Belize Real Estate  Links  
Real Estate Information

Buying Houses at Discount Prices


Buying a house is the best way you can create immediate equity. Gaining equity through buying a house is something which is very easy to do, as long as you follow these guidelines.

If you are seeking to buy a house under discount value you must have the right mindset:

"The deal of a decade comes along about once a week" - Dolf De Roos, Real estate investor.

Houses being sold below market value are out there, its just a matter of knowing where to look and the buying strategies you use.

So where can I find houses being sold for a discount?

Find motivated sellers. Some examples of these sellers are people who have experienced death, divorce, bankruptcy, the less intelligent, people who have deadlines, and are developers.

Bankruptcy/Foreclosure:

When bankrupt an individual will have the option of selling their house to a third party, most likely at a cheaper price than market value because they need the money fast. If an Individual is bankrupt and the bank is the creditor, the bank will take the asset (the house) and have a foreclosure sale. You will often find a cheap price there as well.

Death:

Although this may seem like profiting of someone else's misery, its not really. If the house is not included in the persons will, it must be sold, someone has to buy it. If the deeds to the property are transferred to someone else there is often a good chance they will not want to hold onto it and want to sell it quickly.

Divorce:

When couple breaks up things often get nasty and they both want to be separated as soon as possible. They will often settle on selling their house for a lower price but quickly.

Less intelligent:

Sometimes people are selling properties with out the help of a real estate agent and will not know the exact value of their house. They will usually price their houses too high because of emotional attachment to it. On the flip side they might be ignorant of the real market value and sell it for less than its worth.

Deadlines:

Often the best place to find deals. People with deadlines need to sell their property quickly. They may be going overseas or need the money fast. Almost all people with deadlines will sell their houses at a discount.

Developers:

In some circumstances property developers may have over extended themselves on a project and need to cut their loses. You can pick up discount houses from their mistakes.

Always ask why the house is being sold so you can determine whether the seller is motivated or not.

Other sources

Great places to look are under the classified section in the newspaper, look for things like "Urgent" or "Heavily reduced". What I love about ads under the classified section is that real estate agents are not often involved. This is good because real estate agents will often try to push up the price of a property so it is above market value. People without real estate agents often do not know the true market value of their property.

Just because there isn't a "For Sale" sign on a house does not mean the home owner would not sell for the right offer. Although chances of finding someone to sell there house through this method aren't very high, you can find great deals by making offers that a home owner might just take.

If you've been to auctions or looked at properties which have not sold in a while and are being no longer advertised, follow up on them. After so much hassle of advertising the house and no sale, the vender may be tempted to sell at a discount.

Buying strategies:

Instead of looking for properties to purchase, let the properties come to you. Get your own add in your local Newspaper saying something like," Serious property buyer, wants to buy houses from motivated sellers quickly". You'll be surprised at the number of calls you'll receive.

Don't reveal all your cards, as in try not to say why you want the property or how quickly you want to buy. Never make the first offer, let the seller make it. Once the seller states their price tag, say you want twice the discount you want off their price. So for example, the seller says they will sell it for $100,000 and you want a 5% discount, (5% of 100,000 = 5,000. 5,000*2 =10,000) offer $90,000 and counter offer up from there.

Staple a check for the deposit payment to your next offer. If the seller countersigns the contract and banks the check they have accepted the deal. The psychological impact of this tactic is amazing. This tactic shows the seller that you are deadly serious about purchasing the property quickly. It is also very tempting to just bank the check right now even though they will be selling the property at a discount.

Don't put emotions into the picture. Even if you are purchasing a house that will be your home, just because you think a bathroom looks 'adorable' you must not be willing to pay any more than its worth! This especially applies at auctions where the atmosphere makes it very hard to not bid.

Can I loose the equity that I have created:

Yes, but not likely. If you are savvy about it you can time your purchased property to gain even more equity from appreciation of the housing market in addition to creating immediate equity.

Increase of real estate value by percentage in Australian Districts

To look at the graph: http://www.use-your-equity.com/BuyingHousesatadiscount.html

As we can see from the graph, housing prices eventually all go up due to increasing demand.

