Breaking Real Estate News

Hello All:

James Gage here with Breaking Real Estate News….

Home Owners who have their homes up for sale decreased their asking prices by 25 % in the month of July 2010 according to CNBC ! What does that say about our housing market??? As I have been saying for the last year, we haven’t hit bottom yet and we should price and buy our properties accordingly.

Be well and to your success.

James Gage, www.JGage.com

Real Estate Investing: Real Estate Reminder

Hello All:

Just a quick reminder for those who are trying to sell a property. The first time home buyers credit of $8,000 will end this month! So that being said all contracts must be executed by April 30, 2010, and closing must happen prior to July1, 2010.

Also, the $6,500 Move-Up / Repeat Home Buyer Tax Credit will expire on April 30, 2010 as well.

Good luck and happy investing.

James Gage

Breaking Real Estate News: Housing Data

James Gage here, with some breaking real estate news:

December Housing Data- Standard & Poors

According to Standard and Poors: “U.S. home prices
unexpectedly slipped in December but the annual rate
of decline slowed, reinforcing the housing market's rocky
road to recovery, Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller indexes
showed on Tuesday.”

Ok, you maybe asking yourself why does that matter?
It’s February and not December, so who cares! This is
a quarterly snap shot, rather then the monthly report’s
we are use to seeing in the news. This information gives
us glimpses of what to expect in the coming quarters, so
we can adjust our investing methods appropriately and get
an advantage over our competition.

The data did indicate that housing prices actually
Increased slightly in housing markets such as Boston.
Austin, San Francisco, while declines continued in
Florida, Las Vegas and Michigan – just to name a few.

That being said, my investing plan remains the same for
now; I have no plans to change my investing plan, which
concentrates on:

 Lease Options
 Short Sales (Kibbles and Bits)
 Probates ( Find and Assign)
 Assignments

Speaking of Assignments, don't forget that my DVD & CD
Presentation on "Assignments Made Easy" 50% off offer ends
tomorrow night at midnight and will return to its normal price of
$37.00.
If you are interested in purchasing this package, plus the
bonus guide @ $18.50 then follow the link below for more information,
and if you decide to purchase it enter promo code: 999.

http://snipurl.com/ugk22

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I hope this information has been of use to you and your real estate
investing business plan.

To your success,

James A. Gage
www.JGage.com

Short Sales Can They Still Be Done Successfully?

I'm asked on a regular basis, Jim, can the average investor still do Short Sales, or has that market opportunity played out? The answer is No! Let me qualify my statement. You can be successful with short sales as long as you know what you're doing... That being said, there are numerous gurus out there claiming that you can get these deals done in 30 days or less - that just isn't true!! Actually the truth is, that it may take at the very least 90 days!

So, that's why I tell my students that it is imperative that they have multiple deals in the pipe, so when one closes the next one replaces it on the profit train. Remember, not all deals close, so if you are doing these deals one at a time, you better think about getting a job at the "Golden Arches" AKA McDonalds.

For more information on how I do successful short sales click here.

Creative Real Estate Investing: The Economy & Leveraged Real Estate Investing

National Radio Debut

"The Economy & Leveraged Real Estate Investing"

Event Info

Host:	Brian Higgins & James Gage
Type:
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Saturday, November 29, 2008
Time:	9:00am - 10:00am
Location:	XM Satellite Radio Channel 169

Description

Hello All:
James Gage here, with a quick note to invite you my national radio debut on " The Economy & Leveraged Real Estate Investing" - the details are below...

See ya there.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

XM Satellite Radio Channel 169

"Mind Yo Business Radio Program. AKA MYB Talk w/ Brian Higgins"

Time : 9 AM, EST

Topic : " The Economy & Leveraged Real Estate Investing "

Creative Real Estate Investing: Is The Bailout Going To Help The Real Estate Market?

In the words of Larry Birkhead ( Anna Nicole's ex boyfriend) " I told you so!!!
I have been shouting from the roof tops to investors for the past 24 months on the financial tsunami which would hit our economy; not only did I call the sub prime market, but I also said that after the banks started bleeding, this crisis would expand the into the insurance industry- this has happened as we have seen in the past several weeks. But what now?

