Real Estate Back Taxes – How Much Is It To Buy a Property With Back Taxes?

One of the most common questions asked when dealing with real estate back taxes is “how much is it to buy a property being sold for back taxes?” The answer may surprise you: some properties have been sold at auction for as little as fifty dollars, because usually, the cost of a property with back taxes at auction is just the amount of back taxes owed (if you’re the only bidder). But the buyer of that $50 property didn’t necessarily get a good deal.

When it comes to investing in real estate back taxes, the right question to be asking is “how can I get a quality property for as little as possible?” In the current economy, all types of properties – even ritzy ones in expensive neighborhoods – are being foreclosed on for unpaid taxes. In order to get a good deal, one that is profitable and that you can afford, you’ll need to strike the right balance between total dump (like the one that sold for $50) and a palace, which could have taxes and liens as well as a mortgage that could get you in a lot of trouble to take on.

The best properties for the average or even beginning investor are ones that don’t owe a ton of real estate back taxes and that are in a neighborhood that people will want to live in. That will ensure your property is appealing to both buyers and investors, which will allow you to quickly flip the property if you don’t want to keep it or rent it out yourself.

If you play your cards right, you can avoid ever even having to pay the real estate back taxes yourself. By avoiding the tax sale auction and approaching owners when there is little time left for them to redeem their taxes, you can often set up deals where you agree to purchase their property for very little – a few hundred dollars – and then find a buyer (or have a buyer list waiting) during that time period who will take care of the taxes. This is a great way make money on tax sale properties without ever having to have more than a few hundred dollars in the bank.

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10 Tips for Successful Real Estate Property Investment

Just because real estate prices seem to have hit a temporary ceiling in many countries around the world, that doesn’t mean that profits from property investments are hard to come by.

Even during a real estate market slowdown, stagnation or depression profits can be made locally and overseas. This article shows you the top ten tips that real estate investors apply to their property portfolio building strategy to ensure success from their investments.

1) Research the curve – the concept of a property market cycle existing is not myth it’s a fact and is generally accepted to be based on a price-income relationship. Check the recent historical price data for properties in the area of the country you’re considering purchasing in and try to determine the overall feel in the market for prices currently. Are prices rising, are prices falling or have they reached a peak. You need to know where the curve of the property market cycle is at in your preferred investment area.

2) Get ahead of the curve – as a basic rule of thumb, professional real estate property investors seek to buy ahead of the curve. If a market is rising they will try and target up and coming areas, areas that are close to locations that have peaked, areas close to locations experiencing redevelopment or investment. These areas will most likely become ‘the next big thing’ and those who by in before the trend will stand to make the most gains. As a market is stagnating or falling many successful investors target areas that enjoyed the best levels of growth, yields and profits very early on in the previous cycle because these areas will most likely be the first areas to become profitable as the cycle begins turning towards positive once more.

3) Know your market – who are you buying property for? Are you buying to let to young executives, purchasing for renovation to resell to a family market or purchasing jet to let real estate for short term rental to holiday makers? Think about your market before you make a purchase. Know what they look for in a property and ensure that is what you are going to be offering them

4) Think further afield – there are emerging real estate property markets around the world where countries’ economies are going from strength to strength, where a growing tourism sector is pushing up demand or where constitutional legislation has been or is about to be changed to allow for foreign freehold ownership of property for example. Look further afield than your own back yard for your next property investment and diversify that real estate portfolio for maximum success.

5) Purchase price – set yourself a budget that will realistically allow you to purchase what you’re looking for and profit from that purchase either through capital gains or rental yield.

6) Entry costs – research fees, charges and all expenses you will incur when you buy your property – they differ from country to country and sometimes even from state to state. In Turkey for example you should add on an additional 5% of the purchase price for all fees, in Spain you will need to factor in an average of 10% and in Germany fees and charges can be in excess of 20%. Know how much you will have to incur and factor this amount into your budget to avoid any nasty surprises and to ensure your investment can become profitable.

7) Capital growth potential – what factors point to the potential profitability of your real estate property investment? If you’re looking overseas at an emerging market, which economic or social indicators exist to suggest that property prices will increase? If you’re buying to let out are there any indications to suggest that demand for rental accommodation will remain strong, increase or even decline? Think about what you want to achieve from your investment and then research and find out whether your expectations are realistic.

8) Exit costs – if you will incur substantial capital gains taxation liability if you sell your property investment for profit, will that render the investment profitless? In Spain a foreign buyer can incur up to 35% capital gains tax, in Turkey on the other hand property sales are capital gains tax free if the underlying real estate has been owned for four or more years.

9) Profit margins – what levels of capital growth can you realistically gain on your property investment or how much rental income can you generate? Work out these facts and then work backwards towards your initial budget to work out your potential profit margins. At all times you have to keep the bigger picture in mind to ensure that your real estate investment has good potential for profit.

10) Think long term – unless you’re buying property off plan and intending to flip it for resale and profit before completion you should view real estate investment as a long term investment. Real estate is a slow to liquidate asset, cash tied up in property is not simple to free up. Take a long term approach to your property portfolio and give your assets time to increase in value before cashing them in for profit.

