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Articles by Bryan Benson

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By Bryan BensonDec 11, 20071 topic

There IS No Bubble To Burst In Real Estate

Rising real estate values and falling interest rates get a lot of people in a panic. At the same time, it seems like the trend in rising real estate costs is ending, and many are concerned. In fact, in today’s real estate market, the turn of the tides can be described as a buyer’s market, one of the best in years, and that has some running scared, with the media pushing the idea that the “real estate bubble” is about to burst. Because most real estate

Primary topic: Investing

673 views

By Bryan BensonMar 31, 20081 topic

Questions about Equity Spread

Many people have questions about equity spread (and what is considered a common equity spread).nnLet me explain it to you this way. If you have a home that is subject-to and is leveraged pretty high, how much equity spread actually still makes it a deal? Before you can answer that, you need to ask how high-priced the home is; sure you can go off a list price. You can even see what other homes that are similar to this house may be going for. But it goes deeper than that.nnThin

Primary topic: Investing

662 views

By Bryan BensonNov 30, 20071 topic

Deadly Mistakes You Can Avoid - Part 5

7. Chasing dead-end leads. Chasing dead end leads is very similar to dealing with unmotivated sellers and can be a tremendous waste of time and energy. Unfortunately, many people never really learn how to avoid it. Well I can solve this problem very simply. Pre-qualify every prospect that comes your way. n nI've found if you spend as little as five minutes getting pre-qualifying information out of a prospect, you may avoid spending hours and hours gathering details about a pr

Primary topic: Business Start-up

Business Start-up

661 views

By Bryan BensonJan 2, 20081 topic

Working With A Mortgage That Is In Forbearance

A forbearance agreement in real estate is an agreement by the lender not to exercise the legal right to foreclose in exchange for an agreement by the borrower to a payment plan that will cure the borrower’s delinquency. This is something that can be actively pursued by someone who is possibly facing foreclosure and wants to stop it. nnIn a forbearance agreement, the payments will usually stop for a period of time, but during this time, the borrower is still responsible

Primary topic: Investing

658 views

By Bryan BensonDec 14, 20071 topic

Information On Rent-to-Own Properties

People have asked, “What's the difference between a rent-to-own versus the owner financing?”nnThe answer – nothing. It’s just about the way you say it and the way it is perceived. nnWhen buying a higher dollar house, buyers are not going to want a rent-to-own situation. Generally speaking, rent-to-own works best when you are dealing with a lower-priced home. The higher the price home buyer would want to go with owner financing… no banks needed an

Primary topic: Investing

655 views

By Bryan BensonMar 26, 20081 topic

Short-sale: Don't Get The Short End Of The Stick!

Short sales can be very tricky. In order to benefit from a short sale, you must keep all of your ducks in row, and not focus on the sale but focus on yourself. Of course I’m not suggesting that you don’t focus on the sale-you always want to stay focused on the sale. But what I am also suggesting is that you focus on your actions as well.nnLet’s think about things for a minute. If your bank gets a loss on your sale can they do a deficiency judgment? Yes, they

Primary topic: Investing

651 views

By Bryan BensonMar 27, 20081 topic

Approaching The IRS...Should You Or Shouldn't You?

Many people think that approaching the IRS to ask for a release of Lien is a negative or scary experience. Let’s really think about what we’re doing here. If you have obtained a property with a hefty tax lien, do you think you should really approach the IRS directly? Let’s take a step back for moment. If you have not even gotten the deed, then you shouldn’t even think about this situation. I’ve always said not to worry yourself until it is necess

Primary topic: Investing

650 views

By Bryan BensonApr 4, 20081 topic

Getting Your First Deal: Which Direction Should You Take? Part I

Are you working on your first deal? Have you come across an opportunity and you just aren’t quite sure which direction to go in? This can be a confusing and frustrating situation if you have a property with a variety of potentials. It’s enough to make you crazy! This isn’t something to take lightly either-really look at all of your options. Different options give different outcomes, which can alter the money you have the potential to make.nnLet’s take

