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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
Showing posts with label housing market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housing market. Show all posts

September 5, 2013

Big Market Players Focus on Filling Homes with Renters

Hi folks,
   I like to consider my readers as quite familiar with the way the Real Estate market works, namely, the ebb-and-flow of buying properties and selling properties. With that being said, you know that Investors make up an important chunk of overall home purchases. However, per data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in early 2009, 25% of homebuyers were investors. Earlier this year (in February), they made up 22% of home buyers, but then, in July, that figured dropped to 16% Nationally.

   "Housing has morphed from a form of shelter to one of the most popular tradable assets, thanks to a huge influx of institutional investors in a mammoth, albeit decreasing, supply of distressed properties", writes CNBC Real Estate Reporter Diana Olick. Olick adds that this is why, "...it should come as no surprise the housing market is now nearly as volatile as the stock market". Indeed, it is volatile, but what happened to all of these investors?

   Not too long ago, large investors like funds Blackstone and Waypoint were buying properties by the bushel, and pushing up home prices. But now? Well, with all of the homes under management, they are working on filling the homes with renters, as Olick wrote in her article, "As investors shift, housing is the new stock market", now investors are focusing on filling those houses with renters.

   With the slowdown in investor purchases, Olick say that there could be a consolidation of investor firms (larger firms buying up smaller players). But the volatility remains. A contributor for Olick's story was Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin (an online real estate sales company), who said that, "We've seen more volatility in real estate in the past five years than we have in the past 500".

   Stay strong and Stay tuned!



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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com

HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com



TAGS: #RealEstateinvestor #buyingproperties #sellingproperties #homepurchase #Realtor #NAR #distressed #housingmarket #sales



September 28, 2012

You're OK, We're OK, They're Locked Up !

Hi Folks,
   I hope all is well.

   Not many companies have the audacity to say this publicly, however, if you cannot be honest when speaking to the good people who visit your website and blog, to which you've dedicated over a decade working on and enjoying...well, then is it all really worth it? With all of that babble out of the way, we had some malware hit our site last weekend. Immediately, I know this question would be on the minds of at least 99% of you: We had no compromise of personal data. This was not a breach, but more of a nuisance than anything else.

   I'm not one for acting like a parrot, but let me repeat that line above: We did not experience any compromise of personal data. This was not a breach, but more of a nuisance than anything else.

   This particular type of malware was a low-level one, which would redirect you to advertising for things that could be considered moderately vulgar, and if you've experienced any weird pages ("Redirects") via our site last weekend, I personally apologize, however, we have not received any reports (yet, we prefer to err on the side of caution!).

   Thankfully, the good folks at Hostway, the company that hosts our web server/web site (they are referred to as a "hosting company"), maintain our website on a PCI/Secure server, and they snapped into action to help us rid the pesky code that caused the issue. Kudos to the whole team at Hostway!

   Now, some of you who feel infuriated by those that make such malicious attempts on websites, such as the ones perpetrated against Apple and GoDaddy just recently, will take solace in the following updates I will now provide you with, so keep reading!

   We have been in business for 10 years, and we have an extensive reach into many emerging markets that are ripe for the "Rent to Own Home" model to stoke their Housing Markets and Economies. One such market region is Eastern Europe/Ukraine/Russia. With some well-cultivated local contacts, and along with the U.S. Consulate Offices in 2 different countries (and yes, a few Federal Agents in the family doesn't hurt, either!), we have been able to locate the source of this intrusion via traffic/timing pinpoint, and have apprehended the group of snot-nosed teenagers (18-20 year olds) who did this. If I had time, I would fly there for their trial, and spit in their faces! However, I believe in our system of justice, and we model ourselves on not being barbaric and crude as many others tend to be.

   The sad thing here is that with the amount of work they put into their devious art, and with their intelligence, they could have collectively worked with us to advance their Economies, and make even more money. Well, I certainly hope they will enjoy their jail cell, which I have been made aware of the physical locations they are being held. I did a quick Google search on these places, and I think they'll be paying quite well for their sins. To this, I smile, and I say, "May all of those out to disrupt our economy enjoy the comforts of a rotten filthy jail cell". Hey fellas, here's a tip for your stay behind bars: Don't drop the soap !!

   We bring you truth, whether it's admitting a bump in the road, or showing you how powerful our site is in helping you Buy a Rent to Own Home or Sell a Rent to Own Home.


