Purchase Estate Blog

My constant and frequent encouragement—and even admonishing— to real estate investors never to sell, often seems to fall on either deaf ears or disbelieving ears. For the most part, these investors are seduced by the temptation of a quick profit. It is just one more example of how people tend to think in the short term, rather than the long term. In fact, their thinking is often on such a short time frame that they relish the thought of the profit without fully realizing the imminent tax implications of having made the sale—the ensuing capital gains tax and depreciation recapture tax that must be paid for that financial year.

Unless you live in a country that imposes an unrealized capital gains tax on real estate,1 then so long as you never sell, you never have to face this tax. Similarly, a depreciation recapture tax is only imposed upon the sale of an asset that has been depreciated.

Those two reasons alone are compelling enough for me, but there is an even more compelling reason not to sell. When you sell a property, you will no longer receive any rent from the property, and you will no longer benefit from the inevitable future capital growth. This reality—that all income from the property will cease the day you sell it—should be a major reason for people not to sell their real estate.

Here is another situation that some claim justifies selling. Imagine you bought a property for $10 million with a 10 percent return. Assume further that market cap rates have gone down from 10 percent to 5 percent. In this case, the property is now worth $20 million. The argument goes that you should now sell the property, and put the proceeds into another property that may be returning closer to 10 percent again.

The downside of this argument is that cap rates will have gone down if the market has determined that this area has better prospects in terms of rental growth, capital growth, and quality of tenants. By selling this property, and buying one where cap rates are higher—around 10 percent—you are effectively exchanging a property with a great location (hence the 5 percent cap rate) for one with a mediocre location (hence the 10 percent cap rate). Once again, I would say, refinance the existing property and use the proceeds to buy a second one as well.

 Certain fund managers provide so-called protected funds, which are simply investment plans that are designed to reduce the downside of falling markets. However, there is a number of financial advisors, who don’t recommend such protected investments.
In times when investors are worried and nervous, it is likely that the response from at least part of the fund industry will be marketing of protected products. A great number of protected products are expensive, poor value and simply over-marketed. This is even more true at times of volatile stock market conditions.
The appropriate time to buy such products, if ever, is when the market is at its peak, but anticipation of pundits get the top right is very difficult and it’s usually only a lucky guess. Investors are advised to contact experienced fund managers who have already had dealings with it all. As soon as markets recover their poise, and believe me they always do, you’ll profit from their funds far more than from protected products.
If you want to start investing on the market but you’re a cautious person you might be interested in defensive funds that focus on stocks that naturally ride out extreme volatility. They won’t roar ahead of the market, but they provide a comfortable amount of protection when markets have problems.

Payday loan regulations may differ considerably depending on the state that you live in. Although it is true that finance charges are relatively consistent from state to state, there are differences depending on the place where you live. For instance, in the state of Arkansas there is a law limiting the maximum interest rate on a payday loan to about 17%. On the other hand, in Colorado the maximum rate is as much as double that. You are advised to visit nclc.org website to find a state by state breakdown of the varying regulations. Special attention should be paid to the notes on additional collection fees, which can vary considerably.
Many of the wrong ideas people get with payday loans is that they can be put to rest by customers who take the time to protect themselves. Payday loans are not a method to efficiently solve money problems in the long run, but in some cases they are the only way to get a little amount of cash in the case of an emergency. Finding a reputable payday loan company has never been easier than it is today. Thanks to the government involvement legal regulations keep the industry in check. If you will devote some of your time to make a sensible decision, research the different companies, and protect yourself against outrageous fees, getting a payday loan should be a fulfilling experience that will help you in a time of extreme need.

Albert Einstein was once asked to say what the most powerful force on Earth is. He said ‘compound interest.’ The power behind compound interest is really amazing. If you invest $100 a month from age 25 at 8% per year, by the time you reach 65 you will have $337,000. At 10% per year, this becomes $585,000. When you double your monthly savings to $200, you will retire at age 65 with $1,171,000 on your bank account. In order to achieve similar result starting at age of 45, you would be forced to invest more than $1,500 per month. Of course it is never too late to start, but as a general rule it is always better to start young. Don’t waste precious time – get investing.

Expecting an 8% annual return from the stock market over a long period of time is not unrealistic. From historical perspective, the stock market has returned more than this over almost all 20 year periods since 1802.

One of the best ways to invest your money in stocks is to purchase shares in an Exchange Traded Fund whose goal is to emulate the performance of the broader market. In this case little knowledge about stocks is required and, in the long run, it will virtually provide you returns which are better than any other type of investment.

