Want to Build Your Probate Business? You Need a Great Lead Source!

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By Leon McKenzie

Today’s real estate investors face the uncertainty that a changing market brings. From issues with lending to interest rates and disclosures, building a real estate business can be a daily challenge – though one that can be met with hard work and a dedication to the industry. If you are building a real estate business, then you need to have access to all of the information that will help you to build your portfolio.

One of the key pieces of information that you need in order to create a real estate business is to have accurate information as to which properties are currently on the market. Having access to good leads is the single best way to ensure that you are finding the options that you need in order to beat other investors to the negotiating table and get a great deal.

Understanding that leads are a key component to building a real estate business is one thing. Being able to access them in a historically tight market is another thing completely. Current market conditions are making it nearly impossible to purchase a home using a traditional manner without completely overpaying for the property or having to compete with a long list of other potential buyers. This is simply not a model for success for a real estate investor.

Leads are the Way to Build a Profitable Real Estate Business

Not having leads can cause your business to stall in a way that can be truly detrimental over the long term. Karen Rittenhouse, an expert in buying and selling real estate said, “As an investor, the key fundamental element in the first level of your real estate investing business is creating systematic and consistent lead generation. If you are not focused on lead generation, you do not have a business, you have a hobby or a dream.”

Think about it this way. . . if you don’t have any way of knowing what is on the market, or get that information when it is too late and the price has been driven too high, then you will miss out on opportunities that could change your financial future. Timely, viable leads have to be an integral part of your real estate business if you expect it to grow. Otherwise, you will simply have a “hit or miss” strategy hoping that you find something that you can afford and that is available when you need it.

The experts at Realtor Magazine say it this way, “The sea change in real estate these past few years has made leads more valuable than ever before. . . Whether your overall strategy employs cutting-edge technology solutions, tried and true methods, or a blending of those, the end result should be to turn leads into business.” The value in real estate leads is that it opens doors of opportunity for you to purchase homes on a consistent basis, giving you a way to fuel your business.

Where Can You Find Great Leads?

If you have worked in real estate for any length of time, then you know that finding viable leads can be one of the hardest parts of the business and one that can cause a whole host of problems in taking your enterprise to the next level. The experienced professionals at Realtor Magazine said, “But most [investors] encounter problems somewhere in the process of moving from lead capture to lead conversion . . . In particular, lead conversion — that is, turning a received lead into a face-to-face presentation — is a frequently a source of frustration.”

While some real estate professionals can’t seem to meet with sellers, others find it difficult to find leads in the first place. There are opportunities to locate real estate leads by networking with others in the community, using social media, buying ad space or even using SEO tactics, but all of these require that the leads come and find you. You are putting information out that will help people to find a place they can sell their home. That doesn’t help you to move the process forward on your own end, though.

Finding Leads You Can Pursue

When you discover that advertising and networking simply won’t help you to move your business forward, you need a new plan, one that involves being able to act on your own leads. Getting those leads is the only stumbling block. Once you have them, you can move forward with communication campaigns that will provide you with a non-stop stream of opportunities to build a thriving real estate business.

Luckily, with the advent of technology, new lead sources have been developed that can help you to get information that can give you an edge. These lead sources, such as the one developed by the experts at US Probate Leads, give you instant access to lists of homes that may be available for sale due to probate. Delivered to your inbox on a regular basis, each of these leads has been tested to ensure that it is viable and timely.

Why Choose Probate Leads?

There are many reasons to pursue probate leads instead of traditional real estate market leads. With the aging baby boomer population, more and more homes are coming available that can be purchased for a significant discount. Why is this the new trend real estate investors are experiencing? When a loved one passes away, someone needs to take responsibility for dealing with all of the personal items, investments and property that the individual owned prior to their death. To deal with this issue, the court assigns an Executor, who has the right and responsibility to close out the individual’s financial dealings. The Executor is charged with the decision making ability to sell homes, personal property and close accounts in order to pay funeral bills, medical charges, close credit cards and distribute money to the heirs. This responsibility comes with the ability to sell property, which is the point at which they become a lead for a real estate investor.

The Baby Boomer Generation Will Provide Extraordinary Leads

The aging of the largest generation in the history of the United States will mean that there are more leads than ever for real estate investors. What characterizes an actual “lead?” According to writers at Realtor Magazine, they state:

“I believe a ‘real lead’ is someone who will take action in the next 30 days and has a defined need or void that can be clearly identified and filled by my service. Either they have a high level of exclusive commitment to me or I can get them to that level by meeting with me (and they’re willing to meet with me). Eventually, I learned to tighten my definition to anyone who would buy or sell within a year. Then I tightened even more to anyone who would buy or sell within six months, then 60 days, and finally down to my current demarcation. If I had done this from the beginning, I would have saved myself from a lot of mistakes, anguish, and lost income. Now, I’m not saying to throw the long-term leads away. Actually, let me put it as clearly as possible: Do not throw the long-term ones away! Today, we’re finding people in the search process much earlier than before because they’re out looking and shopping. We need to engage and connect with them.”

As you can see, a viable “lead” is one where the Executor is willing to sell their property in the short term. The reason that so many Executors are quick to sell is that they need cash to deal with the estate’s bills. These can include more than just the cost of the funeral, but also credit card bills, income tax, real estate taxes, estate taxes, medical bills, home maintenance fees and much more. In reality, Executors need investors who are willing to purchase their home quickly. That said, short term leads are not the only ones that are viable. While you may want an Executor to sell quickly, having leads that you can pursue over the long term will give you a constant stream of homes to evaluate to add to your portfolio.

Due to the need for cash, probates tend to sell not only quickly, but for a reduced rate. The reduced rates you can find as a result of good leads can save you from thirty to fifty percent on assets owned by the estate. With some careful research, you can find many opportunities within each probate to profit.

