Investing in real estate is NOT for the weak. There are so many challenges with being a real estate investor. The biggest challenge is usually buying your first property. The biggest hurdle according to most of my friends and clients who have investment properties is getting qualified tenants. You should have no problems getting them rented according to these two stories from the Rocky Mountain News:
Demand for affordable rental housing in the state is being driven by record foreclosures and rising market-rate rents.
Statewide vacancies in affordable housing fell during the second quarter, dropping to 4.7 percent, from first quarter in the first quarter, according to a new state report.
Traders on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange are betting that Denver-area home prices will drop an average of 14.4 percent between now and 2011.
What exactly does the Chicago Mercantile Exchange know about real estate futures anyway. A LOT. They trade several types of financial instruments: interest rates, equities, currencies, commodities, and real estate derivatives.
If you’re familiar with Beastie Boys then you should know where I came up with the title (hint: Intergalactic)
I have several friends who live in the DU area. Why? It reminds them of the East Coast:
With wide streets lined with mature trees and elegant homes set on deep lots, prices in University Park – or Observatory Park, as newer residents call it – have skyrocketed in recent years as people discover its storybook feel and prime location.
Alan Blinderis an American economist, on the faculty of Princeton University. He has served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Congressional Budget Office, on President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisors, and as the Vice Chairman on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Sounds like a government conformist right?Wrong
He has recently wrote a controversial column for the Foreign Affairs magazine about globalization in which he opined that globalization could cause more disruptions in service jobs than originally believed. He says that he still believes that globalization would be a net plus for the United States. This analysis has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal of economics. His views on this issue is not widely accepted by economists.
Who’s the first finger? Everyone who has a mortgage.
The first finger points at households who borrowed recklessly to buy homes, often saddling themselves with mortgages that were all too likely to default. They should have known better. But what can we do to guard against it happening again?
Not much, I’m afraid. Gullible consumers have been around since Adam consumed that apple. Greater financial literacy might help, but I’m dubious about our ability to deliver it effectively. The Federal Reserve is working on clearer mortgage disclosures to help borrowers understand what they are getting themselves into. (“Warning! This mortgage can be dangerous to your family’s financial health.”) While I applaud the effort, I’m skeptical that it will work. If you have ever closed on a home, you know that the disclosure forms you receive are copious and dense. Should we add even more?
Fewer words, and in plainer English, might help, especially if they highlighted the truly important risks. (“In two years, your mortgage payments could double.”) But the truth is that there is much to disclose, that complicated mortgage products are, well, complicated, and that people don’t read those documents anyway.
He does go on to blame Lenders, bank regulators, and countless others. If you don’t read the New York Times, you should. Real estate is local, mortgages are national.
Here’s a press release for Universal REO. What’s my connection to Universal REO – my buddy Dan is the CEO.
LOCAL DENVER COMPANY RELEASES NATIONAL WEB-BASED FORECLOSURE EDUCATION WEBSITE FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS.
UniversalREO.com, a Denver-based company, is reaching out to thousands of real estate professionals across the nation by providing a ‘Resource Center’ for those trying to make a difference in the foreclosure epidemic. According to founder and CEO, Daniel Waterman, “UniversalREO.com is an unparalleled stratagem designed to unify the real estate foreclosure industry. Through the shifting of the REO (Real Estate Owned by Lender) paradigm to meet a more streamlined business model, professionals are enabled by technology and informative resources. Our objective is to elevate the standards by which REO professional operate on every level.”
By offering thorough education on the valuing of properties, the resources and tools on how to determine values, marketing tips, as well as where to obtain new REO business, UniversalREO.com is providing a service that not even real estate colleges offer. After spending years as an REO Specialist for the top REO Real Estate Marketers in the nation, Mr. Waterman realized his true calling as a teacher. His trial-by-fire education in technology was what gave him the foresight to provide this knowledge to the masses via the information highway.
In this “Web 2.0” universe there exist many one-offs offering overnight REO Business success schemes on the web. UniversalREO.com offers more. Education, Valuation, and Marketing are the keys to success in a real estate market flooded with properties for sale due to default mortgage payments. Cutting-edge concepts on moving these properties into the appropriate hands while maintaining value to companies like Countrywide Home Loans who recently took out an $11.5 billion dollar loan to aid their default mortgage deficit is the only way this country will ever jump back on track. By conveying knowledge through on-line video courses, eBooks, blogs, podcasts, certification, and connecting REO Management companies and direct lenders with the educated real estate agent, as well as the end consumer, UniversalREO.com is blazing new trails throughout the nation. UniversalREO.com currently covers over 50% of the nation for Real Estate Agent and Vendor clientele.
When I think of REO, I rarely think of properties, real estate, or banks. I usually think of the Holiday Inn commercial. You know the one where the guys hum “Take it on the Run” by REO Speedwagon:
REO stands for Real Estate Owned. People inside and outside of the real estate industry believe that foreclosure and an REO purchase are one and the same. They aren’t. A REO property is the direct result of a failed foreclosure sale.
When my wife and I were looking to move several years ago we would watch House Hunters on HGTV. The show had potential home buyers looking at three homes and usually selecting the third. We recently caught House Hunters and noticed the format was slightly different, the potential home buyers would look at three homes but the home they selected would be disclosed at the end. It could be the first home, second or third.
If there’s one thing that’s remained the same, it’s the cliches (spacious home; motivated seller; pet friendly) that the real estate agents use time and time again. If you’re curious to see what these cliches actually mean, you’re in luck. The St. Paul Real Estate Blog has them:
According to this article from the Denver Post, it’s impact is quite severe on commercial real estate:
The mortgage meltdown and resulting credit crunch that have rocked the housing market nationwide are reaching their tentacles into commercial real estate.
In metro Denver, several office transactions have fallen through because of the tightened credit markets. The World Trade Center downtown is back on the market after a contract with Broadway Capital Partners fell through; and International Capital Partners pulled out of a deal to buy Plaza Quebec in Englewood, according to people in the commercial real-estate industry.
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When my wife and I were looking to move several years ago we would watch