california real estate: Things Looking "Up" in California - 02/21/07 03:15 PM
Everyone loves to point to California as the prime example of the excessive greed of the recent real estate boom. Media, bubble bloggers, and pundits predict that California will plummet to new lows and bring on a lengthy recession akin to the Great Depression. Even home-grown and respected PIMCO of Newport Beach predicts a heavy fog for the state’s real estate forecast.
Why are these developers choosing to build up instead of out? 
The answer is that demographics are still favorable.  Here are four reasons why. 
… (2 comments)

california real estate: What's Happening at Bloodhound Blog - 01/17/07 03:22 AM
Here are some of the top stories from BloodHound Blog (links open in a new window): 
Technorati claims that Bloodhound Blog has "a lot of authority":
A lot of work, a lot of posts, a lot of linking, a lot of links back: A lot of authority . . .
Greg Swann posts his article from the Arizona Republic that discusses the explosion of blogging in the real estate community.  This is a must read for all Realtors:
Blogs can help Realtors connect with communities
Greg Swann posts a short but great post about HUGE builder concessions to Realtors- lively discussion
Thank Heavens the Seller Pays … (5 comments)

california real estate: "Hard Money" makes sense for good credit borrowers - 12/13/06 05:10 PM
Why would a borrower with a 736 FICO score get a hard money loan?
I'm deviating a bit from my earlier blog, So you want to be a California Hard Money Broker?  I know I promised more detailed information about  the disclosure process in California Hard Money transactions and I will.  Tonight, I'm not up to that arduous task.  I'll share with you some reasons why a borrower with GOOD credit would actually pay the high points and rates associated with a "hard money loan"
Introduction:  Private mortgages or "hard money" loans are all about taking on risk that is unacceptable to conventional … (22 comments)

california real estate: Investing in California Mortgage Pools - 11/10/06 08:09 PM
I am a private mortgage lender which means I make real estate loans (non-bank loans) to individuals who can't qualify for bank financing.  In California, this is sometimes referred to as Trust Deed Investing because the security instrument (how you secure the collateral) we use is called a Deed of Trust.  The loans can be risky of default and subsequent foreclosure.  This is why we don't make loans for more than 70% of the value of the property.  The returns, however, are very attractive.  It is not uncommon to earn 11-15% interest on trust deeds.  I think they are relatively safe … (8 comments)

california real estate: So, you want to be a trust deed investor? - 10/05/06 12:57 AM
So, you want to be a trust deed investor and earn double digit returns?  Let's see what I can tell you about investing in trust deeds in 3-4 paragraphs.  a more detailed explanation can be found here.
A trust deed is what we call a deed of trust or mortgage in California.  When you "invest" in a trust deed, you are the bank (or the lender).  We usually get you rates of 10-14% and 1-2 points on the deal.  Most loans are short-term in nature and have a term of one to five years,  The average loan we make is paid off … (5 comments)