Are Housing Prices About to Drop?

Despite the fact that housing prices are said to have risen more than 3% May, is it true that they’ll soon start to fall? According to an article written by Les Christie for CNNMoney.com they are, and the author sites three main reasons for the reversal: “a coming flood of foreclosures, rising interest rates and the eventual end of the tax credits”.

More foreclosures

Seemingly, a huge number of foreclosures remain in the pipeline and will surface in 2010 according to the article “because of shortcomings of the government-led mortgage modification programs. Trial workouts are not being made permanent and completed modifications are redefaulting at high rates.” Gus Faucher, the director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com is quoted as saying, “There are going to be fewer [successful] modifications than we thought.”

Another issue pointed out by the article regards the more than 350,000 option-ARM (adjustable rate mortgages) borrowers whose loans will change into fully amortizing mortgages that will carry much higher monthly payments and result in a very large percentage of those homeowners to default as the value of their homes dips well below the amount they owe.

Rising interest rates

According to the article, rates for a 30-year mortgage will pass 6% next year as the government curtails housing market support. “The Federal Reserve has helped keep rates low through purchases of mortgage-backed securities. But that program is winding down and will end in March.”

The end of the tax credit

The tax credit initiated by the government to support housing markets and prices by reducing taxes by up to $8,000 for new home buyers and $6,500 for buyers who already own a home ends at the end of April. “Many buyers will push their deals forward to get in before the deadline and then demand for homes could sink afterward,” the article states.

Read this and other real estate news at jameskobzeff.com.

Real Estate – How To Make Money Renting Property

We all realize the real estate market has been a little “down in the dumps.” But things are looking better than you’d think! Though rock bottom seems unavoidable, we may be moving back up sooner than we thought. We seem to forget that no matter which direction the market is turning, Americans will always need a house to live in! So not to fear, just think long term investments.

If you own property or want to make money in the market today, the way to do it is to rent out property. We have always been a nation of renters. Over the past 50 years, however, we gradually moved towards home ownership. There are still many people, however, who rent and some people who prefer to rent. Home ownership is a responsibility that not everyone wants to take on.

You can make money in the real estate market today by renting out property to others. You can rent out your own home instead of selling it if you are planning on moving, or even purchasing property to rent to people. If you are looking for a rental investment to buy, there has never been a better time. Housing prices are lower than ever as are mortgage rates. You can purchase a home or a condominium to rent to others and also be a long term investment for you.

Be careful if you purchase a condominium unit with the intent of renting that there is nothing in the bylaws that exclude renters. You should also make sure that you do your own market study of the area. How much are other homes or condominiums being rented for each month? You need to find out whether the rent will cover not only the mortgage payment, but also the taxes and insurance.

Do your research carefully before purchasing property to rent to others. This can be an ideal way to make money in real estate today, but you have to make sure that you are familiar with the market as well as the tenant laws. Tenant laws usually favor the tenant, so make sure that you screen any applicants carefully. You should also take a good security deposit, especially if you are renting a single family home out. The security deposit should be returned when the house is vacated and in the order as agreed to in the lease.

If you buy property now, you can take advantage of the low housing prices as well as low lending rates. You can then hold onto the property for several years while renting it to tenants who will, basically, pay your mortgage. When the real estate market moves towards a sellers market, which it eventually will, you can have the property appraised. Chances are that it will be worth a lot more than for what you pay now and by selling, you will get a significant return.

Making money in the real estate market today is not difficult if you are patient and willing to look for the long term investment. Always look to the best locations in which to invest in property as they will tend to grow in value quicker than any other locations.

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Bob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, San Diego real estate agent with w/over 27 years experience. He has a popular San Diego real estate blog Bob’s other sites are: Downtown San Diego real estate & San Diego real estate agents

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Real Estate Investors Five Easy Rules To Success

Real Estate Investors will come across many "rules" in their businesses. Many of these "rules" are not laws or regulations, though we are definitely faced with many of those as well. But the rules I am speaking to are more "rules of thumb" meaning a broad application of an easily learned or easily applied procedure. What follows are Five Easy to Follow Rules to Successful Real Estate Investing…

Five Easy Rules to Successful Real Estate Investing:

1. Do Your Job
2. Listen
3. Be Honest
4. It is the Deal Not the Outcome
5. Do Not Let Fear Rule Your Life

Being a Real Estate Investor takes a lot of effort. You have to find lots and lots of Motivated Sellers. You have to go look at lots of houses. And you have to make a lot of offers.

Most importantly you have to give your best effort all of the time or you will cheat yourself and anyone else involved.

It takes a good bit of effort just to come up with leads. It takes even more effort to go out and look at properties, make offers and then sell the property.

Point two involves listening and paying attention. It is important to listen to what the seller is saying, and not think about how much money you stand to make. If it is not a win-win transaction the deal will not work.

You have to ask questions to make sure you are on the same page with the other party. There have been many deals that fell through at the last minute because of a miscommunication. This is a big waste of time and money.

Point three is being truthful. You should never mislead anyone when trying to make a deal. A deal based on dishonesty will always come back to haunt you. Your reputation has to be worth more than a few extra dollars.

Real Estate Investors who are dishonest will eventually be out of business. It is that simple. No one will do business with a dishonest person, no matter what type of business it is.

That is the ethics message being pounded home again. I am happy to see that more and more people (and Real Estate Investment Association meetings) are taking the opportunity to discuss ethics in the Real Estate Investment business.

Point four is that every deal does not have to happen. If it does not work for all parties involved then it is not a good deal. Sometimes you just have to walk away if it is not right, regardless of the possible outcome.

If you are attached to the possible outcome you may overlook some very important factors. You may be thinking about the ,000 you are going to make, but if you overlook something you could end up losing money.

Sometimes it is best, though not always easy, to pass on the marginal deals. Often times a great deal is just around the corner. Sometimes it is difficult, especially in the beginning, to not to get caught up in the excitement and begin looking forward to making all of that money. It is normally best to stick to your numbers and remove your emotion.

The fifth rule is to continually conquer your fears. All Real Estate Investors have fears that pop up at different times. The things that we fear are those things we are least familiar with. Do not let fear rule your life. Every successful person has had to overcome any number of fears.

Often times you can overcome your fear by taking action. Are you afraid to make calls because you might be rejected? Then make 50 additional calls until you are comfortable. Are you afraid to make an offer, because you think it will be flatly rejected? Then make 100 offers until the fear is gone.

As you can see the above five easy rules to successful Real Estate Investing can be easily applied whether you are an expert Real Estate Investor or just starting out.

Chris Parks is an Entrepreneur & Real Estate Investor who created Real Estate Investing for Newbies in order to teach and assist new Real Estate Investors in a step-by-step and easy-to-understand manner. Get a Free Real Estate Report! Also Free – Top 10 Reasons To Start A Home Based Business The Info Annex Home Weekly (c)Copyright REIforNewbies.com. All Rights Reserved.

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