HomeRun Homes Rent to Own Homes Blog

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HomeRun Homes is a centralized marketplace which helps people Find or Sell a Rent to Own Home, both Nationwide and Globally to the thriving Rent to Own Market. http://www.lease2buy.com

April 30, 2010

Pending Home Sales and Real Estate Trouble Spots

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone had a healthy and productive week. Not only is Friday upon us, but yes...May is upon us !

Living on the East Coast has it's perks, and being a couple hours away from Atlantic City is one of them. That is if you enjoy that kind of stuff. I came across an article citing Atlantic City as one of "Tomorrow's Real Estate Trouble Spots". No surprise that Atlantic City, N.J., is on top of the list, however, I always thought that aside from the Casinos, the area outside of the bright lights was depressed, in terms of home prices and the economy. So, basically, it's more of a yesterday and today "Trouble Spot". As a side note, this was from a survey of 315 cities, so the sampling size they used was pretty large, and it carries some weight with it.

We have been doing a lot of internal work on our site, in terms of aesthetics and our database. We will have a new Press Release coming out next week, and we'll be sure to notify everyone here regarding it.

Next Week (Tuesday, May 4Th), The Pending Home Sales Index numbers will be released, and this should be reflecting the tax credit for (new) home buyers.

Finally, for additional background on our Rent to Own website and a peak at our history, please read more about us here: http://www.lease2buy.com/rent-to-own-homes.php

A lot of exciting and cool stuff coming next week - so stay tuned.
Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

April 28, 2010

Lease2Buy.com Updates, Featured, Free Offer...

Hi Everyone,
Happy Mid-week to you.

Today, we are just giving you some updates on the website, along with another FREE OFFER - Free Offers are Cool!

First, just an update on the ability to Feature/Upgrade your Ads.
We have completely redesigned and updated the Top Spot/Featured Ad Pages for the following types of Ads:

Buyers/Homes Wanted at http://www.lease2buy.com/top_homeswanted.php, and

Sellers/Homes Available at https://www.lease2buy.com/top_homesavailable.php

Both upgrade options are available either upon placing an Ad, OR, via your Login/Control Panel (from the "Log In" button on the homepage, or directly via http://www.lease2buy.com/login.php). When you log in and "View" your Ads, there will be a "FEATURE/SHOWCASE THIS AD" option next to the Ad.

Remember: There is only ONE "TOP SPOT" Featured Ad per State (we can only allow one on the top of each State without it getting cluttered).


Website Tip of the Day:
How to get "ONE FREE MONTH" added on to the Ad you have already placed !

When you log into your account (from the "Log In" button on the homepage, or directly via http://www.lease2buy.com/login.php), there is a button that says, "Survey".

If you click that button and fill out a short survey with your very useful comments/questions, not only will this be very helpful to us, but we will also add one extra month to the Ad you have placed!!

How's that for a sweet deal?

When we receive your comments and questions (on anything - the site, the design, suggestions, the market - anything), if they require a response, we will reply.

If it is an incredible question or comment, we might even post it here on the blog and respond to it here, especially if it is something that can help everyone.

Check back later in the week for more interesting news......

Have a great day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning
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April 26, 2010

Troubled Cities, Creative Real Estate, FHA Tax Credit, and more

Happy Monday to Everyone,

We hope you had a great weekend, and were successful in wherever your ventures took you, whether it was looking for a home, selling a home, or just enjoying some time with your family. On a personal note, we spent the weekend with our toddler going from Chuckie Cheese to a few of those inflatable bouncy places. I've had enough pizza and gummy bears to last me a lifetime !

I came across an interesting story that I wanted to share, and it is worth taking a look at. It's titled, "10 Cities Facing a Double Whammy of Default Risks", and it lists cities which are not only in the throes of major home value declines, but also have other dominating economic issues as well. For example, the top city on the list was Las Vegas, and the article cites speculation and wild loan-types as the contributor to the decline in housing prices, construction, and jobs in the Metro area. The other cities listed are Merced (California), El Centro (California), Port St. Lucie (Florida), Fort Myers (Florida), Bend (Oregon), Ocala (Florida), Detroit (Michigan), Rockford (Illinois), and Toledo (Ohio). Although they are all different cities, some of the issues read like a script. This is an important read if you live in these metro areas, or if you are considering a move there. On the flip side, if you are an investor the specializes in rent to own or creative real estate deals, you might have a ground-floor opportunity in helping to revive these areas !

A side note - This Friday, 4/30, the Tax Credit for new home buyers (of up to $8,000) will expire. We wrote an article on this earlier, and you can read it here:
http://www.blogging.lease2buy.com/2010/04/details-on-fha-tax-credit-for-home.html

OK - back to working on our website and getting more traffic to your ads !
Have a great day, and we'll chat again on this Wednesday !

Happy Rent to Owning !

April 23, 2010

Special Offer, Social Media, Mobile, Home Prices...

Hi Everyone,
Happy Friday - we made it through another week!

It's been a busy week here, and we want to cover a few things, as well as announce a New SPECIAL OFFER, since the one from last week was a HUGE hit with everyone!