More than Just Homes with Probate Leads

While you may think that probate leads will only give you information about residential property that is simply not true. With probate leads, you can learn about many investment opportunities that are available in any given estate. These can include commercial property, such as warehouses, office buildings and restaurants; vacation homes that can be rented out for a profit and enjoyed by your family; and apartments and condos. Additionally, you can find businesses that are for sale that are currently running that will quickly add a stream of income to your family.

With probate leads it is also possible to create more than just a real estate investment business. There are many associated services that can lead to profits. Thinking creatively about how you use your leads may include starting an estate sale service and helping Executors to sell the personal items that have been left behind by their loved one. Using a lead service can also help you to offer rehabilitation services to commercial property owners. If you have experience in antiques, collector cars, boats, art, ATVs, RVs, model trains or personal watercraft, you can specialize in buying and selling these valuable items by using leads to locate them.

The Best Source of Leads

If you are serious about building your business, then the best way to do so is to get your leads from the nation’s best source. At US Probate Leads, we offer the highest quality leads in the United States. Our trained team visits courthouses in every county across the country accessing the most up-to-date and viable probate leads. This data is sent to you directly to your inbox each week, saving you the time, expense and hassle of going to the local courthouse and sifting through filing after filing.

In addition to our leads, we offer a wide range of supportive services that can help you to build your business. From software to books, e-books, webinars, seminars and even individualized mentoring services, we can ensure that your business grows and develops to meet your vision. Call us today to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable team members about leads in your community or other resources. Call now!

 

Sources:

http://www.karensperspective.com/100-ways-to-create-real-estate-leads/

http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/article/2011/08/what-lead-you

Getting Started with Your Tax Lien Certificate and Tax Deed Investment Business

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By: Ted Thomas


Investing in tax lien certificates and tax deeds is a business that almost anyone can start. It doesn’t require any more than motivation, a small amount of money, and knowledge of how the system works. While I can’t help you with the first two requirements, my successful students and I can help you with the third one.

The Basics of Any Good Business

As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. The more you know, the better your investments will be – whether you are creating wealth through the stock market, by opening your own storefront, or by purchasing tax lien certificates and tax deeds.

Think of your investment business as an office building. Before the walls goes up, there has to be a foundation in place. Not only is the foundation the most important part of constructing the building, it’s the hardest part to do. It takes careful planning, using the blueprints (knowledge) to create a foundation that will support the subsequent structure.

Although its importance can’t be overstated, one day the foundation will be covered up. No one will be able to see it and it will become a forgotten part of the building. Nevertheless, the building must stand firmly on the foundation or it will crumble.

The same is true of a business. Your profits will speak for themselves, but no one will realize the time, research, and effort you put into creating a foundation of success. Just remember that without those ingredients, your road to profitable investments will be a rough one.

Understand the Process

The more comfortable you are with the process of bidding on tax lien certificates and tax deeds, the better your chances of making good buying decisions. One of my successful students, Craig Talkington, puts it this way, “You do it once and it gets easier every time you do it. It’s guaranteed. The worst that happens is you get your money back.”

Not only that, it gets more profitable! Recently, Craig bought a 10-acre tract of land at a Tax Lien certificate sale. It was next to a school in a bad part of town and everyone thought he was crazy. But Craig was crazy like a fox – he figured the school would eventually want to use it for expansion. He bought the certificate for $1,500 and later sold the property to the school system for $34,000. Craig kept investing part time and it didn’t take long for his profits to snowball.

Know the Rules

Each county is different when it comes to auctioning tax lien certificates and tax deeds. They have specific rules and particular bidding procedures. There are many bidding processes, I’m only mentioning two in this tutorial.

The bidding process at a tax lien certificate or tax deed auction varies. Two types are a reverse auction and rotational bidding.

At a traditional auction, bidding starts with a minimum amount and each subsequent bid goes up; in a reverse auction, it starts at the high point and then goes lower. This type of auction is used in the states of Arizona and Florida. In Florida, the bidding is on an interest rate that starts at 18 percent. The interest rate gets progressively lower as the bidding continues and may go down to less than one percent.

The state of Colorado, on the other hand, uses a rotational bidding process. This means the bidders are all given a card with a number; the auctioneer will go around the room in order from lowest to highest number asking for bids. At some rotational bid auctions, the numbers are printed on ping pong balls and put into a big drum, much like you might see at a bingo game.

Dates and times vary widely amongst tax districts, too. For instance, the state of Texas sells tax defaulted properties every month. Texas counties sell tax deeds; however the deed has an encumbrance. Texas allows the property owners to pay the investor directly and redeem the tax-defaulted property anytime within 180 days. The owner must pay the amount of the defaulting taxes on the deed plus 25%, no matter the amount of days the debt has been outstanding. You could easily make a tidy profit in less than 30 days and that is why Texas is a popular state when it comes to tax deed investing.

Obviously, there is a lot to learn about the particular rules imposed by each county and municipality – but learning them forms the foundation of your business.

Get Started Now

The most important thing is that you get started on your investment business. You don’t have to quit your day job; you need to make small changes and begin to control your destiny so you have money in the future.

Ask yourself, “Is this in my best interests?” The more you learn the better your investment business will be and the more you will like it. Tax lien certificate and tax deed investing is as safe an investment as you can imagine since it is secured by real estate, your money protected by tax code, and certificates pay one of the highest rates of interest in the market.

Ted Thomas is famous for showing newcomers and investors how to earn 6 figure incomes within 1 year of completing his training program. Conservative investors love tax lien certificates because they are predictable, certain and secure and sold by local government. Tax defaulted properties are sold at oral big auctions and online. Starting bid, only the back taxes…. More information at www.TedThomas.com

 

What’s in a Name?

