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Why You Must Consider Real Estate As Part Of Your Long Term Overall Investment Strategy

13/2/2012

17 Comments

 
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Wow, What a Gorgeous and Luxurious Villa indeed! Where the Hell do people get the Money to build such Structures?
 There are several compelling reasons why any shrewd person or investor must consider Real Estate Investing as part of his or her own long term overall investment strategy.

Real estate, like this investment opportunity HERE, is an investment opportunity that enables One to work Only ONCE and continue ENJOYING the financial rewards FOREVER without tying Oneself to a regular everyday JOB every time. Talk about Wealth and Time Freedom indeed at the same time!

And when I talk about real estate investing, I mean 'Income Generating Real Property' as opposed to just building or rather investing in your own home where you intend to live or are currently living in. WHY? Because like Robert Kiyosaki, author of the most popular and influencial personal finance book of all times entitled "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" says and I quote him below:

"Your own house that you've built and/or bought and are currently living in happens NOT to be an Asset no matter what your Banker tells You!"

And I quite agree with him 100%!

_BUT WHY YOU MIGHT ASK?

_You see, dear prospective real estate investor, your own house that you currently live in is NOT really an asset no matter what your banker or anyone else advises you! It is a terrible liability! Period.

_BUT HOW? YOU MIGHT ASK AGAIN!

_Well, before I talk about what makes your own house that you currently live in as NOT being an asset, let's hear what an asset is in Robert Kiyosaki's own definition. According to him, he defines an asset as anything that puts money in your pocket to be an asset. And he defines a liability as anything that takes money out of your pocket as being a liability.

However, I must hasten to state here that though in Economic terms, your own house that you currently live in, saves you quite some money in terms of opportunity costs if you happened to be renting as opposed to living in it when it comes to rental fees, it still remains a liability according to Robert Kiyosaki's definition.

But, according to the concept of 'Opportunity Cost' found in the subject of Economics, your own house you currently live in, saves you money in the sense that the money you were supposed to be paying in terms of house rental fees, you're now able and free to spend it on other things or rather simply save it. Thus the concept of opportunity cost states in economics!

But strictly and technically speaking, your own house that you currently live in is NOT really an asset.

And this now brings me to the question of how does my own house that I currently live in NOT qualify as an asset?

You see, dear prospective real estate investor, your own house you live in entails you paying monthly commitments or expenses such as electricity bills, water bills, cabbage collection bills, including various other taxes related to property such as property taxes. These by themselves do not make your own house as an asset in terms of Robert Kiyosaki's definition. They take money out of your pocket even though you may be saving in terms of opportunity costs as we've heard in one of the previous paragraphs above. That is why a person who has retired and happens to have no other regular source of income ends up finding himself or herself in financial problems because they eventually reach a point where they can no longer afford to pay for such vital monthly services due to the fact that they have no regular source of income to continue paying for such services.

And this is the very reason why Robert Kiyosaki says your own house you live in is NOT really an asset. It is a terrible liability unless you happen to have other sources of incomes from somewhere like this one HERE for instance to help you continue paying for such monthly commitments. And I agree with him totally.

And moreover, this is another reason why some home owners have ended up loosing their own properties to Uncle Sam, that is to say - The Local Authority or Government - due to accumulated property taxes such as land rates! The end result is that the government takes over their properties due to accumulated unpaid land rates and ends up selling their houses or real properties to other savvy real estate investors who understand the secrets behind real estate investment and indeed any other kind of investment portfolio.

_THEREFORE, WHAT THEN ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?

_Well, having stated the misconception and mistakes average real estate investors have and make in the world of real estate investing, real estate still remains the BEST INVESTMENT ALTERNATIVE compared to other ways of investing! When I talk about real estate as being the best investment alternative, I mean investing in Income Generating Real Estate as opposed to investing in your own home as earlier on alluded to in the previous paragraphs. Yes, investing in your own home has it's own benefits but these benefits can NEVER be compared to someone owning a piece of income generating real estate! The benefits and/or advantages are far much more better than anything else. And yes, income property has it's own disadvantages but these disadvantages cannot outweigh the advantages or benefits.

_BUT HOW AND WHY?

_Perhaps the following 5 Factors of Profitability of Income Generating Real Estate will help drive the whole point home:

1. STABLE, CONTROLLABLE AND PREDICTABLE INCOME POTENTIAL

_Where can you find an investment opportunity that pays and enables you to receive income in very predictable and for the most part controllable installments, month in and month out? Try of course investing in other investment opportunities like the stock market and speculate on the ability of the stock prices or even any other kind of business venture and see for yourself whether you'll receive a predictable and controllable return on your investment. With these other investment portfolios, You give up total control over your money except for going in and coming out. And sometimes with these other investment portfolios even when you attempt to come out, you may find it hard to get back your initial capital invested.

