Sunday, March 29, 2009

Use Your IRA to invest in Real Estate

Below is another company that offers the self directed IRA which can be used to purchase real estate.....a little known fact your financial investor doesn't want you to know about. Check it out and see if it works in your plans. Use this link to visit the website for more information
http://www.nafep.com/ICO/self_directed_ira_public.htm

How do I make an offer on a short sale?

A short sale is still owned by the seller. You make an offer to the seller.
If he accepts or will negotiate and you reach an agreement on a purchase price, the seller's agent or seller takes that offer to the bank holding the mortgage and the seller asks if the bank will accept the short sale. If the bank accepts it, there will be other contracts to fill out and a timeline to close.

In South Carolina it is law that you must use an Attorney to close the transaction so you will have counsel and advise regarding title insurance.

Short sales and foreclosures are sold as is and you will be asked to sign that you agree. Usually, if the condo has been on the rental program in the past it is in fine shape. I have seen some though, where owners removed TV's and appliances but that is rare. I'm right here so if you can't come to your closing I will do your walk through on that day.

Now, not all properties advertised as short sales will end up as a successful transaction and sometimes they will sell for over asking price.
It depends. Sellers can only sell short if they are in severe financial hardship.....short selling is not a loophole for a bad investment. Also, if there is a second mortgage on the property then odds are against the property selling short. Usually in that case it goes into foreclosure so there may be another opportunity at the courthouse or when it comes back on the market for sale by the bank.

Also, when a seller wants to sell short, he is required to do a mountain of documentation and cannot ask the bank if he can sell short until he has an offer in hand. That is the reason that it can take up to 3 months to hear if the bank will consider the short sale. Some sellers agents already have a contact because they have earlier presented an offer that was rejected but that can be good because at least a contact has been made and the bank is considering. Also, if one offer is already presented to the bank the listing agent will not present any other offers until that first offer is rejected. Then they will take any back up offers.

6 months ago the majority of properties listed for sale as short sales didn't sell because the banks wouldn't let them. Now, I see more and more properties selling short as the banks have gotten the message that they will lose more money in the long run. But again, sometimes the bank can't take the short sale if the owner has other assets or there is a second mortgage,

To make an offer we will use the standard SC approved real estate contract for condominiums. Your offer should include an earnest money check in the amount of $2,000 which is made payable to my real estate trust account. I only need a copy of the check to make an offer; it wouldn't be deposited unless we have a ratified contract and then you will see a credit at closing for the amount in the trust account.

You also must have either proof of cash funds or a letter from an approved condotel mortgage bank. No exceptions here. These are the banks rules.

Visit my website to see some of the condos for sale that are short sales and that I believe are good deals at http://www.MyrtleBeachDreaming.com.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Myrtle Beach Occupancy Rates March 15-21

Coastal Carolina University’s Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism release their lodging results every Thursday.

Preliminary results for the week of March 15-21:

ROOMS FILLED: Midweek occupancy rates averaged 39.4%, up 3.6% compared to the same week in 2008.

Weekend occupancy rates averaged 59.7%, no change to the same week in 2008.

6 week average (Feb. 8-Mar.21) 38.4%, down by 4.9% compared to the same period in 2008.

TOTAL REVENUE per available unit: 16.9% down from last year at this period.

FORECAST:40%-60% occupancy rate for coming week of March 14-20. Despite a rainy forecast, occupancy rates are expected to be up this weekend due to scheduled events that are unaffected by the weather such as the Battle of the Beach Cheerleading competition.

Write Offs for Real Estate Investors

Investment real estate can generate substantial write-offs.
If you own rental property you must seek a fair market rental for your property. You may generally deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, repair costs, management by an outside party, depreciation, advertising, insurance, utilities, legal services and other expenses.
It’s possible with rental properties to have both a positive cashflow and a loss for tax purposes. However, the ability to use real estate losses to reduce overall taxes may be phased out as income rises above $100,000.
If a rental involves relatives special rules and restrictions may apply. Check with a tax pro for details.

