July 18, 2006 by RichK.

I think the question should be why wouldn’t you invest in real estate. Real estate has historically only gone up in value. Remember they bought Mannhattan Island for $24.00. Will Rogers said “buy land they aint maken anymore”. If its got location, location, location you can’t replace it. Real estate is also a stable investment. Can you determine what one technology company’s stock is doing by comparing it to other technology companies? No. You can with real estate. It is called an appraisal. One is done with every purchase. Your home’s value will not differ drastically from neighboring ones. If you have 10k you want to invest how much stock could you buy? Answer, ten thousand dollars worth. Now how much real estate could you buy? Answer, with 10% down one hundred thousand dollars worth. Now lets assume both investments appreciated 10%. What is your return on investment capital? Answer, if you invested 10k in stocks your stocks are now worth $11,000. You made $1000 or 10%. Compare that to real estate. You invested 10k in a home worth 100k it is now worth $110000. You DOUBLED your money. Your return on investment was 100%. If your real estate investments are collecting rents than you have not only bought 90% of the place with other people’s money, other people are paying back the loan. Ideally with a positive cash flow on top of that. Real estate has made more people rich more times than any other investment. That is why I not only sell real estate. I also invest in real estate.

 A lot of investors have gone into hiding in the past few years. It is not that they were not making offers. They are getting out bid on homes by owner occupants. Owner occupant buyers are generally willing to pay more. With the market cooling I think you will see some good buys. Be ready sign up for my email notifications of just listed homes, multi families or land. http://www.instantmlsemail.com/

If you have a question or would like to post a comment about investing in Tech Valley Real Estate send me an email: MailTo:RichK@Real-e-SmartRealty.com . I will send you back a password and you can start blogging.

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July 18, 2006 by RichK.

Next to location, what your home “shows” like is the second most important thing that buyers will consider. If your home fits the buyers criteria the next thing they look for is presentaion. To get the most for your home you have got to invest in sprucing it up. Paint everything. A new coat of paint could net you thousands more. The same is true with carpets. Do not offer buyers a discount if they take the home with that alvacado green shag carpet. Get it out of there. A nice neutral berber could mean the difference between them buying your home or the one down the street. Inventory is increasing so you have got stand out in the crowd. If you can, start marketing in the spring when the flowers are in bloom. Visit these links for some good advice on preparing your home for sale: http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/nlpages/20060321_salable.htm?opendocument&Vol=92&ID=richardkeicher

 http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/nlpages/20051230_owners.htm?opendocument&Vol=92&ID=richardkeicher

http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/nlpages/20060309_appealing.htm?opendocument&Vol=92&ID=richardkeicher

If you would like to ask a question or post a comment send me an email MailTo:RichK@Real-e-SmartRealty.com . I will send you back a pasword and you can start blogging.

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July 3, 2006 by RichK.

One common question I get as a broker is what is a HUD home? The department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), a branch of the federal government, insures loans made by banks against default. When someone defaults on one of these loans HUD settles with the bank and takes the house back. HUD then resells the house. Thats it. All offers MUST be placed with a licenced HUD registered Real Estate broker. All houses are sold as is. So do your homework. They are first offered to owner occupant purchasers. If no owner occupant bids are received after 11 days it is offered to investors. Some of these homes need a lot of work. Some do not. You can find out more by visiting: http://www.hud.gov/homes/index.cfm

HUD homes are also posted on the MLS. Be the first to see HUD and other listings including bank owned, VA and foreclosed homes. Sign up for this free service here.  

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July 2, 2006 by RichK.

Welcome to Real Smart Blog.
This blog site was created by Richard P. Keicher of Real-e-SmartRealty.com. You can ask questions regarding Real Estate or post a Real Estate related comment. I or the bloggers can post an answer or comment. 

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