In the midst of all the real estate doom and gloom these days, I want to climb to the top of the mountain and shout at the top of my lungs, "now is the time to buy!" If you have ever wanted to buy investment houses now is the time to do it. The foreclosure market is at an all time high and indicators stress that, that trend may last as long as a year or more. These homes are selling for way below market value. The banks are shaking in their shoes at the prospect of holding paper for a long time, making them ripe to take a strong look at any legitimate offer.
If the indicators are at all correct then we know that by the time the market turns around, what ever repairs that needed to be done on the homes will be completed making the resale of the home right on time for the sellers market!
Then there is the normal sales ebb and flow of the market. We know that this will always take place. You know what I am talking about, homes and estates that come up for sale due to deaths, elderly who move to retirement facilities, job relocations and young people just coming into the home market. These take place every day. Further more, if anything is true about the housing market it is true that whatever state it is in now it will change. The marketplace pendulum is always swinging from sellers market to buyers market. This is the only constant in Real Estate, like we say about the weather in Indiana, if you do not like it now wait a minute and it will change. It has been that way for as long as documented records show. In our life time, it is seen in vivid focus from the real estate dark ages of the 1980's to the boom of 1990 - 2000.
Then as now the smart Realtors® will first know the market. Then he or she will act and transform accordingly. They use the current conditions to their advantage. They never allow themselves to believe they cannot make it in any given market. They will market to sellers when the market is in the seller's ballpark and market to buyers when the market is in the buyer's ballpark. They stay read-up with articles like this one in order to become successful. (Yes that was a shameless plug). Yes, this market is even more unique. It is set up for investors, and if that's not enough?
May I offer a special thanks to Hollywood for and especially to shows like HGTV's Flip That House and Sell That House What is your house worth? Reality shows on other channels that focus on Real Estate of all things. These shows are just herding the investors to the market. Thanks to shows such as these there has never been more interest in buying homes, flipping homes and real estate on the whole. They are waiting at the gate searching for someone to help them through the maze of venture properties. We need to draw them out and help them experience investing in the most exciting period of investment in recent times. We who are in the real estate business need to OCCUPO DIES (“Latin” seize the day). We need to reach out to the clients, and make sure they hear the call of this unique and surprising market certainly not just for us. But for them, lets help them get acclimated to this venture.
In our office in Indiana. for instance, we are holding investors summits. A meeting completely built with the investor in mind. We will host it free of charge and educate the prospects to key phases of the home investor process. First we will teach them elements of finances and how to avoid legal pitfalls. Then we will teach winning with winners and losing the losers. What are key things to look at when you know that repairs are needed? Finally why WISE investors always use realtors… always! They know the value of professional service. Most investors will not have the time or resources to do all the things that a full time REALTOR® can and will do for them. You may be surprised to know that many investors do not, understand how we are compensated. Unbelievably, a surprising large number of investors do not realize that we compensated only if a deal is consummated. Like a lawyer who takes a case and only gets paid if he or she wins. (Maybe that was a bad example) Anyway, you get the picture.
I believe that by seeking the right buyers at the right time and in the right market we cannot fail. It has been said that a sure fire way to be a success is to make it your goal to help others be successful. I believe that to be a great goal. It is what I personally strive for. I fully believe that with this as our goal we cannot lose.
