Miss USA Rima Fakih and Real Estate!

The Miss USA contest was held on Sunday in Las Vegas and we have a new winner!

What does this have to do with Real Estate?  Well, actually quite a bit with this last Miss USA contest.  Here is why:

Rima Fakih, the new Miss USA, was walking down the stage when she slipped; did not fall but had a noticeable slip.  The real estate correlation is this:  I have had a few people tell me with they shy away from buying rental properties because they have heard bad things about tenants.  Well, if Rima Fakih knew she was going to stumble on national television, but she would win the contest, do you think she would still enter Miss USA contest?

Let me put it this way, if you knew you would have a tenant miss 2 months worth of rent over a 10 year period and the rent would cover your mortgage and in 10 years your property value would double, would you still buy the property?

YES, YES and YES you would!!!

The news today was all about Rima Fakih stumbling on her way to the win.  There is so much drama and negativity around even when someone wins.  The media has to dress everything up. 

When is the last time we saw a special news flash stating a property owner has been getting $500 per month positive cash flow and after 7 years, the value doubled?  We see more on the news about topless dancers.  Remember, real estate is not sexy or flashy, it is just consistent.  And in today’s economy, there is nothing sexier than consistency.

I wish I could convince all of you of what I know and have experienced, but many look at the “magic pills” instead of the steady healthy diet.

Including, if you are serious about investing, go to www.MichaelDunn.com  and do some research.

Mike

Posted: May 17th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
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Microsoft Bing, Evangeline Lilly and Real Estate!

This is a rare Blog combination today, but they all have one thing in common . . . FLEXIBILITY!

Microsoft has been a very innovative and flexible company thru the years; always pushing the envelope and stretching to new regions in mind and software.  Evangeline Lily, one of the starts of “Lost” on television has a unique character of flexibility in her approach to life and as an actress.

In this current real estate market, flexibility is the key to not only survival, but it is the key to gaining financial freedom when the market turns around.  Be assured, the market will turn around. 

Just like Bill Gates looking for the next innovation, Evangeline Lilly looking for her next challenge, real estate offers you the same potential.  When the market drops, more opportunities begin to rise such as foreclosure flips, short sales, and regular equity sales that are more motivated to drop their price.

The key is to keep your mind open and learn what the trends are and also not to stray from the gold standard . . . location!

Speaking of location, you cannot do much better than www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.com , www.ThePelicanEstates.com and www.MichaelDunn.com ; these three sites will answer any question you may have.

Happy investing,

Mike

Posted: May 15th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
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Space Shuttle, Mike Brown and Real Estate!

Atlantis Space Shuttle got delayed but will be launched at 2 PM today on Friday, May 14, 2010. The space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.

This space shuttle will replace the space shuttle Challenger. The average cost to launch a space shuttle is about $450 million. We forget about the Space Shuttle;e program sometimes because we have been so used to seeing them take off.  Remember when we watched the first one?  Ok, if your under 30, you may not remember, but still it was exciting.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could have used some of the Space Shuttles rocket fuel last night.  As a result, they will be firing their coach and go into a state of flux.

What does this have to do with real estate? You see the property taxes collected on real estate has helped pay for the Space Shuttle Program and the Cleveland Cavaliers collapse in the second round of the playoffs has a lot to do with making the right decisions.

To me, being a veteran of the real estate industry, I see things rather simply.  You buy a house that you can afford and just keep living a healthy lifestyle.  I know it sounds so ridiculously simple, but it works.  The main ingredient is being patient.  This is a centuries old virtue, yet due to this current economic crisis, will hopefully make a comeback as the number one character trait replacing greed!

I spoke to a builder a few weeks ago whop went thru the recession of the 1990s and he said he wished he would have rented out his vacant properties because when the market came back, he would have tripled his value.  Instead, he sold every thing really cheap to just get out of debt.

While it is always best to not get into debt in the first place, if you are in debt, be sure to analyze your options.  taking a few hundred dollars a month loss in exchange for a potentially $200,000 profit in 5 years, is a smart decision.  We as human beings, have a tendency to only look short term and as such we make wrong decisions.

Go to www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.com and see what a good decision you will make if you invest there.

 Mike

Posted: May 14th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
Comments: none

Pandora Radio and Real Estate!

Pandora is an automated music recommendation service and custodian of the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval of individual songs, which Pandora takes into account for future selections.

While listening, users are offered the ability to buy the songs or albums at various online retailers. Over 400 different musical attributes are considered when selecting the next song. These 400 attributes are combined into larger groups called focus traits. There are 2,000 focus traits. Examples of these are rhythm syncopation, key tonality, vocal harmonies and displayed instrumental proficiency.

Modern technology is amazing, yet we still need human beings and a human connection to make sales.  Here is a prime example:  On Sunday, I met a family with 3 children looking to rent a house in Northwood Pointe.  We met at the property and after seeing the floor plan, they liked it ans asked about the neighborhood and specifically, the street the house was on.  I told them there were 17 children on the street ages 3 thru 16.  I found out what sports the two boys liked and told them about 3 children that are also involved with baseball.  The daughter loves to swim, so I told her about the Northwood Flash Swim team. They also asked me about the demographics; I explained to them that by law I cannot say definitely, so I showed them all the surnames for the owners.

I also told them to come back around 6PM, to get better idea of the neighbors.  They came back and loved the street and signed a lease agreement.

Just like your local police officer, it really helps to have an agent who keeps up with the happenings in the neighborhood.  On more than one occasion, I knocked on doors in an unknown neighborhood to get a feel for the community.  That is something Google, will not be able to detect.  The iPhone does not have the Special Agent Dunn App!

