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

October 20, 2010

Mixed Message from The New Residential Construction Numbers

Hi All,
   It's time for the mid-week "Hello"...so, Hello.

   As the title suggests, the New Residential Construction Numbers were released yesterday, and it has arrows pointing all over the place. There are 3 main components: Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Housing Completions.

   In terms of Building Permits, for privately-owned units, the numbers came in below the August rate and well below September 2009. Single-Family authorizations were slightly above August. What can we tell from this component. Not much, just that the privately-owned side has taken a large hit.

   For the Housing Starts component, privately-owned starts were slightly above August and well above September 2009, while single-family housing starts were also well above September 2009.

   Finally, for Housing Completions, privately-owned housing completions were well above August, however, substantially below September 2009, while single-family housing completions were well above August. Within these figures, we can certainly see some positivity over the past month vs. the past year. However, I don't want to rain on any ones parade, but the HUD does add a disclaimer as follows, "In interpreting changes in the statistics in this release, note that month-to-month changes in seasonally adjusted statistics often show movements which may be irregular. It may take 3 months to establish an underlying trend for building permit authorizations, 3 months for total starts, and 5 months for total completions."

   OK, now onto a new topic, which is a response to a question from one of our readers, who has asked us for the locations of our other Social Media accounts. Since we are listed on quite a lot of them, I have listed the main ones for her (and your) convenience:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/homerunhomes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/homerunhomes
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/lease2buy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/homerunhomes
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lease2buy
Google Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/lease2buycom
FriendFeed: http://friendfeed.com/homerunhomes
Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/homerunhomes
YouTube: http://youtube.com/user/renttoownleaseoption
ITunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=373351426

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

October 18, 2010

A Salute to Our Military

Hi Folks,
   Good morning and I hope you had a great weekend! We have been blessed with some perfect fall days the past few weekends, and the weather has finally been perfect !

   Is today a National holiday? No. Is it a day to salute and give thanks to our military? Yes. Every day is a day to salute the military, and we don't need a calendar to tell us to do it !

   I come from a very patriotic family; my paternal grandfather served in World War I (and we treasure the medals he received for his service), and my maternal grandfather served as a marksman at Omaha Beach during World War II (and we equally cherish his honorable discharge papers from his service, as well). Additionally, my dad was a Marine, and both of my cousins have served numerous missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is truly a labor of love, and we salute all of the men and women in uniform.

   As always, we offer military discounts for the folks in uniform that are looking for or are offering Rent to Own Homes, and the discount is available by using the code MILDISC10 when placing an Ad, along with using their .mil E-mail address to place the Ad.

   Additionally, we are always open to working with non-profit groups, including those groups who are helping current and former members of the military. Please contact us for further details on how we can help you.

   To those of you who are in the military, have retired from the military, have family in the military, and especially to those who have a friend or relative who gave the ultimate sacrifice, we thank you a million times over.

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

October 15, 2010

Setting Goals in Real Estate Investing

Good Morning,

   I hope you've had a great week, and I hope that you have met all of your goals.

   In mentioning the word, "Goals" during our speaking appearances, we always remind audiences how important it is to set goals in anything that you do, especially in Real Estate investing. There is an entire psychological aspect behind Real Estate investing (too deep to go over in this post), and you need to assess where you stand and if you can weather the housing market "storm" before you should even list your goals and action them. Perhaps this is too abstract for this post, but always remember, we are driven by both psychology, and then by our goals. To hear me discuss this in depth, book me for your next meeting.

   Next week, we have the September numbers coming out for New Residential Construction on Tuesday (Oct 19th), and the Loan Performance Housing Price Index for August on Thursday (Oct 21st). Let's see where things are headed and let's discuss.

CONTEST TIME !

For the first 10 people who place an Ad by 11:59 PM EST Sunday Night:

We will send you a free copy of "Secrets of Rent to Own", or "Will it Work In My Town?"...it's your choice!

Where Can You place Your Ad?