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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #malware #redirect #blog #website #renttoown #home #hosting #webserver #website #housingmarket #Europe #Ukraine #Russia

July 15, 2012

A Page Turns on The Housing Market

Hi All,
   Well, it finally happened. Finally. The hype and the media coverage about it's imminent return have all been fulfilled. The U.S. Housing Market has finally began crawling back up from the bottom.

   It's been a long time, about 7 years, and a lot of ugly things have happened during that time, but most of the home price indices are starting to head back up in the right direction. In a recent WSJ article by David Wessel titled, "Housing Passes a Milestone". David Blitzer of S&P stated that "We finally saw some rising home prices", and reported the first monthly increase in prices after seven months of declines.

   Aside from prices, we all know the impact of housing inventory. It's simple Supply and Demand Economics. In what was called a surprise, the inventory of existing homes for sale has fallen "close to the normal level of six months' worth despite all the foreclosed homes that lenders own", per this article, and adds two additional key points, which are that a fraction of homes that are vacant is "at its lowest level since 2006", and that the amount of existing homes that were sold in May 2012 was 10% higher that those sold in May 2011. Wessel notes that many of these homes were purchased by investors "who plan to rent them for now and sell them later", which he infers to as "an important sign of an inflection point". We can surmise from our angle that the amount of homes being sold via Rent to Own is trending upwards from what we are seeing from our Rent to Own Homes website.

But can this just be a statistical aberration?

   Wessel provides an additional reason why this seems to be the real deal. Aside from the reduced inventory of homes that will support the higher prices, he also points to the increase in construction of single-family homes. Comparing May 2012 to May 2011, "Builders began work on 26% more single-family homes in May 2012" than the previous time last year.

   There is still a long way to go. Wessel mentioned some things that we should not forget: Single-family housing starts are still 60% below the 2002 "pre-bubble pace", Americans' equity in homes 25%, less than it was in 2002, and more than one in every four mortgage borrowers "still has a loan bigger than the value of the house". But "the housing bust is over", which for many of us, is music to our ears.

   Have you seen any signs of the Housing Market turning around by you? We'd love to hear.


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

Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #HousingMarket #homeprices #housinginventory #foreclosedhomes #existinghomes #builders #singlefamilyhomes #renttoown #mortgage #investors

January 5, 2012

3 Tips for Sellers of Real Estate in 2012

Hi Folks,
   Hope all is well so far in this shiny new year!

   If you were waiting for the Holiday season to end before selling your home, there are some tips you can follow that will help you during the new world order of the 2012 Housing Market. To be exact, we have highlighted 3 tips just for you, and hopefully, these will be very helpful for you.

Tip #1: Price Flexibility. Make sure either you or your agent have all of the local sales, including those of short sales and foreclosures, so you can see what they sold at vs what they were asking, writes Steve McLinden in an article on Bankrate.com

Tip #2: Clean up. Neaten up. Paint, etc. Neglecting even the cheapest repairs can turn a buyer off. You want to make sure that you have dotted every "i" and crossed every "t" when it comes to curb appeal. It's more important than ever before, it seems (due to the over-abundance of homes on the market to choose from).

Tip #3: "Trump your techno-fears", writes McLinden, and suggests hiring a listing agent "steeped in mobile platforms", and mentions Facebook and other social media. He even eludes to a trend where Some owners are even making YouTube videos to showcase their homes, and thus, "making it easier to quickly link to potential buyers via email"

McLinden listed a total of 12 Tips in his story, but I feel that these 3 tips (not in the same order as his story) will be the dominant factors to help sell your home in 2012. What do you think?

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #SellRealEstate #HousingMarket #shortsales #foreclosures #listingagent #mobileplatforms #Facebook #YouTube #video #socialmedia

November 10, 2011

The Foreclosure Machine Cranks Up Again

Hi Folks,
   Welcome to 11/11/11. Crazy date! But it's Friday!

   You know, there are countless folks out there who have been breathing a little easier for quite some time, due to the halt in Foreclosures (if you recall, the "robo-signing" crisis a while back), however, it appears that the Foreclosure starts are on the rise once again.

   “Rising foreclosure start rates are likely a sign that servicers are playing catch-up on actions that have been delayed over the past year,” states Diane Pendley, managing director of Fitch Ratings, in a recent article on DSNews.com ("Foreclosure Starts Rise as Servicers Process Backlog of Delinquent Loans"), written by Krista Franks.

