Its the Economy Stupid

After a fairly frustrating week of hyper active rate fluctuations I collapsed on Saturday, tired, worried and spent. Interest rates are at their lowest level in years yet nobody is willing to pull the trigger on a refi to lower their rate.

Housing prices are at their lowest level in years and no one is willing to make an offer to buy. Rents are rising, foreclosures are rising and the only good news is gas prices are falling. So what's the problem. It's this economy!

I remember talking about this day way back in December 2007. Back then I said we were in a recession and back then everyone, including my wife, just about clobbered me saying I didn't know what I was talking about.

But as it turns out, this stupid hick with a high school education from the southside of Atlanta was right! http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/US-Q3-GDP-down-05/story.aspx?guid=%7B282E197A%2DAE1C%2D47AE%2DB0EB%2D7C9F6C8C951F%7D
As reported on MarketWatch.com, a division of The Wall Street Journal; " Economists now say that a recession began December 2007..." Boo-ya! Sorry for the glee, but I love it when I'm right.

So why my glee? Not just because I'm right, but because business is cyclical. Once business and government realizes and admits that there is a problem, solutions begin to happen. We've been through a tough year and may have a little longer to go, but ultimately our economy will turn around.

Between now and the summer of 2009 we will hit true bottom. After that the economy should begin a slow rise out of the doldrums. We should remember our history. Other than The Great Depressiona, no other ecomomic downturn has lasted more than a couple of years including the huge recession at the end of the Carter administration.

So after some thoughtful introspection I've come to a realization. It's the economy stupid, that's why business is slow and that's why people make some of the poor economic decisions they make. But the smart players, the ones who don't let fear guide their decisions, will be happy that they refinanced their homes and made offers and bought new property for their portfolios during these scary times.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Ding Dong Your Debt is Calling!

Ding Dong is the universal written symbol for a doorbell. It's also the universally understood name for someone that isn't quite right in the head ....if you know what I mean.

Will, I'm not afraid to admit it, I've been a Ding Dong more times in my life than I care to remember! :) But I don't have to be that person any more, at least where debt is concerned, and I'm helping others shake that moniker as well.

Listen to this story: A client, we'll call him Bob Smith, comes into my office. Old Bob has a ton of credit card debt and the minimum payments have been climbing lately. The credit card companies are lowering the available credit, raising the interest rate and increasing the minimum monthly payment!

So Bob comes to me for a solution, what can he do? Well first he can use some of the equity in his home to pay off the credit card debts. We turn his 6.5% 30 year fixed rate mortgage into a 5.375% 30 year fixed rate mortgage. The debt consolidation saves him almost $700 per month!
Good right? Yes, but it gets better. Next we tell Bob he still has a problem. You see, the equity in the home was a safety net and we need to get that back as quickly as possible. We show Bob how to use a portion of the payment savings to build his equity back up rapidly.

With our software we run a scenario using his regular income and the $500 in payment savings as discretionary income. The program tells Bob how to pay his bills and if he follows the instructions Bob will pay off his new 30 year mortgage in just 8.5 years!

It gets better. You know that equity we used up paying off those credit cards? He gets that back in 2.75 years! Bob's life is changed and he's DEBT FREE in just 8.5 years.

Ding Dong your debt is calling! and it doesn't have very nice things to say. Do you want to know how to tell your debt to take a hike? Give me a call, interest rates are low, low, low and with our special debt repayment software we can have you debt free in no time!

Michael Gross is President of Dividend America Mortgage. He has been a builder, a Realtor and a real estate appraiser. He uses all of his expertise to show others how they can use a mortgage to create wealth through home ownership and now he's helping people get out of debt in 1/3 to 1/2 the time. Contact Michael at 770-350-7373 or mgross@dividendamerica.com.

Debt Free as easy as 1, 2, 3!

In my last post I talked about the seriousness of debt in America. I was ...and still am... incensed that the Treasury and our government think that the only way out of our current economic crisis is to have Americans spend more! It's craziness!

I have taken a new approach and it is unbelievabley exciting. I am using technology to get myself out of debt. If you have a moment I want to tell you a little story about my own situation.

You see, I own a mortgage company, and we're not doing so well right now. LOL. But that's okay, I'm blessed with a beautiful wife, good health and the God given talent to know when I have to change my business and my life to succeed.

I own a home in the burbs and two investment properties. I have about $20K in debt associated with my business. Total all the money I owe and it is over $750,000. That's three quarters of a million dollars! It's a little daunting to think I owe this much money, especially since I'm not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

My rentals break even every month, my mortgage biz is in the tank and my wife got laid off from her architecture job. Thank the good lord above for the severance package. Anyway, we would love to lower the interest rate on all of our mortgages, but with an income equal to our debt payment every month, we don't qualify.

