JUSTIN FORD – Owner at Encore Real Estate Group, Co-Founder / FOREX Trader and Educator at Team Take Profits

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Learn with Justin Ford – Real Estate Broker, FOREX Educator, Entrepreneur and Visionary

From struggle to success, Justin Ford truly lives the saying “It’s not how to start, but how you finish.” At the age of 19, with his life in disrepair, Justin made the critical decision to turn it all around. Now at the age of 34, Justin has become a successful entrepreneur, business owner, real estate broker, investor, motivational speaker, author, and mentor.

Justin is the owner and broker of Michigan-based Encore Real Estate Group. He currently oversees a team of successful agents. In 2018, Encore will branch out to Florida as well. Justin plans to take his Encore Real Estate group brand nationally. He has his eye on soon opening a third brokerage in another state he frequently travels to: California.

Raised in a rough neighborhood, Justin is not shy about his troubled past and uses it as a tool to save young adult men and steer them on a positive path. He says life’s mission is to make a valuable difference. Justin has earned numerous achievement awards, and demonstrates daily that talent, drive, and ambition really do lead to success. Justin’s passion and desire to see people rise to success leaves a lasting impact as he challenges all to become the champion they were created to be.

Currently residing in metro Detroit with his wife and four children, Justin says the love and support of his family helps fuel his passion for success in all avenues. In his spare time, he loves to travel the world and donate his time to The Positive Zone Project Foundation, which empowers high school students through character education and leadership development.

Recently, Justin became involved with the financial strategy: FOREX. Trading foreign currencies is a trillion-dollar a day industry and individuals, as well as institutions and corporations are capitalizing on movement of currency. All trading can be done on your phone, 24 hours per day.

Justin and his team are actively trading on FOREX with a company that has opened up the knowledge and access to trading to average, regular people without a traditional financial background.

The SKY is the LIMIT for Former Pilot Turned Houston Property Investor & Manager

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After his job was threatened by the aftermath of 9/11, Steve Rozenberg, co-founder of Empire Industries, LLC realized that obtaining financial freedom through investing in property is a much surer way of building wealth than working for someone else.

“I’m an airline pilot by trade,” said Steve. “I fly for a commercial airline, and so after 9/11 hit, I was on the verge of being out of a job. That’s when I realized that I needed to do something else to earn money because that secure job didn’t look quite as secure as I’d thought.”

“So what I did, is I started learning everything I could about real estate. I started trying to understand it. I read a book a week on real estate and I devoured as much information as I could so I could figure out this new society…this new language that I was engulfed in.”

“Then I started buying some houses. I sold a few houses, then ended up buying an apartment complex. I sold the apartment complex and started buying a bunch of low income property, which is probably my biggest mistake.”

Steve met Pete in 2005 and the two began flipping houses together before switching to a buy and hold strategy. Then, after buying twenty low income houses within a year and a half, the two realized they’d made a mistake.

“We realized why we shouldn’t have done that. All of a sudden we had a huge waterfall of problems attacking us from all angles; so we did what any normal male would do, we turned around and bought another 15 properties to try to fix the problem, which really just ended up being like gasoline on the fire for us. It just ended up making our problems ten times worse!”

The solution they created for their problem became Empire Industries, LLC.

“So to solve the problem we’d gotten ourselves into, we had to create a management company of our own, just to manage our own properties.”

“This is how the management company got started. We started it out of necessity, from the result of making our own mistakes of buying the wrong properties, but also figuring solutions out for that.”

INVESTOR SOLUTION

Today, Empire Industries, LLC is the fastest growing single family management company in Texas. They manage about 750 properties in Houston and Dallas, and have a client base that spans the globe. Investors from California to Japan use Empire Industries for their property management needs.

“We’re the number one referred management company by REALTORS®” said Steve. “We give referral fees to our agents and we make them look good. At the end of the day, what an investor wants is a property that is going to make them money and not give them a headache.”

“Empire Industries is a full- service property management company. Our services run the gamut, from helping people find properties to managing their investments; we do it all from an investor’s perspective. Because we’re active investors ourselves, we’re looking at the market from that mindset. We are in the business of helping investors find properties that match their goals.”

“Often, beginning investors fail to see results because they don’t have policies, procedures and structures in place…they run it off of emotions, not a business model.”

“What I always tell people is that when it comes to owning a rental property, you own a business. Whether you have one or fifty properties, you run a business. Fair housing, discrimination…all of these laws that dictate what you do as a landlord say that you’re a business and the only one that does not realize they’re a business is the owner.”

Investors choose Empire Industries, LLC because they’re more than a property management company. As active investors, the founders are in “the heat of battle of owning properties.”

“We look at it from an investor’s perspective,” said Steve, “As a partner, not as just a customer/client relationship. This means our goal is to help them be successful and to reach their financial goals, whatever those goals may be.”

INVESTOR EDUCATION

From hundreds of free videos to free ebooks, investors have access to a huge resource of information…for free…from the team at Empire Industries, LLC.

Ask any savvy investor and they’ll tell you…learning as much as possible about investing in property is key to achieving success.

“Most importantly, have a plan,” said Steve. “If you don’t have a plan and you don’t have goals you need to talk to someone like myself and figure out what your goals are so that when you’re trying to find a deal you can know what that deal is, based on your goals.”

