Brandie

I'd recommend consuting a 1031 professional in addition to a CPA. We are hosting a no-cost online seminar being conducted by a 1031 company. You will be able to ask questions. The link is below.

Hope that helps!

https://northpointgroup.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do… - Sat Feb 9 2008, 08:42

Hi Deann,

I'm in Northern CA, and when I started investing a few years ago, a local investment would not work, so I invested out of state. It can be a little daunting, so you can't get enough information. I turned to a full service company (then I went to work for them)

While there are no guarantees in investing, the best way to anticipate the viability and potential of a market is to have solid, empirically sound data and research. If you have the time and resources, it's key.

While employment drives population growth, it’s the intangibles that keep people in a particular neighborhood. So, in addition to market economics, the intangibles that make a community a highly-desirable place to live for a variety of demographic groups must be taken into consideration.

To thoroughly understand a market’s potential takes time and expertise. There are a number of factors to be considered to determine the future economic viability of a market, including:
• The natural path of growth within the metro
• The presence of large, sound, industry-diverse corporations
• Future plans for additional corporate entities
• Availability of State and Local government jobs
• The presence of cultural activities – music, art and nightlife
• Leisure interest and recreational activities, such as golf, hiking and athletics
• The development of retail outlets and restaurants
• The quality of local school systems
And beyond the market it's important to understand neighborhoods to know which will flourish and the type of homes that will appreciate.

Obviously, that's a subset of the list. We take into account 300+ micro & macro factors.

We recognize a few markets based on their unique fundamentals: Austin, Atlanta, Albequerque, Portland and Raleigh.

Important - you do need to be prepared to have ~3 months initial vacancy (unless you buy an existing rental with tenant). If the property is fantastic, and in a great highly desired neitghborhood, it shouldn't take that long, but mentally and financially, it's good to be prepared.

Another consideration: property managment. We highly recommending using a local property manager to reduce hassle factor and have someone that will maintain your property's integrity.

My rentals are in Albuquerque, Atlanta and Austin. They were rented within the first 60 days of close of escrow.

It does come down to timing. And while you can't precisely time a market, you can time your investment. If your plans are buy/hold - the sooner the better.

Hope that helps.

Brandie - Wed Feb 6 2008, 10:21

Hi Sean,

I'm not as schooled in the duplex market, but I can tell you that single family homes are doing quite well both in terms of appreciation and cash flow in Austin. I recently purchased a home in South Austin, new construction, that appraised higher at close than the purchase price. The rent time was quick and at top dollar. The key is knowing the right neighborhood. We like specific communities in Round Rock, Cendar Park and parts of South Austin - chosen based on quantifyable data and research.

We take into account a number of factors, including:
• The natural path of growth within the metro
• The presence of large, sound, industry-diverse corporations
• Commute patterns
• Future plans for additional corporate entities
• Availability of State and Local government jobs
• The presence of cultural activities – music, art and nightlife
• Leisure interest and recreational activities, such as golf, hiking and athletics
• The development of retail outlets and restaurants
• The quality of local school systems

It's always a good idea to have good solid data to make a decision.

Hope that helps.

Brandie - Mon Oct 1 2007, 10:50

Hi Mike,

There are dozens of great, interesting topics. Some favorites of our clients:
- specific markets & their performance
- 1031 exchanges
- tax advantages of owning real estate
- real estate investing basics (leverage, performance, etc.
- how to choose an investment market / the factors involved in determining the economic viability of a market, including:
• The natural path of growth within the metro
• The presence of large, sound, industry-diverse corporations
• Future plans for additional corporate entities
• Availability of State and Local government jobs
• The presence of cultural activities – music, art and nightlife
• Leisure interest and recreational activities, such as golf, hiking and athletics
• The development of retail outlets and restaurants
• The quality of local school systems
- how to successfully invest outside of 'your own backyard'
- using IRA money for investing
- mortgage financing strategies

The list goes on....

On many topics it may add credibility to have an expert on the specific topic weigh in ... then you can also market to their database for attendees.

For promotion - often your local paper will run an ad (assuming it's a free event). We also utilize email marketing.

Hope that helps!
Brandie - Sun Sep 30 2007, 18:24

Hi George,

Sorry to read of your illness.

I'm sure you will get many real estate related answers given this site. Mine would be one of them. First, are you looking for short term or long term investments? That could change some of the answers.

Personally, after consulting a diverse group of non-biased professionals, I might look for an opportunity fund - what some may call a 'vulture' fund - to make investments in real estate, specifically single family housing. Regardless of the swirl, real estate will remain a great long-term investment (people will always need housing, right?) I would bet you can count on ~10% gain per year if you were to stay in for ~10 years. Also, I would shy away from commercial investments right now due to the compressed cap margins.

Housing in Mexico is also doing well. Financing can be tricky and rates a bit high, but with the the Mexican Government creating the fideicomiso you can own property. Speculators seem to have driven the market up over the last few years, so I'm not sure what appreciation you would see moving forward - but I'm happy to refer you to some people I know that can give you deeper information if you like. I can also refer you to trusts I know of, if that is of interest.

Hope that helps!

Brandie
Brandie@northpointgroup.com - Sun Sep 30 2007, 16:54