Searching For Lots and Land? Get In Your Car

Good day fellow investors.

Did you know that many make-your-mouth water real estate deals aren’t found on the internet? They are found on your drive to work.

 

There are tens of thousands of real estate investors trolling the internet across Phoenix, Arizona and the nation. Many hope to find the next 30% below market value real estate investment deal that is going to take them from rags-to-riches.

 

Unfortunately, those “internet blue-light special” deals are few and far between. However, to make a living in real estate, you have to be a “hunter” and not a “gatherer.”

 

You can become a hunter by simply driving through neighborhoods and not always on the highways.

 

Today, my Director of Operations and I drove our Area of Expertise in Mesa, Arizona. We found four unlisted, unrepresented real estate opportunities. For example, we found a very distressed looking occupied property with a huge chunk missing off the front of the structure (tomorrow, I’m going to go back to the property and take a picture of it and post it here, that way you know what a distressed property looks like). This evening I am going to do some research on the parcels, print out my distress property letters, and schedule time to talk to the owners and the neighbors. Because I believe that birds of a feather flock together, and if my team can buy an entire block of single family homes and vacant lots already zoned for higher density and make a substantial profit, then good for us, correct?

 

No matter where you live, profitable real estate opportunities are all around. The only thing you have to do is drive down the street.

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Happy Investing,

Kendall E. Matthews
Phoenix, Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free Saturday March 31st “Real Estate In A Shifting Market” workshop: Click Here

 

Reading Beneath The Headlines: Phoenix, Arizona Real Estate New Home Sales Prices UP

Good morning fellow investors,

Have you ever noticed when you read the newspaper that it is mostly filled with bad news? Especially about real estate right now.

Well, this morning it was nothing new with an article titled, “Valley New Home Sales Continue To Slump.”

I have found the most pertinent information is from the middle of an article to the end. After all the new housing gloom, the article headline could have read, “Valley New Home Prices Up,” yet that wouldn’t give folks there daily vitamin of pessimism.

I found only three reason real estate properties don’t sell: Price, Conditions, or Marketing. If you are having trouble liquidating your real estate assets it is because of a deficiancy in one or all of those three key areas

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Happy Investing,

Kendall E. Matthews
Phoenix, Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free Saturday March 31st “Real Estate In A Shifting Market” workshop: Click Here

Massive Public Urination Demonstration Headed For Downtown Phoenix?

 

Public urination is crime. However, when nature calls party-going Arizona State University college students “go” on the sidewalks and back-alleys of downtown Tempe.

But now there are headed to Phoenix, according to Mayor Hugh Hallman.

Mayor Hallman recently spoke to the South East Valley Regional Association of Realtors. During his 1 hour presentation he discussed how Tempe has become a case study for positive urban infill real estate development.

From light rail development to how the historic downtown Tempe core is being re-energized, Mayor Hallman expressed his passion about Tempe, Arizona.

Hallman also stated that he suspects that City of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is in for an unexpected surprise.

Tempe has to fund 30 additional police officers every weekend just to manage the undergraduate students doing there “business” on the downtown streets of Tempe.

However, that is soon to change.

Mayor Hallman sees downtown Tempe and Tempe Town Lake becoming a prime place for empty-nesters, professionals tired of long-commutes, and graduate students whose partying days are behind them.

While the City of Phoenix is a subsidizing hotel, convention center, and developing an Arizona State University downtown campus, hopefully included in those plans are weekend Porta-Potties for those party-going undergrads.

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Happy Investing,

Kendall E. Matthews, CRMC
Phoenix Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free Saturday March 31st “Real Estate In A Shifting Market” workshop: Click Here

Finding Real Estate Preforclosures, Rehabs, Fixer Uppers & Land

Good morning Real Estate Investors,

In a shifting real estate market, you have to change strategies to get the results you want. Naturally, for many of us the result we want is to make more money in real estate than we did yesterday.

To make more money in real estate investing, you have to find opportunities. You can’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Just because houses are staying on the market longer and the subprime mortgage industry is falling apart like the blue Chevy Lumina I owned at PurdueUniversity, does that mean there are no longer any good real estate opportunities.

