Marketing Maestro

This week our real estate team is holding free real estate trainings in the following South Florida areas:

The following market update was created to help our members understand the changing real estate market and some of the investment opportunities in these areas.

Florida is home to a large proportion of America’s foreclosed real estate, and foreclosures are continuing to rise, with many banks desperate to sell off property and recover their assets - which means opportunity for real estate investors. Recent news shows that:

• Real estate prices nationwide may be at or near their bottom, with May seeing a 14% price drop from Q1 2008 to a median price of $169K

• Sales have increased sharply in South Florida

• Floridians are optimistic about the long-term values of their real estate, and most feel that government programs will lead or are leading to a price recovery

• Prices of non-short-sale homes in Pasco and Pinellas counties near Tampa are now selling for approximately the same price as short-sale homes, foretelling a price rebound

• Foreclosure rates continue to rise, meaning more opportunities to buy property cheaply from the bank

All the signs point to Florida real estate prices starting to stabilize. Now’s the time to get onboard, before the price rebound picks up steam and investment properties become harder to afford. Read on to find out details...

Tampa Bay
With sales increasing over the previous year every month since August, prices are starting to rebound in some neighborhoods hit particularly hard by foreclosures and job loss, in Pasco and Pinellas counties. Even if the price rise is just a blip on the radar, it’s a particularly good omen for investors that short sale and non-short-sale prices are almost the same across Pasco County - this usually means that prices have reached their floor. (The floor in this case? A full 43% lower than their peak of 2006.)

Sarasota
Prices are reportedly rising in the Sarasota area, even as foreclosures increase - the average home sold for $6,000 more in April 2009 than in 2008. The price rise may not be sustained statistically, but should be noted as part of the volatility of the area’s real estate market.

Anecdotal evidence has luxury real estate sales in the Sarasota area picking up slightly, with a number of $1m+ houses selling recently.

Related Training:
Real Estate Investing
Real Estate Coaching
Foreclosure Deal Source

This week the Trump University team is holding free real estate seminars in the Austin, TX area.  To keep our members updated on the changing market conditions across the country and in the local market we put together the following market update:

Austin, TX
May 19, 2009 - May 20, 2009
Learn More and Register Here »

According to some, Austin’s real estate market has worsened over the past two or three months. Inventory has risen, prices have fallen, foreclosures increased. But buyers are still out there, there are signs that they’re waiting for deals, and prices area-wide may be nearing the lowest point we can expect. This week’s news shows that:

• Real estate prices may be at or near their bottom, with May seeing a 14% price drop from Q1 2008 to a median price of $169K
• Foreclosure rates continue to rise, meaning more opportunities to buy property cheaply from banks
• While sales and prices in Austin have fallen, there’s evidence that showings and buyer interest has risen - it’s the perfect time for shrewd investors to find area homes

With banks starting to sell off foreclosed real estate at a fast clip, now’s the time to negotiate directly to find great deals on homes. Read on to find out details...

Nationwide
Q1 2009 saw the average cost of a home dropping by 14%, the largest decrease on record over the same quarter a year before. Much of the drop can be accounted for by banks and lending institutions selling off foreclosed properties in order to recover part of their investment, and areas with lower foreclosure rates have been somewhat insulated from the price decreases, and overall, the price decreases are slowing, even with increased foreclosure sales. Some real estate experts believe that the price decrease may actually signal a stabilizing market, as banks become more confident in their ability to absorb losses on foreclosed properties. 

Foreclosures rose again in April, hitting a record for the second consecutive month, with a whopping 1/374 of all homes being foreclosed upon.

Austin
The Austin area has seen the second largest inventory increase in the country over the month of April - the number of houses on the market rose by 4.9%, behind only Boston’s 6.3%. Concerns linger that increased inventory will depress prices, but it’s also possible that the increased inventory may result from normal seasonal fluctuations. The Altos 10-City Composite Price Index recorded a 2.2% uptick through April, with Austin being one of the few markets accounted for by the index where prices didn’t go up, so it’s not too late for investors there to make the most of the current economy.

While home sales declined by 22% in the Austin area in March from the year before, anecdotal evidence has an increase in buyer interest. An $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and low mortgage interest rates might be responsible for more showings, and one real estate agent has said that the average Austin buyer today is more discerning and well-informed than in the past. Real estate agents believe that the Austin market is beginning to recover [registration may be required].

Related Training:
Real Estate Investing
Real Estate Coaching
Foreclosure Deal Source

As the Trump University team travels the country teaching people how to invest in real estate we compile market updates to help our members understand the changing market.

