose their Section 8 certificate. Second, moving from one county to another county is very difficult. So, if they want to move from Philadelphia to Montgomery County there's a lot of paperwork involved, and the red tape is not easy. So, for the most part Section 8 tenants do stay a long time.

Section 8 requires you to keep your house in good shape, they inspect it and that's a good thing ultimately for you as the owner of the property. You want to keep your property in good shape.

There is also lots of demand for Section 8 tenants. When we put "Section 8 Welcome" in our ads they get a lot of attention and so that's obviously a great reason to use Section 8.

If you are a real estate investor or property owner and want to learn more about how we can help you buy investment properties and our property management program please go to our website at http://www.delvalproperty.com/.

Mike Lautensack is the owner of Del Val Realty & Property Management ("Del Val"). Del Val is a FULL SERVICE Philadelphia Property Management company with over 15 years' experience and manage over 3,00 single family homes, HOA units and multifamily properties in and around Philadelphia, PA. We advise property owners how to build wealth and financial security through hassle-free ownership of rental real estate with our NO "Hassle" FULL Service Management Program. This proven management system allows owners to enjoy the financial benefits of cash flow, tax savings, and wealth creation. All this while it GUARANTEES you will never have to deal with maintenance or tenant issues.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Lautensack/63369

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9858973

Why the UK Is Attracting Investors Looking for Student Accommodation

Did you know that there is a vast shortage all over the UK of student accommodation? Every major city has a university, some more than one and where there is a university you will find students and all those students throughout their periods of study, need accommodation.

It is estimated that only fifty percent of all students in the UK have access to high-quality and specifically purpose-built student accommodation. When you look at high dense population areas, it's expected that this figure declines to even less, somewhere in the region of just twenty percent. This massive shortage means a wonderful investment opportunity is available to any savvy investor.

Doing the maths, it looks like there are almost a hundred thousand students alone in the London area that have a high demand for accommodation and that demand is only ever going to rise! Student property really needs to be conveniently located and by that, we mean close to good areas for socializing and on good public transport links to the university campus. Tick those essential boxes and you will have students knocking down your door in a rush to rent from you.

I appreciate this might sound too good to be true but dense populations spring up in inner city areas that quickly become known as student zones. While this may put off traditional private sales and in some cases cut pricing of private sales of property, for the specific student property expert, this is a perfect situation where you will be able to maximise your return on investment in very quick time. Some good examples of UK locations include Brighton, Plymouth, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburg, Exeter and needless to say London.

If accommodation is purpose-built for students then the quality of student is higher, this means the rental returns are higher and you can also attract overseas students, many of which will not have the budget limitations facing local students. Think of purpose built student accommodation mimicking smaller halls of residence. For this you need ideally a larger property that can be split into studio style rental apartments numbering four or five. If you can get such a property close to or next to the University campus then this will strengthen the purpose built approach and really boarder your student market appeal.

Students are reliable, they rent for set periods of time, and you get plenty of notice of the tenancy ending and can literally replace those tenants with the next student intake. All you need to do is make sure you are ahead of the student calendar and make use of current tenant's recommendations, word of mouth advertising or post notices within University campus areas or on the host of student accommodation websites. It is unlikely you will ever be short of a hungry demographic.

The UK has always attracted a broad spectrum of investors, but due to the increase of students looking to rent temporary accommodation, there has also been an increase in student property investors. They are essentially buy-to-let investors with a keen focus on the student market.

The UK also offers property investors a strong and consistent annual yield. The property value in the UK can grow much over the years. This mainly due to the active market, high demand and limited amount of land to develop property on.

David Cameron has recently decided to increase the influx of overseas students from India, which means that we will not be seeing a decrease in the demand for student property anytime soon. If you are a property investor I suggest that this is a market worth looking into.

https://investor-square.com/student-property-investment-accommodation/

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ross_Honorio_Kelly/291965

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9614526

The Rise in Popularity of the Serviced Apartment

Serviced apartments are a relatively recent phenomenon. They are fully furnished flats that have similar amenities to hotel rooms and can be used for either short-term or longer-term stays, offering a more home-from-home type experience. Some of the main benefits of staying in a serviced apartment as opposed to a hotel room are that they offer on average 30% more space, more privacy, and are more cost-effective in terms of there being no extra hidden costs and fully equipped kitchens reduces meal expenses. According to The Apartment Service, serviced apartments are around 15 - 30% cheaper than hotel rooms, adding to their appeal to businesses and the discerning tourist alike.

