5. 06.
There are so many REO (Real Estate Owned) properties with banks that they are trying to sell them off at very deep discounts. These properties are obtained when the owner is not able to pay the mortgage and the bank decides to foreclose on the properties. These foreclosure properties are a great opportunity to make some money! What if you are not interested in buying the properties for you but you would like to make use of this opportunity to make some money for your self? It is possible and without any money of yours. There are two proven ways to make this happen.
The most important thing in real estate property – Location, Location, Location!!!
The first step is to identify a property in a good location and a reasonably good condition with repairs less than $15,000. Typically, properties that sell quickly have three or more bedrooms, one or more bathrooms, basement, yard and garage. This rule applies to properties anywhere After you identify the property, negotiate with the bank and bring down the price to at least 40 cents on the dollar. Your intention to flip it immediately should not be revealed to the bank. While some banks don’t mind that you are flipping “as is” (i.e., without any remodeling or fix up of repairs), others do.
Typically, a real estate is flipped “as is” using an assignment contract. Assignment contracts are written by adding the clause “and/or assigns” after the buyer’s name (either the individual buyer or the company’s name). For example, John Doe wants to flip a property “as is”, then the offer to purchase property for $40,000 will contain buyer’s name as “John Doe and/or assigns”. This clause gives the John Doe the authority to assign/sell the purchase contract to anyone for a fee (for example $10,000). So, now John Doe makes $10,000 by selling the contract Mary Smith and she can purchase the property for $40,000 from the seller. But the problem with banks is that they will not accept an offer to purchase document that has the clause “and/or assigns” after the buyer’s name.
So, how do you flip REOs “as is” without using any of your own money? You have two options:
1. Purchase Property to Land Trust: Land trust has several parts to it. The important parts for this article will be the Trustee and the Beneficiary. The trustee can be a reliable relative, friend or an attorney. The beneficiary has all the powers to this property and hence the owner. You have to inform the bank that you will be buying the property to a land trust. Normally, they will agree. If you (John Doe) are buying property at 123 main street, then in the offer to purchase, you will write the name as John Doe, 123 main street Trust, Trustee, exact vesting TBD at closing. The phrase “exact vesting TBD at closing” allows you to assign the beneficiary rights to anyone who pays you an assignment fee. You can tell the bank that you are not sure how many investors will be partnering in this deal and that’s why you have not mentioned the beneficiary. So now, they will allow you to purchase the property even though you do not have a beneficiary listed. The Trust does not have to be created before making the offer to purchase as long there is an intention to create a land trust later. If this is the first time you are using land trusts, then it is best to get help from a real estate attorney who has experience in land trusts because the rules can be different in different states in the US. The two keys to flipping properties successfully using land trusts are finding the right title company and the right attorney.
While you are negotiating with the bank, you can also start finding a buyer of this property. One of the easy ways to find a buyer is to post an ad in free websites like Craigslist and others. For example, you are purchasing a property that is worth $100K in its present condition. You managed to negotiate the price $40K. From Craigslist ads, you find your end buyer to purchase it from you for $50K. Request the buyer to pay you $10K so that you can add his/her name as the beneficiary. Tell the bank your buyer is your investor partner. After you receive the $10K from your buyer, put his/her name as the beneficiary. So, now you have made $10K profit without using any of your own money!
2. Double Closing: Double closing is when you are closing the seller and the buyer on the same day i.e., you are using the money from your buyer to close the property from seller and the difference between your purchase price and your sale price will be your profit. In one or two states, land trusts are not allowed and in a few others land trusts are frowned on. In such state you have to use double closing method. As mentioned in method 1, while you are negotiating you have to find a buyer using the same methods.
Here, you may lose some money in fees for closing costs and also if you have to bring money for a few hours from hard money lender, they (hard money lender) will charge you around $2000 to $3000 for this service. If you search on Google for money for a few hours until you close with your end buyer. To obtain these funds, there are no credit score and history checks. To summarize the two fees involved in this method of flipping: a) there are closing costs of around 3% of the sale price. b) The double closing funds fee of $2000 – $3000. You have to negotiate with the bank and your buyer in such a way that you make up for the loss in these two fees. It is good idea to inform the title company that you will be double closing. First, bring/wire the double closing funds to the bank/title company and pay for purchase of the property from the bank and get the title in your name. Next, have the buyer bring funds for the purchase of the property from you for a higher price. The difference between your purchase price and sale price minus closing costs minus the double closing funds will be your profit!
While banks frown on “as is” REO flipping, they are badly in need of clearing the properties from their ever growing inventory so sometimes they do not mind at all unless you make it too obvious by using the clause “and/or assign”. So it is best refrain from using this clause. Also, it is best to refer to your end buyer as your investor partner instead of making it obvious that you are selling your property to the end buyer. REO flipping is a great real estate opportunity with low risk. The banks are badly in need of selling their foreclosed properties so start contacting banks’ loss mitigation departments for REO properties in your area.
21. 04.
Get More Traffic through Bookmarking
Everyone wants more traffic to their site. Why wouldn’t they? More traffic means more exposure and more money. There are many ways to bring visitors into a Website too. And one of the best ways to get more traffic is through bookmarking.
There are sites on the Internet that are specifically for people to “bookmark” their favorite things on the Internet. For example, if you read an article you really like then you can go to one of these bookmarking sites and list that article. Then other people will see that you liked the article and that will encourage them to read it too.
Not only does bookmarking help people to see the content that was bookmarked, it also helps rank the content higher with the search engines. This is because every time something is bookmarked it creates another link back to that content. These are called “back links” and the more back links you have going back to something the higher that something will rank with the search engines.
