Hard Money Loans

In many parts of the country, home prices doubled during the period from 2000 to 2005. During this same time, creative financing programs (e.g. zero down payment, adjustable rate loans, interest only loans, option ARMs loans, negative amortization loans, etc.) gained popularity and helped some people buy homes who would not normally qualify based on their income, debt level and credit history.

Most real estate markets are now cooling, and some are even experiencing declining prices. In times of dropping real estate prices, the amount owed on a loan by some homeowners may actually exceed the value of a property. If homeowners cannot make their monthly mortgage payment, there is a potential for default on the loan and foreclosure of the property by the lender.

The term “short sales” is used to describe a situation in which a homeowner is at risk of defaulting on their loan, and the lender agrees to sell the property below the original appraisal price in order to avoid foreclosure. Most lenders do not readily agree to short sales, although exceptional circumstances such as a homeowner losing his/her job or the death of a wage-earning spouse may make some of them more open to doing so.

If a property is sold as a short sale, the lender recoups at least a portion of the original loan amount, the homeowner avoids the stress and stigma of foreclosure, and the new homebuyer gets a property below its original appraisal price. If a short sale doesn’t work, then the property usually goes into foreclosure.

Short sales may be an emerging trend as the rate of foreclosure is rising dramatically across the nation. According to Business 2.0 Magazine, the top 10 foreclosures markets are:

1. Greeley, CO
2. Detroit, MI
3. Miami, FL
4. Indianapolis, IN
5. Fort Lauderdale, FL
6. Denver, CO
7.Dayton, OH
8.Dallas, TX
9.Fort Worth, TX
10.Atlanta, GA

The credit of homeowners may be impacted after a short sale, but it all depends on how the lender reports the outcome. Some lenders report a partial loan repayment as full payment of the debt due, which does not adversely impact the credit of the borrowers. Other lenders report the sale as “settled,” which adversely and significantly impacts the borrower’s credit. The other problem is that the portion of the loan amount forgiven by the lender may actually count as taxable income by the IRS.

In summary, a successful short sale has some potential positive benefits (e.g., homeowners avoid foreclosure, lenders recoup at least a portion of the loan amount, new homebuyers gets a property at below the original appraisal price, etc), but there are also many negative consequences. Some of these potential negative consequences include: the negative impact on borrower’s credit, negative impact on the value of other similar homes in the neighborhood, and that the amount forgiven by the lender may be taxable event. Homeowners having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payment may benefit from talking to a real estate agent who is experienced in short sales.

What is Entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurs are the people who start or organize commercial institutes, particularly those involving any kind of financial risk. You ask anybody today and he will get ready to become an entrepreneur. If we observe the economic activities going on all over the world, it seems that everybody has already become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is not the privilege of the Chief Executive Officers of mega corporations only. A person playing three-card games at Times Square is also an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is a quality that is applicable in politicians, cab drivers, college presidents, and bookies.

Like in any other field for successful entrepreneurship, in the real estate business you need to understand the importance of location, location, and location. You cannot take it for granted when you buy any property for your business or sign any lease. Entrepreneurship in real estate business requires careful selection of the broker no matter whether you are buying the property or selling it. You also have to learn how to understand the present scenario of the real estate market and the current valuations of the properties. In addition, you should also need to master the art of strategic planning for both selling and buying the properties.

Keep Yourself Informed

No entrepreneur in the field of real estate ever knows too much about the market. They have to make constant efforts to gather information regarding the latest trends in the industry. They have to keep on thinking about the factors that can affect their investments, their clients, and their overall businesses. Some of the important factors are changes in the tax laws, development of new highway routes, changes in technology, and zoning.

Natural Instinct Required

To get success in the real estate business, you must possess a natural entrepreneurial instinct. Moreover, you also need to be process-oriented. You should have the capability of looking far into the future and identifying the good business opportunities. If you are successful in entrepreneurship in the real estate business, you can get success in any kind of venture. In addition to having a basic knowledge of this business, economy and other global factors, you must be comfortable using computers. Knowing the use of spreadsheets, word processors, databases, graphical analysis, and the geographic system of information is very useful for entrepreneurship in real estate business.