So I sat down to try and figure out how I could get out of debt. Sell the rentals? Not in this market, I'd take a huge loss. Sell the primary, same thing, and I lose all that equity. Then I found a better answer....

Technology!

There is a lot to be said about technology and what it has done for our country and our standard of living. Now there is a tool that can help me become DEBT FREE in a very short period of time. Under my current repayment structure, I will be debt free in 35-37 years (that's because of some of the interest only mortgages I have.)

However, using this software and paying my bills the way the software instructs me to, I can be DEBT FREE in 16 years without changing my income structure. How is this possible you might ask? I know I did, I couldn't believe it!

Well I did some research. The software recognizes long-term debt in two categories, open ended and closed ended debt. In the closed end debt your interest payments are static and are set on an amortization schedule that gives the advantage tot he bank. You pay them the interest first and the majority of the principal is paid at the back of the loan. Good for the bank, bad for you.

In an open ended loan, an equity line or a credit card, the interest calculation is dynamic. Interest is calculated based on the average daily balance. The software picks strategic times throughout the year and within the am schedule of the closed end loan and uses the open end debt to pay off chunks of principal in the closed in loan.

This strategy is important because the larger the chunks of principal that are paid on the closed end loan, the more principal reduction you will achieve with the regular payments on that loan. Once the debt is transferred to the open end loan, the software has you transfer income into that loan to lower its balance immediately.

At first blush this sounds a little scary, but here's the important part. You pay your monthly bills out of the open end loan. This has a two fold effect on your debt. First, it lowers the average daily balance of the open ended loan. This means that you are actually paying a lower effective rate on the principal balance that was 'in' the closed end loan. Second, it gives the ability to operate your home finances in the same fashion you always have, there is very little change to the way you live your life.

Under this program I will save over $450,000 in interest payments. Even if I sell the investment properties in 7-10 years, I will increase the equity in those properties by more than 10 times the current schedule! That will mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in my pocket.

Do you want to be DEBT FREE? I am so excited about this program I have added it as a product in my company. If you can't refinance and you want to get out of debt, or if you can refinance and create lower payments and you want to use that payment savings to get out of debt faster, I would like to show you what I can offer.

Give me a call and become debt free today.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Debt In America

Everybody is wondering about the economic crisis. What caused it, how do we get out of it? What’s next?

By all accounts, the experts say that America and the world have been on a spending binge. This ‘all nighter’ was precipitated by the availability of easy credit. The entire world is guilty.

Our appetite for spending and our willingness to ignore the lessons of the past concerning debt have fully leveraged the world’s economic systems. The pain is being felt everywhere. Europe is in recession, China is experiencing hyper inflation, Russia and Brazil’s economies are faltering.

This debt is a time bomb and the pain is everywhere and the only answer the so-called experts have is to find ways to increase the availability of money to the consumer to continue to encourage them to spend. Just recently Treasury Secretary Paulson suggested a shift in the bailout funds.

Now they will not focus on buying non-performing mortgages, but instead they will use the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) to extend easy credit to consumers. What?!

Isn’t this the EXACT problem that caused this mess in the first place? America is leveraged, fully leveraged! Our government, our people, our businesses are fully leveraged and we can’t borrower or spend our way out of this mess.

In this season of Thanks Giving, we need to embrace the gift that has been given us by the recent political environment. Whether you agree with the winner of the election or not is not important. The message that was sent is.

The message was that it is time for CHANGE. While many people did not know what kind of change was needed or even what kind of change they voted for, they knew something had to change.

I humbly submit to you that I know what change is needed. A change is required in the way that we see and use debt, both as individuals and as a nation. The most patriotic thing we can do as citizens is change.

How can we change? Stop borrowing, start paying off debt. Find every way possible to pay off debt and change the way we live our lives.

This may sound funny coming from a mortgage guy. I agree, but I’ve changed. I’ve put my money where my mouth is. I’ve invested $3,500 of my own hard earned money in a program that will help me manage and reduce my debt!

This program is not right for everyone. If you have a great income and all you have is debt on your primary home, then changing over to a 15 year mortgage and making extra payments every month may be enough.

However, if you are like me and you have multiple homes (a primary and two investment properties) and you have business debt (approx. $20,000) then this may be an answer for you. Under by current debt structure I will be debt free in about 40 years. I would be 85 years old!

I will be debt free in 18 years instead of 40 years! If I can earn more money I will be done even sooner. Just an additional $2,000 per month income will lower my ‘finish’ date to 7.5 years.
If I can do this, I will be 53 and debt free! I will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments. I will change my life!