But by contrast, when you happen to have a solid piece of income generating real property in place, and of course with the application of proper management controls in place, that income stream like our very own Zambezi River, just keeps on flowing in, in a predictable and controllable manner. Yes, some certain other investment opportunities have performed well and may even continue to do so. But in the order of NEEDS, housing is BASIC! Everyone needs a place to live in. You either sleep under a roof or simply under a tree!. And the fact is, No One ever wants to spend a night or day outside.

2. TAX BENEFITS

_When you treat your income generating real estate as a pure and strict business venture, you also happen to enjoy the tax benefits enjoyed by many other legitimate and registered big businesses. You'll have the opportunity to treat certain expenses occurring in the normal management of your property as tax deductible expenses from your total gross rental revenue or income thus giving you the chance to recoup your investment expenses. Lawful expenses such as interest on loans acquired from the hard money lenders, property taxes, insurance premiums, property management fees, advertising/marketing costs, legal fees, accounting fees, including repair costs can be deducted from your total rental revenue to enable you get back the money you spent when managing your property.

3. CAPITAL BUILD UP

_When your tenants make their monthly rental payments, part of this money goes to pay the interest on the loan you may have gotten from the bank, and part of it goes to repaying the principal amount. This great and unique feature entails that every payment you make causes your capital (equity) status in the property in question to improve. As the loan is being serviced, your networth also increases. This simple feature of real estate investing makes it very unique indeed. You earn cash while you slumber because someone else, that is to say, your tenant is liquidating your loan in exchange for the comfort or priviledge of using your property.

4. APPRECIATION

_Appreciation is one of the key advantages or benefits of investing in income generating real estate. Land almost ALWAYS increases in value due to the fact that land is a resource that is never manufactured on a regular basis but is constantly and regularly being used up or developed on a rapid rate. "They aren't manufacturing any more land" is a phrase that real property investors are fond of quoting. And I totally agree 100% with that line of thinking. Truly, there is only so much land to be developed the world over.

And yet to be fair, there are times when land/real property depreciates in value. But such are rare times indeed because even though land depreciates, it ALWAYS appreciates in value in the long run as long as one has that staying power! Moreover, housing happens to be a very necessary and inevitable NEED which in the long term will result in most income generating real property to increase in value after such market downfalls.

If you live in the Republic of Zambia, there are certain regions of the country where the value of real estate seems to be always appreciating at a good rate as opposed to depreciating. For instance, places like Lusaka Province, Eastern Province particularly Chipata District, and most recently the Copperbelt Province where we've witnessed a serious increase in mining investments or activities including the North-Western Province, Solwe District in particular where we've also seen and witnessed a high level of mining activities as well thus making this particular region attractive to shrewd real estate investors!

Therefore,the secret to success when applying this very factor of profitability of appreciation in your real estate investment portfolio, is to employ combinations of creative acquisition techniques that make it wise for you to invest in certain regions of the country inspite of a lack of appreciation. The key is to balance your real estate investment portfolio so that even if one region was experiencing fluctuations, you would still be indemnified in another region of the country where there is an unprecedented property appreciation.

5. LEVERAGE

Leverage is the one most important feature or factor of profitability which makes investing in income generating real estate to be more attractive to the savvy investor. The word "Leverage" when used in real estate terms, simply means having control over a piece of real property and benefitting from it full throttle in terms of cash returns viz-a-viz rental fees even when you haven't yet finished paying for it in full. In other words, you can borrow and make use of other people's money without using your OWN hard earned money and purchase or build income generating real property which in turn pays for itself through tenants' rental fees. This very feature alone makes real estate investing highly attractive to a savvy investor. And besides that, the hard money lenders, like the banks and building societies, find it very easy to lend out money when it comes to real estate compared to any other kind of investment. If you think this is not so, try asking your bank to lend you money to invest on the stock market or to simply start out a brand new business entity and see if that will be possible without the bank asking for this or that. I'm not saying the banks can never lend you money for such investments. No. No. That's not what I'm suggesting. All I'm saying is that the hard money lenders find it easy to lend out their money when it comes to real estate compared to other investment opportunities. WHY? Because their money will be highly secured through what is known as "The Ultimate Paper Out". If you don't know what that means, then please look out for my future blog post where I shall be discussing such topics.

Therefore, as you have seen and read above, real estate still remains one of the best investment alternatives available to the ordinary individual or investor. WHY? Because with real estate, an ordinary everyday person can sit on the throne of profit without having royal blood flowing through his body! In fact, real estate still remains the poor fellow's ONLY opportunity to make it big in life without having too much money in his pulse or wallet!

And yet to be fair, real estate also has it's own minuses just like every other investment opportunity. But these minuses cannot be compared to the many pluses that go in tanderm with real estate investing. They are far too many to make one NOT to WANT to Invest in it.

In conclusion, these Five (5) Factors of Profitability, that is to say, Stable Income Generation Potential, Tax Benefits, Capital Build-Up, Appreciation, and Leverage, still make real estate investing as one of the greatest and attractive investment opportunities available to the general masses, provided that these people have the necessary skill set and follow with extreme care an Action Plan for success in  real estate investing.

