Showing posts with label house las vegas nv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house las vegas nv. Show all posts

Monday, December 5, 2011

Real Estate and IRS's

Real Estate in IRAs

Little-Known Secret Allows Real Estate Investors to Create True Wealth

Historically, real estate has given many Americans with a stable investment vehicle that provides both income and appreciation. One of the greatest tools available to real estate investors is government-sponsored retirement plans, such as IRAs and 401(k)s.

Most investors believe that their only IRA investment options are bank CDs, the stock market, and mutual funds.

Few Americans realize that they have the option to self-direct their IRAs and other retirement plans into real estate—and that they can benefit from the tax advantages those plans provide. IRA investments earn tax-deferred/tax-free profits.

Imagine not having to pay taxes right away—or ever—on your real estate deals. Instead of paying 25%, or 30%, or even 50% of your profits to the government in taxes, you keep it.

Additional advantages of the real estate IRAs include:

The power of compound interest
A reduction of taxable income
Asset protection
Estate planning

If you're a successful real estate investor, or if you're just looking to diversify your retirement portfolio, the combination of real estate and your IRA can be very powerful.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Federal Sales Tax on Your HOME!

LETS VOTE THEM ALL OUT IN 2012! WILL YOU SELL YOUR HOUSE after 2012?


Will you ever sell your house after 2012?

Call your Democratic/Republic Senator's Office to confirm this hidden fact about the ObamaCare regulation.

Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it? That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home, plus all the other items.

When did this happen?

It's in the health care bill. Just thought you should know.

SALES TAX GOES INTO EFFECT 2013 (Part of HC Bill).

Why 2013?

Could it be that it is coming to light AFTER the 2012 elections?

REAL ESTATE SALES TAX.

So, this is "change you can believe in"?

Under the new health care bill all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8%Sales Tax. The bulk of these new taxes don't kick in until 2013 If you sell your $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax.

This bill is set to screw the retiring generation who often downsize their homes.
Does this information make your November and 2012 vote more important?

Oh, you weren't aware this was in the ObamaCare bill? Guess what, you aren't alone.
There are more than a few members of Congress that aren't aware of it either

http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/08/obamacare-flatlines-obamacare-taxes-home

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

5 Questions to Ask Before Buying a home!!

In most parts of the country, the housing market is good (or great!) for buyers right now - interest rates are bizarrely low, lots of inventory means lots to choose from, and the cost of renting has increased in a lot of markets. But just because the market’s good doesn’t mean it’s the right time for everyone to buy.
The decision whether to buy a home is a very personal one; you need to carefully examine your own situation to determine whether it’s right for you.

So, what are the questions you need to answer in deciding whether you’re ready to buy? Here are some of the big ones:

1. Do I have enough money for a down payment?

And how much, exactly, is “enough?” Today’s minimum down payment requirements range from 3.5 percent on an FHA loan to 10 or even 20 percent for conventional loans. That means coming up with anywhere from $7,000 to $40,000 on a typical $200,000 house. While there are still programs that can give you a down payment assist (see last week’s post, 5 Insider Secrets for Coming Up With Cash for Down Payment), much of the heavy lifting here will need to come from you - in the form of saving up your hard earned cash. And keep in mind there are also closing costs you’ll probably have to pay in cash, which can run as high as 3-4% of your total purchase price.

Talk with a real estate pro and a mortgage broker in your areas to start wrapping your head around how much “cash to close” (i.e., down payment + closing costs) will run, approximately, on a local property that would meet your needs. Can your savings cover this? If not, where will you get the money - what’s your plan for coming up with it?

Putting down as much as you can a) makes you more attractive to lenders, so you might qualify you for better loan terms and b) gives you additional purchasing power, either decreasing your monthly mortgage payment or increasing your purchase price limit for a home.

