Real Estate Rental Property Vs. 401k, The Pros and Cons

Investment is a critical aspect of financial planning, with the ultimate goal often being a comfortable retirement. Two popular strategies for building a retirement nest egg include:      • investing in real estate rental properties      • 401k plans But which...

A Deep Dive into the Real Estate Due Diligence Period

When investing in real estate, one of the essential steps before finalizing a transaction is the due diligence period. This period allows prospective buyers to inspect the property thoroughly and verify all related information, ensuring that their investment is a...

7 High-Value Upgrades To Boost Your Home’s Sale Price

Discover the seven most popular upgrades that can significantly enhance your residential home’s value. In the competitive real estate market, it’s crucial to make your home stand out. If you’re preparing to sell your home, certain upgrades can not...

Unveiling the Secrets of Millionaire Real Estate Investors

Discover the secrets behind the success of millionaire real estate investors. From strategic mindset and market knowledge to leveraging financing and building a strong network, gain valuable insights for your real estate journey. Read now to unlock the path to wealth...

For Sale By Owner: Risky Business

  Selling a home without a real estate agent is one of the riskiest decisions anyone could ever make. Would you drive your cars uninsured? Would you build a new home without insurance? Those are no-brainers to almost anyone.  It’s also the law in most cases....
New-Build Construction: To Buy or Not to Buy?

New-Build Construction: To Buy or Not to Buy?

Anyone looking for their next home has asked the question: Is there an advantage in buying a brand new home over one already existing? The answer to the question is simple: Yes. However, there’s also another answer to this question: No. Purchasing a new-build...

Tips for renting with low or no credit

courtesy of Tom Simplot, The Republic | azcentral.com September 15, 2014 Apartment hunters need to know their credit score in advance. If we put the cute TV commercials with Vikings singing about free credit scores aside, the importance of knowing your credit score is...

5 myths about buying a home

By Les Christie  @CNNMoney August 13, 2014 From housing bubble to foreclosure crisis to somewhere in between, the housing market has changed dramatically over the past decade — and so have many of the rules of homebuying. Myth #1: Buying a home is a great...

Good news for new homebuyers

courtesy of Catherine Reagor, The Republic Buyers shopping for a new house in metro Phoenix might find prices a little lower than a few months ago. Buyers shopping for a new house in metro Phoenix might find prices a little lower than a few months ago. The median...

New home permits soaring around Phoenix

courtesy of Kristena Hansen Reporter- Phoenix Business Journal The continued surge in existing home prices and a tight supply of properties on the market throughout metro Phoenix has been causing a ripple effect on the new home market, which saw a 65 percent...

How foreclosure backlogs could hurt home buyers

Courtesy of Amy Hoak, MarketWatch CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Backlogs in foreclosure processing are causing delays in home-price improvement and could wind up affecting the cost of a mortgage. The situation appears worst in New York, where it takes an average of nearly...

Gaylord execs make first Mesa visit in 4 years

Courtesy of By Garin Groff, Tribune, April 6, 2012 Executives with the Gaylord Entertainment Co. have visited Mesa for the first time since they laid out plans in 2008 to build a 1,200-room resort and conference center. Mayor Scott Smith said the city invited Gaylord...

Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting

Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting (Updated May 2010) Is it better to Buy or Rent? Whether renting is better than buying depends on many factors.  The information listed here will assist you in helping answer this question. Included are statistics and studies on...

New American Dream Is Renting to Get Rich

Courtesy of Lou Carlozo | Reuters – Thu, Feb 16, 2012 Editors Note: LRA Real Estate provides clients with successful property search results. CONTACT US TODAY to find your property! Rich Arzaga owns a luxury home in San Ramon, California, but he’s not betting on...

Kiss These 10 Once-Popular Home Features Goodbye

Courtesy of  Steve Kerch | MarketWatch – Fri, Feb 17, 2012 Editors Note: LRA Real Estate provides clients with successful property search results. CONTACT US TODAY to find your property! Times are tough in the home-building industry, meaning the 500,000 or so new...

How Well Do You Know the FHA?

In the aftermath of the economic collapse of September 2008, the FHA has risen to an unprecedented level of importance. How well do you know the FHA? Take this quiz to test your expertise! http://www.realtor.org/RMOQuiz2.nsf/fhaquiz?OpenForm Courtesy of Realtor® Mag...

