Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in America today. Would you know what to do if it happened to you? When someone else uses your name, address, Social Security Number, bank account number, credit card account, or other personal identifying information...

There has been a lot of negative press and misinformation lately about double closings. Many people have been indicted recently under what the press has labeled "property flipping scams." Misinformed lenders, real estate agents, and title companies will tell you that...

Acquiring investment real estate can be handled with many approaches. Two very popular "no money down" approaches are lease options and "subject to," or "getting the deed." A lease option is a technique that involves gaining "control" of a property, but not...

New Roth 401(k) Allows Contributions up to $20,000 with NO Income Limits Two of the most popular types of retirement savings plans available today are the Roth IRA and the 401(k) plan. In 2001, Congress married these two types of plans by passing the Economic Growth...

Partnerships can be very lucrative for real estate investors. A partnership is "a legal relation existing between two or more persons contractually associated as joint principals in a business." Real estate partnerships can be used for many applications. If you have...

There are two common questions that involve Realtors and investors: Should I become a Realtor? How can I work with Realtors? How to work with Realtors Many investors think that real estate agents don't have the best deals or they have all been picked over by the time...

Fear #1: It isn't legal or ethical to save on taxes.Fact: Well, let's see what a Supreme Court Justice had to say about that. Justice Learned Hand said, "There is nothing sinister in arranging one's affairs so as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so,...

Have you ever created a deed right there at the seller's kitchen table? If so, did you bring along a typewriter or just use theirs? Or even better, did you hand write everything up or use one of those office supply store, fill-in-the-blank forms? What are you, some...

In an average year, our family business will buy, sell, and finance $10 million to $15 million in deals. That volume gives us a pretty good read on market conditions, and we stay in close contact with dozens of buyers, sellers, and brokers. Over the years, we've...

Savvy investors understand that they can often put together more deals through incremental negotiations over the actual repayment terms of the property sale as opposed to focusing solely on the property's sale price. Take a look at an example You have located a...

Supreme Court Rules That Creditors Cannot Seize IRA Assets in Bankruptcy Proceedings In a huge victory for managed and self-directed IRA owners everywhere, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April 2005 that IRAs receive Federal Creditor Protection. This means that...

One of the biggest problems real estate investors face when structuring transactions involving seller financing is the seller's concern for security and assurance that they will be repaid. Let's take a look at a typical example: You find a potential rental home that...

Whether you plan to rehab or wholesale, you'll need to build a buyers list. These are the investors to whom you'll sell properties. If you plan to wholesale real estate, these folks can make you very rich. If your goal is to rehab, from time-to-time you'll come across...

Do the homeowners still owe the bank money after a real estate foreclosure? That is a good question. When you negotiate a successful short sale, keep in mind that the agreed upon price is payment in full. However, the homeowners may still owe the difference between...

Finding good real estate deals is an art that takes time to master. Like any business, customers are what drive it. Your primary customer is the seller who is motivated to sell below market value. Finding motivated sellers requires advertising, marketing,...

A lot of hoopla has been floating around the news media lately about the "bubble" theory of real estate. That is, the theory that the real estate market is going to burst. In my opinion, the theory has no merit. First, understand that there are three basic premises...

Question: Is this true? I keep reading that the inflation on real estate is so high and the market is going to crash. Should I be worrying? A basic understanding of real estate and finance would prevent many of these so-called "financial writers" from their fantasy...

Clearly there are benefits for both the buyer and the seller when a flexible seller is willing to provide owner financing to you as the buyer of their property. Let us take a look at a few examples: Example #1 The property seller may prefer to have the steady...

Many self-acclaimed real estate gurus state that everyone should quit their jobs and immediately jump into real estate investing full time. They often claim incredible results from students with little experience. Life-changing decisions are not usually that simple,...

I had a great conversation with a mentorship student yesterday who shared with me how he and his wife are selling their third house (their first two houses they still own) and will net $45,000. It inspired me because I had talked with them over a year ago when they...

Once upon a time not too long ago, a peanut farmer had just left the White House, a former actor replaced him in our nation's highest office, and the Prime Rate (the interest rate banks charge their most credit worthy customers--usually their most prominent and stable...