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By Randy Hughes

I recently read an article on the internet by Anna Sobrevinas about the names of people who own expensive homes. She said, “These are some of the names of owners of the most valuable homes nationwide, with ‘Stuart’ in the lead with a median home value of $334,022, according to a new research analysis by Zillow. “Alison” follows closely with a median home value of $332,403 and “Peter” with $325,126.

She went on to indicate, “Anne, with a median home value of $309,491, is one of the most common names of owners of the most valuable homes, and they dominate the West Coast. Annes in California have a median home value of $669,946; in Oregon, $387,160; and in Washington; $435,308.”

“This analysis reveals a lot of interesting—fun— differences between homeowner names and the relative popularity of less common or non-traditional homeowner names from region to region,” said Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell.

My view of this data is that if they know the first name of these home owners they also know the last name. In other words, the homeowner has deeded the property into their own personal name as opposed to using a title holding Trust (where their personal name would not show up in the public records).

Owning ANY real estate in your personal name is an invitation to trouble. There are no advantages to owning real estate in a personal name…only disadvantages and risks. Talk to any long term real estate investor and you will hear stories of upset tenants coming to their house late at night or liens from co-title holders destroying their equity. It gets worse.

Using a title holding trust (sometimes known as a Land Trust) to keep your real estate investments private is smart business. By using a trust, you avoid probate, tenant problems, frivolous lawsuits, due-on-sale clauses, seasoning issues, reassessment upon sale and many other real estate related risks.

If you want to learn more about the wonderful world of trusts, please go to: www.landtrustsmadesimple.com for more information. Or, if you would like to attend one of my FREE Land Trust Webinars, go to: www.landtrustwebinar.com/411 Also, feel free to call me with any questions. I actually answer my phone! 1-866-696-7347

 

 

Why Hiring a Coach Can Help You Build a Rock Solid Brand Fast

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By Sharon Vornholt

Does this sound like you?

You’re always looking for something or someone to help you get over the next hurdle; to help you get to the next level. You know you need a coach, but you might be confused about choosing the right coach for you and how they can actually help you grow your business. You’re wondering if you will you be wasting your hard earned money.

Or maybe you are heading off in a new direction in your business, and you’re not sure how to put all the pieces together when it comes to branding and marketing. You know there is someone out there that can help you streamline the whole process.

If this sounds like you, I can tell you that you are not alone.

Each and every one of us wants to be better at what we do. We are all searching for the next thing we need to do or learn to grow our business. It has been my experience that choosing the right coach to help us master that next “thing” is almost always a game changer for us both personally and professionally.

I can tell you this for sure: you will almost always make more money faster when you hire a coach that can shave years off your learning curve.

Why is that?

The reason is, when we have the right coach to help us take those next steps, suddenly everything becomes easier. The path automatically becomes clearer. The obstacles begin to disappear. And during that process, we generally take a big leap forward in growing our business.

It seems to happen almost magically. That’s because choosing the right coach really can shave years off your learning curve.

What Is the Biggest Thing Holding Most Entrepreneurs Back?

The lack of a rock solid brand, and this is one area where a coach can really help you. Most people either have a weak brand, or they have no brand. What this means is that in most cases you are simply invisible. Who wants to be invisible?

If you look around your field or industry, you probably know someone that is great at what they do, but they are the best kept secret in their industry. No one knows about them.

Or, maybe this sounds like you:

You’ve built a business, and it might even be a great business. However the problem is that people don’t know about it. They don’t know that you are the expert in your field, and that my friend is poor branding.

Let’s Talk about your Brand

People think of colors and logos when they think about branding, and those are the visual components of your brand. What your brand really is though is how people feel about you. It’s also what they say about you when you leave the room. Yikes! What do you suppose they say? Chances are they say “Ben is a nice guy” or “Katie is a great gal”.

But let me ask you this; is this all you want people to say about you? What about your expertise? Where does that shine through? If you haven’t consciously built your brand, it’s probably non-existent. No brand = no shine.

You Need to Change the Conversation

What they should be saying is “Ben is the go to person in ___ (you fill in your field). If you want someone to do that for you, Ben is the expert. He is the person to call.

Or… “Katie is the most knowledgeable real estate person I know. No matter what your needs are, she can make it happen. There is really nothing she doesn’t know about real estate”.

That is what would happen if you had a brand built around your expertise. You have a wide circle of brand awareness and recognition.

Make no mistake about it; building a rock solid brand that shows the world who you are, what you stand for and exactly how you can help your ideal client shows up directly in your checking account.

It’s money in the bank.

Your brand and how it shows up to the world is much more of a determining factor in how much money you make than your actual skills and expertise. Now I want you to think about that for a minute.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t need to good at what you do, because you do. I am merely telling you that in your ideal customer’s mind, it’s all about perception. How you are perceived in the market place directly impacts how much money you make.

Marrying Marketing and Branding – Dollars in Your Bank Account

When you are able to successfully marry your marketing and your branding that’s where the real magic happens.

Remember that marketing is what you do to get leads in the door, and branding is what makes you stand out from the pack so that your ideal client chooses you (rather than your competition). When your marketing is on track and you’ve build a rock solid brand, you will be the obvious choice.

12 Steps to the Closing Table and the Big Check

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By Kathy Kennebrook (The Marketing Magic Lady)

Okay, so your property is under contract, you’ve pre-qualified your prospect; they are working with the lender and everything is moving right along, right? Not necessarily. There are several steps to a successful closing and we are going to cover those one by one. Now remember, once you have your dream team in place, you will have the people available who will handle all of the details for you. In the meantime, you still need to know what all the steps are so you know everything gets handled properly.