Looking for a Rent to Own Home? Place Your Ad Here
Selling a Rent to Own Home? Place Your Ad Here
Selling a Rent to Own Commercial Property? Place Your Ad Here
Offering a Home Service? Place Your Ad Here

Once You Place Your Ad:

Once you place your Ad, E-mail us from the address you used to place your Ad, and let us know whether you want a copy of "Secrets of Rent to Own", or "Will it Work In My Town?".
E-mail us HERE

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



#realestate #realestateinvesting #housing #residential #renttoown
 

October 13, 2010

It's Still Rent to Own to Me

Hi Folks,
   News and trends spread fast in our global economy. One of the housing trends that has reached well beyond the borders of the U.S. has been that of "Rent to Own".

   As I often say, when I started this business in 2002, “Rent to Own” and "Lease Option” (and hybrids of the two) were alien terms. Over the 8+ years of managing the business, we have had our eye on the global markets, and we have seen some interesting developments.

   Now, the devil is in the details, but there are slight variations of Rent to Own all around the globe. For example, Australia uses the terms "rent to buy" and "vendor finance", and the UK and Ireland use "buy to let" (as well as lease option).

   Do you know what the two largest markets for Rent to Own are outside of the U.S.? It's Canada, and also, the Philippines. I bet you didn't guess that? Yes, often, this blows people away. In addition, the Philippines actually refer to it as "Rent to Own", as do our neighbors to the north. The Canadian market also uses some other variations, such as Vendor Take Back, or "VTB". Some other countries that use Rent to own or variations of it, include New Zealand and some of the Caribbean Islands .

   However, to find variations, we don't have to look far. While Chicago, the major cities in Florida, and North Carolina are some of the places that use the term, "Rent to Own", other places such as Atlanta and Phoenix use, "Lease Purchase" (varies in definition, but extremely similar).

   Please don't take this as the musings of a Real Estate Blogger, but as a primer for your entry into multiple national and international markets outside of your regular niche focus. Perhaps you could even consider it a small education on the real estate naming conventions across our big blue marble that we call Earth.

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

October 11, 2010

Revisiting the Rent vs. Buy Debate

Hi All,
   Happy Columbus Day to you. For those of you who have the day off, congratulations. For those of us working, well, we have to work today!

   Back in June, we covered the much-debated topic of "Rent vs. Buy", and Trulia has released their Rent vs. Buy Index. As Blake Ellis, a staff reporter with CNN Money notes in his article, "Where to buy and where to rent", Trulia is using the following rule to make the Rent vs. Buy determination: If the home price is 15 times higher than the annual rent for a similar property, it is better to rent.

In terms of which cities were mentioned, Ellis cites Trulia's index as follows:

Where to Buy a Home:
Miami, Detroit, Jacksonville, Arlington, Columbus (OH), and Nashville

Where to Rent a Home:
New York, Seattle, Fort Worth, Omaha, Kansas City, and San Diego.

   How do you think Rent to Own fits into the picture? The funny thing is that it could apply to any of these cities, since it is often situation-specific instead of market-specific. Do you Agree? Disagree? Please let us know.

   Do you have any additional recommendations for any other cities not mentioned here? Let us know, as there might be an buyer, renter, realtor, or investor reading this, and we all like to share and help each other.

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

October 8, 2010

Valuable Real Estate and Construction Industry Associations

Hi Folks,
   Friday has come upon us quite fast this week. The sun is shining and it's cool out. Fall is here. Hooray !

   Today, I'd like to discuss the mortar that holds the Real Estate and Construction industries together, and that would be the industry associations. These groups and organizations allow the professionals from all sectors and niches of the Real Estate and Construction industry to mingle amongst each other in order to create better opportunities that drive the housing market.

   The first one that I would like to mention is the Building Trades Association (BTA), which is, as they describe on their website, "made up of thousands of companies involved in all phases of the building and construction industries". Additionally, they have an invaluable Contractor Directory, which can prove as vital to anyone in our industry. They charge a nominal fee for full access to their services and registration.

   Jessie Sidhu, a multi family investor and Real Estate Broker, names the Apartment Association as a very valuable resource, stating that, "They keep you informed of all latest rules, regulations, laws (local, state & federal) pertaining to landlords and renters", as well as, "provide insights into the industry/current trends along with local vendor resources and more".

   Raj Persaud, a Sales Agent and Business Development Manager for Manhattist Inc, cites the National Real Estate Investors Association (NREIA), Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), as his most valuable industry associations.