In recent years, the serviced apartment - a subsector of the hospitality industry - has grown more than any other temporary accommodation class in Europe. This can in part be attributed to globalisation and the needs for workers to travel more frequently to offices located out of town, and companies looking for less expensive ways to accommodate them. Also, families may have a preference to stay together and require a different set up to what hotels offer, in terms of wanting to keep an elderly relative close, having an office space to catch up on work tasks, or to allow older children more privacy.

The evidence of their popularity lies in occupancy rates. Serviced apartments in the UK averaged an 81% occupancy rate in 2016, and outperformed hotel rooms which stood at 77.2%. Amongst businesses, their usage is also increasing. According to a recent survey carried out by the Business Travel Show in November 2016, four in ten corporate buyers have reported that they would have used serviced apartments more by the end of 2016 than they did in 2015.

As we have mentioned above, serviced apartments are outperforming hotel rooms in terms of occupancy rates. Due to their cost-effective nature, they are becoming popular with companies sending employees on business trips, and those travelling for leisure who require more flexibility in their accommodation than what a hotel can offer.

Serviced apartment companies are relishing their success and are subsequently expanding at a fast pace. SACO are currently one of the largest operators of serviced apartments and over the past few years have made several acquisitions. Since the start of the year SACO have secured additional developments in London, Cambridge and Dublin, and a fourth is in the pipeline in Manchester. This demonstrates a confidence in the market, and indeed, a 2016/17 report by Savills predicted that 2017 would be "record growth" in terms of new developments in the UK. 

The distinction between serviced apartments and Airbnb.

Governments have been cracking down on Airbnb rentals, which in part allows for success in the serviced apartment market. Berlin has banned tourists from renting entire flats from Airbnb to protect affordable housing, and Airbnb are banned from listing short term rentals in New York. Serviced apartments differ in that they are not flats owned by individuals looking to achieve a supplementary income, but rather they are owned by a company with the sole purpose of renting them out on either a short-term or long-term basis to individuals who need somewhere to stay. Unlike Airbnb, the apartments are not someone else's permanent residence.

The crackdown of Airbnb rentals in some locations is allowing serviced apartments the opportunity to accommodate those who would have used Airbnb, further boosting demand for the units. 

Serviced apartments as an investment

Investors looking to invest in the serviced apartment sector will be enthused by its fundamentals. In terms of the specific investment, individuals will be looking for buildings with high quality facilities in good, central locations. Keeping in mind that the people who will use the apartments will be either business travellers or leisure travellers (or a combination of both), they will require easy access to transport links and the area's attractions and amenities. Due to stays being generally longer (research has shown that 91% of stays are of 14 nights+), residents will be reassured of a more stable income as their apartment will be occupied for a more definite period. The longer than average duration of stay, coupled with lower running costs, means that serviced apartments generally achieve higher net operating incomes compared to regular hotels. This helps to allay the worries of individuals considering hotel room investments but are concerned about the possibility of gaps in occupancy.

Sir Thomas House is an excellent example of an attractive investment in Liverpool. It occupies a city centre location close to Liverpool's bars and restaurants, attractions and transport links. Liverpool itself boasts not only a booming tourism industry but also a growing economy - home to the largest proportion of fast growing new businesses in the country. A report on the hotel industry in 2017 by PwC also identified Liverpool as a place that will experience growth in terms of revenue achieved per room, indicating an increased demand and willingness to spend more in the city. These factors ensure that there will be a sustained requirement for the apartments from tourists and business travelers alike.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sarah_Phillips/2434662

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Winter Is Coming - It's a Great Time for Real Estate Investing

You've no doubt heard the concern that real estate sells best in the Spring and Summer - that the worst time for buying and selling houses is Winter.

