Real Estate Investing - Makeovers vs. Flipping
October 27th, 2007 by 
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Dr.Phil Speer
Please don’t call it ‘flipping.’
Some real estate investors who practice the technique of buying property for immediate fixup and resale call it ‘flipping houses.’ I have never liked this term, for it strikes me as reference to a gimmick. It seems ‘flippant!’ It sounds like crude tagging of a very noble undertaking. Fixing up cheap properties is raising values in America’s housing! It is a profession of dignity. I think the makeover process deserves reverence for providing people with a better place to live.
Without proper maintenance, all housing deteriorates. You can find cheap houses everywhere in dire need of repair because of neglect and abuse. You can buy these depreciated houses inexpensively at a fair market discounted price because of their condition. You can often restore them to very near their original condition or even better with very little investment. And you can sell them at a fair value price that includes generous profits. The seller’s marketplace for those who want and need good housing is always swelling.
You can often take a house that has ‘No Class’ and transform it into ‘First Class’ housing with only paint and carpeting.
And you can take your makeover another step forward with simple, eye-appealing extras to create a ‘Dream House,’ an ‘Ideal House,’ a ‘Doll House,’ and a ‘Model House.’ You will be very proud of your work with this kind of makeover, and the real estate investing process will give you tremendous personal satisfaction, in addition to a good income.
My end-result objective in creating an appealing makeover is to create a finished product that I myself would enjoy as a home. If I can be satisfied with the makeover, I know that buyers will find that same satisfaction. To me, the real estate investing profession is a grand endeavor that extends far beyond the financial rewards. I have owned numerous businesses over the past 50 years, but I know of no other business venture that generates more personal gratification and financial prosperity than real estate investing in makeovers.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.
To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real-Estate-eBook.com/investing/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing Contracts on Toilet Paper
October 27th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Even if your real estate contract has been written on toilet paper, it’s valid.
Content of your real estate investing contract is what’s important.
Your financial destiny in real estate investing is sealed BEFORE you walk into a real estate closing as a buyer. You have set in concrete your profit (or loss) before you turn the door knob to enter the office of your attorney or title company at closing. The payoff of the transaction under anticipation is predetermined when the contract is signed between you as the buyer and the other party who is the seller.
The interpretation of these cold, hard words is that you must recognize the importance of the real estate contract that ties together the property transaction. Your contract contains implications for determining profits in advance.
When we strike a deal in real estate investing, we usually just reach for some pre-printed contract form that came from a real estate office or stationary store. We usually forfeit many of our closing rights to some stranger who put together traditional jargon and processes without recognizing that we ourselves have the right to charter this course. Subjecting ourselves to legalese of an attorney who may not even be a real estate investor nor own more than his own home is the pattern followed by most who purchase and sell real estate.
The first order of business in writing contracts is understanding that any sale or purchase of property is negotiable. While the payment of certain closing costs may be customary or traditional for the buyer and the seller, we are not bound by this protocol. Without differing specification in your contract to dictate your personal direction, the closing agent simply resorts to customary convention.
But by understanding your rights as buyer or seller of real estate property, you can actually INCREASE your profits on a transaction by the wording of your contract. However, these settlement terms must be in writing on your contract in advance of the closing. Otherwise, potential profits fly out the window.
One of the most euphoric feelings I have ever experienced in this business of real estate investing was walking out of a closing with a check payable to me for $75,000 on a package of a few cheap real estate properties! As with anyone, I had a use for that cash! But those profits were dictated on my special personal contract in advance of closing.
Much more cash at closing is available to real estate investors who take control of the options available by independently choosing wording in the content of their own purchase contract and sales contract. This choice is readily available to the real estate investing professional who understands these rights and applies them in the construction of a personal contract.
The suggestion in this article is not legal advice but encouragement to take advantage of an opportunity available in real estate investing. This suggestion is not encouragement to become greedy with legal rights but to give notification that negotiation is available over the dictates of closing costs. Sometimes transactions are profitable only when these considerations are understood.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.
To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.RealEstate-Investing.net/business/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing - House Problems
October 27th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Houses can have lots of problems
Real estate investing requires expertise in recognizing these problems and the costs for repair.
Sometimes you stumble onto a jewel investment by discovering a house where mom was an excellent housekeeper, and all that’s necessary is minor cleanup of the premises to prepare for selling. But the truth is that most people don’t even sweep the floor when they move after the house is sold. And sometimes the house they leave behind is a wreck.
