Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance Blog

We see them all over the roads today.  Growing in popularity, Hybrid vehicles are beginning to offer an enticing option to dependence on foreign oil supplies.  Similarly, the Buy Low, Rent Smart, Sell High lease/purchase model offers investors a Hybrid of the “buy and flip” and “buy and hold” investment models.

Most residential investment models resemble and can be grouped into one of two general categories.  Each has a major flaw that concerns many investors who consider or invest in each model.

The “buy and flip” model by definition is for the investor who seeks to purchase property at a discount, oftentimes improve the property, then sell the property quickly for immediate gain.  This model is ideal for investors who have no interest in landlording, as the “buy and flip” investor does not intend to seek a tenant for the property in advance of sale.

The main problem with the “buy and flip” model is that if a buyer does not come by quickly, then the investor is faced with discounting the property and/or involving a real estate agent in the marketing of the property.  Due to this possibility, most “buy and flip” investors need a discount of 25% or more even after adjusting for the necessary repairs and improvement.  With such high investor discounts, the pool of properties available with such significant discounts is often small.  Simply put, the higher the discount the investor needs to make his or her model work, generally the fewer properties available at such a steep discount. Read More→

There’s always a lot going on at Atlanta REIA on a weekly basis. This week we have several webinars, several meetings and several workshops. Check out what’s happening below or view our event calendar for more information. Read More→

Kimberlee Frank, the Real Estate JunkieAre you aware of how the new “MARS rule” is influencing your business operations? If not, you need to found out now! In November 2010, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) published the final Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule. This rule took full effect on January 31, 2011. Whether you are a Realtor, Investor, Mortgage Broker, Seller… you need to know your rights and your obligations! MARS is fully enforced and we want to be sure you are using the new required disclosures and keeping your business in tip-top shape! This is “MUST KNOW NOW” information! Watch the webcast replay below for continuing education on the most current and evolving market changes with Licensed Broker, Investor and Short Sale Expert, Kimberlee Frank! Read More→

Buying Unfinished Builder Houses

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

Buying Unfinished Builder HousesDon’t be fooled: all that glitters isn’t gold. There are a large number of unfinished builder house sand small subdivisions where the builder ran out of money before they finished the project. Many of these were built by reputable builders who did everything right and just got caught in a sinking economy. They may have had a construction loan with a bank that failed. Though no fault of their own, they were unable to finish their projects. They may have been unable to sell their other homes, leaving them short of the money to finish other projects. Read More→

A few days back, Brad flew in from Virginia to discuss his real estate investing business.  He’s an experienced investor who, for the past three years, has been having a really tough time keeping his head above water.

Brad owns 17 single-family homes, 2 duplexes and a 26-unit apartment building.  He wanted me to look over his portfolio to find out what he’s doing wrong and what he can do to become more profitable.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a lot of investors, study their portfolios and discuss ways they can do better.  One of the biggest and most common mistakes made – by both new and experienced investors – is doing deals that should never have been done. Read More→

Buying REO Properties at Auction
What to Expect & How to Buy

Atlanta REIA South Monthly MeetingSo many properties have been foreclosed on and repossessed by the banks which are using “ballroom auctions” to liquidate the extreme excess of properties they have in inventory right now. Many times these REO’s sell for 40-50-60 cents on the dollar! There are some incredible deals to be had at these auctions, but you MUST know what you are doing to play in this game. The deals are plentiful if you know what to look for and what to avoid.

Leslie MathisCome join us on Thursday, March 10that 6:30 PM at the Atlanta REIA South Monthly Meeting at Ryan’s Restaurant located at 5425 North Henry Blvd in Stockbridge, GA (Map) where Leslie Mathis will take you step-by-step through what you can expect, and more importantly, what you need to know, to successfully buy REO Properties at these ballroom auctions. She will even cover a couple of strategies that will allow you to make quick cash without long-term ownership, simply by putting these properties under contract, then finding investor-buyers for them. Get paid thousands of dollars in just 30 to 45 days!

What’s a Property Worth?

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

ForeclosureThe press is full of gloom and doom about real estate prices depending on which “report” you read. Prices have hit bottom.  Prices will fall another 10%. Prices will fall another 3%. The headlines keep coming. Different parts of the country are reacting to the current conditions in different ways. Prices are very sensitive to supply and demand. Some parts of the country have experienced substantial price reductions, while others have not.  Even within a single market area, prices will vary.  So how do you figure out what a property is worth in today’s market?