   Fitch reported that the Foreclosure start rates for severely delinquent private-label residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) loans have "stayed above 10 percent since September — a rate they have not reached since November 2009", with an even larger amount since then. Additionally, the article mentioned that the foreclosure starts for loans delinquent for six months or more "have almost doubled in the past five months". What will happen with the increase of distressed properties? You guessed it - pressure on the Housing Market.

   Further along in the Foreclosure process, the actual Foreclosure completions in judicial states "hover near their historic lows", the article says, to which Fitch says is due to "servicers’ continued loss mitigation efforts, a backlog in court foreclosure filings, and weak demand in the housing market.” Diane Pendley, managing director of Fitch Ratings, says that about a year after "deficiencies in the foreclosure process were brought to light", that Mortgage servicers now generally feel they have "implemented the corrective actions that they determined were needed".

   With the backlog, Fitch says that the effects of rising foreclosure starts may take more than a year to be evident, however, any way you look at it, there will certainly be more distressed inventory going on the books and will certainly impact the Housing Market.

   What are your thoughts?

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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #foreclosurestarts #distressedproperties #housingmarket #inventory #robosigning #mortgagebacked #RMBS

October 27, 2011

How Can a Seller Keep a Buyer Interested in their Home?

Hi Everyone,

   Hope you are all ready for the Halloween weekend, and may your baskets get filled with Treats, but no Tricks !

   The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released their numbers for the September "Pending Home Sales" Index. The figures came in 4.6% below the previous month, and according to the NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, the housing market is being excessively constrained, and he pointed to “A combination of weak consumer confidence and continuing tight lending criteria held back home buyers...". This makes me wonder...If you are selling a home, what can you do to avoid losing buyers, and to convert your own pending home sale into a sale?

   "In today’s down economy, sellers simply cannot afford to neglect anything that makes their home less attractive", writes Vera Chinese for the TimesReview.com Website, in an article titled, "Pay attention to buyer turnoffs in your home".

   Kristen Rishe from North Fork Real Estate Inc. reminds sellers "to be anywhere but home when potential buyers come to look", since this might make the buyers feel hurried and hesitant. On the material side of the same point, Tom McCarthy of Thomas J. McCarthy Real Estate Inc. in Southold suggests that buyers "get rid of all their junk and clutter before putting their homes on the market", since you want the buyers "imagining themselves" in the home (difficult if it is filled with "the current owner’s belongings"). McCarthy admits it's painful for owners to purge years of memories, but that “Emotionally, it is not your house anymore once you put it on the market,” he said.

   "Mildew, mold, pets and cigarettes"..."Don’t forget the buyer’s nose. Smells can be critical", advises Jill Dunbar from Century 21 Albertson in Greenport. Dunbar says that some smokers, for example, "refuse to give up smoking in their homes", but says that "it’s the only cure".

   Internally and structurally, McCarthy suggests you make repairs, and that "What might seem like a small repair to a homeowner can represent a huge burden to a buyer". Some of his tips, which the owner might walk by every day, are the "missing trim around a door, a chipped countertop or peeling paint". As a final caveat, he warns that, "loud or particularly bold colors and paint can scare off some buyers".

   Do you think if these tips were implemented, we would see a spike in Home Sales? Perhaps...why not give it a shot !?!

Would You Like Our Blog Posts Sent Directly to your E-mail? Here's How:
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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #housingmarket #repair #paint #Realtors #NAR

June 21, 2011

Realtors And Existing Homes...What It All Means

Hi Everyone,

   I might be shot on the spot for this, but perhaps I won't be...when we think of Realtors, we often think of the Realtors that sell Existing homes...in other words...ones that are already built and are not new construction. If we go with that thought, seeing the clout that Realtors have in the Housing market, we realize how important an indicator the "Existing Homes Sales" figures are (released by the National Association of Realtors®, or "NAR").

   The figures for May were just released, and sales dropped 3.8% from April, but 15.3% from a year ago (when the tax credit deadline was approaching). The figures are the "completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops", per the NAR.

