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        <title>Real Estate Blog</title>
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            <author>ryan@akhomeshow.com (Ryan Tollefsen)</author>
            <title>Real Investing in Today’s Market</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Everyone has heard the term “buy low, sell high.” Investing in real estate correctly is a little bit more involved than just buying low and selling high, but with the right eye and purchasing a person can do very well with investing.


Buying low, for starters, can be done right now. There is a huge inventory of homes available and interest rates are low. Buyers have more negotiating power because there are so many homes to choose from, so getting a good deal may be easier than you think. Sellers are generally more inclined during down times in the market to accept less than favorable offers before home prices drop any further.  Sellers might also be more open to making repairs or including specific allowances with their sale just in order to procure an offer. A good way to know you can take the upper hand in negotiating a good deal is to pick out homes that have spent more time on the market than others, owners of homes that sit active for too long will have to lower their prices to gain activity. Generally, if a home has sat too long with little attention, it is either priced too high or there may be something wrong with it.


When purchasing properties as investment, a buyers mentality and strategy needs to shift a little from what it may have been 5 and 10 years ago when turn around for investments was optimal. Instead of purchasing short term investments to flip quickly, buyers need to think about purchasing long term investments. Rehabilitate them, rent them out, live in them, whatever. Hang on to a home long enough for the market to bounce back and for appreciation to kick into high gear, then sell when property values have risen. Chances are at some point down the road there will be another home buyer incentive package, or interest rates will drop, and homes that have already been fixed and spiffed up for resale will be covetable.


Purchasing a property to use strictly as a rental income property is also a wise investment. There will always be renters needing a place to live, so having a home that is desirable and affordable for the income level in your area will be an almost fool-proof way to keep people interested in your property. Keep in mind that with renters will come more maintenance and repairs/replacement compared to hanging on to an empty investment property, but renters will also keep income flowing your way that might cover or even exceed your monthly mortgage payment on the property.


Also keep in mind that residential homes are not the only investments a person can make; commercial investment properties remain smart buys, as the greatest declining in the real estate market has been with residential properties. Vacant land can also be a very profitable investment if bought in a developing area.


One of the greatest opportunities for investment are foreclosure and REO properties. Foreclosures and REO’s (Real Estate Owned; or bank-owned properties) have risen substantially in numbers in the past few years, and the more distressed they are the lower their prices are. However, just because a property is a foreclosure, doesn’t necessarily mean it is a dilapidated ultra-distressed huge project property as many people commonly think. Many foreclosures and bank owned properties are in prestigious neighborhoods with highly desirable features and square footage and little-to-no damage. Working with a real estate professional will give you the upper hand in searching for foreclosure and REO properties. Even with a no-damage find, the banks are still very aggressively pricing these properties to get them sold fast, so it is usually easy to get a good deal compared to similar properties that are not bank owned.
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            <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:36:27 -0900</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.eaglerivermls.com/blog/the-new-eagle-rvier-mls-web-site-is-live.html</guid>
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            <author>ryan@akhomeshow.com (Ryan Tollefsen)</author>
            <title>The New Eagle Rvier MLS Web Site is Live!!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The Alaska Real Estate Experts team has just launched its newest real estate marketing platform, EagleRiverMLS.com. This state of the art web site features information for every active real estate listing currently in Eagle River, Anchorage, Wasilla, Palmer, Girdwood and more.  There is no need to go anywhere else, we have combined all the information for you in one easy to search, up to date, database.


Thank you for visiting.
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            <pubDate>Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:44:18 -0800</pubDate>
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