A number of experienced investors are sitting on the sidelines right now. They are sitting for a variety of reasons. One of the issues is value.  They have seen values erode and are concerned that the values will continue to erode.   How do you determine value in a static to falling market? “Very Carefully”. Read More→

The Three Faces of Foreclosures

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

So you want to invest in residential foreclosures?  Not sure quite where to start?  It is helpful to understand first that there are three faces to “foreclosures”, each with very different characteristics.

The first face of foreclosure investing is the “pre-foreclosure”.  The pre-foreclosure period begins when a homeowner gets behind on his or her loan, and ends with the foreclosure sale.  The pre-foreclosure phase itself is divided into two stages.

The first stage covers the period of time beginning when the homeowner misses their first mortgage payment, and ends in the final month preceding the impending foreclosure sale.  During this time if a homeowner is not already marketing their home, it will be up to the investor to reach out to and find these distressed homeowners through ads (“We buy homes fast” and “We have CASH for homes”) and networking.

The second stage occurs during the final month leading up to foreclosure.  The precise laws differ from state to state, but most states require some form of public notification of a pending foreclosure.  Investors can seek out these notifications, and many have ample contact information for the investors to approach the distressed homeowner. Many larger communities have a number of online and subscription services which compile the pending foreclosures in a specific geographic range.  You can also network within your local real estate investors association and/or do an internet search (e.g. “foreclosure listings in order to find these publications and services). Read More→

It’s a real estate market that’s literally making Millionaires…
Shouldn’t you be one of them?

Don DerosaPete YoungsOf course you should. Learn how! Spend Five Days with some of the most successful, experienced, straight-talking real estate educators in the country. Join “real guys” Pete Youngs and Don DeRosa for this one of a kind boot camp, and you’ll walk away with EVERYTHING you need to know to gain financial independence through Real Estate investing.

Learn to BUY, REHAB, MANAGE, and SELL
ALL of the houses you can handle!

INVESTOR BONANZA
March 16-20, 2011
Wyndham Garden Atlanta Airport Hotel
5010 Old National Highway
College Park, GA 30349

Register Now!

Whether you’ve bought 50 houses or want to buy your first,
this boot camp is a MUST ATTEND event.

Read More→

Ron LeGrandJay ConnerJoin Jay Conner & Ron LeGrand in Atlanta on March 19th for the “Where to Get the Money Now Conference” sponsored by Atlanta REIA. The special for this training event is only $99 for Atlanta REIA Members and $49 for their guests.

“Where To Get The Money Now Conference on March 19th”
DoubleTree Atlanta NE/Northlake
4156 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA 30084
Event Starts at 8:00 AM Sharp and ends around 5:00 PM

Register Now!

Read More→

Pete YoungsDon DerosaCome to the Atlanta REIA Main Meeting on March 7th at the W Hotel Atlanta Perimeter for a SNEAK PREVIEW to find out how the iPad gives you a HUGE competitive advantage and all the confidence you need in your real estate investing business.

Don DeRosa & Pete Youngs on Using the iPad for Real Estate InvestingSee Don DeRosa and Pete Youngs show you how the iPad will totally change the way you do business…saving you countless hours of time, and giving you access to everything you need to run your real estate investing business, wherever you are.

With the simple iPad apps at your fingertips, see how you’ll get a lead, follow up immediately, evaluate the deal and decide whether to go on the appointment. Before your competition has booted up a laptop, found a Wifi Hot Spot, logged in to email and called the seller.  Now that’s competitive advantage. Read More→

Kimberlee Frank, the Real Estate JunkieIs your business heading to MARS? Have you heard about the new mandatory short sale disclosures? Are you aware of how the new Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) rule is influencing your business operations? If not, you need to found out now! In November 2010, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) published the final Mortgage Assistance Relief Services final rule (“MARS rule”). This rule took full effect on January 31, 2011. Whether you are a Realtor, Investor, Mortgage Broker, Seller… you need to know your rights and your obligations! MARS is fully enforced and we want to be sure you are using the new required disclosures and keeping your business in tip-top shape! This is “MUST KNOW NOW” information! Join us on the call for continuing education on the most current and evolving market changes… hear from Licensed Broker and Investor, Kimberlee Frank and Short Sale Expert! Join her on Tuesday, March 8th at 7:00 PM ET. Register for the Webcast Now!

Register Now!