On my online newsgroup and at seminars, I am often asked, "How do I get from where I am (usually single-family residential properties) to dealing in larger scale properties?" The question is often followed by a recital of how the investor has tried and failed to...

Are you considering tax lien investing as a strategy? If you take the time to learn the ropes, you'll discover why real estate is the best wealth-builder in the universe--the safest, most accessible, most lucrative investment you can make. You'll also find out how to...

The mobile home/land deal is a hybrid investment property. Using any one of the techniques found in creative real estate investing, we buy land with a mobile home on it, or we buy a mobile home and place it on land we have purchased. The mobile home itself is...

In this article, I'm going to be discussing some fairly recent and mostly unknown law about contracting through electronic methods that can be a big help to all players in the real estate investing world. Let's start with some real estate legal basics everybody knows....

Having a firm grasp on language patterns will help you close more deals. In addition to using embedded commands (word groups that order you to do something), you must incorporate assumptive language patterns into your vocabulary. Assumptive language patterns assume...

I've been in the business for little over eight years, and I've done almost 850 transactions. I'm very, very assertive. My specialty is communication--talking to homeowners and talking to banks. So let's start with some embedded commands. Embedded commands are...

Mistake #1 They take TOO Long. Good deals don't wait around for indecisive people. Many people "think a deal to death." One way to lower your anxiety level with a deal is to move forward provisionally (i.e. with a clause of some sort.) Mistake #2 They trust the...

It surprises many beginning real estate investors when I recommend they get started investing without using their own money. They find it hard to believe that sometimes having money can be detrimental to learning to be the best real estate investor you can be. It's...

"Real estate investing fever" has hit like a plague. Zillions of "newbie" investors are jumping on the bandwagon trying to make a profit after losing big in the stock market. I meet them all the time, and many are making big mistakes! Mistake #1: Stock market...

It stuns us how many investors say, "I can't find any good deals." Folks, you're not looking!  We think that many new investors (who watch too much late-night TV) are under the impression that if they decide to become investors, the "investor fairy" will drop...

This is my personal favorite. The great thing about wholesaling real estate is that you don't take ownership of that property. Once you have the property under contract, you assign the contract to another buyer who will close on the property in your place. There is no...

Let's talk for a minute or two about problem properties. In terms of working a playing field that isn't level, this is a prime example. Making money in real estate is hard work, no matter what your plan of attack. And believe me, in my 20+ years, I've tried them all....

You know, it's utter nonsense to submit offers to sellers and just hoping they'll accept. Sure, I used to do that; and I'd sit there by the mailbox with my fingers crossed, praying the mailman had more than bills and junk mail for me today. And every now and then one...

Are you a newbie attending a real estate investing club? Learn the rules before you attend.Having run a real estate club since 1994 with 650 members [Colorado Association of Real Estate Investors] and having spoken at more than 50 clubs around the country, I have a...

By definition, a real estate investor puts up some money and "invests" it into deals. As a real estate "entrepreneur," I prefer to avoid tying up any of my cash in my real estate investments. In fact, I prefer to collect some of my profits on the same day I buy a...

As I travel around the country giving seminars and training classes on Rehab 101, I often am asked if I have a favorite home repair technique. The first thing that comes to mind is Bondo. Yes, the same Bondo body filler that mechanics use to repair dents on wrecked...

Being a real estate investor means protecting yourself from potential scams. Just because someone holds a professional license of some kind doesn't mean that he is honest. You can probably order one of these licenses over the Internet. We know that it can be scary...

[Editor's note: The real estate short sale can be a useful and very powerful technique for turning "no equity" deals into big profits. In a short sale, you negotiate with the bank holding the mortgage and get it to accept *less* than what the seller owes.] When...

[In IRS Definitions for "Real Estate Investors" (Part One), Diane defined real estate dealer status and real estate professional status and the related tax planning. In Part Two, she'll discuss real estate developer status and related tax issues.] Real estate...

Unfortunately, real estate investors are not all created equal in the eyes of the IRS. If you're an investor, there are four different types of real estate investor definitions that you will want to watch out for: Real Estate Investor Real Estate Dealer Real Estate...

As a general contractor turned investor, it has been my goal to teach people as many ways as possible to get the highest quality work and results for the lowest possible price. Bringing up the value of an investment property and creating equity are two major factors...

