Everyone is talking about AI. It’s a huge trend. One with many potential benefits, as well as risks, and plenty of controversy.

Let’s take a look at how AI is already helping to boost some real estate investment businesses, while potentially bankrupting others.

The Good

Good AI tools with some intelligence in their application may help create more efficiency for real estate investors and business owners. They might be able to help streamline tasks and your day so you have more time for the most important work, and more free time.

When curated well, AI tools can help feed your high quality, original, human generated content to prospects and potential leads online.

If your business has true, high value AI tools you’ve developed of your own, then you may find that you are able to raise substantial amounts of additional capital for your business right now.

Even if you don’t, then all of the other entrepreneurs and investors in the AI space who are making out like bandits can become great clients with lots of cash to spend with you.

The Bad

Of course, most people have already encountered negative AI experiences. Especially with customer service apps that are worse than having no chat support at all.

Others have run into AI decision engines in lending, credit, and for other approvals. Often ended up confused on why they were denied, and at the lack of actual intelligence in this so-called AI.

The Ugly

Continuing from the above, if you are trying to implement tools like this for your own customers, you may be turning away countless qualified prospects, and be turning them off with horrible customer service experiences.

Be sure to regularly walk through the process as a customer yourself. If they aren’t making things 100x better for your customer, they are likely costing you an enormous amount of business and income.

If you don’t 100% understand the algorithms being applied and can’t convey them clearly and explain how they are applied evenly to all, then you may run into serious legal issues, compliance problems, and investigations by regulators.

Today, one of the biggest dangers of AI is those being lured into using it to create content. Which often ends up being misleading and incorrect junk. This will rob you of your marketing results, ROI, and both new and existing customers. It may work in another 10 years, with a lot more human input, or for creating fun memes. It’s just not ready for business.

Then lastly, the massive shift to AI is also fueling more unemployment. Even AI leaders and CEOs are concerned about how we will need to address poverty in a world where we only need a fraction of the workers we do today. While the population is also increasing.

In the short and medium term this may lead to a lot more financial distress for consumers and homeowners. Which in turn can make for great opportunities to buy deals at discounts. Though may lead to lower renter and borrower performance.

 

How is your real estate investment business preparing for the new era of post digital marketing?

Everything is cyclical. The economy, the real estate market, and marketing. Just as we’ve seen some of the biggest changes in the first two of these, another super cycle change is primed to happen in marketing.

For those that have been in the business long enough, we’ve seen the rise and fall of direct mail, outdoor advertising, cold calling, purchased internet leads, and email, and more recently PPC and social media.

More and more factors are building up to force a new change in marketing, and what works and doesn’t. Ensuring your business is ready, and ahead of the game is likely to make all of the difference in deal flow and cash flow, as well as who survives and grows, versus those that fold.

The End Of Digital Marketing

The trust is gone, and more limitations and rising costs are accelerating the demise of digital marketing as we’ve known it for the past decade.

We recently saw TikTok surpass Google and Facebook to become the most popular website in the world. We’ve seen major online companies that should have been poised to dominate after COVID end up losing 30% to 70% of their stock value, and running into serious issues. Those include companies like Zoom, Netflix, Upwork and Better (mortgage). In most cases they seem to be failing because they made disastrous short term decisions at the expense of their most loyal customers and their reputation.

Google is getting hit with more and more lawsuits and limitations. The latest accuse it of misleading users about the tracking that has been happening even when they thought they turned off location services. This will directly impact PPC advertising and SEO.

Real estate advertisers have also been driving themselves crazy and burning enormous amounts of money on junk. Including new grammar checking apps, SEO analyzers, and joining groups offering tons of self-sabotaging duplicate content, such as blogs and white papers.

This is on top of rising costs from bots, and scams, often initiated by advertising platforms like Facebook themselves.

Then there is spam, spam, spam. Now it is not only phone calls and social media like LinkedIn, but in text messages and ads too. Countless consumers have also been burned trying to buy things directly over social sites like Instagram, and may be vowing only to do business with local sellers they can see and hold accountable.

Post-Digital Marketing: What’s Next?

As consumers and businesses get burned out on digital marketing, grow tired of losing money and won’t even take a chance on it anymore, what’s next?

What marketing will work and be useful after the digital we’ve grown accustomed to? Especially if you are trying to buy, sell or rent real estate?

Half the country has already decided that they want to be free and return to normal activities. They aren’t interested in vax mandates, masks, or restrictions. So, outside of the Northeast and California, expect in person meetups, in person sales presentations, groups, and experiential marketing in the real world to make a huge comeback. More modern, boutique offices may also reappear with new innovative twists.

As more and more people migrate and move, signage may be more important as they explore new areas.

Those stuck at home in the most restrictive states, may see direct mail once again seeing great results.

These are all things that require marketing, just different types. It may be authentic and original mail, pitch decks to present on your device in person, what you wear, etc. The question is, are you investing in these materials and copywriters, strategists, part time, fractional or remote CMOs to help you win in this transition and new era?

