Posts Tagged ‘1-Day Expo’

Some Markets Starting to Shift from Seller’s Markets to Buyer’s Market

By Adiel Gorel | May 14, 2019

In a Fortune Magazine article by Chris Morris, published in February, it is reported that in January 2019, there was more inventory available and houses sat on the market about a week longer than in January 2018.

As of January, there was an available inventory of 1.59 million homes overall, versus 1.53 million in December 2018. Of course, the article is lacking by treating the entire country as one monolithic real estate market. Needless to say, there are hundreds of markets, and they don’t always perform in lockstep.

Nevertheless there is a subtle shift, even in mentality, that is more favorable to buyers as opposed to sellers, who until recently reigned supreme. Since we are primarily buyers (and then we hold for the long term), a buyer’s market is a positive for us.

Adjusting expectations

It is interesting to note, and one of the reasons I am posting this blog based on an article several weeks old, is that while in January 2019 sales were flat, in February 2019 sales surged up, but then dropped only slightly. This is likely to continue to lower rates and sellers having to adjust expectations. Overall, we can see that while there is a shift towards buyers in many markets, the market is still hovering near a relatively stable point. With the low interest rates and more friendly sellers, this becomes a positive for the investor.

We like to buy brand-new homes. Clearly, the sellers for us are builders. Some builders don’t want to sell to investors. Our market teams successfully convince the builders that it pays to work with our investors, as they get good volume from us. As the mood changes, these very builders may become more receptive to working with buyers, and perhaps even offer more incentives.

This will be discussed in more depth in a podcast on our Premier Members area soon. We will also talk about this during our next ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo on May 18, 2019

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Posted in Single-Family Rental Homes, Announcement and tagged builders, invest, sellers market, buyers market, ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo, housing demand, investors, new homes, real estate, 1-Day Expo, real estate 1 day expo, Adiel Gorel, developers, best investment markets, investing

Is A Downturn in The Air?

By Adiel Gorel | April 30, 2019

As we head into spring, there is a saying, “…spring is in the air.” And that is not the only thing being felt in the air. There seems to be a persistent notion that the “real estate market” has been going up for too long and is due for a correction. People also point out that the last big recession started in 2008, and perhaps the “cycle” is indicating that the new one may be upon us.

Of course, there really is no “real estate market” in the United States. There is the Phoenix market, the Dallas market, the Kansas City market, and the markets in every other metro area, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and so on. Not every local real estate market behaves in the same way others.

All markets do not experience a boom

Even during the major boom of 2004 to 2006, not all markets went through the boom. Some entire states “sat out” that of that one. Similarly during the big recession, between 2008 and 2011, not all markets tanked. In fact, most of the markets that tanked were the ones which had boomed before.

Some states did not move down very much, even during the recession. This is an important point. If the San Francisco Bay Area (for example) does go down and corrects for its fast rise over the past few years, it is not “an automatic” that affordable markets like the Sun Belt states, (like the markets in which we invest) will do the same.

During past recessions, the rentals actually were better than usual. The reason is likely that if a tenant had been saving up to buy their own home, during a recession they are likely to shelve those plans till better times. Thus, even more people rent than during stable conditions. Even if a downturn hits, the investor would likely benefit by just sitting and doing nothing, letting the loan balance pay down and get eroded by inflation, while enjoying lower vacancies.

How the Dodd-Frank bill helps

In addition, measures taken by congress after the last recession, like the Dodd-Frank bill, have mitigated the unbridled risk in lending that existed prior to the 2008 recession. My belief is if and when a downturn occurs, its magnitude is likely to be lesser than the last time.

One of the riskiest things, ironically, is that people delay buying solid investment homes, especially with today’s fantastic interest rates. I have met people from my past who never got started because there was always a recession around the corner, or a boom, or some other news item. Some of these people can be quite regretful 14 years later, realizing they could have changed their financial future but didn’t.

We will discuss this and many other issues at our 1-Day Expo on May 18^th. I will also address this topic during our first webinar tomorrow–our official launch of the Members area on our website! Learn all about it and get on board at icgre.com/MEMBERS. Join us and stay informed!

Posted in Announcement and tagged boom, Member Area, recession prices, 1-Day Expo, real estate 1 day expo, Adiel Gorel, best investment markets, investing

Should You Buy Your Own Home First or Rent And Buy Investment Homes?