Steve Rozenberg owns a property management company based in Houston Texas. It is currently the fastest growing PM company across Texas. Because of his extensive knowledge and background being an international airline pilot flying Boeing aircraft such as the 737,757,767 and the famous Dreamliner 787 he has been able to take that knowledge of systems, structure and checklists to help create a company that while being an airline pilot went from 0 – 600 properties in under 4 years without buying a single rent roll, all through learning and mastering marketing and sale techniques. This knowledge won his company a National Award of Best Marketing in North America by ActionCOACH Business Excellence Award earning a 1435% return on their marketing dollars. Steve’s company Empire Industries has since partnered with the owner of ActionCOACH to help grow their company across the US. Steve is still currently an international airline pilot and is also stepping on stages as keynote speaking in areas such as motivation and drive, marketing, systemization and checklist mindset and methodology across the United States as well as other international cities.

OP-ED: Why Chinese Investors Are Still Buying CA Properties & Will Continue To Do So

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Foreign investors made up a large number of real estate buyers in the past few years, but is their activity diminishing in our new political climate? Discover insight from a Top Producer with direct connections and years of experience with international investors.

by Yumiko Blaschko

There has been much speculation that mainland Chinese home-buyers will pull back their California property purchases amid China’s economic slowdown as the country’s escalating trade war with the U.S. dampens growth.

These concerns were fueled by reports from Beijing this week that China’s economic growth slowed to its weakest pace since the first quarter of 2009 with the economy growing at 6.5% year-over-year in the ’18 third quarter, missing expectations for 6.6% growth.

California home sellers, take heart! As it stands now, the facts on the ground do not support recent forecasts of a Chinese pullback from the California real estate market.

On the contrary – – At present, Chinese consumers still have ample means and appetite for California real estate.

Here’s why.

While data has shown that in recent years the Chinese economy, on paper, is slowing from previous levels, the Chinese government has been unable to detect and stop the flow of illicit money out of mainland China. Simply put, Beijing’s capital outflow controls have been ineffective in stemming the international transfer of underground money, a phenomenon that continues at a rapid clip.

In recent years money flows originating from illegal sources in China has been on the rise. In the first quarter of 2017, for example, US$58 billion of capital outflows from China came from illegal sources, demonstrating the difficulty of identifying and measuring the flows.

In some respects, this should not be much of a surprise. Due to the needs of corporations to maintain cash flow and liquidity, company executives devise ways to facilitate the illegal and undetected flow of money. This can come in the form of direct investments, sometimes as current account transactions and at other times it is the flow of plain old-fashioned underground money.

Chinese regulators continue to be outwitted and overwhelmed by consumer demand originating from their soil. Undeterred by authorities, mainland families and individuals eager to buy their piece of the California rock continue their efforts unabated.

All of this despite the slowing real estate market in the Golden State as well as recent trend of rising interest rates by the Fed.

This momentum of Chinese home buying in California has continued notwithstanding predictions that stricter policies out of Beijing and growing uncertainty surrounding U.S. immigration and trade policy would lead to a slowdown in foreign investment.

Another reason local sellers of homes will continue to find Chinese buyers is ongoing demand. The fact of the matter is that Chinese property hunters find California housing an attractive prospect.

In a 2018 study by the National Association of Realtors, California amounted to 14% of all foreign purchases of residences in the U.S., up from 12% in 2017. This likely indicates a growing confidence on the part of foreigners in California real estate.

Of the foreign purchasers of U.S. real estate, buyers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan topped the list of overseas buyers. The study found that Chinese home buyers elected to buy in California 38% of the time, a 1% increase from the prior year.

According to Jonathan Lansner of the Orange County Register, non-U.S. citizens bought approximately 41,500 homes in the Golden State in the 12 months ending in March, 2018, marking a 9% increase over the past year. Of those purchases, China-based buyers accounted for 17,000 of these transactions, a rise of 3% from the previous 12 months.

Some other numbers to consider…

•The biggest consumers of U.S. properties in 2017 were from China, accounting for $31.7 billion worth of property, an increase of over $4 billion from 2016.

•Non-U.S. citizens bought $35 billion worth of California properties in 2017, an increase of $8 billion from 2016.

•Last year property buyers from the Asia Pacific accounted for 71% of foreign buyers in the Golden State. This was a 20% increase from just a year earlier.

•Taking into account larger trends in the global economy, Asia has been the fastest growing market for wealth management since 2013, consisting of 45% of global inflows from 2013-2018. Asia-based asset managers reported US$66 billion in revenue in 2017 and this trajectory is expected to double by 2023, according to McKinsey. Currently, China alone represents 37% of assets under management in Asia, and analysts are forecasting that China-affiliated assets will grow at a per annum rate of 17% over the coming five years.

Yes, a clampdown by regulators in Beijing is in effect. Nonetheless, it’s end result has been ineffectual due to both the undetected flow of money to the U.S. and continued Chinese demand for California properties.

For the time being, Chinese homebuying in our state will continue in spite of China’s government-mandated restrictions and other factors, i.e., the current U.S. real estate market slowdown, rising interest rates and the U.S.-China trade war.

About Yumiko Blaschko

A real estate veteran based in Orange County, Yumiko services luxury home sellers and buyers throughout Southern California and the Asia Pacific. Raised in Singapore and Japan, Yumiko is multilingual in Chinese, Japanese and English. She specializes in connecting California-based home sellers with buyers in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Japan.

Known for her dynamism and work ethic, Yumiko has a long track record of helping her Orange County-based clients sell their exclusive properties and purchase dream residences. A few of her geographical areas of expertise include Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Balboa Peninsula, Lido Island, Dana Point, Laguna Canyon & Laguna Beach, Pelican Hills, Pelican Crest, Huntington Harbour, Irvine and Beverly Hills.