 

While there are many real estate investment strategies out there, property wholesaling remains incredibly magnetic. Here are just some of the reasons it is so sticky for mature investors, and a smart choice for getting your feet wet in this industry…

The Returns Are Really, Really Good

The investment returns on property wholesaling are too good to ignore. 100% returns are commonplace. 30-40% returns are pretty easy in this niche. Anything less than 20% is probably underperforming.

Keep in mind that this is with less risk than negative yielding bonds, the volatility of the stock market or uncertainty of crypto or tech startups.

No Renters

This is especially important after a year of lockdowns and a free pass for tenants not to pay their rent, and landlords being unable to evict non-paying renters. It’s not only about performance, but not having the stress or liability either.

No Getting Stuck With The Hot Potato

Real estate prices have proven to be cyclical, just like the wider economy. That means that sooner or later it is inevitable that buy and hold investors and rehabbers that fix and flip are going to get stuck holding property on which the value has dropped out from underneath them. You don’t have to worry about that if you do wholesaling right. You’ve already secured your exit before you get in. You are in, out and paid in hours, not weeks or months or years.

No Hassles With Neighbors Or HOAs

Just as with renters, homeowner and condo associations and neighbors can be an area of great frustration and liability for buy and hold investors. The more you can avoid them, and less time you have to deal with them, the better.

You Are Providing An Essential Service

Wholesalers are providing an essential service for individuals, families, and whole communities. Wholesalers are the ones on the front lines helping distressed homeowners and investors, and helping to improve and preserve neighborhoods.

The bottom line is that if you want low risk, high rewards, low stress, and to be doing something positive, it is hard to do anything but wholesale.

 

These five timeless principles will propel your success in real estate, and keep you winning no matter what’s happening out there.

1. Always Keep Moving

As a real estate entrepreneur you always have to be moving. You can take vacations and quality time out, and should. Yet, you can’t afford to stay stagnant. Celebrate your successes, but don’t think you can just lay back on your laurels and think you’ve made it. You’ll be left behind pretty quickly. The same goes for failures. You’ve got to be constantly trying things. Many won’t work out as expected. Just make sure you learn from the experience. Take inventory of the situation. Just don’t get stuck wallowing in depression. Get up and keep moving onto the next deal.

2. Stay Consistent

Anyone can hustle for a couple weeks. Anyone can pull off a great one hit wonder. The key to getting results, and continuing to enjoy success is to stay consistent. This is obvious when it comes to publishing content, following up with leads and making offers. What trips most up is staying consistent with budgeting. In the good times when money is coming in effortlessly in large amounts it can be tempting to spend and splurge a lot. This is actually the time to be saving and bulking up reserves for crises. When things get leaner many are tempted to stop spending. Yet, this is exactly when they need to stick to consistent marketing, or even increase their marketing spend.

3. Hire The Best You Can

Your real job as the owner of a real estate investment business is not to do the work, but to hire the very best you can in every area. This is your real role as a CEO. Hire the best marketer, customer service reps, acquisition and property managers, and finance experts. Do that, and you’ll get the results.

4. Know Your Odds

No business or investment is 110% risk free. A 9-5 job working for someone else definitely isn’t risk free either. It’s about taking calculated risks, for greater reward. Don’t bet a lot with the hope of a little reward, especially with lots of risk. Look for high return opportunities, with lower risk. Like wholesaling homes using high amounts of short term leverage in the form of transactional funding.

5. It’s Not What You Make, But What You Get To Keep

It’s not how much you gross that matters. It’s how much you actually get to keep. This can mean investing equally in protecting your gains, and growth. It can mean focusing on profits over more volume. It can mean educating yourself on more tax saving strategies and tools.

 

 

Tired of the challenges of trying to raise private money, finding good investment property lenders, and juggling funding? Transactional funding could crush all that worry and stress, and make it 100x easy to make money in real estate.

Funding continues to be the biggest challenge in the real estate investment space. From brand new investors looking to get into real estate to already successful rehabbers and landlords, it’s all about the money. There is always a need for more capital to make new acquisitions. No matter how much you start out with, that cash can get tied up pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, the mortgage market really hasn’t caught up. Although new lenders have popped up, funds have been advertising their capital and flowing some through conduits and crowdfunding portals, the underwriting criteria and LTVs and reserve requirements just aren’t on par with demand and investor needs.

Transactional funding and integrating or switching to a wholesale strategy can solve those problems, fast.

Best Transaction Funding offers 100% financing for real estate wholesalers. What’s even better is that this can be done with no income, asset, or employment check. It’s just fast, easy financing you can close with in just days.

It’ll take your ROI to a whole new level. And you can keep pocketing your profits, and using new transactional funding again and again. It takes you from only being able to to a couple deals a month, to many, while ripping open the potential to scale your real estate investments and business.

It’s crazy how many are struggling to get started, grow, and to keep on going, when this capital is readily available for use now. If you’ve been frustrated with your finance flow, or know investors who are; try it out, or recommend it to them...

What real estate investment strategies are trending this year?

The market is changing. Most housing markets are becoming more expensive, interest rates are going up, and many investors are switching up their strategies. So, what’s trending now?

1. Reverse Wholesaling

For those seeking low risk investing, and low capital outlays, reverse wholesaling can be the perfect REI strategy. Instead of finding deals, and then trying to line up funding and marketing for buyers, reverse wholesalers find the buyers first. Then with transactional funding they can turn deals around in a matter of hours. They know their exit before they get in.

