A Cooling Real Estate Market and Investing in Pre-foreclosures

With the housing market cooling and demand for mortgage loans shrinking, banks and other lenders are turning to nontraditional and sometimes riskier mortgages to bring in additional business and make up their dropped off business.

Many lenders have turned to mortgage products designed to lower monthly loan payments and to help borrowers qualify more readily for larger loan amounts, while others require little in the way of documentation during the approval process. These loans do make it easier for some people to get mortgages, but they also can raise the possibility that some borrowers may end up in foreclosure. For the real estate investor or home buyer these market conditions represent a window of opportunity

As housing monetary value appreciation rates slow, more mortgages going into default. Foreclosure notices has edged up in recent months, providing yet Another sign of a cool down in the real estate market across the U.S. For example in San Diego County, CA. Banks and other lenders sent 1,266 letters of default to borrowers in the third quarter, a notice that gives homeowners 90 days to become current on payments before moving towards a foreclosure auction.

At the height of the real estate boom, the double-digit rises in home equity meant customers could pull out monies from the increased home equity to bask a life style that they could really not afford. Flush with the ability to tap into home equity loans, homeowners have pulled out cash to purchase new cars, furniture, vacations and other luxuries. Another boost to their life styles was rendered when homeowners refinanced using adjustable-rate mortgage loans that cut their monthly payments.

But now the conditions are changing, in many areas of the country real estate price levels are flattening out and even not rising in some real estate markets. With little or no increase in home equity, or even vanishing equity, homeowners could find themselves in a tight spot.

Additional forces are also having an impact on the housing market: New federal laws regarding credit card payments have passed to an increase in the minimum payment mandatory on credit card debt. For many people that payment will now be twice what it has been in the past. And, as energy prices and health care costs continue to march upwards to new all-time highs. Growing numbers of people are in financial situations where moines spent are exceeding monies earned.

For the first-time real estate investor or seasoned veteran, the current market conditions are a window of opportunity for those shopping to buy real estate property just before foreclosure. A growing number of homeowners have withdrawen all their equity (sometimes as much as 110% of their home's value.) and now house values have turned down and they are upside down -where they owe more than they can sell the house for. Trapped in a situation where they can't pay their debts and they can't find a buyer for their home, real estate investors who understand the default process can offer a solution that offers the homeowner in default a way to escape from their mortgage payments and for the investor a way to secure a property in the process.

"Successful real estate investor tips"

Becoming a successful real estate investor
Becoming a successful real estate investor requires being able to find good real estate investment deals and put them together. Your job is not to become an closing attorney, a management expert, or a repair person. Use professionals!

You must learn how to appraise and find the true value of real estate this information will help you make better investment decisions. Realtors, appraisers, and banks determine what a property is worth by looking at comparable sales usually three to five sales of similar property that has recently sold in the same neighborhood. You must be able to do the same.

Getting a list of comparable prices of properties  bought or sold (and when it sold) for the neighborhood you need information about, and asking active real estate investors in your area what the market is like will be helpful and making a better investment decision.                                                                                                                                                                                                             What is the ideal market for investing?
There is no such thing as an ideal real estate market for investing. It tends to be more difficult to find bargains in rising markets if the market keeps rising the probability of selling the property quickly for a large profit increases. In contrast but when property values are falling more bargains become available.

You need to be able to assess the true value of properties based on when you expect to sell. Your purchase must be made at a good enough discount to allow for a profitable sale at a later  date.
Leverage
Leverage is very important for investors because the less cash you put down on each property the more properties you can buy. If the properties go up in value your rate of return goes up. However if the properties go down in value and you have a lot of debt on the property this can result in negative cash flow.

Since real estate is generally cyclical negative cash flow is only a short-term problem and can be handled if you have other income or a cash reserves. This makes "Nothing down" investing very helpful to protect against negative cash flow for high leverage investor.

If you are a long term real estate investor leverage will work in your favor if the markets in which you invest appreciate in the long run and your income from the properties can pay for most of your monthly debt.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Strategies to limit risk
To limit risk become educated in your local real estate market first by understanding the large scale trends from global down to national regional and specific neighborhoods. Learn about target neighborhoods with the help of successful real estate investors in your area along the way.

Real estate investors can help you interpret market indicators such as the average length of time houses have been on the market this month versus last month or last year. With this information it will help you make better investment decisions.
                                                                                                           Exit strategies
It is important  not to guess the future of a local real estate market you need to have a clear plan in mind when purchasing property. As a  real estate investor you must know exactly how you will exit the property before you buy. And have a backup plan or two in case the first course of action doesn't work. You must know your market and your plan before you begin to invest. For more helpful information and online real estate corses from Donald Trump himself visit us today at  http://www.TrumpUniversityCo.com