The top bookmarking sites on the Internet are StumbleUpon, Digg, and Delicious. All of these sites are easy to use and bookmarking with them literally takes just a few seconds. All you have to do is sign-up for an account with each of them and then start your bookmarking. This, in turn, will get more traffic to your site through the bookmarking.
Every single time you create something new on the Internet you should bookmark it with all the sites. When you first put a new site on the Internet, bookmark it. When you create a new video, bookmark it. The same is true for articles, blogs, social networking pages and anything else you create and put on the Internet.
You should also pay attention to what other people do with your content. If someone else embeds your video on their site or uses any of your content on their own site then you should bookmark that site too. This will help you in the long run since you’re sending more traffic to your own content, just on a different site.
Again, bookmarking will bring in more traffic to your site. When you bookmark all the content you put on the Internet then more people will see the content directly from the bookmark and search engines will rank your content higher because of the extra back links.
19. 04.
10 Easy Ways To Organize Your Business Finances
Whether you are a new entrepreneur or a more experienced business owner, taking control of your finances can feel like a part-time job. Some simple tips can help you streamline your time, organize your finances and reduce the stress of business money matters.
1. Keep Your Bills in One Place
When the mail comes, make sure it goes in one place. Misplaced bills can be the cause of unwanted late fees and can damage your credit rating. Whether it’s a drawer, a box, or a file, be consistent. Size is also important. If you get a lot of mail, use an area that won’t get filled up too quickly.
2. Pay Your Bills on Schedule
Bill paying can be simplified if it’s done at scheduled times during the month. Depending on how many bills you receive, you can establish set times each month when none of your bills will be late. If you’re paying bills as you receive them, chances are you’re spending too much time in front of the checkbook. Although bills may state “Payable Upon Receipt”, there’s always a grace period. Call the creditor to find out when they need to receive payment before the bill is considered late.
3. Read Your Credit Card Statements
Most people take advantage of low interest credit card offers but never read their statements when paying the bill. Credit cards are notorious for using low interest as bait for new customers then switching to higher rates after a few months. Make a habit of looking at your statement carefully to see what interest rate you are paying each month and if any transaction fees have been applied. If the rate increases or a transaction fee appears on your statement, a simple call to the credit card company can oftentimes be beneficial in resolving the matter. If not, try to switch your money to a more favorable rate.
4. Take Advantage of Automatic Payments
Most banks offer a way to automatically deduct money from your account to pay creditors. In addition, the creditors usually offer a lower interest rate when you sign up for this payment option because they get their money faster and on-time. Consider it as one fewer check to write, envelope to lick and stamp to buy. Just make sure you record the deduction when the automatic payment is scheduled or you run the risk of bouncing other checks.
5. Computerize Your Checkbook
Using a software program is a handy way to organize your finances. Whether it’s Quicken(r), Microsoft Money(r) or another package, these easy-to-use programs make bill paying and bank reconciliation a cinch. Computer checks can be ordered almost anywhere and fit right into most printers. Once the checks are printed, all of the information is automatically recorded in your electronic checkbook. Furthermore, many banks have direct downloads into these software packages so when money is deposited or withdrawn, the transaction is entered immediately onto your computer. And, when it comes time to do taxes, it couldn’t be easier.
Most banks have a service where, if you run the risk of bouncing a check, the money will come from another source. For a nominal fee, the bank will link your checking account to either a savings, money market, or credit card so the embarrassment of bouncing a check will be avoided. Call or visit your bank to learn about this convenient feature.
7. Cancel Unused Accounts
Whether it’s a credit card or bank account, write a letter requesting that the account is formally closed. Not only will this improve your credit score, it is a useful way to avoid money from being scattered all over the place. Don’t let department stores and credit card companies lure you into opening new accounts by offering favorable interest rates and purchase discounts. It’s easy for credit to get out of hand by taking advantage of every credit offer that comes your way.
8. Consolidate Your Accounts
If you have several credit card accounts with outstanding balances, try to consolidate them into one. Be careful and check the balance transfer interest rates and one-time fees. Also, make a list of all your open Money Markets, Savings, CDs, IRAs, Mutual Funds, and other accounts to see if any consolidation can be done. Keeping your money in fewer places eliminates all of the guesswork involved and reduces errors.
9. Establish Automatic Savings
Create a link from your checking account into a savings account that will not be touched. This can usually be done through the banks and automatic amounts will be transferred over each month. Most people will not put money into a savings account on a regular basis. They may wait until a large tax refund check arrives or some other event to actually deposit money into savings, retirement or other accounts. If you establish an automatic savings deposit every month, your accounts will begin accumulating money faster than you think.
10. Clean up Your Files
Make sure your paid bills are organized in a filing cabinet. Keep individual files for paid bills. Go through your files at the end of each year and throw out bills and receipts no longer needed for auditing purposes. Contact your local IRS office to see how long records need to be kept for audits. Usually federal tax return audits can be done three years back but canceled checks may need to be kept for seven. Consult the Internet for auditing and records-keeping procedures for your state or region.
(c) 2005 DebtGuru.com(r). This article may be freely distributed as long as the signature file and active link are included.
About the author:
Michael G. Peterson is the Vice President of American Credit Foundation, an IRS 501 (c)(3) non-profit consumer credit counseling organization that has assisted thousands of individuals and families with their financial situations through seminars, education, counseling services, and, debt management plans. For more information, and free consumer resources visit http://www.debtguru.com.
Written by: Michael G. Peterson