2. International Investing

There is set to be a significant amount of cross-border investing in 2017. The majority of global investors surveyed say they plan to increase their investment in American real estate this year. That will account for a sizable percentage of the $1.7T in capital these investors have to put to work this year. At the same time many US based investors may again begin investing offshore. Among this group are those looking to diversify their buy and hold portfolios, those hedging against and American real estate downturn, and those looking for less expensive assets with better cash flow.

3. New Construction

In many areas it has become cheaper and more profitable to build new rather than acquire exiting distressed properties. Some are engaging in gut rehabs of older properties or are expanding with additional square footage. Others are building spec homes to flip, or fourplexes to rent out for cash flow.

4. Partnerships

With many new investors trying to get into the market, and experienced investors looking to diversify and spread risk of any local downturns, more investors are partnering up. Real estate crowdfunding is one way to do this. Others are teaming up with a few peers to take on rentals, and some lenders are offering JV opportunities which provide 100% financing and equity sharing.

How will you invest this year?

 

Authored by Best Transaction Funding BestTransactionFunding.com is the leading source of transactional funding for real estate wholesalers in the US, where 100% financing, and saying “Yes” is what we love doing all day long.

The outcome of the 2016 US presidential election looks set to spur a new boom for real estate wholesalers.

No matter who you voted for the election results, and Donald Trump win is expected to create a flurry of real estate investment activity. Property wholesalers who move fast stand to benefit big from this action. Especially those who know how to market themselves well.

Many Clinton supporters swore they would leave the US if Trump won. If they stay true to their word many could be packing up to head to Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico. That is likely to mean a sizable number of property owners at all levels of the spectrum looking to shed their real estate fast. Who better to help than wholesalers?

Trump believers are no doubt ecstatic. There is no question that many specifically voted Trump for the perceived benefits to their real estate investments, taxes, and healthcare costs. For them it is time to get busier than ever putting their capital into the US property market and expanding with new acquisitions. Wholesalers and agents should be seizing on this opportunity to serve the surge in demand, especially with the additional inventory which may be coming online. As of the end of trading November 9^th, the NASDAQ, DOW, S&P 500, and gold prices were all up. Don’t be surprised if some asking and bidding prices go the same direction by the end of the year as well.

The real icing on the cake could be a reversal of recent international investment trends. The National Association of Realtors had reported foreign investment in real estate falling by over $1B in 2016. With the uncertainty over, and a president known for being big on real estate in the White House we could see some of those investors coming back, and with more capital to buy income properties.

Whatever the other fallout from the election results may be, let’s just hope for non-violence. React with your investment portfolio and strategy as you see fit. Take advantage of what we do have. And let’s try to get along, whether delighted or depressed by the results.

 

Authored by Best Transaction Funding BestTransactionFunding.com is the leading source of transactional funding for real estate wholesalers in the US. Get your Proof of Funds letter today and start doing those deals!

The British vote to leave the European Union, aka the ‘Brexit’ could prove to be a great thing for the US real estate market.

The Brexit has been big news for days. Most notably because of its massive impact on stock markets. Stocks have plunged in the wake of the Brexit and the economic uncertainty it has brought to the world. Yet, the Brexit could also become a catalyst for a new surge in US property investment, appreciation, and performance.

Stocks have been pummeled since the beginning of 2016. That has only been compounded by the fallout of the British vote. Many will be looking at their statements this week realizing they are way down, and may now be far behind on their income and retirement goals. If you are down 50% in the stock market you’ll need to double what you have to get back to par! Few believe that is likely over the years ahead.

Real estate remains about the only reliable investment for preserving wealth, appealing returns, and consistent passive income.

For many real estate investment is the only way to get ahead and back on track reliably. Those with funds need to get their capital working hard. Those without the cash may find real estate and its agile options like wholesaling and using transactional funding the best option for generating lump sums fast.

Of course not everyone will make the leap into real estate or restructure their portfolios fast enough. That, and the ensuing availability of property deals will create even better opportunities for investors.

The Brexit also positions US as a great option versus London, Paris, and Toronto whose property markets may be hit by the economic turmoil. Look for who can serve as they try to recover from this hit to their portfolios and as they seek safety for their nest eggs and you’ll find your own finances grow quickly.

 

Authored by Best Transaction Funding BestTransactionFunding.com is the leading source of transactional funding and hard money loans for real estate wholesalers in the US, where 100% financing, and saying “Yes” is what we love doing all day long.

One of the top concerns and challenges for new real estate investors is when friends and family members dismiss their plans. Why do they do that? Are they right or wrong? How should you handle it?

Why Your Best Friends Become Your Biggest Haters

This certainly isn’t always the case. It really depends on who you have been surrounding yourself with. But it can happen no matter what type of circle you move in; from barely paying the bills in a blue collar neighborhood to being a highly successful brain or plastic surgeon.

In some cases it is just ignorance. They don’t get it. And that’s okay. You don’t have to try and convince them. This is about you, your family, your finances, and your future. When they see the results in your life they can decide if it’s for them or not.

