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Investing in real estate has created more millionaires than just about any other type of investment. Why is this?? It is likely because investing in real estate (if done right) has the potential to create income at an amazingly rapid rate. Appreciation is the key to long term success in real estate while convenience and curb appeal are the defining factors of the shorter term holdings. Which kind of investment you seek purely depends on you and what you are looking or. If you have the time and the money to pay in the market for some time then renting is a great way to increase your equity and therefore your borrowing power Arranging mortgages so that they are completely paid by the renters with a little left over every month is a great feeling to have.

Of course, not all of us can afford the time that is required to be a professional landlord. This leaves flipping a home as the most likely candidate for an investment. Home flipping is all about fixing a home up and getting rid of it quickly before the monthly bills start to stack up. Home flip usually involve some renovations to bring the home up to par. Once there you can renovate a bit to improve the asking price of the home. Remember that you have a definite bottom line on this kind of investment where you cannot afford to spend any more money for fear of not being able to make it back when the home sells. Read the rest of this entry »

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Of all the reality TV shows that have come and gone since the fad started, very few have caused people to sit up and say, “hey, I can do that, and I can make a mint!” like the house-flipping shows that seem to be everywhere on cable these days. But is what you see on TV accurate? Can the process really be that easy? Let’s take a closer look.

The first step is analysing your finances to see if you can afford to take on a second home and remodel it. You should have an idea as to how much your total budget is going to be for the project, and make sure to factor in closing costs on the project home, contractor overruns because things are bound to take longer than you thought, and then money for incidentals and accidentals, as well.

Once you’ve got an iron clad budget, the next step is to find a home that you think is flappable. Most people go into these projects with a property already in mind, but for some, searching for a saveable house that is within their budget and at the same time will be sellable can be extremely difficult. There are many people out there looking to flip houses, so finding one for yourself can be a real chore.

Once you’ve picked your property, you have to go through the buying process. Expect delays and make sure you have the property appraised by an independent appraiser. Also, be aware that closing costs can fluctuate dramatically. Read the rest of this entry »

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It doesn’t really matter what kind of investing you are participating in, it’s almost always a wise idea to have multiple streams of income in order to maximize your profits while spreading your risks. Even within the confines of real estate investing there are different types of investing that can help you spread your risks when markets meet turbulent times and this is a very good safety net for those who do not want to feel as though they are gambling away their investments on a real estate market that is fickle on its best days.

You really have two course of action when it comes to bringing in multiple streams of income when building your financial portfolio. The first is to spread your real estate wealth and investments across several different types of real estate investments. There are a few types that come immediately to mind. First there are rental properties. You have two options even with these. You can either choose to rent properties outright to families, students, singles, and the elderly in your town or you can offer a lease or rent to own situation for those who have struggled in the past but still have the dream of home ownership. Read the rest of this entry »

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All new things can be a little frightening or intimidating at first glance. The same is definitely true when it comes to flipping houses. Many people feel several times during their first flip that they have gotten in over their heads. The truth is that it will take more than a few flips to feel comfortable with the process. Most people make very little, if any real profit on their first flip and write it off as a learning experience only to enter into the next flip with newly learned lessons and a positive attitude. Learning the ABCs of flipping houses is a great place to begin and can help you avoid costly mistakes made by many first time flippers.

1) Appraise. You need to have a proper appraisal performed on the house you intend to flip and compare it to other houses in better condition and of similar size and style within the neighborhood. You do not want to buy the best house in the neighborhood, in fact it is best if you can find the neighborhood eyesore and turn it into a competitive house for the neighborhood in order to get the most for your money. More importantly you want the appraisal to reveal the actual value of the home now as compared to the price you are paying and talk to the appraiser about what the home would be worth the with improvements you are planning to make.

2) Bold Moves. Sometimes it takes bold moves to make the impression you want to make. The decision to flip houses is a bold move in and of itself and while you do not want to necessarily enter into risky waters you do not want to play it too safe either. Be cautious with your financing and guard your expenses and your budget well but make the changes that will catch the eye of the next owner for the property. Read the rest of this entry »

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have been investing in real estate for a few years on a part time basis. My wife joined me in the investing world at the beginning of 2007 and we have flipped 4 houses this year. Our goal was 7 but we fell a bit short due to a variety of problems. In 2008 we WILL flip at least 12 houses!The Homedale house was supposed to be a slam dunk, in and out in about 3 weeks. Our start date was delayed because our other project ran over by a few weeks so we started out on the wrong foot! We also had a new contractor named Dan that we had very high hopes for. He did a very nice job on our previous product so we expected great things from him! Read on..

