Real Estate and Investing News - W. Darrow Fiedler

Great Real Estate Podcasts To Listen To In 2022

On June 7, 2022

Want to improve your knowledge about real estate? The following podcasts are great for you to keep up with all the latest news and analysis about the industry. They’ll also provide you with entertaining and informative shows about home renovations and investing. Here are a few great podcasts to listen to in 2022.=

Best Real Estate Investing Podcast Advice Ever With Joe Fairless

Joe Fairless is a well-known real estate investor and host of this weekly podcast, which covers various topics related to the industry. He has a wide variety of blog posts and videos, and he frequently interviews other industry professionals. Each episode of the show provides valuable advice and insight from various guests, such as house flippers, renters, and passive income investors.

House Party

If you’re a fan of celebrity property purchases and the buying and selling of real estate, House Party is a must-listen. This weekly podcast from realtor.com talks about the latest trends in the industry, as well as the stories of real estate professionals who have experienced various home disasters. Co-hosts Rachel Stults and Natalie Way also share their personal stories of moving across the country and dealing with various real estate-related issues.

Cashflow Diary

Author and entrepreneur J. Massey is the creator of Cashflow Diary, and he also provides free training courses to aspiring and experienced real estate investors. He has a wide variety of blog posts and videos that he frequently interviews other industry professionals. He can help you find the best deals and strategies for buying and selling real estate.

Bigger Pockets

BiggerPockets is a weekly podcast that features off-the-cuff conversations with real estate investors and entrepreneurs. Co-hosts Brandon Turner and Josh Dorkin talk about their backgrounds, experiences, and failures. Each episode of the show features a different real estate investor talking about their successes and failures. The goal of the program is to provide a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to building their financial education.

The Remote Real Estate Investor

There are a variety of real estate investing podcasts available, but one that stands out is The Remote Real Estate Investor, which is hosted by Tom Schneider, Michael Albaum, and Emil Shour. The hosts of this show talk about the various advantages of remote investing. Topics covered in this podcast include investing in markets that are far from home, managing a property manager, and identifying markets to buy-in.

Great Summertime Home Maintenance Tips

By W Darrow Fiedler

On May 6, 2022

In Real Estate, Welcome

Springtime is here, and before you know it Summer will be here as well. With the warmer weather about to hit us in full force, it’s important that our homes are able to withstand the changes that come with it. Keeping up with home maintenance is always a good thing, but there are certain things you should do to make sure your house is in tip-top shape depending on the time of year and where you’re located. With summertime so close, let’s take a look at a few great summertime home maintenance tips.

Stop The Bugs!

Summertime means spending more time outside, which means you’ll want to keep your yard free of those pesky insects. One simple way to keep them away is to spray around the perimeter of your yard and your home. You can also use a combination of bug spray and door and window treatments to keep them away. Since so many pests tend to wake up in the summertime, you may want to consider recaulking your doors and windows to make sure the bugs don’t get into your home as well.

Power Wash Time!

One of the easiest things to do during your summertime home maintenance is using a pressure washer to clean areas such as your driveway, patio, or deck. After giving these areas a full inspection, you can then wash away all of the dirt and grime that have accumulated over the past year. You can rent a pressure washer for around $40 a day at a local home improvement store if you don’t own one.

Prep The Grill

Before you start preparing your grill for the summer season, you’ll want to make sure it’s sanitary after a year of just sitting around. For gas grills, you can heat it up for around 20 minutes and then scrub the outer surface with a grill brush. For charcoal grills, you can use a bucket of hot water and a sponge to get rid of any debris that’s blocking the hoses. Also, make sure that the grill is placed away from any flammable objects.

Wash Windows and Replace Screens

Getting your windows cleaned isn’t enough if you don’t also wash their screens. To get the job done, remove the old screens and use hot water to scrub them.

If your screens are too dirty to be cleaned, you might want to replace them. While you’re at it, inspect your doors and windows to make sure they’re properly sealed. Doing so will keep the cool air in your home and keep the warm air out.

Buying A Home In 2022

By W Darrow Fiedler

On April 15, 2022

In Investing, Real Estate

Real estate is constantly changing, and buying a home has become extremely difficult over the past few years. In 2021, property values skyrocketed, making real estate great for sellers but challenging for buyers. Experts expect the market to relax a little bit in 2022, but it’s still not the most ideal situation for many buyers. That doesn’t mean you should avoid buying all together. If you do your research and are diligent, you can certainly find your dream home. Read on to learn a little bit about buying a home in 2022.

Home Prices Will Keep Rising, But At A Slower Rate

Although home prices are expected to continue rising in 2022, they’ll be at a slower pace than they were in 2021. According to the National Association of Realtors, home prices are expected to increase by just 2.8% in 2022. Other experts, such as the mortgage bankers association and the housing finance company Fannie Mae, predict a more modest increase of around 7%.

Mortgage Rates Will Increase, But Still Be Low

Despite the expected increase in mortgage rates in 2022, the average 30-year fixed-rate remained at a historic low of 3% in 2021. It’s important to note that even if the increase is as predicted, the mortgage rates will still be fairly low.

According to Yun of the National Association of Realtors, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate will increase to 3.7% in the coming months. Other organizations such as The Mortgage Bankers Association or Fannie Mae believe that it will raise to 4% and 3.3%, respectively.

Actually Buying A Home

Knowing a bit more about the housing situation in 2022, you may decide to go ahead and start house hunting. But are you prepared? Ask yourself a few questions to be sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into.