Through her work, she has developed an expertise in the international transfer of funds between various Asia-based and U.S. financial institutions, and she regularly helps international buyers in transferring investments and remittances to the U.S. Yumiko has also put together extensive business relationships with numerous industries in California and high-end real estate firms in China.

Yumiko’s training in Christie’s International Real Estate and as an affiliate of Luxury Portfolio International enables her clients to benefit from a peerless range of marketing opportunities in Christie’s offices around the world. With public relations initiatives tailored to each property, these services include the placement of elegant brochures in auction house lobbies, Christie’s window displays at major salerooms, events that bring art collectors to properties in addition to joint advertising programs through Christie’s International Real Estate. Luxury Portfolio’s inventory of properties exceeds $44 billion with a global reach that extends to 50 countries, attracting website visitors from over 200 countries/territories every month to local sellers.

Working tirelessly on behalf of her clients, Yumiko achieves high sales prices for property sellers. Her years of experience have honed her skills in negotiating real estate transactions and mastering diverse aspects of real estate. She believes strongly in connecting people to achieve her clients’ goals, promoting sellers through her networks and in a variety of Asia-based publications as well as the Fox Business Network, Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

Yumiko is devoted to volunteer initiatives with the Saddleback Church, the Dana Point U.S. Marines 5th Regiment Support Group, the Segerstrom Center For The Arts and to programs that foster entrepreneurship. She enjoys theater, classical music and supporting educational projects that improve understanding between East and West.

我們擁有超過30年專經南加州房地產的最佳口碑和經驗. 張裕美以她值得信賴的和豐沛的政界, 商界人脈, 以及和當地社區的緊密聯係幫助您擁有最好的位置, 最佳的價位, 先人 一步的房源. 我可以幫助您:
•買賣自住或為您產生出租收入的獨立房屋
•買賣和管理多單位公寓產業
•買賣和經營商場, 辦公樓, 餐館, 醫院, 熟地及未開發土 地, 洗車店,加油站,飯店等商業資產
•協助諮詢外國居民不查收入購屋貸款方案
• 協助諮詢期滿本金返還投資移民項目

•30年の豊富な経験と実績そして信頼をもつユミコ・アンド・ミックモニゴル・チーム
•オレンジ郡の商業・住宅物件の投資・売買
•私たちの知識と経験を生かし、あなたの不動産投資をお手伝いさせていただきます。
•ローン・アシスタント
•55歳以上の方、固定資産税の節税か可能です。
•外国人投資家のアメリカ不動産購入のサポートの経験あり

•投資永住権プログラム(EB-5)の審査を満たす不動産投資の準備手配をします。
•ご予約とご質問は949-838-6899電話番号か[email protected]のemailにお気軽にご連絡下さい。

Goal Setting – Did You Write Down Your Resolutions for 2019? Do It! Here’s why…

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Realty411 is re-publishing this previously-written post so that our new readers can benefit from these timeless tips. As the upcoming market slows down across the country, investors need to be especially cautious and become educated like never before. It is for this reason that Realty411 will increase its frequency in publishing and produce more events in 2019 than in previous years. Stay tuned for more fantastic strategies, quality content, and premiere networking opportunities.

Happy New Year! May 2019 bring you and your family prosperity and health.

by Linda Pliagas, Founder/Publisher

There is something special about the beginning of a new year. It’s a time to reflect on the last twelve months and examine our accomplishments, and failures. It’s a wonderful season to focus on our mission and figure out a strategy for the future.

With this in mind, I cannot stress how important it is to write down your goals for the upcoming year. When you join pen to paper and have an honest self-talk about what it is you need, and want from life, it truly changes EVERYTHING.

Successful people always plan and prepare. You cannot chart your path without knowing where you want your final destination to be. Every year, I write down my goals.

This New Year’s homework was first introduced to me by a successful real estate broker/investor who spent an entire afternoon writing down his goals. He actually didn’t just write them down as one, two, three; instead, he would write the goals down and then go into specific details for each one.

His New Year’s Resolution list was actually many pages long!

As you can imagine this broker was very successful. He was a multimillionaire by age 29 with multiple investments around the nation and a thriving agency business.

Now you certainly don’t have to write a thesis for your goal-setting to take root. Simply write down some goals of what it is you wish to accomplish for the upcoming year. Some people make one goal; a typical one is to lose weight – everyone seems to have that one on the list!

I say why limit yourself to one goal, when the sky is the limit…

I normally write down 10 goals and anticipate six or seven of them to materialize by year’s end. I also like to mix it up and not only focus on business goals, like buying real estate or expanding our media business or antique clock/watch shop, but also throw in personal ones as well… like being more patient with my family and exercising more regularly.

This year, I am urging everyone around me to write down their goals. Please take at least a few minutes out your busy day TODAY to write down some things you wish to accomplish for 2019. I am reaching out to everyone in our social network today as well (nearly 75,000) to remind them to write down their goals for they year, in case they have not yet done so.

As you can see, I’m feel very strongly about this exercise because I know we ALL desire to be more successful, to have better relationships, and to be heather and happier people.

We all want a better life, and your improved life can begin today if you’ll just carve out a little time to write down your goals for 2019.

Following are some tips to get you started on your way to an unbelievable year.

