Reuben Alexander’s Blog

If you’d like to invest in real estate, but don’t want the hassle of managing it, try a real estate mutual fund. Money managers with Expansion Funds America in Phoenix say investors should have real estate positions beyond what’s in their homes.

Property prices don’t move up and down with stock market prices, and they provide diversification. Money managers recommend that you put no more than 25 to 35 percent of their portfolios into Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), or real estate mutual funds.

They also recommend gold, which can be held as bullion in gold-mining stocks and gold mutual funds. They recommend a 10 percent maximum for most portfolios.

You’ve found a house you like, but want to offer a little less than the asking price. What is the best way to do it?
How an offer is made has a lot to do with the outcome:
* Sellers are more comfortable with an offer if they know the buyer is qualified and eager to close.
* A buyer’s agent can help. When the agent presents the offer in person, the seller can ask questions that could lead to a favorable decision.
* A real estate agent essentially does the same. Though a real estate agent is working for the seller, the sale is still a primary goal.
* Always present your offer to the seller in person. Don’t fax.
* Some sellers don’t want personal contact with buyers. If you use a buyer’s agent, be sure the offer is presented in person to the listing real estate agent.
* When a real estate agent requests that offers be presented in a sealed envelope, ask the real estate agent to prepare a summary to accompany the offer. The summary should tell something about you and highlight positive aspects of your offer, such as an early closing date.
* However your offer is presented, your chances of acceptance are improved by including a copy of a preapproval letter from a mortgage company.
* When multiple offers are involved, some buyers write a letter to the seller to personalize their offer. It won’t help if you aren’t qualified or if the offer is too low.

Are you tempted to Zillow?

Fortune magazine says the Zillow Web site is the equivalent of real estate yuppie porn. One real estate analyst claims its houses are vastly overpriced or underpriced. Still another says Zillow has started a real estate revolution!

Actually, sites like Zillow’s can be a starting point for people who want to buy a house or building. If they realize that pricing is a generalization, they can still get an idea of what houses might cost in certain locations.

The developers of Zillow have it right when they say the hunger for information about real estate is infinite. Everyone is curious about the value of their own home, and homes of people they know, and the possible value of homes they would be interested in buying.

Richard Barton, co-founder of Zillow, however, says that the best information about real estate is locked up in people’s heads. The best way to root out the true value of a property is to tap into community knowledge.

Mark Lesswing, a senior vice president of the National Association of Realtors, says real estate agents don’t fear Zillow. They use it as a way to show how their services are more valuable than something people can get free on the web.

Consumers can count on the fact that their agent is familiar with the property and knows what it is worth based on community pricing and other factors, rather than a computer estimate.

Fortune also notes that hiring a real estate agent is like hiring an attorney. You might have every bit of legal information that the lawyer does, but would you want to represent yourself?

The same is true with buying or selling real estate. You might have a lot of information about a home or building, but representing yourself in a real estate transaction could be pretty risky too.

On July 07, 2007 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 4927 Briggs Ave in La Crescenta. If you are looking for a Residential property in this area, don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this Residential property, check out my site at realtor4good.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

On July 01, 2007 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 6914 Greeley St in Tujunga. If you are looking for a property in this area, don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this property, check out my site at realtor4good.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

On June 30, 2007 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 4927 Briggs Ave in La Crescenta. If you are looking for a Residential property in this area, don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this Residential property, check out my site at realtor4good.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

Check out this new Single-family property that I just posted on my Web site. It is at 3611 5th Ave in Glendale. This Single-family property has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.

Check out this new Condo property that I just posted on my Web site. It is at 10149 Commerce Ave #9 in Tujunga. This Condo property has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.

On June 24, 2007 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 7337 Zachau Pl in Tujunga. If you are looking for a Single-family property in this area, don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this Single-family property, check out my site at realtor4good.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

On June 24, 2007 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 7241 Hillrose St in Tujunga. If you are looking for a property in this area, don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this property, check out my site at realtor4good.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.