You have a contract to sell your home and now the appraiser is coming. The appraisal needs to come in at a good price in order for your buyer to get his loan. What should you do?

Step 2: The Appraiser Says

Appraisers typically tell people not to do anything special before they come. They tell the owner they see lots of houses and they can look past a little clutter and dust. “Don’t be nervous,” they counsel. Appraisers are sincere people. I’m sure they mean what they say.

Step 3: I Say

On the other hand, appraisers are human. They respond to cleanliness and order and to good maintenance the same way buyers do. If you’ve let your hair down, get your home back into “show” condition before the appraiser comes.

Everything you know about a tidy approach to your home, well mulched flower beds, door knobs that are attached firmly and work smoothly, lack of finger prints, lack of clutter, and all the rest applies. Take a look at a “Uniform Residential Appraisal Report” form if you doubt me. The age of the home and the “effective age” are asked for under the “General Description.” Don’t you think how well your home appears to be cared for affects the number that appears under “effective age?”

The Uniform Appraisal Report requires information about materials (and their condition) used for floors, walls, trim and finishing elements, bathroom floors and wainscots, and for interior doors. Appraisers train themselves to notice these details. If yours are dusted, polished, and free of scratches and fingerprints, don’t you think you might be giving your appraisal a nudge in the right direction?

The Report also asks about kitchen equipment (refrigerator, range and oven, disposal, dishwasher, fan and hood, microwave, and washer and dryer). Do you think it’d be a good idea to have them clean and purring?

The Report asks about amenities such as fireplaces, patios, decks, porches, fences, pools, and sheds. If an appraiser is going to take special note of such things, shouldn’t they be swept, cleaned, and have paint in good condition? Also, clean out the gutters if they need it. If it should be raining on the day your appraisal is done, you want your house to handle the rain water well.

Let me share the “comments” section of an appraisal which got the owners what they wanted. I think it’ll give you a good feel for what you need to do. “The subject is well maintained and no physical, functional or external inadequacies were noted. Marketability is enhanced by hardwood flooring throughout a majority of the home, an updated kitchen, fresh interior and exterior paint, transom windows, built-ins, a front porch, a rear patio, a large storage shed, 4 fireplaces, etc.”

The appraiser is a human being. Make sure you do everything you can to appeal to them and you’ll get a good appraisal.

It’s startling to learn that of all those thousands of eager folks who attend these seminars only about 5% buy even one investment house. Why? The real estate gurus sell the “sizzle” and make profiting from real estate sound easy. The truth is that it’s simple, but not easy.

Here’s a quick plan that will enable anyone to begin building financial independence.

There are basically four steps to investing in single family homes:

Step 1. Buy homes below full market value. Yes, people really do sell homes for less than the home’s full value. The key is to understand that most home owners will only consider a purchase offer that is all cash and within 5% to 10% of their asking price.

The successful investor learns to find financially distressed home owners who have no choice but to sell for less than market value. They have lost their job or been suddenly transferred; they are divorcing; they been living beyond their income; the family has been overwhelmed with medical bills and, not uncommonly these days, their money has gone to support a drug habit.

Those are examples of motivated sellers. They have to sell and they will accept something other than a conventional, all cash offer.

Step 2. How do you find motivated sellers? You work at it! Like any business it is important to develop a little marketing plan. One that is simple, yet very effective, is the one that was proven 75 years ago by the Fuller Brush company; door to door sales.

You are selling your skill as a home buyer to people who must sell. Your are there when they need you and you have the skill to help them solve at least part of their problem. With door to door prospecting you will learn more and buy more homes quicker than any other method. However, most people just won’t walk door to door for three or four hours per week. OK, there are other ways.

You can watch public notices for the announcement of foreclosure sales. Meeting with a home owner right after they’ve received a notice that they are about to lose their home allows you to deal with a very motivated seller. Other public notices that provide buying opportunities include probate, divorce and bankruptcy. You can follow the Homes For Sale listings in your local newspaper or Internet site.

You can telephone the names found in these notices or, and this is the least time consuming, send a postcard expressing your interest in buying their property. It will produce buying opportunities, just not as many as personal contact.

Step 3. After you’ve found a motivated seller you must understand how to frame offers that provide benefits for both you and for the home owner. A good real estate investor quickly learns that this is not a business of stealing property, but of solving problems in a way that benefits the seller.

The home owner is in a tight spot of some kind and you can save them from public embarrassment and, in most cases, give them at least a little cash to get a new start.

No investor can afford to leave cash in every deal. No one but Bill Gates has that much available money. You must use creative techniques like, leases, option and taking over mortgage payments. Little or no cash is needed for those deals. You can find plenty of reasonable priced educational material on those subjects in book stores or on EBay. The same education that seminars sell for thousands of dollars.