If a yard looks trashy and overgrown, you know how to pick up the garbage and mow.
If the walls look drab and shabby from years of neglect, you know how to replace new wall paneling or repair holes with wallboard mud. If these basics are not understood, you can always get a quick lesson at your neighborhood Home Depot or Loew’s.
But zilch experience is necessary for slinging a paintbrush, unless you are just sloppy. Paint is the easiest of options in giving fresh renewal to property.
Cosmetic repair is simple and easy. You can either do it yourself or hire a handyman.
Houses that really only need some yard work and a few gallons of paint are readily found in the real estate buyer’s market. But these houses tend to be far from deeply-discounted or bargain-priced investments.
Some house problems constitute severe potential pitfalls in real estate investing. The most critical problems are foundation irregularities and mold.
I inspected a house recently that had serious foundation problems. My attention was first called to the entrance steps with broken brick due to shifting of the house on its foundation. As I walked around the inside of the house, I saw that the sheet rock had cracked in several places on the level above the entrance steps. What was obvious to me was obvious to every other buyer who had seen the house, which explains why the property had been on the market for over 200 days. So as this red flag went up about the foundation problem, my curiosity was also raised about the cost of repair. I know nothing about foundation problems, and I would never tackle such a problem on my own. But I knew there were specialists in the area with expertise in foundation repair. So, I got a couple of estimates before deciding if the purchase price was fair.
Mold!!!
One of the most serious problems in buying any house today is mold contamination, especially in the southeast. This is a recent problem that we never experienced in the past with such prevalence. Let me warn you: repairing a mold-infested house can cost you big bucks. Even in excess of $100,000!
An infested house must first be tested by a certified lab to ascertain the extent of damage. A third-party contractor usually takes responsibility for repair after the initial test. Then the testing lab must re-evaluate the premises after repair to confirm whether toxicity levels have been reduced to acceptable standards. Then, and only then, can you re-enter the property to make modifications or paint. You are in a heap ?o trouble, boy, if you buy a house WITH MOLD, unknowingly or knowingly, and if you fail to remedy the problem or try to sell without disclosure. Just write it off as a bad experience and bad investment if you buy without taking remedial costs into consideration. Mold is a serious problem in today’s housing market.
This warning doesn’t mean you should not buy any house with mold infestation. You can obtain firm bids (not estimates) for repair on some situations. However, damage can be so severe and widespread that even mold-removal firms will not even quote a firm bid! Factor the remedial repair into the buying price and the selling price. Be prepared, however, that it just won’t work in some cases.
Mold is damaging to health. Some people are more sensitive to mold than others. Mold replaced the asbestos scare of the ’70s and ’80s when Texas homeowners sued insurance companies for millions of dollars over mold damage. The mold problem has migrated from the South and is moving into northern states. Many Alabama insurance companies went out of business because of the mold problem, and those insurers left usually refuse to insure any house with mold history.
Don’t let mold catch you with your pants down!
Most houses have some kind of problem or problems. Learn to distinguish between the cosmetic and serious problems, and recognize that solutions are usually available for either. You, the real estate investor, must become a problem-solver of house problems.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.
To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.BigMoneyinFixerUppers.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing - So You Want to be a Landlord!
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Is landlording the way to go if you are starting into real estate investing today?
Receiving cash flow from rental residuals is an exciting idea. If the rental housing is congregated in large apartments within a focused area, the costs of management and maintenance are more economical. Rentals are even more appropriate when all of the portfolio is in the ‘path of developmental progress’ with ‘upward mobility’ population of a prime metropolitan city. This results in clustered landlording of an area free of crime, prostitution and drug traffic. However, whether purchasing large quantities of these apartment complex units as fix-up properties or pristine properties, acquisition usually demands deep-pockets and is not within the cash range availability of the beginning real estate investor. Therefore, I suggest such acquisition of these larger apartment properties after some experience in real estate investing has resulted in a big wad of cash in the hip pocket. For the beginning real estate investor, the choice is usually between becoming a near-slumlord or fixing up cheap properties for resale.
I recommend residential fixup for quick return on investment and less hassle from landlording for the beginner.
I bought $10 million dollars in rental properties during my first four years in the business, and it made me a multi-millionaire. I followed the instruction of the books and seminars precisely. It made me rich. But it was a costly mistake. In fact, in my opinion, becoming a landlord in the beginning of my real estate investing career was what I consider my ‘$10 Million Mistake.’
Perhaps an explanation of what I term a serious ‘mistake’ can guide your decision in starting a real estate investing career.