   "There is still lots of pain in many US markets. Foreclosures and short sales, declining prices and tougher lending standards are prohibiting new buyers from getting in the market", says Barak Dunayer, founder of Barak Realty in New York City. He points to some bright spots, such as properties priced below $100,000, along with some "deeply discounted properties" scooped up by investors. He does offer some hope in his local market, and says that in some areas, as in the case of NY City, "the sales of certain properties in specific submarkets have been robust and even back to 2006-2007 levels.", and reminds us of a very valuable lesson: "As real estate is a local market NOT a national market, one must look closely at local market conditions prior to making sound buying and selling decisions."

   This is some sound advice. On Wednesday, the FHFA Monthly House Price Index will be released, followed by the New Residential Sales figures for May on Thursday. What do you think will be the result of those two releases? We'd love to hear your opinion.

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

TAGS: #Realtor #housingmarket #existinghomes

June 16, 2011

The Connection Between The Producer Price Index And Housing

Hi Folks,
   As another week draws to a close, we take a look at an indicator that we have not discussed here, and that is the Producer Price Index (PPI), which basically looks at goods in varying stages of production. The Producer Price Index for finished goods rose 0.2% in May (following increases of 0.8% in April and 0.7% in March), so it appears things are headed in the right direction, however, what does this mean for the Housing Market?

   "On the surface the Housing Market should have the potential of having a large impact on PPI since it represents a large portion of the U.S. economic engine", says Lynn Grantham of St. Johns, FL. Grantham points to the "lack of strength in the Housing Market since 2008", and says that the remaining inventory of unsold homes, "including the large number of foreclosed properties that lenders are still sitting on should translate into a dampening impact on the PPI."

   Another point, which was raised by Barry of Alvic Management, is that higher producer prices, "increase the cost of construction materials and should slow new construction, which may make existing homes more valuable because it's harder to recreate them."

   What is your view on this index? How inter-related is it to the Housing Market and the Real Estate Industry? We'd love to hear your opinion.

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

TAGS: #PPI #realestate #foreclosed #construction

May 19, 2011

Housing Numbers Down, But Positivity Remains High

Hi Everyone,
   Glad to have you with me here this Friday. How was your week? Did you meet all of your goals? I hope so.

   There were two very important housing numbers released this week, and I'd like to take a look at each of these, along with some commentary on what these numbers mean for the Housing Market and the Economy.

   The first set of numbers released were the New Residential Construction figures for April, which is broken down into Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Housing Completions. Overall, there were minor drops in each of these numbers from the previous month (March), but anywhere from 13% to 35% below the figures from April of 2010.

   Additionally, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released their figures for Existing Home Sales, and these did not fare so well, either. Even though the market for Existing Homes made gains in 6 of the last 9 months, the numbers, which represent completed transactions that include single-family, town homes, condominiums and co-ops, dropped almost 1% from March, but almost 13% from April 2010. Some additional notes, per the NAR, show that "Total housing inventory at the end of April increased 9.9 percent", and the very interesting side-note which says that, "First-time buyers purchased 36 percent of homes in April, up from 33 percent in March; they were 49 percent in April 2010 when the tax credit was in place. Investors slipped to 20 percent in April from 22 percent of purchase activity in March; they were 15 percent in April 2010. The balance of sales was to repeat buyers, which were 44 percent in April."

   Although these numbers point to some not-so-good conditions, not everything and everyone is negative on the Housing Market. Jane Frederick, an architect who specializes in custom residences, says that she believes that, "architects are the "canary in the mine" in that we see the slowdowns first and the increase in work first.", and says that they have signed 2 new contracts for new houses in the past three weeks and that their phone, "is ringing more now than it has in the past three years. "I believe that we are finally moving out of this recession", says Frederick.

   "I recently read an article about the severe drop in housing starts and how that will eventually effect supply and prices.", says John Boyd of MeetingWave.com, who adds that, "I'm not suggesting now is the exact time to buy but seems to be getting close with low rates starting to creep up. Not sure when it will happen with the current joblessness, etc., but there are many folks renting houses, adult children living with parents, etc. that eventually we'll hit a solid floor and see an uptick."

   What's your take on the market. Where do you think we are headed? How soon? Why?

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

TAGS: #residentialconstruction #realtors #existinghomes

September 17, 2010

Lucky Number 100 !

