Saturday, February 2, 2008

I've Launched Lukeford.tv

Here's my guide to the best videos on Youtube in the following categories:

Academy Awards
Acne
Adsense
Air Supply
Alizee
Amanda Bynes
American Idol
Amy Winehouse
Angelina Jolie
Ann Coulter
Antonio Villaraigosa
Apple
Atkins Diet
Australia
Bad Credit
Badoo
Barak Obama
Baseball
Ben Affleck
Beyonce
Bikinis
Bikram Yoga
Borat
Brad Pitt
Britney Spears
Brooklyn Storage
Car Insurance
Cheap Airfare
Chicago Houses
Chris Benoit
Christ
Christianity
Christina DeRosa
Clay Aiken
Clint Eastwood
Computers
Condominiums
Condos
Credit Cards
Credit Relief
Credit Reports
Credit Score
Cruises
Dailymotion
Dallas Condominiums
Dallas Cowboys
Dana Jacobson
David Carradine
Debbie Gibson
Debt Consolidation
Debt Refinance
Dennis Prager
Diets
Disney
Disney World
eBay
Eddie Izzard
Elijah Kelley
Elton John
England
Ethics
Evan Sayet
Facebook
Fashion
Fergie
Fidel Castro
Film Editing
Galilea Montijo
Global Warming
Golf
Hannah Montana
Hawaii
Heath Ledger
Heather Mac Donald
Heidi Klum
Hillary Clinton
Home Loans
Hotels
Hymn
Insurance
Investment Property
Iphone
Ipod
Iran
Jack Nicholson
Jamie Gold
Jay Leno
Jay Z
Jennifer Garner
Jerusalem
Jessica Alba
Jews
Judaism
Julia Allison
Katherine Heigl
Katie Holmes
Kelly Clarkson
Kerry Howley
Kevin Blatt
Kim Kardashian
Kiss
Laptop
Las Vegas Condominiums
Leggings
Limewire
Lindsay Lohan
London
Lost
Love
Luke Ford
Mac Air
Mac Book
Maria Sharapova
Marla Maples
Mary Hart
Matisyahu
Matt Damon
Michael Jackson
Michelle Williams
Mickey Mouse
Mike Huckabee
Mischa Barton
Mitt Romney
Monty Python
Morals
Mortgage
Myspace
Naruto
Neil Strauss
New York Giants
Nikki Blonsky
NFL
Ninjas
New Zealand
Oprah
Orlando Condominiums
Orlando Vacations
Oscars
Pamela Anderson
Paris
Paris Hilton
Perez Hilton
Pilates
Plastic Surgery
Pokemon
Poker
Rachael Ray
Reason
Reason Magazine
Refinance
Ringtones
Ron Paul
Sacha Baron Cohen
San Jose Condos
Sarah Silverman
Scorpions
Seal
Shmuley Boteach
Skateboard
Skip Bayless
South Beach Diet
Spyware
Subprime
Super Bowl
Taylor Swift
Tel Aviv
Texas Hold 'Em
The Carpenters
Tmz
Tom Brady
Tom Cruise
Torah
Travis Barker
Uwe Boll
Vacations
Valentine
Valentine's Day
Vanessa Hudgens
Vince McMahon
Viral Marketing
Warren Beatty
Webkinz
WGA
Wii
WWE
Xbox
Yoga
Yosemite
Zac Efron
Zuda

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Top 5 Ways to Get Out of Real Estate Investments

Beth Anderson writes:

When entering into a real estate investment, investors should have multiple exit strategies for a variety of circumstances. But sometimes investors run into unanticipated circumstances, or fail to plan altogether. Here are some tips for leaving a real estate investment or avoiding foreclosure with minimal damage when planned exit strategies have fallen through.

The first and most obvious exit strategy investors should consider is selling the property outright. Investors should calculate the price at which they have to sell the property for in order to break even, including paying off all outstanding liens, commissions and other closing costs.

Once that necessary price is set, investors should look at the selling prices of comparable properties on the market. If the market supports the investor’s price, this exit strategy may work. Ideally investors should aim for being the lowest priced comparable property in the area. Investors may also want to consider home staging, as staged homes tend to sell quicker and for higher prices than un-staged homes.

If a full 5 to 6 percent real estate commission is not in an investor's budget, they should consider looking into companies such as MLS4Owners that list homes on the MLS for a small fee. While the investor will likely lose out on marketing and consulting services performed by the listing agent, getting the property listed on the MLS is the highest priority.

Income from Residential Investment Properties

Bruce Swedal writes:

The current real estate market has created an increase in the number of people that are purchasing residential real estate properties for investment purposes. If they are purchased and managed properly, these properties can provide a source of income or a chance to build equity over time.

The difference between commercial properties and residential properties is that someone will be living in the residential home. That will mean that you are the landlord and as such need to keep the property in a good and livable condition. As maintenance issues come up you will need to address them promptly.

That alone can deter some from taking on the landlord responsibility, but there are options for those that just don’t want to manage the property. Property management companies will rent out and ensure maintenance on your investment when a vacancy or problem presents itself.

Maintaining an additional property can sometimes seem like a hassle or big financial responsibility. Take a moment to think about the benefits of keeping a rental home in good repair. If your home is run down in disrepair no one will want to live there. That means no rental income to cover that mortgage payment. Another reason for keeping the maintenance on the home up to date is that when you go to sell the property a well maintained home will return a better profit from appreciation.

With a rental home you need to be prepared for the commitment and be dedicated to your responsibilities as owner and landlord. It will take an investment of your time and in some cases personal capital to have a property that generates revenue. In the best case scenario the rental income will return a profit, but should minimally cover the homes maintenance.

When it comes to rental properties there are a couple types of income. Those are appreciation and yield. They appreciation you realize when you sell the home for more than you paid for it. The yield is your annual rental income. These concepts usually work inversely. That means that a property that has higher yield will generally have a smaller appreciation and vice-versa. The best situation would be a balanced approach to achieving moderation with each.

When you are considering a residential investment property the first step in the process is getting comfortable with the landlord responsibilities and the next step is obtaining financing. Ideally you will have assets available for a down payment, but if not there are programs available for that scenario also.

Financing a residential purchase has differences from a commercial real estate loan. With a residential property you are not usually expecting a profit on the scale of a commercial real estate deal. The residential mortgage terms are typically longer term which will allow you more payment, term and interest options. Many investors that already own a home will secure a home equity loan that helps them with the down payment on the investment property.

Residential property investors can turn a good profit on properties. It really depends on the time, capital and effort that you put into it. The residential investor that manages these aspects of the investment well will see the chances for success increase. Find additional real estate resources at the Authority Real Estate Directory.

Looking for investment properties

Here's the essay:

While the investment game is never a sure thing, one of the most solid investments a person can make is real estate. As the old saying goes, "God's not making any more land, so the price is only going to go up."

But if the real estate game were that easy, everyone would be a millionaire. Because of the expensive nature of real estate and the uneasiness many people feel when they decide to invest in it, consider the following tips before taking the plunge.

It's always important to remember that buying an investment property isn't the same as buying a home you're going to live in. But some of the same rules apply. One such rule is location. While those looking for their own home will likely look at privacy, the local school system and other things, when buying an investment property it's best to look in a high traffic area that's close to public transportation. The high traffic means more prospective renters will see your "For Rent" signs, while accessibility to public transportation will increase your pool of potential tenants.

In addition, it goes without saying that a desirable locale can often rent a place on its own. Rental properties in trendy neighborhoods often rent the fastest and landlords can often charge more for less.