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Find Financial Independence With Apartment Investments

Every worker dreams of someday becoming their own boss. That’s the kind of dream that often makes work a bit more tolerable. Following along those same lines, have you ever dreamt of becoming your own landlord? Sure, if you’re a homeowner you already are your own landlord, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop there. There are many savvy investors who have turned towards buying apartment buildings as a solid investment. Think of of it this way: where are all those people who are saving to buy a home going to live? Apartments. This makes owning multi-unit apartment buildings a solid investment—a rare find in today’seconomy. College towns especially are always filled with students looking for apartments.

You can get a sense of just how much money can be generated by taking a glance through a typical weekly selection of Cincinnati apartments for rent. All of that rent money is going to the building owner. Multiply that amounts by how many units in a building times 12 months a year and you’ll see how the revenue can add up.

Of course, just because you’re collecting rent doesn’t mean all of that money can go into your pocket. Some of it might need to go towards the mortgage payment for the building and other funds need to be kept in a maintenance account. But once that mortgage is paid off, you can really start counting the bucks that will be flowing into your bank account.

Also note that just because you own an apartment building doesn’t mean you have to be on call 24 hours a day with plunger. That’s why you hire a management company. For a small fee, they can take care of any tenant issue. You could also have a maintenance man on the premises. In exchange for a reduced rent, they can handle all the handyman calls. Don’t know how to get started? There are plenty of online resources to help.

Filed Under: Beach Property, Locations Tagged With: , ,

Choosing a School District

When you are choosing a new home, one of the most important things you will consider if you have children is the school district. It is hard to believe, but there can be a dramatic difference from one school to a neighboring one. There are many things you need to look over and consider when choosing a school district.

First, take a look at test scores. This is considered to be the main factor to look at when comparing schools. This doesn’t mean that a school that isn’t performing the best in the district isn’t a good school, but it is certainly something to consider. More important than the actual score is the improvement from one year to the next. A school that is improving is likely a better school than one that is remaining constant or going down.

Another consideration is the ethnic makeup. This doesn’t mean that you want to choose a school based on the races of those that attend, but it may be in your child’s best interest if they aren’t in the dramatic minority. If there is a school that only has 1% of children that are your child’s race, it may not be as good of an option as one that offers say 40%. This will simply help your child to feel like they belong.

A final consideration when choosing schools is what programs they offer. If your child is into swimming, you may want to choose a school with a swimming program and school pool. If your child loves music, a school that offers a choir or marching band will give them an activity to participate in.

No matter what school you choose, take the time to become an active part of it. The school will be a better place the more parents that take the time to be active in the PTA or other organizations. Your child’s education will greatly benefit.

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Moving to Portland, Oregon? Get Ready to Have Fun

If you are moving to Portland, Oregon, you don’t have to worry about you or your family being bored. There are too many exciting things to do in the largest metropolitan area in Oregon.

Summers are usually very pleasant, with temperatures in the 80s, although it can get hotter on occasion. For the most part, though, temperatures remain very comfortable, which make getting out on either the Willamette or Columbia Rivers that much more enjoyable.

Yes, you have two rivers to choose from, because both these rivers come together in Portland. You can fish for white sturgeon and regular sturgeon (come prepared to fight, though, it’s said they can really put up a struggle before being landed.) You can also windsurf, swim or sail along these two rivers.

When it’s too cold or rainy to enjoy the outdoors, you can go to the Rose Garden Arena. Here you can watch the NBA Portland Trail Blazers play home games or catch a concert or other shows and entertainment.

Once you learned you were moving, if you decided that apartment living might be a good option for you, you won’t be disappointed with your decision. Portland apartments can be found close to the Willamette River or right downtown, where you can enjoy the shopping, dining and other entertainment that is offered there.

Those Portland apartments that are a little farther out are still good choices, because many of them are located close to MAX (Portland’s public transportation system) stations and stops. Just hop a MAX bus or other public transportation to wherever you want to go.

Portland apartments range from studio size to those with multiple bedrooms. Some are located in large complexes while others may be located in smaller areas or even in some homes. There are plenty of apartments, though, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding one that fits your needs.

Filed Under: Beach Property, Locations Tagged With: , ,

Best Places to Live

If you want to invest in real estate, then you’ve got to go where the people are. After all, in order to make money in real estate, you have to go where there’s the most demand. So, if you are interested in making some money in real estate, then you will want to check out this list of best places to live.

1.       Vancouver, Canada. Canada tops this list because of the low crime right and the very low level of terrorist threats. The 2010 Winter Olympics brought a lot of attention to Vancouver and now people are flocking there to get in on this beautiful place. It’s a safe city, especially since the Olympics and the infrastructure that was built there.

