By Joanne Musa and Carl Williams
It's no secret that we are in a slumping economy. All you have to do is read the headlines. For the average person without many other options outside of their current job, these times can be difficult. According to an article in Bloomburg.com on March 13, home defaults and foreclosures rose 60% nationwide in February of this year. Leading in foreclosures were Nevada, California and Florida, and February was the 26th consecutive month of foreclosure increases. Recently in my own local paper there was an article about the increased number of animals for adoption due do families being forced from their homes by foreclosure.
Yet there are a select few people who have chosen to take advantage of the fact that lenders are working directly with investors like you and I by accepting huge discounts on active mortgages just so the property does not have to go into foreclosure. You can actually help people that are loosing their homes to foreclosure by negotiating with the bank. In this way you can help homeowners that can’t afford to stay in their home avoid foreclosure and possibly save their credit, thus making it easier for them to get into another home or rental that they can better afford. That means that you can find a property today with no equity, negotiate a lower payoff, and literally turn a profit overnight just by understanding how to do a short sale. What this means for you is that there is no better time for you to start doing short sales than now. When home prices were continuing to rise, banks did not want to deal with investors. They would just list foreclosed properties with a realtor and most likely make all their money back and then some. But now the tables have turned. They are not likely to sell foreclosed properties and break even, much less make a profit. So they are willing to make deals, and they have a large inventory of properties that are in default.
So how do you do it? How do you find these deals and negotiate short sales with the bank? I’ve found an excellent and affordable course that explains the whole process. You can find out all about it at http://www.shortsaledeals.com/cmd.php?af=751335
It not enough to just have a desire to become a real estate investor, you need to find a niche based on the current market conditions. And this is the PRIME OPPORTUNITY to do short sales.
A few years ago the amount of U.S. foreclosures were nowhere near what they are today. A vast majority of homeowners owned a great home with growing equity. Not to mention a mortgage payment that was comfortable. Homeowners and investors alike were able to enjoy the fruits from a thriving real estate market.
Fast-forward to 2008 and the tables have turned. Mortgage payments have ballooned, interest rates have skyrocketed, and that thriving real estate market has literally disappeared overnight, unless you are looking at the market through the eyes of a well-trained short sale investor. Do yourself a favour and take this opportunity to learnstep-by-step how you can locate and close your first short sale in less than 45 days.Even if you decide that short sales are not for you the fact that you have a no questions asked money back guarantee makes it totally risk free. Don't miss out! Go to – http://www.shortsaledeals.com/cmd.php?af=751335
Happy and Prosperous Investing,
Joanne
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tax Lien Investing FAQs
Recently I sent an e-mail out to my subscribers asking them some questions to find out what it is that most people want to know about tax lien investing. I got a lot of good questions and I won’t be able to answer them all in this article, but I want to try to answer those that were asked most often that weren’t answered in my new free video course.
I especially like to answer questions that start out with the words “How do I…” or “How can I...” This type of questions shows me that someone is really interested and is ready to take action. So lets answer some of these types of questions that are not answered in my video series. So here are some frequently asked questions about tax lien investing.
Q1: How can I buy tax liens or tax deeds without going to the auction?
A: In most states you have to attend the auction in order to bid, or have a representative there to bid on your behalf. But there are 2 ways that you can purchase a tax lien or deed without physically going to the sale. A few states do have online auctions, but not all counties in these states conduct their auctions online. Usually just the larger counties do. Many counties in Florida, California, and Arizona have online tax sales. And I know that some counties in Colorado and Illinois have online tax sales as well. Another way that investors have bought tax lien and tax deeds without going to the sale, is to bid on left-over liens, this can usually be done through the mail. The only problem is that as tax lien and tax deed investing become more popular, there are less and less good properties left-over after the tax sale.
Q2: I don’t live in the US, can I still invest in Tax Liens or Tax Deeds?
