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Real Estate Business: Most Popular Articles

These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Calculate Capitalization Rate
To calculate capitaliztion rate (cap rate) for an income property that sold recently, you would divide the net operating income by the sold price to determine the capitalization rate. This percentage number could then be used to determine the value of another property if you know it's net income.
Real Estate Calculations
A spreadsheet real estate financial calculator solution. Set up to quickly calculate gross potential income, gross operating income, gross rent multiplier, net operating income, cash flow before taxes, cash flow after taxes, break-even ratio and return on equity.
The Real Estate Short Sale
Real estate investors can frequently make very profitable purchases of real estate through a short sale. Many short sales do not get approved or fall through for a variety of reasons. Learn here the step-by-step process to initiate a short sale, starting with the homeowner-borrower and moving through lender negotiations to the closing.
Calculate Compound Interest
Compound interest is interest on principal plus interest on the accumulated interest. Real estate investing requires a knowledge of how to calculate compound interest.
Calculate Simple Interest
The formula and method for simple interest calculation, using principal amount, rate and time is presented here. Used frequently by those in real estate investing.
BPO, the Broker Price Opinion
The BPO, or Broker Price Opinion, is a tool used by lenders and mortgage companies to value properties in situations where they believe the expense and delay of an appraisal is not necessary. Learn here when a BPO might be used, the types of BPOs and more.
Calculate Net Operating Income
Net operating income or NOI is the monetary result of subtracting operating expenses from Gross Operating Income. Gross operating income is that income after deductions for vacancy and credit loss for a rental real estate investment property.
Gross Rental Multiplier (GRM)
Gross Rent Multiplier or GRM is a tool used to assess the approximate value of a rental property by comparing its rental income with other like properties.
Real Estate Courses Online
Free online real estate courses for new and experienced agents, brokers and real estate investors. Real estate math, expenses, income, investing, risk management and much more.
Rental Property Depreciation
One of the advantages of owning rental real estate is tax deductions that can offset income from operations of that property as well as others in some cases. Here's how depreciation works on a rental property.
Capitalization Rate
The capitalization rate, or cap rate, of a property is a percentage number applied to future income to determine current value. This formula is written as Cap Rate = Net Operating Income / Value.
Special Warranty Deeds
A special warranty deed provides less protection for real estate buyer than a general warranty deed. The grantor warrants that they have legal title, and have not encumbered the property during the time they've held title.
Value from Capitalization Rate
If the net operating income of a property is known, and it is divided by the capitalization rate for similar properties, the approximate current value of the property will be determined.
Rental Property Returns
Using an example fourplex rental property, we analyze how it cash flows and the tax advantages of ownership.
Calculating Net Rental Yield
Many believe that consistently better returns on investment can be realized in real estate investment rental property than can be gained in stocks or bonds investments. The start of the process is an accurate estimate of rental yield for a property. See how to calculate it here.
Gross Potential Income
Gross Potential Real Estate Income - This is an easy calculation of the expected gross revenues from an income property. For rentals, the monthly or annual rents for all the units is totaled. No losses for vacancy or non-payment are considered. In other words, the property is considered fully occupied with all payments collected.
Real Estate Agent Activity
Far from just driving buyers around or placing for sale signs in yards, the daily routine of a real estate agent involves a great many interactions with title companies, other agents, brokers, attorneys, home inspectors, appraisers and more. Then there's the marketing and paperwork activity to top it off.
Short Sale Evaluation Process
The first step in the successful short sale transaction is to evaluate the situation of the homeowner, which includes the home's current value, as well as the mortgage information.
Rental Property Cash Flow
Many a wealthy person got that way with real estate. A smart buy on a rental property and good management can provide cash flow for other uses or investments. Here's a fourplex example.
Real Estate Types of Deeds
Types of deeds used to convey real estate. Learn types of deeds and what each conveys from grantor to grantee.
Quitclaim Deeds
The Quitclaim deed is the least protective for the buyer. Types of deeds. Real estate deed types.
Rental Mortgage Interest
In our series examining a fourplex rental property's income and taxes, we're now looking at the mortgage interest deduction. This is frequently one of the largest write-offs for the owner.
When to Use a BPO
Lenders, banks and loss mitigation companies use real estate brokers to provide a BPO, or broker price opinion, in certain situations where an appraisal isn't necessary or desired. Learn more.