However, I do not have the space here in this very blog post to discuss in greater detail what this Action Plan is and how one may apply it to work profitably for himself or herself. Space does not allow me here. This is probably a topic of discussion for another time in the near future. For now, I end here!

P.S : Looking for a House to Buy, House to Sell, Plot to Buy, or simply a Piece of Rental Property? Then click on the highlighted words right in this very short paragraph.


I love to hear your comments. Both positive and negative ones are all welcome. So, go right ahead and drop a comment below.

NOTE: Look out for my next blog post entitled "How To Buy Real Estate Using Very Little Or None Of Your OWN Money At ALL". Interested? Then check out this very space here on this very website and for an email alert from me via your personal in box. If for any reason whatsoever you're not yet subscribed to our Property E-Newsletter, then you're totally FREE to subscribe yourself  HERE or  via one of our website contact forms right here on this very website.
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17 Comments

What To Look For When Searching For A House To Rent or Buy

13/1/2012

2 Comments

 
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Wow! What a Lovely House Indeed. I Wish I Could Rent It or Simply Buy It!
_ When looking for a house to rent, buy or simply sell, is there a way/s of telling as to whether you’ve made the right choice and decision regarding the house/property in question or not. Very few people, that is to say, would be tenants and buyers actually take this thought to mind.

In most cases people are too busy and preoccupied with issues of bread and butter to feed their families that they give little or no thought at all regarding the choice of their house whether for rent or for purchase.

For those that have a little bit of time on their side, they either simply rush out in the field and start searching in order to beat this limited time they have on their side due to busy work schedules and in the process end up making costly blunders resulting in them loosing and regretting afterwards! And in most cases, people choose to search on their own in order to avoid the service charges associated with engaging real estate agents. And they are right! WHY? Because there are so many illegal and unscrupulous real estate agents out there in the world whose sole agenda on their mind is to make a quick buck out of their clients in terms of viewing fees and other service charges.

At the same time, there are those people that do have a little bit of money to spend, value their time greatly and therefore have no problems whatsoever engaging the services of real estate agents. To these kinds of people, money is not an issue. They can spend it the way they want without giving any serious thought about it. However, the ONLY potential problem they are likely to face is finding the WRONG kind property whether for rent or purchase.

Therefore, whether you happen to have a lot of money to dish out to real estate agents or have a lot of time at your disposal to do it by yourself or have a combination of both, what are some of the ESSENTIAL things you must look out for when searching for a house to rent or rather a piece of property to buy?

Well, here is a list of the Five Essential Things You Must Always Look Out for when looking at and Assessing a Piece of Restate Property:

1.       The Plumbing Section of The House: When I talk of the plumbing section of the house, I’m simply referring to the piping without irritating leakages, bathroom and the toilet areas. These are the areas that make a woman proud because cleanliness starts from here. And inversely these are the same areas that make a woman influence his man not to rent or buy the house in question.

2.       The Kitchen Area: Again this is the woman’s pride. Make sure the kitchen is at least spacious and nicely done. That is to say, the kitchen has nice cabinets and cupboards. And is nicely painted.

3.       Electrical Fittings: This is also another crucial area to look out for when searching for a house to rent or buy. The electrical fittings must be safely fitted to avoid any shocks and uncalled for sparks. This also makes it safe for the children as well as everyone else in the whole house.

4.       The Yard and/or Surroundings
: The yard and/or surroundings of the house or property in question must also be kept nicely and neatly. No one ever wants to live in a dirty environment. Everyone desires to live in a very clean and serene environment.

5.       Security: Is the house or property in question situated in a secure neighborhood where there is at least little or zero crime incidencies. No one wants to have their valuable property stolen overnight after having worked so hard for it for such a long time. And if the house is situated in crime prone areas, has it been properly secured to help deter or prevent unauthorized access or would be criminals from carrying out their missions? This would normally involve having a wall fence, security surveillance cameras, and heavy security personnel presence such as the police.

As you can probably see from what you’ve read so far, these few five points can go a long way in helping you save time, money and your valuable possessions in the long run. And apparently, these are the same key points to remember when you find yourself in a situation where you have no option but to engage the services of a real estate agent. Ask the agent questions related to these very five key points before you commit yourself to viewing the said piece of property in question.

This list is not conclusive but is just a summary to help you make the right choice and an informed decision regarding the property at hand so you don’t live to regret your actions later and therefore make you want to sale or move out of the said house in question within a short space of time. What you want is to at least stay there for a while or even for ages if you so wish!

NOTE: Looking for a House/Property to Rent, Buy and/or Sale, then click the highlighted words to have a look! 

I love to hear your comments. Both positive and negative one are all welcome . Therefore, go right ahead and drop a comment below.

2 Comments

How To Identify Flexible Sellers of Real Estate Property

14/10/2011

6 Comments

 
Many of us dream of owning our own home, farm, virgin land or simply any other kind of real estate property but find it quite problematic or expensive to do so.

Owning a piece of real estate starts and ends in our dreams. We never visualize ourselves owning property. And for those of us that do, we find ourselves with little or no money at all to afford to buy the property of our dreams.

