Archive for News

Catherine McFarlandConquer your fears and take the guesswork out of buying houses “as-is”. Long time successful real estate investor, code enforcement and zoning officer, Catherine McFarland, will put your fears to rest.

More and more these days houses are being sold as is. Sellers and banks are not accepting contracts with the old protection contract clause of “subject to inspection” or “subject to approval of partner”. These days contract contingencies are rarely being accepted.

To get in the game, you have to be able to make a decision and commit to it. Do you really want to buy the house? And are you so confident that you can comfortably put your earnest money on the line?

Catherine will show you how you can quickly assess damages and repairs to a house and determine the estimated repair costs. She will address your valid concerns:

  • What is wrong with this property?
  • Am I losing all my rights?
  • The awful truth about the seller’s property disclosure statement.
  • Should I get a home inspection by a certified inspector? Pros and cons.
  • Don’t let your investment go down the toilet because you missed repairs.

If you are serious about real estate investing, you have to hear this. Presented by Catherine E. McFarland, Longtime Successful Investor & Certified Housing Inspector, Certified Inspector Southern Building Code Congress, International Property Maintenance Inspector, Housing Inspector, Legal Aspects of Code Enforcement.

Come join us at the Atlanta REIA West Meeting on Monday, April 25th from 6:30 to 9 PM at the Cherokee Cattle Company at 2710 Canton Road, Marietta, GA (map).

There is always a lot happening at Atlanta REIA and this week is no exception. On Monday, we have the Movers & Shakers Lunch Meeting on “Building Business Credit”. On Tuesday we have a What’s Hot in Real Estate Investing Webcast with Duncan Wierman on using special software to harvest leads online. Wednesday is Atlanta REIA North with Dustin Griffin on using a WordPress Website and Blog to help establish your online presence. Thursday is another Haves & Wants deal making jam session followed by an evening webcast on “Direct Mail Marketing” with Kathy Kennebrook. Join us and discover for yourself why Atlanta REIA is the hottest real estate club around for only $100 per year! Read More→

Warren Buffett“I have no idea what the stock market is going to do in the next month or six months from now. I do know that the American economy, over a period of time, will do very well, and people who own a piece of it will do well.” Warren Buffett, investor extraordinaire

Attend the most important workshop on getting RICH in today’s market, and thanks to Atlanta REIA it is pretty much FREE!!!!

This full day workshop “costs” $10 for Atlanta REIA Gold Members and $20 for Silver… BUT it really costs virtually nothing because you get Andy Heller’s book Buy Even Lower was rated within the top 3 real estate books of the year, and it cost over $20 in bookstores today. All those who pre-register for this workshop get this book at the end of the workshop for FREE!

REO 101 Workshop with Andy Heller
Saturday, April 30th from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
DoubleTree Northlake @ 4156 LaVista Road
Register Now!

Read More→

Did You Give Up on Short Sales?

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

Webcast with Kimberlee Frank on changes in the short sale industry“When you are through changing, you are through.” ~Bruce Barton

If you are counting on the past real estate trends and regulations to help you close deals today, that is enough to put you out of business. The short sale industry is changing and if you don’t change, your short sales deals will fall apart. NO CLOSINGS = NO CA$H. For the past couple years, I have watched the short sale industry change on a monthly basis for Investors and Realtors. What worked in the past is not working now; what worked in January 2011 is not working now. Since I am a Real Estate Broker and an Investor, I have had to watch with a keen eye in order to adapt quickly and successfully to the changes.

In order to allow your business to grow and be successful, you must also invest the time to “sharpen the saw” and renew the “mind” of your business………for the sake of your business. The only guarantee we have is that change will always continue. It’s scary and often we want to bury our head in the sand and wait until it passes, but that’s not a choice here. We must arm ourselves with education and turn change from our enemy into our friend. Join us Tuesday evening at 7 PM ET on the Real Estate Junkie Webcast to find out how!

Real Estate Junkie Webcast
Tuesday at 7 PM ET
Register Now!
Webcast is FREE!

Read More→

Gordon CattsThis workshop examines the relationship between a properties rental income and its value. This class examines the principle of substitution and explains the use of this principle in valuing single family and small income producing properties. Sources of “comparable” information will be identified. “As-is Value” will be discussed. We will examine methodology for determining what an investor should pay for a property. Selling price strategies will be covered as well as determining the target market for the property. We will discuss what to do when a property does not appraise. We will examine what constitutes a “real” comp. With the large foreclosure inventory and properties selling for considerably less than they did several years ago, it is critical to be able to look at pricing objectively and avoid overpaying for a property.

At this workshop you will hear from an appraiser who is in the trenches valuing property for banks, mortgage lenders, asset managers, investors as well as doing appraisals and review appraisals for federal institutions. His insights into the lender point of view will be of great benefit for you.

Listen to a Real Estate Agent actively involved with short sales and and his investor clients. He brings an agent’s insights into the evaluation process and how he helps determine an investors “buy price” vs their “sell price”.

Charlie Stroul, with Haines Information Services, will show us the power of the Criss Cross Plus Real Estate System, a paid service for pulling comps, as well as how to use the system for marketing to sellers.

Additionally Gordon will share a number of free sites as well as showing you how to utilize public and near public information. He will share a new information tool that few people even know exists.

Determining Property Values Workshop on April 16th, 2011

Register Now!

Read More→

Have You Discovered Atlanta REIA?

Atlanta REIA is going very strong thanks to the new energy, creativity and excitement our founding members, new members and guests have brought our group. We are so blessed and thankful to have such active and loyal members, volunteers and guests supporting our group each and every month making it what it is today.

Attendance is up at all of our many monthly meetings and networking events, quality and quantity is up at all of our workshops and webcasts, while cost is low for our membership dues and training events.

