Brainionare: 2011

Friday, May 27, 2011

Houston's Luxury Home Market Safe at Bargain Prices!

You Deserve The Best!

Luxury Estates For Sale or Lease

Houston's real estate market is back on the move. NOW is a great time to invest in a Luxury Home. I was just on the phone with a Sales Associate affiliated with one of Houston's premier mid price point home builder. We were discussing one of my client's that had chosen to upgrade his home purchase. The associate re-iterated the same information that another builder had informed me. His message to me was, "HOME PRICES IN HOUSTON ARE ON THE RISE!!" Now is a very good time to purchase a home in Houston. Houston is currently in the process of a tremendous BOOM!!

Take a look at this recent Bloomberg article. Here's a quote from the article;

"International real estate investors are falling in love with Houston, a fast-expanding energy hub that’s luring buyers from Toronto to Houston is Booming! seeking properties with lower costs and higher returns than buildings in the priciest U.S. cities."

I moved to Houston in 1985. It was during a different type of real estate crash/corrective cycle. I transfered to Texas with the South Texas Nuclear Facility. I was working for Byron Station #6 at the time, and was offered a job training computer operators for So. Texas Security Systems. My original intentions for moving to Houston were;

Moving from the COLD Illinois winters, I loved the year round Houston climate.
During 1985 I felt that Houston would be one of the first cities to recover from the crash.
I planned to live in Houston maybe 5 to 7 years then, move on to Phoenix or Vegas.

Now looking back, I've really enjoyed living in Houston. I've also enjoyed the last 13 years in the real estate industry. I've sent 3 children to college including one Ivy League.

This is the Best Time To Buy or Lease Luxury Homes In Houston and it's surrounding areas!! You'll be glad you did!

In this blog entry I'm posting what I consider several great reasons for moving to Houston along with several astounding luxury leases.

If one is wealthy and looking for an exclusive safe haven then, Houston's and it's surrounding suburbs are Utopia. And what's better, all the homework has been done for you. Houston's diversity requires a vast array of skilled attorneys, accountants and real estate practioners. So, no matter who you are, someone here can quickly help simplify your transition.

Real estate is cyclical and there is a direct correlation between residential and commercial real estate. Houston's commercial market is out performing much of the nation. Also, Houston's job creation rate is out performing the rest of the nation 2 to 1. Once again, Houston is poised to recover from the economic downturn way ahead of the rest of the nation. In my opinion.

Why is Houston a great place for the wealthy to consider? Remember, earlier I said that all the homework has been done. Jerry Moore is one example of an individual who did his homework. He made wheel barrels full of money riding the wave of the last Houston real estate correction cycle. He used to drop by and talk to one of my old bosses trying to convince him to invest in Houston real estate.

Here's a few research articles:
Houston is America's Fastest Growing Millionare City!
Houston has world renown medical facilities.
Many in the medical field or needing medical care move to Houston.
For example where did they move Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)? Houston?
Goldman Sachs thinks Houston is a good choice.
Citgo Headquarters moving to Houston?
Obama may be going to Ireland but, the Irish is moving to Houston.
Wealthy Mexicans find refuge in Houston. Many prefer The Woodlands.
Logistics Firm with over ONE CENTURY in business moves to Houston.
Is Texas Ready for the Millions Moving to it?
Houston Has Recovered 73% of the Jobs Loss during Recession!
Caterpiller expanding in Texas?
$41 Billion Plus Foreign Investors Buying in U.S. Group Tours in Houston.

You Deserve It! You can afford it! Especially at These Tremendous Prices!
Call Now! Let's Talk!
832-703-2411

Houston has the best entertainment and museum district. Houston's art and museum district is second only to that of New York. There's aways something exciting going on in the Bayou City. I had so much fun with my family going to the rodeo's, the games, the Water Worlds. Who remembers Fame City....lol. We enjoyed plays, museums, concerts and so on. There's aways something FUN Going on in Houston. Then there's all the spectacular Lake Front Communities.

Move To Houston! Click Here! Call or Email Today! Dick Green Triad Realty Services 936-441-8539
All prices and lease amounts are subject to change. Give me a call and I'll be glad to verify posted information. Talk to you soon!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Seller Financing Opportunities

Since the mortgage meltdown sellers have decided to take matters into their own hands. Everytime I look on the MLS I see more owner financing properties on the market. The basic premise of the industry is that people will always need to buy and sell real estate. But, as a buyer one must remember the old saying, "Buyers Beware", still holds true.

Remember, take caution purchasing from sellers when using less than orthodox, traditional lending methods. Don't be vamboozled. When purchasing from a seller one should insure any existing liens or emcuberances are either satisfied or agreeable with one's transaction. Don't cut corners, trust in chance, or assume that all participants to the transaction have your best interest at heart. I hear so many horror stories where trusting buyers have been swindled out of thousands of dollars attempting to purchase homes from less than honest individuals.

A few things that I would question in seller financing transactions are:

Who owns the home? Are all parties represented and/or aware of the proposed transaction?
Is the home free and clear? If not, non-approval assumptions were done away with by Pres. Reagan.
Are you being represented by a realtor or attorney? Why or Why not?
Is the closing taking place at a title company? Why or Why not?
Are the terms of lending commensurate with available loan programs?

