Beginning Investor FAQ #2 - 07/30/11 01:18 PM
2.  What are common investment options to consider, if I DO have a lot of capital?
a)    3-4 Flats rented commercially (not Section 8). Expect to have to put 20% down and even then, in most areas, you won’t get much pre-tax cash flow.
b)    Commercial property (5 units +). Expect to put 25-30% down for a stable investment with cash flow.
c)    2- to 4-flats to rehab and flip (which means buying foreclosures or property needing rehab).
And this is just the start of what you’ll find at www.Chicagoland2to4Flats.info!!!
… (1 comments)

Beginning Investor FAQ #1 - 07/28/11 11:34 AM
1.  Why should I move from just stocks to having investment property?
a)     You can buy property with anywhere from 0% to 30% down—whereas with other investments you typically must invest the full purchase price.
b)    Investment properties tend to offer good CASH FLOW only if you put a lot down. What drives most investors instead are the TAX SHELTER (including depreciation, a tax benefit other owners don’t get) and APPRECIATION (which is often the biggest benefit).
c)    Once you own two properties where you have 10% or more equity in each, leveraging can become the name of the game. Two … (0 comments)

Online Property Searching: ConnectMLS - 07/26/11 02:50 PM
As much as we love our Magic Map search talked about in the previous post, we must tell you that NO online search system currently available to the general public, including ours, provides the kind of detailed information available through the advanced connectMLS system that we can set up for you.
 
When you’re ready, we can set you up on the advanced connectMLS system (click on Sample Listing or General Description) to learn more about this. Here are two pictures that, even though they’re too small to read, illustrate the difference in level of detail. The public search listing on … (0 comments)

Online Property Searching: ‘Magic Map’ - 07/25/11 11:43 AM
On the Property Search page of each of our websites we offer an ONLINE Property Search with 'Magic Map'. When you move your cursor over the houses, you'll see a description appear—and when you click on a listing, a more detailed listing sheet will open up!!! And that is why we call it the 'magic map!!!
 
 
Be sure to try the Map Navigator (as shown on the right), which allows you to drag the map to whatever section of the city you want, as well as the ZOOM feature and the fact that if you right-click your mouse … (2 comments)

‘Rules of the Game’ for Owning a 2- to 4-Flat - 07/22/11 12:08 PM
Many people know that owning a 2- to 4-Flat can be a very good thing, but may not know the ’rules of the game,’ like the THREE ways to judge any investment property purchase. 
1.  Pre-Tax Cash Flow is never large on a 2-4-flat unless you put a lot down. But, if you are going owner-occupied, we promise that we can get you into a multi-unit for a much lower net payment than if you were to buy a comparable single-family home. And we will show you how, if you are already a home owner, you can leverage the equity you … (0 comments)

The Universal Four Laws of Real Estate - 07/21/11 10:33 AM
We think there are FOUR “Laws” of Real Estate that, if you have been looking for property for any length of time, your own experience probably confirms.
Law 1 of Real Estate: Big and cheap NEVER equals wonderful.
Many people, when they first start picking property to see, focus on properties that are big and cheap… They are hoping, of course, for big, cheap AND wonderful, but that is like winning the lottery—and never applies to properties that have been on the market for any length of time.
·         BIG, wonderful, and very expensive can be found quite easily.
·         SMALL, … (2 comments)

My 10+ Customer Service Commitment - 07/19/11 11:02 PM
My 10+ Customer Service Commitment  
When clients choose me as the REALTOR® to exclusively represent them in the purchase of their new home, I take that responsibility seriously. In fact, here is the promise I make:
•1.     Provide you with 10+ customer service during the entire buying process.
•2.     Organize and schedule your home search process.
•3.     Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each home in relation to your specific needs.
•4.     Provide you with on-going updates on available homes.
•5.     Help you to compare homes and make a decision.
•6.     Advise you on the terms and issues of the … (0 comments)

An Area with Many Investment Properties: Englewood - 07/19/11 11:01 PM
Englewood (census tract ) traditionally has the most two to four flat building sales in the city of Chicago.  Originally, the land was swampy prairie occupied by the Mascouten Indians. As Chicago grew, it became a center for railroads. When the Great Chicago Fire destroyed a large portion of Chicago in 1871, residents moved to the outskirts. Englewood's railroad connections to downtown Chicago made it a convenient location, and the neighborhood's population boomed. The City of Chicago annexed Englewood in 1889.
It is written up on the city's official site at :http://www.chicagoneighborhoods.cc/neighborhoods/englewood.html 
"Englewood is one of Chicago's comeback neighborhoods, thanks to … (0 comments)

Websites Related to Real Estate Investing – Market Trends - 07/16/11 02:23 AM
Economic and Real Estate Trends. We are also pleased to provide a link to what we think is the best regularly updated assessment of risk that we have seen, a quarterly report from the people who issue PMI. We think you will want to study the whole report--and quarterly keep coming back to check for the latest version:
•·         Current Quarterly Report from PMI
Scroll down to where it says ERETand click "Economic Real Estate Trends - Quarterly »"
Affordable Housing Assistance. Are you interested in housing assistance plans in the city and suburbs? Check out:
•·         http://www.chicagoareahousing.org.
Rehabbing … (2 comments)

