Well, we are halfway through the year and we are looking at a cup that is ready to over-flow not only for our company and our team, but for every real estate investing client we work for. And...make no mistake about it, we WORK FOR over 800 clients around the country every day!
6 min read
2014 Mid-Year Review for the Memphis Invest Family of Companies
By Chris Clothier on Thu, Jul 31, 2014
5 min read
Job Markets Are Driving Real Estate
By Chris Clothier on Mon, Jun 23, 2014
Real estate investing, at least investing successfully, has always been about finding good opportunities and understanding what is driving that opportunity. We always hear about investors who land the big deal and take home an enormous payday. Sometimes those scenarios are luck and others they are a mix of luck and skill.
3 min read
Rent vs. Buy: The Houston Real Estate Investing Market Debate
By Chris Clothier on Mon, Jun 16, 2014
The classic debate returns. The “rent vs. buy” issue has been around for ages, but the answer is never as clear as one would think. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t distinct pros and cons to both renting and homeownership. In fact, many of these points transcend location, from the hottest metropolitan areas to more modest suburbs.
3 min read
Rent VS. Buy: Are Real Estate Markets Shifting in Favor of Renting?
By Chris Clothier on Mon, Jun 9, 2014
Real estate investing has been a very popular topic over the last few years. Real estate investors with rental properties have been in a good place during the last few years. The surge of homes in foreclosure meant that properties were ripe for the taking - and at record low prices. As the housing market recovers, however, the number of homes available is dwindling and some investors are choosing to leave the business...it just isn’t as easy anymore.
3 min read
College Grads Hit the Houston Real Estate Market
By Chris Clothier on Tue, Jun 3, 2014
Millennials don’t have it as easy as we like to think. Recent college graduates deal with a slew of financial stresses thanks to the state of the U.S. economy and it appears that buying real estate is only one of those stresses. It feels nearly impossible to attend college without incurring some amount of student debt, and the job market, while improving, is still challenging. It’s hard to start a life and find success if you can’t find a job with that new degree. If you can't find a job, then you sure can't buy a first home much less invest in real estate.
2 min read
Real Estate Foreclosure Rates Fall Lowest Since 2006
By Chris Clothier on Fri, May 30, 2014
Some investors have ongoing concerns regarding the real estate market, particularly when it comes to a relatively weak demand for homes. There’s some news to be celebrated right now, however. The number of lenders that have initiated real estate foreclosures has fallen to the lowest level it’s been in almost 8 years.
1 min read
Mortgage Pre-Approval Very Important Before Investing in Real Estate
By Chris Clothier on Mon, May 12, 2014
As many of you know, if you want to use traditional financing when purchasing a property from any of the Memphis Invest companies, a pre-approval with one of a dozen different lenders is required. Why is that a requirement? As you can see with the infographic below, a pre-approval letter not only gives you a ton of credibility, but it also gives you peace of mind.
2 min read
What the State of the U.S. Economy Means for Real Estate Investors
By Chris Clothier on Fri, Apr 18, 2014
Plenty of factors figure into the state of the U.S. economy. When the economy crashed a few years ago, the housing market was largely blamed. Very slowly, we’ve been climbing out of this economic hole. The general public opinion of the recovering economy, however, is still mixed and hasn’t changed much from 2009. In a study by the Pew Research Center in February of this year, a reported 61% of Americans were hearing a mixture of good and bad news surrounding the U.S. economy and its recovery, 33% heard mostly bad news, and only 5% heard mostly good news.
3 min read
Tenant Relations and Rent Collection
By Chris Clothier on Wed, Apr 9, 2014
Rent may be a necessary evil for tenants, but for real estate investing, it's simply necessary. Rent is your positive cash flow, after all. Those savings are integral to having peace of mind in our uncertain and ever-changing economy.
4 min read
Real Estate Investing: Best Lease Renewal Incentives for Tenants
By Chris Clothier on Fri, Feb 21, 2014
You have a vested interest in keeping good tenants around. After all, a good relationship between you, your property manager and those living in your rental property is something to be cherished and nurtured. You want to be and can be in this for the long term with your renters. If a lease on your property is running out, however, and the future is unclear for tenants, there is something you can do about it. Real estate investing has many moving parts, and long-term buy and hold real estate has even more. Profitability is not just about finding and buying property but also about how you manage that investment.