Calculate Loan to Value Ratio
When working with real estate clients, agents and brokers are frequently tasked to help buyers to determine what they can afford in a home. One of the factors is the size of the mortgage they can get. The loan to value ratio is the percentage of a property's value that is mortgaged. Lenders will make mortgages based on maximum loan to value for different types of properties.
Short Sale Lender Negotiations
Lenders turn down a lot of short sales, wasting time and money for investors, sellers and real estate professionals. Learn how to get the deal closed.
HUD-1 Settlement Statement
One of the first things every new real estate agent should learn is the HUD-1 Settlement Statement inside and out. After all, you'll be going over it with clients and frequently be asked to explain items or how they're calculated. Here's a completed example HUD-1 on a .pdf with live links to instructional quick tips for the items.
Real Estate Career For You?
Choosing a real estate career is a big step. Find out if you are suited to work independently and without a fixed salary, as well as if you're up to the task of building your own real estate business.
New Agent Business Plan
Beginning a new real estate agent career is exciting, but it is a business. Since it's a business, you need a new real estate agent business plan. What you do early on can make the difference between success and failure. Find out the most important first things to do. They involve education, marketing, budgeting, determining costs, prospecting, your sphere of influence and more.
General Warranty Deed
A General warranty deed legally binds the grantor with certain covenants or warranties. Covenant of seisin, covenant against encumbrances, covenant of quiet enjoyment, covenant of further assurance, covenant of warranty forever.
Cap Rate Calcs for Clients
Capitalization rate is a common method used in the process of arriving at the value of an income property, such as rental units, commercial rental space, etc. Learn the calculations you'll need as a real estate agent to work with your investor clients.
New Real Estate Agents Plan
Getting your license soon, or a new real estate agent? Here's a detailed plan for start-up success. Learn what you have to do for income and expense budgeting, choosing a broker, new agent marketing and more.
Property Management Responsibi
Real estate property management is an area of specialization that involves four basic areas of responsibility. Marketing/Financial, Tenant and Occupancy, Facility, and Administrative are those four areas. Get more detail here on these four areas of real estate property management responsibility.
Compensation in Real Estate
Traditionally, agents are sponsored by brokers and receive certain services from their broker. Commissions coming into the brokerage are split on a percentage basis between the broker and the agent. Learn more about how that split works here.
Real Estate Agent Expenses
Successful business people know their costs as well as their projected income. To remain in your real estate business, you must cover your real estate agent expenses as well as personal costs.
Commercial Real Estate Start
A common question is whether a person new to real estate should start out as a commercial real estate agent, or work into it from residential or another area of real estate. The decision requires an assessment of finances and abilities. A different skill set is required, and the first commission can be a long way in the future.
Real Estate Lease Purchase
Using a least purchase agreement can be beneficial to both buyers and sellers of real estate. Learn why and how here.
Why Real Estate Agents Fail
Assure your success in a real estate career by knowing the reasons others fail and taking action to overcome them. Competition, variable income commissions, burn-out, and unrealistic expectations are all important contributors to failure in the business.
Real Estate Business Cards
Don't forget the purpose of your real estate business card when doing the design for a custom card. Though the world is going digital, there is still a use for business cards, and one of your most important design considerations should be how well it will convert to digital with a business card scanner. Don't get too graphic, but if you do use images, be sure to make the text clear and prominent.
Commercial Lease Calculations
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Real Estate Income Method
Appraisers and real estate investors use the income method to value properties that produce rental income in some form. The net income a property generates is used to determine its fair market value. Primarily, capitalization rate and gross rent multiplier are calculations used in this method.
Real Estate Domain Names
Many wonder if they should use their own Name as their real estate web site domain name. Though it can be one of the names that point to your site, it shouldn't be the primary. It doesn't have to include "real estate" but there are those who believe it helps with the search engines.
Real Estate Easements
Easements are the right of someone to utilize the real estate owned by another. Real estate easements can be created by written agreement of the parties, a deed conveying a property, condemnation, court order, prescription or by necessity.
Short Sale Purchase Agrmt.
If a short sale is a possibility, and the price looks like a good investment, then a purchase agreement is the next step. Make sure that you know what to use and more important, what not to use.
Gross Operating Income
In real estate investment, we want to estimate the income of a property with a realistic estimate of losses due to vacancy and bad credit. This is called gross operating income or GOI. We subtract those estimated amounts from Gross Projected Income to arrive at Gross Operating Income.