2.       Boise, Idaho. If safety is what people are looking for, then Boise is where they come. The crime rate is super low here and the threat of natural disaster is also fairly low. Yes, there are natural disasters no matter where you choose to live, but the biggest natural disaster you’ll find in Boise is an earthquake – and those are very rare.

3.       Austin, Texas. If an active social life is what you are looking for, then Austin is the place. Austin is one of the best places in the world for singles. There are many young professionals who go out on the town for a good time.

4.       Denver, Colorado. People with families love Denver. Not only is the city safe, but there are tons of outdoor activities for those who wish to live an active lifestyle. On the weekends, people like to hike in the beautiful mountains or take advantage of fresh produce at farmer’s markets.

Real estate investing can only be successful if there are people to buy your property. Consider the cities above for your next real estate investment.

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Hidden Costs of Foreclosure Crisis

Half million dollar house in Salinas, Californ...
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Have the recent reported problems in the foreclosure crisis been stopped? According to a report from the Daily Business Review, lawyers at the heart of the foreclosure crisis in Florida are seeing “more of the same” despite new rules aimed at preventing some of the worst abuses.

The heart of the foreclosure scandal has been the issue of “robo-signers” or people who have been hired to simply get the huge numbers of foreclosure cases off of the books. The bank employees often rubber stamped foreclosure paperwork without verifying the accuracy of the documents. The Florida laws were aimed to stop this practice by have the documents be reviewed, but even with this extra level of bureaucracy the foreclosure paperwork was still be gathered by the bank that have no economic interest in seeing these foreclosures remain with the current owners. The robo-signers have morphed into robo-verifiers who simply check the paperwork with the same lack of attention to detail as the signers according to some attorneys reviewing the process.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has requested a 50-state investigation of the foreclosure scandal and the mortgage industry. He has expressed doubt that a quick solution with the banks cold be reached. While Miller’s words might help to stop future illegal behavior, they provide little help for home owners who have already fallen victim to the crisis.

Miller believes that it will take working out settlements “one bank at a time”. He also threw some red meat to homeowners associations by suggesting that criminal charges and jail time should be a part of any investigation. For the thousands of unemployed and other people who are suffering the speed of the investigation, and the timing of any settlement is likely to disappoint. While human suffering is not a measurable figure, the housing crisis is likely to trump any punishment the banks will ever face.

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Renting by Choice

The devastating effects of the great recession and the collapse of the American real estate market continue to be felt even a few years removed from the beginning of the collapse. The affects of the crisis have been so transformed that the definition of the American Dream seems to have shifted.

For generations now the definition of the American Dream included home ownership. Renting was deemed to be carried out by people that were not ready to settle down or simply were not mature enough to own a home. For many people, home ownership was the best manner to build wealth and save up money for retirement. Due to the current situation rent might not be a choice anymore. The demographics of who rents and the social association with renting continues to evolve. Renting might now be apart of the American dream because owning a home just might not be a viable option for many people.

In 2011 many economists are predicting that renting will not be purely a many of people who cannot afford a home. Renting by choice appears to be something other than just a dream deferred. Renting is becoming less the means to the end of home ownership and more a permanent condition for many people. Millions of American experienced losing a lifetime of savings in home equity during the most recent housing crisis. The decision to rent by choice might be seen as a smart way to take advantage of the current market conditions. Renting can be seen as a way to take advantage of the mobility that the current economy often calls for. The job market requires changing positions several times during their lives. Rather than worry about having to lose thousands of dollars in buying and selling a home, renting provides people with the ability to move to wherever the best job opportunities are.

Filed Under: City Property, Locations, Real Estate Market Tagged With: , , ,

“Doubling-Up” New Housing Trend

A writ of passage in America has been moving out and on from they house they grew up in. Other countries might feature multiple generations living under the same roof due to economic or cultural reasons, but in the United States, home ownership was portrayed as one of the ways that children passed on to adulthood. The great recession that began in 2008 is begging to change that.”Doubling-up” and having friends and families move in together has become one of the fastest rising population demographics.

The Census Bureau released statistics that shows a significant growth in the number of multifamily households since 2008. The number of people living in multifamily households now amounts to 13.2 percent of all households. More than 54 million people are now doubling up, which is the highest percentage since the late 1960s. These figures represent only a fraction of the number of people that are being forced to be creative with their housing choices due to poor economic conditions. The multifamily households do not include situations such a siblings moving in together or adult children that continue to live with his or her parents. While the situation might not be ideal, for many people living with family is the only option to prevent homelessness.

Half of the people entering homeless shelters for the first time in 2009 had lived with family prior to seeking other assistance. Further analysis of the data released by the Census Bureau shows that the average income of multifamily households fell on average by more than five percent between 2009 and 2010. The data shows that many of the individuals living in multifamily homes are under financial duress. The poor economic conditions also indicate that the phenomena is not likely to end anytime soon. The forced living conditions are just another cost of the latest recession.

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