Repurpose Commercial Real Estate

As we drove through town the other day we noticed whole strip malls that were empty and thought about the owners or banks sitting on the buildings with no rents coming in.

Sure there are places that are doing better and some that are definitely doing worse, I suppose that's the way it goes in business. You just have to wonder if there is something that all of us can do besides go out and buy things for stores to remain open.

Prices are up and wages are down, makes it difficult to put food on the table which is more expensive as well.

Is there no alternative to looking at these big empty "behemoths"? It seems there should be some use for these empty building that keep popping up. Not just in our own town, in neighboring towns and in towns in different state. We have noticed that it seems to be universal.

And then there are cases of buildings being transformed into different usage's, I think that is brilliant. The other day I noticed that there is a Bally's gym that closed and I thought that would be a great place to make a community center. Big rooms, maybe a pool, bathrooms are never an issue. Basketball court and racquetball. It would be an amazing place for kids and families to gather and be together.

There are so many things that can be done, so many different vacant buildings that can be re-purposed into useful pieces of the community.

All of us are the difference, we are the ones that need to implement the change. That is what we are doing. Finding out who owns a building and finding out if they would consider selling it and what their price would be.

That would be the second step, the first step we take guarantees us a buyer.

Everyone knows that the big thing is finding a buyer so the property can move.

We have a system that guarantees a quick turn around and you don't have to be a realtor or broker. We have put together a step by step program that will make it possible to turn properties in as little as a day.

Amazing and true! No more pounding a sign and stake into the ground and crossing your fingers that a buyer will make an offer.

Things have changed in the Real Estate world, the times change and different strategies are implemented.

Flipping 5 to 10 houses a month would be awesome and I am sure you would agree.

Did you know that there were No Brokers or Realtors license required to start your Real Estate Business? There are so many things that the average person doesn't know about Real Estate.

Real Estate has ups and downs, it has a few in's and out's too. The ups always make the downs worth hanging for. We have a lot of ground to make up from the past few years, now is the time to do that.

One thing we found in our 30 years of experience is that after the downturn there is always an "up turn". We need this to happen so we can recover.

Jobs are getting more scarce and they are paying less or requiring less hours. It's harder to get ahead when a person is working a regular job. What that job does for them is keeps them living at their current level and working at their current job just so they can live at that level.

To get ahead these days it calls for a bit of ingenuity and a shift of thinking. If more businesses are closing and boarding up, where are the workers going to work?

That is why it is so important to have your own company even if it's something you do on the side. A way to make some extra money to have fun but more importantly to be able to get ahead and be comfortable the rest of your life.

Find Office Space in the Bolingbrook Area

The Chicago area is a fantastic location to lease commercial space. No matter what type of industry your company is involved with, there is sure to be a suitable office locale for you. Although some companies choose to operate their daily business transactions within the city limits of Chicago, others prefer a suburban location. Two areas in particular which see a lot of commercial business operation are Bolingbrook and Orland Park. In fact, these office markets are gaining popularity each and every day as more business owners are learning the benefits to moving their company operations there.

The Benefits of Leasing Office Space in Bolingbrook

Located southwest of Chicago, the village of Bolingbrook offers a wide array of leasing options to business owners who need space. Close to Interstate 355 and Interstate 55, there is easy access to the Bolingbrook area and customers and employees of Bolingbrook businesses can get there with ease. Many big name companies have their place of business in Bolingbrook including IKEA, ULTA and Bass Pro Shops. Companies lease space in Bolingbrook as it is close to Chicago, features a suburban locale and has plenty of nearby amenities.

Those who work at Bolingbrook businesses have plenty to take advantage of during their time off from work. There is the Bolingbrook Park District which offers plenty of outdoor entertainment, Bolingbrook golf courses for the golf aficionados and plenty of dining and shopping options to please all. The existence of all of these amenities also tends to draw in customers of offices in the area which will boost business for business owners who lease Bolingbrook space.

Why Orland Park Is Ideal As Well

Orland Park is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Chicago and is a prime suburban location for office leasing. Business owners lease commercial offices here because it's a location near the city but is a locale that still maintains a suburban presence. There are plenty of ways to get to this town such as by using I-55, I-355 and I-80. The Metra has three stops here and the airport is not too far away as well. Easy access is a main reason why business owners lease office space in this town.

Another reason why this area is ideal is due to the amenities around town. Orland Square Shopping Center is a good bet for shopping and restaurants with a wide array of cuisines can be found here. After all, you are only in work for certain hours during the day and will surely want to take advantage of various amenities both before and after work in addition to during your quick lunch breaks.

Orland Park has both residential and commercial settings within its city boundaries. If you lease an office in Orland Park you may wind up having both small companies and larger corporate entities as your neighbors. From healthcare professionals to retail shops, Orland Park has a little bit of everything within its city borders.