  1. Make sure you get a big enough deposit from your buyer so they have some real dollars invested in the deal. Even if they are going for one hundred percent financing I still get as much as I can in order to secure the deal better. If your buyer puts down a larger deposit they are usually more committed to going through with the closing, so this is a requirement for me. I won’t even consider a deposit less than $1,000.00, but I always try for as much as I can get. The higher dollar the property is, the more deposit I require.
  1. Make sure that the lender or the mortgage broker orders credit and an appraisal on the property immediately. Usually, I will not consider a buyer who has not already been pre-qualified, so usually the credit check has already been done. Many lenders will try to wait until they get the contracts and other paperwork in before ordering the appraisal. This is a no-no. If you wait on the appraisal, it can hold up your closing by two to three weeks. Plus, if this buyer doesn’t end up buying the property, the appraisal can be used for the next buyer. Most appraisals are good for six months and now you have an appraisal that has already been paid for.
  1. Follow up with the loan processor to make sure the appraisal has been ordered and that the other parts of the closing are moving along. Many times your title agent or your Realtor or your sales person will do this for you, after all they want to get paid too. Make sure they have everything they need from the buyer regarding loan documentation.
  1. Follow up and make sure that title work has also been started. You want to make sure that everything is done in a timely matter so that there are no holdups when you go to close. Every once in awhile you may discover some small glitch in the title work that needs to be addressed, such as a deed that wasn’t done correctly. There would need to be an additional quit claim deed done to correct the mistake. Make sure the title agent understands the contract paperwork and what entity the funds are to be paid to. You also want to make sure they do the 1099 correctly so the right entity gets taxed. You will also want to provide the title company with a copy of the existing title policy. This means that they will be able to come forward from the date of your policy which takes less time and this may make the title search cheaper. Make sure the title agent understands who is going to pay for what regarding closing costs.

  1. Call the loan processor to make sure the property appraised for at least the amount of the contract. Make sure your buyer has ordered a termite inspection, a survey, a radon inspection or whatever else is required by the lender in order to close. Is there anything you can do to move things along? If you have a copy of a fairly recent survey, you can provide a copy. This will also save time and move you closer to the closing. Has your buyer’s deposit been credited? Have they gotten the paperwork they need to the lender including employment verification and rental history? These are all things you need to stay on top of.
  1. If your buyers are using city or county funds to supplement their loan, there will need to be another inspection done by the city or county. This is a stipulation of their program. Make sure this gets done quickly in order to address any issues that could come up with the inspection. If your buyers are having a home inspection done, make sure it is done right away. Not getting it done in a timely manner can hold up your closing.
  1. Does the lender have your information in order to be able to order a payoff on any underlying loans on the property? Have they received the payoff yet and have you reviewed it to make sure it is correct? Don’t just assume that just because they have been given figures that those figures are correct. Make sure they fax you a copy of the payoff for you to review. Double check the per diem amounts and make sure you aren’t being charged a prepayment penalty if there isn’t one due. Make sure the most recent payment has been credited against the amount due. These are problems I have had to deal with. If the loan is with a private lender, sometimes it takes even longer to get a payoff from them. Some of them don’t know how to prepare one, so they need the help of the title company or their real estate attorney for this. This is also the time you might be able to negotiate a discount with them. This works especially well if it was a seller held mortgage. We have gotten private lenders and sellers to negotiate discounts on loans on several occasions which just made our paycheck bigger.

  1. Has the buyer’s loan been approved? If not find out what the problem is and how to fix it if it can be fixed. If the loan has been approved find out what the proposed closing date is going to be. Has your buyer ordered insurance yet? You need to check this out and it needs to be done as soon as possible. This is another area where you could have a glitch. Sometimes the age of the property or the location of the property becomes an issue. For example, here in Florida where I live, if there is a hurricane brewing, we end up in a “box” which is a period of time where you can’t buy insurance until a hurricane passes. This can hold up a closing for several days unless the insurance is already in place. A buyer must purchase a homeowners policy for one year and it must pre-paid at closing.
  1. If you are selling a condo or a home with a home owners association, make sure the lender and the buyers have a copy of the home owner association rules and documents and that the buyers have set up their appointment for their meeting with the condo association or home owners association. If they are not approved by the condo association or homeowners association, the rest of the closing is a mute point. You need to make sure your buyer’s get through this process successfully.
  1. So now we have a set closing date. Make sure you contact the closing agent to make sure you get a copy of the HUD or closing statement before the closing takes place and before you arrive at a closing. Very recently we had a closing that didn’t take place because once we got the HUD all the figures including the asking price and seller assisted closing costs had all been changed. The closing price listed on the HUD was several thousand lower than the contract had called for. I have never seen anything like it and the deal never closed. Check the numbers! If there is a Realtor fee involved make sure the percentages are correct. Check the pro rated amounts you are being charged for property taxes or association fees. When you close on a property during the year, say in June and property taxes are due in October; you have to reimburse the buyer for the property taxes from January until the closing date in June since they didn’t own the property during that time period. The same would go for any association fees there might be. You will have to reimburse the buyer for the period during the month that they did not own the property. Double check to make sure these figure are correct. In my contract, if we are assisting the buyer in any way with closing costs, the buyer can’t walk away from closing with more than five hundred dollars. So this is another figure we check. Any amount over the five hundred dollars is credited back to our side on the closing statement.
  1. Call your buyer and make sure they have gotten a cashiers check for any monies they have to bring to closing and make sure they know where it is and what time the closing takes place. Make sure they bring a photo ID with them. The lender will require this. Believe me when I tell you that these are all lessons learned from experience.

  1. Now, Show up at the closing and don’t forget to bring the keys or garage door openers. Take several deep breaths and try to relax. Once you get through the closing take another deep breath, call your spouse and go out to dinner to celebrate.

Here is another point for you to consider. In my business, it is rare that I go to closings anymore since the whole closing process is outsourced. The funds from the closing are directly wired to an account for us so we get paid right away.