Therefore, what is someone supposed to do in this case?

Well, here is my recommendation: buying or investing in real estate requires a series of interrelated skills. Finding properties where one can bargain or negotiate properly and effectively is one of the most important of these skills- in many ways the most important.

The crucial point to remember when looking for properties on sale is to learn to develop your ability to identify sellers who are highly motivated to sell – who must sell- as opposed to those for whom it would be desirable and useful to sell.

Therefore, if you want to buy or invest your hard earned money in real estate, the first thing you need to do is to find the right kind of seller and then the right kind of property.

Infact, clever buyers or clever real estate investors tend to look first for the motivated sellers before they go too far in analyzing the properties.

But the next logical question you may be asking yourself is, “Who really is a Motivated Seller?”

Well, Motivated Sellers go by a variety of names such as flexible, anxious, “don’t wanters”, etc. These are people who want to sell their real estate property or holding so badly and as fast as possible that they will be very flexible in price and/or their terms and conditions. But they all have one thing in common: they want you to solve some major problem for them.

It might be that they are being transferred and must therefore hurry and sell. Or they might have personal problems such as a serious illness or a divorce that is forcing them to sell.

Alternatively, they may be motivated by financial pressures or find income-property ownership not to their liking.

Whatever their reason, you can appear to them and negotiate a good deal with them using this piece of intelligent information you have garnered about them!

The opposite of these Motivated Sellers or Flexible Sellers as they are sometimes called are known as Inflexible Sellers. These are sellers who are not in a hurry to sell and are so rigid in their terms and conditions that they are not willing to bargain or negotiate.

These are actually sellers who must be avoided at all costs because they might end up selling you property at an exorbitant price which you may live to regret afterwards.

Try by all means in the first place to locate or identify flexible or motivated sellers of property. The trick is to be persistent in your search efforts.

If you cannot find these flexible sellers on your own, then try to engage the services of reputable real estate agents to assist you. There are so many reputable real estate agents out there.

  Key Points To Consider When Looking For Flexible Sellers of Real Estate Property:

1. Great real estate deals come from a small percentage of sellers.

2. Locating or finding the right sellers is as important as finding the right property.

3. The more you know of a flexible seller’s true motivation or his true reason of selling property, the better chance you’ll have of concluding a good deal with him.

4. Seller Flexibility could be a sign of something wrong. Make sure the property you are looking at doesn’t have any problems or complications before you actually close the deal.

5. Flexible Sellers can be found in a variety of places, some easier to discover than others: For instance Newspaper Classified Adverts ; and the other latest source these days regarding where you can find such sellers is the 'Internet' like this very webpage for example!

6. As a real estate buyer or investor, you are a problem solver. As you solve the flexible seller’s problem, you’ll be benefitting both of you.

P S : Want to Buy, Sell or Rent a Piece of Real Estate Property, then click the highlighted words for details!!
6 Comments

How To Get Your Dream Property at a Low Price

3/10/2011

3 Comments

 
Buying an excellent piece of real estate can be quite expensive especially if that property is of your liking. In reality, the best real estate deals are usually costly.

If a person doesn't have enough money, the Only real estate deals left available to one, are often deals that people with excessive cash have passed on. Therefore, what then are you supposed to do if you happen to find yourself in such a situation?

Well, dear prospective property buyer or seller, may be the following Top Ten Hot Negotiating Tips might be of great help to YOU. I actually learn't these tips from a person named Sue Waddington. They blessed my heart when I first bumped into them. And I strongly believe that you'll find them beneficial as well.

Here then is a full and detailed explanation of the top ten hot negotiating tips for your own consumption and eventual assimilation below.

INTRODUCTION

Everyone uses negotiation tactics to get what they want, whether they ‘ re haggling over the price of an item in a car-boot sale or discussing potential salary with a future employer. Most of the time, when you enter a negotiating situation you can expect the other party to use certain manoeuvres to tip the scales in their favour. For example, you can expect a potential employer to offer you less money than they are actually willing to pay to give themselves negotiating room. And a buyer will usually act surprised at your stated price, no matter how reasonable it may be, to pressure you into lowering it.

Everyone uses these tactics, but that doesn’t mean that negotiations can’t be fair. Some tactics are acceptable, while others are downright sleazy(immoral). Tactics are part of the process, and you can use them and still maintain your negotiations on an honest level. In other words, the use of tactics doesn’t necessarily mean tricking or manipulating people. Some tactics are simply tools to expedite(speed up) the negotiation process ; whilst others are used to take advantage of the other person.

To be successful in sales and in business, you must be able to differentiate between the fair and unfair negotiation tactics so you can use the good ones to your advantage and deflect the questionable ones.

Consider the following ten negotiation tactics and how to deflect them and/or defend yourself against each and every one of them.

Tactic Number 1: The Wince

The wince can be explained as any overt negative reaction to someone’s offer. For example, you might act stunned or surprised when your negotiating counterpart names their terms. This tactic tells your counterpart that your know your limits, which isn't underhand or dishonest. And wincing at the right time can potentially save you thousands of pounds or dollars. Keep in mind that when deals are negotiable your counterpart will start high.