2. Can I handle the not-so-glamorous aspects of homeownership?
If you can’t even fathom the prospect of having a home maintenance crisis without having a landlord to call to fix it, you might want to reconsider homeownership - or at the very least, buy a lower maintenance condo or townhome in great condition, and make sure you get a home warranty! As a home owner, after all, you essentially are your own landlord. Pipe bursts in the middle of the night? Guess who’ll be up fixing it or calling (and paying) the plumber? (Hint: you.)

There are also some less-than-glamorous bills you’ll have to deal with in your new role as a homeowner that you never laid eyes on as a renter: property taxes and hazard insurance, to name two. When you go from renter to owner, you also need to account for the cost of appliances and maintaining the property’s roof, windows, and landscaping, among other things.

3. How long do I intend to stay in the house?
If you think you might move out of the area next year, then you really shouldn’t be thinking about buying a house (unless of course, you want to play landlord and rent it out after you leave - a prospect which requires its own risk/rewards analysis). For your home purchase to pencil out as a good deal, financially, you’ll shouldn’t buy unless you’re comfortable staying in the house at least 5-7 years - even longer, if you’re buying a home in a foreclosure hot spot or an area with a sluggish job market.. This gives you some time to build up equity and make up for the costs of buying, selling and moving.

4. Are my job and finances stable?

Maybe you just went through a major career change and are in the process of working your way back up from the top. Or maybe you work in a field that has been hit really hard by layoffs and cutbacks. The worst case scenario is to find yourself in a spot with mortgage payment you have no way to make, when you could have avoided that by seeing the writing on the wall. If you feel like there’s a real chance you could lose your job or income tomorrow, you may want to hold off on buying a house - that has the added bonus of giving you the geographic freedom to move, if needed, to get a new job.

Is there really such a thing as 100 percent job security in today’s economy? Probably not. But the best practice is to be confident that your finances could handle a temporary loss of income and still make your mortgage payments, before you buy. One way to do this is to have enough money in the bank to cover 4-6 months’ worth of living expenses, calculating them to include your mortgage payment - before you deem yourself ready to buy. That way, even if you lose your job with no warning at all, you’ll at least have a reasonable window of time to find a new one without digging yourself into a hole - or worse, losing your home altogether.

5. What are my real reasons for buying?

Buying a home is a long-term commitment that will have massive impacts on your lifestyle, your family and your finances. In other words, don’t do it unless you’re really sure you want to and are ready for the lifestyle change - don’t let someone else talk you into it. Worthy reasons renters with homeowning readiness give for their decision to buy include some or all of the following:

•You want to build equity instead of paying a landlord. Fact is, if you get a fixed rate mortgage and make the payments for the full term of the loan, you'll eventually pay it off. That's not possible when you're renting.
•You want a place to call your own, where you can paint a wall purple, add a pottery spinning studio or build your dogs an obstacle course (oops - that's my reason for homeownership!), because it's your prerogative.
•You want the tax advantages of homeownership.
•You want a stable place you and your family can live for as long as you'd like.
Ask yourself these questions, and be honest with your answers. If you really want to buy, but your answers to these questions today don’t weigh in that direction, it doesn’t mean you’ll never own a home. It’s usually just a matter of strategically timing your purchase out a year or two when your savings, your career and your lifestyle are in alignment with the implications of ownership - consider working closely with a real estate broker and a mortgage professional to get an action plan in place and start working that plan.

http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2011/08/5_questions_to_ask_yourself_before_buying_a_home?ecampaign=cnews201108C&eurl=www.trulia.com%2Fblog%2Ftaranelson%2F2011%2F08%2F5_questions_to_ask_yourself_before_buying_a_home

Thursday, July 28, 2011

4 Steps to Minimize the Risk of Owning a Home

Not so long ago, in a not-so-distant land, owning a home was thought of as the safest "investment" around. Fast forward to the present day, and home ownership seems super scary to many people who can afford homes, and would like to own them, but are paralyzed by the fear of buying a lemon, or having a mortgage catastrophe.

Here are 4 simple steps to minimize the risk that you'll become the main character in a homeownership horror story.