Atlanta REIA Membership starts as low as $100 per year. All of our meetings are free for members and some are free for guests while others are only $5 to $10 per meeting for guests. Our business members only pay $50 extra per year for all the marketing and advertising benefits we offer them over and above their regular member benefits.

We’ve kept our price low and the quality and quantity of our benefits high to encourage your participation and support.

We hope you will check us out and attend one of the meetings, workshops or webinars below and make Atlanta REIA your new real estate club. Click here for more information on Joining Atlanta REIA. Read More→

ATTENTION Atlanta REIA Business Members,

TONIGHT at 7 PM ET, Jeff Nix, Director of Business Membership, and myself are doing our first Atlanta REIA Business Member Orientation Workshop via GoToWebinar.com. Register for the BMO Workshop Now!

We want to use this opportunity to better introduce you to Atlanta REIA and explain in detail how you can plug your business into Atlanta REIA for maximum benefit for your business and our membership.

FREE Bonuses for 10 Business Members who join us on the webcast live:

  • A vendor table at the May 2nd Meeting
  • A vendor listing in our May 2nd Meeting Bulletin (New!)
  • A vendor listing on AtlantaREIA.com for the month of May with a followable backlink to your website or profile page. (New!)
  • The opportunity to speak and give away a door prize at our May 2nd Meeting (New!)

These bonuses will be available only to the first 10 people who sign up with the special link we give out during the webcast. Don’t miss out! We look forward to seeing you on the webcast tonight! Register for the BMO Workshop Now!

Attend in person or online via GoToWebinar.com

Search Engine Optimization WorkshopThe Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop will be held April 9th and 10th at 1960 Skylar Hill Dr, Suite D, in Buford, GA and Online via GoToWebinar. We will also be recording the event* in case you miss it or want to review the workshop again. The SEO Workshop is the first two days of the Internet Marketing Boot Camp which will take place throughout the summer and teach you how to dominate the search engines and generate all the free leads you can handle. At the SEO Workshop, Dustin Griffin will introduce you to Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, teach you how to optimize your website and setup all of the online accounts necessary to begin optimizing your sites.

The SEO Workshop can be attended individually for $99 for Gold Members (price good for both Gold Members), $159 for Silver Members and $199 for guests. However,  for maximum results we recommend you attend the SEO Workshop can also be taken as part of the Internet Marketing Boot Camp for only $695 for Gold, $1195 for Silver and $1595 for guests.

Search Engine Optimization Workshop
Part of the Internet Marketing Boot Camp
Workshops held at 1960 Skylar Hill Dr, Suite D, Buford, GA
& Online via GoToWebinar.com
Register Now!

Classes are limited to 30 people. Reserve your seats now! Read More→

Monday, April 4th Starting at 5:30 PM
Atlanta REIA April Main Meeting
with Andy Heller on Investing in REOs
Members FREE & Guests only $10

W Hotel Atlanta PerimeterSome Quick Facts About Our Main Meeting

  • What? The Atlanta REIA Main Monthly Meeting
  • When? Monday, April, 4th 2011 starting @ 5:30 PM
  • Where? W Hotel Atlanta Perimeter @ 111 Perimeter Center West (map)
  • Why? To Learn, network, market, have fun and prosper!
  • Cost? Atlanta REIA Members FREE and Guests $10 at the door
  • Wear? Dress to impress
  • Bring? A smile, positive attitude, enthusiasm, biz cards, flyers & a friend
  • Parking? Free parking in hotel’s rear parking lot

Read More→

This is another great week to be a member of Atlanta REIA. This week is our Main Monthly Meeting with local and national real estate expert and trainer, Andy Heller, who will be talking about buying REOs lender direct at extremely discounted prices. Dustin Griffin will also be talking about the upcoming Internet Marketing Boot Camp and new member benefits such as Real Quest comps, Voice Nation VM systems and live answering service and discounts on credit repair. We also have our first Super Smart Technology Webcast of the year this week as well as a Business Member Orientation Webcast on Thursday. And don’t forget, Haves & Wants meets every Thursday at 1:30 PM and the Cash Flow Games are every Sunday at 6:30 PM. We hope to see you at a meeting soon! Read More→

“Getting Rich in Today’s Market with Bank-Owned Foreclosures and Rent-Smart Lease Options”

Andy HellerThere are literally hundreds of wealth-building strategies available for real estate investors.  Some are more lucrative than others, and many are too much work for the return on investment.  At our next Atlanta REIA Main Meeting on April 4th, 2011, local Atlanta and national real estate expert, Andy Heller, will show you why of the hundreds of wealth-building formulas,  Fortune Magazine recommended Andy’s “Buy Low, Rent Smart, Sell High” strategy among the top five recommended strategies for real estate investors.

Andy and his story will inspire and connect with you, as it is a “regular guy” get rich story.  Like so many of us, Andy started investing part time, pulling aside a few hours each week for his hobby.  The lack of success of Andy and his partner Scott’s “buy and flip” plans led them literally by accident to a goldmine called buy low, rent smart, sell high. Read More→

Avoid Agreement for Deed in GeorgiaA lot of investors have come to me asking about agreement for deeds. Apparently they have been to seminars or heard from fellow investors that they are a great way to transfer property while still holding title. In Florida, this is certainly the case. Florida Courts specifically recognize Agreements for Deed and has legal procedures that make the use of that document smooth.  In addition, Florida is a Judicial Foreclosure state and Agreements for Deed allow you to avoid the lengthy foreclosure process in Florida and simply evict the prospective owners for non-payment just as you would evict a tenant here in Georgia. However, here in Georgia, such documents are not given official legal recognition and we have a Non-Judicial Foreclosure process. These two reasons make Agreements for Deed impractical in our state. Read More→