real estate 2019: Thinking of Pulling Money Out of a Retirement Account? - 08/12/19 10:15 AM
 
Clients often ask about whether it makes sense to pull money out of a retirement account to purchase a home or pay for large expenses. Here’s the inside scoop:
Note: visit the IRS web site for info on any of these items and check with a CPA for details about how these general rules apply in your specific situation.
Conventional IRA
When you take money out of a conventional IRA, you’ll generally need to pay income taxes on the funds. For example, assume you want to withdraw $50,000 out of your conventional IRA and your income tax bracket is 22%. You would be … (1 comments)

real estate 2019: Three Questions to Ask Before Investing in Real Estate - 07/22/19 07:39 AM
 
How can I increase my rate of return?  The cornerstone of any smart investment strategy is to calculate your rate of return.  With real estate this is done by running the numbers using an internal rate of return (IRR) formula that takes into account: Present Value (PV) - what am I paying out of pocket to get into this investment? Term (N) - what's my timeline and how long am I going to hold this investment? Periodic Cash Flow (PMT) - what's my monthly cash flow? Future Value (FV) - what are my net proceeds (after expenses) when I sell … (2 comments)

real estate 2019: 2 Questions to Ask Before You Turn Your Primary Home Into a Rental - 04/29/19 10:39 AM
 
How can I take advantage of tax-free capital gain? When you sell your property for more than what you paid for it, you have a "capital gain" that could be subject to the capital gains tax. The current tax rate for capital gains is anywhere from 0% to 20%, depending on your level of income. If you've lived in your house as your primary residence for two full years out of the past five years, you may be able to sell your house without paying any capital gains tax.  The primary residence capital gains tax exclusion is $250,000 for single … (1 comments)

real estate 2019: Two Ways to Benefit from Rising House Prices - 03/18/19 10:22 AM
 
House prices have gone up in many markets across the country. This chart illustrates what rising house prices could mean for you based on your home value and the rate of appreciation in your neighborhood. Here are two ways you may be able to benefit if your home has gone up in value:
1 – Cash-out Mortgage Refinance
You may be able to access some of your newly created home equity by refinancing your mortgage into a higher-balance loan. Cash-out proceeds may be used for:
Debt consolidation – pay off other debts with higher interest rates Home improvements – make new indoor … (1 comments)

real estate 2019: Three Steps to Get Started as a Real Estate Investor - 02/18/19 08:32 AM
 
1 – Determine your approach and your investment objectives Are you looking to “buy and flip” or “buy and hold”?  If you’re looking to buy and flip, you’d probably want to start looking for homes that have the highest potential resale value after-improvements.  If you’re looking to buy and hold, you’d probably want to start looking for homes that have the highest potential cash-flow opportunities.

2 – Determine your budget It’s a smart idea to “never be 100% invested” when you invest in real estate.  For example, if you have $100,000 available to invest, you may want to set aside … (0 comments)