What To Look For In A "Bargain Property".

By Doc Schmyz

Distressed real estate is the diamond in the rough that all RE investors are seeking. HOWEVER, without doing your research you may lose far more then you will gain.

Use a step by step mind set. "Go by the numbers" when reviewing all the areas of the investment that you want to focus on here are a few things to think about and add to your list.

Please Note: The following elements discussed are not listed in any particular order. Nor do they all hold the same value in relation to each other, but they must ALL be considered in their entirety. The property should meet at least one of the criteria, and should have no unjustifiable issues in any one single area.

Here is the list I have used:

KNOW WHY ON PRICE

Most investors focus on price first.

They search for properties they think are selling below market value. This makes sense buy low and sell high right?? However think about the reasons behind the sales price? What is their motivation? Are they relocating or in financial duress? The 3 D's come in to play here most of the time. (Death Divorce, Debt)

If not, there may be problems with the property that require major expense to correct. Structural problems such as a cracked foundation or outdated plumbing and electrical wiring. The last two are VERY common in older craftsman homes from the 30-50's. CONSIDER HOLDING COSTS

Holding costs are one of the biggest profit killers to investors. Taxes, mortgage, commissions to agents (both selling and buying) gas, and electric...all these things add up...and FAST.

Poor determination of true market value is another obstacle to the successful deal. Market value is essentially a subjective exercise where the true value is not known until someone buys the property.

Price other property in the area. Come as close to the size/style/lot size you are looking at buying.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAN HELP YOU

What areas can you leverage besides price and location? Financing?

In fact, used wisely, an investor can pay full price and use this positioning to negotiate lower interest rates or a smaller down payment. Over time, the rental cash flow will be in the black because of the terms agreed upon by the buyer and seller, combined with gradual rent increases and price appreciation.

KNOW THE LOCAL MARKET

Good investors get in the habit of understanding the lay of the land. What is the local community like? Where are the closest fire/police/EMS services? How good are the local schools? Don't rule out these questions. Make sure to look in to the last houses sold in the area as well as any selling trends you can find.

As the man said...it is all about location.

Most investors think location is the second most critical thing in the investment next to price. Truth be told...it is only critical if you are looking for a long term residence/renter scenario. If you can make a great profit on an ugly house in a less then great area. It may out shine the "perfect condo" by the beach.

FIX AND FLIP AND FORECLOSURES

In the case of a fix and flip and sometimes a foreclosure. It is the job of the investor to factor in the repair costs. A keen eye can save you lots of money in a very short time. (Not to mention a good understanding of home repair work)

Fixer properties are a treasure trove to a savvy investor. If you have a good eye for details and can spot maintance problems you can make a nice return on your investment. Things like a bad roof, poor plumbing or a bad foundation can be very costly to repair. Once you have an idea of what youre looking at for repair cost, do yourself a favor and add a little buffer say 5%...just to be safe.

GET IN A ZONE WITH ZONING

Sooo you want to add a third bedroom and second bathroom huh?? Is it zoned for that? Worst thing in the world to have happen is to find out you could have made a pretty penny profit IF you had know what the land was zoned for. ALWAYS ASK.

Understand that a single use zoned property is always cheaper than a multi use.

Watch out for "Owner conversions" where owners, aware of the zoning ordinance, have made changes without the oversight of the local building authority. Garages being converted to second units on a duplex lot are common examples. - 23226

About the Author:

Doc has been a investor since the early 1990's. In 2006 he started a real estate investing information website. He hopes to help other investors by offering them the information on real estate services that will help them

Silver Eagle Coin Collection

By George Lapidis

Coin collector aficionados consider the American Silver Eagle coins sets a valuable addition to their collection. Though many consider the Eagle coins a collector's item across the world, only the staunchest collectors know that it is made off the purest legal silver in the history of the United States.

Of the many factors associated with these coins, one is the size. They are an easy convenient size which makes them very mobile and the owner can transport them with ease.

These coins have a government guarantee status which is applicable universally. This makes the coins highly liquid and they retain great value around the world.

The Silver Eagle coin collection is not an antique collector's item, so one might wonder how to compare their uniqueness and appraise them in comparison with other collector coins.