If I do go to a closing, I don’t go at the same time as the buyers. I usually go right after they are done with all their paperwork. The paperwork on a closing for a buyer is fairly time consuming and needs to be explained to the buyer by the title agent. I don’t like sitting at closings for an hour or more until I need to sign my documents. If you have done your due diligence and followed all the steps in the closing process, there isn’t really anything that can go wrong at the last minute, so breath easy but expect the worst.

Then when you get through the closing, cash your check or make sure your wire has arrived and go to dinner to celebrate!! For more information on Real Estate Investing tools and Marketing to Find Motivated Sellers, Buyers and Lenders visit Kathy Kennebrook’s website at www.marketingmagiclady.com. While you are there sign up for the free Monthly Newsletter and receive $149.00 in real estate investing tools absolutely FREE!

Are you FUNDABLE, or Do You Just Have a Good Score?

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Lenders only make money when they lend, right?

Well, you would’t know it from the way lenders keep borrowers in the dark about how to be a good borrower and qualify to borrow their money! You would think that lenders would be bending over backwards to teach, coach, and instruct borrowers on how to be a good borrower. We are simply told we need a good credit score.

As a result, anyone who wants to borrow money is obsessed with their credit score. The problem is borrowers have been led to believe that their credit scores are the chief determining factor to getting approved for credit—and it’s not true.

My intention in this article is to disclose some of the things I have learned over the last 25 years as a credit and funding expert. Many of these “secrets” revolve around what I call “fundability.” Fundability is far more than a credit score. Fundability is the composition and quality of your entire financial situation as represented by your credit “profile” such that a lender finds you attractive and desirable enough to extend you credit. As I have learned, fundability is measured by three major factors: credit score, credit profile quality, and underwriting criteria. Let’s take a look at each of one of them.

There are certain fundamental aspects of credit scoring that ARE important. The first of these is that your credit score, for it to be fundable, needs to be a FICO® credit score. Most borrowers are unaware of the difference between a FICO® credit score and what I call FAKE-O™ credit scores.

A FICO® credit score is a three digit score that is generated by filtering the data of one of the credit bureaus through a specific algorithm created by Fair Issac Company (FICO®). FICO® scores fall into two categories: the first is called an “unweighted” score and grades the raw data of your credit profile. This unweighted score is the score that lenders and creditors provide as part of their credit card offers. However, this score (even though it is a FICO® score) is NOT a score that is used by lenders to evaluate your fundability.

The second category of FICO® scores is what is called “industry-specific” scores. They are also know as “weighted” scores, because they are weighted for the particular industry where you are applying for credit. For example, if you’re looking to purchase a vehicle, the lender or dealership will be using FICO® software that weighs your previous auto loan reputation. If you have a good payment history, your score will be higher than your unweighted scores, but if you had a missed payment or repossession, then your auto score may be lower than your unweighted score. Industry-specific credit scores include auto scores, mortgage scores, credit card scores, etc.

So while you have been trained by the financial world to be score sensitive, no one has taught you the difference between FICO® and FAKE-O™ scores. If it does not have the FICO® registered trademark it is not a legitimate score—NO lender will lend on it. I hate (not really—just being polite) to inform all of you that the credit scores offered on sites like CreditKarma.com, etc. are FAKE-O™ scores and are not used by lenders to extend you credit. The best place to acquire your true FICO® credit scores is myFICO.com. It offers both unweighted and industry-specific scores. Another feature to the credit report you get from myFICO.com is that it also contains credit scores calculated using various versions of the FICO® scoring software so that you can see what the lenders see—regardless of which software version a lender uses.

Whaaaaa?

As with all software, there are versions that are more recent and and there are versions that are older. The challenge is that when you go to a lender and submit an application, you do not know what version of the FICO® software they are using. To add insult to injury, when you pull your myFICO®.com credit report, you will see that there can be as much as a 20 to 70 point difference between scores generated by the different software versions. And each version grades the exact same data on your credit profile!

What’s more disturbing still is that lenders do not educate borrowers about the complexities of credit so that they can make intelligent borrowing decisions. Of course, we are not schooled in these credit vagaries. We are told only to pay our bills and we’ll have a good credit score. The secret is that “paying your bills” on time is only one of 40 activities on your credit profile that FICO® measures. Once again, our ignorance of those other 39 criteria leaves us in mystery as to how to positively affect our fundability and our credit approvals.

The second contributing factor to your fundability is the quality of your credit profile. Your credit profile breaks down into five distinct areas: your identity, your revolving accounts portfolio, your installment loans portfolio, inquiries, and derogatory or negative indicators (late pays, collections, liens, judgments, and other types of score limiting data). Let’s take these one at a time.

Your personal credit identity is the single most important feature of a high-quality credit profile. Lenders, credit bureaus, and FICO® do not think of you as a person in the traditional sense. You are an identity—a data set that they can quantify and track. Since you were never taught how to correctly apply for credit, you probably applied using various versions of your name and different addresses. Since the credit bureaus collect every scrap of data you submit in your applications, they have a record of every version of your name, every address you’ve ever applied under (even Aunt Mae’s where you spent the summer). Credit bureaus do this so they can collect and merge all your data to better identify you. The bureaus have spent tens of millions in data development and management, when it seems to me that it would just be simpler for them to instruct borrowers how to establish a credit identity and use it consistently when borrowing. But alas, such is not the case. One of the first things you will see when you pull you’re myFICO.com credit report is the veritable mess of inconsistent information that is listed under your personal information section (credit identity). It is vital that you present a single, clear, and concise identity to your current creditors as well as any future lenders.