   Persaud says that the NREIA is a, "very sophisticated association but you can tell that they do very real work which has very practical implications for the industry", and that he thinks that, "they are the most future-forward in fore-seeing approaching challenges and mobilizing investors and professionals to address them".

   For the MLS, Persaud says that, "to just be a part of this service is incredibly convenient and instantly enhances your company to marketing 2.0. They make a search for any property in NYC with open listings very easy and at your fingertips". In discussing the REBNY, Persaud says that is serves as the, "real backbone to the property market here in NYC. Their unity of professionals brings real hope to the industry and they are always promoting better standards, including energy efficiency in buildings across the state. This is the kind of force we all need".

   Have we missed any associations that are valuable to you? Please comment and let us know.

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

October 6, 2010

5 Steps to Achieving Your Real Estate Investing Goals

Hi All,

   Hope you're having a great week, thus far.

   Today's Blog post will be "short and sweet, and something you can re-tweet". Well, sorry about that rhyme, but this post will be looked at in one of two ways, depending on the reader...as an informative post, or as something you may look at as common knowledge.

5 Steps to Achieving Your Real Estate Investing Goals

1. Know Your Niche: If you're focusing on a neighborhood or a town, know everything about it. Population, cancer rates, taxes for homes and business, etc. The more you know, the more you will use during negotiations.

2. Contractors are Your friends: The contractors, landscapers, and all other Home Service Professionals (HSPs) can be valuable, since they also know their niche, and you can use their services for renovations and/or upkeep, as well as feed off their knowledge of the area, as well.

3. Reading is Fundamental: Read everything on real estate investing that you can find. You can never learn "too much". It all comes into play during research, negotiations, and making offers. Suggested reading: The E-Book titled, "Will it Work in My Town?" , and the E-Book titled, "Secrets of Rent to Own", and many others from other reputable companies.

4. Partner Up: Make friends with your local Realtors. They always have their finger on the pulse of the local market, since it is their livelihood. They can be invaluable members on your Real Estate Investing "SWAT" team.

5. Attend and Make a Friend: Make sure you check with your local real estate investing club or REIA about the time and date of their next meeting. Once there, you can listen to the speakers (you might even hear ME speaking there ), and make friends with other investors, Realtors, and HSPs in your niche area.

CONTEST:

Here is a contest to help you along, but it will end this Friday (10/8) at 5PM EST:

If you purchase a copy of the E-Book, "Will it Work in My Town?"...you will also receive a FREE copy of the E-Book, "Secrets of Rent to Own".

If you purchase a copy of the E-Book, "Secrets of Rent to Own"...you will also receive a FREE copy of the E-Book, "Will it Work in My Town?".

Once you buy either of these E-Books, then all you need to do is E-mail homebuyer@lease2buy.com with the E-mail address you used to buy the book, and you will receive a copy of the other E-Book by return reply.

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

October 4, 2010

Homes Sales Up, and Addressing a Reader Question

Hi Folks,
   Hope you had a nice fall weekend.

   Hot off the Press: The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just released the latest data showing that "Home Sales are Up". Per the Realtor.org website, the Pending Home Sales Index rose 4.3 percent from July, "but is 20.1 percent below August 2009".

   Now, just to make you aware of what this really means; The data reflects the sales contracts (not the physical closings), so the buyer(s) still need to be approved for financing, however, that is a different index.

   Look, many moons ago when I was in the stock market, there was a saying that, "The Trend is Your Friend". I'm sticking by that!

   A few of our readers who have Ads on our site have asked how they can upgrade their Ad(s) to the top of the page ("TOP SPOT"). For example, if you have a home listed on the Florida Rent to Own Homes page, it is listed alphabetically by city. If you want the Ad to also appear on the top of the page in it's own box with extra images and space, you can log into your Control Panel (http://www.lease2buy.com/login.php), click "View Ads", and then you can select the Upgrade/Feature option.