This week we are holding free real estate trainings in the following South Florida areas.  To help support the event we compiled an analysis of the area to help people get a better idea on why we are offering our events in their area.

The events are being held in:

Market Analysis:

Florida is home to a large proportion of America’s foreclosed real estate, and foreclosures are continuing to rise, with many banks desperate to sell off property and recover their assets - which means opportunity for real estate investors. This week’s news shows that: 

• Real estate prices may be at or near their bottom, with May seeing a 14% price drop from Q1 2008 to a median price of $169K 
• Sales have increased sharply in South Florida 
• Floridians are optimistic about the long-term values of their real estate, and most feel that government programs will lead or are leading to a price recovery 
• Miami has more buying opportunities than nearly any other area of the U.S.
• Foreclosure rates continue to rise, meaning more opportunities to buy property cheaply from the bank

We collect feedback from our clients.  The story below was sent to me last week.  When I read stories like this it reminds me that we are making a difference in our jobs.  Knowing that we are helping people improve their lives and live their dreams recharges my efforts to do an even better job.

As we head into a new week think about what your clients are saying about you? What do you want them to say?

Keep in mind that the most powerful way to market your business is to have someone else talk about and recommend you.

Here is the story of Pam and Jerry Glaser from Seattle, WA

We took the Fast Track to Foreclosure Training 3-day course in September, led by James Harris, followed by a 3-day mentoring program with Geoff Nowlin.
 
Among other things, the Real Estate Training helped us learn the importance of forming a “Power Team.”  With that information, we were able to create a dream team of contractors, realtors and landscapers. Good people are crucial to your success! The team took us through finding distressed properties and numerous financing options and exit strategies. The mentoring program then allowed us to go deeper into each aspect of real estate investing, such as how to make offers on properties, how to calculate our maximum allowable offer and how to complete paperwork, etc.

Ultimately, the programs gave us the knowledge and confidence to purchase our first investment properties. So far we’ve purchased two properties. The first one--which we fixed up in eight weeks--was able garner $24,200 in net profit for us after being on the market for only two days. The other is now on the market, and we estimate we'll clear $50,000 from our first two sales.  

We've also made an offer on our dream home--an unfinished bank-owned home that’ selling for $250,000 under market value. Once it's finished, we'll have about $250,000 of instant equity.

If we hadn't learned the creative financing techniques from Trump University, we wouldn't have been able to find the cash to purchase it with zero-down.   Our plans are to expand into rentals, starting by renting our current home, and to continue purchasing foreclosures and bank-owned properties, hoping to net $10,000 per month.  

Why did we reach out to Trump University to learn about real estate investing? Our son started college last fall. When the time came to pay for tuition, we looked at the dismal state of the mutual funds where we had our children's college money and, given the amount of loss they had just experienced, knew we couldn't cash it in. We needed another source of income for college. With real estate prices falling, we saw this as our opportunity to jump into real estate investing, and saw Trump University as a vehicle to get us started.  

We certainly didn't want to look back at this time in a few years with regrets, saying ";;;;if we'd only given it a try...";;;;

In true Trump University fashion this week is jam packed with all sorts of events, webinars and new programs.  Take a minute and find a local event, sign up for a webinar or one of our live training programs all taking place this week at Trump University:

Attend a Free Real Estate Investment Classes at either of the following locations:

Visit the site for a full list of upcoming free real estate investing events.

Sign up for our next Free Webinar: 

Secrets of Probate Investing

Register early for our new Kick Start Your Success retreat in either New York City or Los Angeles.

This week in the Wealth Builders Network our members will learn about "Acquiring Real Estate Through Probate"on Thursday, May 7th at 8pm EST.  The Wealth Builder Network weekly webinars are a premium service but you are welcome to try it out for free.

We are running a 3-day Real Estate Investing Workshop in San Francisco, CA (call for registration information.)

Coming Soon: 

• Invitations to The Wealth Summit
• Commercial Real Estate Home Study Program
• Winners of the Champion Challenge from Donald J. Trump
   

Have a great week.

Advice for real estate agents:

One of the first questions he choose to answer was from a new real estate agent.  Read the question and Mr. Trump's answer in Advice For New Real Estate Agents.   I am sure some of you have additional advice for this agent.  If you do, please share you advice by leaving me a comment and I will pass it along.

New contest:

Mr Trump's new book Think Like a Champion is now in stores.  In true Trump fashion Mr. Trump is challenging his readers to think like champions.  To help get people in the right mindset the Trump University team created a new contest.  Read all the details in Donald Trump's post Champion Challenge From Donald J Trump.  Winners will receive a signed first edition copy of the book.  Since I have some connections...I was able to get a singed copy to give-a-way to my Active Rain readers.  If you think you are a champion let me know in the comments below. 