The second area that contributes to a high-quality credit profile is what I call your “revolving accounts portfolio.” This is the collection of all of your revolving accounts: credit cards, credit lines, charge cards, and HELOCs (home equity lines of credit). The most important score contribution to you’re revolving accounts portfolio is your balance to limit ratio (known in the industry as utilization), followed by the average age of your revolving accounts portfolio. Next priority is the quality of each individual account. Quality is defined by the “tier” of the lending institution and the contribution of the account to the quality of the profile. While I can’t go into great detail here, you need to know credit instrument quality ranges from Tier 1 banks and 100% contribution to Tier 4 lenders and 40% contribution. Until now, we were never trained on how to build a high-quality fundable credit profile and so many of us have low-value “junk” cards which show a lender a lack of credit sophistication.

The third area of a high-quality credit profile is your installment loan portfolio. As with your revolving account portfolio, you can have a Tier 1, 100% quality loan, and you can have a Tier 4, 40% quality loan. The quality of the loan contributes to or detracts from the quality of your credit profile and the quality of your credit profile determines your fundability.

The next contributor to a high-quality credit profile are your inquiries. Inquiries count against your credit score for 12 months, but what we were not told is that the inquiries count against underwriting and fundability for 24 months. FICO® and lender underwriting software downgrade your fundability significantly when you have too many inquiries. How many is too many? FICO® allows one inquiry per six months without a significant degradation of your credit score or fundability.

After one inquiry per six months, there is a steep point-loss curve as you incur more inquiries. Additionally the quality of the accounts you are applying for will impact your credit profile. Finance companies, mall store cards, and other low-grade credit instruments have a greater negative impact against your score than higher tiered credit instruments.

Finally, the most powerful negative contribution to your profile and fundability is the presence of derogatory accounts or other negative indicators. The credit repair industry has increased borrower awareness about the negative impact of bad credit. Unfortunately, credit repair is not a solution that will help your fundability. Credit repair companies offer a meager dispute letter writing campaign in the hopes of removing a few negative accounts. While the removal of these accounts may improve your score a little, it does not improve the essential nature of your fundability as we’ve described in this section—credit repair does not help you build a powerful FUNDABLE credit profile.

By definition credit repair strategies and those service providers who offer them, are completely ignorant of fundability and do not know how to create a credit profile that will contribute to credit approvals. In fact, most credit repair firms, in a feeble attempt to help their clients “rebuild” their credit, refer them to low-value junk credit instruments, etc. These junk cards pay referral fees so the credit repair company wins, but the clients take another hit to their credit. It is a travesty how much ignorance there is among organizations who say they are trying to help disadvantaged borrowers.

Let’s take a look now at the final fundability factor: underwriting. Underwriting software expands the requirements of fundability significantly. Since it is the lender that is actually extending the credit (and carrying all the risk), lenders have developed (in concert with FICO®) their own underwriting criteria and software.

Underwriting software takes into account credit score, income, debt load, current banking relationship (checking account, average daily balance, recency of last bounced check) and the 24 month look-back period. Underwriting software calculates behaviors over the preceding 24 months and measures it in a logarithmic scale. A borrower’s behavior over the last 24 months is the key indicator of what the borrower’s behavior will be for over the next 24 months. The 24-month look-back period cannot be underestimated in its importance to your fundability.

The next time you are at a cocktail party or social gathering and someone tries to dazzle you with their credit savvy, politely interrupt them and ask them to share their understanding of ANY of the topics you have learned in this article. When they stutter and hum and ha, overwhelm them with all your knowledge about fundability!

Every borrower in this country, and every individual in the upcoming generation needs to learn what we have reviewed here. We cannot remain in our ignorance. We cannot be “at effect” of these billion-dollar organizations who not-so-secretly profit from our ignorance. We need to turn the tables and make ourselves knowledgeable AND fundable. If knowledge is power, then applied knowledge is a superpower.

If you would like to know more about Credit Funding Optimization, go to CreditSense.com/frequently-asked-questions. We also have an exhaustive YouTube channel: YouTube.com/Creditsense. Take a moment and review our website or call us at 801.438.9090. You will find these resources available nowhere else. Read, study, watch, and get empowered with the knowledge that will transform your financial world. And for most of us, when we transform our financial world, the rest of our lives will significantly improve. CreditSense.com offers the only Credit Funding Optimization in existence. It is the only integrated process that optimizes your credit score, your credit profile quality, and your underwriting capacity so that you can become FUNDABLE.

Sincerely,

Merrill Chandler, CEO and Chief Strategist

Trust Strategies

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By Randy Hughes

After using Land Trusts to hold title to my real estate, contracts and notes for the last 40 years, I have discovered that 99% of the population does not understand the nature of a Land Trust nor the many benefits that can be derived. I consider this good news.

Because of their low profile, Land Trusts are very useful for (off the radar) real estate transactions. The following ideas are merely suggestions that you might consider. Be careful to think through all the ramifications before engaging in these concepts.

If you want to borrow money conventionally and you will use a deed to real estate as collateral for the loan, you will have to give the lender the full deed. In other words, you cannot divide a deed up into pieces no matter how much you are borrowing. For example, if you owned a parcel of real estate in your own personal name (your name is on the deed), with $100,000 of equity and you wanted to borrow only $20,000, you would have to collateralize that deed in full. In other words, you would have to give $100,000 of equity to secure only a $10,000 loan.

The Land Trust can be used to solve the problem of over-collateralizing a loan. The beneficial interest of a Land Trust can be divided into unlimited shares. Therefore, a Land Trust holding a piece of real estate with $100,000 of equity could use some of its shares (but not all of its shares as is required by a personally held deed) as collateral for a $10,000 loan. With a share value of $1,000 there would be 100 shares.

The beneficiary of the Land Trust could “temporarily assign” 10 shares for a $10,000 loan. This would leave 90 shares unencumbered that could be used for future financing. The flexibility of using a Land Trust far exceeds the standard method of title holding.

In another scenario, assume that two real estate investors have owned their properties (of similar current market value) inside Land Trusts for 30 years. Both investors are “out” of depreciation. Neither investor wants to conventionally sell their properties and incur huge capital gains.

