By Tony Youngs
The year 2011 has been the most interesting time of my 23 year real estate career. It has built the foundation for a highly successful and prosperous future for real estate investors everywhere. The opportunities are right under your nose. If you have no money or income and need to make some quick cash, you can find deals for other investors. If your retirement fund has diminished, now is a great time to build a portfolio of rental units for your retirement. If all of your rentals are over leveraged, it’s a great time to offset any negatives by acquiring properties at bargain prices and high positive cash flows. If you are looking for answers, we are the answer. The real estate investors of the world will solve the real estate crisis.
This past year, I have had the opportunity to train students on a 1 on 1 basis in nearly every state in our nation. I have seen the effects of the real estate crisis from the firing line. There is no market that was untouched. Some markets have fared better than others, but every area has been affected. What you here on the news is not always what I’m actually seeing in the real world. No matter what city I’m in, I talk to many people who are in foreclosure and offer to buy their homes, I visit, estimate repairs & write offers on an average of 20+ bank owned homes, I attend the foreclosure auctions in every town I visit, and I go into the records room to do title searches on all the properties I visit. The experience I have gained has given me great insight on how to proceed through 2011 and beyond.
The days of harvesting equity are long gone because there is none. We investors must create equity and the opportunity is ripe. A good way to determine the feasibility of a market is to attend a foreclosure auction at the county courthouse. If investors are bidding and buying, there is opportunity. If there are a lot of properties being cried out, but there are no investors wanting them, then you should be worried. I have yet to attend a foreclosure sale where there were no investors. At the sale, you will learn many things. There are many properties that the lenders open the bid at less than the loan balance. That assures you that lenders are willing to take losses rather than repossess more properties. You also learn how many houses go back to the banks in that market. Collect data on what percentage these investors are paying. Find out what areas they are buying in. If you have no money, start by finding deals for those investors in those areas.
Perhaps you or someone you know has a portfolio of rentals that declined in value or have a negative cash flow. Is there a possibility to sell the over leveraged properties to your tenants. Right now is the best time to pick up some more properties at bargain basement prices that produce huge cash flows. That will offset any negatives that you have. It should not be hard to get tenants as more and more people are forced to rent these days. Hone your property management skills by attending your local subgroups.
We continue to have record foreclosures and there are 7 ways to profit from one foreclosure. There are no excuses that can hinder you from the unique opportunity we have right now.
I have found there are three basic fears that are holding you back from these great opportunities. You are afraid to make offers because you’re afraid if you buy, you won’t be able to do anything with it. Or you are afraid you will buy a property with a major repair problem, major lien, or fraudulent paperwork. These are real fears today, make sure to attend my presentation on November 14th in or 15th in Tucson and I will eliminate those fears and give you a concrete plan to prosper.