Duplex properties represent a great investment for owner-occupants and investors alike.

Are you a first time home-buyer?
Looking to relocate to the area?
Want more space?

Learn how you can live in one unit and rent the other unit out saving you 50% on your mortgage payment!!!

Looking to buy a second home or retire in the Austin area? A duplex may be the solution to get you into a property that can be bought at today's prices and take advantage of the increased value while having tenants pay your mortage and taxes.

This information is from my website where you can get information on area homes, schools, and view more information about the news that affects the real estate market.

Click Below if you would like a Free List of Duplexes for Sale:
http://www.zachfrederick.com/PageManager/default.aspx/PageID=2116122&NF=1

You will probably see this headline thrown around quite a bit in the next few days: "Consumer Prices Drop..."

This may be a "temporary stimulus" for the economy over the next couple of months. Since oil prices have fallen from $140.00 a barrel to under $60.00 a barrel this week, we have see gasoline go from well over $3.00 a gallon to under $2.00 per gallon at many gas stations in the Austin area.

This is certainly a relief in many peoples pockets when filling up at the gas pump.

So what affect might this have on housing?

In my opinion there are some temporary "trickle down" effects we may see such as: a reduce in the cost of building materials(tied to the cost of transporting the goods), a possible spike in new construction over a small 1 or 2 month period as builders who have been responsible and have not overbuilt try to get a few homes on the ground before gas prices increase.

I recently went to a speech given by Oil-man T. Boone Pickens at the University of Texas and was suprised by some of the statistics give by his research team. In any given day 70% of the oil used in the United States goes towards the operation of TRUCKS transporting goods and services.

While it is important to conserve our gasoline in our personal automobiles, he stressed the importance of creating a new fleet of trucks that would be ran on natural gas or some other form of non-foreign oil.

Another figure was that most of these trucks get about 6 miles-per-gallon on average. So it is clear that by the decrease of prices for gasoline, diesel, and other oil based products that there could be a decrease of 30 to 50% of the cost to transport these good to us - the consumer.

No one knows how long this uncertainty will last, but I still am betting for the United States Team to make a comeback after half-time.

Being In the Market

When we buy a new car or perhaps a new TV, typically a person would shop around and start looking for something that matches what they are looking for specifically. We spend time reading about the type of car or TV that we are looking for and how to go about getting the best deal. And we usually do - because we were "IN THE MARKET".

We didn't find a good deal on the car or TV because we just ran across it randomly. We were looking for that specific item, and when it came up as a good deal... BOOM! We snatched it up instantly. We knew the value of the product when the great deal came up.

So WHY do people act differently when buying real estate?

What I mean by that is people seem to keep putting of looking for a home. Here are some of the things we hear:

-I'll start looking when...

-I'll buy when interest rates start going down...

-I'll buy when interest rates start going up...

-There are too many homes for sale...

-There are too few homes available...

-The economy is bad...

-There are no good deals...

As you can see, there are countless excuses that we can give on why NOT to buy a home or make move. And maybe they are valid for you.

BUT THE TRUTH IS.... There are ALWAYS good deals in EVERY MARKET.

Repeat: There are ALWAYS good deals in EVERY MARKET.

Why is that? There are always reasons to create a distress sale or situation where you can find the "perfect property" at a discounted price.

Some examples might be: death, divorce, foreclosure, a landlord tired of renting, and the list goes on.

HERE'S THE BUT: You can't find these "deals" if you are not IN THE MARKET. No one ever won a football game by sitting on the side lines thinking about "maybe" getting in the game. It doesn't work that way.

You have to start by writing down what you want in a home. List all the features you would like to have. THEN, decide at what point does something become a good deal?

What do I mean by that... well if you could by a home for 5% off the true market value would that be a good deal to you?

How about 8%? 10%? That's for you to decide.

Then, get with a REALTOR and talk with them about your criteria and what you are looking for in a home. The REALTOR can then enter your criteria into the MLS(all the listed homes) and have an email sent out AUTOMATICALLY when a home comes on the market that matches your EXACT criteria.

That is BEING IN THE MARKET, not sitting on the sidelines with the rest of the crowd. Now is the time when smart buyers pick up good/great deals on homes and profit greatly when the market accelerates in price.

A specific question: Is having cash/dollars a good thing?

Cash is King right? My Answer is NO. In today’s global economy, the US Dollar is currently being kicked in the butt. It looses value everyday. It is a currency, therefore not backed by gold. It is simply printed paper.

Inflation increases the cost of everything while your dollar buys you less and less. If we were to sit $10,000 on the table and leave it there for 10 years, assuming it looses 3% a year in buying power, your $10,000 would buy you $7,600 worth of goods and services.

But wait, remember the $25,000 car you wanted to buy, 10 years later is costs $33,597 dollars.

So what is my point? My point is that holding or hording cash in the current economy is one of the worse things you can do for your financial future. The majority doom and gloom people are too afraid to invest in anything right now. They have sold ALL their stocks, all there bonds, and other investments. They won’t pull the trigger and buy a house, EVEN if it a good deal.

MEANWHILE their dollar is eroding and the goods and services they consume cost more and more everyday. This is not an educated or "enlightened" way to go through life. So what can we do? BUY AN ASSET!! BUY ANYTHING! Yes I said it. Buy something. Anything. GOLD, SILVER, STOCKS, REAL ESTATE, BONDS, COINS, COLLECTIBLES. But dont' sit on the sidelines.

This time in history is when the rich get richer and the poor and middle class will be hammered by inflation and the cost of living. Do your research AND get an adviser.

Explore the opportunities that are out there and find one that fits your situation. Maybe it is Gold or Stocks. Maybe it is Real Estate. Just find something that is a good deal and buy it. Now is the time to cut back on expenses and invest all of your capital in assets that appreciate in value. Instead of paying $50,000 for a car, buy something small and invest that extra $200 a month in something you will have in 10 years.

Philosophically, it does NOT matter to me how/where you invest your money. My specialty is educating people to buy real estate, specifically in the Austin, Texas region. It is a proven way to wealth and arguably is the # 1 creator of wealth in this country.

I have come to learn at a young age that less than 10% in any given field will actually perform in the top of their profession.

About 10% of the population will hold the majority of the wealth at any given time. Less than 10% of small businesses will survive more than a couple years.

I also believe that at this time in history, only about 10% of the population will take advantage of the EXTREME OPPORTUNITIES that exist in today’s age. Most people will huddle up and wait for the storm to pass. They are scared of the lightening called “risk” and teach their children to always play it safe. Sit on the sidelines. Let others get wet.

I work with people who are in the 10%. The ones who are not afraid to come out when everyone else is predicting lightening and fill their buckets with water during the storm. They know that stock piling a precious commodity will pay extreme dividends when the pack resumes it’s lifestyle and comes out of their safe secure cocoon.

Being in the top 10% has nothing to do with being rich.

It is simply a mindset. A way to live your life.

The 10% will be glad they did. The pack will say I wish I had.

Feel free to post your opinions below. Do you think Real Estate will be worth less in 10 years? How about Gold? Copper? How about water? There are many places to invest money. You actually have to do research.

I prefer real estate do to the fact that you can buy a property and have someone else(a bank) put up 80 to 90% of the money needed to purchase the property for you. Hmm...