Throughout your life, no matter who you are or how you earn your living, you need to be concerned about protecting your assets. Your assets may include your home, vehicles, jewelry, boats, artwork, properties and whatever other assets you accumulate along the way. After all, you work hard for what you have and there are always going to be people out there who want something for nothing. The more money you have the greater a target you become, and you’ll want to protect yourself from frivolous lawsuits.

In the real estate investing business this is especially true. The real estate business is one of those where you will be piling up assets quickly. If you are holding properties and you have tenants or tenant/buyers in your properties, this can make you an even bigger target for possible lawsuits. For this reason alone you want to be holding your assets in another entity, such as a land trust in order to keep your name off of public record. The main advantage to purchasing properties in land trusts or other entities is anonymity. If everything you own is in your own name, it makes it easy for someone who wants to sue you to find out what you have. If a plaintiff’s attorney looks on public record and it appears that you have nothing, you are much less likely to be sued. Read More→

If you are one of those investors that have been waiting for the bottom, you’ve missed it!  Foreclosures are seeing multiple offers with “up bidding” because these are the properties that are perfect for investors wanting high cap rates from rentals. Monthly sales were considerably stronger in January through May compared to both of the last two years and June sales will likely be equal or higher once lagged closings are processed.  The usual seasonal low points in January were higher in both 2011 and 2012, possibly indicating a firmer base for continued sales growth following distortions caused by government purchase incentive programs in 2009/10.  While sales have increased during 2012, the number of Active Listings in Atlanta are at a 12 year low. Read More→

Real estate investors must protect their assets by assuring that parties with sufficient legal authority execute purchase and sale agreements and other documents associated with their business. Failure to do so may result in voided transactions and a complete loss of title on the property. Multi-member LLCs, partnerships, and corporations are at greater risk for such oversights, but all investors who do business through asset protection entities should be aware of legal guidelines for real estate transactions in Georgia to avoid potential losses.

In general, entities must be in “good standing” in the state in which it they were created to execute real estate transactions. Basically, this means, do not forget to pay your annual registration fees to the appropriate office each year, most likely the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. Furthermore, any person signing or executing documents on behalf of the entity must have the authority to do so on behalf of the entity. In order for a person to have legal signatory authority, such authority must be reflected in the entity’s filings with the Secretary of State. Read More→

Get on the Bus with Us on Sept 29^th & 30^th!

We are living in a rare moment in history. Housing can be purchased for less than the cost to build, interest rates are at an all-time low, and the pool of qualified renters is an all-time high. Now is the time to GET ON THE BUS and take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity!

Whether you are a seasoned investor, just getting started, or just need to find out what all the talk is about, a great option is to participate in a Property Foreclosure Tour. These tours are showing up in every major market across the nation in many shapes and sizes. When booking a tour you should consider some of the following things:

• Who will the providers be representing on the tour, you or the seller?
• What market areas will they be covering?
• What types of properties will you see?
• What types of service and expertise will be offered?
• What type of education and information will be provided?

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