The Flipping Pad

Topic: Selling Talk / Best FREE Forms Of Marketing?

Craigslist! It has been an invaluable tool for me from advertising new listings, to acquiring buyers, to promoting open houses.

Topic: Other Stuff! / Business Expenses

How often do you pay for meals on your company credit card in a week? #GMBizCardCommMgr

Topic: Flipping Pad / New Logo: you like?

Looks fantastic!

Topic: Selling Talk / What Percentage of Agents are Investors?

I am going to guess about 50%. I am sure a much higher percentage own homes, but as far as investing, I can’t imagine it being more than half.

Topic: Other Stuff! / Freebie to share with your clients - Kids eat free at Chili's tomorrow!

Here is another good deal to share with your clients! I just posted this one on my website.

Tomorrow, March 8, 2011, Chili’s is offering two free kids’ meals with every adult meal purchased. You must print the coupon first, which can be found here: http://chilis.fbmta.com/members/ViewMailing.asp…

Happy eating!

Topic: Selling Talk / Using your own investing website.

Thanks for the info and the links, Dan!

Topic: Selling Talk / Using your own investing website.

Thanks for the info and the links, Dan!

Topic: Beginners or Bird Dog / Seasoned Home Flippers Offer Valuable Lessons

Wow, this is fantastic info. Flipping can be a complicated process, and there are a lot of details to understand before diving in. Thanks so much for posting this! I will definitely use the website resources and pass the information on to my clients.

Topic: Foreclosures and Pre-Foreclosures / What is a HUD Home?

Almost everyone has heard the term “HUD home,” but a lot of people don’t understand exactly what it means. I am hoping to give some clarification around this topic and answer some of the questions I am most commonly asked by my clients.

The word “HUD” is actually an acronym that stands for United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. When a home is purchased with a loan insured by FHA (Federal Housing Administration), and the purchase ends in foreclosure, HUD takes ownership of the home. In most cases, HUD will then list the property for sale in an attempt to recover their losses.

There are no special qualifications to be met in order to purchase a HUD home. They are available for anyone to purchase, as long as the purchaser has the financial means to do so and pays cash or obtains a loan.

Typically, when a HUD home is first listed, there is a time period during which it is made available only to purchasers who intend to occupy it as their primary residence. After this period has passed, and if the home has not sold, the property will be open to all types of purchasers, including those who will use the property as a second home or investment.

HUD homes are typically sold “as is,” as HUD does not make repairs to homes. The home price is based upon an appraisal and the fair market value of the home, considering the condition and repairs that might be needed. In most cases, the purchaser will be responsible for any repairs after the sale of the home.

A HUD home is sold through a bidding process. The first stage of this process is typically a time period during which realtors can submit offers on behalf of their clients. After this initial period is over, HUD reviews the offers and, in most cases, accepts the highest bid or the strongest offer. Once an offer has been accepted, a closing date is agreed upon, which is usually about thirty to sixty days from the date of acceptance.

It is important to have a professional home inspection done when purchasing any property, and HUD homes are not an exception. Even though HUD homes are sold “as is,” and all repairs are the responsibility of the purchaser, it is important to be aware of any existing issues before purchasing the property.
HUD has a great brochure here that is worth reading if you are considering a HUD purchase.

Topic: Other Stuff! / Meditation May Actually Change the Brain

Meditation May Actually Change the Brain
Recent studies have shown that people who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measureable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress.

Sindya N. Bhanoo at the New York Times posted an excellent article on the potential effects of meditation on the brain. Here are some of the interesting points she shared:

Britta Hölzel, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author, said the participants practiced mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that was introduced in the United States in the late 1970s.
“The main idea is to use different objects to focus one’s attention, and it could be a focus on sensations of breathing, or emotions or thoughts, or observing any type of body sensations,” she said. “But it’s about bringing the mind back to the here and now, as opposed to letting the mind drift.”
Generally the meditators are seated upright on a chair or the floor and in silence, although sometimes there might be a guide leading a session, Dr. Hölzel said.

Of course, it’s important to remember that the human brain is complicated. Understanding what the increased density of gray matter really means is still, well, a gray area.

“The field is very, very young, and we don’t really know enough about it yet,” Dr. Hölzel said. “I would say these are still quite preliminary findings. We see that there is something there, but we have to replicate these findings and find out what they really mean.”
It has been hard to pinpoint the benefits of meditation, but a 2009 study suggests that meditation may reduce blood pressure in patients with coronary heart disease. And a 2007 study found that meditators have longer attention spans.

Previous studies have also shown that there are structural differences between the brains of meditators and those who don’t meditate, although this new study is the first to document changes in gray matter over time through meditation.

Ultimately, Dr. Hölzel said she and her colleagues would like to demonstrate how meditation results in definitive improvements in people’s lives.

“A lot of studies find that it increases well-being, improves quality of life, but it’s always hard to determine how you can objectively test that,” she said. “Relatively little is known about the brain and the psychological mechanisms about how this is being done.”

In a 2008 study published in the journal PloS One, researchers found that when meditators heard the sounds of people suffering, they had stronger activation levels in their temporal parietal junctures, a part of the brain tied to empathy, than people who did not meditate.

“They may be more willing to help when someone suffers, and act more compassionately,” Dr. Hölzel said.

Read the entire article here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-me…

Topic: Other Stuff! / Redbox freebie on 2/24 – share with your clients and get one for yourself!

Hey everyone! I just discovered a great FREEBIE from Redbox – get a free DVD rental on 2/24 by “liking” their Facebook page. Since we are all looking for ways to grow our businesses, I thought this was great little perk to share with your clients on your your website or social media page. More info here: http://homesbykaira.com/?p=137

Topic: Other Stuff! / Searching for options for good investments!!!

I agree that real estate is the best investment option, and now is definitely the time to buy all over the country. The statistics don’t lie, and real estate has outperformed all other asset classes consistently over may years.

Topic: Financing, Law and Taxes / Six new tax breaks for business owners

It’s that time again, and if you are a business owner, you know that doing your taxes is not always the highlight of your year. There are some new tax breaks for 2010, however, that might lighten the financial burden or even create a larger refund check for business owners.
The Small Business Jobs Act, passed last September, and the historic health care reform law, passed in March, enacted hefty credits and deductions for capital investments and employee health insurance costs. Catherine Clifford at CNNMoney.com has shared six new credits and deductions likely to affect the most small business owners. They include the following:
1. Health care tax credit: Small businesses that pay at least half of their employee’s health coverage can get a significant tax refund.
2. Health insurance deduction for self employed: Are you your own boss and paying for your own health insurance? Normally, you can deduct your insurance costs from your business profits, but you can’t deduct those costs from your self-employment taxes. But in 2010, the self-employed can deduct their health insurance costs from their business profits for both taxes.
3. Super-charged ‘Section 179′ provision: OK, this one is a little wonky. But it’s worth knowing about. The extension of “Section 179″ of the tax code allows businesses to write off the full amount of qualifying equipment or computer software made in 2010 or 2011, up to $500,000 per business, per year.
4. Bonus depreciation extension: For 2010, there is an accelerated depreciation schedule: The point is to get cash into the hands of small businesses quickly. Unlike Section 179, you can depreciate items even if your business is in the red for the year.
5. Depreciation on a business car or truck: Did you buy a new car, van or truck for your business last year? Ka-ching! For 2010, business owners who buy and use a brand new passenger vehicle will depreciate much more than usual — $11,060 for a car, and $11,160 for a light duty truck or van.
6. General Business Credit: If you are one of those unlucky business owners affected by the Alternative Minimum Tax, you might get a little break in 2010. Boiled down, if you have to calculate your taxes under both the regular tax structure and under the AMT, you pay Uncle Sam whichever one is more.
Read more here: http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/17/smallbusiness/s…

Topic: Other Stuff! / Are you bored? Here are some fun local events to do NOW!

It’s that time of year when finding something fun to do around the Portland area can be tough. You’ve gotten your fill of the mall with holiday shopping over the last few months, the weather here isn’t exactly cooperating quite yet for outdoor activities and you still want something a bit more original than the movies and neighborhood bowling alley.
Selina Schlegel at First American Title has shared a great list of activities going on right now. Here are a few local highlights coming up:
Portland Walking Tours (Year Around): A Portland favorite. Choices range from The Best of Portland to Beyond Bizarre. www.PortlandWalkingTours.com
North Meets South Food & Drink Jubilee (March 25th and 26th): This event at The Benson Hotel will feature food and drink favorites from across the globe. Find out more HERE.
Also, if you want to stay on top of upcoming events here locally, you can always check out one of the following sites:
• Oregonlive’s local section: http://www.oregonlive.com/events/index.ssf/city…
• Travel Portland: http://www.travelportland.com/calendar_of_events/
Read more here: http://www.firstamtech.com/index.php/2011/01/im…

Topic: Introductions & General Chat / Red Flags To Avoid in a Mentor

These are great tips, C.J. When looking for a mentor, people often just rely on years of experience or volume of sales to qualify the person to teach them. There are many other factors to consider, however, and this is a great reminder of that. Thanks for posting!

Topic: Selling Talk / What We Think About, We Become!

How are your thoughts serving you?

Our sorrow and happiness, success and failure, riches and poverty, and everything in this world depend on this wonderful gift called mind. All through mankind’s best, the statesmen, scientists, historians, and even philosophers have told us that the most powerful tool available to human being is their minds. The mind’s range is borderless and we do not need to look for proof just to understand this reality. The truth is around us. We are surrounded by the greatest minds. However, not all of us may achieve what these greatest personalities had; they just stretched their mind a little longer a little bigger.

Lee Ann Bartlett has posted a fantastic article regarding the power of our thoughts and how they ultimately create our experience. In the article she states that, “if you release your mind completely from self perceived boundaries or if you just strive to never giving up, then, your Universe will respond to you in amazing ways.”

Read the rest here: http://leeannebartlett.com/what-we-think-about-…\

Topic: Other Stuff! / What We Think About, We Become!

How are your thoughts serving you?

Our sorrow and happiness, success and failure, riches and poverty, and everything in this world depend on this wonderful gift called mind. All through mankind’s best, the statesmen, scientists, historians, and even philosophers have told us that the most powerful tool available to human being is their minds. The mind’s range is borderless and we do not need to look for proof just to understand this reality. The truth is around us. We are surrounded by the greatest minds. However, not all of us may achieve what these greatest personalities had; they just stretched their mind a little longer a little bigger.

Lee Ann Bartlett has posted a fantastic article regarding the power of our thoughts and how they ultimately create our experience. In the article she states that, “if you release your mind completely from self perceived boundaries or if you just strive to never giving up, then, your Universe will respond to you in amazing ways.”

Read the rest here: http://leeannebartlett.com/what-we-think-about-…\

Topic: Introductions & General Chat / New To REI

Welcome to the site, Jonathan. I am a realtor and investor in Portland, Oregon, and I look forward to networking and exchanging ideas with you. Happy New Year!

Topic: Introductions & General Chat / Hey, It's Larry Goins!

Welcome to the site, Larry. I am a realtor and investor in Portland, Oregon, and I look forward to networking and exchanging ideas with you. Happy New Year!

Topic: Selling Talk / Portland Rated Best in Favorite Places to Live

According to Travel and Leisure’s America’s Favorite Cities Survey, Portland is one of the nations favorite places to live for many reasons. Portland rated the best (yes, number one!) in many categories, including the following:

• Public parks and outdoor access
• Environmental friendliness
• Summer vacation
• Public transportation and pedestrian friendliness
• Safety

Overall, Portland is a fabulous place to live and to visit. To find out more reasons why, check the entire article here: http://www.travelandleisure.com/americas-favori…

Topic: Other Stuff! / Portland Rated Best in Favorite Places to Live

According to Travel and Leisure’s America’s Favorite Cities Survey, Portland is one of the nations favorite places to live for many reasons. Portland rated the best (yes, number one!) in many categories, including the following:

• Public parks and outdoor access
• Environmental friendliness
• Summer vacation
• Public transportation and pedestrian friendliness
• Safety

Overall, Portland is a fabulous place to live and to visit. To find out more reasons why, check the entire article here: http://www.travelandleisure.com/americas-favori…

Topic: Introductions & General Chat / Want Your Home to Make the Best Impression? Think Paint

One of the quickest, most economical and effective ways to improve the appearance and marketability of your home is painting. Kelloggs Painting, www.kelloggspainting.com, explains how painting your home makes it look clean, bright, and inviting, and gives you the biggest bang for your fix-up buck.

“It can’t be overstated—when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you’re selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is through paint.

“Curb appeal is crucial,” said Mary Sheridan, an agent in Silver Spring, Md. “Buyers get a lot of information from the web now and I find that often they have already driven around with a list of addresses and have decided which ones they want to see, giving curb appeal a lot of weight.”

If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.

Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.

Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.

You can easily paint wood, brick, masonry, aluminum or vinyl siding.

And if you don’t to paint the whole house, consider an eye-popper like the front door.

“It is very important to have a home looking its best and that starts as soon as a buyer drives up to the home,” said Paul Thury, a Connecticut Realtor. “One important tip is to paint the front door if you cannot paint the whole house. This brings a good feeling as you enter the house.”

Another important tip is to get all your painting done before potential buyers view the house.

“It is important to have all the repairs and paint done before going on the market,” said Julie Nelson, a real estate consultant in Austin, Texas. “You need that bam experience on day one on the market. Anything less than bam and you’re just helping the other homes in the neighborhood sell first.”

Topic: Introductions & General Chat / Want Your Home to Make the Best Impression? Think Paint

One of the quickest, most economical and effective ways to improve the appearance and marketability of your home is painting. Kelloggs Painting, www.kelloggspainting.com, explains how painting your home makes it look clean, bright, and inviting, and gives you the biggest bang for your fix-up buck.

“It can’t be overstated—when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you’re selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is through paint.

“Curb appeal is crucial,” said Mary Sheridan, an agent in Silver Spring, Md. “Buyers get a lot of information from the web now and I find that often they have already driven around with a list of addresses and have decided which ones they want to see, giving curb appeal a lot of weight.”

If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.

Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.

Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.

You can easily paint wood, brick, masonry, aluminum or vinyl siding.

And if you don’t to paint the whole house, consider an eye-popper like the front door.

“It is very important to have a home looking its best and that starts as soon as a buyer drives up to the home,” said Paul Thury, a Connecticut Realtor. “One important tip is to paint the front door if you cannot paint the whole house. This brings a good feeling as you enter the house.”

Another important tip is to get all your painting done before potential buyers view the house.

“It is important to have all the repairs and paint done before going on the market,” said Julie Nelson, a real estate consultant in Austin, Texas. “You need that bam experience on day one on the market. Anything less than bam and you’re just helping the other homes in the neighborhood sell first.”

Topic: Selling Talk / Want Your Home to Make the Best Impression? Think Paint

One of the quickest, most economical and effective ways to improve the appearance and marketability of your home is painting. Kelloggs Painting, www.kelloggspainting.com, explains how painting your home makes it look clean, bright, and inviting, and gives you the biggest bang for your fix-up buck.

“It can’t be overstated—when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you’re selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is through paint.

“Curb appeal is crucial,” said Mary Sheridan, an agent in Silver Spring, Md. “Buyers get a lot of information from the web now and I find that often they have already driven around with a list of addresses and have decided which ones they want to see, giving curb appeal a lot of weight.”

If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.

Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.

Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.

You can easily paint wood, brick, masonry, aluminum or vinyl siding.

And if you don’t to paint the whole house, consider an eye-popper like the front door.

“It is very important to have a home looking its best and that starts as soon as a buyer drives up to the home,” said Paul Thury, a Connecticut Realtor. “One important tip is to paint the front door if you cannot paint the whole house. This brings a good feeling as you enter the house.”

Another important tip is to get all your painting done before potential buyers view the house.

“It is important to have all the repairs and paint done before going on the market,” said Julie Nelson, a real estate consultant in Austin, Texas. “You need that bam experience on day one on the market. Anything less than bam and you’re just helping the other homes in the neighborhood sell first.”

Topic: Other Stuff! / Want Your Home to Make the Best Impression? Think Paint

One of the quickest, most economical and effective ways to improve the appearance and marketability of your home is painting. Kelloggs Painting, www.kelloggspainting.com, explains how painting your home makes it look clean, bright, and inviting, and gives you the biggest bang for your fix-up buck.

“It can’t be overstated—when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you’re selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is through paint.

“Curb appeal is crucial,” said Mary Sheridan, an agent in Silver Spring, Md. “Buyers get a lot of information from the web now and I find that often they have already driven around with a list of addresses and have decided which ones they want to see, giving curb appeal a lot of weight.”

If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.

Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.

Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.

You can easily paint wood, brick, masonry, aluminum or vinyl siding.

And if you don’t to paint the whole house, consider an eye-popper like the front door.

“It is very important to have a home looking its best and that starts as soon as a buyer drives up to the home,” said Paul Thury, a Connecticut Realtor. “One important tip is to paint the front door if you cannot paint the whole house. This brings a good feeling as you enter the house.”

Another important tip is to get all your painting done before potential buyers view the house.

“It is important to have all the repairs and paint done before going on the market,” said Julie Nelson, a real estate consultant in Austin, Texas. “You need that bam experience on day one on the market. Anything less than bam and you’re just helping the other homes in the neighborhood sell first.”