Commercial office leasing is readily available throughout both Bolingbrook and Orland Park and business owners are certain to love the readily accessible aspects of both towns as well as the amenities available throughout these areas.

Make Money Investing in Texas Real Estate

Foreign and domestic investors alike are throwing their hat into the Texas property arena. In the current state of the economy, it may very well be the safest and most profitable investment in the United States.

Lets take a quick look at the market in Houston right now...

Last May marked the 12th consecutive month of positive sales and growth in the Houston real estate market. The sales of single-family homes rose 29% since May of last year with and 8.5% increase in average sales price. Strong sales on homes from $250,000 and up pushed the average housing price up to historic levels.

For potential investors, probably the most important statistic is month end pending sales, which totaled 4,476, up 10.5% since last May. This suggests a further increase in sales for the upcoming months. Foreclosed sales totaled 7,327 in May, an increase of over 24% from that of last year. The large volume of sales has caused the price of these foreclosed homes to rise 4.1% to over $80,000 per home.

All this positive news may come as a surprise to many people. It is true, buyers and sellers alike are experiencing a national market filled with over-appreciated homes and a shortage of home-buyers. Texas seems to be the anomaly. Why?

"Texas Real Estate defies US property market" says Texas Real Estate Magazine.

Texas has an impressive 11.5% estimated profit increase according to the ROI. Of course, profit increase doesn't mean much to investors who have trouble finding tenants, such as in areas with high unemployment like California and Detroit. It's a good thing that Houston is a job creating machine that expects to have created more than 810,000 new jobs by the end of 2012.

Is Houston good for foreign investors?

In the past year, Texas has accounted for 10% of all international sales by foreign investors, coming in 3rd behind Florida (26%) and California (16%). There are a couple of reasons why foreign investors have suddenly turned their eyes toward the Lone Star. First, Texas has the single most self-sustaining economy in the country, experiencing stable growth on all levels. Second, Texas is one of the easiest states for foreign investors to set up an LLC.

Homes are going fast with an 18.1% decline in available listings over the past year. Also, the number of available single family homes has reached its lowest point in the past 5 years. The market is in a position where the sooner you act, the more returns you're likely to earn.

Choosing The Type Real Estate To Invest In

Quite a number of people have discovered that one of the best investments anyone can ever make is a real estate investment. This is because the property that you invest in will, in most cases, appreciate in value. Most of the commodities that are manufactured or produced these days usually depreciate in value. For example, once you purchase a car and drive for only 1 mile, the value of that car has depreciated. However, when it comes to purchasing a building, it increases in value as time goes by.

When you want to invest in a certain type of real estate, you may need to consider some things. Here are some pointers that may help you when you want to choose a particular type of real estate investment:

The Population - The people who are found in a certain area become a great determining factor of the type of building you can provide. For example, if the area you have purchased land has universities or schools, it would only be logical to provide hostels or apartment blocks where the students can reside. If you have purchase land in the suburbs, then you should invest in proper family houses with 3 or 4 bedrooms.

Social Amenities - In this case, social amenities refers to things such as medical facilities, retail stores, game arcades, educational facilities etc. If the place you have land doesn't have any of these facilities but the population is quite large, then you may want to develop a shopping and office complex where you can incorporate some of these social amenities. As you may be aware, students like to shop and go to the video games arcade. Thus, having such a complex would be advantageous. You would save people money by bringing such services closer to them instead of having them drive a few miles away to get to a town.

Infrastructure - The availability of roads, telecommunication and even internet services can determines which type of building you can construct. Building an office or shopping complex where infrastructure is not available would not be a wise idea. The only time you can invest in such a complex is when you are sure that the local authority will be providing infrastructure sometime in the future. If this happens, the value of your building will increase drastically.

The Benefits of Real Estate Investment Groups to a Beginner Investor

In discussing Real Estate Investment Groups, it could be true that you have a good knowledge of investing in this sector but the fact remains that what you know could be just a scratch of the surface of this thriving market. Well, as a beginner investor, it would interest you to know that as long as there is great potential in the real estate market, there are no hundred percent assurances that you can successfully make it. However, to be on the safer side, the more you know about means of cutting down on the risks of this type of investment market, the better for you.

This is where Real Estate Investment Groups come in. Since it is more beneficial to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of given investments and make good choices instead of making avoidable mistakes and counting your losses, it is therefore advised that you rely on this option to succeed in this venture, especially as a beginner. Now this body is simply likened to small mutual funds. It works perfectly for a beginner real estate investor who does not wish to go through the hassles associated with being a landlord.

How does Real Estate Investment Groups help you out? They do this by building sets of condos or apartment blocks which are then sold to interested investors which automatically make them part of the group. If you wish to own a single unit of self-contained living space or multiple units, it is all up to you and since the company at the helm of affairs of the investment group is saddled with the management of the units which includes maintenance, tenants interview, adverts of vacant spaces and lots more, you can go for multiple units in order to maximize your profits even as a beginner investor.

Now you are beginning to wonder if all this help from the Real Estate Investment Groups is for free. It is absolutely not free. What then is in it for them? The group gets compensated for its management services by collecting an agreed percentage from the total monthly rent accrued from the number of units you own. It is that simple. It would however, interest you to know that these investment groups come in varied versions and quality. What this means for you as a beginner real estate investor is that, if you wish to make the most of your efforts initially, proper research should be carried out prior to making a choice of an investment group. Yes, research is the watchword.

Should I Buy a New Build or an Older House?

I often get asked the question, "should I buy a new or older property"? Well here are some thoughts to consider.

Here's an example from Ken who was considering buying a house in Bromsgrove, West Midlands...

There was a £20,000 difference between the price of a new modern 4 bed detached house and a 10 year old house.

5 years from now the new house will be 5 years old and a 10-year old house will be 15 years old. The question was would this difference still remain, or will the older house catch up? New houses are like new cars, they lose value as soon as they become second hand!

What you will find, is that property is like fashion, it comes in and out of style.

A 15-year old house will be competing with the new houses of the day. Over 15 years house specifications improve. A four bedroom house which was built 15 years ago might not have a down stairs cloakroom for example. The new one will. Hence the new one is more desirable and is valued higher.

So my advice to anyone with this dilemma, is go for the property which suits your situation the best.

An older property might have more 'potential', but if you don't have the time to add the potential - there's no point in buying it.

Older houses usually have more land with them, which can be a good thing if you want to extend, add a sun room or landscape the gardens.

It can also very much depend on your lifestyle, commitments, and family circumstances.

When you have young children you may need a property that is 'already done', with such specifications as en-suite bathroom to the master bedroom.

You may be both working full time and don't want to have to work on the house. In this case a newly built house is for you.

If you have the time and/or money to do up an older property, it certainly can pay dividends, especially if you add on the features that everyone wants.

These days things like: downstairs cloakroom, utility room, en-suite bathroom, summer room and home office are all worthy additions to an older house that did not have these as original features. The house next door will always get a better price if it has these features over one that does not.

Remember, a house will have a maximum price in any area at any one time, so don't overdo the modifications. If it can be done in keeping with the style of the original building, you can buy low, invest wisely and make money.

How To Finance Real Estate Investing Deals

In order to be successful in real estate investing, you must be able to finance your deals. When you know which financing options you have available, you are able to structure your deals accordingly.

This article explores the financing options you have in real estate investing.

1) Buying with little or no money 

Whenever you can buy houses with little or no money, you can have potential to do unlimited number of deals.

An example of such deals is wholesale deals. This involves buying a house for a low price, then you turn around and wholesale it for a higher price. There are two ways you can do this.

Contract Assignment: 

You put a house under contract at a low price. You get this contract to your title company or attorney to do title work. You then turn around and assign this contract to another real estate investor who closes the deal.

You walk home with an assignment fee when the deal closes. The terms of the contract assignment are clearly defined and state how much your assignment fee is.

Simultaneous closing: 

You put a house under contract to buy, then locate another real estate investor to flip it to and you sign a contract with you as the seller.

You end up buying and selling the house at the same closing table. Your profit is the difference between your buying price and selling price, less any closing costs.

2) Hard money 

These rehab loans have a short time frame, such as 6 to 12 months. They carry a high interest rate, and are based on equity on the property, not personal credit.

It can be available fast, sometimes with a few hours or days.

3) Creative financing 

This includes techniques like lease options, owner financing, etc, that do not involve putting buying the property for cash. It might be necessary to put some money down, but finance part of the deal through creative financing.

This can be a big money maker and can allow you to do numerous deals without being limited by money.

This technique will not work when the property needs repairs, or when the owner wants all cash for their property.

4) Revolving credit 

This can be a line of business credit, credit cards, etc. They require monthly payments which can get high, and the interest rates can also be high. 

You can have limited amount of credit and the number of loans you can get.

5) Private lenders 

Private lenders are individuals with cash they can invest. Their money is secured by real estate and are willing to invest it to get higher returns than they can get on bank investments like CDs.

Private money is the most preferred type of financing for real estate investing deals.

6) Mortgage loans 

You can also finance real estate investing deals with traditional bank mortgage loans. These come with low interest rates with terms about 15 to 30 years.

However they can require that you put 10 to 20% down. They are based on your credit scores and you are limited to the amount and number of loans you can borrow.