Business Basics: Property Management Primer

Experts from the Institute of Real Estate Management share their knowledge to start you down the path of management professionalism. Core Skills Every Manager Needs Service, service, service. With building owners, excellent service means careful planning for property...

Pump Up the Bottom Line

With rents falling, tighter spending is the only way to grow a building’s NOI. By Mariwyn Evans | June 2010 Courtesy of Realtor® Mag Want to boost the value of your client’s building? Two words: Cut expenses.   “During economic upturns, owners forget...

17 Tips for Packing Like a Pro

Moving to a new home can be stressful, to say the least. Make it easy on yourself by planning far in advance and making sure you’ve covered all the bases. 1. Plan ahead by organizing and budgeting. Develop a master “to do” list so you won’t forget something critical...

Closing Documents You Should Keep

On closing day, expect to sign a lot of documents and walk away with a big stack of papers. Here’s a list of the most important documents you should file away for future reference. HUD-1 settlement statement. Itemizes all the costs — commissions, loan fees, points,...

Moving With Pets

Moving to a new home can be stressful on your pets, but there are many things you can do to make the process as painless as possible. Experts at The Pet Realty Network in Naples, Fla., offer these helpful tips for easing the transition and keeping pets safe during the...

Common Closing Costs for Buyers

You’ll likely be responsible for a variety of fees and expenses that you and the seller will have to pay at the time of closing. Your lender must provide a good-faith estimate of all settlement costs. The title company or other entity conducting the closing will tell...

What Not to Overlook on a Final Walk-through

It’s guaranteed to be hectic right before closing, but you should always make time for a final walk-through. Your goal is to make sure that your home is in the same condition you expected it would be. Ideally, the sellers already have moved out. This is your last...

5 Things to Know About Title Insurance

Title insurance protects the holder from any losses sustained from defects in the title. It’s required by most mortgage lenders. Here are five other things you should know about title insurance. 1. It protects your ownership right to your home, both from fraudulent...

Tips for Lowering Homeowner's Insurance Costs

1. Review the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report on the property you’re interested in buying. CLUE reports detail the property’s claims history for the most recent five years, which insurers may use to deny coverage. Make the sale contingent on a...

5 Things to Know About Homeowner's Insurance

1. Know about exclusions to coverage. For example, most insurance policies do not cover flood or earthquake damage as a standard item. These types of coverage must be bought separately. 2. Know about dollar limitations on claims. Even if you are covered for a risk,...

What's a Home Warranty?

A home warranty is a service contract, normally for one year, which helps protect home owners against the cost of unexpected covered repairs or replacement on their major systems and appliances that break down due to normal wear and tear. Coverage is for systems and...

It Can Pay to Snoop on Neighbors

By AMY HOAK Wall Street Journal, Marketwatch Going to the open house of a home for sale down the block may make you feel like a nosy neighbor. But there are good reasons, beyond sheer curiosity, to take a peek inside. By knowing the selling prices and how properties...

6 Arizona laws limit HOAs' power

by Edythe Jensen – May. 8, 2011 The Arizona Republic Arizona homeowners associations are losing a few more of their powers. They can no longer ban political and real-estate signs, flagpoles or parking on public streets, according to six bills signed into law by...

Real Estate Syndicates

California Department of Real Estate REAL ESTATE SYNDICATION Real estate syndication offers the opportunity to channel private savings into real estate investments for which other financing is not available. It has been a popular method of financing the purchase and...

Progress being made on PHX Sky Train station

First phase of airport’s train to begin operations in early 2013 by Emily Gersema – Apr. 29, 2011 The Arizona Republic Dozens of workers have erected 10,000 tons of steel and 11,000 yards of concrete over recent months to make the pedestrian walkway that...

Investors find housing niche

by Peter Corbett – Apr. 22, 2011 The Arizona Republic A Scottsdale real-estate investment company has carved out a small niche in the troubled housing market by putting investors together with homebuyers who cannot get traditional financing. For the past 18...

It Pays to Own a Multi-Family Home

Charles Passy Published April 7, 2011 SMARTMONEY MAGAZINE House prices are still tanking in many parts of the country, mortgage rates are inching up, and job growth is subpar. So what are some homebuyers doing? They’re buying even more home—as in two-, three-...

Why New Homes Don't Sell

A shift in consumer psychology has also hurt new home sales. Pre-recession, buyers expected high-end appliances and fancy countertops, and builders delivered. Now consumers are more enthusiastic about a home that’s easier and cheaper to maintain, says Vogel. For many buyers, that even includes smaller rooms – a rarity in homes built during the real estate boom – that are more affordable to heat or cool. More buyers are also looking to live in or near a city – where relatively fewer new homes exist – to be closer to their job and to spend less on gasoline costs.

