Online Investing Daily

Are you worried about investing your money in real estate? With the general knowledge media spurs that the market is in the tank, who would not feel the same?

Never believe anyone that tells you an investment is 100% safe and smart. EVERYTHING that you do with your money has a certain amount of risk involved with it, even if it’s just putting bills under your mattress; speaking of which, let’s talk about what happens if you do NOTHING with the money you save (e.g., putting it under your mattress). That wouldn’t be very smart–fire, flood, theft, etc. could make your money disappear very quickly with no hope for return.

But, you say, what if I put my money in a bank safety-deposit box, won’t THAT keep my money safe? Yes, it will keep the physical paper currency safe, but remember that the bills are only worth what the current value of the currency is. Over time the buying power of currency goes down (inflation!).

In the US, the annual rate of inflation is about 3 percent that translates to commodities increasing by almost 3 percent every year. In other words, your money is worth 3 percent less if it is being kept inside a safety box. Would you still perceive of it as “saving” when obviously your money’s purchasing power is gradually vanishing?

What about a savings account? These accounts are almost always protected by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) so there’s not much risk of your bank going under and you losing your money, but again you’re swimming upstream against the current of inflation. Even the best savings accounts out there barely give you enough interest to counteract inflation and often times inflation is outpacing your savings account interest earnings; but at least you’re not losing AS much!

Another remarkable area to look into is stocks. Would it be best to invest in something when there is no tangible item you can hold claim to? Investing in stocks can be compared to investing in an “idea” and whether you like it or not - the only thing you can claim yours is the fact that you put in funds so that the entity you place your money into will add value to itself, which eventually increase yours.

How much control do you have over this “idea”? ALMOST NONE! The only thing you can do is research the track record of the entity and the people close to it (e.g., the CEO, CFO, etc.) to guess whether or not the “idea” will work out in the way you hope it will, but it’s very difficult to know ALL the factors that will come into play. My opinion is that unless you invest in the stock market as a profession or spend a great deal of your time researching companies, investing in stocks is very distant from your personal interests and can be of great risk. That is why I, and many others, have chosen the last option we’ll talk about: real estate.

Why? Real estate is a TANGIBLE item that is held very closely to you; you can see it, touch it, and improve it. There is very low risk that the physical investment itself will disappear, and even if it does, that’s what insurance is for! (Try getting that for your stocks!) And unlike paper currency, the value of your property grows with inflation, so you’re not losing purchasing power of your investment every year.

Another great thing about real estate is that money is made in multiple ways (these are too numerous to detail for the purpose of this article, but the benefits include huge tax breaks, gained equity through renter-paid debt reduction, equity gained through improvements, and appreciation). As stated in the beginning of the article, no investment is 100% safe, but it is my strong opinion that if done with some foresight, real estate is where you’ll find the most bang for your buck as well as the most security for your money.

If there is one important thing that first time homebuyers must remember, it is that they choose the right mortgage package. However, the selection process can be tricky at times even when you are coordinating with a mortgage loan officer.

How does this happen? Loan officers will qualify you for a loan based on your income ratio and not necessarily how much you’re prepaid to pay in housing payments each month. If you borrow the entire loan amount that you “qualify” for, it’s likely that your monthly payment will be pushing your monthly budget to the max.

Being specific about the amount to be borrowed can spare you the possibility of having trouble with the payment terms offered by the loan officer. This can also help you adjust your housing expenditures based on your income. These are several ways to help you choose the best mortgage for your new home:

1. Consider the tax benefits. Some mortgages are ‘interest only’ loans which means you can deduct the entire payment on your taxes for that year. However, loans that are designed with a negative amortization scale won’t allow you to deduct interest from your monthly payment.

2. Evaluate the long-term advantages. Whether you’re planning to live in your home for 30 years and more or not, it is still advisable to know the pros and cons of your mortgage package. A fixed interest rate loan is somewhat higher in amount but unlike ARM and other loan products, it can safeguard you from changing market conditions. But a fixed interest loan also has its limitations. Smart Consumer’s Guide to Home Buying’s author, Barron, proposes that the fixed interest rate may increase your payments because of the demands of the escrow account linked with it.

3. Ask about other home payment options. Flexibility in your mortgage loan’s payment can help you maximize your funds. For instance, there are mortgage loans that allow making extra payments toward the principal balance without worrying about a penalty. You may inquire about this type of loan so that you would not be problematic of your debts in the future.

4. Look for ways to keep payments low. Even when the lender offers you a large loan, consider cutting back on the loan amount so that you can keep the payments within an affordable range. A low interest rate, long loan term, and the ability to make interest-only payments are a few ways to keep payments as low as possible and within your budget range.

5. Apply for mortgage insurance. Most first time home buyers do not have a lot of money available for the down payment, which can make a big difference to the loan amount and monthly payments. Mortgage insurance can provide for your down payment, or in some cases, allow you to apply for an attractive loan product without having to make any type of down payment.

Much has been said about real estate and its wonders. But do you really know the real score on how it creates wonders for your money? After all, different people hold various opinions on how much good do leverage and OPM (other people’s money) have.

The first thing you must remember is that your team of experts demands an equally competent mortgage professional. Depending on your goal and current situation, the scheme to acquire financial success may vary. The following examples present scenarios but they may or may not suit your specific situation.