And, Winter is coming! So what should you do?

First of all, don't panic! We've been investing in real estate full time since January 2005. Here's what we've found, not only for ourselves, but for most of the other investors we know. True: the number of calls you'll get from sellers and the number of offers you'll get from buyers will decline.

However, also true: the quality of those contacts will be much higher. Both buyers and sellers calling during these months are serious! So no, Winter is not the season to panic. In fact, some of our most profitable deals come at the end of the year.

I've heard many investors say that December and/or January are their most profitable months. Why?

A lot of investors as well as real estate agents get out of the business during these months. They cut back or stop their marketing all together and often use these months to vacation. So, as long as you're still active, you're the one who will get the buy/sell calls.

Many high net worth individuals need to use up cash to avoid taxes before year end and they turn to real estate. Now is a great time for you to be calling CPAs and tax advisors to let them know how you can help these clients.

While families are together over the holidays, decisions are made regarding what to do with their parents' home, or that it's time to stop dealing with inherited properties. These sellers call us in January needing to sell estate properties.

Fewer buyers during the holidays means less buying competition for us as investors and fewer buyers means sellers reduce prices to get their homes sold. This is the perfect time to buy at discount and begin renovating so your property is back on the market in time for prime selling season, Spring!

Bottom line, don't panic. Get excited and be prepared to provide solutions for those needing to buy and sell in the winter months. The market is less active, meaning less competition, and the buyers and sellers who are out there are far more serious than the casual shoppers who come back out in the Spring.

What has been your experience in the Winter months? What will you do differently this Winter?

Here's wishing you Happy Winter Investing!

My name is Karen Rittenhouse and I've been investing in real estate full time since 2004. I currently buy about 60 houses per year, most of which I wholesale.

And I currently own a HomeVestors franchise (the We Buy Ugly Houses People!). I love real estate investing!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karen_Rittenhouse/353660

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9823884

How To Invest In Property & Create Passive Income

The great John Lee talks about how use property investments to create passive income streams - is property something that interests you? Are you currently an investor or landlord? What do you think of John Lee's advice?

Let Your Money Grow

There is one simple thing that separates the rich from the poor – this one principal is the reason the rich build more and more wealth, and the poor get even poorer, and traditional streams of education fail to teach our youngsters meaning most are faced with having to figure it out for themselves… and most never do.

But first, let’s look at defining the problem in simple terms so we’re all on the same page – what’s needed is some basic definitions of common terms that are often misunderstood.

One of those big problems we face as a society in this modern age is debt. More specifically – bad debt.

There are two types of debt you can have – good debt and bad debt. The difference? Well, the simple defining difference is that bad debt is credit you obtain and then use to purchase liabilities – or several liabilities. This could be taking out a loan for a new car, or purchasing this years holiday on your credit card. Good debt is credit that you leverage in order to purchase assets – this could be taking out a mortgage to purchase a rental property that’s going to return you a second, almost passive income.

The first thing we should probably clear up is the definition of an asset and a liability – they are not what most people think they are! For example, the house that you own and live in – is it a liability or an asset? Let’s make the assumption that you’ve been lucky to pay off your mortgage and you own it outright – how would you answer that question bearing that in mind?

Most people believe their home is an asset – especially if they have no mortgage on it. How can it be a liability when I haven’t got any credit to support it’s ownership and I have a store of value in the property’s equity? Well, according to Rich Dad Poor Dad, the simple definition of a liability is something that costs you money to own, and an asset is something that you own that provides an income over and above the expenses incurred to own it.

So, in the case of your house, unless you’re renting it out and making a profit, it’s a liability – it costs you money to own it and live there! You pay water and electricity bills to keep it operational, you pay council tax for the pleasure of it existing within a certain jurisdiction, and you probably pay insurance to protect the potential downside. If you’re not charging rent to someone to live there over and above YOUR costs then it’s costing you to own it. It’s worth mentioning also that if you rent it out but don’t make enough from the rent you’re charging to cover the expenses then it’s still a liability – the defining difference is whether it achieves positive cashflow or not.

