Real Estate Investing: Infomercial and Mentoring Scams

Flipping through late-night infomercials recently, I saw two real estate get-rich quick schemes, and I couldn't help but wonder--why do people still fall for those old scams? Has anyone really talked a seller out of his home for no money down with owner financing lately?

Real estate infomercials do great harm to beginning investors, who waste hundreds of dollars on old information. Worse yet, those beginners soon get discouraged and miss out on the true (and profitable) adventure of real estate investing.

One of the most popular late night infomercial shows tells beginners that it's possible to make a fortune by buying houses with no money down and then renting them out to cover the monthly payments. It's true that you can buy a home for no money down, but the requirements include having good credit, good income, and the home should be owner-occupied.

Rentals don't normally qualify for no money down financing. Institutional lenders aren't supposed to make no money down loans on investment properties, and even if you could buy an investment home with no money down, the monthly payments would generally eat up the rent.

Late-night scammers also claim that investors can get owners to pay the closing costs, including the down payment. But when a lender asks where your down payment will be coming from, saying, "the seller" is not the right answer! Today's sellers are also fairly savvy, and understand that with no money invested in a property, a buyer could easily walk away and leave them with a home that's been ruined by careless tenants.

Another TV program offers a bogus system for buying houses at ridiculous prices, but think about it: has anyone bought a home, free and clear, for $345.00 at a tax sale recently? Hordes of investors flock to the tax sales in the area where I live, bidding up the prices of foreclosure properties far beyond a few cents on the dollar. It just doesn't happen.

Today, another real estate investment scam is popular in Southern California. Here's how it works: a young person we'll call Charles charged $4,000 on his credit card to hire a real estate "mentor," after the mentor wined and dined him at a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant.

In exchange for the fee, the mentor instructed Charles to find distressed houses by driving around the area and writing down the addresses of ugly houses in nice neighborhoods. Once Charles had given him the addresses, the mentor obtained the owner's address and sometimes a phone number. Then it was up to Charles to call the owners and talk them into selling their houses for no money down, and carrying the paper (mortgage), too!

I met Charles when he called me about buying a property that my husband and I had on the market for $1.2 million. When I asked him how such a young man was going to make the payments on $1.2 million home, he told me that he planned to rent the house out for enough to make the payments.

As a real estate investor myself, I tried not to laugh at his naivete, and after talking to Charles and listening to his frustration about trying so hard to follow his mentor's advice, I offered to help him find a property, and I'm happy to say that Charles now owns his own home. But he'll still have to spend years paying off a $4,000 credit card bill.

If you want to make money as a real estate investor, a good first step is to buy your own home, like Charles did. You can do that for no money down if you have good credit, or for a relatively little amount of money down if your credit is poor. Once you've purchased your own home, fix it up and then either sell it or refinance it and use your profits as the down payment on an investment property.

Don't pay hundreds of dollars for out-dated methods that may have worked in the middle of last century! They're a waste of your time and money. Real estate investing is truly a great way to make a fortune, but you must stick to tried-and-true proven strategies, ones that work in today's real estate market.

Real Estate Business Investing - Risk Taking For Profit

Many people today are going into the real estate business. Lots of us seem to be willing to take a risk. But keep in mind that if you are thinking of investing in real-estate, you might as well be gambling. There is no guarantee that the land or home you invest in will bring a profit. The rule of thumb is that the greater the potential for earnings, the greater the risk. Fortunately, if you are interested in the estate business you can take advantage of the myriad of helpful information available on the internet. Just go to google and search away to your heart's content.

When it comes to purchasing real-estate it is critical that you have all the statistics and facts. Consider how much capital you can afford to invest. The amount will be different for every individual. I may be able to afford only $160,000 but maybe you can spend $500,000. Figure out how much you are willing to spend and how much you would like to make.

Television happens to be another good resource that you can take advantage of today. There are a number of good reality shows that deal with the current real estate business. Just recently I watched a show about a couple who had saved up some extra money. They wanted to try their luck in the real estate business. Their plan was to purchase a home and flip it. It was in Florida, but not in the greatest area.

Unfortunately, they paid more than they had planned to flip the home. Honestly, it was a mess when they bought it and they had to completely gut it and totally re-do the yard. They then put it on the market and the real heartache began. At first it would not sell at all and when it did, it went for less than what they hoped for. They had to lower the price substantially and barely broke even in the end. They wasted all that hard work, time and effort.

The bottom line is that the real estate business can be very risky, as I said earlier - a gamble. Just be sure to obtain all the information you need before investing your hard earned dollars in this market. Knowledge is power when it comes to the real estate business.

Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing involves purchasing real estate with the intent of making a profit on it. While there is some luck in doing this, most people will fail in this type of venture if they haven’t done their research. Knowing what the market will demand now and in the future plays a large role in successful real estate investing.

One type of real estate investing is called flipping. This involves purchasing a home for a small price and fixing it up. The goal is to sell the home making a sizable profit to cover your time and cost of the repairs. Then you use some of the profits to invest in another home. It is important that you purchase such homes in areas that have an excellent resell value as well as a market for homes. If the remodeled home sits on the market for a year or longer then your investment could put quite a financial strain on you.

Real estate investing in factories or apartment buildings is very common. Generally, you can make some profit on such investments. The key is to try to find property that you can purchase for a very low cost. This is easier to do in under developed areas that are anticipated to boom.

There is a great deal of risk in real estate investing. There is no guarantee your investment will allow you to break even, let alone make a profit. Taking the time to complete some research on market trends in the area will allow you to make better decisions about real estate investing, and hopefully result in your endeavors being a success.

Because of the amount of risk involved in real estate investing, it can be tricky to get financing. There are lends out there that specialize in loans for this type of venture. The internet is a great resource for helping you find the right type of lender. Other real estate investors use their savings or personal income to cover the investment.