http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-San_Diego_CA-143830/The latest answers submitted by Travis Houston to questions asked on Trulia Voicesen-ushttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Market_Conditions/How_is_San_Diego_market_doing_now_Is_it_good_time-40724Answer by Travis Houston: The San Diego market is feeling some pain at the moment in many area due to the massive increase in foreclosures and short sales. Short sales, as of this writing, seem to be more prevalent than foreclosures and much more difficult to get accepted offers with the banks. As time passes the majority of these short sales will most likely turn into bank owned foreclosures. The foreclosures really have been the best value for the money across the board in San Diego. My advice to you as an investor is to focus your energy and time on bank owned foreclosures in the San Diego Metro and North County areas. As gas prices continue to rise along with economic inflation people will be forced to live closer to jobs and commerce. The outter areas of San Diego will thus be less desirable. A "good time to buy" is when you can reasonably afford to do so. My parameters for a "good time to buy" is when you can finance a property with 10-20% down and have your expenses of ownership and management be covered by the market rent. That way you are not relying on appreciation to cover up a poor investment like many of the so called investors who got burned in the current mortgage debacle. Yes, there are areas of San Diego that are cash flow with 10-20% down, something we haven't seen in a long time. So, yes, it is a good time to be buying up real estate... as long as you've got staying power, money in reserves and solid property management. Look at Mission Valley and Mira Mesa for cash flow condos. Look at Clairemont and Linda Vista for houses and duplexes that cash flow. Use this site to find FORECLOSURE ONLY MLS Listings: http://www.SanDiegoForeclosureSearch.com I'd be happy to strategize with you for appropriate investments to add to your portfolio. Travis Houston http://www.Westofthe5.com 858-232-2008 Travis@WestoftheFive.comWed, 11 Jun 2008 14:31:36 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/When_buying_on_Bank_owned_condo_how_can_you_find_-39106Answer by Travis Houston: Margo, Try this website http://www.SanDiegoForeclosureSearch.com for getting the information you are looking for. This is a free, Foreclosure-Only MLS Search that is tied directly into the San Diego MLS. First - You can search for Bank Owned Foreclosures 4 different ways. 1. Search by Area. 2. Search by Address 3.Search by MLS # 4. Search by Zip Code. After you perform your search and you are looking at the details of a particular property you can find out about HOA parking information under the section titled Property Features. It should be listed there for bank owned condos. If it is not listed there the agent did not input this data into the MLS and you can feel free to call me without obligation and I will look it up for you. Thanks for your question Margo, Travis Houston http://www.SanDiegoForeclosureSearch.comMon, 2 Jun 2008 09:27:23 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Foreclosure/Foreclosures_again_-38954Answer by Travis Houston: http://www.SDForeclosureSearch.com San Diego Foreclosure Search is a free Foreclosure-Only MLS search for all of San Diego county. You can get addresses, MLS Numbers, Photos and other relevant info here. You can even request a showing of the property from a Realtor. This search allows you to search, sort and save foreclosed listings that match your specific criteria. The technology ties directly into the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, that's what REALTORS pay to use, and updates the listings numerous times a day. You get the information sent to you via email before many agents even know it's on the market. The speed of this search is very useful for knowing what foreclosure inventory is on the market. It's free for you to use 24 hours a day as often as you like. Currently there are only a handful of foreclosures in OB. Good luck searching for Foreclosure Listings in 92107 - they are definitely the best deals on the market in San Diego at the moment for particular communities, however the beach communities have not seen as much foreclosure activity as inland San Diego. http://www.SDForeclosureSearch.com Travis Houston West of the Five Real Estate Services Prudential California Realty cel: (858) 232-2008 fax: (858) 408-3212 Travis@WestoftheFive.com WEB: http://www.Westofthe5.com BLOG: http://www.WestoftheFive.wordpress.comSun, 1 Jun 2008 15:31:17 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Foreclosure/where_can_i_find_a_free_foreclosure_list_-38944Answer by Travis Houston: Rich, www.SDForeclosureSearch.com is a free Foreclosure-Only MLS search for all of San Diego county. Currently there are over 1600 listings that are bank owned foreclosure properties. This search allows you to search, sort and save foreclosed listings that match your specific criteria. The technology ties directly into the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, that's what REALTORS pay to use, and updates the listings numerous times a day. You get the information sent to you via email before many agents even know it's on the market. The speed of this search is very useful for knowing what foreclosure inventory is on the market. These properties have been selling quickly due to competitive pricing by banks. It's free for you to use 24 hours a day as often as you like. Good luck searching for Foreclosure Listings - they are definitely the best deals on the market in San Diego at the moment for particular communities. www.SDForeclosureSearch.com Travis Houston West of the Five Real Estate Services Prudential California Realty