When we start a project we do two things first: put up a for sale sign and start working on the outside to draw attention to the house. Homedale was a big ranch that needed a lot of work on the outside. It needed new siding, a new rail built across the front porch, new lights, new paint on the shutters and doors, and some major landscaping in the back.

The landscaping consisted of a few things. The fence line along the back yard had trees and branches and bushes that all needed to come out. It also had a pool that had been filled in with dirt and had grass and weeds that hadn’t been mowed in months! We had our landscapers take the grass and weeds out and fill the pool up with mulch, large rocks, bushes and a few small trees. It looked great when it was done!

The inside needed all new flooring, new bathrooms, new lights, and a lot of minor repairs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Money management during any real estate investment venture is an essential skill. If this is your first time flipping a property it is probably more important on the first flip than any other as you need to fully realize how much things cost and how quickly those expenses can up. It is so simple for the budget on a house flip to get completely out of control. For this reason you need to take control of the financial situation from the very beginning.

Begin by establishing a realistic budget for the entire project. If you find yourself spending more money in one area than you had originally planned you need to either revisit the initial budget and plan for adding more money to the pot or you need to make cost lowering adjustments elsewhere along the way to recover the excess. You will need to have a firm idea of the projects you are going to tackle, big and small, as well as the costs involved in each project. Take a walk through a hardware store and get a firm grasp of today’s prices on the hardware, equipment, and supplies you will need to complete the job.

Use contractors when necessary but sparingly. There are times when it will cost much less to use a contractor on a project than to muddle through on your own. There are also times when local laws require a contractor. You need to use contractors for these times but you need to avoid paying the princely labor costs contractors charge for things that you could easily do yourself. You never want to spend a penny on a flip that you don’t need to spend and labor costs are a huge budget buster.

Get permits first and up front. Time is money when you are flipping a house and once you start the work that time is precious. Make sure you have all the permits you need and that they are paid for before you begin the project in order to save time and money after the project has commenced. Read the rest of this entry »

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When it comes to real estate investing a house flip is a great way to go. It’s also a rather bold move for many who are considering this as a first time real estate investment. At the same time you can minimize the risk while maximizing the profit potential by following a few guidelines.

1) Have an inspection. For whatever reason there are many people who enter into a property flip situation without ever having a valid and complete inspection of the property made. This means you could be doing work that will need to be undone at some later point in the process. You want to avoid this situation if at all possible and it is easily done (in most cases) by having a thorough inspection. There will almost always however be some unanticipated surprises along the way.

2) Establish a budget and stick with it. Most people flipping houses plan a budget. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, very few actually stick to the budget they originally established. It is a good idea to leave a little wiggle room in your budget for unexpected emergencies but be firm on the spending limits for specific projects. If you go over on those projects eliminate something elsewhere in order to save money.

3) Consider the target buyer when making adjustments. You must understand when purchasing a house to flip that you are buying the house for someone else and you need to make adjustments, changes, and improvements according to what your target market demands, expects, and can afford to absorb the costs of you adding. It doesn’t matter how beautiful you’ve made the house if no one that is willing to live in the neighborhood can afford your asking price when all is said and done. Read the rest of this entry »

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While many people have very specific dreams of enjoying the bountiful profits that can be made from flipping houses very few people put too terribly much thought into the process or any formulas that might be pertinent to success when it comes to flipping houses as a real estate investment venture or for the sake of building a nice comfortable lifestyle or retirement. You will hear a lot about the things not to do when it comes to flipping houses but very few people take the time to mention the things you absolutely must do in order to successfully flip a house and thus begin your ride on the road to real estate investment riches.

1) Do put everything to pen and paper and plan it out carefully before you begin. If you are going to enter into this to make money you need to treat it like a business. This means you need to have a plan of action and make every effort to work towards carrying out that plan.

2) Do establish a budget for the entire project. You need to have a plan for how much money you are willing to invest in the property itself, how much for renovations, and how much money you need to make in order to be a worthy investment for your time and labor. A house flip is a lot of work in order to pull it off successfully. You want to have a good idea of how much homes in the neighborhood are worth, the value of your property as is and the estimated value of the property once improvements are made. In addition you should also have a pretty firm grasp of the costs involved in making the repairs in order to create a realistic budget for the entire project. Read the rest of this entry »

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