In other cases people may be afraid that you’ll ditch them and change their comfortable status quo. Surprisingly few people will really be pleased if you strike it rich in real estate. The opposite is true too. Material friends that only care about perception might not get moving to a smarter and more sustainable financial plan. One day they’ll regret it. Maybe you can help them out then.

The Big Question

The big and most pressing question for most new real estate investors is then “should I just get new friends?”

The answer for many maybe “yes!”

You don’t have to ditch them. But you will want to spend most of your time around positive people that will help you grow, rather than people who will hold you back. Of course that can be really difficult if your biggest detractors are your spouse, and other immediate family members.

A better question is do you want to keep staying where these friends are, and heading where they are really heading? Or do you want to be headed where the real elite are going?

Maybe thought leaders and major real estate investors like Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, and Richard Branson might be better friend choices.

Learning to Take Constructive Criticism on the Chin

The above certainly doesn’t mean that none of your current circle’s concerns are valid. Some inspired new investors can come up with some pretty wild ideas. That’s even true of those that have attended seminars, read outdated books, and got their education from online real estate forums.

Just learn to discern what constructive, helpful criticism out of love is, and what is just foolishness and envy.

There are risks to real estate, and any investment. But there are solutions to minimize those risks too. That may include insurance, LLCs, having a good attorney on retainer, and using 100% transactional funding (other people’s money) to fund your first few wholesale deals.

Most people might not get it, and that’s okay. Most people aren’t going to end up living the lives they really want. Real estate investment is a power tool to financial and lifestyle success – if you do it right. And there are plenty of great new positive people to meet along the way.

Authored by Best Transaction Funding BestTransactionFunding.com is the leading source of transactional funding and hard money loans for real estate wholesalers in the US, where 100% financing, and saying “Yes” is what we love doing all day long.

A new Huffington Post report heralds wholesaling as ‘The Real Estate Investment Niche for Everyone’. So what makes wholesaling real estate so attractive for new and veteran investors alike? What does it really take to get in, and be successful at wholesaling?

Flipping Houses to the Stars

The Huffington Post starts by highlighting that real estate wholesalers who are inspired by reality TV house flipping shows might actually find wholesaling comes with less stress and headaches. In fact, wholesalers can profit by flipping houses to TV celebrities. But without the mayhem and emotional roller coaster of dealing with renovations and contractors.

While the concept of buying at deep discounts remains the same as with other types of wholesaling, the profits margins can be a lot better on real estate. This is something industry personality and founder of an Inc. 500 ranked wholesaling and education company Kent Clothier says drove his family to switch from the world of groceries to property.

This comes right on the heel of Fox News highlighting the pros of selling houses to wholesalers for regular homeowners, versus paying 6% to list with a Realtor.

So as wholesaling properties becomes increasingly legitimatized by the mainstream media and business sector, what do aspiring investors need to get in, and win?

What it Takes to Wholesale Houses

According to the above mentioned report you’ll need:

Some real estate education

Potentially some deposit money for making offers

To find properties and negotiate contracts at discounts

A transactional funding lender to finance your deals

Buyers to sell too

There are a number of wholesale training providers out there, though industry gurus like Sean Terry say success is more about having alignment and the drive to really go out and make it happen than just what tools to use.

Worth Trying

Given that wholesaling real estate appears less risky than the alternatives, it seems worth trying, at least to get your feet wet in real estate. It could be the best bet for those finding it hard to make the numbers work on rehabbing or rentals in their area, or who are unsure about the future of the market, and may be light on cash, and have low tolerance for risk and loss.

Authored by BestTransactionFunding.com; America’s leading source of transactional funding and hard money loans for real estate wholesalers, where 100% financing, and saying “Yes” is what we love doing all day long.

Tired of big income tax bills and the bite they take out of your real estate investment profits?

How would you like to like slashing next year’s tax bill by $11,000 or enjoying 365 days of tax free real estate investment returns?

Whether you’ve experienced big income tax bills yet or not, it can be part of the territory with the great profits that come from flipping houses. Some consider that a “good problem” to have. It’s better to make more money, even if you have to give up more in tax. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, if you haven’t tackled this yet the odds are that you are paying far more in taxes than you should be each year. That means throwing away money that could be invested for faster results, and taking a double digit hit to returns, income, and wealth building. It also means giving a huge edge to your more tax savvy real estate competitors. So how can real estate wholesalers kick taxes to the curb and keep more of that cash in their own accounts?

Tax Saving Basics for Real Estate Investors

Basic tax savings measures that all real estate investors should be considering include: organizing a business entity, office deductions, charitable giving, company vehicles, retaining a better accountant, and creating a tax savvy spending plan for the whole year in advance.

Getting the Big Breaks for Bolder Wealth Building

For wholesalers that want to enjoy a big potential deduction on this year’s tax bill, and to enjoy tax free investing all year round you’ve got to look at IRAs.

Individual investors without a retirement account can potentially directly knock $5,500 off their tax bill by opening up a traditional IRA. That means over $5k you can put directly back into your own pocket and use to keep building wealth instead of handing it over to the IRS. If you are married and you both contribute to an IRA that’s up to $11,000 you can take off your taxes this year, and every year.