On the contrary they are quite a new series as they have only been in circulation for twenty years.

Individuals interested in adding silver eagle coins to their collections need to be informed of the place where they were minted and when they were minted. You also need to know about the available mint marks and have a good comprehension of the coin finishes.

The Silver Eagle coin collection is available only for collectors and not meant for market circulation and trading. They can be purchased directly from the US mint.

In the early years of silver eagle coins the uncirculated coins were not available for sale from the mint. Rather they could only be purchased from accredited coin dealers and precious metal firms.

Perhaps the most coveted and valuable coin in the collection is from the limited edition set of the 1955 era. The 1995 " W Proof American Silver Eagle is no longer available in the market for purchase.

The one ounce American gold eagle combined with the half, quarter and tenth were also included in the set. The set was available in the market for less than a grand with only 125 sets minted in total.

The government guarantee further enhances the value of these coins as the purity of the coins is guaranteed by the government certification. The minters manually filled the coin into the coin press and special blanks were burnished to create a unique mint mark for each of the coins.

In present times the American silver eagle coin is the best seller in the global silver coin market. Over 130 million pieces were sold since 1986 and each was made from 100% pure silver guaranteed by the government. - 23226

About the Author:

Many savers are looking to 4oz state silver coins to provide safety in uncertain economic times. If you would liketo know more about silver proof eagle coins please follow the links.

News Trading (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

There are a lot of news events in the forex world. These news releases often disrupt the short term forex markets. Quarterly reports carry more weight than the monthly and weekly news. There are many strategies for news trading.

The news may shock the currency markets for a while. Sometimes, the results of fundamental economic announcements are surprising. For example, the release of the NFP figures has been moving the EUR/USD currency pair on average 100 pips for the last two years. Just within two minutes of the release of the NFP figures on 8:30 AM EST Friday about half of these pips occur.

Consider this worst case scenario. You are a news trader and immediately sell the EUR/USD currency pair within 2-5 seconds after the release of the NFP figures on Friday. However, the EUR/USD has already dropped 30 pips because of the pre news guessers who are anticipating a bad news and want to close their open positions.

Your forex broker gets thousands of EUR/USD sell orders just like yours almost at the same moment and it will take your broker a few seconds to execute all these orders. While you wait for your order to be executed, the EUR/USD price falls another 15 pips.

As no traders are placing the buy orders, the volatility is so extreme to the downside; the broker widens the pips from 3 to 12. The moment your order hits the market, you are already -12 pips. You are also 45 pips away from where you thought the market would be.

All of a sudden, the EUR/USD pair starts to slow down and pull back in the other direction. But you have already pulled your trigger and entered the EUR/USD sell order, you cant undo it now. You are at a loss of 55 pips and you want to exit your trade to cut your losses. You are angry. You want to blame the broker but you cant blame the broker.

You had to sign an agreement when you opened your trading account. You should read the agreement with the forex broker. There will be a clause in it that says that the broker does not guarantee order execution at times of high volatility.

Do news traders always end up like this? Not always. But most can and do end up behaving this way quite often. This usually depends on the importance or surprise results of the economic announcement.

So you need to develop a survival strategy. Do all that not to lose money. This survival strategy calls for the preservation of your capital at all cost while at the same time giving you maximum pips if you really want to trade the news.

The priority is not to make as much money as possible; it is to reduce your risk by patiently waiting for conservative repeatable setups. News trading puts a traders patience to test. Your objective should be to use the undue volatility to identify the important levels of support and resistance. - 23226

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in trading stocks and forex. Trade Forex News. Learn Forex Trading.

Searching for Forex Trading Robots Comparison Sites

By Davion Wong

There are several ways that a Forex trading robots comparison can be of help to you, particularly if you are quite clueless as to which trading software types to settle for. Forex trading can be intimidating to some people, especially without the right knowledge, but the right trading system can help you learn a few pointers along the way.

If you want to make regular profits from your trades, it is important that you use a helpful Forex trading program. Some traders prefer doing long-term trading while others are more into scalping or profiting from more frequent trades within a limited period. If you are able to download a reliable type of software from the web, it will be easier for you to profit from Forex trading.