The government is proposing a 700 billion dollar bailout, which at the end of the day will be more like a couple of trillion dollars with all the pork trimmings that the politicians can think of putting in. Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are the same politicians and administrators that got us into this mess in the first place, and now are asking for unrestricted, unsupervised card blanch with our takes dollars to fix what they created in the first place - " I was born at night, but not last night!"

As many of you know I am a Conservative Independent, so I don't have a horse in this race or in the present administration, but I know something has to be done. That being said, I don't think this bail out is going to solve the problem; in my humble opinion it has a 25-30% chance of success!
In the short term we may see some temporary signs of possible improvement, but this will be erased when this tsunami spreads to the credit card and unsecured loan industry, followed by the home insurance industry, followed by the market sustaining a severe correction, which will finally result in the dollar being at par with the Peso!

But in all this bad news there is light at the end of the tunnel ! Keep investing short term with lease options, and in the stock market play puts and calls on the indices on the giant move swings we have seen in weeks gone buy. Pay down or pay off your mortgages if possible and start putting an emergency fund aside if you haven't already done so.
Finally, look at buying silver to hedge against any possible unforeseen disaster; gold is to high but silver is a great value at the time of this post.

Be well and stay leveraged.

James Gage

Real Estate Tips For Savy Investors

Editor's Note: You can find everything you need to know about making money with lease options PLUS great practical, "how to" tips like these in James Gage's sixteen -hour audio/video workshop, James Gage's Lease Option , AKA Rent to Own Investing System : http://www.jgage.com/Lease-Option-System.htm Enter promo code 500 and receive a 50% off back to school discount!

Here are some practical tips I have learned from doing lease options over the past 20 years. Lease options are great, except when the seller decides not to live up to their end of the bargain.

Sure, you can always sue the seller to force them to sell you the property, but this can cost you thousands of dollars in legal fees and take years to accomplish in our over saturated legal system. You always need to position yourself in a better position if you want your option to be protected. Here are three good ways to protect your option:

1. Record the option. If your option was signed before a notary, you can record your option in the public real estate records. This will give the world public notice of your interest. If the option was not notarized, you can sign an affidavit called a "memorandum of option" and file it at the Registry of Deeds in your county. Keep in mind that this does not create a lien, it only creates a "cloud" on the title do the owner can not sell it from under you.

2. Escrow the deed. If your seller has died or disappeared, you will have a big problem getting him to sign a deed. An escrow should be created up front in which a title company or attorney holds an executed deed. When you are ready to exercise, you simply tender the money to the escrow agent (which can be your or the owner’s attorney) and collect the deed.

3. Record a mortgage. Typically a mortgage is recorded to secure payments on a promissory note. A mortgage can be recorded to secure performance of any agreement, even a purchase option. You as optionee (buyer) will now be a lien holder, in the same position as a secured lender. If the seller refuses to sell the property, you foreclose. Now the SELLER has to go to court to protect himself, rather than the other way around.

Here are some tips to prevent a tenant from asserting equitable mortgage. On paper you should make everything look like a landlord tenant relationship, but you operate the transaction like a Buyer – Seller relationship.

1. Use separate agreements. Give your tenant a lease and a separate option agreement. Make certain the lease does not refer to the option. More than 75% of the time, the tenant loses his paperwork. You don't show any option agreement to the court until the judge asks for it.

2. Keep your term short. Do not give tenants more than a one-year lease option at a time. If the tenant insists on three years, give him a one year with two rights to renew. Draw up brand new leases and option agreements each time he renews. If you give a cumulative rent credit, raise the purchase price each time.

3. Take a security deposit. Sellers don't take security deposits, landlords do. Make it look like a landlord/tenant relationship, even if the security deposit is small.

4. Make sure you pay the taxes and insurance. Do not let the tenant pay the taxes and insurance. This makes it look like a sale.

5. Don't give large rent credits. The more "equity" the tenant has, the more likely a judge will favor an equitable interest assertion. My rule of thumb is that if you choose to give a “rent credit”, it should never exceed 35%. I know many gurus tell you to give 50% or more in rent credit, but I believe that the more rent credit you give the more equitable interest exposure you create for yourself.