Primary topic: Investing

650 views

By Bryan BensonMar 31, 20081 topic

General Questions

Is there a law that says you cannot give a car away if somebody buys a house? Think people-this is not a lottery. There is not a law that prohibits this practice. Do you need a HUD statement when you prepare the deed? It does not hurt to do this. If your closing agent is recommending it, then you should follow their lead (after all-they are paid for this). nnMost people think that everything should be notarized-everything! Is this true?nnDo you really need to notarize-affidav

Primary topic: Investing

646 views

By Bryan BensonMar 10, 20081 topic

No Need To List With A Realtor

Hereâs a scenario you might be interested in. Suppose you are getting a lot of response on a property-it's not just from the ad in the paper, it's also from additional marketing. The issue in this scenario includes a high dollar amount loan (say $600,000.00) with a $4,000-dollar a month payment. This means the market rent would not be supporting this. So the strategy would be to take offers as often as possible. You would want to, as long as the offers make sense. nnWhat if

Primary topic: Investing

646 views

By Bryan BensonMar 26, 20081 topic

Dealing With The Seller: Is It Your Choice?

It’s the same old story. I have heard this story dozens and dozens of times. You have found the perfect house, located on a perfect piece of property in the perfect area. One problem…you have not found the perfect seller. In fact, you cannot even find the owner or seller.nnHaving a hard time locating your seller? Say you know the house you want to purchase is vacant. You know for a fact it is empty. And you also know that the owner is vacant from life as well. You

Primary topic: Investing

640 views

By Bryan BensonDec 4, 20071 topic

To Get Really Good, You Must First Be Really Bad

I never cease to be amazed by people who expect to get good at something overnight. I see new investors get into real estate all the time and somehow they get this illusion it’s some kind of fairy tale business where you can go from beginner to expert in a few short months. n nWhere does this idea come from? Why would anyone expect this business not to take the same toll to success as any other? n nReal estate, like all other businesses, has five steps to success. If an

Primary topic: Business Start-up

Business Start-up

640 views

By Bryan BensonDec 7, 20071 topic

Making Use Of A Bad Real Estate Market To Build Fortunes

If you have received the proper training as a real estate investor, you realize there is no such thing as a “bad” real estate market. The real estate market fluctuates cyclically, driven mostly by the laws of supply and demand. As you probably learned in grammar school, supply and demand drive prices and opportunity based on availability and desire, and this is true in most areas of business. Therefore, in the real estate market, when there is a greater supply of

Primary topic: Wealth - Creating Wealth and Building Wealth

Wealth - Creating Wealth and Building Wealth

634 views

By Bryan BensonApr 2, 20081 topic

Senior Housing: What To Watch Out For

When it comes to senior housing, there are a few areas you might want concern yourself with to avoid any pitfalls. In fact, maybe the city itself (the city you are dealing with) does not believe there is enough senior housing in their area-maybe they are welcoming it.nnThe first thing you need to remember about senior housing is the government requirements that go along with senior housing. You can have it zoned and get your permits for senior housing, but you will also need

Primary topic: Investing

634 views

By Bryan BensonDec 4, 20071 topic

Nine Ways To Improve Your Closing Ratio - Part 3

Step 7. The Day Before Closing nnCall the closing agent and get the exact amount the buyer will need to bring. Usually a cashier’s check is required and you don’t want this to be a last minute thing that was missed. Call your buyer with the amount and confirm they have the insurance needed to close. nnStep 8. Closing Day nnIf your closing is scheduled in the late afternoon, which is quite common to accommodate your buyer’s work schedule, this could be one of

Primary topic: Business Start-up

Business Start-up

630 views

By Bryan BensonDec 13, 20071 topic

Tips For Advertising In The Newspaper

Everyone seeks maximum exposure when trying to sell a property and to attract a tenant or potential buyer. Many different methods are available to choose from when you are looking to bring maximum exposure to your property.nnWhen your signs are being taken down by mischievous teenagers and home owner associates, and the postcard mailers that sent out aren’t yielding many positive results, placing an ad in the newspaper is going to be your best recourse. Actually, this s

Primary topic: Business Start-up

Business Start-up

620 views

By Bryan BensonApr 2, 20081 topic

Getting Started: What You Need To Know

Are you feeling concerned about starting your first deal? Not sure how to go about it?nnThere are a couple of things/questions you need to ask yourself when you are getting started. nnYou may be finding yourself in the same boat as many people who have started in this business. Are you limited to the things you can do to get started because of a lower income? You are not alone. There is a whole world of people out there making a ton of money. You need to figure out how to get

Primary topic: Investing

618 views

By Bryan BensonDec 11, 20071 topic

Three Ways To Get Better Real Estate Deals (And Work Less For Them!)