Good Morning,

   As you may be wondering about the odd title of this post, today we're celebrating our 100th Blog Post (Woo Hoo!). In looking back over the past 99 previous posts, we have listed our top 5 posts (based on traffic and votes), in descending order:

#1: "5 Tips For Buying a Second Home/Condo for Investment or Vacation"

#2: "Has the Housing Market Impacted Curb Appeal?"

#3: "Short Sales - What Do You Need to Know?"

#4: "Are Timeshares Truly Related to Real Estate Investing?"

#5: "Right Time to Buy? Top Real Estate Investing Markets"


CONTEST NEWS FLASH:


   We want to take the time and thank you for being loyal readers of our Blog, and we invite you to receive a hard copy (PDF) of some of our earlier posts ("oldies, but goodies").
   For the first 10 people who send an E-mail to homebuyer@lease2buy.com with the subject, "Lucky Number 100 Blog Contest", we will send you a copy of this via return mail.

   Did you send the mail yet? These contests close very quickly, so don't delay.

   We hope to post 100,000 more entries that will entice you, inspire you, and enlighten you.

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

September 13, 2010

Has the Housing Market Impacted Curb Appeal?

Good Morning All,


   Hope you had a great weekend. We spent the weekend cleaning out our attic, as well as shuttling our toddler to his classes and an ice cream party (Sugar Rush - Not good).

   It's funny how things shift in tandem when the housing market changes. Most practices and techniques are put under a microscope and are re-invented. One of those practices is preparing a home for maximum curb appeal. Today, we'd like to take a look at how the downturn in the real estate and housing markets has impacted the definition of curb appeal.

   "It is curb appeal that is designed to provide a positive first impression.", says Lisa Mekovsky, Owner of 3 Rivers Home Staging. She tells us that the, "definition of curb appeal has not changed, but its importance has dramatically increased.", and that this is due to fiercer competition.

   Julie Taché, a Broker with Homes with Cachet, concurs, and says, "More than ever, the visual has taken an important role in how buyers choose real estate. With so many properties available, an "ok" or "so-so" home may become just a drive-by, with buyers preferring the homes with substantially more curb appeal." Kimberly Gauthier, a photographer and homeowner in Washington State, has first-hand experience from both sides of the table, and she admits that they did, "most of our house hunting on line, so if the pictures weren't good, then there was a good chance that we wouldn't bother viewing the homes; there were just too many listings and this was a good way to shorten our list."

   Most of the experts we spoke with have agreed on landscaping as the most important piece of the curb appeal puzzle. Gauthier suggests adding flowers everywhere, since having a "few shrubs just didn't appeal to women. By adding loads of color, hanging baskets, and wine barrels with things growing, our showings increased.". From her point of view as a potential buyer, she said that, "Neglected landscaping will prompt me to move on to the next listing."

   Heather Logrippo of Distinctive Homes Online has weighed in with a few opinions from her expert clients. Kelly O'Ryan the Office manager of Coldwell Banker in Lexington, Ma, says that it is important to make sure that the, "Lawn is free from leaves and overgrown grass", and that it, "sound simple, but makes a huge difference".

   Elaine Leonard, the Sales Director for Northland Residential, a developer in New England, says that, "Even if you've lived in your home for 25 years, don't discount adding new trees or shrubs, they can really do wonders for the landscaping".

   O'Ryan also suggests that you, "Add a splash of color in the front - whether it's painting the front door an inviting red or adding planters with colorful plants by the front door". It's also important to keep the exterior of your home neat and organized. She advised that you make sure all yard tools and children's toys are put away, since, "you want your prospective buyer to envision living in the home which can be hard if they see your items before they even walk in the door."

   Leonard suggests adding a beautiful mailbox, which she admits sounds crazy, but she says that, "you have no idea how a beautiful mailbox can add a nice finishing touch", and , "like accessories on an outfit, a mailbox is the perfect last accessory on your home to make it appear finished and beautiful. Leonard also suggests that you do the "Hardscaping", which is, "anything from a walkway to a patio.", and , "If you have old, broken or cracked driveways or walkways, investing a little in hardscaping to fix them will pay off in the long run!"

   "Sellers must make sure the entire exterior of the home looks clean, fresh, and professionally maintained.", suggests Taché, and she advised all work (bricks, steps, siding, power washing, roof, etc) be completed before listing. She adds that, "Hiring a professional (stager for inside, landscaper for outside) are a worthwhile investment - as these people know what the public desires, and can make cost-effective suggestions to get the home its best possible showing condition!".

