April 23rd, 2013
How badly do you want to be wealthy? Enough to change your habits from those of the middle class (i.e. “I got a raise” equals “I’m in the market for a larger house/car”) to those of the wealthy? If seven bank accounts sounds overwhelming, or if a maximum of 10% of your income budgeted for non-essentials sounds Draconian, then consider that becoming wealthy requires temporarily putting comfort second and becoming wealthy first. Read the rest of this entry “
2 Comments "
March 18th, 2013
The largest insurer of mortgages in the world, the Federal Housing Administration, has announced that new mortgage borrowers should prepare to pay more for their mortgages, because changes are coming (again).
Read the rest of this entry “
1 Comment "
August 14th, 2012
Maybe you’re a Landlord who has a tenant with six months left on your lease agreement, and they have to move three states away for work. Or maybe you are a tenant with who’s roommate is the one who’s moving three states away, but you want to stay. What to do?
Read the rest of this entry “
No Comments "
April 30th, 2012
The rental industry has had a good year or two, compared to the rest of the American economy. Last year saw quite a bit of discussion about America’s rental boom, but where does the American rental market stand now?
Read the rest of this entry “
1 Comment "
April 18th, 2012
Nothing is more certain then “death and taxes,” however many investors may not be aware of the new capital gains taxes affecting the real estate industry since 2012 and beyond.
Read the rest of this entry “
1 Comment "
April 3rd, 2012
Recently I sat down with Robert J. Wise who has been practicing housing law in Kansas City, to talk about Landlords and Discrimination.
When Landlords think of discrimination we usually think in terms of intentional acts which exclude members of certain groups from employment, housing, or other opportunities. The civil rights laws, however, protect against not only intentional acts of discrimination but acts which, though apparently neutral on their face, actually have a discriminatory impact on protected groups.
Read the rest of this entry “
No Comments "
February 10th, 2012
It’s easy to understand that unemployed people aren’t buying houses, thus depriving demand within the real estate market. However, the entire cycle is far more pervasive, and merits a closer look and how it effects your real estate business.
Read the rest of this entry “
1 Comment "
January 4th, 2012
The Rental Boom
While easily overstated, there has been something of a rental boom in 2011. Vacancy rates dropped sharply to 5.6% in the third quarter of 2011, the lowest level since 2006. Meanwhile, rents rose to a nationwide average of $1,004 in the third quarter, a rise of 2.4% year over year, and Reis Inc (the source of the above data) estimates that the total rise in rents for 2011 will be 3.6%. Developers (who tend to do plenty of market research before committing to construction projects) are acting on this information as well: rental unit construction starts are up 33.3% in the third quarter since the same period last year, to 48 million units according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A look at the November figures (the most recent monthly figures) show even more drastic differences: the rate of housing starts for apartment buildings with 5 or more units rose to 230,000, an increase of 25.7% since October, and 219.4% since November of 2010.
Read the rest of this entry “
No Comments "
December 2nd, 2011
Whatever you do, don’t wait too long to evict a tenant. Remember, non-payment of rent is not a personal attack on you and you need to stay professional as a property manager. Having an attorney right from the start will enable you feel empowered knowing you have everything you need to evict, should the need arise to do so.
Read the rest of this entry “
No Comments "
November 9th, 2011
No matter how well you screen your tenants, chances are that every now and then you will rent to one that won’t treat your property with the proper respect. That’s why security deposits were developed; to give some measure of protection to landlords from the expense of repairing and cleaning a unit after one of those types of tenants has vacated.
Read the rest of this entry “
No Comments "
Recent Comments