The skills needed to be a successful Baltimore foreclosure investor are varied and need to be honed over time. The skills necessary depend on what level you want to be involved in the business. However, the more skills you are competent in, the more profitable your real estate business will be.

I have skills in many areas of the real estate business construction and destruction, evaluation and negotiation, sales and marketing, mortgage and title experience, and persistence and persuasion. It takes many deals but not many years to accumulate these skills and the best way to get started is to go do deals. You may have challenges with your deals but do not give up because the rewards are wonderful.

One of the areas you are going to need to be successful in the foreclosure business is evaluating deals looking at numbers, understanding numbers, crunching numbers and making sure a deal works out on paper. Now, is this important? Yes, it’s important. Do you have to be a mathematical wizard to understand this and be successful? No, there are definitely books and software on basic real estate finance that you can use.

Your experience will be your best teacher and evaluator of potential deals. You can also use a real estate calculator. There are many easy ones to use, and there are difficult ones. But real estate calculators are necessary to compute things such as amortization tables, loan to value and principal and interest payments. Get one and learn to use it. You will need to be able to estimate the costs of products, repairs, taxes, and insurance. But once again, experience is the great teacher.

One of the major skills you are going to need in the foreclosure business is persistence. You’ll need it in all aspects of the real estate business, but more so in the foreclosure business. There may be times you need to go back to a house you have targeted three to six times before you actually get to talk to the homeowner. Persistence is one of the major keys to success in this business.

Another skill that you need for successful foreclosure investing is the ability to read people, the ability to understand what they are going through, to have empathy and to understand their situation. I think one of the reasons my company is as successful as it is is because I can put myself in the place of the homeowner and have a tremendous amount of empathy. Homeowners feel and appreciate that because what they want is someone to have confidence in. If you can transfer that feeling of confidence and knowledge to the homeowner you will enjoy great success.

An additional skill you’ll need in the foreclosure business is to have skin thick as a rhino. You’ll have doors slammed in your face, you’ll have people yell at you, people may even throw things at you. Don’t take it personally. Turn around, walk away and move on to the next one. Don’t let it bother you. This business is a numbers game. These people you have approached will probably end up being tossed out of their houses, and you will continue in the business if you can adapt what I call the “rhino skin”.

The foreclosure business also requires understanding the legal process in regards to foreclosures at a basic level. Know the laws and procedures for the state in which the foreclosure takes place. You need to understand the particular laws and nuances of your state. It’s imperative that the real estate investor understands from start to finish the foreclosure process, the bankruptcy process, and the redemption process if the state has one. Bankruptcy can be a very daunting process if you don’t understand the differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies.

It takes a practiced, hardened, persistent, creative, intuitive, persuasive investor to be successful in the foreclosure market. Many investors in the real estate market have some of these traits. Few have them all. The person who has all of these traits is the person who is ideal for the foreclosure market.

As you begin to buy real estate you will become exposed to evaluating property and to appraisals. A critical component to being successful in the business is understanding what you are doing in regards to putting it all together, getting ready to buy, making sure you are doing a deal that makes sense financially and making a profit. The buying and selling of distressed real estate basically, the business of foreclosures–is a tricky and risky business, especially if you are not prepared. The spoils go to the ones that are prepared.

Paul Wells has been investing in foreclosures full-time for more than 5 years. For more foreclosure investing secrets like the one in this article, subscribe to Paul’s Free Foreclosure Investing course here: http://www.FreeForeclosureInvesting.com

10,000 HOURS! How to Tap The Awesome Power Of Passion, Practice, and Persistence

Did you know that participants in the Turin Olympic ceremonies practiced their routines 11,000 times?

Or that, in the year leading up to Turin, figure skaters practiced each element in their programs 14,000 times?

Similarly, Buddhist monks who tested off the scale for inner peace and compassion sat in meditation for over 10,000 hours?

10,000 hours! Why?

Because they know there is awesome power in practice and persistence.

Practice Plus Persistence Equals Mastery

The source of that power is passion.

To tap into it, you have to practice, and, to practice, you have to love what you do.

Passion alone is not enough. Vision without action deteriorates into daydreaming. Without persistent practice, passion fades.

So how best do we integrate passion, practice, and persistence?

By developing mastery in what matters most to us.

Mastery is key to consistently producing high-level results. And practice is key to growth and mastery. So is persistence.

In Aikido, the master is the one who stays on the mat five minutes longer than anybody else.

Powered by passion, persistent practice eases you along the learning curve until you hit that sweet spot where the curve starts to rise sharply, and results come easily.

Although rich in natural talent, Wayne Gretzky, the “Great One” of hockey fame, was first on and last off the ice from the time he started playing until he retired.

The Great One translated his natural talent into real and lasting success through passion, practice, and persistence.

You can do the same.

Want To Get Lucky?

Not only do practice and persistence tap passion’s power and enable you to create successful results. They also make you lucky.

Legendary golfer Ben Hogan was interviewed after winning a major tournament.

“Mr. Hogan,” said a reporter, “You were under amazing pressure in this tourney yet you consistently hit remarkable shots. How do you do it?”