When trading, you need to remember that knowledge and discipline both play very crucial roles. The better your experience is in Forex trading; the easier it is for you to make profits, whether for the short-term or long-term. However, getting assistance from a reliable trading system can help you cut losses and minimize risks. A comparison of Forex trading robots should be done first.

Comparing Forex trading robots furthermore can be highly beneficial; since it helps you avoid the worthless trading programs being sold nowadays. Forex trading software scams are everywhere on the web, and if you are not careful, you could fall victim to these scams. When reading up on reviews and comparisons, make sure that the trading program delivers exceptional performance. Also check for user-friendly features and applications.

If you are starting out as a day trader, and you want your trades to be automated for you, you can choose a trading system that has easy-to-use features. Through these tools, you don't have to be too involved in trading, since the software lays out all the strategies for you.

However, many experienced traders would prefer a little more control when trading currencies, and therefore might require a system that allows for manual intervention. By comparing trading robots for Forex, you will be able to recognize which systems are more ideal for your trading background and level of expertise.

These review sites or comparison sites also present the costs associated with each trading platform, so you will be able anticipate your expenses well in advance.

Carrying out a Forex trading robot comparison will surely help you find the right trading tools, so drop by my site today to learn more. - 23226

About the Author:

Make accurate buy/sell decisions at the right moment with this top notch forex trading robots. For more, read about forex autopilot system!

Affordable Property Investment In Costa Rica

By Randy Berg

Property investment in Costa Rica is a thriving business today. A lot of people from all over the world are flocking to this country in the urge to buy property. There are a lot of properties that are available at economical prices today which are expected to increase in value in a few years time. This beautiful country which is located in Central America offers a lot of options for foreigners to invest in property here.

Costa Rica is a country much beyond just intoxicatedly lovely beaches, the luscious, green and breathtaking landscape and the majestically enthralling mountains. The beauty of Costa Rica lies in the people who inhabit this beautifully rich country. The people of Costa Rica, generally referred to as "ticos", are warm and friendly by nature. They are also very welcoming and helpful.

Costa Rica, these days, is fast becoming a good investment option. People are slowing beginning to explore and exploit the beauty of this land. Any traveler who comes to Costa Rica leaves with a desire to buy property in this enthralling country. Costa Rica offers a lot of options if you would like to invest in property in that country.

Some of the most famous places in Costa Rica where you can invest in property are Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva in the Caribbean side, Heredia and Alejuela which are central provinces, and Escazu and Santa Ana in the capital city of Costa Rica, San Jose. There are many mountain properties, commercial establishments, beach properties and some upscale residential homes on offer for investment in these areas.

Costa Rica property investment is also a good option because the country offers good infrastructure support like good roads, good Internet connectivity, public transportation, free trade zones, universities, schools, banks and good air transport. The weather in Costa Rica and the scenic beauty of this land ranging from the bountiful rainforest's to the volcanoes and the enticing beaches ensures that property investment is worth every penny here.

Property investment in Costa Rica is also worthwhile because the Costa Rican government is improving the infrastructure in order to provide the best to the investors. The government is providing for good roads, good Internet connectivity, good schools and universities, banks and other infrastructure to suit the needs of the investors. The economic policies in Costa Rica are pretty liberal and aid in foreign investment in property.

Though Costa Rica offers a lot of benefits of living here, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind while planning to invest in property in Costa Rica. Costa Ricans tend to think that "gringos" or foreigners who are investing in property in their country have a lot of money stacked in their bank accounts. Hence, the real estate in Costa Rica is a two tiered market. The "ticos" (native Costa Ricans) quote different prices for the same property to "ticos" and "gringos". Gringos are most often quoted a higher amount. This is one important point to bear in mind while investing in property in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica property investment is lucrative; however, the person who needs to invest in property in this country must be well versed with the local laws of this country. This is needed to ensure that you can get the property completely registered against your name and get 100% ownership rights. - 23226

About the Author:

Let Randy Berg help you find stunning and wonderful properties at Costa Rica Real Estate. Interact with us through our forum.