By Adiel Gorel | April 25, 2019

From The Spring 2019 Issue of Realty411 Magazine:

Posted in Single-Family Rental Homes, Announcement and tagged markets, 2018 tax plan, 30-year fixed-rate loan, single-family rental homes, 1-Day Expo, Adiel Gorel, real estate investing

Recap of the March 9, 2019 ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo

By Adiel Gorel | March 31, 2019

Our ICG 1-Day REAL ESTATE Expo took place on Saturday, March 9^th. It was a huge success; thank you to everyone who joined us. Throughout the day, we had 750+ attendees, with over 550 people in the main room at the same time. Great energy! Some of the attendees were KQED donors, who purchased the Remote Control Retirement Riches with Adiel Gorel Master Package. The donors received two tickets as part of their donation to KQED. It was an honor to have KQED members at the event, and what a thrill to explore our tried and true method with so many new folks. There was a good mix of investors: brand new investors, very experienced investors, and everything in between.

Market teams, property managers and expert guest speakers

The questions from the audience at the ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo were excellent and I enjoyed answering all of them. I had the main market teams present, and some of the property managers within our national infrastructure there as well. Scott Webster from All Western Mortgage described regular FNMA (Fannie Mae) 30-year fixed-rate loans (some at just under 5%, which, for investors, is a low rate). He also described loans available to people who can’t get the FNMA loans, by virtue of owning more than the FNMA limit. He also outlined loans available to foreign investors. The attendees enjoyed the three expert guest speakers: CPA Joshua Cooper talked about the Opportunity Zone and other tax issues. Joyce Feldman talked about using insurance as the first and probably most important line of defense, and Lucian Ioja talked about optimizing real estate investing in the larger context of financial planning.

New offering on our website

Many new investors joined our QUICK LIST, to whom we send property sheets when we get them from the various markets. Those who joined the list will also receive event invitations and updates, throughout the year. (You can also join us, by texting QUICKLIST to 57838, or by emailing info@icgre.com and request to be added.)

I also introduced the NEW Members Area on our website. The Members Area will be an exciting treasure trove of information, offered in two tiers. It will be fully populated with podcasts, FAQ’s, and other useful information. It is a work in progress right now that we are truly excited about. There will also be webinars on specific subjects offered, as well as special one-on-one “Connect for Success” meetings with Adiel Gorel. We enabled people to join the membership area at a special discounted rate, as an “early member” which is good until April 10th only.

If you were not able to attend the ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo you can still take advantage of our early member discount. Just use the code MARCHEXPO at checkout to receive 20% off, only available until April 10th. Also, for our early members (at either level), you will be able to attend two LIVE webinars that I will be recording before the “official” May 1st launch.

Everyone’s “membership clock” will only begin to tick on May 1st. Thus, by taking advantage of this discount you are getting a “backstage pass” as we get all our content loaded, and your payment will cover the time starting May 1, 2019. We are excited to have you join us, and will be working diligently to provide useful content to help you secure a strong financial future.

Next Expo May 18th

Many of the attendees from the March 9th Expo registered for the next 1-Day Expo, on Saturday, May 18^th. We will have a new market available, three expert guest speakers, and of course loads of Q & A. You can register now for the May Expo here.

Posted in Events, Announcement and tagged ICG Real Estate 1-Day Expo, QUICKLIST, TAX ISSUES, Member Area, FNMA, insurance, Fannie Mae, investing events, mortgage, 1-Day Expo, Foreign Investors, Adiel Gorel, 30 year fixed loan, real estate investing

Buying a Home to Live in Versus Renting

By Adiel Gorel | November 11, 2018

A classic question I get when talking to a would-be real estate investor is: “Shouldn’t we buy a home to live in first before buying investment homes?”

The answer is – it depends on where you live.

When considering owning your own residence, there are various layers of reasoning. Some are logic and numbers-based. Some are emotional, traditional and familial.

Owning your own home can be associated with safety, security, having “arrived”, satisfying family members’ aspirations, the stability of having a (hopefully) permanent place to live, and so on.

Of course, everyone has a different set of emotional considerations when it comes to owning a home. These vary from person to person and, needless to say, are hard to quantify.