I hope these tips help you on your next lease option transaction.

To claim your 50% off Back to School sale visit : http://www.jgage.com/Lease-Option-System.htmand enter promo Code 500

To your success,

James Gage

Lease Options: A Great Investment Strategy in Today's Market

By James Gage

A twenty years ago while I was working as a real estate agent, a client who was going through a divorce asked me to look for properties she could "rent to own."

At that time, the market was just beginning to shift in our area. Sellers were selling, and Landlords were Landlording. Very rarely did the two types overlap. Some agents would even categorize "rent to own" transactions in the same category as Santa Claus - something some people think exists, but is really just imaginary.

In that market, rent-to-own might have well been imaginary. I could not find the right situation for her, and she ended up moving in with her daughter.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the market has shifted into a buyers market again. Many properties are staying on the market much longer than in the past, and many people that would have been buyers, are finding themselves forced to rent for a while longer, till their credit scores meet today's tougher standards.

This is exactly the market conditions where a Lease Option makes sense - for both the tenant/buyer and the landlord/seller, creating a potential for a real WIN-WIN situation.

6 Red Hot Tips When Negotiating a Real Estate Purchase

Negotiating may be the most critical part of the real estate purchase process. Being able to strike an advantageous deal with the seller virtually guarantees your profit. Negotiating is both an art and a skill that you will master with time and practice; I call it the “Million Dollar Skill”. Here are six tips to get you on your way to profitable transactions.

Know the Property

You should know as much as possible about the real estate purchase you’re about to make. This knowledge comes from researching the neighborhood and knowing how the property compares to others around it along with the cost of potential repair items you may find.

Know the Seller

The best way to learn more about the seller is to listen; use the 75/20 rule, listen 75% of the time and speak 25% of the time! People will be more likely to volunteer information if you give them a chance to talk. But if you aren’t finding out what you need to know, ask questions. Understanding the seller’s situation and their possible flexibility will help you negotiate financing options as well as price.

You also need to find out what the seller’s motivations are. Why are they selling? Or in the case of foreclosure what circumstances brought them to this unfortunate situation. Understanding the reasons behind the sale can help you structure a deal that meets their needs and yours.

Think Win-Win

The best real estate purchase deals result from negotiations that seek to provide something to both parties. There are certain things you want out of the deal and certain things the seller wants in order to sell. Every real estate purchase has several facets. If you can give the seller something they want, that will increase your chance of getting something you want.

Negotiate Terms, Not Just Price

Price is not your only negotiating point. Sometimes the terms of the deal are more important to the seller than the price. Once again, if you can address the seller’s needs in a real estate purchase, your offer will be more persuasive.

Maintain Control

If the seller counters your offer with an offer of his own, don’t let things spiral out of control. Prepare for counter offers by starting your negotiations low and have plenty of concession points. Don’t focus on price, but use other aspects of the deal in your negotiations. Don’t re-negotiate things that have already been decided.

Be Prepared to Move On

Don’t walk away from an attractive real estate purchase without offering your best deal, but know when it’s time to walk away. There will always be another property.

As you can see from these tips, negotiating a real estate purchase is more than two people in a room. Negotiations are won or lost in the preparation. Achieving the outcome you desire depends on your research and mental preparation.

Until next time – be well.

James Gage

New Resource: Negotiating For A Living

Hello All:

I hope you all had a safe and pleasurable 4th of July. Please forgive me for being away from the blog for the last couple of weeks, but I have been busy finishing up a web site that I have been trying to get up for a year or so! That being said, most of you know I have a background as an Arbitrator, which caused me to bring those negotiating skills into my successful real estate investing, and which I have imparted to my mentoring students.

I have started http://www.NegotiatingForALiving.com to teach individuals to do what I have done for 21 plus years! If you are looking for great way to fund your real estate deals, you owe it to yourself to stop by www.negotiatingforaliving.com and watch my video on negotiating for a living.

Until next time be well.