Problem 1. I can clean out toilets pretty well. I’ve cleaned out quite a few. It’s not the most fun activity I’ve ever had. I never thought of it as a party. But I can clean toilets in the maintenance of rental property as well as anyone.
Cleaning toilets is simply symbolic of all the upkeep jobs necessary for being a landlord. But let me assure you, there are many, many other detestable jobs required in landlording, too.
I can clean out one toilet. But cleaning out toilets in $10 million dollars worth of properties is a little beyond me. So, that’s why I had to quickly start an in-house maintenance company.
Problem 2. I can rent one apartment to an applicant. But renting $10 million dollars worth of properties is beyond me. So that’s why I had to start an in-house management company.
Here’s the point. Any person who becomes a landlord can handle a few properties. But a few rental properties seldom make you rich. I ‘became rich’ as a landlord by acquiring a lot of properties which required a lot of renting and a lot of maintenance work.
Eventually, my landlording life became helter-skelter.
I never want to be a landlord again in this same capacity. It is a deterrent to real estate investing success.
Real estate investing has many better opportunities other than landlording.
The easiest and most quickly initiated opportunity is the fixup of cheap housing. With efficiency, the beginning real estate investor can acquire a cheap house with little or no money down, repair it with ’sweat equity,’ and dispose of it through a sale within 30 days for $5000 to $10,000 profit minimally. Several of these cheap houses can quickly replace a job income and can lead to full-time real estate investing.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.
To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.BigMoneyinRealEstate.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing - The Marvel Of Home Depot And Lowe’s
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Repairing a rental home (or your own home) use to require running down to the local hardware store or to the nearby building supply house. After several stops around town, you found everything you needed to solve your maintenance problem.
If you are a fixer upper or tenant landlord today, you now have the marvel of Home Depot and Lowe’s!
Now we have one-stop shopping for virtually everything needed at one of these two stores.
But more than that efficient feature for saving time (and often cost), you can get instruction for repairs from either experienced employees and/or special classes of instruction. If you don’t know how to perform the job, you will often find it easier than you imagined. I had never laid any tile, until I discovered that an experienced tile-layer-turned-Home Depot-employee showed me how easy it is. And I found I could get my tile cut free at the store to fit those difficult spots around the tub faucets.
And add to these attractive store features the ease of acquiring commercial and consumer credit, often with promotions of $299 or more purchases at 0% interest for 6 months or more.
I was in Phoenix many years ago when I visited my first Home Depot. It was love at first sight. I had always wanted good quality tools fit for the job at hand at discount prices, and what I saw was a dream come true. I walked that store in amazement as I saw row after row of ceiling-high supplies of every sort of tool and construction material imaginable. It was an awesome experience, and I have never lost that euphoria in walking into a Home Depot or Lowe’s. I have become increasingly appreciative over the years at this luxury of shopping at these two stores. Shopping is time-saving, and I leave it to Home Depot and Lowe’s to do the research on discovering which suppliers manufacture the best tools, equipment and supplies for the job at hand.
Even if you are a real estate investor who does NONE of your own labor, these stores are a great place to learn how a job should be done right.
But if you perform the repair work on your own properties, you can find the materials and instruction at Home Depot and Lowe’s.
It seems Home Depot and Lowe’s are gonna slug it out for the predominant position in the marketplace. In some areas, when one new store is opened, the other store buys the lot next door for its own new location. America loves these two competitive stores. Some individual stores do a million dollars of business a week. I find both stores are excellent sources for the best tools and materials I’ve ever found. And it’s hard to beat their prices.
Home Depot and Lowe’s fill a void for real estate investors with convenience, pricing, instruction and availability.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.
To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.General-RealEstate.com/business/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr.Phil_Speer
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Real Estate Investing - The ‘Dream House’ Effect
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Several years ago I developed a philosophy in renovating houses which resulted in a finished product that I call a ‘Dream House’ or ‘Doll House.’
How many houses on the market today look very ordinary and less than perfect? How many look ‘Plain Jane?’ What is the difference between these ‘average’ houses and the house on the block that is strikingly different at even the distance of a windshield view?
The pronounced difference in the outstanding property offered for sale might be brilliant new lawn grass. Maybe the freshness and color combination of the house paint might stand out. Maybe some feature on the porch or in the yard catches everyone’s attention. You know a property has captured this difference when everyone driving down the street is compelled to catch a glimpse at its uniqueness.
The exterior and interior of every house can be dressed up in some way to make it look spectacular!