  1. Figure out what it is you want to accomplish for 2019. Ask yourself why do you want it? Is it for my highest good and for the good of my loved ones?
  2. Mix up a few business and personal goals: Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
  3. Write your goals on something so that you can review them often. This year, I wrote them down on my phone and backed them up on a notepad.
  4. Share your goals with loved ones. Having a partner on the same page can double your momentum. Sharing your individual goals as a couple can be a wonderful way to bond and share a united dream. If you also want to keep a few goals private, allow yourself the space to do so.
  5. Get ready to see action! By setting forth to the universe what it is you need and desire, the law of attraction begins to work its magic. But don’t forget that you have to do your part and be ready to take action when opportunities are presented.

Did you enjoy reading this motivational post? Realty411 magazine has been writing original articles, op-ed pieces, white papers, market reports and more since 2007. Our complimentary network has been the leader in complimentary, non-biased education for many years, be sure to join our free VIP NETWORKtoday to be the FIRST TO KNOW about our live events, special blog posts, magazines and more. We have zero corporate ties that may influence our editorial. Our only goal is sharing vital knowledge to keep our readers informed and safe.

Own Your Kid’s College Home: ONE PARENT’S STORY – $4,000 for 3 Years of Housing

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By Kathy Fettke

If you’re challenged by the high cost of college housing, there are ways to offset your expenses. One California parent says her method is not only cutting college housing costs down to the bone, it’s also providing a valuable “life lesson” for her son.

Saving for education

Kaaren Hall of Irvine, California, is a single mom with two kids in college. Her business, uDirect IRA Services, helps people self-direct their IRA’s to invest in alternative assets, like real estate.

She’s seen many investors get creative with their investing, so she decided she would too.

Hall, who has 20 plus years of experience in mortgage banking, real estate and property management has two children: Lauren and Mitchell.

Her daughter Lauren is going to UC Berkeley outside of San Francisco, and her son Mitchell is going to Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas.

While she couldn’t find a solution to the high cost of living in the San Francisco area where starter homes cost about a million dollars, she was able to help her son buy a home in Kansas for $144,000.

And because Kaaren was a former mortgage broker, she also knew how to get creative with loans. She and Mitchell only had to come $4,000 out-of-pocket.

Financial Solution to College Housing Expenses

The low home price is only a small part of this financially-elegant solution to her son’s housing needs. Their story begins two years ago in 2015. They bought the house with 3.5% down on an FHA owner-occupied loan. Mitchell was the primary borrower and Hall was the non-occupant co-borrower. They offered $147,000 on the home, got accepted, and put down $1,000 in earnest money. The additional $3,000 was used for closing costs. The total upfront cost was just $4,000.

Hall says this solution might not work for everyone, but it’s a good opportunity for some parents. She says: “It might be easier than people think. I don’t know if FHA still offers that program where you can be the co-borrower. But two years ago it did. Lending rules are always changing, but at that time you could do it, and we did.”

Their next strategic move was to turn the 3-bedroom home into a 4-bedroom home, with permits. Mitchell is now living in one room rent free and getting $500 for each of the other three rooms. That’s enough to pay the mortgage, and his truck payment! They also increased the equity on the home by increasing the number of bedrooms.

Basically, the home is now paying for itself, and they will benefit over the long-run from the equity, and appreciation. When you compare the situation to the one in Berkeley, Hall says: “It’s the tale of two cities. The amount it costs for my son’s mortgage payment, all in, principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, in a house that four people live in… is the same as my daughter renting a room with two other girls in Berkeley.”

Real Life Lesson for a Son in College

Kaaren’s son is also gaining some very important experience. By making good on the loan, she says her son will get out of college with “an incredibly decent credit rating.” He’s also learning how to be a landlord and how to deal with issues like an overflowing toilet that turns into a mold problem. She says it’s all fixed now, but he had to put on his “responsibility cap” and get it resolved.

Kaaren said, “It’s a big change from his former days when she had a hard time getting him to take out the garbage. Now he does it out of “pride of ownership.”

She doesn’t know what they will do yet when he graduates. They will probably continue to rent it out but it will be a whole different ball game. Her son is the on-site “landlord” right now, and he’s bringing in personally-screened tenants. When he graduates, they will have to hire a property manager and accept tenants they don’t know.

Kaaren says: “It’s a great option for a kid. Mitchell’s had to learn some things. He’s not just a roommate. He’s the boss of the house. So he’s learning how to be an authority figure.”

Finding the Right Deal on a College Home

Location matters in any real estate deal, so you will have to run the numbers on potential college districts. If there’s more than one college or university on a list of candidates, you might want to factor in the savings or revenue from home ownership as opposed to dorm or rental expenses before the choice is made. It could help sway a decision about where to go.

Mitchell received an athletic scholarship, which landed him in Kansas. With real estate in his Mom’s background, they checked out homes in the area, and found one three miles away.

Here’s some of Kaaren’s advice for parents: Find a home that’s as close as possible to the school. The closest ones may be more expensive, even if they are older and in need of more maintenance. She says her son’s home is further out, but close enough to campus, and is only about ten years old and in good shape.

Tax rules are also an important consideration. If the parent is the primary owner, it might be possible to designate the home as a second family home and deduct 100% of the mortgage interest and property taxes. You can also buy the home as an investment property and “rent” it back to your child. Tax deductions are even better on investment property, as repairs, taxes, insurance – and most expenses can be deducted. (This is not tax advice! Always speak with your CPA or tax advisor for your specific situation.)

Another option: A parent may be able to give a child up to $14,000 a year to pay that rent. Two parents can give a total of $28,000. As always, there are always rules on top of rules, and they change, so check with your tax accountant.

