The Economy`s Still Flailing?

After several days of deliberation, and a premature announcement that consensus was reached, the House failed yesterday to reach an agreement on a plan some viewed as a ‘bail out’, others as a ‘rescue’  for the strained economy. 

Now, finger-pointing and doom-and-gloom predictions abound. What will happen next? Is Plan B in the works? Will credit dry up, or will the market correct itself? 

What should our leaders do?

Please join in our open forum today to discuss your views on the economy,  and what you see as the right path for Congress to take.

How is the economy affecting you as a landlord and real estate investor?

Please place your comments below.

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. 10 Comments »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing

Real Estate Investing for Beginners

Real Estate Investing for Beginners OR My Life Investment Plan with Real Estate

by Steve Homer, The HBH Group

I am often asked by new investors to share with them the “Magic Key” to real estate investing for beginners.  Well, I hate to burst bubbles, but that Magic Key doesn’t exist in my book of tricks. 

If it did, I certainly still would NOT be working as an investor’s agent in the real estate business (that is a pretty obvious statement to most people!).  In fact, we all know that getting rich quick is only used to describe “Ponzi” schemes that only take money from you and use it to line someone else’s pocket.

The real key to real estate investing for beginners is simply the fact that investing is not speculating, and speculating is not investing!  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. 1 Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing

Central Heating`s Come a Long Way

by Arrol Gellner, Inman News  

Nowadays, when you’re feeling chilly, you just nudge your thermostat up a few degrees. Not too long ago, you’d have been in for a lot more effort: Until the 1880s, most American houses were still heated by an open fire.

In those days, any room you wanted to keep tolerably warm had to have its own fireplace and chimney. This is one reason houses had such boxy, compact floor plans — the idea was to have as few of those expensive fireplaces as possible.

Often, they were placed back to back so they could share a chimney. All this finally changed in the late 19th century, when the innovation of central heating made it possible to warm every room in the house with a single source of heat. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. 2 Comments »

Filed under: AAOA Forum

Why Consumer Confidence is Key to Recovery

by Tom Kelly, Inman News

I don’t know what was more exasperating: the number of commercials during recent sporting events telecasts or the fact that most of the paid interruptions were approved by political candidates. Can the pace possibly slow before November?What we know for sure is that there will be a different person in the Oval Office, and many people believe that will most likely benefit housing. According to a study commissioned by Move Inc. and conducted by Harris Interactive, 44 percent of the population believes the housing market will improve when the new U.S. president takes over. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. 2 Comments »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing

Toilets: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

by Bill and Kevin Burnett, Inman News

Praise to our readers, they’ve done it again. Last week we wrote about dual-flush, water-conserving toilets when, after returning from a trip to France, a reader questioned why she could not find a dual-flush model similar to the one she used in France to install in her Alameda, Calif., home.

We lamented the fact that our 1.6-gallon toilets were inadequate and directed her to two manufacturers and one possible supplier where she could find dual-flush commodes. We thought the whole thing was pretty white bread. Fooled us. The column generated a good bit of interest and some valuable information that we’re happy to pass along. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum

It`s a Party-It`s a Forum-It`s Green Festival

by Louisa May

Thomas Friedman is right. Our world is getting hot, flat, and crowded. But even he admits to having hope.

In the beginning of his latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, he identifies trends. One trend he sees is “nation-building at home.” Friedman hears from people all around the country, people with ideas about how to make our world a better place.

These innovators have vision and imagination, and they are working on developing clean energy, improving education, and making repairs. What this author calls “nation-building at home,” I call Green Festival. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.29.2008. 1 Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Going Green

Foreign Investors: A Strong Market Often Overlooked

by Howard Bell, Your Property Path

Foreign investors have invested in America largely through buying American corporate bonds and US Treasuries.

Now these assets lose value when the U.S. prints money or causes the dollar to drop.

Our foreign investors realize that it makes foreigners’ holdings less valuable.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.25.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing

Common Ways Sellers Fudge Their Listings

by Dian Hymer, Inman News

Some people just don’t get it. If you advertise a house as having a San Francisco Bay view, buyers will expect to walk into a public room like the living room and see the bay. They won’t be satisfied with a peek of the bay from the master bathroom.

Exaggerating in advertising not only leads to disappointment, it can have legal consequences. For example, sellers have been sued over misrepresenting square footage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.24.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Property Sales

Falling Prices Can Be Bad for Buyers

by Jack Guttentag, Inman News

The home mortgage market is devilishly difficult to navigate in normal times. During a period in which home prices are declining, the difficulties are compounded. Problems I had never thought about before now pop up regularly in my mailbox. Here are a few of them:

Constructing a Home Becomes More Hazardous: Constructing a home to one’s own specifications is enormously appealing to many people. It is also a time-consuming process with many pitfalls that can cause delay, cost extra or both. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.24.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Financing

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Property`s Value

Money spent on kitchen upgrades has remained a good investment for your rental property.  But with the housing market is flux, saving money on kitchen upgrades makes even more sense. 

There are three easy ways to add big impact in the kitchen without the bloated price tag of an overhaul:  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Kim Ezzell on 09.22.2008. CLICK to Leave a Comment »

Filed under: AAOA Forum, Make Extra Money