Well, I am off to another training session to work on my next mission, Operation: Swift Sale!

www.MichaelDunn.com and www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.com

Mike

Posted: May 12th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
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Mothers Day and Real Estate!

Mothers Day is this weekend and while we are all rushing out to buy flowers, take our Moms to lunch, we must remember that it much more than just thanking our moms with a one day attention.

What we should do is go thru our photo albums and look at pictures of us in our diapers, or crawling around on the grass, or wearing our first suit and tie.

We should also go thru our photo albums and look at our first large investment.  Yes, that’s right, amid the Christmas or Hanukkah pictures, playing baseball in the yard and washing our cars, sits a large boxy like structure that not only gives us shelter from the rain, cold, sun and wind, it also gives us future financial freedom.

Like our mothers, this structure will be there for us thru tough times and its love will be unconditional . . . if and only if, we treat it with respect and love.

www.MichaelDunn.com and www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.com are the two best places to start another portfolio. 

Here are a few samples:

1. $1.2M to $2M: 20 Canyonwood, 9 New Dawn, 36 Clear Creek, 7 Photinia

2. $1M to $1.2M: TBA - 5 beds, 3 baths, 3,100 square feet, TBA 5 beds, 3.5 baths, 3,500 square feet, 3 car garage.

3. $800,000 to $1M: 91 Shadywood, 62 Montrose, 8 Rosslyn, TBA - 4 beds, 3 baths, 2,500 square feet.

4. $600,000 to $800,000: 138 Trellis, TBA 4 beds, 3 baths, 2,200 square feet.

5. $200,000 to $600,000: Send me an e-mail for this weeks trustee sales info; you can get 20% under market but you must pay ALL CASH.

Mike

Posted: May 9th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
Comments: none

Dow Jones and Real Estate!

You probably know what the Dow Jones Index is, but to refresh your memory . . .

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is generally what people refer to when they talk about how “the market” is doing. (That or the S&P 500, most likely.)The DJIA is a price-weighted group of 30 prominent stocks, including Johnson & Johnson, Wal-Mart, GE, ExxonMobil, and Coca-Cola.

The DJIA is a benchmark group of stocks maintained and reviewed by the editors of The Wall Street Journal. Changes to the component stocks are rare. A member stock, according to Dow Jones, has “an excellent reputation, demonstrates sustained growth, is of interest to a large number of investors, and accurately represents the sector(s) covered by the average.”

Charles H. Dow launched the DJIA in 1896 to help investors see long-term trends in the market, instead of just daily fluctuations. Watching the performance of this basket of leading stocks today gives investors a sense of how the overall market is faring and offers a point of comparison for the performance of their own stocks. Certain index funds or exchange-traded funds mimic the Dow’s performance by buying pieces of each of the member stocks.

What does this mean to you and real estate?  Well, in general, the better the Dow does, the better we as an overall economy perform.  However, real estate is quite different.  As an example, if I were a foreclosure flipper, I would be doing very well right now.  If I were a long term investor, I would be buying low, renting out my properties and holding them for 5 years when the market returns.  here is the key question, what is YOUR Dow Jones?

For you it may be your savings account, your ROTH IRA or your CD.  For me it is my real estate portfolio . . . and it should be for you too.  I know, I can hear you.  “Mike, what are you talking about?  Tne real estate market is still correcting and there are more foreclosures coming.”  yes, you are correct, however, do you want to be the person reading the paper, or the one who is making the news?

To be honest, I can help you in whatever you want.  if you are looking to buy a foreclosure, I can buy it for you at the courthouse steps.  if you want a bank owned home, I am a preferred broker for One West Bank.  If you want a good deal on an non-California investment property, I can get it for you.  if you want a straight deal in the best family neighborhood in the nation, I can get it for you.

To start, go to www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.com and www.MichaelDunn.comto see what is out there and if you are serious, call me to discuss further.

Mike

Posted: May 6th, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
Comments: none

iPad and Real Estate!

The iPad revolution has begun!  Did you hear about how an Apple employee left the new iPhone on the counter of a bar and a person sold it to Gizmoto?  Talk about guerrilla marketing!

The iPad is sure to be another success and again make me grateful I bought Apple stock in 1997!

But to the real order of business . . . REAL ESTATE!  After all this is a real estate blog and I have to tell you that today is THE TIME TO BUY and wait!  Most people wait to buy, but you need to act now!

The best area to invest and live in is www.NorthwoodPointeIrvine.comfor all the reasons - schools, recreation, friendly neighbors, convenience and best of all, the increase in value.

The following addresses are the best for the price range:

1. $1.2M to $2M: 20 Canyonwood, 9 New Dawn, 36 Clear Creek, 7 Photinia

2. $1M to $1.2M: TBA - 5 beds, 3 baths, 3,100 square feet, TBA 5 beds, 3.5 baths, 3,500 square feet, 3 car garage.

3. $800,000 to $1M: 91 Shadywood, 62 Montrose, 8 Rosslyn, TBA - 4 beds, 3 baths, 2,500 square feet.

4. $600,000 to $800,000: 138 Trellis, TBA 4 beds, 3 baths, 2,200 square feet.

5. $200,000 to $600,000: Send me an e-mail for this weeks trustee sales info; you can get 20% under market but you must pay ALL CASH.

Mike

Posted: May 2nd, 2010 under Hot Tips, Real Estate News.
Comments: none