Of course, you won’t always be the wincer. Many times, especially in the sales profession, you’ll be on the receiving end of the wince. In this case, you can counter with the next tactic.

Tactic Number 2: Silence

In the negotiation process, silence can be your strongest tool. If you don’t like what your counterpart has said, or if you’ve made an offer and you’re waiting for a response, just sit back and wait. Most people feel uncomfortable when conversation ceases, and they start talking automatically to fill the void. Almost without fail, your counterpart will start whittling away his or her position when you use this tactic.

So what if you find yourself negotiating with a person who understands the importance of silence as well as you? Rather than wasting time in silence, restate your offer. Don’t make suggestions; just repeat your terms. This manoeuvre forces the other person to respond, and more often than not they respond with a concession.

Tactic Number 3: Good Guy/Bad Guy

This sleazy tactic is often used in movies, where two detectives are interrogating a person who’s just been arrested. One detective seems unreasonable and inflexible, while the other tries to make it look like he or she is on the suspect’s side. If you find yourself in a good guy/ bad guy situation, the best response is to ignore it. Recognize this game for what it is, but don’t play along and don’t allow the good guy to influence your decision.

Tactic Number 4: Limited Authority

This tactic is a variation on the good guy/ bad guy routine, but instead of two people working over you, the one person you’ re dealing with tells you that he or she must approve any deals with an unseen higher authority. Sometimes, this higher authority exists, but other times your counterpart will create this figure to gain an edge in the negotiation process. So just because your counterpart tells you “ its out of my hands” don’t automatically assume the person is being honest. In this type of situation, two options exist: one, ask to deal directly with this so-called higher authority or two, test the limits of your counterpart. You may find that the other person has used this tactic to force you into backing down.

Tactic Number 5: The Red Herring

This technique comes from fox-hunting competitions, where one team drags a dead fish across the fox’s path to distract the other team’s dogs(fox). At the bargaining table, a red herring means one side brings up a minor issue or point to distract the other side from the main issue. Effective and ethical negotiators generally agree that this tactic is the sleaziest of them all.

Tactic Number 6: The Trial Balloon

Trial balloons are questions designed to assess your negotiating counterpart’s position without giving any clues about your plans. For example, you may ask your counterpart, “would you consider trying our services on a temporary basis?” or “Have you considered our other service plans?” Essentially, these type of questions put the ball in your counterpart's court, and the nice part about them is they aren’t really offers. They allow you to gain information without making a commitment.

When you’ re on the receiving end of a trial balloon question, you may feel compelled to answer it thoroughly. To maintain your edge, resist this temptation and counter with another question. For example, if someone asks, “ Would you consider paying cash? Respond, “ Well, if I did, what would your offer be?”

Tactic Number 7: Low –balling

Low-balling is the opposite of the trial balloon. Instead of tempting you to make the first offer, your counterpart will open the process with a fantastic offer. Then, after you agree, they start hitting you with additional necessities.

For example, say you see an ad for a product priced lower than other stores. But then, after you buy, the sales representative uncovers the hidden costs, such as delivery or installation. In the end, you probably pay more than you would have at another shop listing a higher price on the product. To avoid falling victim to this tactic, ask your counterpart about additional costs before agreeing to any deal.

Tactic Number 8: The Bait- and- Switch

Similar to low- balling, the bait-and-switch tactic should be avoided at all costs. Your counterpart may try to attract your interests with one great offer, but then hook you with another mediocre one. This tactic will almost always burn you, unless you can recognize it. If your counterpart were really able to offer a genuinely good deal, they wouldn’t have to resort to bait-and-switch.

Tactic Number 9: Outrageous Behaviour

Outrageous behaviour can be categorized as any form of socially unacceptable conduct intended to force the other side to make a move, such as throwing a fist of anger or bursting into tears. As most people feel uncomfortable in these situations, they may reduce their negotiating terms just to avoid them.

Tactic Number 10: The Written Word

When terms of a deal are written out, they often seem non-negotiable. For example, when was the last time you negotiated a real estate lease, or a loan, or even a service contract that was typed up in an official looking document?

The best defense against this tactic is simply to question everything, whether it appears in writing or not.

Conclusion

As you can probably see, these tactics can potentially save you a lot of money just by applying one or more of them to your particular situation. They have saved me a few thousand kwachas and/ or dollars as a result of using them. They have also benefited me financially and continue to benefit me in my businesses as well as my personal endeavors.

I edge you to try them out the next time someone tries to up-sell you something.

P.S: If you or someone you know is interested in buying, renting or selling a piece of Land, House, Farm or simply a piece of Commercial Property, then please click on the highlighted words right in this very sentence to view them!