NO Quick Bucks

Finally, if you plan to start entrepreneurship in the real estate business, understand clearly that you are not going to get any quick buck, as it looks from outside. Like any other business, the real estate business also takes time before you cultivate the customers and start enjoying the inflow of money. However, the time, efforts and the attention given to the business never go in vain and sooner or later, you are going to get the positive results.

Author: Alexander Gordon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In its 4th quarter report of 2006, the real estate information site estimates the home value trends for the U.S. and 75 metropolitan areas. According to the data from http://Zillow.com, home values are now declining slightly on a year-over-year basis for the first time in a decade after years of appreciation.

Zillow’s home value data goes back to 1997 and reveals the depreciation of home value rates at 0.48 % year-over-year at the national level. The depreciation in home value every quarter is at 4.77 %. Zillow’s appreciation rate is based on the value of all homes in an area, including those that were sold.

Although there is a fall in the over-all home price growth, areas such as Seattle and Portland are experiencing a surge in home values at good appreciation rates. Besides national home values, the report also presents comprehensive data on local market price growth and decline in 75 metropolitan areas. The Zillow report gives detailed data on home value changes for counties, cities, neighborhoods and ZIP codes in U.S.A.

The top 5 metro areas with the highest price growth, year-over-year, are:

1. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida, with an appreciation rate of 25.88 %
2. Yuma, Arizona, with an appreciation rate of 25.66 %
3. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with an appreciation rate of 21.24 %
4. Flagstaff, Arizona, with an appreciation rate of 19.02 %
5. Ocala, Florida with an appreciation rate of 17.56 %

The 5 metropolitan areas that have the most declining home values, year-over-year, are:

1. Panama City, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 11.84 %
2. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, California, with a depreciation rate of 11.35 %
3. Punta Gorda, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 9.23 %
4. Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 8.99 %
5. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina, with a depreciation rate of 8.73 %

The Zillow national report also includes the top five most expensive and least expensive metro areas measured by the Zindex home value indicator.

The top 5 metro areas that are most expensive are:

1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California at $684,459
2. Salinas, California at $654,503
3. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, California at $627,323
4. Honolulu, Hawaii at $626,452
5. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, California at $545,409

The top 5 metro areas that are the least expensive are:

1. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL at $86,201
2. Peoria-Pekin, Illinois at $91,984
3. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina at $96,508
4. Tulsa, Oklahoma at $97,186
5. Dayton-Springfield, Ohio at $103,729

Even within these markets, there are hot and cold housing segments of the community. Be sure to seek out the services of a local real estate agent, who can advise you about local market conditions that impact the price of homes, condos and other types of real estate.

The community of Coronado is located on the central coast of San Diego County. This 13.5 square mile peninsula is accessible via the famous Coronado Bay Bridge, by water ferry from Downtown San Diego, or through Imperial Beach via highway 75.

The real estate and homes for sale in Coronado are some of the most expensive properties in San Diego County. The number of homes sold in a particular year is relatively low. For example, during the period from January through July 2006, approximately 64 single-family homes sold. Approximately 79 homes sold for the same period in 2005. The price of homes in Coronado varies widely from moderately priced small cottages to multi-million dollar estates.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $1,505,000, compared to $1,481,250 in July 2005, which represents a 1.6% increase. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $1,795,179, compared to $1,603,214 in July 2005, which represents an 11.5% drop. Approximately 7 homes sold in July 2006 and 14 in July 2005. In summary, the data was mixed for July 2006, with the median price posting a small increase and the average price dropping 11.5%.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $1,775,000, compared to $1,570,000 in June 2005, which represents a 13.1% increase. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $1,998,860, compared to $1,778,214 in June 2005, which represents a 12.4% increase. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 and 21 in June 2005. In summary, the data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in June 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $1,200,000, compared to $1,390,000 in May 2005, which represents a 13.7% drop. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $1,576,429, compared to $1,615,692 in May 2005, which represents a 2.4% drop. Approximately 7 homes sold in May 2006 and 13 in May 2005. In summary, the data provides evidence that there was a downward price trend in May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $2,250,000, compared to $1,450,000 in April 2005, which represents a 55.2% increase. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $2,667,200, compared to $1,731,524 in April 2005, which represents a 54% increase. Approximately 10 homes sold in April 2006 and 7 in April 2005. In summary, the data provides evidence that there was a significant upward price trend in April 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $1,650,000, compared to $1,780,000 in March 2005, which represents a 7.3% drop. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $2,219,667, compared to $1,774,667 in March 2005, which represents a 25.1% increase. Approximately 15 homes sold in March 2006 and 9 in March 2005. In summary, the data was mixed for March 2006, with a drop in median price and an increase in average price.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $1,185,000, compared to $875,000 in February 2005, which represents a 35.4% increase. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $1,327,000, compared to $1,011,667 in February 2005, which represents a 31.2% increase. Approximately 5 homes sold in February 2006 and 3 in February 2005. In summary, the data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $1,700,000 in January 2006, compared to $1,531,500 in January 2005, which represents an 11% increase. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $1,599,000, compared to $1,717,750 in January 2005, which represents a 6.9% drop. Approximately 5 homes sold in January 2006 and 12 in January 2005. In summary, the data was mixed for January 2006, with a jump in median price and a decline in average price.