Once again, the Land Trust trots in for the rescue. Each investor (beneficiary of the land trust) sells the beneficial interest to the other on an installment sales agreement. The terms are nothing down, interest only (no capital gain to report) and a ten-year balloon (enough time to figure out what to do next).

What this transaction accomplishes is a new amortization schedule for each investor (new basis). The deal is private and flies under the assessor’s radar (no reassessment upon the “sale”) and no transfer tax is triggered. If the parties involved so desire they can hold options to buy the beneficial interests back after (or during) the ten years has lapsed.

If you don’t think this will work, look up and read the tax court decisions on; Weaver, 71 TC No. 42. 1978; Rushing CA-5, 441 F.2d 593, 1971 and Pityo, 70 TC No. 21 1978.

The key to taking advantage of these creative ideas is finding someone who will “play.” Of course, my mind wonders to people who have studied my Land Trusts Made Simple® home study course or taken one of my live seminars. It is those who understand how the “game is played” that benefit you the most. I encourage you to seek out other “players” like yourself…it will benefit you greatly.

There are many other similar structures that I discuss in detail in my Land Trusts Made Simple® home study courses. Please go to: www.landtrustsmadesimple.com for more information. Or, if you would like to attend one of my FREE Land Trust Webinars, go to: www.landtrustwebinar.com/411 Also, feel free to call me with any questions. I actually answer my phone! 1-866-696-7347

 

Probate Investing: Getting Inside the Mind of the Executor

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By Sharon Vornholt

Today I want to talk about getting inside the mind of the executor. Most people know that probate investing is my favorite real estate niche of all. This group of sellers is very motivated to sell any property in the estate. Once you can understand the seller’s viewpoint, it’s easy to see that investors provide a much needed service to anyone settling an estate.

Who Is In Charge?

The terms executor and administrator are interchangeable. The term personal representative refers to either of the above. So what’s the difference?

The executor is named in the will by the deceased. In this case the deceased has specified who they want to be in charge of their estate. In the absence of a will the court will appoint an administrator. Both the executor and the administrator (also referred to as the PR or personal representative0 have the same duties and legal responsibilities. That person is the decision maker, so that is the person you ideally want to be in contact with regarding the sale of the property.

There are times however when one of the heirs will be the one to show you the property. This is generally because the personal representative isn’t available. Maybe they live out of town or they can’t be there for some other reason. This isn’t unusual, but you need to be aware that they cannot legally sell the property unless the heir is also the executor or administrator.

Get in the habit of asking the person contacting you if they are the executor. If they say no, ask what their relationship is (family member, heir etc.), and ask who the executor is and get their contact information.

The Typical Investor’s Mindset

If you ask the bulk of the investors out there why they aren’t working in probates, they will tell you that they feel uncomfortable since the property is being sold due to a death. Many will say they don’t know how to talk to those sellers; they don’t know what to say. Sometimes they will say probate investing is just plain “creepy”.

The truth of the matter is, these are just regular people that have a problem. They have an estate to settle that involves selling property. This whole process can be very confusing to the executor or administrator. They aren’t familiar with the terminology or the timelines. In addition to settling the estate, they have their own lives to get on with. They have jobs, families and other responsibilities. The last thing most of these people need is an unwanted property they have to sell. When you can show up as the expert, they will be so thankful for your help.

Once you understand your role and how you can help those folks selling the property, it’s easy to get inside the mind of the executor and understand how they feel and think.

Why do they put off Selling the Property?

There are two main reasons.

One is being overwhelmed. The executor is being pulled in a lot of different directions. Often times they just don’t know where to start. The other reason is all the “stuff” in the house. They have to decide how to dispose of all the personal belongings. I can tell you from experience that this is a gut wrenching experience.

Those were the deceased’s treasures. They were things they loved in many cases, but they have little if any value to the family. Family members will choose keepsakes, pictures and heirlooms and then there is … the rest of it. The family has to decide what to keep and what to dispose of. There can be a lot of guilt in the mind of the executor and the family members when it comes to disposing of personal belongings.

When you can step in and offer to finish this job for them you have just solved a huge problem for the executor and the heirs.

That is what investors bring to the table where estates are concerned. A solution to a problem that allows these folks to get on with their life.

Remember that in most cases they don’t want the property. They just want to sell it, settle the estate and move on. When you can help them do that, it changes everything for the seller. That’s why having a clear understanding of their viewpoint makes your job as an investor so much easier.

Retirement Savings – History & Trends

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By Kaaren Hall

“The retirement crisis is the largest and most urgent global crisis we face today.”

The world’s most respected economists and financial analysts believe the pending retirement crisis is of paramount importance. So how did we land here? How have retirement plans evolved over the years? What risks and challenges do individuals face now? What emerging trends and strategies are arising that could save the global economy, and your financial future?

To really get the value, the importance, the right perspective, and the potential of self-directed IRA investing it is critical to understand the history and emerging trends…

A Quick History of Retirement Accounts

  • 13 BC Roman Emperor Augustus began pensions for legionnaires with 20 years of service[1].
  • In the 1st century the New Testament pioneered the idea of tithing to help the poor and widows.
  • 1717 the Presbyterian Church begins a fund for retiring ministers[2].
  • In 1889 century if Plymouth colonists were wounded in combat they received a pension[3] to support their families. However, the tax collection to raise these funds was often carried out by the ‘retired’ veterans themselves.
  • In 1875 the first private pension plan in America was created by the American Express Railroad.
  • 1900 – Life expectancy is 49 years old[4], with retired workers generally being disabled.
  • In 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. The act provided a fixed income for the disabled and retired workers aged 65+. This was funded by a 1% tax on employees and their employers. By 2006 that tax had risen to 7.65% on employees and employers.
  • 1974 saw the birth of tax deductible IRAs.
  • In 1981 401ks were established.
  • Then Roth IRAs were born in 1997.
  • In 2009 uDirect IRA Services, LLC was launched to assist individuals with self-directed IRA accounts (and Solo 401(k) accounts)
  • August 31, 2016, S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI moved stock-exchange listed Equity REITs and other listed real estate companies from the Financials Sector of their Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) to a new Real Estate Sector.