Let’s look at what choices you can make to achieve your goals. Remember, with real estate, YOU are in control! For the example we’ll say you have $20,000 to work with. With this $20K you could put down a 20% down payment on a $100,000 property or a 10% down payment on a $200,000 property. Which one is better?

The answer naturally depends on your particular situation and goal. But let us probe into the differences. With the assumption that you chose the larger down payment, it is possible for you to get cashflow because you will give “lower” mortgage payments and at the 20 percent down payment, you will no longer need mortgage insurance. Do you prefer receiving monthly cashflow? Well then, a larger down payment makes you attain just that.

Assuming that for the $100,000 and $200,000 properties, the appreciation is set at 6 percent (Please note that the appreciation rate actually varies depending on their locations, type of property, etc..but for this article, you can well disregard these differences). That translates to these figures: the $100,000 will be worth $106,000 after a year of appreciation and the $200,000 becomes $212,000.

The amount of appreciation for both properties ($100,000 and $200,000) obviously doubles itself year after year. All these and more, but you would not be spending any thereby saving yourself some serious bucks!

In a relatively shorter time, your gain will be sufficient to obtain equity and purchase another PROPERTY so you actually have doubled your properties and compounded their appreciation. On another hand, the cashflow might not be present in the $200,000 property and perhaps there will be times when you have to expend for maintenance costs but look at the greater appreciation and long-term benefits.

Moreover, you get more advantage since debt payments and maintenance costs are tax deductions (using leverage or OPM and getting less monthly cashflow) unlike cashflow that is taxable. In the case of some people who needed monthly cashflow - the solution is simple, your approach can be modified to get what you really wanted. Besides, most people would agree that extra payment every month realizes wealth building benefits in the future!

Your choice to effectively use your money is important. Start now by building your team of experts and hit your mark!

Many of us today are faced with the challenge on whether to buy or rent a home. And in these trying times, it seemed tough to answer. In addition, family and friends who have limited professional knowledge swamp us with advice that are often unreliable. Remember that it is not appropriate to “ask a BUTCHER how to BAKE a loaf of bread”. While it is good to listen to them, it would still be best to keep in mind that concerns of this IMPORTANCE require an expert’s opinion. Professionals can give us surefire answers to base our judgment from.

Whoever you take advice from should consider your individual situation, have experience, and be able to prove his/her point with solid evidence. In the case of should I rent or should I buy, Russell Gray (co-author of the book Equity Happens) would say “Do the math!” In other words, everyone’s situation is unique and often times math is the solution to get an objective opinion (in this case, numbers) about what choice to make in the rent vs. own debate, at least from a financial standpoint.

Given our current circumstances, I will not claim to know which will work for you since I do not have an idea of your particular situation. Nevertheless, I have listed some points below to help you find the best option and see the difference between buying and renting. For those who do renting, we can start by computing the monthly costs, which consist of rent in addition to fees, and other utilities for payment.

For ownership expenses it’s a little trickier. You must add together more items and might need the help of professionals to determine what the expenses will be. The main expenses are commonly abbreviated with the acronym PITI. This stands for Principal (the amount of money you pay toward the principal of your loan), Interest (the amount you pay toward the interest of the loan), Taxes (property taxes you must pay), and Insurance (both property insurance and mortgage insurance, if applicable).

In addition to the PITI costs, you will still have utility expenses plus maintenance costs like lawn-care, occasional new shingles, appliance, etc. After you add everything up you will then be able to see what the monthly monetary difference is between owning and renting. Or, if you are currently renting and you can pay no more than what you are currently paying per month, you can work backwards on the ownership costs and determine what price of home you could buy. It’s important to not just look at the monthly payments, however, and also look at the long-term financial advantages.

In this case, ownership seems to be where the long-range financial rewards are. Renting a house does not guarantee a title even after years of investment. You will also notice that your rent increases as time goes by. On the other hand, the payment or main cost allotted to buying a house practically stays the same even through the years except for some such as utilities, insurance, etc. The good news is that there is a promise of equity from all the payments you have made towards the ownership of your house. In an appreciating market like ours - a wise choice can go a long way in as far as the value of appreciating our home is concerned!

Buying your own home boosts your morale and gives you more freedom in making changes with it. There is a feeling of pride here aside from the fact that you do not have to ask permission whenever you want something done like painting the walls with the color you wish for. You also derive satisfaction in terms of enjoying the benefits home ownership provides. However, your decision might have a turnabout since renting requires minimal maintenance as opposed to the other.

The decision to either buy or rent a home requires balance in your personal feelings versus financial considerations. As an example, renting saves you resources that you can use for other necessities like home appliances. Unlike when you buy a home — you still need to think of property taxes and more expenses that perhaps reduce other benefits into small or minor significance. For instance, having to paint your walls with the color you like appears negligible when you factor in the horrendous property taxes to be paid. Between financial and subjective considerations, the former outweighs the latter since numbers do not usually lie.

Conversely, this piece wants to point out two important concerns relative to renting and buying a house. One is to seek advice from the right authority to help you identify the best course of action. Next is to examine carefully both the financial and subjective considerations. The gains or benefits usually become apparent on a long term basis. Finally, it would help to bear in mind that we are in a buyer’s market where ownership is deemed favorable over renting.