Deals to Get Excited About! 8/25/2008

Here are this week’s SMOKIN deals that deserve this kind of attention! What are you waiting for? The invitation isn't in the mail, it's up to you to make the move! Renters, WHAT ARE YOU DOING throwing your money away every month? How would you like to increase your monthly cash flow while also investing in your future by purchasing a home for you and your family? You can own for less than you can rent RIGHT NOW! Without further delay, let's get to the deals of the week!

Murrieta Fixer with HUGE Potential!
This three bedroom two and a half bathroom home has lots to offer! Most notably though is the price! This home is only $117.00 per sqft.! That is an amazing price for Murrieta living!

This home was foreclosed on in the middle of a remodel so a lot of the work is done for you! This home presents an enviable value that is sure to make the neighbors talk! Act fast because this is one of the lowest priced, best value opportunities in Murrieta! Sure not to last. Can you imagine, owning a home in Murrieta California for less than $1,000.00 a month? I can, thanks to this little beauty! Your monthly obligation would be less than $900.00 a month plus taxes and insurance! Get moving and stop paying your landlords mortgage! First time buyers, you may be eligible to put only 3% down! That’s less than $5,000.00 down! Don't wait, call today!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME! A HOME YOU CAN BUY ON A CREDIT CARD? That's a DEAL!

This home is arguably the best deal in years! This home is on the market for less than it sold for in 1994! Recently remodeled bungalow in Lake Elsinore, this home is the ideal bachelor pad or first time homebuyer deal. This is officially my "Deal of the Week" and probably could be my deal of the year!

This home is located on a quiet street in Lake Elsinore, minutes from the lake and is situated on a corner lot that is almost a quarter of an acre! That is huge! RV parking and plenty of room for your toys! If this home isn't enough to get you excited then I don't know what is! Total monthly overhead on this home is only about $352.00 per month plus taxes and insurance! Seriously, 352.00 per month! That is less than you can rent a room for! Call today to see it so that you can believe it!

Another Bungalow Gem! At an Astounding Price!
This home is the professional commuters dream! Equal distance to Los Angeles and San Diego, and less than an hour from Orange County. The money you spend on gas will more than be made up in the lack of mortgage payment! This home needs little work, but can easily be called home as is! This price of this home is amazing when compared to the size and functionality. Features include a gated yard, covered patio, chair rails in the "office"/third bedroom and more!

With a low payment of $436.00 per month plus taxes and insurance, this home screams "Buy ME!". So what are you waiting for? Tell me where in beautiful Southern California can you live in a 3 bedroom home for less than your car payment? Absolutely amazing! Low 3% down payment may be available for qualifying individuals, but even if you had to put more down, with this low price I doubt it would break the bank! Call today and let's get started!

Deals to Get Excited About! 8/18/2008

Here are this weeks deals to get excited about! Don't wait, if you are in the market you can't afford to pass up these deals! Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Wildomar, and Canyon Lake real estate sales specialist. Repos, Approved Short Sales, and desperate sellers that need to sell yesterday! Truly a buyers market, and truly your opportunity! Millionaires will be made in this down cycle, will you be one of them? Contact me today for your opportunity to work with the best in the business and to view my private collection of deals in Riverside County!

Lake Elsinore First Time Home Buyers! Investors!

Own this home for nearly $100.00 per sq ft.! That is less than you can build for! This home cash flows as a rental even in a challenging market! With a mortgage of $480.00 and taxes and insurance of $144.00 a month you are looking at total out of pocket expenses of $624.00 a month! How can you go on renting for nearly twice that or more? Investors, are you listening? This is opportunity knocking HARD, ringing the doorbell, and looking in the mail slot, somebody open the door and grab it! This deal will probably be gone by the time you read this, but call and check anyway!

It Would be Hard NOT to Make Money on This One!

How do you spell "Good Choice"? How about -over 1,100 sq ft. for under $100,000 in Southern California-? That sounds like "Good Choice" to me! $84.25 per sq ft. is unheard of in SoCal! Whether you are are buying your first home or building a portfolio of properties this one is most definitely worth a look! This home has the potential to rent for anywhere from $1,100.00 to $1,400.00 per month, with a total overhead of about $670.00 per month including taxes and insurance! Talk about easy money! It's time to make the move! Call today and schedule a showing of this home or the many more deals on the market!

Will Somebody Please Just Sell Me A Product!

With the recent mortgage meltdown and subsequent crash of the real estate market here in the US and abroad, one must ask themselves... how are fortunes going to be made in this down cycle? Some would have you believe that now would be an excellent time to start your own business, I happen to agree. However, starting your own in business can be a daunting task as many out there are already painfully aware, but the upside potential in enormous! There is NO DOUBT that owning your own business is the way to wealth regardless of race, gender, or geographic location. However, I would caution that you thoroughly research the ins and outs of the business in which you are ready to invest.