Triple Net Commercial Lease
The triple net lease in commercial real estate is used extensively in industrial and retail multi-tenant properties. In this type of lease the tenant pays certain expenses directly in addition to their rent.
Comparative Market Analysis
A good comparative market analysis, or CMA, is simply defined as one that helps to yield an accurate and reasonable listing price for a property. However, easily defined and easily produced are not the same. A good CMA requires attention to detail, mathematical skills, experience and a bit of creative thinking.
Real Estate Policy Manual
From this article, you are linked to detailed explanations of the sections in an example real estate brokerage office policy manual.
Calculate the Break-Even Ratio
The break-even ratio of a real estate investment is the total of the debt service and operating expenses divided by the gross operating income. It is expressed as a percentage, the lower the better when lenders are looking at a deal.
Lender Process for Short Sale
Once the short sale package is submitted to the lender, there are a number of actions the lender takes before making a decision as to whether to approve the short sale or not.
Tips for the Real Estate Exam
Prioritizing your study subjects, and getting reliable resources and information are key to successfully passing the real estate license test. Real estate license exam tips are outlined here.
Contingency in Real Estate
A contingency, or condition, is written into a real estate contract to specify an event that, if it happens, the contract would cease to exist. An example would be a purchase contingent upon the buyer obtaining a loan at a specified interest rate or lower. Should the buyer be unable to do this, the contract would end.
Calculate Return on Equity
Return on equity, as calculated in the first year of a real estate investment, is the cash return after taxes divided by the cash invested in the property.
Fee Simple Estates
A fee simple estate in land is the highest form of ownership recognized by law. The property owner is entitled to the full enjoyment and use of the property subject only to limitations such as deed restrictions or zoning.
Short Sale Hardship Letter
Lenders resist short sales, so one of the first things the borrower needs to do is to convince them that it's really their best chance to recoup the most of their investment.
Major Property Types
Basic description of the major types of real property as marketed by real estate agents and brokers. Vacant land, residential, commercial, and multi-family are included.
Real Estate Business - QuickTips
An index of QuickTips for the Real Estate Business guide site.
A Career in Real Estate
Real estate career benefits are many, and include the ability to be your own boss, set your working hours, build your own independent contractor business, create financial security and more. Pursuing a career in real estate has created many successful business people.
California Board of Realtors - California Association of Realtors
Contact information and link to the web site of the California Board of Realtors.
Terminate Real Estate Easement
Easements generally pass along with ownership changes in real estate. However, there are ways to terminate a real estate easement. Generally, this is not an automatic event, but will require some legal action. Learn about release, merger, non-use, adverse possession, destruction and quiet title action.
Cash Flow Before Taxes
Cash flow is all the in and out flows of cash through a business, without regard to tax considerations. All money in or out is considered. This is Cash Flow Before Taxes or CFBT. The cash flow of a real estate investment is an important part of its viability as an investment. Rental properties are expected to cash flow more than mortgage payments and expenses to generate a profit.
Real Estate Earnest Money
Buyers frequently deposit earnest money in a real estate transaction. Learn how real estate earnest money is accounted for, handled, and refunded in the real estate purchase transaction.
Addendum or Amendment
Real estate agents need to be sure that they know the difference between an amendment and an addendum to a real estate contract or purchase agreement. In real estate contract law, using the wrong document could lead to more than just a red face. An amendment changes an already-executed agreement, while an addendum is an additional document included in the original agreement.
Board of Realtors - State Realtor Associations
Links to the state Realtor Association web sites. Contact information.
Starting as a Part Time Agent
Find out the pros and cons of starting your career as a part time real estate agent. See what it takes to make the part-time strategy successful.
Gross Commercial Lease
The commercial gross lease is sometimes also called a full service lease. The landlord generally agrees to pay all expenses in this type of lease, including taxes, insurance and maintenance.
Vacancy and Credit Loss Calc
Rental vacancy and credit loss is the estimated dollar amount of lost rental income due to vacant units and non-payment of rent.
Real Estate Investing Analysis
There are some key elements to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a potential real estate investment. Some are quantitative (What sort of cashflow should you expect? What kind of rate of return are you shooting for?) Some are qualitative (What kind of investor are you? How much can you take on at once? What’s your risk tolerance?) All of them are important. Here’s some things I think investors should consider.