Have you pursued training as a real estate investor, or are you just assuming that you can make the right decisions and profit in the industry? Most likely, if you are like the majority of so-called real estate investors, you haven’t had proper training and have simply applied a sum of money to the retaining of real estate property. While you are putting yourself and your assets at risk without being trained in real estate investment, there are at least some tips to con

Primary topic: Investing

611 views

By Bryan BensonApr 4, 20081 topic

Getting Your First Deal: Which Direction Should You Take? Part III Entitlement Timeframes.

Say your state poses a bit of a challenge from an entitlement standpoint. As we discussed in parts I and II, you have worked on your first deal-and it is coming along! You have even gotten to the next stage of pricing your unit(s). Now you are ready! Bring on the contractors-right?nnHere is where you can get into trouble if you are not careful!nnYou may have a project that can take 18 months. Though that may sound like a long time, I have been told on past projects that timef

Primary topic: Investing

606 views

By Bryan BensonApr 5, 20081 topic

Getting Your First Deal: Which Direction Should You Take? Part IV: Which Stage Will You Use For Your Sale?

Since I’ve taken you this far, I’ve decided to take you all the way! I can’t leave you hanging at this point can I? Okay, let’s re-cap. You have gotten your first deal, you have priced your unit(s) and now we are going to discuss what stage of selling you are in and how this will affect you and more importantly, how it will affect the sale. nnThe first stage I am going to talk about is something I like to call the purse stage. The purse stage is where

Primary topic: Investing

604 views

By Bryan BensonApr 5, 20081 topic

How Do You Proceed In A Land Trust? Part I: In The Beginning...Making The Right Decision

Say you picked up a residential house just recently and you did not realize what a great deal you have. You knew you had a lot of equity in there, but you really didn’t realize what a great deal it truly was. So you have gone ahead and gotten the deed. And the next step is to file it in a land trust. So you should be clear, right? So what is your concern? nnThe previous owner is still occupying the home. Well, this could pose a slight problem. nAs far as repairs, you ne

Primary topic: Investing

602 views

By Bryan BensonApr 1, 20081 topic

Promises, Promises. Promises Made...Promises Broken?

There are many things you may promise a seller. Of course you want everything to work out perfectly when it comes to a sale you are involved with. I’d like to give you an example you should be wary of and give you a possible solution. nnSay you have a short-sale happening and you should find out shortly if the seller is going to agree to your price. Now you know the seller has had a multitude of problems. He is considering giving you a big drop and handing the deed over

Primary topic: Investing

599 views

By Bryan BensonApr 1, 20081 topic

Finding The Right Pieces To Solve The Puzzle

Say you have a lease-purchase option on a property and a tenant-buyer in it. The tenant-buyer is wanting to purchase this in about three months; and now all of sudden you are having difficulties finding a closing attorney who will close this loan for you without the initial security being in your name. nnMy question (and the question of the day) to you is: Why aren't you getting the deed? nThat is right. Why don't you just get the deeds instead of doing a lease-option? nnI kn

Primary topic: Investing

594 views

By Bryan BensonApr 4, 20081 topic

Getting Your First Deal: Which Direction Should You Take? Part II Pricing Your Unit/Property

How would you price your units?nnOnce you have gotten an estimate on your per unit value what is your next step?nnHow far are you in the process? What are your next steps? In part one we discussed the per units value (this was determined from broker in the area). But let’s say that you wanted to just take it to the point where you have the tentative track map approved and have actually sold it to a developer. How would you price that? Is there a kind of formula you can

Primary topic: Investing

578 views

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