Step 4. You make your profit when you buy! Never make a purchase until you’ve carefully determined exactly how you will get to your profit. If you hold it as a long term investment will the monthly rental income more than cover the monthly mortgage payment? Will you sell the deal to another investor for fast cash? Will you do some fix-up and sell the property for full value? Will you quickly trade it for a more desirable property? Have a plan before you buy.

There you have four steps that even a part-time investor can execute in three to four hours per week. What’s the missing ingredient? Your determination and perseverance. If you will unfailingly follow the plan for a few months you will be well on your way to financial independence.

Step 1. Determine your rights

When you are ready to buy your own house, be sure you understand your rights as a homebuyer. Knowing the process of buying a house prevents you from getting scammed. You can personally do your home work or seek for a knowledgeable person like a real estate agent or a broker. Make sure that the agent you hire is licensed and have a wide knowledge regarding the area.

Step 2. Make sure you can afford it

Your budget is really a big deal in buying your own house. What you want is different from what you need, so be practical. You don’t really need a big house if you’re just one person that travels everyday, right? Make sure that you make the best for your money. Seek help or ask for suggestions especially for those who have knowledge in real estate prices. If you can’t stay for at least a year, buying a house is inappropriate for you. You may save a whole lot more of money if you sell it urgently.

Step 3. Make sure it fits your lifestyle

Make your house a home. Be sure it really fits your way of life and you are comfortable with it. A good example of this is if you’re working in an office, a good place to find is near or in the vicinity of your office. If you love nature, a good place to find is outside the city with clean air, near parks, has a mountain view or near at the beach. Your personality really matters in finding a good house. Make sure to look at its suburbs first and try to gather some information about the area and its surroundings. Try also to consider the kind of neighbors you will have.

Step 4. Consider your future plan

If you’re newly married, you might to consider how many kids you want to have. You can assume the number of rooms or the home space you need. If you can afford a house that is near to a good school, it is better. School districts are more important to home buyers, therefore, it will increase your property values.

Step 5. Be organized

It is very important to make your document files organized and safe. Because it will prove that you own the house. It will help you a lot especially when it comes in paying your house payments (taxes and amortization).

Step 1. Excellent Customer Service

Your guests will remember you by the service they receive during their stay at your villa rental, apartment or vacation rental. The property rental service you choose should offer excellent customer service and be able to provide testimonials from satisfied property owners. Your guests should arrive to a clean villa, home or apartment.

If renting for a vacation, golf holiday or some other Spain holiday, each guest should receive a welcome packet including directions to the rental property as well as helpful information about the surrounding area. If you have an apartment for rent, tenants should be treated well. Rental payment collection, service maintenance and assistance with local utility and phone set-ups should be provided with friendliness and thoroughness.

Step 2. Cleaning Management

A property rental service should provide reliable cleaning management. You might live too far away to handle cleaning or manage a maid service. If you live in England or the U.S., but your vacation rental or apartment for rent is located in Fuengirola, Mijas, Puerto Banus, or Elviria of Spain, then you’ll need a property rental service that will handle cleaning with care. For holiday rentals and villa rentals, cleaning must be provided between each guests’ stay and sometimes during the week of a stay as well. For vacation homes and villas, the lawn must be maintained as well. Be sure this is included with your service.

Step 3. Key Holding, Inventory, and Detailed Necessities

You may not be able to handle local errands for your vacation rental or apartment for rent. Therefore, the property rental service should be entrusted with these tasks. Some necessities to keep the rental property operating legally include key holding, insurance, property tax and levies, building permits or licensing, bank account management, phone and utility set up and billing, etc.

Another area of importance is inventory. The furniture and other valuables in your apartment or villa rental must be kept on an inventory list and checked physically each time a guest departs. If you live in another country but own rental property in an area of Spain such as Costa del Sol, Marbella, Benalmadena or any other area, then obviously you’re going to need someone locally who can check your inventory for you. Choose a property rental service that provides these types of services to eliminate worries while you’re away.

Step 4. Building Refurbishing and Major Repairs

Another feature to look for in a property rental service is whether or not they provide building refurbishing services and major repairs. The benefit of this is the provider will already have contacts to do the jobs needed. You won’t have to spend endless hours trying to find a dependable contractor or handyman.

Step 5. Promoting Your Apartment or Spain Holiday Rental

Check to be sure the property rental service will promote your apartment for rent or Spain holiday rental. Promotions will increase your number of rentals and profits each year. A property rental service may handle your advertising in local, national and international venues. If they have a website, they may promote your holiday rentals at the site. If you own a vacation rental near golf courses, then make sure they will advertise your rental from the angle of “golf holidays.”