Looking back a couple of century’s average people just never lived long enough to retire, nor was simply dropping out to play golf and sip tea all day something people strived for. They simply worked till they dropped.

The ‘golden years’ was a term originally coined to refer to the peak working and earning years of 25 to 40. Now it is commonly used to describe a coveted period of relaxation, golfing, bingo, and travel, with plenty of income, and no work. Of course those are the golden years most of us are craving today; and if we can get there in our 40s we’re even happier (at least until we get bored).

So how well are Americans doing at achieving the finances needed for a retirement, and preferably a comfortable, and timely one? With ten-thousand Baby Boomers reaching age 65 every day for the next decade this is a question in desperate need of an answer. Not only is this large sector of our population aging but the vast majority of pensions are under-funded and Social Security is anything but secure.

The answer may well be found by taking retirement into our own hands and investing in the asset classes we know best. That’s what self-directed IRAs allow us to do. We can move our retirement accounts over to self-directed accounts and invest in “alternative assets” like real estate, private stock, precious metals, notes and more to secure our financial future.

[1] http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/a-brief-history-of-retirement-its-a-modern-idea/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retirement_plans_in_the_United_States

[3] http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2006/04/01/the-history-of-retirement

[4] http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=legal

Due Diligence – What it is and Why it Matters!

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By Laura Alamery

 

Buying real estate is not as simple as having enough money to purchase the property. It requires time and effort to check and make sure that the condition of the property is good and the title is valid before making the final decision. That is what you call due diligence.

In case the buyer discovers that something is wrong with the property, he may give suggestions to the seller so that the latter can act on it by addendum to the contract, or the buyer can decide not to buy the property.

Contractual Due Diligence

There are certain elements within the sales contract or purchase agreement which are critical to the ‘satisfaction’ of due diligence. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Contingencies – Any contingencies which the buyer wants performed prior to finalizing the purchase must be stated on the sales contract. Some examples of these conditions may include: inspections, partner’s approval, financing, research of code violations or permits – and, of course, a clear and marketable title. At the end of the contingencies timeline, the buyer must either release the them and proceed with the sale or cancel the purchase.

Time is of the Essence – Due diligence supported by contingencies comes with a definitive timeline in the sales contract. If the buyer cannot complete his/her due diligence by the deadline, he/she will have to renegotiate with the seller. The seller has the choice whether or not to agree to the extension; which in turn may compel the buyer to follow through with the purchase regardless, or cancel the contract.

Title Discovery – Whenever you purchase real estate (especially as an investor) a marketable title is the most crucial element. Without it, an investor cannot sell or transfer the property. There are several types of title discovery searches which look into a chain of title; as well as liens or judgments against the property. The following are 2 main types of searches performed; keep in mind these may go by different names according to the title company and location:

  1. Full Title Search – the most complete of the two, this search checks into everything affecting the property’s history. It is the only one that will be used prior to issuance of title insurance, and is of course the most expensive to perform.
  2. Letter Report – a summary of what’s on the title; which reveals any possible liens and judgments.

Please note: Securing title insurance is an important step. Though title insurance for cash transactions is optional, it is mandatory when the buyer must obtain a mortgage to purchase the property. In my professional opinion, an investor should always acquire title insurance. According to Wikipedia, “Title insurance is a form of indemnity insurance predominantly found in the United States which insures against financial loss from defects in title to real property, and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage loans.”

Due Diligence Questions & Answers

 

Q: Should an investor perform due diligence on every property before purchasing?

A: Yes, and no. When an investor is looking at several possible deals at the same time – and not sure if they will go through with a specific contract, holding back could be wise. For example, it would be prohibitively expensive to perform even a Letter Report (average cost is $150) on every single property. These actions are also time consuming: even a title report will take 3 business days to be issued.

With that said, there are times when some basic due diligence is an important decision factor; for instance, when an investor is considering a property coming online at a foreclosure auction. The investor will want to know what potential issues there might be on title (liens, judgments) and whether the title would be marketable.

Q: Is it necessary for a title company to perform the due diligence for any sales contract?

A: The investor can actually perform a lot of their own basic due diligence without hiring a title company or spending any money. Checking with the appropriate government offices (most of them can also be accessed online) for some basic discovery is the simplest way to gain confidence in proceeding with your purchases.

Q: Which government agencies do you recommend searching to complete due diligence?

A: I don’t check with all the government offices for each property. If my discovery at the Recorder of Deeds Office comes out clean (with no red flags) I will stop there; unless I see a spotty history of liens and releases on title. This is also a useful means of locating properties undergoing issues that have kept them off the MLS. Here is a list of searches available in the public domain, and what you can expect to find:

  1. Recorder of Deeds Office – Will have record of liens such as: Mortgages, Federal & State Income Tax Liens, Sewer, Water, Judgments, HOA (Homeowner’s Association); and other property document history.
  2. Collector of Revenue – Lists any Back Property Taxes and Tax Liens
  3. Building Inspections Office – Data on any building violations and inspections.
  4. HOA – If the property is within a subdivision or a condo development, there are probably Homeowners’ Association Dues.
  5. Clerk’s Office – Mechanics Liens (filed by contractors for unpaid work on the property).
  6. Comptroller – City liens, for unpaid taxes and fees.

Due diligence is a must when it comes to purchasing real estate. Though a preliminary search can be performed at no cost before making your decision to proceed – it is my opinion that a full title search and insurance are necessary prior to final purchase.