So what does the above data tell us? Overall, there was a 19% decline in the number of homes sold during this period from 2006 to 2005. Besides that, the Coronado real estate market is very hard to characterize because of the limited number of homes that sell every month, and the wide variation in home prices. The median and average prices fluctuated substantially depending on whether or not very expensive homes sold that month or not. Prospective home buyers should seek the advise of an experienced real estate agent to help them understand the micro pricing trends of homes in their price range.

Some people choose to use a real estate agent and some people choose to go it alone. One thing I have noticed over the years is that a number of seasoned investors looking in a new city will seek out a good agent while novice investors will frequently go it alone. I have even had a number of successful real estate agents seek out my help when they are moving to our city. Why do some of these seasoned investors choose to work with an agent? Below is a list of 7 benefits of using an agent.

1. Understand potential restrictions of the property. I recently heard a story from a friend at the city development office in Austin Texas. A couple had saved up for their retirement. They wanted to retire and live out in the hill country. They went to the foreclosure auctions. At the auction they purchased a lot for 500,000. It had great views and they were going to build their dream house on it. They had researched the lot before the auction and found it was zoned SFR which means a single family residence can be built on it. After purchasing the lot they started plans to build their retirement house. At this time they discovered the lot was in the 25 year floodplain. My friend at the city development office explained that the lot could not be built on and was basically worthless.

2. Know about new developments that might affect a properties value. A good realtor will know of proposed new developments that might affect different properties in which a buyer is interested. Whether these developments are positive or negative can be valuable information when weighing different housing options.

3. Find potential problems with a property. It is always a good idea to have a home inspector look at a potential house. However, a Realtor is a good first line of defense to see if a house has inherent problems. A Realtor that can know about common problems, such as foundation or electrical, that affect a particular neighborhood.

4. Understand contracts specifics. Whenever you buy or sell a house you are entering into a large personal transaction. It helps to have someone on your side that deals with these types of transactions on a daily basis. A Realtor can help you understand contracts and can explain what is typical for your area. The most common pitfall into which I see unrepresented buyers fall is to become involved in an atypical contract that is not to their benefit. For instance a seller will sign an offer that has an option period that is 4 times longer than what is typical. A buyer might put in offers on multiple properties with long option periods. The buyer will wait and see if the market appreciates. If the market has appreciated the buyer buys the house at now and undervalued price. If the market has gone down the buyer walks away.

5. Misperception of a benefit of going it alone. Buyers frequently think that by not using a buyers agent they will get a better deal from the seller. In most situation the listing agent asks for 6 percent from the seller. If a buyer comes with an agent the listing agent splits the 6 percent with the buyers agent. If an unrepresented buyer comes the listing agent keeps the whole 6 percent. On the selling side, For Sale By Owners (FSBO) often think they are saving alot of money by avoiding a listing agent. Nationally, FSBO homes sell for 14 percent less than agent listed homes in the same neighborhoods. In addition alot of FSBO’s still end up having a buyers agents involved. There is also money spent on advertising. Since an agent has experience marketing homes the agent often can spend money more effectively on advertising. Agents often know which advertising sources produce the most potential buyers.

6. Save time when looking for listings. Looking for listings without an agent can take up large chunks of time. When looking with an agent you can see several homes in a few hours. When going it alone you have to call the listing agent for each house and wait at the house for the agent to arrive and open up the house. In addition agents often know houses which are not listed or may have already identified potential problems with a particular house of interest.