Keep these features in mind during your search for a property rental service. By choosing a service with great features, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your holiday rental or apartment for rent is in good hands!

Of course, perhaps the most important positive factor about selecting a discount retailer in the brick and mortar world to make the purchase of home appliances is the price. Generally speaking, the prices associated with appliances at these types of stores are lower than at other shopping venues — both in cyberspace and in the brick and mortar world.

Another of the benefits to be found with shopping at discount retail stores is convenience. In many communities around the world, discount retail stores generally are conveniently located. Thus, for many people, a person need only drive around the neighborhood to find a discount retail store that trades in home appliances.

Many of the discount retail stores in operation around the worlds usually are pretty large operations. In other words, because of their size, these stores generally maintain very good selections of merchandise — including home appliances. As a result, if you are interested in having a variety of different brands to choose from when it comes to making the purchase of home appliances, discount retail stores in the brick and mortar world can be good shopping resources for you.

One of the drawbacks to shopping at discount retail stores in the brick and mortar world is the general reality that clerks in such stores usually are not deeply versed in the products that are being marketed through these stores. While they might have general information about different home appliances, these store clerks more than likely do not have in depth information about the ins and outs of different home appliances being sold in the stores in which they are employed.

Overall, and when all is said and done, shopping at discount retail stores in your search for home appliances is a good, solid choice. These retailers offer you convenience, good price and a decent selection of products.

Step 1: An Overview of the Escrow Account

A real estate transaction is a high dollar transaction. In fact, you will probably never make a bigger one in your life regardless of whether you are buying or selling. Given the high stakes and the fact that feelings can sometimes get ruffled on each side of the fence, the escrow account was created.

An escrow account is really a part of a larger beast known as escrow. To keep the real estate transaction running smoothly and organized, escrow is undertaken. A third party, known as the escrow agent, is retained to collect documents, money and such. Since people can be tense during transactions involving large sums of money, it is important to have a party involved that is not emotionally attached.

The escrow account is an industry term that can mean a few different things. In its strictest sense, the account is a trust account opened to hold monies deposited by the parties for appraisals, inspections and remedial work. It is also used to hold the money provided by the buyer for the purchase. This is true regardless of whether the money is submitted directly from the buyer or a mortgage lender.

In a larger sense, an escrow account refers to the total services provided by the escrow account. In addition to finances, the escrow agent will collect contracts, documentation set out in the purchase agreement and so on. In some sense, this makes the escrow agent the referee for the real estate transaction. That being said, an escrow agent does not call penalties, to wit, they will never determine that one party or the other is in the wrong. They will simply facilitate the requirements of the contract. If one party fails to comply with those requirements, the escrow will not close and lawyers typically get involved.

Escrow is standard operating procedure for nearly all real estate transactions. In the end, it is an effective way to get the transaction closed.

Here is a typical rental scenario:

Mortgage payment going out: $1,100 per month. Rent coming in: $1,200 per month. This gives you $100 a month in positive cash flow. Or does it? On paper it looks good, but if you analyze the big picture and take into account your entire cost to own that rental property, you are losing money in a big way. Let’s analyze those costs over a year:

Holding costs. Let’s say it takes three months to find a tenant for your property – $3,300
Spend marketing dollars to attract a tenant: $500.
Termite treatment: $150.
Landlord’s Insurance: $350.
Cleaning the property after the last tenant moved out: $350.
The water heater went out in February and you had to replace it: $400. Total mortgage payments for the year: $13,200. Other costs: $1,750. Total cost of ownership: $14,950

Rental income of 9 months: $10,800. Net loss for the year: $4,150. Now the picture looks very different. Even after your tax deduction of mortgage interest and depreciation, you still lost money.

How do you fix the problem?

The simplest answer of course is to buy right. This could mean putting down 20% so that your mortgage is much lower than the market rent, or it could mean that you need to buy your rental properties at steep discounts. Putting down 20% every time you buy a rental property will obviously limit how many properties you can buy, so the simplest answer here is the second option of paying less for the property.