   As Taché concludes, "The first few weeks on market are so crucial that making sure it photographs well and that a potential buyer will see it in a positive light have never been more important to get them in the front door!"

   I hope that these tips will help you in getting more people to see your home. As a side note, however, please note that we find that these tips are "not as important" when people are looking to Rent to Own your home. Notice that I said, "not as important", since people certainly differ.

   Do you have any other tips to share? Have you done any wild things to spruce up your home in order to give it more curb appeal? We'd all love to read your comments !

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

August 25, 2010

Homes Sales Fury, Plus Part 2 of Our Radio Interview

Hi Everyone,

   Let's immediately address the elephant in the room (or the cyber-room, if you prefer) - "Existing home sales drop 27 percent in July" and "Existing home sales dive to 15-year low". Yes, you read these on Yahoo News and all over the Web and on TV yesterday.

   I pose this question to you: We know that the expired homebuyer tax credit is the main culprit for these dreadful numbers. But let's say there was no tax credit in the first place (follow me here - I am not taking political sides)...what would have happened to the housing market? Is it really a guessing game.

   Now, just today, the headline, "New home sales hit slowest pace on record...Unexpected 12.4 percent drop is latest sign recovery fading". Where is all of this headed? Why did we stop the tax credit? We're in a deep enough hole already...at least people were starting to buy homes, build back some confidence, and get back on track. The key is, "confidence", which is psychologically vital to any economic recovery.

   OK, I can rant on and on about this, as well as the demise of "Cash for Clunkers", but the show must go on.

   As promised, I have included part 2 (final part) of the radio interview that we did on the "Unlock Your Wealth Radio Program" (hosted by Heather Wagenhals). As a reminder, this particular segment was about Rent to Own Homes, so please have a listen, and Enjoy !

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

August 20, 2010

Short Sales, Press, Housing Numbers - A Recap

Hi All,

   Can you believe that it's already Friday? We are headed into our last few weeks of summer, and from whatever corner of the globe that you are reading this, the summer here in the Northeast has been brutal! Time to polish up the snow shovels...yes, it won't be long !

   Today, we just wanted to recap a very eventful week for HomeRun Homes/Lease2Buy, as well as to take a look ahead at next week.

   Over the past week, we have provided you tips and strategies on the Short Sale Process, provided a free widget that shows all current Ads on our website in "Real Time", and we have humbly received some great write-ups in a new American Express Magazine Article, as well as another write-up in AOL's Patch.com.

   We hope that over the past few days, we have given you some great investing tips, a handy new utility for your website, and have brought multitudes of people to our site to either offer you a Rent to Own Home or to Buy your Rent to Own Home ! In the process, I hope we have also made some new friends and helped many others to meet their goals.

   Next week, we have some additional goodies coming along (Stay tuned to this Blog). Further, there are important numbers coming out next week:

   Tuesday 8/24: NAR Existing Home Sales
   Wednesday 8/25: New Residential Sales & FHFA Quarterly House Price Index
   Friday 8/27: Revised Building Permits

   As you can imagine, these are all key numbers that will give us a sense of where we are headed in terms of the housing market and an economic recovery (recovery? lifeline?).

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

August 9, 2010

New to Real Estate Investing? What You Need to Know...

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a great weekend.

With the market in a state of suspended animation, and with people either out of work and/or clinging on to their job by a thread due to the economy, many people are looking for additional sources of income. Some people might hop onto the Multi-Level Marketing programs that are out there, and some others are diligently looking for opportunities.

There is a fair amount of people who look towards real estate investing, and they want to buy and flip homes, which is basically purchasing the home, fixing it up, and selling it for a profit. Folks, let me tell you this...it's not easy! I am one of these people who, back in 2002, was looking for additional income, when a group of friends told me that they were investing in Central Florida. I took that as my cue and was down in the Sunshine State the following weekend.

We purchased a few homes, but turning these homes around was hard, even in a good housing market. We struggled, and it was very difficult. Things finally turned out well, and I left a job at a Nationwide Corporation in which I was a Computer Engineer. This was a good thing, however, we found it more and more difficult to find people for our homes (this is how HomeRun Homes was born, but that is another topic).

What can I suggest to a "newbie", or someone that is new to Real Estate investing ? Research, Research, and then Research again. You must chose the location to focus on, and research the heck out of how the state and the county works. Do you need an attorney? A Title Company? What is legal and what is not legal? These definitions differ from place to place, so you need to research and do your homework.

