Norada Real Estate Investments

Year-End Checklist for Rental Real Estate

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Real estate is one of my absolute favorite areas in the tax law because there is so much flexibility in how to do things to legally maximize the tax benefits available.

Real estate is also one of the most complex areas of the tax law. This makes it easy to overlook important steps, which can lead to missing out on tremendous tax savings.

I recommend reviewing your tax strategy throughout the year, particularly as it relates to real estate. This makes it much easier to make adjustments timely, minimize oversights and reduce stress at the end of the year and tax return time.

With the end of the year approaching quickly, it is an ideal time to implement a year round strategy to review your tax strategy as it relates to your real estate.

Start with my year-end checklist for rental real estate and adapt it to use throughout the year.

Here are a few items from the checklist my team and I use:

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2012 Housing Market Forecast

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The question most real estate investors often ask is, “Where do I invest now?”

As always, there are local housing markets around the country where homes are affordable, the underlying economy is strong, and appreciation is imminent.  These are markets you should consider for your next long-term real estate investment.

Norada Real Estate Investments tracks the economic conditions and real estate trends of nearly 400 markets across the country.  Because of the dynamic nature of real estate market conditions, we continually monitor and rank the top markets to make it easier for you, as an investor, to concentrate on the areas that will give you the greatest opportunity for success.

While you might be inclined to look for bargains in areas that have seen the largest price corrections in the past, watch out – there is no guarantee that home prices in areas of high speculation will ever rebound to boom levels.

Unlike the stock market, local real estate markets usually move in slow, predictable cycles. Appreciation is not luck or magic. It correlates closely with economic development and population growth in a local market.

If you missed out on Phoenix, Vegas and Florida (or if you rode those waves and know what it's about), download the current issue of our free report.

Download your free copy of the 2012 Housing Market Forecast Today!

How to Lower Your Property Taxes

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Half of all homeowners may be paying too much.  Here's what you can do about it.

Home prices are still going down in many markets. But your property-tax bill might well be going up.

The good news: There are ways to fight back.

Property taxes across the U.S. have increased by nearly 20% from 2005 to 2009, the most recent data available, according to an April study by the National Association of Home Builders. The median annual real-estate-tax payment was $1,917 in 2009, up from $1,614 in 2005.

Over the same period, home prices in major urban centers fared badly, decreasing 31%, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index.

Property taxes don't move in lockstep with home values because local governments typically don't measure values every year and some have limits on annual property-tax increases, says Natalia Siniavskaia, a housing-policy economist at the home-builders group. That means your current property taxes might reflect your home's value when the market was healthier. Property-tax adjustments lag behind changes in home prices by an average of three years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

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The New Real Estate Boom

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Home prices and sales may be flat, but the rental industry is booming. The percentage of renters is on the rise, the number of households is increasing, and more Americans are downsizing, all of which point in a single direction: rents are on the rise.

At the peak of the housing boom, home ownership in America reached an all-time high at 69.2%. Today that number has plummeted to fewer than 67%, which may not sound like a huge drop, but that represents roughly 3 million households that were owner-occupied and are now tenant-occupied.

The high foreclosure rate has accelerated the transition toward leasing, but there are a myriad of other trends coalescing to boost demand for rental housing.

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USA Investment Property – A Great Choice For Investors

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USA investment property is becoming very popular these days, and many foreign investors, especially from the UK, Australia and Europe, would prefer purchasing properties in this country.

There are several economic reasons that are responsible for the US property market to work well, where investors can make large profits from relatively small investments. It is important therefore to comprehend the crucial elements that contribute to the unparalleled opportunities which are available now, as the country is fast becoming one of the top property investment locations.

Economy – Even with the economy still in recession, the USA remains the largest national economy in the world that is complemented by its huge land mass and population. The country has an appraised GDP of more than $14 trillion with a relatively low cost of living, and an advanced market with contemporary infrastructure consisting of large finance and private sectors.

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Build Your Real Estate Dream Team

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Many entrepreneurs believe that, if you want something done right, do it yourself.  Personally, I believe that is the rationalization of control freaks unwilling to delegate.

In reality, your dream team will help you reach your financial goals faster than you ever can alone.