1. Stick with a fixed-rate mortgage. Recent data shows that adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMs, are increasingly popular, rising from 9 percent of the mortgage market in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 12 percent in the first quarter of this year. This might seem crazy to some, but in financially aggressive crowds, the lure of low, 3 percent(ish) interest rates on ARMs is enough to overcome any qualms. As well, today's ARMs tend to have lower lifetime interest rate caps and require payment of principal, so they don't adjust as violently as the subprime interest-only and option ARMs that contributed to the foreclosure crisis.

If the thought of your mortgage payment changing over time gives you the shakes, you don't want to live in a state of interest rate obsession for the next few decades, or you simply crave the simplicity and predictability of knowing what your housing payment will be for the next 15, 20 or 30 years, then stick to

a fixed-rate mortgage. The rates are higher, but with a fixed-rate loan, the risk of scary payment changes are not only lower, they are non-existent.

2. Put - and keep - a home warranty in place. One of the most frightening things about going from renter to homeowner is the prospect of being solely responsible for the care and feeding of your home and all its systems and appliances. Responsibility for both the costs and the actual logistics of repairing things like a leaky roof, a broken hot water heater or a haywire electrical fixture looms large in the minds of first-time buyers, in particular.

A home warranty plan kicks in when escrow closes, and depending on the coverage you select, will cover your home against the breakdown of major systems and even some appliances, like furnaces and water heaters. In some cases, you can even upgrade the coverage to protect against roof leaks and some plumbing issues. When a covered item breaks down, just remember to call the home warranty company first - for the cost of a service call you can get the item repaired or even replaced, if necessary. I remember the home warranty company replacing a $900 water heater in my first home; what a GOD send!

Talk with your agent - you might even be able to negotiate for the seller to pay for the first year's cost of the warranty. Just remember to renew it when it expires every year, to keep a cap on your risk of unexpected repair costs for the duration of your tenure as a homeowner.

3. Get repair bids and estimates, not just inspections. After you find the home of your dreams (or the home of your budget!) and get into contract, you'll have a contingency or objection period ranging from 7 to 17 days during which you can obtain all the inspections you want. Most buyers start out with a general property inspection, a pest inspection and a roof inspection, then get more specialized inspections if the property calls from it. Pest and roof inspectors will generally provide an inspection report AND a repair bid for any work they find needs to be done.

But the overall home inspection could very well list a dozen needed repairs, upgrades and maintenance items, without providing any information about how much those repairs will cost. If your inspection report surfaces work you'll need to have done to fix things (or avoid bigger fixes down the road), work with your agent to schedule actual repair contractors to come in and give you bids on the work before your contingency or inspection period expires. That will position you to negotiate around repair costs with the seller, or to know what you're getting yourself into, cost-wise, if you take the property as-is.

4. Buy on the 10-year plan. Warren Buffett once famously advised stock investors to "only buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years." The same advice is good for buying a home in today's real estate market. Take on a mortgage you know you can sustain, buy at a price you can comfortably afford and avoid having to sell because you need to move for some urgent reason, or because the home no longer meets your needs.

You can take this last step to hedge against losing money on your home by planning your space, career and lifestyle needs out 5, 7, even 10 years in the future - everything from how many bedrooms and garage spaces you'll need to where you'll want to be located, geographically - and selecting a home that will meet those needs for that foreseeable future. As a general rule of thumb, the harder hit the area was in the recession, the longer you should plan to hold it.

complements of

http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2011/07/4_steps_to_minimize_the_risk_of_owning_a_home?ecampaign=cnews201107D&eurl=www.trulia.com%2Fblog%2Ftaranelson%2F2011%2F07%2F4_steps_to_minimize_the_risk_of_owning_a_home

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

FHA DECREASE

Did you know that effective September 30, 2011, FHA Maximum Loan Amount is set to DECREASE from $400,000 to $287,500.00 FHA Maximum loan limits will change for the following Nevada Counties (effective 9/30/2011)


New Loan Limit

Carson City $286,350.00
Clark County $287,500.00
Douglas County $350,750.00
Elko County $271,050.00
Eureka County $271,050.00
Lyon County $271,050.00
Nye County $271,050.00
Storey County $325,450.00
Washoe County $325,430.00

Call me today, and lets discuss how this could/will impact your wallet. As your real estate professional, coach/mentor keeping you up to date witht the most current and relevant information is what I love and live for! (702) 236-6266

Monday, July 25, 2011

City Of North Las Vegas Values

Last week in the news we heard of the possibility that the City of North Las Vegas, Nevada may be taken over by the State of Nevada.

