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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Buying Rental Property
2008-02-29 23:30:00
No doubt about it, now is the time to make preparations to invest in real estate, especially rental properties. With the mortgage market plummeting and buyers going into foreclosure, there has been a shift in demand. More people are going to be looking to rent, and more houses are going to be coming up for ...
More About: Buying , Rental , Property

New Texas Real Estate License Requirements
2008-02-29 00:35:00
I am irate at the governing bodies as to how licensed individuals are being treated. We are being treated like criminals. Not only does a new licensee have to get 60 hours of SAE training before being allowed to renew their license after the first year, but I just recently found out that I have ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Texas , Real , License

Wisdom for Those Eager to Get Out of Debt
2008-02-27 18:29:00
I was looking around online today, and found a great article on debt. This article will help you to re-align your thinking so that you can escape the snare of debt. What you have to realize is that getting out of debt is not only hard work, but it also takes a change in your ...
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Reduce Cooling Costs
2008-02-26 20:13:00
If you want to learn some things you can do to reduce cooling costs, you have found the right page. I am going to show you several things you can do to get those electric bills down. But first, you need to understand why you have a high electric bill. Many people think that if ...
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5 Tips to Boost Your Personal Finances
2008-02-25 19:18:00
There are only two ways to increase your net finances, saving money and making money. I want to give you a few simple tips on both fronts. Now, you may have to adapt your thinking some, as getting ahead means that you have to do things differently than the people around you. You have to ...
More About: Personal , Finances , Tips , Boost

Property Management: Working with Subcontractors
2008-02-23 00:21:00
If you operate a property management company and/or invest in real estate like I do, you need to be able to work with contractors and subcontractors to get the best deals possible. However, more than just finding the cheapest price, you need to be able to trust the people doing the work for you. This ...
More About: Management , Property , Working

Career Advice - Interviewing Part 2
2008-02-22 00:41:00
If you read my last post on Career Advice - Interviewing, than hopefully you have gotten some good tips to mastering the entry level interview. Today I am going to be going into some interviewing tips when you have experience, and are looking to up your dollars. Now, this information assumes that you already have ...
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Career Advice - Interviewing
2008-02-20 18:33:00
Everyone wants to find that dream job. We get so discouraged when we look, and look, and look for an opening, only to be turned after the interview. Well I have had successful interviews in my job days, and ultimately I know what employers are really looking for. This is going to be a two ...
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A Home Refinancing Tip You May Not Know
2008-02-20 00:03:00
I am going to make this short and sweet today, but I was in talking with a bank Vice President today, and he told me about a way to get a better rate on your house without refinancing the traditional way. Now as a seasoned investor and now real estate agent, you would think I would already know about this, but I didn’t! And since I didn’t know about this, I figured my readers may not know about it either, are you ready for this?! Negotiate with Your Current Mortgage Home Lender! What, you ask? I thought that I had signed a 30 year note and the interest rate was set in stone. That is exactly what I thought too. That is why I go to great lengths to ensure that I get the very best rate, sometimes buy points, etc. to obtain the very best deal on a home loan while I am in the process of closing a deal. But you can negotiate. Think about it from the lender’s point of view. Yes I like that I have a mortgage here that is paying me above the market rate. And I am very happy...
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Eating for a Whole Month on One Dollar a Day
2008-02-18 17:55:00
Check out this post on how one man was able to eat for a whole month on just $30. Now, as a preface, he did not do much initial research and his methods are unhealthy, but it is interesting that he was able to eat for the whole month so cheap. Our budget is around $150 per month, and we were getting a lot of help from HEB’s fresh or free program, but lately, the store has done better with keeping their products in date, and we have had less time to really hunt for the out of date stuff. Give it a read, and come back here to leave your comments and questions. I will be around to answer them.read more | digg storyInternal Tags:  Bookmark, Share or Email this article.
More About: Dollar , Eating , Month

Multifamily Property Management Plan
2008-02-15 19:17:00
If you have decided not to Market Your Multifamily Property After the Purchase, or if you have marketed your property after the purchase, but later you moved away for another job or something, then you’ll need to consider utilizing a property management company. You must be wise about choosing the right property management company, because ...
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Marketing Your Multifamily Property After the Purchase
2008-02-14 20:23:00
There are oodles and oodles of methods to cover when marketing your multi-family property. But I wanted to keep the list short today, so I am going to cover some of the methods I use, and some other time tested methods that are cheap to implement. Have you ever had to sit on a property? ...
More About: Marketing , Property , Purchase

Multifamily Property Financing
2008-02-13 18:07:00
As mentioned previously, there are many ways to financing a multifamily property. If your credit is good (if you are an investor I hope that it would be good) then the traditional financing methods are going to work the best. But let’s look at some different ways to finance a multifamily property. The Blanket Loan This one ...
More About: Property , Financing

How to Buy Multifamily Properties
2008-02-13 00:55:00
In the last article How to Find Multifamily Properties , we focused in on the search and targeting of markets near you. I stress the importance of finding properties near you, because getting involved in properties out of town or in another state is extremely costly and difficult to manage. But after you find a potential ...

