Here is an information-dense site: http://www.firstam.com/fatic/html/cust/1200.html
just work your way around the site. It also has some state-specific information.
Or you can also do a search engine search such as metacrawler and look for other title companies that have informative web pages.
Foreclosure lists: can you compete with everyone else who subscribes to the list?
Ask your county tax department re delinquencies.
Procedures vary througout the country, not all counties are online, and not all of the information
is online, and not all counties merge recent sales
data with tax information. You can ask them who they sell their data to, and then call those companies and see how they manipulate/merge the data.
Courses: yes, they are helplful. They organize the information.
Feel free to email me.
Posted by Heidi Hemstock on February 12, 2001 at 21:24:13:
HI,
I am energetic, definitely a people person, and ready for some freedom of my current job. I’ve been reading a lot and trying to talk to people. But I’m still a little chicken to jump in. I can’t seem to find these wonderful lenders that will get me started. Where is the best place to start when you don’t have much to start with.
I have big plans but nervous to spread my wings and fly.
Fear is good. Just keep asking yourself what is it that
worries you, and keep getting the answers.
Bottom line, is who are the people involved, and how do they get paid, and also, how not to get locked into
some horrible deal you can’t extricate your self from, but at the same time, always intend to close and make it work and get everyone paid, and with cash flow to you.
I found this book helpful “All About Escrow” from www.escrowhelp.com. as a Q&A section on the site.
I had previously called the only two local title companies and asked could they tell me what they did, “no"what service they offered, “No"was there any information available for investors, “No”.
So many posts just say to call them up and ask information, but that didn’t work for me. I guess I have
to go in with a contract and start from there to get the time of day.After reading the book, I had a better understanding. Anyway, I did find the book helpful
for education and future reference.
I would ask myself” what is stopping me from making an offer right now?” “What don’t I know, or what don’t I think I know”, “Do I have a plan?” and then work backwards into it.
Hope this helps. Ann
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread . . . - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on February 12, 2001 at 22:28:24:
. . . and I was that fool. Glad to see you’re smarter than that.
Nervous is a good thing. That’s the good kind of fear that keeps you from getting into trouble. As long as it doesn’t cripple you entirely, you’d be wise to listen to that little voice that tells you that too fast, too soon, is likely not a good thing.
To your question . . . forget about locating lenders to help you get started. It doesn’t work like that. Your success should never be dependent on the whims of someone else, including lenders.
Decide what area of the business interests you, read everything you can get your hands on about it, and then (and only then) take a small but definate step in that direction. A small step would be like visiting open houses or calling sellers in the paper or sitting down with a title company rep to see what they offer. Soon enough, you figure out what you don’t know (and need to know) and then you go get those things squared away as well.
Seems like a lot of “stuff” but it’s really not. It just takes getting some things out of the way so you can get on to the things that matter knowing your moving along armed with the requisite knowledge.
At that point you’re ready to get out there and make things happen. You won’t know everything, and you’ll always hit a snag or two when you least expect it, but you’ll be prepared to handle those kinds of things and you’ll be doing business in a manner that makes good sense . . . and successfully pulling of a real estate transaction, more often than not, requires good sense.
Thanks for the response.
How do I find title companies. And when I do get them, what can they do for me. Is this how I find people who are in trouble with property taxes or those who are close to foreclosure?
Is it worth the money to buy some of the programs that are out there? It seems like everyone has the hidden secret to real estate investing. Would it help to purchase one of those forclosure list that are out there?