Other benefits of owning your child’s college digs include fixed housing expenses and housing stability. The child won’t have to go through the summer move-out and the rush to find a new place in the fall, and there will be no “surprises” about how much the next rental will cost – especially if the loan is on a fixed rate.

Hopefully, the ownership scenario will also provide a more productive environment for, let’s say, doing something like… homework. But with 4 roommates in the house, you shouldn’t count on that.

Author Kathy Fettke is the founder and co-CEO of Real Wealth Network. You can reach her at [email protected].

Co-author Donna Behrens is podcast producer and writer for Real Wealth Network.

 

A Q-&-A with KENT CLOTHIER

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CEO | REAL ESTATE WORLDWIDE

In this Exclusive Interview, the Real Estate Mogul & Serial Entrepreneur Discusses Markets, Goals, Family, and his REI career.

Interview by Linda Pliagas

Recently our team had the opportunity to interview one of the most well-known and respected real estate entrepreneurs in the industry, Kent Clothier. We discussed everything from his most recent Find and Flip Summit to discovering who some of his greatest mentors are.

In this memorable interview, Kent also shares some touching personal photos and discussed how real estate investing can give individual investors the freedom needed to fully enjoy family life.

Realty411: Kent, you recently wrapped up the Find and Flip Summit with Grant Cardone. What was that all about?

KENT: The Find & Flip Summit was all about showing investors how to take the “next step” towards financial freedom. We had an amazing group of speakers and trainers from around the country coming – myself, Grant Cardone, Sean Terry, Pat Precourt, Justin Colby, Elena Cardone, Chris Clothier, Brett Tanner, and Frank McKinney are just a few of the big names joining us this year.

In fact, at last count, this outstanding lineup has bought and sold over 8,000 properties, sold over $1 Billion in 2017 alone, and manages or owns rental portfolios valued at over $1.3 Billion.

It truly was an incredible event showcasing the best-of-the-best, and it created massive impact to the hundreds of attendees who attended.

Realty411: What are some markets that your team is most interested in acquiring properties in?

KENT:Memphis, Phoenix, San Diego, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, and Little Rock are just a few of the markets that we are currently really focused on.

Realty411: Can you give our readers some advice on how they can get their investment career to the next level?

KENT: Pay close attention to who you are learning from. Do they have the scars? Do they have the experience and wisdom you desire? Are they living the life that you desire or are they just really good at marketing?

Your mentors should have bullet-proof systems, processes, online trainings, and lead-generation systems. We have worked really hard over the years at REWW and Memphis Invest to truly demonstrate what it takes at every level of the game and to be leaders in the market for anyone to follow.

Realty411: Who are some of your mentors or people who have impacted your way of thinking?

KENT:I have had mentors my entire life that have helped guide my career. My father played a critical role in early business and leadership development. He pushed my brothers and me harder than most people would think is normal, but it paid off. Outside of him, there have been a ton. Specifically, Sal Ricciardi, Roland Frasier, Frank Kern, my uncle – John Bloodworth.

Realty411: As a real estate entrepreneur, you are diversified by having an array of products such as 1-800-SELLNOW, Find Motivated Sellers Now, Find Cash Buyers NOW and Find Private Lenders NOW. Do you believe in diversifying in different markets as well for your real estate portfolio?

KENT:I do. I own properties or notes in Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, and California. To your point, I have business interests in many facets of real estate, digital marketing, online training, software as a service, an investment fund.

My partners and I are always looking for ways to expand our reach and add to our portfolio of companies and properties.

Realty411: Kent, what are some of your goals for 2018 and beyond?

Kent: I am very excited about 2018 and our road map. We have great outlook and game plan to continue to expand our reach through our Boardroom Mastermind program and our REWW Academy program.

We feel there is a real void in the market right now and an area that is undeserved.

That area is the “tweener” investor or agent. What I mean is: There is a huge swath of people that know how to do the transactions and are making some money, but it’s not even close to being a business. Equally, there are a lot of people out there that have a great circle of influence – like a Meetup group or REIA – but have no idea how to turn it into a business.

No one is talking to these people and certainly not providing them with real leverage points to help them turn the corner and FINALLY get what they want….financial freedom. We can do that for them.

We have a highly-acclaimed online training academy (REWW Academy) that we have spent an enormous amount of money to develop over the last two years with a team of Ph.Ds. We used a proven learning ISD format (just like they do with college courses) and brought in the best experts to teach these classes.

So now, here we are with this massive asset that literally anyone in the country can leverage and point their team members, new hires, local network, local meetup, or local REIA club right to it to get trained by the best in the business.

They can buy it for their own purposes or sell it as a service to their group and get paid a commission by us. Bottom line, it’s “plug and play” and is a complete “white glove” business in a box for them.

The same is true of our Boardroom Mastermind This has quickly become the premier real estate investing mastermind in the country with almost 200 members from around the country.

Again, it’s an easy place for people to get their teams trained by the best, rub shoulders with the brightest and most successful investor network in the country, and help to grow and monetize their own network if they desire.

In closing, I’d like to point out that we have invested in a lot of infrastructure, so others won’t have to. They simply need to step into our world and let us show them how to make it their own.

Realty411: How did you and your family turn your real estate passion into an empire? When did you decide to leave your previous occupations and focus only on real estate?

KENT:We all came into the business in the early 2000s in different cities and for different reasons. I was in South Florida, Chris was in Denver, and my father was in Memphis. It wasn’t until the mid 2000s that we really began to understand that we were doing something unique with our business model, our marketing, and our customer service. At that point, we turned the corner and went all in and decided we are going to become leaders in this industry because, quite frankly, there was just a sea of mediocrity out there, and we couldn’t stand it.