Addendum in Real Estate
An addendum should not be confused with an amendment. While an amendment modifies a previously accepted contract, an addendum is part of the original contract. It adds necessary information, requirements or explantory documents to the original contract or purchase agreement. Once an agreement is reached and the contract accepted, additional documents are not added as addendums.
Un-licensed Assistant Duties
Take care in assigning duties to an unlicensed real estate assistant, or if you are one, make sure you know what you are allowed to do according to your state's regulations. In most states, an un-licensed assistant cannot discuss property specifics, advise clients, or draft documents.
Commercial Real Estate Leases
Commercial leases for real estate are quite varied in types and terms. Learn about Gross, Triple Net and Modified Net leases here.
Easements & Encumbrances
When one owns real property, this ownership can be limited or "encumbered" by various easements, liens or encroachments to the property. Learn the basics of easements, liens and encumbrances in real estate.
Email to Cell Phone as Text
Sending email to sms real estate text messaging to a cell phone is quite simple for most of the cell services. Adding the cell phone number before the @ symbol and the appropriate domain after will get the job done.
Types of Broker Price Opinions
The two major groupings of BPO, or broker price opinions, are the drive by and the internal BPO. Learn more about them here.
Short Sale Documents
Lenders are all about numbers, so give them plenty of them. When the short sale package is prepared, there is a long list of possible documents to back up the request.
Short Sale Lender Contact
Once you've identified a potential short sale purchase candidate, you need to get permission from the borrower and contact the lender to get the process started.
The Funnel Approach to Income
Planning real estate income is accomplished by determining your needed income, planning behaviors and activities, knowing the approximate results of these activities and behaviors, and developing a plan. You can determine precisely what you need to do each day to fill your sales funnel. A lot goes in the top and the sales dribble out the bottom. Knowing the ratio of what goes into the top of the funnel to what comes out the bottom tells you what you need to do.
Top Ten Real Estate Tech Tools
I spend a great deal of time researching and testing online services, software and other technology tools for real estate. Here are my top ten favorite free tools.
Drive By Broker Price Opinion
A drive by BPO, or broker price opinion, seems like it could be as simple as driving by and shooting a picture or two from the car. Learn here what else can be involved.
Bundle of Legal Rights
The bundle of rights that the owner of real property has are those legal rights of ownership including, enjoyment, exclusion, disposition, possession and control.
Encumbrances on Real Estate
Learn the types of encumbrances on real estate properties, including liens, deed restrictions, easements, encroachments and licenses. Real estate encumbrances can adversely impact the sale of a property.
Financial & Marketing Mgmt
Real estate property management includes the responsibility off from marketing and financial functions. A comprehensive budget, marketing plan, and efficient implementation of them are a must. More information on the financial and marketing components of property management.
Landlord Guide for Investors
Taking the step from buying and selling real estate properties to buy-and-hold strategies and landlord status is a large one. Be sure that you examine your capabilities and desires, plan for management, and that you're capable of dealing with tenants, managing rents, repairs and vendors. This landlord guide will help.
Agent License Exam Tips
Best practice tips for studying for the real estate agent licensing exam. Helpful advice for taking and passing the test.
C.L.U.E. Report in Real Estate
C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) Reports give the insurance claim and loss history for a residential property. Insurers regularly report property losses to a company that compiles the C.L.U.E. Report to a homeowner. Only the homeowner or a prospective insurer can order it.
Real Estate Business - HowTos
An index of HowTos for the Real Estate Business guide site.
Cell Phone to Email
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Real Estate Lease Options
Real estate lease contracts have many elements that constitute the agreement between the landlord and tenant. One of these, if offered, would be a real estate lease option allowing the tenant, or lessee, the privilege or option to renew the lease at the end of the term.
Start Investing in Real Estate
Before you start investing in real estate, know the math to identify good opportunities and manage them for profit. Understand the issues landlords face. Understand leverage, mortgage options, property suitability evaluation, and repairs and maintenance issues.
A Day in a Listing Agents Life
A real estate listing agent will be involved in a myriad of details and activities. From checking the morning hot sheet, to doing comparative market analysis and making listing presentations, the listing agent is kept quite busy.
Fiduciary Duties - Real Estate
Real estate agency law says that a real estate agent who takes on the capacity of "agent" for her client then takes on the duties developed over many years in common law. These include Obedience, Loyalty, Disclosure, Confidentiality, Accounting, Reasonable Care.