Heck no, there will always be opportunities, that is why here in downtown Phoenix, Arizona large real estate developers have been busy building there vertical projects at a maddening pace. For most of us who don’t have giant financial backing or resources like Sam Zell or Donald Trump, we have to get in the community and ask these 3 golden questions to every prospect:

1. Have you seen any vacant or distressed properties in the area?
2. Who do you know that might be going through some financial distress maybe from a job loss, divorce, disability?
3. When do you plan on moving?

In a shifting real estate market, you have to go out and prospect. Don’t sit in your office waiting for the phone to ring or the e-mail lead to come. Make it your mission to ask these questions to 14 people a day, and you will be amazed at your results.

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Happy Investing,

Kendall E. Matthews, CRMC
Phoenix Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free Saturday March 31st “Real Estate In A Shifting Market” workshop: Click Here

The Investment Real Estate Corner: TIME TO REASSESS?

We all know that homes in many markets across the country experienced substantial gains in appreciation over the last few years of heated real estate activity. While sale prices are currently leveling out, you may have experienced “sticker shock” if you recently got a property tax assessment that shot way up.

As a matter of fact, property tax collections across the nation were up 35% from 2002 to 2006 (U.S. Census Bureau). That’s twice the growth of personal income, spurring some 15 states to consider tax-cut proposals.

If you don’t want to wait for new legislation, you can simply “act locally,” and challenge your tax bill. It’s not a hopeless case, because the American Homeowners Association (AHA) estimates that 60% of homes are in fact assessed too high.

Don’t march down to the Assessor’s office until you’ve checked your property data card for errors. Are the number of bedrooms and baths correct? Finished or unfinished basement?
Lot size? Assessments are often based on replacement cost or what your home would sell for, so check with your insurance policy and real estate transaction records to determine if those figures are in line with what your tax bill states.

Not enough homeowners bother to make a challenge, but 70% of those who document and report errors manage to lower their tax bill (AHA). It’s well worth a look.

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Happy Investing!

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free March 31st workshop: Click Here

The Investment Real Estate Corner: FREEDOM FROM FINANCING FEAR!

If you’re planning the purchase of your first home, you’re probably experiencing two conflicting emotions – excitement and apprehension. The positive energy from your excitement is an asset in your home search, but the negative energy from your fear of the unknown is a liability you can leave behind once you’re armed with some basic information.
Paramount to buying your first home is understanding how much you can afford. You can start with any number of online financial calculators, and once you’ve established a budgetary picture, take the all-important next step – loan pre-qualification.

Pre-qualification may sound intimidating, but it’s a great way to find your “comfort zone” and build your purchasing confidence. When a lender interviews you and reviews your financial documentation, you’ll know right now how much home you can afford. With that magic number, you can easily weed out homes above your budget, which will save you loads of time (and disappointment) during your home search.

Then once you’ve found a home you love, you can rest assured that your offer will be taken very seriously, because your financing has already been conditionally backed by your lender. Visit a local real estate brokerage to get an overview of the purchase process and to discuss your concerns and your dreams with an agent who can help you take those first steps toward ownership.

Happy Investing!

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix Arizona Investment Real Estate

P.s. Click here: To view the Power Real Estate Investing workshop promo. To register to attend our free March 31st  workshop: Click Here

Power Real Estate Investing Workshop in Chandler, AZ

Click here: To view workshop video

To Register for workshop: Click Here

On Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m.

You will learn the following and much more:

1. How To Build Your LOCAL PHOENIX Dream Team and the area folks who can help
2. Use Your IRA/401K With No Penalty and the company in Scottsdale that can assist you
3. How To Set Up Your Criteria For Any Deal In Maricopa County
4. Where The Best Deals Are In Located

Meet us at the:
UbuildIt office
5055 W. Ray Rd. #10 Chandler 85226

To reserve seating call
1.888.462.3771 ext. 158

Sponsors are:
Keller Williams Realty
UbuildIt
Arizona Central Properties
L&G Mortgagebanc

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Happy Investing!