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3 Comments

Why Property Sellers Become Flexible and How To Take Advantage of This

3/10/2011

1 Comment

 
Real estate investment has been said to be the "IDEAL" investment. The word "IDEAL" here is used as an acronym for the five key factors of real estate investing that have made it attractive over the centuries as a business investment alternative. That is to say :


i. I = Income Generation from Rental Payments

ii. D = Depreciation (Tax Advantages)

iii. E = Equity (Capital) build up as tenants make their monthly rental payments

iv. A = Appreciation as the Value of Real Estate grows and finally

v. L = Leverage through the usage of "Other People's Money".

And therefore, inspite of the above mentioned five key benefits of real estate as an investment vehicle, there are also several key reasons that would make a property owner decide to sell his/her property and become flexible in the long run in terms of price and conditions of his/her Sales Agreement. And understanding these reasons in the first place is crucial to you as a real estate buyer or investor.

BUT WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOU AS A BUYER OR INVESTOR YOU MIGHT ASK?

Well, because this will enable you to know in advance the seller's true motivation for being flexible and the reasons why the property is being sold. It will also give you the edge to negotiate effectively the terms of the purchase agreement and help you discover the secrets of avoiding becoming a flexible seller yourself in the near future should you decide to sell your property as well.

If you don't know who a flexible seller is, then I recommend you read the blog post article entitled, "How To Identify Flexible Sellers of Real Estate Property" found on our main website.

The reasons people or sellers of real estate property become flexible fit into three main categories and these are :

1.  Personal Problems,

2. Property Concerns, and

3. Economic Concerns.

Sometimes a flexible seller will have a combination of these three reasons.

You see, dear prospective property buyer or investor, when you seek to purchase a piece of real estate property, you must always keep one caution in mind and that is ; You want to solve the flexible seller's problem (in this case, his financial problem), and NOT buy the problem from him. In other words, the very reason why he is a flexible seller may well transfer with the purchase of the property to you - the buyer. And that's what you wouldn't want to happen to you because the problem might be impossible or overwhelmingly expensive to rectify, and should be avoided like a terminal disease, no matter how attractive the price and terms might be.

Gladly, some problems may be rectified cheaply with your knowledge and creativity before you actually buy the property in question.

Well, here then are the three main groups of problems or reasons that motivate sellers to become flexible in detail including real life examples for your personal consideration and application.

_GROUP 1 - PERSONAL CAUSES OF FLEXIBILITY

These include problems or situations that have to do ONLY with the seller of the real estate property. They will not pass on with the purchase of the property in question. These flexible sellers are actually the BEST you can ever find in the world of real estate investing.

Examples of personal causes of flexibility would include ; owner’s location, time constraints/health concerns, retirement, divorce/family disputes, partnerships, ignorance, financial problems, management issues, and estate sales.

i. Owner’s Location

The location of the property owner may affect the control or management of the property.

For instance, John Mweemba was recently transferred to another town in the country. Wanting a house to live in, he decides to either buy or rent a new home in his new town. But the problem he has is that he still hasn’t sold his first home or rather found any tenant to rent it. The result is : ” The Double Payment Nightmare ” is eating and disturbing him a lot. At the same time, because his previous home is still vacant, he now becomes more worried about vandalism.

This therefore definitely makes John Mweemba become a proper flexible seller of his home due to his personal problem of changed location.

And therefore, you could appear to him and use what you know about him to help you negotiate a good deal and buy his house at a reasonable price.

ii. TIME CONSTRAINTS/HEALTH CONCERNS

The property seller may have become too busy to administer and/or worry about his property. He or any one of his immediate family members may have health related issues that could have ended up interfering with his ability or desire to manage his property.

And therefore, you could appear to him and use this information to your advantage and negotiate a good deal with him resulting in you buying his property at a competitive price.

iii. RETIREMENT/DOWNSIZING

The property seller might have been recently fired, downsized, or simply retired from his regular employment or business. He may also be contemplating of traveling somewhere else, or just try to take it easy, or simply doesn’t want to worry any more about managing real estate property.

Still, other property owners might be considering moving to a different climate area or simply to a much smaller home.

Again, you may appear to such property sellers and eventually negotiate a good deal with them.

iv. DIVORCE AND/OR FAMILY RELATED PROPERTY DISPUTES

This is also one of the main causes of seller flexibility when it comes to real estate property deals.

For instance, Pezo Chinyama and her husband have been very active in building and investing in a profitable real estate investment portfolio. But because of a marital problem or difference, they eventually settle for a bitter divorce. Pezo Chinyama happens to have only terrible memories about everything her husband did in the past. To say Pezo Chinyama is a flexible seller would be an extreme understatement. She is a very anxious and extremely flexible seller to deal with.

Another issue under the banner of divorce/family related property disputes, would be a situation where the bread winner of the family dies and leaves behind some real estate property. And the remaining beneficiaries differ over the management of the property as well as the even distribution of the whole estates of the deceased person. The result is, the family decides to sell the property so they can have liquid cash to enable them share equitably.

Sometimes, these beneficiaries or heirs end up not liking the property in question. They would rather make a quick sale and have the money instead.

At other times, the executor or administrator of the estate may need to liquidate some assets in order to pay out taxes and debts the deceased person owed to other individuals and organizations.

