Norada Real Estate Investments

The Law of Now

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Optimism can only be rewarding if one takes action. Without it, it’s like driving a car that runs out of fuel; you’ll never arrive at your goal. Your past mistakes or apprehension about the future has nothing to do with what you can do today or what you should act upon. Decision-making may be risky but there are great results if it is coupled with a conscious effort to do what is right.

People are generally reluctant to kick start their plans right away because they are either afraid to commit mistakes or they can make foolish decisions. They dread of becoming listless, indifferent to taking a step to realize their potential.

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Median Rent Prices on the Rise as Home Values Drop

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While homes prices continue to be on the decline, rent prices are actually on the rise and showed a 3 percent increase from January 2011 to January 2012, as opposed to home values, which dropped 4.6 percent during that same period, according to a recent Zillow Real Estate Market Report.

“While it seems that rents are rising at the expense of home values, the opposite is true. A thriving rental market will stimulate home sales as investors snap up low-priced inventory to convert to rentals,” said chief economist for Zillow Dr. Stan Humphries in a release.

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Real Estate Investment Opportunities Rise as Rentership Grows

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It used to be that home-ownership was a part of the American dream. Home-buyers would scour for properties that suit their needs whether it was for their growing family or for a second home. But the global economic slump that has plagued the real estate market has created a major shift on the housing landscape.

Oliver Chang, Head of U.S. Housing Strategy at Morgan Stanley, recently explained the reason behind this new housing landscape. He opines, “One of the big reasons why we believe the rate of home-ownership is going to decline and more people are going to rent is that it’s just getting harder and harder to get a mortgage and so as people are not able to buy homes, they’re basically forced to rent and we see that continuing.”

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Real Estate Investors Can Profit in a Down Market

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One of the most exciting things about being a real estate investor is knowing what markets will produce the greatest long-term returns – especially while in the middle of a challenging housing market.

In a down market, savvy real estate investors are eager to find out how they can best leverage their resources. And expert forecasts are some of the best tools they can use to back up their strategies. A good example comes from real estate consulting firm John Burns Real Estate (JBRE), which has recently predicted that homeownership will fall from 70.0 percent to 62.1 percent by 2015 due to a weak economy, weak consumer confidence, limited mortgage availability, higher rates of foreclosures and short sales, and other factors.

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How to Value Investment Property

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Identifying your property’s value is crucial. As a real estate investor, you need to be aware of the three ways to determine the value of your real estate investments to guide you with your purchase, justify your selling price, or simply learn the basic market valuation techniques.

Sales Comparables

The most popular method is sales comparables or more formally known as comparative market analysis. In this method, sales information about properties that were sold within the last three to six months as well as those that comprise the list of pending sales in the neighborhood are compared.

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Benefits of US Property for International Investors

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flags_globe[1]For many individuals, the single largest “investment” of their lives will usually be their home, as opposed to investing stock, bonds, mutual funds or certificates of deposits (CD’s). This is because purchasing real estate is less risky than investing in the stock market and can be more rewarding than changing CD interest rates.

US investment property has been enticing foreign investors since the 1970s, and has become extremely attractive since 2008 based on the weakening of the US dollar.  Many financial institutions in this country are reluctant, if not somewhat skeptical, of providing mortgages to foreign investors who want to finance real property here in the US.

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The Housing Bust is Over

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“The bursting of the global housing bubble is only halfway through,” The Economist magazine wrote recently.

I disagree…

Here in the U.S. at least, the housing bubble is completely over.

It drives me nuts when I hear commentators say, “We're halfway through,” and, “We have more pain to come.”

The fact is, right now, houses in America are the best value they've been in many generations. It's not hard to understand…

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Top 6 Reasons Mortgage Applications are Rejected

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Half of refinance applications are abandoned or rejected, as are 30 percent of purchase mortgage applications, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. All told, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) says that well over 2 million mortgage applications were rejected last year.

Want to avoid falling into that number? It's tough — especially in light of the fact that mortgage lenders have become increasingly restrictive in terms of their lending guidelines since the housing market crash.

Here, as a cautionary tale and primer on what to expect, are the top six reasons mortgage lenders reject applications.

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What Can Foreign Investors Teach Us About Our Own Country?

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You’ve seen the headlines. The combination of lower prices, increased rents and a weak dollar are drawing investor capital from all around the globe and funneling it into American housing.  According to NAR, foreign investment is US real estate has increased by 20% in the 12 months ending march 2011, totaling $82 billion in just one year. What’s missing in most of these stories is why.

Why are overseas real estate investors, who are standing thousands of miles away with little if any personal experience in US real estate, pouncing on this opportunity? Low prices and great exchange rates don’t explain it. If you hear of a stock that has plummeted, would you buy it based on that fact alone? Or would you want to understand the fundamentals of the company behind the stock. What do they produce? Who are their customers? Why should you believe this investment will pay off, as opposed to seeing the new low price as an accurate reflection of the value of the company? In other words, if it’s a piece of junk, you wouldn’t care how cheap it is.

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Year-End Checklist for Rental Real Estate

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Real estate is one of my absolute favorite areas in the tax law because there is so much flexibility in how to do things to legally maximize the tax benefits available.

Real estate is also one of the most complex areas of the tax law. This makes it easy to overlook important steps, which can lead to missing out on tremendous tax savings.

I recommend reviewing your tax strategy throughout the year, particularly as it relates to real estate. This makes it much easier to make adjustments timely, minimize oversights and reduce stress at the end of the year and tax return time.

With the end of the year approaching quickly, it is an ideal time to implement a year round strategy to review your tax strategy as it relates to your real estate.

Start with my year-end checklist for rental real estate and adapt it to use throughout the year.

Here are a few items from the checklist my team and I use:

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Norada Real Estate Investments 30251 Golden Lantern, Suite E-261 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

(949) 218-6668
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