Read more: Buyers Shun New Homes – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/buyers-shun-new-homes-1301521568482/#ixzz1JmlBjc31

Apartment Vacancies Decline, Rents Expected to Rise

By DAWN WOTAPKA Vacancy in apartment buildings fell to the lowest rate in more than two years in the first quarter, setting the stage for fewer choices and higher rent for tenants. With the economy adding jobs, and with more people choosing to rent instead of buy...

Beazer buying up Phoenix foreclosures

courtesy of the Phoenix Business Journal Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH) is buying up bank-owned or auctioned properties in Phoenix and converting them into rentals with the Beazer name. “We think this makes sense. It’s a way to put our corporate...

Empty houses taking toll on Valley

by Catherine Reagor – Apr. 3, 2011 The Arizona Republic With upkeep difficult, vacancies hurt neighbors, market On a typical block in metro Phoenix, there’s at least one empty home, often several. Overbuilding during the housing boom, record foreclosures...

Completed Foreclosures Nearly Halved In Q4

Courtesy of Mortgage Orb The number of foreclosures completed by the nation’s largest bank and thrift mortgage servicers fell by nearly 50% to 95,067 in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to a report released this week by the Office of the Comptroller of the...

Phoenix Sales Up, Thanks To Investors

Courtesy of Mortgage Orb A record-high portion of investor and all-cash purchases lifted Phoenix-area February home sales to a four-year high for that month, DataQuick Information Systems reports. At the same time, foreclosures rose sharply, increasing by 17.5% from...

Should You Pay Off the House?

by Lisa Gibbs, Money Magazine Saturday, February 26, 2011 via Yahoo Finance When there was easy money to be made in real estate and stocks, mortgage debt seemed like nothing to fear. Now an increasing number of homeowners are wondering if it makes sense to hasten the...

Will I Have to Sell Mom's House to Settle Debts?

By JUNE FLETCHER The Wall Street Journal FEBRUARY 18, 2011 Q. My mother died recently and I am her only heir. She didn’t have very much money—barely enough to pay for the funeral—but she did have a modest house that was paid up. Given the poor real estate...

Finding Funds to Redo the Bath

BY JUNE FLETCHER The Wall Street Journal FEBRUARY 25, 2011 Q. My house is more than 20 years old. I want to remodel my master bathroom and am wondering how I should pay for it. I figure it will cost about $30,000. With interest rates going up, what’s the best...

The Shrinking Second Home

By JULIET CHUNG Wall Street Journal Real-Estate Resorts Pitch Cabins, Cottages as ‘Affordable Housing for the Affluent’ Juliet Chung discusses developers of high-end vacation homes, which are building smaller, less expensive houses in resort communities as...

Five Signs That Say 'Buy' a house

Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal The national housing market still seems shaky, but what about your area? The following yardsticks can help you gauge whether your neighborhood is poised for a comeback. Jobs. Some parts of the country were less affected by the...

Home Sellers Need Inspections, Too

By AMY HOAK The Wall Street Journal A visit from the home inspector can be nerve-wracking for a seller, especially in a market like this — when the potential buyer isn’t afraid to demand that a long list of problems be addressed before the sale is...

Why 2011 May Be the End of the Housing Crash

By SIMON CONSTABLE Wall Street Journal There might finally be some good news this year about the nation’s dismal housing market. Or, at least, the bad news could stop. Either way, it will be welcome relief for current homeowners as well as for potential...

New hotel planned next to Banner in Gilbert

by Parker Leavitt – Feb. 11, 2011 The Arizona Republic In anticipation of a fall opening for the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, a Mesa-based developer plans to build an adjacent Marriott hotel to accommodate patients and families. A four-story,...

Short Sale vs. Keep the Property? You decide!

Short Sale vs. Keep the Property? You decide! February 5, 2011 Bryan Watkins You have probably read articles from time to time of a person owning an investment home, and trying to decide whether to keep it or short sale the property. Well, here is a real example. You...

Google drops real estate listings

Search giant cites low use, proliferation of search sites By Inman News Inman News™ January 26, 2011 Search giant Google will no longer support real estate listings uploaded to its classifed listings site on Google Maps, the company announced today. Consumers will no...