Friday

Top 7 FREE Real Estate iPhone Apps – Download them for Free!


You have to take a look at the following list of the top 7 free real estate-related iPhone apps to help take your real estate game to the next level.


Now more than ever homeowners, agents, and investors are doing more business remote, this list of apps will help you navigate the real estate market and take your super charge your real estate business. Try them out and let us know what you think?



1) Real Estate Resource Directory - This is a great app that provides real estate agents and investors resources like comparable sales data, easy to use calculators, property valuation functions, demographics for a particular area, and a nice list of contractors and real estate related professionals.



2) Realtor.com: With this app you can search homes that are for-sale in given areas, view property details, store searches and listings, find open house information, send listings to friends and family, and save ratings and notes.



3) Real Estate Hunter: Real Estate Hunter lets you store and maintain all of your search information of for-sale or for-rent listings by inputting the property information such as what type of property, prices, property address, square footage, property tax information and other fees. It also allows users to automatically calculate mortgage and monthly costs. You can compare asking and offer prices for various properties and add your own photos and contacts. Within the application, the user can rate each property; save additional information in custom fields; and e-mail a CSV file of your data to open in Excel and other programs. The free version lets you store information for up to three properties; you can add additional properties for a small fee.



4) Google Maps: This is one of my favorite apps because it is so easy to use and has a solid list of features. With Google Maps you can search Driving directions, Transit and walking directions, Biking directions, Latitude, Layers, Street View, Satellite view, Real Time Traffic Reporting, Location Business listings, and Business reviews.



5) Zillow Real Estate: With Zillow’s app you can find property valuations by address, filter properties by monthly payment, price, number of bed and baths, publish listings by email, Facebook or Twitter. You can receive updates when properties pop up that match your criteria.



6) Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Home Selection Assistant: This one is a lot of fun, you can track and organize photos by location; see comparable home values, local school information, area demographics and amenities; store photo albums of favorite properties and different rooms; easily share photos on Facebook or through e-mail; and access the vault of read real estate-related articles directly through bhgrealestate.com.



7) AgentFirst Real Estate: This is a top notch tool while out in the field. With this app you can Search First American Title's property information database, find parcel/tract information and property sale data. You can directly order tax information, recorded documents, sales comparables and property profiles. To use this app you have to first have an active AgentFirst account.



Bonus Tip: Another great tip for Real Estate Agents and Investors who have an iPhone or iPod is TubeTilla. With Tubetilla it is easy to store and watch videos of properties you are working on your iPhone or iPod. Being able to store and play videos with your phone can be an incredibly powerful sales tool because anywhere you meet prospects, agents, and clients you can show them videos of all your properties without even having an internet connection. As they say a picture is worth a thousand word and a video is priceless! You can store and watch YouTube videos right on on your iPhone, iPod or Zune!






To your success,


Preston Matix

Real Estate Investor





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San Diego Based Real Estate Blog

Thursday

Tips on loans and financing for Mobile and Manufactured Homes

What are mobile home loans?

Mobile homes are actually manufactured homes which are normally found in campsites or mobile home parks. They are transported by tractor-trailers over public roads to sites. Sometimes they are used as temporary accommodation on campsites. These houses can be placed in one location permanently as well as can be moved to other areas. If you want to buy this kind of homes, then you can take the help of mobile home loans from FHA (Federal Housing Administration) approved lenders. FHA approved lenders generally give loans from their own funds to eligible borrowers to finance the purchase of mobile home. FHA insures the lender against loss if the borrower can't make the payments.

Objective of the loan
The mobile home loan is used to purchase a manufactured home, a lot on which a manufactured home is to be placed.

How to qualify for mobile home loans?
The eligibility criteria for the mobile home loans are as follows:
• Borrower should have sufficient income to make the minimum required down payment.
• Borrower must be able to prove that they can make the payments on the loan and cover their other expenses.
• Borrower primarily intends to occupy the manufactured home as his principal residence.
• Borrower must have a suitable site to place the manufactured home. It can be a rental site in Manufactured Home Park or can be a home site. The site should have adequate water supply and garbage disposal facilities.
• The borrower should have an average credit score.

Loan term
The maximum term for a manufactured home or a single-section manufactured home is twenty years. However, for a multi-section manufactured home and lot, the term is for 25 years. For a manufactured home and lot, the term is for 15 years.

How can you find the dealer who gives mobile home loans?
You can get the contact details of the lenders in your area who give mobile home loans from the local retailers. Contact us if you need help of have any questions.

However, it should be noted that one of the basic criteria for getting mobile home loans is that manufactured homes must be according to the Model manufactured home installation standards.


Investing
Mobile home parks can be a great investment for the short and long term. If your interested in comercial real estate, especially mobile home parks, I recommend you take a look at this system, they give you everything you need to succeed. Click Here to find out how to make money with mobile homes!








Guest Post by:
Sabrina Gomez
http://www.mortgagefit.com/mobile-homeloan.html


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Real Estate Purchase
Real Estate Mobile homes
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San Diego Based Real Estate Blog