As a real estate agent and broker for 20 years, I've found my knowledge and use of notes to be my most valuable tool. I did the tenants and toilets game for what seems like 100 years. I sort of backed my way into paper investment. I learned to use real estate notes in...

In a previous article, I shared the first five of the techniques I teach Realtors to help them see the potential when it comes to seller financing. [Real Estate Paper: Your Most Valuable Tool]. When investing in real estate notes, there are options available to avoid...

After searching the market for the perfect piece of real estate, you have found property that will satisfy your needs and give you future opportunities. It is now time to be concerned about protecting yourself from the risks involved in property ownership. One way to...

It amazes me how many people start investing in real estate, only to fail when the going gets tough. As soon as people discover they can't get rich in a week or two, they are on to the next "guru" secret. It's the same as weight loss--everyone talks about it, many try...

You can make a profit from the deals you find, even when the deals aren't a fit for your real estate business. Here are five tips to make sure you get paid for your time. 1. Sign up the deal! This is the most obvious way to profit from every appointment you make. 2....

In order for you to succeed at finding and marketing great real estate deals, you have to be accountable for your efforts. Since you may not have a partner to keep you on track, we have designed a log to help you. Make copies of this log and fill it out each week....

I've gotten so many comments from readers that I decided to compile the best 100 tips into a series of articles for CRE Online to publish over the next six months leading up to the Creative Real Estate Online Convention. I will be at the Convention for the third year...

Tip one: Banks do not want to foreclose on real estate I've seen a lot of investors miss out on huge profits because they just don't understand how far banks will go NOT to take back a property. Banks don't want to own real estate. Banks don't want to have bad loans...

It is virtually impossible to complete a successful short sale without dealing with the loss mitigation department at the bank. So, how do you deal with loss mitigation successfully? We can shed some light on that. If you are new to real estate investing and...

Abstract of TitleA compilation of the recorded documents relating to a parcel of land, from which an attorney may give an option as to the condition of title. Also known in some states as a "preliminary title report."AcknowledgmentA declaration made by a personal...

The Real Estate Professional status is a designation given by the IRS based on the number of hours that you work in real estate activities versus other activities. It doesn't mean that you have to become a real estate sales agent or broker. You don't need to drive...

Each of us resides in at least one of the four Quadrants of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. Where we are is determined by where our main source of income comes from. Many of us rely on paychecks and are therefore employees, while others are self-employed. Employees and...

I was speaking on financial intelligence a while back to a group of university professors in Singapore. At the end of the talk, one of the professors asked me: "Where did you learn about business and why do some people make more money than others?" Responding to the...

This article is Step Two in the series "10 Steps to Subject to: Get Paid to Buy Pretty Houses in Nice Subdivisions." Seems simple, doesn't it? You're starting your real estate investing business. You probably haven't established an entity; You're using your home for...

[This article is Step One in the series "10 Steps to Subject to: Get Paid to Buy Pretty Houses in Nice Subdivisions."] It's time to order your signs and flyers. It takes about two weeks to actually get your signs printed, delivered, and placed in the right locations....

The "due on sale" clause is probably the most talked about, most feared, and most misunderstood topic in real estate investing. This article will dispel any misunderstandings you may have about the "due on sale" clause and suggest a simple, yet effective strategy to...

When you are buying a house on a lease option, you must protect yourself from paying your rent payment to the seller, but him not paying the lender. The single best way to protect yourself is for you to pay your payment directly to the LENDER so that you are certain...

How do you know what a commercial income property is worth? How do you know that you can get your desired return on your investment? Is there a way to calculate the maximum you can pay for an investment and still achieve your investment goals? This article will answer...

Its the principle of the thing. No, it ain't...it's the "principal" of the thing! At some point you're going to bang up against a situation where you decide to stand firm "on principle." Dumb. I remember times when it wasn't the money that mattered, it was the...

If you had the chance to start over again, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently the second time around? This question cuts to the core of the essential lessons of a lifetime of real estate investing. Here is my six-part answer to this question....

There's an old real estate scam going around again. New investors who don't know better are being taken in by more experienced investors offering to help them get started investing in real estate. It goes something like this . . . "Hey kid, haven't done a deal yet? No...