Realty411: What are some of your favorite ways to unwind and rejuvenate?

KENT:I love to hang with my wife and kids. Love to go to the beach here in San Diego, go paddle boarding, or just travel the world.

Realty411: Real estate is a relationship-based business, what are some ways investors can create rapport to enhance their careers?

KENT: Decide what your core values really are and only communicate from that place. What do you stand for? What do you stand against? Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why does your business matter? What impact are you trying to create in the market?

You see, people want to belong. We are all looking for our tribe and want to surround ourselves with people that inspire us or make us feel better about life. So, being clear on who you are first and then being very “out there’ with that information, allows people to quickly connect with you.

It also allows you to cut through all the noise and confusion and just surround yourself with people that are going to build you up, make you better, and make this business more successful. It will also allow you to easily run off the naysayers and time vampires. They won’t want anything to do with you. Best part, either way – you win.

Realty411: You’ve stepped back from speaking at many events, how can our readers learn from you if they cannot attend a live event?

Kent: We are not hard to find. We have hundreds of YouTube videos, Facebook posts, blog posts, articles, and a big social media presence. Go look up “Kent Clothier” or “Real Estate Worldwide” and you’ll find a ton of stuff out there.

But in the end, there’s nothing like one of our live events and getting that “raw-and-uncut” information straight from the horse’s mouth. Do whatever it takes to get there, but I’ll make it worth your time. Guaranteed. 🙂

 

Photographs courtesy of Kent Clothier. For Kent one of the best parts of being a real estate investor is the freedom to spend time with family. In these photos Seema, his wife, along with their daughters enjoy quality time with Kent.

The ONLY BAY AREA Connection You’ll Ever Need – BAMF

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Interview by Anita Cooper

Ms. Holly Lynn’s Bay Area Multifamily Meetup Group attracts networking mavens for hungry investors to connect, invest, and retire rich.

For most investors, it starts with the dream. You know the one… financial (and time) independence through investing in property?

While real estate is a fantastic wealth-creation vehicle, you’ll be spinning your wheels a lot if you don’t have the right connections in place to get things done.

Yes, in real estate, success often depends on who…not just what…you know!

Everyone tells you that it’s important to build a team when investing in property, and that’s true, definitely.

But wouldn’t it be easier if you simply had a single contact instead? Someone who could “connect the dots” between what you need and who can help meet that need?

Meet Holly Lynn of Bay Area Multi-Family Meetup. She’s that “someone” who can help you make the connections you need to build your wealth.

“My database is global. I know 20 people for every one subject, so when people contact me, I can connect them with the right person for their needs.”

Holly works with a variety of investors, everyone from individuals to groups of investors, helping them obtain the finance they need to get the results they want.

Specifically, investors can look to Holly for their private lending needs, and for opportunities to build their team by attending networking events such as at her famous mixers.

“The feedback I’ve been getting from investors is amazing,” says Holly. “We offer loads of information that helps investors grow their knowledge. I’ve also been able to connect investors with people who help them get fantastic results!”

YOUR NETWORK BEGINS HERE

Often, you’ll meet someone who is amazing in the real estate industry but is an average, or sometimes even less than average networker.

Holly, however, is one of those rare individuals who is a rockstar at networking, and a whiz at real estate…a powerful combination for any investor looking to grow their portfolio.

Why does she do what she does?

“I am passionate about helping people take back their time. Look, I haven’t worked a retail job since I was 19 — I want others to have the same opportunity.”

FACE TO FACE CONNECTIONS

Holly Lynn is all about making connections. But it’s not just what she does…it’s who she is, and when someone has that level of passion they love to share it with others every chance they get.

One of the most popular, and effective network-ing avenues is to face to face…even in this modern, social media age.

So to help investors, each month Holly offers a mixer where she serves as a bridge, helping investors connect with people they need for their investments and deals.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS

Holly’s social media accounts are ablaze with activity too; people share what they’ve been able to do, the goals they’ve reached and the connections they’ve made.

“Social influence is definitely me. That’s how I connect people. I make calls constantly to get to know people, then I connect the dots. I know who is looking for what, so I make the connection, get them together and enjoy watching the results!”

Her reputation is seen in the lives changed…

“Holly Lynn is a personable and well connected real estate investor and professional that brings deals together for a win/win outcome.” – B. Sharma, Investor

“If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity, maybe this is it. As “The Real Estate Investor’s Lawyer” I have spoken in front of many real estate investor clubs. Holly’s investor club had some of the highest quality attendees I have ever seen.

They are engaged, experienced and actually doing deals and/or seriously interested in doing deals. I give her a lot of credit for attracting that high quality of real estate professional.

I have also had the privilege and pleasure of representing Holly and have been very impressed with her and her real estate investing activities.

They say that opportunity never knocks twice. There’s even a parable of how opportunity is a bald man with a long beard. You can only grab him when he’s in front of you and you can’t get him back once he passes you. If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity, maybe this is it.”

– J. Lerman, Litigator

‘As “The Real Estate Investor’s Lawyer” I have spoken in front of many real estate investor clubs. Holly’s investor club had some of the highest quality attendees I have ever seen. They are engaged, experienced and actually doing deals and/or seriously interested in doing deals. I give her a lot of credit for attracting that high quality of real estate professional.’ ~Jeffrey Lehrman, Esq.

