If you’re a non traditional student that wants to change careers or if you have been a stay at home parent for years and you’re now ready to get back into the workforce getting a real estate college degree might be exactly what you need to get started in a new career in real estate. There are real estate training seminars and mini courses that you can attend to learn about real estate but in order to become a real expert in real estate you should get a specialized real estate college degree. If you don’t have a lot of experience in the real estate field or if you have been out of the workforce for many years then getting a real estate college degree tells potential employers that you are serious about wanting to have a successful career in real estate. Sometimes having a real estate college degree can make up for a lack of experience because the real estate college degree will give you a lot of knowledge and insight into the world of real estate. If you don’t have a lot of experience in real estate then getting a real estate college degree can help you learn all the intricacies of the real estate business. Once you have a real estate degree you can even open your own real estate office and work for yourself. Real estate is one of those industries that there will always be a high demand for because people will always need to find somewhere to live. Getting a real estate college degree will teach you how to deal with buyers and sellers as well the laws regarding real estate sales.
Real estate can be a great career for people who like to work independently and are good at sales. If you are looking for a part time job that has a high commission payout then real estate is the job for you. Getting a real estate college degree is really an investment in your real estate career because it will help you achieve more and go further within the industry. If you are already working in real estate then you have probably realized that having a real estate degree is a great way to set yourself apart from the thousands of other real estate agents. Experience is great but education is also important to even if you have experience in real estate you can benefit from getting a real estate college degree. If you want to someday branch out into another area of real estate then having a real estate degree is very important because when you move into an area of real estate that you don’t have a lot of experience in having some education in that field is a big bonus and might be the only thing that gets you a job in that area of real estate. Getting a real estate college degree online is a great way to network with other real estate agents and increase your knowledge of real estate while you also improve your resume and increase your potential to have a high powered career in real estate.
Archive for December, 2008
Want to Start a Career in Real Estate? Get a Real Estate College Degree
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008Retire Young With Real Estate
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008There is no one in the world that wants to work a day longer than he has to. But with economic instability leaving many of us worrying about how our future and retirement will be paid for, it is ever more tempting to invest in something concrete and allow ourselves to retire young with real estate investments.
There are two main ways of making money from real estate. The first is to buy older and dilapidated properties at prices below the market value, then renovate them and sell them on at a profit. Property development can offer significant returns in the short term, and allow you to enjoy a higher standard of living, although it may initially require a lot of work and there may be a lot to learn.
The other method of earning money from real estate is to buy properties and then let them out to people and become a landlord. Provided you are able to get tenancy agreements that allow you to make a profit on any mortgage payments you have on the property that you rent out, you can buy a portfolio of real estate that will pay for itself while also providing you with a salary.
Over time, as your investments mature, rising property values along with the fact that your mortgages will be paid off by the rental income mean that when you are ready to retire, you can either sell off your entire portfolio for a lump sum to live on, or you can continue to receive the income from your tenants in lieu of a salary from a job, while allowing you to enjoy your retirement earlier than you thought possible, and in style – driving your Bentely to the Country Club for lunch and going on vacations four times a year (irst calls of course).
Useless Real Estate Middle Men and How to Avoid Them!
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008How do HomeGain, Realtor.com, Service Magic and other companies like this make money? These companies are called lead generation companies. They spend vast amounts of money advertising on TV, the Internet, radio, and in print so that you’ll go to their website to find information about real estate. When you click on a property and request information the company then either sells the lead at a fee ranging from $20-$50 for an unqualified lead or up to a 35% referral fee for leads that are more valuable.
What does the company do for the fee charged? The answer might be pretty surprising. They don’t do anything, but forward the lead to a service provider. Yep, that’s right. You can search the MLS on any number of free websites so the website they provide is little more than a mechanism to get your information. Some people think agents, contractors, or other service providers are overpaid for what they do. Take a look at these companies and ask yourself if forwarding an email is worth $1500 (That’s the commission split they would receive on the sale of a $150,000 home.).
Who pays the fees that these companies charge? For the most part, the Realtor, mortgage broker or other service provider pays for these leads. The laws of business provide that you can’t get something for nothing. This is very true. So by adding no value to the transaction and taking up to 35% of the payment for service, the middle-man is taking value from both the consumer and the service provider.
Why is this bad for consumers? In real estate like many other service industries, the best Realtors obtain their business through referrals. The weaker, newer, less experienced agents typically buy leads from sources such as these. The next time you visit a site like these lead generators, think twice about giving them your information and go directly to the source. You’ll cut out the middle-man and get a better agent for your hard earned dollar.
Dominate Your Real Estate Area
Friday, December 12th, 2008Real estate area professionals all over the country have dominated their local markets by understanding, mastering and investing in a real estate area as little as a square mile. No city in the country is too small for you to establish a set real estate area, implement these techniques and dominate the local market. Make yourself known as the go to real estate area professional with a system of effective techniques:
Place a real estate ad in a local newspaper that is heavily distributed in your real estate area stating that you buy foreclosure properties. A well written “We buy foreclosure properties” ad will attract several calls per week from motivated owners in your real estate area that need to sell quickly. These owners have recently discovered that they need to get out, and you will find many of the best real estate area investment foreclosure properties come unsolicited through these types of “feeler” ads.
Partner with a Real Estate Agent who works and thuroughly understands your real estate area to find investment real estate foreclosure properties. Dozens of real estate area agents are searching for a strong motivated buyer like you who is willing and able to close the deal. Getting a professional and knowledgeable realtor on your side who know the real estate area is a strong method that costs you absolutely nothing. Give them the specific criteria about the type of foreclosure properties you are looking for in a defined real estate area and send them searching.
Direct Mail is one of the strongest ways to access the undervalued foreclosure properties in the real estate area. You can talk directly to the owner who is still in the pre-foreclosure stage and negotiate a nice discounted price on the property. There will be fewer investors focused so intensely on your real estate area. Direct mail postcards that are sent out to your real estate area on a regular basis lets Owners know that you are sticking around and care about the real estate area you invest in.
Word of mouth is a technique that all the good investors use to become famous in their own real estate area. Let it be known to everyone you come in contact with that you are a real estate investor who specializes in buying foreclosure properties in your real estate area. You should make some business cards as well that say “I buy foreclosure properties” and hand them out to everyone you know in the real estate area. You will be amazed what this will do for you.
There are so many excellent ways to dominate your real estate area and keep the right kind of foreclosure properties coming to you for months and years to come. The idea is to work smart, not hard, don’t be shy and to let the tools that are made available work for you. Define your real estate area and try a few methods of finding foreclosure properties until you find the best one that works for you.