And this therefore would qualify such a family as a flexible seller and you could equally appear to them and negotiate a good deal with them.

A word of caution though ; it is crucially important to exercise maximum restraint when dealing with family properties on sale and NOT be deceived by their extreme flexible terms and price because You might discover later on after buying the said property in question that some key stake-holders in the family weren’t consulted in the first place. And therefore, it is important to take your time and do your homework well when dealing with family property on sale!

v. MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Some property owners and/or sellers simply happen to be such poor managers of their own perfectly good and profitable investment properties that ultimately turn out to be thorns in the flesh due to bad management. Sooner or later, they become absolutely fed up with owning real estate property.

And therefore, a lack of knowledge about management issues and general business principles can make a world of difference between a successful happy landlord and a disappointed unsuccessful landlord.

And you could appear to such a seller and negotiate a good deal with him and eventually turn his lose making property into a profit making asset through proper and effective management.

vi. FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS

A number of issues fall under this category of problem. It may include a seller’s debts, bankruptcy problems, business investment capital needs, foreclosure issues, tax issues, or simply the desire for status symbols such as cars, clothes, and jewelery or the like.

You could appear to such a seller and take advantage of this to negotiate an excellent deal with him.

vii. PARTNERSHIPS

A peaceful and excellent partnership in real estate investment can be quite a heaven on earth experience. But a troublesome one can be such a terrible experience amongst the partners just like a family embroiled in disputes after the death of the property owner.

This normally happens when partners no longer share the same vision due to differences regarding the management of their property. And with emotions getting involved the way they do, partners will sometimes go to extreme lengths to just get rid of the property quickly so they can dissolve their partnership arrangement.

For instance, David Kapalu and Joseph Chapewa were two old good friends who initially started out as partners investing in real estate property. They were highly optimistic, aggressive, and energetic individuals or investors, but later on found that they could no longer share the same vision on management decisions regarding their joint property.

When things started to go wrong, each began to throw the blame on the other. They ultimately decided to sell the property and dissolve the partnership in question before they could start to hate each other.

David Kapalu and Joseph Chapewa have truly become flexible sellers and you could appear to them at an opportune time and negotiate an excellent deal with them resulting in you buying their property at a much lower price!

viii. IGNORANCE, NEUROTIC FEARS AND/OR UNREASONABLE EMOTIONS

In some cases, unfortunately, many property sellers make decisions based on their emotions, fear of the unknown, or even make decisions based on sheer ignorance selling seemingly good real estate property due to lack of essential knowledge in economic factors and market conditions or trends.

Others have a phobia of doomsday or just end up experiencing an emotional dislike for a particular piece of property for some reason that is perfectly known only to them, but does not affect the value or desirability of the property in question.

Still, others simply don’t have that foresight, ingenuity, and patience that go with investing in real estate. They let their emotions and fears do their thinking instead of thinking logically and creatively resulting in them selling seemingly perfect real estate properties to other razor sharp investors!

And so, you could appear to such sellers and use this piece of intelligent information to negotiate with them an excellent deal.



_GROUP 2 - PROPERTY CAUSES OF FLEXIBILITY

Just like personal causes of flexibility, property causes of flexibility also have their roots as well. And notable among these are :

i. MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Management issues also sometimes fall into the personal category, but this can also have much to do with the property itself in question. Because of neglect or because of the condition of the property, it may require intensive and careful management. The quality of tenants may also affect the management of the property. A certain class of tenants may attract like- minded tenants while preventing the more desirable and affluent tenants. It is not uncommon for a building to be only 60% occupied due to a single undesirable tenant!

For instance, an attractive office building in an excellent part of town had two spaces rented out to “Problem” tenants. Both were good tenants in the sense that they paid their rentals on time and both were legitimate. But one of them happened to be a government wing frequented by lower class individuals who were a nuisance to visitors of the other offices.

And the other space was occupied by a private concern that promoted controversial but legal family planning practices. The negative aspect of these two distinct classes of tenants was such that the building remained 60% vacant most of the time.

Therefore, property owners who find themselves in this kind of situation can quickly become flexible sellers.

However, problem cases like these ones can be hastily corrected by getting rid of such undesirable tenants or by altering the looks of the property in question.

Whatever the case, you may also appear to this type of flexible sellers and use this particular piece of intelligent information to your advantage to negotiate a good deal.

ii. EXISTING FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

The existing financial obligations on the piece of real estate property can create real time problems for the owners. Negative cash flows can be extremely discouraging, and they have a way of reasserting themselves on a regular monthly basis.

Moreover, loan repayments and increasing interest rates due to variable loan rates and adjustable rate loans, can end up changing a seller’s financial well being all too quickly. And in some instances, the seller may have secured financing that he never should have agreed to in the first place.

For instance, Manyozo Nkongole bought a piece of property some three years ago that had a three year repayment period. He made no proper strategic advance plans for the repayment of the said loan in question just in case things didn’t work out the way he had initially planned them to be and due to his personal circumstances, he finds himself in an awkward situation that makes him unable to obtain additional financing to repay it off.