JOIN THE CLUB

Find out more about Holly Lynn and her Meetup Group, BAMF, by connecting online at: https://www.meetup.com/MFinvestingMeetup/

 

 

Building the Future with FINANCE OF AMERICA COMMERCIAL

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Constrained housing supply has been a theme for much of the past year, with land and labor shortages, expensive lumber and tight financing options all contributing to what has been a challenging year for both builders and buyers. Finance of America Commercials new construction product could be starting to change that.

Launched in February 2017, the product is available in all major markets to new and seasoned real estate investors who have experience building or who have partnered with builders to capture value in markets with a lack of new construction supply. Eligible brokers can also refer this product to their clients.

‘The real estate market recovery of prices and apparent lack of available housing supply improved the margins available for new construction properties. Both large renovation and new construction projects quickly evolved as additional opportunities for investors…’

~Andrew Hurd, VP of Credit (Finance of America Commercial)

New Construction Financing Fills a Gap

When asked about the development of this new financing option for investors and builders, Finance of America Commercial VP of Credit Andrew Hurd said that the company took notice of new construction demand continuing to outstrip supply in all major markets over the past year. This trend, coupled with feedback from many of the firm’s clients that they were feeling the pressure of declining inventory but still seeking growth opportunities, spurred creation of this product.

“The company saw a need in the market,” Hurd said. “After a decrease in foreclosure inventory previously sought after by institutional investors and local long-term hold and fix-and-flip operators, investors turned to new ways to achieve yields in their markets. The real estate market recovery of prices and apparent lack of available housing supply improved the margins available for new construction properties. Both large renovation and new construction projects quickly evolved as additional opportunities for investors, so we saw an opening to help our clients overcome a challenging market dynamic with new financing options.”

As part of the new construction loan program, the company offers loans from $150,000 to $2.5MM for the construction of non-owner occupied single-family residences, two- to four-family units, townhomes, and multi-family properties up to 20 units.

Additional features of the program include:

  • Lines of credit for multiple transactions and single loans for new investors
  • Funding up to 75% of land value, 95% of construction budget, 75% After Repair LTV
  • 12 month terms, with optional 3 month extensions
  • Rates from 6.99%

Despite being available for less than a year, Hurd said that investors and builders have been flocking to this new option.

“Clients using this product enjoy the simplicity of financing which allows for proceeds on land acquisition, including up to 95% financing for construction costs. This financing is supporting construction projects from the West Coast to Key West for builders working on starter homes from the $100s up to luxury builds over $5 million. We’re seeing this product fit a range of needs and project sizes and our borrowers have been vocal that this is filling a gap.”

Finance of America Commercial brokers are echoing Hurd’s sentiment.

“My client was looking for financing for a groundup build as well as the ability to purchase more investment properties,” said Ralph Taylor III, a broker in Irvine, CA. “The ability to turn the line multiple times and the flexibility of the qualifying threshold was exactly what he needed to continue building his real estate investment business.”

Finance of America is the Partner for the Builder Community

FACo’s new construction program sits alongside additional builder financing options from the Renovation and Construction Lending group within Finance of America Mortgage, another of Finance of America’s lending channels.

Options available from the Renovation and Construction Lending group include construction to perm financing and the FHA 203k program, which are both available to borrowers who intend to occupy the home after construction or renovation.

“With loan products available for homebuyers, builders and real estate investors, Finance of America has quickly established itself as a key partner for the builder community,” said William Brown, director of the Renovation and Construction Lending group at Finance of America Mortgage.

New Opportunities Emerge

While financing for builders and investors is getting a bit easier to come by, FACo’s Hurd thinks there are still opportunities to create new forms of financing.

“The market for build-to-rent is gaining traction,” Hurd said. “Investors are looking to build new construction rentals without the hassle of repairs and while capturing higher rents with new condition properties.”

Hurd said this push is informing the company’s latest development, a product designed for build- and flip-torent investors, which is due in early 2018.

 

Crowdfunding Meets Amazon

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The Future of Investing is Here

Investing & Financing DEALS is Now as EASY as Shopping on Amazon!

By Lori Greymont

Here’s another big statement: InvestNestis about to completely disrupt investing as you know it…and not just real estate investing — investing across different classes of assets.

What do I mean when I say ‘disrupt’? Look at Uber — it completely disrupted the transportation market. When you take the middleman out of the supply channel or financial arena. Uber took out taxi companies and simply connected drivers with folks who need rides. The same thing is happening right now with investing…

High-yield investment opportunities just recently hit the market in a big way. Until the Jobs Act passed in 2012, sponsors weren’t able to advertise deals. Investors only found out about them via golf course meetings and backroom deals. You had to have an incredibly strong network, one that took years to build, to really get in on these opportunities. As a result, services have cropped up to help sponsors get the word out and to help investors find deals. Unfortunately, these services have been based on a middleman model. The middleman, who connects investors with sponsors, takes a cut. This drives costs for everyone and slows the whole process down.

Enter InvestNest. This marketplace ditches all the barriers to success in investing and financing by replacing them with a clean, simple platform that has one goal: facilitating deals. In the same way that you can go to a shopping mall looking for a suit, browse different stores, and even get measured right there to have the suit tailored, InvestNest has it all.

“We’ve created a technology that is really simple for the investor to get information, share information, stay in the app, and compare opportunities.“

Users can follow investment opportunities, follow builders, lenders, operators, and more. The app is user-centric and intuitive.