First off, some business:

We continued aggregating our site across the Social Media Aggregation sites to ensure our Blog reaches new visitors - in plain English - this means more and more visitors to your Ads - a very good thing !
Additionally, we continued developing StopForeclosureRenttoOwn.com, our newest venture, with the goal of reaching people in desperate need of housing!
Last but not least, we continued preparing our site for Mobile users - it's a huge project, since there are so many models of mobile devices, but very important!

Next - Upcoming Economic Events:

Tuesday 4/27 - S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index:
Per Standard and Poors Site:
"The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices measures the residential housing market, tracking changes in the value of the residential real estate market in 20 metropolitan regions across the United States."

Now - for the SPECIAL OFFER:

For Every Ad placed, whether it is a "Home Wanted", "Home Available", "Home Service", or "Commercial Property" Ad, you will receive a Free Copy of "SECRETS OF RENT TO OWN" (Click here for info on this book)

Now, normally, we only do this when you purchase an Ad of 3-Months or longer, however, just for today - that is until 12 Midnight EST today 4/23 - when you order ANY Ad (1 month and longer), you will receive a free copy of the Guide

Sounds Good?

OK, here's how this will work, step-by-step:

1. Place an Ad at one of these links (click on of the following links):
Looking for a Home? - "Home Wanted" Ad
Selling a Home? - "Home Available" Ad
Offering a Service? - "Home Service" Ad
Offering a Commercial Property? - "Commercial Property" Ad

2. Remember - the above pages will say you get the book for a 3-Month or longer Ad...This is a SPECIAL OFFER direct from management!

3. Once you have placed your order, send an E-mail to homebuyer@lease2buy.com with this subject:
"Ad Placed - Send me Secrets of Rent to Own"...we will verify, and then E-mail it to you immediately.

Remember - this is a SPECIAL OFFER to our members !

Thanks, have a great day, a great weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

April 21, 2010

Local Promotions, Coupons, and Anniversary Coming Soon...

Hi All,
Happy Hump Day, and I hope you're all having a great week !

We have just completed some local advertising here on Long Island (but as you know, we serve the entire country, as well as all countries, globally, that use Rent to Own arrangements (i.e. UK "Buy to Let" and Australia "Vendor Finance").
Along with this advertising, we have also added a Coupon Code (You can find the Coupon Code here for use by anyone: http://www.yourli.com/listing/homerun_homes.html)

Since we are on the topic of "local stuff", we are located on the East End of Long Island's Suffolk Country. When we first relocated here in 2005, there was never any traffic, however, the traffic has increased so much, that they are now converting our main road from 2-lanes to 4-lanes...after all, this is an island - next thing they will do is fill in our lakes and build on them - just kidding - but space is so limited and they keep building...let's hope the rest of the country and the residential market does just as well!

With that being said, our 8Th Anniversary is coming up in June, so stay tuned for contests, promotions, and cool give-aways.

And be sure to FOLLOW THIS BLOG by using the "FOLLOW" link on the right hand side of the page. We promise to keep it exciting !

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning

April 19, 2010

US Cities, Secrets of Rent to Own, and Joy

Happy Monday to All,

We hope you had a productive weekend.

First, we would like to thank all of the winners of the Free Copy of "Secrets of Rent to Own", and we hope you enjoy reading it and putting what you learn into action! For those of you who missed out, you can check out this handy guide, "Secrets of Rent to Own", at this link: http://www.lease2buy.com/rent2ownbook.php

If you would like to be included for a personal Pre-Blog notification of further contests and give-aways, please send an E-mail to homebuyer@lease2buy.com with the Subject Line, "This Blog-Reader wants in !"

On the flip side, we saw an interesting article worth mentioning, that discussed U.S. Cities In Free Fall, and I, personally, was amazed to see only Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville in the top 5. Orlando/Central FL was not in the top 5, and I found this actually encouraging. I don't know - I am open to your comments on this one. No matter what they say, there are deals to be had, and in some of these areas, there are pockets of recovery - again, I am open to comments on that as well.

On that note, I hope everyone has a great week. Be sure to choose "FOLLOW" us (Right Hand Column of this page) to be notified of new Blog updates, new contests, new information (and all around joy...OK, well, LOL on the "joy" part).

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning

April 16, 2010

"7 Cities With Great Real Estate Deals"

Hi All - One more Update....


We were interviewed for this article - we commented on a few markets:
Read it here: "7 Cities With Great Real Estate Deals"

Happy Rent-to-Owning !

Existing Home Sales, and Secrets of Rent to Own Contest

Happy Friday Everyone,

Can anyone believe it is just about the end of April? Weren't we just shouting "Happy New Year!". WOW!

OK, a few things to cover here, along with a cool contest!

We had a very interesting interview with American Express (Open Forum - for a new publication that will be released in June). We discussed the "twenty-something" age demographic, and how a Rent to Own agreement (or lease purchase/lease option) can be beneficial to them as either a buyer or a seller. The interview will be published in June (we'll post a link to it when it's out), but I'm told the format will be similar to their current publication.