Friday

How to Make BIG profits Investing in Tax Liens


How you can Easily Make BIG profits with Tax Liens, One of the HOTEST investing strategies in today’s Real Estate Market...
As we all know, there are several big money investing strategies when it comes to Real Estate.
With rising interest rates and economic hardship, one of the strategies Investors are using to make big money in this market is Tax Lien Certificates. How it works.... if a homeowner falls behind on their property tax payments, which is currently happening all over the country, you have the opportunity to come in and pay off the back taxes (generally for not a lot of money) and make a great return on your money, and if the homeowner is unable to repay, you can acquire the property for pennies on the dollar!
Tax Liens and Tax Liens Certificates
Shockingly, there are certain individuals that do not like to pay their real estate property taxes. (hard to believe, right?).
The non-payment of taxes creates a serious cashflow problem for local governments because they count on the money from property taxes to supply vital services like police, schools, and new roads to their local communities. So when people don’t pay, it puts them in a bind.
Tax Liens solve this problem, by creating a win-win situation. By issuing a tax lien certificate, the agency needing the money from property taxes gets paid right away when you invest in a tax lien. In exchange for paying the taxes you will receive the government’s lien for taxes. Basically, you get the governments claim on the property for the delinquent taxes.
The Government wins because they get money now and can pay their bills, and you as the Investor win because you’re in possession of a certificate that entitles you to certain benefits…
Benefits of Tax Lien Certificates
Why would an investor want to invest in tax liens? Because when you buy a Tax Lien certificate you get some incredible benefits:
1) First, you get paid fantastic interest on your money. Not only is the taxpayer obligated to repay you in full, but on top of that they have to pay you interest on your money. This can be a great source of cash flow because depending on state laws and competition, tax sale investors can make returns anywhere from 15-45%! That’s a GREAT return on your money!!
2) On top of making great cashflow, if the property owner can not repay the money, you have the right to acquire the property for Pennies on the dollar! Since tax lien certificates are secured by real estate, if you as the investor do not get all your money back plus interest and/or penalties you (as a lien holder) have the right to acquire the property. Generally the foreclosure of a real estate tax lien will extinguish all junior liens including mortgages. Thus providing you with free and clear ownership of the property for pennies on the dollar!
This is why so many investors are making a killing in tax lien certificates. They've either got a chance to earn a high rate of interest on their investment (15-45%) or they've got an opportunity to buy a home at a fraction of its market value.
Finding Tax Liens to Invest in
If you're interested in finding tax lien information, here are a few links to do state-wide searches of county or federal tax liens and where you can access online tax lien information - both federal and county - for that state:
California: http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/ucc/
Hawaii: https://boc.ehawaii.gov/docsearch/nameSearch.html;jsessionid=3F5A44F36C8F7E0E7835BFA0A76759EE.kolea
Florida: http://www.sunbiz.org/lienlis.html
To learn how to make serious money investing in Tax Liens, I highly recommend the following course: Make Easy Money in Tax Leins - Click Here!

Sincerely,



Oliver Graf
Real Estate Expert

Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/OliverGraf360







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Real Estate Purchase

Real Estate Tax Liens
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Wednesday

How is my credit affected: Short Sale vs Foreclosure


Credit Impact: Foreclosure vs Short Sale



How is my credit affected: Short Sale vs Foreclosure

In today's market, many homeowners are faced with the decision to try a short sale or just let the property go to foreclosure. Below are some points to think about / share with your clients.
If you have questions on whether missing mortgage payments and selling your property for less than the full amount you owe on it(short sale) will hurt your credit score, the answer is yes. HOWEVER, the credit damage done by a short sale is significantly better than a Foreclosure or Deed in Lieu, the short sale does not show up as long nor is the impact as severe as a property foreclosure.
Take a look at some of the most common questions….


1) When will I be able to purchase another house? (Primary Residence)

Foreclosure: Homeowner is eligible for re-purchasing a primary residence in 5 years

Short Sale: Homeowner is eligible for re-purchasing in 2 years


2) When will I be able to purchase another property? (Investment Property)

Foreclosure: Homeowner is eligible to purchase an investment property after 7 years

Short Sale: Homeowner is eligible to purchase an investment property after 2 years


3) Future loan disclosure: Will I have to disclose what happened with my house?

Foreclosure: On any future 1003(mortgage) loan applications when they ask, “have you ever had a property foreclosed upon…” you will have to mark YES, affecting what programs will be available to you and interest rate that you would qualify for.

Short Sale: There is no similar disclosure required for a short sale


4) How will my Credit Score be affected?

Foreclosure: The credit impact of a foreclosure is MAJOR and can reduce your credit score anywhere from 250-300 points.

Short Sale: Only late/missed payments on the mortgage will show up as derogatory items on the credit report. After the sale is completed the mortgage will be reported as paid or settled. Short Sales can affect your score differently depending on how many payments are missed, sometimes as little as 50 points. A short sale will have an affect on your score for approximately 18-24 months.


5) How will my Credit History be affected?

Foreclosure: A foreclosure will remain as public record on a homeowner’s credit history for 10 years, sometimes even longer.

Short Sale: Short sales are currently NOT reported in the credit history of a credit report. The loan is generally reported as “paid off, settled”




For all the information on Fannie Mae's guidelines, go to...https://www.efanniemae.com/sf/guides/ssg/annltrs/pdf/2008/0816.pdf


If you would like Free information on Short Sales, please contact me anytime.

What are you noticing in today's short sale / foreclosure market?


To your success,

Oliver Graf

Real Estate Expert
Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/OliverGraf360



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Real Estate Purchase
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San Diego Based Real Estate Blog

5 Reasons to Avoid Foreclosure at all costs! - How bad is a Foreclosure?



5 Reasons to Avoid Foreclosure at all costs!

1) Unlike most negative credit items, having a foreclosure on your credit report is virtually impossible to “repair”

2) A homeowner will always have to disclose that they went through foreclosure on all future mortgage loan applications affecting future financing rates and program availability.

3) Major decrease on your credit report affecting a persons ability to get to get a car, personal loans, or credit cards.

4) When filling out rental applications you must disclose that you have went through foreclosure, greatly reducing the number of apartments available for rent.

5) Many Employers run credit checks when applying for a job, foreclosure is one of the main items putting potential new hires in jeopardy of not getting a job.


To your success,

Preston Matix

Real Estate Investor




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Real Estate Purchase
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San Diego Based Real Estate Blog