If we have done our job correctly, each of our clients are investing in real estate for generally the same reason.  They are not looking for quick hits and fast paydays.  Real Estate investors who work with our company buying investment property in either Memphis or Dallas, are all looking for a long-term return on their investment.  Nearly all of our clients are looking for an opportunity to – for lack of a better way to put it – invest and forget. 

When it comes to their finances, it's no secret that people don't make decisions based on raw data alone. National and global events, investors' impression of a situation, emotions...all of these things and so much more go into the decisions people make when it comes to their money.  Because data and information can sometimes be fuzzy..., we need to surround ourselves with more than just one source of information.  We also need to consider that sometimes people let their own agendas influence the way they deliver information to their audience.  Sometimes sources of information don't really care about the truth or about data.  They care about how they can shape the data and the story to meet their own agenda.  Nothing is more dangerous for someone making a financial decision - especially in real estate - than a source with an agenda!

There is definitely a change taking place right now in the Memphis real estate market.  Like the picture above, the fog is lifting and the city is starting to come alive again with real estate transactions starting to show improvement in many areas.  The change can be seen very clearly in both the residential retail market and the residential investment market.  The Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) has reported some very interesting numbers over the last two months.  Sales are up.  Pricing is up and properties are moving quicker.  All of those are good signs for the Memphis market.

Some economists and experienced real estate investors think they know and most will not like the news they have.

I was recently in Los Angeles at a dinner with a group of investors and investment service providers and at one point the conversation turned to the current housing market.  The dinner was sponsored by MOR Financial and one of the partners was recounting an advertisement he had heard earlier in the week.  The advertisement was from a mortgage lender and they were promoting a brand new product they had for home buyers...the 5/1 ARM.  For anyone not familiar with the terminology, that is an adjustable rate mortgage that has an artificially low interest rate for the first year and then can increase by 1% each year for the next 5 years.  Traditionally, an offering like this is tied to the LIBOR, which coincidentally has nothing to do with the housing market.