Are You Financially Prepared?

No matter what the housing market is like, it’s always important that you make sure you’re financially prepared to buy a house. This means a lot more than being able to make a mortgage payment each month. You’ll want to make sure you have the money put aside for closing costs, moving costs, potential repair costs and so much more. You’ll also want to make sure you have a high enough credit score to take out a mortgage.

Research Neighborhoods

It’s important to research the places you’re considering moving to. You don’t want to buy a house and then find out months later that you hate the area. If you have kids, research the local school system. You may want to look at crime rates, or what the weather tends to be like in the area so you can avoid potential flood zones. These things are important to make sure you’re happy with your home in the long run.

Find The Right Real Estate Agent

Finding an experienced real estate agent who cares more about making their clients happy than they do making a sale is integral to finding the perfect home. Research local realtor reviews, or ask friends and loved ones for recommendations. The agent you work with can make or break the entire homebuying process.

Tips for Investing in Residential Real Estate

By W Darrow Fiedler

On March 16, 2022

In Finance, Investing, Real Estate

When investing in residential real estate, there is a multitude of factors to take into consideration. Instead of being overwhelmed, focus on three top factors, and your residential real estate investment will be off to the right start! Avvo.com defines the types of residential real estate as condominiums (privately owned units within larger buildings), townhomes (usually larger than condos but still share walls with one or two other buildings), cooperatives (units within one building where everyone living in the building owns the building together) and single-family houses (usually built on a single lot without having to share space with other dwellings.)

Location Matters – The Huffington Post suggests that when investing in residential real estate, you look for the worst house on the best street. That’s a principle you’ll come across quite a bit as you research residential real estate. “Look for proximity to major roads, public transportation, and most importantly, schools,” says Abhi Golhar, host of Real Estate Deal Talk in Atlanta.

Follow the 1% rule – The 1% rule means looking for a return greater than 1 percent per month of the sales price. An old maxim of real estate says that a rental property yielding 1 percent of the sales price per month is a good deal. In other words, if the home costs $100,000, you should get $1,000 per month in rent, or about a 12 percent annual yield.

Choose tenants wisely – Being a landlord is stressful. Landlordology.com urges that a landlord’s number one priority is to make rent the priority. This is your source of revenue. The site also suggests collecting your rent online or through a mobile source. “There is no reason for you to be collecting rent by a check in the mail. Not only is it time-consuming to go to your P.O. Box or mailbox, keep up with all the checks, and then deposit the checks, but it’s riskier. The check can bounce, and then you’ll need to pay a non-sufficient funds fee and then contact your tenant for the rent and the NSF fee. When you collect rent online, this whole process is negated, and the process is dead simple.” When choosing a tenant, choose wisely by checking their credit score, rental history, and references. Although time-consuming, it will be well worth it.

Choosing to invest in residential real estate is no small decision. However, if you follow the above tips, you will set yourself up for success and before you know it, your rental properties will become passive income.

Direct Real Estate Investing vs. REITS

By W Darrow Fiedler

On February 11, 2022

In Finance, Investing, Real Estate

Many people are confused about how to invest in real estate, as there are many different types of REITs. Real estate investment trusts are corporations that manage properties for investors.

Direct Real Estate

Direct real estate investing is a way to get into the real estate market without having to spend a huge sum of money. It allows you to generate steady and attractive returns by investing in properties that are worth their rental income.

Direct Real Estate Pros

One of the many advantages of investing in real estate is that it can generate substantial cash flow. This can be done through various tax breaks. One of these is depreciation, which allows you to reduce the cost of buying and improving a property.

Even though the stock market fluctuates, the real estate market generally rises over time. This means that investors may be able to sell their properties at a higher price later.

With direct real estate, you have more control over your money and the properties you buy. For example, you can set rental prices, determine how many properties to buy and refinance your mortgage when the market drops.

Direct Real Estate Cons

One of the biggest disadvantages of direct real estate investing is that it requires a large amount of time and energy to be successful. Another disadvantage of direct real estate is that many investors require financing to pay for their investments.

If the market tanks, they may default on their loan. Real estate is not a liquid asset. This means you will not have the chance to sell a property quickly if you find yourself in need of emergency cash.

REITs

A REIT is a corporation that invests in income-producing real estate. It is typically modeled after mutual funds. In the US, there are more than 225 REITs that are listed on major stock exchanges. With a combined market value of over $1 trillion, these companies are the world’s largest REITs.

Pros and Cons of REITs

One of the main advantages of REITs is that they allow investors to access the profits of the real estate market without being bound by traditional real estate investing rules.

With a 5% dividend yield, REITs are likely to have the highest total return potential. They also have the potential to increase their capital appreciation. Like stocks, REITs trade under heavy volume. This means investors can buy and sell their shares without being forced to do so.

Some of the drawbacks of REITs are that they are not considered “qualified dividends” by the IRS. This means they are taxed at a higher rate than ordinary dividends.

Another downside of REITs is that they are sensitive to changes in interest rates.

Rising rates can make their prices go down while increasing interest rates can stimulate demand. One other thing that’s negative about REITs is that they tend to focus on a specific type of real estate, such as hotels. If this type of property is your main concern, then you’re prone to experiencing property-specific risks.

If you’re looking for a more conservative approach to real estate investing, direct real estate may be a better choice. It’s also likely to provide you with tax breaks. The appeal of REITs is that it allows people who don’t want to manage real estate to get into it. They also provide a good way for people who have limited time and energy to learn about the industry.