Friday, March 13, 2009

March 6, 2009

GOT STOCKS?
What if you could tap your stocks for cash right now…without calling your broker to sell them?

Hello. Joel Greene here from Condo Hotel Center.

In the six-plus years since Condo Hotel Center began as nothing more than a concept and a four-page website, we’ve rarely ever provided information on anything other than condo hotels and fractionals.

Today, we want to discuss something that is on everyone’s mind even more than real estate, octuplets and steroids in baseball — money.

In this economy, in this job market, and with the financial world providing a daily dose of more bad news, money is what everyone is talking about. Some have it, but don’t know what to do with it. Some don’t have enough to get by and are fearful of losing their homes or cars. And many are somewhere in between, not panicked, but cutting back on expenses and trying to hold onto what they’ve got, at least until things start looking a little bit better.

My reason in writing you today is simply to make you aware of an option that could be right for you or someone you know in these challenging times.

A Cash Resource in This Tight Market?

Maybe you’ve stashed your money in the stock market to have the funds available to pay for your daughter’s wedding and suddenly, your portfolio is down 40%. Or just maybe you realize that now may be the best time to buy real estate if only you had the cash, and if only you could look to your bank to help finance that purchase.

Condo Hotel Center may have a solution for you.

What if I told you that you could have the cash you needed for that dream wedding without having to cash in your stocks?

What if you could raise cash to invest in real estate without having to resort to bringing in a partner?

Condo Hotel Center has recently connected with the oldest continuous provider of stock-secured loan financing in the United States. Our lender is a Pennsylvania-based firm that has been around for 10 years. The company has excellent references that they are pleased to provide once the borrower signs a non-binding term sheet. They are A+ rated by the Pennsylvania Better Business Bureau, and using their rather simple program, they have processed about $800 million in loans in the past 10 or so years.

What This Means to You

Let’s say you need money for any purpose; like that big wedding, sending the kids off to college or closing on your recent condo hotel purchase without having to put 30-40% cash down, you can do that now with financing that does not cost you any upfront money and without all of the usual hassles involved in getting your typical loan.

Here’s How the Program Works

Assuming that you have money in the stock market of any major international exchange, you can pledge the stock of the portfolio to the lender and get a loan of up to 85% of the value of the your stock portfolio. You remain the beneficial owner of your shares, participate in their growth, and have the security of limited-recourse default if for some reason you can’t make the interest payments. In that case, you’d owe nothing beyond your forfeited shares, no matter how low their value may have fallen AND no negative reports would be sent to the credit bureaus.

The best example of how this works is when you buy your new Mustang with a loan from Ford. You own the car and have it sitting in your driveway; however, Ford holds the title for the vehicle. Upon satisfying the loan, the title is then released to you.

The nice thing is that you do not have to cash in the stock now to borrow money against it. And, considering that the value of your stock portfolio has probably dropped quite a bit this past year – ouch - not having to cash it in at its current reduced market value may be a real godsend.

Competitive Terms

Of course, there are certain terms and conditions, but for many borrowers they are more attractive than terms the banks could give – that is, assuming they were currently making loans at all. In a nutshell, here’s what is being offered:

Loans are available for an amount up to 85% of the borrower’s stock portfolio. There is a minimum loan amount of $50,000 and a maximum loan amount of $200 million+.

Loan programs offer either monthly, quarterly, semi-annual interest payments or no payments until the end of term balloon (not all loans will qualify for deferred interest payments).

Terms are typically 2-7 years, at a fixed interest rate starting at 4.99%, interest only, and:

There are no upfront fees.

There are no credit checks.

It doesn’t matter what you intend to do with the money, provided that it is for any legal purpose. The only exception is that the funds may not be used to repurchase marginable securities.

Paperwork is limited, and there is no need for appraisals like in a typical home loan.

There is no pre-loan qualifying misery; no 100 page forms to fill out; no need for tax returns, stated or otherwise; and no long wait times for decisions. Your stock is your "credit."

Loans can be completed quickly, typically in as little as 5-10 days when all parties cooperate.

Loans are limited recourse and limited exposure.


Limited Recourse

Unlike the structure of typical loans that have payments due quarterly or semi-annually, this loan will have a balloon payment due at the end of the term. You can pay it off at that time, or alternatively, you can do the following:
Refinance the loan.
Sell the shares that you have pledged to repay the loan.
Walk away from the shares you have pledged, even if the value of them at that time is less than the amount that you borrowed, and no negative credit bureau reports will be filed.

So What’s the Catch?

Typical home loans may have an average of 2 to 3 origination points. This lender charges 5 origination points. While this may seem high, recognize that the interest rate is very attractive, and that this is a non-recourse loan.

That means the lender takes a risk that if this market drops and if your funds drop more than 15%, then you simply walk away, forfeiting the shares that you have pledged for the loan. And, since the origination points are taken from the loan proceeds, there are no up-front fees to you. Zero!

This Lender Is Stable, Reputable

Before introducing this new affiliate to you, as part of our due diligence, we at Condo Hotel Center contacted individual references who have completed deals with this lender. Their feedback was very positive. We also spoke with a major accounting firm that did extensive research on this particular lender for one of its clients. They said, “Everything we can say about this company is tremendously positive. They are honorable. We had no issues with them. They are people of character."

We researched the company name and founder/president’s name and found nothing negative or derogatory. We also contacted the Better Business Bureau in Pennsylvania and verified that the company is A+ rated and has never had a complaint against them.

Having said all that, we believe it always prudent to check out anyone you intend to do business with, taking into consideration your own personal requirements, and we encourage you to do your own due diligence before moving forward.

More Information Available, No Obligation

If this program sounds like it could be for you, simply reply to this e-mail with your full name, mailing address and phone number. There’s no obligation, and you don’t need to provide us with any personal information.

We will send you a PowerPoint presentation that explains things in more detail. We will also give you the company’s website, which has a great deal of information.

Then, upon request, we can put you directly in touch with the lending source. It’s that simple.

Again, simply reply to this e-mail with your name and contact information, and we’ll respond immediately.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. Feel free to pass along our information if you know someone who might be interested.

Our goal is always to bring to your attention interesting opportunities. We’ll be back soon with one of our more traditional Property Alerts about available real estate.
Joel GreeneLicensed Real Estate BrokerCondo Hotel Center13499 Biscayne Blvd., Suite #210N. Miami, FL 33181Ph: (954) 450-1929mailto:Joel@CondoHotelCenter.com?subject=Lenderhttp://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.mykw4jbab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.condohotelcenter.com%2Fhttp://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.awugisbab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.condohotelsdubai.com%2F http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.stmkigcab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldclasscondohotels.com%2Fhttp://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.5so5e7bab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.condohotelsbahamas.com%2Fhttp://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.ttmkigcab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcentralamericasecondhomes.com%2Fhttp://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.av5o7qcab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fdominicanrepublicvacationhomes.com%2Findex.htmlWant to know more about me? Click below:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kzzx9ycab.0.ydumxrcab.9qpxz8n6.0&ts=S0387&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.condohotelcenter.com%2Fjoel-greene.html

I found Condotel Financing at competitive rates

Types of Mortgages Available

Principle & Interest Mortgage Options

30 yr 3/3 ARM @ up to 75% LTV (Lock for 3 Yrs. Then recasts every 3 Yrs.)
30 yr 5/5 ARM @ up to 75% LTV (Locked for 5 Yrs. Then recasts every 5 Yrs.)
30 yr 10/5 ARM @ up to 75% LTV (Locked for 10 Yrs. Then recasts every 5 Yrs.)
15 yr Fixed Rate @ up to 75% LTV
Interest Only Options

30 yr 3/1 ARM I/O @ up to 75% LTV (Locked for 3 Yrs. Then recasts every year after that)
30 yr 5/1 ARM I/O @ up to 75% LTV (Locked for 5 Yrs. Then recasts every year after that)

No 30 Yr Fixed Mortgages Available**

Loan Amounts up to $650,000 with Regular Conventional Rates

Chuck Sands
First Home Mortgage
Senior Loan Officer

First in Customer Service...

1341 44th Ave N.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Cell: 843-504-1803
Fax: 843-448-4966

csands@gofirsthome.com
Check out our new website: http://www.gofirsthome.com/




There are other options and programs available. Chuck can also get your preapproval letter which is necessary to make any offer on a short sale or a foreclosure.


And, to search for foreclosures and short sales in the Myrtle Beach ocean front condo market, visit my website at http://www.myrtlebeachdreaming.com/

Myrtle Beach Occupancy Rates and History

Coastal Carolina University’s Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism release their lodging results every Thursday.





Preliminary results for the week of March 1-7 :


ROOMS FILLED:

Midweek occupancy rates averaged 29%, down by 18.8% compared to the same week in 2008.

Weekend occupancy rates averaged 58.2%, down by .5% compared to the same week in 2008.

6 week average (Jan. 25-Mar.7) 35.3%, down by 7.8% compared to the same period in 2008.



TOTAL REVENUE per available unit:

4.4% down from last year at this period.



FORECAST:

40%-60% occupancy rate for coming week of March 14-20.

The start of the 48th Annual Canadian-American Days Festival should contribute to higher rates.

Changes won't benefit buyers of bargain priced properties

Current real estate tax rule regarding point of sale assessment to determine property taxes due may change. South Carolina state legislature may rewrite a portion of the 2006 law that gave homeowners a tax break in exchange for a higher state sales tax. Lawmakers say they are concerned one provision of the law has hurt real estate sales in the state.
Of particular concern, they say, is a requirement that homes and businesses be taxed at their full market value when sold. Advocates say that requirement has scuttled sales after buyers learned what their new tax bills would be. Both the House and Senate are working on bills that would eliminate that part of the law.
Eliminating so-called "point-of-sale" property reassessment would mean a property's tax value could increase by only 15 percent every five years, a constitutional change approved by state voters in 2006.
The property tax swap bill, known as Act 388, may soon be overhauled. Right now though, with record low sales prices on property in the Myrtle Beach real estate market, point of sale basis for tax value is a huge plus with significant savings. Property owners who bought at the peak of the market in 2005 are paying almost double taxes right now. Could this be another reason to buy property in Myrtle Beach????

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Myrtle Beach market is better than most?

I don't know if we have hit the bottom yet but we must be very close. Foreclosures are definately down and so far next months foreclosures appear to be down also. Could this signal the bottom?

Friday, March 6, 2009

Ambitious Foreclosure Plan Revealed - How Will It Help?

Kevin Hall with RISMedia gives an interpretation of Obama's plan to help distressed homeowners across parts of America.

It's pretty long and the basic part is that it won't help every body. Lot's of owners in Myrtle Beach will not be eligible for this bailout so we should see our foreclosure numbers stay high for the next few months.

Cash buyers are here today in the Myrtle Beach ocean front real estate market. Banks are starting to sell short but financing is almost impossible to find.

Even with Obama's bailout, if it even works, it will take a long time for the positive effects here (banks lending on the ocean front) to trickle down.

If you are a cash buyer you have a golden opportunity to steal ocean front property. If you need a mortgage to purchase, even if you have great credit and 25% down, no loans are currently available through banks for ocean front property under 650 heated square feet.

If you would like to be put on a list to be notified when I can find secure mortgage money at a good interest rate, send me an email and let me know.

Visit my website and email me. Http://www.MyrtleBeachDreaming.com