In this post, I will address the logical, numbers-based approach to the question of whether to buy your own home as your first real estate move, or rent and buy investment homes instead.

The numbers tell the story

If you are considering buying your own home, the price of the home matters, the rent required to rent that same home matters, the local property taxes matter, the mortgage interest rates matter, dwelling insurance rates matter, and even the new 2018 tax law weighs in.

If you live in a market where property taxes are relatively low (say, between 1 and 1.7 percent of the home price per year), and insurance rates are reasonable, then if you are considering buying a home under about $400,000, that should be a “no-brainer” as your first step. Between $400,000 and $500,000 would still be a reasonable range to consider buying the home. In such a market, once you step up to the $500,000 range and above, the math may well start to turn as you climb higher in price, in favor of renting a home in the area in which you live. Following that, owning rental homes in more optimal markets makes sense.

Watch out for high property tax and high insurance rates

In markets where the property taxes are high (like in Texas and Oregon), and insurance rates are high (Texas again, for example), the “no-brainer” number may shrink to $300,000 or so, while the range above which you may consider renting your own home while buying affordable investment homes in other markets, will likely be $400,000 or above. This is because with high expenses for property tax and insurance, (which as a homeowner you would be paying) the overall numbers and logic “turn the corner” faster.

Certainly, in expensive areas like the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City and others such markets, it is usually far more logical to be a renter, while owning rental properties in affordable markets, where rents are actually quite high as a percentage of the home purchase prices.

Our next quarterly expo is December 1st near San Francisco Airport. Email us at info@icgre.com and add “Read your blog post” in the subject line and come as my guest. We will get back to you with registration information. Learn more about the event at icgre.com/events.

Posted in Announcement and tagged insurance, homeowners insurance, Investthenrest, real estate markets, #ICGRealEstate1DayExpo, housing demand, property tax, real estate, 1-Day Expo, Adiel Gorel, best investment markets, investing

Inflation Helps Single Family Home Investors

By Adiel Gorel | February 13, 2018

In an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle from February 7th by Christopher Rugaber (AP Economics Writer), called “Why Investors’ Fear of High Inflation is Probably Overblown,” Mr. Rugaber explains inflation by going into the pros and cons of higher and lower inflation. He provides an overall concise glimpse of the situation as it is currently. The Fed’s dilemma with increasing taxes in the face of strong employment and rising wages is certain to bring inflation to the economy. However, he also discusses how inflation assists borrowers.

ICG educates investors

Of course, at ICG, we constantly talk about how inflation erodes the 30-year fixed rate loan. This, in turn, becomes the borrower’s ally in reducing the real buying power of the loans fixed dollar amount. We will talk about this and many other important topics during our ICG Quarterly 1-Day Expo near SFO on Saturday 3/3/2018.

Topics to be covered

Our expert speakers will cover topics including the new tax law and how it pertains to real estate investors, how to buy rental homes out of a self-directed IRA, and how to use insurance as the first line of defense of protecting your assets. There will also be lenders available to discuss what they have available and what you can expect over the next several months. Property management, legal expertise, and one-on-one’s can be found as well. And as always, we offer a lot of question and answer time. Market teams from the most relevant metro areas in the US will be present. Everyone mentioning this blog will receive free entry. Please email us that you read this at info@icgre.com.

Posted in Announcement and tagged investment property, buying power, self-directed IRA, property tax, real estate, 1-Day Expo, single family homes, inflation

A Real Life Real Estate Investor Story

By Adiel Gorel | September 11, 2015

As you know we always preach the gospel of buying single family homes, renting them, financing them with 30-year fixed-rate loans and then just holding them long term. We have discussed the benefits of having a 30-year loan which never keeps up with the cost of living (while everything else does!) Thus your loan gets constantly eroded by inflation (and don’t let anyone tell you the United States will have no or negative inflation in the face of the massive fixed debt it is on the hook for), while the tenant makes the payments for you (of course the RENT does change with inflation which makes it all the sweeter).

In the past month I got a call from a financial planner handling the affairs of one of my investors. He had purchased nine single family homes in Phoenix in the mid 90’s. It turns out the he did not even live in the United States anymore, hence the financial planner handling his affairs in the U.S. They decided it was time to sell the homes in light of the 2012-2015 run-up in values that Phoenix has experienced in the aftermath of the recession.