If you already have a retirement account you can roll that over into a self-directed IRA, 401k, or real estate IRA. Investing in real estate through this vehicle enables tax deferred or tax free investing all year round. That adds double digits to your net gains each year, gains which are compounded every year.

Ignoring taxes is just expensive. Those that take them head on stand to achieve a lot more, a lot faster.

Authored by Best Transaction Funding BestTransactionFunding.com is the leading source of transactional funding and hard money loans for real estate wholesalers in the US, where 100% financing, and saying “Yes” is what we love doing all day long.

How can real estate wholesalers tap in to more buyers and well capitalized bulk buyers for more volume now?

New data has shown endless tracks of discounted homes and foreclosure properties still available. Armed with the Best Transaction Funding the only thing in between reeling in bigger profits and where wholesalers are now, is tapping into more highly qualified buyers.

So how can you find them?

1. Source Cash Buyers from Recent Purchases

One of the most common ways of finding cash buyers to wholesale properties to, is by sourcing those which have recently purchased area homes for cash. This is often followed up with a direct mail campaign.

2. Buy to Rent Lenders

Numerous ‘Buy to Rent’ lenders have popped up in 2014. They are well capitalized and eager to put their money to work, funding buy and hold investors in making new acquisitions of single family rental homes. Many of these lenders may be only happy to make introductions in order to create new lending opportunities for themselves.

3. Title Companies

As with lenders, title companies will often share their records and lists of buyers with real estate investors in order to drum up more business. Work on developing relationships with these reps.

4. Local Meet Ups

More and more private money lenders are reportedly attending local real estate investor meet ups. As a wholesaler these in person networking events can be gold mines for finding buyers and putting together deals on the spot.

5. International Property Shows

International property shows are frequented by deep pocketed real estate investors with billions of dollars up for grabs. Top international shows can provide a great combination of vacation getaway, competitive research and direct networking with serious cash buyers.

6. iBeacons

Apple iBeacon technology is specifically being rolled out for the real estate industry, enabling brands to push alerts to passing mobile devices, alerting users of deals.

7. Mobile Push Notifications

A vast number of retailers now use mobile push notifications to alert consumers to new deals and sales. Why not use the same strategy for marketing hot wholesale property deals?

8. Blog, Blog, Blog

 

Too few real estate investment firms are taking their blogging seriously. This is an essential pillar of inbound marketing, and is a must, especially for those not embracing the most edgy technology.

The most successful real estate wholesalers see vendors, service providers and business partners distinctly differently than others. In fact, it is one factor which can often create dramatic in results.

This is a characteristic which is also seen among the wealthiest and most sophisticated buyers and investors, as well as leading CEOs. Put simply, it is the value put on quality services and business relationships.

This is not just about recognizing the importance of larger, long term gains and success trumping unsustainable short term gains. When considering the potential liability of being too cheap and churning through low quality vendors and reliability become almost priceless.

One of the most common ways in which this is seen in the industry today is when it comes to sourcing help and wholesale properties. One of the most ironic ways this rears its head is when some refuse to cough up for valuable third party services. This applies to the MLS, outsourcing platforms, online platforms for sourcing help, and other brokers. The argument by some is why should they pay for a third party middle men. Perhaps they are forgetting that they themselves as wholesalers are technically third party middle men. All too often they are happy to use the services, they just don’t want to pay for them. The fact they are used at any level shows the value they have.

Cost is the second part of this. It is wise to look for good deals and cost effectiveness. Unfortunately, the short sighted often believe that means cheapest.

One of the greatest examples of this in the real estate investment arena is house prices. Some of the cheapest homes of the moment can be found at Detroit’s foreclosure auctions. Some of the homes might sell for $1,000. After the fact they can cost many tens of thousands to repair or even tear down, and some will likely never see the rents or values other properties will. A most expensive property might actually end up delivering far higher returns and require less cash money out of pocket.

The same applies to wholesaling businesses hiring copywriters or designers. Cheap can often mean sabotaging future goals, losing advantages in speed to market, and more expense needed for constant do-overs.

When it comes to choosing real estate attorneys the savviest wholesalers, investors and business owners get that a low cost attorney or ‘pre-paid’ legal service can often ultimately cost more due to increased billing hours and substandard results. What they achieve in a week might be accomplished in 30 minutes by a real estate attorney with a higher hourly rate.

Could you imagine Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway achieving such results and reputation over such a long period of time if they only hired the cheapest staff and acquired the most depressed businesses?

We are entering a new boom in the U.S. housing market. Using BestTransactionFunding wholesalers can look forward to turning substantial volumes of properties for years, for high profit margins. However, all the money in the world might not keep those which don’t prioritize wise counsel, solid business relationships and quality team members in the game.

New 2014 real estate trends reports and forecasts pinpoint where the most active markets will be this year, what buyers really want, and who has the money to buy them…

This data is critical for real estate wholesalers who are serious about scaling their businesses in 2014 and beyond. Those wholesaling and flipping houses may work fast enough to be able to make a profit in any market cycle and anywhere. However, to go big, requires being a little more strategic.

So what 2014 real estate trends should wholesalers have an eye on?