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix Arizona Real Estate Investments

The Investment Real Estate Corner: THE QUICK AND THE DEAD!

When you start planning to put your home on the market, it’s time to show off! Try to imagine that your in-laws are coming for an extended visit, and then triple the effort you would put into preparing for their arrival. Sellers are competing for offers, and it all starts at your front door – literally.

Impress potential buyers at first sight with a well-tended lawn and entryway. When they walk through the door, make sure they do not sense any clutter. You’ve got to pack it up sooner or later, so take the opportunity to do it now, before another agent or buyer steps into your home. An abundance of personal items like photos and children’s “refrigerator art” can interfere with a buyer’s ability to picture the home as their own.

Next, if it should shine, make it so! Polish doorknobs, handrails, and lighting fixtures, anything that can add a little sparkle and show your pride of ownership. This includes windows (and screens), which should let in plenty of light for the show.

First impressions really do count when it comes to presenting your home. Accentuate its features and eliminate distractions such as personal items or unpleasant odors. An uncluttered, well kept home will attract buyers, and a little time and care can make the difference between a quick sale and a languishing listing.

Happy Investing!

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix, Arizona Investment Real Estate

Repeat After Me, “I Am A Born Failure!”

I once believed that to have lasting change I needed to be like tortoise… slow and incremental. 

However, the longer I live I realize that slow change is torture.  Listen, if the change you are about to make in your life was bound to fail, but you didn’t know it at the time, wouldn’t you rather figure it out sooner rather than later?

Have you ever been a victim of failing slowly? Long, drawn out, turtle-shuffle failing. I have, it has taken me three laborious years in my real estate business to realize that I have been failing to slowly. I needed to fail quicker!

Remember, the famous line in the movie, Apollo 13, is “Failure is Not an Option!” Well, I’m here to tell that while I understand the point… it’s a stupid saying to embrace. Why? Look at the movie again; they repeatedly failed over and over, before they got the systems to work right.  What was Not an Option for NASA, was failing slowly.

NASA had to have the tenacity of Thomas Edison, who failed over 10,000 times before he finally figured out….

 

how to make the dumb light bulb stay on.

When I’m door knocking for opportunities in my area of expertise, making presentations to raise capital, talking with buyers and sellers…  I tell myself that I have to fail faster so I can finally get to the right decision-maker who will say YES.

Failing faster means you must go through the process of evaluation and qualification quicker.

Stop worrying about failing. Worry about failing too slowly.  Rip the band-aid of self-doubt rapidly off of the gray matter called a brain… feel the pain and move on.

And come to think about it, the tortoise may be slow on land; however, it is much faster than a rabbit in the water.

 Happy Investing

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix, Arizona Investment Real Estate

The Investment Real Estate Corner: A TRULY SECURE TRANSACTION!

If there were a health issue in your family, you would turn to your doctor with questions. Likewise, you would consult an attorney if you were facing a legal problem. Chances are, however, that you would first go online to any number of medical or legal websites to familiarize yourself with the issues and get enough information to begin an informed discussion with the professional.

Those websites won’t illustrate how to perform surgery, or advise you how to conduct your case in court. That’s up to the professional. The Internet plays a similar role in real estate. It’s a place to discover information, but it doesn’t replace the trust and service provided by an accomplished representative.

Nearly three-quarters of buyers these days use the Internet to begin their home search, and most of them eventually seek the assistance of a living real estate agent to consummate their purchase. They’re not about to take a virtual tour of 264 Elmwood Drive, add it to their “shopping cart,” and proceed to “secure checkout” to complete the sale.

Buying a home is not the same as buying airline tickets or DVDs. Real estate agents provide essential services to both buyers and sellers, marketing properties as unique as their owners. Don’t short change yourself on the biggest transaction of your life. Seek the representation of a knowledgeable and experienced professional.

Happy Investing!

Kendall E. Matthews

Phoenix, Arizona Real Estate Investments