The only time you can loose money is if you sell. If you never sell you will never loose money. You may loose equity when the market goes into recession, but eventually as population and demand for housing increases the property you have purchased will appreciate. If you are looking to continuously gain equity you must purchase in high capital gain areas.

When the market is booming try to purchase properties for a 5%-10% discount.

When the market is flat try to purchase properties for a 10%-15% discount. When the market is in recession try to purchase properties for a 15%-30% discount.

http://www.use-your-equity.com For information on real estate investing, investing, and how you can use and create equity in your home.


MORE RESOURCES:

San Francisco Chronicle (blog)

Real estate firm's game ad nothing to laugh at
Chicago Tribune
Five years into the housing crisis, a national real estate firm thinks there's still a national audience of potential homebuyers just waiting for the right opportunity. The combination of home affordability and mortgage interest rates are practically ...
Real Estate's Hail Mary Sales PitchSmartmoney.com (blog)
Will 1st real estate Super Bowl ad in 20 years help boost home sales?San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Century 21 Maintains Leadership Position in Brand Awareness SurveyRisMedia.com (press release)
ChicagoNow (blog)
all 11 news articles »


$16 house man: real estate genius or squatter?
New Zealand Herald
And while real estate experts and authorities say he's misusing the law, Robinson appears to have inspired dozens of imitators who moved into the Dallas-Fort Worth area homes - some of which were still occupied by their owners.

and more »


Aspen real estate outgained other state resort-area markets in 2011
Aspen Times
ASPEN — A flat year for the Pitkin County real estate market in 2011 is looking good compared with the performance in Eagle County and other resort areas in Colorado. A report by Land Title Guarantee Co. shows Aspen and Pitkin County had one of the ...

and more »


New York Times

Real estate is a team sport
Boston.com (blog)
Sam Schneiderman, Broker-owner of Greater Boston Home Team, discusses the importance of having a team that works together when buying or selling real estate. Whether you are buying or selling, I believe that a successful real estate transaction ...
So Eager to Get Foot in Real Estate's Door, They Work Without PayNew York Times

all 2 news articles »


msnbc.com

Real Estate: National foreclosure settlement delayed, Nevada AG concerned
Reno Gazette Journal
Ap File BY THE NUMBERS Foreclosure-related filings for 2011 for Washoe County, Nevada and the United States. Filings include notices of default, notices of sale or auction and bank-owned foreclosures. Washoe: 7981 (down 27.3 percent and 27.6 percent ...
Week ahead in real estate (Feb. 6-10)U-T San Diego
Banks Paying Homeowners a Bonus to Avoid Foreclosures: MortgagesBusinessWeek

all 492 news articles »


Montgomery County eyes hefty real estate tax jump
Roanoke Times
Demands and cuts in state funding suggest a 21-cent real estate tax rate hike. Supervisors balked. By Mike Gangloff Montgomery County supervisors braced themselves Monday for the possibility of a record increase in the county's real estate tax rate.

and more »


Zephyr Real Estate Announces Top Producers for 2011
MarketWatch (press release)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Feb 06, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Zephyr Real Estate, San Francisco's largest independent real estate firm, is proud to announce the company's top producing real estate agents for 2011. The Company Top 10, in order by highest ...

and more »


Real estate title agent to add 200
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The parent of United Lender Services, a national real estate title and settlement agent in Findlay, has acquired two large office buildings along the Parkway West, where ULS will relocate and triple its employment to more than 250.

and more »


TEXT-S&P says European real estate should weather downside credit risks
Reuters
"We think that our macroeconomic forecast of a mild recession for the first half of the year will have a moderate effect on the operating performance of our rated Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) portfolio," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst ...

and more »


Oregon Company Attempts to Bring Real Estate Into a Mobile World
LoanSafe
by Evan Bedard on February 6, 2012 in Real Estate (Source: By Sherri Buri McDonald, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.) - A Eugene start-up company, RealLead is trying to bring the speed and immediacy of mobile communications to real estate shopping.
Bringing real estate into a mobile worldThe Register-Guard

all 2 news articles »

Google News

home | site map | Colorado Log Homes | Homes for Sale in Denver Metro
© 2006