James Gage

TOP 10 REASONS TO BECOME A BETTER NEGOTIATOR IN REAL ESTATE & EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE! Part 2

Number 2 of our 10 points deals with : "Achieve Desired Outcomes". This is where most negotiators go wrong and settle for whatever they can get in the negotiation process. The number one reason negotiators do not achieve the desired outcome they hope to achieve is because they fail to stick to their negotiating plan, and default to their opponents agenda. The kiss of death to any negotiator is to allow your opponent to take control from you during the negotiating process; it’s better for you to either stop the negotiations or ask for a break! You could use a ploy such as: “ I would really like to postpone this meeting until I have assembled some more information or documentation, so I may provide the most up to date and correct resources or numbers etc……”.

If you would rather just have a break use something like this : ask for a bathroom break, tell them you have to make an important phone call or start talking about something that has very little to due with the subject matter at hand – this in the legal arena is called a “side bar”.

The ploy or break allows you time to get back on track with your agenda and start with a clean slate. This will hopefully break or interrupt your opponents stride and or thought process and allow you to get back on track.

In conclusion, in order to achieve the desired outcome : 1. Never loose control of the negotiations; if so use a ploy or a break technique.

2. Always stay on track with your plan and never give control of the negotiations over to your opponent. Keep these 2 points in mind and you will always achieve your desired outcome.

Be well,

James Gage

TOP 10 REASONS TO BECOME A BETTER NEGOTIATOR IN REAL ESTATE & EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE! Part 1

Number 1 of our 10 points deals with : "More Personal & Professional Profitability". Plain and simple, it means the better negotiator your are the more your bank account will increase.

The first mistake people make is thinking that sales and negotiating are 2 different animals - nothing could be further from the truth. We need to treat negotiating as if we are a commission based sales person, that every step of the negotiating process is a matter of putting food on the table.
With that in mind we must change the way we approach the negotiating table and forget about getting to "yes" and get to "no" as soon as possible in order to make maximum profit and leverage time to our greatest benefit.
Instead of dealing with prolonged negotiations, determine upfront whether your time invested will bear fruit or establish whether you are on a hopeless quest leading no where. If you probe your opponent, you sound be able to know based on pointed questions, within 5-7 minutes, if you will be able to accomplish a winning negotiating session; this holds true in real estate, business transactions and personal venues.

" Negotiating is a "Million Dollar Skill".

Until next time be well.

James Gage

Would You Like To Know Why Lease Options, AKA Rent to Own Are Excellent For Real Estate Investing?

By James Gage

As the real estate market evolves and changes, there are fewer mortgage loans available and fewer people who qualify as the factors for qualification become more stringent. Having less than perfect credit puts, a cramp on the ability to obtain the necessary financing for a traditional home purchase, but that does not mean that fewer people want to settle into a home and become a homeowner. Real estate investors are learning that they can benefit from this situation and make a profit by offering nontraditional means of obtaining a home to those with credit that is not well established or is less than satisfactory to a mortgage lender.

Lease options, aka rent to own homes, are a great source of income for the creative real estate investor who wishes to make money while helping those who cannot get into a home with their own credit to realize their dreams of owning a home. Lease options work much like a leasing a vehicle, only on larger terms. It benefits the tenant buyer who cannot obtain a mortgage to purchase the home by offering them the opportunity to build their credit and make the choice to purchase later while also assisting the investor by maintaining an additional source of income for the duration of the lease period.

When a car is leased, there is a nonrefundable deposit paid to the dealership that equals a percentage of the car's value. This is also done in a lease purchase or rent to own agreement and is referred to as the Nonrefundable Option Payment, securing the tenant buyer's ability to choose whether or not to purchase the home at the end of the lease contract agreement. As with a vehicle, there is a lease contract signed in which the tenant buyer agrees to make a payment of a certain amount each month for a predetermined length of time, usually 12 months. This can be done in a manner that includes payments to be credited toward the purchase of the house or not, depending on how you want to set up the lease.

Finally, at the end of a car lease, the driver has the option to finance the remainder of the "balloon payment" owed on the vehicle in order to purchase it or to turn it back over to the dealership. In real estate, when working with a rent to own or lease option contract, this is referred to as the Option to Purchase contract, in which the tenant is given exclusive rights to purchase the real estate property without you offering it to the highest bidder first without obligating them to purchase when the lease is up.