1. Going Green

Going green is increasingly not just wanted, but clearly more profitable. In the U.S. street trees alone are reportedly adding $52M to property values. Now Fannie and Freddie are launching new green rated securities, while bigger investment firms push ‘green’ bonds.

2. Urban, Urban, Urban

It winning in real estate investment is all about “location”, in 2014 it’s all about urban locations, infill and redevelopment. Some may mistakenly allow themselves to be led into the idea the ‘burbs’ are dead for good, but there is no question downtown is the focus of the moment.

3. Mixed Use

For many reasons mixed use properties are being pushed hard from all angles. This should not be underestimated. Some may find this class more challenging, but those investors which embrace it first and find their angle stand to win big.

4. Capital Flow

If property investors thought there was a lot of money floating around over the last few years, it’s only going to get greener in 2014 and beyond. Aside from private equity jumping into the mortgage business, BestTransactionFunding.com offers virtually unlimited access to capital for fast flips and legitimate double closings. At the same time top trends reports and surveys from the urban Land Institute and PwC which surveyed over 1,000 of the most influential industry leaders, suggests capital flows are increasing with much of it flowing out of Asia. With London topped out and Hong Kong bursting you can bet the U.S. is a top pick for those seeking both yield and safety.

5. Demographic Shifts

It’s not just Generation Y driving trends into urban areas to keep in mind this year. Senior analysts also comment on aging Boomers also relocating to find warmer weather and better and more convenient health care solutions.

Sustainability or ‘going green’ is no longer just a fringe movement or small niche. It’s quickly becoming expected, and consumers and companies will soon find their survival and ability to thrive greatly depends on embracing this.

Going green may not be on the top of the to-do list for many investors or wholesaling company CEOs who are busier than ever. Fortunately, being a little more socially conscious and eco-friendly doesn’t require going out of your way to find a tree to hug, protesting or even sacrificing good business practices.

Here are 7 ways to make your real estate wholesaling business greener:

1. Get a Greener Office

Whether you have thousands of square feet of office space or work from a corner in your home you can have a positive impact. Everything from the paper you use to pencil holders and the coffee you drink makes a difference, and so does where you get it from. Real estate wholesalers can actually wield an immense amount of good around the globe just from their office chairs.

2. Greener Daily Operations

Whether it is just mapping a more efficient route when driving farm areas to scout for deals, choosing a more energy efficient car to do it in, or selecting more sustainable methods for your wholesaling marketing such as going digital or using paper from responsibly managed forests it matters. This speaks volumes about an investor’s credibility and brand without ever having to say a word.

3. Wholesale Greener Homes

If the green niche really appeals to you perhaps it can become a focal point of the properties you flip. Perhaps specializing in energy efficient housing, neighborhoods and property types can be what separates your business from the pack. Note that 3 of the top 10 features home buyers want most according to a new NAHB survey were all energy efficient related.

4. Greener Improvements

While most pure wholesalers may do little to no improvements to a property those that do engage in cleanup, pre-habbing and fixing up can make a difference and increase appeal by choosing energy efficient appliances, sustainable landscaping and gardening and perhaps even installing solar.

5. Work with Socially Conscious Partners

From contractors to vendors to the city and marketing agencies choose socially conscious partners that are also pushing for good and are known for responsible business practices. The company your wholesaling business keeps says a world about your brand.

6. Donate

Consider donating, or supporting causes raising donations. It could be taking part in a relay race for a cancer charity, contributing to a crowdfunding campaign, gifting property to be used as a park or shelter and getting the tax break, or just raising awareness of a campaign by supporting it on your social media profiles.

7. Find Better Funding Sources

Help stop the devastation of entire rainforests for a single loan application with large banks that don’t like working with investors anyway. Best Transaction Funding minimizes the whole process, helps your wholesaling efforts to be more efficient and of course delivers fast on flash funding for quick flips.

What does the massive Twitter IPO mean for real estate wholesalers?

Today saw the launch of the long awaited and hugely hyped Twitter IPO. So what does it all mean for real estate investors? Good, bad, ugly, or the best news of the year?

Twitter’s IPO winded up being a pretty significant success. At least it received a far warmer welcome and better reviews than Facebook’s. Surprisingly the IPO became the second largest internet IPO, beating out Google.

While the social network’s IPO saw share prices soar some 92% in the first day of trading, they summarily fell from the sky like a winged bird; winding up below opening price within hours.

Further commentary from some of the top tech analysts chided the theater as another indicator of not only IPOs, but tech stocks as a whole being “overblown” and about ready for a down cycle.
The lessons here are clear. Stocks are extremely volatile, and normally not in a good way. There is pretty much zero control over these investments and no protection from the downside. To top it off it appears the whole tech industry is primed for a pop.

So for real estate wholesalers this is firstly a resounding confirmation that you are on the right track. You might be extra proud if you flipped a $100 million of Twitter stock today and doubled your dough. Few probably did that, and few if any will anytime soon, if ever again. With flipping houses though, you can do far better than that every day and retain full control of how much you make. The icing on the cake is that the new real estate boom is just taking off and likely has another 7 to 15 years to enjoy.

