In real estate, just as in any business venture, we have to know when to throw in the towel. Or, as Kenny Rogers so famously sang “you gotta know when to fold em, know when to walk away and know when to run!”   Some of you might be saying to yourself, “what the heck are you talking about Andy?” Ok, ok, fair enough. Stick with me for a minute and I will elaborate.   There will be many times in your real estate investing career when you buy a property, fix it up, do what seems like Read more…

By: Ari Page, business funding expert I never advocate that anyone borrow just to borrow. But if you need capital to flip houses, make payroll, invest in something that you know will reap a short-term profit, then you need access to capital. In the past few years, even though money has been tight, there have always been options. Banks always need to lend to stay in business. You just need to know where to look. Act I: Grandmother Isn’t Always Right One of Steve Martin’s earliest routines went something like this. “I’ll never forget what my grandmother taught me. She Read more…

  Right now is still a GREAT time to buy and own U.S. real estate. This is especially true of houses.   I know that if you listen to the media there is a lot of noise out there about what’s going on in the housing market…prices increasing…no good deals…blah, blah, blah. To me it is all just noise. Let’s take a look at the facts.   Housing prices had their greatest bust in nearly 100 years and now have recovered and moving upward. Lack of new construction has created a supply and demand imbalance. Mortgage rates still at near Read more…

  This weekend is the 4th of July. Each and every one of us has so very much to be thankful for. If you are living in this country you are blessed with boundless freedom and opportunity. It is that freedom and opportunity that makes us a truly unique nation.   If you are a part of my tribe (our community) here at StreetWise Property Investing you know all too well my trumpet song of FREEDOM. Freedom is not something that any of us should take lightly, however, many of us do take for granted.   We have the opportunity Read more…

Yesterday I was talking to a client of mine about building long term wealth. We discussed some of the ways to do this in real estate. Things such as wholesaling, flipping, rentals, lending, note buying, land, development and building just to name a few.   And, of course you can “make money” at any of these real estate investing avenues. However, it is my firm belief that if you want to truly grow your wealth for the LONG term the best way to do this is through buying and holding rental property.   Now, I know many of you reading Read more…

Today I want to take a little detour from the normal real estate blog post that I write. Now, I am not saying that what I am about to discuss with you has nothing to do with real estate. In fact it is quite the contrary. However, I will need you to hang with me for a minute. In the last 15 years I have learned a lot about real estate. I’ve learned from the school of hard knocks. I have made lots of money and I have lost plenty too. I’ve become an expert in the areas of flipping, Read more…

What makes real estate so great? That’s a good question and one that has many answers. Real estate is tangible. Meaning, you can see it, touch it, feel it. This really differentiates it from other asset classes like stocks and bonds. Real estate is also broad and deep. What I mean is that there are numerous ways to invest in it. You can wholesale, fix and flip, hold rental properties, invest in commercial, buy notes, raw land, apartment complexes and multi family, deed of trust investing, tax liens, land leases, farm and timber land…just to name a few. Clearly there Read more…

Done properly, real estate investing pays well – very well. It affords me a lifestyle of freedom from financial worries. But at the same time this business is hard work, and there is no fallback of a secure paycheck from an employer when things don’t go well. The deals can be big, and that means the worries and the risks are just as big. So what makes it all worth it? I’ve done some soul-searching in the last few years for a number of reasons, including business and family urgent crises, the wild swings in the economy, and some emotionally Read more…

If you are still exploring real estate investing you may be asking yourself – just what does it take to get a property to “top-of-market”? Does it mean adding lots of luxury extras? Is there any limit to the amount of spending you do to get it to the “top”? This is a very good question because as I discuss in my post “Budget Your Top-of-Market Rehab To Win”, defining what you need for a top-of-market property is the basis of your rehab budget. Are you giving the buyer top-of-the-line appliances – new windows and cabinets – fancy architecture and Read more…

I was recently at a social occasion listening to someone I don’t know well bemoan the difficulties of selling their unique house so they could make a necessary relocation. This couple had spent their dozen years in this house customizing it for a particular pastime they both enjoy.  “I know we probably won’t get back the $6,000 we spent building out the special room we use most for our hobby,” said the wife, trying hard to be realistic. Note she said “probably” – she actually is hoping someone will add that $6,000 to what they will pay for this house. Read more…