How to Find Multifamily Properties
2008-02-12 01:05:00
As aforementioned, this is the hardest part of investing in multifamily properties. Regardless of what kind of real estate investing your are interested in, you must find properties at a discount. Unfortunately, in the multifamily property world, that aren’t many foreclosures, as most people that buy into multifamily properties are investors. So the trick is ...
More About: Find , Properties

Real Estate Investing Light Friday
2008-02-09 02:13:00
Hey guys, I didn’t get the time to produce the first wave of the “Make Money in Multi-Family” series, but I promise it is coming Monday. I just wanted to give you a state of the union on my current real estate activities. I have a mid-sized house in a good area of town that ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Real Estate Investing , Investing , Friday

Make Money in Multi-Family
2008-02-08 03:58:00
This will be the first how-to article in a series covering ways to make money in multi-family properties. This episode is just introductory, and will just skim the surface on the major steps involved in acquiring and profiting from multi-family deals. If you are just getting started in real estate investing, and want to maximize ...
More About: Family , Money , Make Money , Multi , Make

Large versus Small Property Investing
2008-02-07 00:04:00
Operating in the small market of Temple-Belton, TX over the last several years has taught me much about the most profitable, the fastest to rent, and the least amount of risk possible when investing in real estate. The following is a simplified side by side breakdown of a small investment property, a mid-sized investment property, ...
More About: Property , Investing , Small , Versus , Large

Entertainment on a Budget
2008-02-05 19:23:00
For many of us out there, entertainment just eats our budget down to nothing. Expensive eating out multiple times per week, $8-$9 movies at the local theater a couple of times per week, sodas and chips every day, and a host of other things really kill the budget. My wife and I are very conscious ...
More About: Entertainment , Budget

Retirement Losses?
2008-02-05 00:21:00
Before I left my job, a co-worker and friend of mine had a valuable story to tell about retirement, and how to wisely enter into retirement. He had worked for nearly 30 years with the same company, and agreed to an early retirement offer from that firm. He had saved and invested well in the ...
More About: Retirement , Losses , Tire

Buying a Home in the Market of Today
2008-02-01 19:39:00
If you are in the market to buy a home today, and have the credit scores to be able to procure a home loan, then you are probably in the best possible time, place, and position to get a phenomenal deal on a house. As more and more people’s credit scores plunge due to foreclosure, ...
More About: Buying , Market , Home , Today

The Ugly Head of the Student Loan
2008-01-31 18:38:00
Student loans are great when you are in college, and don’t have the money to pay for school. But once you graduate and your 6 month grace period is over, then the payments start. Most people think that when you get out of school, you are going to have a $50/month payment, which is a ...
More About: Student , Loan , Head , Ugly , The Ugly

Creating a Wedding Budget
2008-01-31 01:36:00
Hey guys, this is Jeffry’s wife, Sarah. I manage a blog about weddings called Wedding Help, and Jeffry asked me to write a post for him today. Since I don’t know as much about managing money as I do about weddings, I figured I would stick with what I was good at. Weddings can ...
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Screen Your Tenants, Trust Your Instincts
2008-01-29 20:23:00
Through the course of this whole fiasco, I have confirmed one thing. Screen , screen, screen your potential tenants. Now I knew that this was important in the beginning, but it has really been brought to life with the set of circumstances I am dealing with now. The nice thing is, all my tenants have caught ...
More About: Trust , Tenants

Getting Back on Track in the RE Game
2008-01-28 16:51:00
It has been tough, but the Lord is good. The two renters I mentioned in my post on Eviction Notices decided to pay their rent and fees. I got the full amount from both toward the end of the week last week, just before submitting the actual eviction notices. So getting an extra $300 or ...
More About: Game , Back , Track

Getting a Handle on Your Finances in 2008
2008-01-26 01:28:00
This is a good article on starting off your 2008 finances in the right direction. It gives some tips about budgeting, getting out of debt, and just sound advice about sure footing in personal finance. We all need to do better with our finances in 2008 than we did in 2007, so click the link, read up on it, and then come back here and submit your questions, I’ll be glad to answer them. Check it out guys (and gals).read more | digg storyInternal Tags:  Bookmark, Share or Email this article.
More About: Finances , Handle

The Rental Day of Reckoning
2008-01-24 18:30:00
It has come to it. The last day for redemption. If my two renters in default do not come up with their required rent and late fees today, and eviction letter will come tomorrow. This is especially difficult for me as there are no winners in an eviction. The tenant loses their residence, and the landlord is left with no potential income. But letting them stay without paying is even worse for me as the landlord, so they will have to go. Texas law says that I must give them 3 days notice to vacate the property (unless the lease contract specifically states otherwise), and even at the end of the three days, I still cannot force them out. If they refuse to move out, then I have to go to the Justice of the Peace, and file an eviction, as well as pay a $65 fee for the action. Just a side note, but where are my taxes going? I can’t think of anything that I don’t have to pay additional for, except for the public park that my wife and I take walks in. On a better note, one of the ...
More About: Rental

Renters Still Not Paying?
2008-01-23 03:47:00
Everyday it is the same thing…no money. I just don’t understand people. To me, paying your rent/mortgage should be at the very top of your priority list (except for tithes and offerings). I have gone hungry and would do it again if it came between paying bills and eating. In college I had a part ...

Eviction Notices
2008-01-21 19:15:00
Well I guess that I was mistaken, or perhaps mistaken in renting to single mothers with credit problems due to divorce. The renters that I have in my trailer and in my 2 bedroom, 1 bath house still have not paid for January’s rent. Each of these tenants have been late every month, but have ...
More About: Notices , Eviction

An Alternative Budgeting Method
2008-01-16 17:19:00
For some folks out there, budgeting on a “month cost” method just doesn’t work for them. They have enough money coming in from their job to be able to afford the fast food, movies, and other entertainment that will just kill your budget. They don’t really have the concept of staying on budget, and sticking ...
More About: Alternative , Budgeting , Method , Alterna