Use these facts, plus the other advantages of direct real estate investment like leverage and tax benefits to highlight the benefits for your end buyers and investors to wholesale more homes to them.

The Twitter IPO will also certainly mean a shake up for advertisers with many new ways to wholesale homes via the social network. In addition to the powerful Twitter advertising options for small business already being offered and new additions like zip code geo-targeting and data sales, more will come and make it a more attractive platform for real estate investment companies.

Of course it might be fun to grab a single Twitter stock certificate to hang on the wall and show off, but the real money is undoubtedly in leveraging as much transactional funding as possible to capitalize on the current real estate market.

Does the new housing boom create a miracle second chance for real estate investors that have flopped in the past? Is flipping houses the best chance for the kings of realty to get back on top and regain the reins to their financial futures or is it just too late?

There is No Denying the New Housing Boom

Even the most pessimistic analysts are having a hard time spinning anything negative about the U.S. housing market right now.

Check out the facts &and figures according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) latest press release on June 20^th:

· Existing home sales rose 4.2% in the 12 months to May 2013

· Median existing home sales price jumps 15.4% year-over-year to $208,000

· Buyer traffic has risen 29% in the last year

· Median days on market dropped to just 41 in May 2013

On June 2th Bloomberg ran coverage of the new Mortgage Credit Availability Index from the Mortgage Bankers Association showing U.S. home loan lenders loosening up access to mortgage loans which will only further fuel home sales.

It isn’t just existing home sales that are performing well either. The real signal that the new housing boom is officially opening its gates is new home builders like KB Homes announcing a 74% increase in revenues as of the 2^nd quarter 2013.

Based on historical real estate cycles we are now entering a new boom era that will last another 10 to 15 years, during which home values will double.

10,000 Donald Trumps Looking to Rebuild an Empire

So is this new era of plenty in the U.S. residential real estate market the signal that real estate investors and investor groups should jump back into the game and flip more houses once again?

There are many, many real estate investors that completely flopped when the bubble burst. Many lost businesses, homes, expensive sports cars and even saw their families fall apart. So why did it really come to this for so many individuals and is this really their chance for a do-over?

The single biggest cause of failure among the real estate investment crowd when the bubble burst was being overleveraged. Many found themselves in negative cash flow and equity situations. Some are still recovering, others have cleared the debt and are seeing their credit scores gradually rising again.

For most the failure experienced wasn’t anything to do with personal ability, talent or a fault in the housing market. Too many just rushed in without investing in their real estate education or kept gambling on the market even though they knew an end to the run was coming.

A large percentage of this group was turned off to real estate investment and never went back, but now are green with envy as they see others banking big on distressed properties and rapidly rising values. One thing that they all recognize is that there are few if any other alternatives for regaining wealth, status and their previous lifestyles as flipping houses or building portfolios of rentals. And no one can deny if there was ever a good time to get in, this is it.

So if you are a member of this group can you bounce back and hit the big time again by investing in real estate a second time, and how can you prevent failing twice?

It’s entirely possible. Just look at Donald Trump. According to his bio on Wikipedia he once sank to a low of being $900 million in personal debt and some $3.5 billion in business debt. He certainly made a significant comeback and now boasts new developments all over the globe in addition to his stint on reality TV with the ‘Apprentice’.

Few of those reading this are anywhere near that deep in debt. So if he could do it, you can too. So how can you get back on you’re a game fast?

The Inside Scoop on the Next Real Estate Hotspot

The one thing that real estate investors who have ridden the recent housing roller coaster certainly respect is knowledge. So how can investors tap into the best data for identifying investment opportunities and targeting their marketing for maximum effective and ROI?

As predicted ‘Big Data’ has become big business in 2013. The government has recently jumped into the game amidst a variety of scandals. Bloomberg has been criticized in the New York Times for journalists’ tactics and on revelation the conglomerate owns more than 30% of the $25 billion plus financial data services market. Now real estate related firms are bulking up on acquisitions too with news of CoreLogic acquiring DataQuick for $661 million and Fidelity buying back Lender Processing Services for $2.9 billion.

Some of these firms provide valuable information to the real estate investment community, but can also drip out misinformation via faulty calculations, stale figures that do not reflect current trends or data designed to move money to their clients benefit.

So while the news can be a good barometer to keep an eye on, savvier investors will zoom in on more local data using sources like RealEstate.com’s Local Info and Market Analysis tools, as well as conducting their own market research via social media and word of mouth.

When it comes real estate marketing investors have never before been so spoilt with in depth insights for targeting and maximizing ROI on cultivating buyer and seller leads. Information giants like Verizon and Google now open the door to masses of information on consumers for enhancing marketing performance, while other companies cut to the chase and provide direct access to exclusive real estate leads.

Tips for Building Momentum Fast

While many would no doubt love to jump into investing in real estate again most can’t afford to go months without a paycheck today. So how can you get back into the game and see results fast?