It turns out that investing during a financial crisis doesn’t really differ from investing at any other time, with the exception that more opportunities are available for those with the right temperament.

Pay strict attention to your comfort level. When you choose your homeowners insurance coverage, you are entitled to pick your deductible level, which is the amount you must pay out of your pocket when you have a claim. Deciding on an increased deductible, for example $1,000 instead of $500, can considerably lower your monthly premiums. On the other hand, you it may be more suitable to pay a higher premium every month for increased peace of mind should an unexpected disaster occur. Of course, the choice is yours to make. Your insurance company should offer a wide range of various premium/deductible scenarios that will best fit your requirements.

What is more, you can also save money on insurance premiums by looking into safety and prevention features that frequently merit a discount. Think about buying monitored security alarms, and take countermeasures such as installing deadbolt locks, both of which can ward away thieves and allow you to avoid a costly (not to mention scary) break-ins. Fire extinguishers with easy access are also a valuable addition to the home, as they reduce the risk of serious flame and smoke damage.

First of all you should narrow your focus. Start checking out your foreclosed home for sale properties. You may try to contact the trustee in order to confirm the status of the desired property, though not all trustees will be as helpful to grant you this information. You can also comfortably narrow down your real estate foreclosures search to a city. For example, you can apply a foreclosure search tool to find Santa Barbara foreclosures. It is possible that foreclosure properties will not give the opportunity to view the inside at first, but simply examining the house and the neighborhood will enable you to cross some out of your list and highlight others. Prepare a list of questions to try to evaluate the foreclosed home for sale with regards to your checklist. Make a note if any properties have already been listed with a real estate agent.

After you have narrowed down your list of foreclosure properties, start doing your homework and foreclosure free search on every house to check if this is a property that will be a good bargain and a good fit for you.

Many of the so called do-it-yourself workers shy away from getting proper permits to carry out remodelling of their real estate investment because they are worried about the expenses or believe that perhaps they don’t need a permit. Certain cities issue permits based on political reasons, and some may seem unnecessary, but you should get a permit anyway, due to the simple fact that it is against the law if you refuse to comply and it is required.

More reasons are as follows:
•    Inspectors should help to make sure your job will be done correctly and to code.
•    Often buyers do not want to purchase a house that has had work done without a permit.
•    If your neighbor reports you to the city and an inspector finds out that you have completed work without a permit, you may be forced to tear it apart and start over.

Timely payment of your home loan is incredibly important. If you are in a tight spot and you are unable to make the payment you should familiarize yourself with some of the tips below:

1. Call your lender. Explain him your current situation and make it clear when you will be able to pay. Send payment as soon as you can and pay any late fees associates with a tardy payment immediately. Ask your lender if you can avoid having the missed payment included in your credit report.
2. If your lender is obviously intending to report the missed payment, call the credit agencies yourself. Although you probably won’t get the late payment removed, you can at least make sure that they know that your loan is in good standing and that the payment was made.
3. This one is important. Do not do it again! Plan on sending your home loan payment in early so you do not get stuck one more time.

Home Loan – Why should you refinance?

Those who have a low, 30-year fixed interest rate are most probably in good shape. However, should any of the issues listed blow apply to your current situation, you are advised to consider refinancing.

1. Decrease monthly payments. You will be able to lower your monthly payments, if you can get a fixed rate that is lower than the one currently affecting your loan.
2. Get cash out of your equity. Having sufficient equity you can get cash out by means of refinancing. Simply choose the amount of money you want to take out and increase the new loan by that amount. It is one of the methods allowing to release money for major situations, such as home improvements or college tuition.
3. Switch from an adjustable to a fixed rate. I you witness interest rates increase and you would prefer the stability of a fixed rate, or, if interest rates have fallen below your current rate you can refinance your adjustable loan to get the fixed rate you need.
4. Consolidate debt. You are entitled to refinance your mortgage to pay off debt as well. Just increase the amount of new loan by the amount you need and the lender will provide you with that cash to pay off creditors. You will still have a debt with the lender but at a definitely lower interest rate – what is more, that interest is tax-deductible.
5. Pay off your mortgage sooner. If you decide to move to a shorter term or a twice-a-week payment system, you will be able to pay off your house sooner and therefore save in interest. Additionally, if your present interest rate is higher than the new rate, the difference in monthly payments may not be as big as you would normally expect.