“Hmm,” said the laconic Hogan, “I suppose I’m just lucky.”

“Just luck?” said the reporter. “But you practice more than any player on the tour.”

“Well,” said Hogan, “I guess the more I practice, the luckier
I get.”

Hogan loved golf. Gretzky loved hockey. Enduring successes in all fields come from people who love what they do enough to persist in their practice until they achieve mastery, grace, and excellence.

What DO you love?

The Most Painful, Creative Act Of Life

What brings you most fully alive and engaged? What gives you juice? What do you MOST want to create?

If answering these questions is difficult, you are in good company.

Business expert Sir Geoffrey Vickers said, “Learning what to want is the most radical, the most painful, and the most creative art of life.”

Three reasons get in the way of knowing what you truly want.

* First, we focus on what is second, third, or tenth most important because we’re afraid to fail at what’s most important.

* Second, when asked about passion, many are quick with “YEAH, BUT…” comebacks.

People say, “I know what I am passionate about, BUT I do not know how to do it.”

Or, “I do not have enough time. Or money. Or confidence.”

Or, often, “Yes, I want that, BUT somebody or something always gets in my way.”

Is that you? Or someone you know?

* If so, a third reason knowing what to want is difficult might be because you often work out of a “fixed” mindset.

If you operate out of a fixed mindset, you may dismiss what you want most as a pie-in-the-sky impossibility. “Yeah, that’d be great, but . . . I could never do it.”

The motivational energy created by the “Yeah!” is instantly negated by the “but….”

With no energy, there is not action, no results, and no success.

You Mindset And Success (Or Lack Of It)

In her new book, MINDSET: The New Psychology of Success, Stanford professor Carol Dweck identifies 2 different mindsets (or belief structures) that play critical roles in whether we succeed at what matters to us, or not.

The Fixed Mindset

People working with a FIXED mindset believe their intelligence, talents, and ability to create results that matter are fixed.

You have them, or you do not. Nothing can be done to change fixed traits.

Because they believe their traits and abilities are fixed, people with fixed mindsets focus on proving they are talented by demonstrating what they do well.

They hide weaknesses. They are afraid to fail or look foolish, so they close themselves to practice and learning. They fail to grow their talents and abilities.

They fail to achieve the success the desire.

The Growth Mindset And Success

People with a GROWTH mindset believe their intelligence, talents, and ability to create can be developed through passion, practice, and persistence.

They do NOT have to prove they are smart or able. They are not afraid of looking foolish if it will lead to learning.

They risk failing because they know growth and change are possible, and failure is useful feedback.

For people with a growth mindset, it is not about grooming an image. It is about learning what it takes to create what they most want.

Growth mindset people are passionate about the results they want to produce, AND passionate about learning how to create them.

They believe passion-driven practice and persistence lead to improved abilities, increased talent, and successful results.

Here is the good news. You can learn to work from a growth mindset.

If you embrace a growth mindset, you will likely create success beyond that which you have been able to create so far.

Embracing A Growth Mindset

Managers who learned the growth mindset in 90-minute workshops succeeded in shifting from fixed to growth mindsets, and sustained their results.

In workshops, they read an article and watched a video about how the brain changes and grows with learning. Then they were asked to do 4 things:

* List 3 reasons why it is important to think that ability can be developed;

* Recall an area where you developed an ability, and explain how you made that change;

* Email a hypothetical protégé about how ability can be developed, and

* Bring to mind times when you saw someone learn to do something you did not think the person could do, and think about how that happened, and what it means.

If you want to succeed at what matters, I suggest you try these four techniques yourself. And do not just do them once or twice and quit.

Keep at it until you notice yourself changing, and then keep at it until the growth mindset becomes your new go-to habit.

When it does, you will be able to tap into the awesome power of passion, through practice, and persistence. You will be able to harness your time and effort in the service of your deepest desires and highest aspirations.

Confident that you can learn what it takes to make your dreams a reality, you will be much more likely to put in the persistent practice to successfully do so.

I doubt the success you long for will take 10,00 hours. But if it does, it will be worth it.
Bruce Elkin is the author of 3 books, and an internationally known Personal, Professional,
and Organizational Renewal Coach. Get his eNewsletter at http://www.bruceelkin.com/free.html
For more info, visit http://www.BruceElkin.com and http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com

FHA Loans- Affordability Solutions for First Time Homebuyers

“FHA” and “First Time Homebuyers” are real buzzwords as far as home buying is concerned…especially when those terms are used in combination. Many readers I’m sure have heard the “FHA loans
are great for first time homebuyers” street talk, but without detailed, supporting information as to why.

The intent of this article is to quantify the features of the FHA loan, both good and bad, and discuss the circumstances under which it’s a beneficial program to the homebuyer (either first, second, or third time homebuyer).

First, FHA stands for Federal Housing Authority, and though the phrase “FHA loan” implies otherwise, the FHA does not lend money. Rather, the FHA insures the loan. The money still comes from the
lender selected by the borrower, but the FHA now provides an insurance policy to protect the lender in the event of borrower default. With this insurance, the lender has less risk, and so guidelines are less restrictive than with conventional financing.