5 steps to investing successfully the second time around:

1. Recognize the mistakes of the past (and put them behind you)

2. Get wired into blogs like this and other sources of good data and emerging trends

3. Start networking to build contacts and lead sources

4. Set up effective, proven systems that help avoid pitfalls and improve time management

5. Make the leap of faith and go for it

A new entrepreneur publication featured on Yahoo Finance and Reuters, G-Code Magazine, suggests that some of the best growth hacking moves small business owners and independent real estate entrepreneurs can make include taking the time to understand their customer, then engaging in guest blogging, building affiliate networks, becoming a member of local coworking office spaces and even paid search for immediate results.

Excellence = Rewards

Finally, commit to doing it right this time around; no shady short cuts, keeping eyes on the main objective and doing it for the right reasons. Real estate investment may be the fastest path to a handsome income and great wealth but it comes with so many other benefits too.

 

Commit to excellence in every area of you new venture and the rewards will come. You will build and hold a substantial legacy for your loved ones, help to improve the economy and have a direct positive impact on revitalizing communities and bringing new hope to others too.

A new last minute deal to avoid diving over the fiscal cliff seems to have been struck, but what does it mean for real estate investing in 2013?

Will you seize on the new opportunities arising this year or take a hit?

With over $600 billion in tax hikes and few spending cuts some won’t feel there is much difference for them than if we did go over the fiscal cliff. However, there are at least several specifics of the new ‘fiscal crisis bill’ which will directly impact real estate investors.

With those earning over $450,000 a year taking the brunt of the hit this will certainly be a busy year for tax accountants. Continued spending is planned to be offset by new revenues levied on those converting retirement savings to Roth IRAs. While on the upside tax breaks for accelerated depreciation of acquiring new property for businesses and research and development have been extended for another year.

However, with many of the extensions and band aids in the new bill only being temporary more standoffs, media hype and political wrangling should be expected in the coming months.

Still the U.S. is expected to stay the top global real estate investment destination of 2013.

Even at the top the new 39% tax bracket is certainly far better than the 75% tax being proposed in France and the new taxes on foreign real estate buyers in Hong Kong, London and similar measures coming in Canada.

So expect increased foreign investment over the next year, high income earners in the U.S. restructuring, a turnaround in commercial real estate and lower income earners more confident and interested in buying homes.

However, you choose to capitalize on this as a real estate investor perhaps the most important thing you can probably do is to get with a tax accountant now and make a plan to lower your own liability for taxes on your income this year.

Running a profitable and constantly growing real estate investment business can certainly be challenging, especially for those who haven’t run a real business before. So what is it that the most successful real estate company bosses do that should be emulated?

7 Habits of highly successful real estate investment company bosses:

1. Unite the Team behind the Mission

Keeping staff and contractors motivated and making the right decisions can be difficult unless investors unite them behind the larger mission and make them a part of the grand vision.

2. Lead by Example

There shouldn’t be two sets of rules. As the leader you must lead by example if there is to be any hope of inspiring employees to follow when you aren’t around. Double standards will lead to issues in the ranks and staff jeopardizing your organization’s continuity.

3. Practice “1 Minute Management”

The book “The 1 Minute Manager” has helped thousands of business owners to manage more effectively, praising the good and holding team members accountable for the bad quickly and efficiently so that operations can be maximized.

4. Enroll them in Social

Today’s greatest market leaders are actively enrolling their employees and freelancers in interacting and growing the company’s social media, not restricting them. They know that this is one of the most cost effective and powerful ways to grow social media results both in the short and long term.

5. Empower

Real estate investors with big goals can’t afford to be bogged down with menial tasks and low level decision making. The best don’t just delegate they make sure they provide the structure for good decision making and the tools for accomplishing the tasks well.

6. Giving Time –Off

Leading U.S. companies and hot startups are quickly realizing that more time off for team members can actually result in more innovation and productivity. Companies are not just offering a few more days off and flexibility as to when to take them, 37Signlas now offers a full month off for employees to pursue other passions, while others are allowing staff as much time off as they like (providing goals are met obviously). Think about how you can apply this for your own benefit.

7. Constantly Learning

The best bosses are not too arrogant to be constantly learning and frequently promote the same among the ranks.

Could adding a little ‘celebrity’ to your real estate investing give you the edge you have been looking for?

No we aren’t talking about having to buy celebrity homes or flipping houses to the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Ellen or the latest Bachelorette or having to having to focus on $90 million deals but that may not be a bad pay day either.

What we are talking about is adding a little celebrity to your marketing in order to attract more buyer and sellers. People want to do business with those they view as celebrities or who are popular, often regardless of experience and the quality of their product or service and the best talent will line up to work with them. Imagine the killing Kim Kardashian could make as a real estate agent or investor.

Of course your odds of hiring Kim Kardashian may be slim but you may be able to have her or someone with similar celeb status Tweet about your real estate investment business for $10,000 or so.

However, there are many other, much lower cost ways to add a little celebrity to your investment business and marketing. Reality TV shows often seller sponsor spots so that you can shout ‘As Seen on TV’ on your site and blog. Though you can also publish and distribute your own press releases for less.

Other options can include recruiting freelance writers and industry experts to guest blog on your real estate blog, getting endorsements from experts or enrolling them as your affiliates.

However, while there can be a lot of value in borrowing the celebrity of others and perhaps more importantly tapping into their fan bases real estate investors can also build their own visibility and popularity by investing in their own personal branding.