A good friend invited me to a launch party for his new company at his brand new office in Temecula. He said that it was an open house for all of his friends and family to see what he had started. I was thrilled that he was breaking away from corporate America to strike out on his own. I had heard that he had been studying form months to get his insurance license and was fascinated by the securities industry. I asked what he had started and he said that it was an investment company. I couldn't wait to congratulate him.

When I arrived at the office, it looked oddly like an executive suite building that I had been to once before. As I walked up to the door, my friend met me at the door. I watched several very well dressed individuals walk in and out of the door while we said out hellos. Once we walked in, he asked me to sign in, and specified not in the agents section. Wait a minute, agents?? Immediately the alarm sounded in my head, "MLM". I cordially signed in on the paper lying next to the Party City $5.00 name tags. This was all the confirmation I needed.

As I was shown around I met several individuals with titles like Senior VP, Assistant Vice President, and Executive. Everyone was dressed very professionally, and had a wonderful smile. It was show time. Suddenly in the midst of talking with my friend, he turned and said, "Adam, I think you would be perfect for this position. I think you would do really well." I had to hold back my smirk, I bet I would be perfect. I asked him as politely, and sarcastically, as I could, "what is it you sell again?" Suddenly he began to justify himself by spewing gobs of information about life insurance and how he loved his wife and that is why he is selling it to others. Spare me.

I politely excused myself from the festivities, pretty much asked him to get some more snacks and darted out the back door, and never looked back. I can't be mad at the guy, he wants to build wealth! He is just not going about it the right way. I think he just doesn't realize that 3% of people ever make money in an MLM. Or maybe he doesn't know that the structure and ideals of the "pyramid" are ethically skewed. I would caution anyone considering joining an MLM to check out this website to learn more about the flaws of an MLM.

Trust me when I say that you WILL lose friends by not joining or worse yet- attempting to educate them on the dangers of an MLM, but you WILL save money by avoiding this modern day scam. Don't you expect to be offered a product to buy before a position in the company? Let's use a little common sense and snuff this "business model" out. Friends don't let friends join a multi level marketing organization.

A Hard Question...

Today, I sat with a couple regarding a secured credit card. They expressed how excited they were to build credit. They wanted to give $2,000 toward the secured credit card to obtain a line of equal value. The wife is a famous Latin American singer and brings in about $80,000 per year. The husband is self employed and earns close to the same amount. Money obviously was not a problem here.
As we talked about the credit card and how to establish credit quickly and effectively, the "hard question" was raised; "How will foreclosure affect the interest rate of my credit cards?" asked the husband. I explained the new bankruptcy laws. Should he default on one loan, the other creditors would have the right to adjust their interest rates to compensate for the risk. He explained that he had always paid his other credit cards on time, hoping this would make a difference. When I told him that it did not, he was upset and confused. Again, I tried to explain that it is risk based pricing and that he would pose a higher risk to all the lenders that had outstanding debt with him.
Seeing how upset the man had become, I tried to get a little more information about the situation. I asked him why he was so concerned about this. He told me that he was, in fact, losing his home. At first, I was concerned, but as he went on, I was disturbed by his response. With his 13 year old daughter and 9 year old son sitting at my desk with him, he expressed his opinions to me. "It's not fair! It's not fair that I bought this house for $400,000 and I could get little more than half that if I sold it today". I was shocked. This wasn't about an adjustable rate mortgage. This wasn't about bait-and-switch sales tactics. This was about what was fair? I couldn't believe what he was telling me. I wonder how many others out there are thinking the exact same thing. How unfair it is that they have to carry a debt that could have been less if they had only waited. Wow, what if we all thought that way. I bought milk yesterday. Today it's on sale. Should I go back to the store and demand that they take it back and give me the sale price?
What's worse than this thought process is the fact that they are teaching their children that this is acceptable behavior. The children looked to me while he expressed that his situation was "not fair", almost like they needed confirmation that this was acceptable. I tried to focus on their father, but I didn't know what to say. I could have lit into him about how unreasonable he was. I could have told him that this was a "hard question" and that the choice was theirs to make. I didn't even get a chance to respond before they told me that they would be buying another home before they foreclosed on this one. Wow! With attitudes like this being passed down from one generation to the next, real estate as an asset class is sure to decline in value. Is this the attitude to keep? Buy a home! If you make money, Great! But if you lose money, just leave your debt. Only accept the responsibility if it turns out well for you.