Sure, you can find motivated sellers and build a great buyer's list on your own, but other tasks require the expertise of others.

Some of the members of your team should include:

  • real estate agents, who can bring you sellers
  • home inspectors, who can spot things you might never notice
  • rehab crews, who can do work in much less time than you could,assuming you want to pick up a hammer
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U.S. Housing Market Intelligence Report (August 2011)

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Categories are graded from A thru F:

Economic Growth: C- (June 2011: D+)
The U.S. economic recovery remains sluggish. Real GDP grew at a 1.3% pace in 2Q11, following downwardly revised growth of 0.4% in 1Q11; far below the 1.9% rate of expansion previously estimated for last quarter. We now have positive Y/Y employment growth for eleven consecutive months, with payrolls expanding by 117,000 in July, up from 46,000 in June, and the unemployment rate dropping from 9.2% to 9.1%. Initial jobless claims fell to 400,000 in July. Government payrolls decreased by 37,000 in July, the ninth straight sequential drop.

The average length of unemployment increased to 40.4 weeks (new record high), and the labor force percentage of those unemployed over 27 weeks dipped slightly from 4.1% to 4.0%. On a positive note, retail sales continue to improve, with Y/Y growth at 8.5%.

Leading Indicators: C- (June 2011: C)
Leading indicators for the economy are mixed this month, with our overall grade for this subsection of indicators dropping from a C in June to C- in July. Many of the leading indicators we analyze have been trending down over the past several months, returning to levels not seen since mid-2009, a time when the U.S. economy was still in the midst of the Great Recession. For example, the ISM Purchasing Managers Index has fallen two consecutive months, dropping to 50.9 (just above the expansion threshold value), a level not seen since July 2009. In addition, the Vistage CEO Confidence Index fell in 2Q11, crossing into negative Y/Y territory for the first time since 2Q09. Corporate profit growth was revised down from last quarter, rising at an 8.8% Y/Y clip in 1Q11, the weakest annual growth rate since Q309. Other leading indicators such as the ECRI Leading Index were relatively flat versus last month.

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Next 2 Years is Prime Time for Real Estate Investors

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Real estate investors are likely to be three times more active than other types of home-buyers in their local markets within the next two years, according to a national survey by Realtor.com operator Move Inc.

Market research firm GfK Custom Research North America conducted the survey on behalf of Move from April 11-15, 2011. The survey included telephone interviews of 1,200 U.S. adults, of which about 200 were identified as real estate investors.  Data was weighted by age, sex, education, race and geographic region.

A third of real estate investors are planning to buy in the next 24 months, compared to 8.6% of typical home-buyers — those planning to purchase a primary residence, vacation home or retirement property.  Another 9.1% of typical home-buyers, and 28% of investors, plan to purchase between two and five years from now.

Among the investors, half plan to hold their properties for five or more years while 11% expect to sell within a year of purchase, according to the survey.

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Bad Debt vs. Good Debt

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This is an investing concept that’s not often thought about within the context of real estate, but it’s vital for you to understand the differences between these two types of debt.

Bad debt is typically referred to as consumer debt. What makes bad debt “bad” is the fact that it’s not being used on anything that produces cash flow or appreciates over time. Vacations, clothing, iPads, and anything else that doesn’t work for you in generating a return on that debt is considered bad debt.

Bad debt sources usually come from credit cards, but they can also include car loans, store credit, and personal lines of credit. Interest rates are usually high and are generally higher than most good debt sources.

If that isn’t bad enough, the interest you pay is almost never tax deductible. The only exception to this rule might be a qualifying business expense if you can deduct such an expense.

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Investing vs. Speculating

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It's vital to know the difference between speculation and investing! If you don't, you could make some very bad decisions and lose a lot of money.

Speculation is generally a high risk form of investing. It's done over a very short period of time, ranging anywhere from 1 day on the low end to 6 to 12 months on the high end.

From 2004 to 2006, investors speculated by buying pre-construction properties in Florida, Las Vegas and Phoenix. They'd put properties under contract with builders in these markets, then immediately offer them for sale once the builder finished construction six to twelve months later.

Some investors were fortunate and turned over some nice profits from the appreciation. However, many more were left holding the bag when the market softened and flipping for profit became nearly impossible.

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