If the option contract was signed so that the payments made during the lease period were credited toward the purchase of the home, the tenant buyer will need to obtain a mortgage loan equivalent to the remainder of the purchase price originally agreed upon. If there were no rental credits, the tenant buyer will need to obtain the entire purchase amount.

Lease options and rent to own housing are excellent ways for a real estate investor to make a lot of money because there are three different sources of money coming in, all of which add up to a sum greater than the original investment by far. You put little money into the purchase, and in exchange, you receive an up-front payment, monthly installments, and finally a purchase payment equal to an amount greater than you paid. I structure all of my deals so I get paid at the beginning of the deal, the middle of the deal, and at the end of the deal – what more could an investor want !

Dave Ramsey Part 2 : Horrible Advice

Hello All:

I was hoping not to re-visit this subject again, however, I received a phone call from a fellow investor (Darlene M.) who received some real bad advice from Dave Ramsey’s radio program.

First, let me state I’m going by what she told me and I am basing my comments on the substance of the phone call to me, but I can tell you that I strongly disagree with what Mr. Ramsey teaches – more about that later.

Darlene explains that she called Dave’s radio program to refute what he has been saying on his radio program about now is a “great time to buy a house”. She did get on the radio to ask the pointed question, but as soon as she asked the question, Mr. Ramsey became angry and coarse, and stated anyone with a half of brain can see what great opportunities are out there for home ownership! What a great posture for a national radio personality to take when the general public calls in with a request for help and clarification, Darlene said she decided to take Dave’s advice and by a house (pre-foreclosure) 3 months ago, and since that time she has lost 5 % in value!

She read my back issues on my blog and noticed I was not a fan of Dave’s, and have clearly stated for the past 15 months that you should not be buying anything in this market, rather you should be using leveraged strategies such as lease options for investments and personal residences.

That being said, and being fair to Dave Ramsey, Darlene did not elaborate on the details of the deal that she did, so we can not bash Dave Ramsey if she got into a bad transaction on what she perceived to be his counsel. However, when it comes to the generic advice of “now is the time to buy real estate” – in the words of Dave Ramsey “have you been living under a rock”?

We have only seen 1/3 of the foreclosures that are going to happen according to financial pundits and Federal Reserve. In addition, these foreclosures have caused increased housing inventory forcing property values to sink 15-20% from all time highs. My question to Dave would be, what do you think is going to happen when the other 66% of people facing foreclosure comes into view? Can you say another 30% downward progression, and if you buy now as Dave suggests, you will be in a upside down property and be forced to stay in said property for the next 10- 15 years, while the market tries to gain value.

The other problem I have with Dave is on his investing advice! After becoming debt free, by the way this is the only thing I agree with him on, he encourages people to invest in mutual funds. Are you crazy Man!!! Have you seen how our dollar has been devalued? In 2002 the Euro was at .88 against the dollar, today the Euro is 1.51 against the dollar – you do the math!

Our country is being bought up by foreigners, who look at the US stock market as a flea market due to the strength of their currency; they are literally gobbling up everything in site. By the way many would say that a weak US dollar is good for our economy and will bring foreign investors in to buy our products, thus helping to stabilize our devastated economy. My question to those folks is – what products? Last time I checked the US didn’t make anything anymore; we have been referred to as a service based economy which subs everything out oversees.

OK, many would say that I’m jealous of Dave Ramsey because he has a successful radio program and I have a blog. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I just want people to stop drinking the cool aid and start listening to the voices of reason, whether that be me or someone else, who can document and substantiate what we preach!

So what’s my take? The only way you should be in the stock market is with stock options. If you’re stuck in the market due to company related 401 Ks, consider moving into a money market fund or precious metal fund – gold has tripled in the last 5 years and is almost $1,000 dollars an ounce. Look into become a leveraged investor in the Forex trading market – leverage at it’s best if you do not have those restrictions mentioned above. And of course, become a short term investor through lease options, and assignments with short sales and probates.

In the words of Forrest Gump;” that’s all I have to say about that”.

Be well,

James Gage