Hi,
I’ve been playing with the idea of buy the “No Money Down” program, but after reading all of the postings in this page I feel really discouraged about even venturing onto the playing field. Can anyone provide me with some information on how to even start into this field.
Posted by Corina on September 13, 1999 at 22:56:36:
All you have to do is stay imobilized and sure enough, it will never happen, and you will be right. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You can’t always get exactly what you want the first time out (I know, I just got out-bid on a property I thought had my name on it) but after giving yourself a period of time to mourn your loss (no more than 12 hours, life is short) you move on.
Get to know a mortgage broker who is down to earth if you are not thrilled about negotiating your own terms…while they will take a bite for themselves, they can also get you a loan in such a fashion that you can come out ahead when it’s over.
If you want to make something of your life, you have to put yourself in the situation of having the education, desire and perseverance to do it. Don’t expect to get something for nothing, expect to work you butt off and invest a lot of time, and energy to make it work for you. You will then reap the rewards. Other than winning the lottery, you cannot ‘Get Rich Quick’, once you understand that, you will not fall for scams and you will approach opportunities knowing that they are true opportunities. You will not hesitate and lose the deal, because you will have educated yourself to know the difference.
My final word of advise for someone starting out in REI, identify a 2-3 mile square area of homes that would make ideal rentals (i.e. 3 bed, 1 1/2 - 2 baths, decent neighborhood) and learn everything you can about it, are the schools good, what is the tax rate, how much do properties generally sell and rent for? Understand how much a mortgage, taxes and insurance will be. Know all of this before you venture out and you will be in a position to know if a deal will work for you or not.
Posted by Dietra Rosario on September 07, 1999 at 15:48:25:
Hi seesaw,
I recently ordered the the CS course and have been reading it. I noticed in chapter 3 of the course that it says " if you currently have a bad credit record or no credit at all, you can still buy your first home or investment property."
My question is: Is this true? unless i’m mistaken I haven’t read anything else about bad credit in any other chapter of his course.
Thanks, Seesaw for your advise on getting started, however I guess I should have told you that my wife and I don’t even own a home of our own so I don’t understand all of the tax things and all the terms about just talking real estate. I’m only 25 and have spent all my adult life committed to learning how to design computers and now with everything said and done I’m finding that even an engineer has a hard time making ends meet in some areas of the US. Anyhow, I’m totally at square one here, no idea about anything in this field accept that I want to get into it.
Education, Education, Education. Go to free first time homebuyer workshops given by a lot of RE agencies (the Sunday RE section usually has a listing) and find an agent that is sympathetic to your needs. I recommend using an agent to buy your first property as there are many potential minefields that they can walk you through. Using an agent does not mean that you can’t get creative with the financing.
Posted by Markk (SDCA) on August 31, 1999 at 17:01:15:
In that case, hit the library or book store. There are some basic books on buying your own home that will get you familiar with the real estate jargon. Then if you still want to invest in RE you can get more specialized knowledge.
Cheers,