See articles:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jul/21/north-las-vegas-mayor/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jul/12/north-las-vegas-finances/

In the first article: “Mayor Shari Buck stresses that North Las Vegas is not at risk of being taken over by the state, but she admits the city will have a difficult time figuring out its finances for the next two years.”

In the second article:
“But a city doesn’t reach the brink of insolvency because of one hardheaded union, or even two. Recent and past moves by city officials, the unions and residents have led to this fix. North Las Vegas, once among nation’s fastest-growing cities, has seen steep declines in tax revenue during the recession, while its operating costs have risen to pay for big projects planned in anticipation of continued growth” The article continues with the poor planning on the city councils part.

Personally, it’s time for some hard core decision making….Voters. Instead of voting in politicians that have NO experience in running businesses much less know and understand how a budget works or even know what that word means. Vote in solid business owners and entrepreneurs that have a proven track record of how to stay within budget and grow businesses.

Hearing this news, I have to wonder what will this do to the already low property values in the city. The state of Nevada is in no financial condition to take over more financial responsibility.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Timing verses Location

One of the things that I have found over the years in working with clients that own real estate is that people love buying real estate. With that said some make critical mistakes when doing so. The starting point in deciding what to buy and how to buy it should begin with the answer to this question: Why Should I buy and what is it for?

This question that you ask yourself may sound ridiculous, however an important one for your financial future. Timing is so important. What was the famous line in real estate? Location, location, location. Look back at the years 2003 to 2008 at the feeding frenzy. If someone bought in those years they bought at the high part of the market; thus, the foreclosure and short sale phenonumen. The rule of thumb to any investing or any business is TIMING, TIMING, TIMING.

Another questions to ask yourself what time frame of investing, expectations, do you have the cash or financing and most importantly, whether the property will cash flow. Analyze the property, take all the expenses, taxes, hoa, maintenance, property manager, vacancy, home warranty, landlord insurance policy, holding the property in an LLC, etc. Find out what the property can be rented for. Find out the crime stats in the area and then do the math.

When buying real estate for income it is necessary to look at the type of income that you purchase. Single family homes in the Las Vegas area will be a great investment, for income if done correctly. Let me give you an example: A three bedroom home in Las Vegas, Nevada that would sell for 80,000 rents for $1,500 per month. Subtracting out the annual expenses of the debt service (mortgage payment), property taxes, insurance and the other expenses I mentioned above. It would not be uncommon for this property to net $7,200 yr after expenses. Take that to another level. Invest in 10 homes with that same outcome that would be $72,000 a year. Go a little further, invest in 20 homes would equal $144,000 a year. We have not even discussed the tax advantages. Your CPA would give you that information.

Let’s take a look at commercial property. Multiunit properties, apartments, or commercial properties may be far superior in terms of income than single family homes. In today’s market, you may be able to find a 4 unit property for $100,000. Obviously the figures are larger however so the return is. If done correctly.
Using leverage (OPM or OPC) may also allow for additional income on a property.

End Result: You need to do some planning prior to purchasing a property and find a knowledgeable real estate agent that has done investing for themselves. You should consider the types of properties, how to fund the property, whether to use leverage, who will manage the property, what improvements it may need, and what annual expenses it may have, among other items. The list of considerations is long, but the outcome will be well worth the hard work and profitable. Happy Investing!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Real Estate Workshop

What a great workshop on Saturday, January 29, 2010 in Las Vegas.

We discussed fitting the puzzle pieces together in order to invest in real estate.