An investor finds a deal and says, “I really wish I could get my financial planner to look at this.” That’s easy. Click a button, shoot the planner an email and he gets to go right to the deal. Want your attorney to check out a deal? Again: hit a button.

For developers and sponsors, the shopping mall model also applies. InvestNest gives them all the benefits of opening a store in a place with lots of digital foot traffic instead of opening one off the beaten path that takes lots of time and marketing money in order to generate any real buzz.

So, what’s the backstory behind InvestNest? One name: Brian Barbuto. Brian’s 41 years of reinventing the real estate wheel and racking up successes have guided him to this moment in time: he’s poised to completely change the way we buy and find buyers.

A family man by heart and an inventive builder and entrepreneur by trade, Brian has developed everything from playgrounds to the first equestrian communities and single-attached family homes. And now, he’s developed the investment platform of the future.

Early in his career, he was known as a whiz kid. He completed his first development project by the age of 22; by age 27 he was awarded BIA Builder of the Year. From there, he went on to pioneer the first attached single family housing project in Southern California. He’s the guy who coined the phrase, ‘single attached family homes’. His career could be best defined by successfully, and continuously, finding demands and meeting them.

“Throughout my career, I’ve probably built everything that you can imagine building. I’ve built golf course communities, industrial parks, medical/professional centers, retail centers. The fun and theenthusiasm of building something that had never been built before was always more interesting to me than the cookie cutter concept of just building something over and over and over again.”

His work speaks for itself. He has developed more than one million square feet of commercial space, completed over 1,000 residential units, and worked through over $100MM in real estate project funding. Brian’s portfolio includes mixed-use, commercial, industrial, and resort communities, as well as innovative residential communities and world-class vineyard estate homes.

Now…Brian has merged all of this excellent experience with the right technology. The result? A state-of-the-art marketplace that’s going to change the way we find and fund deals.

Brian is a problem solver, “a lot of folks have teed up some really great projects, projects that are in great demand, that will be very successful, but the capital isn’t there.

At the same time, I was starting to see just how much our lives were becoming interwoven with tech — especially for millennials. They’re self-driven: they go to WebMD and self-diagnose, they go to LegalZoom for legal advice. They go online for pretty much everything today: Recreation, entertainment, work, and to create wealth.

What we’re looking at is seven million accredited investors in the Millennial bracket: they want to do everything on their own. We have a shortage of capital in the development and business world— statistically right now, as an example, there are over 3,700 development projects spanning across the U.S. that are teed up, entitled, ready to build, but are stagnant for a lack of capital and funding. And this cross section between developers who need financing and millennials who want to use technology for investing….that’s exactly where the big opportunity is.”

InvestNest is not crowdfunding. Brian explains, “We’re not a private equity firm operating on the Internet. The majority of crowd investing you see online today basically is putting a new spin on what private equity firms do or capital companies have been doing forever, but they’re using their technology to tell the story about an investment opportunity, instead of sending it by way of an email or placing a call.”

Brian continues, “We say, that’s great for them, but we want to get beyond that. Let’s do something better. Let’s educate and empower the investor. Let’s give the institutional investor a place to go, and let’s tee up sponsors with investment opportunities in all industries, in all asset classes, in a standardized fashion, so they can be seen and evaluated in a standardized fashion.”

InvestNest is the only place that investors can insure their principal investment. Capital Asset Protection (CAP) is an insurance product that was specifically designed for the InvestNest marketplace. Sponsors who want to offer this option to their investors must go through rigorous third party due diligence reviews, then pay for the protection.

It will insure the investor against several kinds of loss, possibly up to as much as 80% of their investment. As you and I both know, investing is not saving. With every investment, you have a chance to lose money.

Can you imagine the peace of mind investors will have knowing there is a backstop to their loss with this insurance?

InvestNest is a true market disruptor and it’s about time. For far too long, investing has been restricted to the Ol’ Boy’s Club. Now, anyone who’s an accredited investor or sponsor can start taking advantage of the deals and capital that’s out there with just a few clicks of a button.

I’m not impressed easily. I’ve been immersed in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley for decades.

I also head SJREI, an award-winning real estate investors association in San Jose. Because of this role, I’m cautious as to where I direct our members. InvestNest managed to not only impress me, but excite me. I’m excited about what the future holds for all of us investors and developers.

When I think about shopping 10 years ago vs. now, I can’t believe the difference. I wonder what we’ll all say about investing 10 years from now.

Turbo Tips to Navigate Your Brokerage toward EXPLOSIVE Growth

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QUICKLY EXPAND YOUR BROKERAGE (OR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT BUSINESS), LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S SHOW.

Are you ready to grow your brokerage business quickly and effortlessly? Whether you’re a seasoned top producer or a newbie real estate agent, you’ll benefit immensely from this week’s Realty411 Radio podcast show.

This week, Realty411 Radio focuses on growth, expansion and increased productivity. And, we have an amazing guest that is going to help us navigate out of mediocrity and stagnation.

Justin Ford, CEO of Michigan-based Encore Real Estate Group, has EXPLODED his real estate business consistently over the past five years.

Starting as a rookie agent, with over 100 closed transactions in his first year of acquiring his license, Justin quickly expanded his brokerage to FIVE STATES in just the past two years. His goal is to have a brokerage in every state; and he plans on adding additional offices in 2019.

How did he do it? Why is Encore expanding while other brokerages are shutting their doors? What is Justin’s #1 secret of success?

Find out now… because Justin is ready to assist Realty411 listeners who also want to skyrocket their real estate business.