Saturday, November 8, 2008

How Erin Cureton Formed a Winning Real Estate Rehab Team

By Erin Cureton

Buying Realtor You want to find a realator who specializes in selling foreclosed properties for banks. These realtors work for one or more banks. They work on a volume basis they have to turn multiple properties a month to make a profit. Ask for people who buy and sell houses which realtors are in this business.

Mortgage Professional Find a mortgage broker who will work with you. A young broker is likely to be able to spend more time with you, one with experience will likely ad wisdom to the team. It is important they have the skill and desire to get you the lowest rates, and to close quickly.

Selling Realtor If you get the right buying realtor, they won't have time to sell your home. They are too busy with their bank contracts. The key is to find an agent who is honest with you to price your home correctly to ensure a sale. You need a selling agent that is well versed in your city, or even in your neighborhood. Mortgage, taxes and utility payments can easily run into the thousands of dollars and cost you time gong towards your next project. Time is money when you are flipping a house. Price it wrong and you could carry a property months longer than you should.

Home Inspector A good home inspector can keep you from making a big mistake. Simple tests can keep you from buying a home with a mold or asbestos problem. It is better to find out now than after you spend twenty thousand remodeling the home.

Contractor They will help you with cost controls. Holes in dry wall are easy to repair sometime for less than 100 dolars. While this looks bad and me keep the house from selling it is an easy fix. As the investor, a lot of what you need to know to buy wisely is learned by working with your contractor. The contractor controls the pace of work. The contractor also spends your money for you. They help you to develop and adhere to a budget.

Suppliers You can save a lot of money buying wholesale. Typically you can find a wholesaler through an internet search or in the phone book under Building Supplies - Wholesale. To get an account, you need a company name, a credit card and a bank account, that's it. Don't buy retail! Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes charges 20-40% markups for nearly every product on their shelves.

Accountant Find one early, interview them and get their advice months ahead of time. This will make the tax season a whole lot easier and less stressful. This is not where you want to save money with turbo tax. Make sure they are familiar with real estate investing. Also don't wait till after the first of the year. sometimes you can make changes in Nov and Dec that will salve you thousands. Make sure they have degree in accounting, they don't actually have to be a CPA.

Attorney If you buy a commercial building a real estate attorney is a must. Not always an essential member of the real estate team, a real estate attorney can help you avoid some land mines as you grow your business. They can help you decide whether you should incorporate, form an LLC or go it alone as a sole proprietor.

Insurance Agent Like all other team members, it is key to find an agent that you know and trust to handle your real estate insurance needs. You need to ask tough questions to your agent and consider what your exposure will be to loss from fire, flood, theft, or injured workers/ tenants. If your policy leaves you exposed in any one of these major areas, your work could all be done for nothing.

Friends & Family Friends and family: two of the greatest words in the home renovation language. They will often offer you hours of unsolicited advice (often good advice) and hours of free labor. Jobs like light demolition, painting, cleanup and many yard projects can be handled by anyone who owns a home. Therefore if you have friends and family you have a light work crew. If you feed them well, provide a frosty beverage or two, and don't overwork them, the friends and family work crew will have fun, make your job more fun and most importantly work for free. - 15431

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