Will you?

Even if you don’t own a home but you are $20,000, $30,000 even up to $80,000 in credit card debt, or school debt or automobile debt. I can help.

Those of you who know me and trust my advice know that I don’t promote my ideas lightly. I have advised people who don’t need a mortgage not to change. I have helped others consolidate debt to take the savings and invest or apply the payment savings to further reduce debt.

I truly believe that debt can be used responsibly but we must get out of debt immediately. Now I have a way to help my client further. I can help you get out of debt faster.

If you won a home and have -0- discretionary income and can’t save a dime, we can use your home to consolidate your debt and create payment savings (discretionary income) and then show you how our unique software can help you be debt free by cutting that new mortgage payoff time by 1/3 to 1/2!

It’s time for a change! Give me a call and let’s see if the time is right for you.

Michael Gross, President, Dividend America Mortgage
Contact me at 770-350-7373 or mgross@dividendamerica.com

Don't Play the Rate Game!

Don't playt he rate game, here's why! The chart to the right shows the 10-Year Treasury Yield for October 8th, 2008. The Yield shot up to 3.72%, up 21 basis point from the previous day!

How could this be possible? Didn't the Fed announce that they were dropping the Fed Funds rate by 0.50% today? Didn't that reporter just say that rates were lower and this was being done to heat up the economy?

Now everyone is demanding a lower rate! After all the Fed just lowered the rates and everyone should expect their rate will be lowered too! Correct?

But hold on just a minute. That's no really how it works. You see the Fed Funds rate controls short-term lending. This would be the rates tied to your car loans, furniture and appliance purchases and credit card rates. If you want a lower rate on something, call that credit card company and demand a lower rate from them.

Mortgage professionals deal in long-term rates. These rates are set in the MBS (Mortgage Backed Securities) market and they closely follow the yield on the 10-Year Treasury Bond. (see the chart above) As you can see the yield on this bond jumped drastically. A 20+ basis point jump is unheard of in a market that thinks a 5 basis point swing is volatile.

In layman's terms, this means that the interest rates on long-term debt is increasing today, not decreasing. Let me try to simplify why this is.....

When people buy bonds they are seeking two things; safety and income. When the Fed lowers the interest rate on short-term debt they are trying to stimulate the economy. Essentially there ain't enough consumin' goin' on and they are trying to get the party started .....to coin a line from an old 90's club tune.... let's get this party start right! let's get this party started quickly! RIGHT!

When the econ heats up you get inflation. Inflation eats away at the value and the income of fixed assets like bonds. So investors sell the bonds rapidly because they are better off putting their money under the mattress than having it in stocks or bonds at the moment.

So as these bonds get sold off rapidly the laws of supply and demand come into play. There is an abundant supply of bonds for sale but a lack of buyers. This causes the price of the bonds to decline rapidly. As the price declines the yield increases. Since long-term interest rates are tied to bond yields, BAM, long-term interest rise.

So for the time being rates on long-term debt will rise or in a best case scenario, the will remain unchanged. If the economy continues to deteriorate we may see interest rates ease. The bottom line is that you should lock in gains now. If you feel that the rate you have chosen on your long-term debt is good then lock it down and close the loan.

In this credit crisis it is to risky to play the 'rate watch' game. Make a solid decision about what is right for you, your family and your business and lock it in. Then spend the next couple of years doing all that you can do to eliminate the debt as quickly as possible.

And then let's pray that whoever is the next President of our great nation understands how to get our economy moving again.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Being Short Ain't So Bad

Being short can be tough. You can't see over things and in large crowds. You need someone to let you sit on their shoulders if you want to watch the parade. It's a tough life being short! Unless you're this kind of short...

I've been a traditionalist most of my real estate investor life. I find foreclosed listings, make a low offer and dicker-n-bicker until I get what I want or until I'm forced to move on. But lately a new strategy has caught my eye and some folks that may be way brighter than me have got me to thinkin'! .....hmmmm.....

There are many ways to purcahse properties at a discount. One way is the short sale process. If you are not familiar with short sales, you need to get educated. A short sale could be an additional strategy you use to locate opportunities.

Remember that historically the real profits in real estate are generated at the purcahse. Then more profits are generated over time. You should also deploy as many strategies as possible to locate properties that you can purchase at a huge discount.

One of those strategies should be the short sale strategy. So what is a short sale? Simply put, a short sale is when you, the investor, get a lender to agree to take a payoff that is less than the what is currently owed on the property.

Now there is a process and you must understand the steps in the process in order to be successful. I suggest investing in a course about the process. They should give you the contracts and scripts you need to make deals happen.

You can find courses at most real estate investor associations. Some real estate schools even offer courses on how to be successful in this lucrative field. So in this case, if you are a real estate investor, being short ain't so bad!

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Spice up Your Investing

As the Spice Girls so aptly wrote in their song .....So tell me what'cha want, what'cha really, really want. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna ...... I tell you what I want! I want some sense and sensibility to be put back in the markets!

And, I finally think that is going to happen. In my BrainsNotIncluded blog (http://www.brainsnotincluded.com/) I've railed against the way that the Feds and the Sec. Tres. have handled this crisis. But I think what they have been trying to do is finally taking hold.

Secretary Paulson threatened the banks to 'apply for and recieve' the government infusion of $250 billion of the American people's money and then forced them to start lending it to each other. This seems to be loosening things up.

With the Feds in charge of Fannie and Freddie and with some sensibility is coming back into their underwriting guidelines, credit markets are becoming unstuck.

So what does this mean for you and I, the real estate investor and professional. Here's what it means, 100% programs have come back. Now people with a 620 credit score can get 100% financing again. It comes in the form of a 90% first mortgage and 5% second mortgage.

So how can this be done? It's part of an affordable housing program and since the first mortgage has MI on it, the lenders feels safe. Now this loan is for the purchase of a primary residence, so how does it help investors. Simple, it allows us to start acting as dealers again.

So here is what I want! I want some smart investors to get out there and start buying again. I want some deals myself. If you can't buy because you don't have the money then give me a call and let's do a deal together. I have the money players and i can bring it to the table.

I want people aren't greedy, who want to share the wealth and who want to grow together. I want people that can do short sales, that understand the bird dog concept and that will stay away from the risky areas of town. I want someone that understands the suburban markets and the starter homes.

Are you what I want? Are you what I'm really, really, really lookin' for. If so, respond to this post and let's talk!

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

No Closing Cost Loans – The Truth

It is 3:00 AM Eastern Standard Time and I’m wide awake. I can’t stop thinking about that ad. It keeps rolling through my mind and I can’t stop it. You know the one….

‘Don’t pay closing costs. Don’t give those pimps your money. We’ll close your loan for free, No Closing Costs! Then we’ll manage your loan for you. We’ll sit back, watch the market and the when the time is right, we’ll do it all over again. It’s the biggest no-brainer in the history of man!’

Well, he’s right. It is a no-brainer! It’s a no-brainer for many reasons, but let me point out a few of the biggest reasons why.

No-Brainer #1:
What bank, mortgage company, lender or broker do you know that works for free? I can’t think of one. You are paying for that loan somewhere.

It is usually in the form of a higher interest rate. Even though the ad says they don’t raise the rate, check it out. Get their GFE (notice I didn’t say their rate quote, get a valid Good Faith Estimate) and compare it to someone that is charging you closing costs.

There WILL be a rate difference of between 0.250% and 0.500%. That equates to a lot of money over the next 7-10 years, probably much more than you would have paid if you would have just rolled the closing costs into the refinance loan amount and got the lowest rate.

Think about it this way. If the closing cost equated to $4,500 but you take a no closing cost loan with a payment that is just $50 per month more and you stay in the home 10 years then you just paid $6,000 for your closing cost. Does that make any sense at all? Now imagine the payment is $100 per month higher, that's $12,000 for closing costs that should have cost you $4,500.

No-Brainer #2:
If you are purchasing a home don’t do a No Closing Cost loan with any lender. There is no need to take a higher rate. In this buyers market most sellers are willing to pay your closing costs for you! Now that is the REAL No Closing Cost Loan.

No-Brainer #3:
Manage your mortgage for you? What kind of lunacy is this? Sure the mortgage is a financial tool, but its not a mutual fund or a stock portfolio. It is DEBT!

Who knows how to manage debt? Well, almost everybody with any since knows how to manage debt. If you think you don’t then here’s a true FREEBIE for you! I’m not going to charge you a dime for this little gem. Ready?.....

You manage debt by paying it off! And in this economy you pay it off as quickly as possible! You can’t get the return in the stock market equal to getting the lowest rate possible on all of your consolidated debt and then starting a 25, 20, 15 or (if you can handle it) a 10 year repayment schedule.

As I said, I can go on and on. The No Closing Cost loan is a huge no-brainer. For the lender it’s a huge no-brainer because they actually make MORE money off your loan because they can hide what they actually make in the loan. They never tell you how much money they are really making on your loan.

It should be a huge no-brainer to most of the public because it makes no financial sense at all. The only reason this type of loan exists is for those who plan to be in their home for 3-4 years at a maximum. For longer term stays you should look at low- and full-closing cost loans.

So don’t get tricked by fancy ads put out by slick operators. You don’t need a debt manager or a mortgage manager. Instinctively you already know what to do. Get the lowest rate with the lowest payment and then eliminate the debt as quickly as possible!
That’s the BIGGEST no-brainer in the history of the Universe!

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

The night was stormy. The wind was trashing and thunder was crashing and trees were falling all around us. It was a horrible storm. The rain was coming down in sheets and water flowed through a gash in the roof filling bucket after bucket with water.

The next day we surveyed the damage. After pulling a huge tree limb out of the roof it revealed a gaping hole. Something had to be done so a huge blue tarp was strung across the house. It was a temporary fix but it worked until the roof could be repaired and all could be made right again.

In a way, this is what has happened to our economic system and isn't it appropriate that the government would name the portion of HR 1424 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act that is designed to stabilize home ownership T.A.R.P. (Troubled Asset Relief Program)

Many people ask me what this bill is all about and the answer is complex. You see the bill is about a lot of things. Some of what is in the bill is important, however I am sad to say that there is a lot in the bill that is not. So let's focus on what is important in the bill and for the time being, leave the pontification of what should not be there to the pundits.

One of the most important parts of this bill is the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). The TARP is the portion of the bill that gives the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to purchase non-performing and under-performing loan assets from banks. This huge fund should start to get all of the bad loans out of the credit system so that the real value of the loan pools that are performing can be determined.

The American economy, our financial house, has just been through a really bad storm. The TARP is there to temporarily cover the hole in the rough until it can be fixed properly. It is truly and temporary fix.

However, don't fret, there is a portion of this bill that is designed to permanently fix the hole and put our economic house in order. After the Sec. Tres. buys these troubled assets he has several tools he can use to transform the troubled assets from worthless pieces of paper into valuable streams of income.

First, the bill gives the Secretary the ability to adjust non-performing loans. The secretary can lower the interest rate, lower the loan balance or reset the loan to a 30 year fixed. He can do one or all of these things to help the borrower stay in their home and to make the home affordable based on the current income of the homeowner. This should allow the homeowner to start making their payments on time and should turn a non-performing asset with no value into a performing asset that can be sold for a profit.

Second, the Secretary has the authority to insure the payments on the new loan. If the secretary feels that the new loan would sell faster and for more money in the tertiary market if it were insured, the secretary can add a premium to the payment. This premium would insure the loan for up to 100% of it's payment if it went into default. Essentially this means that anyone purchasing the loan as an investment would have no downside risk.

As I said, there is much more in this bill that can be discussed. Much of it has to do with technical issues relating to how banks lend to each other and how they borrower from the Fed. The bottom line is that the TARP is the major portion of the bill that will help homeowners and that will stabilize the real estate markets.

So we've decided to do something about the hole in the roof caused by the storm. We've put a TARP over it to stop the damage. Now let's hope our politicians have the knowledge and foresight to take the next steps to do the hard work to remove the TARP as quickly as possible and truly fix the gaping hole in our economic house.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has Left the Building

Do you remember the old saying; 'Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building!' The reason that the saying exists is because after an Elvis concert the concert hall would stay packed and people would not leave. They would linger, not knowing what to do next. Would he come back, was it all over, they had no ability to make a decision.

Well, a similar thing has happened in the stock market and in the credit markets and everybody is milling around and wondering what to do. Wonder no more, some important changes are happening and you need to take advantage of them.

The recent take over of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the failure of Lehman Brothers and even the lifeline thrown to AIG have a positive side. Even though our retirement accounts and stock portfolios are taking a beating, the stock market and bond market are finally working in unison.

Traditionally, when the price of stocks decline it causes the price of bonds to increase. This ying and yang of the financial world is caused by a desire by investor to find safe investments when the economy goes bad. Traditionally the fixed income Treasury Bond market has been the safe haven. But recent ‘structural’ problems related to the credit crisis had left investor with no place to hide.

Enter the Feds! The take over of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped to right the markets. The take over caused a reduction in the spreads between the yields on Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) and the Treasury Bonds. The actions by the government sent a clear message that our government would support our banking system and this caused the spreads to decrease to normal levels. Now this gobblee-gook doesn’t mean a whole lot too many people and explaining why this is important could take a whole day. We’re not here for an economics lesson so suffice to say that this is how the markets are supposed to work.

Many investors seeing that the markets are now working properly have begun to pour their dollars into the safety of government debt…..i.e. Treasury Bonds. As more and more investors purchase these bonds the price of the bond increases and as the price of the bond increases its yield decreases! Guess what happens to interest rates? That’s right, interest rates follow the yield. So as the yield decrease so do the interest rates.

This structural change in the market place has provided another great opportunity for home owners. Right now interest rates are below 5.5% - today they are as low as 5.25% on a 30-Year Fixed!(this is for a primary residence, of course the interest rates on an investment property would be slightly higher.) We don’t know how long this will last. Any sign of inflation, a weakening dollar or oil climbing above $110 per barrel could make all this opportunity melt away like butter in hot iron skillet.

If you know of any one looking to buy or who needs to refinance, they need to do it now. Don’t wait, get moving or get them moving before it’s to late. Elvis has left the building and the entertainment hall is in turmoil.

Don't look back and regret not making a decision. The exit signs are well lit. You can be the one outside standing beside Elvis' bus getting the autograph and adding value to your day just by being one of the first to make a decision.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give me a call or to shoot me an email. I am here to serve.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call him at 770-350-7373 or via email at mgross@dividendamerica.com

Playing The Real Estate Game - The Offer Phase

Today I want to talk about making offers. I often think I should devise a game to teach people how to make offers. I'm not talking about negotiating, just making a plan old, vanilla, down and dirty offer.

Real estate can be a trying business at times. Especially at times like these. With tons of foreclosures on the markets and agents fielding calls from every nare-do-well on the block asking inane questions and basically wasting their time, it's tough to get anyone to accept your REAL offer to purchase a property.

Right now I'm playing the real estate game in the offer phase in hopes that I'll get to up the stakes and get into the negotiation phase. But first I have to get somone to take me seriously.

I've had several conversations with 'duty' agents who promise to call me back but the promise is never kept. I call the office to try and locate the listing agent but they will not accept any calls and will only deal with other licensed agents. Highly FRUSTRATING!

So what do we do? We play the game, and trust me, it is a game. Here's how the game works. Sometimes you are just dealing with inept agents or agencies that make their money off maintaining the listing. They can care less if the property sells, they make a fee to maintain the property.

Other times you are dealing with agents that see opportunity in a particular piece of real estate and they want to squelch offers on the property so that they can buy it for themselves at a future date. Unethical? You bet! Do they care, NO!

So it's a game and I understand the rules. So here's what I do. First, I'm tenacious! I bully, cajole, call-call-call and then call again. I'm relentless, I've got nothing better to do all day than to try and get my offer presented on this property.

I'm calling to gather information. I want to see the inside, I want to know the taxes, the MLS or FMLS number. I want details.

Once I've gathered the details, I call MY agent. I always teach that investors should use an agent. You should have a Team of Trusted Advisers and high on the team list should be a Realtor. Notice I said a Realtor, not just a licensed agent.

So the rules that the listing agent gave me were that they only deal with agents. Fine, I've got one! And she's tenacious just like me! If she feels like I'm offering to high, she gives me a cross look and shakes her head. Okay then, what? Lower! How low? Well, how about 50% of the asking price! LOL You go girl!

I'm playing the game. Now instead of being frustrated, I'm the one doing the frustrating. I'm winning, offers are being accepted. I'm playing the offer phase! When I win this phase of the game its on to the next phase, The Negotiation Phase. Stay tuned........

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Real Estate And Your IRA

More and more people are becoming frustrated with the lack of growth of their IRA and 401K investments. The stock market isn't doing well and niether is the economy but there is one growth opportunity out there that many are turning to .... real estate.

With the proliferation of foreclosures, homes can be purchased relatively cheap and in many cases can be rented for positive cash flow. The opportunity to purchase an investment at a discount and then have someone (a renter) pay for that investment for you is a huge draw in the current economic environment.

A large portion of the American investing public does not know that the IRA can be used to purchase real estate as an investment. Others think that this is a tricky scheme. The truth is that the IRS code allows for this type of investment through what is referred to as a Self-Directed IRA.

A Self-Directed IRA is managed by a custodian and the funds from the IRA can be used as a down payment to purchase an investment property. The funds can be used for other real estate related ventures like lending to an LLC or consortium where the loan is secured by real estate or a business. The funds can even be used to purchase mortgage notes.

The majority of investors use their IRA as a down payment to purchase a home. This helps them to leverage a $50,000 IRA to purchase $100,000+ property. Usually the benefits include positive cash flow of $150 to $200 per months as well as the ability to increase the value of the money invested in a relatively short period of time.

One scenario goes like this. The investor invest $50,000 as a down payment to purchase a $125,000 property. The property pays a return of $200 per month or $2,400 per year. That's a 4.8% return on the investment. The property increases in value on average 5% per year. The payments made by the renter provide the positive cash flow and reduces the balance owed on the mortgage. At some point the property is sold. If the property was held for 5 year then the estimated sales price would be $160,000 and the existing balance on the mortgage would be around $71,200.

Let's do the math. The investor's input was $50,000. He sold the property for 160,000. He owes 71,200 plus he has to recoup his original $50K. The gross profit is 38,800, plus the $2,400 per year for five years ($12,000) is $50,800. Subtract approximately 7% of the sale price for transaction expenses and the gross profit on the transaction is $39,600. The bottom line is the investor, using his IRA, has turned $50,000 into approximately $89,600. That's a 55.8% return over the 5 year period. Not bad!

To read more about IRA investing visit my favorite financial information site, marketwatch.com. Click this link: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/housing-market-beckons-more-invest/story.aspx?guid=%7B4740F69A%2D1CDE%2D4825%2D9122%2D7D7528968B61%7D

IMPORTANT NOTE: A special type of financing is needed when you use your IRA to invest in real estate. But, you're in luck because I know exactly what you need and I can connect you with the people that can get it done for you! Just email me or give me a call.

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Real Estate Revelations

Revolutions, revelations, revaluations! Oh my! It's the three R's of real estate and what they brought us this time wasn't good....but the bad times are almost behind us and it's time to look to the future.

The revolution took us by storm from 2002 to 2007. A housing boom so exuberant it could not last. The revelation of that caused a crash that has affected the world economy. Now for the revaluations of all those properties and all the risk that the banks have assumed.

I am excited and yet, filled with some trepidation at the same time. My elation comes from knowing that the Credit Crisis of 2007-2008 is almost at an end. I feel a bottom and we are ready for a turn. However, my worry comes from knowing that there is at least one more shoes left to drop before it is all over.

Which shoe it is and is it a size 6 or a size 16? Who knows. With the recent revelations and revaluations at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it could be the size 16 that drops. We can only hope the bears in the market are wrong and that a government bail-out of these two behemoths will not be necessary.

Regardless of what happens, real estate professionals need to be prepared. The time is coming when we will be able to break out of the doldrums of the past 20 months and begin to do what we do, rebuild blighted communities and make profits doing it!

Are you with me? Good, then let's get ready to go to work!

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Housing Bill….Housing Debacle?

The Housing Bill passed both houses of congress with flying colors and now it seems that a threatened veto by the president has been reconsidered and he will sign the bill after all. So is the housing bill good or bad for America?

Let’s take a look at some of the finer points in the legislation.

· $7,500 Tax Credit – Yes that’s right, for those of us who buy a foreclosed home as a first time homebuyer, there is a tax credit. But wait, not so fast, the credit has to be paid back….

What, paid back? How is that a credit then? Sounds like Mr. Reed and Ms. Pelosi pulled a fast one. If you take the credit, you’ll have to pay it back in equal installments over the next 15 years.

· Increase in Conforming Loan Limits for Fannie Mae – Under the current system, home loans greater than 417,000 are considered to Jumbo Loans. Under this provision the new conforming limit will be $625,500.

This is good news for those of you were forced to take a Jumbo loan when you bought or refinanced your home in the past. If you have a loan amount between $417,001 and $625,500 it is time to investigate whether a lower rate is available! Call Today!

· FHA Revamped and Modernized – The good news is that FHA will be revamped and modernized and will act as America’s major subprime player in the mortgage market. The bad news is that the bill takes away down payment assistance.

If you are in trouble and on the verge of foreclosure, FHA may be the answer. Refinancing with an FHA loan is exactly what this new program is for.

However, if you are one of the more than 250,000 citizens each year that depend on down payment assistance in conjunction with an FHA loan, the Democrat controlled congress (you know, the ones who are ‘for’ the little people) just kicked you to the curb.

And, if you are a real estate investor, this means that your flip strategies with homes in the first time homebuyer market may be at risk. There are resources available to help you sell your homes using down payment assistance but they will now be very specialized sources and may require buyers to take certain home ownership courses to qualify. (for information on these sources visit dividendamerica.com and schedule a consultation)

The bill is a mix of good and bad, give and take. To be fair, this bill is more about giving stock market investors confidence in the mortgage market than about helping the everyday citizen.

As with all things government does, this legislation is a huge compromise that could have been better but is a step in the right direction.

For more information read the article on MarketWatch.com: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fine-print-housing-bill-mutes/story.aspx?guid=8AA21F55-D848-4076-B9EF-282FEAD95B1D&print=true&dist=printMidSection

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please contact Mr. Gross on his direct line at 770-350-7373 or via email at mgross@dividendamerica.com

The Value of Time

Many people are worried about their home values. A recent study shows that home values dropped by 1.7% last month in 43 states. That’s the largest drop in recorded history. So what can you do?

First, don’t panic! Remember that real estate is an illiquid asset. In most cases non-liquid markets tend to stabilize faster than liquid markets. After all, you can make a run on a bank and you can dump a stock, but selling a home is a more drawn out process.

In historical terms, real estate has always been a long-term investment. In the final analysis, the home is much more than an investment; it is also a place of refuge, comfort and security for your family. If you are in a neighborhood with good employment, strong schools and low crime, time will heal the financial wounds inflicted on your home value by this economic downturn.

The value of real estate and the ‘investment’ aspect are a product of time. Most people achieve wealth in a primary residence from two forces that create equity and value. Over many years the market will incrementally increase the value of the home and the owner can pay off the loan on the property. This one-two combo punches up the equity in the home and creates a financial windfall for the owner in the distant future.

Homes that are located in good neighborhoods with positive histories benefit from patience and will be the first to retrieve lost value once the market perceives that the economy is okay again.

Focus on reducing the principal balance on your mortgage and on maintaining the quality of the property and the appearance of the neighborhood as a whole. Banding together with other concerned homeowners to maintain the integrity of the entire neighborhood will insure future value growth.

Patience and persistence are important. In this market the key to the return of your home’s value is time.

If you have specific questions or concerns about your homes value, the interest rate on your mortgage or the impact of an economic downturn on your market, please do not hesitate to call. We are here to help.

Summer Time and The Livin’ is Easy!

Okay, so you job is on shaky ground, you can’t afford to put gas in your car to take a vacation and the kids are driving you crazy! You know what that means?

It’s project time. What?!? That’s right, it’s project time. Summer projects are a great way to bring the family together and keep everyone focused. Why not get back to basics with a family project that will make everyone feel great when it’s done.

I remember growing up when there were summers we could not take a vacation. In those years we had projects. One year we put in an above ground pool and another we built a vegetable garden.

The vegetable garden was the project I remember the most. To this day every home I’ve lived in I’ve found a way to build my own garden. It’s hard work in the concrete like Georgia red clay, but the end results are worth it!

Don’t let the summer heat and all the bad news that the media spews get you down. Choose to accomplish something with your family. I guarantee the memories will last a lifetime and the lessons of hard work and togetherness will be invaluable.

Resources:

For a Summer Garden visit Walter Reeves web site! (He’s Georgia’s Gardner)
http://www.walterreeves.com/

Home Remodeling Projects:
Interior Painting:
http://www.behr.com/behrx/inspiration/artistic_2.jsp
Exterior Painting: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/Ext_paint_tips.html
Decks & Patios:
http://www.deckandpatio.com/

Have fun! Send us pictures of your project and we’ll post them with our next newsletter……and remember……if you need to refinance to pull a little cash out of your equity to complete a summer project, Dividend America is there with the loan that is right for you!

LISTEN UP! The Rules Have Changed

As an investor, your financial future depends on your ability to get financed. The rules have been changing for months now and conventional and hard money financing have hit rock bottom.

The noose around the neck of the real estate community is meant to strangle you, the investor. If you’re not strong enough and knowledgeable enough, you will not make it. So what can you do?

Two things! First, get educated. Knowledge is power and education is the key to wielding that power to create a dynamic, profitable and cash flowing real estate business.

Many say the days of the quick-turn strategy are gone for good. I have been preaching this mantra for many months now. But something has happened. There has been a change in one portion of the market.

With the proper plan and the right team, you can begin to purchase, rehab and sell properties and then use the cash to build an income generating machine. Buy and sell can stage a comeback in this market, if the proper strategy is employed!

There are some rules that must be followed for this strategy to work. First, you must have a solid team of knowledgeable professionals working together to achieve success. Second these professionals must be trustworthy and proven.

If you can put together this type of team, you will be able to find the funding you need to pull this strategy off! Or you can go to a professional that already has put the team in place!

I have been quietly investigating, becoming educated and putting a team of professionals in place for the past month. Now it’s time to roll it out.

For a limited time, I will be offering sessions educating investors on this strategy. I’m looking for 20 people that want to learn and grow in this tough environment. If you are ready to learn how you can build a business that creates quick-turn opportunities and long-term cash flow without having to worry about ‘take-out’ financing, give me a call.

Remember, I can only mentor 20 people. If you think you have the drive and the ability to learn and follow a plan, then email me or call me ASAP.