cel: (858) 232-2008 fax: (858) 408-3212 Travis@WestoftheFive.com WEB: www.Westofthe5.com BLOG: www.WestoftheFive.wordpress.comSun, 1 Jun 2008 15:13:18 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/General_Area/im_offering_my_services_rq_painting_as_a_painter_c-38663Answer by Travis Houston: I know lots of painters who advertise their services, but I don't know any painters who have a good Web 2.0 presence. It's time to think outside of the tradition advertising box and get up to speed on internet marketing. What if you started a blog and posted occasionally, like weekly, with painting tips and valuable information and occasionally even some deals? Try a free site like www.Wordpress.com or www.Blogspot.com. These are free resources for blogging. They are EASY to use. You could create relationships with home owners, realtors, lenders, property managers and all sorts of other "in-need-of painter-now" clients. These new clients will find you on the internet - it's not just the future of business anymore. Traditional service providers such as yourself would be intelligent to make a presence on the internet with something other than a static website. Try it - you might just like it. When you get your blog up and running with some content I will happily link to your blog via my blog. www.WestoftheFive.wordpress.com. As of this writing I get about 60 people a day reading it. That's small potatoes by the way. I'm sure that many top, local agents who have blogs with massive readership would be happy to link to your blog also. It will create a ton of new business for you. C'mon... Give it a whirl. Not only is it less expensive than taking out a print ad - it will generate far more business with a lasting reach and results if you stick with it. Good luck mate! Travis Houston WEB: www.Westofthe5.com BLOG: www.WestoftheFive.wordpress.comFri, 30 May 2008 10:36:31 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/College_area_foreclosures_as_a_rental_investment_-30957Answer by Travis Houston: Rocky, Thanks for your question. When you are considering investing in an area that you are not familiar with it is even more important to begin your DUE DILIGENCE process thoughtfully. Since you don't know the area well I am assuming that you are not up to date on the rental prices for the College Area. These are two resources I'd recommend for looking at current rental rates. Make sure to specify "College Area" in the search parameters. 1. http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/ 2. http://sandiego.backpage.com/ApartmentsForRent/classifieds/Results?adLanguage=All&category=4416 Now that you have an idea of what rental rates are for the type of property you are considering it's time to talk to an experienced lender. Someone who understands lending specifically for investment properties. What are the current rates and terms available for investment property loans? Take the time to get Pre-Approved by the lender with a letter in hand for the next step. Now that you are Pre-Approved for a loan it's time to talk to a experienced Real Estate Agent who understands both foreclosures and the College Area. Get some comparable sales for properties you are considering. Look at what homes or condos have been selling for over the past 3 months that are of the general location, style and condition as what you'd like to invest in. How many day have the listings been on the market? How long is it taking for similar properties to go into pending status? What is the average sales price for the area? Now blend ALL the above data. Are rental rates acceptable for your parameters? Can you qualify for an investment loan and are the terms advantageous for investing? Next, are there properties that meet your strict criteria for being a solid investment? Take some time to really think this over. Once you've got your numbers and strategy together - Pull The Trigger and start seriously hunting for that deal of the century... which comes along about once a week these days. Feel free to use this website below to search, sort and save San Diego Foreclosures. It's a great tool for investors. www.SDForeclosureSearch.com Many Happy Returns... On Investment, Travis Houston San Diego Foreclosure SpecialistTue, 15 Apr 2008 07:28:05 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Foreclosure/Hi_I_m_interested_in_buying_a_foreclosure_I_have-30844Answer by Travis Houston: Monica, That's a very good question and one that is very relevant for the current San Diego market. The first thing to get clear about is WHY do you want to buy a foreclosure? 1. Are you a home buyer looking for a personal residence? In that case WHERE you buy a foreclosure will make all the difference for WHAT community you'd like to live in. 2. Are you an investor looking for cash-flow investments, fix & flip or possibly lease option deals? In that case my recommendation would be to look for properties in solid locations, with strong local jobs and infrastructure to support holding the property for at least 3-5 years. With 10--20% down and a 30yr fixed mortgage you can find properties in certain markets that will rent for roughly what your expenses are. These deals DO exist in San Diego at the moment. Make sure you'll have a reserve account set aside with at least 4% of the sales price for any unexpected costs of ownership like vacancies, repairs and such. Like many of the good people on Trulia will tell you - get advice from an experience real estate agent and lender about your personal situation. A thorough consultation and financial check up are in order before making any offers on any property in any market. Feel free to use this website to search, sort and save foreclosed, bank-owned properties in all of San Diego County. http://sdforeclosuresearch.com/Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:41:21 PDT