On the Housing Front; Next week, there are some very important figures coming out: "Existing Home Sales" (National Association or Realtors, or "NAR"), and also, "New Residential Sales". These are both very important figures for everyone, so let's keep a close eye on them.

Now - for the Contest !!
To the first 5 people who send us an E-mail (at homebuyer@lease2buy.com) with the Subject line, "SECRETS OF RENT TO OWN, we will E-mail you over a Free Copy of our E-Book, "Secrets of Rent to Own".
More details about the E-Book are available here: https://www.lease2buy.com/rent2ownbook.php


***REMEMBER: We can only do this with the first 5 people...The Contest ends by 7PM EST Today, or whenever we get the first 5 E-mails, whichever comes first - so Good Luck !!

Have a Great Day, a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

April 14, 2010

FHA, Rent to Own, Foreclosure...

Good Day Everyone,

Just wanted to say how amazed we are at all of the Scams taking place to beat people out of the $8,000 Tax Credit. We have seen and heard a lot of horror stories, so please, no matter how desperate you are to buy or sell, please be diligent in researching who you do business with.

Just a side note that we have launched a joint venture that offers help to people in foreclosure or who have gone through it, and cannot find a new home. It's a really bad position to be in, and there are way too many people there right now. They know that they have to stop foreclosure, but they also know that they need a new place. We felt that our Rent to Own website was not reaching more of these people in dire need, so we joint ventured to create www.StopForeclosureRenttoOwn.com (which is still being neatened up, appearance-wise), and have launched the site this week.

This is a two-fold benefit: It will help these people who are in trouble, and it will help you by bringing more traffic to your Ads.

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

April 12, 2010

Helpful Tips when doing your Walk-through...and More..

Hi All,
We hope you had an absolutely fantastic weekend, and we welcome you back.

A few interesting items happening today and this week:

Since the Spring is here for most of us, our market tends to pick up (we hope!), and buyers start doing their walk-throughs of properties that they are closing on. This brings me to the "Tip of the Day":
When doing a walk-through of a property, make sure you bring a small electrical outlet tester, as well as a phone jack tester.
These are two very inexpensive items that can save you time and money !
I've been burned on that a few times and it is quite irritating, so please learn from my silly mistakes.

OK, now, for HomeRun Homes, we have been compacting our database of properties and buyers, since it was a very busy February & March. Basically, to spare you the technical jargon, we compressed the data so that the site works faster.
Additionally, we have edited our YouTube Video for Rent to Own Homes over the past few days. Please take a glance at it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlOZxvY2gg4

Please also note: You can Follow our Blog and be notified of new posts by clicking on the "Follow" Button on the Right-hand side of the page - we promise that we will not bore you or let you down !

Finally, New Residential Construction numbers are coming out this Friday, the 16th. These numbers, as you can imagine, are very important for the housing market and the Economy, since this takes into account Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Housing Completions. For more information and details on this upcoming Report, here is the link: http://www.census.gov/const/www/newresconstindex.html

Thank you.
Have a Great Week and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

April 8, 2010

Details on the FHA Tax Credit for Home Buyers

Hi All,
There has been a lot of buzz about the FHA Tax Credit Program, and for those who are not too aware of it, we wanted to list a few key points of this excellent program here:

1. Up to an $8,000 Tax Credit is available for First-time home buyers (For a newly built home or a resold home). This is confined to sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010.
2. Up to an $6,500 Tax Credit is available for "move-up" (repeat home buyers or existing home owners), who purchase a Principal Residence (Not an investment property - but an Owner-Occupied Principal Property) between November 6, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010.

This is a very basic breakdown, but there are certain specific income limits, so be sure to check the FHA Site (http://federalhousingtaxcredit.com).

As a side note, we have been busy working on our next venture, which will be announced soon, which will extend a hand to homeowners in trouble.
Further, we have been further updating our Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace Pages and adding numerous followers and friends...which means more traffic to your Ads !

Have a Great Week, and Happy "Rent to Owning" !!

April 5, 2010

Return of the House Flippers, Secrets of Rent to Own, and more

Hi All,
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. For those of you in the Northeast, the weather was picture perfect, and might I add....finally !
OK, down to business: We have revamped a few of the E-Books ("Secrets of Rent to Own" and "Fighting Foreclosure"), and next, we will be focusing on the Real Estate Investors guide, "Will it Work in My Town?".

I came across an interesting story that I wanted to share, titles, "Return of the House Flippers", in Yahoo Finance (Located here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20100401/bs_bw/1015b4173024165587). It is quite an interesting article for those of you geared towards the investing side of Real Estate. Just to summarize, the article touches on the spark in foreclosure auctions, as well as the Federal Approvals that are involved in that sector. A very interesting, informative, and a very positive read. Be sure to check it out.

Have a great week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

April 1, 2010

Happy Holidays

We would like to wish a Very Happy Easter & a Very Happy Passover, if you celebrate either of these two holidays.

We have some exciting things on the pipeline in the next few weeks, so please stay tuned. As a Teaser; more special targeted marketing to get even more traffic to your Ads!

Have a great weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning