"Don't cut corners when selecting, updating properties"

A motto I've always followed when investing/flipping houses.  As appreciation begins to slow and interest rates rise, making money from a fixer-upper becomes less of a guaranteed win. A key to success is doing homework about what's a good contender to be transformed and how to avoid the biggest mistakes. Here are three mistakes I cite.

1. Choosing the wrong right location: A property is worth as much as its location. You should look for desirable amenities like shopping, entertainment outlets and recreation-and watch out for "irritants", such as bust streets and other sources of noise. To put it simply, your best deals are those properties that are neglected and need a little TLC but are in a

Get Ready for Another Hot Year in Arizona Real Estate 

Despite enduring yet another unusual year, the Arizona real estate industry has remained strong. The Grand Canyon State continues to grow, no matter what challenges it faces. 
With high demand, limited inventory, and rapidly rising home sale prices, real estate agents across Arizona should gear up for another booming year.

2022 Arizona Real Estate Outlook: Hot

In October 2021, the average home in Arizona was priced at $396,235, a 31.5% increase year-over-year (YoY). There’s little sign of prices stalling, though, as Zillow predicts this figure will rise another 12.7% within the next year. While home prices rose, the number of homes for sale statewide decreased by 21.5%  year-over-year as of

Highlights

• The monthly cost to purchase the median home in the 50 largest metros was $1,988 in January 2021, compared to the median monthly rent of $1,727.
• On average, buying the median priced home accounted for 32% of a metro’s median income in January, while renting accounted for 27%.
• Buying a home was the same or more affordable than renting in 15 of the 50 largest metros analyzed in January, up from 13 markets a year ago.
• Top areas where buying is more affordable than renting include 
  • Cleveland-Elyria, OH
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Renters looking to change their living situation–especially those

As home prices rise by double-digit margins year over year, homeowners are increasingly viewing selling favorably. Consumers reported a significantly more positive view of home selling conditions month over month in January, jumping 16 percentage points on net, according to Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index, based on a survey of 1,000 consumers.

Overall, the index’s monthly increase was driven largely by a substantial jump in the share of consumers reporting that it’s a good time to sell a home, with many citing favorable mortgage rates, high home prices, and low housing inventory as their primary rationale. Among owners and higher-income groups, however, the

You choose how you approach life.

By choosing to be proactive, you will significantly impact the life you will have. If you’re proactive, you focus on preparing. If you’re reactive, you end up focusing on repairing. Most of us have high hopes of accomplishing something important in life, perhaps creating some sort of legacy or establishing new and better ways of doing things

Unfortunately, most of us believe that we’re so busy handling day-to-day issues that there never seems to be time for anything else—let alone anything extraordinary. When it comes to getting things done, all day long you’re either in a Reactive mode or a Proactive mode.

The Reactive Mode

The Reactive mode is when you react to situations that occur and are

The housing market made an incredible recovery in 2020 and is now positioned for an even stronger year in 2021. Record-low mortgage interest rates are a driving factor in this continued momentum, with average rates hovering at historic all-time lows.

According to the latest Realtors Confidence Index Survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), buyer demand across the country is incredibly strong. That’s not the case, however, on the supply side. Seller traffic is simply not keeping up. Here’s a breakdown by state:

As the maps show, buyer traffic is high, but seller traffic is low. With so few homes for sale right now, record-low inventory is creating a mismatch between supply and demand.

NAR also just reported that the actual

The United States real estate market has been fairly turbulent over the last several months. This — of course — has been due in large part to the cross-market uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young families, retirees, and early career professionals have abandoned their NYC and LA apartments in favor of more land and lower purchase prices. This migration — which began before the crisis due to skyrocketing rent prices — has exploded as more Americans shift to remote work. Holds on evictions and stay at home orders across the country have also contributed to this change. They have highlighted the housing crisis in large cities — leaving many renters, landlords, and property investors in the lurch. Follow below to learn more about how COVID-19

The housing market recovery coming into the new year has been nothing short of remarkable. Many experts agree the turnaround from the nation’s economic pause is playing out extremely well for real estate, and the current market conditions are truly making this winter an ideal time to make a move. Here’s a dive into some of the biggest wins for homebuyers this season.

1. Mortgage Rates Are Historically Low

In 2020, mortgage rates hit all-time lows 16 times. Continued low rates have set buyers up for significant long-term gains. In fact, realtor.com notes:

“Given this means homes could cost potentially tens of thousands less over the lifetime of the loan.”

Essentially, it’s less expensive to borrow money for a home loan today than it has

If you’re like many Americans, the end of 2020 couldn't come fast enough. Yet before you ring in the New Year and hope for better times ahead, there are moves you should make first to set yourself up for financial success. Use December to reflect on 2020 and plan your goals on the key things that are important to you mentally, physically, emotionally and financially.

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic downturn have taken its toll, whether it is families who have lost a loved one, parents trying to navigate virtual education and lack of child care, or those who have lost a job and are struggling financially.

Meanwhile, pharma companies are rushing to bring a Covid-19 vaccine to market. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the

In the last decade, the housing market in the United States has undergone a transformation. Newcomers hunting for their first homes are finding higher prices in many locations since the lows of 2008 and 2009. At the same time, they’re having a harder time getting the tax breaks that once helped offset the costs of hefty mortgages.

Despite these realty realities, buying a home that fits your wish list in terms of price, location, size and condition could be a great investment. Unlike monthly rent checks, every mortgage payment on a home can be viewed as an investment. And mortgage interest rates are extremely low—the average rate as of October 2019 was 3.77% for a 30-year mortgage.

Here’s a look at recent changes in the housing