Needless to say his mortgages, while still not completely paid off (they are 30-year loans after all), are essentially as good as paid off after over 20 years. They never kept up with the cost of living and the principal payments whittled them down pretty low – very funny numbers considering the 20+ year inflation which the loan never kept up with.

A few quick CMAs (Comparative Market Analysis) by one of our Phoenix brokers revealed that after selling the nine homes, the investor would NET (after sales expenses and closing), about $1.7M. Considering he bought the homes for an average of $80K each and using 10% down payments (those were the financing terms back in the mid 90’s), his overall return on investment is not only staggering, but the $1.7M is a real, tangible, powerful enhancement for the rest of his life (he is now in his mid 60’s).

As much as this is a satisfying long term result, I know the investor could have easily bought way more than nine homes. Loans were plentiful back then (no up-to-10 limits) and he had the capacity to easily buy three times as many homes. Nevertheless, even with this investment, he has created a powerful effect on his financial future. Alternatively he could have just kept the homes and have the net rent from all nine homes contribute to his retirement income.

During our next 1-Day Expo (tomorrow near SFO – see www.icgre.com for details and if you mention this blog entry, you are invited at no cost – just email us at info@icgre.com with the attendees’ names), we will discuss new loans available to investors who own over 10 homes as well. Loans are now also available to foreigners again, and of course, if you own less than 10 homes there are conventional investor loans available to you from most banks.

Posted in Success Stories and tagged 1031 exchanges, cash flow, ICG September Real Estate Expo, 1-Day Expo, conference, Adiel Gorel, foreclosures, single family homes, best investment markets, 30 year fixed loan, real estate investing, home loans

What The Volatile Market Means to Real Estate Single Family Home Investors

By Adiel Gorel | August 29, 2015

The Dow closed down 588 points last Wednesday as worries of a China Slowdown permeate the business community. Even though there was some recovery in the market on Wednesday the market is still volatile. In looking at this from the prism of a single family home investor; there are pros and cons to consider.

On the pro side, it’s already assumed that any interest rate hike by the fed will now be postponed until things feel stable. Since it takes time for a rate hike to translate to mortgage rates, we get more time with our delightfully low mortgages. Of course since most mortgages have yearly caps, it will take even longer (in some cases much longer) for rates to climb in a significant way.

Also on the pro side, people are confused as to where money should operate. The knee-jerk

Great advice.

reaction is to have money sit as cash (with close to zero yield). However when people are scared of stock markets, real estate and (especially) single family homes usually become more interesting as a safe hard asset which produces income, which we tell our clients at ICG as well.

People may also feel this is not a bad time to pull money out of stocks and finally buy a home for themselves, since they might have been planning to do it anyway – this would not be a bad time to deploy that cash, right into locking in a low rate 30-year fixed loan. This of course would boost real estate markets in the single family home sector.

On the con side, obviously what is happening is not engendering a lot of overall economic confidence and more doom-and-gloom messages are circulating. This can create an environment where people “hunker down” which will not help the housing market.

During our upcoming 1-Day Expo, we have invited Dr.Lawrence A. Souzato to discuss this and other important economic waves now manifesting. Don’t miss it!

We will also have Ralph Bunje Jr. talking about reverse and regular 1031 exchanges and how to do them right, and Charles Byrd about using Evernote for business, and total life organization and efficiency. We will have market teams from the best United States markets and lots of Q & A, networking and learning. Anyone mentioning this blog can attend for free with two guests. Just email us at info@icgre.com or call at 415-927-7504. Looking forward to seeing you!

Posted in Announcement and tagged 1031 exchanges, cash flow, ICG September Real Estate Expo, appreciation, Evernote, 1-Day Expo, stock market, conference, Adiel Gorel, real estate events, 30 year fixed loan, real estate investing, housing market

Financing Now Available for Foreigners And Americans with Over 10 Properties

By Adiel Gorel | May 5, 2015

There are lenders seizing an opportunity by operating outside of the restrictive FNMA guidelines. In the past year we have seen loans improving for foreigners. It started with 50% LTV (loan-to-value) loans and now loans are up to 65% LTV for foreigners. The minimum loan amount is $100,000. Interest rates are not far off from the excellent rates American investors can get – mostly in the five percentile. Sometimes with a long fixed rate period, perhaps just passing the six percentile.