I try to finish off my refurbished houses with a spit-shine look so they stand out in the crowd. When the exterior of a property draws attention to passersby, prospects are attracted to see its interior.
It’s not always easy to create the best-looking house on the block. But the pay-off in short time on the market is dramatic.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/
He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.General-RealEstate.com/business/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing - The Motivated Seller
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
How the heck do you find a ‘motivated seller?’
The motivated seller doesn’t wear a tattoo on his forehead that announces the distinction. And he never drags you onto his property begging you to buy.
In fact, the motivated seller may be very subtle in trying to hide his strong desire to sell. He may not want to exhibit his anxiety. (And if he did act anxious, you would suspect problems with his property!)
You will almost always pick up a property at the best price and terms when buying from a motivated seller.
That pronouncement sounds OK, but what does it mean?
Here’s an example.
Has your mode of transportation ever become a junker?
Everyone who has owned a car or truck would probably admit ‘yes.’ We arrive at this perspective because of some dissatisfaction with the vehicle. Maybe it didn’t run like it did when we drove it off the lot. Maybe it had lost the luster in appearance. Maybe repairs became more frequent, and we concluded that it was too much trouble to fool with any more. That vehicle became a noose around our neck. It was an albatross. It had become a huge liability. We wanted to get rid of it. We had become motivated to ditch the junker.
Sellers develop similar attitudes toward their real estate investments.
A rental house doesn’t have to ‘fall apart’ for the owner to become a motivated seller. Property management can be tough and aggravating. Landlording can be Dullsville.
Maybe a landlord gets sick, and can’t continue to keep up his rental house.
Maybe a landlord becomes fed up with tenant problems, and wants to throw in the towel.
Maybe the owner of a residence gets a job transfer to another city, buys a second house, and can’t sell his first house. Do you think making TWO MONTHLY MORTGAGE PAYMENTS per month can convert a smug seller with a firm price into a motivated seller who will accept a discount?
Maybe a couple divorces, and the court orders a house sale for settlement.
Maybe a family is facing bankruptcy, and selling their house quickly is the only solution they see for relieving financial pressures.
This short list of motivational reasons is just the tip of the iceberg. Sellers can develop strong motivations to sell in the flash of a moment! That’s when sales price firmness softens, and ease of negotiation begins.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/
He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real—Estate—Investment.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing: America Rents
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Most people in America rent a personal dwelling!
Just think how many families rent a house or an apartment, a duplex or a condo.
Yet, nobody prefers renting.
Who wouldn’t want their own home, if they had the choice.
Even if, say, someone moves into town on a temporary basis, wouldn’t they prefer buying a house, gaining appreciation even for the short term, and selling for a profit in 6 months or a year?
Maybe there are exceptions, but I can’t imagine anyone really preferring to rent when they could own.
After all, most rental houses are not even preferable. The condition of a rental house usually declines after being occupied by family after family. Rental houses usually are neglected and abused. They become less desirable. A rental house is NOT THE BEST HOUSE IN TOWN simply because it IS a rental house! And sometimes a rental house becomes a real dump. Families move in, families move out, and the landlord CANNOT and IS NOT ABLE to maintain a rental house in TOP CONDITION! The main reason a rental house is impossible to keep pristine is because renters don’t treat a rental house like their own.
Yes, there are exceptions, but most rental houses are not up to snuff. I know, because I use to own $10 million worth of rental houses. I had some very nice properties, but there was always something that needed repair. Things go wrong that need fixing, and perfect maintenance is impossible. Rental houses are less desirable because they can never be brought up to first class and maintained that way. If I had been the owner AND occupant of that rental house, I would have tried to fix it up and keep it in top condition.
When you fix up houses to sell, ‘Renting America’ becomes your marketplace.
(1) You can never exhaust the demand. Everyone prefers their own house. It’s still the ‘American Dream.’
(2) It’s easy to create an immaculate house for re-sale that outshines most rental houses.
(3) Selling renovated houses to the tenant in the marketplace rather than to the house-hunting market is much easier. Renters are readily convinced that paying monthly rent is a financial downer. Sorting out the credit-worthy renter with an offer to own becomes a win-win proposition.
An untapped niche market in real estate investing is fixing up houses that can be purchased by America’s renters.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/
He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real–Estate–Book.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing - Protect Your Privacy
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
An irate tenant or disgruntled home-buyer, with the help of a willing attorney, can readily prompt a property search for a property owner in public records. The target of the search becomes someone who has deep-pockets as reflected in real estate assets.