We heard from a CPA and a loan officer and asked the hard questions.

The agenda

How to create a business Plan for investing
How to stay committed to your plan
What is the definition of KASH and how to implement in your business plan?
How to any analyze property
How the buying/loan process works
How does the escrow process works

To receive the information contact Dawn (702) 236-6266

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Short Sales vs Foreclosures

I have recently had a few people that I have been talking to about short sales over the past several months come to me with great urgency for help.

Both just had foreclosure (NOD) notices taped to their door, which signifies the start of the formal foreclosure process.
The foreclosure process takes about 121 days to complete before the bank can sell your house at the trustee sale.

A typical short sale can take 2-4 months from the start of processing, but that is under the most ideal circumstances and I am sure most of you have heard that things rarely go smooth during these transactions. That being said, it is not necessarily too late but it definitely does limit our choices and makes things tougher.

Banks have started to get stricter on foreclosure postponements during short sale processing so the longer you wait to start the short sale (if that is the best decision for you) the less chance of success we will have because we have little room for error (or losing a buyer, or changing negotiators, etc).

The main point of this email is to let you know that if you are considering your options on what to do with your home do not procrastinate!

Meet with the appropriate professionals (CPA, attorney, financial advisor, etc) and form a game plan sooner rather than later. It could mean the difference in a successful short sale with the best of outcomes (full release from the deficiency without contributions) to a foreclosure or possible bankruptcy (if sued by the bank). If you have any questions or want to meet for a confidential consultation about your options please email or call me.

They are always free. I am a very good source of real world information (aside from your uncle Joey in New York of course!).



Also, please forward this to anyone in your database that may appreciate the information!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

73% of all homes in Clark County are down at leat 50%. And rents have held up well because the homeowners that are short-selling or vacating homes due to foreclosure must begin renting.

Choose the property wisely and you can get steady income and a good chance of solid appreciation over the next ten years. Seek out places that were growing before the recession and have something compelling to offer that will drive future growth. If you need a mortgage, make sure your monthly income will be enough to cover you loan payments plus a 20% cushion to cover repairs, vacancies and property management.

Real Estate is the only investment that gives you: Cash Flow. Appreciation, Depreciation and Equity Build Up.

Call for more information (702) 236-6266 or www.sharebuildersinc.com

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Defense for you Asset

I have had a discussion on this topic a few months back, however It seems I having the same conversation with many investors, homeowners, and business owners.

An important discussion is keeping your asset protected.

Living trusts are used by millions of people who wish to keep their assets from going through probate when they die. Most living trusts, however, are not adequate for protecting assets from creditors because the trusts are revocable. This means that the person setting up the trust can revoke or change the terms of the trust at any time. If you have a revocable trust, and you can get control of the assets, the courts have consistently held that your creditors can also get control of those assets.

Trusts that are irrevocable can be more successfully used to protect assets. Once you set up an irrevocable trust, you cannot change the terms or revoke it. In essence, you have given your assets away; they are no longer available to satisfy claims against you. A judgment creditor cannot get to these funds. These are just two trusts that are avaiavable, there are many more.

What about LLC's, S, Corps, C Corporations are another way of protection.

Real estate asset protection do you need it? Well, considering that real-estate is risky enough as it is, if someone gets killed or hurt you are likely to be sued by the injured victims or family members. That is a given as accidents do happen but lawsuits are more likely to happen when people know you own property. Particularity in this age where someone can sue a business because the coffee they were drinking was too hot or where a lady was awarded 12 million dollars in a foiled suicide attempt on the train tracks.

Consider this scenario you are sued for $2,000,000, your insurance will cover $1,000,000 but guess who is left with a $1,000,000 problem. The day before life was rosy but today you are in the poor house. You could of avoided that issue all together if you had real estate asset protection that is if you didn't have the property in your name.

The biggest mistake you can make is to put your real estate in your own name as it all a part of public record. Anyone can look at what you have determine its current market value and deduct what you owe to see what they can take you for. Putting your name out in public land registry is equivalent to painting a bulls eye on your back to prying eyes such as attorneys, creditors and even tenants.