7. Insure Security. When a home is listed with a broker, agents coming to the house have to usually log in. This allows the listing agent to keep a record of every party coming into the house. Since their business is on the line, agents are more likely to protect the house from damage or theft. For a variety of reasons, it is generally not a good idea to have random people you do not know come into your house. Often sellers simply have a phone number, but that phone could be their house, a friend’s house, a pay phone, or even a stolen phone.

Searching for a home can be stressful and difficult but it can also be fun. Whether you choose to look for a home on your own or with a Realtor its a good idea to be a extremely careful when you seek out your dream home.

Green Happiness

“He who plants a garden, plants happiness” is an old saying. However, things have changed a lot nowadays. Today, the proverb could be thought of as “He who plants a garden, plants money!” When it comes to selling a house, landscaping is an important factor that determines the value of the property. Real estate gurus believe that gardens around a house can contribute more than 10% to the total value of the property. Moreover, the houses with attractive gardens, particularly mature trees, are easily saleable when compared to the other houses with limited or underdeveloped landscaping. Investing a little time in tending your garden can really pay dividends when it comes to selling your home.

Enjoying Green

Houses with gardens around them are excellent choices for those who wish to enjoy time outside, while not travelling far to do so. It is always refreshing to open the door and go out into the garden and smell the flowers, plants, and trees. Most of us spend less time enjoying the greenery in public parks and sanctuaries since they are becoming more scarce and because of urban sprawl are often far away. Since most of us will never have a chance to visit the tropical rain forests of Central America why not invest a few dollars and house and have your own piece of nature right outside your door?

Green can be healthy

Plants not only contribute value to the property, but gardens also have great health benefits. The health benefits of gardening are impressive. According to medical experts, gardening is a great exercise for legs, shoulders, arms and neck. Gardening also helps to strengthen the joints in our body. Recent researches indicate that gardening lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels and also prevents diabetes and heart diseases. Gardening is also an ideal physical exercise for people who want to reduce their weight. Gardening helps to burn fat and as an added bonus, creates some healthy, organic fruits and vegetables for your entire family to eat.

Green in real estate

Based on a recent survey or property owners, it was noted that 95% of residential homeowners and 86% of commercial property owners believe that good landscaping adds more value to their properties. Also real estate brokers around Austin think that merely having a garden is enough to attract the buyers. Moreover, gardening has lots of benefits like offering a healthy body, fresh air, a fresh mind, fresh food, bringing birds, attracting butterflies, sustaining beneficial insects and added value to your property. Finally, gardening and makes your property look its best. So plant gardens around your home and grab the sure ticket to quick and valuable resale!

Women are working more, earning more and buying more than they ever did. Consequently, they have a significant influence on the American economy in general, and the real estate industry in particular.

The collective buying power of US women accounts for about 85 % of all consumer purchases. When it comes to purchasing patterns, women are estimated to make 94 % of home furnishings decisions, 91 % of new homes purchase decisions, and 89 % of travel decisions.

Women’s earnings have accelerated over the last few years and they have emerged as the Chief Purchasing Officers in their households. According to IRS data, women constitute 39 % of the top wealth holders in the country. This means about 2.5 million women possess a wealth of $4.2 trillion put together. Notably, the IRS estimates that by 2050, 42 % of these women will be single or widowed. The IRS further estimates that more wealth is bound to be accumulated among women.

Another growing trend that emerged in a December 2006 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was that about 22 % of homes purchased between July 2005 and June 2006 were by single women who were in the 25 to 34 age range. Women accounted for a record number of 1.76 million home purchases (1 in every 5 homes), a significant increase from 14 % a decade ago. Women’s growing success in their careers, higher education, financial independence and a desire to build an early nest on their own, are some of the reasons that have spearheaded this home buying trend.

Among the vast demographic spectrum in the real estate industry, women have become a force to reckon with. Real estate agents are increasingly taking note of their female clients and the power they wield in home buying decisions. By the influence that they bring into play in home buying decisions, women form a significant and growing market that simply cannot be ignored.

If you are considering buying a home, condo, or any other real estate, be sure to seek out the services of a local real estate agent to guide you through this complex process.