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/
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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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Advertising Promotion Branding and Marketing Through Television
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Everyone agrees -
Nothing ‘brands’ you and your profession like TV.
We also know that the extent of our branding success determines our income.
Personal and professional branding is our business pledge. However, as we wrap together our commitment to the public in marketing our brand, we simultaneously reap the financial rewards of branding exposure. ‘Coke’ is one of the most successful brands in the world. The unique image and identity of the word ‘Coke’ is so deeply ingrained in our culture that even the right-shaped bottle with a partial lettering of the name portrays the branding!
Coca-Cola’s marketing and advertising since pharmacist John Stith Pemberton’s concoction in the 1880s is layered in branding through time that no new product or service can ever equal. We, as professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs, will never match Coca-Cola’s branding management of over a century.
But, we strive to emulate the similarity.
Our only hope of accomplishment, in terms of speed in acquisition, is with television. TV is the single venue that offers the fastest means available for developing personal and business branding. When you and your business or profession are constantly seen on local or national television, you will become branded.
The begging question is: what is the cost? Everyone knows the cost of TV advertising and marketing is staggering.
Gunthy-Renker is the nation’s most successful infomercial producer, with $1.5 billion in sales last year. The cost of a Gunthy-Renker infomercial can be as much as over $400,000. You also may need to engage the services of a professional copyright, such as Dan Kennedy, to write your 30 minute script at a cost of $50,000 or more. Then to ‘air’ your 30 minute infomercial - one time - can cost even an additional $25,000 for each airing. But, the results are astounding. The George Foreman Grill is the #1 Counter Top Appliance in America today, and has sold over 65 million units through infomercials.
So, how can the ‘little guy’ afford it? Whether you are a chiropractor or an orthodontic dentist, you need TV branding for a successful practice that is financially lucrative. You may clean houses or sell houses, but your financial success depends on your branding management. If you sell Mary Kay Cosmetics or are a cosmetic surgeon, your pocketbook reflects your branding skill. The ‘Avon Lady’ in town who is most successful at branding… earns the most income.
How can you use TV marketing and advertising when it is so expensive?
The secret is a new combination now available with TV and Internet Marketing The media are already blending with the Internet. Newspapers have Internet sites. Local and national television stations merge the news with their Internet sites. The ‘handwriting on the wall’ is integration.
What does this mean to you in branding yourself and your life’s work?
We all know that an Internet site can be ‘cheap’ to create and maintain. But how can TV branding be ‘cheap?’ And how can these two venues be combined ‘on the cheap?’
The skillful management in mixing ‘cheap’ TV with the Internet can now create a ‘cheap’ branding methodology. Various forms of finding inexpensive TV spots are available to every professional and business that learns where these outlets exist. FCC-mandated ‘leased access’ channels and cable stations offer alternatives to expensive network time. Even prime-time network spots are often available at inexpensive rates.
Bottom line, you can combine ‘cheap’ TV and the Internet to brand yourself at remarkable savings. Right now, 30 minute infomercials are being aired nightly in L.A. at the cost of $1500 per month! In fact, you can actually ‘air’ your 30 minute branding commercial anywhere in the U.S. for less than the cost of an ad in the newspaper classifieds!
Only by combining ‘cheap’ TV and the Internet can the average professional and businessperson develop an inexpensive branding journey from Nobody to Somebody, and from Unknown to Unforgettable. Copyright 2007 with Reprint Rights
Phil Speer, Ph.D. in Communication and Psychology, is a real estate investing veteran and coach for real estate investors for over 25 years. During his first four years of investing, he purchased $10 million in properties with no cash and no credit, using a $10 bill. He became a multi-millionaire in real estate in only 3 years. His success was featured in an editorial of The Wall St.Journal as one of the most successful of the 1980’s ‘Nothing Down Real Estate Movement.’ He was chosen as the 1983 ‘Investor of the Year.’ He has over 25,000 web sites, including many videos on Google and YouTube. He has developed the TV/Internet Branding Model, and co-hosts ‘The Unbelievably-Cheap TV/Internet Branding Seminar’ -which is also an affiliate program- with veteran TV Producer and Director, Dan Ruzicka. The Branding Seminar is held at Nashville’s Opryland Resort. Mr.Ruzicka produces TV infomercials and commercials at the $30 million CBS Studio in Palm Springs, CA, using a director with 3 Emmys while at CNN.
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Real Estate Investing - FSBOs vs. Agent Listings?
October 25th, 2007 by Admin
Dr.Phil Speer
Many would-be real estate investing professionals face discouragement because of the assumption that acquisitions require deep-pockets. Some even believe the myth that nothing-down purchases are impossible.
The early 1980s era in real estate investing known as the Zero Down Real Estate Movement was initiated by Robert Allen with his best-seller, ‘Nothing Down.’ After observing how commercial properties were acquired with no money down, Allen applied 50 techniques from the commercial real estate industry to the residential property marketplace. He was reportedly paid $1 million advance royalties for his publication, and began holding real estate investing conventions across the country.
The Nothing Down era was a startling eye-opener to the public. Very few were aware of Allen’s predecessors, like Nick Nickerson, Al Lowry and Mark Haroldsen who wrote books on real estate investing requiring no money. Allen popularized the notion, and it was a strong public draw for his real estate investing seminars.
However, some of Allen’s convention speakers were ultimately revealed as ‘con men,’ and some bellied up. Robert Allen himself went bankrupt in 1996. The public generally concluded that Allen was probably a fraud, and that real estate investing was impossible without deep-pockets.
The Wall St.Journal got wind of the Nothing Down Real Estate Investing Movement, and interviewed many investors who were using ‘Zero Money Down’ techniques. The business editor of the Wall St.Journal interviewed me repeatedly (and others who knew of my real estate investing), and featured me in an editorial as one of the most successful investors in the nation who had purchased millions of dollars in rental property without any money.
These previous unfolding events are pertinent to the conclusion of how to buy real estate properties with limited funds.
I proved that properties could be acquired without cash (or credit) to the tune of $10 million in real estate investments during my first 4 years. I used a $10 bill in the acquisition of many of my properties.
Purchases from FSBOs (For Sale By Owners) were possible through negotiations with motivated sellers. I bought millions of dollars in real estate properties without cash or credit by learning acquisition skills that required no money down.
On the other hand, real estate properties listed by real estate agents minimally require a down payment that covers the agent’s listing fee. These listed properties were no more valuable than the FSBO properties, but the agent fees demanded cash upon acquisition. In the intervening years since the 1980s, I have purchased some agent-listed properties, but my target acquisition continues to be FSBO real estate property from a motivated seller.
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. 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.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? - http://www.AAREIT.com/.
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