Therefore, Manyozo Nkongole has now become a definite flexible seller and you can appear to him and negotiate a good deal with him.

iii. OBSOLESCENCE

Obsolescence is simply a state of depreciation or old age in relation to the property in question.

All by itself, obsolescence may not be a problem per se. But when it begins to affect rental income levels, tenant quality, or simply resale possibilities, it can cause the owner to become seriously flexible.

Obsolescence may come in different forms. The style or structure of the property may be out of date.

For instance, a block of flats with only one bathroom and a toilet. Or, a five-story building without an elevator may be considered obsolete. And such obsolescence may lead to overwhelmingly expensive changes and/or improvements when it comes to renovating the property after buying it.

In some cases, the obsolescence may come as a result of changes in zoning. Sometimes this type of change can simply be the last straw for an already flexible and hurried property owner.

Whatever the case, you can appear to such a seller and negotiate a good deal with him based on this very information you know about the property in question.

 GROUP 3 - ECONOMIC CAUSES OF FLEXIBILITY_

The third and final cause of flexibility is economic in nature. This normally occurs in four ways and these are as follows :

i. LOCAL ECONOMIC CHANGES

Changes in the local economy can affect the demand for rental units or the marketability of a piece of property that is on sale.

For instance, a major employer in the area may have shut down operations or laid off a large number of workers or may be an entire city may be experiencing a decline in economic activities.

ii. LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGES

Over a long period of time, certain neighborhoods may have become less attractive and desirable to a particular class of tenants or real estae investors. In such instances, properties end up becoming harder to sell and good tenants harder to find. A property owner who finds himself in such a situation often becomes anxious to sell his property because management has eventually become to intense.

For instance, Mr. Kukuka Kuka Lyonse bought a piece of rental property some fifteen years ago. The property in question used to be in a nice and respectable neighborhood. But, during the last few years, the area has become increasingly run down and now Mr. Kukuka kuka Lyonse finds it very hard to bring in good tenants. And the property is becoming more and more run down – since Mr. Kukuka Kuka Lyonse has lost all the desire to effectively manage his property – causing it to blend right into the neighborhood he so detests.

Another local change has to do with Stiff Competition. The natural laws of supply and demand may have brought deadly competition to a rental unit that previously had very little challenge. May be there could be a proliferation of more rental units in the area than before and/or even fewer profitable tenants.

Which ever way, the owner may become discouraged and eventually become flexible.

You may therefore appear to him and negotiate a good deal with him. And you, as the new owner, might possibly be able to cure the problem either by upgrading the property or by simply lowering the rental fees.

iii. LAWS AND GOVERNMENT CHANGES

The local laws and government changes can sometimes make a huge difference in a property owner’s success. May be an impending zoning change is likely to affect the neighborhood.

Or, may be a new government may have imposed rental fee controls, and therefore the owner of the property finds himself in a situation where he can no longer raise his rental fees or is restricted in how much he can raise them.

Either situation can create seller flexibility and you – the new owner – could well find yourself in the same trap!

iv. PENDING CHANGES

A seller may well know in advance some looming changes that will adversely affect his property, and he may be trying to sell before the changes take effect.

For instance, he may know that a proposed highway will come near or possibly pass through his property due to new local authority regulations.

And therefore, only if you take your time and do your due diligence thoroughly will you be able to know these things for certain, since the seller may not be able to disclose them to you.

HOW REVERSEABLE IS THE PROPERTY PROBLEM?

Once you’ve uncovered the reasons why a seller is flexible, you must now proceed to the next step and ask yourself the following critical question :

” What Effect Will This Have on Me, or As a New Owner or Buyer? “

Depending on the answers at your disposal and the current situation at hand, the reasons under group one, will NOT have any effect on you as the new owner. But the reasons under group two, may be – note my language here, it’s not “Shall be” but “May be” – something you can correct. But, sometimes making this correction might be too expensive, time consuming, or simply impractical to you the potential new owner or buyer. And finally, the reasons under group three, are probably NOT REVERSEABLE!

Therefore, dear reader, You can see why it is crucially important to know what the seller’s motivation is and if it will have any effect on You as the new owner or buyer. If it is a problem You will inherit, it is important to know in advance, whether You can correct it, and how much it will cost You to correct it!

Remember that, some flexible sellers have very good and valid reasons to be that way. In many cases, You might be attracted to a seller’s generous terms, but after a closer analysis, You’ll discover that You wouldn’t Want his property even if he gave it to You for FREE.

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    David Kapalu is a Real Estate Investment Consultant who happens to be a duly Registered Member and Current Vice President of the Zambian Institute of Estate Agents, an Internet Marketing Specialist, Motivational Speaker, Public Speaker, Life Coach, Crypto-Currency Investor, Enthusiast and Trainer. He is also a Holder of a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree from the Zambian Open University. He is Someone who Understands his Subject so Well and Knows How to Distil and Reduce Complex Matters into Simple to Understand Matters.
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