The reader should be aware that FHA is completely different from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (otherwise known as GSEs, or “Government Sponsored Entities”). There has been a lot of buzz
recently about Fannie and Freddie, but these entities, and the associated loans, are completely different than the FHA.

Recent events in the credit markets have made the FHA loan a true affordability solution for buyers. In fact, it is this author’s opinion that without the availability of the FHA loan, there would be very few people buying houses these days.

In mid-December of last year, a report began circulating amongst all the direct lenders citing “counties of declining market value” throughout the country. This report placed counties in one of 3 categories:

1) par (little or no depreciation in home
values),

2) soft (significant depreciation)

3) distressed
(extreme depreciation). Since that time, the report, and the
consequence to lending guidelines, has been revised and updated.

Where things currently stand is that lenders mandate a 5% LTV reduction for soft market, and a 10% LTV reduction for distressed markets. LTV stands for “loan-to-value”, and refers to the
maximum amount of financing (as a ratio to the sales price) the lender will allow. So, for example, if a loan program in a “par” market allowed 90% financing, that same loan program in a distressed market would only allow 80% financing.

Since most counties in major metropolitan areas are on this list, hefty down payment requirements are placed on borrowers purchasing homes in these areas. On average, this means 10% down payment requirements in par markets, 15% down payment requirements in soft markets, and 20% down payment requirements in distressed markets.

But this is where FHA loans provide a saving grace. FHA loans are not subject to this “LTV reduction”. Rather, it is only the non-government loan programs (ie Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac)
subject to this constraint. Further, FHA loans allow up to 97.75% LTV (so 2.25% down payment). On a $450,000 home in a soft market, this means the borrower only has to put down $10,125 instead of
$67,500 on a non-government loan.

The other major benefit of the FHA program is the reduced credit requirements. Whereas non-government loans require credit scores of 700+, the FHA loan accepts credit scores as low as 640.

Is there a catch to all this? Somewhat. The FHA loan carries a mandatory Mortgage Insurance Premium of 1.5% of the loan amount that must be paid at settlement; on a $400,000 loan, 1.5% would
be $6,000. This will change to 1.25-2.25%, depending on the borrower’s financial strength, when the new FHA guidelines are released July 14, 2008.

However, even with the 1.5% Mortgage Insurance Premium, the total “down payment” required from the buyer (2.25% + 1.5%= 3.75%) is less than with a non-government program (10% in a best case
scenario). True, the additional 1.5% fee is not going towards equity, like a down payment, but the total out-pocket expense is still less.

Another “catch” to the FHA loan is that, assuming the borrower does the 97.75% financing (or at least anything above 78%), the borrower will have to pay Monthly Mortgage Insurance (MMI). MMI
is similar to PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance on non-government loans). However, the MMI payment of 0.50% of the loan amount is slightly less than a PMI payment would be for the same loan amount.

But is MMI or PMI really a bad thing? Before January 2007 it was, since it was not tax deductible. But as of January 1, 2007, following the “Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006” which President Bush signed into law, mortgage insurance premiums are now tax deductible. Before this time, buyers wanting financing in excess of 80% got a second mortgage to avoid MMI or PMI (and 2nd mortgages, when used for a purchase, are tax deductible). But with the new tax law, the mortgage insurance premium carries the same tax benefit as a second mortgage. Thus MMI can be thought of as a “second mortgage”.

And lastly, another “catch” to the FHA loans is they do take slightly longer to process. The reason is that there is more paperwork, steps, and procedures for the lender to go through then with non-government programs. In total, this means about 10 extra calendar days to the process, so 35-40 days instead of the usual 25-30. What I tell homebuyers making an offer on a home and planning to use FHA financing is to simply request a 40-45 day escrow instead of the usual 30. In this market, with sellers eager to sell, this is never a problem.

And those are the “catches” to the FHA loan, but minor if not insignificant in this author’s opinion. Truly, the only real thorn in the “FHA rose” is the 1.5% Mortgage Insurance Premium. And for borrowers that have the assets to afford a 15%+ down payment, I tell them to use conventional financing, so they can avoid this Mortgage Insurance Premium (and also qualify for a better rate with the larger down payment).

Speaking of rate, the reader may be envisioning a monster rate for the FHA loan. But the rates are in fact quite modest. As of mid-may, wholesale rates on an FHA loan with 97.75% financing
(2.25% down) were about 6.00%, compared with 5.625% on a conventional loan with 80% financing.

Thus, with the 15-20% down payment requirements of conventional loans for houses in “areas of declining market value”, FHA loans are a great resource for home buyers unable to afford these large
down payments. And since the FHA loan limit has been raised as high as $729,750 in some areas, the applicability is even broader. Yes, there are a few “catches” to the FHA loan, but overall the pros outweigh the cons for the borrower with limited assets.

Jared Martin is President and CEO of GOTeHomeLoans, Inc., an
Upfront Mortgage Broker Firm serving CA, DC, MD, VA, and PA.
Questions and comments can be emailed to Jared at jaredm@gotehomeloans.com http://www.gotehomeloans.com/