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investment: Recipe for a Successful Real Estate Investment - 07/06/10 01:53 AM
There are a few wants that home buyers perceive as needs when shopping around for a home. As you're shopping for your next home, you may not have any idea how long you will live there as you may need to sell at some point. With that in mind, consider some practical features potential home buyers look for when buying their next home. That way yours will be positioned for quick sale if or when you decide to put it on the market in the future.

Basic Functions

When you bought your first home, things like central air, a … (1 comments)

investment: Is Now A Good Time to Buy? - 05/16/10 03:22 AM
Have home prices hit rock bottom? Probably not in some areas and maybe not as a whole. Nonetheless, now could be the best time to buy a house. Even with the homebuyer's tax credit due to expire at the end of the month, there are compelling reasons to buy a house in the current economy.

This recession made a good case for the renting over buying argument. But as the country tentatively enters the recovery phase, buying a house makes sense in many circumstances. The rent versus buy analysis has many considerations, including home prices, how long you planning on … (6 comments)

investment: How to Hire a Contractor - 06/12/08 12:57 AM
There are some home renovations that really should be left to a professional. Finding a good contractor that is trustworthy and dependable can sometimes be a challenge, but with some preparation it can be done.
Before accepting to work with a contractor, ask for a list of references. Ideally, the list will be fairly long, and not rigged towards a few happy customers. Call these references, skipping around from recent customers to older ones to see how the work has held up. If possible, visit one of the remodel sites in person. Ask about the quality of the work, and … (0 comments)

investment: Home Improvement Tips : Bathroom Renovations - 04/29/08 05:17 AM
One of the most popular areas of a house to renovate is the bathroom. There are many different ways to renovate a bathroom, from small surface changes to completely gutting the room. With some forethought and elbow grease, there are renovating techniques the do-it-yourselfer can accomplish, while saving money at the same time.
The first rule in any renovation is to start with a budget, and stick to it. After a budget is set, one must decide on how serious of a project the renovation will be. Surface alterations can be done fairly quickly and cheaply, while rearranging the layout … (3 comments)

investment: Is Another Fed Cut Inevitable? - 11/15/07 06:12 PM
As many Americans continue to default on their mortgages at record levels, other markets throughout the world are becoming extremely volatile. Most of the defaults were exacerbated by the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes over the past two years, which were done in order to stem inflation and keep the dollar overvalued. The devaluation of the dollar in recent months has positively resulted in the elimination of the incredible US deficit, but at a hefty cost to regular consumers and especially to lower-income homeowners, as a slower economy causes many to become more susceptible to defaulting further. This causes the … (1 comments)

investment: Should Your First "House" be a Duplex - 10/16/07 07:17 PM
There is a lot of talk about getting your first house. It’s part of the American Dream to get a house and maybe get a dog named Rover. But maybe someone’s first home should instead be a duplex. Why would I propose such a thing? Is it possible I am a secret Russian spy that hates American pie? No, there are simply too many advantages to buying a duplex first. Buying a duplex has a number of financial advantages over buying a house. A lot of people assume that duplexes would sell for about twice of what a house sells for … (3 comments)

investment: Run the numbers before buying an investment property - 07/02/07 04:17 AM
Run the numbers before buying an investment property
People talk about running the numbers before buying an investment property, but what are the numbers and how do you get accurate numbers? Running the wrong numbers can make the difference of making $500 or losing $1000 per month. In this article we will go through the costs and factors to consider to make your investments successful.
RENTAL INCOME
Rental income is not as straight-forward as it seems. Sometimes properties are under-rented and sometimes properties are over-rented, so be sure to find out the market rents when you consider a … (4 comments)

 

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