Associate Broker
A real estate person holding a broker license that chooses to associate or affiliate with another sponsoring broker rather than opening their own brokerage office. They want the added knowledge and status of a broker, but do not desire to operate an independent office.
Investment Property Returns
Real estate investment property provides numerous advantages over other types of investments. This is primarily due to the different ways in which the real estate investor can realize returns on their property investments. These include mortgage payoff, appreciation, tax advantages, gains from inflation, and more.
Voicemail to Email w/Youmail
Getting a voicemail to your email inbox has never been easier. YouMail, a free service, offers voicemail that takes the place of your cell provider's service and some cool services.
Online Office
Learn through a step-by-step process how to set up a free set of online collaboration tools to manage your real estate business email, contacts, calendar and more.
Modified Net Lease
The modified net lease is so-named because it is a modified version of the triple net lease. Rather than paying all expenses, the tenant may pay taxes and insurance but share maintenance expenses with the landlord.
Real Estate Budget Planning
As a real estate agent or broker, you're an independent contractor. Expenses and income for your business should be estimated carefully and a plan put in place to create the income to surpass expenses. With spreadsheets and the sales funnel process, it's not difficult and well worth a couple of hours of your time.
Business Model
A business model is the theory and basic plan, as well as the structure, for operating a business. There are usually many business models in an industry. A model is chosen as a preference of how the owners want to operate, and as a response to their market and customer requirements. Real Estate business models include independent brokers, franchises, associate brokers, flat fee, commission, fee-for-service, and buyer agency.
BPOs and Legality by State
BPOs are a major source of revenue for many real estate agents and brokers. They are legal in most states, but you'll want to be sure about yours. Here's how I wasted time and money.
New Agent Marketing Budget
Get experienced advice and specific plans for setting a real estate agent marketing budget for your new real estate agent business the first year or so.
Listing Presentation Prep
Before you get in front of that listing prospect, be sure you have your ducks in a row. You're presenting your experience, expertise, marketing and transactions services.
Why Invest in Real Estate?
With a major portion of the 1990's Standard & Poors Earnings running at 5% to 6%, with dividend earnings running 2% or less, an astute real estate investor would have done much better. With a strategy of only purchasing properties with expected rental yields above 6%, the added return potential of amortization, leverage, appreciation, tax advantages and more make real estate a sound alternative to other investment vehicles.
Loan to Value (LTV)
When providing a mortgage, a lender looks at many factors. One of these is the LTV ratio of the deal. While a home buyer getting a mortgage on his own personal home might be able to easily get a mortgage at an LTV of 85%, a real estate investor may not have the same luck. The risk involved and the lender's ability to get their investment out in case of foreclosure are determining factors in the LTV that will be allowed.
Cap Rate to Justify Price
Using the asking price of an income producing property and the capitalization rates of other similar properties in the area, one can calculate the income necessary to justify the asking price.
BPO or Broker Price Opinion
A BPO, or broker price opinion, is a broker's opinion of the value of a property in the current market. This term, and the product, are used mostly by lenders and banks that have properties facing foreclosure.
US Housing Market Stats
US housing market statistics are quoted in a lot of places. One reliable index isn't widely publicized. The Standard and Poors Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are considered very accurate due to their methodology. Learn how they're constructed and why they're an excellent tool to understand the real estate market.
Buyer Agent Responsibilities
Buyer agency or buyer representation has been increasing in importance and use for a number of years. Even if a real estate agent works with both buyers and sellers, this description of some of the responsibilities of the real estate buyer agent will apply to how they work with real estate buyers.
Keller Williams Real Estate
Keller Williams Real Estate, founded in 1983, has experienced steady growth in franchises and now has more than 600 offices and more than 80,000 agents. Using innovative profit sharing for agents who bring in agent recruits for up to seven down levels, this company has experienced excellent agent retention. The Keller Williams University provides extensive training and the technology resources provided to agents are highly valued.
Cash Flow After Taxes
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Title Insurance Binder
During the real estate purchase process, the title company will search the public records, and issue what is called a title insurance commitment or a title insurance binder. This document binds the title company to issue the insurance policy subject to the requirements being met. The list of exceptions are those items that will not be covered by the insurance policy.
Net Operating Income (NOI)
Net operating income, or NOI, is rental income of a property after operating expenses. These expenses would include all operating expenses, including maintenance, insurance, janitorial, supplies, management, accounting, etc.