The 4 Biggest Reasons For Negative Cash Flow Investment Properties

1. You paid too much for the property. If your mortgage is not significantly less than the rent coming in, (and I mean several hundred dollars a month less), then you paid too much for the property.
2. You overestimated the rents you can get for your area.
3. The price you paid for the property was too high
4. You should have paid less for the property

If your problem is that you paid too much for the property, then the rents in your area of course will not be high enough, and if you overestimated the rents on top of paying too much, you better have deep pockets or you are going to face foreclosure. Short of selling the property immediately, you can:

Increase Your Rental Income Without Increasing Your Rents

I am going to give you a financing strategy here that can let you cash flow hundreds of dollars per month. But. Like everything else that sounds too good to be true, it has a downside. There is a relatively new mortgage product on the market (Been around for about 6 years), called an Option ARM. It gives you 4 different ways you can pay it every month:

Pick a payment similar to a 15 year mortgage (build equity fast)
Pick a payment similar to a 30 year mortgage (build equity slow)
Pick a interest only payment (build no equity) OR
Pick the minimum payment (accrue negative equity)

The minimum payment in option 4 can be as low as 1.5% (calculated like a fully amortized 30 year fixed payment). If you choose to pay the minimum payment, your payment in the scenario of this discussion will be $520 per month instead of $1,100 per month (I’m assuming that taxes and insurance are escrowed). Now if your rent is $1,200 per month, you have a positive cash flow of $680 a month on the same property with the same tenant and you never increased the rent. Well, that feels a little better doesn’t it?

That may feel good, but here is the gotcha: Your minimum payment is less than your interest only payment. Since banks are not in the business of losing money, they will still calculate the full interest only payment for that month, they will just be happy to accept your minimum payment. So happy in fact, that they will take the difference between your minimum payment and the interest only payment, and add it to the outstanding loan balance. So now you owe them more than last month. Ouch.

But wait, that may not be so bad. Why?

You can still pay it like a 30 year or 15 year mortgage and only use the minimum payment when you have a vacancy. It will reduce the pain in your wallet when you have to spend money for marketing in addition to making the payment on that vacant property.

This is an okay reason for getting an option ARM. But not a great reason. Why? Because the rate (not the minimum payment which is fixed for a year), will typically adjust monthly based on the index it is tied to. If rates are trending down, this mortgage is unbelievable. Every month you have to pay less since the interest only payment is going down, and you have the choice of the minimum payment in addition to that. If rates are trending up, then every month your interest only payment will be going up (while your minimum payment is fixed for a year). When this happens, this is no fun. By the way, as of May 2006 the market is trending up.

Since this mortgage can make me cash flow very well every month, but also has a downside, in which particular situation should I use it?

Great question. This is the question you should ask on every mortgage you ever get on an investment property. I would recommend this loan very strongly under the following scenario: Your goal is to sell the property in the next two years or less, and you will owe no more than 80% of the appraised value of the property on this loan (90% is okay if you are going to sell in one year or less). This is the perfect fit for this loan program. Here is why:

You can make the minimum payment every month and enjoy the maximum cash flow right now. You will incur negative equity, but since your loan to value is fairly low, it will not make much of a difference over a one or two year period. You will have roughly $460 per month of negative equity for a total of $5,520 after one year, or $11,040 in two years (Not totally accurate, as your minimum payment will go up by 7.5% of the PAYMENT, not interest rate, once a year. But close enough for our illustration here.)

That may sound high, but here is the hidden benefit: that negative equity is deferred interest. When you sell the property after one or two years, you can take that accumulated deferred interest as a tax write off in the year that you sell the property (check with your CPA on this since I am not a tax expert and I do not give tax advice). Since you can time this sale to a certain degree, you can use this deferred interest deduction to reduce your total tax bill should you have a windfall profit on another transaction in the same year. In other words, use the deferred interest deduction to offset the gain in another area.

Remember also that you always have the choice of making the full interest only payment – you don’t have to incur the negative equity if you do not want to. The beauty of this mortgage is that it gives you options. Cash flow when you need it most, but still reducing your balance if you want to.

The absolutely perfect fit is if you have a high equity situation and are selling on a lease purchase. That way you can enjoy the positive cash flow now, and still get a good profit on the sale. Many investors don’t make money on a lease purchase during the lease period. They only make money when the sale happens.

In the time between you still have to put gas in your tank and provide for the family though, and you need cash to do that. Let’s see how the math works:

You bought a rehab with hard money, fixed it up, and refinanced into an Option ARM. You choose to sell on lease purchase so that the sale will take place at least a year since when you bought the property, so that you will reduce your capital gains tax by half, and so the property will season for mortgage purposes. Since you have to feed your family in the meantime, you get $680 cash a month in your pocket while you wait for the big paycheck.

Now multiply this by 5 properties using the above scenario. Five times $680 is $3,400 a month of positive cash flow. Can you do with a little extra cash while you wait on the big paycheck when you sell?

Copyright 2006 John Visser

Below are 9 tips that will help guide you through the process of selecting the best man, or woman, for the job.