   For those of you who like to "Go Big" from the start, you can skip all of that and create your Ad and upgrade it to the top of the state page ("TOP SPOT") via these links:

If you are Looking for a Rent to Own Home, create your "TOP SPOT" Ad here: http://www.lease2buy.com/top_homeswanted.php

If you are Selling a Rent to Own Home, create your "TOP SPOT" Ad here: http://www.lease2buy.com/top_homesavailable.php

   Please remember that due to the size of the upgraded Ad, we can only offer one per state page (so it is extremely limited, as you can imagine).

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

October 1, 2010

Steps to Acquiring a Loan

Hi Everyone,
   It's October...'nuff Said ! Since I am a Halloween baby, it's my birthday month (please don't ask my age!).

   Not Long ago, we were quoted in an article on the new "Currency" site from American Express, titled, "3 Steps to Getting a Loan", and the article could serve as useful to any of our readers that are interested in procuring a loan.

   The author, Christina Couch, summarizes the 3 steps as, "Stimulate Your Score", "Steady Your Finances", and "Readjust Your Debt Ratio".

Under the "Readjust Your Debt Ratio" step, Couch writes:
"...if you still can't get a traditional loan, you're not out of options. There are other financing opportunities to investigate, like renting with the option to buy. 'Deals like that typically last for 12 to 36 months and require tenants to pay a non-refundable option fee instead of a down payment—and usually, that fee is a lot cheaper,' says Robert Eisenstein, president of HomeRun Homes, a real-estate firm in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.'There are a lot of creative ways to buy, and a lot of very specific mortgage programs out there, if you don't qualify for traditional loan products,' Eisenstein says. 'You just have to do a little homework.'"

   Head on over to the new American Express "Currency" Site to have a look around at some really great articles (as well as the one mentioned above).

   Next Week (Monday 10/4), the Pending Home Sales Index will be released. These are key figures, so let's monitor them together.

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

September 29, 2010

Rent to Own Indicator and Our Public Speaking Promo Video

Hi All,
   Happy Wednesday to all of you. I have to say that I was so amazed with the reported increase in housing prices, that I Tweeted, "Home Prices Up 5 Months in a Row...Really? Anyone want to help establish a "Rent to Own" Indicator?"

After Tweeting this, I realized a few things that I need to clarify:
1) Not everyone is on Twitter. If you are, you can follow @homerunhomes, and
2) Please don't mistake the Tweet from yesterday as a sarcastic one.

    I would really like to see a Rent to Own/Lease Option indicator (inventory based ?). The only problem that I see outside of actually compiling such an indicator is that it might involve some Government entities a little bit more that what is actually required. What are your thoughts on this? I'm sure there are some strong opinions about this.

   OK, so as the second half of the title suggests ("Public Speaking Promo Video"), we have recorded our Public Speaking intro video right here in the office. Our original announcement about Public Speaking appearances (on Real Estate Investing, Rent to Own Homes, Motivational Techniques, and Business Tips that I have learned along the way while growing the business), can be seen in this Blog Post: http://blogging.lease2buy.com/2010/09/public-speaking-on-rent-to-own-finally.html

   Since the video is quite large, it has been uploaded to YouTube, and can be viewed at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sMr5BY09Pc

   In the next few days, it will also be available on our Public Speaking Page at http://www.lease2buy.com/speak.php



Thank for reading.
Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent to Owning !!!

September 27, 2010

Homes For Under $800/Month? Bargains Are Everywhere !

Hi Everyone,
   Hope you had a nice weekend, and if you're a football fan, I hope your team won (as long as it wasn't against my team !).

   I cannot believe that I read this, but I came across a list of some of the top cities in the country, in which you can purchase a median-priced home (assuming a 20% down-payment) for under $800. Once again, I really cannot believe it!

   Luke Mullins of U.S.News, wrote an article titled, "Where to Buy a Home for Less Than $800 a Month", and I read the article on Yahoo Real Estate. The lowest priced city on the list was Atlanta, which assumes a $123,000 median-priced home, with, "a 20 percent down payment--or $24,600--monthly payments for mortgage principal and interest", or $488 per month. Is that amazing? The only issue would be the 20% down-payment for a lot of folks, nowadays. It would be interesting to re-work the numbers with a 10% down payment, but this would probably alter other factors in the calculations and type(s) of applicable mortgages.