Small Business Success

Small business is the backbone of our economy here in the US. Did you know that about 70% of the businesses in United States are Sole Proprietorships? About 10% are Partnerships and about 20% are Corporations. The issue that most small businesses have is finding the answers on how to start. My firm specializes in getting your business off the ground and moving! Below you will find some resources that may answer some of your questions, for anything else don't hesitate to call me, Adam Clarke @ 951.318.1162.

Web Resources

This is a link to the SCORE website full of great information for small business. The SCORE organization was founded and staffed by working or retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders who share their wisdom and lessons learned in business.

Spot Runner is an affordable take to marketing. This company not only has the contacts you, as a business owner, need to get your face on TV, they make it easy. The problem most business owners have with putting their company on TV is making the ad. This is where Spot Runner shines, they have hundreds of pre-produced ads that can be tailored to include your company info and logo. Hi-quality and low-cost solutions to marketing and brand recognition.

SBA, or the Small Business Administration is an excellent resource for any business owner. Not only do they offer loans and credit products, but they offer online training to help small businesses get the knowledge they need starting out. This site will walk you through building a business step by step, from the business plan to accounting and financing info.

And finally, probably your most valuable resource is going to be Access Financial Services. We specialize in business, from accounting to marketing to graphic design. We are here for you and your goals of success. If there is anything we can do for you please don't hesitate to contact us. Call Adam direct at 951.318.1162 or email me. Thanks for reading.

It's Alive, IT'S ALIVE!!!!.....

The Fed's decision to cut rates another 50 basis points (.50%) may be just what we need to jump start this market. Last week when the Fed met for an emergency session after world wide turmoil in the stock market, they cut the Fed Funds Rate by 75 basis points (.75%) to curb a global sell off. After the cut there was a noticeable movement in the real estate market, at least in the Riverside County area. Fence sitters decided to move forward and timid, would-be buyers poked their nose out from under the mat.

What's It All Mean?

Lets take a look at this for a moment though, what does it mean? Well the average consumer thinks the cut by the Fed means lower mortgage rates and an opportunity to own more home for less. That is true, however, not just yet. When the Fed cuts the Fed Funds Rate it will immediately affect short term debt like credit cards, home equity lines of credit, and auto loans. Are you thinking about getting a new ride, or maybe you are one of the few that still have equity in your home and need to tap it, in these situations you win, and right away.

Are you currently in the mortgage process? If you are getting a loan now and haven't locked the rate, or you have been shopping rates lately, don't be surprised if your rate actually ticks up a little. Traditionally, mortgage rates actually spike-up right after a reduction in the Fed Funds Rate. Why? Because the Fed is supposed to cut the rate to hedge inflation, if inflation goes up then bond traders sell. The bonds are what our mortgage rates are based on, the higher the price of the bonds the better pricing of your mortgage loan. Keep that in mind when shopping for a loan. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, mortgage rates will go down following the Fed Funds Rate, it just takes a little longer than most would think.

Stimulating Stimulation Package

Today the house approved what is being called an "Economic Recovery Plan". The bread and butter of this plan is basically a tax refund check for individuals of $600.00 and couples filing jointly of $1,200.00. To qualify you have to have at least $3,000.00 in income with more of the money going to those that have children and less going to the upper echelon of the taxpayers.

The plan is currently at approximately 146 billion dollars, but could be added to by billions more when it goes through the senate. The senate has plans to reduce the amount of the refund per person, but add to it billions of dollars earmarked for seniors and those that are unemployed. Why exactly would we give a tax refund to those that are unemployed? Didn't make sense to me either. Also, the senate's plan would include checks for all taxpayers including the very wealthy. Sounds good to me, I mean if we are going to throw money at a problem who cares who picks it up, right? Also included in both plans is incentives for small businesses for purchase of equipment and other business related purchases. I couldn't find much detailing either sides details of the small business portion of the bills.

Now for my take on this mess. The trouble all leads back to the housing industry. Everyone thinks that the economy is doomed to turmoil until the housing market heats up again. This may be true, however the artificial stimulus is going to help for about 30 days. Everyone is going to get their checks, blow 'em on beer and strippers and go back to hating life. We have enjoyed a long ride on the housing bubble, but as a wise man once said, "The party's over and now it is time for the hangover". Why can't anyone see this for what it is? There were so many new homes and homeowners added to the market so quickly that the market didn't have the opportunity to acclimate the new growth in a stable manner. There is going to be a period of pain, no doubt about it, but if we are not careful there could be even more pain. The Fed ripped the scab off last Tuesday. They couldn't let it heal because they are afraid of walking through the painful period that is inevitable. The Fed's job is not to save the housing industry just like the governments job is not to save the consumer from themselves. The Fed's job is to guard against inflation and the governments job is to protect the rights of personal property. Let the market heal itself, that is what it does. The markets have always been cyclical and will be in the future. This time it is going to be a particularly painful down period, but then again it was one hell of a party.