Land trusts are available in most states, though they differ in structure and extent of protection.
Land trusts are nothing more than a legal entity that hold title to a property. One of the advantages to a land trust is that the owner of record is not you!
A land trust is simply transfer of a property out of your name and placed into another entity. The land trust names a trustee to manage the trust, such as your lawyer, a friend, or relative with a different last name. The trust then owns the property, and your name is omitted from the ownership record (which is the deed or title).
But you still own the trust. You are the beneficiary of the trust.
Obviously, it is a little more complicated than that, but here’s the bottom line. If Suzy Suehappy is aggravated with you for some reason and begins looking for your assets of record, she will have a hard time finding what you own if each of your properties are recorded in a separate land trust. Your properties would be listed under the name of the trust rather than yours. Your name would never appear in the records if each of your properties were held in the various names of your trusts.
If you owned 123 Main Street where Suzy Suehappy lives, and your name is John Lucky, Suzy might go to the county clerk’s office to ask for all the property that John Lucky owns. The search would be fruitless because your name could not be found. Suzy Suehappy would discover that the property is owned by 123 Main Street Trust (or whatever you wanted to name it). She would also find that no other properties are owned by 123 Main Street Trust.
But if habitual trouble-maker Suzy Suehappy has a problem with property owner Jane Notsolucky, and finds all of her property of record listings in Jane’s name, she has an easier target for a lawsuit.
If an actual suit is brought against you by Suzy Suehappy, her attorney can demand in deposition a listing of all your property. However, in preliminary discovery efforts by Suzy or her attorney in perusing the county clerk records, maintaining anonymity can be an advantageous deterrent in asset protection.
Once I had a tenant who stumbled onto the staircase landing of his second-story apartment house while drunk, broke the rail, and fell to the ground with some minor injury. He approached a prominent sue-crazy lawyer in town about his case, but I was fortunate not to face an expensive defense of myself because I was not high-profile in the county records. I assume that a review of the records did not disclose my personal name on real estate properties, and I was considered to have no recorded real assets.
Asset protection has to be a concern of real estate investing, and the use of land trusts might be a consideration. I find, however, that few attorneys understand land trusts, and need education in this specialty of the law.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/
He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real–Estate–Course.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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Real Estate Investing and Home Ownership
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
If you already own your home, you will probably make money in real estate without ever buying another property.
The home you are currently buying with a mortgage is probably one of the most valuable appreciating assets you will ever own.
You are making money by living in your own home, even if you never buy any additional property. This, within itself, makes you a successful real estate investor.
I have been fascinated with real estate investing for many years, but it all began with a startling discovery 35 years ago.
In 1970 I had bought a little house for my family in the Green Hills area of Nashville. It wasn’t much, but it was adequate and it was home.
In 1978, we decided to sell.
We sold that little house for $67,000.
That’s when the light bulb went off in my head.
I was shocked with a discovery that led me to fall in love with real estate investing.
I suddenly realized that we had made $40,000 profit in 8 years JUST LIVING IN THAT HOUSE!
We had not painted it. We didn’t add any rooms. We built no patio.
We just lived in it!!!
We had made $5000 a year simply living in that house.
I began to think to myself: what if I had two similar houses that generated $10,000 a year profit? Or, five houses that generated $25,000 a year profit? I began to fantasize the possibilities. This awareness launched my real estate investing career.
Soon I was buying millions of dollars in real estate.
But the real challenge was buying real estate without any capital. I had just experienced a serious business failure, and had no cash reserves and no credit. I learned how to buy a house with only a $10 bill. I never walked into a bank to ask for a loan, and I never applied for a mortgage. But conquering the challenge led to buying $10 million in real estate in only four years.
That whopping $40,000 profit that went into my pocket from simply living in that house I sold in 1978 was just the tip of the iceberg.
I still live in the Green Hills area of Nashville. I pass that same house every day that we owned in the 1970s. It recently went on the market again, and it quickly sold.
This time that same house sold for $200,000.
I don’t know what’s been done to improve the interior, if anything, but no exterior changes have been made to that house. It’s still about 2000 sq.ft. The lot is the same size. But the value has increased significantly.
Discovering this concept has made real estate investing very exciting to me.
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. With no credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties his first year, and accumulated $10 million in properties within 4 years. http://www.CashinHouses.com/
He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement. He won a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. Anyone can profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online ‘Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques’ at http://www.AAREIT.com/
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