A: Yes, in most states you can invest in tax liens and tax deeds even if you are not a US citizen and do not live in the US. There are a couple of states that you have to be a resident of the state to invest, but these are not the most popular tax lien states and they don’t have online sales. All you have to do in order to purchase a tax lien is to fill out a tax form called a W-8BEN form. In order to complete this form you will also need to apply for an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) if you are bidding in your own name. If you are bidding using a business name, you must apply for a Employer Identification Number (EIN). This is only for tax liens. You do not have to do this to participate in a tax deed sale.
Q3: So how much money do you need to get started with tax lien investing?
A: The beauty of tax lien investing as opposed to tax deed investing and other types of real estate investing, you can start with a very small investment. The first very profitable tax lien that I purchased started with an initial investment of only a couple of hundred dollars, on a small sewer lien. Then I was able to pay the subsequent sewer taxes the next couple of years and instead of trying to foreclose I just kept paying the subsequent taxes. After a couple of years, the homeowner moved out of state and stopped paying the taxes on the property, so then I got to pay even bigger payments $5000 over the next couple of years. The lien finally redeemed and I collected 18% per annum on most of my investment plus penalties.
Q4: How often do you acquire the property with tax liens?
A: In the state of NJ where I invest, very, very seldom do you get to foreclose on the property. If you are interested in owning property than tax deed investing or redeemable tax deed investing is the way to go. Only about 1% of tax liens will not redeem and of those properties, once you start the foreclosure process about 80% will redeem sometime during the foreclosure process. I’ve been investing for about 6 or seven years and I haven’t foreclosed on a property yet. I do have a couple of liens that I could start foreclosure on right now, but I know that when I do, they will redeem, so I just let them go.
I know some investor who have foreclosed on a couple of properties, but either it is not recent – we’re talking a few years ago when property values were not what they are today and it was much harder to get a loan, or they have a really huge portfolio with thousands of liens.
Q6: Are there risks involved in this type of investing? What are they?
A: Yes, there are risks involved and that’s what the gurus leave out, they make it sound so easy. They like to use the term “Government Guaranteed” to make people think that they can’t go wrong with tax lien investing, that the government guarantees that they’ll get paid on a tax lien. That’s really not true, what they mean by “government Guaranteed” is that there are laws that protect the investor but you not guaranteed to get paid. The guarantee is the property. Tax Liens are guaranteed by the property that you have a lien on, so if you buy a tax lien on a worthless piece of property, then you made a poor investment and it is possible that you could loose your money. Yes, there is risk involved, but that risk is minimized by doing your due diligence on the property before you purchase the lien, just like you would do due diligence on property before giving someone a loan against it. If you do your due diligence properly than tax lien investing is a very safe investment because it’s secured by something tangible, not just a piece of paper.
One of the things that I do in my courses, John, is teach people how to do due diligence for tax sale properties so that they can totally reduce the risk involved with tax lien investing.
Q7: Can you invest in tax liens and tax deeds in your IRA?
A: We all want to keep more of those profits for ourselves and not give half of it away to Uncle Sam. The good news is that you can use money in your IRA or Roth IRA to invest in tax lien certificates or tax deeds, but only if it’s a true self-directed IRA. With a self-directed IRA, your profits can grow tax-differed, and with a Roth IRA, your profits can be totally tax-free.
In my courses I have 2 audios from different experts from 2 different self-directed IRA companies that explain how to do this.
I especially like to answer questions that start out with the words “How do I…” or “How can I...” This type of questions shows me that someone is really interested and is ready to take action. So lets answer some of these types of questions that are not answered in my video series. So here are some frequently asked questions about tax lien investing.
Q1: How can I buy tax liens or tax deeds without going to the auction?