Websites Related to Real Estate Investing – Chicago Neighborhoods - 07/14/11 02:09 PM
Are you interested in learning more about a particular neighborhood of the city? Two websites we think you ought to check out in particular are Wikipedia and a lesser known one called "Center Stage Chicago."
•·       Here is the link to Wikipedia profiles of each area of Chicago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_neighborhoods •·       Some suburbs as well as many city areas are covered by a very creative website called CenterStageChicago.com. We think you will find their whole site worthwhile-in particular: 
http://centerstagechicago.com/neighborhoods/ http://centerstagechicago.com/lifestyle/articles/l-guides.html http://centerstagechicago.com/virtual-el/ And this is just the start of what you'll find at www.Chicagoland2to4Flats.info!!!
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Section 8 Housing – Buyer’s Overview - 07/13/11 12:55 PM
One of our specialties is helping investors buy Section-8 Ready Property. In fact, we are proud to work closely with the developer who we think produces the finest rehabs you'll ever find for the Section 8 market.
To see samples of their work, click:
Click here for a sample: VIRTUAL TOUR
And this is just the start of what you'll find at www.Chicagoland2to4Flats.info!!!
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A Favorite Area for Armchair Investors: Greater Grand Crossing - 07/12/11 08:50 PM
"Arm-Chair" Investors are those who do NOT want to live in the property they buy (a more precise term for this would be "NON-owner occupied"). The question we ask here is: Where have ‘arm-chair' investors like that been concentrating their investments?
Our work with arm-chair investors has led us to believe that SEVEN Chicago neighborhoods are particularly popular for those buying non-owner occupied, cash-flow property. For instance, Bill Bein, Chicagoland2to4Flats.info's founder, owns property in Grand Crossing (a south side neighborhood)-and he has now helped many different buyers buy in all of these areas.
The west side neighborhoods are: Humboldt Park (census … (0 comments)

Seven Reasons to work with a Specialist: Special Hot Property Identification - 07/12/11 01:07 PM
In this market it only makes sense to work with a specialist, if you are looking for investment real estate.  Our mission is to cut the through the clutter of too many bad listings-and make you smarter and the process easier
We see SEVEN reasons to work with a specialist in income real estate.
7.   We can help you with special Hot Property identification. Did you know that the hottest multiunit properties often start getting offers within HOURS of a listing coming out? We can show you how to effectively compete in that market.
 
To see the full write-up on … (0 comments)

Seven Reasons to work with a Specialist: Special Internet Access to MLS - 07/08/11 08:02 PM
In this market it only makes sense to work with a specialist, if you are looking for investment real estate.  Our mission is to cut the through the clutter of too many bad listings-and make you smarter and the process easier
We see SEVEN reasons to work with a specialist in income real estate.
6.   Are you busy-too busy to go out on ‘wild goose chases?' The search we can set up together will give you the control and make it easier: Special Internet Access to all listings that fit your spec's (including type, size, price, and neighborhood) and Automatic Email … (2 comments)

Seven Reasons to work with a Specialist: We Focus On Multi-Units - 07/06/11 07:31 PM
In this market it only makes sense to work with a specialist, if you are looking for investment real estate.  Our mission is to cut the through the clutter of too many bad listings-and make you smarter and the process easier
We see SEVEN reasons to work with a specialist in income real estate.
5.   At Chicagoland2to4flats.info, we focus on multi-unit properties, and we are proud to have built tools and systems that are unparalleled in the real estate industry. None of the rules are the same in buying 2-flat, 3-flat, or 4-flat compared to a condo, and we can help … (1 comments)

Seven Reasons to work with a Specialist: Have A Starbucks On Us - 07/05/11 07:31 PM
In this market it only makes sense to work with a specialist, if you are looking for investment real estate.  Our mission is to cut the through the clutter of too many bad listings-and make you smarter and the process easier
We see SEVEN reasons to work with a specialist in income real estate.
4.   You can have a Starbucks on us! Our laptops are equipped with the Hotspot Technology that lets us operate from Starbucks, Borders, or any other Hotspot place. Where once customers had to go to the agent's office to fully access online records and systems, now we … (0 comments)

Seven Reasons to work with a Specialist: Property Analysis Worksheet - 07/01/11 08:09 AM
In this market it only makes sense to work with a specialist, if you are looking for investment real estate.  Our mission is to cut the through the clutter of too many bad listings-and make you smarter and the process easier
We see SEVEN reasons to work with a specialist in income real estate.
3.   We can get you set up with a unique Property Analysis Worksheet that lets you analyze multiunit properties instantly and compare all the properties that are available to see which offer the best cash flow.
 
To see the full write-up on all seven reasons, click … (0 comments)

 

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