But what entity is the real estate asset protection? What entity or corporate structure do I use to buy and sell to hold real estate? How can I limit my liability exposure? These are very good questions to ask and a good place to start.

Certainly your first protection is liability insurance, but should judgments exceed your insurance or should your insurance not cover you for whatever reason you need real estate asset protection.

A land trust is a form of an irrevocable living trust used to take title to real estate so the beneficiaries cannot be easily discovered. However the land trust is not considered to be a separate taxable entity and there are no tax benefits of transferring property in or out of it.

A corporation is an effective device to buy and sell real estate so if the beneficiary of the land trust is a corporation one can have the tax benefits of being taxed after expenses at a corporate rate rather than before expenses and at the higher rate of an individual. As an individual you may also be taxed as a dealer at 15% for buying and selling.

Depending on your tax situation you might be better off with a C Corporation rather than a S Corporation. A corporation is a C Corporation by default and files a separate tax return whereas a S corporation is specially set up so that it splits up its profits to its shareholders as dividends. The shareholders then report their income on their own personal tax returns. In most cases its better to start out as a S Corporation and later change into a C Corporation when the tax advantages become evident.

A LLC or limited liability company allows the shareholders to participate in the running of the company without sharing its liability. Like a S Corporation the profits and losses flow to the owners. Buying and selling may subject the owners as an active activity to a dealers tax of 15% making the C corporation a better choice. If the business is primarily rents the LLC may be better. Its conceivable that one can form an LLC for every property and file one personal income tax if there is only one owner.

In any case get as much insurance as your entity can sustain to cover your real estate and business activity. Insure the entity is the names insured. Making sure the entity holds title to all your real estate to insure you won't be named the defendant in any potential lawsuit.

Those are some areas to consider before you obtain further professional advice for getting the best real estate asset protection

Thursday, July 1, 2010

First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit

Nevadans Receive Kudos For Efforts to Extend First Time Homebuyer's Tax Credit
2010 NAR President Vicky Cox Golder expressed her thanks to the NVAR Board of Directors for their efforts to extend the closing deadline for the Homebuyer Tax Credit. NAR worked closely with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to enact this important legislation. Extending the Tax Credit Closing deadline will help provide additional stability to real estate markets across the nation.

Click here to read 2010 NAR President Vicky Cox Golder's letter.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Wealth Creation through Real Estate

I have found many people wanting to know how to create wealth through real estate but have not done anything about it. Reasons are many:

1. Scared and/or Fear
2. Do not know how or where to start
3. Have a mentor to show them
4. No Credit or Money
5. No time

The list goes on.

There is an easy way to create wealth through Real Estate!

Check out www.sharebuildersinc.com

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Asset Protection

I have spoke with many buyers/investors in the last couple of weeks and I have been having the same conversation about asset protection. I have found that fewer buyers/investors even know what that is let alone how to do it. There is an excellent resource guide/book called Lawyers are Liars, Author is Mark Kohler, CPA and Lawyer. Here are a few tips:

A limited liability company (LLC), also known as a company with limited liability (WLL), is a flexible form of business enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of business company, in the law of the vast majority of United States jurisdictions, which provides limited liability to its owners. Often incorrectly called a "limited liability corporation" (instead of company), it is a hybrid business entity having certain characteristics of both a corporation and a partnership or sole proprietorship (depending on how many owners there are).

An LLC, although a business entity, is a type of unincorporated association and is not a corporation. The primary characteristic an LLC shares with a corporation is limited liability, and the primary characteristic it shares with a partnership is the availability of pass-through income taxation. It is often more flexible than a corporation and it is well-suited for companies with a single owner.


It is important to understand that limited liability does not imply owners are always fully protected from personal liabilities. Courts can and do pierce the corporate veil of LLCs when some type of fraud or misrepresentation is involved, or under certain situations where the owner uses the company as an "alter ego."[1