Loans can be fixed for 5, 7 or 10 years (the latter ones touch a bit over 6% but the two former ones are well within 5%+). Americans can now also get 65% LTV loans with similar terms for properties between 10 and 20 (!). As we know, FNMA caps the number at 10, a restrictive barrier not enabling markets to fully engage investors. Will Bill Gates also be limited at 10 residential loans? Apparently yes, according to the FNMA guidelines.

In any case, having the ability to borrow at 65% LTV can enable a good contingent of veteran experienced investors, to continue investing and take advantage of the great rates prevailing in today’s markets. As someone who has seen rates be well in the teens, I can appreciate what it means to borrow on property number 16 at a rate that is a bit above 5%.

I am impressed with these advances. As a result I have invited the lender to speak at our quarterly ICG 1-Day Expo on Saturday May 30^th. There will also be solid conventional lenders and loans featured prominently at the event.

In addition there will be experts to teach us critical issues for investors: Scott Gerlis Founder and CEO of SAG Credit Consultants will speak about credit repair and enhancement and how to maximize everyone’s credit and avoid the pitfalls. Lucian Ioja, Financial Designer with Integrity Wealth Management, a respected financial planner, will teach us the overall way to look at arranging and optimizing our finances, not just via real estate, to secure a powerful retirement and other goal accomplishment. Joyce Feldman, Founder and CEO of Joyce Feldman Insurance Company (Farmers Insurance) will teach us about how to use insurance correctly as the first and possibly the most important line in protecting our assets, common mistakes and how to avoid them, and a comprehensive look at our protection.

Needless to say, teams from the best markets in the United States will be there to update us on their marketplace, interact with us, and tell us about special deals in their markets. We have been holding these events for about 25 years now and I keep learning a lot during each and every event. Mention this blog post and you can attend free – just email us at info@icgre.com or call 415-927-7504.

Posted in Announcement and tagged homeowners insurance, 1-Day Expo, Foreign Investors, credit repair, lucian Ioja, Adiel Gorel, Scott Gerlis, Foreigners Loans, ltv loan, Loan-to-ratio loan, mortgage rates, real estate investing, Joyce Feldman

First Quarter Real Estate 1-Day Expo a Success

By Adiel Gorel | April 7, 2015

Between the experts we brought in to speak in December to those that joined us for the 1-day expo we had on Saturday March 7, 2015, attendees are feeling the momentum of this year being a record breaker for real estate investment. In March we had fantastic speakers. We heard from Tom Anderson, one of the best-known experts on the subject of real estate investing via your IRA account. He taught us about what works and what doesn’t. There are many types of real estate we can purchase via our IRA accounts and the advantages were something you will want to learn more about, if you were not there. We are considering asking Tom and our other speakers to guest blog for us, so look for that.

In concert with Tom, we had invited Roger St. Pierre to tell us about getting loans for buying real estate via our IRA accounts. Roger taught us about special NON-RECOURSE loans and how they can enable us to infuse “safe leverage” into our IRA investing. Wow. Tom, like all of our speakers are always great at really spending the time and energy in what they deliver to educate.

Attorney Brett Lytle gave a spectacular lecture that had everyone at the edge of their seats about asset protection. Brett covered fine points and state-specific details which were of crucial importance to the attendees. Since the first wall of asset protection is good insurance, we are inviting Joyce Feldman, who has great experience insuring real estate investors, to our NEXT 1-Day Expo on Saturday May 30^th. We have various experts under consideration who will be joining Joy.

Getting updates from the market teams was fantastic as always. Things change consistently, and to have them there every quarter to let people know what is going on is critical. I have been producing this event for over 20 years now and I still learn every time.

We had lenders discuss the ever-changing new loan programs for investors. Since loan conditions are rapidly changing these days (getting better), including loans to foreigners, we will have expert lenders at the May 30^th expo as well. Just the Q&A sessions and the audience engagement were in themselves incredibly instructive. What a great day!

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday May 30^th. To register please email us at info@icgre.com or call at 415-927-7504. Mention this blog and you can attend for free AND have your guests attend free as well.

Posted in Announcement and tagged non-recourse loans, cash flow, IRA loans, appreciation, 1-Day Expo, commercial loans, Adiel Gorel, Foreigners Loans, real estate investing, IRA collateral

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