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Web Site Marketing – Is It Worth All the Trouble?

Web Site marketing is the best marketing device to attract numerous customers. It is one of the most frustrating and exciting aspects of web site ownership. Web site marketing is about getting people to your site, then convincing them to take action: buy, join, subscribe, read more, etc.

Marketing

Marketing is what essentially draws them to your site. Marketing is search engine optimization and web site marketing. It is a key factor in the success of any business enterprise. Marketing your organization online should almost always be a custom approach. Showing your web site to different types of visitors, will increase your web site traffic.

Business

Businesses often act as though all they need to do is develop the web site, conduct some basic Internet marketing and the business will just flow. “Website Marketing is the Pillar for your online business. No business can afford to be invisible online, yet too many small businesses are. With knee-jerk reactions, nearly every business from the very small to the very large conclude they have “got to have” a web site.

Online

Online retail sales are expected to grow from $81 Billion in 2005 to $144 Billion in 2010. Online web site marketing doesn’t have to be expensive ,just effective.Online marketing strategies can be extremely efficient and cost effective because of the virtual store concept.

Traffic

You need traffic, and lots of it. Paid web site marketing has the advantage of driving traffic immediately to your Web site. A secondary benefit of paid web site marketing is that when done properly, it can help lay the seeds of organically generated traffic. Organic traffic, as the name implies, is traffic that comes to your Web site naturally and without being driven there by a specific marketing campaign. Once you’re ranked well in the search engines, you can reap the benefits of the organic traffic.

Information

Write a page title that reflects what the page is about, a good meta description, keywords that appear on the page, then put all the information you have about the product or service on that page in visible text for your visitors to read. By taking the time to put all the information about a product or service and repeating the key terms where they make sense, you can help search engines to know what the page is about. Give people a reason to buy .Reinforce your company services or offerings. Spend less time on the phone/sending e-mails giving out basic information. Identify the location for local businesses. None of that requires a special copywriter, designer, or programmer. Your contact information is also an important part of web site marketing, as it will enable the visitor to have an obstacle-free access to your site.

Advertising

Web advertising is by far the most effective way of getting a global audience. So if you’re a website owner and looking to grow your business, increase sales leads, or just lower customer generation costs, then website marketing and advertising is the next step for you. Designed suitably, with comprehensive information about the products and services offered by the concerned company, Website advertising has become a reliable and effective mode of luring clients.

Optimization

The most important tool you can utilise is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), It is the practice of getting your website visible on the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Search engine optimization & submission is a basic part of the success of your Web site. Successful search engine optimization and web site marketing is a lengthy, time involving process. The scope of search engine optimization and marketing is extensive in regards to application and implementation.

Research

Research shows that 85% of consumers use search engines to find what they are looking for. Researches, however, indicate that like direct marketing, popularity of e-commerce is due to the convenience it offers to consumers. Research indicates that both paid Web site marketing efforts and efforts to generate organic traffic have their benefits. But leveraging the long-term benefits of organic traffic can mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful web site.

Simple

Will the visitors in your target market be technologically savvy to utilize the latest site feature or will they need a more simple interface. Even the simplest web sites can be marketed to obtain the utmost performance. It can be a simple email form that sends you an order to process or a real-time credit card processing system that is totally automated. Successful web site marketing is not a simple undertaking for sure. The point is, it’s a simple formula.

Web site marketing is not about wasting time and money. Web site marketing is about telling your story and keeping your story up to date.

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You Can Get Student Loans For No Credit

There are a variety of places that you can turn to for student loans and many of them don’t care about your credit rating. Many lending institutions and government agencies provide student loans for no credit or low credit qualifying individuals. Don’t let low credit scores or the lack of credit history deter you from getting the money you need for college.

Once you’ve been accepted to and have selected to attend the college of your choice (and hopefully the college of your dreams), you need to get moving on financial aid and students loans quickly. Each year, millions of dollars are loaned out by the federal government and private financial institutions for post secondary education and related expenses. If you’ve never had a car payment, rental agreement or department store credit card, getting a student loan is an important step in your financial future.

There are several major types of student loans available. Stafford loans are fixed rate federal loans that are available to students attending college at least 50% of the time and your school must participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Once you are approved for a Stafford Loan, you will be notified and the school will receive funds directly from the Stafford Loan Program to cover your tuition and fees. If there is any additional money left over, your school will either credit your account or pay you what is left over. Typically, Stafford loans are fairly easy to get, provided you have no outstanding student loans in default.

Perkins Loans can be secured in addition to Stafford Loans. Perkins Loans are need based loans that help students cover the costs of their post secondary education. These loans are given to those individuals that can prove they are financially needy. While neither Stafford nor Perkins Loans have high interest rates, the fact remains true that they both must be repaid. If you wish to establish good credit for yourself, you’ll need to make sure that you adhere to all of the stipulations in your loan agreement.

The other alternatives for young students embarking on their college career in need of a student loan involve a cosigner; usually a parent or close family member.

If you apply for a personal loan and the bank requires you to get a cosigner, don’t worry, you can still work on building your credit history and most importantly, you’ll be able to pay for your college expenses. Money for college is yours for the borrowing; you just need to know where to look!

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