Hold on, I hear you cry, but I don’t have a mortgage and I can sell my property for hundreds of thousands of pounds if I wanted to so it’s an asset because when I sell it I’ll make lots of money! Erm, not quite. You see, you only realise the paper value stored in a property like that once you sell it… and you can only sell it for what someone is prepared to pay. For example, you might have been unfortunate in a relationship and going through divorce where you need to sell quickly – you’re a highly motivated seller, and there are no buyers in the market for your type of property who are prepared to pay what you want to sell it for. All of a sudden, the value in your assets diminishes considerably simple because of someone else’s perception of value.. which could be drastically different to yours! You only realise the value in an asset like that at the point of sale, and there’s no guarantee you’ll find any buyers at the time you’re looking to sell, and there’s no guarantee that if you find a willing buyer that they’ll want to pay what you think it’s worth. This doesn’t sound like a very reliable asset to me – especially given the potential return can so easily change based on multiple variables that are completely out of your control. Yes – you might sell and make a profit, but you might equally have to sell at a loss, and you won’t know which it’s going to be until the point of sale.

Now that we’ve clearly defined good and bad credit, and the definition of an asset and a liability, let’s have a look at the key problem most people face when it comes to finances – financial education.

The one key difference between the rich and the poor is this; the rich know how to master their money and create assets that provide multiple streams of income – more simply, they understand the art and the science of putting their money to work in a way that means their money makes them more money without the controlling person having to exchange time for more money.

But this is exactly the opposite of what we’re taught in school, where the focus is on finding a skill, becoming qualified, and then finding a position where you can exchange your time for money for the rest of your life.

Okay, but what’s wrong with that?

Well, nothing if that approach aligns with your values and allows you to achieve your goals in life. However, the key limitation with this approach is this – you only have 24 hours in a day like everyone else, so what happens when you reach a point where you’re exchanging all those hours for an hourly wage? Well, when there’s no more hours in the day to exchange, you’re not only burnt out and unfulfilled because you have no time to direct towards the things you love in life (let’s face it, most people are far from doing a job they love), but you have now hit your earnings ceiling. How do you earn more when there’s no more time to exchange? This is the key limiting problem with this approach.

Yes, most of us will have to start with this inefficient exchange in order to generate our first income, but it’s what we do with the fruits of our labour that really defines where we’re going to mature into wealthy people or poor people. For those of us who have been lucky enough to have some financial education, we start to do things with our money that let it grow all on it’s own. For those who don’t, they spend all their spare money on holidays, new gadgets, and toys – aka liabilities!

This behaviour sends us into a downwards spiral that can be extremely difficult to get out of. You earn money, and use that money to buy liabilities. Those liabilities increase your monthly outgoings, meaning you have to exchange more time for money to increase your income so you can continue to service the new liabilities you have purchased. You increase your income further so you again have some surplus (but you’re now working 12 hours days and barely seeing your family), and then you use that surplus to purchase more liabilities… and so the vicious cycle continues. Can you see now why this behaviour is so destructive to people’s finances? Can you see why we have such a problem with bad debt these days? All because financial education is considered unimportant by our educational institutions. This needs to change, and this change starts with you educating yourself, so you can go on to educate others and set the next generation up for greater levels of financial success.

So, how do the wealthy grow their money?

There are multiple strategies people use, but they can all be classed as one form of investment or another. You could invest in stocks and shares that not only appreciate in value but that pay you a dividend throughout the year whilst you own them. You could invest in the wild west market of crypto-currencies and benefit for the massive bullish gains we’ve seen in those markets in recent years (I was trading Bitcoin at $900 at the start of 2017, and it’s now broken right through $10,000 – all in under 12 months). You could put your money into cash-flowing investment properties, or you could either start your own business or invest in one.

There are so many strategies you can employ to make your money work for you, rather than you working for money. All it takes is the commitment to educate yourself in whatever vehicle you choose and get started.

I’ve written several blogs on trading and investing that you can find by searching those tags so please feel free to check those out to get some more information on these strategies – there’s also loads of great resources on-line, but there’s also a lot of shit. Be careful and do thorough research from reputable sources.

by Little Grey JK

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