Double your chances of winning by Twittering about the book contest.  Just be sure to use @trumpuniversity and #trumpbook in your twitter messages so we can keep track of the messages. 

Free events:

The following is a list of events and new content available from Trump University this week.

Attend a Free Real Estate Investment Classes at either of the following locations:

San Francisco, CA
Apr 27, 2009 - Apr 30, 2009
Learn More and Register Here »

San Jose, CA
Apr 27, 2009 - Apr 30, 2009
Learn More and Register Here »

Visit the site for a full list of upcoming free real estate investing events.

Sign up for our next Free Webinar: 

Kickstart Your Success

and register early for a webinar on Probate Investing being presented May 6th.

This week in the Wealth Builders Network our members will learn about "Buying HUD Properties: Part II" on Thursday, April 30th at 8pm EST.  The Wealth Builder Network weekly webinars are a premium service but you are welcome to try it out for free.

We are running a 3-day Real Estate Investing Workshop in Los Angeles, CA (call for registration information)

Our 3-day Creative Financing Retreat is being held May 1st-May 3rd  in Orlando,FL. (call for registration information)

New article posted on the Trump University site:
How to Eliminate Risk from Your Real Estate Investing

Have a great week.

This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated today April 21, 2009.

Last night was our town’s community wide Holocaust remembrance.  Each year it is held in the town’s high school auditorium and the room is filled.  For the last few years I have taken my kids with me.  It is not an argument (as I remember going with my father) for me to get them to go.  They ask to go and remember last year’s event and ask questions about who will be speaking etc.   It is amazing how they stand and sit in silence completely understanding the importance of the moment.

Esther Terner-Raab was the speaker at this year’s event.

She is a survivor of Sobibor death camp and has an amazing story to tell.  She lived through hell and survived to tell her story.  She has helped bring those responsible to justice by testifying at war crime trials.  Many books, movies and stories have been written about Sobibor and the brave who fought back trying to survive. I scanned her bio from the event handout.  Hopefully you can read it.  The bio does more justice to her story then I can.

This year it was particularly moving.  At one point all the survivors in attendance stood in the darkened and silenced auditorium holding candles for a moment of silence.  It is scary to think that 70 years ago these people had normal and happy lives and it all changed.  As the years go by there are fewer and fewer survivors left to stand holding candles.

The evening ends with the reading of the family names (from community families) of those who were lost. As the names are read 6 groups of 3 generations (survivor, child, grandchild) walk up and stand on stage holding candles commemorating the 6 million lost and celebrating the survival and promise of the future generations.

Why do I go when I can easily find many other activities to fill my time? 
I feel somewhat obligated to go but at the same time proud to be there.  My grandparents were lucky enough to escape the war in Germany before things got bad (not that they had an easy life).  When they arrived in the US they had nothing.  My father grew up never knowing his grandparents, many uncles, aunts or cousins.  My grandparents left everything they had behind and never saw their parents, extended families and most friends again. There are many stories much more dramatic than my father’s family.  I go because I am grateful for his family’s survival and sad for the family I never will know.  I go to remember the millions of people who were killed for what they believed in and for who they were.  I go so my kids will never forget, so they ask questions and so that the atrocities are never repeated.  I go to hear the stories of the survivors which must be told.  I go to remember that nothing good comes from hate. I go to never forget.

This year help the world remember this genocide and prevent future atrocities.  Attend a commemoration, visit a museum, watch one of the documentaries or read one of the many books on the subject.  Most of all never forget.


Here are two key resources (many more exist):
Yad Vashem
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

See below for a list of books recommended at the event.

Sheldon Neal was kind enough to spend some time with me to discuss the role of a real estate buyer's agent.  When we meet we recorded a podcast for the Trump University members titled Real Estate Investing With A Buyer's Agent.
 
Our goal was to help new investors understand the role a buyer's agent plays in the transaction and why they are an important part of any power team.
 
I learned a few things during our chat that will come in handy the next time I am buying real estate.   I now understand that a buyer's agent:

• works for me, the buyer or investor
• negotiates on my behalf and keeps my best interests at heart (not the sellers)
• does not have the same potential conflict of interest a dual agent might have
• has local market knowledge on home values and comparables
• Understands local trends and what other buyers are looking for in a property and their associated costs

 
Enjoy listening to our podcast and let me know what you think and if you have suggestions for future topics.
 
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