We have summarized some very important items regarding investing in Real Estate at THIS LINK, and this should give you a great foundation so you can get out there, make offers, and close deals!!

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




July 19, 2010

Housing Market, Home Building, and You

Hi Everyone,


   Hope you had a great weekend and took a little time to relax.

   We have a very exciting week ahead here, with a lot of great advertising lined up to bring even more visitors to your Ads. Additionally, there is a ton of information coming out on the strength of the Housing Market this week. Tomorrow, the New Residential Construction numbers are coming out, on Wednesday, the Loan Performance Housing Price Index numbers come out, and then on Thursday, we have both the NAR Existing Home Sales and the FHFA Monthly House Price Index numbers being released. We are holding on to hope that there will be a significantly positive bounce in these numbers, but at this moment, I just truly don't see how that can happen. I'm not being pessimistic, but it will take time, and we are not out of the woods yet.

   On Wednesday, we will begin a very exciting 3-part series that will cover the home-building process. We will have comments from builders discussing how they identify, acquire, and build homes and other Real Estate, along with perspectives from other professionals in the industry with additional points of view and comments. It's should be a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in the Real Estate market.

   We hope you have a great week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!!

June 21, 2010

Dad's Day, Secrets Winner, and Big Housing Numbers...

Happy Monday to All,

A Happy Belated Father's Day to all of you Dads out there. Our son is not at the "tie-buying" age, yet, but he is still in the "make-a-present-for-daddy" stage, which is absolutely wonderful. The walls of my office are decorated with his masterpieces and it adds color to every day. I know you're too young to read this Blog, but thanks buddy !

Now, on Friday, we announced our contest question; "What city did we begin investing in when we first started our business?". To all of the people who answered correctly and won their free copy of, "Secrets of Rent to Own", Thank You! Now, for the answer to that question, the winners of the contest checked out the "About Us" section (http://www.lease2buy.com/rent-to-own-homes.php), and you found out that the answer was Orlando, Florida.

We officially opened the doors of HomeRun Homes/Lease2Buy.com on June 8, 2002, so we are now officially into our 9th Year. We will continue on with more contests and giveaways, so make sure to tune in here. Want to make life even easier for yourself? Choose one of the "Follow" options on the right-hand side of the page !

This is going to be a very big week in terms of Housing Market data. Today, the Loan Performance Housing Price Index numbers will be released. On Tuesday, some hefty data will be released: NAR Existing Home Sales and the FHFA Monthly House Price Index. As if these major factors weren't enough, New Residential Sales will be released on Wednesday. This is quite a contrast to last week, which was a lot quieter in terms of Housing.

We will check back with you on Wednesday to take a look at what these numbers were, what they mean for you and I, and to take a look at how they can or will impact the Rent to Own Homes market.


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

May 26, 2010

Ambivalent Housing Market, Secrets of Rent to Own, etc...

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having a great week. We are already half-way through, and chugging along towards the long Holiday weekend !

Today, I wanted to return to the ambivalent topic of the housing market, and I wanted to cite two very interesting pieces. The first article is about the rise in New Home Sales in April. This is very interesting, but as we know, the tax credit expired on April 30th, and to see if the mad rush to buy new homes continued after that date, I want to see the numbers for May ! Am I never satisfied? Well, that brings us to the second article, which says, "After increasing last summer, U.S. home prices are drifting lower again". "Clashing, Contradictory, Uncertain, Undecided"? These are all synonyms from Thesaurus.com that describe this ambivalent condition. One would have to argue that as the old cliche dictates, "only time will tell".

On the Website side of things, we have been working hard to get our site to render/appear well on your IPhone, Droid, etc. We will be entering the mobile testing phase in the next few weeks and will post our results for some of the most common mobile devices after that time.

Be sure to check out our "Secrets of Rent to Own" Guide Here. This is a handy guide for anyone that is Looking to Buy a Rent to Own a Home or is Selling a Rent to Own Home. It's a great first step in the direction of a Rent to Own agreement, if that is indeed what is of interest to you.


What else would you like to hear us Blog About? We have been taking your opinions and surveys and responding to them. Keep it coming, as we truly value your input and suggestions. Comment below or E-mail us Here.


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