Agent Choose a Broker
Too many new real estate agents think that to choose a broker is primarily based on commission splits. It's not all about the split, as the final in-your-pocket income has to do with many variable services provided by brokers. What training and education do you need and they offer? Do you need lots of floor time and leads provided by the broker?
Real Estate Email Newsletter
With real estate email newsletters getting more popular every day, how do you develop one that is interesting, timely and not too time consuming or expensive to produce? Using blogging and RSS feeds, a fantastic email newsletter program can be developed at little or no cost.
Commercial Property Types
Top commercial real estate property types as handled by real estate agents and brokers. From multi-family apartments to office, retail, industrial, and institutional properties, this is a large segment of total real estate ownership transfers each year.
Real Estate Referral Agent
The real estate referral agent is one of the highest paid non-entertainment jobs on the planet. Where's the value in this antiquated procedure that pays thousands of dollars an hour for actual effort or performance?
Commercial Real Estate?
There is an allure to commercial real estate. Many a residential real estate agent has considered the switch. However, know what's required first, and try to plan for your success.
Jumpstart Your Real Estate SOI
Every real estate agent has a sphere of influence, a group of people upon which they have some influence, if for no other reason than they know you. This group will be a future source of business. Increasing the size of your sphere of influence will bring you much business over time.
Loan to Value (LTV) Ratio
The amount of the outstanding mortgage divided by the property's value is the LTV or loan to value ratio. The value is normally either the appraised value or the selling price, whichever is less. This is used in regular owner occupied mortages as well as properties purchased as real estate investments.
Aggregate Adjustment on HUD-1
When setting up the "escrows", "impounds" or "reserve" items on the HUD-1 Settlement Statement in the 1000 series, the last line, usually line 1011, is an adjustment made based on calculating with two different accounting methods. This is something few of us will ever need to know, but the text of 3500.17(d) is presented here for reference.
Texas Board of Realtors - Texas Association of Realtors
Contact information and link to the web site of the Texas Board of Realtors.
Lease Purchase for the Agent
Especially when home inventory is high, real estate agents shouldn't be avoiding the lease purchase option for buyers and sellers. Learn how you can get compensated.
License Reciprocity
Information on how to obtain a real estate license in another state without testing and with minimal courses. This is called license reciprocity, or broker reciprocity.
WordPress Real Estate Blog - 1
The step-by-step setup of a brand new WordPress blog involves a host service, installing the software, choosing a theme, plugins and widgets for your presentation. It's really not difficult at all. Be community blogging in just a short week or two with this series.
Brokerage Office Management
Learn the basics of real estate brokerage office management. An introduction to insurance, risk management, marketing, purchasing, sales and lead management, office and staff considerations.
Real Estate Listing Agreements
There are three basic types of real estate listing agreements, Open, Exclusive Agency, and Exclusive Right to Sell. You should know the difference in order to know who is and is not entitled to a commission on sale.
Townhouse
A townhouse is one of a row of homes sharing common walls. Differing from condominiums, townhouse ownership does include individual ownership of the land.
Case-Shiller & OFHEO Indexes
Keep track of what's happening in home prices with these updated charts of the Case-Shiller Home Price Composite 20 Index, the OFHEO (Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight)and the RPX Home Price Indexes.
Setting Real Estate Rents
Determining the proper amount of rent to charge for your real estate investment property is done with consideration of supply, demand and your interests at the time. Information can be obtained from local realtors, the mls and newspaper listings of comparable rentals.
Cap Rate and Investors
Capitalization Rate, or Cap Rate is used by real estate investors to either determine if an asking price is justified or to value a property using the income the property generates.
Real Estate Assistant
A real estate assistant, un-licensed or licensed, can be an excellent way to enter the business. Learn by assisting an agent or broker in tasks involved with listing properties, selling homes, creating marketing literature and brochures, and service buyers and sellers.
Real Estate Consulting
Real estate consulting combines some of the practices of fee for service with an hourly fee delivery for services. The consumer, buyer or seller, can select services individually at flat rates, services in pre-packaged bundles at flat rates, or elect to have their needs met via an hourly rate.
Internal Broker Price Opinion
The name Internal BPO would imply going into the home. This is definitely the case, however there could be much more involved. Learn the general requirements of an internal BPO.