   The next cities listed after Atlanta are Pittsburgh, Boise, Columbia (South Carolina), and Phoenix, all of which clock in at under $600/month, using the same calculation methods. Rounding out the Top 10 are Austin, Sarasota, Albuquerque, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Columbus (Ohio).

   I would be interested in seeing what some of the Eastern Seaboard cities (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington) would come in with for an average monthly payment. In addition, I would also be curious about the major cities in California. These locations would more than likely be above the others (substantially) due to the higher property prices, but however, it would be interesting to see it and compare it to what the figures were perhaps 2-3 years ago.

   If anyone of our financial/technical readers can re-work these numbers, please feel free to post them as a comment to this post.

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

September 24, 2010

What Can Go Wrong With Rent to Own ?

Hi Folks,
   It's Friday ! Hope your week has been phenomenal.

   As our title suggests, today we will be looking at some issues that may arise when doing a Rent to Own Transaction, as well as a few solutions to help you out.

   A common problem in this economy is the steady decrease in home prices. This represents an overall problem for the market in general, but it has a specific effect on a Rent to Own deal. For example, Aaron Galvin, Managing Broker of Luxury Living Chicago, says that if a tenant has been renting a private condo or a home for the last year with a specific purchase price which was established at the beginning of the lease term, a decrease in property value will impact the decision of the tenant to buy the property. If the tenant was ready to buy the home, he obviously does not want to overpay.

   Galvin proposes the following solution; "Do not establish a purchase price when signing a lease. Instead, a tenant should disclose their desire to ultimately purchase the property at the end of the lease term and negotiate a percentage of rent back toward the final purchase price.", so, in other words, "No dollar amount should be set until the value of a home is determined at purchase time." This would, of course, be in writing, and agreed to by both parties.

   Gary Parkes, a Mortgage Lender with Acopia Home Loans, suggests some additional solutions, including a few proactive ones. Parkes says that using a realtor, and "having them thoroughly research the comparable properties will help minimize the likelihood of that happening.", however, if this advanced planning does not work and the "house appraises for lower than the agreed price you have a few possible solutions that can resolve this issue."

   Parkes says that, "in a majority of cases the seller will ask for a copy of the appraisal to review and will lower the agreed upon sales price to match the appraisal.", however, if the seller is, "unable or unwilling to do that, the next option would be to meet half way or pay the whole difference." He reminds us that you can decide to pay more that the appraised value, but, "the lender will base how much they lend you on the lower of the sales price or appraised value.". Fortunately, he points out that a situation like this typically is resolved and the purchase does occur.

   Another potential issue is due to potential human interactions, or "PHI", as I like to call it. Shuki Haiminis, President of Lofts.com, has presented an example of this type of issue. Haiminis brought a couple to see a loft development, which they loved so much, that instead of just renting it, they want to do a Rent to Own transaction. The developer hesitantly agreed, but the couple assured him that, "there was no way that they would not be buying the unit."

   Ultimately, the process went forward, and the developer, "put his own money and labor into customizing the space for them with their specific requests.", and Haiminis says that, "While he would probably have made some of the changes, in solely a rental deal he definitely would not have put in as much as he did."

   What was the end result? A Negative PHI...the couple split up! So, "not only did they not buy the Loft but they had to terminate the rental lease as well." Haiminis said that the developer, "should have required a small down payment maybe equal to one months rent to show good faith." This is a good point. Builders/Developers - pay attention to that one !

   Some other things that can happen along the way are issues with the down payment funds and with income statements, and Parkes, who experiences things from the buying aspect daily, and has examined each of these for us.

   Down Payment Money: Parkes says that, "Many people do not realize that they will have to explain where any non-payroll deposits came from and many people do not like having to answer these questions for privacy reasons". Lenders often look over the previous 2 months of bank statements, and they will need to know where the money came from. Parkes suggests that you, "have an account with the money sitting there already for 2 months.", so that you do not need to, "source all your deposits", and that, "Even if you are receiving a gift for a down payment, these same factors can be applied to the gift giver."

   Income: Parkes warns that if you are considering buying a home within the next few years, you need to, "be careful in the amount of write-offs you take on your tax returns", since, "Lenders use the tax returns to determine income in our current lending environment-even for those salaried borrowers such as teachers, non-commissioned employees, etc.". Additionally, he says that, "Yes, you will have to pay more in taxes but it will help you qualify for a loan. It is a tough pill to swallow, but by planning ahead you can prepare", since, "A lender will generally look at the previous two year tax returns in determining income."