A: In most states you have to attend the auction in order to bid, or have a representative there to bid on your behalf. But there are 2 ways that you can purchase a tax lien or deed without physically going to the sale. A few states do have online auctions, but not all counties in these states conduct their auctions online. Usually just the larger counties do. Many counties in Florida, California, and Arizona have online tax sales. And I know that some counties in Colorado and Illinois have online tax sales as well. Another way that investors have bought tax lien and tax deeds without going to the sale, is to bid on left-over liens, this can usually be done through the mail. The only problem is that as tax lien and tax deed investing become more popular, there are less and less good properties left-over after the tax sale.
Q2: I don’t live in the US, can I still invest in Tax Liens or Tax Deeds?
A: Yes, in most states you can invest in tax liens and tax deeds even if you are not a US citizen and do not live in the US. There are a couple of states that you have to be a resident of the state to invest, but these are not the most popular tax lien states and they don’t have online sales. All you have to do in order to purchase a tax lien is to fill out a tax form called a W-8BEN form. In order to complete this form you will also need to apply for an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) if you are bidding in your own name. If you are bidding using a business name, you must apply for a Employer Identification Number (EIN). This is only for tax liens. You do not have to do this to participate in a tax deed sale.
Q3: So how much money do you need to get started with tax lien investing?
A: The beauty of tax lien investing as opposed to tax deed investing and other types of real estate investing, you can start with a very small investment. The first very profitable tax lien that I purchased started with an initial investment of only a couple of hundred dollars, on a small sewer lien. Then I was able to pay the subsequent sewer taxes the next couple of years and instead of trying to foreclose I just kept paying the subsequent taxes. After a couple of years, the homeowner moved out of state and stopped paying the taxes on the property, so then I got to pay even bigger payments $5000 over the next couple of years. The lien finally redeemed and I collected 18% per annum on most of my investment plus penalties.
Q4: How often do you acquire the property with tax liens?
A: In the state of NJ where I invest, very, very seldom do you get to foreclose on the property. If you are interested in owning property than tax deed investing or redeemable tax deed investing is the way to go. Only about 1% of tax liens will not redeem and of those properties, once you start the foreclosure process about 80% will redeem sometime during the foreclosure process. I’ve been investing for about 6 or seven years and I haven’t foreclosed on a property yet. I do have a couple of liens that I could start foreclosure on right now, but I know that when I do, they will redeem, so I just let them go.
I know some investor who have foreclosed on a couple of properties, but either it is not recent – we’re talking a few years ago when property values were not what they are today and it was much harder to get a loan, or they have a really huge portfolio with thousands of liens.
Q6: Are there risks involved in this type of investing? What are they?
A: Yes, there are risks involved and that’s what the gurus leave out, they make it sound so easy. They like to use the term “Government Guaranteed” to make people think that they can’t go wrong with tax lien investing, that the government guarantees that they’ll get paid on a tax lien. That’s really not true, what they mean by “government Guaranteed” is that there are laws that protect the investor but you not guaranteed to get paid. The guarantee is the property. Tax Liens are guaranteed by the property that you have a lien on, so if you buy a tax lien on a worthless piece of property, then you made a poor investment and it is possible that you could loose your money. Yes, there is risk involved, but that risk is minimized by doing your due diligence on the property before you purchase the lien, just like you would do due diligence on property before giving someone a loan against it. If you do your due diligence properly than tax lien investing is a very safe investment because it’s secured by something tangible, not just a piece of paper.
One of the things that I do in my courses, John, is teach people how to do due diligence for tax sale properties so that they can totally reduce the risk involved with tax lien investing.
Q7: Can you invest in tax liens and tax deeds in your IRA?
A: We all want to keep more of those profits for ourselves and not give half of it away to Uncle Sam. The good news is that you can use money in your IRA or Roth IRA to invest in tax lien certificates or tax deeds, but only if it’s a true self-directed IRA. With a self-directed IRA, your profits can grow tax-differed, and with a Roth IRA, your profits can be totally tax-free.
In my courses I have 2 audios from different experts from 2 different self-directed IRA companies that explain how to do this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