Home Repair Estimating
Real estate investing, and especially the flipping of properties, frequently involves the purchase of a property in poor condition and repairing and remodeling it to result in a profit when it's sold. Obviously, great risk is assumed if the real estate investor isn't able to accurately estimate repair costs. Here are resources to help.
Property Management Clients
Real estate property management business can be gained in many different ways. A property manager might be utilized by absentee owners, vacation property owners, homeowner or community associations, condominium associations, investment groups, institutional investors or any rental property owner.
Licensed Assistant Duties
A licensed real estate assistant will add additional abilities, as most real estate licensing boards limit what an un-licensed assistant can do. These include document preparation, advice and interpretation, delivery of financial and title documents. attending closings and telephone marketing.
Mold in Your Rental Property
As a landlord, particularly in humid parts of the country, you'll possibly be confronted with a mold problem in a tenant occupied rental property. To lessen the possibility of landlord tenant litigation, address the problem quickly, call in professionals, take tests, and correct the problem promptly.
Lease Document Elements
For investors and property managers, one key to a smoother interaction with tenants is a well-written lease agreement. Learn the basic items that should be there.
All-In-One Printers
The average real estate agent or broker office works with a great deal of printed material, from brochures to MLS printouts, contract documents, marketing postcards, newsletters and more. Technology has come a long way in the printer category. The new all-in-one printer scanner copiers come in all sizes and capacities, from the small and inexpensive ink jet to the network-ready laser models to serve an entire office.
Yahoo Keyword Selection Tool
Yahoo has a tool that allows you to enter a keyword phrase and see all the searched variations on that phrase for the last full month. The results tell you the number of searches for each phrase variation. Use it to locate opportunities in phrases with smaller search volumes that might be less expensive to bid for, as well as those that might be overlooked by the competition.
Outlook Rule for Email to SMS
Create the rule to tell Outlook which messages you want to have automatically sent to your cell phone as sms text messages. This could be several rules, possibly for clients or with certain words in the subject or body of the email.
Estate for Years
An estate for years, or estate for term, is one type of leasehold estate in real estate. This type is a lease for a specific period, with a beginning and an ending date. No notice to vacate is required, as there is a definite date for the lease to end and the tenant to vacate.
Commission Split
The commission split in real estate is a multi-level sharing of the gross commission as charged to the buyer or seller of real estate. Two brokerages can split the commission and then it can be split again between the broker and the agent(s).
Real Estate RSS Feeds
The huge popularity of real estate blogs requires that agents understand the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feed concept and how a Real Estate RSS feed is used to deliver their blog content to subscribers.
Meet Experienced Agents
So you've got your license and you're settling into your new office space. You need to make sure that you meet the experienced agents and listen more than you talk. Whether they're bragging or complaining, things that might help you slip out in conversations.
Property Administration
Real estate property management requires a high level of detail as regards record-keeping. With financial, government regulation and risk factors involved, the more detailed and organized the records are the better. This is important not only for tenant management, but also for employees and subcontractors.
Referral Fees
Definition - Referral fees in real estate are fees charged by one agent or broker to another for a client referred. They are most common when a seller client is leaving the area and their agent refers them to an agent or broker in the new area to which they're moving. Generally this fee is a percentage of the final commission received by the agent who accepts the referral.
Calculate Return on Equity 2
After the first year, or as a projection for future years, a real estate investor might want to calculate the return on equity formula for years after the first. This could be to determine if the return still justifies holding the property when it has appreciated in value and the mortgage has been paid down significantly.
Operating Expenses & Cash Flow
If you're considering investing in real estate rental property, be sure that you understand the way that expenses and income are calculated and discussed. Operating expenses is one area of misunderstanding.
Real Estate Lease Elements
Real estate lease agreements consist of numerous elements that set out the rights and obligations of the lessor/landlord and the lessee/tenant. These include items referencing possession, use, term, security deposits, options, recording, assignment, sub-leasing, maintenance, destruction, and improvements.
Staging Homes for Sale
Home staging is the process of preparing a home to show in its very best light. This is beyond cleaning. Clutter and personal items are removed, furniture is re-positioned, and items might even be added from rental sources. Learn the basics of staging homes here.
Real Estate Post Card Farming
A very popular method for real estate farming is the postcard real estate marketing. With a properly maintained mailing list, regular mailings and follow-up, this method can be highly effective at building business in an area for the real estate agent. Real estate post card farming has always been highly effective if done well.

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