These are just of fewof the many questions I would ask. There's also the value and condition of the home itself. Currently, there's alot of great 'Owner Financing', real estate deals on the market. Make sure to exercise due diligence and seek the advice of skilled professionals.

"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established." Proverbs 15:22

For a List of Owner Financed Homes in the Houston, Texas Area CLICK HERE!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining - BusinessWeek

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_20/b4228031594062.htm
Sent from my LG phone

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Fannie Mae brings back REO buyer incentives | Inman News

http://www.inman.com/news/2011/04/12/fannie-mae-brings-back-reo-buyer-incentives
Sent from my LG phone

Friday, March 25, 2011

Superstar Interviews | Real Estate Insider News

http://realestateinsidernews.com/tag/superstar-interviews/

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Real Estate High Road!

Top 15 Ways to Build Your Subscriber List
Email marketing can be profitable for any business, no matter what kind of product or service you offer. It is significantly cheaper than other advertising methods and, if done right, helps build loyalty and trust with customers. As a result, you generate more sales and more profits!

The foundation for successful email marketing is a targeted, permission-based email list. Marketers call contact lists their 'goldmine' because it can generate much of their sales revenue. If you've built up a list of opt-in subscribers that are qualified and interested in what you have to offer, then you've completed the first step and are on your way. Now it's time to 'mine' for gold!

Below you'll find several list-building and retention ideas that will help you get the best results from all your email marketing activities:

Provide useful, relevant content. Your visitors will not give you their email addresses just because they can subscribe to your newsletter free of charge. You have to provide unique and valuable information that will be of interest or use to them.

Add a subscription form to every page on your website. Make sure it stands out so it is easy to find. If it doesn't look cluttered, you may want to include more than one on some pages. For instance, if your opt-in form always appears in the top-left corner of your site, you may want to add one at the end of your most popular articles.

Add subscription forms to your social media pages. Make sure that you don't waste this valuable source of revenue opportunities. Integrate your sign-up forms with Facebook and more!

Make it easy for readers to sign up. The more information you request, the fewer people will opt-in. In most cases, a name and an email address should suffice. If it's not necessary, don't include it here. You can always survey them once they're customers! We do recommend that you provide a link to your Privacy Policy however.

Publish a Privacy Policy. Let your readers know that they can be confident you will not share their information with others. The easiest way to do this is to set up a Privacy Policy web page and provide the link to it below your opt-in form. (Note: If you don't have one, put the words 'privacy policy generator' into a search engine and you should be able to find a suitable form to use.)

Provide samples of your newsletters and Ezines. This lets potential subscribers review your materials before they sign up to determine if it's something they'd be interested in.

Archive past newsletters and articles. An online library of past newsletters and articles is both appealing and useful to visitors and builds your credibility as an authority. In addition, if your articles are written with good SEO techniques in mind, they can increase traffic to your website through enhanced search engine positioning.

Give gifts subscribers can actually use. Offer an opt-in bonus for joining your subscriber list! Write an ebook or provide a PDF business report, or even hire a programmer to create downloadable or web-based software. But don't limit yourself to offering gifts to opt-ins. Give them out when your readers fill out a survey, provide a testimonial, success story, or a great product idea. Let them know when they can expect the next gift offer. Everyone likes to get something for free! And if you pass out 'goodies' throughout the year, your subscribers will feel truly appreciated − and that's good for business!

Ask your subscribers to pass it on. Word of mouth is a powerful viral technique that works great with email marketing. If your subscribers find your content interesting, amusing or informative, they'll probably share it with their friends. This can be a great source of new customers, so make sure to remind them to 'pass it on'.

Let others reprint your newsletter as long as the content is not modified. If you're happy to share your content with the universe, then why not! Many webmasters and newsletter publishers are actively looking for high-quality content and, if they reprint your newsletter, you'll get new subscribers, and more traffic and links pointing to your site.

Include a 'Sign Up' button in your newsletter. If you're using plain text instead of HTML, be sure to provide a text link to your subscription page. You may feel that this is not required because the subscriber is already on your list, but remember that readers will forward your newsletters to others, or reprint them online. Make it easy for them to subscribe!

Add a squeeze page. A squeeze page has one goal − to acquire opt-ins and build your list. Think of it as a mini-sales letter to go along with your subscription or opt-in gift. It should feature a strong headline and a couple of powerful benefits that should make subscribers salivate to sign up! Once created, use a service such as WordTracker to find hundreds of targeted keywords, and promote your offer using pay-per-click advertising from Google, MSN and Yahoo. Now that should make a splash!

Include testimonials on your squeeze page. This is crucial. Put one or two strong testimonials from satisfied customers on your squeeze page. This can be in any format, but you may find that multimedia (audio or video) is more 'believable' and inspires more people to action. To further enhance believability, get permission to use actual customer names, locations and/or urls (Don't use 'Bob K, FL'). Add a note inviting others to participate. After all, it's free publicity!

Blog religiously. Blogging is a great way to communicate with prospects and potential customers, and creates a nice synergy with your email marketing. Be sure to include your newsletter sign-up form on each page of your blog. You can start a free blog at Blogger or WordPress.

Post on other blogs. Post thoughtful comments and information on similar blogs with a link to your squeeze or opt-in pages. Also comment on others' blogs through trackbacks. In most cases, your comments will be posted on their blogs with a link back to your site. This is an easy way to generate new traffic and subscribers, and get your brand out there!