   Ultimately, there are pros and cons with any type of real estate transaction. The pros of Rent to Own are being able to try a home before buying it, and being able to get into a home you might not normally be able to under your current circumstances. For a seller, being open to Rent to Own gives you an extra tool to help sell your home, and to have a serious tenant who could potentially own the home and will treat it as if it is already their own home.

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

September 22, 2010

Misuse of Tax Funds During Lean Times

Hi Everyone,
   Hope your week is going well. I have a few miscellaneous topics that I would like to touch on today.

   I'd first like to rant about the silly misuse of tax funds during lean times. In Central Long Island, we have many double-yellow two-way roads that weave through multiple different communities. The problem is that the traffic always tends to back up due to the growing population, coupled with the fact that it is only one-lane Eastbound and one-lane Westbound.

   Now, fortunately, towards the end of last year, they began a project which we believed would be to widen the road (2 lanes Eastbound/2 lanes Westbound). They reclaimed property from the sides of the road, cut down trees, and tied up traffic even further with this project. However, after a few punctured tires and ruined front-ends on our cars, we stuck it out, assuming that we will all be in a much better place with that extra lane.

   Pay Attention - here is the kicker; They are putting an island in the middle of the road to separate it ! Almost one year of work just for an island? OK, in all fairness, I think that there will be a left turning lane carved into the island, but was that really worth the effort and the capital expenditure?

   Now that my rant is over, we received an interesting suggestion that we are considering, and it was from a Real Estate Agent that said we should let Agents put their picture on their Realtor/Home Services Ad. This is a very good point, and it is something that we will discuss with our developer. Please keep the suggestions coming in...it is our way of making sure you are happy

   As for the Public Speaking Appearances, we are currently in talks with 2 different East Coast REIAs, a West Coast Real Estate Investing Group, A Real Estate Wealth Investing EXPO, a Canadian Real Estate Convention, and a few other parties. Some of the topics that will be discussed at these events (by yours, truly), are Rent to Own Homes, Real Estate Investing, analysis of deals, marketing yourself, finding deals, staying motivated, and staying focused. Please make sure you reserve me for your next event, since it appears that I will be quite busy the next few months with these venues.

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

September 20, 2010

4 Years Until a Housing Bottom ?

Hi Folks,
   I hope you had a great weekend, and welcome back. I'd like to thank all of our contest winners from Friday, and be sure to watch for new contests coming up very soon.

   "The Case for a Housing Bottom in 2013-14" - does that stun you? How about the following analysis; "Bubbles tend to rise and fall in symmetry, meaning that a bubble that took seven years to reach its apex typically takes about the same period to time to retrace to its starting point.". These are just a few of the points mentioned in an article on DailyFinance.com by Charles Hugh Smith. The article is worth a read, and for those who own multiple properties, take something for your stomach acid before reading the article.

   On a similar note, there are some important housing numbers being released this week:

   Tue 9/21 - Loan Performance Housing Price Index (MORE INFO HERE)
   Tue 9/21 - New Residential Construction (MORE INFO HERE)
   Wed 9/22 - FHFA House Price Index (MORE INFO HERE)
   Thu 9/23 - NAR Existing Home Sales (MORE INFO HERE)
   Fri 9/24 - New Residential Sales (MORE INFO HERE)

   It's worth it to take a look at these numbers as they come out. There are a million theories out there regarding the economy and the housing market. Is the sky falling? Well, for a lot of folks, it already has.

   I like to look at it as follows: The "Chicken Little" is someone who runs around claiming that the sky will fall, the "Optimist" is one who has the intestinal fortitude and cash reserves to stay the course and stay positive. The remainder are those who have lost their jobs and their homes. It is a sad mix, with a disproportionate amount of people falling into the remainder category.

   You know what? We are a strong country that has been through many hardships before. With a little optimism in the darkest days, the days of prosperity will return...they just have to. Everyone knows this. The questions is..."WHEN?".

Stay Strong !

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

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 !!