Step 1) Before hiring a contractor, find out how long they have been in business. It’s best to look for an established company and make sure to check out their reputation with the local Better Business Bureau for any outstanding or unresolved complaints.

Step 2) Always make sure that a contractor is licensed to work in the state in which the work is to be done. The best way to find out about your state’s licensing procedure is to contact your local building department and/or consumer protection agency. If your state requires that a contractor be licensed, always ask to see a contractor’s license prior to hiring him/her for the job.

Step 3) When considering potential contractors, ask for a list of recently completed projects that are similar to the one you are in need of help with. Hiring a contractor that is experienced in projects similar to yours will help to ensure that all goes smoothly and that the job will be done correctly.

Step 4) Be sure to ask your contractor, prior to the commencement of work, whether or not the job will require any type of permit. All permits must be obtained before the actual work begins, when required, or the homeowner may face a fine. It is best to discuss who will be responsible for obtaining permits, either you or the contractor, in the beginning.

Step 5) Always ask for the name of the individual who will be in charge of the project, often called a supervisor, and the names of those who will be working on the construction crew.

Step 6) Once you are familiar with the supervisor, ask him/her about their crew. You will need to know whether or not they are trustworthy and make the decision as to whether you want them working on/in your home. Will they need keys? If so, you need to know that they are honest and can be trusted near your family and/or children.

Step 7) Every professional contractor should carry a certain amount of insurance coverage, including personal liability, property damage and worker’s compensation. You will need to request copies of all insurance certificates and confirm that they are current before work begins. Do not do business with a contractor who cannot provide this documentation as this may result in your being held liable for any injuries and/or damages that occur during the project.

Step Always check with the contractor’s references before deciding to hire him/her for your project. This is important for all of the obvious reasons and will give you an idea as to their work ethics and end results.

Step 9) When you and your contractor come to an agreement on payment terms, get everything in writing and have the agreement signed and notarized. All parties involved should have a copy of the agreement for future reference.

The first thing to be sure to do, is be open and honest about what’s going on. Don’t try to hide from your lender, or ignore them. This will just give them reason to believe that you aren’t going to pay them back. You need to contact them and be open and honest about your financial situation.

Lenders do not want to foreclose. It is only a last resort for when they feel that you will not be able to pay them any other way. There are a few things you can do to stop foreclosure.

Step 1) Reinstatement – This is when you negotiate to reinstate your behind payments by promising to repay later a lump sum to get back on track with your regular payment plan.

Step 2) Forbearance – This is when you are allowed to hold off on payments for awhile with a plan for later getting back on track with your payments.

Step 3) Modification of the Mortgage – This is when the mortgage is re-negotiated for a new workable payment plan financed over a longer period of time and often smaller regular payments.

Step 4) Selling your Home – This means losing your home, but it can certainly mean getting more money for your home than if you had a foreclosure. You would be given a time period to sell your home in order to pay off the rest of your loan to get out of debt.

Step 5) Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure – This is when the lender and you agree that you will give up your home, and they will forgive the debt. This does not look good on your credit history, nor does it allow you to keep your home, but it is still much better than a foreclosure.

All of these foreclosure stopping methods depend on what your financial situation is in the present, what potential it has for the future, and whether you can negotiate a workable plan with your lender. It’s best to get all your financial documents in order, so that you can present your best possible case to your lender. If they see that there is good potential for you to pay them back, then they will certainly be willing to negotiate with you. You may end up paying higher interest rates over a longer period of repayment, but it’s certainly worth it if you can keep your home.

If you need help in the negotiation process, or getting your financial records in order to plead your case, there are many financial advisors that specialize in helping to stop foreclosures. Financial advisors can be your savior if you don’t know where to start when it comes to negotiations. If you are going to seek an advisor for help, be sure that they are working on results. That means don’t pay them any fees up front. Foreclosure advisors that know what they’re doing, will only take payment if they do the job for you successfully.

Step 2: One of the most likely places for mold to form is anywhere that moisture is improperly vented. Another area of concern is if a home has ever flooded and was not completely or properly cleaned and dried after. Leaky plumbing and basement crawlspaces are other likely candidates. Mold can be a difficult thing to completely get rid of as the only thing it needs to continue growth is an organic material such as wood, and moisture. Both of these items are usually abundant in any home. The most likely was that moisture finds its way into the home is through faulty or leaky roofs and foundations. Both of these areas should be checked over by an experienced mold inspector on a fairly regular basis if there is any worry of mold beginning to grow, or if these has been mold in the past. Mold can be an expensive problem to deal with so be pro-active about looking for it, it can save you money in the long run.